The Photoblog

Family Photography | Naples, FL ~ The Armantrout family

2012-01-09T22:41:00.003-05:00

She said during our shoot that she would like to have a copy of every single photo I took of her and her family, if possible..."even those where the eyes are closed or are out of focus"... I said I usually deleted them. For Nicole and her mom-in-law Tammy, it didn't matter... Capturing and preserving a moment into eternity is a family goal... They are relentless in collecting and cherishing their family's memories! They understand perfectly that what's left of this wordly presence of ours are merely the thoughts and memories of someone. Unfortunately, you come to that deep understanding only after a serious family loss...like their family had to endure two years ago... Ever since then, it has turned into a mission to fill their home's walls with pictures, and their scrapbook pages with precious moments...

And for me, to be able to provide that for them as best I could was a true blessing!

Tammy called me before Christmas with the request to take photos of her son Kevin's family letting me know that it's going to be a family slash maternity slash three years old ceelbration, as her daughter-in-law Nicole is pregnant with their son Hunter and her granddaughter Addalynn just turned three. I was excited about the idea of the shoot taking place at their home and about the multiple outfit changes a cute three years-old would go through...

We started with the birthday theme complete with balloons and a big ol' number three...

While Addie changed into her second outfit of the day, it was time for Mom and Dad to get lovey dovey and show off the bump. Nicole was induced today and is probably holding baby Hunter in her arms as I type this... I'm so excited for them!

Sometimes, it's tough to be a model...

Avid Pittsburgh Steelers supporters, they then changed into the black and yellow jerseys for a couple shots...

Then, it was time for another change....and another change...one cuter than the other!!

I'll leave you with a favorite from the shoot...

Tammy and Nicole, thank you for reminding me the importance of photos, your story is inspiring! Thanks for making me a part of a special moment in your family's life...

Much love...

Maternity Photography | Naples, FL ~ Elizabeth

2012-01-08T22:15:00.002-05:00

I'll admit it. I am nervous every single time I have to do a shoot. It doesn't get easier in time, no. It doesn't mean I have more practice, or experience. I still feel like every time I do a shoot is for the fist time, the butterflies never left my tummy. The feeling is even more so when another photographer asks me to take their photos... I was a nervous wreck before Elizabeth's shoot! Oh boy, what if she doesn't like my hair, what if she doesn't laugh at my stupid jokes, what if she thinks I suck at what I do, what if my cover is blown and she realizes I have no idea what I'm doing?? All these and other doubts were passing through my head all day that day...

Thankfully for me, Elizabeth is the sweetest girl in the world and her initial hug completely calmed me down...

I met Elizabeth at a Wednesday model shoot at the Naples photography meetup organized by Peggy Farren a while back. She is also a photographer in town. Hence, my butterflies when she asked me to take her maternity shots...

We met up at the Koreshan state park... I wish there were more of these parks around, that place is too cool and is getting overused by all of us photogs in the area... Thankfully, though, there are tons of little nooks and crannies in the park and we just walked around playing shoot and talking...about photography, baby, life...

Elizabeth is gorgeous and her baby girl will be too! Just wait and see. I'm sure she'll practice her own skills on her newborn model...

I just love this picture of you, Elizabeth... you look so pretty!

My favorite from the shoot...

Elizabeth and Emill, I am so excited for the two of you! Mikayla will be a very loved little girl, I cannot wait to see her little face in about two weeks... Thank you for allowing me to capture your beautiful belly and self, for being so trusting in me and for being a good friend, my dear...

Xoxoxo

Quinceanera Photography | Naples, FL ~ Deanna

2012-01-08T21:47:00.004-05:00

I love me a themed shoot! When Deanna's mom Karen told me that they would like to hire me for Deanna's quince, I had no idea that I would have so much fun planning it... They wanted an Alice in Wonderland shoot, complete with the hat, the red and black dress, and all the works. She told me about it in August. So, since then we gathered ideas, brainstormed, browsed stores for props, pinned boards on Pinterest, and came up with a fantastic styled shoot that would portray the theme as best as possible.

See, before the shoot, I had little to no idea what it would entail, as I haven't watched the movie yet, nor have I read the book...shame on me! Karen and Deanna, though, did their homeworks and together, they helped me pull it off.

I borrowed a rabbit, a teaset, I went and got some of the props, while Karen got the rest and we were ready. Only.... the weather didn't get the memo that day and it did not cooperate in Wonderland... Thankfully, though, when we were just about to reschedule, it stopped raining and we joyfully continued...

Deanna had three dresses for the shoot. One more gorgeous than the other. We started with the white one first... to portray the White Queen...

The table setting...

Then, she changed into the red and black dress...to portray the Red Queen...

The last dress was a beautiful purple color with pink..

The favorite from the shoot...to end as a good queen...

Happy Birthday, Deanna! I loved to play this theme with you, thank you for the idea and for everyone that helped to make this happen: Karen - everything, your sister-in-law - thank you for the cupcakes, Cara - thank you for the teaset, Dianne and Briana - thank you for the bunny, Adrian - thank you for the books...

Much love....

Quinceanera Photography | Naples, FL ~ Krystal

2012-01-08T21:09:00.005-05:00

In the Spanish culture, Quinceaneras are special occasions when girls dress up to be princesses for a day in long fancy dresses, perfect hair and make-up to celebrate their 15th Birthdays. It is sort of a rite of passage, when they stop being considered little girls, but more grown up women... It is an event accompanied by a multitude of tissues and relatives dabbing their eyes looking at their daughter/granddaughter/goddaughter/niece turn into a beautiful princess...

I was invited to photograph such an event in October at Krystal's quince. Krystal is our good friend Raul's daughter and she had two beautiful dresses we played in...

Here are some details...I loved the tiara.

Krystal is a girly girl...

We started with the party dress.

There is an air of mysterious in the next one...

Then, it was time for the ballgown. The dress was costum made and looked gorgeous...

The details of it were stunning!

She is gorgeous, don't you think?

True princess.

Krystal, Happy Birthday again! Go on with your gorgeous self and conquer the world! Thanks for allowing me to capture your beauty...

Much love!

Anytime Photography | Naples, FL ~ Linda

2012-01-08T20:34:00.002-05:00

There are people that you meet randomly and stay in your life because they have a positive effect on you... I met Linda at the beach, while celebrating my friend Adrienn's birthday and Linda was there with her friends celebrating their wedding... Adrienn told them I could take a photo of them, as they didn't have a photographer and that's how Linda and I were introduced and later became friends...

She is one of my biggest fans, always showing her support for my photography, for my career goals and for anything I plan in life... She is a successful real estate agent, that speaks fluent German and I need to bug her to speak more German to me, so I get to practice it more...

We've been planning a shoot with her and her cat Jamaica for a while now and finally we picked a day and did it. Linda wanted to incorporate her father's impressive orchid collection in the shoot so we met at his home.

I didn't quite believe her when she said he had thousands of different varietes of orchids so I was amazed to see them. It is a gorgeous collection that he cares for very diligently... I thought about my Grandma the whole time. She was one to love flowers and plants and anything green and beautiful. She'd always call me outside to show me which new flowers were in bloom... So, this was special.

Here are some photos of my beautiful friend Linda.

And here is Jamaica, Linda's beloved baby...

Thank you, my dear, for being so sweet to me and for always being there with your uplifting words of support!

Much love...

Family Photography | Naples, FL ~ Holiday Sessions

2012-01-08T19:32:00.002-05:00

I don't really remember the time betwen Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve... My head was in the washer machine the whole time, running around, staying up late editing, completing orders, client sessions, shooting, and making things happen! All this, with a deadline! I tried to keep the Christmas deadline of editing last photos, but that came and went and the new year almost knocked on my door with an added pressure...

Fortunately, that's a fantastic problem to have and I am blessed and grateful for the work! Keep it coming! I've never felt more fulfilled...

The Holiday mini sessions were a hit this year and, with more luck, I'll continue the tradition next year with the promise of starting earlier than this year! I was happy to photograph the Franchino family and the Aybar family this year for their annual holiday cards...

The Franchino kids were a breeze to work with... Four gorgeous faces, laid back attitudes, supermodel confidences... Add an awesome blue antique truck to the mix and you got yourself one happy photographer!

Here are some individual ones. Jessica...

Will.

Matthew.

And Thomas.

Thomas and Jessi.

Trouble-makers.

***

The second family I photographed for their holiday cards is the Aybar family...One reason we were thankful for last year was the fact that we became very good friends with these guys... They are so much fun and so nice that we want to be around them all the time. If for nothing else, but to lose belly fat... Cause when around them, you laugh so hard, your stomach shrinks. I'm not kidding. If you met them, you'd knew what I mean.

We met at the Pelican Bay community park one fine late morning and took a few shots...

The kiddos.

The parents. You probably remember them from their Trash the dress shoot not too long ago.

The girls...the boys...

Had to post this one...Emma and Olivia are so funny!

We spent the day relaxing. Smelling the flowers...

...looking at ducks...

...gathering pinecones...

...and photographing butterflies!

If you received the Franchino's or the Aybar's cards, you are lucky to have them as friends! They are wonderful people and I'm happy to have them in my life!

Xoxo

Holiday Sessions

2012-01-08T19:32:00.000-05:00

Family Photography | Naples, FL ~ The Mitchells

2011-11-30T21:20:00.003-05:00

I captured the Mitchell family over the Thanksgiving week-end and I finished editing their photos thinking this was the perfect shoot for the holiday of giving, the celebration of gratitude, of family, of togetherness.

The first reason: this session's proceeds were donated entirely to Baby Basics of Collier County, a local organization that supports hard working parents who are struggling to make ends meet and need diapers for their babies. I entered the family shoot in a silent auction at the annual Casino Night organized by the Mid Day Optimist Club of Naples and the Mitchells put the highest bid and won!

The Mitchells are some of the most giving people I know. Their unconditional love took them to different continents of the world to complete their sweet little family. One can only be inspired. That is the second reason why I think this shoot was perfect for the celebration of Thanksgiving... There is nothing like opening your home... and your heart.

Here are some of their best shots.

Nothing like a big brother being silly with the little sis!

Let's huddle Mom!

This is Lindsay. And she's gorgeous. Not only is she pretty, but she's got the brains too. Finishing up her degree next semester in Tallahassee. Exec of a Fortune500 company? Very possible.

She brought her boyfriend Cameron along for a couple shots too.

Ben is in eighth grade and plays football. Something tells me he's fast and really good at it too.

Danny is loving college life in Orlando. Unfortunately, he forgot to bring his beloved guitar, otherwise we'd see him with it. Loves music and playing it.

Olivia enjoys her girlfriends and plays in the high school band. She was open to be sassy and I loved her bubbly personality.

Mom and Dad, congratulations on having a beautiful family. No togetherness would be possible without the two of you...

Thank you for letting me capture your photos...

Much love...

***Baby Basics currently serves about 300 babies at eight distribution sites. Throughout the past six years, it has distributed over one million diapers to families in the area. If you would like more information about what they are all about, and ways that you can contribute, please visit them on the web at www.babybasicscollier.org.

Couples Photography | Naples, FL ~ Steve and Lorna

2011-10-24T22:00:00.003-04:00

He kept telling me how this is not going to be a big event, and that if I had any other arrangements or other clients that day, it would totally be okay and not to worry. I said no, I will find time... He didn't even tell me the occasion or what we're talking about but I knew I wanted to be part of whatever "October 15th, 6pm" would mean... Since Steve was trying so hard to downplay the idea that he was GETTING HITCHED, I started talking to Lorna about all the juicy details of the day..only to find out that she was playing the same tune: "not a big event, just us..." Well, two people or one hundred guests, it's still a wedding to me and it is a BIG FREAKING DEAL! These two were totally whatever-ish...

Steve and I used to work together a while back, until he decided to move to Daytona Beach. He met Lorna shortly afterwards and the rest is history.

I knew right away that she was the one for Steve when, before the ceremony and our session, I asked her jokingly to give me a little teaser and tell me what the color of her bouquet was going to be... "I'm not carrying any flowers", she says. Ding ding ding ding ding, she is not carrying flowers?? Not in my books, not in my photos, I said. So I made her a bouquet. Every bride needs flowers on her wedding day. If you're a bride and plan on not having any for whatever reason, reconsider. Photos with a pop of color in flowers look much better than photos without. And this is just from a photographer's stand point. You see why I thought she was the perfect pick for Steve? She's relaxed, easy going, calm and confident...with or without flowers.

We met up at the Naples Beach Hotel and we only had a little over a half an hour to rock a session with the two of them before their ceremony. We lucked out with some cloudy skies and the photos stand proof that it was enough for me to be there with a camera to capture their love...

Lorna's dress was gorgeous and she looked stunning...but Steve is right up there with her too!

The dress was only overshadowed by the sparkly piece on her left hand...

We then walked over to the ceremony site where the family was already waiting. The ceremony and vows were meaningful and sweet.

Happiest day of their lives? Possibly...

Driving home from their wedding, I remember I kept saying a lot of "What a great day! Thank you, God!"... It was one of my longest days for sure, with the baby shower and then this wedding right after, but I felt like it was the most rewarding day ever! Loved every minute of it and couldn't have been more grateful!

Congratulations Lorna and Steve, may you have a happy, long life together! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day!

Much love...

Event Photography | Naples, FL ~ Nadia's Baby Shower

2011-10-24T12:32:00.003-04:00

Friends are the family we choose.

The whole thing was going to be a secret. That is where the "best friend" part comes into play, because best friends know what their best friends are like or what they want. We knew Nadia was going to "sniff" the planning and the anticipation of something... There was no way that we could keep her shower a secret from her!

So, we picked a date two months ago and that was when the planning began. I've only thrown a bridal shower once for Anna and I had a LOT of fun putting the all-white details together, so I knew I was in for a lot of work but, that in the end, it was going to be rewarding...

