Did you know that cypress trees have some of the most beautiful fall

colors of any tree. The leaves are lacy and the shape

of the tree is symmetrical. Just look for them around bodies of water -

these shots were taken around Lake Lilly in Maitland about

a week ago. So even though we live in sunny Florida, we

can definitely include fall color in our photos.

My model on this day was a beautiful senior whose family is

from India. She brought great clothes including a beautifully

colorful native costume which was gorgeous with that fall foliage.

Love urban sessions and little downtown Winter Park - you know,

the old parts - are a haven of great places to shoot.

Most the time, you are trying to avoid all the shoppers

and browsers but Sunday mornings are pretty quiet.

We started about 9:00 and it was a bit cool - my so-cute senior

was not bothered at all. She dressed in her fav things and off we

went. We made a big circle which included garden areas, neat old buildings

and the famous train station. Loved her eyes and her hair - she was the

best! Thanks for looking and come back soon - I will be

posting a bunch in the next few days!

One more quick senior and my posting for the day is complete!

Families are so fun to photograph and I had them all

for this session - including their adorable little puppy! All the girls,

mom included were so cute and ready to hop in front of the camera.

It was B's day though and she lit up the place. She is a bit up for

anything and I tried out some textures on a few of her proofs -

I'm sure I need more practice! She has a great look - loves her clothes

and I hope the whole family is pleased!

Things have been amazingly busy with the holiday season coming up

and senior season at it busiest! Love all the activity but

I am a bit behind in posting here. Its been mostly slide shows but

hopefully I'll get a few family sessions - and some adaorable kids I've

photographed lately up in the next few days - well, weeks?!

Here is very adorable senior. She was gorgeous and great in front

of the camera. Loved her session so much, and M and M, I

hope you love the pictures we got.

She is at home in the water but is stunning on land, too.

I have no idea how these seniors balance school, sports (she loves

water polo and competition swimming) and life in general and

still manage to look so amazing. Loved this girls clothes, eyes,

hair and general attitude. Love the ones of her and her sister, too! I had

so much fun with your family - Thanks.

As promised - here's my other senior from this great Saturday afternoon

session. Love Rollins College and I think photographing on a college

campus reminds high school seniors why they are studying so hard!

Thanks for looking

A few weeks back, I enjoyed a great session with two Lake Brantley

senior guys! They were awesome - both athletes and leaders

at their school and they had been friends since freshman year.

We had such fun visiting and exploring the campus - it was a Saturday

afternoon and there was tons going on!

Enjoy this slideshow of one of them and stay tuned for part two in a few days.

In case you are still planning to get senior portraits done, I can

highly recommend Rollins College!

This was a very favorite session of mine! The weather was beautiful

and this senior and his family were awesome.

We shot the session at the fabulous Maitland Art Center.

Since he is very interested in architecture, it was the perfect place.

Loved that the whole family - including the dog - was there

 to create memories that will last forever. Thanks again, you all, for

a perfect Sunday afternoon!

I was so excited to meet this family! Mom had told me about her two

children in glowing terms and they did not disappoint.

Her little boy was the super charmer and his little sister was

precious and very cooperative - two year olds can often be the

opposite! Dad and Mom stayed cool and looked beautiful throughout.

We started at a neighborhood gazebo

and park then went over to the lake and played on the dock

for a while. We spent some time listening for frog and fish talk!

Enjoy!

I was so ready for a Saturday afternoon urban session and this

one did not disappoint! This senior brought her best friend

and lots of willingness to try anything! We started at Church Street

and worked up the street and on down again - and got so many great shots!

Her gorgeous eyes and beautiful black hair added so much

and I think we both felt like we had just scratched the

surface of all the amazing sites in this awesome city! Enjoy her photos

and make sure to visit Orlando's striking downtown -

hopefully I'll be down there again soon.

 

 

Getting together with busy high school seniors is challenging!

But, mission accomplished a few Fridays ago! This guy, who by the

way has a great look,  came from one practice and had plans

to go to his high school football game. He got home - yep,

we had our session at his house, which I love - about 5:20 and was being picked up

for the game at 6:30. In between, we took pictures, he changed clothes

and his mom gave him dinner! Pretty good, huh.

The proof is in the photos, though, so here's a few of my favorites!

I had a blast photographing his younger brothers, too!

Proud Mom was standing right behind me!

The Springs is one of my favorite locations to go for photo shoots.

I've done families, kids and seniors there and I love, love , love it! I think if

I lived there, I would buy an underwater camera (and  a wet suit!)  and

capture any brave clients who wanted to go for a swim in that

beautiful water.

This senior was fabulous - loved the prom dress and her other clothes, too.

She is a very busy senior - aren't they all - and I was

so happy to be able to spend time with her and her Mom a few weeks age.

Enjoy her show!

 

 

 

With all of our schedules as crazy as they are these days - does the

average American family ever just sit down

and relax together? I had something happen the other day that was just great!

I got an email from a mom who had a Saturday morning session scheduled for her

big house full of boys. She and I were both really looking forward to it!

In her email, she asked me if there was any way we could reschedule their session

for Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. She said she would keep her guys

home from school for a few hours and would then have more family time for the

weekend - a precious thing! She also thought the lake park we

were planning to visit would be less crowded on a weekday morning.

She was right and our session was wonderful and relaxed - and

the guys got to school just a bit tardy.

P.S. If you are a family scheduled for a weekend session, moving to a weekday

morning is definitely an option available to you. I'm happy to do weekend sessions,

but weekday mornings at the park or lake are peaceful, not crowded, and with

great light.  I'm just an email away!

P.S.S. If you are a senior trying to figure out how your are going to find the time to

get senior pics done -how about a weekend afternoon?

You can sleep late, enjoy your day and have a seriously fun session

as the sun goes down!

We met early on a summer day at Riverbend Park - a place

where many kids around this area have spent time as they grew up.

There are many things I love about the park - the 'black water' contrasting

beautifully with the bright green grass, the beautiful woods and that old wooden

bridge is just fantastic! Usually, we wander back into the woods-

looking out for spider webs hanging in the trees, of course! - and get great

portraits back there. There is another OLD bridge going over the

water that I use as well.

 

After we had taken many beautiful pictures, we went back to her house,

which I love to do. That way, we made memories that she

will have forever. Enjoy looking and if you haven't lately, take a trip down to

Riverbend Park.

 Here's one that shows the main bridge - the texture is so great!

One of my favorites! Such a sweet expression.

This was taken on the  diving board at her house

At her front door - beautiful light!

We are all having to balance our finances and I am no exception - that's for sure. You want great senior pics but that budget may be stretched and you may be looking for ways to cut costs. Well, here is a very painless way - be photographed whie you are hanging out with your friends, split the session fee and save real $$$!