Rett's First Birthday

OK, so some of you are going to say "What, pay a photographer to cover my kid's birthday party? I'll just take a few photos myself or give that job to Aunt Clara." But then you have to check on the grill, replenish the plates and napkins, greet and mingle with your guests and most importantly enjoy yourself. Inevitably, the camera stays in your pocket or in your purse and you are lucky if you remember to snap one shot of the birthday boy with the cake.

Kids grow up fast and photos from this period become priceless keepsakes to enjoy for years to come. I like to imagine an adult Rett going back through an album looking at these pictures with a big smile on his face.

Now I will hand it over to Rett so he can personally guide you through his first birthday party.

Hello? Is anyone out there? Oh, hi there! My name is Rett and I just celebrated my first birthday with the help of lots of friends and family. We had this AWESOME photographer there that took tons of pictures so my mommy and daddy could concentrate on having fun. Thanks to everyone who was there. And if you weren't there, hopefully these pictures will make you feel like you were.

I love my mommy (adults call her Karen). Even though I was real busy playing with everyone I still managed to find a few minutes for mom.

Here is one of my friends. So far I've learned that boys like to get dirty and I must say, I am getting pretty good at it myself.

Mom and dad set up this great inflatable bouncy thing. I am not sure everyone realized you were supposed to just stand inside and bounce up and down.

Grandpa's arms are so comfy! And Aunt Emily gives the best high-fives!

Aw, mom, you shouldn't have! It's my own personal cake to destroy!

Eeeewwww...I guess I am just not in cake mood right now! Don't worry everybody, I am not sunburned. Eric was using available light for this shot and that red is from a "focus-assist" light on another camera. I like it! I think it goes well with my sinister look of disgust!

Oh man, I love bubbles. They are so fun! And ladies, thanks for the support. I can walk on cobblestones and I can play with bubbles but I haven't quite mastered both at the same time yet.

My dad is great. After the pinata was busted, he made sure to get every last bit of candy out for all my friends.

Thanks for stopping by everyone! I hoped you enjoyed this glimpse into my first birthday party! Has it been a year already?! Wow, time flies when you're having fun! Bye!

Lt. Col. Ferrucci Retirement Ceremony

I met Lt. Col. Lou Ferrucci last week at MSgt. Chvatal's retirement ceremony. He asked me to cover his ceremony the following week. Things were pretty similar, but this ceremony was held at the Officer's Club, which was a beautiful room but posed a few problems for photography purposes. Nothing I couldn't deal with though! (If any banquet room designers are reading: don't put mirrors right behind where all the action will be, and I prefer flat, all-white ceilings approx. 10' high - Thanks!)

Lou addresses his family, friends and fellow members of the military. Lou was an excellent speaker. As I've mentioned before it can be hard to concentrate on ISO, shutter speeds, apertures, lighting, composition, etc. AND listen to what is being said. I don't remember specifics about the speech, but I do remember laughing and darn near crying at one point!

Lou bows his head in prayer as the ceremony begins. His wife and son are seen in the foreground. The family was a major part of this ceremony, as military families are asked to sacrifice much to accommodate the long hours, extensive travel, and frequent moving associated with life in the military. I tried to make several photographs that helped illustrate the important role played by the family.

This is a close-up of the Meritorious Service Medal of Honor that Lou received. He was actually given the Third Oak Cluster for this award, meaning it is his fourth time to receive the honor. But they use a stand-in medal for the ceremony.

This is the pin that Lou cared most about! "RETIRED"

We did a few final shots of Lou in his uniform for the last time and he just wanted to show off that "RETIRED" pin. That's OK Lou, you earned it!

Congratulations Lou! I wish you the best of luck in whatever mission you choose to embark on next.

Kammie and Ryan, Little Harbor Wedding

Kammie and Ryan tied the knot this past Saturday at Little Harbor located on the east side of Tampa Bay. This is a great location because you get your own private beach and sunsets over the water, not to mention plenty of other cool places to shoot! It was a great event and the weather was beautiful.

Kammie and Ryan enjoy their surroundings after tying the knot. This was also the view from the ceremony location. Not too shabby!

Kammie heads over to the ceremony after getting ready.

The hotel part of the resort has a great lobby for photographs. This cool sculpture/chandelier reminded me of stars floating above Kammie.

Kammie pauses for a minute while I snap a few photos before she runs off to hide before the ceremony.

