jamielauren studios

The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

2010-09-11T08:30:00.001-07:00

So, about a month ago [why write a blog today when you can put it off for month?] my friends and fellow photographers, Mark and Tiffani Dhooge of Genesis Photography, flew to Vegas for a marketing seminar for photographers called, Skip’s Summer School. I wanted to go – badly – but couldn’t. Let’s blame it on Jason, m’kay?

Tiffani and Mark, being the incredible friends that they are, went to great lengths to make me feel like I was there. I would occasionally get a text message from one or the other that looked like this:

That is the lovely and inspiring, Jasmine Star! She’s holding a sign [in case you can’t read it] that says, “Hi Jamie, wish u were here!” Oh, Jasmine! I wish I were there too! I think I would have kissed you square on the mouth!

Okay, so maybe it WAS a good idea I didn’t go.

I also got this photo:

That is the ever amazing, Dane Sanders! I think Tiff may have a bit of a crush on him. Shhh, don’t tell Mark.

These photos were hurriedly taken with a cell phone camera in a dark meeting room in a hotel so please don’t judge Genesis Photography by the quality of these photos. I love and cherish them so much I don’t even care that they’re about 11 stops under-exposed.

Tiff and Mark also sent me a photo of Kevin Kubota of Kubota Image Tools, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to get it from my phone to my computer. Don’t ask why I was able to send these two but not that one. I don’t make sense. I’ve come to terms with that fact and so should you.

If you get a chance, check out some of these incredible photographers. Their talent inspires me each and every day.

Monkey!!

2010-09-05T08:20:00.001-07:00

That’s what we call her. MONKEY!! And just, monkey. It has to be said with excitement – MONKEY!!! And occasionally, we through in a good monkey noise for good measure. “Monkey! OO OO OO!”

She’s just too delicious, too sweet, too happy and smiley not to break out in zoo-animal noises when you see her.

Ameena is my girl! Sometimes she comes to visit me at work, sometimes she comes to my house and we hang out while her mommy and daddy work on getting their new business, Lango, up and running. This time, when she came over, I was able to grab a few photos of her. Just a perk of having a photog friend, I guess.

Her mother, Karly, looked at the photos and immediately commented on the fact that her 4 month old [now 5 month old – these were taken a while ago!] daughter has, “Kimora Lee Simmons neck,” and more cleavage than her. Gotta love Karly!

I just love this baby girl. She has such a sweet disposition. Just like her mother, she’s never met a person she doesn’t like. Or a fart joke she won’t laugh at. But that’s a story for another day and time.

And on that note….Ciao!

Lily [6 months] – South Florida Photographer

2010-08-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

Okay internet, let’s just get this out of the way: I’m a bad, bad blogger. It’s been entirely too long since I’ve blogged! I’d love to apologize and say I’ll do better but we both know that’s a promise I cannot keep. Sorry, I keeps it realz.

However, to make it up to you, I’m bringing the cuteness in a major way! Hold on to your ruffled bloomers because the following photos will make you want to run out and getcherself a baby.

Lily is just the cutest thing coming and going. I mean seriously – she’s a living doll. I think her parents should quit their jobs and just go into business making beautiful babies for the…less fortunate ::grin::

Not only is Miss Lil cuter than a button eyes on a teddy bear, she’s sweet too! Such a charmer!! She just lights up for my camera and I find myself so taken with her little personality that I forget to shoot! She’s just a precious little angel baby and she’s got two of the best parents a baby could ask for! [Her Uncle and Grandma are pretty sweet too! I’ve met them both!]

I’m so lucky to be able to photograph you as you grow, Lily, and I hope I continue to be able to capture your incredible beauty and sweet smile for many years to come!

Princess Ty [1 week new]

2010-07-03T19:04:00.001-07:00

This little Princess has been long awaited and much anticipated.

She’s here now and she’s perfect! And teeny-tiny too; only 5.5 pounds!

But she already loves to eat so I’m sure she’s growing and gaining and she’ll be at her fighting weight in no time. As if I have any idea what a “fighting weight” actually is. Whatever. Moving on.

I brought a macro lens [105mm] to this shoot and loved getting to play with it! The results are really quite amazing. One day they will forget how small and wrinkly her little feet were and this sweet photo will remind them. I swear, it looks like you could just reach out and touch those teeny toes.

