Bella Vita Photography » Newborn Photographer

Destin Childrens Photographer | I proudly announce… the 13 Small Miracles

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:45:30 +0000

I am so happy, words cannot express how grateful, humbled, and amazed I am by the work of all the wonderful people in this community & across the country. When I first decided I wanted to do this project, I was sitting in a classroom of about 20 passionate women led by Lori Nordstrom, a woman who truly inspires me – not just through her photography but through her actions, her life, etc. We spent several days in this classroom, laughing, crying, and sharing with each other our passions, our goals, our hurdles, our strengths, and our weaknesses. Without turning this into a long story, I knew when I left that class that I had to do this project.

I’ve volunteered with the American Cancer Society in the past, and it was a cause that I identified with, and I knew many many other people in our community did as well. Little did I know that this would turn out so wonderful, so chaotic, and so fulfilling… all at the same time!

Anyways, standing in the kitchen one night, brainstorming with my husband… we settled on the name “Small Miracles” for the calendar. Quite quickly “Small Miracles Make a Big Difference” was the natural “slogan”. Again, little did I know just how true that would prove to be.

Here I sit at nearly 2 a.m., less than 2 months from the time I first approached the American Cancer Society about my hair-brained ideas (I tend to have a lot of them!), looking in amazement at the number of votes that came pouring in, and equally amazed that I survived it all! LOL

After 2 wonderful weeks of voting, I sit here, looking at the 13 images that made it into the calendar. So happy that I didn’t have to choose them myself because there was no way I could choose just 13, ecstatic at the number of votes that flooded in, and thankful for ever single person that participated. And so… that moment that everyone has been waiting for… I proudly announce the 13 images that will be featured in the 2010 Small Miracles Calendar to benefit the American Cancer Society… proving that Small Miracles DO make aHUGE difference!

(Gosh, even *I* have butterflies TYPING this!) (Names will be added with permission from their parents)

Miracle #9:

Miracle #8:

Miracle #42

Miracle #7:

Miracle #11:

Miracle #1:

Miracle # 31:

Miracle # 19:

Miracle # 12:

Miracle # 38:

Miracle # 6:

Miracle # 41:

Miracle #15:

And there you have it, folks… the 13 amazing Small Miracles!

In all, we received over 5,500 votes… an amazing accomplishment, especially considering this is our VERY first calendar. Rest assured, this is absolutely something we will do each year (though we will start much earlier in the year next year lol… no more shooting, editing, and voting marathons for me!).

And don’t forget, calendars are still for sale – we will be opening the gallery back up with the option to vote removed, just so you can see the cuties & purchase calendars at the pre-sale price of $10. Expect it to open sometime later in the day!!!

Thanks again for all your help, and to all the photographers & businesses who have helped make this possible! Stay tuned as we share with you the inspirational stories that were shared with me through out this journey!

Destin Maternity Photographer | Lisa’s little package – Maternity Session

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:42:52 +0000

Ok, so maybe not *quite* so little, but she’s expecting a package nonetheless. I did these a few weeks ago for a girl I met & know through La Leche League and Bradley birth classes. She’s quite awesome if I must say. Aside from her photogenic-ness (is that a word? I probably don’t know because it’s not a quality *I* personally possess!), she’s a stellar mom to a really cute little girl! And – she’s keeping the good genes alive by bringing another little girl into this world! So here are some really cool pictures of Lisa, her daughter, and her soon-to-be-arriving little one! I was so happy to have them out to the studio here in Crestview for this fabulous maternity session that also turned out some great portraits for her little girl.

Which reminds me, now is as good of a time as ever to mention my Grow With Me packages – catch them now while they’re at a good price. With new changes in November & December, I can bet the packages will increase in price! So book now & get it at the deal it is now! And of course, stay tuned for Lisa’s little arrival! I hope to see her back out at the studio for her newborn session soon!

Destin Wedding & Portrait Photographer | A new little bella blog!

admin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:59:24 +0000

No – we’re not going anywhere! God knows, we’ve just got on our feet good with the server switching, updating the website, and updating the blog & giving them all a makeover. But since I must be in a makeover kind of mood, I’m also dusting off my personal blog & I’m going to actually start using it (ah, such a novel concept!).

So – if you get extremely bored, and/or want a peek into my chaotic personal life (it’s really not too chaotic to me, just to everyone else lol), OR if you want to learn how to be super super frugal – check it out. It started off as my “frugalness” blog – but although my frugalness & obsession with budgeting continues & will likely live on forever… there’s really only so much you can post about it!

You’ll still get all kinds of frugal tips & tricks, but with the added bonus of seeing & hearing about my crazy kids!

So – here you go… proceed with caution at your own risk… My Private Life as the Budget Chick. Don’t worry, it’s not prettied up yet, but we’re getting there! Like all things, slowly but surely!

Destin Maternity & Newborn Photographer | World’s Greatest Baby Shower

admin — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:01:42 +0000

Can you believe it’s that time of year again already? Time for new & pregnant moms from all over the local area (Destin, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, anywhere in Okaloosa & Walton County!) to come on out to the World’s Greatest Baby Shower and check out all of our options for Maternity & Newborn portraits especially!

Just last night we attended the World’s Greatest Baby Shower on Okaloosa Island & what a BLAST we had! Bad, Bad Photographer, I didn’t get ANY pictures of our booth or of all the hard work we put into it, but that’s ok because we were absolutely slammed most of the night taking belly pics of moms! Luckily, I love pregnant bellies, cause I sure got to see a whole lot of them last night! Big, small, you name it. One really really freaky thing though – I bet 90% of them were having boys! I bet for an hour STRAIGHT we didn’t put away the “Baby Boy” ribbon! But, we also got some babies through there too & got to take some really cute pictures of them too! We had a great time, got to see a lot of other folks like the nurses from Dr. Hennessy’s office, Dr. Stoneking, Dr. Sarah Leatherman, and of course all the great folks from Healthy Start who put on the great show.
BY THE WAY – GREAT improvement from last year! The layout was so much easier for mom’s to navigate through. And I definitely think that the whole “photo booth” concept is here to stay for the World’s Greatest Baby Shower. Its a great fun thing for the moms, and I don’t have to stand around all night chit chatting, I get to move around & do what I love to do – TAKE PICTURES!

Speaking of pictures – the shots will be up soon – VERY SOON! So any ladies that are looking for their pictures, hopefully they’ll be up by Sunday evening. Keep an eye out & post a shout out here if you’d like!