Carolina Araujo: Tampa Bay Wedding, Portrait, and Boudoir Photographer

Crickets, Crickets

2009-11-04T17:30:00.006-05:00

Helllooooooooo.....

Is anyone still out there????......

WOW! Has it really been over 3 months since I last blogged? I'm so sad that I have neglected my poor little blog for so long :-( I promise it's definitely not because of a lack of material, it simply boils down to a lack of time! Since launching Room 3307, to say it's been hectic is an understatement. We never expected to have such an overwhelming response to our Boudoir business and we are so incredibly grateful to each and every girl that has graced our lenses!!

I've also had some fabulous weddings that I can't wait to share..some local, some out of town, one out of the country! Add to that a handful of fun engagement sessions, newborns, maternities...I have so much to share!

Wait, there's more...In the coming months, there are going to be some changes around here. I'm super excited but can't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Shaking things up and keeping them interesting!!

There's no way I can leave you without a couple of shots! Here's 2 from Monica and Gil's engagement session a couple of weeks ago.

Huge Announcement!

2009-07-23T19:42:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone!

I have a HUGE announcement to make that's been a long time coming! I have teamed up with Zekeshem Parsons of Blue Lane Photography to create a brand new company called Room 3307, dedicated exclusively to boudoir photography!!

Don't worry, I will still be shooting weddings and portraits under Carolina Araujo | photographer but all boudoir inquiries should be sent to reservations@Room3307.com.

Months in the making, we are thrilled to finally announce the launch of our website, blog, and first boudoir marathon, which will be taking place on August 22nd in Tampa, FL.

Haven't heard of boudoir photography? Learn all about it by checking out our website at www.Room3307.com. Become a fan of our page on Facebook and keep up with all the latest news on our blog! (http://www.room3307blog.com)

We're super excited to be bringing this service to women not only in Tampa, but all over FL and even nationwide! Be sure to contact us if you'd like more information, or just want to know more about what we're doing. We look forward to hearing from you, and appreciate your support and love as we launch our new business! Spread the word!! A couple samples are below, but you'll find MUCH more on our website!

Also, check out our slideshow promo:

I know that I've been away for a little bit and but now you know why! We've been busy bees dotting all our i's and crossing all our t's for our boudoir site launch. I'll be back soon with a couple of engagement sessions and some cutie patootie children!

Kirby | Maternity

2009-06-27T15:55:00.003-04:00

I knew this was going to be a great session when I arrived at Kirby's home and Kaitlyn, her 2 year old, opened the door with a big smile on her face and asked me if I was there to take her pictures! Awesome! Kirby told me that she wanted to shoot at a ranch close to their home, so I was very excited about this session.

I rode over to the ranch with Scotty, Kirby and Kaitlyn. One thing I learned about myself was that I stink at climbing into a lifted truck. Kirby, who is thisclose to having a baby, did a little hop and made it look super easy to get into Scotty's car. Not so much for me. I won't go into details, but it wasn't pretty!

Little miss personality!

We found this really cool tree next to a pond on the property. In the pond was a "little" alligator (according to Scotty) poking it's head out. Only about 8 feet, he says....sounds huge to me!!

I can't even begin to tell you how adorable Kaitlyn is. She's a little character!

:-) Love this family portrait!

Kirby's request and I happy obliged. I love this shot!

Robyn & Adam | Engagement

2009-06-22T19:42:00.003-04:00

I love engagement sessions! Not only are they super fun, but it's also a chance for to work together and get to know each other a little better before the wedding. I think they are very important and I include them in all of my wedding packages. Robyn and Adam are getting married in February 2010 and I can't wait!! I had a blast hanging out with them last Saturday.

I'm beginning to think I'm a hot-couple-magnet!

Yay! Robyn's going to be a beautiful bride!

Jaime & Chris | Day After

2009-06-20T10:27:00.017-04:00

I think I profess my love for Facebook on my blog at least one a month. Here I go again. I *heart* Facebook. If you book me and you are on Facebook...expect a request from me. I especially love "meeting" new people on FB. Take Jamie, for example! Jaime sent me a friend request months after she saw pictures that I shot of a friends maternity. She asked me a little bit about what equipment I use and we went back and forth a little bit via FB messages. Jaime automatically came to mind when my good friend Shem and I started cooking up some ideas for a super fun Day After session. Shem and I scouted out some new locations and Jaime was all for it. SCORE!!

I just have to say that Jaime and Chris were troopers. They didn't complain ONCE and had to deal with the crazy heat, crazier mosquitoes...and of course, 2 goofy photographers!

We started off at this cool junkyard location. Junkyard + wedding dress...it just makes sense right?

I love this blue car. This is one of my faves :-)

and then the mosquitoes attacked...so we were outta there!

So...Chris, Jamie..what's it like to be really really incredibly good looking? Just wonderin'..

Hello legs!

Jamie brought cowboy boots....love her!

Another one of my faves...

Look how happy Jaime is...It's cause Shem and I are so much fun..duh!

These sessions are so awesome!! To book a Day After session, shoot me an email at Carolina@CarolinaAraujo.com

Stephanie & Chad | Wedding

2009-06-19T15:02:00.004-04:00

What is up with this weather?!?! This morning was ridiculously h-o-t-t and early in the afternoon it rained cats and dogs! I was driving home when the downpour started and it was so sooo bad I almost pulled over because I couldn't see 10ft in front of my car. True story. I think it's my duty as a Floridian (I've been here over 20 years, I've earned the title!) to complain about the weather. It's either too hot, too humid, too rainy, too dry...I could go on and on, it's what we do - we complain, but we love it. I wouldn't give up wearing shorts on New Years!!

Enough with my rant, on to a lovely wedding that took place on a gorgeous summer day a couple of weeks ago. Another lovely wedding shot with the equally lovely Dawn Haas.

Chad and his groomsmen were awesome! Hanging out with the boys in one of my favorite parts of second shooting - so much fun!

Teehee hee - told you they were fun!

He cleaned them out..

Had a little time to hang out with the very cute girls..

Stephanie and Chad were married at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa. This was my first Greek wedding and I loved it! The ceremony was filled with so much symbolism and traditions. The priest personally wrote a letter to Stephanie and Chad which he read out loud and was so incredibly heartfelt. I'm not going to lie, I was thisclose to crying.

I love this shot of Chad anxiously waiting for Stephanie to make an entrance.

There she is! Simply stunning!

A couple of the Greek traditions are shown below: The crowns are joined by a thin white ribbon which have been blessed by the priest. The ribbon symbolizes their unity.

I'm about to show my age! Remember that episode of Full House when Uncle Jesse's old girlfriend from Greece came to visit and it turns out that they were married because when they where young they "walked around a table 3 times" (those crazy kids!)?? This is known as the ceremonial walk and I just love how happy Stephanie was taking her first steps with Chad towards marriage!

A few moments after the ceremony:

Stephanie and Chad's reception took place at the Lion's Eye Institute in Ybor City. Now I have to be honest, I drive past this place every single day and I never knew it was a wedding venue! It's actually a restored old cigar factory from the early 1900s. The exposed brick and piping really give the venue a historic feel. I really loved their venue choice.

And I loved their choice of yummy cake!

Stephanie and Chad kept it authentic and had a cigar roller during the cocktail hour and part of the reception

*sigh* First dance

Stephanie and Chad were awesome in allowing us some some time during dinner to stroll around Ybor a little bit for some awesome bridal portraits.

They are going to have beautiful babies!

Rusty nail + Shiny Rings = Suh-weeet!

The rest of the night was dancing and laughing! Love it!

Yay! Happy Friday everyone! The next blog entry will be an awesome Day After session of a certain young lady who is currently in Australia craving Mexican food!

Amy & Griffin | Day After

2009-06-17T22:43:00.004-04:00

The last couple in our whirlwind day of shooting were Amy and Griffin. Shawna of Flawless Occasions actually sent them over our way. Shawna was their wedding coordinator on their big day which took place just 3 weeks before our session! Amy & Griffin were just a blast and really up for anything. Thanks Shawna for sending them our way! The LeLe Photography girls really wanted to shoot at beach - so that's what we gave them!

EDIT: So I blogged this late last night and totally forgot about the funniest part of this session. We shot this around sunset on a beautiful *non-rainy* day. The beach was ab-so-lu-tely PACKED with tourists. We sure gave them a treat. Once Amy and Griffin started splashing water at each other, we had a ton of people watching our every move. Random people were walking up and talking picture of Amy & Griffin on their point and shoots and someone even asked one of the LeLe girls if Amy was wearing a "real wedding dress". So it just makes me LOL that Amy and Griffin are in showing up in a lot of people's vacation pictures!

One of my faves

The picture on the left is just my absolute favorite! Love the crazy wild hair!

Amy has such a cute and contagious smile!

The Shoot Party has come to and end...but more good times ahead. Wedding post tomorrow :-)

Shawna | Day After

2009-06-16T23:50:00.001-04:00

The second part of our Shoot Party was a Day After session, these sessions are also known as Trash the Dress, but we really didn't do much trashing. Shawna is a fabulous wedding planner for Flawless Occasions. I initially contacted Shawna to see if she had any past brides who would like to participate in our Shoot Party. As it turns out, Shawna was getting ready to donate her wedding dress and wanted to do a Day After shoot. Perfect!

Yeah she worked it...

Runaway bride, perhaps? Love these!

My favorite of the day!

Thanks for your patience Shawna! I know you have been waiting for this post!

Ale & Tanner | Engagement

2009-06-15T21:13:00.006-04:00

I know, I know! I missed blogging on Friday! It wasn't a complete fail, I did blog *almost* everyday last week! Another week of blogging begins today.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to participate on a "just for fun" day of shooting. Alicea and Ashley of LeLe Photography were in Florida from Missouri and wanted to have what they call a "Shoot Party". A shoot party consists of various mini sessions on the same day. We squeezed in 3 awesome sessions which I will be posting separately. The first is of super awesome engaged couple Ale and Tanner.

These 2 are so stinking cute together!

Ale is so very very pretty..

Kinda sorta really sexy!

I love the guys to the right

See what I mean? Fun guys!

Next up: A couple of Day After sessions! (*ahem* *ahem* Shawna, you're next!!)

Jackie & Antoine | Wedding

2009-06-11T02:07:00.007-04:00

Jackie was so adorably nervous before her walk down the aisle. She kept saying that as soon as she saw Antoine, she would be okay. This post is going to include more pictures than usual because Jackie did indeed see Antoine before the ceremony, which was amazing! For Jackie, the First Look eased her nerves, gave her time to relax before the ceremony, and since we had gotten mostly all of the portraits out of the way beforehand, her and Antoine where able to take part in their cocktail hour. Jackie and Antonie were married at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. Thanks Tim Co. for having me shoot this wonderful wedding with you! I had a blast, as per always, with you.

Here are some of my favorites from the First Look. Antoine was also anxiously wanting to see his bride.

Checking out the bling!

These moments where unposed and unrehearsed

Portrait time! All the family and bridal party pictures were done after the First Look and before the ceremony. Awesome! I have to say this was one of the most chill, relaxed weddings I have attended and I attribute that to the First Look.

We shot anywhere and everywhere at the Ritz!

So pretty!

And now finally!...after all their lovely pictures, the ceremony!

