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out of the office.
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On a totally personal, unrelated note, in three short days I will be boarding a plane and flying across the country. Destination? NEW YORK! It will be my first time in the Big Apple, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I'm sure my family and close friends couldn't be more thrilled either, because I've been ridiculously obnoxious in the weeks leading up to this trip ('Countdown is at 16 days! In 16 days I will be in New York! YAY!'....'Have I mentioned that I will be in New York in 13 days? 13 days! YAY!')
I wanted to throw out that little piece of info for 2 reasons; one, because this is my blog, and I can be obnoxious if I want to. ;) Two, Starks Photography 'office' will be closed during my absence. All e-mails, messages, and calls will be returned as soon as I get back into Florida (which will be on Tuesday, September 15). I'll be taking my camera (of course), and I can't wait to post an overwhelming "all things New York" blog when I get back!
***
Ashley and Reid were married at Shades of Green in Orlando Florida (Disney area). This was a first time for us shooting at this location, and we couldn't have been more pleased with the whole experience.
Shades of Green is an Armed Forces Recreation Center, designed exclusively for men and women in the service. Ashley and Reid are both part of the dedicated group of people who protect and serve our country, and Ben and I were so honored to be a part of their big day. The wedding was beautiful, relaxed, and full of emotion. Ashley and Reid have an awesome bunch of family members and friends, and we felt completely comfortable throughout the entire day.
It was easy to see why Ashley and Reid are so 'right' for each other - they both possess the same down-to-earth attitudes, and easygoing, approachable personalities. I don't know how Ben and I keep scoring these fabulous, laid back clients, but I couldn't be happier with our luck! :)
Enjoy a few from the day...more to come soon!
Ashley's jewelry was gorrrrrgeous.
Ashley and Reid passed through an arch of swords after the ceremony, making for a really unique exit. :)
I think this next image says a lot about Ashley and Reid's fun personalities - they could only hold the 'serious' pose for about 5 seconds before breaking into laughter. This is one of my most favorite couple shots ever. :)
The bling. :)
This groom's cake topper is made out of rice crispy treats. For real. That's a seriously cool cake.
First dance love.
This kid deserves special recognition for his killer moves. He kept the dance floor alive all night.
Erin Avants:
Awesome pics!!
(09.08.09)
Wendy Klingele:
Tears. You both radiate happiness & love!!
(09.17.09)
Brenda Welman:
Delighted to see these beautiful photos...you both look so happy and full of love!
(10.30.09)
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Not too long ago, I posted 'part 1' of Larissa and Justin's Winter Park engagement session. Well here's round 2 - this couple totally rocked our cameras. :) We can't wait for their wedding at Casa Feliz in 3 weeks!
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larissa & justin : engaged [part 2]
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I'm really going to have to stop calling these "sneak peeks" - I can never actually narrow down the images to an appropriate number for that category. I start clicking and compiling and before I know it, I'm making a folder. A folder for what is supposed to be a "sneak peek." Hi my name is Amy and I'm the most indecisive person on the planet.
I suppose that's not such a bad thing though, right? Having a tough time choosing means that there are tons of fabulous photos to select from. :)
I have a lot to say about Annie and Reeves' big day, but I think the surplus of images below should speak for themselves for now. A bigger blog post is on the way very soon with details about this beautiful couple and their absolutely gorgeous wedding celebration in St. Augustine, Florida. :) :
Annie made a ridiculously stunning bride.
I lovvvve the expressions from Reeves and Annie's sister-in-law when they see Annie walking down the aisle with her father. :)
Pretty happy about that new ring on her finger. ;)
First kiss as Mr. and Mrs.!
Annie and Reeves gave us plenty of time for photos after the ceremony, which made us super happy photographers. :) P.s. I have officially decided that I'm entering into a love affair with St. Augustine. Every corner, street and building is photo-worthy. Be still my heart.
Annie and Reeves just so happen to be outrageously photogenic as well. Awesome scenery + awesome couple = win-win. :)
Two things: One, that photo on the right is my favorite from the day so far. Two, could Annie be more gorgeous? Seriously.
Something about this first dance shot completely draws me in. It's dramatic and filled with emotion - I love it.
This series was shot towards the end of the night and I think it sums up the whole event perfectly; excitement, love, and happiness. :)
A sparkly exit!
**More to come soon!**
Heidi Mitchell:
Ummm, the portraits you did of those two are FAB. Nice work :) And she is really gorgeous!
