February « 2011 « the kissing tree

Hey there!

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

cheers!

Lexia and Dustin

@SugarLeafPhotog twitter updates...
http://t.co/lxRKJex muffins, marriage plans, and why we got married :) # 2011/07/27

Archive for February, 2011

State Fair

February 22, 2011

Tata everyone! I’m leaving for Cabo San Lucas in just a few hours, but thought I’d leave you some treats before I go. We went to the state fair this weekend and couldn’t wait to post some pictures. I have the best memories of my parents taking me to the Colorado State Fair when I was little… I remember my dad always telling me stories of how he used to sneak in when he was a little boy. I want to create that magic for my kids too- we ate corn dogs, carmel apples, cotton candy, lemonade, played tons of games and rides. This morning when Tavish crawled in our bed at quarter to 7am he whispered in my ear: “mama, it was so much fun…” he must have dreamed all night about it.

post meltdown...

Tavish's very first ride ever. i've got my holga camera... of course.

we watched this little fella be born. not more than 5 minutes old here...

apple

Taken with either a fish-eye lens, a 50mm prime, or a tilt shift. Also, dont forget to head over to Slice of Lemon on tuesday to see some tutorials on how i make these images, and learn how to create a cohesive body of your own photographs. Have a great week! I can’t wait to post teasers of Cabo once I get back next week, hope the hubs can hold down the fort while I’m gone.

Posted in children, personal projects, slice of lemon | No Comments »

baby Harrison {tampa infant photography}

February 19, 2011

This week is all about newborns! first getting published at On to Baby, and the same day photographing little Harrison! Look at those sweet pink lips… it makes me wish my own babies were this small again. it never ceases to amaze me how light and tiny newborns are… this little guy was no exception. ps- shout out to my lovely assistant Ashley Zullo… i dont know what i would have done without her holding reflectors, calming and soothing Harrison and helping position!

I’ve got 4 days left before my February destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas- i’m diligently knocking my to-do list down before Tuesday! I will be completely out of commission- no answering emails, phone messages, etc, but will return Monday the 28th in full force! Photography articles on Slice of Lemon will be going up as regularly scheduled

Posted in children | No Comments »

we’ve been published! {tampa newborn photography}

February 17, 2011

Remember the photo shoot of beautiful baby paige? We are so thrilled to announce that it’s being published today over at On to Baby… from the creators of The Wedding Chicks. We could not be more honored or thrilled! The Wedding Chicks has been a long time favorite of mine for wedding and style inspiration, and when they announced they were starting On to Baby – a style blog that features lovely nurseries, whimsical baby showers and birthday parties, and of course amazing infant photography, I nearly jumped out of my seat and actually squeeled! I’m so happy to be able to share my work with the larger audience.

They did the sweetest write up about SugarLeaf as well… I’m blushing!

See the full post here: http://www.ontobaby.com/2011/02/vintage-perfect-newborn-session/

Posted in children | No Comments »

it’s here!

February 15, 2011

The much anticipated launch of BHLDN, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters’ wedding line. it’s incredible… the shoes, the accessories, the dresses, the website… I’m officially SO JEALOUS of all you brides out there planning your big day right now!

There is a quiz you can take to find out what kind of bride you are, and {go figure}, i’m La Bohémienne. i took it twice, because i couldn’t decide between serving my guests strawberry shortcake or homemade pies, and also if the guests would be wowed by the roaming peacocks during cocktail hour or the photobooth at the reception. each time: bohémienne :) it must be the junior high in me that loves personality quizzes

and just loooook at this bolero!

Stunning hairpieces as well… i would love ANY number of these.

and you all know how much i adore big statement pieces in the hair, but aren’t these small little treasures to die for?

no dice for me, however. When Dustin and I renew our vows on our 5 year anniversary, i’ll be wearing the orange blossom hairpiece that my grandmother wore, my mother wore, and my sister wore in their weddings there is nothing more authentic than that!

but, can’t i just wear this out somehwere? can’t i just find a place to go that this will be appropriate to wear? SOMEONE GET MARRIED! and invite me as a guest so i can wear this!!!!

and these too:

alright, enough dreaming! i have albums to design and photo shoots to edit!

