Another Christmas upon us

Once more, it's that time of year when we get involved in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and sometimes forget to take a moment to breathe and remember the real reason for the season.  Sure, it's fun to buy that special gift for a loved one, but as long as we keep in mind that this is the time for remembrance of the birth of a Saviour.
While out shopping, going to parties and wrapping all the gifts, try to recollect why we do all these things.  And reflect on what you have been blessed with and what your are thankful for.
Me....I'm blessed to live another year on this amazing Emerald Coast!

A little off the subject of photography

Many have asked about my bunny, Lucy, who died Friday. I had posted a memoriam to her on Facebook
Here's Lucy's story....My husband, Craig, had been looking at these Flemish Giant bunnies online for a little while. They are known as the most gentle breed of bunnies, and grow to be upwards of 20 lbs.
He found a breeder in Wewahitchka, FL, about an hour and a half from here, past and north of Panama City...kinda like you're going to Appalachicola. He spoke with her over the phone and set up the sale.
We traveled there a little over two weeks ago, and I mean, it was out in the boonies!! If we didn't have a GPS, I don't know how we would have found it!
The lady also raises Alpacas...they are kind of like Llamas. She has them for their coats.
Anyway, we get there to their double wide, and the place is pretty nasty...she also raises some rare chickens. They tell us we are the first people who have been to their place in three weeks....????
The bunnies look healthy, but I feel sorry for them because of the size of the adults, and the cages they are in.
So she gives us our bunny, and we are ready to get her out of there, and to her new, wonderful home!
The next day, I name her Lucy, and I take her to meet some of my friends..all who loved her! She was so stinking cute!! This one place I take her there is a lady I don't know...who wants to see if her daughter can pet her. So I sit down on the floor with her and her daughter, and we are petting her. The lady asks what is the bump on her hind end, above her tail...around her haunches. Well, not knowing this large breed, I figure it's just how she is, or maybe she is sitting on one haunch, making it poke out.
In the meantime, I feed her twice a day, sitting in the large pen---not cage---we have for her outside. She comes and sits in my lap every day. So unlike any of the other three bunnies I have had in the past!
So Thursday evening, after we feed the dogs, Craig notices a bump on her right end, and tells me about it.
I pick her up, and see that it is an opening, with an excretion, kind of like toothpaste color and substance. Come to find out, it is an abscess that has burst. So we have surgery to remove the capsule that the abscess is in. But the infection has apparently moved into Lucy's blood stream, and that is what kills her.
She left the breeder with that abscess, though it hadn't burst. Had she felt the bunny over, she would have found it. I didn't know to do that. I had never seen the breed before. When I emailed the breeder, she said she had never seen a bunny have an abscess. The vet found that hard to believe!
We only had her two weeks, like I mentioned, but we loved her and she loved us, and the Newfoundlands really loved her...especially Zach, who would sit beside her fenced area, and whine to her, like he wanted to play with her.
Note to anyone who wants a bunny...especially a Flemish Giant...make sure you find a responsible breeder...one who is registered--like with the National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders and has purebred bunnies.
We are in talks now with such a breeder between Ocala and Gainesville. We are looking at a sandy color little girl, and hope to have her in a couple of weeks...because once you have a Flemish Giant, you will never have another breed of bunny.

Most of you may have expectations for your beach portrait session. You want at least one good photo of the family sitting together, smiling at the camera. But when you throw toddlers or infants into the mix, those chances grow slim!
On a recent session, I was photographing a family of about 10, with five of those being toddlers under the age of 4.  When we attempted to get the entire family photo, most of the kiddos were not happy! In fact, they began crying! What to do? Well, I have photographed hundreds of children over the years, and I have learned not to push them when they don't want to do something! So instead, I had the family walk down to the water, and just play with the children at the edge of the surf.  Once the children began having fun, they warmed up to me, the photographer, and I wasn't a stranger anymore! Before the session was over, I had great photos of the children smiling, with the entire family.  My advice is, don't force toddlers to do something they don't want to do. Just be patient and they will come around.
Here is a link to a similar situation!
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2013/09/family-photo-session-not-your-average-day-at-the-beach/

