Three Kids, Five Grown-Ups, Three Dogs & A Cat At The Beach

Yes, that's right, eight humans plus three dogs and one cat. Now that is the recipe for non-stop action!! I have to admit I was a little scared when I saw the cat but much to my surprise, kitty did quite well. This family represented a wide array of personalities and I had a great time photographing them. There was not one single dull moment during the 2-ish hours of shooting. One thing I have to mention that absolutely stood out was how loving and happy this family was. Two of the kids were teenagers and they were completely comfortable goofing off with (and even hugging on) their parents. Even better, the parents were completely comfortable with them. It was chaotic at times for sure, but there was lots of laughing and hugging and kookiness. I left the session feeling inspired because I have two young children and my hope is that when they are older, we will still be as close and loving and happy as we are now. Meeting Christine and her family is a testament that families can not only survive the test of time but strengthen over time -- as it should be. Sorry to get so sappy but you just don't see that much any more. Once again, I had a hard time narrowing down the collection so I am posting nearly 150 proofs in their account. Here is a small handful of the photos. Did I mention they are the beautiful people??? Take a look.

The following is a comment posted to this entry by Christine:

WOW! I knew I had a great looking family but boy did Sheri really bring out the best in us!! Sheri could not have been a better sport at handling the three ring circus we threw her direction! She can multitask with the best of em'! not only did she take amazing shots while dealing with 8 very different personalities, and several pets she maintained the BEST attitude over a 2 hour period. She was bright, considerate, on the ball, energetic and VERY PATIENT! I feel like I have gained a new friend through our experience with working with her. I will always be sure to refer friends and family her way and will ABSOLUTELY us her services again in the future! THANKS AGAIN SHERI! Sincerely, Christine Casey

Little Body - Big Energy

I may have just met the most energetic little girl ever and what a BLAST we had at this photo shoot. Mom and dad, big sister and grandma all contributed to the success of this session, which meant keeping the little one distracted and in front of the camera. We did this session at our studio. I ended up with just over 120 action-packed fun proofs. This family had personality and then some. What fun! I hope you enjoy.

Lorraine's Session At The Beach

Once again, Fort DeSoto beach proves to be a wonderful place to do a photo session. Besides the beautiful beaches, there are flowers, dunes, sea oats, the beloved bunker, doors, pathways, fences, boardwalks.... geesh. You can take your pick and we did. Lorraine just wanted a handful of images to use as gifts for her mom so we did a little "mini" session. She was so easy to photograph. She was sweet, confident, funny and of course, beautiful. Really. Thanks Lorraine. It was a pleasure to meet you.

New Baby, New Home, Same Loving Family

I recently did a Home Is Where The Heart Is session at a client's home in New Port Richey. Amy and Michael met me at their newly built Gulf front home with their baby girl and 2-year-old daughter. It was great to see them again. We had lots of fun running around as we do when we are photographing toddlers. A big thank you to Amy's parents, who met us at the house and kept the girls distracted. You were a huge help. And thank you Amy and Michael. It is always very special to be able to photograph a family as it grows. Congratulations on your beautiful new home. May you have many wonderful years there together filled with lots of love and laughter!

Brittany's Senior Session WAY TOO MUCH FUN In Downtown Saint Petersburg

OK. This has to be one of my most favorite sessions to date. Brittany and I spoke in advance and when she described some of the dresses she was going to bring, my mind starting going ... She drove here from New Port Richey on a Sunday afternoon and we had SO MUCH FUN!!! Brittany wanted something different. I asked her how she felt about couch shots in the road. She said "Let's do it!" (My kinda girl:-) I asked her how she felt about getting in a downtown fountain wearing one of her gowns. She said "Let's do it!" Yeehaw. We put all her dresses and outfits in the studio and headed out. We started with the couch shots. There is a great round-about on Central Avenue at the end of my block. Her cranberry gown was made for this old couch. I just love these images. Then, we drove around and let the streets inspire us. It really was a hoot. She was such a trooper and we only got kicked out of one location --- even better. Here are a few of my favorites. I will be posting about 80 in her proof account. Enjoy!!






























So this next shot you're either going to hate or love and I'm OK with either. There was something about how she looked when she was climbing out of the fountain, complete with the running mascara, that I wanted to photograph. I guess it's a bit rebellious and "un-mainstream" and I love how it turned out. It's fun to try new stuff. Thank Brittany ... you were an awesome subject to photograph and a blast to hang out with. Brittany and I actually discussed doing one more session. Brittany is a cheerleader and what better place to do her cheerleading pictures than in a pool?? So, that's our next project. Stay tuned....

Jaeden Turns 7, Doug Turns 146

It really does fly by ... those moments when babies are babies ... here one moment then gone forever. Though I celebrate every day what a wonderful little boy Jaeden has grown into, I am faced with the reality that my little pumpkin isn't so little anymore. In fact, he is quite tall  and growing more and more independent every day, needing me less and less.

If I dare try to pick him up  --- just because he is my baby after all --- it is like picking up a small adult. I can barely do it. Crazy. How did this happen? Just yesterday, we were celebrating his first birthday.  Hmm.

Now, he is 7. Gimmity Christmas.

Jaeden wasn't feeling totally well today so we let him have a day home from school. OK OK He was only home part of the day. Our nanny wanted to do something special with him for his birthday so she took him to Chuck E. Cheese for some pre-birthday-party festivities. And what better cure for a little cold then some fresh air?  Of course nothing so it only made sense that he spend some time outdoors at a park this afternoon.  Our new nanny, Kathy, is just awesome. I love her. The kids love her. It feels so wonderful to leave the children with someone you trust. What a God-send!!   

After both kids had a great afternoon nap, we all met up with some friends downtown for dinner. Our dear friend, Doug, shares the same birthday as Jaeden. (Believe it or not, that was planned.)  We tease Doug about being the oldest man in the world because of his quite handsome silver hair and goatee.  We all had a great time. The birthday festivities will continue throughout the week and weekend. We have guests coming in Friday night, more guests Saturday night and much partying to do to kick off Jaeden's 8th year on the planet.

I am posting some pictures we did a couple weeks ago at the studio testing out some new equipment that mimics window light. They are of Jaeden hamming it up for the camera.  He's something else, as you can see.

Display At Tyrone Square Mall

Well, my original intention was to Blog prior to the show last weekend at Tyrone Square Mall but since that didn't happen, I thought I'd write now. I had a rather large display at Tyrone Square Mall complete with a running slideshow for three days. It was a long weekend but in the end, I'd call it a complete success.  I was able to get my work in front of hundreds of people, many who said they would definitely check out the website. So, if you were one of those people and really are checking out the website right this minute, Thank You. :-)  I hope you are enjoying your time at EFP central. At the end of the weekend, we had nearly 200 email addresses of people asking us for more information on our services.  That's really more than I was expecting.  I really didn't know what to expect.  I also met some other business owners and have upcoming appointments with them to sit down and discuss strategies to cross network to make each other stronger. I'm very excited about that. 

I have to give a big shout out to Brittany Davenport who helped me tremendously during this three day marathon. Thanks girlie. I had a lot of fun hanging out with you.

I'm looking forward to seeing the effects of our efforts.  But, I have to say, three long days in the mall has made me feel like I've met my mall quota for at least a year!!