Snapshots of Grace Photography

Sweet Shot Tuesday

2012-01-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

Experimenting with bokeh. I didn't have the "pretty bokeh" lens on, but I think this would make a nice background for something...I just haven't decided what. I guess I have at least 10 months to decide :-).

I know, these are really supposed to be pictures from THIS week, but I decided they count if I'm just editing and dealing with them this week ;-).

Project 52-Made with Love Challenge

2012-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Darcy at Life With My 3 Boybarians is hosting a Project 52 Challenge-one themed photo a week. I want to participate...granted I'm not quite starting with week one...and so I'm jumping in! This week's theme is "Made with Love". This photo is of my uber-artistic daughter decorating a cookie at our family cookie day. The recipe is her favorite aunt's, and not only was the dough made with love, the frosting of the cookies was definitely a labor of love on my daughter's part.

Sweet Shot Tuesday

2012-01-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Darcy at Life With My 3 Boybarians hosts a Sweet Shot Tuesdays....a chance for you to post your favorite image of that week. I'd love to have something hold me more accountable to posting here, so I'm going to try to participate!

Not quite from this week, but just getting uploaded to my computer (yes, I'm a little behind with the holidays). I took a break during our family cookie making day to take some fun "stylized" sort of shots. I love these copper cookie cutters dusted with the flour of use and love :-).

Mt. Dora Area Newborn Photography- Baby GK

2011-12-18T17:03:00.000-08:00

Here's the little miss whose brother and sister I shot a few months ago. She's a total cutie who also resisted sleeping for me for quite a while, but she did finally give in to sweet slumber toward the end of our shoot. Enjoy!

Sorrento Area Newborn Photography- Baby S

2011-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

Poor little baby S. She just did NOT want to sleep for me. Apparently, she slept the whole next day to make up for it though! So at least we got a couple smiley pictures and captured her in her pretty dress. We'll give it another try when she's a little older.

Mount Dora Family Photographer- P Family

2011-12-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

What a gorgeous family! We had a fun photo shoot-these three kiddos and I. I've known each of them since they were born really, and so even though their mom was laid up with a bum leg (after getting hit by a car while walking into a store!), the four of us left right after church and went hopping from place to place taking pictures here and there until our rumbling tummies put an end to our photo shoot.

Mount Dora Family Photographer-H Family

2011-05-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

I recently had the chance to do a shoot with a family that is special to me for several reasons. First, the mom Kris is not only a friend, but an amazing Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with a practice that specializes in seeing kids-sick or well- AT HOME! How great is that!?! Second, her family was my very first paying client. And third, her little boy, who is now one sticky finger old, gave me a chance to do one of my first newborn shoots ever. (And with a new "bun in the oven", I'm hoping for another newborn shoot in the not-too-distant future.)

Here are a few photos from our shoot.

If you like what you see, and you live in the Central Florida area, please contact Amy at amy@snapshotsofgrace.com to book your photo shoot today!

AWANA Club Pictures

2011-05-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

With four kids, I'm not always as free to volunteer as I might like to be, but since 3 of them attend AWANA and the oldest is a Leader-in-Training, I try to help out as much as I can by taking pictures. I recently did the club photos- a bit of a challenge for a natural light photographer when AWANA meets in the evenings and the sun was getting lower and lower and the shadows longer and longer. But in the end, I think the photos turned out pretty good ;-).

If you like what you see and need an affordable photographer for your Central Florida group or event, contact amy@snapshotsofgrace.com.

My Newest Cover

2011-05-17T18:11:00.001-07:00

Nothing says FUN like a water park, and this local venue offered the perfect spot for shoot this month's cover. Is little Andre a cutie or what?

To check out Lake Family Magazine online, go HERE.

iheartfaces- Motherhood Challenge

2011-05-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

The ladies at iheartfaces have chosen Motherhood as this week's theme. As a homeschooling mom, my whole life is about motherhood right now, and so is an awful lot of my photography! But when I thought of motherhood, it was this shoot that stuck out:

Motherhood-it's so all-encompasing...so interconnected...so defining...and Ashley is in the thick of it right now with 2 little ones. She's such a natural mom, in every sense of the word, and this shoot was great fun.

To see other entries in this week's competition, go HERE.

iheartfaces- Slice of Life Challenge

2011-03-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

This week's theme over at iheartfaces is "Slice of Life." In other words, a photo captured spontaneously, just to record the moment- nothing posed, nothing planned.

