CRAVE Photography giveaway!
To all of my photographer friends – you should absolutely check out this amazing giveaway by CRAVE Photography (www.cravemyphotography.com)… She is giving away an 85mm lens for either Canon or Nikon plus a whole bunch of other amazing goodies! Hurry, it ends January 10th!
Brandi & Ryan are Married!
We just want to congratulate two dear friends of ours, and thank them for allowing us the opportunity to capture on of the happiest days of their lives.
The ceremony took place at their church in Safety Harbor. Although it was dreary and rainy outside, you would never be able to tell by the excitement and joy going on inside the church walls. Brandi and her bridesmaids giddily got ready in the back, while Ryan along with his friends and family relaxed in the lobby. A brief, but beautiful ceremony surrounded by their friends and family was a perfect way to start their new lives together.
After a quick trip to a nearby park, they headed off to their reception on Davis Island, where they ate cake, enjoyed a delicious meal, had a few drinks and danced the night away.
Kaley Turned 1!
You may remember about 1 year ago, we photographed a beautiful little girl named Kaley. Well, she is now 1 – I know – time flies! We did some family photos, birthday photos and smash cake photos…it was a busy day for this little girl 
Heather + Tim {Trash the Dress}
I know that most of you have probably already seen our photos of Heather and Tim’s trash the dress session, but here it is on the blog too. This session turned out to be so much more than I could have imagined. We got to our location and it was starting to sprinkle – go figure, rain in Florida! So after arriving, we decide to try to wait it out a bit before shooting. No such luck…still raining. So, what do my clients do? Suggest we start shooting in the rain – I LOVE IT! I put the camera in it’s rain poncho, and we headed out. We got some amazing shots, and I hope to continue to do some amazing things with these two! Oh, and a special thanks to Shannon for letting us use her property and to my father-in-law for allowing us to photograph some with his gorgeous horses!
Alisha + Scott are Married!
So, I know this has taken me awhile, but I am finally blogging Alisha and Scott’s wedding. It was a gorgeous, intimate ceremony aboard the Yacht StarShip in Channelside. These two were amazing and I can’t wait to work with them again soon!
I Heart Faces {Pets}
I haven’t entered into an I Heart Faces contest in awhile, but I think this one is perfect for this week. This is my daughter’s first time out at the ranch with the horses…I don’t know who had more fun, her or the horses!
Check out more great Pet photos at I Heart Faces: 
RBF Photography is now WeddingWire Rated for 2011
Tampa, FL - August 9, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is pleased to announce that RBF Photography is WeddingWire Rated 2011 for Photography. WeddingWire Rated is an annual award program that distinguishes wedding vendors across the country for their excellence. Based on hundreds of thousands of recent wedding reviews, WeddingWire Rated is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples looking to find the best local businesses for their wedding.
RBF Photography has 3 reviews on WeddingWire. Reviews by our newlywed clients include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions about their experiences working with our business and staff. Our reviews provide transparency for potential clients, assisting them in making the most informed decisions for their big day.
“We are delighted to unveil the 5th annual WeddingWire Rated program,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire, Inc. “RBF Photography has made a commitment to capturing their clients experiences on the nation’s leading wedding review site.”
As the largest site for wedding reviews, WeddingWire empowers engaged couples with the most comprehensive and trusted review system available. The WeddingWire Rated program provides RBF Photography with a simple platform to capture customer feedback from their wedding planning experience. Newly engaged couples can easily access all of the reviews for RBF Photography on WeddingWire.com. We would like to thank our newlyweds for our WeddingWire Rated 2011 recognition.
For more information, please visit RBF Photography on WeddingWire at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/rbf-photography-tampa/749f04dce358757b.html
For more information on WeddingWire Rated 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.
About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire, the nation’s leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including ProjectWedding.com, MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Weddingbee.com, and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).
Michelle + David {Tampa, Florida | Wedding Photographer}
Michelle and David got married a few weeks ago on Yacht StarShip down in Channelside Tampa. It was a beautiful wedding with all of their closest friends and family followed by a delicious lunch prepared by the Yacht StarShip staff. These two were so laid back and go with the flow – it was great – and the love between these two was SO evident every time they looked at each other. Here are just a few photos from their wedding. Oh, did I mention that they are AMAZING dancers?! Well, they are – just check out the pics to prove it!
For even more photos, check out our facebook page!
