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.

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.

The Joy of Knowing a Real Life Princess

I met Keilee as a younger version of herself: a bright, cheerful, blond girl of just ten or eleven, brimming over with stories and enthusiastic sunshine.  Her mom, Karen, and I were both homeschool parents in the Huntsville, Alabama area, and our daughters were not only the same-ish age, they had many of the same interests:  bubbling creativity, exciting movies, fun music, vivid imaginations, climbing trees.  So we met in the park one afternoon, fed the ducks, chased the wind, and danced among wild mushrooms.  Friendship was firmly forged that day.

It wasn't until several years later that I stumbled across Keilee on Facebook -- and noticed she had grown up (not unlike my own daughters, but let's not talk about that).  Only now Keilee was more than merely grown -- she was as beautiful as she was brilliant, single-handedly running Magical Memories, her own thriving party princess business, crafting and designing everything her heart desired, and hosting her own growing YouTube channel, Bringing Smart Back -- all while acing high school level physics and faithfully serving folks at the local soup kitchen.

I won't lie:  I fan-girl'ed a little.

[ okay, a lot ]

Keilee was a real life princess, y'all.  I had gorgeous, photographic visions -- strong ones.  With our shared love of Disney and magic and wonder and play, it was clear we needed to meet again -- this time with my camera in hand.  I reached out to Karen and asked if Keilee might be up for modeling for me, and even though it was a year before we managed to make it happen (ensuing car troubles, scheduling conflicts, and cantankerous weather conditions plotted against us), we finally set up a time to meet.

And it.  was.  EPIC.

Keilee wowed me in every way.  Working together that day, photographing her as Rapunzel, Elsa, and Merida, I found myself falling down a sort of rabbit hole of wonder and delight -- it was clear this young lady was destined for great things (heck, one of my photos of her even placed in the top ten of the 2017 Shoot and Share Contest!).  Thoroughly down-to-earth, warm and charming and genuinely kind, both she and her mom, Karen made the day supremely special.  It was a blessing just to spend time with them.

That's the mark of a true princess -- and if anyone is a true princess, it's Keilee.

And her mom Karen is a Queen.

Enjoy this speed edit video of the fine art creation process (below):

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

Model + Styling: Princess Keilee  

SONG: "Master of the Feast" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/

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Want to see more of Keilee?  She will appear as a The Little Mermaid herself, in my book "The Little Mermaid", a fine art collective and faithful re-telling of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson.

The Results are in: 2018 Shoot & Share Contest

Have you ever been that kid in a candy shop?  You know the feeling:  you walk in, and laid out before you is this rainbow-colored assortment of delights, the likes of which you've never imagined, much less seen, before -- floor to ceiling sweetness, all sugar coated and promised glistening goodness.

This feels exactly like that.

Each January, photographers from around the world come together to participate in The Shoot & Share Photography Contest, an international competition that is not only free, but also fair.  Beginning the first week of February, images are voted on in a completely random and anonymous fashion.  Photos by professionals who have been in the business for 30+ years, brand new amateurs, and everyone in-between -- and no one knows who the photographers are until the voting is complete and the awarding begins in early March.

This year was my first time entering, and lemme tell you:  the competition was fierce! I've not seen photography talent and skills like this since ... well, ever.  And I didn't expect much to come of my work, tossed as it was in an ocean of vibrant colors, expert editing, perfect posing, and exceptional lighting.

So color me shocked -- like an awed child in a sea of gorgeous candy -- when I watched as my images plowed right through rounds one, two, three and four, on to rounds five and six, and then pushing past seven and eight ... all the way through round twelve.  

My photos made it all the way to the finals, the top 3.1% of all images submitted.  Y'all, one of my images even placed.  

Let's let that sink in for a minute.  (It hasn't sunk in for me yet, so I'm still trying...)

An image of mine actually placed in the top ten in an international photography competition.

What.

Maybe 2018 really is  my Year of Possibility.  

I am beyond astonished -- nay, utterly floored -- and overwhelmingly honored to have witnessed nearly half of the 50 images I submitted place in the top 30% and higher of a competition encompassing more than 412,000 total submissions.  This is not false modesty.  I am truly blown away to have done so incredibly well in my first year of submissions, with so.  much.  astounding talent.

Here a graphic of what that looks like:

Pinch me.  I might be dreaming. 

Want to see which of my photos placed?!  Well keep scrolling, my friend because here they are!

(Placement is shown beneath the image as number/total entries in category.)

Wedding Couple - placing 7,546/36,983

Kids - placing 10,143/35,570

Kids - placing 8,954/35,570

Seniors - 6,095/29,460

Styled Portrait & Fashion - placed 2,243/11,101

Model: Princess Keilee

People Portraits - placed 4,127/14,733

Chicago, October 2014

Family Portraits - placed 5,623/26,963

Engagement & Couples - placed 7,930/37,145

People Portraits - placed 2,210/14,733

HMUA & Model: Brittianna J

Creative & Personal Projects - placed 2,199/13,502

HMUA: Brittianna J

Creative & Personal Projects - placed 1,993/13,502

Pets & Animals - placed 1,652/14,426

Kids - placed 4,385/35,570

See MORE from this session HERE.

Travel & Landscape - placed 1,129/16,373

Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida, December 2017

Emotion & Excitement - placed 605/8,800

Creative & Personal Projects - placed 1,266/13,502

Travel & Landscape - placed 303/16,373

Castaway Cay, Bahamas, October 2017

Teens & Seniors - placed 209/29,460

People Portraits - placed 210/14,733

Model: Alicia Wright

Creative & Personal Projects - placed 393/13,502

Styled Portrait & Fashion - placed 7/11,101

Model: Princess Keilee