Hayes Photography

2009-05-11T09:53:00.001-04:00

The Hayes Photography Blog has moved!
You can find our new blog site here:
www.hayes-photo.com

We enjoy serving NE Florida, but remember, we are still available for travel anywhere!

Now you can also connect with us on facebook and twitter!

(In fact, click here to get some great discounts for becoming a facebook fan!)

As always, you can contact us at lynnell@hayes-photo.com or 904-383-PHOTO

We look forward to serving you in 2010 and beyond!

2008-12-16T17:38:00.000-05:00

Amber and Bryan were wed during a beautiful (and chilly) fall morning at Powell Gardens in Kingsville, MO. Despite the cold weather and Amber's strapless gown we managed to snap a few shots outside in the beautiful grounds. The ceremony was followed by a brunch reception complete with omelet station! (I love omelets, okay, breakfast in general . . .)

The Reveal

2008-11-25T11:24:00.000-05:00

Heather and Jeff now live in Florida but when it came time for their wedding, they decided to come home to Missouri and the lush hills of Les Bourgeois Winery. Pre-wedding preparations took place at the Holiday Inn Executive center in Columbia. What I loved about these two was how free they were with their emotions. Heather was not afraid to show both her joy and her tears throughout the day which allowed us to really capture her feelings. Jeff gave a heartfelt speech after dinner thanking everyone and I believe all the guests truly felt loved and appreciated. Heather encouraged us throughout the day and expressed her appreciation for the great job we were doing.

As photographers our main goal is to capture images that reflect the happiness and emotions of the couple and the day so that each couple can re-live their wedding day for years to come and be able to share it with the next generation. Heather and Jeff wear their hearts on their sleeves and we thank them for that and for making our job that much easier!I love how the hair clips just happened to match the scrolly pattern of this chair.

She's writing a note to Jeff.

The girls were having their own party!Mr. and Mrs. WineTeam Bride (as their tanks say)

Don't you love the matching red toenail polish? ;o)

Heather and her new stepson goofin around.

2008-10-30T15:22:00.000-04:00

You may remember Kristin and Andy from their Collages.net featured engagement session. The couple were wed in the Bride's hometown of LaPlata, MO. Accommodations were provided by the Depot Inn and Suites, the ceremony location was the historic Presbyterian church, and the reception venue was the Silver Rails Event Center. If we're ever in the area again we will definitely have to take advantage of the cool silohs across the street from the event center as well as all the brick and corrugated metal around the building (very cool photo spots)!

Love the kelly green shoes. (Kelly green is my favorite color, Emerald is my birth stone and I consider Ireland as my homeland even thought I wasn't born there ;o)

The Reveal

I love how everyone in the balcony is standing and watching as well
and how she had both her Dad and Step Dad walk her down the isle.

Since the couple are big music lovers and concert goers, it was appropriate that they frame their
favorite album covers to serve as the centerpieces for each table. Along with the frames the tables were also adorned with mini white carnation arrangements and paper wrapped votive candles.

Adorable caramel corn favors.

2008-10-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

It was so much fun to work with JoVanna and Dave. From their fun engagement session with their dog Curly to getting some great pre-wedding shots in Shelter Gardens. Dave cracked me up when he started jamming to "You Got The Right Stuff" from good old NKOTB. JoVanna had the DJ play some oldies like Hippy Hippy Shake. Gotta love em! They tied the knot at the Unity Center of Columbia and celebrated at the historic Tiger Hotel.

A couple members of the wedding party decided to get silly
much to JoVanna's delight.

2008-10-24T15:43:00.000-04:00

Rosa and Wes were wed at Les Bourgeois blufftop bistro in Rocheport. The pre-ceremony preparations took place at the School House Bed and Breakfast. Rosa and Wes weren't thrilled about being photographed but by the end of the evening they were asking when the photos would be ready so I think that is a good sign! Thanks guys for allowing us to document your big day.

The flower girls were entertained by the pond outside the Schoolhouse.

The bridemaids gave us their best Charlie's Angels pose.

