Two days after Thanksgiving I did a photo shoot at the Don Cesar for my customer I refer to as Triple J. Mom, Dad and Baby J arrived at 8am on a pretty cool morning considering it was November. The sky was overcast, the wind was blowing pretty hard and the surf was definitely up!
I took some great shots of Baby J in her red Christmas outfit amongst the sand dunes and sea oats. I always plan a lot of time so that the baby can take a break from being the star for a few minutes.
We followed that with a walk down to the water that was crashing on to St. Pete beach just behind the Don Cesar. Pictures with Baby J and her picnic basket turned out beautiful! It took her a minute or two to adjust as she isn’t quite walking yet. Once she was ready, so was I. Grabbed 40+ shots and just before she started to cry we were wrapping that shoot up.
Next were some family pics with J, J and baby J. Like the others they turned out beautiful!
We finished with some pictures in the Don Cesar with Santa Claus and the Christmas decorations.
I will post some pictures in the next day or two.
Posted 3 months ago at 8:08 pm. Add a comment
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Posted 3 months ago at 7:02 am. Add a comment
I’ve photographed weddings throughout Florida and beyond but somehow one of my favorite locations is always nice to come back to for another wedding client.
This day brought me back to be the photographer for a wedding at the Terrace Hotel in Lakeland, Florida just across the street from Lake Mirror.
The location is simple enough, small hillside, nice seating area for guests, and a lake. But if you have been here before and really taken the time to scout the location you would find that the best bridal shots in Lakeland are taken at dusk on the lake.
So, needless to say I took the now happily married couple down to the lake just after shooting the ceremony and the formal pictures following the wedding. With some quick lighting to setup I was ready to shoot in under 5 minutes. I posed them, checked my lighting and fired off about 30 pictures. They all came out beautiful and I am really excited about showing the newlyweds these great pictures.
As for the Terrace Hotel, it was a great reception but for the 2nd or 3rd time running, their staff was less than accommodating, a little rude and overall just not fun to work with. I left a message for a wedding coordinator there following the wedding but never heard back.
So, great location for pictures but as for the Terrace Hotel, I’d think twice before having my reception there.
Posted 3 months ago at 8:09 pm. Add a comment
This past weekend was busier than most. I was glad to see the wedding of Sarah and Jake at St Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Lakewood Ranch. Jessica Adkins was the head photographer on Saturday and I was her assistant. The guys had a great time as I tried to get some great action shots of them. I think they enjoyed the paparazzi treatment too! The wedding ceremony was followed by a great dinner at Mattison’s Riverside. This wedding reception venue is one of my favorites in the area. This time I impressed even myself with my ability to get some great shots out by the waterside. As the air was getting thicker by the minute from the humidity we had to cut things short and get in some nice AC! Things wound down around 10pm and I think everyone had a wonderful time. Congratulations Sarah and Jake!
The next wedding was at Siesta Key on Sunday. All I can say on that one is WoWW! Congratulations on your marriage Mark & Cassidy! A destination wedding dream come true for this couple. They came down with a whole group of people from Chicago and New York for this great beach wedding at sunset on Siesta Key.
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago at 7:01 pm. Add a comment
Ok, so I wake up in the morning and take my kids to school. As I am leaving I look up in the sky and notice these odd looking circles in the sky. All perfectly formed with a little whisp of clouds right in the middle. I counted 3 of them. Driving a little down the road for a better look (and chance to take a picture) I found a great shot. I took a few and then wondered what they were. I headed south and had to stop on the side of a bridge to get a few more shots. Then I went and stopped at a pull-off just north of the Skyway Bridge. By now I could count 5 of these odd looking “holes”. After getting to the office I looked them up on the internet and found that they are known as “hole clouds”. A rare thing to see, let alone seeing 4 o4 5 of them in a row. My pictures turned out great and I was amazed. That’s what happens when you combine a great photographer with the master of design. Mother nature creates things that you just can’t make in Photoshop.
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 2:12 pm. Add a comment
Few places in Florida rival the white sands just beyond the Tradewinds Resort Hotel on St. Pete Beach in Florida. These precious sands are all too familiar to Tim Macking a local wedding photographer.
I caught up with Tim this past week to ask him what he thought of beach weddings, wedding photography and the St. Pete beach area for destination weddings. ”People travel from all over the US and abroad to come to our beautiful beaches” he says and what on earth for you ask? ”Destination weddings seem to be in abundance these days, people travel here to have their wedding on our beaches and it just so happens that St. Pete Beach is one of the beaches of choice for couples who want to get married on the beach” Tim says.