The ceremony was held on a private courtyard at the Ritz-Carlton. Check out the competition :-)

I love how Jackie was clutching her hands in anticipation while Antoine removed the wedding band from it's box. This is the real deal folks!

Yay!

Just a couple more after the ceremony!

I have to tell you guys about their AH-MAY-ZING DJ/Wedding Singer/Overall KickingButtAndTakingNames Entertainer, Jonathan Cortez (his site is still under construction). Jackie's parents hired Jonathan after hearing him sing at a country club in Sarasota. Jonathan blew all of the guests away, including myself and Tim Co. His singing is just ridiculous (in a good way!). Jonathan plays tracks in between his live singing so I had to stop several times throughout the night, look up from my camera towards his booth, and double check whether it was Robin Thicke singing through the speakers or Jonathan. He was just THAT good. Definitely not your mama's wedding singer for sure, but your mama will love him!

At the end of the night, Jonathan asked everyone out to the dance floor for one last song and he brought down the house!

Another day, another blog post!

Christen & Clay | Wedding

2009-06-10T16:51:00.004-04:00

What has 2 thumbs and is on her third day in a row of blogging?? THIS GIRL!

Today we're going to talk about Christen and Clay's fabulous wedding. I assisted my wonderfully adorable friend Shem (she calls me Princess - love it!) with this wedding.

I started out at Clay's condo, capturing the boys getting ready

The ceremony took place at St. Raphael Catholic Church on Snell Isle in St. Petersburg

The ceremony was so beautiful and emotional.

I love the way she looks at him!

Yay! The new Mr. and Mrs!

Christen's brother was just so happy and filled with emotion after the ceremony. I love it!

The reception was help in an amazingly gorgeous private residence on Snell Isle.

Beautiful first dance under the tent

My favorite of the day!

The end!

See you tomorrow!

Kiano | Newborn

2009-06-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

Here we go people! I said I would try to blog everyday this week and here is the first picture post. I'm officially on a one day blogging streak! I had so much fun hanging out with Jessica and Laz once again and finally getting to met little Kiano. Here are some of the day's highlights:

The secrets of motherhood never cease to amaze me. Kiano loves to hear the word "Arroz" which is rice in spanish. But you have to roll your r's and forget the z. So it sounds more like " Arrrrrrrrrooooo" LOL - He loves it and it makes him laugh. Kinda makes me laugh too!

He was flirting with me by flexing his muscles.......boys!

Love little baby chubba wubba rolls!

See you *ahem* tomorrow!

Go Big or Go Home

2009-05-21T12:38:00.005-04:00

My clients are sooo stinkin' cool! Remember the Ramirez family:

Well, like I mentioned in their post, Dad is a baseball player and just a few weeks ago he made his Major League debut...and oh my, what a way to make an entrance! Check out the video and read the article here:

*Ramirez homers in big league debut*

I wish I could embed the video on this post but I can't figure out how! According to the article, he is the first Tigers player to homer in his Major League debut since 1974! Did you see the kisses he blew after rounding home plate? Those were for Julie who was in the stands cheering him on! To bring this full circle: remember the Lamarand Family? Well, they are from Detroit and HUGE Tigers fans...did you catch Wilkin's homerun Mishelle?

So yeah..my clients kinda rock!

On another note: I've been shooting up a storm lately. The lack of posts is not for lack of material but simply for lack of time! I'm going to try my hardest to blog at least once every day this week. Here's what's coming up:

* 1 Engagement session

* 2 Family sessions

* 3 Day After session

* 3 amazing Weddings that I had the opportunity to second shoot

Add to that a new website launching soon! So yeah...lots and lots coming up!

Contest Winner Announcement!

2009-05-18T12:00:00.001-04:00

Without further ado, here are the lucky winners of the beyond gorgeous 16x20 gallery wrap canvas!

and the winners

ARE!!!!

Yay!! I can't wait to deliver your canvas and shoot your wedding in September!
To all my other contest entry couples, check your email! I couldn't possibly let you go home empty handed!

The winner of the $20 Itunes gift card is

Zhandra Andrade - Hoquiam WA

Thanks for the comment Zhandra and check your email! Thank you everyone that vote and commented and participated in one way or another! I can't wait for the next contest, this was a lot of fun!

You Guys Rock!!

2009-05-15T12:02:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much to everyone that voted and left comments! You are all amazing. There was a great response to the contest, we got over 500 votes!!! But, mum's the word until Monday.

The winner of the 16x20 canvas and the lucky commenter will be announce at noon Monday.

I can't wait to for the big reveal!! This was so much fun! I think I'll have another contest very very soon!

Contest Time!!

2009-05-12T11:58:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited to announce the very first Carolina Araujo | photographer contest! Over the past couple of weeks, my engagement couples have submitted their favorite picture from their engagement session for a chance to win a

FREE 16x20 BEYOND GORGEOUS GALLERY WRAP CANVAS!!

So how do they win? Well, that's up to you, blog readers. You are the official judges for this contest; my very own Simon, Paula and Randy! All you have to do is scroll down, look at the pictures and vote for your favorite. Easy peasy. Why am I doing this contest? One reason is because I love my clients and I love gallery wraps...so why not combine the two? Happy client meet beautiful canvas! Another reason is because I'm super duper excited and want to start kicking off the celebration of my new site that I've been secretly working on and will be ready to launch very very soon!

The voting polls will close on Friday May 15th at 12:00 p.m. Please note: the voting system will not allow more than 1 vote per computer. With that said, let the voting begin!

(1) Sandra & Alexis

(2) Tasha & Carlos

(3) Clara & Hector

(4) Angela & Enrique

(5) Sandy & Dave

(6) Maggie & Gregg

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY MAY 18TH AT NOON!

But wait! Also up for grabs is a $20 ITunes gift card that YOU could win! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me the city and state (or country) that you are voting from. (It's very important to enter a valid email address when leaving a comment so that I can contact you once the contest ends) I will randomly draw one name out of a hat to chose the winner. Good luck everyone!

Lee & Jon | Wedding

2009-05-12T11:54:00.001-04:00

I'm finally getting around to blogging the pictures of this lovely wedding that my awesome friend Theresa Marie invited me to shoot with her. We shot this in December! EEK! Just a tad late on this posting...better late than never!

While Theresa Marie hung out with the girls, I hung out with the boys. Jon and his groomsmen had me laughing the entire afternoon. Can you tell by the following pictures that he's a jokester?

Jon channeled his inner....beaver? Love it!

Jon and Lee got married at the adorable Palm Harbor White Chapel

Lee was such a gorgeous bride. Don't you just love her freckles?

Now on to the ceremony!

I love the way she looks at him. In the middle of the ceremony, Jon's sister sang to the couple. It was pretty amazing.

For the first dance, the couple danced to a song performed by Lee's sister. There is a lot of talent between these two families!

Her flowers were simply beautiful and COLORFUL!

We had plenty of daylight to sneak away with the bride, groom, and bridal party for some fun shots.

What a way to end the night!

Catherine | Maternity

2009-05-11T03:18:00.002-04:00

First off, I hope all the gorgeous Mama's out there had an absolutely fabulous day! We spent part of our Saturday cooking a yummy dinner for our mothers. Like always, it was good times all around hanging out with the family. What better way to celebrate Mother's Day than with a smoking hot mommy-to-be!

One of my favorites..

I'm blushing as I post this picture. It is absolutely positively H-O-T-T! And yeah you guessed it...my favorite!

Two sidenotes:
(1) The Tampa IKEA opened last Wednesday. It is located exactly 7 minutes from my house, including light signals (a.k.a too close for comfort). I have yet to partake in any shopping activity. I'm in awe of my restraint.
(2) I've been losing tons of sleep the last couple of nights due to this incredibly addicting IPOD game called FlightControl. Last Friday I went to bed at a very decent time. Sitting on top of the nightstand was Alex's IPod Touch. I picked it up and stumbled upon the game. TWO HOURS later, my fingers were cramped, my eyelids were heavy and I had the top score! Alex and I love a little friendly competition, so we have been going back and forth taking first place. I'm happy to say that as of right now, I am the top plane, jet, and helicopter lander in our household!!

Bertha | Maternity

2009-04-21T00:59:00.002-04:00

One of the top questions that I get when someone books me for a portrait session or engagement session is "What should I wear??" I always find that hard to answer so I'm so happy to have some visuals guides! Bertha's maternity session was full of color! I love color!!! Their outfits went perfectly with the locations that we chose and set the tone for the session.

Bertha and Alvaro are patiently awaiting Baby Victoria.

Quick outfit change and then the beach..more color!

Bertha's maternity session took place Friday night right around sunset. The beach was absolutely PACKED with people ending their beach day and waiting to see the sunset. It looks that we had the beach all to ourselves. I wish I had taken a picture of our surroundings!

I love the next series:

Another outfit change and some cool umbrellas

Next two are tied for my favorite!

The Lamarand's | Family

2009-04-20T22:53:00.003-04:00

So I think this is a pretty cool story. When I was first introduced into the world of photographers that blog, I found a blogger in Michigan who was just starting out her photography business, Bliss Photography, taking classes and blogging about it. I felt compelled to drop her an email to introduce myself and share that I was going through a similar experience. Since then, we've become Facebook friends and comment here and there on each other's blogs. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, I get an email from Mishelle, letting me know she will be in my area and would like to set up a session. I was so excited to finally get to met her and at the same time super duper nervous to be shooting a photographer. Very nerve racking!! We had a blast in Ybor earlier this week.

Meet Mishelle, Jeff and Jillian!

My favorite!!

Mishelle wanted some "I'm a photographer" shots...

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider according to Jillian:

Piglet of course.

And of course, Mishelle couldn't possibly NOT bring her camera out to play. Check out the picture she took of me in action. I love it!

Lucas | Newborn

2009-04-08T18:46:00.003-04:00

These pictures have been long overdue. We just took these this past Sunday but we've been meaning to do them for weeks! Life just gets in the way sometimes. The last time Lucas was on my blog was a little over 2 months ago when he was born. Remember this slideshow?

So maybe I'm a little biased because he is my BFF's baby, but isn't he just too darn cute?

The tongue and the squinty eye just kill me!

Single and ready to mingle!

Big sister Gaby takes her responsibilities very seriously. She loves her little brother so much that she calls him "My Lucas". She scolds him when he sucks oh his hand, telling him not to suck his thumb (even though she still does!), and she's super sweet with him.

I really loved how she was playing with his fingers...very cute!

I LOVE this next set. This is Gaby "jumping" on the bed. She is such a ham for the camera..she loves it! She would kind of, sort of do a little jump and then fall very dramatically and laugh very hard. And it was all for the camera. A 2 year old after my own heart - she needs no direction!

Bailey | Just Because (kinda)

2009-04-08T18:17:00.002-04:00

I got in soooo much trouble with Bailey after I posted Maggie & Gregg's engagement session...she was just so upset that there were other cute pups on my blog and she hasn't made an appearance in a while. She's not talking to me much ..I tried to do a little photo session with her but she wouldn't look at me. I'm going to need alot of bones to make it up her..such a jealous little pup!

Tasha & Sage | Wedding

2009-04-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

My good friend Dawn of Dawn Haas Photography asked me to come shoot a beautiful wedding with her this past Saturday. It really was the perfect recipe for a perfect wedding: gorgeous couple, amazing venue, and fantastic weather! Tasha and Sage did a wonderful job of organizing their day and scheduling plenty of time before and after the ceremony to allow us to capture some wonderful moments. Their wedding took place at The Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota. Can I just say that I absolutely loved this location. It made me want to get married all over again!

