Excellence in Visual Arts
Had the great pleasure of working on an engagement photography session with this beautiful and very much in love young couple yesterday at the Deering Estate. Ben is a Marine, while Kaylee is going to college, they got engaged during the Christmas Holiday and they are planning a 2015 October Wedding.
For this coming year, I will place this passage as an anchor for my decision making, especially verse 33 and I will not allow the cares of life move me from serving Him with all of my heart, mind and soul.
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:24-33 KJV
I had a great time capturing Villa Vizcaya Quinces Photography of this young lady this past Sunday morning. Our day started with a trip to Gloria Pelo for Hair and Make up, what a treat that was, Gloria is a true pro. Then we embarked towards Vizcaya Museum and Gardens with a perfect south florida weather waiting for us. Bright, blue skies and a wonderful 7o degrees in temperature, perfect! The young lady is a natural at posing, all I had to say was get a bit this way and she would always answer back “got it” and she did. Thanks to all involved a was a total pleasure working with you all. Hope you enjoy this sneak peek.
Jorge
Persian Wedding Photography in Miami
When Sophia approached me to capture the images of her beautiful Persian Wedding the first thing I did was of course google it! Because I had no idea what a Persian Wedding was all about I turned to the work of other photographers and research the ceremony and reception sequence. I also received help from the bride which is actually Lebanese descendant and it was then that she mentioned that there would be a grand entrance into the reception hall by the bride and groom accompanied by dancers, a Zaffa or Zeffa.
So that in a nutshell is what got me ready for the event and the traditions that would be unfolding in front of my camera lens. But what really became apparent and manifested itself during the course of the ceremony and in the reception was that this was a FAMILY. It was a family just like many that I have known, similar to my own in many ways. Not just a few individuals gathered to go through a few traditions but a true family that showed the love they had for each other and the joy that they all felt to be part of such an occasion. I was truly moved with what I was feeling and seeing. And in the course of the evening the feeling of being someone hired to work an event turned in to someone that was just another guest in a celebration of the love that two people have for each other.
I would like to share a few images and also a video with the highlights of the beautiful wedding. The dancing was performed by the wonderful artists from Belly Motions with Portia, Luisa and Alexandra. You can get more information about their services on their site HERE.
A Preview of Wedding Photography in Key Largo Florida
Maternity Photography Give Away
A few weeks ago my wife came to me with the idea of doing a maternity photography give away at a baby shower she was hosting at a obstetricians office in the city of Homestead. The doctor works out of Baptist Homestead Hospital, where my wife as a social worker is a liaison between the hospital and Healthy Start. Giving to others in need as always been something that I’m eager to do, so I jumped right away at the idea and made plans with her for the drawing. We had an enlargement made to show the winner what her portrait would look like and placed it on a table top easel on the day of the baby shower.
So the day arrived and the baby shower went well from what my wife tells me with a great number of attendees. A winner was selected and a few days later I made contact with her and planned the maternity photo shoot. We decided to go Homestead Bayfront Park to take the photographs. The situation that most photographers encounter with outdoor photography is the lack control that we have with the weather, and this past saturday afternoon was no exception to that. Through out the day there was a strong wind coming from the southeast and clouds were covering most of the county. Nasty, nasty weather for outside portraits. But schedules get really complicated and when you book a session you sometimes have to go with what is thrown at you. To add to the pot we got to the park not knowing that they closed early 5:30 pm to be exact and we were informed by a very friendly staff (I’m being sarcastic about that they were actually quite harsh for been government employees). So I had 28 minutes to do a shoot before we would have been escorted out of the park by possibly the city of homestead swat team, if they have one I don’t know. Any ways I shoot fast, real fast and I got enough of the images that would give the young woman enough choices for her 11 x 14 enlargement.
When I first met Audranay the first thing that got my attention was of course the tattoos she had on her upper torso Live Laugh Love. Then as I started to capture her portrait I notice her beautiful eyes and smile. I commented to my wife how beautiful she was and that I wish more time had been available to capture more images. Maybe we will do a few when the baby arrives.
I selected a few of my favorites to showcase on this post I hope I did justice to her wonderful smile.
Destination Wedding in the Florida Keys Photography: Engagement Session Preview
When Kelly first contacted me over a year ago from China about her Destination Wedding in the Florida Keys at first I was a bit surprised and hesitant. Usually when someone contacts you from another country like Nigeria the first thing that we think of is scam!! But that was not the case, as we continued to email back and forth she told me of her plans to marry the dream of her life which she actually met in China.
A few months after our initial contact we met while she came to the South Florida area to look at the different venues available for her beautiful Destination Wedding in a tropical setting like only the Florida Keys can offer. On a side note on a that meeting I noticed how organized she was with all her tabs placed in her three ring binder, it was perfect with the details. She had done her trial make up session and I took a few test shots outside of Starbucks, which I never showed her because my camera lens has actually fogged up from the difference in humidity and temperature. Not a good start for me!!
During the months leading to her beautiful wedding I kept in touch with her as she made her final decision on the venue. She decided on Coconut Cove Resort in Islamorada (spanish for purple island) even though the hard head locals pronounce it aisle-a-more-AH-dah It is still Isla Morada I’s an inside joke since I know a few of those hard headed locals 😉
The Resort is owned and run by Paul and Magda Bates a beautiful couple with a great family and a great crew that never stopped working all the time that we were there. They provided the accommodations, rehearsal dinner, decorations, ceremony, reception dinner and even the grand finale of the first dance: Fireworks!!
I prepared a small preview of the many images of the two day event that my beautiful wife and I captured. Yes she went along and she was a tremendous help. I think she might becoming part of my crew 😉
Here is the short preview in video form showing the stunning sunrise and more important a very loving and beautiful couple:
