Archive for July, 2010

Dustin and I have two dogs, Sadie and Ponder. although there are some times (ok, pretty much everyday at some point) that i get exasperated with their crazy antics (i mean, it gets CRAZY here.  two dogs and two babies ALL under the age of 2 1/2… it’s a wild circus), i wouldn’t trade them in for anything (dogs or children).  Sadie was abused as a puppy, and her jaw was broken. see that snaggle tooth? direct result.  we tease her about it, but i must say, it is quite possibly the cutest snaggle tooth i’ve ever seen. 

A year later we adopted Ponder, our Vizsla, who had been neglected. Chained up all day in the florida heat and elements, his neck raw, injuries to his legs that left him unable to even walk.  He and his brother were both sent to a shelter, but unfortunately it was a shelter with a high euthanasia rate, and his brother didn’t make it in enough time to be rescued by the tampa bay vizsla club rescue.  We took Ponder home last fourth of july, and he’s more a part of our family than i ever could have imagined.

So, if you have recently adopted an animal from a shelter or rescue organization, we want to hear your story.  We will provide a complimentary photography session of three different rescue stories throughout 2011.  In addition, we will also donate 10% of any regular pet session booked in 2011 to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.  deadline is December 31st of this year, so get on it!   how have you changed the life of the animal(s) you have rescued?

As you guys all know, I’ve recently lost my dad to cancer.  Recently as in, 8 weeks ago tomorrow.  Seeing his battle was something i will never forget, something that is burned into my memory. Because I’ve seen first hand how battling cancer can be so confusing and frightening, and how it has the ability to topple your self-confidence, I want to do something to combat that.  I feel that boudoir photography, maybe more than any other type of photo session, helps build someone’s self confidence. to pose nude or almost nude in front of a camera takes strength and seeing the images afterward, and seeing that it really is YOU there, so beautiful in your own skin, can be one of the greatest confidence builders of all time.

To celebrate the beauty and strength of women battling breast cancer we’re offering up a complimentary boudoir session.  Although my dad did not die of breast cancer, it is the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women. The pampering that occurs during a boudoir session helps re-build confidence in you, and your body and helps ease the feelings of vulnerability that can come with such an awful disease.  The stunning final images remind you that no matter what you and your body have battled, you are still a feminine, beautiful, strong woman!
If you have battled or are currently battling breast cancer, send in your story along with one or two photos and we will post them to the blog. Then, you, the readers will choose the contest winner based on the most number of votes.  if you know a friend with breast cancer, feel free to send in their story (and why they deserve this session) for them, but please send us their contact information so we can verify that they are alright with having a boudoir session.  So spread the word everyone, we’re giving back this year… giving back confidence, beauty, strength,  and most importantly, love.

deadline for applications is October 31 , so get busy!    send us your story :)

This is our biggest unveil yet- the fact that we are going to shoot a wedding for free.  WHOA!

and this year we want to celebrate the diversity and beauty of different cultures throughout the world.  Ceremonies of love and commitment are incredible and the  traditions that different cultures have imbued on the joining of two people are so diverse; we want to share them with the rest of the world.  We want to give back, because we get so much enjoyment out of what we do. We want to share the world’s cultures, so tell your friends, have them tell their friends. How often do you get the chance to have wedding photography… for free? We’re only going to do this once a year, and next year will be a different theme.

If you feel your wedding ceremony exemplifies a non-traditional or non-Christian ceremony for whatever reason, contact us. We’re looking for couples who imbue their ceremony with deep traditions of their culture.  we’re taking applications for 2011, and will shoot anywhere in the world for any type of wedding ceremony, for free.

re-launch!