See what I mean! Can everyone please get married here and then hire me to be your photographer??

Tasha was simply stunning.

The bridal room was so pretty! Here's a testament to how wonderful it is to have two photographers: As Dawn was getting a shot of the back of Tasha's dress, I slinked over to the corner and got the shot on the right, which I love! Head over to Dawn's blog and check out the amazing shot she got of the back of her dress!

This room was being set up as the cake room...yea that's right, the cake had it's own room!...we took advantage and shot some bridals before they finished setting up.

Then the boys arrived at the mansion to get ready. I just love how it takes us girls hours upon hours to get ready and the boys are set to go in about 10 minutes flat.

I was really impressed that Sage tied all the groomsmen's ties because he wanted to make sure they all looked cohesive.

Check out the Ship Room inside the Crosley Estate...

Check out the cake, it was sooooo pretty! Definitely deserved it's own room! It was nice to see the staff bring all of Tasha and Sage's details together to make for such an amazing ambiance.

I love the emotion in the next couple of shots: The guests catching a glimpse of Tasha for the first time, Tasha looking adoringly at her groom, and Sage choking up once he saw his gorgeous bride...*sigh* I LOVE weddings!

Did I mention that I love this venue yet?

So sweet! This was such a lucky shot. After walking down the aisle as a married couple, Tasha and Sage ducked behind some trees and shared this tender moment. So cute!

Walking around the grounds of the estate with the couple..

Sweet light just before the sun set.

The first dance and the reception took place in the outdoor courtyard.

Goodbye beautiful venue!

The Ramirez Family

2009-03-24T23:48:00.005-04:00

What an absolutely amazing day today turned out to be. It was perfect for pictures...big blue skies, gorgeous light, the sun peeking out just enough. I'm so glad that I had someone to shoot...with my camera, of course. I had a super fun family session today. Posting this entry was super hard because there were so many pictures that I loved, it was nearly impossible to narrow it down.

Meet the star of the show: Derek. A couple of things you need to know about him: he does not believe in walking, he runs everywhere; he fell like 4 times during our session and didn't cry once, he's a man's man; and the last thing is pretty obvious, he's too darn cute for words!

He blew me a kiss and gave me a high five *swooooon* I think he likes me!

Peek-a-boo!

The next 2 pictures are my absolute favvoooorites from today. I can't decide which one I like best!

Julie and Wilkin brought someone to watch Derek so that we could get some pictures of just the two of them..

I am so loving my clients lately...last week I had a cool Mustang and boxers and today I got a baseball stadium! Wilkin is a baseball player and since that's such a huge part of their lives, Julie had the great idea to shoot at the stadium. How could I say no??

Putting the batting cages to good use!

Oh gosh..I love this one also!

Yea, yea..You're hot and you make beautiful babies, stop rubbing it in!

I was in the men's locker room today and it was awesome..don't tell Alex!

Tomorrow I'm headed to Orlando for a mini photography workshop. I'm so excited to meet some very cool people in the photography field and catch up with some I've already met!

Maggie & Gregg | Engagement

2009-03-14T23:17:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited! We're going to Key West for a couple of days starting tomorrow. I've never been and everyone always has such wonderful things to say about the Keys. That being said...I should really be packing right now, but I can't help it! I just have to blog today's session for Maggie and Gregg.

Maggie and Gregg brought their babies Ruff and Sprite to the session.

Gregg brought his other 'baby'. His '66 bright yellow Mustang. I have to hand it to these guys, they brought the coolest props ever! I'm really digging this picture of their reflection on the rearview mirror.

There she is in all her glory...

Sorry to chop your head Gregg but I love this crop that I did in camera and Maggie looks GREAT!

Love the sweet back lighting.

The bling!

Last shot of the day..laying on the ground, quite possibly being bitten by red ants...but oh so worth it! My favorite:

Hanging with Elise

2009-03-01T13:30:00.010-05:00

My good friend Elise of Elise Schreiner Photography invited me to come along on an engagement shoot last weekend to help her out with a little project she has in the works. The twist? The engagement session was on a sailboat! Cool, huh? The couple, Jessi and Zack were awesome and in love and totally in their element.

Elise was fearless on the sailboat while I clung to anything for dear life.

*GASP* My heart skipped 3 beats as the water splashed over Elise's brand new Canon 5D Mark II - but no worries, no cameras were injured in the making of this photo shoot.

Special request from the couple..a shot of their feet!!

Thanks for having me out Elise! I had a blast with you as per usual.

Samantha | Just Because

2009-02-25T14:13:00.002-05:00

This was a super fun session...a girl and her instrument! Samantha is a very talented musician who is working on her website to promote her business. She is available for weddings and events and works solo or with a whole orchestra. If you want her info..shoot me an email!

The coolest part was that I wanted to get shots of her playing her violin, so she had to actually play it...It was calming and beautiful!

And now to my favorite part of the day...the beach!

If Facebook Jumped Off a Bridge, Would You Jump Off a Bridge?

2009-02-25T14:12:00.007-05:00

I bet you never knew that you wanted to know 25 things about me!!! If you are not a part of the Facebook phenomenon, you probably don't know about this little chain letter. You basically get "tagged" to write a list of 25 random things or facts about yourself. I finally gave in after being tagged a bunch and I'm glad that I did because it was fun to do and people that I tagged did it, and I got to learn more about them!

I think the funniest part of the "25 Things" lists is how many people are so completely against them. There was actually an article on the main page of CNN.com talking about how silly the 25 Things list were. They even made a list outlining why it was so dumb. Oh the irony!!

In either case...I thought it would be fun to share my "25 Things" list...Oh and I love new friends, so request me on Facebook (yes, that's me in the blonde wig!!). Here goes:

1) When I was 4 or 5 years old, I had super duper short hair. My brother still makes
fun of me and refers to me as his baby brother when he sees any pictures of me around that age.

2) To make matters worse, right around this age, my mom took me to the hair salon with
her and as the hair stylist worked on her hair, I decided I would work on mine, grabbed a pair
of scissors and cut a bald spot on the side of my head.

3) Another lovely childhood experience: I stuck a nail or screw inside one of my nostrils.
I was rushed to the hospital because no one could get it out and I was probably freaking out.
The worst part is that this happened twice.

4) Since we are on the subject of dumb things I’ve done: One of my best friends, Lucia and I
got MATCHING tattoos on our lower back when we were 16. We didn’t have parental consent and
the plan was to never tell! My mom found out about 2 days later, she was soooo mad!
I think Lucia’s mom still doesn’t know!

5) My mother, brother and I moved to the Tampa from the Dominican Republic when I was 7 years old.
I was enrolled in school and held back a grade because I didn’t speak
English…and because I was 7 years old in the 3rd grade!!!

6) I looooveee to cook. I didn’t grow up liking it at all. I don’t think I picked up a pot and
pan until I was in my 20s. I’m pretty good at it too.

7) I don’t really like going to the movie theater. The last movie I saw in the theater was
Sex and the City, I can’t remember the time before that. I do love movies though, I just like
watching them at home. If it’s not out on DVD, I haven’t seen it.

8) I proudy and shamelessly watch a whole lot of reality TV. I watch every single show.
My favorite is The Amazing Race, but I don’t discriminate, I watch even the crappy ones.

9) When I first met my husband, Alex, I thought he was the biggest nerd EVER. But then
I really got to know him and I realized I was completely right!

10) I met Alex because we worked at the same company. We became really good friends and started
dating about 5 months after we met. We didn’t tell anyone at work though. It was
fun having a super secret office romance. I think it only lasted like 2 weeks
though, then we spilled the beans…I think most people already knew.

11) I have yet to meet anyone who makes me laugh as much as Alex.

12) I looovvveee to travel. Absolutely love it. The packing, the airports, the flying, the
sightseeing…I find it all magnificent! And I’m so lucky to have found the most perfect
travel companion ever. (That’s you Alex)

13) I would love to go to school to become a pharmacist. I think maybe one day I will.
Anyone want to fund my studies?

14) I think I’m funny. I really do.

15) I live in a 2 story house and I’m always falling up and down the stairs.
Bet you didn’t know you could fall UP the stairs did you?

16) At the moment, I’m highly obsessed with Rock Band. I play Bass and Alex plays Guitar.
We play until my fingers cramp up. When people come over I love to impress
them with my singing “abilities”.

17) I don’t like or drink beer, wine, or champagne. I always say that my palate is not
refined enough for wine.

18) I’m really looking forward to seeing Aaliyah, Gaby, Javier Lee, Angie, Breanna, Lucas and
all the babies around me grow up. It’s so much fun to be able to say that I’ve known
them their whole lives. I think I’ll be the cool aunt!

19) I love hosting get-togethers, game nights, parties. Pretty much anything that involves
a bunch of people at my house having a good time.

20) I dropped driver’s ed in high school. For some reason it really wasn’t a priority of mine
to start driving. I got my license after high school only because no one was willing
to drive me to and from work every day.

21) Super Bowl weekend we went to the casino and saw Paris Hilton. Alex got a picture of
the back of her head. That’s hot.

22) I’m so much like my mother it’s scary.

23) I’ve seen snow fall only once in my life. I can’t remember the temperature but it was in
the negatives and I swear I looked like Ralphie’s little brother in A Christmas Story.

24) Even though Alex and I have only been married for close to 2 years, we have been together
for almost 10 years! Throughout the years we’ve developed some funky nicknames for
each other, such as: Ball, Ballface, Babeball…most recently he’s been calling
me Monkey. At least we’ve gotten over the ball phase.

25) I can solve a Rubix Cube in 13 seconds flat.

…okay that last one was a lie but I really found this little survey hard! I’m really not that interesting!!!

Ammie | Just Because

2009-02-25T14:11:00.001-05:00

Just Because sessions are so much fun! Ammie's session was just because she's turning 21 and she just graduated cosmetology school! Congrats Ammie!!

The many faces that make up Ammie!

Sandy & Dave | Engagement

2009-02-08T10:37:00.006-05:00

Tampa has been crazy fun for the past couple of weeks. Last weekend, the Superbowl was hosted in my hometown and as you can probably imagine, the city was booming! There were people everywhere, ton of parties, celebrities. This weekend is Gasparilla weekend. Gasparilla is a huge Tampa tradition and one of the biggest event in Tampa. Warning: If you decide to go: it's one huge party and crazyness will ensue. Good times!

Last but certainly not least, another Tampa staple has come into town. The Florida State Fair! Always in Tampa, always in February, always two weeks. Let me tell you a little bit about this massive fair. For starters, it boasts some of the best culinary talent. Move over Top Chef! You can enjoy such items as chocolate dipped bacon (yeah, you read that right), fried cookie dough, funnel cakes, elephant ears, barbecued bacon rinds, the tornado potato (picture potato chips on a stick!)....and if you're watching your figure, there is always the healthy options like deep fried green beans. YUM! Oh yeah and there are rides and stuff, but who goes to the fair for that!

I went to the fair yesterday, not just for the corn dogs, but for a totally different reason. A super fun and colorful engagement session!! Sandy and Dave are getting married early next year and they've chosen me to document their day...yay!! I've been waiting for February because I have been dying to shoot a couple at the fair. When talking about engagement session location, I pitched Sandy my idea and luck would have it that she loves the fair and loved the idea...score!!

