Family of Elves Holiday Photos - South Florida Portrait Photographer

"So, my mother-in-law bought us all these Elf pajamas for Christmas..."

And that's how GREAT photo sessions are born!!

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This family was all about doing something fun and different this year for their holiday photos. (Mission accomplished!) It's really such a special story. Mom & Dad were on a date years ago...dinner and the movie, Elf. Dad proposed that night. So a tradition of watching Elf began and continues today with their boys enjoying this now family classic.

I'm SO thrilled to be a part of such a special memory & tradition in their family.

(Buddy/Will Farrell would be SO proud of Dad jumping on the bicycle!)

Enjoy!
xo Mary


CLICK HERE to head over to YouTube to see all the cuteness in a slideshow!

Super Boys | South Florida Portrait Photographer

I would have never thought that I could get these boys photographed in 3 different outfits...with a flyby rain shower...in an hour. Wonders never cease! These boys were made for photo shoots!! ;)

Our goal was to update their photos from last year (see those here), but we had some time towards the end to mess around a bit with some "super hero" moves! Great stuff!!

Enjoy!

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Holiday Portraits with Christmas Lights | South Florida Photographer

I was reminded back in May that I hadn't posted these holiday portraits from LAST YEAR. I know...I know...but, I couldn't very well post holiday portraits around Mother's Day. So, I was reminded again recently to get them up.

This was very last minute last year. One of my older girls asked if I could do a group portrait with her and her friends. Problem was they all worked crazy hours and the only time she could get everyone together was at 10:30PM!!

WHAT was I going to do with that??! Hmmm...

Holiday lights and a Ryobi power lamp. Wa-laaahhh! The very coolest holiday portrait EV-ER!

Better late than never.
Enjoy!
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Halloween Inspiration Photo Session

Who says Halloween pictures need to be taken on your front porch with a pumpkin? Or with bales of hay at a Pumpkin patch? Or with a backdrop at the local mall?

Not me.

I took four adorable munchkins out for a walk amongst the trees and down to the water's edge. My princesses and pirate were right at home.

A few weeks ago I saw a flyer for JCPenney advertising Disney costumes. I knew that I wanted to gather a bunch of kids & these costumes...and get out and about. Three moms jumped at the chance!!

So, on a muggy South Florida morning we flitted about in a leafy forest, walked down a tree lined path, stood our ground on a distant shore, then gathered coconuts and even considered diving in the cool water.

As I was photographing that morning, I wondered how much fun it would be to have a dress up playdate...in character!! I actually believed Tinkerbell was sitting there trying to get her lantern home to open up and Jake the Pirate would burst into the Aw Coconuts song.

When my youngest was 3, she wouldn't take her Tinkerbell costume off for weeks. I gave in and we went to Target, the grocery store and finally the park. She had THE best time running around being Tink. (And yes...I did take pictures. ;) After Halloween consider letting the kids go out and about in costume. It's fun...and what else are you going to do with those costumes after Halloween????

Enjoy and have a Happy Halloween!

  

Happy Friday - Photographing Bubbles

A fantastic off "shoot" of my bubble portrait session last week were these A-MAZ-ING bubble images. This was the first time I had photographed bubbles and I was just giddy about the detail and composition which was tough since the wind picked up.

Photographing bubbles is challenging, but I have a few tips that will help you get the best shots.

1) Use the bigger bubble wands. This makes it easier to grab focus as you're chasing the little suckers around.

2) Ask someone to help out and have them blow the bubbles. (Even if it's your 7 year old.)

3) Know your wind. Wait for a day where the wind isn't going to carry them off too quickly. And position yourself downwind.

4) Pick interesting surroundings for the reflections. The park gave me some stunning landscape type images. (Might be fun to try architecture.)

5) To help pick up those reflections, try shooting against a solid or same color for your background. Mine really POPPED with the canal water behind them. Some of the other great ones were the green mottling of the trees and grass. ( Ooooh...I'd also like to try against a rising or setting sun.)

6) Use a lens/aperture combo that will give you a nice blurry background so your focus is the bubble. A telephoto helped with the zoom. (Mine were shot at f 2.8/50mm.)

7) If you'd like to get shots of them bursting (which I'm going to try!)...use a fast shutter speed (1/400th).

Maybe this weekend - grab your camera, grab your kid and a bottle of bubbles. Have fun!

Enjoy your Friday!

 

 

Yeah...that black dot is me!

 

 

Instagram Love

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I love my camera phone almost as much as I love my DSLR. (Almost.) This past weekend was no exception.

