Monica and Allec - Dance and Family Portraits - Temple Terrace, FL

On Easter weekend, I spent part of my Saturday with Monica and Allec and shot some photos for them. They are an awesome family that attends the dance studio where I work. I personally teach Allec and I see Monica almost daily, dropping off and picking up Allec from dance.

We started photos at the dance studio, so we could do a couple of head shots and some dance photos.

After that, we went to Riverhills Park and took some family photos. The park was beautiful and it was fun joking around with the two of them!

Part of my life - March Self-Portrait

So, I know that this is a bit late, but I can explain. Justin and I moved into our Spring Hill house mid-March and have yet to have the internet set up. I am currently sitting in our friends' living room, while Justin records, stealing their internet.

If you do not know, dance has been a huge part of my life. I grew up dancing and spent countless hours in rehearsal and at performances. Ever since I graduated from high school, I have been in and out of it in different places, because I love it so much. I currently work at Firethorn Dance Academy, where I danced growing up, as an instructor and as an office manager. I get the opportunity to work with some awesome teachers and students there and a couple have asked me to do photos.

For my March Self-Portrait, I am sitting in a studio, before a shoot, where I have spent hours on end dancing and teaching. It is awesome to have a place to do photos so freely involving something I love.

Bella Taylor - One Year Portraits - Tampa, FL

Happy Spring!

I had the awesome opportunity to do photos of a precious one-year-old Bella to celebrate her birthday. Her mom is a friend of mine and a co-worker at the dance studio where I work. She wanted Bella to take some ballerina photos and some other shots for her first birthday. We set up in the dance studio and had so much fun playing around. I think Bella may be a future photographer, with all of her interest in my camera!

We had plans for some cute shots at the ballet barre, but if you know any one-year olds, they don't play by the rules. Thankfully we still got some cute shots in the dance room with her adorable tutu and some shots of her in her birthday dress with some fun props we created. She is such a beautiful and fun little girl and I had a blast doing these photos with her and her mom!

I have a couple more shoots coming up and I can not wait to share them with you!!

In the midst of it all - February Self-Portrait

In October of 2012, my husband and I closed on a house that we waited on for 6 months. We moved in and tried to make it feel like home, all while preparing to move to China. When we started the process of purchasing a home, we had no idea that we would be moving to China and we made the decision just before moving in to our home. We never really got the chance to enjoy it before we left the country.

This month we spent preparing for the opportunity to move back into our home, after over a year of being back in the U.S. It has been a rough month, as we found out that moving back into our house would be more costly than we anticipated. My husband and I have been putting in lots of extra work to deal with the unexpected expenses. It has been rather crazy, and times of reflection come few and far between.

So, we come to my February self-portrait. We moved all of our stuff out of our storage unit and into our home. Unfortunately, because of our schedules, we will not get to do a real thorough cleaning and get the house in shape for a couple of weeks. My portrait follows a day of moving everything from one place to another. After seeing all of our possessions piled up inside our home, it was nice to take just a moment to reflect on all of the changes going on in our lives. 

I have some photo jobs coming up soon that I cannot wait to share with you!

New Year, New Me? - January Self-Portrait

Hello Lovelies!

Here we are at the end of the first month of a new year. Most of us entered the new year with great plans and expectations, and at the end of the first month, we can already tell a bit if those plans and expectations are realistic. I personally set goals to take better care of myself, make significant strides in my business, and to improve my relationships with others.

My self-portrait this month is a great picture of where I am at and how I feel about my first month of a new year. In the last month, I have been doing my best to keep up with the goals I have set for myself. However, so many things have kept me busier than I ever expected. This portrait is a representation of me doing my best to enjoy moments of rest when they come. I much prefer everything to be exactly as I want it. However, even in this picture, things are not quite as perfect as I would like them to be. I am learning to accept imperfections and grow from them. Also, for the next month, we are house-sitting for friends in New Port Richey, where this picture was taken.  Although I will be splitting my time between Tampa and New Port Richey, this opportunity will give Justin and I time to rest and think outside of our usual surroundings.

So much uncertainty lies ahead, but in a season such as this, the opportunity to learn and grow is ever-present.

Christmas Time is Here - December Self-Portrait

I LOVE this time of year!! I love Christmas music, cheesy Christmas movies, food (and sweets), and time with family. Last year for Christmas, my parents graciously bought us fun passes for Busch Gardens, where you pay one day and visit for a year. Unfortunately, we have been so busy this year, we have only been able to visit a few times. We wanted to be sure to at least get one last use out of them before they expired. So, Justin and I went with my sister and her boyfriend to Christmas Town to enjoy the lights and festivities. I LOVE lights at night and all the fun things that illumination can do in the dark. My self-portrait is my sister and I playing amongst some fun paper lanterns and laser lights!

Fall Fantasy - November Self-Portrait

November is one of my most favorite months of the year. Justin and I chose to have our wedding in November four years ago because we are both obsessed with fall and all it brings. Unfortunately, in Florida, we don't quite get the cool weather and beautiful colors we look forward to. We made a commitment that no matter what is happening in our lives each year, that we would make a point to get away at least one day sometime in the month of our anniversary. We have been so blessed this far to spend a few days away every year, but we know that will not always be the case. We got to visit Nashville together this year. We enjoyed beautiful weather and lots of exploring together. We had the pleasure of strolling through Centennial Park and seeing the last of the fall colors clinging to the trees. My self-portrait this month was taken there and I feel a bit like a hippy-esque princess!