Scarlett Lillian

The all new ScarlettLillian.com

2007-09-07T08:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, so my designers and I are still putting the finishing touches on my brand new website, but my brand new blog is finally LIVE and I couldn't wait any longer to share it with you! Woo hoo!

Go check it out it for all the scoop on what I have been waiting so long to unveil to you guys and for your exclusive first look!

I've enjoyed my journey here on this blog, but this will be my very last entry. So be sure to bookmark my new blog or add it into your blog reader to stay updated.

And now I introduce to you....... Scarlett Lillian Photography!!

Website: www.ScarlettLillian.com
Blog: www.scarlettlillian.net

It's almost time....

2007-09-05T18:12:00.000-04:00

New name.

New website.

New blog.

New camera.

New lenses.

New wedding.

Oooooh and I'm itching to unveil it all and show you guys. Just a few more days of wrapping up final details!! Stay tuned!

Brides, I have extended my booking deadline, and you have until Friday to lock in my current rates. After Friday, there will be a price increase for my services.

Here's all the words on my shower curtain that have inspired all the new changes you are about to see! Pick a word today and live by it!

The greatest love of all.

2007-09-05T09:40:00.000-04:00

A lot of you know that I am a Christian and passionate about the Lord as the true Lover of my soul. I look forward to the day when I can share an earthly love with my husband, but until I can experience that kind of love, I'm enjoying the ongoing dance I currently have with Jesus. However, it's so easy to get distracted and caught up in a million and one things going on, and I'm often guilty of neglecting my relationship with Him and that ongoing struggle to keep Him as my main priority.

So when I saw this video on my friend Sarah Barlow's blog, I was completely bawling by the end of it because it so describes my life right now in so many ways.

I encourage you to invest the next 5 minutes of your time into watching this video. It's incredibly powerful with thought-provoking imagery and really makes you remember what is the most important thing in this life above all else. Jesus. He doesn't ask us to be perfect, He just ask us to let Him love us. And because of that, His grace truly is amazing like my favorite hymn says.

I've been tagged!

2007-08-30T15:40:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I have been getting a ton of emails from people tagging me for a photographer's game everyone is playing on their blogs. So I guess I should break down and finally play too.

The game is to name 8 random facts about you and then tag 8 other photographers who haven't been tagged yet. So here goes:

1. I share a birthday with Jesus b/c I was born on Christmas.
2. I was named after Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Windand have a toy poodle named Rhett.
3. I'm an only child.
4. I've walked down a red carpet of a Hollywood movie premiere for Star Warsand sat in the midst of a ton of celebrities. I'm not a Star Wars fan, but my friend had an extra ticket, so it was thrilling for a college kid at the time.
5. I love power yoga.
6. When I take a shower, I have this thing where I hate putting hair down the drain, so instead, when I'm shampooing and pull hair out, I plaster it up on the shower wall and leave it up for weeks. I always laugh at the wig I could start from my collection everything time I finally clean it.
7. I'm a Seminole fan who went to the arch rival school, University of Florida, home of the gross Gators.
8. I broke my butt in middle school. Literally. It was the night before I was the star in the school play as Repunzel, and at dress rehearsal, this chick pulled a stool out from under me as a joke and as I was sitting down and it chipped the edge of my tailbone. It was the most painful thing ever and I was paralyzed for over a week and couldn't be in the play at all. Majorly "bummed."
9. When I grew up, I thought I was going to be an architect.
10. If I was a boy, my mom was going to name me Cody John and call me CJ. Gag. Scarlett is much cooler.
11. My dad calls me "Leadfoot" because I speed way too much and get way too many speeding tickets. I know, I know, it's dangerous and I should probably slow down.
12. I was an extra in a movie with Keri Russell back in high school, before she became Felicity. It still shows on Lifetime sometimes. If you ever run across The Babysitter's SeductionI appear like 12 times in the background of the high school scenes. (Actually I just looked it up randomly and saw it comes tomorrow at noon on Lifetime! That's funny! Check it out!)

Ok, that's more than 8, but there are a few bonus ones for you. As for tagging 8 other photographers, I know I'm like the last one to finally do this, so if you haven't been tagged yet, this is my virtual tag to you! :-)

Cara and Drew are engaged!

2007-08-27T10:11:00.000-04:00

In booking Cara and Drew's upcoming wedding at Jekyll Island Club, I hadn't met them in person yet because they are from the Atlanta area. But recently they drove down to shoot their engagement session in Fernandina Beach where we met for the first time. When she walked up, I instantly fell in love with Cara's style and her leopard high heel shoes and matching belt.

Cara, looking like a supermodel who just walked off a runway, and Drew, who could be Justin Timberlake's twin, were so much fun to shoot and really worked it for the camera. It's hard to believe Cara is really a tom boy, she told me, because they both easily could be supermodels. I almost wanted to convert every image to black and white because they kept reminding me of Abercrombie or Guess models in the fashion ads in a lot of their shots.

The playful couple have been together since high school, and Drew finally proposed two months ago in Hawaii when they were visiting to celebrate Cara's parents 25th anniversary. How sweet is that? He even wrote "Will you marry me?" in the sand, and kept rewriting it as the sand continued to wash it away. But I'm sure Drew would agree that Cara was worth it!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Diane & Blake: NYC Highlight Movie

2007-08-25T20:19:00.000-04:00

The time has come to present my very last wedding video. And I couldn't have asked for a more fabulous wedding to end on. Diane and Blake's summer wedding was held at the famous Rainbow Room atop the Rockefeller Center in New York City. They flew me up to film their wedding shooting alongside my photographer friend, Jason Groupp.

Diane and Blake have such a unique love story, the kind you would expect in a movie with NYC and Central Park as the supporting character. A few years ago, Blake had just moved to the city and needed a running buddy, so a mutual friend introduced him to Diane. They have both individually been long time marathon runners and have many awards from Ironman competitions, so it was only natural that their paths would cross and their hearts would fall in love with each passing mile.

They had a fun filled wedding weekend centered around Central Park, first with the Rehearsal Dinner at my favorite NYC restaurant Tavern on the Green. Then, Saturday morning before the wedding, they hosted a Family Fun Run inviting family and guests of the wedding to run a few miles with them that morning. You know a bride is a serious runner when even on her wedding day, she finds time to squeeze in a jog.

Later, Diane and Blake exchanged vows at the Rainbow Room and Jason and I took them out in the streets to get those classic NYC shots with taxis in the background swirling by. They even had their very first look at each other as bride and groom on Top of the Rock on the roof of the Rockefeller Center building overlooking the entire city and the Empire State building where Blake first told Diane that he loved her. And as a special wedding surprise, one of their friends rented ad space in the middle of Times Square with a congratulations ad flickering all weekend amongst the rest of the flashing lights.

Hollywood couldn't have written a script any better.

Here is their extended highlight movie. Enjoy!

Un-picture perfect

2007-08-23T15:38:00.000-04:00

Want to know what Cameron Diaz and Kelly Clarkson REALLY look like before they are touched up by Photoshop?

Just to prove to you that celebrities aren't perfect, you can check out their before and after pictures to see the major difference. I saw this link on fabulous photographer Kelly Moore's blog and was fascinated by it. Just goes to show you the wonders of Photoshop and the levels you can take it too!

Click here and then click on PORTFOLIO at the top to see the before and afters.

So for all your gals out there who compare yourselves to the flawless celebrities, STOP. They aren't flawless either!

The Wolfson Family

2007-08-21T11:29:00.000-04:00

Sunday afternoon I had a fun playdate with the Wolfson Family in downtown Jacksonville at the colorful Kids Kampus. Max, Madison and Chloe worked up a sweat exploring all the different jungle gyms, but then got to cool off in the water park. They had the best timing running around splashing each other and striking a pose in the midst of it. In between it all, I also got to steal Nicole and Jeff away to snap a few kisses in the schoolhouse.

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Danielle and Ricky: Highlight intro

2007-08-20T09:27:00.000-04:00

It amazes me sometimes what a small world this really is. Last August, Danielle and Ricky were at a bridal show and weren't even going to have a videographer for their wedding. But they got handed one of my demos and fell in love with it so much that they used their tax refund to hire me for their wedding in their hometown, Vero Beach, three hours south of Jacksonville. Then turns out, they both went to high school with one of my best friends, Katie, also from Vero Beach.

I'm so glad the small world brought us together because Danielle and Ricky are two of the sweetest people ever. As you'll see in their prom picture in the video, they are official high school sweethearts now finally getting married all these years later. Ricky is such a funny guy and Danielle has such an infectious smile and positive outlook on life that makes you feel happy just being in the same room with her. Here's a sneak peak at their intro to their movie!

Merry Early Christmas to me!

2007-08-17T18:46:00.000-04:00

This week I got a bunch of new toys in the mail to ugrade my gear and equipment. A new Canon 5D camera. A wide angle non-fish 28mm 1.8. A 100mm 2.8 Macro Lens for cool upclose ring shots. And the rockstar 50mm 1.2. So today was the first chance I got to play with all my new toys, and I used my darling Rhett as my supermodel to test things out on. Here's a few shots!

The 100m 2.8 macro. If you look real close you can see my reflection in his eyes.

The 50mm 1.2. Chillin' on the park bench checkin' out the scene.

The 50mm 1.2 Rhett loves stealing tennis balls that people lose around the tennis court like this one he found today and ran off with it.

The 50mm 1.2 A happy camper.

And NOW, a special sneak preview to do with my new branding. When I moved into my condo 2 years ago, I painted my dining room wall like this. So let's just say the hint is that my new branding and website are inspired by my dining room wall. :-) More later. I can't wait to unveil everything to you guys soon! Just a few more weeks!

The wide angle 28mm 1.8

Featured in Seventeen magazine.

2007-08-15T13:50:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I myself didn't make it in Seventeen magazine, but my name did thanks to the stunning actress, Scarlett Johansson. My mom was recently flipping through a recent issue and ran across this page with my name all over it, so she tore it out to give to me.

We both laughed at how ironic it was for my name to be plastered all over the magazine considering I almost worked their once upon a time. Around this time three years ago, I was working in magazine journalism, and I was offered a top editor position with Seventeen. But if you have seen "The Devil Wears Prada", then you would understand a lot of my reasons for turning down the position, similar to why Andy walked away from Runway magazine in the end.

God always amazes me with His timing when He is ready to lead us down a different path. Rewind to 2003. In just a few short years, I was on top of my game. In college at University of Florida, I had been given the award of Best Magazine Student beating out 700 others students in the journalism college. By the time I graduated, I had already worked for Teen People and had writings published in the New York Times. Upon graduation, I had launched and published a magazine, Beautiful Girl, a national Christian girls' beauty magazine which got named in the top 30 of magazines launched in 2003 out of 1,000 other publications. I was regularly interviewing my favorite celebrities, and just when I didn't think life could get much better, next came along the call from Seventeen with an offer to be their new Deputy Editor, just two positions under Editor In Chief.

In considering their offer, I didn't undestand why I had certain hesitations about accepting it, "this is the job every girl would die for," as "Devil" reminds Andy over and over again in the movie. But I tried to ignore my hesitations and still went on to began looking for apartments to live in New York City, praying for God's direction in the situation if I was meant to move to the Big Apple or not. Then wham, in the middle of it all, I get my answer when I get hit with the worst possible news ever. My mom had level 3 breast cancer and she had a rough journey of chemo, radiation and a radical mastectomy ahead to attack it. There was no way I could leave her now. And like any good plot, there was the turning point of drama with Seventeen that made it that much easier to walk away.

So I stayed in Jacksonville, folded Beautiful Girl magazine, and became my mom's caretaker as she battled one of the most difficult challenges in her life. It definitely shook my world up and though I didn't understand God's timing in it all, I clung to His promise that He works for the good of those that love Him. (Romans 8:28)

Looking back now, it's interesting to reflect on how God had to clean my slate and start from scratch in order to lead me to my true purpose in life.

Ever since then, I had been trying to "find" myself and the new career I was meant to explore. But it's funny how the simplist things can put everything into perspective. A friend recently gave me a dish towel that said:

"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself."

I really really loved that quote when I read it. Now with my photography business, half my focus goes to marketing and branding and I constantly have "creating myself" on my mind. Growing up, I always worried so much about what other people thought of me seeking other's approvals for validation, but ever since my adventure with Seventeen, I realized, it's not about finding yourself in the world, it's about creating yourself and presenting that to the world.

When I stopped thinking about what everyone wanted me to be and instead followed my true passions, I finally ended up where I am the most happiest. God has filled my life with a career that brings me more joy than I ever felt in the cut-throat world of journalism. Being a wedding photographer is the last thing I ever imagined myself being, but yet now I can't imagine being more fulfilled and in love with a job than I am with this. It is such an honor to me to be able to use my creative gifts to give something so precious and personal and memorable to couples that brings tears to their eyes. Though I didn't go on to be Most Likely to Suceed in Magazine Journalism, I'm so thankful for my time spent in the publishing world for the foundation it set to help me truly understand the beauty of storytelling and how I'm able to use that in visually documenting the story of each wedding day. And each coffee table album I put together, it's so fun to create because it is almost like giving a couple their own personal keepsake magazine.

God never ceases to amaze me that when we dream, He dreams bigger.

"There is a time for everything, and everything has its special season." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Take Me There

2007-08-13T09:06:00.000-04:00

One thing I love about working in the wedding industry is the music. Ok, so I've heard Electric Slide, Stomp, Celebrate, We Are Family and Shout one too many times, but what I mean is the syrupy sweet love songs. I never get tired of watching a couple dance their first dance to their special song. I always love finding out the story to why they love the song they chose and why it is so special to them.

So of course, with all the other notes I'm taking of awesome things to do for my own wedding one day, love songs are another thing I take note of. I don't think I'll have to hire a DJ, at this point, I can just hook up my iPod with the huge playlist of wedding songs I have saved! It's going to be so hard to pick a favorite song to dance to with my husband for our first dance, because I swear, a new one always comes around that becomes my new "first dance" song. And this week's song is the new single by Rascal Flatts,"Take Me There."

I was driving in my car the other day and it came on the radio. I almost turned the station because the first few chords didn't grab me, but I didn't recognize the song, so I let it stay a few more seconds to see if it was worth listening to. And wow, by the end of the song, I was SOBBING in my car. It was just the most beautiful song.

Part of me was sobbing because, somedays, honestly, I feel so hopeless that I could ever know a love as beautiful as described in the song. That a guy would ever possibly want to know the depths of my heart as described in that song. But the other part of me was sobbing because on the otherhand, I am actually very hopeful that one day I will get to experience that kind of beautiful love, and I'm so anxious for that day to get here. I'm just so ready to meet my husband and share life with him, whereever he is. I so know that he will be worth the wait, I just keep reminding myself of that. :-)

Anyways, Rascal Flatts hasn't released a video yet for the song, but I found this video on YouTube where someone wrote out the lyrics as it plays. So for all the hopeless romantics like me, I just wanted to share the beauty of this song. Enjoy!

Debbine & Mike are engaged!

2007-08-07T08:03:00.000-04:00

"Go get a room!" one tourist jokingly teased as he walked by Debbine pinning Mike against the stone wall for a kiss. "Just kidding, congratulations you guys."

Debbine and Mike have an awesome wedding coming up at the Renaissance Hotel in St. Augustine. So for their engagement photos we headed to historic downtown St. Augustine. A little shy in front of the camera at first, they eventually warmed up and by the end of it had no problem kissing and laughing all around the oldest city in the country.

Check out the slideshow below and some of my favorite pics!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Like taxis are to NYC, this tourist town is known for it's long tour trolleys all over the city. So I loved incorporating their kiss as one passed by!

Thanks to my friend and awesome second shooter, Nicole LaPointe who joined me for a fun-filled afternoon with Mike and Debbine. I had no clue she was catching these pictures of me, but here's a few pics of me shooting and the resulting shots.

St. George is a famous street in St. Augustine, so I had to incorporate the sign on the bright red door...

....to get this shot of Debbine tickling Mike:

Standing on the wall hoping I won't fall in the water...

....to get this shot of Debbine and Mike walking and kissing along the wall:

The circle of friends

2007-08-06T21:41:00.000-04:00

This time last year, I swore I would never sign up for that silly thing called MySpace. I didn't understand everyone's fascination with it, not to mention I didn't have time to play on it. But then I kept hearing about how, like a blog, it was good for networking reasons for my company, so I gave in, swearing only for business networking purposes. Next thing I know, all these people from high school found me, and I have to admit, as much as I boycotted it, it's been great to reconnect with old friends.

One of those high school friends is Nicole. Even though we always knew who each other was, she and I never had a class together and never really hung out back then. But the past few months, we reconnected and have totally bonded over our love for photography. Nicole ended up marrying her high school sweetheart and now have two precious little kids, which of course, like any mom would, she became with obsessed with documenting her children's lives through the camera.

She now lives down in St. Augustine where I recently shot an engagement session for Debbine and Mike. So as an excuse to see her again after all these years, I invited her to lunch at my favorite restaurant, The Columbia, and to second shoot the session with me. We had so much fun going over old memories and shooting together! Nicole is just beginning her photography career, but she has an amazing eye for shots and I can't wait to see how her photography takes off more and more!

I thought it would be fun to post our senior pictures in the yearbook! While Nicole has always looked stunning as a blonde, I have no idea what I was thinking when I went bleach blonde during those years.

And here is a picture of us after the shoot enjoying some gelato after a long hot July day.

Thanks again Nicole for joining me!

Debbine and Mike's engagement pictures are coming next!