I went with "Tifanny's & Co." elements throughout and I had a vision of aqua, white and brown mixed in all the details.

I made a board for people to write well wishes, advice and love letters to baby M...

We had favors in Tiffany & Co.-looking boxes.

We decorated the place with paper lanterns and flower balls were the centerpieces of the tables... The big fluffy balls in the middle are also paper lanterns that we glued a bunch of coffee filters on. See the how-to here.

See the tutorial for the flower balls here.

These adorable matching straws I got online from Shop Sweet Lulu and the labels I made from templates found on...where else?? Pinterest.

We lucked out with perfect weather, so everything was so much more enjoyable!

Everyone seemed to have a great time.

We played games...

...and won prizes...

The Mom-to-be looked radiant as always!

We are so grateful for the lovely ladies that came to celebrate this joyous occasion with Nadia and baby M, you all made it a special day! May baby M be a healthy and happy little boy, he is going to be born into the most loving family and group of friends!

Also, many many thank you's go to everyone that helped make this happen. You know who you are.

Much love!

Newborn Photography | Naples, FL ~ Ian

2011-10-19T22:29:00.005-04:00

I believe in preparation. Doing your homework ahead of time, will give you enough confidence that you will do a good job... in general.

We waited for Ian to be born for two weeks. Due date came and went and he finally showed up right before the Doc threatened with inducing Mom... This kid has a mind of its own already! Before my session with five-day old Ian, I researched, I "Youtubed", I made notes, I advised of room temperature, and of white noise in the background... I wanted to make sure this baby is going to be comfortable, and sleeeeeeeepy. You can prepare all you want for a newborn session. Pfffft, who am I joking, they are going to be on their own schedule and do their own thing. After being fed for, "I-already-lost-the-count" times, he finally nestled in on the soft blanket...

And because we did our homeworks, baby Ian shined...

Ian is born into the most loving family, being the little brother of two adorable sisters.

Best time to schedule a newborn session is within the first week of their lives. This is why.

Next shot is the most loving...

And my absolute favorite from the session is this one.

Much love and baby soft kisses... xoxoxo

Anytime Photography ~ A Special Tribute

2011-10-18T09:12:00.002-04:00

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.

It has been sitting in a dark closet for fifty-five years lonely, delicately tucked away preserving all the memories of that special day back in 1956. Its lovely hand-sewn details remained undisturbed as life rushed on...

Grandma's wedding dress waited. Patiently. Stuck in time... all while children were born, people got married, grandchildren were born and life just happened... It was the unfortunate passing of Grandma that brought the Dress to life once again.

When Angela asked me to do a portrait session of her in her Grandmother's wedding Dress, I knew I wanted to be a part of it, not only because she was going to be wearing a beautiful vintage gown, but also because of what it represented...to her...to me. A piece of her beloved Grandmother was being brought to light. A piece of her family's heirloom was going to be displayed and her sweet Grandma - honored and given tribute.

Angela looked stunning in the gown and Grandma would have been proud...

This is one of my favorites from the day...

The lace was in perfect condition and I loved the line of buttons in the back.

This next one is another favorite.

Angela and her family were gracious to provide me with a couple photos from Grandmother's 1956 wedding day... Here she is with her new husband, a young happy bride...

Finally, I'll leave you with a special side-by-side photo of Angela and her Grandma. A leap in time, fifty-five years, one dress, one family, one life...

On the second anniversary of my own Grandmother's passing, I thought this post would be appropriate to remember the special ladies in our lives that shape us and our futures...

Credits: Jenna Scott {Hair Design by Jenna Marie}
Christina {Make-up} at Nordstrom's Waterside Shops MAC Cosmetics

Couples Photography ~ Naples, FL | Trash The Dress: Heather and Eddie

2011-10-09T00:29:00.006-04:00

You know how sometimes in life you meet people that you just click with? The types that are so easy to talk to, get along with, hang out with and laugh so hard with, that they immediately get upgraded to best friends? Heather and Eddie are those kinds of friends. I can't say enough about how much we enjoy these guys' company! If they hadn't had a busy life and family, I'd be probably acting like a 8-year old throwing stones at their windows to make them come out and play with us every day...

Heather and Eddie celebrated their wedding day about a month ago with closest friends and family and, although I didn't shoot their wedding, I promised them some Trash the Dress shots on the beach... So, we headed up to Barefoot Beach for a few fun photos.

They are so in love and happy that I had to give little to no direction to get their emotions and expressions... That's why I love them so much. They're such a vibrant, fun and happy couple, that it just made my job easier!

Here are some fun shots from the day...

Hello hotness!!

Umm, yeah...Heather...stop it, stop being so darn pretty!!!

Serious awesomeness...coz that's how she rolls...

Fiercely in love, fierce in her own right...

I got so wet to take these pics, it was hilarious the whole night!

Hah! Hercules in action...

They switch it too...

Yeah, just don't mind me...

A gorgeous night, enjoyed with wonderful friends. What more can a girl ask for??

Love you guys!!

Personal ~ Long Week-end

2011-09-05T22:55:00.005-04:00

This week-end was filled with gratitude... I was thankful on Friday for the upcoming long week-end to charge my batteries for another long stretch of work-work-work til Thanksgiving in November... I was grateful for wonderful friends on Saturday, when we spent the first half of the day celebrating my friend Megan's son's Birthday and then the second half - being treated to a most delightful Mexican feast with our friends Heather and Eddie... On Sunday I was grateful God gave me strength to finish the Himalayian mountain of clothes I haven't ironed or put away in more than two months... and, finally, grateful for my husband, who was awesome enough to take us out of the house today for a little roadtrip up to Downtown Ft. Myers and Sanibel Island for lunch...

I'll quit talking and do the posting of today's festivities.

Obviously, I was in need of this very bad!

We were in the River District, by Centennial Park..

Discovered a lot of little nooks downtown, it's actually cute!

This place looked cool, it's called Space (?) 39 and I'm sure it's a bustling place at night...

This mural was painted on the ceiling at the entrance.

I loved all the brick walls!

When we got hungry, we headed to Sanibel Island, where we stopped at the Lazy Flamingo.

The food was delicious! Being surrounded by water, the seafood is pretty legit...

No, Adrian is not praying...oh well, maybe a little...to the football gods...

Hope you all had a great weekend! Have a productive short week!

Lifestyle Photography | Naples, FL ~ Maggie

2011-08-30T00:44:00.004-04:00

Maggie just celebrated her "FFF"! What is "FFF", you ask? Well, I thought it would be cool if you guys tried to guess the exact name of this fine occasion and as a thank you for killing yourself thinking about this, I'd throw in a free session with you. So, what do you say? You want to play? All I'm going to say is this: there's a curse word in there, there's an age and there's the most important attribute of Maggie's! So, keep the guesses coming, first one to say it wins! I promise it's easy.

This elegant European beauty and I have known each other for a few years now... She's Polish, but has been here since forever. What I love most about my friend Maggie is the poise that she carries herself with, her sophisticated and chic closet I'd raide for clothes every single day of my life, and her love for her friends and family. She loves Brio's and makes the most delicious lunch sandwiches ever! I can attest to that... She smiled throughout the whole entire shoot because she doesn't like herself serious. She doesn't take herself seriously at all, in fact!

We concocted this shoot around a JCrew inspired urban theme, because she can very well be the spokesperson for JCrew, I think everything she owns is this brand...they should seriously pay her! I love her style! We started at 6.30am to catch the nice sunrise light, as we did not want to risk shooting in the afternoon when Florida rains are just impossible to avoid...

We started with a more sophisticated ensemble on the streets of Naples...

I think the next photo is my favorite of the series. It has a casual, laid back feel to it and she's radiant without even trying!

Maggie's legs are amaaahhzing! Just sayin'...and I'm funny.

And she's gorgeous? Yeah, I think so!

Then, she changed into something more casual... These hot pink shorts get compliments from all the high-school girls around, apparently...but she rocks them probably better than all those girls!

We ended up at the beach, where the waves were extra huge!

This next photo reminds me of an old Hollywood actress...Love the hair all over her face...

I'm so happy to have friends like you, Maggie, your inner beauty shines on the outside as well! Thank you for everything!

Much love!!

Assistant Work ~ Weddings

2011-08-25T00:02:00.001-04:00

I am so behind on blogging.

I am super excited to share with you an event I had the awesome opportunity to experience and photograph. My good friend Angelina and I worked with the very talented Austin of Austin Trenholm Photography in photographing a Bengali wedding in Punta Gorda in June. Please check out Austin's blog for the best shots of the day.

I am not a wedding photographer but give me something pretty to photograph and I'll be happy...It is very different than all other types of photography in the sense that the pace is way faster, there are deadlines to be met, as a photographer you're more of a director of all these millions of things going on at the same time... It is stressful and my hat's off to all you wedding photogs doing it for a living, it's definitely exhausting, but also rewarding.

Well, this particular wedding wasn't just pretty, it was one of the most amazing events I've ever seen. Every little detail in the decor and traditions was so unique and beautifully done, my eyes and my heart were smiling the entire night. Our every sense was stimulated, from the visual with the gorgeous colors in the fabrics to the spice in the food and the fantastic entertaining music... We all enjoyed the culture, the people, their fashions, the ceremonial traditions and the dancing.

With the main photographer's permission, I am posting a few of my favorites from the day.

The Hall was beautifully decorated in tones of pink and fuchsia...

The bride, Meem looked stunning in her traditional sari and beautiful jewelry. Their culture is so rich, I wish everyone dressed like that every day.

Faisal, the groom, made a grand entrance arriving in a horse-drawn carriage, while everyone else was welcoming him with gifts.

When it was time for the bride's entrance, she was carried in.

First dance was very pretty, as flower petals were released on the couple from above...

The couple exchanged rings and each one was asked to say what they see in the mirror as future for them as a couple...

Everyone had a fantastic time! With punjabi music, it's really hard to stand still and not dance...

Even the photogs had a blast! These guys are so cool and easy going, I just loved working with them!

Wishes of lifetime happiness and sparkles sent the couple away into the night and completed the last day of a four-day wedding event...

_____________________________

Credits and thank you's: Austin Trenholm Photography

Personal ~ The Week-end Update

2011-07-31T23:30:00.003-04:00

Snapshots of an awesomely fun and productive week-end.

Friday is usually the day we do not want to hear of anything but Happy Hour, or items related to Happy Hour. So, we said hello to pizza out of a box and blueberry beer left over from some friends... so grateful they did because that beer rocks!!

After putting that pizza in the oven on Friday and making grilled cheese sandwiches today, my husband gracefully said he cooked TWICE this week-end! Sheesh, some people don't know how easy they have it in this house! Pffft...

Saturday was a whole lot of Pinterest. I am not an addictive personality, but this I am addicted to. I could get lost for hours on end, until I realize the husband is just about ready to eat a whole cow out of starvation.

In the evening, we had a doubledate with a super cute couple, Heather and Eddie. These two crack me up! We laughed all night and had a super duper awesome time!

We started off at Bonefish Grill and some of you may recognize the Bang Bang shrimp below. It's their signature best dish....yummmmmm...if you haven't tried it, order it next time you go, it's to die for!

We ended up doing an impromptu photoshoot at Bayfront... Hmmmm, I foresee more pics with these two in my future!

We continued the night with more fun and dancing at Larry's... For a retired couple like us, that was an action-packed night, but it was sooo fun that we forgot that we're old and retired from the scene...

Today, for breakfast, we had our pineapples for the first time. We planted them almost two years ago and they grew into some juicy and ripe fruits. If you're wondering how to plant them, next time you buy a fruit, cut off the tops with the greens, without leaving too much of the fruit on the bottom. Then put it in water and wait for it to grow roots. Once it does, it will be ready to be planted in the ground. Wait for it to grow...in two years or so you'll be eating yummy pineapples. Easy peasy.

Then, I spent the whole day gawking at crafty people's blogs, getting inspired and antsy to try out my own creative projects. I swear I should stay away from these blogs, they make me want to do soooooooooooo many things! If only I had the time and a little more money! My main thing now is recycling clothes. So, of course I had to do a project on my own.

I had bought this sweater a while back from Goodwill for $3. I imagined it a cardigan embellished with ruffles. My husband hates ruffles, but oh well...I love them! There's something feminine and romantic about ruffles, no? So, I went buck wild with ruffles on this project.

Aaaand, voila the end result. It can be worn with turquoise, coral, white...anything.

See Rusty's head in one of the photos? He was getting in the way of my photoshoot...LOL

Hope everyone had a fantastic week-end! Wishing you a great productive week ahead!

Personal | Naples, FL ~ Push Your Limits

2011-07-27T22:52:00.002-04:00

Lately, I've been trying out a lot of new things. I am officially on a quest of learning and challenging myself and, ultimately, my creativity. You think sewing is out my comfort zone? You bet it is. Were you always jealous of all those women that blog about sprucing up their clothes, their furniture? That "upcycle" their old stuff in the house with their "do-it-yourself" magic? Yeah, sign me up - I'm jealous. I envy you, people! How do you girls do that? For the longest time I was convinced I can't possibly be good at any creative stuff, or be good at any-thing...period. I soon learned that you GET good at something when you challenge yourself, when you try new things, when you LEARN. Bingo! A light went out in my head. What if I join those creative ladies. Let me try that UPCYCLE thing myself. Can't be that hard, can it?

That's the part you insert the scene of me running to JoAnn's to buy a sewing machine... Man, I never knew that part of JoAnn's that houses all the fabrics, all the lace, all the bias tapes (??), all the PATTERNS!! Whoah, hello new obsession!! It was like Pandora's box just opened and I got sucked into it. All of a sudden my To Do list and my Want To Do list got ten pages longer! I have a whole section on Pinterest dedicated to stuff I want to do eventually. By the way, Pinterest... Oh man, talk about obsession! If you think Facebook was sucking all of your precious time, you obviously don't have an account on Pinterest! For me, it's like an enchanting world... A world of color, pretty things, fashion, interior design, and lots and lots and lots and lots of ideas. Digresssssssssing. Sorry. Where were we? Sewing. Thank you for occupying my other half of the brain with possibilities and future projects. All of a sudden changing the colors in my living room or making my own fashions are not so far in the distance and I just love the idea that I can DO it.

