Love - Sarasota Lifestyle Photographer

Love, Connection, Commitment, FUN, GORGEOUS. What more can I say about this amazing couple I had the complete privilege to photograph. We took full advantage of the beautiful weather in Downtown Sarasota and really, just had fun. Michelle and Brent, you are truly an amazing couple. The saying above the door reads: "Living Well is The Best Revenge" - you two certainly live up to that motto. Thank you for spending your Sunday afternoon with me.

"W-Family" - Sarasota Family Photographer

I have had the honor and privilege to photograph the "W" family several times. I did a session with them last Christmas and again when Tate was born. I see these little guys often yet I'm still amazed at the changes from just one year. Thanks for allowing me to document your handsome crew!

Little Princesses - Sarasota Family Photographer

I wast thrilled to photograph the "M" family. You may remember these little cuties from Camilla's newborn session. They sure have grown into quite the little princesses over the past year. Corin is a big helper and Camilla is like a little porcelain doll, only a little busier. It was great seeing you all again.

Baby Eli - Sarasota Baby Photographer

You might remember this sweet little guy from his newborn session. He has grown into quite a sweet little baby with cheeks that I just want to squeeze. Here are just a couple of Eli and his parents from their holiday mini session.

Pure Beauty! - Sarasota Family Photographer

I was lucky enough to photograph this sweetheart and her parents again this year. You may remember her from last Christmas . Well, she has grown into quite the little beauty! Thank you Kelly and Bobby for allowing me to watch your family grow. It's always a pleasure. Enjoy your preview!

Big Time! - Sarasota Family Photographer

I love this time of year. I have a constant flow of deliveries and for me, it's like Christmas morning unwrapping client orders nearly every day of November and December. This week, I had two big canvas deliveries, one 16x20 and one 24x30. My husband, who usually just acts interested because he knows I get excited, actually really was. His comment for the first one (the 16x20) was, "it's great, but...", and my heart sank. He finished with - "it's too small, it needs to be bigger, a lot bigger." I totally agreed. I didn't get any pictures of that one, but did today when I got an unexpected delivery of the 24x30 canvas that was supposed to be delivered to Virginia (it will be making it's way to you Kristen, I promise). I have to admit, I was really kind of excited about the lab's error. Just meant I got to see the canvas, in all it's big, beautiful glory. And, being the person of opportunity, I decided to hang it on my wall.

I have wanted to do a post on this for quite some time. I can't tell you how many times I have clients order 5x7 prints and "Big" 8x10 prints for their walls. Here's the thing, unless you are literally a foot or two away from it, you will not see your image. My clients pay for a custom photography experience. They love their images and want to show them off but are often afraid of ordering big. Instead, they end up with lots of 5x7 that don't do the image justice in most cases. I have the most beautiful clients and, if I don't say so myself, we create some amazing images together of your families. SHOW THEM OFF!

I want to share an image in my own home. This is not how my wall typically looks, I love my work but don't typically display clients on the walls of my home. For reference, this sofa is actually a small, compact one (a little larger than a love seat, but not standard sofa length). If you ever make your way to my home, I suggest you don't ever sit on in. Molly, our 11 year old beagle has made this her personal perch. It is full of dog hair and horribly uncomfortable because she has squashed the stuffing out of the cushions. But, it will serve the purpose for today.

I have listed the print sizes for reference. As a general rule, desk prints (to be displayed on a table top in a frame) are 8x10 and small. That is because it's likely that you will be in close proximity to it. Prints this size can be picked up for closer looks without risking ruining a wall display. Wall prints are prints that are 11x14 or larger. You do not need to be right upon them in order to appreciate the subject matter.

So, next time you question what size print you will need, GO BIG! You won't regret it.

Julia - the Fairy Princess - Sarasota Child Photographer

Meet Julia. She is three and the fairy princess of all things, just as it should be!

Ballerina Fairy Princess...

Sunflower Fairy...

And an absolute master at playing Hide and Seek.

Gone Pickin' - Mine on Monday

I am busy - as in swamped, can't get out of the office for a long, long time busy. But, I had to share this one image. I was tempted to save it for our Christmas card, but it makes me laugh and I just can't wait. She may hate me for it later, but it's a CLASSIC and I love every thing about it. Here's my girl - in all her glory!

