Elopement on Longboat Key, Sarasota FL

I was asked to do a Thing: be present and photograph my sweet friend's wedding.  

And not just any wedding, but an elopement.  

On the beach.

At sunset.

Of course I said "yes!"

It was lovely, this elopement on the beach of Longboat Key, Florida.  It was warm sunshine on sand, gorgeous fabric whipping in a salty breeze, and golden light caressing freckled skin.  It was two people in love, saying their vows, tears, smiles, and commitment.  It was glorious.

Here are a few photos from Heather's and Scott's beachside wedding.  Enjoy!

Steffen Family in Animal Kingdom - Breast Cancer Awareness

A few weeks ago I was tagged in a social media post requesting a photographer for a family visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. This person wanted so badly for this family to have photos documenting their time together — something I’m passionate about.

But this family was bound heart and soul to a wife and mother with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer.

I didn’t hesitate in volunteering for the job, feeling grateful I would I have the opportunity to bless this family. But I had it all wrong: they blessed me. Upon first meeting, I fell instantly in love with them all : an adoring and hard-working husband and father, Jamie, a kind and generous teenage daughter, a soft-spoken and shy son, and their outgoing youngest daughter — but especially with Kelly, with her warm brown eyes and smile that could knock you to the ground. She’s a hugger too, which I’m not (usually), but her hugs are vital forces of nature with the feeling of Home. Kelly is the most ALIVE person I’ve ever met, buzzing with energy and love. She’s a remarkable human being, and one I instantly, and will forever, call “friend”.

Kelly is also very forthright, about her condition and about how it’s affecting her family. I asked her if she’d allow me to share her story with the world, and she whole-heartedly agreed, saying how very much she hoped her story might reach others and save them from costly mistakes.. So here’s Kelly’s story, in her own words, equal parts candor and humor — and I urge you to read them. Please be aware the mature content and graphic nature of her words.

Mid Sept 2013 I was in the shower when I felt a lump on my left breast. I didn't think much of it. Figured I had a clogged duct or something. Time went on and life got in the way. I would randomly check to see if it was still there. Come March 2014 it was still there so I forced Jamie to get a job that provided insurance. I went to the [doctor] at the end of March, and by that point I was having a weird issue with my tongue, and it was super sore to where I couldn't eat, so when I saw the dr that was my main concern.

I had made an appt with an OB to have the lump checked, but the soonest they could get me in [was] June. After we dealt with the tongue issue, she offered to do a pap [and] breast exam. She told me she wanted me to have a mammogram right away. I went home and called to schedule it, and apparently my doctor had already called and made them aware. They wanted to see me the next day.

The next day I went in with a friend of mine. They did a mammogram, and then told me that they wanted me to have an ultrasound [immediately]. So they moved my room and did the ultrasound. They worked with it for a very long time. When they were done they told me to get dressed and go to the waiting room because a nurse navigator wanted to see me. The whole time this is happening I was thinking what a total waste of time this all was. The nurse navigator came and pulled me into her office and told me that she wanted me to have a biopsy right away. She said their machine had just gone down for maintenance otherwise she would do it right then. She set me to come back in the next morning, which was a Friday. So off I went, still thinking no way is this cancer, that happens to other people, and that it was a waste of time.

They laid me up and I had the doctor and nurse helping her, I had to keep my hands above my head so there was a nurse holding my hands and another standing [beside] me. As they started working 2 of the nurses were talking to me to keep me occupied. All of a sudden I felt a large amount of pressure and the dr said, “oh shit”. Turns out that the tumor was so hard it broke the biopsy needle. So they had to get out the heavy duty needle and went back to work. When they were finished it was just me and one of the nurses who was holding gauze on me, and she kept telling me all about the treatment options for invasive ductal carcinoma. And I was thinking, lady, its nothing why are you telling me all this? So they told me that they should have results back by Tuesday. I remember being in the shower Tuesday morning thinking omg, what if I really do have cancer. But then within seconds I was telling myself that I was being over dramatic.

My immediate family and a few very close friends were the only ones who knew what was going on. My mom had called me that afternoon and told me to call her as soon as I knew anything. I told her that if it came back that I had cancer I was not going to tell her over the phone. About 2PM that afternoon my phone rang and it was the nurse navigator. She asked me if I was alone and I said, “no.” The kids had just gotten home when she called. So I walked to the backyard with my friend Lisa that was at the house waiting with me. The lady said she was sorry to tell me but the results came back like she thought and I had cancer. My legs gave out from under me and down I went.