Rest in Peace sweet Ruby

2007-08-04T21:42:00.001-04:00

Ruby Cook
April 28, 1923-August 4, 2007

Back in May, I posted this blog entry about my great-aunt Ruby, and was overwhelmed by all of your encouragement, support, and beautiful prayers. At the time, we thought she only had a few days, maybe weeks to live. However, she made it through the summer, and I just found out tonight that she passed away a few hours ago, peacefully in her sleep.

I will be heading to South Carolina in the next day or two for the funeral. Please keep my family in your prayers as we say goodbye to our angel here on earth. What a celebration there is in Heaven tonight of her arrival!

Michelle & Tucker: Highlight intro video

2007-08-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

St. Augustine is one of the most beautiful historic places to get married around the North Florida area, and that's where Michelle and Tucker got married on a gorgeous spring day in April. Known as the oldest city in the country, their ceremony was held at the Oldest House in the city, and then they partied the night away at the popular hotel, Casa Monica. Their night was then complete by even being drawn away at the end by horse and carriage. Their friendship began on match.com, but soon evolved into a beautiful love story they now share as husband and wife.

Their special day was also celebrated Michelle's Italian grandmother's 90th birthday, and I thought it was cute that Michelle passed out recipes to her famous spaghetti sauce as wedding favors.

Showcased on letsgettrashed.com!

2007-07-30T23:33:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Kayla! My photos of her were chosen to be showcased on high school senior's hottest new website, letsgettrashed.com. Started by the creators of trashthedress.com, the new sister site features girls all over the country who are having fun trashing their prom dress in really great and memorable pics!

Kayla trashed her prom dress!

2007-07-30T14:13:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, a nice man named Rick, emailed me after hearing my interview on the Pro Photography Show, and then further telling me of his high school granddaughter, Kayla, who is an aspiring photographer. I told him how one of the best things I did to help me as a photographer was be on the other side of the camera first, so we then scheduled a session for Kayla to get some cool "trash the prom dress" photos.

Kayla is a superstar softball player in high school, so we met at one of her favorite fields and she brought her gear to use as accessories in the photos. We had a great time rolling in the red clay field and bonding over photography! Her grandpa even hooked me up to a wireless mic and filmed the whole session so that Kayla could go back later and study my techniques on how I got the photos of her that I did. Even though she is the next great photographer, and will be a third generation photographer in the family, she was also a fabulous and gorgeous model!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Then, Kayla's grandpa, Ric, on the sidelines, sporting his favorite hat and camera!

The Barry Family

2007-07-29T21:14:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year at a bridal show, I met another photographer named Amy Barry carrying her sweet little newborn, Blaize. Though she is from Keystone Heights, she was recently vacationing in the St. Augustine area and asked me to take some new family portrait photos for her of her and her hubby, Jason, and three other cutie pie kids, Brett, Brooke and Brynna. Amy and Jason have a cute story being high school sweethearts, and it was fun to also steal them away from the kids and get some lovey dovey shots as if they were back in high school dating!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Amy and I at the end of a long hot Floridian July day. :-)

Tara & Robbie are engaged!

2007-07-28T22:38:00.000-04:00

"So are you ever going to kiss me, or what," Tara asked Robbie as she leaned against the bar in New York City, where Robbie had moved from Ireland a few years before.

Though Tara was from Denver, she frequently visited NYC to show dogs in competitions. She would always go with her friends to this one bar across the street from the arena where Robbie would serve them drinks.

Finally, Robbie kissed Tara and they've been head over heels ever since.

I recently met with Tara and Robbie up at the gorgeous and historic Jekyll Club in Jekyll Isand, Georgia, where I will be shooting their destination wedding in September. They also brought their little girl, Abigail, a sweet dog that Tara rescued. For part 2 of their session, we went out to the beach to get some shots with Abigail, and before I knew it, it turned into a "trash the dog" session when Robbie picked up his girls and carried them into the ocean.

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Tara and Robbie will soon dance their first dance here on this lawn in front of the Crane Cottage where their reception will be held.

Above is the Faith Chapel where Tara and Robbie's ceremony will be held. This chapel is one of 5 in the country that showcases a Tiffany stained glass window.

A girl can't help but L-O-V-E Tara's glittery 5 karat ring!

Taliah and Mark are engaged!

2007-07-24T19:40:00.000-04:00

Taliah just recently got her braces off, and she was now ready for her spotlight in front of the camera. Not only did she have the love of her life, Mark, by her side, but she had her hair stylist, three outfits, her mom, her two sisters, and her brother as part of her entourage for her and Mark's engagement session with me.

We had fun prancing around the Riverside area, hopping fence on private property, turning the Starbucks bathroom into a personal dressing room. Then later in they became supermodels in the rain in San Marco. We even almost got arrested by a police offer yelling at us to get out of the road. Doesn't he know the best shots are the most risktaking? :-)

Taliah formerly worked at the GAP, and, like me, has a passion for fashion. We were a great match for bride and photographer from the beginning! And Mark was such a sport as he took the shadow to let Taliah shine. I mean any guy that would patiently wait in Starbucks for half an hour in between each outfit change while his soon-to-be bride transformed wardrobe and hair in the bathroom, is definitely a keeper!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

This was the shot that we almost got arrested for. In between lights changing, I told them to run in the road, and as I'm clicking the shutter, the police officer comes running up to us "GET OUT OF THE ROAD RIGHT NOW!" Like geez, fine. But it was so worth it wasn't it? :-)

"Trashy" letters to the editor!

2007-07-24T15:25:00.001-04:00

Daniel with his new bride, Jessi, after their beautiful wedding at Jacksonville Beach.

I know "trashing the dress" isn't for everyone. If you are up for it, that's great! If not, I also offer Bridal Glamour sessions that still let you be a diva in hot photos without ruining the dress.

Heck, when my day comes, I'll probably get a cheap dress off eBay for my own trash session, and then donate my real dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer.

Unfortunately, for something that has become so special and meaningful to brides, it's so sad when others get defensive judging brides because they are unable to appreciate the art and creative photography behind trashing a wedding dress. In response to the article the Florida Times Union showcased about me, there has been a "Letters to the Editor" war of words about the whole concept the past few weeks. One lady wrote how a bride trashing her wedding dress was "wasteful and disgusting" and couldn't believe grooms would "approve" of this "disrespectful" honor of their marriage.

This really upset my bride in the article, Corinna, and her husband Bobby, who took it as a personal attack the way the lady so harshly judged Corinna's decision on what to do with her dress. But after cooling off, Corinna then rallied together with a few of my past "trash" brides to start a letter campaign to the Florida Times Union to defend their case and provide a balanced coverage.

Then today, the newspaper actually published one of my groom's letter! Woo hoo! It was written by Daniel, who also participated with his wife, Jessi, in her trash the dress session back in April.

Here's Daniel's awesome letter!

WEDDING DRESSES
Trashing is not an insult

In April, my wife trashed her wedding dress right after our reception.

And guess what? Not only did I support her decision, but I also participated. Scarlett Lillian is very talented and even got Photographer of the Week for our photos on TrashTheDress.com.

My wife and I had a great time capturing these moments.

As my wife would point out, we felt this was a symbolic expression of our love and eternal commitment we made to one another, not an insult to us or to the sanctity of our marriage.

You can trash your dress and still preserve the integrity of the gown.

My wife took her dress to the dry cleaners and made arrangements to donate it to the Brides Against Breast Cancer fundraiser.

Preserving your wedding dress in a box is not going to make a difference as to what kind of marriage you will have, nor does it reflect a low regard for the sacredness of marriage.

Grooms rent our tuxes. There are some brides who didn't have a wedding dress and are still married decades later.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. However, instead of making insinuations, let brides be the better judge of what to do with their dresses.

DANIEL STEVENS, utility line locator/surveyor, Jacksonville

I got sac'd.

2007-07-23T23:26:00.000-04:00

So everyone already knows of my love for my new ShootSac by the fabulous Jessica Claire. Now I have to brag some more.

Jessica is one of my favorite photographers out in Southern California and she continues to set precedents for photographers in the wedding industry, always having her finger on the pulse of what's hot and up and coming. Her latest endeavor is creating these fashionista bags that from day one I was in love with and of course had to get. As she says in her commercial:

"A camera bag is there to hold your equipment. A ShootSac is there to help you be a better photographer."

And it's totally true!

So the reason why I'm bragging more is because I just got an email from Jessica herself saying that she blogged about me on the ShootSacBlog!

I had submitted some pictures that my friend Lori Schaneville took of me sportin' my ShootSac at the recent wedding for Susan and Matt, and not only did Jessica showcase the pictures, but she took the time to write some amazing compliments and feature a little of my own work. It's such a great honor to be featured with other wedding photographer rockstars like David Jay, Jasmine Star, Graycen Nudd, Jessica Strickland and Bobbi+Mike!

Thanks so much Jessica!!

p.s. Be sure to watch her killer commercial just a few posts below mine on the ShootSacBlog. Coming from a videography background, the commercial rocks!

Chrissy and Chris: Highlight intro video

2007-07-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

On a beautiful sunny day back in April, I captured the wedding of Chrissy and Chris on video in Orlando, Florida. Never have I participated in a wedding so full of emotion with floods of tears of joy, from the bridesmaids' toasts while they were getting ready, to the presenting of a father/daughter picture from Chrissy to her dad, to Chrissy and Chris' vow exchange and their first dance. Before the wedding, I filmed a Bridal Glamour video for Chrissy and she surprised Chris at the reception with the dedication to him. Chrissy was proud to wear her tiara and truly lived up her day as a princess who was finally marrying her Prince Charming in her "real life fairytale."

Here's their highlight intro!

Whoever you are, thank you!

2007-07-21T20:51:00.001-04:00

Even though I've pretty much grown up with the internet, it still amazes me how it can be used to connect perfect strangers and how God uses it to bless others along the way. Tonight I ran across an example of that.

Rewind. So, to track visitors to my blog, I use a handy dandy tool called statcounter.com. I admit, I'm quite obsessed with stalking my blog stalkers. If you've visited, I know what time you visited, what city and state you are visiting from, what link you came from that brought you to my blog, and how many times a day you visit. :-) It's crazy to think that everyday I have people from all over the world, in places like the Phillipines, Malaysia, England, Nigeria, and other countries I can't pronouce, all reading the words I ramble on about. (By the way.... I would love to know who the daily person is from Los Angeles that always comes from my MySpace link a few times a day? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's some fabulous Hollywood celebrity checking me out to shoot their fabulous upcoming wedding. ha!)

In tonight's stalking my blog stalkers, I saw a new link that someone came from to my blog. It was another blog, called Ending Unplanned. By the name, I thought it would be a wedding planning company, but instead it was a friend of my bride, Corinna. She had seen the article in the newspaper recently about Corinna and I trashing her dress, and then checked out my website from there.

And wow, I got so teary eyed reading the beautiful words this perfect stranger wrote about me:

"I looked up [Scarlett's] website, and can honestly say that I am literally amazed at her talent. To hear her talk of how she just realized her love of photography one day after using her point and shoot camera to take "a cool black and white picture" of a friend's wedding dress - and how her little hobby has not only become a thriving, successful business but a way to touch people's lives is truly so inspiring. She speaks freely of her faith and her belief that God is using her for bigger and better things than even she realizes. Watching her tribute to her Aunt Ruby had tears rolling down my cheeks. Seeing her pictures make you remember instantly how easily someone can capture emotion and feeling in just a simple photograph."

Sometimes I feel like I ramble on too much on my blog and should keep it strictly professional focused on photography, but it's nice to know in moments like this that God is using my blog for more than just a photography showcase, but to also inspire you all in deeper ways. God is the ultimate Creator and Giver of the creative gifts He's given me, so I can't help but want to give glory to Him in the ways He blesses me along my journey.

And it truly touches my heart to know it somehow makes a difference in your world too.

So thank you to whoever is behind the words at Ending Unplanned, and to everyone else for taking the time to visit, stalk, whatever you want to call it, my blog and to read the words I write.

I do promise a ton of new photos this coming week. I'm in a cave right now in major editing mode still trying to also wrap up the last few weddings I shot videography for earlier this year, so a new highlight video is also on the way for Chrissy and Chris' beautiful fairy tale wedding!

A hot pink world

2007-07-19T23:12:00.000-04:00

One thing I love about being a photographer, is meeting other photographers! It's the most amazing feeling in the world to meet someone who shares the same passion for capturing life with a click of a button.

One great photographer chick I met earlier this year is Crystal Deising of Atlanta, who is the most giving person I've ever met. What started with a few comments back and forth from stalking each other's blogs, we then met in February during a trash the dress session in Savannah. Crystal is super girly like me, and she surprised me with a beautiful french Parisian clock that she saw and said it reminded me of her. I was super thrilled to receive such a thoughtful gift, and it went perfectly in my bedroom.

Then today, she did it all over again and surprised me again. I routinely checked my mail, but today in my mailbox I had a pink and black polka dot package sitting inside. I almost didn't want to open it because the wrapping was just so darn cute! But of course, I couldn't resist and I rushed home to see the goodies.

I first got a laugh out of her funny card addressed to "Scarlett, the hot pink princess photographer!" Then it was the cutest card with a girly girl and her white poodle, just like me and my Rhett!

Then, again, the pink wrapping with the green polka dot ribbon was so cute that I hated to mess it up, but I'm glad I did because inside was the most beautiful hot pink earrings and matching hot pink sarong (which will go great with my hot pink bathing suit!)

I called her up immediately and of course told her she shouldn't have, but she said she was at a fashion show recently and when she saw the hot pink, she couldn't resist thinking of my website.

I know I already said it a million times to her, but thank you thank you thank you Crystal! You have one of the most beautiful hearts I know and you truly made my day!

Here's a picture of the goodies!

Speaking of meeting other photographers, Pictage, my print fulfillment company, just released a promo video from PartnerCon in Chicago that I went to back in May. There's a quick cameo of me after Charles Bordner kick's Mike Colon's butt at ping pong. Unforutnately I won't be going to the next PartnerCon in Los Angeles in September, but I just wanted to share the video! It was made by my friend, Ron Dawson of Cinematic Studios, who is an amazing wedding videographer in California. If you are looking for a videographer, he's worth the extra travel fees! :-)

Check out the video below! Just click on Mike Colon. :-)

Click To Play

Only a few more 2007 dates left!

2007-07-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

It's been an exciting and busy first half of the year shooting weddings! I've been all over the country shooting weddings in Las Vegas, New York, South Florida, Savannah, Atlanta, Charleston, Tallahassee, here in Jacksonville, and more!

I just wanted to let brides know that I am only taking on a few more dates for the 2007 year and will be raising my prices next month, so if you are interested in booking me for the remaining 2007, the sooner the better!

I am also currently booking for 2008 dates, so don't hesitate to contact me about your date!

This week has been a lot of back to back shooting, so I'm in editing mode now and lots of new photos on the way! Stay tuned!

HEALing kids with Hollywood actress Jenny McCarthy

2007-07-16T23:12:00.000-04:00

Ok, I can finally spill the secret! You've waited long enough. I couldn't reveal it at first because I was in the talks with People magazine about using the pictures, but they ended up passing on using them.

So, drum roll please....

The celebrity I shot recently was actress Jenny McCarthy. Known for her roles in Scream 3, John Tucker Must Die,and numerous TV shows, she is also known most recently in celebrity gossip for dating funny man, Jim Carrey. But something else she is becoming known for is promoting awareness for autistic kids, and has a 5-year old autistic son herself. And to help further the cause, this fall she is releasing a book about it:

She was recently in town as a special guest speaker at a charity event for HEAL- Healing Every Autistic Life, and I donated my services to help capture the event for them. There were a ton of live auctions and it was amazing be part of a night that raised over $100,000 to go towards research for autism.

I have a special place in my heart for autistic kids because, last year, I shot a wedding for a bride whose father and brother-in-law were killed in a plane accident a month before her wedding. The bride's sister was left with two little girls, one autistic and another who recently was healed from her autism. As memory keepsake of their dad, I produced a video for them mixing home footage they shot with their dad and recent footage of the three of them left behind. If you missed it in earlier blog entries, grab the tissues and check out this link for the touching music video. (In going to get the link, I hadn't seen the video in a long time, and I just cried all over again!)

It was exciting to get to meet Jenny and be her personal paparazzi for the night as I took hundreds of pictures with her and all the guests. Here are some special ones though of her interacting with some of the VIP children attending the event that night.

A little girl shy about meeting Jenny. Her mom, in the purple, is a special doctor they honored that night as well for her work with autism kids.

A little boy giving a special gift to Jenny.

The gift was an illustration he drew just for her.

Jenny smiling with another VIP member, NFL Jacksonville Jaguar football player, Tony Pashos.

Mike and Joye are engaged!

2007-07-16T00:33:00.000-04:00

Next month, Mike and Joye have a beautiful wedding planned in New Orleans, Louisiana. The photographer for their wedding will be my friend, the fabulous Mark Eric in Louisiana. But for their engagement session, they wanted some pictures on the beach in Mike's hometown here in Jacksonville.

I pulled up to Mike's parent's beautiful Ponte Vedra Beach home, and we had a fun filled afternoon shooting around the home and the pool and then getting our toes sandy on the beach. Mike and Joye share such a sweet playful affection for each other and as their favorite song says, you know "all will be well" for them when they look into each other's eyes.

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Congratulations Jenny & Jason!

2007-07-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

Not only was 7-7-7 a lucky day for so many couples getting married, it was a lucky day for me.

As a photographer, I love shooting weddings, and I love shooting models. And what really rocked about 7-7-7 is that I got to shoot two models getting married! Every wedding photographer's dream! Jenny, who was named in the Atlanta Magazine as one of the Most Beautiful People in Atlanta, and Jason, who has modeled for one of my favorite stores, H&M, were both sizzling for the camera workin' it as we held our own little photoshoot in between their ceremony and reception at the decadant and colorful Mansion on Forsyth hotel in Savannah, Ga. I was also excited to have my good friend, Amy Martin, there to shoot the gorgeous couple with me.

