Andrew and Erin are getting married next Spring on the West Coast of Florida, but wanted to take photos at the beach on the East Coast where Erin grew up. They brought their two dogs ( a big yes in my books! ) and I captured their fun love as the sun rose. I wish you both the best of luck and hope you have a great wedding next year!!
So I'm finally catching up on all of my blogging - and even though this shoot is from last summer - it's one of my absolute favorites! I so wish I could shoot newborns on surfboards at sunrise every day. Baby Reef was a super star and even kept his eyes open for some pictures. His brother Knox was a big helper and was great at taking pictures as well.
It's incredibly hard to wake up at the crack of dawn to head to the beach and take pictures, but it's incredibly rewarding!!!
These two got married on Little Talbot Island on a beautifully sunny and may I say incredibly warm day!! The heat didn't matter with all of the love from their family and friends that surrounded them on this special day. It was a perfect and simple afternoon filled with laughter and joy and a little bit of sweat and sunshine.
Ponce Light House Park is probably one of my favorite spots to shoot and with a photogenic couple like Brittany & Kyle, their engagement session was destined to be D R E A M Y. With the golden hues of sunset we explored around and laughed the whole time. <3
Amy & Josh's day was one of the COLDEST in eastern Tennessee, but the love between them and their families surrounding them warmed everyone's hearts! Their day was filled with celebration, laughter, a TON of dancing (my favorite kind of wedding, folks), and two love birds that couldn't keep their eyes off of each other.
Every detail was perfectly set, from the eucalyptus, to strung lights to floral bow ties, this wedding day was natural and beautiful in every way. I'm so thankful I was able to be apart of this beautiful and God honoring day.
If I had to take pictures of these two every day I would neverrr get bored!! From the moment I first met with Bianca, I knew hers and Anthonys Engagement pictures were going to be amazing.
We explored Camp Milton Historic Preserve on an especially foggy and COLD afternoon and laughed the whole way through. Their love was so evident as they breezed through their session!! We got damp, we were a little chilly and my feet torn up by briars in the field, but it was worth it in the end! When we got in our cars to leave we realized from afar the gates to the exit were closed and it looked like we were locked in. Panic set in as we looked at each other half laughing/ half freaking out!! Thankfully, as I got closer, the guard had left the gate unlocked for us to get out and we locked up as we left! It was an adventure for sure.
May is coming soon and that means I'll get to capture their beautiful intimate wedding day!! Congrats, you two and can't wait for another adventure with you!
Jonathan & Libby had a beautiful day with their close family friends at the Lake Mary Event Center. The Beauty and the Beast soundtrack played throughout their day, and their first dance was just mesmerizing in the window-lit ballroom. It was a perfect summer morning and I loved being there to photograph their day!
Venue: Lake Mary Event Center
Dress: Davids Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Emily Urquhart
Food & Cake: 4 Rivers Catering
Flowers: Lee James Floral Design
2017 was a year of incredible growth for me. In the summer with a few needed pushes, I started running my photo business full time. I achieved my yearly goals for my business, made new friends, made a ton of mistakes and learned A TON. It is SO easy to be discouraged on a day to day basis when I compare my journey to others, but I'm learning to keep my eyes on the big picture and congratulate myself for how far I've come in just a few years since graduating with my photography degree.
I tried to only choose a few pictures that represent my last year in photos. I traveled, took part in many dance parties, photographed a c-section, grew in my confidence and met amazing people with every new shoot.
To all my clients, friends, supporters, family, THANK YOU for a wonderful year. You are all truly a blessing. Take a look at my top favorite images from 2017! Here's to a new year filled with many more adventures.
Lyndsey and Chris wanted to make their maternity shoot unique by coming back to the spot that they got married, Estate on the Halifax!! I feel like I spend a good amount of time at this venue through the year with weddings, but I have never gotten to explore the grounds freely without the stress of moving on to the next wedding activity. It was so fun getting to see these two reflect on their past where they spoke their vows to one another and also looking to the future as they have a new member joining their family! Congratulations on your new little one, you two. I wish you the very best!!!