This was captured over the summer on a family vacation to NY. We were hiking through Watkin's Glen, and apparently the hike up nearly 400 feet and I forget how many steps (but a LOT) was more than my eldest could handle. So as mommy stopped to take "just one more picture", he snuck off and found a quiet alcove to rest in. He never heard me sneak up and take this picture. I wonder what he was day dreaming about?

Eustis Area Family Photographer-S Family

2010-12-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

What do you call a photo shoot two days before Christmas with 10 adults and 11 kids- including 2 sets of twins-shot on location at their house? Good, Crazy fun!!!

Eustis Area Holiday Photographer-H Family

2010-12-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

Mt. Dora Area Family Photographer-K family

2010-12-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

Tavares Area Photographer- M family

2010-12-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

iheartfaces Pets Challenge

2010-12-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

I know, the title of the Challenge is "pets" and these critters are anything BUT pets...more like PESTS to be honest. But any critter qualifies, so I present an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper. These suckers are HUGE, hiss when provoked, and give off an acid too. Oh, and they are voracious eaters of my tropical plants... come on...you know you want one ;-).

To participate in iheartfaces challenges or to see other entries in today's challenge, click on the icon below:

Eustis Area Photographer- D Family

2010-12-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

What cuties! These boys were each amazing in their own ways. Enjoy!

Eustis Area Photographer- C Family

2010-12-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Usually, I'm an outdoors, natural light photographer, but all the cold fronts lately prompted us to move this shoot indoors. Enjoy this sneak peek!

Eustis Area Photographer- Simpson Family

2010-12-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

Tavares Area Photographer-C family

2010-12-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

Soooo many cute pictures of these boys, but the photos are to be gifts and I don't want to ruin any surprise, so I'll just post these two for now...

Edited (after Christmas) to add:

Why edit?

2010-12-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

I used to be a "straight out of camera (sooc)" purist. I love taking a good picture with the camera, not editing a mediocre picture into a good picture. But I've learned that I was a little elitist in thinking that way, and that there really are very few pictures out there that don't benefit from a little bit of editing. Editing also allows you to turn lemons into lemonade in cases when you HAVE to capture a shot right then and there, even if conditions are not ideal.

I went to pick up my daughter from her friend's house last weekend. Two weeks ago, I had done the same thing, and lamented not having my camera with me to take pictures of these amazing old oak trees that I drive by on my journey there and back. The sunset that night was gorgeous, and I watched it, only able to record it in my mind. So this time, I had my camera with me, and we were driving home at the perfect time for sunset...but the sunset did not cooperate. It was a very lackluster sky, and the cloud cover meant it got too dim too quickly for any good shots...so I'm going to use them for a short editing demo (but please don't think I'm implying these are good at all-they just have redeeming value in being a good object lesson ;-).

So here are several pictures I took that night, all of the same tree, and all within a few moments of each other. The only difference is the slight change in where I took the picture as I walked along and the orientation of the camera vertical or horizontal. The other changes are all in the editing...
The top picture is straight out of camera-not one pixel changed.

One of these days, I'll have GOOD pictures to show you from these pastures with their grand old oaks!

iheartfaces Scenic Black and White Challenge

2010-11-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

The ladies at iheartfaces are changing it up a bit this week with a "scenic" theme that does not have to feature a face. I thought of this picture of Sari and Abi from VA. They were out watching this horse in the pasture with rapt fascination. Too cute!

Holiday Photos- Yates Family

2010-11-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's not too early to think about holiday photos, although it may seem a little strange to pick a pumpkin patch as the venue. But this family is from abroad, and pumpkin patches are not common where they hail from, so they wanted to have their pictures taken there to send to all their relatives.

Golden Triangle Area Children and Teens Photographer-Marie's boys

2010-11-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Many families like to update their children's photos each year. Here are Marie's two sons at a local nature preserve on a photo shoot for their birthdays.

And here's one with all three kids :-)

iheartfaces Vroom, Vroom Challenge

2010-09-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Vroom, Vroom is this week's theme over at iheartfaces. I immediately thought of some pictures I took at an antique car gathering in our little city. There were all these old, amazing cars that had been totally restored. Some of them even displayed the matching Matchbox car that was modelled on their classic. And then there was this guy...

