Rett's Second Birthday

Rett recently celebrated his second birthday and I was there to capture the day. You may remember Rett from his first birthday party last year.

Rett and mommy Karen smile for the camera.

Rett hangs with Daddy-O Chris outside by the BBQ.

I guess when you kneel down to take a picture in a room full of kids this is bound to happen!

Big smiles from the birthday boy.

All the proud grandparents gather together.

There was plenty of cute pictures of all the kids at the party, but the blog was getting a little full with all of them so I had to cut most of them out (Sorry guys!). But there were a few I had to throw in.

The mother of this little one thanked me for a picture of her daughter I took last year at Rett's party, so the pressure was on to outdo it this year.

Yes, I got one without her blinking too, but this one was a much sweeter and real moment.

It's tough to wrangle this many folks at a birthday party, but we managed to squeeze a few off.

One last peek-a-boo/goodbye from Aunt Emily and big boy Rett.

Congratulations Rett! I can't believe you're already TWO! Thanks for inviting me to your party and getting to hang out with all of your great friends and family!

South Carolina

Karen, V and I recently took a road trip to South Carolina to visit some family. But, in an effort to give you good people something to look at I am posting a few choice images here too.

Adam's boat down at the dock at sunset. The sky was very pretty after the sun went down. A flash on the dock makes the boat pop out of the dark background.

Anne and Matt share a postcard moment with Maya down by the lake.

I managed to sneak away for a few hours and log some miles in Harbison State Forest. There was a lot of pine flatwoods that looked very similar to Florida, but I did find some hardwood areas that reminded me of more northern woods.

Lori and Lawrence, Sandpearl Wedding

Lori and Lawrence were married on 8/8/08 at the Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach. I had never been to this venue before and it was a pleasure to shoot there. This was a fun beach wedding that really had that tropical feel. Some threatening weather scared us a few times, but in the end we had just a little drizzle and a wonderful background for beach photos.

Here's a side view of the main lobby with the happy couple immediately after the ceremony.

Lawrence spends a few minutes in an upstairs hallway after making sure the reception's final details were squared away.

Lori finds some nice light behind a waterfall (yes, behind a waterfall).

The kids participated in the whole ceremony, and each poured some sand into the unity cup. You can really see the deep blue sky and white puffy clouds here.

As it was a relatively small affair, we were able to get everyone together for a group photo.

The happy family poses in front of the dunes.

The kids play while the adults mingle. They occupied themselves by pouring water into a hole. I love kids.

The Caribbean Experience provided some great music for the ceremony and reception. Gotta love the steel drums at a beach wedding!

Clouds obscure the sun just enough to allow this image of the couple with the resort in the background.

Everywhere we went there were great locations for photos.

Lori and Lawrence walk off together. Straight ahead is a big thunderhead dumping rain over the Gulf. I hope that their future holds lots of clear sailing and sunny skies, but when storms come (and they will come), I hope they are as pretty as this one.

Congratulations Lori and Lawrence! I hope 8/8/8 brings you all the luck in the world! Thanks for having Tampa Photo be there to cover your special day!

Stacy and Tony, Don CeSar Wedding

Stacy and Tony were married this past weekend on St. Pete Beach. They had perfect weather for a beach wedding at the Don CeSar Resort. I was second shooting for Kevin.

We start out with Tony down in the main lobby. Tony and Stacy saw each other before the ceremony, but we still took some time with each separately before the first meeting.

Tony gets a break while we focus on Stacy. With three weddings going on at the same time, we had to jockey for position sometimes. But with so many options, it's easy to find some nice backgrounds.

A second angle while Kevin works with them.

The Don requested some good location shots of their venue. We always make sure to capture these details anyway.

A slight breeze made things interesting after the bride and groom share their first kiss.

There's that wind again, adding the perfect amount of drama to make the image pop.

Good views in every direction.

The sun was especially cooperative with us also.

The coordinators at the Don made a special request for shot of this room. A slow shutter speed burns the ambient light in, while two flashes from outside the frame highlight the table and cake.

A snooted flash allows me to light the cake separately from the rest of the table.

All the friends and family were having a great time.

Aww yeah, breakin it down.

This couple was just too cute. Love was in the air.

Congratulations Stacy and Tony! I'm so glad guys saw each other and allowed so much time before the ceremony. I think it really paid off in the photos. Best of luck to the both of you.

Dotted Horsemint

At sunrise, these Dotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata) really shine. After several months of waiting, I am impressed with its floral display. This is a great, low-maintenance plant native to Florida. Click on an image to see it bigger.

A few different angles/compositions.

Grasshopper

While strolling around the backyard, V and I came upon this great grasshopper. We always see lots of cool insects, but this was the first time I've seen something this big and bright. It turns out it is a fairly common American Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana).

A standard full length shot just to give you a good look at the insect. In the shade it wasn't quite bright enough, so I added some light with the built-in flash on the camera. It's been a while since I used that thing, but they do pretty well in these macro situations.

And here's a closer look.