2008-10-07T23:32:00.000-04:00

Crista met Kurt while studying abroad in Australia. Little did she know she would end up marrying an Australian and making Australia her permanent home. When it came time to plan her wedding though, she decided to celebrate with friends and family in her home town of Jefferson City, MO. Crista's great taste and attention to detail was evident from her custom made gown and bridesmaids dresses to the themed reception tables. Even the Salon she chose (Bella Capelli) was beautiful and lent itself to some great pre-ceremony portraits.

There were so many fun spots in the salon that I just had
to give the shoes their own photo shoot.

Crista realized she still didn't have something borrowed or old. Her MOH offered to lend her the fun cocktail ring she had been wearing. Crista then asked if it happened to be old, only half serious, and her MOH replied, "Yes, it was my Grandmothers!" So there ya have it, MOH to the rescue.It is good to laugh and enjoy yourself on your wedding day!

Also couldn't resist that staircase.

My favorite from the day.

Father and Daughter waiting to make their entrance.

You can see where Crista gets her looks from!

(Okay, Dad had a part in it too ;o)

We had some fun at the Capitol.

Each table was named for a place special to the couple (some in the US, and some in Australia). The Jefferson City Country club flew both the American flag and the Australian flag to welcome the guests.

They danced their first dance to Kermit the Frog. How adorable is that?

2008-09-30T18:36:00.000-04:00

Ashley and Josiah planned their wedding from the Atlanta area making it a Missouri destination wedding. The School House Bed and Breakfast in Rocheport provides a great room for the girls to get ready in complete with dressing screens, makeup mirrors, and they put out a nice spread of sodas, snacks and chilled wine. It is always fun to shoot the pre-ceremony photos there. Then it was off to Les Bourgeois for their blufftop ceremony and reception.

The Schoolhouse grounds also make for great portrait locations.

My favorite photo!
Ashley's Demetrios dress was so perfect on her.
My favorite feature was that the mermaid skirt had a
slit in the side with tulle underneath so no matter what she
was doing (dancing, walking, sitting) or what angle you looked
at her from, her dress always fell perfectly and moved beautifully.

2008-09-26T14:21:00.000-04:00

Stephanie and David were wed in Fulton, Mo. Stephanie chose her Mother's home as her venue which made the perfect backdrop for a beautiful outdoor ceremony. Having her wedding at home made it special and intimate. Fall showers moved the group photos indoors, but we managed to get some great shots before the ceremony on the pretty grounds.

These blues are the real deal so I couldn't resist showcasing them.
As always, you can click the photos to enlarge them.Making the most of the rain.

Finally, Mr and Mrs Phillipe!The beautiful details.

So sweet!

2008-09-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

Collages.net is the company that hosts our client web galleries. Every week they choose two events out of all the events their photographers upload to showcase in a weekly email they send out to their subscribers. This week one of our events was chosen for the portrait category. They chose Kristin and Andy's engagement session as the portrat event of the week! I was hoping I could post a link so anyone could view the site taht wanted to, but it only works if you are logged in as a member. Here is a screen capture of the email. Anyway, it is always nice to have your work recognized so thanks to Collages and Kristin and Andy!

2008-09-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

Megan and JP were wed in Warrenton, MO. They wanted something a little different for their reception so they encouraged guests to bring a change of clothes so they could enjoy games like washers and other activities. There was also an ice cream truck for guests to partake of throughout the reception. JP enlisted the help of his Uncle's band to finish off the evening with music and dancing.

The couple made their own cake topper in each other's likeness.

2008-09-12T19:39:00.000-04:00

Michael and Kalene had a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Bride's home church: Christian Fellowship. A reception followed at Peachtree Ballroom. The celebration was super fun and was complete with Greek traditional dances as well as traditional American wedding customs.

It's okay be a little emotional on your wedding day.
Tears of joy!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Aslanidis!

The Greeks do the dollar dance a little differently.
Guests shower the couple with dollar bills as they dance
so it literally rains money.
There were people that swept up all the dollar bills.

The couples adorable daughter was the flower girl.
Her poofy tulle skirt made her a true ball of energy ;o)

2008-09-09T17:23:00.000-04:00

Mary and Blake were married at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the University of Missouri campus. It was a hot day but everyone endured as we walked across campus from the tiger statue to the columns to get some fun outdoor shots. Thanks guys! The couple met in college and Blake was in Marching Mizzou so it was only appropriate they incorporate lots of live music in their day in addition to partying it up later with the help of a DJ.