His presence there spoke volumes to me. I didn't get to actually speak to him, but I'm confident he was the "real deal" and I'm sure he had some war stories to tell. I admired him for being here- the genuine article with a story to tell- among all the others with their "hobby" cars.

Photovision's Amazing DVD Deal

2010-09-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Photovision DVDs are THE BEST. If you are a professional photographer, wanna-be, or just someone with a camera and a desire to learn more, you will be amazed at how much these DVDs will teach you. I first learned about them on a photography group I am part of, and figured for the money I couldn't go wrong. But they are a treasure. Real shoots with real (amazing) professional photographers sharing what they know with YOU. I've gleaned SO much. It's like going to an expensive professional photographers' conference, except you control what you learn/watch and when you watch it.

There is a special right now- 6 two hour long DVDs (one mailed to you every other month for a year) for just $39. I have two years worth, and each and every one of them is worth more than $39 individually, but you get all 6 for $39. Go HERE to check them out. There is a money back guarantee, but you won't need it, because you will LOVE these DVDs.

Legal Disclaimer: If enough people use my link to purchase the DVDs, I can win free products from Photovision, but the endorsement I offer is truly based on my own personal experience with these DVDs, which I paid for and LOVE.

Mount Dora Area Newborn Photographer- Baby RJ

2010-09-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

iheartfaces Beach Challenge

2010-08-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was, well, a challenge for me. We just got back from Sanibel a few weeks ago, but I really was playing the role of "mom with a camera" than "professional photographer". Don't get me wrong, I got some amazing shots...but few that met the iheartfaces criteria of having a human face in them (lots of gorgeous sunsets, kids silhouetted in those sunsets, sea creatures, and sea gulls with their prey) :-). Of the ones that actually showed a face, I chose this one because I love that the kids found a sand dollar. That may be common place in some areas, but we've never found a live one on Sanibel before, and Mimi, as you can see was radiant.

Dan's Pictures

2010-07-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone, we did a quick shoot with Ev's older brother Dan. Ev had WAY more fun playing "model" than Dan did, LOL.

Ev's Senior Pictures

2010-07-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

I had a bit of a working vacation and shot my cousin's Senior Pictures while we were in NY.

iheartfaces Pets Challenge

2010-06-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

We have a small ark's worth of pets around our house, but I like this picture of one of our tame-only-for-our-family neighborhood feral cats. This is Skitter, aptly named for his skittishness, on the prowl-singularly focused on a bird further down the tree limb.

iheartfaces Celebrating Teens

2010-06-22T18:36:00.001-07:00

Two of the most BEAUTIFUL teens I know :-)

This week's challenge is "Celebrating Teens". Click below to see all the other amazing entries at iheartfaces.

Stackman girls: Eustis Children and Family Photographer

2010-06-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

I had a fun photo shoot this morning. An adorable little girl and her cutie patootie baby sister. It should be noted that it was almost 100 degrees in the shade-seriously-and both girls did great.

iheartfaces All About Babies Challenge

2010-06-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at iheartfaces is All About Babies! And I just had 3 newborn shoots in a row :-). Picking my favorite one to enter was hard, but I LOVE her mouth in this one. She was awake for 99% of the shoot, but we got her to sleep for a few precious minutes-long enough to snap this.
Go to iheartfaces to see tons of other amazing baby pictures.

Walker baby

2010-05-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Latest Cover

2010-04-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong to get so jazzed to see my photography in print? This is the latest cover of Lake Family Magazine-hot off the presses!

Welcome Jack Henry!

2010-04-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

I can never stand the suspense of waiting to see the pictures from a shoot, and I am pretty sure the clients feel the same way, so here's a sneak peak for today's Mama :-).

Beautiful Baby

2010-04-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you remember a few weeks back, I posted an impromptu maternity shoot with RM's mom HERE. Well, beautiful Rachel Lynn arrived on March 31st, and yesterday I got the chance to go do a newborn shoot with her. Here are some of my favorites from our shoot:

Glorious Eyes

2010-04-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

My friend Kirsten has 7 children, and somehow, they all have the most AMAZING eyes. These are some candid photos from a birthday party the other day:

Here's their beautiful mamma. I feel awful that I don't have pictures of her two older girls, but they were too busy playing with all the other girls
.

This is M, who has a special place in my heart...it's not a great shot, and you can hardly see her eyes, but I didn't want to leave her out :-). She is in that "cheese" stage where they bare their teeth at you instead of giving you a real smile, LOL.