Princess Ty wasn’t really in the mood for a photo-shoot on this particular day. She’s an angel-baby for sure – just not very tired, so those sleeping baby poses were tossed out the window.

It’s okay though. When you’re this cute, you make the rules!

I guess I actually got more sleepy poses than I realized!….Or is it just an illusion? *wink

I’ll say this much for the Princess – she’s already got her daddy wrapped around her little [albeit long] finger! He is truly, madly, deeply in love with his little girl and it was beautiful to witness. He even changes all the poopy diapers!

Congratulations to my sweet, gorgeous friend Jennifer and her beautiful family! They’re so full of love for their precious baby girl – she’s a lucky little Princess.

Nelson + Andrea [South Florida Wedding Photographer]

2010-06-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of shooting Nelson and Andrea’s engagement shoot this weekend and after hanging out with them for a few hours, I can’t WAIT for their wedding. This is a fun couple, you guys! They cracked each other up, they cracked me up, they laughed at my jokes…wait…maybe they were just laughing at me…either way, a good time was had by all.

I really think having a good sense of humor plays a large part in having a successful shoot. If you can’t loosen up and and have a good time, it will show in the photos. These two had no trouble loosening up.

I’m not going to show too many shots because they haven’t seen them all and need to pick an official photo or two for the save-the-date cards and stuff.

Andrea’s eyes are to die for and Nelson has that smoldering thing down pat! Don’t let that serious stare fool you though – he’s a laid-back, funny guy.
January will be here before you know it guys, and I look forward to capturing the happiest day of your lives!

Lily [4 months perfect]

2010-06-27T19:14:00.001-07:00

Remember this perfect peanut?

That’s Lily and that shot was taken four short months ago. But look at her now!

Aged to perfection! This munchkin is about the cutest thing since cupcakes were invented. She’s sweet, happy, smiley and generally pleasant which is more than I can say for myself most days.

Her Mother and Grammy are having a blast dressing this baby-doll. Get a load of some of these outfits and headbands. She’s the Carrie Bradshaw of the playground! Watch-out! Do they make Manolo Blahniks for babies? If they did, Lily would own three pair.

I do have one little bone to pick with Miss Lily. She is TOO cute. So cute, in fact, that she has made my Mother want a grandchild. NOW!
Okay Lily, listen up – STOP IT! Stop being so cute! My poor Mother’s heart can’t take it!

All Better

2010-06-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for me. I was bummed to the 8th power. Down like BP’s stock. It was a full-on pity party for one.
And The Boyfriend knew it. He’s all “in-touch with my feelings” like that. I think the moping and occasional sobbing-slash-screaming might have tipped him off, but let’s just pretend I hide my feelings well and he’s so in-touch with my emotions that he just KNEW something was amiss. Whatever - I needed some cheering up and he knew exactly what would put a smile on my face: Dinner! And dessert! And an appetizer! Not in that order!

I picked him up and we headed to Chili’s. Not exactly "fine dining” but it did the trick!

The Boyfriend is a writer so he is always bringing along something he’s working on to read, edit, ask me what I think, etc. He likes to put me on the spot and ask, “Of the last four short stories I’ve written, which was your favorite? Which was your least favorite? Why didn’t you like that one more? Hm… I would have thought this one would be your favorite….” That’s our dinner conversation, people. Thrilling, I know. There was room at our table – you could have joined in.
Back to the important stuff – the food!

I’d show you a picture of our dessert, but ummm…well, you get the picture:

The thing I love most about The Boyfriend is that he always makes me laugh so hard I forget I was ever sad. Until I remember I’m sad and then…ya know, I’m like MAKE ME LAUGH AGAIN SO I FORGET I’M SUPPOSED TO BE SAD! AND THIS TIME, DON’T STOP!
There is no one I’d rather break bread [or nachos] with. No one I’d rather watch read the same story on the same stapled stack of papers for sixtieth time. No one I’d rather give my fries to. No one who can turn my frown upside-down like The Boyfriend.
::collective AWWWW::
I’ll say this though, sweet baby Harrison is running a tight second. I got to spend a few hours with him and his Mama earlier in the day and I don’t think I fretted once the entire time! Okay, that’s a total lie. I complained for the first 45 minutes, but luckily he won’t remember any of it.

