Be Inspired!

I heard the following quote today from the Director of the UK division of GraphiStudio and it struck my heart. I related to it deeply within my own life experiences and it is for that reason that I share it with all of you...

"In today's age when so many people have images that are just going to disappear onto hard drives never to be seen, this could be the century of forgotten images. And it's only through a physical representation of those in a book, that people in a 100 - 150 years time are going to see something beautiful. And that's what...we're trying to make sure that people remember." ~ Jeremy Price

I have been going through the boxes upon boxes of photographs that I have from my life, and I keep telling myself every year I will organize them and place them in some sort of book... I never have and it's a shame. As I watch those I love fade, a photograph is all I have. And what of the pictures from their lives that I wouldn't know anything about without them here to tell the story? It becomes this lost image and it's so very saddening to me because each image is so very precious. No more though - I am working on a very long and tedious project of my own book of photographs! And it is my goal to make sure those I capture images for will not loose them on a hard drive never to be seen or cherished by their great grandchildren!

I am inspired by GraphiStudio to work harder at my profession on a daily basis to be the best photographer I can be. Why? Because they make such beautiful wedding books that I literally have dreams of photographs I want to take but haven't yet just so they can be displayed in them! I know this may sound odd, but it isn't a promotion for the company - it's a promotion for finding inspiration in everything around us to do what we dream of! I have always had a deep love for books, culture and the olde world, and the visual arts. It makes sense to me to record moments in time as elegantly as possible for future generations to see and share.

I aspire to become better with every photograph I take. If I didn't, I'd never try anything new, never reach new heights, learn new techniques. But my whole life I've known that you learn something new every moment you take a breath only if you are open to the idea of learning... You grow the same way, become ever improved, and with that you inspire others and pass along something worth while into the world. There are no limits to what we can do, share, give, learn, become, if we just pursue our goals with passion every single day! That is what it is to be a passionate person, and I am a photographer of passionate people!

 

Carie + Clyde Engaged!

Carie and Clyde met at work and their love has grown since day one. Spend just five minutes with them and you can just tell. You know when you look at a couple and you can see they are one of those couples that will be flirting with one another until the day they part this earth... The couple that will make it through thick and thin, that share many things, but also have their own unique qualities and know that it is just as important to have time for yourself as it is to have time together... Those are the couples that last, that we all hope to be ourselves. That is Carie and Clyde, and I had a blast at their engagement session!

It rained, no, that is an understatement, it was a flood in the making. When I arrived in Orange Park, there was a storm fast approaching. That storm quickly came and it evolved into what one thinks a monsoon starts as... Rain was coming down so fast and furious I was sure we were done for the day - and we hadn't even started yet! But something told me to hold out a bit - and sure enough, we went on with the day as planned, with a little detour, and we managed to have the beach all to ourselves - well almost. It was a beautiful day and I couldn't have asked for a better couple to spend it with! And I'll tell you a secret, they are just as cute together in real life (and a ton of fun) as they seem in these pictures!

Rings and Things

There is a story behind every detail... If you are to look at my own wedding pictures, the tables are made up with things that remind me of home. Blue hydrangeas like the ones outside my Grandmothers home, green and fluffy moss that grows everywhere there like a glittering emerald carpet... Sea glass like my Grandfather and I would collect on the beach... Blue gems that represent both my mother's and my own birthstone, candles that my mother used to have all over the house when I was growing up, and silver bells like my Aunt collects... All of it reminded me of my Family. And Family to me is so very important.

I was working on dinner tonight and thought, hey, I haven't taken any pictures this weekend... And I was thinking of my family... So I decided to get out my camera take some up close ring shots just for fun. Which to me still seems a little funny to just whip out my camera at home for no apparent reason, but to my husband, the self proclaimed "non photographer" (his pictures rock by the way) he thinks it's perfectly normal for me to be doing this one random Sunday evening... Leave it to him to think I'm normal in any way at all :~) I suppose he'd think differently had I not stopped shooting in time to watch True Blood!

Anyway, about the ring. My Grandmother gifted this ring to me one day, very unexpectedly. I cherish it, and I wear it every day. Garnet is my Grandmother's birthstone, and although we couldn't be farther apart geographically without one of us leaving the States, she is with me always when I wear it. One day I hope to pass along this ring to my grandchild, but more than that, I hope to pass along the strength, the love, and the belief that family means so very much, just like my Grandmother still does for me to this day.

Family and details - these are things that drive my photography. I know that every last detail is chosen for a reason, and it tells a story. Sometimes that story can be about traditions, family, or simply a story about the couples' personality and things they LOVE. And above all things, I believe in LOVE... :~)

Cassie's Baby Shower

It was a journey getting to this day, but Saturday the 21st, Cassie had her first ever baby shower!!! It was a blast. The girls got to play games, eat gourmet pizzas, and have Oreo ice cream cake - because we can! She had so many loved ones there to share in her day, it was truly memorable. After the shower Cassie, her mother, and two sisters, went outside to the courtyard to snag a few pictures of the Fam! And of course the proud Father to be, Alex joined in the fun!