She told me that I needed to decide where I wanted to do treatment and find myself a breast surgeon and an oncologist. We hung up and within seconds Jamie called (he was at the grocery store with [our son] Jake, the kids had no idea anything was going on). I answered the phone and Jamie [asked], “what do you want me to get for dinner?”

I responded, “I don't know, I have cancer.” (Not my finest moment lol).

He said, “we are on the way” and left his full cart sitting right where it was and left to come home.

In the meantime, my mom called to tell me she was going to the store. I told her “no, stay home.” Her only response was “no” in a voice I'd never heard.

Jamie got home and just stood and held me for a few minutes. Then I told him I had to go to my mom’s. He didn't want me to drive but the kids didn't know yet, so Lisa offered to follow me. I drove over there and my parents were standing in the doorway,, I opened it and they threw their arms around me and cried. My dad kept saying it should have been him. That was the single worst moment of my life.

So on April 1, 2014 (April Fools Day. Funny, huh), it goes with how we have handled the whole thing, so its very fitting. I googled and found a great breast oncologist at a cancer center affiliated with [a specialist center near] my house. I made an appt and he filled us in on all the details of my cancer. It was ER/PR + HER2-. So that means that my cancer is fueled by estrogen and progesterone. He said with my age (34 at the time) and the aggressiveness (I was 3 out of 3) he thought I should do a full double mastectomy.

So he set me up with a breast surgeon. She agreed with the oncologist that this was my best bet. So she then set me up with a plastic surgeon who I met with and really liked. So the 3 of them got together and set the date of my surgery which was early May. The night before, me and a ton of my friends came over and we had a bye bye boobies party. The next morning bright and early we headed to the hospital. I was in surgery for 7 hours but when they were done they said all went great. They took a preliminary look at 1 lymph node from each side to see if they [could find] any cancer and said they didn't see any. Then I was given 4 weeks to recover before I could start chemo.

In the meantime I was miserable. I had these big nasty drains that I had to empty hanging out of my chest and I was going to see my plastic surgeon to have fills done. When they take out the breast tissue, [they] put in expanders. Then those get filled in his office to help stretch the skin to fit the new implant. At one point during filling my skin started to split. That turned out to be an ordeal itself. He kept trying to suture it back together and had me on a million different antibiotics. Eventually it stayed closed and we were able to move on.

During this whole filling process I got a call from my doctor telling me that the preliminary on my lymph nodes was wrong and they did find cancer which meant I was stage 2b. They also told me that the surgeon didn't get clear margins so there was cancer still left in the skin. We had the option of going back in for surgery to remove all the lymph nodes on the left side or to do chemo and radiation. He said that studies show they were equally successful and in his opinion we should just get moving on treatment. So that's what we did. Started with 6 rounds of chemo that I handled pretty well.

We had alot of fun at chemo. Different friends would go with me and I made a ton of friends (they were all about 80 lol). At my last chemo we had a chemo party where we brought fun little games and prizes. I wore a tiara my friend brought me. We brought homemade goodies for all my nurses and they secretly gave me gifts (that's a no no there). Then off to 33 rounds of radiation.

Radiation is everyday. So for 33 days straight I went in, stripped down and laid up in the machine. It was always me and 3 other ladies between their 60s and 80s and they called us the bosom buddies. We actually still keep in touch and meet for lunch occasionally. Anyway by the end of radiation I was burnt to a crisp. They radiated my left breast, my whole neck and down into my chest. So on top of being burnt by the time it ended it took me about 3 weeks to be able to eat again because it burnt my esophagus.

At this point my oncologist told me that I had to take this little pill called tamoxifen for the next 10 years. I had to see the doctor every 3 months to have bloodwork and a checkup. Then I got to set up my appt to have my expanders changed to implants. I wanted everything done by the end of the year so that I didnt have to hit my deductible again. So on 12/31/14 I had my surgery to get my implants.

Everything was great until late Jan when my boob popped open again. This time when it popped open it oozed nastiness. I went and saw the doctor who had me admitted to the hospital. They were giving me heavy duty antibiotics IV and had an infectious disease specialist come see me. After discussing the options they decided the implant had to come out. They took it out and cleaned the area really well and then I had to keep it out for 5 weeks. So for 5 weeks I was the one boobed woman. Hehe. We had fun with that one. Someone gave me a prosthetic but I used to rip it out of my bra and pop the kids and Jamie in the head with it. Or we would be at a restaurant and I would say I was hot and just rip it out and set it on the table. It was fun. Lol.

