"Ha Ha" Bands are Here!

It was bound to happen. The Silly Band (or Ha Ha Bands, as Jackson calls them) craze that has been sweeping the nation has finally infiltrated our home! Ever since my 10-year old niece introduced America's hottest trend to Jackson he has been crazy about them! He has had so much fun wearing, hiding, throwing, and sharing these silly little things. I guess you could say that from the top of his head to the tips of his toes he loves his Ha Ha bands!

Fun in the Sun!

Earlier this week Jackson and I ventured over to Jetty Park with my parents (B and Pop Pop) and pure fun ensued! If you have never been there, I highly recommend it! The beach and dunes are beautiful and all the jetty rocks make for some great photo ops! I think that Jackson is truly in his element at the beach. This child absolutely LOVES the water and is FEARLESS of it! He will run out crashing into the waves and is not bothered in the slightest if they knock him over; nevermind the saltwater in his eyes and mouth, he just laughs, jumps up and does it again! I'm thinking we may have a future surfer on our hands...

A hot (and buggy) mess!

One of the joys of being a beginning photographer is all of the wonderful "experiences" you get to learn from! Our adventure begins at Tibet Butler Preserve, a beautiful nature walk with an adorable toddler to boot (make that 2 adorable toddlers, with Jackson in tow)! What could go wrong, right? We set out at 9 trying to beat the blazing heat and harsh lighting but even at 9am we were all sweating within 10 minutes...and the bugs...ugh! A variable we were not prepared for! Mosquitos, horse flies, and many unknowns were swarming everywhere and eating us alive! Poor Sophie was a trooper though; heat, bugs, and all! We managed to get a few sweet shots before we had to go find some A/C! Stay tuned for more of Sophie, take 2!

Note to self: June, July, and August may not be the best time to shoot at a nature preserve! Will definitely have to try this location again in the fall though!

Afterwards, we headed to Wilderness Lodge to check out, what else?! Dreamcatchers! Jackson and Sophie had a great time exploring and playing together as best friends do...but don't take my word for it...see for yourself!

If Daddies were flowers...

Last week I did a shoot in Celebration for my friend and her adorable 2-year-old, Celia! Shhh...don't tell because they are a surprise for Father's Day! Here are a few of my favorites from our fun morning!

Dee-Da-Duh!

In case you aren't fluent in Jacksonese, "Dee-Da-Duh" is his word for dreamcatcher. Jackson discovered this new obsession last week while visiting some friends who were staying a Disney's Wilderness Lodge. He eats, sleeps, and breathes dreamcatchers these days. It is the first word out of his mouth in the morning and does not stop talking about them all day. He loves to discuss the fact that they are circles (his favorite shape) and also tell me about the animals, the feathers, and the bells that decorate them. We made a trip back to Wilderness Lodge earlier this week to revisit these fascinating objects and they were every bit as exciting as he remembered them! Dreamcatchers...who knew?!

America's Oldest City...

We spent this past weekend in Tyson's hometown of St. Augustine with some very dear friends. There is just something about that town that is so relaxing and peaceful I just never want to leave! Anyway, I had the pleasure of shooting 4 generations of women of this beautiful family as well as the 10 week old newest addition! Here are some of my favorites from this weekend's shoot. There are alot so please bear with me! I just couldn't choose...!

Letting it shine...

I have loved photography for as long as I can remember. I love everything about it. I love that with the push of a button, in that very instant I can freeze time and am left with a precious memory that lasts forever. I love that it makes me view the world in a completely different way. I love that photography can take something completely ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. I love that through photography I can capture the beauty of God's creation. I love photography beacause...well...I just DO!

From the ripe old age of 3, I was begging my parents to let me get behind the camera. Fortunately, I have very patient parents who indulged me, resulting in many portraits with chopped off heads and shoulders. My mom likes to tease that I was simply developing my style early as I am still notorious for (intentionally) cropping out the very top of my subject's head in a close up. My love affair with photography continued through elementary school when I was the photographer for our 5th grade play, through middle school taking numerous silly snapshots while hanging out with friends, and on into high school when I took my first photography class. Then, I was truly hooked. I learned some technical aspects and how to use a dark room (thank goodness for digital...although there is something about film that I do miss!). I got away from my passion during my undergrad years at University of Florida (although you could never find me without a disposable camera in my purse), through grad school (where I became responsible enough to upgrade to a point-and-shoot), and my first few years of marriage but I was always still "that girl" who took too many pictures. Then, two years into our marriage we found out we were expecting; a precious baby boy named Jackson! It was then that I began begging Tyson for a "real" camera. Three years later...I finally got one! As of January I became the proud owner of a Nikon D5000. Since then, a wonderful photographer took me under his wing as his assistant and the rest as they say is history.

Through my lens (and this blog!) I hope to share all the joy I find in this beautiful world and God's bountiful blessings! That's all for now!

~Jenn

(family photo shot by my good friend Kim D.)