Last night I had a photo session with Pru, from north Alabama.  I had the opportunity to capture her family in a session two years ago. This year, she and two girlfriends came to the area for Labor Day, to enjoy the Emerald Coast, and she wanted me to photograph them, and I was more than happy!  It was a cloudy afternoon, and I thought that it may even rain before/during our photo session.  But I was more than pleased that we had somewhat of a sunset through the cloudy skies. More than that...I was amazed at what the sky was doing to the east, opposite of the sunset.  I don't think I can even remember such a sky! To the east, it appeared to be a sunset, though I know it wasn't! I really don't know what was happening, but I thank the Lord for such an amazing sight.  And, I got to capture it with seagulls in the background!

Santa Rosa Beach Photographer/Beach Photographer

Sometimes, being a photographer on the coast of Florida, I feel like a storm chaser!!! Not that I am interested in actually chasing the storm, but rather, running from it!
The majority of my clients happen to be from out of state--visitors to the Emerald Coast choosing to relax on our white, sandy beach and swim in our emerald green waters.  However, summer is met with sporadic thundershowers, making me constantly track the weather.  We have such a high humidity index during the summer, that many times it rains because it is so hot.  Usually we could count on an afternoon shower after the extreme heat, which would result in a more pleasant sunset.
That is until this year! My husband--who is a native to the area---says he doesn't remember a summer as rainy as we have had this year.  The days have often been "a wash" as far as photo shoots are concerned!  It is difficult to reschedule a session when families are only here for a limited time, and I am booked solid. It's like there is no where else to put them in a day...and I don't want to do mid-day shoots if it stops raining, because it is too hot and bright.  So we are left to shoot early morning, before 7, or in-between rain showers.  If it is cloudy after a rain, we can do the session then, during the day, in case it looks like rain for sure towards sunset.
Many times it rains on the main road--highway 98--and not on county road 30a, where I usually do my sessions (because it is more secluded). And then sometimes, it rains on one end of 30a, and not the other.  Recently I had a daytime session scheduled and when I met the family, it was raining at the location.  I took a gamble and told them to follow me down 30a.  Within a few miles we had outrun the rain, and we had dry skies for their session!  Someone else might have just given up.

Just yesterday I had a session with a family I had photographed two years ago. It was a rather large group, with two little ones (and babies can be a challenge, but I love it!)  They had not known if the photo shoot would be able to come about, since some of them had to rerun home earlier in the week due to a death in the family. They were able to return midweek.  The rain chance was great the day before, and then it lessened to almost nothing on their day.  But later in the afternoon I saw cloud rolling in, so I called them to see if they could meet sooner.  

We met an hour later, with clouds in the sky.

 As they got out of their cars, the sprinkling began. I looked overhead and saw one slightly dark cloud, and I could tell that was soon to pass, and it did! We were able to successfully continue the session, and the family was happy. And that, makes me happy!!

My point to this post is that it is always a challenge being mainly an environmental photographer (I do have a residential studio, which I mainly use for infant sessions), especially when my clients are only here for a limited amount of time, and my schedule is packed, with not much room for rescheduling.

However, I will always go the extra mile to attempt to accommodate my families! With that said, wish me luck for tomorrow as I have two sessions scheduled!

The Real Candid Portrait Session!

During a recent portrait session, I had three cousins who wanted to have fun during their session...and I'm all about that! I photograph hundreds of people every year, and I always tell them that I want to capture them having fun and showing love to each other. I don't like people just standing there...with their hands by their sides! So these girls just made the session all about their fun with each other, and it was great!!

Santa Rosa Beach Photographer--Indiana Family

When Jennifer and her husband and son traveled to the Emerald Coast from Indiana for vacation in July, they knew they had found a gem on the beach! Destin and Santa Rosa Beach are known for their white sands and emerald green waters, and 30a in south Walton County is even a better kept secret. Their son, Sterling, is getting older now, so they know it is going to get more and more difficult to get together for vacations....there are jobs and college and girlfriends and wives to create more stumbling blocks for all family vacations. Their interactions were sweet and you could tell they have a special bond!
Thanks for the opportunity to photograph your time together!