I never knew the word "upcycle" existed. It means taking an old garment or piece of furniture and adding your own embelishments to make it look new or better. Like this T-shirt...I added fabric flowers to it by hand. So easy to do and so romantic...Now I want to put flowers on everything.

Or, for example this second project I did just by drawing the idea on paper and taking some not-so-accurate measurements...

How can you "pretty-fy" the world around you? Try these cute cupcake wrappers made out of doily paper.

Yes, I totally made those banana chocolate chip cupcakes/muffins so they can rock the wrappers! (while also almost burning the house down in the middle of photographing them!)

Or, you can make the world prettier and better with a delicious dinner every once in a while. Try one of these simple ideas.

We had friends over the other night and I made them these mushroom, garlic, spinach ad feta stuffed phyllo pockets for appetizers

Then, for the main meal we had homemade pasta with sundried tomato and arugula sauce.

This is the sauce

And this is the result. Really yummy, if I can say so myself!

During the week, I prefer easy stuff like this stirfry with veggies and a side of wild rice.

If cooking doesn't make you happy, I don't know what will.

Today I needed to remind myself what I'm good at and where I want to GET. I don't think I'm good at any of these stuff, I think I'm really good at trying, at bettering myself, at learning. If you do just that, you might even make the world a better, prettier place...maybe not the whole world, but your own little nook.

I try to achieve that and it makes me happy. So, stay creative!

HS Senior Photography | Naples, FL ~ Megan

2011-07-19T01:23:00.002-04:00

Megan is my Twinny. We're born on the same day, have the same kind of personality, we're Tauruses, we're stubborn and have a ton of spunk and attitude! And we wear it proudly too! Her Mom and I have been planning her senior shoot since forever now, trying to not think of the fact that once it comes, it only means that the wittle girl is not so wittle anymore, but is just about to spread her wings and take on the world...

Megan loves the outdoors, she is not afraid of anything (you'll see what I'm talking about later) and can be a total tomboy...but she can also be feminine and girly in a pair of high heels, if need be! I chose a nature scene with some vintage elements to it for our shoot and her Mom and her best friend Chloe helped with being "assistants".

I present to you... Melinda Nagy Photography's Senior Rep of the Year! Drum roll, please! Taaaaa Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Those shoes? Sorry, the line forms behind me, I was here first!

Took the sweet shoes off for this monkey business shots. She was in her element on that log...as for me, I was praying vehemently I won't have to fish her out of the water! I felt much better by the last photo...

This next one is funny. This is called "planking". Don't ask, I don't even know.

My gosh, Meg, where do they sell eyelashes like yours??

Those eyes...holy macaroni...Just gorgeous, couldn't get enough!

Some more prettiness...

Chloe is Megan's best friend, she came for moral support and helped pick poses... Look how adorable and funny they are together!

I love the next ones with her Mom... their bond is palpable and real.

I loved working on every single photo in this batch, thank you ladies for a fun shoot and also for braving all the millions of bugs and mosquitos that considered us their dinner that night. Whew, they were vicious! Let me tell you, if you shoot outdoors, god forbid near water, you're doomed: mke sure you carry bug repellent with you at all times!

But looking at the next photo makes you forget all the welts and focus on beauty...

You guys rock! Meg, good luck with senior year and may your future be as bright as your smile on your face! Much love and appreciation...

XOXO

Food ~ Latest eats at the Otero house

2011-07-13T22:46:00.002-04:00

Good-bye gourmet, hello convenience, simple and quick. I don't know about you, but when I come home from work, I feel like I am tired, but...I still need to continue working...and that is in my other "full-time job", photography...

So, my latest routine is: think of what's in fridge, google a recipe with main existing ingredient and make do with what I have in the house without having to go to the store! Ha! Do you ever feel that every time you cook, you still need something and it forces you to go buy it? Not in my house anymore. I get used to cooking the same things all the time, and the not so preferred stuff are pushed back to the dark and lonely back of the refrigerator... So, use up all you have in the pantry/fridge before going to the grocery store.

On that note, here is some stuff I've made in the last week or so...

Breakfast: fried egg and arugula on a toasted slice of bread spread with sundried tomato and basil shmear...with fruits. Easy.

Then, the other night I made French baguette onion soup... I've never made it before, always wanted to try it. Not sure how it's supposed to taste but it was pretty good! Anything next to a baguette will be good...Just sayin'...Sorry for the messy pic, but onions soups look kinda messy, don't you think? With all that gooey cheese on top...

And tonight I whipped up a quick carrot potato salad with fried tilapia on a bed of spinach. What's grated on top? Parmesan cheese...my latest obsession.

I forgot to take a photo of the other creation the other day: vegetable tart. That was yummy. Carrots, spinach and goat cheese in a store bought pie crust. Yummo, I'm tellin' ya...yummo!

So, there you have it folks! What have you been cooking up?

Family Photography | Naples ~ Singing In The Rain

2011-07-09T23:15:00.002-04:00

It rained on their wedding day, it rained on their daughter's third birthday and, yes, as it was expected, it rained on the day of their family session too. You'd think they'd stay home and reschedule, but no... I was happy that the Suarez family decided to roll with it and rock their shoot with their umbrellas in tow! Only cool people do that, fu'reals!

Marta and I met through the organic co-op we're both members of, which, among yummy fruits and vegetables, offers members the opportunity to sell their products or services through the weekly community bulletin. When we first met face to face to talk about the session, I felt like I've known her for fifteen years, I swear! Marta is from Europe, like me, but has been here longer than I have... So, we chatted about Europe, about living abroad, about our families, about personal life, children, religious views, politics, health... Yes, all those! Everything, BUT the session! Hahaha... We did put it on our calendars, though.

So, last Tuesday rolls around with big grey clouds saturated of summer Florida rain. Oh joy, I said, while checking the weather every ten minutes online. I was not sure it was going to happen. But, hey, we managed to pull it off. Marta's family braved the raindrops and we had a fun filled session. Boy, did that hot tea feel good afterwards!

I am in love with the photos, you'll see why below...

Marta and her husband have a three-year old...

...and a six-month old...

I was happy that we had fairy wings to play with

But although Nola is a fairy, she also knows how to raaaawwwwwrrrrr like a lion!

Ohhh a Mom's love... I adore the photo to the right.

A super loving family!

We looked for little critters

And we also "helped" them get in the water...

We went in the "jungle"...

...and played with toys

We loved on the little brother.

I mean, what's not to love?

Thank you so much for allowing me to capture your love and your family, Marta! You guys are absolutely adorable! I'll end this post with my favorite of the day. Umbrella - $10, hot tea after the session - $12, next photo - ummmm....PRICELESS!

Happy Sunday!!

Personal ~ Made in the U.S.A.

2011-07-03T21:58:00.002-04:00

I could've enjoyed this week-end at the beach, being a bum in the sun frying, but I decided to be extra dorky and do a project. "Creativity on all levels, here I come", I said... With that in mind, I headed to JoAnn's. Aaaaaand, lo and behold, they had a sale on sewing machines!! Been playing with the idea of getting one for a while now, being on my Christmas list of "must have's" twice already! I'm thinking...I must have it in my genes - both my Grandmothers were into sewing, my Oma made us numerous outfits while growing up, so it can't be hard... What the heck?

I bit the bullet, took a 20-minute orientation and set-up session with a sweet lady at the store and in no time I was looking at fabrics, browsing Burda and Vogue patterns and picking out threads and buttons... Uh oh, I must have opened Pandora's box: hello new obsession! I really hope it won't last as long as my "jewelry making stage"!

I had picked out a dress pattern for my first project, but somehow I need to figure out how to apply a minimum 6-size pattern to a smaller figure. And I didn't pick a pillow, no. Somehow, I like to complicate myself. I picked a canvas bag project. I am not even a bag person, I never wear a purse anywhere I go. I have a small wallet I take everywhere that holds my entire life but isn't this yellow bag just cute??

I was intent on making it. Thought it's easy... So, I picked my tools. Got fabric, contrast fabric, lining fabric, interfacing (???) fabric, zipper, and four buttons.

Then, started working seriously... I could NOT figure out the band situation for the life of me. I came up with my own set up and whatever it is, it is... Aaaand, when, on top of it, my machine needle broke when I stitched too close to the zipper last night, I knew I had to start anew this morning.

I know it's not perfect and I still have to learn how to work the trims and make them pretty, but I am sooooo proud of the result, I'll coordinate all my clothes just to be able to rock this bag anywhere I go!

Compared to the picture, it's not that bad...

Here are some not-so-pretty details...but hey, I managed to put in a flippin' zipper!! How 'bout them apples??

Plus, I was so into it, I had to embelish it even more: I made a flower from some of the scraps! Can I get a woop woop??

Hey, there are things made in China that are suckier quality than this bag, but this one is made in the U.S.A. proudly, with Hungarian sewing genes in my blood and lots of love!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!

Personal ~ Miscellaneous Thursday

2011-06-30T22:11:00.005-04:00

I think I buy seafood from Publix because of him. I love it when Lon is serving me. I've come to appreciate the short, soft spoken, humble seafood counter gentleman for a while now. I am sure he doesn't remember me every time, but he definitely has made a mark on me. See, Lon is from the type of people that you don't think much of but then they surprise you with their unusual characteristics.

The first time I met him I realized he's very well read, that he speaks multiple languages and that he has a vast knowledge of the world. The other day, when I was intent on making salmon for dinner, he remembered I was from Romania and that Romanian is a Romance language, stemming from Latin, just like Spanish and Italian... and that I spoke German, so we started chatting a bit in German... He told me he met a couple from Germany that day and that I live in Siebenburgen, which is the German word for Transylvania. He knew the story of the merchants that were doing trade in Transylvania in the 16th century and how one of the most strategically placed cities in the mountains was a hub for oriental trade. That is knowledge I don't come across often... I love talking to him! He amazes me every time! I guess the lesson is, never think that you know a book by its cover. The cover might not match the inside...it might be misleading and you'll have to do the discovering. For me, the discovery has been very refreshing. Here's to more fresh salmon!

I made it super yummy that night...with butter and dill with a side of Parmesan arugula salad and israeli couscous with roasted peppers and beans.

Another recipe I made up yesterday was vegetarian enchiladas: tortillas stuffed with rice, onions, peas, carrots and black beans, topped with cheese and a side of tomato, corn and green onion salsa.

Not sure you're watching So You Think You Can Dance, but this season has been rolling out some pretty amaaaaahhh-zing choreographies...like this one:

How moving is that? I love the creativity of the movement in dance. It's amazing how a powerful dance routine can be so packed of emotion!

The week-end is coming, what do you have planned??

Lifestyle Photography | Naples ~ Galina

2011-06-29T00:09:00.003-04:00

I've been planning a shoot in a marina/boat club/yacht storage place for quite a while now. I was imagining a white, blue and red shoot...which is exactly what we did with Galina not too long ago. The theme is perfect in anticipation of 4th of July week-end! I wanted a relaxed feel, something that would remind one of Monte Carlo or somewhere in the south of France...

Galina's personality is so fun, laid back and girly cute, I knew she'd rock the session. And sure enough, she did. Loved her scrunching her nose every time she laughed with all her being and her super tall slim figure. You will definitely see more of her in my work!

The weather played tricks on us, as it rained during the day and right when we got to our location. But in the end, the photography gods have smiled upon us and the most beautiful sun, followed by a clear rainbow, came out of the clouds... Ahh, sometimes you just have to let it work itself out...whatever IT may be. Given the green light by the weather, we had a little fun on the docks.

This one looks like she's covered in diamonds...it's the sun reflecting in the water creating millions of little crystals...so pretty!

Hello prettiness!

The laugh on the left? Ummm, yeah...that's Galina!

I really wanted to meet a boat owner that would invite us on his sailboat...and hopefully that sailboat would have been with wood edges, classic and old school with a big metal steering wheel and beautiful finishes. Well, that wish did not come true so we had to break the law. Ooopsie... Sorry, pretty boat owner, we can give you credit in these photos: Boat supplied by... Anonymous.

It made for pretty pics though. So our deepest thankyous, whoever you are.

Had to have a paddle.

It was a great success and thank you, my dear, for helping me bring my idea to life. In order to stay creative, I love random shoots like these once in a while...so, many thanks.

Happy Middle of the Week!! What are your plans for this holiday week-end? I am planning a cute couple's shoot...

Children Photography | Naples ~ Chase First Birthday

2011-06-27T00:06:00.004-04:00

Let's see...I've known Chase for a year and two months... He is turning one tomorrow. So, I've known him before he was even born! I knew he'd be a very loved little boy as soon as I met his family at his Mom's Baby Shower last year. We also had fun without him at his family's maternity shoot last June and I couldn't wait to meet this little guy... A few weeks later, he arrived and his Mom and I started planning our newborn session. It's funny - it appears he could not wait to meet me too, because as soon as I held him, he "christened" me all over the front of my shirt... I thought it was the funniest thing! I knew I was part of the family and that he accepted me.

I enjoyed seeing him grow so much during the last year and I was happy to have been invited to photograph his First Birthday party this last week-end! It was a fun filled event with close family and friends that came to celebrate him. There were kids everywhere and Chase was shared by many loving arms. Those cheeks were kissed many many times, that's for sure! As for myself, I could not stop snapping photos of his big blue eyes!! You'll see what I'm talking about in the photos below...

The party was a fun safari themed pool party with lots of colors and bright balls...

I love the next collage...I'll call it "Funny Faces"...I loved his Mom's idea of putting him in the middle of all the colorful balls...

His T-shirt was one of a kind...

