I had the amazing pleasure of working with Diva Productions shooting Kim & Joe’s wedding out at the Hilton in Sandestin.  Kim & Joe decided on a destination wedding, so it was one of the many brides that I didn’t get to meet face to face before hand.  I knew from her bubbly, yet laid back & cool, calm & collected personality over the phone, though that she would be a blast.  Seriously, she has the type of fun personality that can shine like crazy even over the phone… you know those types that within the first five minutes you’re giggling going “girl, let me tell you…”?  That’s so her .  Well, you should have seen the look on my face when I walked in the room to photograph her on her wedding day, and saw that not only did she LOOK just like a friend of mine, but she had the same sweet, funny, bubbly, awesome personality as well – she was even more fun than I thought she would be, if that’s possible!

Kim came quite a ways, with some of her closest friends & family & put a lot of hard work & effort into an amazing destination wedding here in Destin, and a little clouds & wind (or a lot) wouldn’t put a damper on her day   We managed to escape the rain, but not the wind, and it was really a beautiful day after all  It was absolutely beautiful… Kim has amazing taste, and I don’t think she could have picked a more perfect location.

So here is a little sneak peek of her destination wedding at the Sandestin Hilton Spa & Golf Resort in Destin… starting with her amaaaaaazing dress!  I really really really loved this dress.

Poor Kim got slapped by the wind, but I swear she’s the only person I know that can get away with looking so awesome when windblown!

Lovely!  Hope you all enjoyed it, and this just goes to show – in Destin, the weather is always unpredictable, but even our “overcast” days are amazing

They are such a sweet couple, they met young and have stuck by each other through thick and thin… following each other through college and across the country.  It was so much fun to spend all day with a couple with such enthusiasm for life, big dreams, big aspirations, and a relentless pursuit of happiness.  And of course, Andrew is an artist & budding actor, so that was right up my alley!

Congratulations Ashley & Andrew – you guys deserve so much happiness, much of it you already have, but I have a feeling there is so much more on the horizon for you both

Ashley’s dress was absolutely amazing.  I love love loved it!

Ashley is amazingly beautiful… and so photogenic.  I could have photographed her all day…

What I loved about Ashley & Andrew is how comfortable they were with each other…

One of my favorite places to photograph at Bentley’s on the Bay is this beautiful little tree.  I love the way it hangs down.  We stuck around there quite a bit!

And here you’ll see… Bentley’s has an amazing area that is perfect for photographs.

And I just have to explain this next photograph, otherwise you will think I’m certifiably nuts!  I don’t normally take these kinds of pictures at weddings… ok… confession… I do.  I have this weird tendancy to run into all kinds of creatures (just check through my blog archive… lizards, grasshoppers, you name it).  And so at this particular wedding, out on the beautiful back patio of Bentley’s on the Bay, I see this creature.  Initially I yell “BAT!”.  Only to quickly get corrected by a 4 yr old that it was in fact Tinkerbell.  :)  This crazy little creature (moth?  Butterfly?) flew all over, loving the lights of course, landing on people, letting anyone and everyone hold it!  It was pretty interesting… so I just thought I’d share it

And of course, no wedding blog post would be complete without the video/slideshow

Vendors:
Wedding/Reception Venue:  Bentley’s on the Bay
Photography:  Bella Vita Photography
Dress:  White One by Pronovios
Shoes: BCBGeneration
Flowers:  Winn-Dixie
Cake:  Publix
DJ: Gene Cox- Pro Music DJ
Hair/Makeup:  The Blonde Bellagio

]]> http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2010/05/bentleys-on-the-bay-wedding-ashley-andrew/feed/ 0 http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2010/01/eden-gardens-seaside-engagement/ http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2010/01/eden-gardens-seaside-engagement/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:12:34 +0000 admin http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/?p=926 I was extremely excited to take Jaclyn & Adam to one of my favorite places on earth – Eden Gardens State Park! It has a certain charm to it that you just can’t duplicate, with it’s old house, lovely trees, and all the hidden nooks & crannies.  Plus – it looks out on to the water which is fantastic.  We’d actually had to reschedule by just a day – but it worked out to our advantage – the weather was cold on our originally planned date (little did we know it was only going to get MUCH colder) but it was surprisingly fair (and almost WARM) the next day when we actually went out to shoot!  I love it when that happens  (Not rescheduling, but weather cooperating!)

We started out at Eden Gardens, though – and then hopped over to Seaside, which is conveniently just over Hwy 98 & down 30A a bit.  It was a little crowded, but that’s not really that unusual these days!  It’s just a big contrast to the slow quiet pace of Eden Gardens!  But no worries, Jaclyn & Adam are from Atlanta, so I’m sure it was nothing in comparison to the hustle & bustle of a big city like Atlanta!