I couldn't possibly begin to tell you how much fun I had yesterday....so let me show you!

The lovely couple and some yummy light!

I made them kiss.....alot!

I think this one is my faaaaavorite!

Dave spotted this little secluded area..great find!

Hmmmm....ginormous corn dogs! Can I just say that you guys are a gorgeous couple!?!

Oh, I definitely spoke to soon..this one's my favorite...and it's screaming 'put me on a huge canvas!'

I have to tell you about the great teacup debacle. I thought it would be a GREAT and fun idea to get on teacups and take some pictures! How bad could it be right? After all, they are in children's section at the fair. So we get on, and quickly find out that 1 teacup was not made to fit 3 adults comfortably. But hey! That's okay...we can manage right? So we start spinning, I start shooting..FUN right? No..not so much after a minute. While all the other kids on the ride seemed unaffected...the 3 of us got very queasy, very quick! It really did seem like it would never stop...my stomach did a couple flip flops but we got some really cute shoots...all in a day's work!

These were obviously taken before the stomach jumping jacks and I love them!!

Back to our regularly scheduled kissing program!

On the sky ride..more stomach jumping jacks for me!

What a way to end the day!

Sandy & Dave: You guys rock! Thank you for such a fun day...and remember that we have a pending sushi date!

Jessica | Maternity

2009-01-28T23:32:00.003-05:00

It's official: there's something in the water in Tampa! Have you noticed that my last handful of sessions have somehow been baby related? Well, who am I to ruin a good thing? Today I had a wonderful session with Jessica. She's due in March and from what she tells me, she's quite ready right now!!

We shot the entire session at her father's house which was gorgeous...and he has great taste, don't you think?

I love these!

These are definitely my favorite type of maternity shoots. Pregnant women are just so beautiful! And holy-amazing-cheekbones Jessica!!

Yay!! I can't wait to met Baby Kiano!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2009-01-22T21:52:00.023-05:00

I turned the big 2-8 on the 15th of this month!! Very exciting...getting older and feeling it! My birthday was super low-key this year. Alex and I went out to dinner and then came home and I blew out the candles on my little tiramisu cake! On the weekend of my birthday, I was working on a special project that I'll be announcing very very soon, which I'm sooooo excited about! I can't spill the beans yet though. This past weekend we finally got around to celebrating by going out for dinner, drinks and dancing with friends. Totally worth the wait, good times!!

I have to share with you what I received in the mail a couple of days ago:

Look closely...that's my face 2nd from the right, with Alex to my left, Pat to my right, and Jenn on the far left! Our friend Jenn is so creative and funny. She made a compilation CD of the songs we played on Rock Band over and over and over. The CD had that picture as the cover...I swear that I almost fell over from laughing so hard when I opened the package. The hair, the outfits, the poses, OUR FACES!!! Perfect. I had to scan it in for the world to meet the Maybe Pastries.

In other super duper exciting news: My best friend Carolina had her little teeny tiny perfect baby Lucas on the 19th! He should be making his professional modeling debut on my blog shortly! So I went to the hospital with camera in hand, OF COURSE, on the day he was born. I started snapping away with no particular intentions in mind. I just wanted to capture certain moments as they unfolded. So I sat back like a fly on the wall and just took a gazillion pictures. I came home and started looking through them and decided to put a slideshow together. I am so completely in love with it. I know you don't know the people in the slideshow, but don't you feel like you are right there with them???

Click play and wait for the show to load...

Carolina & Paco | Just Because

2009-01-13T21:40:00.006-05:00

I totally forgot to mention in their blog entry that Angela and Enrique's wedding was riddled with Carolinas. Of her 5 bridesmaids, THREE are named Carolina. Add to that Carolina the photographer and it makes for a night of me wondering how all of the guests know my name!

Carolina was one of those bridesmaid and this weekend I have the pleasure of capturing the special connection she has with her baby through my lens. The reason that I titled this session 'Just Because' is that there was no special occassion or event for these pictures. Carolina scheduled her session 'just because'. What a great reason! This post has an above average number of pictures. So many great ones to chose from!

Paco was so well behaved. He didn't even complain that I dragged him through alleys - I think he knew we would get some killer shots!

*sigh* I think that Paco and my Baby Bailey would get along just fine. Both are just a tad spoiled!

Isn't she just beyond gorgeous?

I'm going to be a total girl here and say that I just love the fact that Carolina showed up to our session with her hair style to the nines. She looked absolutely amazing!

I love the movement on the picture on the left and the picture on the right...well her smile is just contagious!

No words about the picture on the right. Well maybe just one: STUNNING!

Lily Rene | Newborn

2009-01-13T14:09:00.006-05:00

Don't adjust your television sets ladies and gents. You are seeing correctly, this is third post in 2 days!! I'm on a roll! This is Lily Rene. She is my new little cousin, the latest addition to our family.

Check out the super cute details in her room. Her "grandmother" made the Sweet Lily sign. Super talented! I put grandmother under quotations and use the terms loosely because she does NOT look like a grandmother...at all.

What can I say...the kid's got personality (must get it from her cousin Carolina)! Look at all these facial expressions!

So much hair!

The proud and gorgeous parents!

:-) :-) :-)

New Year, Old Friends

2009-01-13T03:45:00.010-05:00

We had such an awesome New Years week. One of Alex's childhood friends from Toronto, Pat, and his wife Jenn, flew down to escape the cold cold weather up north. But let me give you a little bit of the back story. Jenn officially holds the title of Best Wife of the Year. Pat's 30th birthday fell on New Year's Eve and she had the wonderful idea of surprising him with a trip to Tampa. So about 4 months ago, she put her plan in motion. She purchased air fare and kept the secret until the day before they were to fly down. It would take me 5 paragraphs to tell you about her elaborate plan, but the bottom line is that she totally shocked him, packed his bags, and got him down to Tampa. It's always good time hanging out with these two, never a dull moment.

We took Pat and Jenn to a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game which was great, even though Tampa lost. Afterwards, the most amazing thing happened. We purchased Rock Band 2. I am soooo addicted to that game. I dream about notes flying towards me. It's bad.

Our first night playing Rock Band. I think we played for like 4 hours straight, taking turns on vocals and instruments. So much fun! Sidenote: Even though the Lightning were not playing the Maple Leafs, the boys decided to don their jerseys anyway. Made perfect sense. Sidenote 2: I love you Alex but you have got to be the worst singer ever. It's painful but somehow fun all at the same time.

We spent New Years Eve with Alex's family. I have to tell you guys about this crazy tradition. Every year, one of his uncle's hosts the New Years bash. It is that households responsibility to make something called "Año Viejo" which loosely translates to "Old Year". I'm not quite sure if this is an Ecuadorian thing or a South American thing, but it's crazy. Basically, the host chooses a disliked political or public figure from the past year. One year it was Bin Laden, another year it was Saddam Hussein. They make a life sized dummy, complete with shirt, pants, and shoes. They stuff the dummy with firecrackers, and at the stroke of midnight, everyone gathers outside for the burning of the dummy and the fireworks. It represents letting go of past mistakes and turning over a new leaf for the upcoming year. That's not even the best part.

In past years, the dummy has been male. Throughout the night, every woman at the party HAS to have a dance with the dummy. Put yourself in my shoes almost 9 years ago. Spending my first New Years with my boyfriend Alex and being made to dance with a dummy...having no idea what was going on. Good times! This year they got very creative. Instead of a person, the dummy represented our economic crisis. The dummy was named Miss Recession. Yes! Yes! Yes! A female Año Viejo! Which meant that the men would have to dance with her! And oh boy did they dance. There were close to 30 guys in line to take her for a spin around the dance floor.

Not to be outdone, Pat copped a little feel and Alex put a couple of swing moves on her.

We ended the week with a little road trip to the oldest city in the continental US, St. Augustine. It was really hard being away from Rock Band for 2 days but somehow we survived.

I hope that your New Years was absolutely fantabulous! And remember, when the financial climate starts to turn for the better, don't forget who was responsible for that. Burning up Miss Recession had to count for something!

I also wanted to extend a big humongous THANK YOU to everyone that commented for Cans for Comments. We ended up with about 30 comments, so that meant 30 extra cans to the local food bank, America's Second Harvest that they otherwise would not have received. You guys rock my world!!!

Baby Ryan | Newborn

2009-01-13T01:50:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!! I know, I know...I have been a super duper bad blogger lately. I'm so backed up on blogging and I am really going to try to catch up in the next couple of days! I have an exciting announcement coming soon! I can't wait to share it with you. Hang in there with me please!

First up is Baby Ryan. You might remember Vanessa's Maternity Session. Vanessa greeted me at the door with Baby Ryan in her arms. The very first thing I noticed was that he was the spitting image of his daddy and that he's sooo stinking cute! Check it out for yourself:

Look at those baby blues. Stunning!

I *heart* the next 2 pictures..they just make me smile!

LOST

2008-12-18T14:06:00.003-05:00

It's almost here!! Time to rewatch last season - it's been so long since it went off the air that I barely recall what the happened! All in all, I can't wait for it!!!

Remember: Cans for Comments ends December 21st....keep them coming!

Cans for Comments

2008-12-15T12:03:00.002-05:00

I have been complaining to my friends that I just can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I'm not sure what it is...maybe the weather? Maybe a little cold front would help. Then today I wake up, log into my favorite photography forum, and read about a great thing photographers across the nation are doing. Talk about being inspired. Here's the concept: Cans for Comments. Pretty simple. For every comment you leave on my blog starting today until Dec 21st, I will donate 1 can to my local food bank. Isn't it genius?? Help me fill my SUV with cans!

Please get involved and help me help someone in need.

Comment away and forward this to your friends!! Remember...every comment gets 1 can of food for the food bank...

Carolina | Maternity

2008-12-08T23:59:00.008-05:00

My best friend is having baby #2!!! (Extra exclamation points = extra excitement) I swear that I get to photograph the most gorgeous mommies-to-be who just so happen to be pretty much up for anything. Carolina had no choice though, I pulled the best friend card and told her she had to let me do whatever I wanted for the maternity shoot. I had a blast photographing Carolina, Frido, Gaby and Baby Lucas. Oh and get this, Lucas is due right around January 15th...which happens to be my birthday. I couldn't ask for a better birthday gift!

We started off at this awesome orange grove..

The picture on the right was her hubby's idea...and I love it!!

My absolute favorite picture of the day...

I'm so anxious to meet you Lucas!!!!! See you soon...

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T14:17:00.003-05:00

I want to wish everyone a very very safe and Happy Thanksgiving. We have about 3 stops to make today and you better believe we will be eating like little piggies at each one!

I have so many things to be thankful - my family, my friends, my baby Bailey...life is great!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season?

The Alamos

2008-11-25T00:49:00.006-05:00

I'm starting this blog post a little different than others, with a picture first. Why? Well, this picture just makes me happy and it makes me smile...and it's my blog and I make the rules! This picture is up there as one of my favorite family portraits that I have ever shot. I'm dying to know what little Daniela finds so funny! It was so difficult picking which pictures to blog. There are so many that I love! I narrowed it down to a few...

Meet The Alamos. I had them climbing, jumping, running...and they were game for all of it! This is probably the only time I appreciated the "cold" weather. The birds were just hanging out in the sand because the water was too cold. Made for some awesome pictures!

