We love what we do! I mean how could we not? We are invited to the most important day of two people’s lives. We are at their side all day and it’s our responsibility to capture those moments that go by in a blur.

After all is said and done, after the flowers are gone, after the dress is cleaned and packed (or trashed) and after you come back from the honeymoon, what other way is there relive your wedding day than through photographs? And not just any photographs, but photographs that tell your complete story, beginning to end in a professional and poignant manner?

For us, it’s a vitally important job that we happily and passionately do for our clients. I think that often times some wedding and portrait photographers forget just how important what we do really is! Both Rene and I still have our cherished grandparent’s and parent’s wedding portraits. We have portraits of family members who have passed on and special family reunions that will never happen again. If it weren’t for those beautiful images, it would be harder for us to keep those memories alive in our hearts and in our minds.

I often think about the photographer that took the image of my grandmother’s wedding portrait and my mother-in-law’s wedding portrait. Who were these men or women? Did they realize just how important their actions would be? Did they realize that the one moment they captured on film would be appreciated by so many generations?

So, after having these thoughts about our own personal images for the longest time, Rene and I take our job very seriously. And we wanted to present this bit of prose as we update our blog with a sampling of Tara and Mark’s collection. How wonderful it was for us to be part of this amazing family’s very perfect day! There was so much laughter, love and pride that day that capturing cherished family memories was super-easy for us!

Take a look at their gallery and you will see picture after picture of smiling and happy family members and the bride and groom. This is as real and as good as it gets! It’s solid gold for us photographers and I really don’t need to say much else!

Oh, and check out the mega-talent that is Tara’s mom and sister! They did absolutely all the decorations from the palm tree name cards to the totally cool flip flops for guests to the cupcakes to the smart and quirky quotes on the walls! Ladies, you need to start a new business!

~Astrid~

Tags: brides, naples weddings by Astrid
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So we’ve been totally swamped with work (which is always a good thing, right)!

And even though we don’t shoot a wedding every single weekend, we have been busy with family portraits, holiday card sessions, charity work and children’s portraits! Add to that the fact that our weddings don’t take a couple of days to edit. We take our time and we create unique works of art for our brides and grooms. And all that takes time, of which we seem to run out of more and more lately. However, our steadfast rule of no work at all on Sundays (which is exclusively family day) is still holding out very strong….

Last Sunday we took advantage of the awesome weather and headed over to the Koreshan State Historic Park. The weather down here has been absolutely fantastic! I LOVE the cold fronts that keep coming through. I am totally NOT a hot/heat/sweat/flip flop/shorts kind of gal, but have to be here in this heat hole! So whenever the temperature dips below 70, watch out! That means cold front to us Floridians!

The weather was perfect for a hike at one of our favorite parks and of course, I took my camera as always. But instead of focusing on palm trees (yes, I have been neglectful of the palm tree gallery) I decided to have fun with flares!

Flares, you ask? Well, camera lens flare happens when light enters the camera and hits the sensor or film directly. The flare will then appear in the form of a polygonal shape that is the same as the shape of the diaphragm of the lens. If I proceeded to confuse you more and you are interested in the topic, check out this link!

A few weeks ago we photographed a wedding (which will be up on the blog soon) and I caught a great shot of the bride and groom from behind with this amazingly golden, bright, buttery starry-night flare shining down on them. I LOVE this shot and you can see it in the gallery below. So while at the park, and while searching for something new to photograph and hyper-focus on, I decided to practice my flare. Now I don’t just let the sun shine right into my lens to create the flare…I also stop down considerably to get the sun looking like a star….

I’ve used Photoshop flare a few times…but I love getting it right in the camera from the get go. Not to diss Pshop, but filter flare just doesn’t have the awesome personality of natural flare!

All the flare below is natural in-camera flare…with color and contrast enhancements made in Photoshop. Ah flare! You have indeed become my new photographic interest for now and I just may have to devote a few more posts to you!

Enjoy the flare!
~Astrid~

Tags: daily photo rambling..., naples weddings, ramblings... by Astrid
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You know how they say that rain on your wedding day is good luck? Well Maria and Brennan will have a lifetime of good luck! After much anticipation and planning, their special day came and along with it, we had a DOWNPOUR of hurricane proportions right as we were getting ready to go the beach for portraits!

In no time flat, Brennan’s mom was on the phone to local area hotels to see if they could accommodate us so that we could take some portraits inside. Well, the Inn on Fifth graciously offered to let us shoot there and WOW! What a fantastic journey that was!

Maria was ecstatic that we ended up shooting at the Inn on Fifth. The infamous Naples hotel provided the perfect backdrop for her elegant look and the images speak for themselves. I want to extend a gracious thank you to the staff at the Inn on Fifth. Rene and I spent our honeymoon night there and we can’t recommend them enough. If you are ever in Naples and want true attention to detail in the heart of old Naples, this is the place to stay!

Thank you Maria and Brennan and congratulations! You have a wonderful journey ahead of you and the support of a loving and beautiful family. Thank you for giving Rene and I the opportunity to be a part of that very perfect day!

~Astrid~

Tags: brides, naples weddings by Astrid
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Here they are! It took us a little longer than expected, but here is a very small sampling of Erica and Tanner’s fantastic wedding!

This beautiful couple tied the knot at the Community Congregation Church here in Naples. The bulk of our weddings usually take place on one of Naples’ beautiful beaches, so it was wonderful to shoot their ceremony in this lovely church. I love church ceremonies and I especially love to photograph them!

Tanner and Erica’s reception took place at the picturesque Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club in Bonita Springs. What’s my favorite thing about this venue? The fantastic hall of columns right outside the country club and the fountain out front! What a GREAT spot for fab portraits of ravishing brides!

The reception area is very spacious and comfortable with a highly attentive staff and an ever-accommodating coordinator. And the food: FAB! Joetta, thanks so much for being such a wonderful host to the bride and groom, their friends and family, and to us as well! This was our second time shooting here and we can’t wait to shoot here again!

Congratulations again to Erica and Tanner! We wish you many years of happiness, peace and love.

~ Astrid and Rene ~

Tags: brides, naples weddings, ramblings... by Astrid
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Getting married is certainly one of the best ways to have a perfect day!

Erica and Tanner tied the knot just 3 days ago here in beautiful Naples, Florida….and everything was picture perfect. What most captivated me about the images once I started to pull these teasers out was the emotion that quickly became visible in most of all the portraits we shot of them…..look for more in a few days!

Congratulations guys….definitely another perfect day!

Tags: naples weddings by Astrid
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