ROBYN, JAMES & EISLEY_PART II

I LOVE water...I love to drink it...smell it...look at it...and shoot around it. The ocean makes me very happy. So of course, I had to finish the shoot by the Gulf. We were doing the shoot early in the afternoon because....well, babies have a sleep schedule. When we got there we were blessed with overcast skies, which made me even more happy. By the way, I love LIGHT too...but just the right light and this was the "right" light.

When we arrived we walked over to this huge piece of driftwood. Eisley was moving and did not really want to sit still. As I glanced around, I notice some flowers and did a double...no, did a triple take on what I was seeing. Anyone familiar with Key West knows that it is very rare to find a field of flowers. So what did we do? We plopped Eisley right down in the middle. Eisley immediately settled down and was completely happy...picking the flowers. ha ha. It was in a photographer's dream. I was happy. I had my ocean, my light and now flowers. It was too good to be true. I am still happy.





I love this picture of Eisley. Look at her tongue. Too funny. She was watching James hold the flower up with such concentration and amazement.




Robyn put a flower in her hair and I made her say "cheeseeeeee". I just love this photo.



Attention : two people in this photo are "not" looking at the photographer. Two people in this photo are looking at a "rock"...can you guess which two it is? (LOL...just picking at you James)



OK...so I will just take photos of the person that "is" paying attention to me. LOL again.



Love these next two shots.




Ahhhhhh. Ocean...the right light...flowers...and a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l- baby. A perfect day!



There's the Gulf and the big piece of driftwood.



Love these photos of James & Eisley...




This photo was taken by James. I love it, we look like Island Girls. We have flowers in our hair, that was Robyn's idea. :) Great pic James. Please don't take my job. ha ha. On a side note, I'm not sure why Robyn, Eisley and I were holding rocks...Hummm, what? why? I forget. Anyways, Eisley wins...she had the biggest rock. LOL.


Click here to see the "sneak peek" from an earlier post.

Robyn, James & Eisley...you guys know how much I LOVE you. Thank you for supporting me in my endeavors...thank you for believing in me, encouraging me and trusting me to document the beautiful family you are. Muahhhhh...xoxoxo!

ROBYN, JAMES & EISLEY_PART I

This is Eisley. I don't think my words could truly & accurately describe her beauty. So I will simply let the photos speak for themselves.



Maybe her name should be spelled EYES-LEY, instead of Eisley...ha.ha...just kidding Robyn. I am sure she won't have any problem getting people to notice those big beautiful eyes, with or without knowing her name. By the way blog readers, her name has nothing to do with her actual eyes....ha.ha.



With this look, I am pretty sure she will never be punished. (I think she was pulling the leaves off the ferns.)
But really...This face + I'm sorry = No problem!



Eisley...You just make me smile really big.




Robyn brought her baby stool from when she was a child. We sat Eisley on it, but her dress covered most of the stool. It almost looks like she is standing on her tippie toes. Too funny.




Notice how Robyn & James are laughing. I have "skillz" as a comedian too, if the photography thing doesn't work out. ha.ha. Of course, I have found that kids are not as entertained by me. Thats OK, I have lots of patience. I will teach these "young grasshoppers" how funny I truly am and they will eventually grasp my humor. LOL :)



See the middle photo...laughing at ME...yea yea yea!



Whoever said that two beautiful people will have an ugly baby was wrong, wrong, wrong...
Proof : Gorgeous Mommie + Hot Daddy = one B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L baby!




Eisley definitely got her Daddy's eyes...but got her Mommie's flawless face.



James is one lucky guy for sure...




Sometimes it makes me laugh how kids will look at me with such a serious face.



Having parents that are funny is a really big help though.



Love this shot of James making Eisley laugh...



Again...beautiful + beautiful = beautiful. (NOTE : Robyn and James are both equally as beautiful on the inside...just in case you were wondering. Big SMILE! )







After this part of the shoot, we headed to the beach for a few last photos. These will follow later in the week. I did post a "sneak peek" on my blog before, but have more amazing pics to share.

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP...