Once the 5 weeks was up and they put [my breast] back in, life went back to normal for almost a year. Then late 2015 I started having very heavy bleeding. Like I would have a super tampon plus an overnight pad on and when I would stand up blood would run down my legs. I went to the OB who said it was called flooding. She did an ultrasound and found masses on both of my ovaries. So she said I needed a full hysterectomy. So I did that. Turns out the tumors on my ovaries were precancerous. So back to normal life again. I had a few med changes in that time but other than that life was great. I was back to normal me.

Fast forward to Jan 15th 2019. For a few days I had been having pain in my right side. I thought it came out of nowhere. One evening I was sitting in the living room watching a movie with the kids and Jamie and I got a wild hair to have a glass of wine. I couldn't even finish it before the pain started. I gave it a few days but it was making me not be able to sleep at all and was just getting worse.

So on the 15th after the kids went to school I told him I needed to go to the ER (very not me). When we got there I told them what was going on. I did bloodwork and they came in and told me my liver enzymes were very high and they wanted to do an ultrasound and CT. They did the ultrasound and then very quickly wheeled me back for the CT. When I got back there were 4 people in the room with Jamie: 2 nurses, the nurse practitioner ,and her "boss". They told me that my liver is completely consumed with tumors.

I said, “so its back?”

He said, “it looks like it.”

He had an oncologist looking it over, and they wanted to admit me so that they could quickly get the biopsy and any and all scans done. He said he would give us a few minutes [before] the oncologist [comes in]. I called my dad and broke the news and he started crying and said he was on his way.

The oncologist came in with a copy of the ultrasound and said breast cancer cells have a different make up than other cancers and that she could look at it and tell that it was breast cancer in my liver. I asked her how bad and she said, “bad.”

So they admitted me, and Jamie only left when he had to because of picking up kids and stuff. My dad never left my side. I was there just 1 night but they did the biopsy and a MRI of my head. They discharged me and sais all info was sent to my oncologist and told me to call them and make an appointment right away because there was no time to waste. My doctor’s office called me on the way home from the hospital and set up an appointment for that Tuesday (I think this was on a Friday), [and] that night the oncologist from the hospital called to tell me the biopsy was back. It was breast cancer.

My mom did not take this news well. And neither did the kids. The first time I told the kids that mommy has cancer and is going to make me really sick but it will make me better. They were good with that. This time they asked if I was going to die and I said “yes, but not today.” That was tough!

I went to the doctor Tuesday, and she hugged me and cried. Told me I was stage IV terminal. I asked how long, and she said {i had] 1 to 2 years. She said she wanted a full body scan and that we needed to schedule surgery to get my port put back in. The next day I had my scans. Thurs I had my port put in, and Friday I started chemo. She said that normal chemo pills like hormone pills wont work for me because I was already on them when it came back.

First chemo I went into respiratory distress and had to be rushed across to the ER. They observed me until I could go off the oxygen and sent me home. My doctor called the next day and said the scan showed cancer in the head and neck of my femur and in the hip. So while doing chemo I had to do radiation again. Then 1 time after chemo I started running a fever so they made me go to the ER. After doing testing they couldn't find the source of the fever but they did find a blood clot in my lungs. I was in the hospital for a week getting injections. And am now on blood thinners for it still. While there I fell off the toilet in the night so they made me do all kinds of scans to make sure I wasn't hurt. During that they found a spot on my brain and also tumors along my spine. So back to radiation I went.

When I was sent home they told me they wanted to keep a close eye on my brain. I had a scan right before we left for vacation and there are now numerous spots in my brain in all different areas. [The doctors] asked if I was willing to stay home [from our Disney vacation] to get started, and I said no, which they understood. So when I get home I have to have another brain scan, and we have to make a plan of action which is looking like full brain radiation which will suck, but I'll do whatever I have to to stay here with these little lovies as long as I can.

That was the 1st time I have ever sat down and wrote my whole story out. I gotta tell ya, it was pretty therapeutic. Thinking about that stuff that happened back in the beginning and remembering my feelings and emotions that I felt back then. I never in a million years thought that I would be here now. It's just crazy! And Lauren, you have already done so much for us. You have seriously changed our lives. To know that my kids will have these pictures to look at when I am gone gives me so much peace and comfort! And on top of it all, it brought you into our life! And that itself is such a huge huge blessing to us because you are one of the most incredible people I have ever met in my life!

