Thankful

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving (and a great Black Friday)! Ours was wonderful and I'm so thankful for all my amazing friends and family (including the furry, four-footed members!) and all of my wonderful clients. It's been an amazing year and I've been so blessed with so many wonderful opportunities - I just can't imagine life getting better than this!

I've been up to my ears in cookie dough today (pictures coming after they're decorated) and am looking forward to second shooting a wedding for a friend of mine tomorrow. Sunday is cookie decorating day. What a perfect weekend!

Reminder: last day to order holiday prints

A quick reminder that the last day to order holiday prints is Monday, December 1, 2008!

Black Friday Sale!

If you're like me, you love a good sale! And what better day for a sale than Black Friday?

So on Friday only, enter code BF10 at check out to receive 10% off your order of $100 or more! Or, for more savings, spend $200 or more and enter code BF20 to receive 20% off your order. Visit the boutique on Friday to take advantage of this great offer and have your images in time for the holidays!

May not be combined with any other coupon codes or offers. May not be applied to previous purchases. Does not apply to session fees, wedding packages, or gift certificates.

Give the gift of great memories

Just a reminder that I offer gift certificates which can be used for a variety of different things: towards your session fee or wedding collection or towards prints and albums.

To purchase a gift certificate please visit the boutique. For Christmas delivery please order by December 18. Cards are mailed to you or to the recipient of your choice in our unique packaging.

On travel photography and breaking and entering*

Back in May when I was on Hawaii's Big Island, I was tasked with shooting a locally owned farm. I called the owner and set up an appointment to visit the farm on a Sunday - a day when they are traditionally closed. Due to some confusion, the owner was a no show at the scheduled time and unreachable by phone (worth noting was that I had to drive 2 hours each way to get to the farm). This was my last day on the island and I needed to get the shot, what to do? Figuring that I had the owner's permission to shoot and be there - sort of - I engaged in a little breaking and entering*.

Ever wander a 600 acre farm alone? Completely alone? Talk about creepy! The farm was nestled on the slope of a mountain on the east side of the Big Island (past Hilo) and aside from the occasional rustling of wind, the silence was incredible. The neighboring land was all either farms or countryside, so there was truly nobody around! It was beautiful, but I kept waiting for someone to show up and either bust me or scare the heck out of me.

Eventually someone did show up (and I managed not to have a heart attack!) It was the farm manager who was coming to check a finicky water pump on his day off. He saw my car at the foot of the drive and called the owner on his home number (which I didn't have) and they figured out what was going on. The manager found me wandering the farm and gladly helped me get the shots that I needed.

Entertainingly, the magazine ran only one small shot in the story. Such is life, right? Check out the December 2008 issue of ISLANDS Magazine to see the shot!

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*This involved ducking under a swing arm gate at the head of a drive way and pretending I didn't see the huge "No Trespassing" sign. I didn't enter any buildings, merely wandered the grounds, taking photos. I did have my editor on speed-dial and a promise that he'd bail me out, should I get hauled away to the pokey.**

**Yes, I said pokey. Jail, prison, the clink, whatever you want to call it.***

***But honestly, if you're gonna be in jail somewhere, there are probably worse places than Hawaii.

Reminder: last day to order holiday cards

A quick reminder that the last day to order holiday cards is Monday, November 24!

November 22 - Soft and Waggy Tails and Hawgs n' Dogs!

Swing by Seminole Harley on Saturday November 22 for Soft and Waggy Tails and Hawgs n' Dogs! From 10am - 3pm Seminole Harley teams up with Seminole County Animal Services to promote awareness and raise funds for the adoption of animals. There will be some fantastic vendors and an awesome pet fashion show! Come check it out! And, if you're feeling saucy while you're there, it's also a Harley Demo Day, so take a test ride!

Bonnie & Scott are getting married!

I had so much fun photographing Bonnie & Scott last night! It was a little on the cool side (for Florida) but they were troopers and we had an absolute blast. Here's their sneak peek!

Mmm...flare

Veronica & Ryan's Grand Bohemian wedding

I had a blast second shooting Veronica & Ryan's wedding for my good friend Jaime Smith of Couture Weddings. Stacy of SLN Studios was also on hand to help out! We had a great crew and honestly, you can't ask for a more gorgeous venue than the Grand Bohemian!

I caught Jaime's flash in this shot and I adore the added bit of drama it gives to this ceremony shot!


Organized Jungle did a fantastic job with the flowers!




YUM!


A perfect end to a beautiful day!


Jaime took a group shot of her, Stacy, and I at the end of the night - I can't wait to see how worn out we look! LOL

Guess who I saw today?

Yep, Santa! He took a few hours out of his super busy schedule to swing by Embarq's first annual Canine Cancer Awareness Pet Fair today at Doctor's Dog Park in Apopka. We sold plenty of adorable pet photos, like this one, with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Thanks to Embarq for a fantastic event and for the volunteers that handled the on-site printing for me!

Fondue: $50



Celebrating your 6th Anniversary in the company of Big Al the Moose?: Priceless


Last night the hubby and I went to Colorado Fondue Company to celebrate our anniversary (which is actually today). We ate. And ate. I'm sure feeling the fondue hangover today.

6 years feels like the blink of an eye and a lifetime, all at the same time. Love ya babe!

Get your pet's photo taken with Santa!

For a small donation to the American Cancer Society, you can get your pet's photo taken with Santa at the Canine Cancer Awareness Fair! I'll be there snapping away for this great cause. Other events include a pet costume contest, vendor booths, and a veterinarian discussion on the warning signs of cancer.

Saturday November 8, 2008 from 10am-1pm at the Doctor's Dog Park, 21 N Highland Ave, Apopka. Admission is free and dogs must be leashed!

In Print: ISLANDS Magazine November 2008

Memories of Maui! A story and shot from my recent Maui trip was just published in the November 2008 issue of ISLANDS Magazine. We had a blast at the Surfing Goat Dairy and it was such a fun story to do!


Also, a small story about my trip to Hampton Island ran in the same issue.

The shot at the bottom is mine. The thumbnail at the top is by another photographer, Bob Krist

And an image and story of the gorgeous Cayo Espanto from my tropical storm trip to Belize.

The shot on the left is mine. The shot on the right of 9 Beaches is by another photographer, Gary Bogdon.

Castillo de San Marcos

Had to head up to St. Augustine today to take care of some family business, so the hubby and I decided to make a day of it. After we took care of what we had to, we headed over to Castillo de San Marcos and wandered around. I may have become a teeny, tiny bit obsessed with the old cannons! The turquoise color is pretty much straight out of camera (just a slight contrast boost) - it's caused by oxidization of the metal.

I think this one is my favorite