Aside from the moments in the spotlight, my favorite moment of the day was watching Jenny and Jason cry together as they held each close as husband and wife dancing their last dance together at the reception before jetting off quickly to the airport to catch a plane to San Juan. There is always such a beauty in tears of joy, and it was in that unposed moment that their love shined most beautifully.

Below are my favorites! It was so hard to choose. Be sure to check out the slideshow for so many more pics!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

Dinner with Paula Deen

2007-07-13T20:47:00.000-04:00

I love Savannah, Georgia.

If there is anywhere else in the country I would want to live, it would be this sleepy Southern town. Especially as a photographer, everywhere you go, it's one picturesque spot after another. I especially love when I get to shoot weddings in Savannah. I got to return for last weekend's 7/7/7 wedding, and for dinner the night before, my friend and second shooter, Amy Martin, and I had dinner at the famous Paula Deen restaurant, Lady and Sons.

A few years ago, before she ever became the Food Network TV star that is she today, my parents and I ate at her restaurant when it was just a small little restaurant. She was in the back hustling up dinner like it was her own kitchen, and she was in and out from the back to the front personally bringing out the new helpings to the buffet herself. Now the restaurant takes up three floors of Southern hospitality with people waiting in lines around the corner just to get a table. Though the location has changed, the food hasn't, and it was just as delicious as I remember it. With an unlimited buffet of collard greens, macaroni and cheese, yams, butter beans, fried chicken (I smelled it on Amy's plate, mmmm, but just veggies for me!), biscuits and black eyed peas, Amy and I literally needed a wheelbarrel to haul us out of there after our dinner. If you ever visit Savannah, this is a must-eat restaurant. But you have to get their early to put your name on the waiting list. Luckily they were able to squeeze us in to two seats at the bar so we didn't have to wait long!

Everyone waiting outside. And tourists driving by.

My first plate of dinner.

Amy's first plate.

Posing with Miss Paula Deen herself! Ok, so not THE Paula Deen, but she wasn't in town, so this was the closest we could get.

Fit for a princess!

2007-07-13T02:41:00.000-04:00

The Cinderella dress.

I believe in fairy tales.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up and be Snow White, then Cinderella, then Belle, then Ariel, then Jasmine. You know, whoever the latest Princess was in the newest Disney movie to hit theaters. I used to frolic around my room with a hairbrush in hand singing to the Disney Princess Soundtrack. And when I got my first car, my first keychain was hot pink and said "Yield to the Princess." I'm still waiting to meet my Prince Charming, but I'm certain I will end up happily ever after, all in God's perfect timing.

Meanwhile, I ran across this link to something new and fabulous for other fashoinista princess brides at heart. Disney has come out with their very own line of Princess inspired wedding gowns! Go check it out!

Which one is your fave? I think kind of like the Ariel for a sexy look, but I also like the Belle and Cinderella for a grand entrance.

Eva and Tony's wedding

2007-07-11T07:26:00.000-04:00

Ok, I confess, so the celebrity I photographed recently was Eva and Tony's wedding. No, just kidding, I wish! I had a more important wedding to shoot in Savannah for Jenny and Jason, whose mega-hot pics I'll have up on the blog soon! But I WILL reveal the goods soon on the celebrity I did shoot recently. Promise!

But back in May, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Bob Davis at Partnercon in Chicago. He was one of the speakers and is known to be a great teacher in the wedding industry for other photographers. Turns out, he was the lucky chosen one to shoot Eva and Tony's wedding. He has also shot a lot for Miss Fabulous Herself, Oprah. Other notable wedding photographer, Gary Fong, just did an interview with Bob about his experince shooting the extravagant Parisian celebrity wedding. For all the other photographers that read my blog, or other fellow celebrity-gossip-junkies wanting the inside scoop, I just thought you'd all love to read it the interview! Enjoy!

Click here for the interview!

Keep an eye out for OK! Magazine which will be debuting tomorrow on newsstands Bob's exclusive wedding pics of Eva and Tony!

You know you've made it when...

2007-07-10T16:06:00.000-04:00

You know you've made it when.... the little girls you used to babysit across the street stop by your parents house to see if you are home for an autograph on the article about you in the newspaper!

Ha! True story!

My mom called me yesterday saying she's going to have to start charging admission for the "Scarlett Tour" around the house. Yesterday, three of the little girls who I used to babysit across the street rang the door bell with my newspaper article in hand.

"Is Scarlett home?" they asked my dad as he answered the door.

"Um hold on." My dad closed the door and called upstairs to my mom, "Honey, Scarlett has fans at the door. Can you take care of this?"

So my mom heads downstairs to greet the girls, and since I don't live there anymore, she instead took the girls upstairs and gave them a tour of my old bedroom where I used to sleep, and huddled them around the computer showing them my website and blog. She said even one of the little girls insisted, "Does she take family portraits too? We want her to take our pictures!" (I would definitely need a wide angle lens for their family, they come from a family of 8 kids, I think that's what they are up to now.)

Anyways, I was just so humbled to hear that story and got a big laugh out of hearing about my "fans." I wish I had a picture to share of the girls, but maybe soon I'll have a family portrait to post!

In other news....

Smiling for Susan's camera at the HEAL event

To go along with the article that came out in the newspaper, I also found out yesterday that I missed another article blurb about me in Saturday's paper. I recently shot a charity event for HEAL Austim Now, and there I met columnist, Susan Brandenburg. We got on the topic of the whole trash the dress craze that she was fascinated by that she even wrote a little blurb about it in her Saturday column. Here's the link to that!

HOT NEWS: Scarlett Lillian featured in The Florida Times Union

2007-07-09T18:05:00.000-04:00

I can finally reveal it! I'm excited to share the secret about a special publishing! As I mentioned in the video in my previous blog entry, I was featured today in the Jacksonville newspaper, The Florida Times Union, with my brides Corinna and Jenny about the whole trashthedress.com craze.

Here's some pics of the hard copy, or you can read the online version of the article by clicking here!

The pic I took of Corinna made the FRONT PAGE! Woo hoo!

Corinna, my mom, my "fong dong" and I on the front page of the Lifestyle section.

The back page!

A "trashy" rainy day.

2007-07-08T21:13:00.000-04:00

In May, I shot a fabulous destination wedding for Corinna and Bobby in Las Vegas. Corinna originally wanted to trash her dress on the strip in Vegas, but due to time constraints we weren't able to pull that off. So now, back home in Jacksonville, we trashed it instead amongst the lily pads and swampy rivers of Northeast Florida. What we didn't expect were thunderstorms and rain on the day we scheduled her photoshoot, but thank goodness we were already trashing the dress because the rain made for even cooler pictures with the water droplets all around her in the water.

Check out the video below for behind-the-scenes look at the making of the trash session, and a cool slideshow of all her hot pics! Also in the video is a special announcement of what publication joined us at the session to do an upcoming article about our trash session!

And I couldn't resist giving you a sneak peak before the article is published. Here are a few of my favorites!

(First, we shot a few inside while we let the thunderstorms pass...)

Again, my bed comes in handy for a few shots. My bed was also used in Corinna and Bobby's engagement session last year.

I have to give credit that I got the idea for this shot from one of my favorite photographers and friend, the fabulous Jasmine Star. Thanks Jazz for helping me see something from a different angle!

Time for outside! I literally had a camera in one hand and an umbrella in the other, as you can see in the video!

My FAVORITE shot of the day!

MANY MORE IN THE VIDEO! Scroll up to see the rest in the video slideshow above!

7/7/7

2007-07-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite photographers, Liana Lehman, pointed this out on her blog:

According to this article on Yahoo, there may be a WORLD RECORD this Saturday for the most weddings ever:

"The Knot.com, a wedding planning site, says that on any given Saturday in July (the most popular month for weddings), there are typically 12,000 weddings taking place. But on 7-7-07, that number has more than tripled - to 38,000. That could possibly make this the most popular wedding day ever."

I'm now heading out the door to Savannah to shoot a destination wedding for the special day for Jenny and Jason. Earlier this year I did a trash the dress with Jenny (above pic). Since it was before her wedding, we used a dress from eBay as an alternative for the photo shoot. I'm looking forward to seeing and capturing the beautiful details of her real dress tomorrow. Their wedding is at one of my favorite hotels, the historic Mansion on Forsyth. And I'm thrilled to have one of my favorite photographer friends, Amy Martin, joining me to document the day! Happy 7/7/7 to all the other brides getting brides getting married on the memorable day. Kind of cool to share it with Eva and Tony too!

Vegetarian on the run

2007-07-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

For the past 26 years, I have hated two things: vegetables and running. Ok, hate is a strong word, let me rephrase. I have not preferred vegetables and running. It's not that I never ate veggies or ran, I just never chose to do either unless my mom put veggies on my plate for dinner, or a P.E. coach made us run laps around the track. As an adult, the extent of my vegetable eating was salads, and the extent of my running was like 5 minutes on the treadmill at the gym to warm up to do other excercises that didn't involve running. I've had so many friends who just LOVED to run, and I never understood the addiction, because all I ever got was a cramp in my side whenever I would try.

But now, I have become two things I never imagined myself becoming: a vegetarian and a runner.

The vegetarian thing had been stirring in me for a while. Even in middle school, I remember one day telling my mom, "I'm no longer eating red meat." I don't know where that came from, but it lasted about 6 months before I gave in again to Chik-fa-la's and hot dogs. Then earlier this year I met another Jacksonville photographer, Darice Michelle, who told me she was a vegan.

"I don't know how you do it!" I said to Darice. "I could never give up meat or dairy."

"That's what I used to think too, you'd be surprised once you set your mind to something," Darice responded.

Even though we didn't go deep into it then, I did take notice how tiny Darice was with a beautiful figure and thought "Ah ha, that must be how she stays so skinny after having two kids! Maybe I should give the vegetarian thing a try."

So I did. For two weeks. My motivation was obviously wrong, so it didn't last. I did though pick her brain at a later time to find out more behind her motivation for the whole vegan lifestyle. And though I wasn't ready at the time, her words and reasonings kept replaying in my head considering it all.

Then this time last month, I randomly watched the movie "Fast Food Nation". Let's just say it was a huge wake up call. Not only does it document how most of the meat we eat has traces of animal poop in it, but at the end, it showed a detailed gory bloody visual of the torture cows are put through in the killing process. All I could think about is someone doing that to my poor Rhett, or the momma duck I've made friends with, and something inside of me finally clicked. I haven't eaten meat or fish or anything living since.

But what's cool is that, I don't feel deprived like I've "given up" something. Instead I've been discovering all the awesomely yummy vegetables and fruits I always ignored before, and my tastebuds have totally shifted. I've even started COOKING all these delicious veggie dinners... hey, that's a big deal for me to whip out the pots and pans.

I can't quite give up chocolate, so I haven't quite gone vegan like Darice, which means no dairy or eggs, but I'm trying slowly to make that adjustment by choosing soymilk instead of regular milk, for example, which is surprisingly VERY yummy! It's been fun to discover the wealth of other alternative products like veggie sausage patties which I'm now addicted to and actually taste better and are less greasy than regular sausage patties.

Anyways, I'm not one to preach about what's right and wrong, but I just simply wanted to share how empowering it's been to make this lifestyle change and know that I'm making healthy choices. It's nice for once to not feel like I have to "watch I eat" but instead enjoy eating what I know is good for me. And as a result, I've been fitting back into pants that were too small, with out even trying.

Also, one of my brides recommended a good book to read if you are thinking of doing the vegetarian/vegan thing. It's called "Skinny Bitch." I just picked it up yesterday and already read half of it. It's really good!

(Any other vegetarians out there???? I'd love to hear if you are!)

So with the healthy eating, I became inspired to start working out again. Earlier this year I had tried to go back to the gym, which lasted for a few weeks, but it became so boring and monotonous, that I just stopped going all together. So one day in my car, I was cruising down this new road they opened up near my place that now completes a circle and clocked the distance which equaled 4 miles. Next thing I know, I'm putting on my tennis shoes and hooking Rhett up on a leash and off we go. Again, big deal for me, because I never run, let alone run OUTSIDE where it's humid and there are bugs and dirt. (This coming from the girl who doesn't even like to walk on grass!)

But it has been so exhilarating and for the first time ever I'm enjoying working out. And I love the fresh air how it clears my mind from all the work related stress. And I love spending that time with Rhett racing him in between his stops at fire hydrants. I always feels so connected to God too in nature, so I get a lot of good prayer time in on the runs. I almost crave it now! And it's been cool to see my body condition itself going from mostly walking with a few sprints here and there, to now mostly jogging with a few walks here and there.

(I've even found a lot of good potential spots along the route that I would LOVE to "trash the dress" with future brides!)

Then like I wrote in my last blog post, I saw my friend Jill Higgins started a "photographers on the run" challenge with the new iPod and Nike shoes dealio. Today was my first day running with my new get up, and I was excited to see I've almost caught up to Jill in one run than she has in all of her runs so far. ha ha

I posted a thing to the right of my blog for the challenge we have going on with other photographers, so if you are a runner too, we'd love to have you in on the challenge! (And you don't have to be a photographer, it's open to anyone!)

Here's a graph of my first run from synching my iPod to the Nikeplus.com site that keeps a record of your progress.

On a closing note, the other thing I never imagined myself being was a wedding photographer.... but as one of my favorite quotes says:

"Lift up your eyes... Your heavenly Father is waiting to bless you in ways you never imagined." ~Janette Ore

All I can say is, thank goodness He knows better than we do! When we finally let go and let Him have control, that's where we find our greatest joys in life!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Happy Birthday Rachie!

2007-07-04T01:06:00.000-04:00

(TOP)A middle school yearbook pic of Rachel and I. Now you see why I eventually got contacts! :-)
(BOTTOM) Rachel and I today.

One of my best and dearest friends is my friend Rachie, ahem, Rachel. We first met in homeroom class in 6th grade and instantly became bonded at the hip. Every weekend we would rotate between spending the night at her house, or my house, then back to her house. We loved going to the ice skating rink together to check out cute boys. We loved shopping together buying the same pink flannel shirts from Limited Too. We loved having our moms drop us off at the movie theater to to go see movies and again check out cute boys. I even have Rachel to thank for introducing me to God when she invited me to attend her church that she and her family went to, and it soon became the church my mom and I would eventually call home too where I was baptized a few years later.

Then in 8th grade, Rachel went to a different school and my world was shattered. Through high school and college, we kept in touch and would hang out from time to time. It wasn't until we both moved home after college that we really reconnected and our friendship picked up where it left off back in middle school.

They say old friends are the best of friends, and with Rachel, it is so true. Rachel reminds me of everything that is good in the world. Always the optimistic, she has one of the biggest hearts I know, and she constantly teaches me without knowing the beauty of loving others and the joy that comes from simple things in life. She's the kind of friend that is always there for you no matter what.... such as dropping everything to give you a ride when you get a flat tire on the way to a wedding you are supposed to be shooting in half an hour. :-) Though she's a fashion nut, she sees beyond superficial beauty into the beauty inside each person's heart that she meets along the way, and she carries an enthusiasm for life that is absolutely contagious.

And tonight, we celebrated her 26th birthday just like old times, just Rachel and Scarlett pigging out on cheesecake, shopping and catching a chick flick (and... other adventures... see below...)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!!

Everyone go to her MySpace page and wish her happy birthday!

Other adventures of our night...

When in Barnes & Noble, I saw the brand new issue of The Knot was out, which I had been itching to see because......

It has my full page AD in the new issue!! Woo hoo! Go Captivating Studios!

Rachel checking out my ad.

In other big news, today was a special day because I FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY bought an iPod. I know, I'm like the last person in the world to get one. But I've started going on runs with my dog lately, and got tired of holding my big CD player, so I knew it was time I break down and invest in an iPod. Also, I was inspired by my friend Jill Higgins to get the Nike shoes that sync with your iPod to track your distance and calories burned. So in the midst of our shopping, we stopped at the Apple store to get my first iPod and then stopped at Dick's to get my new Nike shoes. They had a track in the middle of the store, so here I am goofing off running around the track modeling my new shoes and holding my new iPod Nano and adapter thingy!

Close up of my new toys. YES, of course I got the hot pink iPod and hot pink shoes. Duh! I'll be setting up a challenge thing on the blog soon to be able to run virtually with all of you, so stay tuned to sign up! Who would have thought I would become a runner, HA!

Rachel doing her "Marilyn Monroe" minus the dress pose outside the movie theater.

Both of us waiting in line to see License to Wed. Cute movie by the way!

If you were an M&M, what would you look like?

2007-07-03T02:10:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm Scarlett, and I'm a chocoholic.

One of my favorite chocolate indulgences is none other than a handful of good ol' M&Ms. Especially when I go to the movies, I take a handful of popcorn, throw in my mouth, then take a handful of M&Ms, throw it in my mouth, for a yummy salty and sweet combination. Even when my mom makes me go to the movie theater closer to her that doesn't sell plain M&Ms (they only have peanut), I will stop specifically at the grocery store to buy a bag of M&Ms so that I can eat them with my popcorn. Seriously, one of my favorite things in the world.

So when I was cruising fabulous photog Bobbi's blog and saw her M&M contest, I got the biggest laugh out of seeing what everyone would look like as an M&M! It was too late for me to enter her contest, but I totally surfed over to www.becomeanmm.com to create my own too!

What do you guys think, is she my hot pink twin or what?

I know you have more important things to do, but you should totally go create your own M&M too! Go on, you know you want to! Have fun!

