That's me, up there, with the brood of boys I live with. They're also my source of inspiration, and my partners in crime. The biggest boy is my husband, who also happens to be my business partner and uber talented super 8mm filmmographer. and the two little ones... we'll they're distraction and chaos, but we adore every second of it. We love traveling all over the country to photograph amazing events and milestones... it fuels my soul to see people fall in love with each other, their babies, their lives. The links up above you can check out my maternity series (when I was pregnant with the smallest one), and find out more about the weddings and sessions we photograph for free (under Giving Back), as well as links to older posts and helpful information. You can also read more about us at our main photography website at www.sugarleafphotography.com
I can’t express enough how much i loved the fact that casey and eric chose to have their ceremony in the morning, and their reception in the afternoon. the weather was incredible, gorgeous oversized umbrellas provided just enough shade, and just enough of the beautiful sky to peek through. Casey created all the table runners and set ups by hand, she was so crafty! guests laughed, broke out into spontaneous song, dined and then wished the couple well as they departed via sailboat. romantic and incredible!
i know, it’s really no fun to be the photographer at weddings. we never get to do anything cool. like take a sailboat ride to the reception. let me rephrase… take my FIRST sailboat ride (ever!) to the reception. it was such a blast. i’m totally hooked. i think i could possibly be a good captain. i’m just not sure that i could ever parallel park a sailboat… so yeah.
so sometimes i shoot a wedding and it is so fabulous that i get completely lost in it. all the sudden 8 hours has gone by, and i have to go home. and on my way home i think… “is this really my JOB? this is what i get PAID to do? i am supporting my family by doing this?” i feel so fortunate that i love what i do this much. AND there has never been a wedding that i have not teared up at, and this one was no exception. as a matter of fact, i’m pretty sure that i had tears streaming down my face during a reading of “i like you because” that a little boy read at the ceremony. HELLO. WHERE IS MY KLEENEX. thank goodness for autofocus. so anyway, Casey and Eric made the wisest decision EVER and had their beach ceremony during the morning. first of all, it’s a photographer’s worst nightmare to have a beach wedding in the middle of the day. super strong sunlight making everyone squint, sweat, get all red and blotchy… and then you get those dark circle shadows in your eyes and under your chin… it’s just not pleasant. and then you have to shoot into the sun.. which is all fine and dandy if you love lens flare (like i happen to) but if you want a couple stunning bright blue sky shots… well sista, an afternoon/evening wedding isn’t for you. so basically, this morning was temperate, a tiny little breeze to cool down just a tiny bit of sun kisses on your skin, and that SKY. that SKY!!!! i couldn’t resist my fisheye lens to get the most out of it. miles of emerald water and blue sky. for a moment i forgot i was just in florida, and thought i was possibly somewhere super exotic.
And, to top it off… they had one of the best receptions i’ve ever been to…
stay tuned for more teasers of the reception tomorrow!
this weeks maternity series is up a bit later than usual because this was my last week of shooting! im officially on “maternity leave” or more appropriately “shooting leave”. im still editing about 10 sessions from the past month. my ultimate goal is to get all of my photos edited and back to my clients before this little punkin pops out! but, with designing a nursery (which we havent even gotten to!) and all the other craziness of expecting a baby, we’ll see if i can achieve that goal!
aside from that, everything is great. i feel great, and i can officially deliver anytime now and the baby will be considered full term. YAY for that! but really though, keep your fingers crossed this nugget cooks for just a tiny bit longer. mommy needs to get some things done before it all hits the fan!
This is just so different from what i normally do that i had to post it. it’s from a shoot in Miami that i did. both of these models wanted something completely out of the box for their portfolios, so we worked with an amazing makeup artist and hair stylist to achieve an edgy feel (to say the least). we worked for very angular poses to show off body lines and toning. it brought me right back to my days in dance!
this year, especially over my maternity leave, we are going to work toward a couple of goals. Both Dustin and I desperately want to give back to our community and our world. we have sketched out plans for all areas of our photography/filmography business to help make the earth a better place. everything from going more green than we already are, to rewarding those who make a significant effort to be good to our mother earth, to people who’ve gone through incredible hardships and come out on top. we want to help, we want to give back, we want to document. this business started because i love doing what i do. I never want to lose that, i want to continue to be inspired on a daily basis by what i see around me, and what i see through my lens. I’ve hinted at a few of these plans in the past couple of months, and more will be revealed when things are set in stone and etched out!
one plan that i CAN announce right now is our participation in One Day On Earth, a global documentary encompassing 7 continents, and every single country. we’re so excited about it!
here’s the premise that was taken directly from the website:
Join us on 10.10.10 for an unprecedented event. Every Nation, 24 hours and You.
Across the planet, documentary filmmakers, students, and inspired citizens will record the human experience over a 24-hour period. By participating in this historic event, you will help capture the diversity of life and culture on this planet. Together we will create a document that is a gift to the world.
One Day on Earth is a documentary and new media project about the amazing diversity, conflict, tragedy, and triumph that occurs in one 24-hour period on Earth. More than a film, One Day on Earth is a multi-platform participatory media project. The flagship of this project is a 120-minute documentary to be released theatrically. Through the One Day on Earth platform we will establish a community that not only watches, but participates.
Dustin will be filming with super 8mm film on our vintage cameras a beautiful wedding of a girl i’m proud to call not only fellow photographer, but friend. Esther Kraus, of esther louise photography is getting married to her sweetheart of a man Jesse on this day, 10.10.10, and i can’t think of a better way to document a huge part of our culture than to submit her wedding. I also can’t think of a better media to submit than super 8mm film. an era gone by, it gives such an amazing timeless quality to whatever you film.
So, we invite you to participate along with us in this amazing effort to document the world in a 24 hour time span. anyone can participate, anyone can upload footage. and who knows, maybe your documentary will be chosen for the final 120 minute feature film that will be theatrically released. get out your camera. film what’s important to you. what would you film if you only had one day to do so?
oh these shots make me so excited for my own little newborn! it is kicking and rolling around inside my tummy as we speak. i have a million shots already planned for this little one.
the best time to get newborn shots is within the first 10 days. i know so much is going on at that time, so little sleep is had, and your busy trying to just navigate being a new mom (or a new mommy again). but if you wait until after the 10 day mark it’s harder to get the sleeping images, and it’s harder to position them into sweet little poses without them waking up. it’s really easier on everyone (baby included!) to get your session in right away. i tell parents to “schedule” a tentative shoot around the due date, and then call me on their way to the hospital/birthing center so we can make sure to nail it down.
i’m also going to start offering photography of the birth as well. i fell in love with the labor and delivery process when i gave birth to my first baby, and although i didn’t have a professional photographer there, i cherish the images i do have. even the bloated, super pale, red-eyed, tear stained, hair soaked pictures. i wouldn’t trade them for all the beautiful pictures in the world.
one of my favorite shots i’ve ever taken. this was shot through a curtain, using a video light for lighting. my camera’s ISO setting was set at a RIDICULOUSLY high setting, all i know is it was higher than 1600, to give it a more grainy, vintage feeling. this image is straight out of the camera, no post processing here. no tweeking, or fake vintage filters, just pure goodness. mmm!!! i could seriously eat it up! this is why i love photography.
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