The Reveal A Brass Band performed "dixie music" as I call it.

I think the correct term is ragtime? Anyway, it was fun ;o)

2008-09-03T14:42:00.000-04:00

Kristin and Andy wanted an urban feel to their engagement photos so we chose downtown Kansas City. They also wanted a few photos with Andy's son so we snapped a few before he headed off with Grandma for some ice cream. Andy's family has worked in the railroad business for a long time so we started out at the crossroads district and worked our way around several blocks. Kristin and Andy are also huge concert enthusiasts so we finished up at the Power and Light district and the HnR Block building. There were so many good shots it was hard to narrow it down to 10-15 for the blog so I decided to include all my faves. I will be posting a couple wedding previews in the next week sometime so check back for those.

Love the sass here!

Bowchicawowow . . . couldn't resist ;o)

2008-09-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hello all. I have been bad about blogging lately. We've been super busy editing and trying to finish up some events before our next rush comes along starting this weekend through the end of October. We also took a trip to Florida and are working on an all new website to launch by the end of the year. Before we left for Florida we had the opportunity to do a couple engagement sessions. This one is for Jovanna and Dave who brought their adorable dog Curly along with them. I couldn't resist taking a few of him by himself ;o)

2008-07-24T12:27:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to do a little post about our event cards but I keep forgetting. Anyway, here it is! An event card is a 4x6 photo card that states where guests can go to view and order photos from the wedding day so they don't have to go through the couple in order to get copies of the photos. All of our packages include an online web gallery for proofing and ordering so this card tells them where they can find it. We include a photo from the engagement session so this can double as a favor, especially if you have us add text about a donation or just a simple thank you. Click on the photo to view the one we designed for Travis and Erica. We can design it with your wedding colors in mind.

The first 100 are free of charge! We just ask that you include them at each place setting or if that is not possible to have the Emcee make an announcement for everyone to pick one up before they leave and where they are located. After the first 100 (if you need more copies) you can order them in increments of 50 for only $25 per increment! Let us know if you'd like us to design one for you.

2008-07-23T19:46:00.000-04:00

We got to head north again for Travis and Erica's wedding in Monroe City and Reception in Hannibal. What can we say about these two? They are just a blast and so easy to be around. We feel at ease with them and they are just crazy about each other which makes our job easier. You may remember their engagement session from one of our first posts. Take a look at these images from their big day, it was so hard to narrow down to even this many!

Erica and the Maids all shared a toast (sent over buy the guys via the messenger boy i.e ring bearer) before the ceremony.

The guys were taking it easy as well ;o)

Travis had this huge smile on his face when they were reciting their vows like he was about to burst with joy. Erica was laughing and crying at the same time. They were the cutest little vow reciters ever. It was a packed house! I can see why everyone would want to come out for these two. They are so lovable and considerate of each other and those around them. Which we first got to experience during their engagement session. They drove down from Iowa for us to shoot them in Rocheport because they loved all of our ideas and it was a great shoot.

The maids were all waiting in anticipation for Travis and Erica's exit from the church, sparklers in hand.

We couldn't resist taking this dramatic shot of just Erica by herself.
I'm always a sucker for a red door!

I love how the wind caught her veil in these next two.

The wedding party was the silliest we've had the pleasure to work with which is great for us photographers. We only just had to let them be themselves to get some great shots.

The wedding party got to ride around in a Trolley which I dubbed "the party bus." Don't worry, I don't know anything about any flashing going on in the back guys . . . ;o)

The beautiful details:
Top Left: Boutonnière on one of the guy's jackets hanging over the back of a trolley bench.
Top Middle: Another advantage of an engagement session, we designed a custom event card to be put at each place setting. I will post a photo of the design and explain more in the next post.
The rest: The table details were really fun. The couple chose a theme for each table based on an event or experience they had during their courtship. They had one called Rocheport (where there engagement session was) for example. Then, once you found your table they had table tents explaining the meaning behind the name. I wish I Had been ale to go around and read them all. I'm sure that will make for an automatic story or scrapbook if they put them all together. How cool is that?

Travis's Sister was afraid she wouldn't make it though her toast but she did a great job!

Sister Hug: Erica hugging her Sister and MOH after her heartfelt toast.

