Kate Gardiner Photography

St. Augustine Photographer: 2011 Round Up

2012-01-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Summer and Fall of 2011 was such a whirlwind that my blog has suffered from lack of attention. We added a new little one to our family brood, photographed 7 weddings and 20 or so family portraits, and moved our photography out of our house and into a studio space! Whew!

See I told you we were busy!

Here is a round up of some the best of images from 2011. We were so blessed with wonderful clients this year and can't wait for all of our events here in 2012!

St. Augustine Photographer: Winner Best of St. Augustine 2011!

2011-09-24T08:11:00.004-06:00

Thank You!!

We feel so honored to be voted Best of St. Augustine for two years running! And we couldn't have done it without you!

Lots of amazing things in store for 2011/2012! Stay tuned for news on portrait marathons for the holidays, photo classes, and much more!

St. Augustine Photographer: Instagram Addict

2011-08-02T14:07:00.004-06:00

Have you played with Instagram? I have become obsessed with it. It is a great way to share photos with other photo minded people. I find inspiration in what others come up with in their everyday lives. I have noticed that a lot of my "friends" on the photo based social media site take pictures of their food. Not sure if that means that we all just love to eat or what?

If you have an iPhone, you HAVE to check out this app. It doesn't have as many filters and bells/whistles as Hipstamatic which I kind of like. The down side is that the built in camera in the app doesn't create a very big file so if you are wanting to print your Instagram photo later, it probably won't go very well. Although, I just got a note from Blurb books that they have an upload program to instantly make a book out of your Instagram photos.

Here are some of my Instagram photos from the last 2 months. I even took some photos at a friend's wedding where I was a guest. Definitely makes you think out of the box when all you have is your iPhone to make a great photo at a wedding!

Enjoy!

St. Augustine Engagement Photographer: The Gorgeous Hannah and Derek!

2011-07-13T12:43:00.001-06:00

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Featured on Pictage homepage AGAIN!

2011-07-08T07:44:00.002-06:00

So pleased to be honored again on Pictage's homepage. I submitted this image for their latest contest titled "Faces". This is Robert and Betsy Hagerty. I photographed them a couple of years ago while Betsy was going through treatment for breast cancer. She loved her bald head and wore it like the badge of courage it was. They wanted me to photograph the two of them as well as their daughter Ariel before her hair started to grow again.

I have had the pleasure of photographing their family since, last year during one of my portrait marathons I held in Phoenix.

Thank you to the Hagerty's for letting me be part of your family and allowing me to share this image among other great photographers and their clients.

Matt & Carrie

2011-06-24T21:24:00.002-06:00

Here is a sweet little slideshow of Matt and Carrie's wedding at the Lightner Museum. Enjoy!

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Photo Shoot with your Bridal Party

2011-05-31T15:26:00.005-06:00

Erin and DJ wanted to spend their time after their May 7 ceremony on a limo cruise with their bridal party to do on location photo shoots, away from their ceremony and reception site.

This is becoming more and more common with our couples. It really makes the photo shoot as part of the celebration of the day instead of a limited time between the ceremony and reception which sometimes is rushed.

Some things to think about if you think you want to incorporate this into your wedding day:

1. It usually works best to have just your bridal party along for the ride. Trying to coordinate family too is really tough.

2. Schedule your reception to start at least 1.5 - 2 hours after your ceremony. That way you won't miss out on the party and your guests won't be wondering where you are.

3. Rent a limo, shuttle or trolley to take your bridal party from place to place. Make sure it can fit everyone and leaves space for the photographer and maybe their assistant if needed.

4. Scout locations with your photographer before the big day. No sense trying to figure out where to go on the fly and your limo driver will appreciate the heads up.

5. If you and your bridal party would like to indulge in a little liquid cheer in the limo(champagne,etc), try to stay away from drinks that stain like red wine or other dark liquors.

Here are some of my favorites from Erin and DJ's photo cruise. We hit the jackpot with this abandoned train station and the life-like soda fountain sculpture, both in downtown Wichita, KS.

Gainesville Wedding Photographer: Chelsea and Steve's big hurrah!

2011-05-17T14:59:00.005-06:00

Chelsea and Steve met during their stint at the University of Florida and even though they have now moved to Colorado they wanted to celebrate their big day in the town they love best!

Chelsea and the ladies got ready at the Magnolia Plantation which provided a great spot for Steve to see his bride for the first time. The more first look moments I do the more I love them! We spent an hour there doing portraits of the just the two of them together before heading off to the Baughman Center for family portraits and of course their ceremony!

You would drive right by the Baughman Center and not even know it is there. This wooden gothic style chapel is so beautiful and you feel like you are in the belly of ship when you look up into it's rafters.

Each of Chelsea and Steve's bridal party each had a part in a special blessing to read. And their close friend sang a beautiful aria.

The best part that really made us all cheer was when their officiant (another close friend) announced them for the first time as Dr. and Mr. Steve Kischner. :O)

Love it!

Then the bridal party met in this cool brick street to do some fun photos before meeting up with all the guests at Boca Fiesta Restaurant

This was a truly unique venue for a reception. I loved how intimate it was with guests sitting at cozy booths including a special one just for Chelsea and Steve.

All of their details highlighted their love for El Dia de Los Muertos icons. Complete with a sugar skull groom's cake, Chelsea's garter had mini skulls and table signs also sported the sugar skulls. These two also love their bikes! Chelsea got Steve a bike bell with a skull on it and there was an oh so cute cake topper that had a caricature of the lovebirds on a bicycle built for two.

They had a great alternative to the old school bouquet/garter toss. They had piñatas for guys and girls that inside had a garter, gift cards, and a little bouquet. It was so fun to watch Chelsea and Steve take whacks blindfolded at the crepe paper burros.

We brought our awesome photo booth which along with some fake mustaches of course brought lots of laughs with their guests. Click here to see the photo booth pictures on Facebook

The pair then made their getaway in a tunnel of sparklers out to a horse drawn carriage that was waiting for them.

Congrats to you both and enjoy the cool pines of Colorado!

St. Augustine Photographer: Alice Tea Party and Fashion Show

2011-05-17T10:49:00.003-06:00

Loved being a part of this Alice themed tea party and fashion show! Models showed off killer fashion from The Closet and from Down the Rabbit Hole boutiques. Plus tons of goodies from Sugared Bliss, Gas Restaurant, Fairy Cakes were on hand and displayed with flowers from Flower Works. Hair and makeup were provided by Mahela Salon and Monica Zonni. The models strutted their stuff down the runway to the lovely voice of Amy Hendrickson, followed by Psychronic Continuum. All of the proceeds from the event went to benefit the Head Start program in St. John's County.

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Featured on Pictage homepage!

