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.

Updated Web Sites

Over at Tampa Photo, we've all been creating some fantastic images, so it was about time for a web site overhaul. I've got bunches of shots from recent weddings, as well as some new non-wedding galleries now posted. Make sure to drop by and check it out.

And if you haven't been to the Tampa Photo site recently, you need to click over and browse the galleries. While there, don't forget to explore the new Wedding Collections with updated pricing.

At the Tampa Photo site, you can view individual portfolios for me, Kevin and MJ. And if you're still jonesin' for some more photos, check out individual pages for Kevin and MJ.

And if you still want to see MORE images....well, then just book us and you will soon see your own lovely wedding photos! Spring '08 dates are going to start filling up fast!

Suttons, Meyers and Athertons, Oh My!

Family portrait day at the beach! This session was with a great family we've known for a while. My wife and I went to school with Chris and Kim and we've had the opportunity to meet lots of their family. This session was with Kim's side of the family. Fair warning: there's lots of images here. We had such fun and came away with so many great images, I couldn't decide which ones to leave out (I love having that problem!).

We started out with a standard family portrait while the kids were still fresh and willing participants.

A building storm made an excellent backdrop for group shots near the dunes.

Chris with his young son Caleb. I just love how the blue sky matches their shirts, and the warmth of the setting sun balances the cool blue.

Grandma and Grandpa try to wrangle the herd. Great job on the outfits, by the way.

Older sister Maddie and younger brother Quinn.

This is Kim's brother Brian and his wife Angie, along with their kids Logan, Brooks and Abry. Kim is from Iowa and Brian's family still lives up there. They are right near where all the tornadoes and flooding have been but I think they were spared any damage.

The super-cute Sutton family. We all met at Eckerd College, and then I worked with Chris for a while at Tampa Bay Watch.

Kim's sister Carrie and her husband Mike with kids Maddie and Quinn. Also very adorable. I don't care what anyone says Maddie, I think the "one tooth missing" look is totally cool.

Caleb "the wrecking ball" Sutton.

I could've spent all day just shooting Maddie. I got lots of great silhouettes of her playing down near the water.

Carrie and Maddie strike a pose in front of a trademark Fort De Soto sunset.

The proud grandparents George and Nancy.

Mike and Carrie steal a shot for themselves.

Maddie continues to ham it up for the camera. I think I made that poor girl cartwheel 6 times in a row to make sure I got the shot.

Quinn shows of his sandcastle building skills.

The Suttons again. I'm not sure exactly what Caleb is doing here, but I think it's funny.

Maddie tests the water.

Nancy points out the Egmont Key lighthouse to Abry.

Logan (I think?!) stands at the edge of the known world. He could just be thinking about what to eat for dinner, but when a kid looks out to sea, you can't help but imagine they're thinking some deep thoughts.

I just love this image. Maddie (and Logan and Brooks) were playing around jumping over waves as they came in. This shot of just Maddie pretty much sums up what it feels like to be a kid in a big world.

The kids were good sports and modeled for me a little longer. Note to self: when you tell kids to run by you, you have to also tell them to stop. I think they made it halfway to Georgia before I realized I had to tell them to stop!

I think we had a very productive portrait session. Not bad for a little over an hour! Everybody was fun and patient with me and the kids were awesome! Pretty impressive considering how many young 'uns there were.