The couple met at (I think) and were a part of Dance Marathon at their Alma Mater so it is no surprise they had skills ;o)

And they weren't the only ones with skills . . . Congrats guys!

2008-07-23T13:13:00.000-04:00

Tiffany and Charlie were wed at First Christian Church and chose Columbia Country Club for their reception. It was the first time for us shooting at FC and we LOVED all the stained glass windows. I could have shot the Bride and Groom there all day! Alas, the photographer's wish is always more time . . . but next time we get to shoot there I definitely want to take advantage of the per-fect light in the atrium area beside the sanctuary. Any takers?? ;o)

Tiffany's adorable flats, don't they look comfy?

Comfort was a definite theme, check out these green sneakers.

I love this shot of her waiting to make her grand entrance.

The beautiful stained glass windows.The happy couple.
They were anxious to scoot to their reception but we managed to get this one shot in front of one of the windows. There is also a rope to the church bell (I was holding it out of the way) so next time it would be fun to get a shot of the couple tugging on the rope to ring the bell.
Shameless Plug: It is always nice to see how the couple incorporates
photos of their engagement session into the wedding day details.

2008-07-22T20:46:00.000-04:00

Amelia and Andy had an absolutely beautiful wedding in Quincy, IL and reception at the Embassy Suites in Hannibal, MO. It was also nice to get to enjoy dinner as a guest before resuming shooting so thank you guys for feeding us! food = good

full belly after shooting for 6 hours = happy photographer ;o)

The lovely couple. The tablecloth under the unity candle is a family heirloom.

The groomsman all rapped their toast while Andy and Amelia grooved to the beat. I think it was the funnest toast I've witnessed to date. Way to go guys!

There were so many cute kiddos, couples and people in general out on the

dance floor that I was shooting like crazy trying to capture them all.

Andy the Groom and Andy my partner in crime. There must be

something in the name because all Andys I've met are adorable.

2008-07-22T17:25:00.000-04:00

Sarah and Daniel had a long distance relationship so when it was time to schedule the engagement session it was a challenge. We had originally came up with a date but then they both got sick (what a nasty winter we had!) and we were unable to do it until the day before the wedding. I am glad we did because we really enjoy getting to work with the couple before the big day. It makes everyone involved a lot more comfortable with each other on the wedding day and in addition, we ended up with some fun images from downtown Warrenton. Since their engagement session and wedding took place in the same weekend and I have so many images yet to edit I am doing a combined post for them. I hope you enjoy the photos!

I love how the horse is just entering the barn in the background.

I loved this moment where Sarah's Dad wanted to practice the
Father/Daughter dance before the ceremony began.

Aren't these bridal party shots fun?The flower girl was so adorable and boy did she love to dance!

The Bridesmaids wanted to be comfortable on that dance floor ;o)

2008-07-11T17:09:00.000-04:00

It is time for the 2nd installment of our Bridal shoot with model Beth. We shot at the Yates House Bed and Breakfast in Rocheport. Her gown is by Watters and the double faced satin sash with cameo were added by yours truly. Isn't she beautiful?

2008-07-03T14:17:00.000-04:00

Some of you may remember Misty and Nick's wedding from last fall. Misty is great at referring us and not only did we get to do her younger Brother Nick's senior portraits, we recently had the pleasure of shooting her cousin Ali's engagement session! Ali and her betrothed Justin will be getting married this fall in St. Louis. Since we will be doing some of the wedding day portraits at the arch/riverfront area, Ali wanted something different for their engagement photos. They drove all the way to Columbia so we could shoot them at the Highland Trail at Rock Bridge State Park (introduced to us by former clients Joey and Justin) and downtown (we had been wanting to shoot at this cool garage door and stoop we recently discovered). Also to add something different to the mix, we've added some fun shots of us shooting so you can see us in action!

Me shooting through the weeds.I found a tick on me later.
I hope Ali and Justin didn't get any!

There's not a whole lot we won't do to get the shot or get a better angle.

I told Justin to put his hand on top of her head like he was getting ready
to pat her on the head and he actually started doing it. I love her reaction!