2011-05-04T13:33:00.003-06:00

Feeling so honored! Pictage, our print lab partner, chose one of my photos to feature on their homepage!

They asked for submissions that showed true emotion. Here is my winning image plus a screen shot from the Pictage homepage:

This is from Nick and Lisa's wedding from last spring at the Peña-Peck House in downtown St. Augustine. The bride's nephew was their ring bearer and had his camera in his pocket. Would love to see the photo he got!

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Zem and Tiffany

2011-05-03T15:38:00.003-06:00

Zem and Tiffany had a sweet little ceremony on April 20 on Vilano Beach with an intimate reception at The Reef Restaurant a few feet away.

Jamey Turner provided amazing music with his water glass harp. The sound of it made you feel like their ceremony was in the Caribbean.

Tiffany and Zem have their own tie-dyed shirt business and made all of the bridal party's shirts and dresses. Their son Aiden had his own fab tie-dyed shirt which showed off the beautiful turtle locket Zem and Tiffany gave to him during their ceremony.

Peggy LaRoche was their officiant and coordinated her outfit with Tiffany's colors of orange, red and yellow.

Watch their slideshow below to see more of their lovely wedding day.

St. Augustine Photographer: Long lost blog!

2011-04-30T13:31:00.004-06:00

The first part of 2011 has been a whirlwind four months! Lots of travel. Lots of great events and lots of gorgeous photos!

Here are a few of my favs from the year so far. Make sure to visit the Kate Gardiner Photography Facebook page and become a fan. I've been posting most of my sneak peaks on there shortly after each event so couples and families can have a few on their profile pages right away.

More exciting news in upcoming posts, including features in Florida Bride Magazine and Pictage.com.

Jessica + Patrick: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-12-21T09:19:00.004-07:00

Jessica and Patrick tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony on Dec. 11 at the Cathedral Basillica of St. Augustine. The couple walked with their bridal party from the Cathedral down to the Llambias House and had a great time on the way. Their wedding luncheon at the Llambias House was so gorgeous! The weather was a perfect 68 degrees with lots of sunshine. As the afternoon went on though I don't think the guests felt the cold as some serious dancing heated up! More photos to come especially some gems from their photo booth, but here are a few of my favs so far.

Ponte Vedra Wedding Photographer: Kris and Nichole Sneak Peak!

2010-10-26T15:29:00.003-06:00

Kris and Nichole had a beautiful fall wedding last weekend at Palm Valley Gardens in Ponte Vedra. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees with a slight breeze! Stay tuned for more photos from this gorgeous event but I loved the joy in Kris and Nichole's faces so much in this photo that I couldn't wait to post!

St. Augustine Photographer: Images for a Cure

2010-10-20T08:52:00.005-06:00

We are so excited to be a part of the Images for a Cure campaign benefiting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®! So excited in fact that we are combining our annual holiday portrait special with raising some cash for this amazing project.

Until Oct. 31 we are offering a special 30 minute mini session for $50*. All of the $50 session fee will be donated to the Images for a Cure campaign. You can schedule your shoot for a day that works for you, just make sure to book before Oct. 31! This deal is too good to miss out on, plus that warm fuzzy feeling you get when doing a bit of good.

(*Fine print: The $50 covers the session fee only and includes online proofing only. All prints, digital files and other photo products are available for purchase)

Best of St. Augustine 2010: Best Photographer!

2010-09-24T14:01:00.007-06:00

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Thank you to all who voted for us in the Best of St. Augustine contest!

We were totally blown away by the response from our clients, friends, family and people we have yet to meet. We aren't very good at giving speeches but we are good at giving a great discount!

Until Oct. 31, 15% off on all canvas wall art!
(we know you have a blank wall that needs beautifying!)
Drop us a note in the comments and we'll get your order in so you have art by the holidays!

Speaking of the holidays...
They are right around the corner!
Schedule your holiday family session ASAP or it will be December before you know it and too late!

Ginger and Richard Sneak Peek: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-09-22T14:00:00.003-06:00

Ginger and Richard had a beautiful wedding on Saturday on the beach with a reception at the St. Francis Barracks Officer's Club. We had a wonderful time and loved how willing they were to do a little photo fun at a moment's notice! Stay tuned for more from their big day!

The Story of Alexandra and Anthony: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-08-30T12:54:00.004-06:00

This is the wedding story of Alexandra and Anthony. I am using their grown-up names in this post because that is what they are now. Are they still that lovable boy and girl, Tony and Alex, that won the St. Augustine Record's Wedding Giveaway? Yes!! But beyond the details that gave them a free wedding, these two are wonderfully in love and that's not kid stuff.

They had been trying for quite some time to have a wedding. The Record's contest was the fourth they had entered, hoping they could have the wedding they dreamed of. Anthony has an eye disease that is diminishing his site and they did not want to wait a moment longer. The pair had been together since they really were kids at Bartram Trail High School and it always seemed obvious to them that someday they would get married. The time had come but the funds hadn't.

August 14 by far had to be one of the hottest days of the summer and all air movement had come to a halt and just hung there. But everyone was a trooper, bedecked in tuxedos and gowns, for the late afternoon wedding. The heat didn't seem to matter much to anyone really. They had waited a long time to see this day and nothing could beat it.

It was our extreme pleasure to be part of the Wedding Giveaway and part of the day Alexandra and Anthony started their new lives together. Congratulations!

Vendors:
Marsh Creek Country Club- Crystal Hill
Proshow DJ Service- Bill Jones & Denny Barrett
I Do Planning by Serena Forrester
Defore's Cake Design
Flowers by Shirley
Nettles Fine Jewelry
Panache Salon & Spa
John Reardon of My Custom Wedding Ceremony
Andy's Taylor Rental
St. Augustine Record- Lynne Carter

Lori and Chris Teaser: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-07-26T16:05:00.002-06:00

Lori and Chris tied the knot on Saturday! Here is a teaser of some of my favs from the day. Lori got ready at the Casa Monica Hotel and fortunately they had one of their classic cars parked out front. We grabbed some glam shots of Lori on our way to the ceremony.

This was my first wedding at Castle Otttis and was amazed at the inside. More photos to come to show how neat it is.

Their reception was at The Reef restaurant. Wait until you see their cake! Picture the red velvet version of The Castle Otttis! And wait until you see their kiddos Jason and Savanagh show their moves on the dance floor! Enjoy!

Cute little teaser!: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2010-07-22T13:18:00.003-06:00

I had a great time on Wednesday hanging out with photo-friend Jennifer Mendoza and her family. There are waaaaay more pix to come, but wanted to float this super cutie.