I wish I could take full credit for this shoot, but I must confess...the "idea" for this was all my friend Robyn's planning. She asked me if I would come over and snap a few photos of her and Eisley when she got ready to lay her down for her nap. She tried explaining to me the feeling she had during these intimate moments with her sweet little Eisley, but I didn't fully understand until I saw it. She told me of this bond the two of them share...the quite time that is just theirs...mother & daughter alone. She described a small pink room full of love, innocence and pure happiness...and she wanted to remember this feeling always.

Robyn turned on her iPod to lightly play some soft music in the background and I waited patiently at a cracked door. Once I saw Robyn rocking Eisley and talking to her in a gentle voice, I knew this was going to be some amazing photos.

"Now I lay me down to sleep...I pray the Lord my soul to keep..."



I love this next photo. I only pushed the door open a little, so I wouldn't wake Eisley. I wanted to keep the door and the wall in the image...I like shooting through stuff. I shot this with my 85mm @ f 1.2 / 6400 ISO...LOVE IT!



I absolutely LOVE my new Canon 5D Mark II that my sister bought me as a birthday present in January. Thank You Sis! With my new camera I was able to shoot with an ISO of 6400, which was awesome since the room did not have a lot of light coming inside. Robyn likes to close the blinds and have the room dark for Eisley's naps. That's ok though, I was still able to get some amazing images...with my new Canon 5D Mark II...yea!



Even though shooting at such a high ISO will give you some "noise" in your images...I purposely used Photoshop to add more "noise" to this image to give it a more grainy appearance. Love it!



Tender moments like this make you forget all your worries...



Just for fun...black & white / color mix.



Another favorite image, shot with my wide angle 16-35mm...shooting through the cracked door again.



Aaaahhhhhhhhhh....




Eisley's new favorite sleep buddy...


Robyn...I hope this is what you envisioned in your head. I am more in love with Eisley just looking at these photos. You are an amazing Mommie and I am honored you trusted me to capture the bond you share with Eisley at nap time. xoxoxoxo...

KIM, DAN & KENZI_PART II

I can't find the words to express how much fun I had on my recent shoot with Kim, Dan & Kenzi. We laughed together like we were the oldest of friends. Here are some more of my favorites from the shoot, I had so many it was hard to decide which to share on my blog.

Kenzi was amazing as we switched her outfits periodically during the shoot, but I don't think she minded. She's quite a little girly girl, so I think she was more than happy to have a wardrobe change handy. It still makes me laugh that she wouldn't smile at me when I asked, but that she would wait until I didn't have my camera ready and then say "cheeeessseeee".



I love this photo of Kim & Kenzi...



Kenzi tried hard not to laugh at times. I know that I'm a really funny person (ha ha) and I know that she really wanted to laugh at me, but she refused. See the "almost smirk" on her face. I am pretty sure that she was ignoring me and not laughing on purpose...ha. ha.



I even tried to get Dan to make her laugh. She clearly has a very strong will.



You can tell in this photo that Kenzi is laughing at Kim, not me. :(



Wardrobe change became quicker with more practice. I love the colors in her swimsuit.



Love this photo of Kenzi & Dan...





Now I am not certain, but I do believe that I asked Kenzi for a smile here. LOL. I think she crossed her arms in protest, she seriously cracks me up. I am not sure where this attitude comes from...hummm? Kim, any ideas...ha ha...just kidding.



I love this shot where Kenzi is going to toss the ball to Kim...I love action shots.


10...10...9.5...Yea Kim! Way to follow through, even though you were no where close to catching that ball. But...we'll give you a good score for making an attempt. ha ha. Do you all see what I mean about laughing. I laughed hysterically this entire shoot, I am really surprised I didn't have a ton of blurred photos from camera shake.



Yikes, another photo that just makes Kenzi look so much more "grown-up" than she is. Look at the attitude in that walk. You go Kenzi.



Disclaimer : No kids were harmed in the taking of this photo and I did post this photo with Kim's consent. I just hope I do not get yelled at by the Grandparents. smile smile :) However, this photo to me simply reflects the strong personality that Kenzi has. When she is not happy, she will let you know really quick. Kenzi is definitely one of the best kids I've ever photographed. She only got upset this one time when we put her on the towel to sit. She was not happy. I snapped a couple photos and Kim immediately grabbed her up. I think she just didn't want to sit still...Kenzi is very active. We took the towel away and Kenzi was all smiles.



