You guys all know how very much I love "color." I love any kind of color in life - but especially when it comes to my photography. When my clients have been asked to describe my images before, nine times out of ten, they all use the word "colorful" somewhere in their descriptions. I love that. I strive to make my images stand out with color being a top priority. So...when we were vacationing last weekend in Key West, I tried desperately to soak up any and all the colors of the island that I could while there.
One day we rented the electric golf cart looking cars and roamed the island. I thoroughly enjoyed that part even though it was 250 degrees out. LOL!
The nooks and crannies within Key West were a photographers dream. They had tons of "grunge" areas to use as backdrops which was right up my alley. I also loved the Ernest Hemingway look of the decor, homes, environment, etc. The history and nostalgia there is simply amazing. I also loved that they have a street named after me right off the famous Duval Street...
Even their Walgreen's in Key West is colorful...
I am normally not a "Key Lime" lover but I did try some chocolate dipped Key Lime pie on a stick while there. Uuuhhmmm...can anyone say HEAVEN?
We saw lots and lots of characters around the island. Some weren't suitable for the eyes of my kiddo's so I was constantly burying Brennen's head when I'd see something he shouldn't. These were a few of the innocent yet funny characters we witnessed...
Spider man on a bike & a bar stroll group...
I can't imagine what those dudes looked like after hitting all those bars that night that were listed on the back of their shirts. Ha ha!
Grandma Debbie and Papa Ron were a huge help with the kids this trip and especially while Brent and I were at the wedding festivities for Chad and Sherry.
Our hotel was the 2nd oldest hotel on the island. It definitely showed that wear and tear inside the guest rooms. The lobby and restaurant however, were gorgeous. Here is a shot of the library area in the front lobby...
This guy and his dog were on the street each day. The sunglasses on the pup crack me up...
Last but not least, I also left my "clean eating" for one of these dudes while there. $5 cookies and boy were they worth every single penny. I had a sugar cookie (without sprinkles) and it truly hit the spot. Heaven again!
Thank goodness we were only gone and in Key West for several days. Because of food like that, my clean eating attempt was J-A-C-K-E-D with a capital "J." :)
We had a blast in Key West but I don't know that I'd voluntarily go back anytime soon. I saw it and can now say been there - done that. It's definitely a party town and I'm past the age of partying at this point. When you have kids and travel there with them, it's a totally different experience. LOL! Either way, it was good to have seen it. I've always wanted to go there and now we can say that we've been. Other than the ghost tour and seeing Hemingway's house up close and personally, I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not going back there for a while. I think the drive there and back killed the hoopla for me in regards to the island itself. That drive was brutal. Brutal I say.
Now I'm back home with the suitcase cleaned out but laid open once more. Time to start packing again. We head home to Indiana for three weeks come this Friday. YAY! Can't wait to see everyone back home. Until the next update, have a superb weekend.
CHAD & SHERRY'S KEY WEST WEDDING (NAPLES, FLORIDA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER)
A quick sneak peek - basically just to confirm how much this past weekend ROCKED!
We came, we saw, we conquered Key West. And me...well I conquered my fear of shooting a wedding ceremony. Yes, I survived and the bride and groom have the wedding pictures to prove it. :)
Stay tuned...lots more to come as I begin editing the images from my dear friend Sherry's wedding. I'm beyond honored to have been asked to be their photographer on their special day. The hardest part was controlling the tears from behind my lens during the ceremony. It was tough to be the "photographer" when you're so emotionally invested in the people who are actually getting married. I kept fogging up my view finder because I was such a sap as they recited their vows to one another. What a stunning pair they made!!! CONGRATS Chad and Sherry!
I can't wait to share the rest of your images with you and your loved ones. We love you guys!
For the rest of you, check back soon. You don't wanna miss these. Much love, Angie
Kross will be 7 months old this Saturday. He's got two very visible and extremely "sharp" teeth. Yes, I know this first hand. OUCH! He's also sitting up on his own and has been for a while now. I need to put him on the floor more so he can try getting to the crawling part but we have so much tile in the house that it worries me he's going to bang himself up. I miss carpet in the Midwest. LOL!
I shot a couple quick photos - these photos - of him this week just to document his age. He is such a Ham, isn't it? I could sit around and snap shots of him all daggone day long. He's a hoot!
