Instax 365 Challenge Week 7

Hey Everyone,
Sorry I got a little backed up with posting the last couple of Instax365 Challenge blogs. This year has really started to get busy. We are doing our best to make sure they are all published in order while getting everything else done for our brides. That being said, let’s jump right into the pictures of the week, shall we?

Day 43 (2/12/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

It’s early February in Florida, and it feels just like this photo looks! Although we did hit a cold front for a little bit, it is hot. Feel just like sunny, tropical Florida. I was out running an errand when I stopped and had to take this photo.

Day 44 (2/13/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

If you’re an Aldi shopper, you know this sign. I thought the pop of orange was great against the night sky. Unfortunately, the Instax Neo 90 Classic does fall short in low light conditions. I’m definitely spoiled from our Sony A7III. Those things have INCREDIBLE low light capability, and I’m definitely used to not having to worry.

Day 45 (2/14/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

I bet you were expecting a Valentine’s Day picture. Not quite, but it does have some beautiful colors. I had to rush to get this photo. Amanda and I were leaving a store, and the sun was setting with all those beautiful colors. I had the camera already on me, but I wanted to find a more open spot that wasn’t so blocked by street lights or cars. By the time a ran down the sidewalk a few yards, the colors had changed even more. I love the deep blues and blacks mixing with the peachy colors of the sunset. In a way, it has a Valentine’s Day feel.

Day 46 (2/15/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

I joked on my Instagram that I was gonna start a food blog with how poor this photo came out. I always overestimate the ability of the macro setting on the Instax. It does work great, but, again, I’m used to our Sony A7III with a macro lens. It’s a bit hard to tell what kind of burger that is from the picture though. Amanda made homemade black bean and quinoa burgers topped with avocado. It is one of my favorite meals.

Day 47 (2/16/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

We took the boys to the county fair today. Lucas insisted he take his hat, but once we got to the rides, he quickly threw off his hat and ran to the closest one. I then had the esteemed honor of wearing his hat the rest of the day so we wouldn’t lose it. Lucas wanted to ride the train, and while I rode it with him, Amanda snapped this picture. I love moments like these.

Day 48 (2/17/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

This was taken at the Winter Park Wedding Stroll. Our booth was on an endcap, so we had to change around our layout slightly. Because we had two open sides, I tried to take a ¾ shot of of our booth, but the booth across the way wasn’t done setting up.

Day 49 (2/18/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Last week there was a picture of Dash, so I figured it would only be right to showcase Daphne. She is generally pretty shy, so when I had this opportunity to snap her picture I had to take it.

Favorite photo of the week:

This one is tough because I love Day 47. I can never get enough of that little boy, and a picture where he is smiling so big and holding onto me is a HUGE + for it. I do think though that it is slightly beaten out by Day 45. I absolutely LOVE the colors that were captured. If I wouldn’t have been in such a harsh shadow on Day 45, it may have been the winner though.

Instax 365 Challenge Week 6

This week was all over the place! There were a couple last minute late night shots (we have a busy week ahead of us with a wedding show; give me a break!), an after consultation shot, a wedding shot, and more. Let’s jump into the photos below.

Day 36 (2/5/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

So I just realized while writing this that I messed up on the date! Like I said in last week’s post, ever since hitting February, I can’t ever remember what day number we are on. I always have to refer to the previous day’s photo. I was so concerned with Day 36 that I then also wrote the date down to be the 6th! This picture was taken on the 5th after our monthly CFWA (Central Florida Wedding Association) meeting. We picked up the new issue of the Wedding Venue Map there, and I wanted to show it off. Amanda and I love looking through this thing every so often so we can check off what new venues we’ve photographed at, and what new venues have popped up for us to check out. They have over 350 venues highlighted on the map, so there are still a ton for us to see and shoot at!

Day 37 (2/6/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

This photo is dated correctly, and thank goodness I only really look at the “Day” number and not the date, or I could have really thrown my entire dating system off. Amanda and I use Sony cameras, and recently Sony had a local event for photographers. We were able to make it out and try out some of their new lenses and cameras. It was a really fun event, and we got some swag like the alpha sticker. All of Sony’s cameras start with alpha + camera style (ex. a7iii). Just like how Canon always ends with D on their DLSR models (ex. 5D mk IV) and Nikon starts with a D (ex. D750). As a proud Sony shooter, I wanted to showcase my new sticker on my camera case.

Day 38 (2/7/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Amanda and I had a consultation on this day. We then had to pick up the boys from the babysitters house and do dinner. With all that in mind, it would have been really late, and as we hadn’t had dinner yet, we decided pick up some dinner so we wouldn’t have to cook and be eating even later. We planned on Chipotle, and I knew then that my photo was going to be taken there. Chipotle is known for their industrial aesthetic, but what many don’t know is why they went with that design style. The short answer: it saved money. Chipotle was supposed to be a stepping stone for the founder to open up a fine dining restaurant, but as it was his first venture into owning his own business, he needed to start cheap. Well I think the industrial style worked well for them, and people (including myself) seem to be a fan of it. While I was standing in line waiting to order my food, I was looking around at what I would snap a picture of. I saw the light and figured it would make for a great instant film photo. The light would taper off towards the further from the camera it was and the holes would cast out a neat pattern.

Day 39 (2/8/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

I had to run out ot Aquatica to help a friend. Her car wouldn’t start, and she was stranded in the Aquatica parking lot. I got there, and after around and hour, we got her car back up and running. Tested it out a few times to ensure the issue the car was having wouldn’t happen again so she wouldn’t be left stranded again. By the time I had finished, the sun was starting to set and the Aquatica skyline was being backlit. I was grateful I packed my camera with me and took this shot.

Day 40 (2/9/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Amanda and I were guests at a friend’s wedding, and this was their table setting. Truth be told, there were so many beautiful things to make be the Instax picture of the day, but we decided to gift our friends a wedding video, so I was working most of the day. After seeing how this picture developed, I wish I would have put the camera into “Party” mode or “Dark” mode. Those are two settings that I want to try out more, but I’ve been hesitant to put out a bad photo.

Day 41 (2/10/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

This was taken at a local brewery called Broken Cauldron. They have a unique story, but long story short they are two labels, Broken Strings and Black Cauldron, that have come together to make one brewery. I love that what some might see as two competitors have come together to a make community instead. That is actually one of the things I love the most about being a photographer in Central Florida. I’m actually friends with other photographers, and none of us see each other as competition. Rather we see each other as partners and help and encourage each other as we go. I like the symbolism this banner depicts with each label beginning on either end of the banner and then meeting in the middle to form the brew house.

Day 42 (2/11/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Meet Dash. He is a miniature dachshund and has been with us for about 8 years, but we haven’t given him as much camera time as he deserves lately with us chasing the boys everywhere. This is his one of his favorite spots. The only thing missing from this picture is a warm blanket for him to be snuggled under (no matter the temperature). He was too cute here not to take a photo of.

Favorite photo of the week:

Day 39! I may have to do more landscape photography. I love landscapes and the contrast between the sky and the and the foreground. I really like the deep shadows PLUS that picture just screams Central Florida to me.

Cypress Grove Estate House Engagement Session - Samantha & Dave

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Remember that Florida Wedding Expo Amanda and I attended back in January? Well, if you don’t go back to this blog post to catch up or refresh your memory. Well we had a blast and met a lot of great couples at that show, including Samantha & Dave!

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When we reached out to schedule their engagement session, Samantha immediately knew where she wanted to go for their photos. Samantha and Dave chose one of our favorite venues to shoot at, Cypress Grove Estate House.

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The weather couldn’t have been any more perfect for an engagement session too! It was supposed to rain on Saturday, and we were so nervous for the wedding we were photographing on Saturday. Thankfully, the Saturday rain never came. Then, when it didn’t rain on Saturday, we were terrified it would rain on Sunday and we wouldn’t have the chance to photograph Samantha and Dave’s engagement session. It turned out that both days were nice and dry, and we were able to take beautiful pictures outdoors for both!

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While getting to know Samantha and Dave a little better during our session, we found out how they chose Cypress Grove so quickly. They had actually toured the venue, and it was on their top 3 venue choices for their wedding day! They ultimately decided on a different venue, but could not get the idea of the beautiful oak lined street out of their heads. We love helping to make our couples photo dreams come true, so we made sure to snap some photos with them under that incredible oak canopy.

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We are so excited for Samantha and Dave! They were a great couple and so much fun to work with. Everyone is nervous around a camera the first time, but Samantha and Dave quickly warmed up to the lens and had fun while doing it. We can’t wait for their wedding come November!

Are you looking for an Orlando wedding photographer for your own wedding? Reach out to us here! We can’t wait to talk to you :)

Instax 365 Challenge Week 5

Hi Everone,

This is the week I’ve been dreading for a while now. I knew I had it easy in January, but this week was the turning point, and I HATE it. In January, labeling the day was easy. It was the same number as the date. January 13th was Day 13. EASY. I like easy. This week, we jump into February, and EVERY SINGLE TIME, so EVERY SINGLE DAY, that I am labeling a photo with the “Day …” I have to jump into Instagram or find the previous day’s picture to figure out what number I’m on. You’d think it wouldn’t be so hard, but I know I will mess up and skip a day or have a day repeated on accident. Enough of my lamenting though. Below are this weeks photos.

Day 29 (1/29/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

This was another inevitable thing I was dreading. No, not the release of Kingdom Hearts III (!!!), but forgetting to post that day. Those of you who are following this adventure through Instagram or Facebook probably noticed I didn’t post on the 29th. Well, what had happened was…, I got Kingdom Hearts III, opened it up, took my picture, and sat down to play. I TOTALLY FORGOT TO POST THE PICTURE! It takes about a minute for the film to develop and about 10 minutes for it to be fully developed. I took the picture and put it down to develop while I booted up the game. Then I totally forgot about it. I took and uploaded the digital picture the next day. I guess I had waited 13 years for this game to release that my brain said NO MORE WAITING! I got the deluxe edition which came with a bunch of extras to really fill out my picture and I have zero regrets.

Day 30 (1/30/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Day 28’s mystery photo was such a big hit I decided to try and do it again. This time I tried for a slightly different effect didn’t switch the camera into macro mode and was hoping to get a cool bokeh effect. Instead of the background being out of focus and my foreground in focus; my foreground was out of focus with my background in focus. It turned out alright though because it made for another good round of “guess the picture” on Facebook.

Day 31 (1/31/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

BUBBLES! I was doing dishes and saw the sink full of bubbles and wanted to see if I could capture that. I was expecting it to either bounce the light strangely or to be out of focus but I was pleasantly surprised with this. I’m definitely going to try some more bubble pictures.

Day 32 (2/1/19)

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This is the day I was telling you about! When I went to write down the day number I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out. You’d think it wouldn’t be that hard, but I seriously had to dig out Day 31 to be sure. Two weeks in a row with carriage lights, but this one had a unique look to it. I can’t decide if it looks wintery/snowy or if it looks white with age. Regardless I really liked it. Enough so to make it my picture of the day.

Day 33 (2/2/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Amanda and I were at Luxmore Grand Estate photographing Michelle and Michael’s wedding. If you haven’t seen any of the digital pictures from that day yet, you NEED to go check them out here. It was a beautiful wedding and you’ll fall in love with the pictures. Everytime I walk through the front doors of the Luxmore my eyes are drawn to that impressive chandelier. We arrived a bit early, so I quickly ran up and snapped a picture of it before we needed to get ready to shoot a beautiful wedding.

Day 34 (2/3/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

We had an engagement session at Cypress Grove on Sunday. Our awesome couple was so excited for pictures under the oak canopy road. While Amanda was taking their pictures, I took a few steps back to snap a “behind the scenes” shot. We love photographing couples. It really is the highlight of our day and we can’t wait for this couples wedding!

Day 35 (2/4/19)

Instax 365 Challenge

Another picture of Amanda! When you are as busy as we were this weekend, you gotta edit and and work as much as you can. Including when you have a baby in your lap. He’s so big! Don’t worry though, I took him off her hands as soon as I snapped this picture. We don’t often post pictures of ourselves or our boys, but I do want to make an effort to do so a little bit more.

Favorite photo of the week:

This one goes to Day 33! We love working at Luxmore Grand Estate and this chandelier is a show stopper from the moment you walk in the door. I like the picture a lot. It is a different angle and one I never get while photographing brides. I like the windows being in the frame and casting natural light on the lit chandelier.

Luxmore Grande Estate Wedding - Michelle & Michael - Winter Springs, FL

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As they twirled together on the dance floor, they only had eyes for each other. A version of Perfect by the Pentatonix played, and Michelle and Michael danced together in their own little world. 🎵Dancing in the dark with you between my arms…I don’t deserve this, darling you look perfect tonight. 🎵After months of planning, their perfect wedding day was here.

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One of the things that drew Michelle and Michael to choosing the Luxmore Grande Estate as their wedding venue was the library room. If you remember from their engagement session blog post, Michelle is an avid reader. She even has her own blog and instagram where she discusses the books she reads (and she reads A LOT of books), and even does give-aways. Check out her instagram here.

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Michelle and Michael planned for their entire wedding theme to be based around reading and books. It was an great idea and had an INCREDIBLE execution! To help with all the planning and execution Michelle hired Anna Christine Events to ensure everything was perfect. Working with a planner really helps ensure that your wedding day is smooth and trouble free. To help bring their vision to life, Michael built this incredible seating chart board. He took old books and converted them to hold souvenir bookmarks that had each guests name on it. The book each bookmark was in was the table their guests would sit at!

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Each table had a literature genre such as Romance (this was Michelle and Michael’s table of course!), and one of Michelle’s favorite genres - Young Adult. Then at each table the beautiful floral centerpieces were elevated by books representing each genre! It was a great idea with a perfect execution!

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To brings things back to full circle, Michelle had the library decked out in some fun stuff too. What does a library in an old mansion sized house make you think of? Clue! Like… the board game! So Michelle and Michael decorated the library with fun little hints of Clue all throughout the library like having an pipe wrench, candlestick, (toy) revolver, and more scattered all around. Their guests loved the idea, and with the photo booth in the library too there was plenty of fun and laughs to be had.

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Michelle and Michael, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for trusting us with your wedding day. Your wedding was truly unique, beautiful, and fun. We loved capturing every page turning moment, and are thrilled that you two have found your happily ever after with each other. It was an honor and a pleasure to photograph your wedding. Congratulations again Michelle and Michael!

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