St. Augustine Beach Family Portrait Marathon! : Xmas in July

2010-07-18T10:26:00.004-06:00

Attention all parents who have been meaning to do a family beach photo, but never think about it until a few weeks before Christmas! This portrait marathon is for you! July 31 my fab friend Jenna Thorpe is being so kind to host us out on St. Augustine Beach. I'm doing morning and evening time slots, but highly recommend those with kiddos under age 4 sign up for a morning slot. The quick 20 minute mini sessions are $40 which includes online proofing only. All prints/cards/albums etc we'll have available for purchase after the sessions.

If you are really thinking ahead and want to deck yourself out in Christmas digs we are happy to pull together some HOT holiday ideas and some holiday card designs. Give us a call or jot us an email to reserve your spot!

If you aren't able to make the July 31 marathon, give us a buzz anyway. If there is enough demand for a second marathon we'll try to squeeze another one in before the end of the summer.

Lauren and Colin's Wedding Teaser: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-06-28T14:07:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I couldn't wait to post a teaser for Lauren and Colin's Saturday wedding! Their ceremony was at Temple Bet Yam with the charming Rabbi Mark Goldman officiating. Then a lovely reception at the Kingfish Grill The full post is yet to come, but here are some favs that caught my eye today as I started going through the pictures. I am a little behind in my blogging lately and have weddings and portraits from April and May that haven't made it to the blog yet. Stay tuned! Good stuff soon I promise!

Lauren and Colin's Engagement Session: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2010-05-17T15:09:00.002-06:00

A little more than a month from now I will have the privilege of photographing a great couple as they tie the knot here in St. Augustine. Here are some fun images from our engagement session. They love the beach and the Castillo de San Marcos so we hit both during our session. The images I think reflect the fun these two have together. They are both teachers at the same school have a fun giving each other a hard time. Can't wait to meet their family and friends next month!

Suzanne and Josh: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-04-28T10:05:00.003-06:00

Wowee! Suzanne and Josh are hot stuff! Their March wedding seriously rocked! They tied the knot at the Lightner Museum in a sweet little ceremony with 50 or so guests. Josh was in his usual suave self and dipped Suzanne during their first kiss. Awesome!

The couple had their reception at Old City House across the street. It was such a cute venue with all the partying in the court yard under the stars.

Now if you saw their engagement session we did, you'll remember that Josh owns a super hot roadster. It was front and center parked in front of the Old City House. The groomsmen decked out the bumper with beer cans and "Just Married" soaped on the rear window.

I loved how much their personal style was reflected in their wedding. From the feathers in Suzanne's hair to Josh's suspenders and slicked back hair. But most importantly the look on Josh's face when Suzanne and her mom rounded the corner was pure love. I think there were even a few tears that were being blinked back. So happy for them both. Congrats!

Alex and Tony Win!!!!

2010-04-25T11:44:00.003-06:00

All of us here at Kate Gardiner Photography want to wish our congrats to Alex and Tony who won the St. Augustine Record's "I Do" Wedding Sweepstakes! The pair had entered 3 other wedding contests, but it looks like the fourth was the charm. They received over 1,600 of the approximately 6,800 votes. The couple will get to choose one of three wedding dates to have their ultimate ceremony and reception. We are thrilled to be a part of their big day and can't wait to do their engagement session! Stay tuned for more updates from our fab couple!

Watch their winning video below:

We had a great time at the showcase on Saturday where the unveiling took place. Marsh Creek Country Club threw a great party. We set up our fun photo booth and the couples attending the showcase had a great time!

St. Augustine Record - I Do Giveaway Bridal Show

2010-04-19T12:49:00.004-06:00

The semi-finalists have been selected in the St. Augustine Record - Say I Do wedding giveaway contest and voting has been fierce! A few days remain for you to vote for your favorite couple. Follow this link to watch contestant videos and to cast your vote:

http://staugustine.com/ido/video-vote

The unveiling will be this Saturday April 24, 2010 from 1-4pm at Marsh Creek Country Club. The event is open to all brides. All of the sponsors of the contest will be on hand with booths showing off their goodies. We will be there front and center with our fab photo booth.

Everyone who comes through our booth will get a free photo. Not to mention that if you book our studio on Saturday for your upcoming wedding we will bring our photo booth to your wedding for free!

Angela and Ivan: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-04-11T12:35:00.005-06:00

I love a gal who makes a list and keeps shopping until she finds it! Angela spent tons of time shopping Etsy for the perfect details for her and Ivan's wedding day. She even found the gorgeous wrap that matched her dress perfectly and added so much flair to her strapless gown.

Portraits were very important to Ivan and Angela. When we met for our engagement session last year, they brought props and a list of ideas. For their wedding they opted to do a "first look" where Angela tapped him on the shoulder so they could have photos of them seeing each other for the first time. They also scheduled in enough time for us to take a leisurely walk through downtown St. Augustine making some really beautiful images.

Their ceremony and reception was held at the ever gorgeous and intimate Tasting Room. Being able to have your favorite restaurant close their doors and hold a private party just for you is such a great way to celebrate your wedding!

They also incorporated Angela's Korean heritage into their ceremony with the tradition of the groom giving the bride's mother a set of wooden geese. This symbolizes his devotion to her daughter since geese mate for life. Angela also gave chestnuts to Ivan's mother symbolizing the number of children they would have which made everyone laughed when Angela suggested she take a few out of the box. :O)

We also got to debut our awesome new photo booth at their wedding. But stay tuned for a post on just this nifty new feature to our studio!

Jamie + Nick: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-03-20T19:05:00.003-06:00

Jamie and Nick tied the knot last month at the Oldest House at a gorgeous night wedding with their reception at the A1A Ale House. The mood of their ceremony was enchanting. We used some video that Nick had which made for a dramatic and intimate look. After the ceremony we took a walk around the Oldest House with the awesome Rolls Royce limo from B & D Limousine in tow and made some memorable night portraits. One of the roving pirates downtown tried to barter for their bottle of champagne which added to the hilarity of the night. What a great party!

Wedding Giveaway!!: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-03-18T09:46:00.003-06:00

Yes you DID read that right! We have joined forces with The St. Augustine Record, Marsh Creek Country Club and other local sponsors to giveaway a FREE wedding. Here's how it works:

The Record staff is asking couples to get creative and tell the whole world why you should win a free wedding.

You can do this one of two ways; send in a 3-minute maximum video of what makes you and your relationship special or fill out the entry form located at http://staugustine.com/ido

Your video should tell all the juicy details on how you met, what you love about each other, your family, why you want to get married in St. Augustine, etc. HAVE FUN WITH THIS!

IMPORTANT: The deadline for entries has been extended until March 29, 2010 at 5pm. Voting on the best video will start March 31st and wrap up April 21st. The winners will be announced at a party at Marsh Creek Country Club on April 24th.

Hop to it! This is too good a deal to pass up! Our photography package alone is worth $3,000.

