Okay, okay, okay! You’re here! You’re reading this!! You’ve already seen at least one photo from this session! My heart is HAPPY!!! You’re probably confused as to why I’m so excited and using so many exclamation points. It’s because I have been holding on to these photos – waiting for Brit and Adrian to reveal their big news to their friends and family. Now I can share and I am so excited because I LOVE THESE PHOTOS!! From the outfits to the location to the people in the photos, they seriously could not be more perfect.

Brit and I first met online early this year and I immediately connected with her. (If you frequently read my blog, you already know I also met Maddie and Caitlin first online. I know it seems weird, but there’s a big online community here.) When she arrived in Sicily in July, we became fast friends. Brit and Adrian are super cool and seriously kind. There has been no one who has checked in on me more than they have during all of my medical issues. This includes front door deliveries – TWICE!!

When Brit told me she was expecting, I was SO EXCITED!! I just know Brit and Adrian are going to be amazing parents. They are already phenomenal people and wonderful friends. I am so honored Brit and Adrian entrusted me to photograph their pregnancy announcement and gender reveal (IT’S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!). And, I could not be more pleased with the way they turned out.

Brit + Adrian, Congratulations!!! We are SO excited for you guys and cannot wait to meet your baby GIRL! I hope you love these photos of such a memorable time in your life as much as I do.

 

Brit + Adrian

If you’ve been following along on the blog, you’ve probably noticed I have been quite busy lately traveling and photographing some really amazing people. The Vernons are no exception; they are so sweet, kind, easy-going, and incredibly stylish!! I usually provide styling assistance to everyone I photograph, but Amanda already knew what they were going to wear.  When the Vernons walked out of the parking garage in Taormina, I was SO EXCITED!!! I honestly could not have selected better outfits!! From the Sicilian dresses to the blue suit and coordinating suspenders, their outfits literally could not have been more perfect.

Our shoot consisted of walking though gorgeous old town Taormina and grabbing a gelato before heading back to the car. Both Leah and Evan were such good sports and sooo incredibly cute!!

Samuel and Amanda, you guys have an incredibly beautiful family! Thanks so much for hanging out with us in one of Sicily’s most charming towns. I hope you love the photos as much as I do!!

 

The Vernon Family

One aspect of photography that I didn’t foresee when I picked it up as a hobby was all of the amazing people I would meet and all of the friendships I would make. I’ve had clients become friends and friends become clients, but one thing I love in particular about the creative community is the friendships I’ve cultivated with other photographers. Finding people who share the same philosophy of ‘community over competition’ is so much more than refreshing. It’s hanging out with like-minded individuals who just ‘get you’ in a way that other people don’t. Alexia is one of those people; she’s another photographer in my community in Sicily, and as soon as I met her, we ‘clicked!’.

Hanging out with Alexia is so much fun! She is a B-U-S-Y mom, wife, student, entrepreneur, and friend. I honestly have no idea how she balances so many baskets, but I do have to say that she makes it look so easy. I couldn’t wait to meet her family, and can I just say, they did not disappoint!  It’s funny how you just sometimes meet people and can automatically feel comfortable around them. Shane is so laid back (and seems to have a lot of the same hobbies as my husband!). Bryleigh is adorably intelligent, says everything I’m thinking in my head, and is a complete ray of sunshine to be around. And, Dakotah – she is just TOO cute with her tiny little teeth and bright smile.

Photographing another photographer can be a little anxiety provoking to say the least, but I had so much fun walking around Ortigia with these guys, I forgot to be nervous!

I’m so thankful for your friendship, Alexia. I had a blast capturing your beautiful little family this weekend. Let’s do it again soon!

 

The Johnson Family

During my time as a photographer, I have had the honor of photographing quite a few kids and mamas. However, it wasn’t until now that I had the privilege to capture some of the most beautiful fleeting moments of mom and baby together in a sunrise breastfeeding session.

When Alexandra first contacted me about this session, I was SO excited about the possibility. Even though I’m not a mom myself, I still know that breastfeeding is such an intimate and special experience. I really enjoyed getting to know Alexandra and her little family.  I can’t wait to share Dante’s one-year cake smash in the upcoming weeks!

Alexandra, thank you so much for entrusting me to capture such special moments for you. I hope I was able to help you treasure these moments for a lifetime to come!

 

Alexandra and Dante

I know, I know – My last travel update was for our trip to San Vito Lo Capo in August, but what can I say?  We have been crazy busy with our travels and photo sessions, but I’m finally sitting down and doin’ this thang!

When I saw a great deal on airfare for Paris over a four-day weekend, I knew we had to go! Paris is one of those iconic cities that I have dreamed of visiting since I was a kid. We had such a wonderful time there; it was every bit of a romantic weekend getaway that I thought it would be. Jordan and I also had the pleasure of meeting up with a friend I met at Longwood, Christelle. We had an amazing time wandering the city with her and her boyfriend JB. Too bad we didn’t have more time with them!