(08.31.09)
Ashley McCormick Photography:
Amy these are beautiful! St. Augustine is so amazing and you total captured their wedding beautifully! I can't wait to see more :)
(08.31.09)
Megan:
that last photo? LEGIT! I love it.
(08.31.09)
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Over the past couple of weeks the word change has been popping up fairly often in our blog posts. Today is the day we will elaborate on this frequent mention. :)
Let's backtrack a little.
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to creative expression. I thrive off of innovation and artistry, and I'm sure that I'd never be quite content in a cubicle from 9-5. It's simply not how my brain functions. I need variety. I need originality. I need hands-on tasks. I need inspiration, vision, and energy. I admire painters, writers, inventors, entrepreneurs, musicians, designers, stylists; people who allow creativity to soak into their career field.
Many years ago, before photography began rocking my world, I wanted something different in my life. Not to get all MLK on you, but I had a dream. My dream was to try my hand at cosmetology. My plan was to go to school for it, unleash my newfound talent in the world, and eventually become the proprietor of my very own salon. It was a lofty dream. I'm a lofty dreamer. :)
I went to college for none of the above. I gained a Bachelor's degree in English-Creative Writing (another passion...you'll soon discover - if you haven't already - that I'm a smorgasbord for professional choices :)). After deciding that I didn't want to teach, and my hopes of writing a novel were going to be filed in the back of my brain under "things I'll do when I have more time," I knew I'd need to hone in on a different skill for my career.
Enter Photography.
Ben and I submerged into the world of photo-taking as a hobby; a shared creative outlet (there's that phrase again ;)). It blossomed (rather, snowballed) into a profession. We feel immensely blessed to be able to work together, doing something we both absolutely love doing. We love people, and we love the art of photography. These two wonderful passions colliding has been an exciting, incredible journey.
But there is something missing for me.
You see, aside from photography, Ben is an amazingly talented musician. He has found his "niche" in life in the form of instrumental and vocal expression. His giftedness is God-sent, and he flourishes in this area of his life. He wakes up in the morning and is excited about his work. I have envied that excitement for as long as I've known him.
It's not that photography doesn't bring me joy and excitement; it absolutely does. But it's our joy, and our excitement. The business is a shared venture; without one of us, it would not be the same. I could never take it as my own, and I would never want to. That's not how it began, and that's not the direction we ever wanted it to go. It's always been a "team" endeavor, and taking Ben out of the equation would be eliminating a part of Starks Photography that makes our company unique. It's like a PB&J without the J. Too weird. :)
Recently, I have been having this unavoidable need for something of my own. I hope that I don't sound selfish. I am simply craving a personal means of expression; something I can learn, grow, stumble, and succeed in on my own. As I've explained to Ben, "I need a music. My own music."
Thankfully, God has given me the most encouraging, supportive, loving husband a girl could ever ask for. Ben is the fire under my butt - he pushed me to move forward, and reminded me that there's no time like the present. Without his motivation, I'm quite sure I'd still be swimming in a sea of self-doubt, battling myself with the question of "what if?"
There is a lot of risk in making a career decision - financial risk, commitment risk, personal risk, relationship risk. But I'm ready for it. I'm willing to make sacrifices and put myself out on a limb because I refuse to allow a possible life-altering experience to slip right through my fingertips.
I will be chasing down my former (but never really abandoned) dream of being a cosmetologist. I have applied (and been accepted) to the Aveda Institute in Orlando, and my adventure will begin in April 2010. I'm nervous, anxious, and most of all, thrilled. I'm anticipating the future and throwing myself into unfamiliar territory with a huge burst of energy. This will be the beginning of something that I've been yearning for, and I'm taking full advantage of this opportunity for change. :)
***
With this personal change, our photography business will be changing quite drastically as well. Due to my course schedule (which will be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays), we will no longer be accepting weddings for dates after March 2010. This change is bittersweet for us; we love weddings, and we love being able to capture that beautiful day for our clients, but it's completely unrealistic to keep that aspect of our business on our plate. We're unsure if this change will be temporary or permanent, but for at least a year, this will be in effect. After I have finished at Aveda, we will reevaluate our business structure.