It's Thursday and I'm packing like a mad woman for our trip to Key West this weekend. I'm shooting a destination wedding in the Keys for a dear friend of mine this weekend. It's for a friend of mine that I've known since middle school. I'm only doing it because it's "her." Ha ha! I am not fond of weddings at all and have no desire to shoot weddings on a regular basis. I've turned many away to date. I just don't feel comfortable shooting someones most important day of their life up to that point. Not only that but a wedding is a weekend affair. It's major time away from your family on the weekends when you're a wedding photographer. Between the rehearsal dinners, wedding the next day, reception into the night, etc. -it just isn't my cup of tea. I'd much rather do a shoot that lasts 1-2 hours and then be back home with my family again. Much less time and wayyyyyyy less stress. LOL! So...my friend lucked out. She will be the only one to ever see me shoot a wedding. Let's pray I don't screw it up for her and her soon to be husband.
My in laws are flying into Naples tomorrow night and are driving down to Key West with us. We are making it a little family get-a-way. My mother in law and father in law will be there to watch the kiddo's for us anytime I'm working the wedding festivities and Brent is with me. Thankfully, my sweet friend Megan, has agreed to come along as well and be the 2nd shooter for me this time. I need as many eyes and cameras as I can get for this day. We've waited for Sherry to get married for a loooonnnggggg time. I want to ROCK her images out and make them unique and different for her special day. Megan has a lot of my same shooting styles. We make a great team! :)
So, we head out for Key West on Saturday (our first time ever there) and I plan to get some great images of not only the wedding but also of the sights - as a tourist - while in town. I'm excited to see the change in scenery and witness first hand what Duval Street is all about. Good times for me and my camera. :) I'll be sure to share plenty once we return. In the meantime, have a great 4th of July holiday and be safe. Much love, Angie
It's Tuesday, June 7th and I'm waiting on the kids to get home from school. They both half days today with only two days of school remaining in the year (those being half days as well). I know Brennen is excited to be done for the summer. He has exams all this week so he is working extra hard to end the year with a bang. We were invited to his awards banquet the other night where he took home extra honors for being 1 of 7 top scoring students for language arts in the 6th grade. I still have no idea where that boy gets his smarts from. It didn't come from Brent or myself. LOL! We are extremely proud of him for his hard work and continued drive this year. Pulling straight A's is something I NEVER did as a kid - even in elementary school. LOL!
I took Kenidi out for a photo shoot last week. WOW! What a site that was. If someone could have video taped that escapade, we could have surely landed a reality TV show instantly. Brent told me to take her to an open field to do the shoot because that way when she ran from me, she could run and not risk getting hurt. So...I thought that was a grand idea. We went to a new field that had beautiful white flowers blooming up all around her. I got her up at 6:30am in order to get to the field in time for the gorgeous morning light shortly after sunrise that day. In a nutshell, the field was wet which proved challenging as she attempted to sit down every few minutes in dirty mud patches. Considering the fact that she was wearing this cream dress in part of the shoot, that would not have been a good look. She continued to keep running, and running, and running. I tried desperately to keep up with her and lock my cameras focus on her eyes in order to assure a sharp and crisp image. However, because she wouldn't stand still, I got very few. That girl was like the energizer bunny. I was out of breath five minutes after we began. I told my Mom that I felt like the Top Gun guys - chasing a mig - trying to lock focus on her. But with each step she took, I felt like I kept hearing "Negative Ghost rider - the flight pattern is full." LOL! It was craziness. I won't even begin to try and describe the act that it took to get her BACK to the car once she ran thru the said field - to the far opposite side of that field. I ended up having to carry her back to the car - all the way back to the car - thru a muddy, bumpy, wet field. My back was broke and I was a sweaty mess by the time we reached the truck. Keep in mind that we live in South Florida so it was like 900 degrees by that point. HA! Can anyone say "nightmare?"
One thing is for sure...I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I risked my out of shape body chasing her thru that field. It had been so long since I was able to photograph her because she just won't stand still for me anymore. I wanted to get some shots of her before we cut her hair back off again too. It's time for the angled bob again. Long and stringy just doesn't work well for Kenidi. It's always hanging in her face, has no shape, no style, etc. She ROCKS the angled bob so we are taking her back in this week for a new "do." She is growing up and getting so big - so very quick. All of our kiddo's are. Kross turned 6 months old this past week. Where did the time go? Brennen is a big 7th grader now. He'll be in high school before we know it. Insert sad face here. :(
I'm off to tend to the chaos that ensues as school ends each year. Speaking of the energizer bunny, she just came in off the bus. Kross's last few days of freedom are slowly slipping away this week. Hee hee! He has no idea what he's in for all summer long. I'm looking forward to long hot days, tired nights, and sand in shoes that prove a summer day was well spent. We have a trip to Key West coming up at the beginning of July and will also be traveling back home to Indy for three weeks come mid July thru August. Good times ahead!
Hoping all of you are enjoying your summer thus far. Until the next post...Angie