Read more details and rules at http://staugustine.com/ido

Nick and Lesley: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-03-05T21:38:00.003-07:00

This was the most international wedding I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of! Nick is Bulgarian and Lesley is Irish. There was even some nervous moments in the days leading up to the wedding whether her visa would be approved and arrive in time for her to hop on a plane and get to their wedding. But it did and everything went off without a hitch. Photography was an important component of their wedding day. They even planned two hours between the ceremony and the reception so that we would have plenty of time to hit all of the great spots around downtown St. Augustine. Their ceremony was held at the historic Memorial Presbyterian Church. It was my first ceremony held there and I was thrilled by the gorgeous colors and great lighting. Betty Crosby of Elegant Events coordinated the ceremony and helped them with the details since Lesley was planning a lot of the wedding from Ireland.

The reception, held at the St. Augustine Hilton, was a rockin party full of lots of teary-eyed toasts and laughter. But best of all they carried out an old Bulgarian custom that is said to tell what the gender of their first born will be. They had a huge soup pot that the bride had to kick. If it landed facing up it was going to be a girl, face down a boy and if it landed on it's side, TWINS! So I fully expect Lesley to call me for maternity photos someday when she is pregnant with a girl (no twins thank God)! Congrats to you both!

Richard and Ginger: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2010-02-27T11:40:00.003-07:00

Here is a fun engagement session at the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Man was it COLD! We warmed up a bit hiking to the top, but the wind made us not want to stay long up there. We got some great shots with St. Augustine in the background though. After a little hot chocolate the sun came out and Ginger was able to shed her coat and put on some super cute shoes. Their fur baby Caiden joined us and we walked over to the nearby boat ramp and fishing pier. Can't wait for their fall wedding!

Portrait Marathon: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2010-02-18T17:38:00.003-07:00

My portrait marathon I held for Facebook friends while out in Phoenix last month was a smashing success! We picked a great location and scheduled mini sessions one after another at a reduced cost. Here are some of my favorites. Facebook is such a wonderful thing. A few of these gals I went to high school with and had no idea what happened to them after graduation. It was so fun to see them again after all these years and to meet their families. Look for similar portrait marathons to be held here in St. Augustine down the road.

Shamus and Kaysie: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-02-08T10:17:00.010-07:00

Shamus and Kaysie had simple, elegant wedding, starting off the new year right! The pair made it to St. Augustine the week before their wedding for a quick engagement session.

Then on January 2, the pair had a cute little ceremony at The Village Church at World Golf Village with Rev. Bob May officiating. We then scrambled over to the The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village to catch the last rays of winter light. Then moving inside for a lovely dinner, heart felt toasts, and lots of love. Enjoy!

Regina and Rob: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-01-12T19:57:00.005-07:00

I LOVE SMALL WEDDINGS!!

St. Augustine has become the hotspot for small almost elopement style weddings. Regina and Rob are the perfect example. Their small elegant ceremony with their son and daughter present was on a gorgeous late December afternoon. The Lightner Museum courtyard was beautifully lit and not too chilly. The Wedding Authority put together the simple yet elegant ceremony and then the family was whisked away by horse carriage for a tour around the Old City followed by dinner. Enjoy the slideshow with music courtesy of my favorite rock-a-billies The Shiny Lapel Trio.

Best proposal I've seen in a long time!

2010-01-12T07:48:00.004-07:00

Saw this beautiful video on a photography forum this morning. It takes the amazing part about our jobs and links it up with love! Enjoy.

"This long exposure, and the making of footage, were shot over three nights in Raleigh, North Carolina as a proposal to Emily Kern."- Derick Childress

Light Writing Proposal from Derick Childress on Vimeo.

David and Lindsay: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2009-12-31T06:01:00.004-07:00

David and Lindsay have an amazing love story. They dated ages ago, went their separate ways only to reunite, fall in love all over again and now they are married! Lindsay's son Thomas is the center of this new little family. The way David gushes over him is so joyful!

The couple had a gorgeous wedding at the Casa Monica Hotel planned expertly by Karen Erwen of St. Augustine Weddings

The flowers and stunning table decorations were by 57 Treasury The simplicity of the table arrangements were wintery without being too Christmasy. Loved them!

I had the pleasure of my husband Jason Christley being my assistant for this wedding and it looks like we are going to continue this arrangement as long as his travel schedule allows. Yippee! I also got to have Alison Miller as my second shooter for this wedding which was so fun!

Follow this link to David and Lindsay's slideshow!

Jax Shoot Club October

2009-11-23T10:55:00.002-07:00

Here are some of my favorites from October's Jax Shoot Club meeting. Our goal for the day was portraits in harsh, mid-day lighting. Clearly mother nature thought we needed beautiful, even, filtered cloudy light instead. :O)

Our models for the day Alayne, Ashley, and Sonja were such good sports, following us into some unlikely setups.

Paulina Perez did the gals' makeup and Sonia Garza put together some awesome doos!

Nick and Jessica at The Tasting Room

2009-11-21T22:07:00.006-07:00

WOW!! That is all I can say about the gorgeous, intimate wedding I was a part of on Oct. 17. Jessica's father hired an accordion player to lead the family from their hotel through the streets of St. Augustine to the wedding. It was right out of an Italian novel! Nick was waiting for us with his guys and their guests in the courtyard of The Tasting Room. It was so cozy, like you were in a gorgeous home in Spain. Their pastor married them there in the courtyard in a sweet little ceremony.

Since it was close to Halloween, we did a fun family and bridal party portrait with masks. Then it was off to feast!

I love the way the Tasting Room layers their courses as to not rush their guests, as in the old world tradition of savoring your meal.

Nick and Jessica had a lot of fun with the garter and bouquet toss. Definitely not your usual fare!

Then as the night wore on, the lovely couple exited their celebration amid bubbles and streamers. A carriage awaited to take them into the night for a romantic stroll. It was lovely.

This romantic photo of Nick about to kiss his new bride is my favorite from the night. Click the link below to see a slideshow of more great moments. Cheers!

Nick and Jessica's Slideshow

Josh and Suzanne: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2009-10-22T20:44:00.005-06:00

Josh and Suzanne rock! When Suzanne told me that they had a hot rod and wanted to do some pin-up/rock-a-billy style photos for their engagement session, I giggled and did the happy photo dance! (I will show it some time if you ask!) Here are the sweet sweet bad-ass pix we shot. There is this secret place in my neighborhood that overlooks the estuary so we headed there first and then headed over to Vilano Beach for a few shots in their errie downtown. They told me the cutest story about how Josh purposed. He had gotten her ring and it was burnin a hole in his pocket. So he drove all over town in the 'rod looking for her. Everywhere he went, he had just missed her. So finally he catches up with her in a parking lot, gets down on one knee in front of the car and sweeps her off her feet! I bet our little recreation doesn't hold a candle to the real deal but it does have better lighting! :O)

Can't wait to shoot their wedding next year. I've been told not to expect anything average!

