Professional wedding and portrait photography studio in Jacksonville, Florida. We hope you enjoy learning more about us through our blog. Visit our website for specials, galleries, and so much more!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
We Were Featured in the Snapknot Blog! | Florida Engagement Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
Great news! We were featured in the Snapknot Blog yesterday! Take a look at Amy & Elijah's Engagement Session at Talbot Island and the great things Snapknot said about the shoot at the link below.
http://snapknot.com/blog/
Vote for Me on Snapknot!
Hey everyone! Snapknot is a bride's resource for finding wedding photographers and they have a weekly contest on their Facebook page. Go take a look at my entry and "Like" it. Feel free to leave comments too! You have until 12:00 PST this Friday to vote/comment. You'll need to "Like" the Snapknot page in order to vote, but you'll enjoy looking at all the great photos they highlight. Check it out at the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=180175529181&view=all#!/photo.php?fbid=532123284026&set=o.180175529181
http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=180175529181&view=all#!/photo.php?fbid=532123284026&set=o.180175529181
The Knot Throws a Great Party!
A few weeks ago, I was invited by The Knot to join them and several other vendors for a wedding networking night tonight at the Sawgrass Marriott. I met so many great people there and I really look forward to working with them in the future! We had cocktails, lots of great food, and amazing desserts! The only thing I'm really really bummed about is that I didn't get a gift bag (shame on the vendors who took more than one). I was looking forward to the spa certificate in there too since my wedding is only 30 days away! OMG! 30 days and that's it! In 30 day's I'll have to change all my profile stuff. Looks like I'll need to print up some more business cards too.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Lauren & Greg are Married | Destination Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
I'm 200 images away from completing the edit of Greg and Lauren's wedding and I just couldn't wait to share this shot with everyone. They are so cute together and I love how the flare shoots down right on top of them in this image. More will come once I've finished editing those last 200.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Great Offer for Photographers!
Fellow photographers, ever want to go to seminars or conventions and for one reason or another, not have been able to? Not a pro photographer, but want to learn more about turning you hobby into a professional business? If your answer is "yes" to either of these questions, you'll want to check out Photovision. I've been receiving the Photovision DVDs for the last two years & they have SO much information in them! You will see photographers on actual shoots, lighting techniques, great composition ideas, & tons more! They cover everything from studio, on location, children's portraiture, maternity and newborns, seniors, weddings, printing and products, business techniques, marketing ideas, and the list of topics keeps going on and on and on! You'll learn what other pros are doing that's helping them survive this tough economy. It really is one of the best investments I've made as a pro photographer. Click on this link http://fansof.photovisionvideo.com/Sarah/044541 & use the code PVFAN to get a full year for only $39 (regularly $149)! It's like having a personal photographer trainer on demand, any time of day because the DVDs are yours to keep and watch any time you like. Feel free to share this great offer with everyone you know! They'll thank you for it!
Friday, August 6, 2010
US Airways is NOT My New Best Friend...
So, I'm trying to get to Ohio for a wedding this weekend. My flight from Jacksonville was delayed at first because the place we were supposed to be on was late arriving. After it arrived though, we boarded at 8:00 PM (originally a 7:55 take-off) and then sat on the tarmac until 10:00 PM when we were finally able to take off. Why the long wait? We were flying in to Charlotte, NC and apparently a storm there was preventing anything from taking off or landing there, so they were not letting planes whose destination was Charlotte to leave their original airports either.
Well, the storm delayed or canceled every flight in Charlotte. So when I touched down in Charlotte in terminal A, they told me that my flight to Cleveland was currently boarding in E, if I ran I could make it, and they would call to let the gate know I and two others were on our way. So I book it through A terminal, past B, C, and D to E, run all the way down to E26 only to see no attendant at the gate, the door closed and locked, but people still boarding through the plane door. By this time, I am hyperventilating from the run through the entire airport. I start banging on the door, people are telling me I need to sit down and breath, and all I can think about is how I need to get through that door. At this point the other two people arrive and we're all standing in the window, banging and waving, trying to get some one's attention as they all board the plane. After the last person boarded, the plane sat there for another ten minutes with the cabin door wide open and the bridge still in place. After the bridge pulled away, it sat there for another five minutes with the cabin door wide open. That's when the gate attendant walked back through the door.