Our little weekend getaway happened to fall right after our five-day vacation to Munich for Oktoberfest, so needless to say, we were pretty tired. The day we returned home, I started feeling ill, which I thought was just because of all of the traveling. However, it turned out to be a nice bacterial infection that caused me to be bedridden for over a week. Luckily, I’m on some heavy-duty antibiotics and almost feeling back to normal.

Either way, we loved Paris and would definitely not hesitate to visit again!

Hotel

We stayed at Hotel Tourville , which was very close to the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to stay close to the iconic monument so we could easily walk there for sunrise. The hotel was really nice and even had a little free bar stocked with beers, waters, juices, and little finger food snacks. There are so many places to stay in Paris, it was definitely very hard to decide! Hotel Tourville did not have a direct view of the monument, but like I said, it was pretty close! I’d recommend it to a friend.

Day 1

We began our trip with an early sunrise trip to the Eiffel Tower. Luckily for us, sunrise was at 8AM, so we didn’t have to get up too early bird! I’d highly recommend going at this time. There were very few people there and it was a gorgeous sunrise over the tower and the city.

We also visited at night, since it was so close to our hotel.

After our sunrise visit to the Eiffel Tower, we enjoyed an amazing brunch at Kozy and then took the metro to Notre Dame Cathedral to start the rest of the day from there.

Needless to say, by the time we arrived around noon, it Notre Dame was PACKED. And, by packed, I mean the line wrapped around the block. I am not a line person, so we just took it in from the outside. If we return to Paris, we will prioritize this and go early 🙂

From there, we shopped at some little boutiques nearby, and then walked to the Louvre. As you probably already know, the Louvre is the world’s largest art museum and quite a historic part of Paris. Of course, I wanted to go in, but we opted not to because of timing and line. Next time, we will visit in the inside of the museum, but for this time, we just spent some time marveling at the outside and strolling though the nearby gardens.

We also met a sweet man who was offering Polaroids for 15€.  Of course, I personally sought him out for this service and I absolutely loved the shots he took!

After exploring around the Louvre, we walked to Champs-Élysées for some real shopping! Just kidding, I didn’t buy a single thing. But, I did marvel at all of the stores. At the end of the shopping area, is the Arc de Triomphe. The traffic surrounding it was incredibly busy, so we got a good look and proceeded on our way.

At this point, we were super exhausted and decided to grab some quick food and call it a night.

Day 2

On day two we got up super early and caught the train to the Palace of Versailles. We planned ahead and bought tickets online because I hate lines! After reading online that you should pre-purchase your ticket AND be there at 9am, when they open, we made sure not to be late.  However, it wasn’t enough and the line was still 1.5 hours. Since the Palace is a decent train ride away from the city center, we stayed and waited out the line. My error here was that I didn’t buy the most expensive ticket to reserve a time because I only wanted to see the Palace. If you plan to visit the Palace while you are in Paris, buy the expensive time reserved ticket. There is simply no other way to visit.

The inside of the Palace was BREATHTAKING and completely worth the wait (although, like I said, I would pay more next time to avoid it).

After our Palace visit, we stopped for crepes at a nearby crêperie (Le Blé Noir). They were amazing and we were SO FULL for our train ride back into the city.

Once we returned to the city, we met up with Christelle and JB! We met up at the National Academy of Music and after walking around for a bit, JB headed off to watch a soccer game and Christelle took us to see Sacré-Cœur, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris.

The city views of Paris from this hilltop church were stunning.

Before heading back for the night, Jordan and I went to check out Moulin Rouge. We considered seeing a show there, but time – and money (shows run ~$200/ticket).

Day 3

For our last day in Paris, we mainly stayed close to the hotel. I was starting to feel poorly, so we just took it easy. We visited the Dôme des Invalides and Tomb of Napoleon I at the Musée de l’Armée. This was one of the most interesting churches I’ve been in, as it held flags of those conquered and spoils of war. I’ve never visited any other church that was similar.

Overall, we had a wonderful stay in Paris, but three days simply were not enough.  For a return trip, I’ve love to visit the inside of the Louvre, Norte Dame, and the Catacombs (they are closed on Mondays). Use of the trains was extremely easy and affordable, although I’m told that buying passes in advance is a huge money saver. We just don’t ever plan ahead that far 🙂

If this post seems a bit different than those you’ve seen on my blog in the past, it’s because it is 🙂

I recently just put the finishing touches on a little boudoir studio and couldn’t wait to get someone in it!! I’ve known this person for a little while now and I was so excited to get her in front of my camera. I knew from the beginning I was just going to LOVE this shoot. She is fun, she is sassy, and she is seriously gorgeous! I am so honored to have been entrusted to capture such intimate photos for this friend.

I’ll just share a few of my personal favorites here with you and leave the rest to her.

