Alex and Sam - A surprise Engagement

Not too often does a potential groom arrange for a camera crew and photographer to be there when he pops the question, but in the case of Alex and Samantha that is exactly how it went down. We will post the whole story in pictures later on, but for here are a few portraits that we made after she said yes:

A Year in Review - Competatively

So to cap off a great year in business, Julie has encouraged me to make a blog post that highlights our award-winning images from the past year. We compete at local state and national levels with our images in order to improve our craft. Competition gives you unbiased criticism of your work from qualified judges and also enables you to see the other outstanding work that is being done in the industry. So without further ado I will show you some of the images and tell you what they won.



This first image titled "Invincible" won a merit from the Professional Photographers of America(PPA) and was accepted in to the PPA loan collection. Out of between 5 and 7 thousand images from all over the world, the PPA judges select around 500 to be a part of the Loan Collection each year.



This second image titled "Unbalanced" received a merit from the PPA and also won first place for portrait of a man at the Florida Professional Photographers annual convention and print competition. This convention is very special to Florida Photographers because you get to mingle and exchange ideas with your friends and colleagues from all over the state.



This next image titled "Survivor" is very special to Julie and I because it was created during a Flashes of Hope shoot at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital. Flashes of Hope is an organization that brings together professional photographers with the families of children with cancer to create uplifting portraits for those families. This image received a merit at the FPP Convention and Competition as well as a PPA merit at the national competition and was accepted in to the PPA Showcase Collection which is printed as a hard-bound volume and distributed nationally each year.



Julie's image titled "All Eyes on Me" was a candid shot at a wedding for our dear friends and clients Chris and Lauren. I love this because I feel like it captures that one breathless second when everyone turns around to see the bride. This image won 1st place for photojournalism at the Professional Photographers Society of Central Florida (PPSCF) competition in November.



We captured this image titled "Here Comes the Bride" (totally original title right?) at a wedding we photographed in New Jersey. The little bridesmaid was very excited about her big job that day. This image won 2nd place for photojournalism at the PPSCF November competition.



This is one of those moments you can't plan and one of my favorite images that Julie has ever made. "Glee" won a merit at the FPP competition over the summer and was Julie's first entry in to state competition. This bride, Amanda was captured having a moment of pure glee with her mom right after the wedding ceremony.



"Goooaaaal" is one of those images, unlike "Glee" that requires a lot of setup and several tries to capture. With multiple lights firing and a subject upside-down in mid air, it's easy to see why this image of Julie's received a merit at the PPSCF competition in November and also won 1st place in PPSCF people's choice competition.



We will keep learning and competing so that the quality of our work is always improving. Our clients will always know that we are always working hard to make the most beautiful and meaningful images possible for them. Hopefully 2011 will bring us even more success in competition, we'll be sure to keep you posted.

What Do Our Wedding Albums Look Like? I'm Glad You Asked

One of our favorite parts of shooting weddings is getting the final album ready to deliver to the newlyweds. In the age of digital photography it is easy to forget how beautiful finished prints and albums are. We were packing up Neil and Devin's album to ship to them and I took a few pictures to blog.


The outside wrapping and ribbon is made of recycled material and protects the album from dust and stuff. Plus it looks super fancy.



This cover is an orange suede called "Hollywood Orange". The 11x14 flush mount album and the 5.5x7 mini album have the same cover options. We made this one for ourselves so that we had our own copy to keep!




The mini album is an exact copy of the big book just smaller and press printed instead of chemical. They make great gifts for parents and grandparents.



The hinges are made to lay flat so they won't wear out.



Our album designs are simple and rely on the strength of big, beautiful images laid out cleanly to tell the story of a wedding.





When you get one of these bad boys in your hand it's hard to imagine why anybody would just want a disc with images on it. Those always end up in a shoe box or hard drive limbo. An album like this is something that you will cherish your whole life and pass on to your children. It's easy to lose site of quality and craftsmanship in an age where we can check our email from anywhere and talk to each other wirelessly by beaming phone calls in to outer space. Those things are definitely awesome, but it is important to remember that some of the best things in life take a little time, cost a little more money and last a whole lot longer.

Eric and Kiersten - The Wedding Party - Deerfield Beach, FL

After getting married in Vegas with a small group of family and friends, Eric and Kiersten had a wedding party for all their friends and family to attend here in Florida. Here are a few of our favorite portraits from the day:

Sarah and Tony - Wedding Quick Look

We had a weekend of big weddings and here is the first preview of what we were up to. This was a fun situation for us because Julie was in the bridal party. So to fill in for her the incomparable Matt Radlinski and his assistant Flash Snapman came down to shoot this wedding with me and I have to say, we nailed it. Everybody really gave their best, including the families and bridal party. We will have a whole post of the day coming soon along with our 10/10/10 wedding with Keirsten and Eric. Thanks Sarah and Tony it was a beautiful day, we love you!

Cynthia and Tim Preview - Adventures in The Garden State

We are in and out of town this week but I wanted to pop in and show you some of what we have been up to the past couple weeks while traveling. Theses are a few of the first images from the gorgeous DIY wedding of Cynthia and Tim. Wait till you see them all! Thanks Cynthia and Tim for bringing us all the way to New Jersey to be a part of your wedding, we had a great trip.

September 18th, 2010
Stanhope, NJ

Amy, Dave and Lauren - Orlando Photography

Here is a quick peak at our session with Amy, Dave and Lauren over at Dickson Azalea Park. Now is the time to book a family session so that you can get those cards out in time for Christmas. We will be running a great family portrait special soon for just that purpose. Enjoy!

The Traveling Carnies

We had a great time shooting with our friends the Traveling Carnies. They are a comedy group that has been going for ten years and as a celebration they are performing a live show of their greatest hits and newest favorites this month. Check out their website for more information and to see some of their hilarious work.

www.travelingcarnies.com

A Big Family Portrait - Sneak Peak

Who says we can't do traditional!? When your extended family is on vacation together at Disney World why not have a portrait made for you? This was a really cool opportunity for three different parts of the same family from three different states to get together and we were glad to be a part of it. Just one of the many favorites we have from this session:



Location: The Wilderness Lodge at Fort Wilderness, Walt Disney World

Chris Senior Portraits - The Whole Enchilada

Jocelyn Sneak Peak - Orlando Senior Portraits

We are headed out of town tomorrow so I thought we should give you one more sneak peak before we leave. We had an amazing senior portrait session with Jocelyn this week and as soon as she and her mom get to see the rest of these, so will you. Enjoy:

Chelsie and Jarrid Get Married - Orlando Wedding Photography

Chelsie and Jarrid had a gorgeous wedding at Casa Feliz in Winter Park. The setting was beautiful, the flowers were top notch (thanks Lee Forrest) and everyone was in great spirits. I wish we could blog all their images, but please enjoy a few of our favorites:





























Location: Casa Feliz, Winter Park
Event Planner:Elisa Delgardio from A Flair for Affairs
Flowers: Lee Forrest Design
Entertainment: Junction 88 Productions
Video: Visual Effects
Catering: Arthur's Catering
Dessert: Pure Magic Ice Cream