She was perfectly content as long as she could walk around and play.



I love this photo, even though Kenzi isn't looking at me...I think is was one of my favorites.



Kenzi...a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e.




I love this photo of Kim. She smiles all the time. I can even feel her smiling when we talk on the phone.



I love how Kenzi talks with her hands. I do that too.




"are you coming?"



Click here to view SLIDESHOW. (The slideshow will take just a few minutes to load & then it will start playing automatically~thank you.)

Kim, Dan & Kenzi...thank you all for being so amazing during the shoot. Also, thank you for treating me to dinner afterwards, you guys were too sweet. (I LOVE my clients, they are the coolest people!!!) Kenzi...you are such a sweetheart. I look forward to watching you grow and documenting more of your life. Can't wait to see you all again.
xoxo...cassandra m

KIM, DAN & KENZI_PART I

The first time I talked to Kim on the phone, we spoke for over an hour. I knew immediately that her and I would be friends, whether she hired me for a job or not. We talked about a mutual friend of ours, we talked about family, our work, our passions, even our cell phones. We talked about any subject that popped into our heads. Our conversation was full of laughter and girl talk, as though we had known each other for years. I had definitely made a new friend that day.

Later the same week, Kim contacted me about doing a family shoot for her. Although she lives in Ohio, she was planning to vacation only a couple hours from me. I was super excited about the opportunity to photograph her family. We probably talked four or five more times before I would actually met her face to face. The morning of the shoot, I left Savannah in a monsoon of rain and thunderstorms. I immediately started praying that the skies would clear up. I knew Kim had been nervous about the rainy weather all week, but I assured her I would get some awesome photos...come rain or shine. Thankfully, the rain subsided and I was blessed to shoot under a photographer's dream of overcast skies. It was a beautiful day with a beautiful family.

This is Kenzi. She is a small kid with a large personality. I love this photo of her holding her Dad's hand.



This is a photo that makes Kenzi appear to be more grown up than she is. I would call this one "sassy"...just because of the attitude Kenzi is giving here.



We found a really cool tree and although Kenzi had her own agenda, I was able to get a couple of photos.




We did get a light rain shower and decided to take a break under a close building. Although I wasn't that excited about the brick wall in the background, I was excited about these photos. Kim was tickling Kenzi and she was laughing so hard. Her expressions are hilarious and Kim's expressions are just as entertaining. I love the laughter these three were sharing.



I love this series.



After all the tickles, we go back to a more serious side.



Yea...it stopped raining.



I am not sure if Kenzi wanted Daddy's hand off Mommie, but it was too funny watching her try to push it away.



When we were walking down to the beach, Kenzi tripped and skinned her knee. Most kids would have been screaming and crying, but not Kenzi. She just got Kim to kiss her boo-boo and we went on to take some photos.



Of course it did take a little coaxing to get her back into the spirit. I love this photo, it's almost like she is saying "Ahhhhh, must we take photos right now?". Kenzi made me laugh so hard during our shoot, little kid...big personality!



It only took a few minutes and she was pointing to my camera. I tried and tried to get her to say "cheese"...I repeated this word constantly and she refused to cooperate. However, when we got back in the vehicle and Kim strapped her in, she looked right at me and said "CHEEEESSSEEEE". We all laughed. She is already a pint-size comedian.



Photos on the beach are always some of my favorites.







As I was shooting, a dog ran right past us. Kenzi was missing her two doggies, so this made her happy. I think this dog had the coolest tail.





Some of the images, just really make Kenzi look so grown-up. Yikes...sorry Kim, I know you want her to stay small. Ha Ha. LOL.



One of my favorite shots of the day...



Kenzi found some great shells.




I love this image with Kim and Kenzi.



Stay tuned for some more photos with Kim, Dan and Kenzi.

CHAMBER TRADE SHOW

This week I attended my first trade show to network and promote my photography business. It was the Savannah Chamber of Commerce Trade Show for Small Businesses and it was amazing. I got to meet some wonderful small business owners, as well as some of their employees. The ballroom was full of people shaking hands, making introductions, smiling, exchanging of business cards and brochures...just a lot of networking. It was awesome.

