Baby girl E

Baby girl "E" is here! Her mom is a wonderful photog and didn't need the standard newbie shots. So we did a lifestyle family/newborn shoot, which is my favorite. I prefer the candid, tender moments versus a lot of props. I absolutely love these photos! Nothing sweeter than seeing first time parents cuddle their new baby. It's a moment in time that I wish we could just freeze. And how about that October light coming through the trees! It's perfection. Love this time of year! Congrats to Karen and Andy and soak up those newborn cuddles!

Baby Lila

My childhood friend Jamie contacted me to capture her baby girl's newborn photos as well as a few family shots. I did big brother's newborn pics a couple of years ago and it was so good to see this adorable family again. We had some challenges with this session: crazy weather which came on suddenly and brought a lot of wind, as well as a newbie that didn't want to sleep! So we ended up doing day 1 and day 2 photo shoots. I'm glad we did- because day 2, we had nice, warm weather & we captured some amazing photos of baby Lila. She went into that milk coma that us photogs really love :) I always make sure my clients are happy- even if that means meeting up 2 different days!

Crissy + Chris maternity

One of my best friends, Crissy, is adding onto her family and this time it's a girl! If you know Crissy- you know how perfect she would be as a mom to a baby girl! So I think everyone was so happy to find out she was on TEAM PINK! Big brother Chad is going to be so awesome too! The purple color scheme she picked out was so pretty and she truly rocked that dress! I wish I had looked this good in my 3rd tri! Congrats to you guys and can't wait to meet baby C in October!

The Colby family

I did not take on many sessions towards the end of my pregnancy... which was also the same time of the year as mini session madness. AKA holiday photos! But I did venture out to take my good friend Crissy's family photos. I wanted to mix it up and do a different location so we used the St. Augustine Lighthouse grounds. It is absolutely gorgeous out there with the crooked trees, brick walls and of course, the black and white lighthouse backdrop. How about that yellow color scheme? Loved it! These are definitely some of my new favorites.

Family mini session

One of my old co-workers from a few years back contacts me every 2-3 years for updated pics of her and her 2 boys. Seeing them grow up from their "tween" years to their teens has been

really neat. I especially love photographing these guys because they are so so silly and make us all laugh. Those are the best photos! Enjoy!

Holidays are upon us...

It's that time of year.... the mom in the family starts to visualize the family holiday card and then they call ME! Yay! As hectic as it can be with scheduling the sessions, hours of editing afterward, and trying to balance my own life, I do love this time of year. I love seeing all of the nicely coordinated outfits that are put together and I love seeing how much the kids have grown in the last year. It's truly amazing and I love it. Enjoy this sneak peek of the 1st family for the holiday season!

The "C" family - beach session

After doing a mini session with little Miss Peyton, we also did a family session on the beach. It's always great to kick off the shoes and get a little wind in the hair. I love how these turned out- we had such pretty evening light and I took advantage as best I could! I can always count on great outfits from this family - Terri knows how to coordinate nicely! Enjoy!

The "C" family

This was a fun photo session- Mary was turning 5 and Jayson was just about to leave on a 6-month deployment. Perfect time to do a family session. Mary had the gorgeous cluster of balloons and I insisted we use them for the session- it was one of those props that I've always wanted to use in photographs. I LOVE how these turned out! Enjoy !

Mini sessions- make up day

I offered a make up day for mini sessions- a few of the families had sick kids, or were scheduled for a day when it rained (Sweet Shop mini session day). I always want to be sure all my clients are happy so of course I offered a rain date! I did these at the Lightner Museum and the Mission Grounds. Enjoy ! aren't these kids precious? Red always turns out so pretty in pictures! Love the personality of this family coming thru with their Cowboys gear!

The "E" family

I did a fun family session with the "E" family in downtown Jacksonville. We tried a few new locations and I must say... I'm very happy with the results! They wanted a more urban feel to their photos and I think their color palette really set it off. Orange just gives such a POP to the photos don't ya think? Enjoy the pix! Can't wait to get my Christmas card from this family!

Session at the beach

Our dear friends from Ohio come to visit us each summer; while they are here, we take them to various places for some Florida fun. This year we took them to Ginnie Springs which was wonderful! And of course my hubby took them fishing several times. My hubby is quite the captain and they caught lots of fish, i.e. tarpon and red fish. They were thrilled! On the last evening of their trip, we took advantage of the glorious late summer light and did a session at St. Augustine beach. The beach was packed with tourists and locals just enjoying the beautiful night. I love how the pictures turned out. And I think they went home with a nice souvenir too :) Aren't their red-heads the cutest?? Fiesty, those 2.