Trashing the photographer

2007-07-02T17:11:00.000-04:00

I can't spill all the details yet because this "trash the dress" session is going to be in an upcoming article for a special publication later this week, but I just couldn't stand but give you a sneak peak and share my favorite picture of the day! This is my bride Corinna, who's destination wedding I recently shot in Las Vegas. What turned out to be a rainy day full of thunderstorms, we still went forward forward with her photoshoot.

As I took this picture in the rain, I literally had my camera in my right hand, and an umbrella in my left praying I didn't slip on the slippery rocks I was standing on as I reached my camera above her hoping not to drop it in the water. But it was dang worth the shot!

Stay tuned for more about the article coming out AND a special "trashy" promo video of the photoshoot! Thanks too to Corinna for swimming in the lily pads and getting her toes muddy in the swamps we later found out were filled with water mocassins! More soon!

Shhhhhh! It's a secret...

2007-06-28T23:30:00.001-04:00

Tonight I had the honor of photographing my first Hollywood celebrity. Things are top secret right now and I can't reveal details yet because we're in the talks with one of my favorite national magazines about using my pictures for a story about her. But as soon as I can release information, I promise I will put some pics up on the blog.

Stay tuned to find out who!

Here's a hint... she's an actress... and her boyfriend is an actor. And you've seen a ton of their hilarious movies. :-)

Happy Birthday Momma!

2007-06-27T13:26:00.000-04:00

One of the first photos of my mom and I together.

Happy Birthday Momma! I seriously have the best mom in the world. I feel so privileged to not only have her as my mom, but my best friend too. She been a beautiful example in my life of a giving heart, always thinking outside of the box, and having the courage to follow her wildest dreams. I wouldn't be half the woman I am today without her continuous support and believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. Not only is she breast cancer survivor, she refuses to live a life unlived and looks for miracles in every day she is given. She is a great woman of faith and keeps a prayer journal of the lives she meets along her journey praying for hundreds of people everyday. Every life she meets has been touched by the beauty she brings out in people, and I know when God looks down on her, He is smiling at what a faithful servant of His love that she is.

In reflection of her birthday, my mom posted an inspiring entry about courage on her blog. A few months ago, she started her very own blog to document the journey of giving birth to a book she's writing called "Born To Be Beautiful: Unwrapping God's Most Precious Gift to Each Woman." I'd love for everyone to check her blog out and share the same love and support you have given me!

Check out my Shootsac!

2007-06-26T15:48:00.001-04:00

When I first started photography, I scoured the internet for a cute fashionable camera bag. I was bummed to not be able to find anything girly-friendly. Then recently, I was thrilled to hear that one of my favorite photographers, Jessica Claire, was coming out with her own fashionista camera bag called the ShootSac. In May at Partnercon, I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica and being one of the first to order my new ever so cute shooting partner. I just recently got it in the mail and was excited to use it for the first time at the wedding this past weekend... and I have to say, I LOVE IT! It was the perfect lightweight companion to help me float around the day with all my essential lenses, memory cards, keys, sunglasses and business cards. And with the protection of the inside fabric and compartments, it was sooo stress relieving just being able to whip out the lenses I needed without having to constantly put the lens cap back on and off. No more needing to carry around my heavy camera bag on my back all day. That stayed in a corner near by while the ShootSac and I walked around getting our rockstar shots.

I got so many compliments throughout the day, and being able to relate about fashion, it was a perfect ice breaker for up and coming brides at the wedding. The groomsman even loved it so much that they wanted to help me show it off! With so many patterns to choose from, the Shootsac is every fashionista photographer's dream! Next month, I have new branding coming out, and my Shootsac matches perfectly with all that is about to be unveiled!

Thanks Jess for creating such an awesome product for your fellow photographers!

Also seen here, I'm a big fan of Gary Fong's Lightsphere on my flash.

Thanks to my friend and second shooter, Lori Schaneville, for the pics!

Congratulations Susan and Matt!

2007-06-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This was the verse that Susan's dad started his toast with at the wedding reception celebrating the union of his daughter to her new husband, Matt. He began to tell the story of how when he and his wife got married, they moved from their hometown to Champagne, Illinois to Vero Beach, Florida, and how ironic it was that his daughter ended up moving back to Champagne for college where she eventually would meet her husband. He went on to tell of all the different plans that fell into place throughout the years, such as the guy who followed his vision to start Young Life on their college campus 10 years ago, and how it was through this organization that Susan and Matt would meet one day.

As Susan's dad was talking about the plans the Lord carries out in His perfect timing, I was reflecting too about how ironic it was for me to be shooting Susan's wedding. Two-years before, her sister and my best friend, Katie, got married and her wedding was the first one I was a bridesmaid in. With my little point and shoot camera, I remember taking a cool black and white picture of her wedding dress hanging ready to be worn that day, and something about that picture sparked this interest in me about the beauty of documenting weddings. And now here I was, two years later, an actual wedding photographer documenting Susan's beautiful wedding.

In a lot of ways, it felt like my own little sister getting married, and it was such an honor to not only be her photographer, but to be so close with her and family members involved as we celebrated the beautiful Christ-filled love she and Matt share.

Here are a few of my favorites below! And here's the slideshow of their day with many more pics to see!
>>>CLICK HERE

This was a penny and hankerchief that both Matt and Susan's great grandmothers passed through the generations to brides in the family.

Susan holding her parent's wedding picture.

The groomsman requested to recreate the famous Beatle's Abbey Road pic.

This is the picture that made me cry! Susan and Matt had just lit their unity candle and then so lovingly prayed together.

Susan and Matt were chauffeured all day by Michael and his Rolls Royce! If you need a unique limo service in the Florida area, be sure to contact Michael! I've worked with him on several weddings and he's the best!

The groomsman surprised Susan with a special Blues Brother song dedication!

One guest getting down and having fun!

Katie and I dancing together at the end of the night.

Two sisters and their Matts

2007-06-25T21:54:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I shot a destination wedding in Vero Beach, Fl. for my best friend Katie's little sister, Susan. Two years ago, Katie married the man of her dreams, Matt, from Illinois. This weekend, Susan married the man of her dreams, Matt, from Illinois. Same names and home states, but different guys.

After the rehearsal on Friday, I did some mini engagement/happily married sessions with both the sisters and their Matts. Below are a few of my faves. Wedding pics from Susan and Matt's beautiful wedding coming soon!

The bride and groom, Susan and Matt

Katie and Matt

Smiling with Katie and Susan at the Rehearsal Dinner. Thanks to my friend and second shooter, Lori Schaneville, for the pic!

Cory & Bobby: Post-Wedding Luau

2007-06-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

Cory & Bobby got to have their cake and eat it too... twice. With a destination wedding in Las Vegas behind them, the newlyweds also threw a post-wedding party to celebrate with local friends and family. Here are a few festive pics from their tropical luau!

This was the first time I've seen my photography on a wedding cake!

In true Hawaiian style, Bobby smiles with the real pig he was roasting for dinner. Yes, that's the pig's actual head on the serving table afterward.

Cory giving an "Aloha" to her pooch Raechaelle.

I premiered their wedding photos at the luau on Cory and Bobby's huge plasma TV. Everyone enjoyed reliving the special day with them.

I was in love with these cute little boys!

Cory is friends with my other recent bride and groom, Daniel and Jessi. Jessi had fun peeling back her corn from the grill.

Cory gives Bobby a good kick for licking the cake knife!

Cory & Bobby: Viva Las Vegas!

2007-06-21T00:16:00.000-04:00

Twelve years ago, during my freshman year of high school, I remember waiting outside my high school for my mom to come pick me up when up came bouncing over with a big smile, a tiny little Phillipino girl who so enthusiastically introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Corinna!" With the comfort of her smile, I knew from then on we would be friends.

Fast forward, sophomore year, Corinna leaves my high school to attend another high school. Through high school and college, the extent of our communication was through random emails. It wasn't until last year, we finally said, um, we still live in the same city, let's get together! And all these years later after not seeing her since my freshman year of high school, we still picked up as if no time had ever been lost between us. Corinna still had her perky gorgeous smile, and this time when we met, she had a perky gorgeous engagement ring on! During our lunch, she told me all the juicy details about her fun wedding to Bobby she was planning in Vegas, with an Elvis impersonator and all, and then asked me to shoot their fabulous wedding.

Below are a handful of my favorite photos from their day. Pics from their post-wedding luau are still to come soon!

Here's the slideshow of their day!
>>>CLICK HERE

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*
I'm also excited to announce that Corinna will be trashing her dress next week for a special upcoming publication about me getting "trashy" with my brides!! Stay tuned for more details on the hot article in the works!!

Notice the shoes in Corinna's mom's hands. Cory was a "run-to bride" as she literally ran through the Bellagio trying to make it to her ceremony on time in the chapel half a mile away.

After they were announced "husband and wife," Cory let out a big "YES!"

Elvis serenades Cory and Bobby for their first dance.

My favorite picture of the night with Elvis!

Here's a picture of me and the girls from bridesmaid, Lori, whose wedding I will also be shooting in 2009!

Relationship Manifesto

2007-06-19T18:46:00.001-04:00

Last week, through my friend Shyla's blog, I discovered an awesome book I wanted to recommend to all my brides and grooms, and single and married friends. It's called "Project Everlasting: The Search for America's Greatest Marriages Begins!" and it's the story of two bachelor guys traveling around the country interviewing couples who have been married more than 40 years to find out what their secrets are for an everlasting marriage. I got a copy over the weekend, and I loved reading the cute love stories from all the Marriage Masters highlighted in the book. As I continue to wait to meet my husband, being reminded of true love like showcased in the book is always inspiring and truly makes it worth the wait.

Also inspiring, at projecteverlasting.com, one of the author's, Jason Miller, has written what he calls a "Relationship Manifesto" about everything he hopes to have in a marriage and his future wife. I was moved to tears reading how beautiful his words were, and at what an amazing idea it was to write out these hopes for an extraordinary marriage. So I was inspired to write my own Relationship Manifesto a few days ago and I wanted to share it with all of you. For those that are still single, I pray this inspires you to write your own manifesto to determine what it is you will and won't settle for in a future relationship.

Thank you to all who have already been praying me in this area of life as I wait for to meet my husband. I cherish your prayers and encouragement and the beautiful examples that many of you have set before me.

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Relationship Manifesto

June 15, 2007

It’s been almost two years since I have dated anyone, and honestly, I’ve enjoyed taking a break from dating to gather my thoughts of what I want out of life, grow stronger in my relationship with the Lord and fulfill my purposes in this season of singleness giving birth to a successful photography business. As a 26-year old woman, the idea of kissing dating goodbye stumps most people I meet and why I’m not jumping on every offer that comes my way. It’s even more ironic to be in the wedding industry considering I’m not married, let alone dating anyone. However, that’s one reason why I got into the wedding industry, to be inspired by other’s love stories. After I ended my last relationship, my heart longed to dream big of a great love that would leave a legacy through the generations that followed us. So many people like to say it only exists in the movies, but now being a wedding photographer, I’ve realized, great love is not just found in a good chick flick, it can indeed be reality. With every wedding I’ve shot, I’m reminded that true love does exist and is worth the wait and I’ve taken with me a piece of each couple’s love story that inspires me to continue to wait for God’s best.

Just like any dream, before anyone gets married, I think it’s important to have a vision for the kind of marriage you want, like a blueprint per se. I’ve always known in my heart what I long for, but I’ve never written it out. I’ve seen so many people settle for convenience or for average love. I’m determined to go against the grain and have the courage to wait for something extraordinary. Of course there are days when it is hard to wait, like when people continue to ask, “So, are you seeing anyone yet?” Trust me, if I was, they would be the first to know. Though I have enjoyed my time being “single and fabulous,” I am ready to now to meet my husband, and when that day comes, I will truly be celebrating and praising God for giving me continued patience to wait through the lonely times. But until that time comes, I am content knowing God’s timing is perfect.

In January of this year, I prayed specifically to meet my husband in 2007. Seven has always been my favorite number, for childhood memories like soccer and pageant numbers, but I also like it for the biblical associations. What greater year to meet my husband than the 7th year of this new century. I feel it coming soon, and eagerly wait for his arrival.

So here it is, my vision statement for my marriage.

For my marriage, I envision a husband, who under God’s authority, knows his importance of the role as the spiritual leader of his wife always pushing me into God’s intimacy first and foremost. The thing that always makes me cry at each wedding I shoot is the time in the ceremony when each couple prays together. To me, that is the most beautiful connection a husband and wife can share. Through the good times, the bad times, the so so times, it is through praying as one to our Heavenly Father that I look forward to the most. Through an intimate relationship with the Lord, my husband and I will share our greatest intimacies. As his helpmate, I will always strive to put my husband first and serve him with respect, yet be a partner he can gain strength from. I want our children to look at as and know love because they see God’s love as the foundation of how we love, live, and breathe. God is love, and as my mom always says, whatever the question, love is the answer.

For my marriage, I envision an unlimited creative bond always pushing the boundaries of the artists within us. My soul thrives on creativity and the arts, and my husband will understand this huge part of my heart. He will understand my reasons for nights I need to stay up and fulfill creative visions. He will look at my work and see every ounce of love I put into the art and be my biggest cheerleader in times I doubt myself. Whether he works specifically in a creative realm or simply enjoys it for a hobby, my husband and I will find joy in using the creative gifts God has given us. We will both be instruments in carrying out God’s ultimate masterpieces as He works through us to make a difference in the lives around us.

For my marriage, I envision peace. My parents have worked hard for 32 years to finally now thrive in a relationship built on peace. It has been a bumpy road, and though I trust God has had a purpose in each obstacle along the way, I want to do things differently. My husband and I will have an open relationship comfortable enough to express concerns and worries without needing to raise our voices. We will respect each other’s differences and understand that it is our differences that complement our individual desires to draw together as one. When the unexpected challenges come along, as they naturally will, we will use the storms of life to draw us to be more dependent on the Lord’s all understanding for the rainy days and the sunny ones.

For my marriage, I envision commitment. When I say my vows on our wedding day, I will mean it with all my heart and love my husband with all my being until death do us part. I love looking at old people holding hands still all those years later, and my husband and I will still be head over heels for each other as begin to grey and grow old together. For us, divorce will not be an option. We will be married, for better or worse. With commitment comes giving of oneself and compromise to maintain an everlasting love, and though I know God is continuing to break selfish only-child habits instilled in me, I know He will more so use my marriage to teach me the art and joy of giving and serving others first. And when times come upon us that my husband and I don’t “feel” in love, we will promise to commit to rekindling our love by turning ordinary days into extraordinary.

For my marriage, I envision passion. One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced in life is maintaining my virginity and waiting until my wedding night to completely be with a man. I strive first for a purity of heart that will be carried into my actions. Ever since I was a little girl and signed the “True Love Waits” card in my Sunday school class, I have strived to honor God’s command with this promise. I have had the vision of giving the gift of my virginity to only my husband and look forward to a passionate wedding night when he will unwrap this gift as I truly become one with a man for the first time. For all the years I’ve waited, it has increased my desires and will keep the flame burning long in this part of our marriage that my husband and I will share together as the years pass.

For my marriage, I envision a strong love of family. As an only child, my parents are my best friends, and though my husband and I will be starting a new family, he will also enjoy a great friendship with my parents, as I hope to have with his parents also. With our own family, I hope to instill old-fashioned values like the importance of sitting down to dinner every night and the security of tucking our kids in at bedtime as we kiss them into dreamland. My husband and I will foster a home of love through always being our kids’ biggest cheerleaders, and an open source of trust and communication guiding them in a Christian home as God the Lord and head over our family’s home. My husband will also understand when it comes to family, the love of my toy poodle, Rhett, and he will always be my first child having a place in our home.

For my marriage, I envision honesty. No matter what the problem, circumstance, regret, we can handle it based on the foundation of honesty with each other and those who keep us accountable. It can be a challenge for me to open up about my feelings to others, but I know I will be able to trust my husband with my vulnerabilities. And I long to give of myself so that my husband can trust to come to me openly about anything as well.

For my husband, I envision dark short hair, gentle eyes and a great smile. Also, people laugh at me when I have told them this before, but with me already being 5’8, I’d like my husband to be tall enough that when I wear cute high heels, he is still taller than me. I want to able to look up into the my husband’s eyes as he wraps his protective arms around me. I also hope to marry someone who can gently motivate me to keep physically fit. As much as I try to work out, God knows, I hate working out and I’m not into sports, but I hope to have a partner who we can encourage each other to maintain a healthy lifestyle and explore physically active things I’ve never done, like camping or kayaking. And it would be fun if he had a passion for the water, where my soul always feels at peace.

In the time that I’ve been on my own the past 2 years, I continue to be flattered by guys who have expressed interest in pursuing my heart, and while I’ve been grateful for their interest, I am waiting to recognize the heart of a guy who truly gets me and the depths of my heart. I know my identity in Christ as God’s daughter and princess, and I refuse to date for the sake of dating. I am waiting for a man who is fulfilling the visions God has given him, as I continue to pursue the visions He has given me, and I trust in His perfect timing, as we both strive to fulfill our purposes, that our paths will cross in doing so as we then join as one to continue the journey together.

For my wedding, I envision walking down the isle to my husband to the song “Arithmetic” by Brooke Fraser. To the strings and piano accompanying, she sings:

“I’ve been thinking of changing my mind
It never stays the same for long
But of all the things I know for sure
You’re the only certain one

You are the one I want
You are the one I want

I’ve been counting up all my wrongs
One sorry for each star
I’d apologize my way to you
If the heavens stretched that far

You are the one I want
You are the one I want

I won’t find what I am looking for if I only see by keeping score
I know now that you are so much than arithmetic

When the years are showing on my face
And my strongest days are gone
When my heart and flesh depart this place
From a life that sung your song

You’ll still be the one I want
You’ll still be the one I want

You’ll still be the one”

I sit here teary eyed just listening to the song again, and I can’t wait to walk down the aisle finally to the one God is preparing for me as I type this. Wherever he is, whoever he is, I know true love will be worth the wait.

