I was so excited to meet Heather, who I’ve been chatting with on Facebook for awhile now! She actually participated as a client in Images for a Cure this past fall, hiring local photographer Jessica Liane to photograph her beautiful family! But seriously, if I was Heather and Kevin, I’d be taking more pics of her adorable little girls, too! They are the most precious little bits of blonde hair and flowers!

Thank you, Heather, for being so patient with my crazy schedule lately! Please give Taylor and Ella the biggest hug for me, and I promise they can come back anytime to hang out with the chickens!

Ella was getting a little restless….. but the next 2 pics are some of my favorites

Then we took a quick detour for some gorgeous portraits of Heather

And more excitingly (is that a word?), Friday celebrates my ONE YEAR anniversary in business!! I cannot believe how amazing this year has been – getting published in Southern Weddings, Dujour Magazine, Orlando Style and traveling to some of my favorite cities in the country (Miami, LA and San Francisco), plus my first international wedding – I never could have imagined my business would have taken me to some of the things I only dreamed about. I can’t begin to thank my amazing friends, family and clients for their never ending support. And before this starts to sound like an Oscar speech, I’ll let you see some of the awesome shoots I’m working on! I’ll be blogging these in the next few weeks…. can’t wait to share them!

See everyone next week with lots of blog goodness!!

Sue and Daniel – San Francisco Engagement Session

Jen and Mitch – Royal Crest Room, Orlando Wedding

Asia Cruise – Pop Sensation

Josh Bales – Country Singer/Songwriter

Melissa is a pint sized photographer from Chicago, and at 4 feet, 11 inches (and a half), she is the perfect blend of tiny meets talented. Her husband, Michael (who she affectionately refers to as “Giant”) is 6’5″ and one of the sweetest guys ever! I didn’t realize how much we had in common until I spent the day with them, and I am so happy to have them as friends, and now clients!

I started out with some of my favorite photos – the “Project” shots, then we went outside to do some couples photos, and lots of killer new portraits of her! I asked her to hang out for a bit so I could test my first attempts using a ring-flash, so we ended with some fun, funky fashion shots!

Even though she was on vacation, I was so honored that she gave up a whole day to come work with me I adored meeting Melissa and Michael and can’t wait to see them again!

If you’re in Chicago, check out Melissa’s work! And if you’re a photographer near Chicago, you’ll want to check out her fan page for info on her trash the dress workshop groups!

Melissa’s Website |     Melissa’s Blog |    Melissa’s Facebook Fan Page

Um, you can’t come to me, from Chicago, for pictures, and NOT take photos in front of THE yellow wall! We had lunch there first

These next 2 are some of my absolute favorites from the day!

So then we picked up my rented ring flash and jumped back in the garage to play!
This first shot was an “oops” photo. My camera wiggled a bit, so you can actually see the inside of the ring flash on the right. But I love it!

I can’t stress how important it is to work with a wedding coordinator for your event. Most have packages at every price point, from full coordination, budget planning and securing vendors, to just having day-of coordination. I’ve never known any bride that has regretted the decision to work with a coordinator, and it always makes the day so much calmer for the bride, groom and guests! Not to mention, they definitely help make my job easy! I love working with brides who have told me that have a coordinator, and, besides hiring me, it’s the best decision you can make!

We started photos around 7pm, so we had this gorgeous soft sundown light, and some golden window light! Ashley, Shannen and I even met a couple of new friends, too!

If you’re getting married in Central Florida, you definitely need to give these girls a call! They’re super talented and super fun! Check out their website here: http://www.anaffairtoremember.net

Meet the team! Ashley, Rachel, Christina, Kristen, Lisa and Shannen!

Ashley Key is assertive and cheerful. Ashley knows exactly what to do and when. She is very on point and is a sensation to work along side and to our team.
She also just got engaged on Saturday! Congratulations!!! Yay!

Kristen Johnson is a fun, upbeat designer. Kristen can visualize events and make them into reality.
She makes each bride feel as if they are one of a kind and making their event unique as they are.
Kristen also just had a gorgeous little boy in June!

Shannen Kykta is fresh and vibrant! Shannen is a pure delight to all of her Brides.
Her main goal is to not only have a successful wedding day, but to make sure that day is flawless.

Rachel Jordan has a creative eye and is always up on the latest trends for Brides. Rachel’s insight is a treasure to our Brides as she is a gem to their company.
Rachel has been busy planning her own wedding this December at the Grand Bohemian, and I happen to know she’s hired a fantastic photographer

Lisa Litton-Bowen is a goal oriented and talented designer. Lisa is the best friend to brides, a great listener and problem solver.
Her attention to detail is sound and her ability to make dreams come true is what makes her one of a kind.

Christina Milazzo is a an excited and eager assistant who shares in the joy that a wedding day brings.
Christina is quick on her feet and happy to assist her brides to see them really enjoy their big day!

Lisa and Kristen have a fantastic group of girls working with them, and it was a joy to shoot their new portraits!
Make sure you give them a call so you can have a fantastic event!

He’s a realtor in Orlando, and a past coworker of mine when I worked for Engle Homes. It’s been great to see him do his own thing, and I’m so proud of everything he’s got going on! I’m also super excited for Lindsey and Jason’s wedding in Longboat Key in October, because Justin is her Man of Honor and I hear he has a showstopping suit

When Justin contacted me about doing his new headshots, we knew we had to push the envelope a little bit and do something dramatic and more fashion-y. We did some more traditional shots during the shoot, but of course I tend to love the more intense side of Justin!

‘Nuff said.

So here are my favorite shots from Justin’s shoot for his new Realtor marketing goodness!