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Fuji Instax-love

2010-06-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

I know that, even as a child, I was a photographer. Whether my parents knew it or not, photography was always in my heart. I loved Polaroid cameras especially. Mostly because of the instant gratification, I’m sure, but I can distinctly remember the few times I got my hands on one – little plastic squares flying out of the front of that camera like a possessed Pez dispenser, hundreds of dollars worth of photos of absolutely nothing strewn about and me waiving that little square photo around my head just waiting for that fuzzy image to emerge.
Well, now I get to re-live that time in my life. No, I can’t wear the leg-warmers or the side-ponytail, but I can snap instant photos like it’s 1989 with my brand-new adorable Fuji Instax mini 7S camera!
Behold:

Even the box was adorable! I just love the sort of retro look and feel, and after shooting with my camera [affectionately referred to as “The Monster,”] it was kind of nice to just pull this little thing out of the box and instantly know what to do.

It’s so easy to use. You pop the lens out to turn it on, there are a few choices like indoor, outdoor, cloudy, etc. and the flash is pretty powerful. That little slot at the top is where the photos pop out.
I just love this little thing. Can you tell? Is it weird? Okay, don’t tell anyone.

The film is not as bad [read: expensive] as Polaroid film was back in the day. The packs pictured above are 2 [10 exposure] cartridges for $13.75 at B&H. That’s less than $1 per photo! The images are credit-card-size and so sweet! Very vintage…
And because I already had my camera out, I figured why not snap a few photos of my little ankle-biters?

He hates my camera so much. I can’t tell you how many photos I have of him pretending to see something very interesting outside. Brat.
At least the one-eyed monsters were pretty compliant.

I think I’m going to take one Instax photo every week for 52 weeks of an entire year and then make a neat collage for my wall. Waddaya think?

Proud Mama [South Florida Photographer]

2010-06-14T06:11:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, when Lorraine first contacted me, I could hear the excitement in her voice! Her daughter was about to become a “Docta!” and she wanted to do a little shoot on the beach followed by a dinner celebrating Crystal’s graduation from Nova Southeastern University with a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology.

I was worried that the weather wouldn’t cooperate with us, but we lucked out. It was bright an beautiful on the beach that day.

The dinner was at Aruba’s on the beach so we headed down to the pier before the reception to snap a few shots of the lovely ladies.

I love this shot [above] because you can just see the pride in Lorraine’s eyes. She’s so proud of her smart, beautiful [funny!] daughter and it really shows.

Work it Crystal! You’re too fabulous for words! The Feds aren’t going to know what to do with you.
Speaking of fabulous! This is where Crystal inherited all that Fabulocity! Lorraine knew how to strike a pose for my camera. She needed no direction – I LOVE that!

I think Crystal’s relationship with her mother is awesome. So genuine and real. They laugh, they fight, they love each other. Mothers and daughters – there is no other relationship in the world quite like it.

So, I don’t typically post a lot of reception photos but I had to post these. This was the most exciting [and scary] gift opening I’ve ever witnessed.
What was in that little box, you ask?

Apparently, it’s a limited edition 380 Raspberry Ruger [whatever that is]. In photographer-terms, ‘you can shoot with it, but it’s not going to yield nice photos.’ It’s gun, you guys. A gun.
Now, my only question is – How the heck did she get back home to Texas with it??

It's Magic!

2010-06-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Photoshop is magical! [As is html, as you're about to see...]

And while I'll admit I'm no Photoshop guru, I will tell you that having a working knowledge of this program is vital to being a photographer today. Clients often ask, "What do you do that takes so long and makes such a difference?" Heck, my own mother has asked! So, today I'm going to share with you some before and afters.

I'm not going to lie - the idea of this makes me a little damp in the armpits if ya know what I mean, but I want you see that a.) all photos require some form of editing, and b.) I have a basic knowledge of html coding. Seriously, it's important that you envy my html-knowledge. And ya know what they say about a little bit of knowledge...heh.

I'm using photos of my beautiful cousins today because I figured my clients may not appreciate their "before"s being shared on the interweb. *wink

The above shot is of the ever-divalicious, Jaclyn. If you mouse over the image, you'll see the before shot. Jaclyn is beautiful and, for the most part, this was a great shot so I felt it was worth editing.

If the photo stinks beyond all repair, let it go, people. Let it go. Sometimes bad photos happen to good photographers.