I can't stand how much I love this picture. Meet Daniela.

Meet Estefania. I kind of love her name and she's kind of gorgeous.

Angela & Enrique | Wedding

2008-11-24T16:01:00.007-05:00

I *heart* weddings. I really do. I loved being a bride once, I love attending as a guest (I'm a great guest by the way...I will dance allllll night long!), and I absolutely love photographing them. It's simply an honor to be invited to share and participate in someone's special day. This past Saturday night was very special. Angela and Enrique were married at the beyond gorgeous Sacred Heart Church in downtown Tampa where they had an evening full mass ceremony.

Angela & Enrique: You two are so lucky. Lucky to be surrounded by such a wonderful family. Lucky to have such great (and FUN!) friends. Lucky to have found each other. You have just planted the seed and I can't wait to see your love and your family grow!!

Angela's bridesmaid were great. They gushed and gushed about how beauuutiful she looked, isn't that what you want on your wedding day!

Even more beautiful inside..

Love this one!

He liked it so he put a ring on it.... (crickets? Beyonce, anyone?)

By the time their ceremony ended it was close to 9 PM!! We couldn't shoot outside (for obvious reasons), so we improvised and took advantage of their venue, The Westin in Harbour Island.

You better work!

These guys were so much fun! They had me laughing the entire time. Love that!

..and then we partied!

I learn a lot about myself and take away so much from each wedding I shoot. I've come to terms with the fact that I am an emotional person. I find that I genuinely invest myself in my couples. I love to be right there with them and feel their anxiousness and their joy. I don't want to just be the person they hired to take some pictures at their wedding and I hope my clients don't view me in that light.
There are a lot of things to consider when hiring a wedding photographer. Loving their work is one, but just as important is loving their personality and that they are a right fit for you.

Enough soul searching and preaching! That is all for today...

Happy (belated) Birthday!!!

2008-11-16T17:15:00.006-05:00

Doesn't every new mother forget her kids first birthday by a couple of weeks? Ekk! I can't believe I forgot!! My lovely, wonderful blog turned ONE year old on November 1st. What a ride. I believe I've written around 116 posts in the past year. To be honest, when I started blogging, I didn't think I would stick with it, but I have really surprised myself. So my goal for this next year is to BLOG MORE!! Even though I was 2 weeks late, today, Alex and I celebrated my blog's first birthday...I'll try not to forget next year!

Gabriel | Family

2008-11-15T18:28:00.004-05:00

Baby Gabriel's back on the blog! He's still rocking out his mohawk and even has a little mustache. He's a man's man!

He's gotten so big!

I dare you not to smile!!

Is it wrong that I think babies look adorable even when they cry?

This one's my favorite!

The Corintis

2008-11-08T21:16:00.008-05:00

OH-MY-LANTA! Has it really been close to 3 weeks since I updated my blog!?!? How did that happen? Well, I promise you there will be a lot more posts coming soon! Today was my first set of holiday mini sessions. I got to see some new faces and some familiar faces...My first sneak peek is of the Corinti Family.

Look at those eyes!

Meet Cross and Roman....

I think the grass was tickling Roman because he couldn't stop laughing when he laid down

Love love loveeeee this one...

This one might be my favorite..

So today I learned two very important things. One: You need a heck of a lot of energy to run around chasing two boys and Two: I'm fat. Yup..you heard me right. Roman called me fat. His mom says that he picked up that little saying and goes around telling people that they are fat. That makes me feel better. But not really...Excuse me while I go dust off my gym membership.
Something tells me there is never a dull moment in this household!

I can't wait to order their Christmas cards!! I'll make sure to post pictures when I get them to share with you!

World Series Baby!!

2008-10-20T02:38:00.002-04:00

What a great day for sports in Tampa Bay! USF won at College Football, the Bucs won at NFL, and the 2008 American League Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays are going to the WORLD SERIES for the first time in history! Now let me backtrack, I am a BoSox fan, but I can't help be thrilled for the home team.

My hubby, Alex was at the game tonight with his brother. According to him it was the greatest sporting event he's ever attended. It's going down in history people! I decided to share some pictures he took with our point and shoot camera and a little video.

You might want to lower your speakers because there is a heck of a lot of screaming (mostly by my hubby screaming like a girl!) and you might need to take a Tylenol after you watch it. Let's just say he got a little excited. This was the last out of the game in the top of the 9th made by the Rays and ending the game. All I have to say is - min 0:55 - world meet Alex.

Kortnee & Kevin : Wedding

2008-10-19T20:42:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was so much fun. I got the chance to do something that I've been wanting to do for a while, and that is second shoot with/for another photographer. Second shooting is basically assisting the photographer and trying to get a different angle on shots. I had the pleasure of working with Dawn Haas of Dawn Haas Photography and had a complete blast shooting her clients, Kortnee and Kevin. Here are some of my shots:

As Kortnee was getting her hair done at the salon, a lady came over to wish her luck. It went something like this: "Good luck dear. I've been married 3 times and each one was ALMOST the right one. I thought it was hilarious, and apparently so did Kortnee!

While Dawn was with the girls as they got ready, I hung out with the boys.

Gorgeous couple!

One of the shots around the church on the left, and their first dance as husband and wife on the right.

Kevin had 2 best men. One described himself as the Better Best Man, and the other one as the Better Looking Best Man. Good stuff! Their speeches were great and I love the couples reaction as they listened

The pretty pretty girls!

Details, details, details!

And then the party began! What a fun group of people. The dance floor was jammed packed the entire night. A couple of little stories about the next set of pictures. Top-middle picture: The DJ was great and he did an excellent job at involving the crowd. One way was having your entire table get up and sing a song to Kevin and Kortnee if they wanted them to kiss. People took full advantage! Top-right picture: As the YMCA played, I spotted the Best 'Y' Ever!! Bottom-left picture: The DJ played The Devil Went Down to Georgia and these guys had an all out fiddle battle. Awesome!

My favorite shot! I just love the way Kortnee's sister, on the left, is looking at them and the way they are looking at each other.

Thanks for letting me second with you Dawn! Can't wait to do it again!

Saturday Night Laughter

2008-10-19T11:21:00.004-04:00

Did anyone catch this last night? I didn't, but I saw it this morning and just about cried laughing. I don't care who you're voting for in November..this is HILARIOUS! Amy Poehler ROCKS! Dancing around and rapping while 8 months pregnant! Ohhhh man! You have to see if for yourself:

Vanessa | Maternity

2008-10-15T00:49:00.002-04:00

A couple of months ago, I got an email from someone inquiring about a gift certificate for photos for her best friend who was pregnant. I thought this was such a great and sweet idea! I finally got a call a couple of weeks ago from Vanessa. She was ready to redeem her session. I had so much fun shooting Vanessa yesterday. First of all, she's gorgeous. Second, girl can work the camera! Forget me telling you..see for yourself:

Vanessa + her hubby Sean (add a little sunlight) = one hot picture!

If we left it up to Buddy, he would've been in all the pictures

LOOVE the picture on the left..

While I was editing these pictures, Vanessa started to look like a bunch of celebrities to me. Doesn't she look like Blake Lively in the picture on the right?

So a couple of hours before we were to met, Vanessa told me that she wanted to do some pictures by an old, beat up construction tractor thingy that was parked around her house. Uhmmmm....HECK YEAH! Like music to my ears. She sooo rocked these..

I keep talking about and at some point I will do it: WHEN I get around to painting and redecorating my home office, this picture will be DEFINITELY hanging in there

You can't even begin to imagine how hard a time I had choosing pictures for the blog...there are so many amazing ones! I lloooooveee this one..

This was taken almost right at sunset...love the soft light..

Angela & Enrique | Engagement

2008-10-09T14:30:00.012-04:00

*GASP!!* It's been close to 2 weeks since I've updated the blog! That's been the longest I've gone without an update in a while. I've been working on a lot of things lately. One being some changes to the blog design. I'm sure you noticed a couple of the changes already - such as my new header and logo. I'm still not done with the blog, I have a couple other little things I want to integrate. As I mentioned before, I do everything myself so it takes me twice as long because I'm in no way shape or form an expert at Flash or code. Thank goodness for Google searches! On to my lovely couple!

Angela and Enrique are getting married in late November. They chose me to photograph their wedding and I couldn't be happier. They are planning a very elegant and classic wedding. Since a big part of their guests are coming from out of town, Angela and Enrique want their engagement guest book to offer their guests a little glimpse into the Tampa Bay area and some of it's history. I suggested that maybe we could find a historic theater and shoot inside. They loved the idea and I started doing my research. We secured some shooting time at Polk Theater, which was built in 1928 and is in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Puuuuurr-fect!

I had a ton of fun shooting inside the theater, it was something very different for me since I love to shoot natural and available light. Inside the theater there was ZERO available light! Playing with off camera lighting was fun - I have to give a shout out to my brother-in-law Dennis for helping me out and holding my lighting!

Check out the bigger pictures! More changes to come!!

LOOOVE the picture on the left.

I'm totally taking Enrique's word here...NIIIICEE

After the theater we went to....well, I'll give you one guess where we went..

Personal fave #2

This has nothing to do with historic Tampa but he had an iPhone, so I had to do it!

Clara & Hector | Wedding

2008-09-29T01:10:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday was Clara and Hector's turn to get married! They had a beautiful ceremony at Hollis Garden in Lakeland and reception at Capdevilas in Tampa. Their reception was rocking. The theme of the night must have been dancing because the dance floor was full the entire night! Not only did Clara and Hector have their initial first dance as husband and wife, they also had a choreographed group dance with their bridal party AND a second dance as husband and wife about midway through the reception!

Clara & Hector: I hope you are having an amazing, fabulous time in The Bahamas!! Enjoy the sneak peek...

A girl after my own heart, she had 2 pairs of shoes and 2 dresses.

LOVE. Hector got a little choked up when he saw Clara for the first time. She looked ahhh-ma-zing!

Trying to hold back tears as Hector repeated his vows

The boys...

The girls...

Love this floor...

The par-tay! The mother-son dance was so special. Hector danced with his mother as his father sang to them (bottom left).

Analicia | Senior

2008-09-27T01:02:00.002-04:00

Yay! Another super fun session with Analicia, whom I've known since she was like 2 years old. So it just blows my mind that she's already graduating this year because quite frankly, I don't feel I've aged one bit. Let me rephrase that, I felt that I hadn't aged one bit until Analicia told me that she wishes "she had been born in my era..the 70's". **GASP**SHOCK**DENIAL**ANGER**DEPRESSION** I feel so old now...Add to that that I wasn't even born in the 70's, I'm an 80's baby. It seems that I need to start calling around for prices on face lifts and botox.

Analicia is one of my senior reps which comes with some perks. I'm still looking for reps, so if you are a senior in the Hillsborough, Pasco or Pinellas area, and are interested in finding out more of what it means to be a Carolina Araujo Representative or to apply, shoot me an email at Carolina@CarolinaAraujo.com. I will say that it involves a free session!

Just to prove that I'm not one to hold grudges, here are the kick-butt pictures we took after the very damaging comment:

Love this series:

Work it, work it! Favorite!

Shortly before getting attacked by Noseeums..they're so tiny, you no-see-um.

Love...

You've got legs for days girl...

Random Picture Tuesday #2

2008-09-23T12:02:00.001-04:00

Oh My! Is it Tuesday already!?!?