Sophia Marie {Tampa Newborn & Family Photographer}
I have known Nicole for right around 6 years, and I remember when she started dating her husband Jose. They are such a great couple – laid back, fun, and very much in love with each other, not to mention, they will be AMAZING parents. About a year ago, they announced that they were expecting their first child, a daughter, named Sophia Marie {seriously, beautiful name!}. I was super excited and very honored that they asked me to do Sophia’s newborn shoot. Normally, most parents would request to have the session indoors, however these two wanted to have Sophia’s shoot outside {told you, laid back!}. We decided on a location, and this being Florida, it, of course, was scheduled to rain all weekend! Luckily, the rain stopped and the sun was shining for about 3 hours for us to capture some really great photos. To top it all off, Sophia was such a great sport….she let us poke, and prod her in addition to putting her in a planter and a tea cup. She is absolutely adorable and so well behaved. Here are just a few shots from their session.
I Heart Faces {A Touch of Whimsy}
This weeks challenge for I Heart Faces is a touch of whimsy. After about 1.5 seconds of contemplation, I knew exactly which photo I would enter.
This is a photo of Sophia. She is 15 days old her and her mom and dad – who are good friends of mine – wanted to have her session outdoors. I absolutely love outdoor sessions because I think it adds a bit of an organic feel to the photos and I think this is especially true with newborns. Here is little Sophia in the beautiful glow of the Florida sun dressed to the nines with her pearls and angel wings. Enjoy!
For other great entries, visit:
Memorial Day 2011 {Florida National Cemetary}
Last Monday, my husband Brian and I attended a Memorial Day Event at the Florida National Cemetary in Bushnell, FL. This event celebrated the lives of our fallen soldiers and was dedicated to honoring their memory. There were hundreds of people who came from all over the state to show their respects including many current and retired military. We were so honored and humbled to attend this event, as well as document it. Below are just a few of the photos that we took from the ceremony as well as a few that were taken when we visited Brian’s grandfather’s grave.
I Heart Faces {From a Distance}
I haven’t entered the I Heart Faces challenge in several weeks, but when I saw the description for this week, I knew exactly which photo to enter. This is a photo of my two adorable God-daughters. They were a handful all day, and we had to use games (i.e. Simon Says and Red Rover) to get them to cooperate, but even at the end of the day, they were still amazingly cute. I captured this one at the very end as they were walking down the sidewalk.
Check out some other great “From a Distance” photos at:
Recent Sessions
I haven’t had much time recently to blog about every single session – especially since I have had several per weekend. I have done my best to post Sneak Peeks on our Facebook Page of my favorite photos from each session. Feel free to jump on over to our page to view them all. Enjoy a slidshow of a few favorites below!
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The Sponge Docks
A few weeks ago I was doing a few sessions out in Tarpon Springs and had some time to kill between sessions. What did I do?…I, of course, went to the Sponge Docks! Here are a few photos from my time killing spree…to see more photos click here.
Enjoy!
American Victory
After I left Splash Bash this weekend, I couldn’t help but wander over to the AmericanVictory with my camera. For those of you who don’t know what the AmericanVictory is, it is one of 4 fully operational merchant marine ships in the country that served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam and just happens to be docked in our very own Channelside. If you have never been – GO! I have been to and helped organize a few events on the ship (many years ago) and it is amazing. Here are a few of the photos I took. I, of course, have all of these in full color, but I loved the aged look for such a great historical landmark. Enjoy!
Splash Bash 2011 {Florida Aquarium}
Last weekend the Florida Aquarium had their first ever Splash Bash. I decided to check it out and document the event for them. If you have ever been to the Florida Aquarium, you know how great it is, but an even cooler part is the Explore-A-Shore that they have outside for kids. There is a huge pirate ship, water works, water canons, and more for kids to play on – all on a nice soft rubber surface! This was the location for the Splash Bash – Pirates, Dancers, Stilt Walkers, Singing Mermaids, and Under the Sea Friends. If you did not see it last weekend – you should definitely check it out. Splash Bash is every weekend in April at 1pm – make sure to check it out – your kids will thank you!
I Heart Faces {Slice of Life}
This weeks photo challenge at I Heart Faces is “Slice of Life” These should be photos that aren’t posed, but just capture the subject being themselves. I immediately thought of a session that I did out at the beach a few weeks ago. I was so excited that after the family photos were done with, the parents were OK with the kids playing in the water – in fact, they had planned on it! This is just one of the photos of them playing with each other. Enjoy!
For other great Slice of Life photos visit:
Children’s Expo Winner
For any of you that visited our table at the first Children’s Expo at the Convention Center on Saturday, thank you. It was a pleasure meeting everyone and I hope that you will let us know if we can help you with anything in the future. That being said, we held a drawing for a 1-hour portrait session with a $50 print credit. Today, we had our 15 month old daughter pick a card out of our fishbowl, and the lucky winner of this session is:
EILEEN KNIPS
Congratulations Eileen, we look forward to working with you.