I remember that I wasn't a fan of the foggy look and there were a few fly-away hairs that needed to be removed. Also, before posting any image on the web, I always resize and sharpen for web. If only I could remember some of the other things I did but that was six months ago and I barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning.

The following image is of my other sweet little cousin, Hallie.

Again, if you mouse over the image, you'll see the before shot. Hallie is a teenager and on this particular day, teenage rebellion was manifesting itself in the form of angry little red bumps. [If only we all could have Photoshopped our faces in high school!] There were a few color and white balance tweeks done on this image, but for the most part I wanted to clean up the blemishes and bring out the light in her eyes a bit. This girl has KILLER eyes!

The other thing I do in Photoshop is convert photos from color to black & white. And because I want to show off my coding skills just one more time, please mouse over the below photo to see it switch from color to black & white. And then feel free to envy me and my html-bilities.

Get Used To It, Kid

2010-06-01T17:24:00.001-07:00

As promised, I’m doing a whole post for little Harrison Finn, even though, if it were up to him, there would be no photos to share. You see, dear blog readers, it seems Harrison never got the memo. You know, the memo explaining how I will be photographing nearly every second of his precious existence and that for some of those photos, he will have to part from his mother’s arms. Because I tell you what – that boy was NOT having it. Not any part of it. There would be no plethora of sleeping baby photos with silly hats and sleepy grins. No, no. Baby Harrison was letting his opinion on this photo shoot be known to all and that opinion was not a favorable one.

[“Please, no more photos!”]

Luckily, Harrison’s patient daddy was on hand to help out! He is actually cradling his sweet baby boy in nearly every shot.

[“Daddy, I’ve got my dukes up. I’m ready for that camera lady.”]

I’ll tell you what, this kid is going to have to get used to my camera because I plan on taking lots and lots of photographs of him WETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT! [Is it too soon to bribe him with candy?]

[This is Harrison’s ‘you’re still here?’ face]

[“Listen lady, you’ve got five more minutes before I cry again!”]

He really is such a sweet, handsome little guy – one look and I was in love! I can’t wait to capture some smiley baby shots in a few months! And in case you were wondering, I’m not above buying a smile from this kid.

I ♥ Faces / Week 22 [Barefoot]

2010-06-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme on I ♥ Faces is feet!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a serious foot aversion. We're talkin' a serious case of keep-your-nasty-feet-away-from-me-unless-you-want-to-be-kicked-in-the-shins situation. The only exception to this rule is baby feet. Sweet, wrinkley, unused baby feet. Can't get enough of'em.

I could just sprinkle sugar on top and eat it for dessert! Is that strange? It is? Oh.

Though the theme is called, "barefoot," it's techincally okay to share any photo that is foot-related - so shoes are okay - because they're raising awareness for an organization called Soles 4 Souls. This is a non-competition week [just for fun] so if you've never participated in I ♥ Faces before but wanted to try it out, now is a great week to get started, or "get your feet wet," as they say. Ha!

Harrison Finn ~ 4 days new [South Florida Photographer]

2010-05-31T09:21:00.001-07:00

Remember this maternity shoot from a few weeks ago? Well, he’s here! He’s here!

And he’s perfect! Just the most beautiful baby boy I’ve ever seen. I could be slightly biased considering my love for this little guy’s mama, but I really do think he’s so, so handsome.
I plan to share some more photos later and give Harrison Finn [love the name, by the way] the post he deserves, but for now, please enjoy the video I made for him.

Baby Harrison, I plan to spoil you rotten! And I know you didn’t enjoy having my camera in your face, but you will have to learn to love it because I plan to take a lot of photos of you over the years. I love you already, sweet boy! Now let your parents get some sleep!

I ♥ P-Dub!!

2010-05-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it happened again. I just can't believe it.

Another photo of mine was featured on The Pioneer Woman's Blog. It knocked my socks clear off my feet! [I don't actually OWN a single pair of socks, but you catch my drift.]

And a special shout out to Ameena, with her perfect little smile, for being so cute that her sweet face didn't get lost in a sea of literally tens of thousands of photographs.