2008-07-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

I want to put in a couple plugs for some awesome vendors. First up is Kathryn Conway of Celebrations by KC who did an excellent job of coordinating Jennifer and Dave's wedding! There were so many beautiful details and flowers everywhere, from the gorgeous centerpieces to the unique arrangements on the food tables (floating oranges, daisies, etc). She also saw that everything ran smoothly. She was even on her walkie talkies making sure Jennifer and Dave didn't run into each other before the wedding. She was a great help to us as well so check out her information and some of these detail shots from the wedding.

Beautiful and Talented!!

Click on her card to see the information enlarged.
Citrus colors were the theme of the day. The tables were
accented with bright yellow and orange daises as
well as real lemons and oranges.
There was a coy pond so she thought to have fish food
on hand as an activity for the guests.

Flower Girl Pails

The second plug is for Shawn Crowe with A Touch of Class DJ Service. He does a great job of keeping the party hopping. He's even been known to join in the fun himself! He is also great at letting us know before he announces something so we don't miss it. He does all kinds of events so contact him today!

shwncrowe@yahoo.com
www.midmobestdj.com
(573) 680-7826

2008-07-01T17:34:00.001-04:00

The last of our Memorial weekend weddings was Jennifer and Dave's wedding at Alpine Park and Gardens. We had never met Jennifer before the wedding day but she instantly thanked me for coming to photograph her at the salon and it was easy to start shooting. These two are a great pair and will go on to do great things! Check out these images from their day.

2008-06-27T13:08:00.000-04:00

Megan and JP are good friends of ours from college so we were delighted when they contacted us about photographing their wedding. JP now lives in Wichita, KS and Megan lives in Memphis, TN so they have been long distance for the last bit of their relationship. We were fortunate to have been able to photograph their engagement session the one time they will both be in Columbia prior to their Warrenton wedding in August. We started out walking around downtown, then headed to campus, and finished off at the Cherry Street Artisan for some fun with Legos. We were able to fit in Megan and JP's session the morning of Jennifer and Dave's wedding in Harrisburg so check back soon for their preview!

Legend has it that if a lady walks across the shamrock she will marry an engineer. Megan said she walked across it jokingly never thinking she would end up marrying one!
(JP is a Civil Engineer for Cessna)

2008-06-25T10:59:00.000-04:00

The third wedding on our crazy weekend was Leslie and John's wedding at the Firestone Baars Chapel on the Stephen's College campus. Aren't they adorable? He reminds me of Paul Walker (minus the surfer boy accent ;o)

Her dad surprised her with matching sapphire earrings and necklace
before we got started with the group photos. What a nice Dad!The guys signal they're ready for the ceremony to begin.

I think this is one of my faves from the day. It was a completely candid
moment captured after they came out of the ceremony. So sweet!

On the beautiful grounds of Alpine Park and Gardens.

Last but not least: A couple ring shots.
Their sapphire rings even matched their color scheme!

2008-06-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

Christy and Matt's wedding in beautiful Meramec Springs State Park in St. James Missouri was the 2nd wedding in our crazy Memorial Day weekend. I think my favorite photos of the day revolve around either the spring, or Matt's classic aqua mustang. Don't you love Christy's head scarf a la Marilyn Monroe?

2008-06-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

Before wedding season got into full swing Andy and I took on a personal project. We did a bridal shoot with a model (our good friend Beth). We had planned on shooting in 5 different locations with 5 different gowns but only made it through 3 and a half (we were getting eaten by mosquitoes and it was getting dark out.) I think I was a little too ambitious for one day so the other two locations/gowns will have to be rescheduled for a later date. It was a long day but Beth was a trooper and she did a great job for her first modeling gig! Andy and I wanted to do a shoot that really showcased our style and to get us in the spirit of wedding season. I will be blogging these one location/gown at a time so check back for the other installments!

I couldn't decide which I liked better of the next two so I decided to blog both!

