Archive for December, 2008

Kirstin & Philip | Engagement Photos in NYC

December 30, 2008

Last month when Kirstin was visiting Jacksonville for Thanksgiving, we met up at a Starbucks in Riverside. As soon as she told me she lived in New York with her fiance, I thought it would be a great opportunity for an engagement session! I knew we were going to head to NYC some time during our holiday travel, so we met up with Kirstin and Philip yesterday for a long, but very fun shoot! They gave us an incredible tour of the City, including a stop at their favorite pizza place, The Famous Ray’s Pizza in the Village. We also went to Pier 17, which I had never been to before. Like so many parts of New York, it is an area completely unique from all the rest.

Engagement shoots are always fun, but shooting in New York was such an experience! Thank you guys for being such fabulous tour guides! We look forward to seeing you in just a few short months for your wedding and again when we come back to NYC in May! : )

Posted in Engagements, Travel | 7 Comments »

Shannon & Dave | Engagement Photos in Downtown Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Wedding Photography

December 27, 2008

Today we were so with unseasonably warm weather here in Pittsburgh. It was in the mid 60’s!! Unfortunately, the beautiful weather meant that everyone was out enjoying it at the spots we had planned for Shannon and Dave’s engagement session! We started on top of Mount Washington, where Dave proposed to Shannon. We took the incline down to Station Square for a few shots (including the cool blast furnace shot below… you don’t get much more Pittsburgh than that!). We ended the shoot at the ice skating rink at the PPG building.

It was definitely a blast spending the afternoon with them in the sunshine. Thanks guys for allowing me to help me capture this special time in your life! : )

Posted in Engagements, Travel | 6 Comments »

Kayla & Eric – Engagement Photos in Pittsburgh

December 27, 2008

For the past few weeks, I’ve been looking forward to meeting Kayla and Eric for their engagement session in Pittsburgh. Even though road construction, chilly temps, and rain tried to keep it from happening we were still able to capture a few cute pics. Hopefully we’ll get to add a few more this afternoon.

Kayla and Eric, thanks for being such troopers yesterday! You guys were so patient and so much fun to work with! : )

Posted in Engagements, Travel | No Comments »

My Christmas

December 26, 2008

Just wanted to share a few pics from our Christmas holiday. The puppies looked so cute in their matching sweaters! : )

And a few pics from downtown Pittsburgh:

Posted in Personal, Travel | No Comments »

Merry Christmas from the Sunny North!

December 25, 2008

So I traveled North in hopes of a White Christmas, but it looks like we brought sunny, warm Florida with us! We are in Pittsburgh now and it’s a gorgeous day. This weekend is going to have a high of 66! My mom assured me I was wrong until I showed her the weather forecast. The outlook for New York and Connecticut are also very fair with highs in the 50s. I’ve been blessed with many white Christmases, but it looks like this year we are just going to be blessed with safe roads for our travels!

We are at my mom’s house waiting for the madness to begin. We are expecting a house full of guests as usual, so it will be fun. I am just taking advantage of the quiet time right now to send out Christmas blessings to all of my friends!

And a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two special people in my life… Jesus and my Mom! It’s a day of celebration because without either of those birthdays I would not be here today. : ) Love you, Mom!

Before we left Florida we took “the kids” out for a picture with Santa. More holiday photos to come!

Posted in Personal, Travel | 1 Comment »

April & Thomas – Wedding in Glen St. Mary

December 20, 2008

Matt and I just got home a couple hours ago from April and Thomas’ wedding celebration, but I couldn’t wait to post a few pics on the blog. This was such a unique day because April and Thomas actually tied the knot last month in an intimate ceremony. So today was the day that they celebrated their marriage with their friends and family!

We had plenty of time to take photos before the bride and groom met up with their guests and April really wanted to go to her father-in-law’s house for a few shots. After seeing the incredibly cool antique tractors in the yard, I understood why! I actually said to Matt “PLEASE let this be the house!” I think I died and went to photography heaven!

April’s father’s house also offered some fun shots, plus the sunset this evening was just amazing! We got plenty of shots of them kissing with the sunlight behind them. I don’t think they minded the kissing, and I didn’t mind being blinded by the sunlight.

I wish I could post ALL of the pictures right now, but I have a sweet high school senior who has been waiting to see the rest of her photos. So for now, I just have a handful to share with you.