Sneak Peak David and Lindsay: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2009-10-09T21:05:00.003-06:00

Here is a sneak peak of David and Lindsay's engagement session. The pair were so excited to come to St. Augustine last weekend because they got to bring David's parents out as a special treat to celebrate his Dad's birthday. When David's parent got married, they had planned to honeymoon in St. Augustine but never made it. Their car broke down at the first exit for Daytona and that was the end of the honeymoon.

The whole family came for the session to take in the sites as we walked around downtown including David and Lindsay's son Thomas and Lindsay's mom. It was a great morning!

Sept. PUG shootout: St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2009-10-07T13:45:00.003-06:00

On Sept. 24, the Jacksonville PUG (Pictage User Group) had a night shoot down here in St. Augustine. Our model Kam and her husband met us downtown at Harry's. We ate and then hit the streets. We shot along St. George Street as well as the Plaza and ended up at the Casa Monica Hotel. It was great to really experiment with my strobes and pocket wizards. I definitely learned some limitations this style of shooting has, but also learned it's infinitely possibilities.

Lesley and Nick⎟St. Augustine Portrait Photographer

2009-10-01T09:11:00.005-06:00

I love it when couples bring props! Well Penguin isn't really prop I guess since the little guy goes everywhere with Lesley in all of her travels. We had a great engagement session two weeks ago down on Vilano Beach. They make each other laugh so easily! I can't wait to shoot their wedding this winter!

Nick and Jessica

2009-09-07T14:50:00.002-06:00

It turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon despite tricky forecasts for Nick and Jessica's engagement session last weekend. The pair are set to have their wedding next month at the Tasting Room, so we wanted to do their e-session away from the downtown St. Augustine area. Yet wanted to avoid the traditional family-on-the-beach photos. So here are some of my favorites. Totally loved having my new intern, Katie, there to help with the light reflector. Oh and special thanks to the guy who loaned us his surfboard and the sand sculptor who made the awesome car!

Michael and Cristina

2009-09-02T08:52:00.003-06:00

I had the honor of being part of the amazing emotional ceremony of Michael and Cristina. The pair tied the knot at the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse a few weeks ago. Their daughter Jasmine was the flower girl and ring bearer all in one. As part of their ceremony the pair gave Jasmine her own heart-shaped ring, promising to be the best parents they could be. It makes me smile just thinking about it! They opted to keep it small, with just their immediate families which was perfect. Congrats to you both!

Images for a cure

2009-08-31T12:51:00.005-06:00

This is my mother Carol Gardiner and my father Ted. My mother battled and ultimately lost her life to breast cancer in 2004. My mother-in-law, aunt and two dear friends have all had it and were fortunate enough to win their battles.

Kate Gardiner Photography is pleased to be apart of a nationwide campaign called Images for a Cure

On Sunday Oct. 11, 2009 I will be offering discounted portrait sessions of $100 with 100% going to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The sessions are perfect way to fight a disease that can touch every mother, daughter, sister, and friend.

Email me at kate@kategardinerphoto.com to book your session as soon as possible since space is limited.

*session fee does not include prints or a cd of images. all may be purchased separately. 10% discount on holiday cards for sessions booked on this day.

Jax Shoot Club

2009-08-31T09:38:00.004-06:00

I'm thrilled to post about the Jax Shoot Club! The brain child of Melanie Watson of La Dolce Vita and Kara Pennington, the shoot club had our first meeting last Tuesday in downtown Jacksonville. We had three sets of models, a bride and groom, an engagement couple and a bride alone. It really gave everyone a chance to go out on a limb and try new poses and lighting.
Here is the info behind the vendors that made our first meeting possible:

Makeup and Hair was provided by Faythe Mesic:
Bridal Bouquets were provided by Anything with Plants & Flowers:
Lauren's Dress and bridal attire was provided by Solutions Bridal of Gainesville:
Her dress was by designer Alvina Valenta (style #9700) and her veil was by Lori London (style #VM95)

Here are a few of my favorites that I shot plus a photo of a few of the 30 some odd photogs that joined us.

Daniel and Chastity

2009-07-31T15:05:00.004-06:00

Daniel and Chastity had a beautiful sunrise wedding at the Castillo de San Marcos on July 7. A handful of their closest friends and family were there. A light drizzle held off during their ceremony, but we dodged the raindrops here and there during their portrait session afterward. St. Augustine is such a great place to do small destination weddings. More and more of my couples live more than 2 hours away like Daniel and Chastity, but always had a love for the Ancient City. Daniel actually proposed to Chastity at Stogies downtown so we wanted to make sure to get a portrait there.

Welcome to the world little Finn!

2009-07-30T12:32:00.005-06:00

I did a very quick session with little Finn on my way out of town when in Phoenix earlier in the month. Finn joined this crazy world on July 7. The bonus of doing an infant session in Phoenix is that you just have to go outside for them to be all warm and snuggly in their birthday suit!

David and Katie

2009-07-26T13:49:00.009-06:00

David and Katie had a beautiful wedding at the end of June on the beach here in St. Augustine. Their intimate wedding was held at the House of Sea and Sun, a cute little b&b that made for a lovely venue. Check out the slide show link below which hopefully will be a great new feature to the blog!

Slide Show: Click Here

Twins!

2009-06-24T14:06:00.004-06:00

Isabella and Valentina are the sweetest little girls! I met their mama in yoga class when all 5'2 of her was belly. Photographing two babies was definitely a challenge. We would sit them next to each other, shoot a couple of frames and then they were off, seeing who could crawl to me first. Some of the best photos came though from just doing what was already on their schedule. Eating!

Craig and Melissa are hitched!

2009-06-18T13:15:00.012-06:00

Craig and Melissa tied the knot June 7 at the elegant Serenata Beach Club in Ponte Vedra. The weather I will say was perfect. Sure it spritzed on and off through the afternoon, but stopped in time for a gorgeous ceremony out on the patio and held off long enough for some great portraits on the beach. The pair has great family and friends which made for such a fun and lively reception. If you were a guest at this wedding make sure to register your email address HERE to be notified when the rest of their pictures are ready and to recieve a $5 gift certificate towards prints! Also click here to see more photos on Facebook

Katie and David

2009-06-13T12:10:00.005-06:00

Katie and David came down to St. Augustine a few weeks ago for a little R&R and to tie up some loose ends for their upcoming wedding on June 27. We had a great engagement session in downtown St. Augustine. The pair got a chance to get used to my big lens and being smoochy on command before their big day. We even got to take a few rides on the carousel!