I really didn't know what to expect or how exactly to prepare for this, so I was feeling a little overwhelmed beforehand. I got lots of photos in various sizes printed and bonded for displaying. I took photo books, albums and proof magazines for viewing. I even carefully loaded my Apple Cinema Display and took with me. I set it up to run a slideshow continuously and luckily, this was a big hit with everyone...yea yea. I met some very nice and intelligent people, all with a common interest to succeed with their small business. It was a ballroom full of adrenaline and excitement. No need for the Red Bull I drank before starting, I could have simply fed off all the positive energy that was flowing.

To all my new friends and fellow small business owners, I look forward to building relationships with each of you. My wish is for our community to grow together and our businesses to flourish.

Here are a couple photos my sister snapped with my point & shoot camera.

Monique, Theo & Micah

Beautiful. Happy. Humble. Kind-hearted. Loving. Nurturing. Passionate. Affectionate. Kind. Generous. Creative. Spiritual. Honest. Helpful. Supportive. Optimistic. Peaceful. Confident. Reliable. Hopeful. Driven. Dedicated. Honorable. Awesome! These are only a few words I would use to describe my very dear and sweet friend, Monique.

She has been a loyal friend and a wonderful part of my life for many years. I was super excited when we recently planned a quick photo shoot while I was in Atlanta. It was the first chance I got to photograph my newest little niece, Micah. Monique and Theo are the most amazing parents, which is not surprising. They waited years to get pregnant and when Monique did...there were tears all around. I photographed their pregnancy shoot and Monique was glowing as much then as she is now.

This is just a beautiful family and I am so blessed to call them friends. I look forward to watching Micah grow...she is truly a gift from God and I know he has mighty things in store for her.



Micah is definitely a "Daddy's Little Girl". I love this photo as Micah was gently touching Theo's hand. This image has the "Ahhhhhh" factor...



Micah doesn't like to sit still, she gets bored. Needless to say we only did a few photos on the bench.



Another favorite with Micah...look at those lips. Two words Micah from Auntie Cass...Lip Gloss!



Micah has so much personality already. She was cracking me up. Here she is laughing at her Mommie.



You can see how proud Nique & Theo are just by the way they look at her. She is adored beyond words.



I love how she never let go of Theo when he was around her. She had a tight grip on him at all times. Do you think she has him wrapped around her little sweet & precious finger? That's a big YES!



Micah was walking all over the place, of course with Theo's help. I love this look of pride on her face in this photo. To me it says "Mommie...look at me...I'm walking".



Micah loves watching Monique...I think Theo does too. smile smile. Their relationship is a testament to true love. I think loving each other is very natural to them and it just comes easy. I get goose bumps just watching them together, even after all these years. They still look at each other with such passion. True Love...it does exist.



Like I said...Daddy's Girl.



As we were leaving a butterfly landed on Theo's shoulder. Yes a real butterfly. I heard that is suppose to be good luck. Of course, I think Theo is pretty lucky without the butterflies...he has two amazing girls in his life.



Micah is going to be as gorgeous as her Mommie for sure. She already has her eyes and I bet she will get her sense of fashion too. Nique is incredibly stylish...I call her my very own personal Halle Berry. She is that cool.



I think Micah was ready for a nap as she settled into Theo's arms.


Monique, Theo and lovely little Micah...words cannot express the joy I felt on this day as I watch the three of you. To see you together as a family melted my heart big time. Guys, she was most definitely worth the wait. And Micah...you are one very blessed little girl to have these two as your parents. No child could wish for more.

much love as always...cassandra

EDITING PHOTOS

I think most photographers in the digital age are struggling with the same problem I have been...editing the photo shoot afterwards. With the capability of digital technology, an abundance of images can be shot quickly before you realize it. I am very guilty of this. Why? Because I love to take photos. I get myself so excited and my adrenaline going so fast, that by the time I get to a shoot...I'm like the Tasmanian devil spinning around on red bull. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE...LOVE to take photos and I tend to take a lot. However, in my defense...my clients are all beautiful people with amazing personalities. I simply want to share their beauty and their connections through the photos I capture. I've been trying to get better and make myself STOP before all my memory cards are full. Seriously, if not I will just keep snapping away, even after the shoot is done. LOL...I just looooooove to take pictures.