With all my heart,

Scarlett

Happy Anniversary to my blog!

2007-06-19T00:40:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I will celebrate the one-year anniversary of having my blog. I will be in Vero Beach shooting a destination wedding for Susan and Matt, so I wanted to go ahead and share this exciting news about my blog!

For so long, I boycotted having a blog. I couldn't possibly fathom why anyone would want to put their personal thoughts out in cyberspace. The thought of that was so vulnerable to me. Plus, who would really be interested in what I had to say?

Apparently, thousands of you all over the world have been interested and have embraced my words and work with wonderful and encouraging words back in your daily comments at the end of each entry. Now a year later, my blog has followed me to all the exciting places my camera has taken me. My blog has showcased some of the amazing destination weddings I've shot in Bahamas, New York, Atlanta, Charleston, Tallahassee, Orlando, and coming soon, Las Vegas, Vero Beach. My blog has showcased the other amazing places I've traveled to learn from my favorite photographer friends in places like Chattanooga and Chicago. My blog has even ended up on the blog of new friends all over the country like David Jay, Mike Colon, Justin and Mary, Tim Co., Jason Groupp, LaCour Photo, Katie and Chris Torres, Jefferson Todd, and Carlos Baez. Not to mention, my blog was featured on the coolest of websites, like TrashTheDress.com and Blu Domain's Blog.

Through the good times and not so good times, my blog has been a great outlet for me to share with you my journey. Whether you are a current, future, or past bride, friend, family, fellow photographer or wedding planner, I have enjoyed a year long conversation with all of you and I thank you for listening as I write from my heart and share with you all the exciting things going on in my world! My journey is blessed because of you and I'm glad to have you a part of my world. I look forward to all that is yet to come in the next year!

Be sure to stay tuned to my blog because a lot is going on behind the scenes right now with my photography! I have exciting news I can't wait to unveil it in early August!

To celebrate my blog's anniversary, I've posted a few of my favorite blog entries from the past year! I hope you enjoy them all over again. Even more can be found in the archives on the right hand column.

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1.

For those that have been with me in the long run, you've watched how I transitioned from a videographer to a photographer. In thinking back to what sparked that interest, I discovered my passion for photography by first being on the other side of the camera when I was asked to model for Orlando's Pictage User Group.

>>>>CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO!<<<<

2.

This was one of those priceless moments I felt honored to be a photographer, as I captured a day in the life of my sweet Aunt Ruby as she lives out her final moments.

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

3.

During my videography days, I was a finalist in a music video contest for my favorite Christian rocker, Shawn McDonald. I filmed the video in St. Augustine, where we were blessed with such a God-filled day and gave back by raising money for some homeless people. It was also thrilling to then personally meet Shawn McDonald when he was here in concert.

Father's Day in Jekyll Island

2007-06-18T00:55:00.001-04:00

In September, I will be shooting a beautiful wedding for Tara and Robbie at the historic Jekyll Club in Jekyll Island, Ga. When I met with Tara and Robbie about their wedding, I knew walking around the grounds that it was a place I wanted to bring to bring my parents back to. Started in the 1800s, the hotel is full of prestigious Southern history that I knew my Southern history buff dad would truly love.

So for Father's Day, my parents and I took a day trip to the hotel and I treated my dad to dinner at the Grand Dining Room on the grounds. Before dinner while we were there, my mom requested a quick portrait session of her and my dad amongst the beautiful landscapes and sweet smelling flowers, which are below.

For Father's Day, my mom got my dad a new fishing pole and gear for him to get back into his love of fishing now that he has retired. And mom couldn't resist getting a pink fishing pole so she can join him. I also might steal the pink rod sometime because one of my favorite memories growing up was fishing with my dad.

Also in the background, I can never settle on one card when it comes to buying cards, so I bought my dad about 10 cards.

Showing off his new fishing rod.

Let the romance begin!

My mom, the supermodel.

Ok, so we this fountain and my mom yells "Ooooh, Scarlett turn around, get a shot of me trashing my dress!" I was like "Heck yeah, get in there!" And she was like "Heck yeah, here I go!" And she takes off her shoes, and puts her in toes and chickens out! I was like, "Come on, mom! Just do it!" But she got too nervous, so we compromised and she posed next to the fountain instead.

Of course my dad was in the background rolling his eyes, knowing this is business as usual. Wherever we have gone over the years, his girls never cease to amaze him always looking for the perfect photo ops.

My "cool old dude."

Daddy's little girl.

My mom has this painting on her wall, and she wanted to try to recreate the the picture.

More romance.

The three of us! Even though we were celebrating Father's Day, I'm so thankful for both of my parents love. It rocks having them as my best friends too!

Trash The Dress In the News

2007-06-16T19:13:00.000-04:00

Back in April, I was featured as a Photographer of the Week on TrashTheDress.com for the rockin' pics of Jessi and Daniel that we took rolling around in the sand at Jacksonville Beach. This week TrashTheDress.com has gotten some awesome publicity, being featured in the New York Times, on Entertainment Tonight last night and Good Morning America this morning. I'm so excited for my friends Mark Eric and Josh Smith of Cinematic Bride who were the featured photographer and videographer in the segments.

Click here to the see the video segment featured on Good Morning America.

It's great to see more and more brides get trashy and this new art gain publicity. Brides, let me know if you are interested in trashing your dress, I LOVE doing these sessions!

To do list

2007-06-14T00:50:00.000-04:00

I LOVE movies about overcoming the odds. The old fashioned storyline of when someone tells you you can't do something, and through determination and perserverance, you prove them wrong and come out on top. There are always so many great analogies in these kind of movies for whatever challenge I'm facing in life, and they are always so inspiring to me. Even greater is when they are a true story like "Gracie," which was based on Elizabeth Shue's story (you know, the girl from Adventures in Babysitting) of being the first girl on an all boys soccer team. I was never into sports, but soccer was the one sport I ventured into in middle school for a few seasons before I realized I was a girly girl and had my mom sign me up for modeling classes instead. :-)

I recently saw this movie with my mom, and there was one line that stuck out to me. As Gracie was moping about the schoolboard telling her she couldn't play on the boys team, her mom says "If you want to limit yourself, that's fine, but don't let other people do it for you." It was the key line in the movie that made Gracie rise to the occasion and really start to kick butt to prove to everyone that she was tough enough to compete with the boys.

I've been thinking tonight about some of the random things I would do if I knew I had no limits. A lot of these are far fetched, but as my poster said hanging in my room as that middle school little girl, "Before the reality comes the dream."

1. Write an inspirational book
2. Star in or direct a movie
3. Be on the cover of a magazine
4. Visit Paris, Italy, or Hawaii
5. Find a cure for cancer

Now I want to know, if you had no limits, what top 5 things would YOU do?

Walking 500 miles around NYC

2007-06-12T20:05:00.000-04:00

What a whirlwind my life has been. From Las Vegas to South Florida to NYC, all in a two week timespan. (Pictures from Cory and Bobby's Vegas wedding coming this week!) My journey to South Florida and NYC were to film the very last two wedding videos on my calendar. And as I celebrated with Diane and Blake ontop of the Rockefeller Center at the famous Rainbow Room, there was no better way I could have asked to close that chapter in my life than with their amazing first class wedding.

Upon arriving in New York City, before the wedding festivities started, I had a very special lunch date with an old friend named Allison. The ironic part is, before our lunch date, I had never met Allison in person, yet she was the one person who knew all my secrets growing up. When I was 12 years old, I saw in a teen magazine the opportunity to become a pen pal with other magazine readers. I sent in my application and I was matched with a cool girl named Allison who lived in Staten Island, was a cheerleader, and loved to paint. We would pour our hearts out to each other about the woes of middle school, then high school, then as we entered college, our handwritten letters turned to emails. One of my favorite memories growing up was running to the mailbox to discover I had a new letter from Allison, and sometimes she would even send me her paintings that I would proudly display in my room.

I had been to NYC a few times before, and each time wished I could have met Allison, but our schedules never coordinated to meet. This time around, I was determined to not leave the city without meeting her. Now working for BMI Publishing, Allison's office was only a few blocks away from my hotel, so we squeezed in a late lunch as soon as my plane got in and I got the pleasure of finally meeting my long time friend, 13 years later after we first began writing. She was even more beautiful in person and meeting her was such a special moment in my life! Here's our pic!

Later that night, Jason Groupp, Amy Martin and I had dinner with our bride and groom, Blake and Diane, at the wonderful Tavern on the Green. Blake and Diane told us that a friend had put up a special congratulations sign to them in the middle of Times Square, so we all set out on a mission to find their sign to get footage and pictures of it. Here is our journey... with a few special surprise performances at the end.

The day of the wedding, we arranged for Blake and Diane to have their first meeting before the ceremony in a very special and unique way, on Top of the Rock, on the observation deck overlooking the beautiful city. Here's a pic Jason caught of me leading the way. Check out his blog for the coolest pictures of their whole meeting experience!

Spinning around in Times Square

2007-06-09T01:13:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I'm in NYC right now filming my very last wedding for video for Diane and Blake. After the rehearsal dinner, I had some fun in Times Square with my friends and fellow photographers Jason Groupp and Amy Martin. Jason shot these pics of all of us at Tavern on the Green and Amy and I spinning in the street in the middle of Times Sqaure. Just wanted to share the pics real quick. A video blog coming soon live from the streets of Times Square!

Also, I met someone so super cool today! More details later!

A "Duck"umentary: Ducks, Pasta, & Other Musings

2007-06-07T22:01:00.000-04:00

Growing up in Florida, I've pretty much always lived on or near a lake. And with lakes come ducks. As a little girl, I was always fascinated by the baby ducks that would come around each spring as part of the cycle of life, and I always felt it was my mission to make sure they were fed. One of my favorite memories as a little girl is coming home after school and running in the pantry to steal mom's bread and running out to the lake to feed the baby ducks. Even for kicks, in high school, I did a science fair project testing the hypothesis if ducks really preferred bread like everyone thinks, or if they prefer other food groups. From what I remember, I believe the answer was indeed bread.

Now that I'm grown up, I still hold that close to my heart. Here is a sequel video blog to my previous blog entry about the Momma Duck and her eggs. Who knew ducks liked pasta too?

Prayer request: Baby Allison

2007-06-07T21:52:00.000-04:00

I don't know this precoius baby personally, but her mom, Jen, and I have become email buddies through our blogs over the past few months.

Tonight Jen emailed me specifically asking for prayer about a scary situation Allison is going through with a tumor growing rapidly inside of her that they found last week, and will need special surgery to remove it and find out if it's cancerous or not. You can read more details about the story here.

I know a lot of people that read my blog have a great faith in the Lord, so for those reading this, please lift sweet Allison up in prayer for God's healing touch, and for the comfort of Jen and her husband who feel helpless and scared in this situation. I know Jesus has a special place in His heart for children, so let's believe for Jen that He will show her a great miracle for her sweet little girl!

Thanks for being a part of this prayer chain!

Brides Against Breast Cancer

2007-06-06T23:54:00.000-04:00

Every 2.5 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Three years ago, my mom was one of those women. Seven years ago, my mom's mom was one of those women. By the grace of God, they are now beautiful survivors and my heros.

It's scary to think that odds are, with my family history, it is likely I might get it too one day. Needless to say, breast cancer and organizations involved with it, I hold close to my heart.

The other day, my mom picked up for me a new publication in town, The Little Black Book for Every Busy Woman. It's such a cute idea as a resource of word of mouth events and vendors for everything a busy woman in Jacksonville needs to know. They also have a bridal section for every busy bride.

What caught my eye though was their write up about a nationwide organization called Making Memories who promotes Brides Against Breast Cancer. The cool thing is, through their organization, you can donate your wedding gown, and it is used to resale to raise money for ways Making Memories can grant wishes and make dreams come true for terminal patients. This really touched my heart at what a beautiful gift and opportunity to offer a dress that brought you so much joy, and now be able to use it to help to someone else in need.

For brides reading this, I just want to encourage you to think about donating your dress to this wonderful organization. For information on how to donate your dress, click here.

And as a special gift to you, for those of you that do decide to donate your dress, I will offer you a free Bridal Glam session to preserve the beauty of your dress in pictures before you pass it along. Email me at scarlett@captivating-studios.com for more info on this $300 value gift!

Lady in Waiting.

2007-05-30T17:33:00.000-04:00

Last year I saw this t-shirt that said "Always late, but worth the wait." I couldn't help but chuckle and be tempted to buy it, but I didn't. I know it's a bad habit, I don't want to rub it in. If anyone knows me, they know to tell me to get to a destination half an hour earlier so I will actually get there on time. It's not that I mean to be late, it just... happens. (Except to weddings, I'm never late to that. ha!) I think it has to do with my pet peeve of waiting. I would rather be late than have to sit around and wait for others to get somewhere. I know, it's a terrible cycle with how I then make others wait. I'm trying to get better. I promise.

But today, I think God is the one chuckling as He makes up for lost time and all the times I've made others wait for me. Between my last trip to Chicago and this trip to Las Vegas for a destination wedding, I have never had to wait more in my life on all the airline delays. On my way back to the airport today, after having my AM flight reschedule to late PM, I heard one of my favorite worship songs "I Will Praise You in this Storm" on the radio, which is exactly what I needed to be reminded of considering the airline delays this time were because of thunderstorms in Dallas where my connecting flight is.

But as I sit here... waiting... and waiting... and waiting in the Jacksonville airport, with now yet ANOTHER delay, I was thinking of all the other areas in my life that I am currently waiting on that I need to remember to praise God in the waiting.

I'm waiting to hear further news about my Aunt Ruby's condition.

I'm waiting to meet my husband.

I'm waiting to buy a new car.

I'm waiting to find a new church home.

I'm waiting to be a mother.

I'm waiting to grow out of acne.

I'm waiting for time off to take a real vacation.

And as I write out my list, I realize, all the things I'm waiting on really are so trivial compared to a lot of needs people are waiting on (except about my wonderful Aunt Ruby!) Yesterday I was getting a pedicure and on either side of me were a mom and a daughter getting pedicures. Their eyes were red and dark circles under their eyes and I could tell something was wrong. Then the daughter started talking about her dad in ICU and how they were waiting every day for her dad to recover. She then went on to tell me how her poor mom had been by his side 24 hours for the past 3 weeks, and she finally kidnapped her mom to get out of the hospital and do something nice for herself like the pedicure.

God doesn't need fireworks to talk to me. It's in those everyday moments where He truly puts into perspective for me what is important in life. Family, love, and health. I do always keep those three close to my heart, but so many times in the busyness of life, I can't help but get distracted like any human being.

I told the daughter and mom that I would be praying for their dad, Terry. I hope you will lift him up in prayer too as they wait the ultimate wait for his recovery, God willing.

Gotta run, my flight is FINALLY boarding. Woo hoo!

Stay tuned for some fabulous pics of Corinna and Bobby tomorrow in Vegas!

Until the Last Moment: A tribute to my Aunt Ruby

2007-05-25T22:52:00.000-04:00

It's the times like this I feel so privileged as a photographer to be able to capture the moments that mean the most in life.

I am currently in Varnville, South Carolina, a city of no more than 200 citizens, sitting in my Aunt Ruby's beautiful old historic southern mansion, full of cracks in the walls from the lives that have lived here since 1945, and creaks that serenade each step in the wood floors. I'm sitting in the formal parlor editing pictures I took throughout the day of some of the last moments with our beloved Ruby who is prognosed to only live a few more days. Other family members are gathered in the kitchen sharing their favorites stories of the woman who leaves an incredible legacy behind.

"Boy, if those kitchen walls could talk," Aunt Ruby said to me about an hour ago, letting out a small chuckle in between the pains that haunt her body right now. "The stories that have been exchanged and shared with me by everyone in town. I don't know why my kitchen is so popular."

One reason might be her famous macaroni and cheese. It was the way she used a dash of this and a pink of that made it famous amongst everyone in our family and around the town Varnville. Her daughter in law told me today that they will be passing out the secret recipe at her funeral for everyone to have. It was that famous.

Another reason Ruby's kitchen was so popular was simply because of her love. A mother of seven, including two grown disable sons she has raised their entire lives, she also became a mother to everyone's life she touched. As my mom told me earlier today, "I was always drawn to Aunt Ruby. I've told her things I've never even told my own mother."

No matter what, Ruby was always there with a compassionate heart to serve a good meal and simply listen, without judging, to all who entered her kitchen.

Aunt Ruby was the kind of lady who didn't just go to church on Sundays, she lived and walked her Christian faith every day of her life. She truly was the greatest example of Jesus in my life the way she so selflessly lived to serve others needs before her own. As I told my mom tonight, "I know the reason I was always so drawn to Aunt Ruby was because of how her actions spoke louder than her words."

But tonight, it was her words that had me in tears. My cousin, Carmen, was providing Ruby some pain medication, and I peeked my head inside her room.

"Come here my beauty queen," Ruby said as she extended her feeble arms wide.

I rushed over to give her a big hug knowing it might be one of the last.

In the midst of all her physical pains, she boldly tells me, "I don't know what is going to happen, but I trust in the Lord. What will be will be. I am now satisfied."

I am now satisfied. What powerful words. What peaceful words. There, in a moment when she feels her worst, when she knows her death is approaching, she still finds peace and contentment and doesn't hesitate to trust the Lord. Yet, to so many of us who are blessed beyond measure, we wear blinders that prevent us from finding that true satisfaction in the Lord with our small everyday worries. "I am satisfied." I truly became humbled in her presence.