Kelly is one of the most incredible people in the world. Her generosity and open heart are remarkable.

If you’d like to help Kelly’s family, with medical and living expenses, please do so via her GoFundMe Page by clicking HERE.

Fall in Florida, Hunnicutt Family Photographer

The Fall is my absolute favorite time of year — and even though the season takes on a whole new meaning down here in far South of Florida, and even though I’m learning the true meaning of “pop up shower”, I find I’m still desperately in love with the light! If anything, the light here is an even more golden, even more magical thing! And when you’re driving to your first scheduled session of the Fall photography season, and you see not one, but a double rainbow guiding your way … well, that just bodes for marvelous things, wouldn’t you say?

The Hunnicutt family is, as Mary Poppins would say, “practically perfect in every way”. Dad is a former football player, mom is a Teri Garr lookalike goddess, and their teenaged daughters are absolutely gorgeous from head to toe. Add in their warmth and genuine Southern hospitality, and it was a recipe for a dream-come-true family photo session — but being asked to visit their sprawling farm to photograph these beautiful people, post thunderstorm rainclouds looming gloriously over the lush green Florida field all around us, and … well, this pretty much tipped things well into my version of Photographer Heaven.

As a mom myself, of three teenage girls, I find such joy when sisters get along so well and have such genuine affection for each other. I’m sure, like my own girls, they have their moments (I mean really, who doesn’t have their moments??), but I could really tell these ladies aren’t just sisters, but also friends. Their care and kindness toward each other was real and heartwarming.

What could be better than true sisterly affection?

Why, a really tight mother-daughter bond, of course! All three of these ladies were a class act while being totally down-to-earth. Just being in their presence was a joy — lots of laughter and good-natured teasing. It made my mama heart so happy.

Dad was super too. He was totally into the Florida football game that day, but what a good man to join us out on the lawn for some gorgeous natural light photos. He’s clearly got a great relationship with his girls — they so obviously adored him, and as a former Daddy’s Girl myself, this left me smiling from ear to ear.

Even his wife is crazy about him (and he, her). Pro Tip: you always know you’ve found the Right One when he can make you laugh.

A truly heart-warming family photo session, I tell ya. It was a great start to the Autumn season, chock full as it will be with more families, more laughter, and more love.

Ahhhh …. I love my job.

Of Lands Far, Near, and Dear

Hey there, beautiful soul!

So it’s been awhile since I properly introduced myself, and maybe I've never told you what I do behind this camera of mine, nor why I do it!  So allow me to jump into that little pond with you for a minute.

I'm Lauren, a Tennessee-turned-Florida girl in her mid-forties, living for the promise of holiness and sweetness in life now and forever.

Sounds lofty, I know — but really it’s quite simple. It’s all about beautiful memories and inklings of beautiful things hidden deeper within.

My fondest memories are from my childhood:

Climbing our cherry tree, library book in hand (Nancy Drew or a collection of fairytales), young mind bent on nestling in the perfect little crook of branches to drown in another world while snacking on fresh cherries within arms reach.

Donning my Gran’s red chiffon nightgown-turned-princess-gown, and taking off in bare feet through the corn field out behind my grandparents’ house, running from the evil dragon chasing me, winding through sharp corn stalks slapping against my little legs, toes in the loamy mountain soil, knotted hair brushing against silks, the wind whispering through the ripening field.

Curling into a tiny little ball and sinking beneath the surface of a swimming pool, the sounds of “above” turning into a water-muffled magic of distant voices and “Walkin’ on Sunshine” played over the public speaker, uncoiling to dive deeper, to touch the bottom, my legs suddenly becoming a mermaid’s tail, and the water around me widening to an imagined ocean.

Wanna know a funny thing I’ve realized about being an adult? It is this: my fondest adult memories are a lot like my childhood ones:

Riding a rollercoaster at Walt Disney World, sunlight on my skin, wind in my face, the squeals of delight on the lips of my daughter sitting beside me, feeling euphoric in this shared thrill of madness and wonder, speed and contentment.

Prayers over a family meal, expressing gratitude for all that is before me in life, this shared meal, this family with whom I share it, this land of freedom and place of grace and purpose in an existence of mystery and heartbreak, feeling sweetness and hardness in equal measure.