Madelyn

2008-09-21T22:14:00.002-04:00

Madelyn is my little cousin and my mom's god-daughter. She's turning 3 next month and my mom asked me to do a little photo session with her. It was super fun. Masielle: please don't hate me, I gave your daughter a whole lot of sugar today!

Check out her princess backpack. She carries very important things in there.

Taking a little break from all the modeling.

More sugar!! I seriously hope I'm Madelyn's favorite person after today. She kept asking me if I had more surprises for her.

I like to call this next series: 'Going To Town On A Lollipop'. I asked her if she liked her lollipop. Her response was the middle picture on the bottom row.

One more..I couldn't resist.

Tasha & Carlos | Wedding

2008-09-20T22:55:00.006-04:00

Strap in folks, this is going to be one of my longest posts to date! Last night, Tasha and Carlos were married in Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater, and I was lucky enough to be there to document their night. Let's start with some pictures!

First off, some details. Tasha's dress was gooooor-geous!

Tasha practicing her vows with Carlos's sister while getting her hair done. A bride's gotta multitask!

Tasha you are ab-soo-lutely STUNNING! Carlos: you are one lucky guy!!

Loooovvveeee this shot...Love the motion blurness! Loooove it! (did I mention I love it?)

Aren't they both such cuties??

I would say it was a nice day for a wedding, wouldn't you?

Executing aforementioned vows beautifully...

YAY!! The Mr. & Mrs.!!

The parasols in lieu of flowers were a great idea. How is it possible that every single member of the wedding party is a hottie?? Can you spot the Paris Hilton look alike?

On to the party! Awww, how sweet...a nice typical traditional first dance...

Oh wait..WHAT? That lasted about a minute..Tasha pushed Carlos away and surprised their guests with an AWESOME choreographed dance with 6 members of the wedding party jumping in. It was GREAT. You guys are fabulous dancers! They pulled people out of their chairs and got the party started.

Tasha's sister Tiffany and her boyfriend. Looovveee!

We had some sparklers and decided to give this a shot. I love how it turned out!

Tasha & Carlos: You guys are awesome! Hope you enjoyed this little (looonnngg) sneak peek! Can't wait to see you again soon!

E-Chain Letter

2008-09-18T16:10:00.006-04:00

Well..sort of. I've seen this little survey circling around blogs, most recently photographer Scarlett Lillian's (Check out her site, she's fantabulous!!) and thought I would give it a go.

I AM...happy, lucky and thankful.
I WANT...a baby.
I HAVE...an amazing, supportive, funny husband.
I KEEP...way too many old clothes..they are NOT coming back in style!
I WISH I COULD...take a year off and travel the world with my love.
I HATE...liars.
I FEAR...something very personal that I wish I had the strength to share.
I HEAR...the ice cream truck outside...uhmmm..ice cream!
I DON'T THINK...I can ever get enough reality TV.
I REGRET...absolutely nothing.
I LOVE...my family, good friends, Bailey, traveling, cooking, photography.
I AM NOT...perfect nor do I claim or aim to be.
I DANCE...around the house to make Alex laugh.
I SING...horribly...but I still sing at the top of my lungs.
I NEVER...thought that I would be getting this sort of satifaction from photography.
I RARELY...go to bed before 2 a.m.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH...almost anything. Such a big cry baby!
I AM NOT ALWAYS...on the computer...I promise!
I HATE THAT...LOST isn't back until next February.
I'M CONFUSED ABOUT...why the ice cream truck has the Lambada song playing. Weird.
I NEED...to paint and redecorate my office.
I SHOULD...stop thinking about ice cream and get some work done!

Random Picture Tuesday #1

2008-09-16T22:14:00.003-04:00

Okay let's see how long I can keep this up for. In an attempt to blog more, I'm starting Random Picture Tuesdays. Basically all that means is that every Tuesday there is a guaranteed blog post with a picture taken that week. A very random picture. Not really having anything to do with anything. Tooootally random.

Here's today:

The Friendly Skies

2008-09-14T21:14:00.004-04:00

You gotta love Florida when there are no hurricanes in sight, the sun is blazing, and the sky looks like this:

The Dominguez & Mendoza Family

2008-09-13T21:38:00.006-04:00

This was super cool. Today I had the chance to photograph a special family who are near and dear to my heart. My mother, brother and I first moved to the US close to 20 years ago. Being new to this country, not knowing the language and with 2 kids in tow, my mom went into survival mode. She served as a nanny to Nina. Now, if you ever met my mom, you'll find she's pretty amazing. In no time, she went from being just Nina's nanny, to a part of their family. The Dominguez and Mendoza's embraced us all. So when Nina asked me to photograph her family, how could I say anything but a big fat 'YES'.

Hope you guys enjoy the pictures!!

Nina is all the way over on the right. With her, from left to right are her aunt, mom, grandfather and grandmother.

My fave! Lovely ladies...

Clara & Hector | Engagement

2008-09-08T01:22:00.007-04:00

So let me tell you a teeny tiny bit about myself. I'm a planner. A habitual planner. The last thing I planned was our Labor Day weekend trip..now that that's over and done with, I'm concentrating on next year's family and friends cruise. In the back of my mind I've already got a ton of ideas for my hubby's 30th birthday bash...which is in August...as in 2009. I really find happiness in getting people together to have a good time, a couple of drinks, some laughs. I'm basically a party planner/travel agent/event coordinator...without the paycheck. At the end of the day, the thing I love the most about planning is the outcome. Meeting new people, reconnecting with old friends. Just BEING with people I enjoy.

It should be no surprise that one of my favorite parts of photography is meeting new people. People that perhaps I would've never had the opportunity to met, had I not been on the other side of the lens.

Yesterday, I met up with Clara and Hector to shoot their engagement session. They have been dating 5 years. The first 4 of which have been long distance. Hector lived in Illinois and Clara in Florida. That to me speaks volumes about their relationship! I will be shooting their wedding at the end of the month (doing a happy dance!) Check out a little sneak peek into their engagement session:

Relaxing and getting comfortable in front of the camera

Flare!

Freakishly tall, oddly shaped palm trees are cool! I barely see these around Tampa but I love them!

According to Clara, she is not photogenic and hates pictures. According to me...YEAH RIGHT!!!

I really love this picture. This was their natural reaction and I only clicked my shutter to capture it.

Tasha & Carlos | Engagement

2008-09-02T01:39:00.006-04:00

Last year, Labor Day weekend starting taking a new meaning to me. Along with a group of 4 other couples, Alex and I rented 2 apartments on the Longboat Key and had a blast. We had such a great time in fact, that we made a little pact that we would try to make it a tradition and do the same thing every Labor Day weekend. The only thing that would change is that we would chose a different Florida beach location each year. I'm happy to say that we actually followed through and headed to Bonita Beach on Friday. Unfortunately we had only little glimmers of sunshine all weekend. After 5 minutes of being at the beach the first day, we spotted a jellyfish, and that was enough to keep me out of the water the entire time (I know...I'm chicken!). So our beach weekend turned more into intense-Catchphrase/Guessture/Cards-tournament weekend. And I mean intense as in staying up till 7AM playing. All in all, I had a great time and great laughs with great friends. What more could a girl ask for??

What about an amazing session ON Labor Day?? Yesterday afternoon I met Tasha and Carlos for what turned out to be a killer engagement session in Safety Harbor. I'm shooting Tasha & Carlos's wedding later this month (yippee!!!), and today's engagement session got me even more excited about their wedding.

Tasha & Carlos: I had a great time getting to know you better, hanging out, talking and shooting you! I hope you enjoy the pictures..

Gor-geeeee-ous!

His eyes are on fiiiiiyahhh!

Yummy peek-a-boo sun!

Ufff! Personal favorite - I love this angle, Tasha's expression, the way Carlos is holding her, and that ahhh-mazing natural texture of the ground.

I see you guys being all cute...

No words...

This picture could quite possible be too smoking hot for this blog!! Sidenote: This was taken at around 8:15PM - luuuuv those pier lights!

Princess Waggytail's Foe

2008-08-23T14:27:00.003-04:00

Doesn't that sound like it should be a children's book? Well, it's not. It's my life. We are poochie-sitting Lacey this weekend. She's only been here a couple of hours but she's played/terrorized Bailey 'aka Princess Waggytail' so much, she's laying on the couch knocked out. It's been a while since Lacey has made an appearance on the blog. She's now a full 6 pounds and hyper as ever. If you hear her and Bailey playing, it sounds like 2 pitbulls fighting. It's funny how much like kids they are. Lacey follows Bailey all around the house. If Bailey sits and looks out the window, Lacey sits right next to her and sniffs her face, which Bailey HATES. If Bailey grabs a toy, Lacey goes after the same toy and usually takes it from her. As I'm typing this, Bailey made her way over to my lap, Lacey woke up and pushed her way into my lap. Never a dull moment.

She stayed still long enough to let me take this picture, which is hilarious.

Poor Princess Waggytail getting a break from Lacey while Alex concentrates heavily on Call of Duty.

Proof that deep deep deep down they really love each other..

Dennis, Christina..teach your girl some manners...is this really the way a lady should be sleeping?!?!

Completely Gratuitous

2008-08-21T20:31:00.004-04:00

I just saw this commercial on TV and decided that I shouldn't be the only one to enjoy this. I love me some Sawyer from Lost.

You're welcome in advance ladies...

The City So Nice, They Named It Twice

2008-08-18T15:19:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending a fantabulous family wedding in New York Congrats Carlos & Lorianne!!!. We had a chance to hang out all day Saturday in 'The City'. I *heart* New York. So much fun, so much to see. However, I do think we went on the most popular day of the year. There was a lonnnnnnng line for EVERYTHING. Nonetheless we had an absolute blast hanging out with family and laughing about absolutely everything.

Wedding Guestbook

2008-08-11T12:00:00.004-04:00

There's always new ideas out there on how to get creative with your wedding guestbook. For Sandra's wedding, we made a guestbook with their engagement pictures. I really love this idea and so did her guests! Not only do the guests get to see a collection of pictures from the engagement shoot, the couple has a lovely keepsake after the wedding as well. The book is designed with intentional blank areas with plenty of space for your guests to sign and leave a message. Whoever thought up this idea is a genius!
Here is a little peek at Sandra and Alexis's book.

This particular book was designed with a custom cover. The picture is printed on canvas and then bound to the book. The front, back and spine can be customized. [on the right] The book in action at the wedding!

Sandra & Alexis | Wedding

2008-08-11T04:56:00.014-04:00

It didn't take long for me to realize that one of the biggest upsides to photography is meeting new people and making new friends. On Friday, I had the chance to document Sandra and Alexis's big day. Sandra finding me was an example of social networking applications at it's best. She heard of me through a friend of a friend of a friend (something like that!) who saw my work on Facebook. The ceremony was an intimate event at Honeymoon Island, FL.

Sandra and Alexis: I had a blast shooting your wedding. Thank you for choosing me! Your family and friends are wonderful and I had an amazing time getting to know you! I wish for you a very bright future filled with lots of love and lots of babies for me to photograph!!!

Enjoy the pictures:

I love this one of Mom helping Sandra with her earrings..

There is absolutely something to be said about how beautiful a woman looks and feels on her wedding day

The handsome groom, Alexis

The engagement guest book on the left (more on that later!!)