So today, I did what I know best. I picked up my camera and documented "one moment more" with this lady of greatness as family and friends tended to her fragile last days with us.

It's too hard for me to pick favorite photos to post, because each shot and emotion tells a story in itself, so I would love for you to watch the slideshow to see every single one of my favorites. The family has also asked me the honor of showcasing this at her upcoming funeral. To those reading this blog, I pray that this inspires you to reach out to your loved ones and embrace each moment you are given with them. As my mom always says, “Whatever the question, love is the answer.”

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

And here are a few significant shots.

Beautiful Ruby resting her eyes for a moment.

Ruby's handicapped son, Chris, on his knees praying for his momma. Chris was considered a miracle baby considering he only weighed one and a half pounds when he was born and wasn't supposed to live past a few weeks. Now in his 50s, I have always admired him in how despite his circumstances growing up, he is genuinely one of the happiest, most loving people I know. Without him realizing it, that has taught me a lot.

A few years ago, Aunt Ruby told my mom, "I want to know what people are going to say about me at my funeral before I die." In this photo, everyone is gathered around as my mom reads a tribute written by her brother Jeff, who couldn't be there, wrote about her on his blog. The even greater thing I love about this photo is how I caught my cousin Mike in the corner turning away to wipe his tears streaming down about his mom.

After reading Jeff's letter, my mom sings Ruby's favorite hymn to her, "Peace in the Valley."

A shot my mom caught of me feeding Aunt Ruby the town's famous watermelon they celebrate each year with parades, carnivals, arts and crafts and dancing at the Watermelon Festival.

May God bless my precious Aunt Ruby.

Jenny & Scott: An Island Celebration

2007-05-21T00:31:00.000-04:00

So I guess the commercials are right. True love can indeed be found on eHarmony.com. Jenny and Scott met a few years ago on the internet dating site and now are blissfully husband and wife. Last month they shared their vows on the beautiful island of St. John in the caribbean, but this past weekend, they celebrated with family and friends at their island themed reception, with a calypso band and all, at Glen Kernan Country Club. In addition to marrying Scott, Jenny was also excited to become a new mom to Scott's three sons. They all had fun dancing the night away celebrating their new family full of a lot of love!

Here's the slideshow of their day!
>>>CLICK HERE

Gorgeous Jenny.

All in the family.

A minor boo boo.

Like father, like son.

Katie & Adam: A "Precious" Bride

2007-05-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

The church got silent, and soft strums of Parker Roberts' guitar began to play.

"Come.. to... me... my... precious... bride," he began singing as the doors opened and Katie walked on her dad's arm toward her groom, Adam. Though the song was written as a worship song to the Lord, who Katie and Adam so passionately love, I couldn't think of a more beautiful song to be playing for the most important moment in her life. Seeing Katie's emotion as she walked down the isle and hearing that song playing, I totally lost it as tears formed in my eyes trying not to sniffle so that it wouldn't be heard in the video.

It's moments like that I feel so honored to be able to capture a couple's most precious day. Katie and Adam, your love for each other and your shared love for Christ has truly inspired me and been a beautiful reminder that true love is worth the wait.

Here is Katie and Adam's highlight intro. Enjoy!

Smitha & Shym: A vibrant Indian wedding

2007-05-15T02:58:00.000-04:00

This weekend I shot a destination wedding with Scott Watt in Champions Gate, FL for Smitha and Shym. I adore Indian weddings for all their color, color and more color! And I also love all the sparkly jewels and over the top decadance. Their celebrations are nothing short of detailed fabulousness. It is always fascinating to me too to follow all the traditions that differ from American weddings.

Smitha was amazing to photograph with her supermodel looks. I told her she reminded me of Jaslene on this season's America's Next Top Model, only more gorgeous. Shym is one lucky guy! They shared such a beautiful simple affection for each other that I enjoyed capturing for them.

A sparkling Ruby.

2007-05-14T20:33:00.000-04:00

A few years ago during a visit to my Aunt Ruby's, she pulled a pale pink sparkly chaffon dress out of her closet to show my mom and I.

"I've had this dress for years, but never had anywhere to wear it," she told us.

"I know the perfect place, you can wear it to my wedding one day," I said trying to encourage her.

"Honey, I love you, but I'm not getting any younger," she said knowing how picky I am when it comes to guys and that my wedding was probably waaaay off in the future. ha!

She did however get to wear the dress to my grandparent's 50th anniversary party a few years ago, and she looked absolutely stunning in it as she sparkled the night way.

But now, my heart is saddened, because Aunt Ruby will not even get to be at my wedding one day like I had hoped.

This weekend, my family and I found out that God is getting ready to take her home soon. Last week, she was put in the hospital and the doctors have discovered that she has pancreatic cancer with a prognosis of 4 months. Or as her son, sweet Chris, said when he heard the news, "Momma only has one more Watermelon Festival to go." The Watermelon Festival is an annual event held each summer in their small town of Varnville, South Carolina put on every year to celebrate their beloved fruit with good ol' fashioned parades, carnivals and arts and crafts. It's the one event Aunt Ruby and Chris and Larry always looked forward to every year.

I was in Orlando over the weekend shooting a wedding and staying with my grandparents. My grandma is Aunt Ruby's one and only sister, and we called her Saturday night when Aunt Ruby was coming in from the hospital. Despite the news, Aunt Ruby sounded in good spirits and was glad to be home. She decided not to undergo any treatments like chemo, and instead let the good Lord take her home when He's ready. And what a celebration that will be as the angels dance in the heavens welcoming one of their faithful servants.

One of the greatest Christian ladies I know due to her example of faith and continuous giving strength, Aunt Ruby has been blessed to live a full 83 years. But my heart is also saddened for her boys, Chris and Larry. Due to their mental disabilities, Aunt Ruby has taken care of them their whole 50+ years, and all they have ever known is the old Southern home they have grown up in and still live in to this day. Now their world is about to be turned upside down and my heart breaks for them knowing how much the loss of their mom is going to break their hearts.

For those reading this, I hope that you will take a few moments to pray for Aunt Ruby and for God's comfort as she lives out her remaining days. Also please lift up Chris and Larry as they transition in a new life without their mom now under the care of their other siblings.

Before Aunt Ruby was sent to the hospital, she and the boys were featured on the cover of their local newspaper for some makeover changes to the columns on their historic home built in 1911. God always has interesting timing with things like that, but I'm glad Chris and Larry will be able to carry on this photo and article in remembrance of their mom.

Click to enlarge to read the whole thing.

Partnering up with friends in Chicago

2007-05-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

Whew. I am glad to be home... for the time being. I have never had so many problems with delays and mechanical issues with planes than my trip to and from Chicago this past week. But despite the travel frustrations, my time at Pictage's Partnercon in Chicago was well worth the trip. Partnercon was a great get together of meeting a lot of my favorite photographer inspirations, seeing old friends, making new friends, checking out awesome product vendors and soaking in a ton of knowledge learning from top photographers in the wedding industry. I didn't realize until last minute that even the photographer, Robert Evans, who shot Tom and Katie's wedding, was a few rows in front of me at the closing session. Yes, as in THE TomCat's wedding in Italy.

Below are some fun pics with my fabulous photographer friends! Enjoy! And be sure to check out their awesome websites below!

Shlya Photography
Katie Thermes of Jenna Walker Photography
Diana Nash
Jefferson Todd
Jonathan Thrasher
Jim Christianson
Carlos Baez
Charles Bordner of Imagine That
Tim Co.
Fred Egan
Carole Foret
Claire Kayser

And here's a fun one Carole Foret snapped of me getting some tips from Fred Egan.

Also before I left for the airport, I was able to squeeze in a quick visit with my best friend from high school, Chrissy, who now lives in Chicago. I originally was supposed to shoot her engagement session with her new fiance Eric, but due to plane delays and not getting until a day late, they have rescheduled to come instead to Florida to get some pictures done on the beach here in her hometown.

"The Fabulousness of Me"

2007-05-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

My cousin, Becky, and I sitting on the fabulous Carrie Bradshaw's stoop in NYC when we were there in the city shooting a destination wedding for New Year's Eve.

I just got a voice mail from my "soul sister" and cousin Becky. She is graduating from nursing school tomorrow (WOO HOO GO BECKY! Go to her myspace and congratulate her). She was calling to say how excited she was that my parents and I will be driving all the way there to help her celebrate her pinning ceremony in Crestview, FL.

"It really means a lot to me that you are still coming despite having to jet off to Chicago the next day. I swear, I can't keep up with your travels, you should write a book called 'The Fabulousness of Me.' "

Ha! I guess I do live quite a fabulous life. Sometimes in the midst of all the hard work, late hours, and exhausting travel, I need to be reminded just how blessed I truly am. In a way I feel like I'm graduating too, to the next level. Just this time last year I was beginning my marketing efforts for my business and God was getting that daily annoying prayer from me for more work, more clients and more wisdom how to grow my company and serve brides. Now, today, I have more work than I can keep up with and I get paid to travel all over. So fun! I truly do love my job and even more so the amazing couple's and others in the industry I have met along my journey!

With that said, I am definitely in the heat of wedding season and my blogging might start slacking, but I'll try to keep you up to date with as much as I can going on. Here's my current spring/summer schedule:

May 4-5: Crestview, FL for Becky's graduation
May 6-9: Chicago, IL for Engagement Session and a photographer's convention with Pictage.com, my print fulfillment company
May 12-13: Orlando, FL wedding
May 19: Jacksonville wedding
May 30- June 1: Las Vegas, Nevada wedding
June 1-June 3: Vero Beach, FL wedding
June 8-10: New York City wedding
June 16: Jacksonville wedding
June 22-24: Vero Beach wedding
July 6-7: Savannah wedding

July 8, I can breathe and sleep again. :-)

Also, in the midst of shooting and editing, there are a lot of EXCITING things developing with my company and some new changes you will see late July. Stay tuned! I can't wait to unveil it all!

Happy Retirement Daddy!

2007-05-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official. My dad has passed along the workaholic throne onto his princess. A few weeks ago he officially retired, or, ahem, is "redirecting" as he states. So in order to celebrate his "redirecting," we took a quick family vacation this past weekend down to Miami Beach, Florida where he could eat at one of his favorite restaurants, Joe's Stone Crabs. (If you haven't realized by now, most of our family vacation spots revolve around food and the restaurants we go there for. ha! )

Though I'm in the heat of wedding season, I enjoyed this much needed vacation with my best friends. I said I was going to take a break from work and not take pictures, but I couldn't resist not capturing such a gorgeous place and the fun things we were doing. Friday night we had dinner at the famous chef Emeril's restaurant, then got my dad up for a few dances in the hotel lounge. On Saturday, Mom and I indulged in massages at the spa and then hit the beach. It was fun to lay out on South Beach watching my parents play and flirt in the water like they were just dating for the first time. Later it was off to dinner at Joe's and exploring some South Beach hot spots.

Check out this fun slideshow of us around the gorgeous Loew's Hotel and hitting the South Beach night life.

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW

I'm so proud of my dad and all he has accomplished in life! He has been a great example of hard work paying off. He's also where I get my entrepreneur blood from, and he has been a great coach and business mentor.

The view from our window. We were down there on the white sand later that day, but I don't have pictures of it because I didn't want my camera to get sandy. :-)

Momma checking out daddy's crabs. ha ha

Email server down

2007-04-26T14:32:00.000-04:00

FYI, I have been having email server issues today. It seems to be working ok again, but if you sent me an email earlier today, I probably didn't get it, so please resend it.

Much love,
Scarlett

I got "trashed."

2007-04-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

How exciting! I'm thrilled to announce that this week I have been chosen as TrashTheDress.com's Photographer of the Week for Jessi and Daniel's recent beach wedding! Trashthedress.com is a popular website that top wedding photographer's from all over the world are selected to have their fun trashy dress pictures showcased as this trend grows more and more in demand by brides. I feel honored to be chosen amongst some of the best in the industry! Thanks to Mark Eric for hosting such a great website and to Nataly Lemus for a fun interview. And of course Jessi and Daniel for being such a fun bride and groom!

Check out my interview and pics here!

Jessi and Daniel: "Trashy" Beach Wedding Part 2

2007-04-18T16:56:00.000-04:00

For Jessi and Daniel, they weren't just uniting as a couple, they were uniting as a family this past Saturday with their daughters Serah and Teagan. Serah, the jr. bridesmaid, and Teagan, the flower girl, I think were more excited than Jessi to play dress up and twirl around in their special red and white dresses that had been waiting for them to wear.

With family all the way from the Phillipines and across the country, it truly was a special day of uniting family with a lot of love and a lot of sun as they exchanged their vows at the historic Casa Marina over looking Jacksonville Beach.

After the wedding, the little girls went home with their grandma, and Jessi and Daniel had fun rolling around in the sand and splashing in the water for a steamy Trash the Dress Session.

Thanks too to my friend Amy Martin who joined me in celebrating the day with Jessi and Daniel.

Here's the slideshow of their day!
>>>CLICK HERE

And below are some of my favorite pictures from the day!

America's Next Top Flowergirl, Teagan.

Serah getting to wear make up for the first time.

Jessi's dad used to be a photojournalist in the Navy so we bonded over photography. I just love this shot of him capturing his baby girl as Jessi's mom touches her up last minute.

This is my favorite picture of the day of Jessi, Daniel, and their daughters all embraced as one.

This picture below cracked me up!

After the trash session, this little girl politely came up to Jessi and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, may I ask, are you a real bride?" When Jessi responded she was, the mature little girl said "Oh, that's so pretty." She then continued to interview Jessi about every detail of her wedding day as she was a reporter for a bridal magazine. It was the cutest thing ever!

Jessi and Daniel: "Trashy" Beach Wedding Part I

2007-04-15T20:44:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Jessi and Daniel!!

This weekend my "pretty" friend Amy Martin came down from Charlotte, NC to help me shoot a sweet intimate wedding for Jessi and Daniel at Jacksonville Beach. The wedding was over by early afternoon, so we had fun playing in the water afterward for Jessi's Trash the Dress session that even Daniel wanted to be a part of with his new bride. It was so awesome to get to trash a bride AND a groom, as well as here the funny comments from everyone watching on the beach and their gasps back and forth.

"Awww, it's a bride.. Ohmigosh... is she really going to... oh no she didn't... but that's her wedding dress! I can't believe she did that, but wow how cool, I want to do that one day!"

Here's one of my favorites for a sneak peak. I love the way it captures Jessi and Daniel's playful spirit. Stay tuned later this week for more pics from their day and the rest of their "trashy" beach pics.

A captivating email

2007-04-15T18:56:00.000-04:00

I love being a photographer. But one thing I love more is how God uses my creative gifts as a tool to open up opportunities to inspire others for His glory through the people I meet along the journey of my job. I'm so thankful for others that have shared knowledge and encouragement to me along the way, so I'm always looking for opportunities to give back and pay it forward. It's cool though when you find out about how you helped someone without even knowing you were being used in their lives.

For those that don't know, part of the reason I chose the word "captivating" for my business name was because of how much I loved the book Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by Staci Eldredge. It is a book that truly changed my life and a must read for every girl, woman and bride. It's even a great book for guys to read to understand the intricate ways God designed a woman's heart.

Tonight I got a beautiful email about Captivating from a photographer friend, Julia Christopher, who brought tears to my eyes. So I just had to share her sweet words.

"Been meaning to tell you for a long time that you are the reason that I bought the book and Scarlett, it is changing my life. I feel like it was written just for me. I just teared up and weeped, it's just beautiful. I just wanted to tell you that the Lord has used you and it is such a blessing. I pray that you will be very blessed and protected this year.

Your fellow Jesus- lovin' picture taker... ;)
Julia "

Thanks so much sweet Julia for taking the time to share your awesome words! You are a beautiful example of a truly captivating person.

And for others reading this, if you haven't read Captivating yet, go read it!

Real Easter eggs

2007-04-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of Easter this past Sunday, yesterday I ran across some REAL Easter eggs. On my walk around the lake with Rhett, I discovered this Momma Duck and her beautiful nest. On today's walk, I couldn't help but bring my camera to document the beauty of life being created as the Momma Duck tenderly sits day and night protecting her delicate eggs waiting for their arrival into the world around the lake. It's such an incredible analogy to me of the beginning of a new life with Christ, here just days after we celebrate His resurrection, and how He is always tenderly and patiently protecting us waiting for us to come out of our shell and be reborn in His love.

On a comical note. I happened to notice yesterday that Momma Duck had two bodyguards near by looking out for her. Then today, they were still around her. I'm almost beginning to think it's an Anna Nicole case where the two male ducks are waiting for the eggs to hatch to reveal who the real father is. :-)

Momma Duck and her babies

Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern

I personally think this one is the babies' daddy.

Chrissy and Chris: An Italian Princess

2007-04-10T13:10:00.000-04:00

This weekend I shot a destination wedding in Orlando, FL for Chrissy and Chris McPherson. As a special gift to Chris, Chrissy surprised him with a Bridal Glamour Music Video we shot of her around the Portofino Bay Hotel where their wedding was also held. Using one of her favorite songs from A Cinderella Story, Chrissy said moments before her debut "Chris, you truly ARE my prince. And thank you for always making me feel like a princess when I'm with you. I dedicate this video and the words in it to you." Then the lights went low and her video was showcased on a projector screen for the whole reception to see. It was an honor to be a part in helping give Chrissy this gift to her new husband.

Chrissy had some awesome bridesmaids who I felt like were old friends by the end of the day. So later that night, Jen and Harvest and I jumped in the photobooth that Chrissy had at the reception. The photobooth was such a hit for guests to have a fun way to remember the wedding by. I'm definitely going to have one at my wedding one day! Check out how you can rent one at www.partybooths.com

Congratulations Chrissy and Chris!!!!