I took advantage of the great Florida scenery for this shot of Ryan. We were able to hide in the shade of a sea grape which helped Ryan stay cool, but also let me control the light a little more effectively.

Ribbons hanging from the corner of the ceremony arch blow in the breeze .

Kammie and Ryan enjoy a quiet moment after the ceremony to watch the sunset. This is very similar to the first shot in the post but it makes a nice point. Standing far away and zooming in with a long lens compressed the couple into the small orange part of the sky around the sun. By moving right up to the couple and using a wider angle the image takes on a completely different feel.


The couple shares their first dance. I was using two lighting setups for the reception. One was even and safe and this one was a little more moody and emotional. Even though their faces are kind of hidden in the shadows, I think it represents the moment well. They were dancing in front of all their friends and family in a very public setting, but they had a very private connection going on between them that was subtle yet powerful. The full length/evenly lit shot is what the guests are seeing and I chose this shot to represent what I thought the couple was feeling.

Things usually calm down enough during dinner to allow me to roam the venue looking for nice location shots.

I never thought I would put a picture of the guest book on my blog, but I really like this shot. The candlelight, the birds of paradise, the warm tones; I think it all comes together to reflect the tropical/romantic feel of the wedding.

Father and daughter share a dance.

Gotta love kids! These two took to the dance floor and immediately had the paparazzi all over them. Although you can't see their faces from this angle, I think the addition of the B&G to the photo makes it more powerful.

Congratulations Kammie and Ryan! Thanks for choosing Tampa Photo to provide you with high quality images of your wedding day. It was a lovely wedding and I wish you the best of luck in the years to come.

MSgt. Chvatal Retirement Ceremony

I had the unique opportunity to photograph my first Air Force retirement ceremony on Friday. It's always fun to try something new and there were plenty of chances to make some nice images. MSgt. Susan Chvatal is from the 6th Medical Group here at MacDill AFB. Members of the Group were the participants in the Flag Day ceremony that you may remember from this earlier blog post. A few individuals have decided to have me cover their retirement ceremonies after seeing the Flag Day slideshow.

I did not know MSgt Chvatal before this assignment, but through the course of the ceremony it became apparent that she is an excellent soldier and leader that will be missed by many. Susan held the special duty of a First Sergeant ("first shirt") and was responsible for the morale and welfare of the enlisted members of her squadron. Congratulations on more than 20 years of service!

The Base Honor Guard sets the flags to start the ceremony. I used two lighting setups to cover this event. This camera had an 85mm 1.8 shot wide open at ISO 1600 to capture the ambient light in the room. I wanted to use this setup for at least some of the images to reduce the number of flashes going off during the ceremony.

Susan's brothers pin an award to her lapel.

Fittingly, members of the 6th Medical Group shake X-rays to add a personal touch during bouts of applause. It seems that Susan has found her way to the emergency room as a customer before and at least a few of these may or may not have been of her femur. (It's tough to glean accurate info from inside jokes while juggling two cameras).

Susan receives a very impressive shadow box that details the various accomplishments of her career. The open triangle at the top is for the flag that will be presented later in the ceremony. This shot shows the second lighting scheme being used. An on-camera flash provides light and triggers a second flash in the back of the room. This resulted in nice even lighting that allowed me to to use a low ISO and fast shutter speed for the best quality prints.

Members of the Honor Guard fold a flag that was flown at the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July in honor of Susan's grandmother.
A reader calls out each fold and describes what it stands for during an official flag folding ceremony. It's an impressive display and I wanted to capture it with a meaningful image. I decided to slow my shutter speed down to approx. 1/10 second to blur the motion of the flag while preserving the details of the uniform, etc. I like that both stars and stripes are visible in the folding flag and another flag is seen in the background.

The Honor Guard presents the flag to Susan.

As the Honor Guard steps away, the moment hits MSgt. Chvatal.

Susan addresses all those in attendance.

The final additions to Susan's uniform, including the U.S. Meritorious Service Medal.

That's all for now. Kammie and Ryan's wedding was on Saturday so look for those pics soon!

Heather and Jarrett, Marriott Waterside Wedding

I had the opportunity to photograph Heather and Jarrett's wedding this past Saturday. It was a lovely affair, and convenient, since both the ceremony and reception were held at the Marriott Waterside in Tampa. The hotel was busy with weddings and events, but the venue is so large you can always find a lovely spot to take some pictures. Rob from Grant Hemond was an excellent DJ as always (he was actually the DJ at my wedding, too)! And special thanks to Al who was second-shooting; he got some sweet shots as usual.