Check it out - the photo is, I believe, the seventh one down:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2010/05/your-happiness-photos-group-5/

R+J = T [ South Florida Maternity Photographer]

2010-05-12T20:26:00.001-07:00

Jen and I have been talking about and planning for this maternity shoot since baby Tyler was the size of a peanut. Literally. That’s why I was super extra excited that this past Sunday [Mother’s Day] was finally her day!
Lucky for me, both Jen and her handsome hubs are beautiful – makes my job a breeze! Look at these two and tell me this little girl isn’t going to be stunning:

She doesn’t stand a chance! HA!
I just love maternity shoots – there is so much anticipation and excitement – it’s contagious!

Jen and Robert have a beautiful home full of lots of good light and lots of furry friends! We had a blast getting the fur-babies involved in the shoot.

The light in their bedroom was delicious! I could do all my future sessions there if they’d let me. Do you think they’d let me?

After a little while, we let Robert off the hook to go play some golf while I took a few more shots of Jennifer and that belly. She’s just so stinkin’ beautiful!!!

Jen & Robert – thank you so much for choosing me to capture these precious memories for your [growing] family. I can’t wait to come back when Princess Ty makes her grand arrival.

D-Town [ South Florida Children’s Photographer]

2010-05-08T06:08:00.001-07:00

Take notice of this face, ladies and gentleman, because Miss Daly [A.K.A. D-Town] is going to be a super model one day! This girl is bee-you-tiful!! And, she was a great model! Up for anything! Barefoot in the grass? SURE! Climb this wall? SURE!! Be pelted with candy? SURE!!!

Even though Daly is fun, smart, FUNNY and twelve, she had this very serene and soulful quality that I loved capturing with my camera.

While culling the photos from this session, I found it so hard to narrow down the selection. In every photo, she looks more beautiful than the previous.

D-Town is a big cousin to little baby Ameena! She is so sweet with her and I know one day she’ll be the best babysitter this side of the Mississippi! If Aunt Karly ever allows it. Heh.

Hey Daly – tell that “Italian boy” to eat his heart out! You’re amazing!

I ♥ Faces [week 17] "Smiles"

2010-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme in the I ♥ Faces photo contest is, "smiles" and there are only two requierements to enter a photo: it must contain a person's face and that face [or faces] must be smiling. Easy as pie!

So, I knew exactly which photo to enter this week! It's probably one of my favorite "smile" photos of all time.

Little Chandler has the best two-toothed-baby-smile this side of the Mississippi! Doesn't that face just melt your cold, black heart? What? You say your heart isn't cold and black? Oh. So, it's just me then. Well, he's melting my heart like a popsicle in July.

If you haven't ever entered a photo in the I ♥ Faces contests before, now is your chance! This is a great week to get started and the contests are so much fun! Head on over to their site to check out the other entries!!

Showers of Happiness [South Florida Event Photographer]

2010-04-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I posted a blog about, Melissa's maternity shoot. It was a blast getting to hang out with her and Dan and just have a relaxed, fun shoot. This past Saturday, however, we kicked the fun up a notch at her baby shower. Now, listen - I'm the first to say that "baby showers" and "fun" don't generally belong in the same sentence, but this was a baby shower like no other. Plus, my mom was there and she's awesome.

Melissa's Aunt Kathy hosted [and threw] the. most. amazing. baby shower in the history of baby showers. I kept saying, "If everyone had an 'Aunt Kathy,' the world would be a better place." This lady is kick-ass. So genuinely sweet and giving and she loves her nieces and nephews like they were own children.

The party was catered by Passion for Pastry and every single detail was amazing. The cookies were to die for, the cupcakes made me swoon, the food was so yummy there wasn't a morsel left!

Check out these duck cookies:

Do you not want to pinch that cupcake's cheek?? It's the cutest thing since puppies were invented and it tasted good too! [Which is always an added bonus in pastry.]

You guys, I kid you not when I tell you that it took Melissa over 3 hours to open all of her gifts. There was SO. MANY. PRESENTS. This baby is already well-loved by so many incredible people.

Melissa and a few of her girls!

Melissa and her beautiful baby sis, Megan. [Coincidentally, today is Megan's birthday - Can I get a WHOOT WHOOT for Megan?]

That pile is only about 1/8th of the gifts. It was kind of insane and lovely at the very same time. Needless to say, I'm not alone in my excitement for the baby boy's impending arrival. I can't wait to ~~get my hands on that baby and squeeze him and kiss him and love him to pieces~~, err...um...I mean, share the newborn photos with you all!