For those of you assuming we'll be hanging up our cameras for good - not so fast! ;) We still have an enormous love for photography, and our business will continue to move forward. However, (obviously) we have altered our services, and you will find details about the new plan below:
The following is what Starks Photography will offer as of March 31st, 2010 (*note: we offer these services currently - as well as wedding coverage - but this list is exclusively what will be offered after this date):
-Just Because Sessions
-Mini Just Because Sessions
-Maternity Sessions
-Family Sessions
-Engagement Sessions
-Spotlight Sessions
-Trash the Dress Sessions
We're taking this opportunity to provide more extensive details about these specific services. Check it out :) :
JUST BECAUSE - This session is appropriately named because it needs no absolute reason to take place. :) Senior photos, life portraits, modeling head shots, etc - they are all categorized under "Just Because."
The 411:
-1-2 photographers
-1-2 clients
-1-1.5 hours of coverage time
-Up to 3 wardrobe changes
-A disc of about 25-30 full quality, edited images (*with shared copyright privileges)
MINI JUST BECAUSE - a quicker (less expensive) version of the above mentioned. :)
The 411:
-1-2 photographers
-1-2 clients
-30-45 minutes of coverage time
-A disc of about 15-20 full quality, edited images (*with shared copyright privileges)
FAMILY - This session can be for babies, toddlers, teens, adults or a combination of ages. For example, it can be booked to solely highlight your two-year-old daughter, or for some shots of the whole family before your kids go off to college. :)
The 411:
-1-2 photographers
-1-6 clients
-1-1.5 hours of coverage time
-A disc of about 25-30 full quality, edited images (*with shared copyright privileges)
MATERNITY - Meant for moms (or parents)-to-be. We recommend waiting until you are at least 6-7 months pregnant before booking a maternity session.
The 411:
-1-2 photographers
-1-2 clients
-1-1.5 hours of coverage time
-Up to 3 wardrobe changes
-A disc of about 25-30 full quality, edited images (*with shared copyright privileges)
SPOTLIGHT (& TRASH THE DRESS) - A spotlight session is meant to "spotlight" your personalities as husband and wife. What do you like to do together? Go fishing? Cook? Sing karaoke? Whatever it is, we want to capture it. These creative sessions are much like Trash the Dress (in which a bride can be photographed solo, or with her groom, in a unique setting), but with a more personal spin. In both session types, be prepared to get that gown a little dirty. ;)
The 411:
-1-2 photographers
-1-2 clients
-1-1.5 hours of coverage time
-A disc of about 25-30 full quality, edited images (*with shared copyright privileges)
ENGAGEMENT - One of our favorite types to shoot is an engagement session. Couples who are unabashedly in love are super fun and inspiring. To these sessions, bring your confidence, laughter, and personalities - we want to showcase what you're all about. :)
The 411:
-1-2 photographers
-1-2 clients
-1-1.5 hours of coverage time
-Up to 3 wardrobe changes
-A disc of about 25-30 full quality, edited images (*with shared copyright privileges)
A few general, across the board changes:
-Location: While we have been open to traveling in the past (and we truly do love to travel), we are going to be more selective about our destinations for the next several months. This is simply due to schedule constraints. For any of the above sessions, we would like to stay within 30 minutes of Lake Wales, Florida (*for Mini Just Because sessions, within 15 minutes). If a client wishes for us to travel farther, a travel fee will apply.
-Dates: We are only going to offer any of the above sessions during the week. Our weekends are obviously limited due to my school schedule, so no sessions will take place Thursday through Saturday (*we will take a very limited number of Sunday sessions).
-Costs: Due to the change in our services, our prices have been slightly altered. We're streamlining our business in that we will no longer be offering a proofing option or print credit. We've found that most of the time, our clients simply want a disc of photos - no fluff. :) We do have a pricing sheet that details a list of costs for printing, should a client choose to have any of their images professionally printed. Please e-mail us for more investment details.
We are totally excited about our future - from a personal standpoint, and from a business one. We will be offering fun deals and promos in the near future to keep Starks Photography heading in a positive, forward-moving direction. :)
As for the blog, it will continue to showcase our awesome clients (we still have lots of events and shoots coming up! :)), details about our business, and our personal thoughts and experiences. I will be blogging on a more regular basis, and possibly holding Ben at gunpoint asking Ben nicely to contribute his insight as well. ;)
So if you actually made it through that novel of a post, God bless you. You are more interested (or possibly, bored) than I was expecting. ;)
Feel free to e-mail us with any thoughts or questions! We will also be updating our site very soon to reflect the changes - thanks for taking this journey with us!
-Amy & Ben
Ben:
Seize the carpe! (or however the saying goes) I'm super pumped for you!!!
(08.22.09)
Shirley :
ummm im not going to lie i got really excited to see my face. im also THRILLED for you with all the awesome newness.
(08.24.09)
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