Holding my Love’s hand in a movie theatre, watching a story unfold in the dark, knowing he knows why tears well in my eyes at the beauty of the film, at the music, at the feelings of shared understanding between myself and the people on the screen.

They’re all moments of happiness, suffused with a longing for something Bigger and grander than my frail human existence. The memories and dreams of my childhood are as real as the memories and dreams I have now, some 30+ years later. I imagine that will never change; I hope it doesn’t anyway. I hope I never lose that magic in my bones.

So what on earth does any of this have to do with my Nikon camera and ever-evolving knowledge of editing techniques? Well, the only answer I have is this: it’s my way of sharing my world with you.

Because deep down, even though our stories are different and our memories aren’t at all the same —

they are exactly the same

all of it

There’s something in me that is in you — and when I’m able to create a beautiful image that taps into that Something in you, mingled with that Something in me, and mold it into that Something found in everyone else —

it’s pure magic

And I live for that. Connecting with you, connecting with others, all of us in on this shared secret of mystery and wonder all around us.

So that’s the soul in me, reaching out to the soul in you. Howdy, new friend. It’s nice to meet you.

xx

The Results Are In: 2019 Shoot & Share Contest

It’s that time of year again: revealing my personal standings in the annual Shoot & Share Photography Contest.

If you recall, I did really (really!) well in 2018. Last year was my first time entering, so it came as quite a shock that my images performed as well as they did: a whopping twenty-one of my images placing in the top 30% and higher — one of my images even took seventh place, which may not sound like much, but 7th place out of tens of thousands of images, from around the globe, is pretty spectacular, especially for a newbie.

But this year I’m afraid I didn’t fare as well: thirteen of my images placed in the top 30% or higher. I shouldn’t be bummed, but I admit I am. I went “All In”, as I did last year, and still only a third of my images landed in those coveted spots. Because I’m a Type A person, and the sort of artist who likes to compete with herself, pushing and pushing to better myself versus the artist I was last year … it stings to not have done as well as the year before

BUT —

It gives me all the more reason to push even harder for 2020!

And thirteen images from the 2019 Shoot & Share Contest landed in the top 30% or higher ain’t bad. I’ll take it.

So without further ado, here are my top ranking images from the 2019 Shoot & Share Photography Contest, noting the round each image made it to (out of twelve rounds) and individual placement in their respective categories:

Category: Travel/Landscape

Round 7/12 placing 7614/28,552

Category: Teens/Seniors

Round 7/12 placing 9,826/39,136

Category: Teens/Seniors

Round 7/12 placing 10,524/39,136

from Class of 2019 - Veronica in the Magic Kingdom

Category: Kids

Round 8/12 placing 10,900/52,543

Category: Creative Projects

Round 8/12 placing 4,578/12,262

Category: People Portraits

Round 8/12 placing 6,045/25,034

Category: Creative Projects

Round 9/12 placing 2,214/18,262

part of Fine Art Storytelling: Dorothy In Oz

Category: Teens/Seniors

Round 9/12 placing 4,213/39.163

Category: Teens/Seniors

Round 9/12 placing 1,569/39,136

Category: Kids

Round 10/12 placing 2,543/52,643

Category: Creative Projects

Round 10/12 placing 1,800/18,262

Category: Creative Projects

Round 11/12 placing 752/18,262

And my highest placing image in the 2019 Shoot & Share Photography Contest, one of my personal favorites from a Fine Art Storytelling Collective done last year, “Dorothy in Oz”:

Placing in the Top 100, Category: Creative Projects

Round 12/12 placing 52/18,262

Class of 2019 - Veronica in the Magic Kingdom

My daughter is a graduating Senior this year.

My daughter.

I've been over here editing her Senior Portraits, taken in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and the photographer in me is at war with the sentimental-sappy mama in me — thusly:

Dang, this girl is gorgeous.⁣

[That's MY gorgeous girl.]

⁣Senior portraits, yay!

⁣[My DAUGHTER's Senior portraits.  *sniffsniff*]

Senior portraits in the Magic Kingdom!

[I remember the first time she visited the Magic Kingdom.]

⁣I love these images!

⁣[I love this girl.]⁣

Prepare thyself for some serious overshare.

I mean it. Go grab a cuppa of your favorite brew, put on your comfy socks, and sit a spell. You’re gonna love these photos, I promise!