I've found my camera phone to be a fantastic alternative to lugging my big camera around everywhere. Don't get me wrong...I'm often shooting with both when I see something that catches my eye. The wildflowers on the side of the road, the beach and Allie's yard frog all got love from BOTH cameras this time around. Sometimes it's just about capturing the moment.

I love the rough grain and funky filter options that come with Instagram, as well as the supporting 3rd-party filter apps. And I don't even have an iPhone!! I'm working from my Android.

Another plus side to using Instagram is that it really has trained my eye to look for things that I might not have noticed. Colors, shapes, textures...details. I know it's a bit messed up, but as I go through my day, I constantly find myself framing things in nice little Instagram squares. (I know...I know.)

Today I discovered a FAB-ulous internet tool called Instaport. I've been wanting to download and print out a photo collage of all my favorite Instagram pics for the wall in my office. I stumbled on this incredibly easy time saver. (I've been downloading my Instagram pics from FB...painful.)

If you're an Instagrammer...take a look at this. And if you're not Instagramming thinking "WHY do I need to document my food and my feet everywhere?" Reconsider that it could be a window for creativity.

If you're not already following me on Instagram...come on...I don't mind...
http://instagram.com/marylovesphotos

Some cool projects for your Instagram photos check out my Pinterest Photo Display & Crafts board -
Coasters
Wall Art
Magnets
iPhone case
Photo Books/Albums

Enjoy!
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"Beach Boys" | Deerfield Beach Photographer

Now that the ocean has been a bit warmer recently, I've been taking the girls over to the beach later in the afternoon. (Less need for all that sunscreen mess at 5 o'clock.  ;)

This was a particularly gorgeous South Florida day! Bright, warm sun - but the temperature was sitting around a perfect 78 degrees. My brother and his sons decided to join us. A fantastic sand bar & a FEARLESS 3 year old made for some great shots!!

But, my favorite is the one of his older son making this crazy sideways dive into the ocean.

And of course the tuckered 3 year old bundled in a towel...love it!

Enjoy!
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Happy Friday - Camera Love

Happy Friday!

My collection of old & fun cameras makes me happy. Katie recently gave me “her” camera to add to my collection. I've managed to collect Windsor, Polaroid, Kodak, Phototak and now Fisher-Price.

Even when the girls were little, running around with the Fisher-Price, they were learning to see moments. Through cameras we see the world and get a permanent record so we can look at it again & again. Grab your favorite camera & take some pictures this weekend. (I know I will.)

County Fair Couples Session | South Florida Photographer

Who doesn’t love The County Fair?!

It's the perfect backdrop for a fun couple. Ferris Wheels...Bumpers Cars...Midway Games...and let's not forget FUNNEL CAKES!!

Jackie and Howard are so natural together....I love how much in love they are. They wanted to do something fun to celebrate their recent one year “dating” anniversary. (I don’t want anyone to think they missed a wedding. ;)

"Golden" Opportunity - Sunset Silhouettes | South Florida Photographer

It was getting late. We had dinner plans...and it was getting colder. I know...South Florida...you don't know cold. But we were in shorts!

I'm hurrying the girls along and I looked over and saw this A-MAZ-ING sunset over a lake at one of our local parks. The orange and blue...simply stunning.

Luckily, with camera in hand, I seized the opportunity to get the girls against a gorgeous South Florida sunset.

Here's a few...ENJOY!

Pinterest - a useful Tool, not a wasteful Obsession.

Just looking at my Pinterest boards makes me happy...ya think I like color?   :)

Are you one of the many addicted to Pinterest? Whether you're looking to redecorate a room, planning a wedding, wanting to try different hairstyles, looking for color inspiration for your next painting...it's all there! It's SO MUCH better than just doing a Google images search. On Pinterest you have people with similiar tastes/likes collecting and you just jump on (or jump off - if you are no longer interested in say...lower back tatoos).

I use to rip inspiration out of magazines and even put them into labeled file folders. (Yes, I'm one of THOSE people.) Now, I use Pinterest as my electronic idea board for collecting my art inspiration, all things Christmas, home improvement, yummy food, random goody-ness and of course....photography!!! Everything photography...what inspires me, what I'd like to try, tech stuff, what to wear for session and on...and on. I often point clients in that direction to help with thoughts for their session. It's great for people who are more visual.

I try not to look at it as an obsession...more of a way to organize my creative and cluttered mind with a support network.   ;)

Join the "obsession" and follow along...
http://pinterest.com/marygoesround