When it came time for his cake, he d.e.s.t.r.o.y.e.d. it. In every sense of the word. But first, the Bib...

He was so cute, everyone was enjoying him tearing up that cake!

Clean-up time!!

Then, some pool time...Yaaay!

All his friends had a great time! In the pool....

...or out...

More cake...

...and more love from everyone...

We opened gifts and sang Happy Birthday!

What a wonderful celebration! Thank you for having me document it and for making me feel like family... Chase, Happy Birthday. May you always have a smile on your face, may you always feel the love of your family and may you always be happy and healthy!

Have a great week everyone!!

If you need your special event photographed, contact me anytime.

Lifestyle Photography | Naples ~ Dobrina

2011-06-20T22:55:00.002-04:00

I have the most beautiful, patient, generous and, probably, most unsuspecting friends in the world. I secretly hope they all end up in front of my camera. *Insert evil laugh here* Only they don't know this yet. Yes, they are beautiful and cool and funny and awesome and also patient with me and my "Wait, it's not focusing..." or "Hold on don't move, I didn't get the shot yet" photo shoot weirdo-ness.

A fine example of what I'm talking about is Dobrina. When I told her I wanted to practice some backlit photography, she said yes to a shoot with me... Of course, she didn't know that I was going to take her to a field with God knows how many creepy crawlers all around... But it didn't phase Dobi. I'm pretty sure if a suicidal snake came out of the bushes she would've kicked its behind right then and there. You see, Dobi is half tomboy, half lady. She'll trick you with her sense of awesome European style and girly locks, but on Sundays you catch her paddle boarding off the beach or kayaking with her friends. Because she loves to be active. I love her enthusiasm, her zest for life and energetic being.

In this field shoot, I wanted to bring out the diva in her. I had a vision of her resting in a golden field with a good book, dressed in flowy fabrics that would dance in the wind as she moved... I believe I captured the best of Dobi. You judge for yourself.

This is Dobi below: dancing and twirling. Matches her personality perfectly!

Love this photo of her.

OMG you're gorgeous!

After a quick change, we took these shots

This is towards the end, hence the expression.

I love close-ups...especially when they come out like this

...or, like this

Seriously, Dobi, stop being so gawwwjus, I can't take it!!

Soon, I'll be back with a post of a nautical themed shoot I did with Galina over the week-end and I cannot wait to finish editing those photos, as I'm so in love with them! Hope you will be too!

Have a fabulous week ahead!

PS: Oooops, I messed up on some of the boards: came out smalled then the others...

Personal ~ Ka-Boom!!

2011-06-16T00:50:00.002-04:00

That might be the sound of my head... Ready to explode any minute. I took some time off to chill from all the photography goodness, but somehow I cannot stay away. I am overwhelmed with the amount of creative shoots I want to do. I am so inspired every day! I find locations at every step and it's so much fun to imagine and envision future engagement shoots or senior portraits in them...

Camera is coming out from the archives and I'll start shooting again...passionately...creatively... I am not going to get rusty again, I am determined to make things happen. Forget marketing and advertising and all that bull. Focusing on the art and practicing with the camera and the natural light, these are my priorities. Locations, style, accessories and themes are also on my to do list for future shoots.

French theme anyone?

I can easily envision something fun here. You can go ahead and do your next shoot here, I'm happy to have inspired you...Bleu Provence...

I'm pretty sure they use these herbs in the restaurant

I just love the colors. The splash of red is so refreshing!

Talk about color... Oh Emm Geee! I had the pleasure of assisting in an amazing Bengali wedding reception over the week-end, with Austin and Angelina in Punta Gorda at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center. It was an event that stirred up all our senses... Our eyes were giddy and happy with the amount of color throughout the day, as Bengali women's attire is rich, colorful, and full of texture. Our smells and tastebuds were tested by the flavorful, spiced meals they served and our ears were stimulated by the wonderful Indian sounds of the dance floor. Bengalis do know how to party! The dance floor was packed and everyone had a great time. Even us, the photographers.

For some awesome shots from this event and the events preceding to it, head on over to Austin's blog and show him some love. I love his work and...trust me, you will too! I will post some pics that I took at the wedding in a future blog post. Stay tuned!

So, are you in a rut with photography/art? You feel boring and completely un-creative? You feel like you're stuck with nowhere else to go? Just get out there and do your thing, don't wait for paying customers to accomplish your ideas, cause most of the time they will not be open to what your ideas are anyway...so stay true to your art and your creative vision and make it happen. Still not challenged enough?? Call me, we need to talk - Houston we got a problem!

Personal ~ Hello Summer!

2011-05-30T22:00:00.004-04:00

Traditionally, Memorial Day Week-end is the kick-off to summer. The beaches were packed, tourists are roaming the streets in their bathing suits, some neglect suntan lotion and look like lobsters, others cool off with ice cream or beer... This week-end is known for BBQs and grilling out and also for getting out on the boat and enjoying some fun on the water...

We did just that. Started off with a photographer's party at Megan's house on Saturday. And whenever photographers get together, you are in for camera/lights/props fun for sure! Complete with silly hats, sunglasses, and faces...we did a homemade photobooth. And...it looked like this:

I am still laughing out loud when I'm looking at the album, it's hilarious! If you were invited and you couldn't make it, you were probably working. But this get-together was off the chains funny and we all had a great time! Thanks to Megan for putting it together, you are ever so generous!

Yesterday was a day on the boat spent on "Gilligan's Island", as I like to call my brother-in-law's cabin on an island close to Keewaydin... This cabin is awesome! It is so much like what you would envision if you built Robinson Crusoe's house. It is on stilts, in the middle of lush vegetation, it is complete with kitchen, bathroom, shower, living space and a huge terrace. The quietness of this place is awesome! I just love to hang out in the rocker - it will definitely put you to sleep. The only downside to the cabin is that in the summer the mosquitos are BRUTAL! As soon as we got off the boat, I was covered from head to toe! I've never seen anything like it before! Once you get upstairs though, it's fine, as you're protected by the screen and the height. But, man oh man, it was like a massacre out there!!

If you've spent yesterday or today shopping, you might have seen really good sales in the stores! I did not go shopping but I stopped by Walgreens for a bit and was happy to find these beauties for $1.09 each!!! I stocked up on summer colors.

Tried them on too!! No, Rusty does not do nail polish...yet (at least)!

Homemade manicure - don't hate.

What great sales did you run into on your shopping adventures this week-end?

On a more serious note though, I am not sure how many of you caught Stephanie Nielson on Glenn Beck today. I've followed Stephanie's blog for a while a year ago or so... she's a mother of four that suffered a terrible airplane crash and who had severe burns on 80% of her body. The doctors did not give her a good prognostic and her chances of survival relied solely on God's miracle and prayers. Her story struck a cord with me and I read her blog posts from before the accident and then her sister's posts after the accident, as I felt she was this strong faithful woman my age that had an amazing story and I pulled for her. And prayed ...along with millions of others. She was strong before the accident and she is even stronger now - she survived and lives happily and more than fulfilled. Her family is unbelievable! And her faith in God - extraordinary! She's inspiring and amazing in every possible way!

Whatever fun you did this week-end, hope you enjoyed your time with your loved ones and may we never forget the families of fallen military men and women that left an empty seat at the table for their lost loved ones.

Have a great short week! :)

Personal ~ Finally, Sand!

2011-05-08T22:57:00.003-04:00

As opposed to last week-end, this Saturday we made it a real Beach Day, complete with sand, salty water, sunscreen, and friends.

It was HOT, but it was nice to lay out, lazily soaking up some vitamin D...

I love summer beach colors!

There is something about the breeze, suntan lotion smell and natural "sand body scrub" that makes me want to go back for more.

The surf...

...and the waves...

We reccommend the beach in front of the Naples Beach Hotel... You can always walk up to the bar for a fruity refreshing drink, or rent one of their water fun equipments. They provide you with everything you need to have some fun in the sun!

What fun did you have this week-end?

Personal ~ Mother's Day - a Thank You!

2011-05-08T18:41:00.004-04:00

I am my Mother's daughter. I hug tightly, I kiss lovingly, I show love and I genuinely care. I am not afraid to show my love to people I care about and I am an open book of emotions: what's on my face, is in my heart.

Like her, I don't keep grudges, and I bring a small something when I come to visit your home. She loves a work well done, hates to leave something for tomorrow if it could be done today and she is the ultimate NON-procrastinator (that, we don't really have in common). She has cookies to offer guests everytime they visit and will ask how everyone in your family is doing. I sometimes call her the "Duracell bunny" as she always has something to accomplish, a project to finish, a meal to make.

My Mom is an elementary school teacher. In Romania, an elementary school teacher will take a class of kids from the first grade all the way through fourth grade, teaching them all the basic subjects, like Math, Reading, Geography, Social Sciences. So, the teachers really get to know their kids very well. I've seen my Mom mold ten generations of kids since she started her career, that's roughly around 300 kids... She's not just my Mom, but a second Mom to many others... That, will testify her true love for kids, for education, for meaningful teaching, and for ground rules that would last a lifetime. I've shared my Mom with all these kiddos and I watched some of them grow through the years, while always making time to send her a postcard from their trips or during holidays or calling her after many years of not seeing her. I always felt that all the cards she would collect over Christmas showed how much her kids appreciated her and loved her. She still has older former students call her just to catch up. I think that's fantastic!

Like in her classroom where she'd form a tight family bond with her kids and their parents, at home, she is the most caring Mom one could ask for. I think she'd still cook for us and would be completely ok if my brother and I would move back home.

OMG, don't ask...

Both my Mom and Dad provided us with everything we ever wanted during our childhood: we never lacked the coolest toys during a strict Communist regime, we always had food on the table even if it meant one of them sitting in a huge line to get a restricted amount of sugar, oil or flour... We never felt the strain the regime had on our family or in society. We were given a strong family sense and we grew up sheltered by love, protection, and family ties. Ties that are still standing strong today and that helped immensely in my search for a lifetime partner. I am so grateful that my parents made Adrian a part of my family, welcoming him into our family!

This year, it's a coincidence that Mother's Day falls a day before my Birthday. I feel blessed to have a Mom like I do, and wish everyone had such loving parents like my brother and I do. I wish her and both of them a lifetime of health and best wishes. Happy Mother's Day Mom, thank you for bringing me singing into the world 31 years ago and thank you, Dad, for looking just like me the day I was born so the nurse could easily recognize my Daddy... Hahahaha...

I hope and pray we celebrate my 32nd Birthday together!!!

Personal ~ My Un-Beach Beach Day

2011-05-01T23:00:00.003-04:00

It's silly. I live a mile from the beach but I don't go as often as I'd like. I take it for granted like every other Neapolitan in town. I'm guilty, I admit. Unfortunately for my skin, I love tanning. I am the "baking potato" type. But I would much rather hang out in the backyard rather than drive to the beach...

Today was such a day... Gorgeous weather, sun was shining, and the tanning oil was busted out.

My view all day.

The sun shining through the branches of our tree was soothing.

Very relaxing day out.

Complete with good tanning oil. Yes, I'm a "Maui Babe" hahaha... someone recommended it to me and it is fantastic! Warning! though, it does not have any SPF protection. But it turns your skin in chocolate-y tones... while giving you a nice coffee smell at the same time!

...and complete with good reads...

One of these days I'll get to the real "beach" but for now, I have my own little slice of sunshine right here in my backyard...

Countdown to Birthday has begun...

Have a great week everyone!

Personal ~ Easter Week-end: Spring is in Full Swing!

2011-04-24T19:49:00.002-04:00

I love Easter! It reminds me of traditions from back home. The anticipation is set with the forty day lent, it continues with Palm Sunday and then Good Friday, that people use for confession, the tradition of the Easter egg coloring with kids, the culmination of Easter Sunday with the Easter baskets, good food, spring colors and overall wonderful family and friends time...

We had a lovely Easter week-end spent with friends in town all the way from...Miami. A very busy couple, Tina and Al feel on vacation every time they come over because it's their downtime to relax, change the scenery and kick back. They have been friends with my husband for 15 years and they kept in contact regularly. I love it when they visit because it allows us to be tourists in our own town.

So, on Saturday we spent the afternoon at Snook Inn, on Marco Island.

A very relaxed place on the water, with a great salad bar and live band. We would stop by every time we'd be out on the boat, because you can just tie up, grab some lunch and go back to your fun on the water. It has great views and people love to be right by the water.

We had some delicious crabcakes and, of course, the salad bar. It's fantastic, you can't miss it! For only $6.99 you can pile up your plate as many times as you want. Healthy stuff too.

It was important to get a "fruity drink". Unfortunately, they didn't have umbrellas!

Al, Tina and Adrian

This next one, I wanted to be in it too but apparently even in full auto mode it's hard to take a photo that would be focused on everyone...

Us by the water.

Today, our friends leaving around noon, we were lazy...hanging on the new carpet some of us just loooooooooveee...

...drinking refreshing orange-ade...

...hanging out outside, where spring is in full bloom...

...and eating yummy corn pudding

It's hard to go back to work tomorrow after such a relaxed week-end but we're looking forward to a busy and efficient week.

Have a great week everyone!

Featured Photographer ~ Peggy Farren

2011-04-22T21:11:00.002-04:00

I started to treat photography seriously in the winter of last year after attending Peggy's studio meetups on Wednesdays. It's actually funny, because it started with Megan (my first featured photographer), who, after I commented on another common friend's photo, mentioned she goes to these meetups on Wednesdays and it's this cool photography club in Naples and that I should attend too. Megan has a way with convincing people...

So, long story short, I did attend and loved it instantly. I remember I was so happy to get beautifully lit subjects and that all my photos were in...wait for it, wait for it...IN FOCUS! Wow, I said, this is cool!! So, I kept going and learning about studio lights, posing, processing, all while meeting awesomely supportive and creative people that love what I do. I felt warm and fuzzy inside! I've been inspired to get going and keep pushing myself to learn more and attend classes whenever possible and meet new people in the photography business and I've come a long way since then. But it all started with Peggy...