Isn’t she beautiful? She’s smart too — crazy smart, like graduating with honors, landed herself a Florida Bright Future’s top level award kind of smart. And supremely kind. Cats love her, children worship her, Disney Princess level kindness — but not if you’re playing against her in Kingdom Hearts III, Arandel. All bets are off then, because she’s merciless …. and really good at mercilessly winning … in fact, just prepare to lose in any video game opposite this girl. (I always do.)

The only thing better than time spent in Fantasyland is time spent in Fantasyland in the shadow of the castle, with a game of hide-n-seek with our boy Peter Pan.

Aside from being the queen of video game’dom, this girl has mad, mad skills in the kitchen. She can whip up a pan of deliciously decadent brownies or a plate of perfectly-perfect chocolate chip cookies in no time — or she can brew you a mean cuppa jasmine tea. Dining on simple meal of spaghetti makes her indiscriminately happy, and if you bring her a Boston Cream Pie donut from Dunkin’ Donuts, she’ll be your new best friend. (You can say she’s a little like her mom there.)

P.S. Veronica loves her root beer floats — has loved them ever since her first ever root beer float, enjoyed at the Magic Kingdom when she was just eleven years old.

This girl has blessed us from Day One. Her gentle, soft-spoken nature is a soothing presence in the world, and her calm, warm soul is a gift to all who know her. I can’t believe this precious person has grown up so quickly, so gracefully, so beautifully — but dang, am I proud of the woman she’s become.

Veronica, you amazing human you, we adore you, admire you, and treasure you. Always have, always will. Congrats on a well-deserved accomplishment — and heaps of blessings upon you as you transition into your next best thing, whatever brand of awesome you decide to make it. You’re made of WIN, dear girl.

Scott Family in Magic Kingdom + Glioblastoma Awareness

I enjoy a very special friendship with travel agent Brooke Martin, with Magical Wishes Travel, and her sweet sister Megan, whose beautiful family I photographed last year. So when these two ladies reached out to me and asked if I might be interested in providing photography services for their friends, the Scotts, who had been blessed with their first ever Walt Disney World vacation, I didn’t hesitate with my “yes”.

Ashley and Anthony “Chunk” Scott are a faith-filled power couple, parents of two, and hard-working, all-American Southerners living in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee — and together, they’re battling Glioblastoma.

Last October, Anthony was diagnosed with this most aggressive, rapidly growing, stage IV brain tumor. Nearly six months later, he has undergone multiple life-saving procedures, including radiation, monthly MRIs, near-constant chemotherapy, and (most recently) a heavy regimen of anti-seizure medications.

Surgery isn’t an option.

There is no cure.

Since photographing this amazing family, I’ve had the honor of watching their faith pour out like water, over an absolutely horrific life reality. I’ve watched Ashley draw from reserves of strength I know I wouldn’t have. I’ve watched her fight for “Chunk”, pray for him, and love and admire him with a fierceness beyond human reckoning.

But above it all, suffused through ever fiber of this pain and unimaginable uncertainty is one solid truth: Faith.

“Life. When you think of the word ‘life’. What comes to mind?” writes Ashley. “Life is what’s happening between your birth and death on this earth. It’s [an] everyday thing we do. “Live life”. Living our life has been wonderful. We have/had everything we always needed and wanted and more. But most of all we have God! Living life for God is so much more than living life just for yourself. Believe me it’s more rewarding. Not every day Is going be perfect, but that’s when you pray harder and push the faith. Believing is the answer! There isn’t a second that goes by that I don’t give God all praise for how far He has brought my family.”

I’m continually amazed, watching Ashley be the wife and mother that she is, at how strong she is. She praises God every day for her super-human strength. Her most-often used word, day after day?

“Blessed”

Their lives have been completely upended; Ashley has taken a leave from her job to stay home and care for her husband, taking one day at a time while attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy for their precious daughter and son.

If you'd like to reach out and help this family, please, please donate to their Go Fund Me, where every dollar given helps to financially alleviate a very emotionally and physically burdensome time. Large or small, any amount you can offer this family is so very needed and appreciated.

And prayers. This precious family needs as much love and support as they can get.

Fairytale Poitraiture: Nandi's Escape

When I’m not standing in a field photographing beautiful people, or sitting in front of my computer editing said beautiful people — I can be found doing mundane things, like grocery shopping at Publix or hitting up my local hardware store in search of items for my latest home renovation. And sometimes, I actually meet said beautiful clients doing those mundane things — such is the case with Miss Nandi and her lovely mother, Sherri.

