remember this underwater maternity mama? 
Look who’s arrived to say hi 
This is just the tip of the iceberg… stay tuned for many more of baby Gavin!
Archive for May, 2011
Band Photography {tampa musician photographer}
May 31, 2011
just a little sneak peek at what i was up to tonight! we got some killer shots of Alias Julius Trio tonight, and i can’t wait to share more!
fine art portraits
May 28, 2011
its so late and i have a big wedding tomorrow, but i just had to share a few little teasers with you from this beauty shoot… she is like porcelain. Straight out of a Rembrandt painting. more to come!
Fine Art Nude {tampa fine art nude photographer}
May 27, 2011
While i was in Cincinnati I had the opportunity to work with Lindsay Adler and work on this incredible fine art nude shoot super late at night (we’re talking past midnight). I love how it just seems that other creatives always seem to come up with the best work super late at night; i dont think we got to bed any earlier than 3:30 or 4 am any night i was there.
Over this next year I’m going to be focusing heavily on building my own fine art portfolio up, concentrating a lot on fine art nudes. this will be something completely separate from boudoir photography. Boudoir’s emphasis is on the sensuality and seduction of a woman, whereas in fine art nude photography the concept can be related to just the study of the form of the body, or another concept entirely- not related to sexuality at all. a lot of times it can be just a study of light and shape, of an abstract concept, or a narrative message. If you haven’t ‘liked’ SugarLeaf Photography on facebook, now is the time to do so, because throughout the year I will be making calls for subjects to be photographed. I will be looking for professional ballerinas ( i have an amazing concept for this!) and real and honest shapped bodies (stretch marks, cellulite, wrinkles, etc). stay tuned for more updates!
Oooo! i just LOVED this wedding. all the little hand-done touches made it such a personal and incredible wedding. After being at their wedding, i really feel like i truly know abby and adam as people not just bride and groom. The day started not quite as planned, with thick black rolling clouds coming in from the Gulf. I texted Abby as i was on my way not to worry about the clouds…’overcast skies are great for pictures!’ but when the torrential downpours began i was lucky to even get my equipment out of the car and into the hotel.
torrential downpours= not good for outdoor weddings OR photography.
you wouldn’t have known it though from Abby’s attitude. She was absolutely go-with-the-flow & easy going. i LOVE brides like this!
This ring shot was photographed on Abby’s grandmother’s handkerchief that she carried with her down the aisle. the yellow crochet on the edges is actually called ‘tatting’ which is a lost artform in this day.
Both Abby and Adam have lost a parent, and they honored their presence by carrying a single white rose down the aisle and placing it on an empty chair to symbolize their presence. so incredibly beautiful.
Adam has just graduated from Med School! definitely a cause to celebrate!
Adorable lounge areas were set up around the venue to create a home-like comfort for guests to mingle and drink. i am in love with this bare-bulb chandalier!
and of course, i’m loving the Toms that the groom wore! apparently they are his signature choice of footwear
Abby and Adam’s wedding day centered around their Journey together both past and future. Each table was a different location they had been to, complete with a map, and small treasures relating to that place.
Abby also honored her late mother by wrapping her bouquet in her mother’s veil and carrying this locket with her photograph inside.
favorite ever- Abby and one of her bridesmaids (and childhood best friend) sang an impressive rendition of "Part of your World" from the little mermaid. i can just see them as little girls dancing around the living room singing this song together. LOVE.
and the beautiful sparkler exit- this may be one of my favorite sparkler exit photographs ever
As I was just showing my husband some of the images he whispered “wow. you can just see that they are going to be together forever, you can see it in the pictures. it’s like looking into the future.” If he would have been there in person, he would have confirmed that. You know there is a lot of love in the room when the entire wedding party stands up to give a speech and the entire place (myself included) is laughing so hard tears are rolling down my cheeks or tearing up. Thank you Abby and Adam for inviting me to capture your incredible day!