The 411 on the Shoot
Hair Style and Makeup Application performed by Kelani Salon.
Gown: ABS by Allen Schwartz purchased on Ebay
Birdcage Veil: Something Bold
All accessories (including shoes, vintage dress
clips and the custom feather hairpiece) were purchased on ebay.
Location: Nifong Park

2008-06-10T12:29:00.000-04:00

Kara and Tom's wedding was the first in our crazy Memorial Day weekend lineup. We photographed 4 very different weddings plus an Engagement Session in one weekend! Kara and Tom were wed at the new wedding facility in Hermann, MO: the Chapel at Hermann Hill. The venue is the newest addition to the well known and beautiful Hermann Hill Inn. The chapel overlooks the Missouri River and they have all inclusive wedding packages including overnight stays in their beautiful new cottages. The chapel has getting ready rooms complete with mini fridges, a flat screen TV for the guys, and a large dressing room for the girls with wingback chairs, a fireplace, en suite bathroom, and basket with quick fixes for any dress mishaps. Check it out at http://www.hermannmoweddings.com/chapel_plan.htm

Stay tuned for more wedding previews and several engagement previews.
I'm in an editing frenzy right now!! ;o)

2008-05-09T18:52:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday we shot Kalene and Michael's Engagement session (Michael's family runs GnD Steakhouse.) We started out at Shelter Gardens and ended up downtown. Aren't they adorable?

2008-05-06T12:37:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday we had a blast photographing Joey and Justin's wedding. We went all over town starting with Joey's house, Booches, the Highland trail and Devil's Icebox at Rockbridge State park, and the Firestone Baars Chapel and Senior Hall on the Stephen's College campus. The couple are so adorable together and we had so much fun photographing their Engagement session that we were supper pumped for the wedding. They were truly a joy to work with and I think we ended up with some great images!

I also am having fun this week playing with my new Totally Rad Photoshop action set. Beautiful couple + beautiful location + totally rad actions = killer images! Take a look below.

Original Image
Old School Action
Rusty Cage ActionTechnicolor Dream World ActionHere are some other fun images from their day.

Joey made her gorgeous and sassy pink
silk shantung mermaid gown herself!Little Beatrice was completely in awe and fascinated by Joey.Joey's MOH was very pregnant
(one of the cutest pregnant ladies I've ever seen no less)
and almost didn't make the Wedding but we're glad she did!Reveal Sequences (click photos to enlarge)I love her expressions here, she knows she's got it! Work it girl!Joey was just a tad excited about getting married.Love those shades!AW . . . Their first kiss as a married couple.I love Joey's Expression when they announced "Mr and Mrs Dyer"
It's like, "Oh Yeah, you know it!"
First Dance Father Daughter Dance
Shameless plug for our Engagement Guestbook Album ;o)Time to par-tay!Get down! Woo Woo!Still in awe at the end of the day . . .

2008-04-28T15:36:00.001-04:00

Saturday we had the pleasure of shooting Blake and Mary's Engagement session at Nifong Park. It was a perfect somewhat sunny afternoon with blooming redbud trees and green grass. I love spring!

It is hard to tell in the smaller photo but they have beautiful blue eyes. As always, you can click on any photo for a larger image.

2008-04-21T18:40:00.000-04:00

For Grant's 5 yrs photo shoot we went to the Crossroads district in Kansas City and Westport. We also took a detour to the river market and he found an apple he couldn't get enough of. ;o)

2008-04-21T17:02:00.000-04:00

Here's the final blog of our vacation photos. We took a couple thousand photos and ended up with about 700 that we love so this is just a select few. Enjoy and check back soon for Grant's 5 year portrait session preview.

Coki Beach The Baths at Virgin Gorda, BVI

The couple climbing near the top of the shot gives you an
idea of the scale of these massive boulders. The natural Lion's Head formation on the top of the Baths (we had
to wedge ourselves between the rocks and climb to get there but
the view was worth it!)

The Baths from the sea.

Docked in Spanish Town , BVINeltjeberg Bay, we had to hike to this bay from Dorthea Bay.
Along the hike there are ruins and old headstones from children
that had died in 1933. Kinda creepy but fun.
The beach at Cooper Island Beach Club. Cooper Island is an outer BVI
with no roads and only 4 private residences along with the private boutique
resort accessible only by boat or ferry from Tortola, BVI. We stopped and
ate at the restaurant on our boat charter. I had Roti, a curried chicken wrap which is
a traditional West Indian dish and it was delicious! Magen's Bay, the most famous beach in St. Thomas.

Palms at Dorthea Bay

Overlook, what a view!Vessup Beach

Views from our villa, the water is so blue!

Sunset on the ferry back to St. Thomas from St. John.

Trunk Bay, the most photographed beach in St. John.
This was our nap spot.