Anyways, here’s an awesome little sneak peek.  And I’m obviously infatuated with purple lately cause I was totally loving Jaclyn’s sweater!!!

I absolutely cannot wait for them to have their destination wedding, so far from all the details it sounds like it is going to be amazing & I can already tell they are such a fun couple!  I am getting pretty anxious for this wedding season to finally kick off so I can see it!   And although they’re not getting married at Eden or Seaside, they are getting married in what I would consider THE most amazing church on the Emerald Coast – St. Rita’s! Everyone around, Catholic or not, knows St. Rita’s – it is so beautiful!

Congratulations, Jaclyn & Adam!

These two (nuts!) are such fun and I cannot wait for the wedding! They’re kind of the definition of opposites attract – Kristin is well organized, everything is planned out, and Chris is Mr. Fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants. Kristin is (like me) a worrier – all the details have to be thought out with a plan A, B, C & D… Chris – he’s laid back and knows that it will all just work out (like my husband). It’s a great combination, and they are such such fun to be around. They compliment each other so well & it’s so sweet to see a big tough guy just totally smitten & in love.

I had a great time taking them out to beautiful Rosemary Beach, which always makes me hungry because it’s filled with… well… Rosemary!  It is as beautiful as it smells, and sits right along 30-A past Destin, past Seaside, past Alys Beach.  In fact, it’s at the very end of Hwy 30-A just before Panama City Beach & Carillon Beach.  It’s beautiful, very relaxed, and has this awesome Mediterranean beach feel all while being a little bit artsy.

Ok, I’m yapping as usual – so on with the sneak preview huh!?

By the way, when posting this photo, I feel obligated to let everyone know that they both have mad hoola-hoop skills.  Something I do NOT have! lol.  And by the way, if you’re ever out at Rosemary Beach or even just touring 30-A, you have to stop by this little toy store, there’s also an awesome little kids clothing shop which I’m totally addicted to – and the Cowgirl Cafe with the most amazing white chicken chili!

And no kidding – are these not the most awesome icy blue eyes?

And this is hilarious, here is Chris… being Chris lol:

(I have a feeling that’s exactly what made Kristin fall in love though )

And of course… the video!

Kristin & Chris from Bella Vita Photography on Vimeo.

So here is just a sneak peek from the big day!

(By the way, how cool are those walls?!  Lauren’s house was built by the same person who built some of the structures at Eden Gardens so they have the same walls & lights!!!)

And finally… the video.  And I have to say, my little hippy heart was jumping for joy when I heard Ray LaMontagne’s music for not only the ceremony but the reception as well.  So here it is, set to a little Ray LaMontagne!

Lauren & Preston from Bella Vita Photography on Vimeo.

In the meanwhile, if you’re on the hunt for a fabulous location for your wedding, you have GOT to check out Eden Gardens. It is easily one of my most favorite locations EVER!  The setting is so perfect for a wedding and reception (with or without a tent).  In fact, if I did my wedding all over again – it would totally be there!

Eden Gardens State Park
Point Washington, Florida 32459  - (850) 231-4214

So – enough of my babbling – and lets see their family & their little bitty cutie (who as you’ll see, likes a high sodium diet of Florida Sand!).

As you can see, he loves the beautiful white sand of Destin so much, he even was willing to take it off Daddy’s feet!  He probably won’t remember just how much he loved the Florida Beaches, but at least he’ll have this as proof when he grows up!  All in all, we had a great time, and the gallery will be online soon!  We’ll have more family beach portraits from our beautiful Destin Beaches to come!

]]> http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2008/09/destin-beach-portrait-photographer/feed/ 0 http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2008/08/destin-weddings-sticker-shock/ http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2008/08/destin-weddings-sticker-shock/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:06:08 +0000 admin http://bellavitaphotos.wordpress.com/?p=166 So, one of the interesting things about being a photographer is interacting with people.  And I love how in one day, I can meet such a wide range of people, and get such a wide range of responses to the same statements!  I can quote someone the fee for a wedding in one breath, and if they’ve searched around for wedding photographers any – they barely bat an eye.  But then you come across a young bride, early in her shopping experience, or even a family shopping for some quality family portraits – and quoting a  $100-$250 photoshoot can send them into a whirlwind from simple sticker shock.  Add to that, we are a major Destination Wedding location, and it widens the array of people that we talk to on any given day.

