96
I sometimes have days when it seems like everything is fighting against me. My bangs look funky. I dropped my toothbrush on the floor. Putter puked. Twice. I lost my LipSaver. I have no gas in my car. And I hit a bunny. (*ok, I've never actually hit a bunny, but hypothetically speaking) Days like that make me want to throw on sweatpants, climb into bed, and sleep until I can start over tomorrow.
I had a day like that on Saturday. No dropped toothbrush or low gas tank, but we had a different issue. The weather. Leading up to Saturday, weather.com was predicting 30% for Saturday. Ok, well that's a 70% chance that it won't rain, my optimistic side was cheering. But my realistic side argued, It's Florida. It will change. My realistic side is such a Debbie Downer sometimes. Saturday rolled around, and alas - it had increased. A lot. By 50%, to be exact.
We had two LTTL shoots lined up in Ft. Myers, and against our better judgment (and that huge green blob sitting over the state of Florida), we decided to risk it.
AND WE WON.
We beat out the weather by about 15 minutes (torrential downpour ensued as soon as we pulled into Chick-fil-A for a post-shoot meal). Our victory made me want to channel my inner 5-year-old and stick my tongue out at the meteorologist, but I contained myself.
The sessions on Saturday were rain free, and really fun. I couldn't be more excited about Love Through the Lens, and the joy that it has brought us over the last couple of months. It's truly been an inspiring experience, and we are so thankful for the response that we've received about this opportunity. It will be back in the future. That's for sure. :)
Our first drizzle-free Saturday session was with Levi, Jessica and Matt. Levi's first birthday was in January, so the shoot was a celebration, and Levi was definitely the star. If our future child can be ANYthing like this baby, I will be happy. THRILLED, in fact. He is adorable, happy, and full of personality. And he can work the camera like it's his job. :)
Enjoy a few from the day!
Let' start with my favorite from the session. Ben was holding Levi's juice cup, so even though he's not walking by himself yet, he was determined to make his way over to claim his prized possession. :) (I love Matt and Jessica's expressions in the background!)
A little fun in the air with Daddy. Matt threw him in some crazy, spiral motion and I was seriously impressed. I was also impressed that Levi didn't throw up in the process.
I mean, how can you not love that face?!
Ben and I have known Matt and Jessica for awhile, and it was so cool to be able to hang out with them and watch them interact with Levi. They are seriously amazing parents, and Levi is loved tremendously.
Jessica and Matt - if Levi signs with Baby Gap as a model and becomes all famous, just remember us little people. ;)
Mommy and Levi time.
I can't get over the cuteness. He was probably about to give someone that pile of leaves in his hand. He likes to share.
If you aren't this excited on a slide, you're doing it wrong.
I think swinging was the highlight of his day. :)
*Stay tuned for the second LTTL shoot we did on Saturday - it will be posted tomorrow!
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95
I'm condensing today. 3 sessions into one, massive, photo-packed post. This way, I'll get all of these sneak peeks up for our clients to see, and I won't seem overwhelmingly redundant on Facebook and Twitter (Check out our blog! New post up! *5 seconds later* Check out our blog! New post up!).
Plus, I'm about to go to the gym, and I have a limit on how long I can be wearing athletic attire without actually doing any sort of physical activity. It's a very small window. If I wait too long, all hope is lost and I will submit to watching Law & Order: SVU in workout clothing.
So without further adieu...
Up first is Michael.
He's a Senior at Mariner High School in Ft. Myers, and played football for their team.
We are really close to his family (his dad, Jeff, married us!) - they're awesome.
Michael has been through a lot of challenges at his young age, but he has a bright, incredible future ahead of him and we are excited to see what's in store for him after graduation!