Craig and Melissa

2009-06-02T11:43:00.003-06:00

I can't wait to shoot Craig and Melissa's wedding this Saturday!! Their venue is so beautiful! Here are a few photos from their engagement session. They brought a couple of different outfits for their session which was super helpful. It then gave us a different feel as we walked around downtown St. Augustine. Some couples like to have the same outfit through their whole session and some do not. I suggest limiting it to one major outfit change, like a dress to jeans. But if you would like bring different accessories like scarves, hats or big sunglasses it can give us more options without cutting in our shooting time.

More Tim and Ely!

2009-05-31T09:57:00.007-06:00

Can I tell you how much fun this wedding was! Tim, Ely and their whole family and friends were so into making great photos. They had their ceremony at the beautiful Cathedral followed by a lovely reception at Marsh Creek Country Club.

Kristen and Sage

2009-05-31T09:51:00.002-06:00

Kristen and I did a maternity session back in March that was fabulous! Kristen teaches yoga so she is super bendy and elegant even at 9 months pregnant! Her beautiful daughter Sage was born a few weeks later. She is so sweet and growing like a weed!

Brittany and Jon

2009-03-17T13:04:00.005-06:00

Brittany and Jon came to St. Augustine for their engagement session recently. They are having a big wedding next year. We did a great session near the Anastasia Lighthouse.

Tim and Ely sneak peek!

2009-03-15T11:54:00.003-06:00

So I'm waaaay behind on my posts! I have three great shoots that will be coming soon to the blog. Yesterday I had a great poolside bridal party session that is going to line jump. Tim and Ely's bridal party was super fun and willing to go with my idea of this Vegas style lounge by the pool look. There will be more awesome images from their wedding on here soon. Stay tuned!

Samuel

2009-02-05T16:56:00.003-07:00

Sam has the perfect Gerber baby mouth! I hung out with Sam and his mom and grandma a few weekends ago at their house here in St. Augustine. We went through a couple of different outfits and tried to get the little guy to sleep for us, but he didn't want to miss out on anything. I was amazed that they still make the glow worm! I think I had one of these when I was little!

Kristian and Christine

2009-01-20T11:17:00.004-07:00

I had the honor of being a part of Kristian and Christine Gustafsons' wedding on January 3rd at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Ponte Vedra, Fla. It was a wonderful way to return back to work after a 2 month sabbatical. The couple celebrated with family and friends after their wedding Mass in the reception hall at the church. I wish them the best of luck in lives together. Here are some of my favorites of the day.

More with Gigi and Andrew

2008-11-16T20:29:00.004-07:00

Here are a couple of more photos from my session with Gigi and Andrew. Their furry child Munson who is a direct descendant from UGA, THE Georgia Bulldog got in on the action. I wish I could have had a soundtrack to go along with this shoot. Part of the time he sounded like a grizzly bear and part of the time he sound like sump pump sucking air!

Gigi and Andrew

2008-11-08T21:51:00.006-07:00

Here are a few of my favorites from my recent maternity session with Gigi and Andrew. We searched high and low for a fabulous antique chaise for Miss Gigi to lie upon for some more avant garde style of portraits. Quite literally stumbled upon this one at Fruitful Vine Midwifery in Jacksonville. They were so kind to let us use one of their examination rooms after hours to do this shoot. Stay tuned for more from Gigi and Andrew as we do a second session tomorrow.

The Mercure Family

2008-10-29T16:39:00.004-06:00

I spent last Sunday afternoon with the Mercure family photographing them and their new son. This had started out as a maternity shoot with Melissa a couple of months ago, but a late night text message let me know that her water had broken and we would have to reschedule for family portraits instead! Here are some of my favorites:

Lisa and John

2008-10-25T14:05:00.004-06:00

Whew! What a busy photo week! Here are some of my favorite shots from John and Lisa's wedding last Saturday. The couple had a beautiful, small, intimate ceremony on the dunes at St. Augustine Beach. The weather was perfect! The sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds keeping it cool and wonderfully lit. If you attended this wedding, make sure to register your email HERE to be notified when the rest of the photos are available for viewing.

Kate, Frank and the Bump

2008-10-12T20:13:00.002-06:00

Here are a few of my favorite images from my maternity shoot on Tuesday with Kate and Frank. Their little girl is due to hatch at the end of the month. We had a great time. Frank just got back last Sunday from a naval deployment and will be home until after the baby's born. Kate and I chatted up a storm about pregnancy the whole time and he was a good sport about all of our gushing!

Tim and Ely

2008-10-06T13:30:00.006-06:00

Tim asked Ely to marry him on Valentine's Day. It was cold, but he wanted the timing to be perfect. So he took her out on his family's boat. But Ely is an engineer so if he wanted to fake engine failure it had to look good. On the sly he pulled out the kill switch and asked her to go digging for a box of fuses; fuses in a ring box to be exact!

Tim and Ely are getting married March 14, 2009 here in St. Augustine. Here are few of my favorites from our engagement session this weekend.

Phoenix

2008-10-02T17:00:00.002-06:00

Sorry all for the lack of posts these days. So busy! I went to Phoenix a couple of weeks back to take care of a few things. I was once again reminded of how amazing the afternoon monsoons are. This was the view from my airplane seat as we landed. The sprawl also blew my mind. I usually have an aisle seat so it has been awhile since I really saw how much my hometown has exploded. Don't know where all the water is coming from. But it doesn't seem to have stopped all the lawns huh?

Courtney and Greg

2008-08-29T09:14:00.009-06:00

My assistant Kim Tyler and I were honored to spend August 16 with Courtney and Greg Driesch as they recited their vows. It was a beautiful day that was cloudy when it needed to be and sunny when we needed light in the gorgeous church in West Hartford. The couple left the ceremony in a classic Mini-Cooper that Greg and his dad restored. Greg, as you can see, is very tall and it was great to see him climb in and out. The reception was held in the mansion at Harkness State Park in Waterford. A full moon rose over Long Island sound just after sunset making it a perfect evening. Congrats to you both!

Little TJ

2008-08-14T15:52:00.003-06:00

Here are some recent shots from a baby session I did with proud parents Trina and Troy of their new son TJ. He has the best ears!

Holly and Ross's Wedding

2008-08-08T13:01:00.007-06:00

Even though I was a guest at the wedding of my dear friends Holly and Ross, I couldn't resist taking some photos. They got married June 27, 2008 at Easton's Beach in Newport, RI.

We set up a photo booth for all the guests. This is such a fun thing to have at a wedding. I had it at my wedding after my brilliant father-in-law constructed an awesome foot pedal devise that hooks up to a spare camera. Guests can take their own wacky or sweet photos which insures that the bride and groom gets a great shot of everyone who is part of their day. Here is a shot of the set up, and the photo that resulted from it. Plus some hi-lights I love!

The Blog is Back!