Stay tuned for their highlight intro to debut in the coming months.

All because 6 people fell in love.

2007-04-06T00:12:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, a picture circulated around our family's email that my uncle sent out taken of my grandparents.

"Kind of reminds you of a high school prom picture," my uncle Chip wrote with a "tee hee" following.

The picture was taken for my grandparent's church directory, and yes, it was your typical posed studio shot with Grandma's hands resting on Grandpa's shoulder. Seeing the picture, I wrote back "I see I need to get my camera on Grandma and Grandpa for some non-high-school prom pics of them."

And today I did.

I'm in Orlando to shoot a wedding for Chrissy and Chris (This weekend I will be publishing Chrissy's awesome Bridal Glamour video, but having to wait until she debuts it at the wedding. Check back soon!). My grandparents also live in Orlando and tonight were dressed up on their way to a double date with their best friends, Mr. and Mrs. Seminara, who they have known for over 55 years. As they headed out, I grabbed my camera to capture how dashing the love birds looked.

It's one thing to shoot other people, but when shooting my own grandparents and watching them share kisses, I couldn't help but think "I'm here today because those crazy kids fell in love 56 years ago." (Well, April 21st it will be officially 56 years!)

After they left, I went back to the bedroom to put my camera up and looked at the pictures Grandma has framed in the room of both sets of my great-grandparents. I was never able to meet either set of them, but I really took a moment to look at their pictures and study the features in their faces that I could see were passed down through the generations. And as I stood there looking at the pictures, I thought again, "I'm here today because these 4 people fell in love."

That's one thing I love about being a wedding photographer. With each wedding, it's such an honor to me to be able to witness the beginning of a generation between the union of the bride and the groom. And it humbles me to know that God is using me to capture the photographs for them that will be passed on through their children, and their children's children and beyond. And maybe one day they too will look at a picture I took 50 years from now and think 'I'm here all because these two people fell in love.'

(By the way, that's a great to song download, "Two People Fell in Love" by Brad Paisley)

Here's the pictures from today:

My Grandma's parents, the Bunton's, from Beufort, South Carolina. This picture was taken on their 50th wedding anniversary.

My Grandpa's parents, the Bowdren's, from upstate New York. Cool fact about them, they were both deaf, and raised 5 boys!

My grandparents, Larry and Mary Bowdren.

Grandma smitten by Grandpa!

Ok, so believe it or not, my grandma is a huge fan of America's Next Top Modelalso. You should hear her go on about who's dissing who and who deserves to be the winner and who deserves to go home. It's so funny! It rocks to have a hip grandma. So for fun while we were waiting for Grandpa, I told her to do a sassy supermodel pose. And let me tell you, she didn't hesitate to whip that hand on the hip and do her serious model face. Go Grandma, you darling diva you!

Happy 3rd Birthday Rhett!!

2007-04-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

I still remember the day I brought home my baby boy from the pet store.

I had originally wanted a cute girl chihauhau that I could dress up in frilly pink outfits and carry in my purse like Legally Blonde. I had finally found the cutest one and brought my mom back to the pet store to let the puppy dog eyes melt her heart too. Then we get the pet store and I discover my new chihauhau I had picked out and was ready to get was GONE. I was so bummed, but my mom encouraged me to walk around the puppy palace a little more to see if there was something else I wanted.

"What about this one? He's kind of cute and fluffy," my mom said.

"Yeah, he's cute, but he's a POODLE Mom. That's so cliche. A prissy girl like me with a poodle, I don't think so." Yeah I know, as if carrying a chihauhau in my purse wasn't cliche.

But then Rhett got on his hind legs and put his paws on the cage and layed those puppy eyes on me that quickly melted my heart.

"Well, I guess you ARE kind of cute," I told him as I reached down to pet him. "Ok, I'll take you out to play with you, but I'm not buying you because I want a girl dog."

I picked him up and he melted like butter in my arms. As I played with him, 5 minutes turned to 10 turned to 15 and my heart got more and more attached. He had the funniest personality and every time I would try to put him down, he would jump back up to try get back in my arms. I had fallen hard, but I was determined to get a girl, so I asked my mom to go get the black girl poodle who was in the cage with him. As soon as my mom brought over the female and put her in the play pin, Rhett let out a baby "Grrrrrrr" as if he was saying "Stay away, this is MY mommy." And that's when I knew, I was going home that day with not only a boy dog, but a poodle. Funny how the last thing I imagined could make me happy ended up being the very thing in life that brought me the most joy these past 3 years.

Today is Rhett's 3rd birthday, and to celebrate, yesterday his Aunt Rachel brought him gifts and took him to the park to play. Rachel is one my best friends and has adopted him over the years as her little nephew. She will be getting a Sheltie later this year and Rhett is looking forward to having a playmate. For Rhett's birthday we originally were going to take him to the dog park, but found out last minute that he wasn't allowed since he isn't fixed (I hope to breed him one day. If anyone reading this needs a male poodle for stud services, let me know!). So instead we took him to a regular park to play fetch, and he ended up being a rockstar on the playground with the kids and made so many new friends throwing the frisbee for him.

My little boy is growing up so fast! Sniff sniff. Here are some pictures of him growing up and his slideshow from yesterday opening gifts and at the park.

Though he wasn't a chihauhau like I had hoped to get, he did become a purse dog for a while until he got too big. And yes, the t-shirt was true at the time. ;-)

Rhett with his Grandpa in their favorite chair.

Rhett helping me celebrate his Grandma's birthday at her Darling Diva Society party.

Rhett's first trip to the beach.

Rhett's first birthday.

Dressed up as Tigger for Halloween with his toy, Tigee.

Rhett already playing with one of his birthday gifts from Aunt Rachie.

Smiling at the park with his Aunt Rachie.

Rhett giving his mommy a kiss.

>>>CHECK OUT THE SLIDESHOW OF HIS BIRTHDAY HERE

Enjoy!

Making Faces

2007-03-31T18:56:00.000-04:00

I love make up. And I love giving make overs. Faces are such a cool canvas for another creative outlet for me.

Today my friend Corinna, whose wedding I'm shooting in Vegas in May, came over for a girl's play day. Cory rarely wears make up, so she wanted me to do a make over on her to get some ideas for how she wants her make up done on her wedding day.

"I want to look like a woman on my wedding day, not a 12 year old like I always look like. We're gonna be in Vegas for goodness sake, I need diva glam! Give me smokey eyes!"

She also has been amazed at how I achieve my "pouf" on my head that I wear sometimes (as seen in this pic of me that she calls my "Angelina Jolie with a pouf" picture from my MySpace page. Not that I think I look anything like AJ, but wow, that made my year to be compared to her.) So Cory wanted me to show her how to "pouf" her up too.

Here are the before and after results.

Before.

After.

Cory's "supermodel magazine ad" pic that she loved. She has a such a beautiful smile and laugh that it was hard for her to do the "seductive" face. I kept telling her, "Think, America's Next Top Model. As Tyra Banks would say, be FIERCE!" Yes, I'm a little addicted to that show. :-)

The magic tools and one of my favorite books we were looking through for inspiration, Making Faces by famous make up artist Kevyn Aucoin, may he rest in peace.

Cory kept running to the mirror to check out her "pouf." She couldn't believe how tall it was and that it actually stayed that way. I kept telling her, it's really not as hard as it looks. A little teasing and a little Hard Head hair spray and oila.

Some close ups of the eyes. "I don't think I've worn mascara since college," Cory said amazing me. Despite not wearing mascara much, I convinced her to wear fake eyelashes for her wedding day. These are her real ones though today.

And some fun shots on my furry pink rug.

Daryn and Andy: Southern Plantation Wedding PART II

2007-03-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

Here are the rest of my favorite pictures from the wedding I second shot with Mary Beth Tyson in Tallahassee for Daryn and Andy.

Andy and his groomsman started off the day with a round of golf.

Meanwhile, Daryn headed to the mall for some glam make-up.

I loved how Daryn and her bridesmaids outfits matched my branding colors!

The bridesmaids were having so much fun that they took my camera to grab a picture of Marybeth and I.

Then off to the plantation to get ready.

Got milk? I kept laughing at how the cow came over to pose perfectly for her 15 seconds of fame. If Andy only knew he would be getting his own cow bell later that night...

My favorite shot of the day taken from the balcony of the mansion.

I loved how the passion between Andy and Daryn was so romantic!

Daryn arrived to her groom down the isle in this old fashioned Mercedes.

Andy had a rough day. First his groomsman "cow belled" him. Then Daryn, a Seminole fan, uses a tomahawk to put the famous "chop" in his Gator's "chomp." GO NOLES!

As Andy and Daryn drove off, her family surprised them with a showcase of fireworks to end the night on a bang!

Fun with headshots

2007-03-28T15:50:00.000-04:00

This weekend before shooting the wedding in Tallahassee, I stopped by to visit my cousin, Sherie, who is the mom of the gorgeous little girl, Jayci, I shot a few months ago. While visiting with Sherie, her agents at her real estate office requested for me to take some new headshots for their marketing material, so while we were waiting on them, I took of few of Sherie too. Now you see where Jayci gets her sparkling blue eyes from!

And here are the awesome Remax agents, Lisa Rees, Gena McDaniel and Ora Mock!

Daryn and Andy: Southern Plantation Wedding

2007-03-27T15:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend I second shot a destination wedding in Tallahassee, FL. for an awesome couple, Daryn and Andy, with my friend Marybeth Tyson. Daryn and Andy chose to get married at Daryn's uncle's home on his southern plantation with rolling hills and pastures for miles. The house was gorgeous with the tall white columns in front of the 2 story veranda and circular driveway. It reminded me of something out of my namesake's movie, "Gone With the Wind," and was the perfect choice for their beautiful wedding.

I'm still editing the pictures, but I wanted to give you a sneak peak below at my favorite image of the day. This was a rare shot I get to do from this perspective from the balcony of the veranda as Daryn walked toward the man of her dreams. I just love the emotion in this picture as everyone watches her walk toward the next step in her destiny.

Congratulations Daryn and Andy! Stay tuned for more to come!

Receiving is in the giving

2007-03-26T16:06:00.000-04:00

In a previous post, I wrote about my commitment to tithe this year and give the money to my sweet Aunt Ruby who is in need of it more than I am. With a neverending wishlist of the newest and latest equipment to buy for the business, it has definitely been testing my faith to keep my promise to her these first months of the year by giving to her before I buy my new gadgets, but I have still followed through trusting that by putting God first in my finances, He would provide somehow.

Then today, something cool happened where God showed me His faithfulness for my faithfulness.

I received a HUGE out of the blue check in the mail. Apparently, one of my brides, Chrissy Breen, won a grand prize at the bridal show we met at, and part of that prize went to me as one of her vendors. (Speaking of Chrissy, I'm currently working on her awesome Bridal Glamour music video. Check back soon to see the premiere of it!)

Also too, last week, I received a huge rebate check from Canon. I was expecting a certain amount, but turns I received double that amount.

So as I was walking home from the mailbox today, I was adding up in my head how the extra money I received from the Canon rebate, and now from the bridal show prize money, it equals exactly what I have already given to my Aunt Ruby in the months of January and February. I just stood amazed at how God had surprised me and given me back through unexpected ways what I had already given.

It reminded me of this awesome movie I saw recently, "The Ultimate Gift." It has a simliar lesson in it, about being given money, and do we decide to keep it all or for ourselves, or give first like God instructs us? For a long time I didn't believe in tithing, but in the past few years I've really come to see how when we are obedient in the area of our finances, God uses our tithe as seeds to multiply what He wants to ultimately give us.

So since I had written about it before, I just wanted to give an update on that and how God is moving in my life through it.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out the movie. Not to mention it stars that precious little girl from "Little Miss Sunshine." Here's the trailer.

Jessi and Daniel Engagement Session: How Sweet It Is

2007-03-22T01:25:00.000-04:00

One of my bride's, Corinna, whose wedding I'm in shooting in Vegas in May, told me a little while back that there is a girl at her work that is her twin.

"I was in the copy room the other day and this person was like, 'Hi Jessi!' Apparently people at work think we are twins. What's funny is that our fiances both look alike too, tall and blonde shaved hair."

Yes, to make it more of a small world, turns out the "twins" are also getting married a month apart. Jessi will walk down the isle to her fiance, Daniel, on April 14th and I'm excited to also shoot their beautiful beach wedding at the Casa Marina in Jacksonville Beach.

This past weekend I shot Jessi and Daniel's engagement session. They also have two sweet little girls, Serah and Teagan, so we started out the session with some fun family portraits on the playground. Then their grandma picked up the girls, and Jessi and Daniel and I took off to explore the colorful and artsy Riverside 5 Points area together for the rest of their saucy session.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day and their slideshow!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THEIR SLIDESHOW

Upcoming magazine publishing

2007-03-16T14:54:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to announce that I have a 2-page spread coming up in Jacksonville's premier Christian women's magazine, Alberta Katherine. They will be featuring a bridal section in their upcoming May issue, and they have asked me to not only showcase my photography, but to write an article to go along with my photography on why bride's should trash their dress! Stay tuned for the article in a few months.

Meanwhile, here is an awesome quote from the magazine's "Inspiration" page that really moved me when I read it. I pray it blesses you too!

EVERY

Lord, for every need, you’ve given me a seed
For every shattered dream, You’ve given me hope
For every tear, You’ve given me happiness
For every disappointment, You’ve given me reassurance
For every dark moment, You’ve given inspiration
For every uncertainty, You’ve given me faith
For every emptiness, You’ve given me fullness
For every weakness, You’ve given me strength
For every decision, You’ve given me understanding
For every step, You’ve given direction
For every attack, You’ve given me a shield
For every heaviness, You’ve given me endurance
For every loneliness, You’ve given me security
For every task, You’ve given me endurance
For every mountain, You’ve given me a ladder
For every valley, You’ve given me wings
For every river, You’ve given me determination
For every way, You’ve given me order
Lord, for everything You’ve placed in front of me,
You’ve given me victory!

~Marquita Moore

Where did your passion for photography start?

2007-03-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

From my previous post "Who are you?", I discovered a majority of my blog's audience are other photographers. So to further our conversation about who you are, I'd love to know:

Where did your passion for photography start?

Leave me a comment and tell me your story at the bottom of this post.

Here's my story:

I was just looking at Robin's blog about her awesome scrapbooking hobby, and I thought to myself, "That's where my passion for photography started, when I used to scrapbook in high school." Because most people first knew of me as a videographer in the wedding industry, a lot of people don't know that my passion for photography actually goes back a lot a deeper and earlier than before I ever picked up a video camera. Sure, I have also the home footage I recorded of my family growing up, but what I have more of are albums and albums and albums full of photos I documented of our lives. I remember when I was 10, for fun, I volunteered to take my mom's big pile of pictures over the years and organized them into albums for her. And anytime my parents and I went on vacation, between my mom and I, we would take hundreds of pictures of our journeys. Or ask any of my friends from high school, I was always the one taking pictures of EVERYTHING we did. I was the queen of disposable cameras and my friends used to joke I should invest in them for as much money I would spend on buying them and developing them.

A sampling of some of my photo albums and scrapbooks.

Then my senior year of high school, I became obsessed with scrapbooking all the pictures I had taken over the years. Suddenly, pictures changed from simple snapshots I took to now books that told stories when arranged on a page with text and captions and other graphics. You could say this is what led to my decision to major in magazine journalism in college, because I saw magazines as an advanced form of scrapbooking.

I didn't just create scrapbooks for myself, I loved creating them for other people as well. When I went away to college, I created a surprise scrapbook for my mom of all our old memories and pictures together growing up. While my friends would be out partying on the weekends, I would be the dork spending hours in the scrapbook store creating the page layouts. I knew it would be hard for her to go through the empty nest syndrome, so I wanted to give her a gift that she would hold in hands to always remember me by.

Then, for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, I created a digital scrapbook I designed on the computer scanning in all the family pictures starting with an old black and white picture of their first date, to their family portrait Christmas card in Japan, to then a picture of everyone in the family tree of what their 50 years of love birthed. I also got everyone in the family to write stories and share memories and send well wishes to my grandparents.

After that, life kind of got in the way and I laid down my passion for scrapbooking, and but still continued documenting life through photography that I would just stash away in albums.

So why did I pursue video professionally first and not photography? I think because at the time, all my girlfriends had photographers for their weddings and not videographers, so I was filling in a void and followed that path instead. But I soon became frustrated because so many times I wanted to freeze frame the special moments. Don't get me wrong, motion picture is such an amazing art form in itself, but I began to feel that I was on the wrong path and that I needed to tap in my first true love... photography.

And from the time I opened the box of my Canon 30D, it was indeed, love at first sight. And I knew, this is what all my experience up to this point is what God had been preparing me for, such a time as this. Now I'm able to draw from my seasons in scrapbooking, journalism, graphic design and video to now flourish in what has fueled my heart all along.

After all, wedding albums are one big scrapbook. It's awesome to look back and see how sometimes God brings us back to the very thing we started out in.

Julie & Rob: A Beautiful Day

2007-03-06T14:37:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve is always a special time in everyone's lives because they will always remember where they were on that particular date in their lives. Julie and Rob have another reason to celebrate. It was the day they got married! I had the privilege of being flown to New York City to capture their exciting day. They were married in a breathtakingly gorgeous cathedral and then partied the night away at the exclusive Moran's Restaurant (where we saw Ethan Hawke also celebrating his New Year!) Julie and Rob were such a fun couple whose love inspired others as they brought in the new year with all their closest friends and family! It was a fun eclectic mix of people from Southern Savannah grace to happy Irish bagpipe playing. Congratulations Julie and Rob! You really know how to throw a party!