***
The next two sessions are from Love Through the Lens. I know I've said it a thousand times, but I'm so glad that we are able to do this. It's given us a chance to meet some amazing people, and give back to a truly fantastic cause. If this is your first time hearing about LTTL, check out the blog post here for more details. :)
Meet Kendall, Cody, and Brooke. Brooke and Cody are twins, and Kendall is the oldest. Cody wasn't as thrilled to be in the photos as the girls, but he was a good sport. :)
This was our second sister session, and I'm absolutely in love with this type of shoot. Probably because I have a fabulous sister of my own (hi Callie! :)), but there's something about photographing the bond between sisters that makes me super happy.
Gorgeous!
LOVE this. And I feel like it says so much about their relationship! :)
***
And last, but certainly not least, is Ashley. Well, a portion of her, at least. ;)
Since Ashley has a modeling background, she was incredibly easy to photograph. I also adored the fact that she brought so much to the shoot to showcase the football-loving side of her personality (future clients - take note! :)).
She's truly just as sweet and fun to be around as she is beautiful! :)
I couldn't decide between this one and the last one, so posting both seemed like the best option. :)
We had such a blast at all three of these sessions - thanks to all of you guys for hanging out in front of our cameras! :)
(*We have 2 LTTL shoots left - they are for January 30th in Ft. Myers, FL. If you are interested, shoot me an e-mail! :))
Ashley Camblin:
Thanks Ben and Amy for an awesome afternoon!! I had a blast! Ya'll are the best! :)
(01.25.10)
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a three-fer.
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94
I'm feeling a little rusty. It's definitely been awhile since I've done one of these posts. But I'm making an effort to be more consistent. I know, I know - I've said it before. But since we've got this new, pretty look on our blog, I can't just let it sit here and not get utilized. :)
Let's get right down to it.
FAB!:
1. LUSH Love Lettuce face mask: Ok. I know I've raved about this company before, but they really are just that good. You would think that I'm getting kick backs from them with how many times I've gushed about their products, but sadly, I'm not. This is just an extremely impressed customer wanting her friends to try out LUSH so they can be extremely impressed too. Literally anything you purchase from LUSH is fabulous, but today, I'm touching specifically on their Love Lettuce face mask. LUSH offers tons of different masks, so I kind of just selected this one at random. And OMG (yes, LUSH leaves me so speechless that I have to resort to abbreviations). This mask is heaven in a jar. I'm not kidding. Like, I actually think if Jesus made face masks, he would create something like this one. With ingredients like almond shell, seaweed gel, lavender oil, almond oil, and Fuller's Earth, this product is a perfect balance of cleansing, soothing, and softening. My skin feels insane. In the best way. It's smoother, cleaner, and (if I may say) even more 'radiant' - as the jar ensures it will be. And in this harsh, wintery weather, it's like gold. You can't purchase Love Lettuce on LUSH's website because the product is made fresh and has to stay chilled, but they have lots of stores all over the place. Do yourself a favor and go. After you do, I can almost guarantee that you will turn into an overzealous spokesperson, like yours truly.
2. Work. Your. Closet. I'm extra excited about sharing this. :) One of our former brides (and now friend!), Jamie, has started a blog project called Work.Your.Closet. The concept is brilliant - she loves fashion, but she (like most of us) doesn't have thousands of dollars to spend on designer duds at the drop of a hat. So she takes inspiration from various sources (magazine pages, online fashion ads, etc) and creates similar looks with items that she already owns in her closet. The result is truly fabulous. Jamie explains each trend, why she loves it, and how to make it work. Every post includes a photo of her, dressed in the 'look' of the day, and details about where she purchased each item. The girl knows fashion. Period. And she is passionate about it. That's what I love about this project. Jamie isn't getting paid to write this blog - she wants to. I have no doubt that she'll be wildly successful, and that this little project is just a platform for even bigger things down the road. So definitely stop by her blog. You will be absolutely be inspired to reach into your closet and create fashion-forward looks without breaking the bank. :)
3. Boots. I have a confession. I have an unhealthy obsession with boots. For awhile, it rode the line of healthy and mildly unhealthy. But a couple of weeks ago, I took a giant leap over the edge when I purchased 2 pairs in one day. That purchase brought my grand total to...eight. Eight pairs of boots. Since it's cold out right now, my addiction is a little more justifiable. But really, no one needs eight pairs of boots unless they live in an igloo. And I don't. I live on a peninsula, an hour from the beach in any direction. I know what you're thinking, but I have an explanation. I was talking to a friend of mine recently, and she said 'My sister creates her entire outfit around her boots.' And I was all, I totally get her. Boots don't just complete an outfit - they are the essence of the outfit. (Did I go too far there? Just a little?) Basically, my opinion is this - everyone needs a cute pair of boots. Or eight. Whatever.