This whole time, I'm still hyperventilating. She looked at me and said, "Cleveland?" between gasps, I answered, "Yes, that's my flight! I've been here for the last 15 minutes and I was banging on the door." Her only response was, "I didn't hear you." She then looked down at the computer and started typing away. Two minutes later, when she realized I wasn't moving, she finally asked, "Didn't they put you on another flight?" Me between gasps still (my chest is killing me at this point) "No, they did not. They said I would make this flight." She then asks for my last name and I hand her my boarding pass because I can't talk at this point.
"Tomorrow at 7:50 PM is the earliest flight I can confirm you on." I managed to ask if there was anything else she could do to get me there sooner. She said all she could do was put me on standby for the whole day, but my bag would be on the first flight out. At this point, an anxiety attack kicks in and I'm heaving like an asthmatic during an attack. She looks over my shoulder and asks for the next person. I move to the windows and sink to the floor, trying to call my mom and my fiance to let them know what's going on. At the same time, I can tell that my iron level has dropped dramatically and I start to get ill.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, I got up to ask the gate attendant where I could find a first aid station because I just couldn't breath and my whole body was starting to shake. She told the people waiting for the next flight that is was delayed and then walked right past me before I could ask for help. So I told myself to forget her and go find someone who would listen. As I was walking a stranger stopped to ask if I was okay and he walked me to the next attended gate where he asked where the nearest first aid station was so I could get some help. The gate attendant promptly called the medics. When they arrived, they put me on oxygen and took my vitals, which were racing for obvious reasons. It took about a half hour for them to get me back to normal, and they wanted to take me to the hospital since the airport clinic wouldn't be open until 8AM. Knowing there was nothing more they'd be able to do for me at the hospital than they had already done, I refused to go.
So now I'm stuck in the airport (they wouldn't put me in a hotel because the delays were weather related) until 7AM when I might be able to catch a Continental flight from here to Newark to Pittsburgh, where I'll have someone waiting to pick me up and drive me two hours back to Cleveland. Meanwhile, my chest is burning and my throat feels like it's on fire from all the heaving I was doing. Needless to say, I will not be flying US Airways in the future. Oh, and I did report the neglectful gate attendant to her supervisor.
Well, the storm delayed or canceled every flight in Charlotte. So when I touched down in Charlotte in terminal A, they told me that my flight to Cleveland was currently boarding in E, if I ran I could make it, and they would call to let the gate know I and two others were on our way. So I book it through A terminal, past B, C, and D to E, run all the way down to E26 only to see no attendant at the gate, the door closed and locked, but people still boarding through the plane door. By this time, I am hyperventilating from the run through the entire airport. I start banging on the door, people are telling me I need to sit down and breath, and all I can think about is how I need to get through that door. At this point the other two people arrive and we're all standing in the window, banging and waving, trying to get some one's attention as they all board the plane. After the last person boarded, the plane sat there for another ten minutes with the cabin door wide open and the bridge still in place. After the bridge pulled away, it sat there for another five minutes with the cabin door wide open. That's when the gate attendant walked back through the door.
This whole time, I'm still hyperventilating. She looked at me and said, "Cleveland?" between gasps, I answered, "Yes, that's my flight! I've been here for the last 15 minutes and I was banging on the door." Her only response was, "I didn't hear you." She then looked down at the computer and started typing away. Two minutes later, when she realized I wasn't moving, she finally asked, "Didn't they put you on another flight?" Me between gasps still (my chest is killing me at this point) "No, they did not. They said I would make this flight." She then asks for my last name and I hand her my boarding pass because I can't talk at this point.