M+D = ??? [ South Florida Newborn Photographer ]

2010-04-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

I can't recall the first time I met Melissa, but I know we were about 11...maybe 12. In my mind, she looks the same today as she did back then but I guess that can't really be right. One thing I know for sure is that she was always so...so...MELISSA. There is no other way to describe it. She is like walking sunshine. Melissa is smart, sweet and always smiling. [Unless she not - and then WATCH OUT!] She is the personification of goodness. Also, Melissa has the worlds greatest laugh and being the comedic genius that I am, I love having her around if for no other reason than she makes me seem really funny. If I ever decided to do stand-up, Melissa would always have a seat in the front row.

But I'm not a comedienne, I'm a photographer. So, when Melissa told me she was pregnant, I was beside myself with excitement! Not just because she was going to have a little bundle of joy - but because I was going to do her maternity shoot! WHOOT WHOOT! Call me selfish, but when you have a friend this beautiful...

..any excuse to photograph her is a good one!

Melissa and her awesome hubby, Dan, are a match made in heaven! Dan is a great guy and together they're a good team and will make incredible parents. Their first parenting decision - don't tell anyone what we're naming the baby until he's here. And I think it just might kill Melissa's mother....

And one of the best things about shooting with a life-long friend is that you can try some fun ideas you've had in mind but were too nervous to try with a client. So, being the good friend and guinea pig she was, she played along nicely:

Pickles & Ice Cream!

This girl - whooo boy - this girl can sing! And last week, she completed her Doctorate in Musical Arts. I couldn't be more proud of my friend and more proud to be able to call her a friend. I love you, Melissa, and can't wait to meet your precious baby boy and watch you become the incredible mother I know you're going to be.

So loved...

2010-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, on Monday, I posted a slide show for baby Ameena, her Mama and her Daddy. I love this family - like seriously - but OH. MY. GOD. I should not have applied the mascara before sitting down at the computer. I cried every time I watched it, ever time I edited it, when I picked the song, etc. etc. etc.

The love Karleah and Seif have for their brand new, precious baby girl is just so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. Plus, that song. Mylanta, that song. It makes me think of Dumbo, which makes me think of my mother [only she and my sister will get that] which makes me all kinds of sappy and emo.

Enjoy the photos of the beautiful baby Ameena.

The sweet little bracelet on her wrist is from her Aunt in Egypt!

With parents this good looking, is it any wonder she's a beautiful baby? She hit the genetic lottery!!

Karly was worried how her "first born," Maya, would handle becoming a big sister, but she's doing great!

Have I mentioned how much I adore this family? Cuz, I do.

For Ameena & Family

2010-04-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Cute Boys! [South Florida Child & Family Photographer]

2010-04-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to photograph two of the cutest boys I've ever seen! Little Chandler and his cousin Christian came out to Welleby park for an afternoon of bubbles, gummy fruit snacks, running in circles and public urination. Did I say that? [I'm looking at YOU baby Chandler!]

And look at the face! It's like he enjoyed peeing in the park! But seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter? No. No you have not.

Look at these two cousins in their polo shirts - could you not just squeeze them both?

Chandler's little faux hawk was killing me softly.

And those blue eyes...swoon!! Speaking of eyes, doesn't Christian look like Bambi with these sweet eyes and lashes most girls would kill for?

These boys are not only cute, they're sweet too! And very, very loved...

Such sweet families, I could have photographed them all day! But the park ranger wouldn't allow it. He threw us out of the park. Hehe...oops!

I'm Famous! [South Florida Photographer]

2010-03-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

You guys, I'm totally famous! And I was nice enough to bring my sister along with me.

A few days ago I noticed that the Pioneer Woman [or as I affectionately call her, P-Dub] was doing a new photography assignment & the theme was "green." I decided to enter a photo of my sister that I took a while ago. It isn't the greatest photo I've ever taken [technically speaking...and Photoshoply speaking] but it's a fave so I entered it. And guess what - she picked it! THE Pioneer Woman, P-Dub, selected my photo from one of the gazillions of photos entered. You could knock me over with a feather.

Check out the link

We're the 5th photo down.

So listen, now that I'm famous, I promise not to let it go to my head. I have to go now though. The limo has arrived to take me to the red carpet and I can't keep the paparazzi waiting.