4. Burn Notice. I don't watch a ton of TV, but the shows that I do watch, I adore. Occasionally, I even become one of 'those' people. You know, the person that thinks it's ok to claim the show as their own; "I have to get home. My show's on at 10." The few that usually end up on our DVR are House, Law & Order: SVU, and more recently, Burn Notice. Ben started watching Burn Notice while he was staying in Reno before his trip to California this past fall. He got hooked. So when he came home, naturally, he forced me to watch it with him. I wasn't into it at first. But then we rented it from the beginning on NetFlix. Oh man. There's no turning back now. This show is a perfect blend of action, humor, intelligence, and drama. There's something for everyone to love. The show is based around Michael Weston - a former spy who was burned (or blacklisted). He is witty, brilliant, and not at all hard to look at. He makes me want to buy cool sunglasses and walk around saying phrases like 'covert-ops' and 'double agent.'
5. BD's Mongolian Grill. I like BD's because I'm in control of my food. I like it because I get to watch it being cooked on a huge grill. I like it because when I go through the line of ingredients, it makes me feel like I'm a chef. Like I know how to make a good recipe. I like it because I can add in exactly what I like (chicken, garlic, edamame, green onions, chili garlic sauce...good!) and leave out what I don't (cabbage, mushrooms, weird baby corn...bad.). I like it because the energy is high, and the music is loud. And the tortillas. I like the tortillas. A lot.
DRAB...
1. Cold, rainy weather. Even though it's great for my boot obsession, my body was not created for this type of weather. Really, Florida was not created for this type of weather. I know that Floridians have the reputation of being Whiny McWhinersons when it comes to weather - it's tooooooo hotttttt in the summer and toooooo colllllllld in the winter. But I have 2 things to say about that. One, we will never, ever be adequately prepared for cold weather because we never actually expect it. It always sneaks up on us. Our idea of 'warm clothing' is layering a shirt on top of another shirt, and maybe taking off our flip flops for a day or two. Maybe. So yes. 27 degrees is absolutely freezing to us. It may not be anything compared to Minnesota's temperatures of below zero, but we can't understand the difference. Cold is cold. Our bodies are used to being tan, and our drinks are usually served with a lot of ice. We're freaking out because we don't know what 'freeze warning' means, and there is this weird thing called sleet coming down from the sky. Give us a break. And secondly, I actually like the Florida heat. Summer is my favorite, and I'd much rather be in a bathing suit than a sweatshirt any day. So really, I should be able to complain about the cold all I want. ;)
2. Cleaning. (Could my 'drab' list be more generic?!) I despise cleaning. I don't mind doing laundry, I love to cook, but cleaning and I are enemies. I know that most people don't really love to clean, but I'm not sure how many actually have an intense hate for it like I do. I even wish it was socially acceptable to be disorganized. Like, the more cluttered your house is, the more creative you are or something. It's a stretch, but a girl can dream. I loathe cleaning so much that I have actually tried to convince Ben to let me hire a maid. Babe, I know we're on a budget, and we're trying to save money, and I know I work from home, and I know that we are the only people who live in this house, but can we hire someone to clean for us? He usually just stares at me until I stop talking.