I really love the DJ lights on this one

My First Time

2008-08-09T02:57:00.004-04:00

Yesterday (Friday), I woke up to a feeling that was all too familiar. As far back as I can remember, the night before the first day of each school year, I couldn't sleep. I would wake up in the morning with a stomach ache due to being so nervous about the first day of school. I could set my clock by that fateful stomach ache each year. Yesterday morning I woke up with a stomach ache. The night before I couldn't sleep. All too familiar. Only this time, the event on my mind was my first wedding. Fast forward to present time, Saturday at 3:08 AM. I got home a while ago from my first wedding. What a rush!! So much so, that even though I am BEAT..I wanted to sneak peek just a couple.

Sandra & Alexis | Engagement

2008-08-03T01:34:00.004-04:00

I need help. I'm having a huge ginormous problem. It seems that only really-really-incredibly good looking people (Zoolander anyone?) call me to photograph them. Take Sandra and Alexis, for example. They are engaged and getting married 08/08/08. After talking to Sandra on the phone and emailing back and forth various times, I finally got to meet them face to face yesterday for their engagement session. On top of the obvious fact that they are gorgeous on the outside, they are also extremely nice and funny. So you tell me, how am I supposed to work with that??? Beautiful, friendly, AND funny. This is hard work people...

All joking aside: I had a GREAT time meeting you guys. Thank you so much for choosing me to shoot your wedding next week. OHH!! Did I forget to mention that? My first wedding people!! I was super excited to begin with but after meeting these two, I'm over the moon!

Note to self: If you get a shot like this in the first 2 minutes..it's going to be a wonderful session!

OMG! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! This is probably my favorite shot EVER.

Close your eyes kiddies!

Oh boy...I think I spoke to soon...this might be my favorite.

A very very steamy ring shot..

Come back for the slideshow later this week...There are sooo many more great ones!

Paulina

2008-08-03T00:13:00.006-04:00

Talk about living the good life! Paulina is surrounded with so much love it's ridiculous. Today I got to meet her mother, grandparents, aunt, cousin, godmother...the list goes on! At the first sound of a whimper, there was 3 people around her waiting to console her. She is one lucky baby! Cute too...

This is just too cute for words..look at her lips!!!

With her cousin..

I love the next 2, so tender. First with her mom:

In a deep sleep with her aunt..

One Little Monkey Jumping On The Bed

2008-08-01T15:37:00.005-04:00

Sneak peek of one third of my session today with Aaliyah. The other two-thirds got rained out and rescheduled...but at least we had fun jumping on the bed!!

Hello Lovah....

2008-07-29T13:47:00.003-04:00

Look at what I got in the mail today....

Isn't she a beauty? Unfortunately, she's not mine :-( I rented her for 2 weeks from RentGlass.com, which, so far, has been a great, hassle-free experience. My order shipped yesterday, and since they are in Florida, I received the lens today. This is a great way to try out a new toy before purchasing. I have some exciting things coming up in the next couple of weeks and wanted to give this bad boy a test run. I can't wait to take her out for a spin!

Gabriela

2008-07-27T18:34:00.007-04:00

Gaby has made several appearances on my blog but today was our first official session. We headed over to the park with our check list of things. Rain boots=check, cute kid=check, lopsided pigtails=check, check, check!

The first challenge...Gaby was not feeling the boots. She liked them, she knew they were hers, but she didn't like how they felt on her legs. That is until she realized that she could jump on puddles with them! All the sudden, they didn't bother her at all.

Love.her.

Second challenge...She loved, loved, loved the ballons. Then she accidently let them go :-( It was so cute! We tried to make her feel better by waiving 'bye' to them, but she wasn't having it. What she didn't know was that we had extra balloons in that car! Oh...check out the picture on the left. She's telling me she's going to be '2'.

One of my favorites..you just can't fake this happiness..

Check out the slideshow!

Oops She Did It Again...

2008-07-14T03:14:00.003-04:00

For some reason I watch the Miss Universe pageant...every year. I think I single-handily keep that show on the air...you're welcome Donald Trump. So tonight's show was business as usual. Miss Venezuela won the crown. Again. The hosts made jokes that no one laughed at. Again. Miss USA feel on her butt in her evening gown. Again.

Okay seriously...two years in a row! What are the chances? Both times Miss USA. Both times in evening gowns. What a coinquidink! They both handled it really gracefully, I will give them that. I would've ran off the stage crying. I hope next year's Miss USA doesn't go for the 3-peat!

2007

2008 Dejavu

Oh and YAY! Miss Dominican Republic was 2nd runner up!!

Gabriel | Newborn...Part 2

2008-07-07T21:59:00.002-04:00

Guess who came over today? Gabriel brought over his daddy, Tim, for pictures. Unfortunately, last photo session we did, Tim was called into work. But no worries..all that means is that we get more Gabriel pictures, and who doesn't love that?

Best Movie Critic Ever

2008-07-01T23:45:00.004-04:00

I've never seen Star Wars. Shocking stuff, huh? I know the major players in the movie and if it comes up in conversation I try to pretend I know what I'm talking about or just fade to the background in silence. So shameful... The good news is that I no longer have to worry. I found this video on YouTube and it's really the most comprehensive and insightful review of Star Wars that I have ever seen. It'll make you feel like you just watched the movie after seeing this video....

Gabriel | Newborn

2008-06-29T23:00:00.007-04:00

You might remember Liliana's maternity session back in May. Well, today I got to meet beautiful, bouncing, mohawked Baby Gabriel. The night of our maternity session, Liliana's water broke and a couple of days later she gave birth to Gabriel. Talk about good timing! Now, one month later, I finally got to meet him. Let me just tell you...he LOVED the camera. He was the best little model and only cried when he was tired or hungry, which I could totally understand. I also cry when I'm tired and hungry. So here he is, making his modeling debut to the world!

My favorite of the day.

Would you look at that face?? He's so stinkin' cute.

The King of the Castle. Period.

With his Grandmother...

With his aunt Bertha...she's just a tad in love with him. He's got her wrapped around his little finger!

This is my second favorite of the day. With uncle Alvaro and aunt Bertha.

Daineli, Madison, Mark Anthony & Gable

2008-06-28T17:26:00.009-04:00

The weather in Tampa has been horrible lately. It rains..no, strike that, POURS, every single day. This weather makes me want to stay home, curled up on the couch with Bailey next to me. So far, today has been the exception. Even though it's really overcast, not a drop of rain has fallen. Which made it a GREAT day for pictures!

I headed to Daineli's house this morning. We didn't have to go anywhere to take pictures because she has a humongous backyard and her house backs up to the Hillsborough River. In fact, last year, Daineli was nice enough to let my mom borrow her backyard for my bridal shower. Today I shot Daineli, her son Mark Anthony, her niece Madison, and her adorable pooch Gable. Don't tell Bailey but I kind of love Gable.

Here are some of my favorites from today:

Isn't he sweet?

Madison just graduated from high school so we had to get some in her cap and gown!

The tongue thing runs in the family as evident from the two pictures below:

Hello my name is Carolina...

2008-06-27T21:15:00.005-04:00

and I'm a Reality TV Addict. I feel like I'm going through withdrawals. All of my favorite shows are on hiatus for the summer and I don't know what to do with myself. My tivo is empty and I have all this extra time on my hands. I know, it's sad. At least I have 2 shows that are holding me over. The first is Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List. I just love her and everything politically incorrect that comes out of her mouth. She totally reminds me to laugh at myself. The second show is So You Think You Can Dance. I just had to post this video of one of the dances from this week. It's so amazing. The dancers in the video are Chelsea and Mark.

Celine

2008-06-18T00:00:00.006-04:00

Imagine a smart, witty, charismatic, super funny kid. World meet Celine. We had a fun and dangerous time at the park today. When we got there we saw an alligator in the little lake in the middle of the park. When we walked by again, the alligator was nowhere to be found. That was our queue to haul butt out of there! Gotta love Florida. Here are a few from our session today.

Ahhh...to be young again...

So after that last picture, Celine went lizard hunting. Yup, you heard right, lizard hunting. Something about catching a lizard, and letting him bite the area between your nostrils, and then letting him hang there. I'm sorry to say she never caught one, so I have no pictures to document. Sounds fun though!

A Case of the Mondays

2008-06-09T11:55:00.004-04:00

If you've never seen Office Space, rent it now, hilarious! If you got into work today and realized you hated your job, just remember, it could be worse:

What Has Two Thumbs and The Best Girlfriends Ever?!?

2008-06-08T15:03:00.006-04:00

THIS GIRL!!!
So after making a huge fuss about the Sex and the City premiere for the past 6 months, it turns out I was out of town on the day I had been waiting for for so long. So I asked my girlfriends to make the ultimate sacrifice and wait 1 week to watch it with me. And guess what? They DID!! 13 of us painted the town red last night. We went for sushi at Samurai Blue (the best sushi in Tampa in my opinion), most of us had mandatory martinis, and then we walked over to the movie.

I've watched every single episode from day one, I own the DVDs and even a couple of books, and let me tell you...I was NOT disappointed. For me, the movie totally delivered. I was left wondering though, for someone who didn't follow the series, was it as great? The only thing I did not like was the new opening credits song (sorry Fergie), I wanted the original, but I guess that's just me being picky and for nostalgia's sake.

Thank you girls for waiting to watch the movie and coming out last night. All of you ROCK my SOCKS!

Nuvia, Ammie, Kym, Maria, Dorothy, ME!, Carolina, Preea, Sheila, Chrissie, Katie (not picture Ana Maria and Blanca :-()

Be Cool My Babies

2008-06-04T08:29:00.001-04:00

I'm baaaaccckkk!!

Athens

2008-06-02T14:18:00.003-04:00

Our last day of vacation. Woe is me. Actually, I take that back. Our vacation was timed perfectly. I'm ready to go home tomorrow and see my Baby Bailey, my family..but most importantly, to catch up on LOST and watch the Sex and the City movie! After all, a girl's gotta have her priorities. Today was spent exploring the Acropolis, exploring gyro stands, and trying to shop for souvenir. I think our lack of sleep caught up to us around souvenir shopping time so we didn't get much done. At least we got some pictures!

Putting this collage together was interesting. Alex pretty much told me straight out that he didn't like the big center picture but I felt that it needed to go there. Athens is known for the Acropolis and it's history. What I didn't know about Athens was how much graffiti there was everywhere. It's almost a part of the city.

With the Parthenon behind us!!

Santorini: Day 4 (Conquering Skaros)

2008-06-02T00:27:00.002-04:00

We just arrived in Athens. We took a 10 hour overnight ferry from Santorini where we had a cabin with bunk beds! Fun stuff..I always wanted bunk beds as a kid..as a married adult, not so much. I think we slept a total of 1 hour. Cabin with bed to rest = money not well spent. We did, however, play cards until we passed out.

Our last day in Santorini was a short one and left us time for only one last adventure. Yup, you guessed it, the search for my mystery church. I did some research on the handy internet and found out that Skaros Rock was at some point a thriving fortress and the capital of Santorini. There were actually around 200 houses on the rock. Between the 18th and 19th century, earthquake eruptions cause considerable damage and the only thing left standing on the rock is a small church, the Chapel of Agios Ioannis Apokefalistheis. Try saying that fast 5 times. So that's the history lesson for the day.

So here is our journey in pictures:

I took this picture from right outside our balcony from our hotel.

This was from our ferry on the way to Athens.