It's coming up on a month until these two get married, so I thought it was past time to share their engagement photos!!!
I grew up going to camp in North Carolina, and met Josh there throughout the years. I didn't live in Florida at the time, but I knew that Josh lived in Deland, and that was somewhere near Disney and that is all that mattered in my mind. But when I moved to Daytona to pursue photography as a degree at Daytona State, Josh welcomed me to the area and it was always nice to have familiar face around!
I soon met Amber, and she was equally as welcoming and kind. Josh & Amber were models for me on occasion for class projects and they never had trouble being perfect in front of the camera ( as you can see here they clearly were made to be in front of it! )
I captured the two in downtown Winter Park outside of Orlando, and oh what a great decision that was!! The weather was cool, the breeze was just right, and we ended with a yellow sunset that couldn't have been more perfect. Now that the big day is coming up, I'm praying for equally as good weather, and most of all that these two would have the very best day!!!
Shooting Weddings at Estate at the Halifax is my absolute favorite!! It's one of the most beautiful venues in town, so when Cameron and Sarah (who happen to be my brother & now sister in law) asked if I would capture their day I was ecstatic! My amazing other Sister in Law Alicia joined me for the day, and we tag-teamed to get the best pictures despite the on and off rain. The day was simple and un-rushed, the decor was rustic and timeless, the food and dessert were amazing, and the FULL RAINBOW!!! during the reception was so romantic!
Congrats Sarah & Cameron!!
Vendors:
Venue: Estate on the Halifax
Makeup: Flawless Faces by Alicia
Dress: Davids Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Brides Bouquet: Simply Roses
Catering: Aunt Catfish
Cake: FlourPress
This sweet mama rocked her maternity session with her boys by her side! We only had a few days to work with because RAIN RUINS ALL THINGS! Well. When it comes to photo shoots it does. We didn't let the rain stop us though! It rained directly before AND after the shoot, but we managed to get out on the beach in New Smyrna and have the best time! I mean seriously, people. I hope I look half as good when I'm pregnant. Baby boy is due any day now, and I know he is already so so loved by his sweet family. <3
Guys, I'm incredibly behind on blogging... But I'm on my way back to getting things updated around the site, and I'm excited to finally share Cameron & Sarah's engagement pictures!! We went to Washington Oak State Park and honestly they nailed it. I barely had to pose them and when Cameron picked up Sarah towards the end of the shoot i almost lost it.
They're getting married in just two days and I couldn't be more excited to not only capture their day but to see all the family that we haven't seen since the last St.Gelais wedding (aka mine.) Cameron is the last of the St.Gelais' to get married, so needless to say this is a big and fun day for our family! Cameron & Sarah, I'm so excited for your future together. Can't wait for a great weekend!
You guys, I can't even begin to explain how my heart is exploding over these pictures. I can't believe Aidan is turning two and turning into a little grown up! Does he look like the old man from up or what? And let's all be honest. He's the most stylish kid in the area. Take a look!
We didn't know how Aidan would react when he sat on a balloon and popped it, but as you can see he thought it was the funniest thing!
Please note Buzz Lightyear flying through the air.
So needless to say, we had a great time!
I firmly believe that getting your kids' pictures taken each year is such a fun way to celebrate and an excellent way to see how much they have grown! Interested in getting some pictures taken with you and your kids? Send me an email! Let's talk!
Guys, I can't even tell you how happy my heart is to be posting these pictures. It's not often you can say you watched a spark start between two people.
They met at an engagement party for their friends, Abby and Abe. Shara from the brides side, and Mike from the grooms side. I watched as they interacted, laughed and became new friends and I said to myself, those two should be together! Once they left that night, Mike called the groom saying " Who was that girl?! " The rest is history!
We were on our way to Cactus Inc. in Apopka and on the way out of town ended up making a pit stop to take some pictures in a random field because I mean, look at that sunrise. It was perfect. We then walked from green house to green house swooning over every different plant and sweating a little because well, greenhouses. Shara and Mike were troopers though, and we had the best of the best mornings.