3. Soda. As one of my resolutions (that I have yet to post on here. Oops.), I'm giving up soda. I really don't drink soda all that often, but I'm cold turkey cutting myself off. I'm trying to drink more water, and treat my body better this year, so soda and I just can't hang out. But man. Soda is so delicious. Dr. Pepper - you are my Everest.
4. Stairs. We have a spiral staircase. It's wooden. I was walking down it the other day, and I slipped on one of the steps. I had to walk on crutches for a day and a half. I haven't walked on crutches since like, 1998, so it was ridiculous. My kneecap is now purple and green. Stairs, you suck.
5. The Tiger Woods scandal. I'm just over this. Just like I'm over Jon and Kate whatever-their-name-is, I'm over the Tiger Woods drama. Yes, he messed up, and his actions are inexcusable. Yes, everyone knows about it. Yes, the media has blown it up into a huge, outrageous uproar. Now, let's move on and hope he can get his life and family pieced back together.
**We will be doing lots of shooting this month, as the three remaining Love Through the Lens dates are scheduled for the next few weeks. So keep checking back for lots of photo awesomeness! :) (p.s. If you'd like more info about Love Through the Lens, check out the blog post here. To purchase a LTTL session, shoot us an e-mail. I believe we still have 1 or 2 sessions up for grabs! :))
Jamie Miller:
Amy - thank you!! I truly appreciate the support. It will be in fact reciprocated :)
(01.12.10)
emily anderson:
is there a BD's monoglian here in florida?! they had one back in KS and i loved that place!
(01.17.10)
Amy:
@Emily - oh yes there is. Amaaaaazing. Check out their site for specific locations: gomongo.com :)
(01.19.10)
Laurie:
love love love boots too! and lush products are amazing. the closest lush to us is 4 hours away so the last thing before we head home I buy masks from lush and put them in a cooler for the trip home :)
fun to read all your fab vs drabs :)
(01.28.10)
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93
Finally. I don't know about you, but I was dying for Sunday to get here so we could start making some changes on this thing. And here we are! Mission accomplished.
This was certainly no easy feat, but you all took on the task at hand and contributed tons of helpful input. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for participating in our little poll (and our big decision). Without you, our brand would be one scattered mess of colors, and we would probably be giving each other the silent treatment. ;)
The results claimed palette number 4 as the winner, and we stuck to that...sort of. We actually tried out palette numbers 3, 4, and 1 (the palettes that seemed to consistently receive the most votes throughout the process) and decided which one looked best once applied to our blog.
Sadly, number 1 was immediately withdrawn from the trio first. I just couldn't get the image of this guy out of my head while looking at those colors on our site.
We fell in love with the lively, energetic green and the simplicity of the grey from palette 3, but the blue that we originally paired with those colors was too light. So we incorporated the blue from palette 4 to complete our branding scheme (have I successfully confused you yet? I'm definitely NOT a numbers person, so I lost myself a long time ago).
Basically, what you're looking at is the new look. We hope you love it as much as we do. :) (p.s. Our website also reflects the change, so check that out as well!)
Along with our new look, I have 'spruced' up our logo (haha...pun really not intended, but I had a good laugh when I reread that line). I've been wanting to incorporate a 'pair' in our logo for sometime to illustrate the team (of Ben and I) that makes up our company. I think our relationship as husband and wife really speaks to who we are as artists, and what our business is all about. We are partners in life, and in photography. And I wanted to emphasize that somewhere in our brand. So I chose two trees. The trees are also significant because I believe that they symbolize growth. Our logo will always be a reminder to continually push ourselves in photography, and keep moving forward; growing together as a couple, and growing our business as photographers.