 

MRS L

From the moment I met Ana, I knew her portrait session was going to be one of my favorites!  Ana is a senior at Sigonella High School here in Sicily.  For her senior portraits, Ana wanted her images to reflect living and graduating from a high school in Sicily (a girl after my own heart)! What better location than one of the most famous ceramic towns in all of Italy – the very Sicilian and UNESCO World Heritage town of Caltagirone!  Unlike Cefalù, I had previously explored Caltagirone once or twice before.  So, I knew exactly where I wanted to take Ana!

In preparation for her session, Ana told me that she wanted to look and feel like herself.  She also also warned me that she had no previous modeling experience.  I think you’ll find this hard to believe when you see her gorgeous photos!

Ana, I had so much fun running around Caltagirone with you! You are so kind and sweet, and I am SO honored you picked me to capture your senior portraits. I hope you love them!!

 

Ana’s Senior Portraits

You know when you meet someone and you can just tell that they are “my kind of people?” That’s exactly what happened when I first “met” Maddie and Justin (and I say “met” because our introduction was digital!)  Maddie and Justin started out as our “sponsor” family, which basically means they (Justin) were assigned to us (Jordan) to help in our transition from the US to Sicily.  From our first conversation, we had SO MUCH in common.  I knew I wanted to be real friends, not just sponsor/sponsorees and couldn’t wait to get over to Sicily to meet them in person.  I guess is was fate because I think it turned out to be the best “assigned” match one could make.  Now, I’d say we are all more than friends; they are our Sicilian family!

Maddie and Justin are such genuine people. They are adventurous, compassionate, considerate, and obviously incredibly good looking!  I can’t omit the fact that they are absolutely hilarious and soooo much fun to hang out with.  I honestly do not think I’ll love Sicily as much as I do without them around.  They are our travel buddies, our adventurous cuisine companions, and our best friends here in Sicily.  We will miss them so much!

With that being said, I have simultaneously been both looking forward to and dreading this post; looking forward to it because I’ve been dying to get these two in front of my camera ever since we met, and dreading it because it means they will soon be leaving the island and heading back to the US.  Serious tears here.

Before they head off on their next adventure, they trusted me to capture some images of the in their favorite place on the island, Cefalù.  As a bonus, we also traveled to the nearby town of Castelbuono for dinner and caught an absolutely amazing sunset!!

Maddie and Justin – thank you so much for your friendship. You are the coolest and the most fun people I’ve ever met, and we will miss you both so much!!

P.S. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the CRAZY, unedited Sicilian sunset shots.

 

Justin + Maddie

I was incredibly honored to have had the opportunity to capture these important career milestones for two Chief Petty Officers at the 2018 Sigonella Chief Petty Officer pinning ceremony.  Congratulations to Chief Kane, Chief Walther, and all of the other newly pinned Chiefs!

Sigonellea Chief Petty Officer Pinning | 2018

After our nice, relaxing, and rather cool (temperature-wise) trip to Ireland & London, we resumed our exploration of sizzling Sicily. Despite the fact that we live on an island, it still takes us four hours to drive to the west coast. Thus, we had never been before this trip! Our good friends, Justin and Maddie, suggested a late summer weekend road trip to San Vito Lo Capo and Erice, so of course we said yes!

 

San Vito Lo Capo

Our first stop was the cute little beach town of San Vito Lo Capo in northwestern Sicily.

 

Justin had kindly reserved a nice little boat cruise down the shore of San Vito and Zingaro Nature Reserve for the afternoon we arrived. However, once we had checked into our airbnb and sat down for lunch, the company called to cancel. We were determined to still go boating, so we ended up booking a very last minute cruise with another boat, which was much bigger than the one Justin had originally reserved.

 

The boat cruise was not as intimate, but was still fun. We basically just ended up all hanging out together, taking in the sights, and snapping a bunch of photos! At one point, we all almost got left behind, as they stopped to let us out for a swim and ended up leaving much sooner than they originally told us (45 minutes instead of 1 hour). Thanks to Maddie for swimming ahead and saving us! 😀

 

 

 

After the cruise, we had a lovely dinner, enjoyed a street festival and hit the hay.

 

 

The next morning, we stopped at a beach on the way out of town and enjoyed the general splendor before heading to Erice.

Erice

Erice is a mountain top town that is located on top of, you guessed it, Mount Erice. The city overlooks Trapani and contains two castles: Pepoli Castle and Venus Castle. Pepoli Castle dates back to the Middle Ages, and Venus Castle the Norman period. Venus Castle was also built on top of the temple of Venus.

The drive up to the top was exciting and beautiful!

 

 

Once we arrived and found parking, we walked to the castles and explored the town a bit before grabbing lunch.

 

 

We stopped for lunch at La Tonda Fritta, which is an arancino restaurant. You might be wondering what an “arancino” is. Arancini are delicious fried rice balls with amazing fillings. We each selected two flavors and devoured them over by the local church.

 

 

After lunch, we wandered around a bit more before heading back to the car and making the four hour journey back home.

The trip was so much fun and the both towns were serious gems! Thanks, Maddie and Justin for vacationing with us! And, thanks Jordan for the amazing drone shots!