I had a great time with Heather and Jarrett (you guys are awesome!). In fact, the entire wedding party and both families were very friendly and easy to work with. I practically felt like a guest that had known these folks for years. Now on to the images!

This is actually one of the last shots from the night. As usual, there wasn't enough time to shoot the bride and groom together between the ceremony and reception. We did have some time, and we probably had enough pictures, but I just wanted to make sure they got plenty of nice images! Heather and Jarrett were cool enough to jump out in to the hallway for 5 minutes after cutting their cake for a few quick shots.

Here is Heather in her "hiding" room. We didn't have lots of time and we didn't want to risk seeing the groom, so we used this room in every way possible! A window on the right is providing the main light while Al holds a reflector on the left to fill in the shadows. This lighting setup provided some very nice, soft and bright images.

Here's Jarrett before the ceremony. The huge windows in the main lobby usually provide nice even lighting.

I had to throw this one in the mix. Jarrett got his guys guns (yes, they're fake) as gifts, and they really helped the fellas get into the right mindset for a serious group photo.

Back to the bride! Heather has beautiful eyes, as you can see. I wanted to make an image to highlight them. Using the veil and overexposing the image helps draw your attention to her eyes.

There were some curtains that I was able to draw to provide an alternate background. The windows in the room provided perfect lighting for this type of shot.

Still in that same room, I wanted to get one more shot but with a different feel than the others. I placed a flash behind her and aimed it at the wall. This is an easy way to get a white background in any situation. Al is holding a second snooted light that focuses the beam of light on her face. We already had soft window-light stuff, so I wanted to go with something a little more edgy and dramatic.

The bridesmaids' dresses were beautiful and great for photography. I love how those shiny, silky reds show up in pictures. This was during a prayer in the ceremony. I'm glad I snapped it when I did, because the little girl picked her head up and was looking around right after this.

A quick shot of their lovely cake. I decided to let my flash sneak into the image because I thought I would like the spotlight effect. An on-camera flash bounced off the wall provides enough fill to bring out the texture and detail on the front of the cake.

And one final parting image. Heather and Jarrett share a quiet moment between the ceremony and reception. A flash placed directly behind Heather is aimed at them both. The idea is for Jarrett's white shirt to reflect the light on to her while providing that cool edge light on both of them. My on-camera flash is bounced off a wall to provide some fill light on them both.

Congratulations Heather and Jarrett and thanks for letting me be part of your special day. You two were really great and all of us at Tampa Photo wish you the very best!

Baby Shower

This was a busy weekend! I photographed Heather and Jarrett's wedding on Saturday (those images coming soon) and then Karen had her baby shower on Sunday. Thanks to all the ladies that were able to make it out to the shower. And special thanks to Shannon and Christine for putting this shindig together! Great job ladies! We'd also like to thank my parents for letting us use their place, and Karen's mother for making it down from South Carolina.

This cake was too cute! We aren't finding out the sex; hence the pink AND blue. (Come on blue! - just kidding)

Awwwww. Publix did a great job with the cake.

Everyone was given a piece of string they were to cut to the length they thought would fit around Karen's belly perfectly. Wendy was just about perfect!

Karen sits front and center as the ladies fill out their bingo cards. (For the guys reading this or others with little shower experience, this entails filling out your card with items you think the mother will get) Colleen was the first to score a "Bingo."

Many gifts were accompanied with "Awwww," and "That's so adorable."
My mom opens up her gift. Of course she is thrilled that I captured her mid-sentence!

Karen's mom shows off her gift.

And you know I couldn't send everyone home without getting a group shot first! I told them to just crowd around the couch and when I looked up everyone was perfectly arranged. These girls are good! Not a bad looking group, huh? Especially that one glowing in the front!

Karen and Shannon. Shannon just moved to Colorado this week, but stayed behind for a few days to help prepare for and host the shower (while juggling a 2 1/2 yr old, and a four month old). Shannon, you're a great friend and you've been a huge help; we're going to miss you.

Karen and Christine. Christine also helped plan and host the shower. These two met on their first day at Eckerd College, where they were put together as roommates. Best friends ever since. Thanks Christine!

That's all for the shower! Check back soon for some of my favorite images from this weekend's wedding.