Thank you guys for trusting me to take these pictures and I can't wait to celebrate your big day in September!!! <3
Guys. GUYS. Listen up. This wedding was literally A DREAM COME TRUE. I grew up going to a summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina called Living Waters. I spent 9 beautiful summers making friends, playing under waterfalls and learning the word of God. I was so blessed to have an amazing camp like this one. ANYWAYS, enough about me.
Grace and Zach met at camp one summer and once they were engaged decided that Living Waters was the perfect place to tie the knot. To be able to capture these moments in a place that is dearest to my heart was and is the highest honor! After weeks of planning and a couple skype convos, on a very warm November day in Florida, I packed up my things (and brought a long my assistant and friend Abby) and headed up north hoping for cooler weather and looking forward to the weekend ahead.
On the big day the guys and gals spent the morning getting ready then Grace and Zach took a fun (but long) walkthrough the woods to Cathedral Rock to take first look pictures. The bridal party joined them afterwards to take a few fun pics and it was amazing to see everyone dressed up walking the trails in the fall morning light!
The day was relaxed and everyone got to hang out and take pictures until we all headed out and across the border to Pretty Place Venue at YMCA Camp Greenville. Can you say Stunning!? A chapel overlooking The Blue Ridge Mountains - I had tears in my eyes before the ceremony even started. The love I saw between not only Grace and Zach, but also the support from their family and friends was inspiring.
We headed back to Living Waters for a fantastic night of amazing food food and hilarious dancing. There were lights everywhere and watching everyone join in for the fun was a perfect way to end the day!
Grace and Zach, I wish you both the very best and cannot express how much I loved shooting your big day! Thank you for trusting me with one of the biggest moments of your life.
<3, Christina.
This is my second year taking pictures of this beautiful family!
I love getting to compare pictures from the previous year to see how much families have changed - especially with young ones!
Taking pictures of families with toddlers is never easy, but Aiden (1) is a champ and was patient enough to let me get some good pics of his mommy and daddy! (Even though it may have required me jumping in circles and making strange faces so he would smile. You just do what you need to do!)
I love getting to capture these sweet and intimate moments that families can look back on and remember for years to come. I can’t wait to see how much has changed by our next shoot!!
Meet Julian Bo Jarvis!
While I don’t often shoot newborns, I SO enjoy capturing these precious moments between the whole family.
The Jarvis family recently moved into their new house just a couple blocks from the beach. Jesse loves surfing and they wanted to incorporate that aspect of their life into Julian's newborn photos. Jesse is also a pastor and makes surf boards with youth in the area as a ministry with the church. This specific board hasn’t been ridden on yet, so Julian was the first to test it out ;)
Julian is the first boy in the family after his three sisters Evey, Meredith and Molly - so there's lots of sibling love to go around. I SO enjoyed this family and loved getting to capture their special first moments!
Shooting engagements is possibly one of my favorite parts of being a photographer. Especially when it is a surprise engagement!! Josh contacted me asking if I would help out and of course I was ecstatic.
I have taken Josh & Amber's pictures a few times, so Josh got the idea for me to text Amber asking if I could do a couple's shoot where they dressed up nicely so I could update my portfolio and new website (which was partly true. New website. Woo!) If everything went according to plan, Amber would say yes, then in the middle of pictures Josh would propose in a very special way. Amber was completely surprised. What an amazing day! Check out the pictures to see how it happened!
I walked up to Amber and showed her this picture. She was confused for a second wondering what kind of weird people would be at our photo shoot until she saw the words on the signs!
I absolutely LOVE getting to capture families life moments from birth and on.
I was there to shoot Ellie's newborn pictures, and this time I got to shoot some updated three month pictures in the studio! Ellie is full of life and joy, but she really made me work to get a smile out of her! She rocked the tutu and snuggled with mom a ton.
I can't wait to see how much she's grown next shoot!