Candid and beautiful

2010-03-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

RM's cousins

2010-02-23T20:16:00.001-08:00

These two cuties were at Susan's baby shower. They were out playing in the garden when I left, so I was able to get their pictures.

Sari

2010-02-23T19:28:00.001-08:00

More from February's cover shoot

2010-02-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

And baby will make four

2010-02-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

I got to do an impromptu photo shoot of RM's mom today. I went to her baby shower, and then they asked if Mimi could go home with them. She needed clothes, so they came by to get them, and I took the opportunity to grab the family for a quick photo shoot.

Natural Florida

2010-01-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

A mother manatee and her calf

Aquatic birds (I never know if they are cormorants or anhingas)

Gator!

Aquatic bird...Anhinga I think.

View looking down toward the spring

I just uploaded some nature pics

2010-01-30T17:16:00.000-08:00

Check out the link below...it goes to a photo album of some of my nature photography.

http://snapshotsofgrace.jalbum.net/nature/

More playing with textures

2010-01-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

I'm loving this fun glass mosiac texture. It matches the youthfulness of the girls :-)

Playing around

2010-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

The original photo...a girl from church who was totally engrossed with her kitty, much to her mother's (the children's worship leader) chagrin. I'm a firm believer in taking a good photo from the get-go and not relying on editing to "fix" things. But sometimes circumstances are beyond your control-like the kids in the background.

In this one, I cropped the picture a bit and used the "clone" brush to make the two kids in the background "disappear".

Here I put a faint "frame" around her to draw attention to her face...but I can't figure out how to adjust the size of the frame, so it is actually a little tighter around her face than I wanted.

And here I changed the color to Sepia and added an old fashioned picture border.

I did all this because it is a good way for me to practice, and I always tell people that I can change things about the picture, but I'm not sure that they understand the scope of things that can be done. This just scratches the surface!

A dog and his boy...

2010-01-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

My own kids

2009-12-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

We ended up with some time to kill at lunch time while we were waiting on Daddy to meet us, so we took some pictures. They aren't great, but we had fun.

The Gantz Family

2009-12-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm just drawn to the pictures of kids being kids. I LOVE this picture because little W is totally laughing, and the other kids are trying their hardest to look at me, but they are all laughing too.

It's fun to work with clients with a sense of humor. When I suggested she sit closer to her husband for the picture, this was what she offered, :-).

I think candid shots are often the best. W was entranced with his sister's photo shoot, and never noticed me turn to take his picture.

Presley's extended family

2009-12-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know he's not looking, but doesn't the picture just make you SMILE?

Berkel Christmas Party pics

2009-12-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early!

2009-12-17T05:08:00.001-08:00

This "professional photographer" thing

has it's perks,

and one of which was

a FREE

16x20

1-1/2" thick canvas

printed with any of my pictures on it from a company called Canvas on Demand. This photo DOES NOT do it justice. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! And, such nice quality. I'll happily be doing business with them in the future! They even resized my canvas to a custom size to better fit the picture...at NO additional charge. Truly a class act. Come on over and gaze at the beauty any time!

Pictures from my first "paid gig"

2009-12-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

These are from a few months ago. I appreciate Kris giving me my first chance to step up to the "professional" plate. I learned a lot from this shoot-like watching out for obnoxious shadows!

Adorable!

2009-12-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Debi's Family

2009-12-02T20:47:00.001-08:00

The TKB Farm

2009-12-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Debbie's beautiful family!

2009-12-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Tiff's family

2009-11-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful family

What a cutie

Little Miss Strike-a-Pose!

Always adorable

Presley's Christmas photos

2009-11-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

So many pictures...so hard to chose a favorite...or two...or six :-). These were taken in Ferran Park and at a local church.

Welcome!

2009-11-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Snapshots of Grace Photography. I'm Amy, the owner of Snapshots of Grace. I have a passion for photography and a greater passion for the memories, the "snapshots of grace", photography allows us to hold on to. My greatest passion though is for my God, whose word tells us that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made, created in His image. Nothing pleases me more than to be used by Him to show people how beautiful they are inside and out.

The book of John tells us that through my Lord and Savior Jesus all things were made, and I also delight in capturing the beauty of the world He created and sharing that beauty with others in the form of stock nature photopraphy that is available for purchase in any size to meet your needs.

And so I hope you enjoy this blog-a sneak peak into some of my past and most of my recent photo shoots.