Peggy is a fireball, an Energizer bunny, a Speedy Gonzalez, a high-energy-always-on-the-go-lady... Her enthusiasm is simply contagious! She is very passionate about the business side of photography and is an avid believer in being a business person first before a photographer, in order to be successful in the industry. She is a busy beach portrait photographer that also takes time to lead the photography club. I am super grateful to Peggy for lighting this spark in me last year and for always being there for "the new kids on the block".

So, I'll let her talk for herself. Read through for some great tips and advice for all starting out or even experienced photographers.

Introduce yourself. Peggy Farren. I've been a professional photographer for 13 years. I worked for another photographer for three years before starting my own company, Avant-Garde Images, Inc. About a year and 1/2 ago, we started offering photography classes through our subsidiary, Photography Naples.

(Not Peggy)

What are three things we should know about you?
1. I love beer.
2. My son is the singer in Fake Problems, the best rock band in the world.
3. The technical side of photography came very slowly to me. It seemed like I had to study and practice more than anyone else to "get it".

Define your style in 5 words. Fun, eclectic, classic, trendy and sometimes weird. Is that too many words?

What is your specialty? We specialize in family portraiture and weddings through Avant-Garde Images.

Photography Naples offers hands-on classes from nature and HDR to portraiture and architectural photography.

Who do you look up to and admire in the industry? I've studied extensively with Bambi Cantrell. I love everything about her. She's very trained in classic posing and lighting, yet really mixes it up with trendy, unique and sometimes strange images! I LOVE THAT! She's a brilliant business person too. Buy her books and DVDs! You'll love them! She's been around long enough to see the trends in photography so she's got staying power!

What is one of your biggest dreams for your business? My dream is to continue to grow our wedding and portrait business and to grow our school. Helen Catlin (my associate) and I believe that the best teachers are working photographers so we can stay in touch with the real issues that photographers face. We also bring our students with us on jobs occasionally to help them experience real world situations. Plus, we love photography and don't want to give it up for teaching. We want to do both.

We're taking the summer (our slow season) to build our new website for the school. We have videos and online training coming up. We now have four instructors giving private lessons at a reasonable price. People love private one-on-one training!
This summer, we are offering a week-long camp for kids, bootcamp for adults and maybe a teen camp too. We have so much going on! It's very exciting!

What do you love most about being a photographer? I love people so I am a people photographer. I love being involved in happy events. I love all the accolades that come with doing a good job (my mother calls me a praise junkie). I love the challenge of creating beautiful and unique art for each of my clients.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? We plan to grow our photography training center - more classes, more online presence, more products to sell. With our school, we've been training some incredible photographers and some of them are working part-time for us now. In five years, our plan is to have some of them as full-time photographers working with Avant-Garde Images.

What do you think is the perfect percentage balance between being a business person and a photographer in the photography industry? As one of the few full-time photographers with a full-time paid employee and a mortgage on my studio, business and marketing is 80-90%.

It's estimated that 90% of professional photographers work part-time and make a part-time income. It's an extremely competitive business and I did not understand how important marketing was when I started out. I spent about 50% of my time marketing and ended up working temp jobs for my first year and 1/2 in business so I could pay my bills. When I started realizing that marketing is the most important part of a photography business, things picked up.

I still struggle with it because I want to be a photographer, not a marketing person. But the reality is that you are competing with thousands of photographers who work part-time and charge part-time prices. If you want to charge full-time prices, you have to have LOTS of potential clients calling you.

Yes, it's very important to take good pictures! But some of the part-timers take good pictures too! How can you charge a reasonable rate when they are charging 20% of what they should be charging (or even less)!

What advice do you have for the new photographers just starting out? I know I am going to sound like I'm lecturing in this part of your questionnaire. My answer is really long AND I cut it short! hahaha

1. First, really learn your craft. For portrait and wedding photographers, try to assist some experienced photographers so you can see real world situations. Managing people with a smile is SO important and part of the skill set you will need to learn.

2. Have a business plan! If you don't, you are kidding yourself that you are a business person. Most businesses lose money the first five years. Go to the Small Business Development Center at FGCU and get free help with your start up info. Join the Professional Photographers of America for specific business help. You need to justify every equipment purchase, every marketing expense (including donations of your time) and every other expense (there are lots including education!). With a business plan, you'll see that selling an 8x10 for $50 will make you lose money. You'll quickly see that donating too much of your time to get experience will burn you out and brand you as a free photographer.

For those who've bought their equipment with money from your other job (or husband or parents), you still need to put that expense in your business plan. You'll need to replace it and you'll need new equipment. This will also help stop you from buying a lot of unnecessary equipment. Buying too much stuff is a problem that most photographers have! Just look at the designer camera straps and other frivolous things you can buy! Be very careful to only purchase equipment that you can earn money from.

3. Don't give everything away just for experience. For practice, give a free session with one free image, but that's it. If they like the pictures, they can purchase them. Or even better, give free sessions to poor people who will never be your clients anyway. If you have super cheap prices to your potential clients now - how will you get those same people to pay a professional rate when you raise your prices? I see mom-photographers doing this all the time - offering free or cheap getting started prices to their well-off friends. They are branding themselves as a cheap photographer and losing the respect of their peers.

4. Don't be dishonest about your experience. You don't have to say "I'm new!" on your site or blog but don't pretend that your free shoots are real clients. There is nothing wrong with using models for your portfolios, but when you exaggerate by calling them "clients", you are deceiving potential customers. It's becoming a huge problem in the industry and we are all suffering from it. The real clients are becoming jaded and skeptical since they are getting burned so often with inexperienced photographers. Managing the people is a big part of our job and managing a free "client" is not the same managing a real world situation.

5. I could go on and on and on about this subject! If you are a wedding photographer, sign up for our wedding workshop July 31. We teach a lot about marketing and the business aspect of wedding photography. http://www.photographynaples.com/events/17396564/

What is one thing that a new photographer needs to learn quickly in the photography business? To charge a reasonable rate. Beginners - charge a small session fee if you must discount but please charge for your prints! If they don't like the pictures, they don't need to purchase any! You are going to retouch it; right? You need to cover your business expenses and labor and you can't do that by charging $50 for an 8x10. Giving the disc with a cheap session is pretty unbelievable. Those people would have had to pay $250 or more just for the session with someone else. Don't give them the disc too!

Losing money on purpose is crazy for a business person. I've seen the prices of professional photography drop like an anvil off a cliff in the past five years due to all the new part-timers giving so much away. If you hope to make a living at this, don't contribute to this continuing problem. You are paying money and giving your time to learn a craft - get paid for it! :)

Ask EXPERIENCED photographers for business advice. I think the reason so many new photographers are giving away free things is because they are asking other newbies for advice!

STEPPING OFF MY SOAPBOX NOW.............................
Thanks for the opportunity to share!!
Peggy's websites are www.naplesportraits.com and www.photographynaples.com.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this, Peggy!

Happy Easter week-end everyone!

Children's and Family Photography ~ Eva, Anna and Chris

2011-04-22T19:55:00.003-04:00

When we pulled up to their gorgeous suburban Atlanta home, I was overcome with emotion, as Anna and Eva were outside waiting for us… I had tears in my eyes because I have not seen my best friend in almost two years and because so many things have changed in our lives in those two years…

Anna and I came to the States almost at the same time eight years ago. Her country and mine are neighbors. Bulgarians and Romanians have a lot in common, from food, certain words, to customs and culture in general. We were both new to the American way of life, and we both had to go through the growing up process, learning what all this great lifestyle is all about. Starting a new life in a completely different country and continent can have its daunting moments. You are faced with figuring out how to get to Publix when you don’t have your own transportation and there’s no bus stop where you live, or how to not step on lizards or scream every time you see one, or how to use a phone card to talk to your loved ones… oh, and how to cook. You learn how to cook pretty fast when you’re faced with the situation of not having anything made for dinner. Anna and I figured out those things pretty much together as we became roomates and inseparable friends.

I think we both have scars from those times when we were attached at the hip… Hahaha… We’ve had good times and some bad times. Throughout the years, we would pick each other up numerous times. Thank goodness, we took turns in feeling down… We shared everything. We would write each other emails throughout the workday, even though we would see each other at night. We would go to parties and although we would be there to socialize with other people, we would still end up talking to each other! We cooked some of the yummiest dinners together… We explored great American cities together, like New York City, Washington, DC… Our favorite pastime was people watching on the week-end. With coffee in hand, we would plop down on a bench on Fifth Avenue and just watch the people go by… You would not imagine what we would comment on… Hahaha …

But then, we both got married, Anna moved away to Atlanta and life happened...

Anna is the most sensitive, most caring and nurturing friend one could ever find. So, when I found out that she's expecting a baby, I knew right away that she is going to be an awesome Mom. She has the patience of a saint and is completely in love with her daughter, Eva. And, trust me, it is hard not to be. She would explain to me over the phone the cute little things her daughter does and I could never imagine it until I actually met her. Eva is a little over a year old. She speaks sign language, loves to be read books, loves to dance, she loves to brush her teeth with Elmo toothpaste, eat blueberries, wear pink sunglasses, loves to be social and (I was told) to be the tiniest kid in her daycare class but with the loudest voice... I was instantly in love too! All week-end long I stared... I stared at how Anna handles her and at her big brown eyes with the longest eyelashes...

So, here is Anna's family.

We hung out in front of the house when we got there, just to smell the flowers...

The light was really gorgeous

Then, it was bathtime...

Elmooooooooo....

Sleepy time...

Next day, she came back in full swing...literally!

We read...

...and played outside...

Then, after lunch and an afternoon nap, we went to the park for some family photos

This next one is my favorite of them all...

...followed closely by this one...

In preparing for this session, I told Anna to please please find a tutu so I almost died when I saw this!

Mommy and me shots...

We needed some Daddy love too...

This next one has me cracking up! The crooked sunglasses are adorable!

This next final one has a peaceful feel to it...just like Anna's approach to her daughter.

Thank you, Anna and Chris, for allowing me to capture a day (and a half) in the life of Eva! You guys make beautiful parents and I'm excited to see Eva grow up, celebrate birthdays, make friends, and flourish into a happy and healthy little kiddo...

I love you guys!!

Marketing ~ What Represents YOU?

2011-04-19T09:15:00.000-04:00

I was asked this question not too long ago and I had to think about it...This came after I read The Purple Cow, by Seth Godin, in which he preaches about being different, being unique, being YOU. So, who am I as a photographer? What makes ME different? What makes my style ME? What in my style represents ME?

And then, I looked at my photos. They have a certain similarity, a certain feel to them. The best advice I was ever given was "Stay consistent in your style". If your style is all over the place, people have a hard time following your work. My style is just like reality, only better. MY style is capturing what you see, but adding a little "oomph" to it. I call my style "fresh"... It is clean. I don't overprocess and I don't like to mess too much with the photos, to the point where it is completely different than the "straight out of the camera" shot. I'm not a fan of tacky photos. Another best advice was "Get your photos to look great straight out of camera" and your post-process will be a breeze. Tried and true!

MY style is full of life. I love bright, I love color. Give me balloons, flowers, and lollipops and I'm happy. I also love fashion, sassiness and attitude. I love connection, emotions and precious moments. MY style combines beautiful portraiture with stopping time for a moment.

I am represented by my personality. From the moment clients meet me, I am their friend and, FYI, I am the hugging type :). I end my emails with xoxo and I ask how Grandma is doing. That is part of MY style. I like to think that this way, my client is at ease with me and we have fun in the process.

MY photography is meant to connect with my subjects and if I achieve that, I am happy. I want my clients to look at their photos on their walls and relive the moments and emotions they felt in front of my camera... MY style is to create them timeless images that live well beyond a CD shelf life.

So, what represents YOU? What makes you YOU? Drop me a comment, would love to hear from you.

xoxo

Personal ~ Recipe of the Day

2011-04-18T23:56:00.002-04:00

Call this recipe "Not your Mother's Stuffed Peppers"...

I present to you "Improvisation Night". From Melinda's Bella Cucina to your kitchen, this is Quinoa and feta stuffed peppers.

Poach your bell pepper halves in boiling water until skin is soft. In the meantime, sautee some red onions with some shredded carrots (2) in 2 T of EVOO. Add one cup quinoa, then 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock. Let it boil for a minute, then cover and mix it with a fork when quinoa cooked. Add a bunch of cilantro and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper and mix. Take off heat. Prepare a baking dish and add the pepper halves. Fill them with the stuffing. I felt like the dish needed something like "the cherry on the cake" so I added slices of munster cheese. Stick them in the preheated oven at 350F and let the cheese on top melt. It is imperative that is served with a glass of wine!

Bon Appetit!

Personal ~ Washington, DC - The Cherry Blossom Festival

2011-04-18T21:45:00.003-04:00

There is no better time to visit DC than during the Cherry Blossom Festival. One of my favorite photographers lives in DC and I was always in awe of his engagement or wedding photos under the blooming cherry trees... That was the main reason why we visited DC when we did. Me and my camera were extra happy under the cherry blossoms. The whole city is blooming but especially the Tidal Basin, by the Jefferson Memorial...

Time for some updated portraits

The White House...especially beautiful this time of year...

...because it's surrounded by this...

The Jefferson Memorial

FDR Memorial

Thanks, dear strangers, for making great models...

An interesting broadcast...

The Memorial is full of quotes like this...

Vietnam Memorial...hard seeing all the names of the fallen...

The Capitol building during the day

The Washington Monument during sunset...

My favorite, most peaceful spots I've ever been to is Arlington Cemetery. It spreads on 624 acres, where veterans and military casualties from each of the nation's wars are interred, ranging from the American Civil War to the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's a truly impressive place where it is an honor to walk around to remember and never forget.

The white against the stark green make a simple but powerful contrast...

And then, there's color

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...