July 21, 2010

we’ve been working super hard here! on top of getting our clients photos/albums back to them, we’ve also been working on a big overhaul on our website and marketing material. it started with wanting to make the logo more… “us”… which turned into wanting to make the website more “us” and then once you start, you really just cant stop.

go check it out!! quick! and then come back here to learn more.  http://www.sugarleafphotography.com

so the new logo…

was inspired by my vintage typewriter that i bought at goodwill for 5 dollars.  instead of finding a digital typewriter font, i literally typed out sugar leaf, scanned it in, and created the first part of the logo. “photography” was then handwritten. i love the imperfectness of it,  vintage quality, and the fact that it is wholy unique to us, and us alone.  and i feel it represents everything about our photography up and down and sideways.  YAY!

and the website is jam packed with a completely new portfolio, so be sure to spend some time on there.  there will be more changes to come, like a new way for clients to proof and order their images, as well as a gallery specifically for our album products.  not to mention, this blog is about to get a big overhaul as well!  we can’t very well have the old logo on here, and the new logo on the website :) but i just couldnt hold back the re-launch of the website any longer! much too excited :)

for fun…

July 17, 2010

big thing are happening here (i know! again!) but i promise that all the secretive stuff we’ve been waiting to reveal will all come about within the next week!  in the meantime, while im slaving away (no really… like 12 hour workdays, and trying to bounce a babe on my knee at the same time) i came across this little gem that i had no idea i had taken from… oh… a year ago on a trip to the zoo.  i remember i was holding tavish in my arms, and didnt have enough room to put the camera to my face, focus, AND click the shutter, so i just aimed up high, autofocused, and BAM- a snot licker.

so since i can’t sleep because i’m reading Little Bee (amazing) i thought i’d try and get myself sleepy by editing photos. so here you go. 

the circus! how great is this! well, it wasn’t really the circus, although we did see some elephants.  This was actually at the circus world museum in baraboo, wisconsin. we got the VIP pass, and were allowed in after hours when the rest of the guests had gone, and allowed amazing access to the old vintage circus rail cars that were built in… well… i dont even know. way back when wheels were wooden.  and that horse…. on that old marry-go-round… can you even believe that thing!  i felt like we shouldn’t even be touching it, let alone riding it, but people do all the time. it’s actually still in working order.  pretty amazing, eh?

I’m SO looking forward to shooting their wedding in august!  i can’t wait!

How cute are these letters that i totally scored at Urban Outfitters?  sometimes i just come across things that scream “please! shoot me!” (and not in the gun type of way) and i’m compelled to buy them.

i normally do not do senior photography,  but i make exceptions every now and then!  I’m not sure why i haven’t pursued senior photography more, i think it’s mainly just because i feel so much more comfortable capturing emotions between two people, instead of just doing straight up portraits.  engagements? no problem.  infants and mamas?  easy.  weddings? any day, anytime, any place. seniors? difficult!  difficult because parent’s ideas of what senior photography is, is quite different from my style of shooting.  i dont do backdrops, and i wont pose you in the typical “senior portrait” pose looking back over the shoulder with a big smile.  so, as long as both the senior and the parents know this, it works out just fine!

we pretty much ambushed historic Ybor city, and shot in ally ways.  Katie’s mom came along with us, and luckily i know her and she trusts me, so she didn’t think i was crazy for wanting to take her beautiful daughter into back ally ways with graffiti and who knows what else.  but seriously, how talented is this girl?!  very. and i should know, because i was her dance instructor :)   she also happens to be the one and only person that has ever baby sat my kiddos!

senior photography is just so different now than when i was a senior.  i wish i would have known what the possibilities were, instead of just going to the first senior portrait place someone recommended, and getting the traditional head shots.  i would have loved to go on location and get artistic shots!

When i was a little girl, i used to beg my mother to go on picnics with me.  i had even promised to make all the food, and pack it, and unpack it, and clean it up, and… well… you get the idea.  and i remember my mom (as fun loving as she was) sometimes had this tired look on her face like “really? outside? it’s got to be at least 90 degrees. and the bugs. and the ants. and the hassle…”   it seems like when you’re an adult, the picnics loose some of their magic.  somehow, they never have for me, and i hope they never will. and this shoot captures all of that magic that i’ve always wanted in a picnic, and more importantly captures exactly how much in love Eric and Danielle are.

it’s quite possibly my favorite engagement session i’ve ever done.  if anyone ever wonders why they should have an engagement session, i could go on for hours about the benefits, but really, after looking at these pics, need i say more?  it makes me want to get engaged again to my husband just so we can go do pictures like these!

it just makes me want to have summer all year round.  and by the way… stay tuned for more engagement pics of Danielle and Eric. we also went to the circus museum!

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