We're not playing around here...

And here she is in all her splendor:

This was really cool. To me it looks like a lion guarding over Santorini.

The sweet smell of victory. Thanks Skaros, for reminding me how out of shape I am.

Santorini: Days 2 & 3

2008-05-31T14:32:00.005-04:00

This trip has been amazing, so far, the next place has been better than the last. I know I said Mykonos was paradise, that would make Santorini SUPER Paradise. Is that even possible?

The last couple of days have been jam packed with things. I will preface this by saying that we are definitely keeping it vacation-style and waking up around 11 AM. The days are super long so we don't feel too bad. Yesterday we rented a car. Driving in Santorini is ~~crazy~~, ~~interesting~~, ~~only for maniacs~~ fun. We drove to the Black Beach, Red Beach and Oia. Last night we had an amazing dinner in Ammoudi Bay which consisted of octopus and stuffed eggplant. We've also had at least one gyro a day. I'm going to miss this place!

Today we did some souvenir shopping and then went in search of a church. Okay that sounds kind of weird since there is a church every 20 steps here. We were looking for the church that is in every picture of Santorini and the most famous church out here. Come to find out that the church is in THE most remote area possible. It's on the side of a cliff on a rock named Skaros, accessible only by a foot path, and not only that, but you can't even really see it until you get there. So, I talked Alex into taking the trek. We started our journey and there was absolutely no one else doing it. This was serious stuff...one wrong step and your swimming with the fishes. Literally. We went around the entire path until it ended..NOTHING. I was so disappointed. We made our way back and saw a couple coming from a tiny tiny narrow path below ours. We got curious and waited from them. In broken English, the German couple comfirmed that we took the wrong path and probably the hardest path. They were at the church so at least we know that it exists. We, and by that I mean me, were beat from the climb and the sun was merciless. So we are going to try again tomorrow. I know, we're crazy, but I can't leave here without a picture of that church! I'm on a mission now. I'll post pictures of Skaros and the church tomorrow (hopefully!)

In the meantime, here's a little of what we've done the last couple of days:

Black "sand" at Black Beach

The view from our balcony tonight:

Santorini: Day 1

2008-05-29T16:52:00.002-04:00

Heavenly - Blissful - Enchanting - Divine
AHH-MA-ZING!

Mykonos: Day 2

2008-05-28T11:41:00.003-04:00

Today we went took a ferry to the archaeological island of Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. We checked out some ruins and then headed to Paradise Beach. The weather here is amazing - sunny, big blue skies with no clouds in sight. Tomorrow afternoon is our last day in Mykonos and then we head to Santorini. Stay tuned for more pictures!

Mykonos: Day 1

2008-05-27T17:44:00.005-04:00

Our last day in London was spent revisiting some sights, going to park, checking out a museum, and all around taking it easy. On Monday morning, we started our trek to Greece. The weather in London was wonderful up until our travel day. It was so bad in fact, that there were power outages causing our train to the airport to be cancelled. We were rerouted and had to take a bus. The only problem was that 300 other people were also waiting in the pouring rain for a bus that held about 100 people! So we had to take a very expensive cab ride in order to not miss our flight.

Hectic day but it was all worth it. Mykonos is paradise. It really is like a dream. So much so that I couldn't wait to post pictures.

A little slice of heaven...

Our home for the next couple of days - Hotel Tagoo - highly recommended!

London: Days 1 & 2

2008-05-24T20:45:00.004-04:00

I can't believe 2 days have already come and gone! We've done so much in such little time. London is absolutely amazing, better than anything I hoped for and better than any picture I've ever seen. We've picked up a pretty brilliant English accent...yup...in just 2 days mate. Today we had the chance to met up and sightsee with Simon and Sonya, whom we met while on our honeymoon in Thailand. The weather today was gorgeous! Tomorrow is supposed to rain but we have our fingers crossed that it won't. As far as what we've done so far...here is a little montage of my take on London.

My favorite picture of the day. The train is blurred which is a dead giveaway that Alex took it.

'I hold it, you push the button' shot.

With our English blokes, Simon and Sonya at Wellington Arch, NOT Marble Arch (inside joke)

New Feature

2008-05-23T21:51:00.002-04:00

Want to know how to kill time on a 7 hour flight when you can't sleep? Edit pictures and make a slide show! Unfortunately, I was only able to kill 2 hours of my flight time since my laptop battery died. Scroll down to the end of Liliana's maternity post to see a small slide show I put together. Just click the play button on the bottom right hand corner to start automatically, or click through the pictures manually. I'm very excited about my new feature. I've been wanting to incorporate a nice big slide show at the end of all my sessions but hadn't found the right software or even how to post it on Blogger.

I don't do this enough but I want to encourage you to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the new feature or anything else that's on your mind!

Bangers & Mash | Gyros & Kalamata Olives

2008-05-22T11:27:00.003-04:00

We're crazy. We started packing at 2AM last night and then at 4AM we watched last weeks episode of LOST. Took a 2 hour cat nap, woke up, got ready and now we are at the airport. So we're running on little sleep but who cares! We're going on vacation!! Today we are headed to London and then to Greece. I'm nothing short of hopping on one foot with excitement. So bangers and mash in London, and Gyros and lots of kalamata olives in Greece. I will be back June 3rd and in the meantime...I will be updating the blog with photos from our trip and Liliana's slideshow.

Alex and I, 2 seconds ago, happy as can be to be going on vacation!

Liliana | Maternity

2008-05-21T14:34:00.011-04:00

Yay!! An update with pictures! Today was super fun. I had the chance to photograph Liliana who is pregnant with her first baby. You're not going to be able to tell from the pictures because she's tiny, but she's 40 weeks along and looking fab-u-lous! Here are some of my favorites from today:

LOVE this wall. LOVE this picture. Hands down my favorite of the day.

Do you see what I mean about looking fabulous? About 10 minutes before this, some guys driving by made it a point to YELL out their window "You take that picture guurlll..You look goooood!!"

I couldn't resist a shot of the killer shoes Liliana was wearing. 40 weeks and in stilettos. Can't get anymore fab than that.

Liliana: I had a great time photographing you today and getting to know you better! Can't wait to met your baby boy!

Mami

2008-05-11T22:16:00.003-04:00

I have been such a bad bad blogger these last couple of weeks. It has been and it will continue to be a crazy couple of weeks. However, I couldn't let today pass without at least a little blurb. I want to wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day. As the day comes to an end, I hope that it was spent with the people you love the most. A big kiss to my friends and family that are mothers. A special MUAH to my Mami, who is also my best friend, my unconditional supporter, and personal fan club! She's having knee surgery this Thursday, please keep your fingers crossed for a speedy recovery!

Scenic Wonder

2008-04-24T11:52:00.004-04:00

Living in Florida, I don't get to see too many mountains. Our flight from Vegas made a very bumpy and turbulent connection in Denver and the view of the Rocky Mountains was pretty amazing.

I ♥ Elvis

2008-04-22T13:01:00.004-04:00

Free airfare and hotel to Vegas...I'm so there! At this second I am sitting on the floor at Las Vegas McCarran Airport, awaiting my flight back home, and finally winding down from the weekend. The slot machines next to me are calling my name but being away from my blog for so long is driving me crazy! Saturday morning, myself and 3 girlfriends flew out on said free airfare for an impromptu 'Girls Weekend in Vegas'. Saturday we took in a show and walked the strip at night. We rented a car and drove to the west rim of the Grand Canyon on Sunday. So gorgeous! On Monday we walked the hotels during the day, stopping at each casino and plopping down on the penny slots. We're the definition of high rollers! All in all, it was a blast and a ton of laughs. Girls: we should really make this a yearly thing. While I can't really call what I feel for Elvis 'love', I thought the title was appropriate.

The Grand Canyon West Rim from Eagle Point

From Guano Point

Viva Lost Wages!!

Goodies!!

2008-04-17T17:54:00.003-04:00

Can I just say that hearing the UPS truck park outside my house brings an automatic smile to my face? I know he comes bearing goodies!

The first product I want to share are the beautiful gallery wraps. The image of your choice is printed on canvas material and then wrapped around stretcher bars. They come ready to hang and are a great addition to any room. They come in sizes 11x14 to 30x40 and anything in between!

The image is wrapped all the way around the stretcher bars.

The second product is standouts. Your print is mounted on a 1.5' gatorfoam and sealed. They also come ready to hang but look great on a desk or table. Available in 8x10 to 20x30.

The sides can be ordered in either black or white.

Frido & Carolina

2008-04-14T01:00:00.005-04:00

I know you've heard of arranged marriages, but is there such a thing as arranged friendships? When I was around 13 or 14 years old, a family friend had a niece moving from Venezuela to the U.S. Since we were around the same age, it was decided by the grown-ups that we should meet. I remember going to the airport to pick Carolina up and meeting her for the first time. Little did I know that this arranged friendship would turn out like it did.

I can't quite explain how it happened. We never went to the same schools, we had different circles of friends, and barely saw each other every other weekend. Somehow, despite all the roadblocks, we became the best of friends. Best Friends to be exact. Almost 15 years later, she is still the person who I can share absolutely anything with. I have to admit, the grown-ups got it right.

Not only is Carolina the mother of the most beautiful-amazing-smart little girl, she's also married to a pretty amazing guy. Frido holds a very special place in my heart for making my best friend happy. Enough with my love letter...let's see some pictures!

Things got really steamy, really quick! I think I was blushing after only 5 minutes!

Did I mention that my best friend was smoking hot?

He's not too shabby either!

Thanks guys! I had a great time.
Caro, mi tocaya, HAPPY BIRTHDAY..I love you!

Taking Baby Steps

2008-04-13T15:00:00.009-04:00

Today I woke up with an extra pep in my step and decided to get the proverbial ball rolling. It's a baby step, but nonetheless, exciting for me. I registered a domain with GoDaddy. For the time being, the web address is redirecting you right back to this blogspot address. I also wanted to snatch it up before another Carolina Araujo came along and claimed it! So here it is, please bookmark me!

www.CarolinaAraujo.com

My new email address is:
Carolina@CarolinaAraujo.com

Amber & Theodore

2008-04-12T12:01:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing these two cuties today at the park.

Please pay close attention to the princess shoes!

Even on the swings she's still hamming it up for the camera. Love it!

Dennis & Christina

2008-04-12T01:12:00.006-04:00

I had a great and fun session this evening with Dennis and Christina in Ybor City. We walked the area with no agenda and just basically stopped when we felt a photo was in order. It was so hard to chose which ones to post on the blog...we really got a nice variety. I feel like I cheated on this session, I was super relaxed from the get go. The reason for that is that I've been constantly around Dennis for the past 10 years. See, Dennis is Alex's brother, which would make him my brother-in-law. In my eyes, the 'in-law' part can be dropped from that title. In case you are following my family tree, Dennis and Christina are Lacey's parents.

Before I go any further, I have to tell you that some madness ensued. While walking down an alley, Dennis channeled his inner Air Jordan. Christina got some air too!

I've never been so happy to see a puddle in all my life!

One of my personal favorites of the day, I love how the sun is shining on his face, her eyes, and the texture on the wall.

And then he channeled his inner Jackie Chang/Zoolander.

Gor-GEEE-Us!

Guys, do you now see why I loved this arrow?

Personal favorite #2

Thanks for all the laughs and allowing me to take your pictures. Love you guys!