F-Family Holiday - Sarasota Family Photographer

I am feeling blessed. I have been quite busy the past couple weeks finishing up Holiday Mini and full sessions. The weather has been perfect, light gorgeous and obviously, some of the most beautiful people around. Here's a quick sneak for the "F" family.

Davis - Sarasota Baby Photographer

I had the pleasure of finally meeting sweet Baby Davis and his parents last week. We tried to coordinate newborn pictures for him back in the summer, but our schedules didn't mesh. So we signed him up for a Baby plan package and I will have the honor of watching this little guy grow over the next year.

At 3-4 months, I like to show off the baby's new skills of holding their heads up and flashing their big, toothless smiles. Davis was a star and made my job easy. We even got a couple sleepy "newborn" poses at the end. This little guy aparently can sleep anywhere, including the middle of a cart path! It was a pleasure meeting you Jamie and Spenser, I look forward to documenting Davis's milestones!

Mine on Monday - Sarasota Family Photographer

We celebrated the end of a VERY busy week full of Tee-Ball, Student of the Month breakfast, Fall Celebrations, Storybook Parades and several dance performances with Trick-or-Treating on Friday night. Our neighborhood is a five mile circle, with many undeveloped lots. So, in order to get to the most houses efficiently, the neighborhood puts on a hayride for the kids. The parents follow in a large golf cart brigade. I LOVE this tradition. We can go out with the kids and, if we didn't have the support of our parents, we could still also give out candy, since the kids all come in mass. Madelyn decided to dress as PINK Minnie Mouse (again, she was also Pink Minnie two years ago). Thomas was a Rays baseball player (what a shocker!) and Caroline was a lady bug. I decided to go as a Pink baseball player in an attempt to please both big kids. Bjorn was a traditional Scottish golfer. We had a blast.

The weather started off rather warm, but ended with a nice cool breeze and an AMAZING sunset! I attempted to process this picture using my usual steps; however, it was too good SOOC (Straight out of the camera)!


We attempted to lay fairly low the rest of the week-end. I did manage to get a few pictures of my little pumpkin on Sunday. I can't it's already November and she's 14 months old!

Jensen - Sarasota Newborn Photographer

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing sweet, sleepy newborn baby Jensen. He has the most precious spikey hair and was an absolute dream to photograph. I had the help of beautiful and sweet big sister Esmee in setting up and even snapping a few pictures. She couldn't' give enough kisses to her new little brother. The love in this family radiates and is an inspiration to those around them. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!

Maci - Sarasota Baby Photographer

While the rest of the country is well into fall, bundling up in layers, we continue to enjoy the sunny, warm temperatures in Sarasota. While I am looking forward to the cooler weather, I was happy to embrace the last days of summer for this session. You might remember Maci from her "sitting" session back in June. Well, Maci has done a lot of growing and is now on the move.

She is completely smitten with her mom and dad.

She has some new teeth to show off

She's on the move, but like most babies her age, not real sure of the grass.

Finally, did I mention her deep, love for watermelon. I have never seen a child, let alone a baby, put down watermelon like she did. And, check out her baby blues. Not enhanced - hers are the real deal!

Thank you Beth and Travis for sharing these milestones with me. Looking forward to documenting the next one.

Mine on Monday - Sarasota Child Photographer

Thomas started playing T-ball this month on a team with 8 other three and four-year olds. They are playing in a league through the YMCA, their team is called the Little Sluggers. He eats, drink, sleeps and plays baseball, so this is huge for him. Here is a slideshow with some images from his first game. He had some great hits, ran the bases, got a couple balls (and got tackled in doing so).

Mine on Monday - Sarasota Baby Photographer

Found! I thought I had gotten rid of all of Madelyn's baby clothes after the 6-12 months size. But, after further investigation, I found a bunch of cloths in the next sizes up. JACK-POT! Too bad I discovered it after a trip to Baby Gap and Gymboree earlier that day. Oh, well. Anyway, in the batch of clothes was this pair of overalls. I admit, they are a bit "Bumpkin", especially without a shirt. I may be a little biased, but I couldn't stand how sweet Caroline looked in them. I had to go out and get just a few pictures. Here are the results.