2008-08-08T12:50:00.005-06:00

Sorry for the long hiatus! This has been a whirlwind summer. I'm finally on the verge of catching up, so I thought I would get some blog updates done before heading off again next weekend for Courtney and Greg's wedding in Connecticut. Here are a few shots from their engagement session that we did when I was in Connecticut at the beginning of July. We had so much fun that afternoon at Rocky Neck State Park. It was such a great venue for our shoot.

Blog on Vacation

2008-06-12T06:17:00.001-06:00

Hello all I will be away from my computer from June 12-July 6 so the blog will be on vacation! I might be able to update along the way so check back!

New Summer Photo

2008-06-09T07:15:00.002-06:00

So on a walk last week I was finally able to grab a photo of Summer where she doesn't look miffed that her picture was being taken. The secret is back away with a long lens I guess. Her tummy is bothering her again this weekend. Not sure what that is all about.

The Autrey Family

2008-06-08T12:59:00.004-06:00

Friday morning I did a super fun shoot with the Autrey Family out on Vilano Beach. They had both sides of their family into town and out to this gorgeous beach house. We started at 7am which was a blessing because it got hot fast. They were a really fun group and hope they call the next time they are in town.

Fountain of Youth photo outting

2008-06-04T17:29:00.003-06:00

Tuesday, my new photo friend Melissa Hammond and I stopped into the Fountain of Youth monument park which is a few blocks from Kate Gardiner Photography. It was stinky hot so we didn't linger for too long. But I took a few photos while we were there. There was a guy dressed as a pirate that was zooming around the park on a Segway. Was odd. They also had an ostrich that had the craziest ears. I'm sure all ostriches have ears like this but I never noticed how monkeyish they are! It had the most gorgeous feathers too.

Steve and Kristen

2008-05-22T13:24:00.005-06:00

Over the weekend I did an engagement session for Steve and Kristen. They live in Jacksonville and are getting married later this year in Chicago. The day was a little blustery but the sun peaked out in the end. We walked around downtown St. Augustine which has a multitude of great backgrounds. After the sun set we walked over to the old carousel and took a few rides.

Steve and Kristen have the best "how we met" story of late. They actually met on a flight to Jacksonville. So yes, guys you do have a chance with the cute girl you sit down next to on the plane so keep your fingers crossed!

Settling in...

2008-05-17T13:35:00.002-06:00

Well we have had Summer now for a month and she is finally settling in. She is still a bit itchy which we can't figure out, but is eating much better. Getting photos of her is still hit or miss since she is still a bit camera shy, but I was able to grab this one of her today.

Disney World

2008-05-12T20:38:00.002-06:00

Jason and I made our first trip to Disney World on Sunday. I have been to Disneyland many times but Jason and not been to either. I got to say that Magic Kingdom was a little less than thrilling. I always assumed it was just like Disneyland only bigger. They only have the major highlights from Disneyland and a few random minor things like the Tiki room (animatronic birds singing) and Country Bear Jamboree. And worst of all... NO MR. TOAD'S WILD RIDE!!! We had fun anyway and met up with my friend Deb and her family later in the day.

Traci Iserman and Tony Sartori

2008-04-30T16:12:00.005-06:00

I had the honor this weekend of photographing the wedding of Traci Iserman and Tony Sartori at Tavern and Chapel in the Garden in Port Orange, FL. It was a gorgeous day as you can tell and gorgeous people to work with! Enjoy this sneak peek of their event! I wish them the best in their married life!

For those of you who were guests at this wonderful event, the full viewing of pictures is coming soon. Watch your inbox with the announcement from Pictage.com!

I made Google!

2008-04-30T08:46:00.001-06:00

Yeah! Now I'm listed in the google map section! Granted on page 2. But hopefully I will get higher rankings soon.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=wedding+photographer&near=Saint+Augustine,+FL&fb=1&view=text&cd=20&hl=en&latlng=29908580,-81318354,11636833801572528018&ei=qIUYSOCWEZHMjQPUppj-DA#

Our Love Bug, Summer

2008-04-16T15:58:00.006-06:00

Summer came to live with us last week. She is part blue tick hound, part pointer and full of love. We are getting used to each other. So far I think she likes having us be her new humans. She grew up with a brother and is suffering from some separation anxiety issues. But we are working on it. She had a rough night last night. There is something that she has been exposed to, either in our house or out on our walks that has given her hives. So she's super itchy and agitated because of it. It seems the bathtub feels good to her since this is where she is spending most of her time today. I feel so bad for her. I hope she has a better night tonight after the antihistamine the vet gave us kicks in. We also have to give her a bath when Jason gets home tonight in this oatmeal medicated shampoo. I'll try to get some pictures. She is a little camera shy which I'm hoping she'll eventually overcome.

Have you ever wanted to...

2008-03-24T17:03:00.003-06:00

yell at someone but instead leave a nasty note on their car?? Today, I'm walking across the library parking lot. I'm looking down because I was walking into the setting sun and forgot my sunglasses. The next thing I know I'm blind sighted with excruciating pain. Some $%^&&*!! had a 12 foot pole sticking out the back of their pickup. No flag or anything hanging off it. It hit me square in the nose. I was so lucky that I didn't ram an eye (occupational hazard) into it or anything. No blood, but my nose hurts like hell. So I went into the library, wrote my nasty note on the scrap paper by the catalog computer and put it on their windshield. So there!!!

New house chaos

2008-03-18T11:29:00.003-06:00

So it seems we had serious rain storms here in Florida while we were away. When we got home we found that we put a garbage can in our kitchen in very convenient location. The ceiling had leaked and the bucket had 6-8 inches of water in it with only a few spots that were wet nearby. By yesterday morning the ceiling sheet rock had started to bow a bit. By yesterday afternoon, it was a good thing I had all the cupboard doors open because the ceiling fell down onto the open doors. I was in another part of the kitchen when I heard the crackle and thump, turned around and was shocked to see that it had fallen. By the late afternoon the property management company had sent a handyman over to take a look. He sliced off the other half of the panel and you could see the huge collection of water that had soaked the insulation and puddled in the plastic underneath. Not to mention that all the sheet rock was moldy and bug infested. The house has a flat roof and it seems that the owner had not kept the drains cleared. The roofing guy that was here today confirmed that the drain pipes were filled solid with tree waste and gook. One pipe had even been buried under landscaping. This of course caused "ponding".

So this kind of puts a crimp in our unpacking. I had almost finished unpacking the kitchen. Fortunately I was able to move all the stuff on the counters out before the ceiling panel came all the way down. The place is still a mess though. They estimate that will be a week to 10 days before the whole job is finished. Thank god we are only renting!

Thank you

2008-03-16T09:25:00.004-06:00

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers over the last few weeks. They have been truly appreciated. A few have asked about my father's obituary. This ran in last Sunday's Az. Republic.