So… I thought since we are approaching one of my busiest times of year – wonderful fall wedding season – that I would quote a wonderful article by a group of photographers, Shawn, Pamela & Gavin Richter, about WHY professional photographers cost so much.  It’s been quoted and referenced by numerous wedding & portrait photographers, and in the world of portrait photographers is widely known & seen in wedding photographers forums & in circles of professional photographers.  It’s nothing new – we can recognize the face of sticker shock when we see it – and it’s not unusual for the very next bride to hear the same price & breathe a sigh of relief that it isn’t *quite* as high as she’d feared.  What a contrast!

So for your reading pleasure… WHY are professional photographers (especially wedding photographers) so expensive?

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home “photo printers”, when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time – How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8×10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here’s why.Simply put, you’re not just paying for the actual photograph, you’re paying for time and expertise.

First, let’s look at the actual time involved. If you don’t read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 – 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive- 3 – 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs- 2
- 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.For an eight hour wedding:

- I won’t bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.Now for the expertise.Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let’s not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera – and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way – the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.What about the cheap studios at the mall? Please don’t compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won’t come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you’ll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you’re there, you’ll also spend $200 on other things. They don’t have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion
We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

And soon… I’ll be blogging a little about what the *real* differences are in professionally printed images vs. your local lab like at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc… with hard core proof!
Angela

Here are some of the styles I offer:

And as you can see, the colors can be changed!

and more color changes…

And finally, the last one…

As you can see, these are really hot, and fully customizable. Put your graduating class on there, contact information to stay in touch with all your friends when you go your separate ways for college, and show off your best pictures! They’re business card sized, so they fit perfectly in your wallet or pocket, and are easy to hand out anytime anywhere!

And better yet, these same designs are available in cards that can be used as graduation announcements or invitations.  Yes, it seems like a long ways off, but it’s just around the corner.  Book your session now, get Rep cards now, and then get matching (or contrasting!) Graduation Announcements & Invites!  Stray from the boring plain invites that EVERYONE else uses, and get something that will really be unique, catch everyone’s eyes, and really make yours stand out.

If you’re interested – call now to book your senior portrait session! It’s not too late, but sessions & weekends are booking up fast!  We’re offering Senior Portrait Sessions year round for all our surrounding High Schools:

Niceville Senior High School
Fort Walton Beach High School
Crestview High School
Choctaw High School
South Walton High School
Walton High School
Navarre High School

]]> http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2008/08/okaloosa-county-walton-county-senior-portrait-photographer/feed/ 0 http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2008/07/eden-gardens-child-photographer-celebrating-adoption/ http://bellavitaphotos.com/blog/2008/07/eden-gardens-child-photographer-celebrating-adoption/#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:11:31 +0000 admin http://bellavitaphotos.wordpress.com/?p=104 I am so eager to finish the editing on these, sweet little Cara was so much fun & what an adventure our shoot was! it was on my shoot with Cara that we meet Mr. Lubber the Grasshopper out at Eden State Gardens (past Destin & Sandestin, north of 30A, and still in Walton County but not quite to Panama City and just across 98 from where Alys Beach is).

But, I will say – Cara gave us all a run for our money – and I do mean RUN. Mostly, this is what I saw for the majority of our shoot:

Yep, that’s right – the tail end of Cara. She was on a mission, and she was FAST! But, luckily I’ve been trained by my two little ones & I can book it! So off I went, chasing Cara around:

Oh, and I just have to post these. Not only did Cara collect sticks, pinecones, and pretty much everything and anything else that wasn’t firmly planted & rooted into the ground (she even tried to catch a fish!), she loved to smell things. I am always amazed watching kids explore the world, and I always try to think about how they must see it from their perspective. Only kids can inhale, smell & actually appreciate the smell of a pinecone & smell a flower 20 times over & never grow tired:

Or – also in Cara’s case – climb the stairs of the porch at Eden State Gardens 1,743 times and never once grow bored!

Oh, and I just had to post this one – I’m not sure why I like it so much – because I’m not quite sure if it shows just how big the tree is or just how little Cara is – maybe a little of both:

But as Cara’s mother says, she is in fact, a little Guatemalan Princess – or doll, take your pick!

Thanks for being so much fun, Cara!

And if you haven’t checked out or been to Eden Gardens in South Walton yet, definitely check it out.  If you’re in town visiting, it’s just north of Hwy 98, and a must-see!  It’s also a state park, so there is a small fee to get into Eden Gardens, but it is well worth it & gorgeous year-round!  (But because it’s not on the beach, there’s less breeze, but also far more shade!)

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