While the beautiful beaches and white sands attract people from all over, isn’t it expensive? ”When you’re travelling here from Boston for a wedding you aren’t concerned if your wedding photographer costs $1000.00, and if the cost per plate is $75″ he said. Capturing the first kiss at sunset on the beach behind the Tradewinds Resort hotel or the Don Cesar is a once in a lifetime event for many couples. Or at least that’s what we hope.
There are numerous other hotels in the area but only a few have the facilities necesary to host a wedding party for the destination wedding dream that many brides and grooms have these days.
See you on the beach…
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 9:43 pm. 1 comment
Tomorrow morning I’m doing a photo shoot on Pass-A-Grille beach almost next to the Don Cesar Hotel. Weather permitting we’ll be all setup by 7am and taking pictures shortly thereafter. After speaking with the wedding planner a few minutes ago they confirmed that everything is all set.
So who in the world wants to be up at 7am in the morning you’d ask? Leave it up to the NFL to come in to Tampa, have someone get engaged want to get a photo shoot done, have the pictures ready before they play in the Super Bowl this weekend! Ok, that’s incredible isn’t it. But it’s no problem, I have lots of time and nothing to do. Yeah right…
If it weren’t for the fact that I will be doing the wedding photography when they get married at the Don Cesar later this year, I wouldn’t have taken this photo gig. I’m not able to give more details about time and date of the wedding but the engagement pictures from the beach will be posted online provided I get the photo release signed.
Ok, back to work…
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 8:47 pm. Add a comment
SIESTA KEY
What I love about Siesta Key is the youthful spirit that is drawn to the glassine waters and quartz-crystal white sands, which have been ranked as the “finest, whitest sand beach in the world.” Of course Siesta Beach is energized, always plenty of Frisbee throwing, volleyball, jogging, tennis, biking, and picnicking. Best of all, though, is giving way to afternoon “siestas” in the sun, either swaying on floats atop gentle waves or on shore near the waterline as the small waves crest. Just a short walk away is Siesta Village, a spirited medley of the many different sides of Sarasota, from candlelight dining to beach boutiques and cool daiquiris outside.
If you are thinking of the Siesta Key area for your upcoming destination wedding, stop thinking and start booking! With renowned Siesta Key Photographer Tim Macking and the services of Suncoast Wedding Planner to plan your upcoming destination wedding on the beach. Each year countless couples come to Sarasota and Siesta Key to tie the knot in the sand. Each weekend you can look up and down the sandy beaches and usually capture the bride walking down the palm lined aisle or maybe even the first kiss. Of course the best destination wedding photography takes place at sunset, so when planning your wedding try to work it into the sunset so you can have some great pictures of your memorable wedding on the beach.
Siesta Key - Sarasota, Florida… It’s a beautiful beach and great for weddings!
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:55 pm. 1 comment
There is something special to be said for the client that calls you on Monday to see if you are availalbe for a destination beach wedding on Friday. That is exactly what happened this week.
While many photographers refuse such jobs due to the lack of notice and last minute planning, I am of a differnent breed in photography and photojournalism. You can call me the day of your wedding and if I am available I will do anything I can to provide you with wedding photography services.
Sure, I understand the other photographers who don’t take last minute jobs. For me though it’s no problem for me to prepare what I need within a matter of a few hours. I just need the time to charge the batteries if they aren’t charged and that’s about it. Perhaps I’m a little bit crazy or maybe I’m just the person who doesn’t mind chasing business and who will run the extra distance (literally once) to get things going in the right direction.
I am a professional photojournalist, I deliver results, you pay me for my time and we’re all happy.
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 11:16 pm. Add a comment
What now, I
Sunday was a lot of fun, I got together with another photographer and we setup a great lighting situation at a park in St. Petersburg. We spent about an hour or so getting the lighting good and then called for the babies. Dillon was a lot of fun, at just 2 months old he seemed to know what being a star was all about. We were able to get some really great shots in just 20 minutes or so. Then we added 2 more babies into the mix and within minutes they were all ready to be finished. We finished up with some group portraits, some mom and me pictures and then called it a day. I just looked at the pictures this morning, wow! For a few hours work and about 200 pictures I got at least 10% that were excellent in every way. Another photo success! 1st lesson in babyography - easy on the light, shoot for 20 seconds then grab a bottle!
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago at 4:12 pm. Add a comment