April and Thomas, thanks so much for letting us be part of this day! Matt and I had a great time capturing photos of your celebration. Oh, and he now wants a house like your dad’s with tons of land for bonfires! : )

Posted in Weddings | 3 Comments »

A Holiday Message from Gwen & Matt

December 20, 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

This holiday season, Matt and I have decided to do things a little different. We have decided not to send out Christmas cards. Instead, we are taking the money we would have spent on cards and postage and donating it to charity. We also used the time we would have spent preparing the cards to do some bell-ringing for the Salvation Army!

But we couldn’t let the season pass without taking an opportunity to say how much we appreciate all of the wonderful people who touch our lives throughout the year. So this is our Christmas wish for you…

May your lives be blessed this holiday with loved ones around you. May the New Year bring you happiness and hope. May you reflect on the true spirit of the holidays and rejoice in the blessings that abound.

We hope that the holidays are full of joy for you and your family, and to spread a little bit of cheer we have attached a message from Taz and Peanut. They worked very hard on this, so we hope you will enjoy it!

Merry Christmas to you and much happiness in 2009!

Love,
Gwen and Matt

Posted in Personal | No Comments »

December 18, 2008

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but it’s the holidays and I’m taking a little bit of personal time. Last weekend Matt and I spent the weekend at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club for my company’s holiday party. It was an insanely generous gift and a fun time. We had a beautiful oceanview room and it didn’t take long before we put on the comfy white robes and slippers. I knew they would have them in the room, so I had picture the shot of us wearing the robes before we ever checked in. LOL!

We met up with my coworkers for a cocktail hour and dinner and it was just a special time to spend with everyone outside of the office. We don’t get much time to really chat inside the office because we are so busy, so it’s nice to see everyone in a relaxed environment. This past year has been crazy busy for us and it was nice reflecting on all that we have achieved in 2008. Plus the amazing weekend they planned for us really attests to how much they appreciate what our team has done. In addition to covering our room they included golf or a day at the spa. Matt and I opted for the spa and spent Sunday getting pampered with a couples massage package. I definitely needed some time away from the computer to just enjoy with friends and with my honey!

Here are a few pics from our holiday dinner. I look forward to what 2009 has in store! Perhaps a company cruise?? Just kidding. : )

Posted in Personal | 2 Comments »

Tiara’s Senior Session

December 7, 2008

During our Thanksgiving trip to Central Florida, we took the opportunity to go to Sebring for Tiara’s senior photo session. Tiara is the daughter of Greshawn, whom you may remember from her wedding that I shot in October. I just love this family and feel like they are such great friends, so I was very excited to shoot some photos for Tiara.

This was primarily an indoor shoot, though I hope we can find some time to do an outdoor session either in Jacksonville or somewhere closer to Sebring. Tiara was so much fun to work with because she is just cute and full of personality!

Enjoy your senior year, Tiara! It goes by so fast. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors! : )

Posted in Senior Photos | 4 Comments »

Beth & Mark | Jacksonville Zoo Engagement Photos | Jacksonville Wedding Photographer

December 3, 2008

I met Beth a few weeks ago at the Starbucks at SJTC to talk about her wedding day, and at that first meeting she had me a little teary talking about her fabulous fiance, Mark, who is stationed in the Panhandle. She told me about his very clever and creative proposal and absolutely glowed when she talked about him.

It wasn’t until their engagement session that I met this guy I had heard so much about and it didn’t take long to see what Beth had been talking about. Mark is such a great guy. He’s hilarious and will do ANYTHING to make her smile and you can see he absolutely adores her.

We shot the engagement session at Jacksonville Zoo because that is where they have chosen to have their super awesome wedding celebration! How cool is that?! I flat out told Beth… I am jealous! They are renting the carousel and the giraffes for the evening. I don’t know if it gets more awesome than that!

I am so looking forward to their wedding at the Jacksonville Zoo next May, not only because it will be super sweet, but because these two are just a fun and lovable couple. It was so much fun following them around the zoo as they shared smooches and fed the giraffes and lorikeets. We’re hoping to find an opportunity to take advantage of the gorgeous panhandle sunsets, so be on the lookout for part two of this trilogy love story!

Posted in Engagements | 5 Comments »