What is it about old pictures? I could sit with boxes and boxes of old pictures and be entertained for hours. Over Easter weekend Nate's parent's brought out a book of pictures from when he was a baby. The pictures were so fun to look at that I called my mom and asked if she could send me some of her favorites of me. I thought that now would be as great a time as ever to prove to you all (with photo evidence) that we we've pretty much been this awesome since birth. See for yourselves...

I LOVE this!


I am fairly certain I still make the same exact face. I think Nate has a picture of it.


He's pretty easily distracted.


I really like to talk.


Please God, let me have a son this cute one day!


I enjoyed fashion, even at a young age. Check out that side ponytail people!

ORLANDO | FLORIDA

Lisa: "I've got balloons in the car. I wasn't sure if you would want me to bring them in"-
Me: "Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!!!"

I have been wanting to shoot a session with balloons for months and so to say that I was exited when Lisa actually brought some balloons to our session would be the understatement of the year. I'm sure I made a complete dork of myself as I flipped out about them. Just look at all the amazing colors she brought! Seriously, I think we may be soul mates. ;)

We're so blessed with amazing clients. We leave shoots all the time, get in the car, and say to each other, "I hope they liked us. I'd like to hang out with them again." And that is one of the best things about what we do, we get to meet such amazing people. Today we got to meet Lisa. Lisa is one of our "Recessions Suck" participants and we are just loving these little mini portrait sessions. Seriously, they are so much fun. And when you have people like Lisa, who are just absolutely stunning, it makes our jobs ridiculously easy. Thanks Lisa, for being so much fun today! We hope to see you again soon. And we'll be finishing your images in the next week or so but for now, here's 5 of our favorites...

This morning I got a sweet email from my good friend, Lauren telling me congratulations and that she had seen one of our weddings featured on The Wedding Chicks today. Excitedly, I clicked on over to the website and sure enough, we are one of the featured photographers today on their lovely wedding blogsite! They featured images from Lindsey & Justin's gorgeous wedding at the Lake Mary Events Center. We love the Wedding Chicks and the work they do each day to create fresh, beautiful, and inspiring posts for all the brides-to-be out there. If you are planning a wedding, or just love browsing wedding sites, bookmark their blog now and be inspired daily!

We were recently added to the Wedding Chicks family and are now a Preferred Vendor in their Central Florida listing. Thanks ladies! We love you, your blogsite, and all the work you are doing for brides-to-be!



*image collage from The Wedding Chicks

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Earth Day Giveaway! Everyone left such great responses that it was impossible to pick a favorite. All of you have such wonderful uses for these little bags and I hope that even if you don't win, you'll go and purchase some for yourself. I love mine and use them all the time! Since we couldn't pick a favorite, we let the random number generator pick for us and #1 Josh & Ashy are the winners! Here is what they said they would use the bags for:

Thanks to earth day, I've been making an effort all day to think of ways I can minimize my carbon footprint this year... and these bags would be a great help! now that I'm a mom, I'm constantly grabbing little tidbits (baby socks, shopping lists, lunch) as I run out the door. More often than not, I end up throwing them in a grocery bag which I later toss in the garbage. Tisk, tisk. I could definitely make good use of a baggu or two!!

Ashley, you'll be receiving an email soon asking for your shipping address and I'll be placing the order this week for the bags! You'll have a peacock and rhubarb coming your way!

For some reason, I've just been feeling down the last few days. A little frustrated, but not at any one thing in particular. Sometimes I feel stuck in my life, even if there is no real reason for me to feel that way, and I just have to either ride it out or figure out how to un-stuck myself. This time, I think I'm just going to have to ride it out. Hopefully it passes quickly.

Today is Earth Day and it's lovely outside. Maybe I'll feel better if I go outside for a while. As soon as this blog post is up I'm going to force myself to go for a run. But first, I thought it might be fun to share with you my favorite, simple, "green" way to be a better consumer and decrease your carbon footprint.

It's... BAGGU Bags!

I don't even remember how I originally heard about these bags but I just love them. They were originally created by a mother/daughter team (how cute is that?) and their small little business has boomed into something amazing! Each of the regular sized bags holds as much as 3 plastic grocery bags and using just 1 baggu bag for a year keeps up to 700 plastic grocery bags out of our landfills! They also come with a tiny pouch that they can be folded up and stored in. They are small enough to carry in your glove compartment or even your purse. They have a rainbow of colors available. So many, in fact, that you could literally color coordinate your bags to your outfit any day of the week! Or, if you're planning a wedding, you could go and be inspired for your own wedding day color palette.