JFK is buried in this beautiful resting place...

Remember...

...and still, there is life.

Much love.

Personal ~ Washington, DC - Of Museums and Grub

2011-04-18T19:46:00.004-04:00

We had plenty of time in DC to cover a lot of places. No, not to the point where you get bored...you never get bored in DC, that's for sure!

We visited the Holocaust Museum the first day and we spent almost all day reflecting on what we saw... It is the most emotional place I've ever been to. But it is important to see it. Everyone in the museum had this understood reverence, everyone reading quietly, walking in deep thoughts... I always felt interested in the family side of the Holocaust, how people in general cling on to their loved ones and how tight those Jewish families were. It always reminds me of home and of the special bond I have in my family. The museum made us reflect on the fragility of life, but also on the social psychology of the "belonging to a group" and what that can do the psyche. My sociology background made me think socially of the issues, but I could never understand how common people, neighbors, business partners and friends can turn on each other just to belong to the "esteemed group" at the time or be so obedient to the authority (look at Milgram's experiment for an interesting study made in connection with the matter). Of course, there were exceptions and we heard numerous stories of courage and bravery where people tried to save Jewish families, with the risk of losing their own lives. You are overwhelmed at every corner, to say the least. Or at least that is how we felt. No photos there. Out of respect.

We then visited the Natural History Museum. I loved the huge elephant that welcomed us.

My favorite exhibit was the Gems and Precious Stones section...Hmmm, wonder why? Shiny things, shiny things (a woman's brain)...

Observe how some of the formations were brought from Romania :).

The Hope diamond was also on display. Huge rock. Like, sinking weight huge!

Also interesting were the different dinosaur scheleton exhibits...These were the kids' favorites by far! I heard a little girl, about 5 exclaim at her Mom "Look Mom, it's T-Rex!!!"... Obviously, they know a LOT more than I do in this subject!

Adrian loved the National Air and Space Museum. I loved the part where they were exhibiting stewardess fashion style through the years, the Wright brothers' family story, and the fact that Henri Coanda and Aurel Vlaicu, two Romanian aviation engineers and early pilots were mentioned... It's interesting, but it's a guy's thing.

My favorite museum, surprisingly, was the National Museum of American History. Surprisingly, I say, because, I'm no history buff. I never had any interest in the subject. But, I came to appreciate the past a lot more lately and I read every single thing in this museum very intently...to my husband's desperation. I loved the Americans at War exhibit. An interactive timeline that took you from the Revolutionary War, through Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam War, Cold War with compelling imagery and interesting facts. I never knew, for example, that during WWII, the military needed all the rubber the country could produce and hence, the hideous bra and underwear with uncomfortable straps was born during that time...

Here are some photos from the war timeline exhibit: first photo is Adrian with his favorite President, second is "Civil War Photography" (duh!) and third, is a POW depiction from the Vietnam War...

"Commercial photography began in the 1830s. By the 1840s daguerrotype studios started appearing in US cities and towns, bringing America's first boom in popular imagery. Because exposure took ten to fifteen minutes, daguerrotyists often used posing chairs to keep their subjects still. By the 1860s, new and faster processes were available. Especially popular were card photographs or carte de visites. These small and relatively inexpensive photos were given to friends and family and collected in albums. Soldiers frequently had photos made before they went to war, realizing that these pictures might be their last."

Another impressive exhibit is the flag from 1812 Baltimore that inspired the National Anthem. It is huge and amazingly, it is preserved in its original version. Photography was not allowed there so I just snapped this one.

Also cool was the First Ladies exhibit, were they had all the dresses worn at inaugural balls displayed. My favorite was Michelle Obama's. Super classy and beautiful.

La piece the resistance, though, was the Julia Child exhibit. Oh, how I love that chicken smacking, butter loving, man-sounding, funny chef!! And oh how much butter have I added to our diet just because of her... Don't ask me! Here is her kitchen. Now, I'm working on getting mine to look the same...

Talk about food, we had some great grub while in DC... Our friend Steve took care of us in that respect as he made sure we try different cuisines that are non-existent in Naples...

First night, he took us for Ethiopian food. What kind of food is that? Well, it comes on their type of bread, which is called injera. It has a chewey, rubbery texture that you fold your plate's contents in with your fingers. Because as in Ethiopian fashion, you eat with your hands. This is Steve excited!

Adrian's meal...meat.

And my meal...vegetarian.

It was yummy. And it all went down really smooth with this awesome sweet Ethiopian wine that I could've kept drinking all night...Yummm, better than Riesling. I know, I'm a sucker for sweet wines.

Steve also took us to Chinatown, which reminded me of my visit with my friend Anna from five years ago...Aaaah, good times!

We also discovered this awesome breakfast and lunch place that serves baked stuff and organic goods... And I just saw that it's international! We need a Le Pain Quotidien right here in Naples, please! ASAP! It was sooo cute and yummy! Simple food but such a treat...

The last night, Steve took us out to a Brazilian place called Bossa. That was not dinner, it was an EXPERIENCE. From the photography exhibit on the walls...

...to the live music band playing authentic Brazilian tunes... aaaah, LOVE...I was in heaven!

...to the yummy dinner...

...we all had a great time!

Who is Steve, you ask? He's my husband's best friend since they were in junior high. These guys have a lovely bro-mance going. So strong, that sometimes I felt like the third wheel. It's funny to watch them. To listen to them.

I'm happy though, that I cracked the little circle and I got accepted... I've come to be real good friends with Steve, he's an awesome guy and awesome friend. Thank you so much for spending time with us! So jealous you live where you live, buddy...

Will post more day photos of the monuments, memorials and Arlington in the next post.

Personal ~ Washington, DC

2011-04-17T00:12:00.002-04:00

Continuing on from Charleston, SC, we spent three days in DC. This city is one of my favorite cities I've been to. There is always something to do, it is hip, young, fit, green, fast, FULL OF LIFE! I've been there before with my best friend Anna, back when Wilma hit Florida in 2006 (I believe). We loved it the first time and loved it even more this time. I always say if we were to ever move from Naples, it would definitely be to that area. I mean, the whole drive from South Carolina to DC was so scenic and wonderful...lots of beautiful trees in different colors, rolling hills and gorgeous sights.

I loved the fast rythm of DC, the street fashions, the hip, office attires everywhere; all the people reading on subways or conducting business on their cell phones; people running EVERYWHERE; the people playing a game of frizbee on the lawn at National Mall; all the different cultures, cuisines, languages; the museums, that are free for everyone to visit; the monuments and memorials, all surrounded by parks...

Our friend Steve is one lucky duck to be living there so he showed us around while we were in town. The first night we got there, he took us out for a night photography tour of the National Mall. It was awesome because during the day, most of the monuments are packed full of tourists, which makes taking photos a little hard :)

So here are some shots. We started at the Capitol...

...and made our way to the Washington Monument...

This next photo is taken by Adrian in full Auto mode. Came out cool!

Then, we stopped by the World War II Memorial

And finally arrived to the other side of the National Mall, to the Lincoln Memorial

He looks simply majestic!

Deep writings...

Then, we stopped at the Korean War Memorial

And, finally, ended where we started

More to come from the museums and the most special place to me in DC: Arlington Cemetery...

Check back soon!

Personal ~ Charming Charleston, South Carolina

2011-04-15T00:54:00.003-04:00

I have an excuse for being silent for a while... When vacation rolled around last Friday, I only cared that my camera and equipment were completely packed before anything else! I knew I would become a snap happy tourist for a week...

On our roadtrip up to Washington, DC we stopped in Charleston, SC for two nights. I am not going to give a lecture about the importance of Charleston in history, I merely want to emphasize its beauty from a photographer's standpoint. Still, it was pretty cool that we were there on the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War...

Charleston is a city of details... of intimacy, closed quarters, southern charm, lots of colors and textures. It is a photographer's dream! I walked the streets drunk with happiness as I snapped photos of its cute nooks and crannies. Charleston is a city that oozes history and its mark is left on every little corner of the town. Every single house downtown has its importance, has its plaque explaining who in the Civil War or Revolutionary War lived there or passed by there... You can't help but feel one with the past as you walk through the cobblestoned streets and when you visit the historic homes. I loved the old feeling of the buildings, the ornate door knobs, the courtyards, the piazzas (i.e. verandas or porches in Florida), the architecture, the narrow streets, the flowers in the windows and the people wearing their preppy clothes and showing that lovely southern hospitality.

Without much ado, here are some photos.

I was in love with these courtyards

...and windows...

We were lucky to listen to some live bluegrass music while in White Point Gardens. It was authentic!

Gorge!!!

Details

Old? I think so...

More ornate details...

This next photo is a personification of Charleston:

Green...

We were sorry we didn't have time to visit the area more. But we promised to come back... It was short and sweet...

In the next days I'll post photos from our DC visit. Our friend Steve took us on a night photography tour of the National Mall the first night we got there and I'm so excited to show you what I got! Stay tuned...

xoxo

Featured Photographer ~ Megan DiPiero

2011-03-31T21:04:00.004-04:00

In my attempt to reach out to the community, I started small: my photography community. And...considering that this place is heaven for destination weddings and tourists in general, you pretty much can't throw a rock without knocking a photographer in the head!

So, I decided that each of you, yes you....and you...oh, and you, hiding in the back corner there... You will all be featured on my little "stage", here on the bloggity. It doesn't matter how long you've been a "pro" or how long you've considered yourself a "pro", we all want to know a little bit about yourself and what makes you passionate about photography. Slowly but surely I'll bring all of you out in the "spotlight". Consider the red carpet rolled out and we, the readers, your paparazzi... So, strut your stuff and show us what you got! I'm excited to know a little bit more about yourself!

The first photographer I want to introduce you to is Megan of Megan DiPiero Photography. Megan and I became fast virtual friends before we even met in person. It would take us a few months until we finally would meet face to face and it was all like we've known each other since forever! Megan is an explosion of a personality, she loves capturing relationships, she is the best at making tear-jerker slideshows combining emotionally charged images with powerful words and she dreams BIG!!

I'll just let her speak for herself.

Introduce yourself. Hi, there! I'm Megan DiPiero, photographer and owner of Megan DiPiero Photography. I'm also the mom of two curious, funny young kids and I have the good fortune of being married to my soulmate and business manager, Aric. Big thanks to Melinda for highlighting me and my work!

What are three things we should know about you?
I am a dreamer. I am determined to one day be a speaker at the spectacular WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention.
I am a rebel. Yes, that's blue in my hair.
I am a perfectionist. This quality can sometimes make business extra challenging, but I'm delighted that it pushes me to make the best possible images for my clients.

Define your style in 5 words. Connected, modern, authentic, collaborative, artistic.

What inspires you in your photography? I'm inspired by my clients. Discovering their authentic selves and the heart of their relationships is my goal. Revealing all that in the most beautiful light and making a simple moment artistic is an exciting challenge.

What is your specialty? Underwater photography. I love the magic that can happen underwater and making art with my clients.

Where is your dream location to do a shoot at/in? Just give me some clear water, and I'm in.

What is one of your biggest dreams for your business? I have a dream of making images for a book that would empower and celebrate women-- their natural beauty inside and out. Part of that dream includes locking in a portrait session with Meryl Streep among other amazing women.

What do you love most about being a photographer? The ability to hold a moment in time. As a mom, I know how quickly time flies by and I never take for granted the power that photography has to help us remember and celebrate life's adventures, big and small.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 5 years I will be a studio owner (and yes, that studio will have a pool for my underwater work.) I will also be appearing as a speaker at WPPI. I'll save you a seat.

If you could meet anyone in the world, who would that be and why? Meryl Streep. With my short-lived theatre background, I learned to appreciate the subtleties of successful acting and my god, Meryl Streep has got IT! She impresses me immensely as a strong female icon. I would love to get close to her to study her face and see if I could reveal the real Meryl.

What advice do you have for the new photographers just starting out? As a new photographer myself, these words are for me as much as anyone else... Dream big, study hard, stay in the game. Use the competition to push yourself to be your best, but realize that, as my good friend Melinda would say: "There's enough for everyone."

Thank you, Megan, for taking the time to answer the questions... If any of you have any suggestions of questions that I could ask from photographers, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you.

Next up, we'll have someone that inspired me to get into photography as a professional. She's to blame for everything! So stay tuned!

Family Photography ~ Carter, Susan and Joe

2011-03-27T21:18:00.003-04:00

To tell you off the bat how much I know about kids, I said to Susan "Let's start with some photos of you guys walking on the beach"...and she sweetly said "But Carter doesn't walk yet"... Oh boy do I have my facts straight or what?... Someone, please hand me a child, I need to babysit more often!! But judging by my knowledge of children, or lack thereof, I don't think you'll be fast to trust any little one to me, do you?...

I met this beautiful family on the beach for some fun photos to celebrate Carter's upcoming first birthday... And, let me tell you, if you were looking for "adorable" in the dictionary, you would most definitely find his picture in there! The rule stands: as one plus one makes two, two good looking people will most definitely make beautiful babies. It's a fact of nature! It was such a breeze photographing them and editing their photos...

Here are their best shots.

Nothing like two doting parents that love their child with all their being!

Fun coincidence about Susan is that her father is also from Romania. He left the country long time ago when he was 16 and I understand that his story is pretty fascinating! If you read this, sir, "Imi pare bine ca v-am cunoscut fiica si familia ei, sunt foarte draguti!".... :)

I learned that Carter is fascinated by sand...

...and he crawls...incredibly fast!!

Precious face...

He is also very excited about his birthday!

I leave you with another gorgeous family photo...

Happy Birthday, Carter, and congratulations Susan and Joe for having such an adorable family! Thank you for allowing me to capture it...