Ok I think that's it for now. Oh wait! The winners of the gift certificates. That's the real reason you're here anyway, right? ;)
Congrats to Tricia and Christen for winning the $10 Amazon gift cards! I will be e-mailing you ladies shortly with your prizes. :)
Again, thank you to ALL of you for voting, and for your insight! We're excited for the future of Starks Photography and we're looking forward to adventuring through 2010 with you guys! :)
(**sidenote: if you're viewing our blog on a Mac using Safari as your browser, you may notice that the color of our logo doesn't quite match up to the rest of the navigation bar. We are working with our design company to get this resolved promptly. In the mean time, you can utilize Firefox to view the blog with the correct look. :))
tina morrow:
looks awesome! :)
(01.11.10)
Anonymous:
Happy colors, happy company. Love the trees addition.
(01.11.10)
Cami:
hahahaha I am still laughing about the 'spruce' joke!
(01.11.10)
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92
It's 2010. A year of change. In a couple of days, Ben and I will be posting our New Year's resolutions on our blog (we're fashionably late this year), and some of these will include goals for our photography business. We are determined to push ourselves creatively, and stay true to who we are as artists and individuals.
We believe that our brand has to be unique to who we are striving to be - across the board. It's difficult to describe our photography 'style' (and sometimes seems a little too forced to do so), but there are a few things that we definitely hope to emphasize through our images. Innovation. Beautiful simplicity. Emotion. Passion. Boldness. Inspiration. Down-to-earth...ness. ;) These are the things that we love, and these are the things that we try to create with our cameras. We've grown a lot over the last couple of years and we are certainly not done growing. Through this growth we have started to feel more confident with our brand, and in our abilities. The future is a beautiful, vast, unknown territory.
That being said, it's time my friends. Out with the old, in with the more fabulous. We need a new look. For a little while now, we haven't really felt that the color scheme of our company meshes with Starks Photography as a whole. This branding of brown, teal and tan has served us well - very well. But it's time to take our 'look' in a new, style-consistent direction. The color palette of our business may seem like a very small part of the puzzle, but really, we believe that it's pretty essential. This palette is all over the place - our website, our blog, our business cards, our logo. This is what is seen first - part of what draws people in. This is why it's crucial to make sure that this aspect says something about what Starks Photography is all about.
So for the past couple of days I've channeled my inner design expert (which isn't very 'expert' at all, really), and created a few new palettes for us to jump off of. Not to get all hippie-kumbaya-ish on you, but these colors speak to me. They draw me in. They connect to our brand.
But we have a problem.
Ben and I are the King and Queen of Indecisiveland. A world where it takes 30 minutes to figure out where to eat, and relationships are tried when paint colors have to be selected for the bedroom.
So basically, we need your help.
Below, you will find 6 color palettes (containing 3 colors each). Some of these may look similar, but there are differences. Big enough differences to make us not be able to decide on our own. ;) After the selection process is over, Ben and I will decide exactly how the colors will be utilized (i.e. which colors are dominant, and which are accents). That will be solely up to us. Lord. Help me now.
Now, all you have to do is vote for your favorite. That's it! Just click the little button next to your choice and you're done! Easy-peasy. You can vote as many times as you'd like, so vote for your favorite until your little heart is content. Or if you're like Ben and I, come back and vote for each one separately. ;) To sweeten the deal (and thank all of you for helping put this decision behind us), we're going to give away 2 $10 Amazon gift cards to 2 different voters. All you have to do is comment on this post to let us know that you voted (and be sure to include your e-mail address!). We'll randomly select 2 winners after the voting is closed. Voting ends Saturday, January 9 at 11:59p.m.
Thanks for participating! :)
Stephanie Sanderson:
Number 4 :)
(01.06.10)
cora:
Go Bold...i like #1
(01.06.10)
Jennifer Eileen:
Well, I voted for #3 but I think I may come back and vote for one other. If I had the opportunity I might have switched certain grays. But alas, they are all lovely.
(01.06.10)
Andy Schuler:
i went with #4. but i also like 3.
(01.06.10)
Jenn Merkley:
I voted too! I like number 1 the best :)
(01.06.10)
Sarah:
that was tough but i voted :)
(01.06.10)
Whitney F.:
Definitely #2. The colors really look good together and they pop. #2 is the way to go : )
(01.06.10)
Quirky:
Vastly in the minority by all counts but happy with my choice.... I think 5 pops! All three shades are in play... 4 might be two tones as the pale blue gets lost, IMHO. Just me....