Have a great week!
I Heart Faces Weekly Challenge {Red}
This week’s challenge on I heart faces is Red (can you guess why?!) I bet you guessed for Valentines Day! In addition to Valentine’s Day, the theme is red to bring light to a great cause: Go Red for Women from the American Heart Association – a cause, which if you have followed any of our posts, is one that we frequently volunteer for. Make sure to visit their site at www.heart.org
I just finished shooting a family at Loch Haven Park in Orlando, and one of the photos just jumped out at me for this challenge. They had a beautiful little girl who just celebrated her 1st birthday and was full of energy…so much so that she refused to wear shoes – A girl after my own heart Here is a photo of her admiring those red shoes that she so vehemently refused to wear. Enjoy!
- MY red shoes!
Check out other great entries at:
The Art of Product Photography
Ok, so I know that the title is a bit misleading, so I should clarify. I am in NO WAY AN EXPERT on product photography, but I think it is important that people understand what really goes into shooting product photography – even from someone like me.
In this photo, you will see our entire in-home set up (we also do on location, but for this client, we did everything here). In this shot, you will see, (2) 500-watt flood lights, each with a 39″ softbox. Next, notice the Elinchrom Quadra A-Head set-up. You can’t actually see the battery pack (as it is on the floor), however you can see the two light stands with the 15.75″ Elinchrom Softboxes that are attached to the Quadra system. We are actually using a white piece of linoleum as our seamless background, which for this shot is covered with black felt – nice and heavy so the wrinkles don’t show through. You will also notice that we have our tripod set up, which is vitally important for clear product photography.
We moved the flood lights as close to the product as possible without them being in the shot, and used the Quadra system to add light to the front of the product and illuminate the background. We also implemented the use of light diffusers when necessary.
For this first shot of the set up, we used 4-5 pieces of snap together laminate flooring to make it look like it was sitting on a wood floor. To achieve the reflected look, we laid a piece of clear acrylic (available at any home depot) on top.
We played around with several ideas for this client such as just black with the acrylic, white and acrylic, and the wood with acrylic on black. I think certain products looked better on certain backgrounds. Here are some photos – the first of the set up and several final product shots. Let me know what you think!
Karen & Eric’s Maternity Shoot
We have known Karen and Eric for several years, now. The first time we met them was on 4th of July when a few mutual friends introduced us at the beach. That day (or it may have been the day before – I don’t remember!) they had their first 4-legged child – Charlie – a miniature Yorkie (you will see a photo of that cute boy below, also). They are expecting their first child, a baby boy, in just a few weeks. Although his name remains a secret, we are all waiting anxiously to meet him.
We did their maternity shoot at their new house and we thought it was very fitting, as it would be the very first place that this special baby boy will be able to call home. Karen and Eric, you are two of our closest friends and we can’t wait to meet your beautiful new baby!
Enjoy this sneak peek!
Erika & Erik
WHEW! I am tired just remembering this day! Erik got to wear this awesomely cute tux for his aunts wedding and his mom, Erika, wanted to get photos of him in it before he grows, yet again! We decided to go out to the University of Tampa campus to see what we could come up with. In the car on the way over, Erik PROMISED me that he was going to take pretty pictures for me, but unfortunately after a 5 minute power nap, this 3-year old had decided that he was not in the mood for photos. My solution to this problem? For the first half of the photo shoot, I handed the camera to my husband and began RACING Erik from one end of the Plant Museum to the other (It is a good thing I decided to change out of my flip-flops for this shoot!). After we wore him out a bit and got him in a better mood, my husband relinquished the camera back to me and I got to take a few more photos.
Moral of the story: many times to effectively photograph a 3-year old, you must become one yourself. You will notice that most of these photos are candid, in-the-moment photos (which I must say are my absolute favorite) that showcase Erik’s enthusiastic personality.
Enjoy!
New Year, New Look
To celebrate the new year, we decided to revamp our image. We have started by designing a new logo that we absolutely love! Let us know what you think
Kaley {4 Months}
I never thought it would be so hard to find green grass in FLORIDA! We had planned on doing these photos outside last month, but because the weather has been abnormally cold the last few months, we didn’t get a chance until a few days ago. The down side to our 3 hours of good weather was that all of the grass has died from the cold - I guess this is kind of like fall for northerners, huh?!
As promised, here are a few of my favorite photos from the session. For those of you following, this is the adorable little girl that we did newborn shots for just a few short months ago…it’s crazy how fast they grow and how much they change!Kaley was a perfect model, even through all of her outfit changes – until the very end when she wanted to sleep and not smile