It has become obvious to me that this high quantity of images has also been my downfall. When it comes to editing a shoot, simply put...I am a "perfectionist". This is not the most sensible characteristic when you download 200, 300 or 400 images from one shoot. Yikes! LOL again. I have found myself spending more time in front of the computer than behind the camera....Errrrr, not where I want to be. Hence the change from my original career path of Computer 3D Artist & Animator to lifestyle photographer. This past year, I've done some research and talked to some other photographers to get an idea of how to better process my workflow. I got some great info and it is changing the way I am approaching my shoots. Recently on a video chat, I asked the uber fabulous Jasmine Star exactly how she was able to knock out repeated shoots without skipping a beat. She is a photography guru and has been an amazing inspiration to me, although we've never met. Her blog is constantly being updated with new weddings and a variety of other amazing shoots. It's like she is 3 people in one. She gave me some great advice and I hope that it will help me build my business faster (thanks jaz). She gave me the name of Nathan Holritz, an awesome photographer who started an editing company for other photographers. He helps photographer's spend less time editing and more time shooting. Yes...now that is what I am talking about...woo-hoo! I recently contacted him and spoke with him briefly. He is one of the nicest people I've ever talked to on the phone. His concept is brilliant and I look forward to building a business relationship with him & his wife. Their company is called Photographer's Edit.

Since Photographer's Edit handles mostly large events for photographers...Nathan was nice enough to share his knowledge on how to edit smaller shoots, like portraits, families, seniors, babies, etc. For over an hour and a half, he guided photographer's from all around the world through a step-by-step process for editing with Adobe Lightroom. This was done on a video webinar, so I kicked back with a green ice tea, a note pad & pen and let my brain soak in every word. He covered so much great information. I currently use Adobe Photoshop CS2 & Apple's Aperture for editing. Now I love Aperture, but I have been debating on changing to Lightroom. Choosing the right software is always important for photo editing. Nathan made it very easy to get an idea of how great Lightroom is to work with when editing. During the webinar, I quickly made notes because it's not everyday you get the 411 from an expert on the workflow process. It is people like, Nathan & Jasmine who share of themselves that inspires me. It makes me want to be a better photographer and colleague to others. I definitely wanted to share Nathan's company and information with others. For any photographer feeling overwhelmed with a ton of wedding images...definitely check out Nathan & Amber's company, Photographer's Edit.

Here is a screen shot of my computer desktop...and no these guys did not have blue hair...ha.ha. Nathan was highlighting this area during his tutorial. It was so great how he walked us through all the steps on the webinar. Now if I can just apply his tips & techniques as quickly & efficiently as he does, I'll be shooting more and editing less. yea!

SNEAK PEEK...Robyn, James & Eisley

I am sitting by the pool listening to songs by Michael Buble´, John Mayer & Dave Matthews...all are musicians whom I LOVE. Their voices and their music simply makes my heart skip beats. Ahhhh...a perfect end to a perfect day....a perfect end to a wonderful vacation. I've had a relaxing and rejuvenating week filled with smiles, laughter, good food, shopping, breathtaking sunsets, a great sister, amazing friends, good desserts and most importantly, some PHOTOGRAPHY...which, as you all know is "my passion".

I wanted to share a "SNEAK PEEK" of just a couple images from a shoot here in Key West. It was with my most FABULOUS friend, Robyn and her AWESOME husband, James and their incredibly BEAUTIFUL daughter, Eisley. Can we say PERFECTION times THREE! Not only are they gorgeous on the outside...they are equally as gorgeous on the inside...YES they are!

When Robyn asked about hiring me for a family shoot...well to be honest, I was a little intimidated. Yes...I was nervous and scared. I wondered if I could truly capture the BEAUTY that they all possess. I had shot them before, (click here...Robyn, James & Eisley) but, could I do it again? Could I truly capture the unique qualities that makes each of them "so flawless". Yes again...I was nervous and scared. After a quick shoot, I previewed a few images on my camera and yea, I did get a few captivating images. I wanted to share a couple and will post more photos later. Hope you like!

MOCHA BY THE POOL...

Having a BLAST in Key West. Mocha loves that it is so "dog-friendly" here. We took a break by the pool so I could check some email. Heres a quick photo I snapped with my small camera. Isn't he just the most adorable puppy ever!?!