She's pretty happy and proud of the outfit.




Then she discovers the "berries" on the plant. They are so not berries and are quite poisonous. I watch her closely.


This was after I told her "no" when she attempted to eat them.

F-Family - Sarasota Beach Photographer

They say that the Third time is the charm. Well, it was certainly true in this case. This was our third trip to the beach, in attempt to capture the "F" family. We were completely rained out the first two times by the infamous Florida summer afternoon thunderstorms. We weren't risking it this time and went for a sunrise portrait session instead. Getting three children under three and a teen-ager out the door for anything is a challenge, but getting to a portrait session with clean, happy children is monumental! I think your efforts paid off. Enjoy your sneak peek!

First - Sarasota Child Photographer

Our family has certainly had it's share of firsts this week. Madelyn, decided she was finally ready for her FIRST haircut! You read that right - first hair-cut at five! She decided, after watching me get my hair cut several weeks ago, that she was finally ready. She has been watching her brother get his hair cut here for 2 1/2 years. She had planned out the scenario in her head many, many times. We've even had specific milestone where she said she would be ready to get it cut. Not until she was five; after her dance recital because she needed a bun; after Preschool was over. The dates kept coming and going. But, the list of requirements never seemed to change - Sitting in the purple jeep, getting to watch a DVD, and picking out a Lolly Pop were VERY, VERY critical elements in Madelyn's first haircut experience.

So, when, I asked her when she wanted to get her hair cut this week-end, I was shocked to hear "on Monday". I made her appointment and off we went to Lil Divas and Dudes Salon. We had talked about her donating her hair to Locks of Love in the past. I showed her their website and she watched me get mine cut for the cause. I left it up to her to decide. She told me she was ready to help kids who didn't have hair. I honestly couldn't hide my tears of pride. My sweet little Madelyn got a good 12" of her blond curls cut today. She suddenly looks so much older and she is as proud as can be.

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"R" Family Vacation - Sarasota Beach Photographer

I know I say it seems like I say this often, but I truly feel blessed to have been a part of the "R" Family vacation memories. This is one of my very favorite sessions to date. Photographing a family with four children ages six and under, including 17 month old twins could have been a challenge, but this session was an absolute blast. The entire family relaxed and embraced the experience, including a benchmark first time at the beach for the twins. Big brothers jumping the waves and getting sandy and wet before we even started our session might have sent some parents into a fit, but Kristen and John embraced every aspect of childhood and we were really able to capture true lifestyle images. Thank you for the privilege. It was fantastic seeing you Kristen and meeting your lovely family. Enjoy your sneak peek.

Me on Monday -

For nearly six years now, I go through phases that are clearly related to pregnancy and having young children and babies. When I'm pregnant, my normally unmanageable, frizzy hair becomes fuller, thicker and, a little less frizzy. I swear, I don't lose one strand of hair when I'm pregnant. Then, I give birth and several months later, start the lovely phase of massive shedding (trust me, that is the understatement of the decade). Add to that a baby that is either pulling my hair, holding onto it for support, or using it as a lovey on good days and as a burp cloth on others. I end up wearing my hair pulled back into a pony tale and severely lack any sort of fashion or style. This results in the need for a major hair cut and make-over.

So, for over a year now, I've been been growing out my hair. I expected the same results and planned ahead to get it cut once I had at least 10 inches. Why ten you ask? Well, that is the minimum amount that can be donated to Locks Of Love, an organization that uses the donations to make wigs for children suffering from hair loss. In doing my research for donation requirements, I also came across Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Hair donations to Pantene's organization go to women fighting breast cancer. The requirements for Pantene are actually a little less (only 8 inches are needed for them). With that in mind, I decided I was ready NOW!

So, on Saturday, Madelyn accompanied me (and played the role as Event Photographer) to the salon to get my cut. She has also been growing her hair out. In fact, in 5 1/4 years, she's never had a real hair cut. It is my hope to encourage her (and many of you) to do the same. So, here I am...

Christmas in July ~ Holiday Specials

It's hard to believe it's time to be thinking about your Holiday session when it feels like 100+ degrees out. But, I'm already starting to get inquiries and my scheduling is filling up. Please contact me for questions and to schedule your 2010 Holiday session.