Posted in weddings | No Comments »

What if Anthropologie did weddings?

February 11, 2011

Oh…. BUT THEY DO! I’ve just gotten word that urban outfitters and her sister store Anthropologie are creating an entire collection of bridal attire and accessories for your wedding. It is unveiling February 14th, and I’m super stoked to see what they have in store for us. http://bhldn.com/ is the site where you can see the preview… it looks like it is going to be incredible!

I would LOVE love love to shoot an anthropologie wedding! all images here curtesy BHLDN

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Push Ultra Lounge {St. Petersburg Commercial Photography}

February 10, 2011

Posts have been sparce over here the past two weeks because I have been traveling, working on album designs, and of course having our boudoir marathon! it was AMAZING ladies… if you didn’t participate you should definitely schedule a boudoir session of your own for your man. I wish i could post the images but of course we always respect the privacy of our clients, especially with such intimate photography.

Last week Push Ultra Lounge had me come in to take some commercial photography of their incredible space. If you haven’t been to Push yet, it’s definitely a place you are going to HAVE to go to. It’s this gorgeous mix of vintage warehouse, plus ultra chic and modern decor, plus AMAZING installation artwork and paintings. There is an indoor space where the main club is situated, an outdoor covered bar with little cabana-like private areas with beautiful skylights above, and then a rooftop bar that overlooks the entire city of St. Petersburg. And, it’s gotten some serious celebrity love- with the likes of Paris Hilton, Flo-Rida, Danika Patrick, and DJ Sasha Grey all enjoying the amazing location, beats, and drinks. Plus, sometimes they host intimate rooftop acoustic events like they recently did with James Blunt. I can not imagine a better afternoon than hanging out at Push’s rooftop listening to an acoustic performance! It seems they can be everything all at once- an intimate daytime location for special events like those, an incredible night club, or the perfect venue for a wedding: remember Danielle and Derek’s wedding? .

So, if you still can’t get enough of this venue… not to worry! i’m actually returning this weekend to do a daytime shoot highlighting the venue in a less night-time club-scene style. Can’t wait to post another sneak peak!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Manual Settings on your camera- DECODED!

February 2, 2011

So my post is up… the EPIC post on manual settings- over at Slice of Lemon.com seriously you guys, i kind of appologize for the lengthiness of it (6 pages in word!) but it really did need to be said.

I’m so happy to finally have a place that i can send people when they email me those desperate SO-FRUSTRATED-WITH-MY-CAMERA emails hoping for a little bit of help. I was there once as well, and can totally relate. SO, pretty much, if you ever have a question about how to start shooting in manual mode, i’m going to refer you there! here’s a little taste:

you are SO AWESOME for attempting this, for challenging yourself to be smarter than your camera. Because you ARE smarter, and you CAN make better pictures than it can on automatic.

When you take photographs with your camera in manual mode, what you are essentially doing is balancing three settings on your camera to achieve proper exposure. That’s it! That’s all you need to do- 3 settings! When we talk about exposure, it is the total amount of light that is allowed to fall on the photographic medium like a negative, a digital sensor, or that old photo paper that we used to dip into chemicals in a dark room. If there is too much light allowed to fall on that medium, your picture will turn out bright white- we call this overexposed. If there is not enough light, it will turn out too dark – underexposed.

Making sure your image is properly exposed is the VERY first thing you do before taking a picture. and to make sure it’s exposed, you balance three different settings that give different effects. Lets talk each one of them first, and then we’ll put them all together to see how they work with each other in different ways.

Here is a little visual that you can refer back to later:

Read the full post over here!

Posted in slice of lemon | No Comments »