With only a few more video dates to fulfill, this begins the countdown of the last videos you will see from me in the new year now that I have transitioned into photography. Enjoy Julie and Rob's highlight intro in the Big Apple!

Who are you?

2007-03-05T21:45:00.000-05:00

A tally of hits to my blog in the past few hours.

Everyday I get hundreds of visitors reading my blog, yet only a few people who leave comments. I'm amazed that so many people take interest in the words and photos I have to share, but I'd like to know now, who are YOU?

I hope you'll take a few moments to leave me a comment at the bottom of this post and answer these questions:

1. What's your name?
2. Where are you from?
3. How did you find my blog?
4. Are you a bride, friend, or another photographer?
5. What is it you like about my blog that keeps you coming back?
6. What is your favorite dessert?
7. What is your passion in life and why?

Thank you notes

2007-02-28T16:47:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, one of the many things I dreamed of being when I grew up was a singer. I never made it to getting my own CD, but I did finally make it into the liner notes of someone else's, the fabulous Alli Rogers. For part of her CD packaging they used one of my very own pictures that I shot of Alli in October when she was in town for a concert! I was thrilled to be asked to submit my picture after her manager, Kirk, saw the pics I took of her on my blog.

Alli has the voice of an angel and through her gift of music, she is really able to take you into a deeper more initimate level of worship with God. I encourage everyone to check her out!

My picture is the one in the design on right flap.

They actually made a typo and forgot the "-" in my website address, but oh well, people can still Google me.

Also, with my graphic design background, I have to say I was impressed with the design of the CD. If you need a great designer, check out Foda Studio.

Reading through Alli's thank you notes, it really inspired me to want to take the time to say my own list of thank you's to those who have helped me become who I am today.

First and foremost, my God and my Jesus, for the gifts You have given me as an instrument You work through, the grace You have shown me as I continue to learn about life each day, and the blessing of having a passion for what I do. I work for Your glory!

Mom and dad- You go beyond my parents, you are both also my best friends. Thank you for always allowing me the opportunities to follow the dreams in my heart, and for the guidance to turn those dreams into a beautiful reality.

Rachel and Becky- Since a young age, you have always been my #1 cheerleaders. Thank you for all the smiles and words of encouragement along our journeys.

Franca, Barb, Sherie & Katie Stott- I cherish the girly times we get to spend together when our schedules allow for our paths to cross. Thank you for all your support!

Tim Co.- I would have no idea what I was doing with my camera if it wasn't for you. Your lessons from "University of Tim Co." have been more valuable than you know. Thank you for answering all my dumb questions, and more importantly, thank you for your "Captivating Co." friendship.

Joshua Smith- Thank you for all the time you took to answer my dumb video questions back in the day. Though I'm phasing out of video, your work continues to inspire me! You are truly an artist who sets precedents through your work.

David Jay and the OSP community- DJ, thank you for creating a place where fellow artists can come together to help one another. OSP, you are a wealth of knowledge that I have soaked up like a sponge. It can be nerve wracking posting my work up amongst so many talented photographers, but thank you for all your compliments you have all given me along the way. And I have enjoyed shooting alongside you during the times we have been together.

Chris and Katie Torres, Jill Higgins, Jason Groupp and MaryBeth Tyson- Thank you all for allowing me the times to shoot with you as I grew in my craft! I enjoyed sharing tips and tricks and getting to know each of you better through our passion for photography!

My brides and grooms- I can't think of a greater honor than being the one chosen to document your day. I hope you will cherish your videos and photos as much as I cherished working with each of you, and working with more of you in the future!

The friends and other photographers who read my blog- For so long I avoided blogs because I didn't feel like I had anything to say that people would want to read. Fast forward 8 months and hundreds of readers a day, I continue to be amazed at how people find my blog and care enough to leave personal encouraging comments. I have truly enjoyed forming new friendships with each of you and I look forward to continuing our conversation in many blog entries ahead!

Lastly, I have a lot of friends, mentors and people praying for me who I know aren't blog readers, but should you ever see this, I thank you so so much for all your guidance and prayers over the year. You are angels here on earth who give me wings to soar!

Facing the Giants

2007-02-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

I always stand amaze how God sends along the right message or messenger to speak through to me at the exact time I needed to hear it.

For instance, last fall, the movie ""Facing the Giants" came out and everyone raved about what an incredible movie it was and how I needed to see it. I did hope to support it in the movie theater at the time knowing that it was a Christian movie, and God knows we need more movies like that in the theaters. But for whatever reason, I just never made it to the theater to see it. Fast forward to this past weekend, I was in Blockbuster and saw it had come out on DVD, and thought "Oh yay, this sounds like perfect timing to see it considering certain giants I've been facing lately!"

I took it home, and let me tell you, I have never cried so hard at a movie. Now, I'm not really a big football fan, but for me to cry over a football movie, you know it had to be good. I just loved the message of the movie being that yes, we will have giants attack us in life, but WITH GOD, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! I also loved how the message was about how our gifts and talents are not for our own victory, but for using them as a tools to bless others in the Lord's name. That has always been my greatest prayer in whatever creative endeavor I have pursued. It was so good that the next day I even took it over to my parents to make my dad sit down and watch it. I could have sworn I heard him sniffle a few times.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, you must rent it! Here's the trailer:

Then today, I got the sweetest card from my great-aunt Ruby from the small town of Varnville, South Carolina (But as small as it is, they did film parts of Forest Gump there). Aunt Ruby is an incredible Christian woman who I have always looked up to and admired for her strength to carry on and never complain. Having lost her husband at an early age, she has two handicapped boys, Chris and Larry, who she has had to take care of by herself her entire life. They are in their 50s now, and even in her late 80s, she lives each day to provide for and love her boys, when most others are taking care of their parents at that age. Though she is unable to work, somehow the Lord always provides for the 3 of them, and this year I really felt God tug at my heart to commit my tithe for this entire year to her to bless their family. In January I sent her the first check from my income that month, and this is the touching card I received today from her.

"Dearest Scarlett,

Thank you so much for the check. May the world always be as beautiful for you as you make it for others! It was so thoughtful of you to bless Larry, Chris and I like that. You are the most wonderful, beautiful, and thoughtful young lady I've ever known. You are such a wonderful blessing. We all love you very much!

In Christian love,
Aunt Ruby"

Again, I was in tears. I'm just always so humbled to be used by the Lord to make a difference in someone else's life. Here's a pic of me and Aunt Ruby from a recent visit.

And here's one of me dancing with my cousin Chris in his Elvis adorned room. He is the BIGGEST Elvis fan you will ever meet! But more importantly, despite his handicap circumstance, he is one of the most genuine beautiful happiest souls I've ever met. There is a lot to be learned in that alone.

Claudette & Rob: I <3 JAX

2007-02-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I shot a fun urban engagement session with a gorgeous couple, Claudette and Rob. They both met in New York City and wanted to recreate a "city" feel to their session by exploring downtown Jacksonville. With no more than about 5 skyscrapers, Jacksonville certainly has no big downtown, but we discovered a lot of different cool architectural elements to incorporate into the pictures. Rob has a real passion for architecture, and having once studied architecture myself, it was fun using the old buildings as a third character in their shots! It's crazy how I lived in Jacksonville my whole life, and I never knew how beautiful the downtown area really was.

Congrats Claudette and Rob! Stay tuned for photos from their awesome beach wedding this September!

>>>CLICK HERE FOR THEIR SLIDESHOW

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day!

Oodles of Poodles

2007-02-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my friend Rachel and I took my baby, Rhett, to the Jacksonville Pet Expo downtown. It was a fun play day for dogs, full of throwing frisbees, air diving contests, smooching contests, and with a rows and rows of booths full of anyone who had something to do with the pet world such as doggy photographers (I don't know why I didn't think of this!) to doggy clothes to pet rescue centers and adoption.

Rhett had so much fun receiving so many free toys and showing off his stylish sweater to all the hot pups he sniffed in passing.

What really pulled at my heart though was passing the Coastal Poodle Rescue booth. Inside, a lady was holding a precious black poodle with no right eye or left leg. The poor thing had such a sad story, but thankfully was saved by the angels that run this rescue mission. I just really admire the ladies who have the heart to give of their time and efforts to give to other poodles in need out there. After all, they are all distant cousins of my sweet boy!

So if you are looking for a poodle to adopt, or even want to provide a foster home to poodles until they are adopted, be sure to check out www.coastalpoodlerescue.org. Here's a few pictures we snapped along the way.

Rhett checking out a potential new "girlfriend".

The wonderful ladies and pups of the Coastal Poodle Rescue.

Rachel falling in love with a Sheltie that she hopes to get later this year.

Smiling with Rhett outside in the dog park.

In other news.... Stay tuned for some cool pictures from Claudette and Rob's engagement session that I shot this afternoon. We gave downtown Jacksonville a New York City spin...

Website is back up.

2007-02-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

Computers, you can't live with them, you can't live without them.

Earlier today, I found out someone cruelly HACKED my website. I don't understand mean people.

Thankfully everything is back up and running. In addition to my website being down, my email was also down, so if you emailed me at all today, and have not received a response back from me, please RESEND the email because more than likely I didn't receive it. I'm sorry for the inconvienience.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

Let's trash your dress!!

2007-02-11T05:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, I said t-r-a-s-h your dress. I know, you can't imagine spending all that money on it, only to destroy the dress you waited your whole life to wear. That's exactly why you should trash it. You'll wear it once and then it will go sit in a closet, when instead, we could get some rockin' photos of you to preserve the dress in a way everyone will see for years to come.

This weekend, I took a road trip to the gorgeous Savannah, Ga. with some of my photographer friends to do nothing but trash dresses. I have been hearing more and more about this new concept in wedding photography, and I had been dying to experiment with this kind of photo shoot before I offered it to my brides. We had three amazing models, Dacy, Ali, and Jenny, who weren't shy to get down and dirty! Thanks girls for being such troopers and braving the mud and cold! You rocked the photos!

And now I'm excited to present the results. Below you'll find 37 hot reasons why we MUST trash YOUR dress next!

p.s. Of course, I mean, after the wedding. :-)
p.p.s. Keep scrolling. The more you scroll down, the trashier it gets.
p.p.s. If you still need more convincing, check out trashthedress.com

And a fun one of me getting dirty in the sand. Thanks Crystal for the shot!

... And getting muddy in the swamp with Jill Higgins.

... And it wouldn't be complete without all of us chimping!

A Ying and Yang week

2007-02-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

This week has been such an incredible week of a lot of blessings from doors God has opened up for me. First I had the honor of being asked to have my work showcased on the new BluDomain template as one of their featured photographers. They designed my website, and if you need a portfolio website of your own, definitely go with them, they are awesome!

Then The Knot, the bible for brides, contacted me about having some of my work published in the coming months.

And last night I got asked to be a guest on Gavin Seim's podcast, Pro Photography Show, which we will be recording tonight. Be sure to stay tuned in the next few days to hear the interview. You will also be able to download the podcast on iTunes.

However..... along with the blessings, this has also been a week of miscommunication between myself and other friends and photographers with something nice I was trying to do that I was unaware would instead hurt or upset them. I have done what I can to extend peace and rectify situations privately, but I just wanted to put a post on here to publicly share with others involved that I have never meant to hurt anyone. I have the purest of hearts and I am always wishing nothing but good things for others. So many times I go over and beyond to bend backwards for others and give of myself to help further them along. I would never ever use a friendship to try to get ahead or choose to disrespect anyone. We are all in this thing together, and as my career continues to grow, I would rather take you with me on the ride than leave you behind. Everyday I am continuing to learn more about how to become a better photographer and business woman, and I am so so thankful to those that have guided me along the way and shared knowledge with me and cheered me on. I feel so blessed to be able to have a job I absolutely LOVE, yet, I am not perfect, and I will be the first to admit that. I make mistakes along the way, I learn from them and move on. With growth naturally comes growing pains.

I just wanted to share with everyone my sincerest of hearts, and I hope you know that I am always for you, not against you. It brings me great joy to give back and help others along the way, because I know how hard it is to get started and have faith that your hard work will pay off. People lately have been asking me what the secret to my success in such a short time is, and honestly, I have to give all credit to God. Every morning I start my day with prayer asking Him to guide me on the journey of my career and to continue using me as a vessel to bring glory to His kingdom through the gifts He's given me. But I am human, and slip along the way, so thank you for loving me unconditionally. For the cheerleaders in my life, I thank you so much for all your continued prayers and support as we walk this path together.

The Future Miss America

2007-02-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

"Jayci, can you sit in the bed of tulips for the next shot?"

"But thats, durrrrty," Jayci so girlishly responded with her southern accent.

Jayci is definitely a girly girl who loves all things pink, drawing, cheerleading and participating in local Alabama beauty pageants. If I had a little girl, she would be just like Jayci. But Jayci is the little girl of one of my best friends growing up, Sherie. It's still the weirdest thing in the world to me that the little girl I used to play with when we were Jayci's age, now has a little girl herself.

This weekend, Sherie and her sister, Misty, and their mom all visited from lower Alabama, and the panhandle area of Florida where my dad grew up. None of us are related, but Sherie and Misty have always felt like cousins to me considering our dads grew up together. We were laughing last night about the fact that, when we went to see my dad's side of the family, we never actually stayed with family, we always stayed with Sherie and Misty's family. I guess our parents knew how much we loved playing dress up together and having pajama parties.

Now its Jayci's turn to play dress up. So she borrowed my grandma's pearls, my mom's hat, my old bedroom, my parent's yard, and my puppy Rhett for a fun photoshoot.

Captivating Studios Spotlighted

2007-02-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

I get so many wonderful compliments about my website, and though I wish I could take credit for it, it has been designed by bludomain.com. Bludomain caters specifically to providing websites with portfolios for photographers, and they keep a daily blog that features spotlights on chosen photographers. Though I have not been interviewed specifically, my work was spotlighted last week in the interview for my friends Chris and Katie with some "head over heels" shots I took of them. Then this week, my friend Amy Barry mentioned in her interview, if anyone could take a portrait of her, I was on the list of her top choices. So here's a big shout out to Chris, Katie, and Amy for that little bit of exposure you provided me! Word of 'mouse' is the best marketing tool! You guys rock!

Go Tyra Banks!

2007-02-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

Being a photographer, we have a responsibility not to distort reality when it can so easily be changed in Photoshop.

God knows the pressure of being a girl can be incredibly tough with everyone expecting us to look like airbrushed Victoria Secret models who are sooooo far from reality. I'm excited to see a celebrity fighting back against the attacks of the paparazzi about her weight and saying it's OK to look HEALTHY and have CURVES and not have starve yourself to look like the underweight Nicole Ritchies and Olsen Twins of the world. Here are some video clips from her upcoming show today. Go TYRA!

The only thing stopping you from success is yourself...

2007-01-30T23:17:00.000-05:00

Quotes have so much power to them. I love running across a good quote or verse in the Bible that reminds me of all I am capable of achieving and the choices I'm given that can turn my greatest dreams into a beautiful reality. This video is full of amazing quotes. I hope it inspires your day!

(p.s. I didn't make this video, it was something I ran across and wanted to share.)

Sweet Charity

2007-01-29T23:56:00.000-05:00

Last night I had fun girls night seeing the broadway show, Sweet Charity, starring 80s queen, Molly Ringwald. I'm not usually a fan of broadway, but this show rocked! I think I loved it for all the colorful and vibrant set designs and costumes. Anyone who knows my work knows I love vibrant color!

But what also rocked the show was the dancing! Having been a former cheerleader, I can certainly appreciate how hard of work dancing truly is, with all the memorization of steps and moves and placement. They just blew me away! And the coolest part was that I actually knew a few of the dancers. Coming back from Atlanta, I was on the same flight with them and sat next to one of the dancers, David, from the show. He was kind enough to hook my friends and I up with VIP seats and he totally rocked the house with his performance as "Big Daddy".

After the show, we snatched a quick photo with him as he was heading out the stage door and he was off to the next city on the tour. Be sure to check out the show if it's coming to a city near you!

Also, another thing that made the night so fun was getting to meet the wonderful and fabulous Darice Michelle and her assistant Heather. Darice is another wedding photographer in town whose work I adore. We have been emailing for so long, but hadn't met yet, so I invited her join my friend Rachel and I, and I'm so glad I did because she and Heather were so much fun! Be sure to check out her site at daricemichelle.com.

Painting my dog with light

2007-01-28T00:34:00.000-05:00

Today, my mom came over and she and I had fun painting my bathroom a pastel green (pictures later). Growing up, for whatever reason, we never painted walls. We decorated around the stark white walls with other decorations to create color in a room. But since moving into my own place last year, I was determined to step outside the box and experiment with painting walls. When I moved in, I painted my bedroom my signature color, pink. (My bedroom in this couple's engagement shot!)

And now a year later, I decided to give my bathroom a make over with the pastel green as part of an overall make over I've been working on the past few months for my whole place to now create a studio space to meet with future brides. I can't wait to show you pictures when it's done!

Anyways, back to the topic of painting. When I got done painting the bathroom today, I sat down at my computer to finally relax and I ran across a video by photographer John Michael Cooper about the beauty of painting with LIGHT. John Michael Cooper is the king of thinking outside the box and is known in the wedding photography world as the photographer who sets his brides on fire.. literally.

Though I was pooped from painting my bathroom all day, I couldn't help but want to jump up and experiment with this concept to maybe incorporate into my photography in the future. So here it was, midnight, the only model I had was yet again, my dog, Rhett, and his new "girlfriend", Georgia.

I didn't quite nail the concept, but I did get some really cool shots that I wanted to share with you guys. Enjoy! By the way, these are straight out of the camera, no editing done.