"Tomorrow at 7:50 PM is the earliest flight I can confirm you on." I managed to ask if there was anything else she could do to get me there sooner. She said all she could do was put me on standby for the whole day, but my bag would be on the first flight out. At this point, an anxiety attack kicks in and I'm heaving like an asthmatic during an attack. She looks over my shoulder and asks for the next person. I move to the windows and sink to the floor, trying to call my mom and my fiance to let them know what's going on. At the same time, I can tell that my iron level has dropped dramatically and I start to get ill.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, I got up to ask the gate attendant where I could find a first aid station because I just couldn't breath and my whole body was starting to shake. She told the people waiting for the next flight that is was delayed and then walked right past me before I could ask for help. So I told myself to forget her and go find someone who would listen. As I was walking a stranger stopped to ask if I was okay and he walked me to the next attended gate where he asked where the nearest first aid station was so I could get some help. The gate attendant promptly called the medics. When they arrived, they put me on oxygen and took my vitals, which were racing for obvious reasons. It took about a half hour for them to get me back to normal, and they wanted to take me to the hospital since the airport clinic wouldn't be open until 8AM. Knowing there was nothing more they'd be able to do for me at the hospital than they had already done, I refused to go.
So now I'm stuck in the airport (they wouldn't put me in a hotel because the delays were weather related) until 7AM when I might be able to catch a Continental flight from here to Newark to Pittsburgh, where I'll have someone waiting to pick me up and drive me two hours back to Cleveland. Meanwhile, my chest is burning and my throat feels like it's on fire from all the heaving I was doing. Needless to say, I will not be flying US Airways in the future. Oh, and I did report the neglectful gate attendant to her supervisor.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Last Roll
Still have Kodachrome film lying around? Think you know a little bit (or a lot) about photography? Watch this video.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Helping America's Hardest Working Father
Everyone knows someone in their life who is a hard worker. The person that gets up every morning and goes to a job that may not be that great, that sticks with that job for more than ten, fifteen, twenty years. The person that gets home from that job, eats dinner, and then heads off to their second job, which pays less than the first, then comes home, gets a few hours of sleep, and wakes up the next morning to do it all over again. That's my uncle Mark.
Despite all his hard work, he always made time for his loving wife and three kids. He was always there for his family. No matter how tired he was, he always wore a smile. And in the early stages of his cancer diagnosis (which was caused by his work), that is what he continued to do.
My cousin Andy has created a video about my uncle and entered it into a contest for a chance to win $100,000. This is money that is desperately needed to help him with his cancer treatments. Please, take two minutes of your time to view the video and cast your vote, and know that in doing so, you are giving a family hope.
http://einawccxukm.mitchumhardestworking.com/
Despite all his hard work, he always made time for his loving wife and three kids. He was always there for his family. No matter how tired he was, he always wore a smile. And in the early stages of his cancer diagnosis (which was caused by his work), that is what he continued to do.
My cousin Andy has created a video about my uncle and entered it into a contest for a chance to win $100,000. This is money that is desperately needed to help him with his cancer treatments. Please, take two minutes of your time to view the video and cast your vote, and know that in doing so, you are giving a family hope.
http://einawccxukm.mitchumhardestworking.com/
Monday, June 14, 2010
Help the Gulf Coast | Fine Art Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
We here at Shining Moments Photography are just as appalled with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as the next person. I can't even look at images of the spill anymore because it breaks my heart. Before I found photography, I wanted to be a Marine Scientist. I love everything about the ocean and when I see things like this oil spill, I want to go out and rescue all the creatures affected. Unfortunately, no one person can do it all lone, and as we've all seen, even together, we can't save all the creatures that call the gulf home.
We're not just going to sit idly by an do nothing though. We may not be able to go out to the gulf and help clean things up, but we can certainly help by providing funding for the resources to do so. That's why we're offering a very special limited edition print. Deadly Beauty was captured in Nassau, Bahamas in January 2010. Only 100 prints are available and 100% of proceeds will be donated to the National Parks Foundation Disaster Recovery Fund, which will be sent directly to the parks along the gulf coast. So show your support of the National Parks' efforts and get your limited edition print today! They're available in three sizes: 8x10 ($40); 11x14 ($60); and 16x20 ($75). Signed prints include a white mat and certificate of authenticity.
Visit our website to get yours today!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Great Contest From Minted Invitations!