In honor of Earth Day, we're going to give some of these awesome bags away! The winner will get their choice of either 2 regular sized bags or one large bag. (The perfect amount for your weekend trip to the farmer's market!) So head over to the BAGGU site and take a look around. Let us know your favorite colors and what creative things you would use them for in your life. Make sure you leave your email address in the comment so that we can contact you if you are the winner! Nate and I will read over all the comments and pick a winner tomorrow at 2:22pm. :)

ORLANDO | FLORIDA

We had such a great time shooting Laura & Chris' engagement session at their wedding venue, the gorgeous JW Marriot Grande Lakes here in Orlando. We completely clicked right away and had such a fabulous time getting to know them better. We cannot wait to finish the rest of the images but until then, enjoy these five...

This may be my favorite engagement shot ever...






Nate's favorite


Hello gorgeous

SANIBEL ISLAND | FLORIDA

What we do at weddings is an interesting job. We are part artists, part business people, part psychologists, part best friends, part paparazzi, part macgyvers, and sometimes part makeup and hair emergency helpers. Each wedding requires it's own mix of roles for us to play. And then there are those magic weddings where everything falls perfectly into place, the roles mesh into one glorious day of laughter, hugs, magic moments, and "Oh my gosh, let's take a few over here!" camera clicks. This was one of those weddings. We were instantly welcomed and treated like part of the family when we arrived at this remarkable mansion right on the beach. We were like kids in a candy shop as we surveyed the surroundings and our minds filled with the photographic possibilities. I am so excited to work on the rest of the images but for now, here are 10 of our favorites...

My favorite detail shot of the day:


Hello gorgeous Florida Flora!




Lauren's perfect ensemble from The Dressing Room in St. Pete, FL.




Oh Romeo, oh Romeo...






My favorite portrait...

I became a list maker because of my friend Megan. She loves lists. In middle school we would read Seventeen magazine and take all the quizes, jotting down our answers alongside doodles on scraps of notebook paper. We made lists about boys, we wrote a best-selling novela (at least we thought it could become one, one day) and made annual lists of resolutions. Megan instilled in me a love of list making (and color coding) and that has remained with me through all these years. (Seriously, look at my iCal. It's a spectrum of color coded craziness.)

In the beginning of January I decided to make a list- a 101 in 1001 list. It's like new year's resolutions, except you have 2 3/4 years to finish it. And instead of resolutions, they are goals. I think the whole thing has a much more positive vibe and since positivity is something that I am trying to cultivate daily, I figured that this would be a great way to start. Since I made the list, I've crossed 18 items off and this week, I got to cross off one more. A big one:
#64. "Have a wedding image featured in print."

Booyah!

We entered an image in Photo District News' Top Knots 2009 Contest and it was chosen as a finalist which means that it was printed in this month's edition of the magazine. I cannot even express how excited we are to have been given this huge honor. We are so blessed and thrilled and excited and in awe and all, "Break open the bubbly babycakes!" Thank you to Lisa, the bride in the photo for being so ridiculously fun and trusting of us as we explained our idea for this shot. And lastly, to make sure that credit is given where it is deserved, Nate is the one that snapped this photo even though the magazine printed my name instead of our studio name when I submitted it. So everyone tell Nate how much he rocks. ;)

ORLANDO | FLORIDA

It was a little surreal being back at the Rosen Campus. That campus is, without a doubt, the most beautiful college campus I've ever seen. It looks more like a luxury resort than a college. Everything is pristine. Everything is state-of-the art. The last time I was there, I was carrying books and a laptop instead of a camera and a bag full of lenses. The last time I was there I was working toward a degree that had nothing to do with photography. The last time I was there I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. If you would have come up to me and said, "Hey, you'll be coming back here in 2 years to shoot an engagement session for a couple who hired you to photograph their wedding. They'll be one of many couples whom you will do this for. And you'll be doing it for a business that you own and run." I would have immediately laughed in your face, said, "Yeah right. I wish!" and told you that you needed to go take advantage of the free psych counseling back on main campus. So sitting by the big fountain in the courtyard with professional camera gear, a talented (and handsome) partner, and a ridiculously exciting business was a bit surreal.