Personal ~ The Social Awkwardness

2011-03-24T23:53:00.003-04:00

It's Wix's fault. Wix - for my non-photography/non-computer geek friends - is a website building tool/program that allows you to build a simple website. I needed it quick, simple, to serve just as a tool to present my work besides Facebook. When I finally finished it and was ready to pride myself with it to the world, I noticed that it still had issues: it would mix photos from one category with another, the photos were small and the presentation was blaaah... In its defense, maybe I just didn't have the patience to fix it... Well, in any case, I decided to fire them and I started looking for another "home" for my website.

I stumbled upon Photobiz and it was love at first sight! Doves and everything... They had a sale going on their products and I jumped at the opportunity! The fact that they offer 90+ templates that you can switch between anytime you get bored of your chosen template was a major cherry on the cake...All that, with just a click. Aaaahmazing stuff! The way I know myself, I'll need to change things around in a year or so...

So I went with one of their templates. Clean, streamlined, organized, photos pop, they fill up the screen...modern. And I love it! I was so stoked to finish it that I completed uploading photos and setting it up in less than three days. It's so easy to use, simple instructions...everything you need for a nice port for your work.

I am excited to be sending my future clients to my website as everything they need to know about a session with me is right there in a presentable professional format.

Check it out:

You should also look at my About Me section for some fun facts about me and my photography. Find out what my husband got me addicted to - all right there.

And, to add to my "coming out of my shell"-mode, I joined Twitter. So now I will also tweet. Which is funny, because if you asked me to sign up six months ago I would've laughed. "Nobody I know is on Twitter, none of my friends, why would I need it?" I would say. Well, this is a new level of involvement. I am going beyond the people I know and see every day. I'm branching out into the community. If I only book one client by way of social networking, I'm a happy business person. It is all about connection and relationships. If you don't reach out to other people, you'll never know how you can touch someone with your work or acts in general.

I'm looking forward to using these new tools. I know, it's not rocket science, but if you know me, you know I'm no techie. Plus, I'm easily entertained. Ha ha ha.

You can check out more photos and information on my website. Oh, and I hope you like the music! I had to go with European tunes!

Also, find me and follow me on Twitter . I'm still learning how it works. Send me suggestions: whom should I follow? Whose tweets are worth reading?

Tell your friends and your friends' friends and your friends' friends' friends. I'm coming out.

Happy Thursday! xoxo

Lifestyle / Model Photography ~ Mariana

2011-03-22T01:06:00.004-04:00

I decided to continue featuring beautiful, strong and independent women on my blog and I did a shoot with my friend Mariana. I always get super giddy with excitement to be shooting her because she is the ideal model: she is creative, she has her own ideas, she does her "homework" ahead of time, she consults magazines and fashion editorials and always.brings.a.suitcase.to.the.shoot! A suitcase! Full of stuff!

This time we headed to the beach for our shoot. Naples beach, that is...But not the Pier, not the Naples Beach Club, nooo.... We needed rocks. So we Google Earth-ed (I just made a verb!)and found out there are rocks at the end of the beach. Yes, the end of the beach. So we walked and walked some more...then some more...and she carried her suitcase like a feather (noooo, just kidding that thing was heavy!). The rocks looked like mirages in the desert and I really hoped they were real... Ha ha... BUT...it was soooo worth it!!

We unpacked the suitcase and our creative juices started flowing...Mariana has awesome sense of style. Call it Italian, or call it European, you know what I mean. Sleek, edgy, modern, fresh - she put together a few fantastic outfits. The shoot was around the idea of "modern and overly accessorized beach attire"...

So she takes out the fur collar. What?? How awesome is this?

I absolutely love this next one!

A little overexposed accident, but I dig it...

We also did an 80's inspired outfit

Then, we had some fun in a bathing suit...

There's a badass feel to this next one

These next two are just for fun... Manni, hope you don't kill me for posting them! He he he

Loved this shoot, thanks again for playing and for being your usual awesome, my dear! Until the next one...

XOXO

Lifestyle / Model Photography ~ Natali

2011-03-19T02:28:00.002-04:00

She probably thought I was crazy when I suggested she should do a session with me and she most definitely thought "what have I gotten myself into" when she gave in to my requests... Natali's Birthday was just this past month and what better way to celebrate her than a fun and girly photoshoot. What girl doesn't want a day to play dress-up and scream "girl power!!!" from the top of her lungs while posing fiercely in front of a camera (well she didn't quite yell from the top of her lungs, but posing - oh yes she did!). Lots of it. She was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, "nervous" she said... But, she decided to "roll with it" - which is my philosophy. And thank god she listened. We had so much fun "freestyling" - which is not necessarily a photography term but it is a term I use when I take my clients from one place to another without a predetermined plan. It's just part of the "rolling with it"... Hahaha.

Natali is not a model, but much more... She is a daughter who adores her mother, she is a proud college graduate, she is the mother of a wonderful five-year old, Izabela, she is a best friend, a strong, level-headed young woman, and a considerate and most caring human being. So, what other way to celebrate her than creating these wonderful photos to remind her of who she is and most importantly how fast she'll touch the sky with her limitless ambition and opportunities.

Here are Nat's best shots:

I loved the colors of those drums!

Trash bin never looked this good...

Sassy much? Ummm...Yeap, I think so!

We played with balloons...

The glance is priceless in the next two...

What better than end with a pretty smiling face?

Nat, thanks so much for everything since the beginning of time...(and for not killing me during the shoot!!) I heart you mucho!!

Family Photography ~ Three generations

2011-03-16T22:47:00.004-04:00

This session was not just a "family photography" session, it was "my family photography session", because they adopted me as a member of their family ever since I met them. I met Natali while working together at an old job. We fast became very good friends and when Bella came, I received the great honor of being her godmother. She was only three months old when Nat asked me to babysit her for the first time and I remember staring at that little sleeping face...That moment was so peaceful and so present... I remember thinking that everything else in the world is so insignificant when you have a child. Things like vanity, your hair, your make-up, running after a career, fighting to get in that next position at the job, to make more money, to have a status, to feel important...All these, when compared to having a child to care for, are NOTHING.

Well, fast forward five years...and Bella has become a little lady, definitely not the baby I used to carry around incessantly trying to make her fall asleep. She comes from two generations of strong, loving and beautiful women that will do anything and everything to see her develop into the girl she wants to be. We celebrated the three generations with a session in the park.

I present to you: Margarita, Nat and Bella!

This next photo is so sweet, as I'm best friends with my Mom as well.

We brought balloons for some more fun in the sun, but the wind blew them away... Someone was really sad...

But it was all over, just in time to push the cart

This is the cutie patootie!

I love these girls!

Good night!

Model / Lifestyle Photography ~ Emily - Part two

2011-03-09T00:10:00.003-05:00

As promised, I'm back with more photos from my second day of shooting with Emily. We had so much fun the first day, we decided to continue on the beach the next day. She mentioned she'd always wanted to do a shoot on the beach so I knew just the spot for that... Thank goodness, the weather was nice and the sunset - gorgeous!

Here are some shots from the session.

We made great use of these pillars on the beach, I love this spot!

I love the fierceness in this next one!

Ummm...hello gorgeous!

Naples has the best sunsets. We played a little making silhouettes as the sun was saying good-bye to us...

I'm happy I got to know you a little, Emily, keep us in touch with all your modeling adventures!

Model / Lifestyle Photography ~ Emily - Part one

2011-03-06T23:24:00.005-05:00

I met Emily through Model Mayhem, a network of models, photographers, make-up artists, hair stylists and all sorts of creative people. She is from Wethersfield, CT and travelled down to Florida for spring break with her boyfriend Mark. While here, she wanted some new photos taken for her model portfolio. She mentioned Connecticut is different in nature than Florida, so I ran with the idea of a shoot in the thick Florida vegetation. I did not want to scare Emily away (it was her first visit down after all!) and so I didn't take her to the Everglades (like I first concocted in my mind to do....*insert "bruuhahahaha" laugh here*), but instead we chose Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, an eden for bird watchers and nature lovers alike.

Emily was a dream to work with, I had very little to no direction to give her, she knew exactly how to work her body. It didn't hurt that she is an artist too and that she absolutely loves America's Next Top Model! Her poses were spot on and she had the grace of a ballerina. Besides being an awesome model, her and her very patient boyfriend Mark were so wonderful to hang out with and talk, I had a great time just chatting with them throughout the whole shoot!

I had such a pleasure processing these photos, here is Emily's best work.

Emily has super long legs. Not sure which genes were responsible for that, the Polish, the Indian, the Swedish or the French Canadian in her (I probably forgot a side, sorry)...

This pose? Ummm, I'm pretty sure it's not in the "Posing for Dummies" book!

Here, we're breaking the law. Well, just a tiny bit. We got off the boardwalk and ventured out in the wild, leaving Mark to look out for bears or hogs or crazy animals that might have come to eat us! :) But I'm pretty sure he would've prefered to not admit that he knew us if the Park Rangers came while we were out there... Hahaha...

So worth it! Em, thanks for putting up with my crazy ideas!

This picture is one of my favorites...So Emily...

Fierce!

Yes, this is ballerina-like

I'll leave you with a gorgeous close-up of Emily

We had such a good time yesterday that we met up again today for a few shots on the beach. More to come in the next couple of days!

Have a great week everyone!

Couple's Photography ~ Angela and Brandon

2011-03-03T22:42:00.002-05:00

I was super excited about this shoot as it was a team effort to put together. My friend Angie has always dreamed about doing a shoot in a laundromat...Yes, with washers, dryers, laundry moving in the machines, and all that jazz...that, until we actually started looking for one for our next get-together. We wanted a grunge laundromat that screams "banged up" and "used and abused", but that is not so easy to find in pretty, manicured Naples. In the end, Jennifer found a great place in North Naples, called Suds & Duds Laundromat, whose owner Maria was nice enough to let us shoot in it. Yay!

We found our models Angela and Brandon through Facebook. Angela is taking Angie's photography class and e-mailed us a photo of her and her husband, saying they're interested in participating in the shoot. Awesome!

Aaaaand the rest is history...

Angela and Brandon are newlyweds. They got married three months ago at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, so being lovey dovey with each other was just a breeze! They had wonderful chemistry together and rocked it out throughout the entire session! Angela's make-up was done by Maray D and her hair - by her sister Jenna Scot of Hair Design by Jenna Marie in Fort Myers.

We started inside the laundromat where we wanted to capture the washing machines...

...and also the rolling carts used for fresh laundry...

This next image is funny...we had Angela read a magazine, while Brandon was behind her checking her out... "hey hey hey, you come here often?"

The place had an old coin machine and "Coin Chest"...

Brandon is funny...

...and sweet with his wife...

Angela, you're eyes are unreal!

We continued outside...

Oh yes, work it!

Rockstars? Ummm, I think so...

We found someone's bike and we had to use it

And, finally, another shot of beautiful Angela...

It was a ton of fun from the planning to the processing of these shots and many thanks to everyone that helped pull this through!

Much love

Maternity Photography ~ Rebecca

2011-03-01T00:42:00.002-05:00

Time to update the blog with a maternity session I did a while back with my friend Megan of In The Moment Images. Becky is Megan's older sister and she is expecting her second child. The baby is due in a couple months and the color of the room is left to be a surprise: we don't know if it's a boy or a girl. Either way, it made for some beautiful images in a vast field up in Fort Myers.

I loved working with Megan, she taught me the "fog" technique, I've tried then for the first time... You can change the weather as a photographer, did you know?

Here are some of the shots.

Love the attitude of this one!

But I also love the tranquility of this one

Becky has great posing skills, learned from when she was an artist's model in her college years.

Loved the contrast between her red hair, fair skin and piercing blue eyes! Just stunning!

So gorgeous!

The "fog" effect

And a final vintage one...

I had a great afternoon with these ladies! Thanks Becky for being a wonderful model and Megan - for inviting me along!

Model / Fashion ~ Kelsey

2010-11-17T00:23:00.003-05:00

It was Halloween the day when we had our session with Kelsey and we wanted to try this crazy, grungy, zombie-land-looking junkyard in town... Well, that was a no-go that day but I'm determined to get them to agree soon! Will leave that for another day. So, that Sunday for Halloween our crew, together with model Kelsey, drove aaaaaaaaalllll the way down to Everglades City. I was actually surprised none of my friends have been there yet.

Everglades City is a sleepy old town of fishermen. If you want grungy and rusted for your location, that's the place to go. It is quite the drive from Naples, but it's also worth visiting, as it's close to the Everglades Reservation / Park. Plus they have some awesome fresh seafood one can die for! It is the capital of airboat tours and fried alligator tail!

So after some mumbling and grumbling similar to "Are we there yet? are we there yet??", we make the drive and start shooting along the water, by shrimper crates, booies and other miscellaneous junk fishermen dispose of while working...so un-environmentally friendly!

Meet Kelsey, our pretty model of the day.

I persoanlly love this next photo, it evokes the ruggedness of the city.

Then, after an outfit change for added color, we moved on to another pile of junk we found.

Kelsey's eyes are a beautiful green, her top only accentuated them more! Va-va-voom!

We looked quite a while for this purple wall I knew about from my previous visits but I think it was well worth it. Her outfit and the color of the wall worked well with her eyes again. Hello gawwjus!

Kelsey, thank you. Tomorrow I'll return with a post about a themed session we did two weeks ago that I've been dying to do for a while and I nagged and nagged and nagged and finally made it happen... So awesome, you'll see!

Model / Fashion ~ Casie and Nicole Beach Shoot

2010-11-16T23:23:00.003-05:00

I know I have been neglecting the blogging world lately. It's just that I've been really busy. Busy trying to put my website together, busy doing shoots all over the place and busy practicing, practicing, practicing! I've been eating photography-spread on bread, dreaming of finding locations and breathing f-stops and shutter speeds! I love this!

Today's blog post is about a session we organized at a "secret" beach with some photog friends. I've done shoots with model Casie before, but I only met Nicole that day. When we started out, the sun was high up in the sky and hot!

Here's Casie just hanging out.

Nicole, you're gorgeous what can I say?