Mule at Leinster Bay, St. John.

Bluebeard's Castle is now a mini resort overlooking Charlotte Amalie.
It was built around an old danish lookout tower but the hotel
is named after the Bluebeard pirate legend which states that he
built the tower to imprison his wife he later killed.

Fresh lobster in Frenchtown

Charlotte Amalie

Shopping in the Jewelry District.

Historic Frederick Lutheran Church built in 1820

Annaberg sugar plantation ruins on St. John.

Catherineburg sugar mill ruins.

Brain coral was used for stone blocks.

2008-04-21T15:32:00.000-04:00

We're back from our awesome time in the Virgin Islands. Busy season is officially underway and we'll have lots of photos to blog about over the next few months. We have gotten requests for the rest of our vacation photos so here is blog 2 and blog 3 is coming shortly. We hope you enjoy these photos from our adventures in the sea!

Sorkeling at Waterlemon Cay off of Leinster Bay in St. John.
It was quite a swim!Starfish, if you couldn't tell ;o)Sea Urchins, you don't want to step on one of these bad boys!
Snorkeling at Trunk Bay in St. John. They have an underwater snorkel trail around the cay.

Photos from Coral World in St. Thomas

View of Coki Beach from Coral World. Snorkeling at Coki Beach

The Indians (rock formations that jut out of the sea in the BVI)
are one of the top 5 Snorkel Spots in the world.

More Sea Urchins and different types of coral.

Parrot Fish

Staghorn Coral

Fire Coral

Brain Coral

2008-04-08T08:42:00.001-04:00

We are having a great time here in St. Thomas! Our friend Matt is awesome. When we got to the airport we had a driver who was going to escort us to the villa but Matt showed up anyway so it was nice to see a friendly face. He took my bags and said "I will be your island slave man" jokingly but he has been a great help and it is just fun getting to visit with him. He even took us on an island tour, cut Andy's hair so he didn't have to try to find a barber, and has answered our endless questions about the island and what cool stuff there is to do. I'm sure we'll be sad to leave but I'm looking forward to the rest of the week! I will try to blog one more time so check back later this week.

Magens Point

Matt and Andy having silly smiles at Lindquist Beach

Bougainvillea is everywhere.

This is the view from our hot tub at dusk. Not too shabby! Our New Toy

This photo was taken by our friend Matt Lunders. Andy is playing in the waves.
You can barely see my hand holding the camera.
Latch in Charlotte Amalie

Alleys in Charlotte Amalie

Clothesline with a view.

This is one of my favorites. Matt gave us an island tour and this was at a random house we stopped at on the more secluded West End.

Lindquist beach.

My sailboat through a seashell photo.

Ahhh. A good murder mystery, a tropical drink (BBCs are my new fave thanks to our friend Matt who also likes fru fru drinks ;o) and a sweet beach. It doesn't get much better than that!
(We're at the Marriott's Morningstar Beach).

Iguanas at the Marriott property (they have a waterfall where they congregate).

2008-04-03T00:13:00.001-04:00

It's A little later in the day than I'd hoped but here is the preview of Justin and Joey's engagement session. The evening before it looked like it might rain for our morning session, it was supposed to be freezing, and I came down with a cold so I had a panic moment and almost said we should wait. I'm glad we just decided to go for it because it was a really fun shoot! Justin and Joey are an adorable couple and were such a joy to work with. They braved the cold and were up for anything. We hardly even had to direct them. We would put them in a location and they would make each other laugh and smile at each other so naturally we were able to capture some sweet moments. We could tell they really enjoyed being with each other. We are looking forward to their wedding day! The couple love the outdoors (hiking, biking, etc) so the Katy Trail was the perfect location along with Rocheport, the location of one of their favorite restaurants. After the trail we hit downtown and the General Store. Rocheport is one of our favorite places to shoot, each session turns out differently. On another subject, Andy and I will be off for 9 days starting this weekend to visit a friend in St. Thomas (woohoo!). I would love to be able to post some photos as we go along but I can't promise as sometimes the internet connections are sketchy down there and after all, it is a vacation right? . Anyway, If not I will post as soon as I can when I get back. For now, you'll just have to enjoy these photos of Joey and Justin (hey, maybe I should call them JJ ;o)