Hey Brides! Minted.com Invitations is giving you the chance to win a $1000 invitation package for 100! What do you have to do to enter this awesome contest? Go to their blog post at http://www.minted.com/blog/2010/05/14/minted-wedding-invitations-suite-giveaway/#comment-1349 and tell them which invitation is your favorite. It's that easy! Well, it may be difficult choosing your favorite because they've got so many great designs, but the posting part is easy. :) Tweet about the contest and post it on your Facebook status for another chance to win! Good luck!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wedding Season | Florida Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
It's wedding season! And this year, our owner Sarah is planning one of her own! Being a wedding vendor herself, she's got the inside scoop on where to compromise, where to cut corners, and where to splurge. So periodically, you'll see her post some little tid-bit. She's also offering you the opportunity to pick her brain on all things wedding! Whether you've got questions about photography, other vendors, how to squeeze every last dime out of your budget without going over...send them her way. You can post here, send her an email directly, or visit her personal wedding website at www.mywedding.com/jasonandsarah112010. So without hesitation, here is Sarah's first tip:
After announcing your engagement, you will be bombarded by vendors. One thing I've done to stay organized is create a list in Microsoft Excel with the vendor's name, contact info, and any notes about packages or pricing. I've also included whether or not they fit within my budget instead of just deleting them. This way, every time I'm contacted by a vendor, I don't have to try and remember if I've looked at their stuff before or if they're budget friendly. You could also set up a separate email address just for wedding stuff so your regular email isn't hit like the target at a police firing range.
Brides, what are some things you've done to stay organized?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Amy & Elijah are Engaged | Florida Engagement Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
Some much overdue images from Amy & Elijah's engagement shoot at Big Talbot Island in Jacksonville, FL. We did this session just before a storm rolled in, and still managed to get over 400 images (more than I've ever shot during an engagement session).
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Class of 2011 Models Wanted | High School Senior Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
The search is on for our Class of 2011 Senior Models! Are you currently a Junior in high school? Then you qualify to be one of our Senior Models! Senior Models get a super deal! To start, you get a complimentary session and 25% off your Senior Package! That's a savings of over $200!
What do you have to do to earn this awesome deal? It's simple. Contact us to see if we have met our model quota for your school (two guys, two girls). If we haven't, all you need to do is book your session by April 25th. We'll choose your best image and send you 48 wallets imprinted with our studio logo. All you have to do is pass them out to your friends at school by the end of the school year.
Now here's the really cool part...if your friends book a session with us over the summer and bring your studio wallet to their session, you get a FREE print (up to 8x10)! That's up to 48 FREE pictures! What would make this deal even better? You get 3 FREE Facebook Photos (a $75 value)! Don't delay! Contact us today to see if you can take advantage of these amazing savings, valued well over $400!
What do you have to do to earn this awesome deal? It's simple. Contact us to see if we have met our model quota for your school (two guys, two girls). If we haven't, all you need to do is book your session by April 25th. We'll choose your best image and send you 48 wallets imprinted with our studio logo. All you have to do is pass them out to your friends at school by the end of the school year.
Now here's the really cool part...if your friends book a session with us over the summer and bring your studio wallet to their session, you get a FREE print (up to 8x10)! That's up to 48 FREE pictures! What would make this deal even better? You get 3 FREE Facebook Photos (a $75 value)! Don't delay! Contact us today to see if you can take advantage of these amazing savings, valued well over $400!
New Website | Jacksonville Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
Shining Moments Photography recently launched a new website. A new hosting service is the reason for the launch. The website has received more than just a face lift. It's received a whole new design! While some bits and pieces are still in the works, the basic framework is there. Now all that's left to do is fill it all in. It may take a week or two before the site is finalized, but when it is it's going to be better than ever, and easier to navigate! Take a look around and let us know what you think of it. We value your feedback!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Paul & Katrina are Husband & Wife | Atlantic Beach Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography
Congratulations to Paul & Katrina who tied the knot on April 3, 2010. They had a beautiful ceremony at a small church in Atlantic Beach, with a fun filled reception at Selva Marina Country Club. To view more sneak peak images, visit our Facebook album at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173294&id=100161392306.
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