What got my attention first was Nandi’s hair — her glorious mane of wild, curly hair. Then I saw how sweet her face was and how sparkling her eyes were. Trying not to act the part of a total creeper, I overcame my shyness and introduced myself. To my delight, both Sherri and Nandi were willing to participate in a model call I’d put out, to introduce a brand new portrait experience I’m adding to my 2019 line up: Fairytale Fine Art Conceptual Portraiture, a portrait line especially for our littlest princesses and princes!

Getting to know my clients is not only crucial to the fine art creation process, it’s a delight and a blessing. Learning more about Sherri and her daughter Nandi was no exception. Nandi, as it turns out, is a beautiful combination of her Florida-native mama and her South African-native father, fluent in Zulu and very much a product of his up-bringing in Johannesburg, South Africa. I also learned of Nandi’s vivid imagination, her love of best-fur-friend Maxi, and her sense of inward adventure! I adored these finer details of Nandi’s story, and as I spoke more and more to mom Sherri, a very strong visual began to form in my head, of an African princess, loosely based on the fairytale “Rapunzel”. In my mind’s eye, I saw flowing locks, a gorgeous gown, and a tower, from which our daring princess had escaped — with her devoted fur-friend Maxi by her side.

Of course this image needed to convey the vast beauty of the South African landscape, replete with a skyline of Johannesburg, but I also wanted elements of Sherri’s Florida heritage represented as well. I did a little digging (as heavy research is almost always needed when I craft an individual fine art portrait), and —

Enter the Banyan tree.

Native to many parts of the world, this species of fig tree can be found in many coastal parts of the world, in Africa as well as Florida. These thick-trunk’d trees have magical proportions, with mysterious branches that finger toward the earth to form roots that dig deep and provide a source of water and nourishment. Of course this tree, in my own mind, symbolized everything Nandi was made of: the deep roots of family as well as adventurous wings to fly! The Banyan tree was the perfect representation of this Rapunzel’s tower and voila!

“Nandi’s Escape” was born.

As always, it was a delight to get to know my clients, to stretch further into the world of making unique art for others, art that speaks to their souls as well as mine. I’m so grateful I braved conversation with a stranger, and that they were receptive to the mad imaginings of l’il ole me.

Enjoy this video showcasing the detailed process of final visual creation — in speed edit form.

Edited in Adobe Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CC by Lauren Bee: located in Citrus Hills, FL; now serving Orlando, Tampa Bay area, and Central Florida; custom commissions available worldwide

Model: Miss Nandi

Styling: Lauren Bee

Wardrobe: Century Garments

Actions and Overlays: Jessica Drossin

SONG: "Streamline" by Eveningland

Additional element(s): Elegant Elements Fine Art Photography and Design by Leslie Dye

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Now booking for 2019: a brand new portrait experience, the Fairytale Fine Art collection of conceptual portraiture! Contact Lauren Bee today to secure your child’s coveted spot.

Fairytale Portraiture: Cinderella & Prince Sneak Peek #1

I’m working on something over here, and there are simply no words to describe it — and yet one key word comes to mind: magical.

Seriously, would you just look at these adorable little people?!?!

Isn’t this little prince the most dashing you’ve ever seen?

Some people are naturals when it comes to posing.

Look at those beautiful eyes of hers!

Eye spy, with my little eye, a tiny glass slipper, fit for a princess.

Why yes, that is Cinderella and her Prince, ready and regal for their tiny l’il royal wedding day, replete with magnificent wedding gown and veil, and dashing uniform and crown.

[ insert squee ]

Try not to die of sheer adorableness overload — it’s not easy, believe me!

But wait, there’s more to come from this sweet little pair: a Fairytale Fine Art Portrait is in the making, and it’s just precious, chock full of pretty details, sparkles, magic, and subtle nods to our beloved Cinderella fairytale! Yes, more adorableness overload to come —

But for now, you’ll have to be satisfied with this little sneak peek. I hope you enjoy — and I do hope you check back in when I present to one and all the finished work of art.

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Special thanks to Your Fairy Godmother Couture for the breathtaking wardrobe. Rental of these costumes (and so many more) is available for your own special occasion, including (but certainly not limited to) Halloween parties and Disney World and Disneyland vacations.