Teri [South Florida Portrait Photographer]

2010-03-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

recently did a shoot on Hollywood Beach for this hot mama, Teri:

She brought along her boyfriend, Chauncy, and her nephew, Ian. She told me Chauncy wouldn't want to be photographed, but I told her, "Have him dressed and ready. I can be very persuasive." And guess what - it worked! [It always does. Mwhahaha]

And her nephew, Ian, was so cute and so excited to be near the ocean - it was rediculous! All he wanted to do was get in that water!! It was a little cold [by Florida standards] so Aunt Teri wasn't thrilled with the idea, but when I had her good and distracted, he made a run for it! How can you bring a swimsuit for a child and then tell him he can't get wet?? ::smile::

It was a great day for shooting but we had to wrap it up! We were losing light but more importantly, Teri was on her way to the Jay-Z concert that night and couldn't be late! She was very excited to being seeing her, "husband," [we don't have the heart to break it to her] in a few hours so we had to move along.

My Boy

2010-03-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

I love my dog, Caesar. And he loves me. Almost as much as he loves his tennis ball.

He's turning 12 tomorrow. I wonder how many birthdays we have left...then I cry...then I take more pictures.

My One-eye'd Monsters

2010-03-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago, I adopted two leetle kittens. In order to get Jason [the boyfriend] to agree to this, I had to allow him to name them. He decided on Kyo and Kisa. Names from a Japanese Anime we both love called Fruits Basket.

They were teeny-tiny babies in a cage on the front desk at the vet's office. All the other kittens were being adopted at lightening speed, but little Kyo and his sister, Kisa, just sat there. Alone. They were passed over again and again because they were each missing one eye. Kyo is missing the left and Kisa, the right - they're a matching set!

Well, not being one to discriminate, I knew I had to have these cats. Convincing Jason wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and within days, we were the proud owners of two little one-eyed monsters.

[Also of note, my photography has MUCH improved! Whew!]

I had never had kittens before. I figured, 'they can't be too much different than dogs!' Um...yeah. I was clueless. They were in.sane.

Actually, they're still pretty insane [at times] but they're bigger so I'm not quite as scared of them getting lost in the house or crawling inside of some unseen hole and disappearing in the wall. Yeah, I worried about that happening a lot. I also worried that they'd take a spin in the dryer, go behind the fridge and get burned on a coil [do they HAVE coils? Who knows....] or that they'd fall in the toilet and be unable to get out and drown. I'm a worrier.

Turns out, THEY LIVED! They made it! Nothing disasterous happened to them! And now, they're big, sweet, fluffy cats who torment our toes at night.

[Orange cats and sunflare go together like Salt n Peppa!]

Stuff [South Florida Photographer]

2010-03-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ya know what?

I love taking pictures of stuff.

I guess some people call it, "shooting the details," and maybe those same people would call me, "detail oriented," and maybe they'd be right. And maybe I'd be like, "Hey! You don't even know me! Stop trying to suggest I have OCD or something!" and maybe they'd say I was overreacting and..and..and..I do tend to overreact so I let it slide.

But I really love shooting the details. Especially at an event.

I know how much time and thought goes into those things. The color of napkins, the type-set of the invitations, the decision to serve shrimp or pigs in a blanket...[mmm...pigs in a blanket....]

Or, maybe I like shooting the details because someone has taken the time to make everything so pretty! It's easy - i just point my camera in the right direction and shoot! Everything else was done for me!

Or maybe I just like food! It seems like a lot of my "detail shots" are centered around food. Hm...food for thought. [Hiii-yo!!]

No! Wait! Look! These arent' food!!

Well, whether food, flowers or...forks [apparently], I love shooting details. I hope one day, my brides look through their photos and appreciate that I captured that ever-important Hors d'oeuvres photo. Maybe they forgot that they chose shrimp over the pigs in a blanket. [Mmmm...pigs in a blanket!]

Bad, Bad Blogger

2010-03-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Driving to work this morning, I was listening to the radio. One of the girls who works for the morning radio show was telling a story about her friend who went out on a blind date with a guy. They seemed to be hitting it off. They had a few drinks, a few laughs, a few double entenre. Basically, things are going well. So, the guy gets up and excuses himself to the restroom and...never returns. Just *poof!* Gone. Left the girl with the tab and a beer pitcher full of shame.

That, dear blog readers, is what I did to you. I just disappeared in the middle of our blind date and you were left holding the tab. There you sat, your spanx cutting off circulation to the lower half of your body, thinking you were looking hot and making a few funny [albiet slightly inapproriate] jokes and I just got up and left.