(01.06.10)
Anonymous:
#2 POPS too!
(01.06.10)
tina morrow:
#1 - with that purple it really rocks!!! :)
(01.06.10)
Kimberly:
Ohh this is tough! I would say my vote falls between Color Palette #3 and #4... so hard to choose!
(01.06.10)
Letty:
I like 4... But I LOVE 1! It's bold... It screams unique... It embraces rich manly tones, yet oozes with the simplicity of feminine romantical tones. To me... It has Ben and Amy written all over it! If you don't use it... We will!! Haha.
(01.06.10)
Shay:
I voted for #1 because I love the purple!!!
(01.06.10)
Ellen DeLoach:
Color Palette 1 for Doug and Ellen! You guys are so cute!
(01.06.10)
Ashley Camblin:
I picked #2, but I also really like #1!! :)
(01.06.10)
Jessica:
#1 for me! :)
(01.07.10)
sarah bray:
I voted! Wow, I see I am in the minority.... I love #5 - modern and clean, but something about it makes me feel calm :-)
(01.07.10)
Megan:
I picked number 2, but I also really, really liked number 3 because of the green. But.. the people are speaking. Looks like number 1 may take first place. (;
(01.07.10)
Ashley McCormick Photography:
I looooove #3!! There is something so modern and spunky about it. I can't wait to see what you two pick!
(01.07.10)
Josh:
I really like the first two palettes, for completely different reasons. The second one is maybe best in terms of brand consistency (which is something to think about), because the blue looks so similar to what you have now.
The first one is a lot of fun. I think it fits your style well, and it feels very contemporary without being cliche. Thus making it the best for an overhaul of your brand, which seems to be more the direction you're heading. The only concern I have is that it might compete with your photos, though if you're careful I think you could pull it off.
Anyway, good luck with it all. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Peace - Josh
(01.07.10)
Chaundi Parham:
I went with #5 :)
(01.07.10)
courtney randazza:
it was hard to chose just one! haha! but I liked #3 :)
(01.07.10)
Tammy Irwin:
Now you could post your top 3 choices and give everyone a chance to vote again.
(01.07.10)
Phyllis:
I like the vibrant colors.
(01.07.10)
Leigh:
I voted for 6 but if it's a choice between 3 & 4 then I prefer 4 :) xx
(01.07.10)
Nana:
All are nice, but #4 is my pick!
(01.07.10)
Tricia:
I love #2!
(01.07.10)
hayley:
i voted, love #1!!
(01.07.10)
Hannah Fell:
number 4! usually I love purple, but that teal-ish color is totally speaking to me, ha!
(01.07.10)
Alisha:
Voted my loves
(01.07.10)
Callie:
I can only vote once! :( But #1 needs to win! Count like 300 more votes from me for #1..b/c I can't make it happen!
(01.08.10)
Kristin:
I picked number 2! love you guys!
(01.08.10)
Kristin:
hmmm.....maybe i like number one now....i like number 5 too! ....dont pay attention to my votes right now..ill get back to you! lol
(01.08.10)
Lindsay:
I voted for #2!! - Lindsay
(01.09.10)
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LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. You guys have done it again...I never doubted you. :) Thanks so much for taking the risk and coming down for the pictures. We are so thankful for both of you.
(02.01.10)Oh, my, what an adorable child!! Those eyes!! Great pictures!
(02.01.10)That kid must come from good stock!! - I think there's both beauty and genius in his lineage...
Great pics - you guys do good work!!
(02.01.10)You've done an amazing job capturing Levi's spirit! He's such a great kid. I can't wait to see more pics!
(02.01.10)He's such a beautiful ,happy little guy. He makes me smile every time I see his pictures. Great pictures!
(02.01.10)