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000105291173X

Jason and I are back in St. Augustine now trying to dig out from under all our boxes. Hopefully I can post some photos by the end of the week. I have to use the big camera because my little canon elph met an untimely end when I dropped it on our tile floor with the lens out. :O(

Big hugs to all!

Theodore Alfred Gardiner 1930-2008

2008-03-02T14:57:00.005-07:00

My father passed away Saturday morning, March 1. It was very peaceful. He had eaten a big breakfast and was happy as a clam when the big stroke finally came. He was gone very quickly. My love to all that have been so supportive during this time in my life. Thank you for your prayers. He is with my mom now.

Beach Sunday

2008-02-25T07:11:00.003-07:00

For the first time since we moved to Florida, Jason and I spent Sunday morning sitting on the beach. I go to the beach almost everyday for exercise, but it was really wonderful to just sit and read. Jason was not as liberal with the sunscreen as maybe he should have. He is kind of lobsterish today in weird patterns from using the spray sunscreen. We have an umbrella somewhere but god knows where, so we went for the full sun. Normally I wouldn't post a photo that has a speck of a person in it. But since Jason felt it necessary to take my picture in my bikini, I am happy with the person-to-sky ratio.

New website up and running!!

2008-02-21T09:41:00.002-07:00

So after many laborious weeks my new website is up and fully functional. Thanks to everyone for your input and copy editing. Check it out if you haven't yet and make sure to bookmark it. There will be new galleries from time to time as new events unfold.

http://www.kategardinerphoto.com

I opted to only have music going with the galleries instead of all the time. I personally am the first to shut off music on a site I visit, but I think it does add something to the galleries. Plus don't want to get people busted at work.

My first NASCAR experience

2008-02-16T15:19:00.003-07:00

Our friends Rob Brule and Mark Shreve are visiting us this weekend for the Daytona 500. We went to the Craftsman Truck race last night at the track. For as much as racing is not necessarily my favorite sport, I will completely admit that I LOVED IT!!! It was so fascinating to watch the physics involved with getting these cars around the track. I don't think I could do an entire weekend of it but last night was pretty cool. See for yourself.

Kate Gardiner Photography (and Jason) move to St. Augustine!

2008-02-14T07:09:00.009-07:00

Here are some photos of our new house and the new home of Kate Gardiner Photography. It is located right in the heart of the old downtown, about 100 yards from the Fountain of Youth monument to Ponce de Leon. We move in Feb. 28. I'll let you know if my wrinkles start to recede!

I decided yesterday to do some exploring. One block over from us is the Fountain of Youth front gate which is lined on either side by these huge trees covered in Spanish moss. At the end of our road is the marshland that extends out for a mile or so to the ocean.

I then headed downtown for some lunch. I ate at this wonderful wine and tappas bar which you can see in in the photo with the stop sign. It is located on the balcony of the building on the left. There is a gorgeous Greek Orthodox shrine on the main shopping street. You would never know it was there if you didn't see the small sign over the door. It is dedicated to St. Photios.

The main shopping area is closed to car traffic which is really nice. In Newport, RI you have to watch all the crazy drivers in the shopping area. This just makes it less congested. Many of the walls that fence off gardens in the downtown area are made of oyster shells as you can see in the last photo here. The sun and rain played tag while I was in town. This blossom was from a nearby bush.

More NYC trip photos

2008-02-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

So here are some more photos from our trip to NYC in December for the NASCAR Champions Week. It is such a rarity that sun shines down in the concrete jungle. It was so beautiful.

This is one of the rooms at the Waldorf-Astoria where the modified series had one of its dinners. The whole room smelled divine! I can only imagine the floral budget for this dinner.

The snowflakes were on the side of a building. Can't remember which building.

Here are Jason and I at the Rockefellar Center Christmas tree.

The last photo was us at this "hot" night club called Mystique. It was great people watching. All on NASCAR's tab.

Tony and Traci Engagement

2008-02-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday I spent the late afternoon with Tony and Traci at the Daytona Beach Pier for their engagement session. They are getting married April 26 at this great place called Tavern and Chapel in the Garden in Port Orange, Fl.
Here are some of my favorite images from the afternoon. It is so easy to photograph beautiful people! Plus Traci had these rock'n shoes which you can kind of see off to the side in the last image.

Bocce on the beach

2008-02-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

So I think these retired folk are in some sort of league at the beach resort behind them. Jason and I saw them playing bocce a month or so ago. Basically from what I can decipher, they draw lines in the sand about 40 yards apart then they try to get closest to that line without crossing it. But the sand here is really compacted and things roll forever. Looks like fun though.

Tuesday at the beach

2008-01-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today's video has a bit more sound so turn up your speakers.

New Years Polar Bear Dive

2008-01-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know Jason and I have an annual tradition to jump into freezing cold water on New Year's Day, washing away the crud from the year before. Sometimes this is in a sanctioned event for charity or an improvised body of water. This year we were in Phoenix so we substituted the Atlantic for our friend Judy's pool. She took these of us as we dunked our heads three times for good luck and then skeedadalled out.

Monday morning beach

2008-01-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some snippetes from my beach walk this morning. I try to walk as often as possible. It has been cold and rainy most of last week so I didn't get to do much. I'm really going to start making more of an effort to remember my point and shoot. I would have shot more video today but ran out of space on the card.

I like to think of this as God's bubble bath. I did not speed the video up any. The bubbles were just quivering that fast in the wind.

These birds fascinate me. They aren't gulls, I don't think, and they all remind me of the bird version of Grampa Munster.

I do hate it when people feed the gulls as they fly overhead. Mostly because I have been a poop victim. But it made for a nice photo today.

Trying to catch up

2008-01-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

So I was cleaning off my desktop today and found this photo. I've been meaning to post it. This is Jason and I with Jimmy Johnson and his crew chief along with the 2007 trophy at the end of the year banquet in NYC. It gets bigger if you click on it. More to come I swear!

2007-12-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

Hello all, so sorry it has been an epically long time since i posted. I'm in Florida now at least until 12/18 and then off to Phx through the New Year. Just got back from NYC and Conn. for Thanksgiving and the end of the year NASCAR banquet. Had lots of fun! I'll put some pix up later.

Cheers!

The craziness begins

2007-08-26T22:51:00.001-06:00

So this will be my last post for awhile. I am shipping my computer off tomorrow so that it has a head start on me going to Connecticut. I leave for Conn. on Wed. Only 12 days until the wedding!!! I have so much left to do it is a bit overwhelming. I will try and post before the wedding and I'll try to once we are on our honeymoon. Hopefully we will be able to hit an internet cafe to do some updates. Although if you are watching the news, half of Greece is chard right now so hopefully that will work out ok. Wish me luck!!!