Well, I'm sorry. I really am. And I promise to be a better blogger in the future. This post will stay at the top for a while and I'll be filling in some posts below from shoots I've done recently. I deleted all of the old posts and we're starting fresh in 2010!

And just because no post is complete without a photo, here is a shot of my friend's son, Aidan. He's about the cutest thing since puppies were invented:

Lily ♥ 9 days new [South Florida Newborn Photographer]

2010-02-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

Who knew shooting a newborn baby could result in over four hours of work and lots of sprinkles and tinkles? Oh, everyone? Really? Well then....ahem.

Precious baby Lily was born on February 12th and by February 21st, i was in her house moving furniture, stripping her down and sticking her in a basket. And guess what. Her brand-new-first-time parents were cool as cucumbers! You really couldn't get much cooler than them. And, as a photographer, I couldn't have been luckier to have two people who just relaxed and entrusted me with their brand-spankin' new baby girl. It made the shoot go much more smoothly and I was able to get a few great shots of the princess.

She was not only a good, sleepy [albeit quite..."sprinkley"] baby, she was beauitful too! A full head of light brown hair with blond highlights. I kid you not. Blond. Highlights. She's an angel and she's got great style right outta the womb!
[Hey you! Yeah, you with the camera! When are you leaving?]

[Maybe if I ignore her she'll just go away....]

Baby Lily was one of the best subjects I've ever photographed and I look forward to photographing her often throughout her life. Whether her parents know this or not....

And because I cannot leave a home without photographing their pet[s] AND because this particular pet was part Shar-pei and I have a speacial place in my heart for those wrinkley buggers, I present to you...DOTTIE:

Dear Dottie: Please run away with me. I'll give you all the liver snaps you can eat! Love Forever, Jamie

[Beautiful family!]

Almost Ameena [South Florida Maternity Photographer]

2010-01-30T16:07:00.000-08:00

I'm warning you now, if you've ever been pregnant and felt it from the top of your head to the tip of your toes, you may just want to skip this post. Karleah [Karly] is the most beautiful preggo I've ever seen in my life.

She's beautiful, she's funny, she's smart and she's going to be an amazing mama to baby Ameena. And I can't wait for her to go into labor because I think I might be getting an invitation to the delivery room to shoot the birth! I'm beside myself with excitement over the possibility. She better not chicken-out and not call me. I may never forgive her. And I'll refuse to do her newborn shoot. I MEAN IT, KARLY! ::stern look::

Step one in being a good mama: choosing a good daddy

Karly gets a gold star! Her husband, Seif, is about as sweet as they come. He cannot wait to see his baby girl and I can just tell he's going to love her to pieces and be the best daddy he can be! If he loves this baby half as much as he appears to love his wife, she'll be spoiled rotten!

And we can't leave out their first baby, Mya! Such a cute doggie! And, she's, "the nicest, nicest, nicest girl." Right, Karly? I have a feeling Mya is going to be a great big sister and mom and dad are very aware that she may need a little extra attention once the new baby arrives. They have it all planned out and I can't wait to see them in action.

Stay tuned because I have a feeling the newborn shoot is right around the corner!

S ♥ M [South Florida Event Photographer]

2010-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

January 22nd was a big day! A special day! An amazing day!

~~I shot my first wedding!~~ Samantha and Marc got hitched! Yeah, that's it!

I mean, it was my first time photographing a wedding, but I've been told Sammy and Marc's wedding was a notch higher on the importance scale.

The beautiful bride and groom decided to have an intimate destination wedding at the Aqualina on Miami Beach and lucky for me, what constitutes a destination for most, is just a short drive down I-95 for me.

I had only spoken to Sammy a few times on the phone prior to the big day, but we'd never met face to face. Needless to say, beautiful brides make a photographers job much easier so I was relieved when I arrived at the hotel and found that she was absolutely gorgeous!

See for yourself:

So, yeah...I lucked out! And the groom wasn't too shabby either!

The wedding was small, intimate and perfect. The bride and groom were so in love. And, of almost equal importance, the weather cooperated! [Ya never know in South Florida!]

It really was a perfect day and I can't thank the Lawrences enough for trusting me to take some of the most important photos of their lives. Congratulations Marc and Samantha Lawrence!