Cannon family

Amongst all of the craziness during my mini sessions, I was contacted by Terri who wanted a full session with me. She knew that her little one would be a typical toddler and we would need every bit of the 1-hour to capture as many good shots as possible! I met them at Alpine Groves and we had fun running around and playing. Little Peyton is just as gorgeous as can be. I was in awe of her itty-bitty Tiffany & Co jewelry! Heck, I don't even own any Tiffany jewelry. Yes, I am jealous of this child. I hope to work with this charming family again very soon! Enjoy.

Last round of mini's

On Dec. 5, 2010 I wrapped up my Holiday Mini sessions with my final 5 families. It was another glorious day at Walter Jones Historical Park, with lots of great shots. Isn't that afternoon light gorgeous and aren't all the families so cute?! I had the joy and privilege of meeting 8 NEW FAMILIES/CLIENTS- which I hope to work with for many many years. I feel so blessed! Enjoy!

More mini!

I had a "make up day" for my mini sessions on Dec. 4th. I photographed 2 families at one of my absolute favorite parks, Alpine Groves. It was absolutely a gorgeous afternoon and I had a blast. Royal blue for 1 and purple for the other- what vibrant and excellent choices for family photos, huh?! Enjoy!

Mini sessions Round 2

On November 14, 2010 I hosted Round 2 of my mini sessions- another 4 families at Walter Jones Historical Park. It was another great day, filled with beautiful and beaming families and I was able to get a lot of great shots. Enjoy!

Mike, Bea + baby Steven

Our good friends Mike and Bea welcomed their beautiful baby boy Steven back in the fall and I was the bad friend (and photographer) that forgot to blog about it! Shame on me. I took advantage of their gorgeous backyard and the fall afternoon light to photograph their new little family. I seriously might start hosting sessions in their backyard! :) Towards the end of their session, we allowed their furbabies to join in on the fun. I always love furbabies in photos and look how protective they are of him! So sweet! I am thrilled for them on their new addition and can't wait to see him grow up. Congrats guys!

Mini sessions- Round 1

On November 7 I hosted my 1st round of mini sessions at Walter Jones Historical Park in Mandarin. This was a new location for me and wow! I'm so glad I chose this location. It is stunning with its Oak trees, nature trails, rustic barns and white house w/ green shutters. I loved it so much that I decided to do the rest of the upcoming mini sessions here as well! On this day I photographed 5 families. It was fun but a lot of work. Its hard work being creative! hehehe Enjoy this sampling of photos!

Kraemer family

Last weekend I had a fun session at Guana with the Kraemer family. Michelle came to me as a referral from another client, Marie. Her family has only had studio portraits taken over the years and they really wanted a relaxed, fun, candid session on the beach- and thats where I came in! :) They were a fun and laidback family, with a spit-fire of a son and a gorgeous copper-haired daughter! They were all willing to kick off their shoes and splash around in the water which allowed for some fun and candid shots. Oh- and how gorgeous is mom and daughter with those gorgeous heads of hair? I really enjoyed photographing this family and I'm looking forward to doing Courtney's senior pictures in the spring.

The Blair family

First and foremost, I owe an apology to the Blair family for blogging this so late! I got caught up in the 4-day holiday weekend and just now had a chance to blog this. The Blair family is from my fall mini sessions at the park. The lovely lass in the photos is Melody, my cousin! I was so happy when Melody signed up for the mini sessions, as taking photos of family (and friends) is always fun for me. I had a good time with these guys- they are all so damn photogenic- you couldn't take a bad photo of any of them! Their son, Trent, graduated from high school this past year- I can't believe it- I can remember when he was born! He has grown into quite a handsome and accomplished young man- his parents are very proud of him. One last thing before I share the photos- Melody brought a cute and creative little sign as a "prop" for the holiday photos. "Mistletoe Kisses"- isn't it cute?? We had fun with it. Enjoy the pix!
And if you are planning a party and need a bouncy house, or any concession machines, the Blair family owns Nico Moonwalks. Check it out! www.nicomoonwalks.com

Nadeau family

The Nadeau family was a part of my "fall mini sessions" held Nov. 15th. Marie and I go back a LOOOOOONG ways! She and I took tap and jazz dance classes together at Betty Sullivan's Theater of Dance since around age 6!! We "step ball changed" along next to each other for many years. Then, once we graduated h.s. and quit taking dance, we lost track of each other. We re-connected this year on Facebook (gottta love it!) and turns out, she is happily married w/ a baby boy that is a spitting image of her! Isn't that red hair stunning?? I love red-heads. We enjoyed the time at the park- they were very relaxed and little Jack was running around all over the place, playing in dirt, being a little boy. Enjoy!