Then, the sun started setting and gave this beautiful glow...

I leave you for now with a postcard from Naples!

Thanks Casie and Nicole for rocking it out for us!

Model / Fashion ~ Mariana

2010-10-20T22:58:00.003-04:00

Mariana is a friend of mine who happens to be gorgeous. Ummm...without even trying. She has an awesome wardrobe and fantastic style.

The location of the shoot I happened to come across while driving around looking for locations (again). Seems to be my favorite pastime lately. Thank goodness my car is economic on fuel. Naples doesn't have too many grungy, ugly, dirty spots so you have to get out and explore the area around. Especially when you're desperate for rad photoshoot locations. This is how I fell in love with the Corkscrew Country Store located in Estero.

Take Mariana's beauty and surround it with things that are rusty, old, grungy, dark, molded, or dirty and you'll get a fantastic photoshoot! I've been enjoying kinda setting the tone for these types of shoots, as it gives me the freedom to style them, design them and totally be creative. I've never really been an artsy person, but I'm enjoying all the ideas popping up in my head lately.

Here are some of the best from the day. First, we started on this huge yellow rusty machine. And I felt that the yellow contrasted wonderfully with our model's bright blue booties.

Then we moved to a shed. This was full of old appliances, buckets and who knows what else. Oh, and mosquitoes!! Our poor model was a trooper!

Next, we had to include in the shoot an old rusted Ford truck.

Then, there was an old mobile home...

...and, of course, the store itself that sort of looked like a train station, hence this:

Our session was cut short by some fire ants that decided to attack me that day, but I was still able to get these two last shots:

I can't wait for our next shoot...where's it going to be? I'm jumping in my car to find out...

Model / Fashion ~ Casie

2010-10-03T23:32:00.004-04:00

Today I got together with a few of my fellow photogs to shoot at an awesome location I discovered by chance. Naples is a pretty manicured place, there are not many dirty, ugly, rusted spots around, although us photogs would love them! We love grunge, we love textured walls, old chipping paint on things and we love everything rust. So when I came upon this fabulous "construction material-storage slash dirt road slash empty space with a lot of concrete" site, I was stoked! I had already envisioned the whole shoot. I mean, there was concrete blocks, concrete tubes, rusty old machineries, piles of dirt and a whole lot of good stuff.

Our model is the kind of model every photographer wishes and prays for. Casie knows how to be fabulous without even trying a bit. She was nice enough to get up early for us and rock some high heels on hills of dirt and puddles of water with tadpoles in it (but we didn't tell her they were in, because she would've run away!).

So, here are some shots from today.

Part of the theme of the day was "Fallen Angel" and you can find more inspiration for this shoot here.

On this strong "Wonder Woman"-note, I wish you a great week ahead!

Food ~ Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken with Sesame Seeds

2010-10-02T20:59:00.004-04:00

Happy Saturday!

Today's dinner featured an Asian dish made in the slow cooker. Fall is creeping in on us, so the slow cooker comes in use more often now... Every time you use the cooker, the meat will fall off the bone and it's sooo much more flavorful, since it can have a whole party with all the other ingredients. They're just mingling and hanging out for 3-4 hours and the results are oh sooo yummm!

So, without much bla-bla, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

One 3-4 pound chicken
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, trimmed and halved
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Preparation

Wash and dry the chicken throroughly. Remove the giblets and neck for another use (I used it to make chicken stock). Cut off any kumps of fat. Put the chicken in the cooker, breast side up. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sherry, ketchup, red pepper flakes, green onions, and garlic in a small bowl; pur over chicken. Cover and cook on High until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 F, 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Transfer the chicken to a platter. Remove and discard the green onions. Combine the cornstarch with the water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Cook on High, stirring constantly until thickened. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve. I forgot to sprinkle it with the sesame seeds...

I served it over a bed or jasmine rice.

Bon appetit!

Food ~ Grilled Pork Tenderloins with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

2010-09-12T22:27:00.004-04:00

So, today was my husband's 37th Birthday...

It was a huge football day, as the season officially started and his favorite team, the Dolphins, played today. Awesomely enough, they won! I also contributed to his good day by making him this carrot cake with vanilla fondant...

...and topped it all off with a great dinner. Recipe to follow below.

Ingredients
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat and silver skin
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons salt, plus a pinch
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pineapple, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Directions
Preheat a grill to high.

Rub the pork tenderloins all over with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with the chipotle chili powder, 2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and the oregano. Rub the tenderloins well with the garlic and drizzle the lime juice over all. Allow the tenderloins to sit, refrigerated, for 45 minutes before cooking.

Brush the pineapple slices lightly with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then place the pineapple slices on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until softened slightly and nicely marked by the grill, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and allow to cool to room temperature. Dice the pineapple slices (discard the tough core portions) and place in a medium non-reactive bowl. Add the red onion, remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, remaining pinch of salt, jalapeno peppers, red bell pepper, and chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Set aside while you grill the pork.

Place the tenderloins on the hottest part of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Reduce the grill temperature to low and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 145 degrees F. Remove the tenderloins from the grill and allow to sit, loosely covered, for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Slice the tenderloins on the diagonal and serve with the grilled pineapple salsa and fresh cilantro sprigs. Drizzle with Cilantro Oil.

Note: I didn't have cilantro, so I used parsley instead and I didn't use cilantro oil. I served it with parsley mashed potatoes.

All in all, a great day today! Have a fantastic week!

XoXo

Food ~ Fish Tacos

2010-09-08T22:19:00.003-04:00

Happy Wednesday! It was a Fish Tacos kinda Tuesday yesterday... Here's a really easy fast and healthy dinner idea:

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds mahi-mahi filets
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lime, quartered
12 small corn tortillas, warmed
Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, shredded, for garnish
Pico de Gallo salsa, for garnish
1 avocado, pitted and cut into thin slices, for garnish
Sour cream or crema, for garnish

Directions
Pat fish dry and combine in a nonreactive bowl with the white wine, lime juice and garlic. Set aside to marinate about 10 to 15 minutes.

When fish is ready, remove it from the marinade, pat dry, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, place fish skin-side down in skillet. Cook until opaque and firm to touch, about 3 minutes per side.

Flake the fish, squeeze one of the lime wedges over the top, and toss to coat. To make a taco, stack 2 tortillas on top of each other and fill with fish, lettuce, salsa, a few avocado slices, and a dollop of sour cream. Repeat to make 6 tacos total.

Are you happy it's a short week? Are you getting excited about the week-end? What are your plans?

Food ~ Red cabbage apple and cilantro salad

2010-08-31T23:18:00.006-04:00

This recipe is a creation of my own. Personally, I love cilantro, so when I had a bunch of the green leaves in the fridge together with a head of red cabbage, I wanted to use them both in a crunchy refreshing salad that satisfies the eye and the tastebuds as well.

I grated the cabbage, chopped the cilantro and combined the two with some lemon juice, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I added apple slices for the sweetness.

It looked like this:

Enjoy!

Food ~ Arroz con pollo my style

2010-08-31T22:24:00.006-04:00

The worst or best part about cooking is that you have to plan ahead and be organized. I'm really bad at both. But sometimes I try to think and plan what I want to do for dinner already at breakfast. So, this is how tonight's din-din came into creation.

When you have all the ingredents, it's easy to whip it up. This recipe was fast. Here it goes:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders, breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper
2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken stock, available in paper boxes on the soup aisle of market
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) Sazon seasoning blend (recommended: Goya) with Mexican and Spanish foods in market
1 cup tomato sauce
1 (2-ounce) box golden raisins, 1/4 cup
Olive and Pepper Salsa:
1 cup Spanish olives with pimentos, drained and chopped
2 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small white skinned onion, chopped
Several drops hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, a handful
1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
Salt
Avocado and Garlic Sour Cream:
2 ripe avocados, pitted and spoon flesh from skins
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic
Salt
1 cup sour cream
Directions
Preheat a medium pot over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, add cut up chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Stir and lightly brown the chicken, then add the rice and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, poultry seasoning, Sazon seasoning, tomato sauce and raisins. Bring the stock to a quick boil, 2 or 3 minutes. When the liquid boils, reduce heat to low and cook 13 to 15 minutes, until rice is tender but still a little chewy in the center.

While the rice and chicken are working, prepare the salsa. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and adjust the salt and hot sauce, to taste. Next prepare the Avocado and Garlic Sour Cream by adding all ingredients to a food processor and processing until smooth. Adjust seasoning, then transfer to a small bowl.

Stir 1/2 cup of prepared Olive and Pepper Salsa to the chicken and rice mixture. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.

Serve the prepared Latin rice and chicken in shallow bowls with spoonfuls of salsa and avocado cream to garnish. Serve any remaining salsa and sour cream with plantains and corn chips for dipping and scooping.

At the end, it should look something like this...

Bon appetit!

Studio shoots

2010-06-14T19:18:00.004-04:00

Long time, no blog...

I've been busy. More about what's going on, in a later post. For now, here are some shots from our studio meetups where we experiment with studio lighting. Our model was Cat and she's a tough chick that rides horses, is busy being a mom and a wife, all while co-running Naples Horse Stalls.

Happy Monday!

I Heart Smiles

2010-04-25T23:34:00.004-04:00

Here is my entry for this week's challenge at I Heart Faces. It features smiles and this shot was taken at my first photoshoot with kids and these girls were a riot, and so cool to photograph!

Check out more smiley faces by clicking on the button below!

Lifestyle Shoot

2010-04-14T23:01:00.003-04:00

Last week-end I did my first lifestyle/anytime shoot with a friend. I photograph my friends since they're the most patient and generous with their times. And because they put up with me. I think that goes first.

So this time, my friend asked if I could do some business shots of him for some business cards. I happily obliged, I didn't have to beg, thank god. Then, I have to admit, I begged if I could do some casuals as well outside of the studio. I am still not comfortable with my lights. They are not strobe lights, but continuous ones and I am still learning how to use them.

We started at my house with these business/serious shots of him:

And...this is his signature pose...

Then, we headed out for some shots at Bayfront. The place has great urban feel to it and tons of cool textured walls. It felt just right for our lifestyle shoot.

This one is my favorite of the day

Or maybe this one?

Hey friend, thanks for allowing me to capture your fun personality. You are way cool.

I Heart Desserts

2010-04-14T00:04:00.003-04:00

I love making them, I love styling them, I love eating them... Of course, I'm talking about desserts. Everyone that knows me, knows that I'd be in charge of bringing the dessert to the dinner party.

So when I saw this week's challenge on I Heart Faces, I had to post a fun shot of some carrot cake cupcakes I made not too long ago for Cupcake Thursdays at work... No, it's not an official holiday, but I just started the tradition... Thursdays are reason enough to celebrate the upcoming week-end, as they're close to Friday. That's reason enough in my book!

Enjoy...

Conservancy of Southwest Florida

2010-04-03T23:08:00.003-04:00

I'm overdue with a post about our trip to the Conservancy last week. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida was founded in 1964 by a small group of concerned citizens fighting to protect the beauty of our region. Today it has grown to be one of Florida's largest and most respected environmental organizations. The place is still growing and currently The Conservancy Nature Center includes butterfly and birding trails, kayak rentals, guided electric boat tours, a Discovery Center, Nature Store, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and is site #69 of the Great Florida Birding Trail. We started with a little boat ride with Capt. Marvel.

You can see tons of birds, lots of mangrove trees and a manatee or two.

You can rent kayaks...

Enjoying the nice weather and the breeze

After the boat ride, we headed to the butterfly garden and to explore the nature trails. I honestly expected the trails to be longer, but I think they are still expanding as some areas were unaccessable.

A real butterfly!

We are so blessed to be living in such proximity to all this beauty!

Aaaaahh...

For more information, click here. If you have kids, it is worth taking them there, it's just a nice learning setting. Check them out!

Twins video

2010-03-27T23:31:00.003-04:00

Slideshow test

2010-03-27T22:25:00.002-04:00

A "bumpy" photoshoot

2010-03-21T22:03:00.004-04:00

I asked... Ok, no. I stand corrected. I begged her to let me take pictures of her while pregnant. Without knowing what she was saying, she accepted and said yes. I have no idea what possessed her to trust me in such an adventure, but I took the opportunity with both hands. And like a good school kid, I went to do my homework and did research on the subject. I don't know about you, but I didn't want to dissapoint my teacher...or my parents!

So by the time she knocked on my door on Saturday, I had like a full-blown art project right in my office. I had signs, I had logos, I had string... I was prepared! It was game on.

My friend was so generous with me. So patient, when at the beginning my camera wouldn't focus... She would even laugh at my jokes. I don't think I'm funny but her photos say otherwise.

Her boyfriend is a proud papa too, you can tell... He cannot wait to take his son fishing and teach him all about trucks and boys' stuff!

We had a fun session inside, where we used all the fun props...

A ducky

Very comfortable spot to be chilling on...

The most adorable boys' shoes...

You're gorgeous...

The sign...

The frame...

Baby had a great time, too! He was having a little party inside Mommy's belly, because he was seriously kicking...

Mom trying to catch the tap to show me...

What can I say? You won't find that glow in a jar...

Papa jumped in...

Some more little details

For the second part, we went outside...

Have you seen a pregnant woman's laugh? It's the most wholesome laugh you will ever find! She laughs with her entire body and soul, it's the cutest thing ever!

Apparently, I am funny...

The love...

More gorgeousness...

Hello, baby!

We cannot wait to meet the little man...

Thank you, my friends, for allowing me to capture a precious moment of your lives, I am truly honored...

The Trees

2010-03-15T21:44:00.003-04:00

They caught my eye ever since they started blooming. I pass by these trees on my way to work, on my way home from work and they are blooming all over town. They have many pretty pink flowers on them and they're just a beautiful sight to see. I have no idea what they are called, but I was determined to snap some pictures of their beauty. Come to find out, their flowers have a nice scent to them too!

Have a good week!