Carl & Lillian's engagement session is a record for this blog. I don't think I've ever posted this many images from a single engagement session yet. But I can't help it. I just love too many of them! Carl and Lillian are simply too cute. (Check out how well dressed they are!) And were such naturals in front of our cameras. When we first started shooting, Lillian was nervously laughing as she told us that she didn't know what to do. It only took a few camera clicks (and forcing them to make out in front of us) for the two of them to let their true personalities and love for each other show. (Funny how publicly making out helps that happen. Be prepared people! We will make you kiss!) And from then on we got to document what makes these two so perfect for each other. We got to capture the smirks, the nose-kisses, the belly laughs, and the little glances that only two people who are destined to be together can share.

We are so excited to shoot their wedding next month! Let the official wedding countdown begin...

I'm not quite sure why, but I just LOVE these next two...






I LOVE how the soft, minty colors compliment the tender moments in this next series...








"I forgot I was being photographed" moments of laughter like this are the best!




Whatchu doin?


Check out these super hot Gianni Bini heels Lillian rocked...

SAINT AUGUSTINE | FLORIDA

We spent the weekend with family celebrating the Easter holiday and our nephew's 15th birthday. (Watch out ladies...and drivers!) We were up in St. Augustine for linner (lunch+dinner, it's all the rage for family holidays) on Sunday and I took this picture. My mom told me it was "resurrection fern" so I thought it would be a good thing to take a picture of on Easter Sunday. But it wasn't until I got back home and did a search to learn more that I realized how fitting it was, not just to Easter, but to life in general in the world right now...

The resurrection fern gets its name because it can survive long periods of drought by curling up and appearing dead. When just a little water is present, the fern will uncurl and reopen, appearing to resurrect and restoring itself to a vivid green color. It has been estimated that these plants could go 100 years without water and still revive after a single soaking.

I'll spare you my explanatory metaphor and let you just savor the beauty of this little plant for yourself. I am secretly hoping that the next time I am there it is rainy so that I can get a picture of the leaves all lush and open and alive. I love nature.

Welcome to our 150th post! I can't believe I've had that many things to post about! We will have to do something special for our 222nd post. Any ideas? Speaking of 222, I just LOVE when you all send me little notes letting me know that you're 222 days away from your wedding (Woot Woot Megan!) or that your favorite image we took at your wedding is file number 222 (Hey Lindsey!). Keep 'em coming!

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and is having a blessed Good Friday. With a big family weekend ahead, I thought I'd share some personal pictures of the nephews and brag about them for a post. Nate and I don't have kids, or cats, or even a dog, so you get to hear all about our nephews. They are all on Nate's side of the family and are extremely close to their "Unc". There are 3 of them, and they are all quite amazing but this post is going to be about the oldest two who, at 13 and 14 (almost 15, look out drivers!), are old enough to come hang out with us for a few days in Orlando on their spring break from school.

They are both extremely active guys and are into something called Parkour (or Free Running). If you're scratching your heads and wondering if that has something to do with Twitter don't worry, I'll explain.

Parkour is a discipline that is gaining tons of popularity in the states because of movies like Casino Royale. Parkour is a way of moving through an environment as smoothy and efficiently as possible using primarily the ability of the human body. David Belle, one of the originators of the discipline describes it like this, "The physical aspect of parkour is getting over all the obstacles in your path as you would in an emergency. You want to move in such a way, with any movement, as to help you gain the most ground on someone or something, whether escaping from it or chasing toward it. Thus, when faced with a hostile confrontation with a person, one will be able to speak, fight, or flee. As martial arts are a form of training for the fight, parkour is a form of training for the flight". Even if you have no idea what Parkour is, you've probably seen it in some spectacular movie chase scenes thanks to Hollywood. Here is a very popular scene showcasing Parkour in a recent Bond movie: Casino Royale. Since the practice of Parkour is much bigger in Europe, the states are just catching up, but groups are popping up everywhere as the appeal grows. It really is spectacular to watch. Our two oldest nephews are quite talented at it. They asked us if they could go run around downtown and have us take some more photos of them and of course we said yes.

This is them scaling a wall to get on the roof. It took all of 15 seconds.


We thought we'd get one bad-A portrait for Z


This shot was their idea, and I absolutely love it






I just kept telling him, "If you fall, fall to the right!"


You can see the videos they make of their stunts here.


My favorite. Right after he ran up that brick wall, jumped off, and turned around in mid air...


Check out some of their craziest stunts here. Watch "My Jump" and "Vertical Wall Run" first.