Venue: Tampa Bay Watch
Florist: Amy Lewis
Music: Greg West on solo guitar
caterer: backstreet blues
just a few…. (tampa fashion and beauty photographer)
May 18, 2011
So i’m just getting back into the office after my craziness of traveling to Milwaukee and then Cincinnati for AfterDark Education! i’m busy backing up photos and pulling images to show for teasers from clients, but i just couldn’t wait to post a couple of these photos from cincinnati.
I’m a strong believer in continuing your education every single year, and this year was no exception. However, this time i had some serious agendas. My goal was to leave the conference with more notes taken in my notebook than photos taken in my camera. i think i did a fairly good job, although it is SO tempting to be out photographing beautiful things instead of sitting in class learning about bettering the business side of photography.
but, stay tuned for sneak peaks of the fundraiser for jason ( i love all of you who came, got photography, and donated! you are wonderful!!!), the incredible Indian wedding i photographed, more from Cincinnati, and the beautiful vintage inspired hand-made wedding i photographed this weekend! ohhh my… so much to post!
ps- as always, dont forget to check out newlyweds-dish.com to see new videos posted every monday, and also a new article is up over at www.sliceoflemon.com about super super cheap lighting. i give you the deets on how i captured some of these images too!
Apologies in advance!
May 5, 2011just wanted to give everyone a heads up I will be out of the office for a loooong time! till May 17th! crazy i know. want to know what’s even crazier? my schedule.
starting with my flight for Milwaukee leaving in 6 hours, Friday’s photography fundraiser (you dont know how badly i just wanted to say Friday’s Fotography Fundraiser…) for Jason Decent, then immediately following i’m photographing a Mehndi Ceremony, then saturday’s Hindu wedding, Sunday’s roadtrip to Cincinnati, Monday-Wednesday’s photography conference and workshop, Thursday’s flight home, Friday’s Pierson’s first birthday, Saturday’s wedding, and Sunday’s belated mother’s day celebration!
and then i need monday to catch my breath.
SO. if you need me, i will most likely be unavailable. i will do my best to check my email from time to time, but i may not even get the chance to do that! i will start the catching up process on tuesday the 17th of May.
Thanks so much for your patience!
And as a tasty little treat, here is a picture of my boys a couple of days ago on the day that Pierson took his first steps. because, you know… posts without pictures are no fun. 
Just a little peak at the boudoir session i had a few weeks ago with miss T, and we’re so thankful for the rights to publish a few of her images. Although I shoot boudoir a couple times a month, I rarely get to publish images because we always respect the privacy of our clients 100%. But, occasionally we have an exceptional client, like Miss T. She wanted to help enable other women to have the same experience she had- one that bolstered her self confidence and self-esteem. We all have areas of our body that we’re a little less than thrilled about, and to bare it in front of a camera is a real testament to the love you have for yourself and your body. To be bold, brave, and self-confident enough to schedule a boudoir session is one of the most empowering things a woman can do for herself, and it’s usually quite the bonus for the man in her life too! and who am i kidding? boudoir shoots are super fun. when else do we get to drink champagne listen to playlists while shooting? definitely my style!
PS: upcoming things at SugarLeaf…
reminder that THIS FRIDAY! is the photography fundraiser for Jason and Julie in Milwaukee! if you want to sign up for a photo session (payment by donation!) email me at lexia@sugarleafphotography.com subject line DECENT
the main portfolio website may be down a little bit this week as we renovate, clean house, and update! exciting things!
tuesday the second part to lighting with on camera flash will be going up at http://sliceoflemon.com/, head over there and click ‘photos’ to read the tutorial!
monday (tomorrow!) a new video blog goes up at Newlyweds-dish.com, ummm… and i’m talking about passing gas. for real.
Saturday i’ll be photographing a beautiful hindu wedding with the ever talented and gorgeous jennifer johnson
and then next week i’m off to Cincinatti for a photography workshop by AfterDark Education! i’m so thrilled for that workshop, i can not even tell you. needless to say, i may be a bit absent from email correspondence as well as blogging and phone, but leave me an email and i’ll get back to you when i can!