Outdoor Fun | Jacksonville Photographer | Shining Moments Photography

As most Jacksonville residents know, this morning started out very chilly. Thankfully, it warmed up enough this afternoon for me to get some play time in with Koufax and Reba (not that they would have minded either way - they have fur coats). Little did we know that we were being watched.

 We had so much fun just running around the yard. As dark drew near, we heard a very interesting sound coming from the trees above. This fellow was spying on us the whole time. :)

Lillian & Yu are Married | Florida Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography

Lillian & Yu had a traditional Coptic Orthodox wedding in Jacksonville on June 11, 2011. Lillian was such a sweet bride and Yu was a character of a groom. Many happy years to the two of you!

The Knot Wedding Specail | Jacksonville Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography

We're celebrating going live on The Knot today! We are now listed as one of the photographers serving North Florida and beyond. Be sure to go to The Knot to view our new profile and check out our reviews on The Wedding Channel. In celebration of this big step for Shining Moments Photography, we've got a wedding special JUST for brides who use The Knot. Send us a message via our Knot Profile and request The Knot Wedding Special. It's that easy!

Perfect Wedding Special | Florida Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography

Today, we partnered with the Perfect Wedding Guide, a free planning publication for brides. In celebration of this partnership, we are offering the PWG Wedding Special. This special is amazing! We are offering your choice of either $200 off your custom or gemstone wedding collection - or - a FREE upgrade from our Modern Art Album to our Elegance Album (that's a $700 upgrade)! This deal is so good, it's only available if you book your wedding by June 30, 2011. So call today and ask about this amazing deal! Visit our Facebook page to see the added bonus available with this offer.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Yesterday, I took some time away from my editing schedule to tend to the little 4' x 6' garden my husband and I had planted earlier this year. And boy, did it need it. As I sat there, pulling weeds, harvesting green beans, and cutting lettuce, I thought a great deal about my grandfather.

He was the one who first taught me about vegetable gardens. I can remember spending the summers with him. We would go for a four mile walk, have a breakfast of beagles with honey, and then spend all day tending to his garden, which was about half as wide as a football field and about thirty yards long. He would teach me about planting, weeding, watering, everything to make the plants grow. And when they were ready for harvesting, we would go through and he would show me why each vegetable was ready and how you could tell it was ready to be picked. :) He used to scold me for eating all the peas as I picked them, telling me that others couldn't enjoy them too if I kept them all to myself. I learned about plants I had never heard of before, like Kohlrabi, as well as ones I had grown up despising (cooked peas, go figure I loved them when they were raw). As I learned about vegetables and making them grow, he would teach me about other things. We would have long discussions about the ways of the world. He was the one person who never sugar coated anything. He has this saying about wishes, which is a little inappropriate so I won't repeat it here, but it boiled down to you've got nothing if you keep wishing. You have to go out and make those wishes come true.


In essence, my grandfather taught me to recognize a lot of things about life through those simple hours in the garden. Things that only now as an adult I have a true understanding of. Those lessons in the garden have taught me how to tend to many things in life, including my business. A business may not need water and sunlight to grow, but it needs time, effort, lots of TLC, to be known by the outside world, the list goes on. And the only way to make the dreams and wishes of a business come true is to get out there and make them come true. There is no sitting and waiting.

As my business grows each day, I look forward to the new fruits it will bring, the new people I will meet, and the lives I will touch through it. I have my grandfather to thank for many things, but mainly, for teaching me how to tend my daily life as I tend to a garden. Giving it the things it needs to blossom and keeping it safe from the things that would hinder it. And so, I leave you with this final thought, "How does your 'garden' grow?"

Branching Out | Wedding Photography Special | Shining Moments Photography

Today, I learned how to maximize my marketing potential. In previous years, I had only concentrated my efforts on online advertising at sites like Wedding Wire and SnapKnot. Yesterday, I branched into bridal shows by registering for one in August. I also joined The Knot and my new ads will be up on June 2nd. Today, I branched into print and even more online advertising with the Perfect Wedding Guide. With all of these new advertising opportunities, I decided it was time for new business cards, post cards, and a small banner. So what am I doing while waiting for all these great opportunities to begin? I'm offering all of the brides out there a great opportunity. Book your wedding with Shining Moments Photography by June 1st and receive a free upgrade from a Basic HD Slideshow to a Deluxe HD Slideshow with any collection purchased. That's 150 images in your slideshow instead of only 50. Hurry in, this deal will only last the next 24 days!

Andrea & Terry are Married! | Ponte Vedra Wedding Photographer | Shining Moments Photography

Today (4/16/2011), Shining Moments Photography was there to preserve the memories as two wonderful people joined their lives together. Andrea & Terry were married at the Crosswater Hall at Nocatee in the Ponta Vedra Beach area. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful ceremony and reception. Our prayers that the rain would hold off were answered. Here are a few images from Andrea and Terry's 1930's inspired wedding. Andrea and Terry, I wish you all the best and many many happy years together!

New Look | Jacksonville Photographer | Shining Moments Photography

If you've been to the SMP website in the last few day, you'll notice we're looking a little blue...that's because in our Facebook poll, the new blue logo was preferred over our old yellow one 8:1. So, considering that blue is my favorite color, we've decided to change our logo and website colors to blue. This transition will take a few days to iron out all the changes, so please bear with us if you see yellow font anywhere that hasn't been switched over yet. Thank you to everyone who have their opinion on the new logo!

I Got Married!

I have some very exciting news, that may be a little old for some of you out there, but things have finally calmed down enough now that the holidays are over, that I have a few free moments to post this. I GOT MARRIED!  :)

On November 20, 2010 I married my best friend Jason at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jacksonville, FL. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was so much fun! We loved that so many of our family and friends came to share the special day with us!

A very special thank you to all our vendors, especially our photographer and friend Olis Garber.

We want your opinion!

So I was playing around with the Shining Moments Photography logo and came up with an alternate version that I think happens to be very pretty. Now, I don't know which logo I like better; the original in yellow, or the pretty blue one I came up with. As a result, they are both posted below. Which do you prefer? The Yellow or the Blue?