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Choice Clearwater beaches…

Clearwater Beach Family Photo One of my clients recently booked a portrait session on the beach and let me know she was coming from out of town. The beach that was closest to her vacation condo was not as “portrait worthy” as one that she would have to travel a bit to get to. Since she was from out of town with some younger children, I happily emailed her some beach suggestions in town so that she could visit these on her other vacation days. I’ve included it here for your information as well.

Fred Howard Park (Tarpon Springs) – Nice wooded area for picnicking and a beach that I would rate about a 7.

Sunset Beach (Tarpon Springs) Very small beach, not crowded, lots of shall

ow areas for wading and a playground there as well. The beach? Well, really a 2 or 3, but last week I saw two dolphins swimming only about 50 feet offshore!

Honeymoon Island – State Park in Dunedin – pay to get in, nice area, bird watching and shelling, beach can be quite rocky.

Clearwater beach – very pretty, more crowded, lots of tourist things, shops etc., if you want to do that. 20 to 30 minutes to get there from the Palm Harbor area. Clearwater marine aquarium, with the dolphin Winter – they just made a movie about him. Beach -8-9

City of St. Petersburg Municipal Beach at Treasure Island, 112th St and Gulf Blvd. Beautiful beach! This would be at least a 9, maybe a 10! It doesn’t look like much from the parking lot, but just go beyond the fence and WOW! Drawback – restrooms only open 10:00 till 4:00, why, I do not know! Refreshment area and play area for the kids.

Ft. De Soto Park – absolutely beautiful. About 1 hour drive south from the Palm Harbor area; take U.S. 19 south, follow the signs. Takes a while to get there, but voted one of the top ten beaches in the U.S. Dolphins, sand dollars, wide sandy beaches, fishing pier, picnic areas and usually not crowded at all because it is so large. Yes, the beach really is a 10!

The portrait above are from the Treasure Island beach. This family was staying at a large, very nice hotel on St. Pete Beach that was very crowded, due to a convention. The beach was very nice, but way too busy for a lovely family portrait. Treasure Island beach was only a few minutes drive for them and they were quite happy to make the short drive. The final results are fabulous!

Open House…finally!

Do you know how hard it is to get images from everyone at an event? I don’t know what bride’s do that don’t have an official photographer!! The pics below are mostly from family and friends. The open house was a wonderful day and thanks so much to everyone who came out. It was great to see old friends and clients that came to celebrate with me and to see the new space. I got flowers, flowers and more flowers! Some from right here, some from as far away as Ohio. I really do love flowers! I come from a florist background, with my Dad running a commercial greenhouse back in the Cleveland area. So I grew up with them and am still not tired of them. Hope I never will be! The food was terrific, thanks to my good friend Rebecca and Pamela. The big thing, for those who attended and are waiting to find out, was the winner of the $500.00 Portrait Prize…drum roll please… (you have to look below the pictures, hehehe!) Maylene Bird and her husband! I think they are going to go ahead and get a fantastic couples portrait…we’ll see!

First Communion time…{Palm Harbor Photographer}

This is such a wonderful time of year. I begin to get all the little boys and girls who are about to make their First Communion. At this age, the event is understood and the significance is foremost in their minds. They have gone to classes for quite a while and helped pick out the dress, jewelry, etc. and are quite excited to be photographed for this event. I like to photograph on a white background to follow through with the innocence and freshness that these youth bring with them. I also suggest that the photos are taken before the date, just to make sure the clothing remains clean! Give me a call if your child is about to celebrate their First Communion and we will schedule a time for you!

So, this is like a real…

Yep, that’s what she said. “So, this is like a real studio?’ I practically finished her sentence for her. So many of my new clients are pleasantly surprised. They kind of blurt out the phrase and then get a little apologetic for it. No need. Many “photographers” are now only on location and can only go with the light and backgrounds that are available. Which can be quite nice. Or not. You just never know. But when there is a controlled environment, controlled lighting, backdrops, and especially here in Florida, controlled AIR CONDITIONING 🙂 , the portrait session can be much nicer. Relaxed and comfortable for my clients. Yes, if you have a particularly “hot” kid for instance, call me ahead and I will turn down the air. You know who you are. I have had clients ask this and have happily agreed. We can also heat up the room for naked little newborns, if need be. I love my new studio! I could do all this in the old one, but it’s always nice to have something NEW! Come take a look during our Open House on April 21, from 1:00 till 4:00. I would love to have you join us!

If you have one that is a little Bohemian…

I caught myself saying this during a phone call lately. Luckily the lady was my age and knew what I was talking about. The conversation was about clothing options for her family portrait. She had done the white shirts and jeans at our last session and wanted something different. So what I told her was this. Just stay in the same color family. Perhaps you want neutrals, cremes, taupe’s, etc. Stay with those color choices and dress everyone for their personality. Maybe you have one child who is more tailored and classic. She could be in a soft creme button down with chocolate pearls and bracelets. One child is a little Bohemian and she could go with a darker taupe and wear a fabulous chocolate scarf, around her neck or even her head! The third one is more country/western and wants to wear her dark brown leather cowboy boots and a sundress with a brown leather belt! You see how this can go together. Keep with one color family and use accents appropriately. Think about the room you are going to hang it in, lay all the clothes out in that room to see just how well they go together. The main colors of your walls and your furniture should be considered as well as the accent pillow colors and other accent items. If you are really stumped, check out the ads for furniture stores. Haverty’s or Herman Home in St. Petersburg are two to look at. Also, online clothing stores can spark ideas. Anthropologie is a great one, I love the clothing there. Or Land’s End. Two very different looks, but they both do color well, just in different ways. The one thing I try to stay away from always is the patterns. Patterns look good when you are moving around, but in a two dimensional portrait, they draw the viewer’s eye away from the face – which is the most important area of the entire portrait. If you really want a pattern, keep it small and keep it confined to one of the accent pieces, the scarf or jewelry if possible. That’s it for today. Check out the two images below to see about patterns. Which portrait is stronger? Cover up the patterned area of the portrait with your hand to see what I am talking about.

Glamour Portraits