You may remember Karen and Nate from their engagement session here and here. They had so much fun with their session they decided to do another one with Nate’s daughter Lizzie. They wanted to do something different from their vintage styled engagement session and do bright colors with a more relaxed atmosphere. They chose Hannah park for it’s variety of landscapes. We started at the beach and then ended at the lake just before sunset. We always have a good time with these guys and can’t wait for their wedding this fall!

Technorati Tags: family photography, family portraits, Hannah Park Photography, hayes photography, Jacksonville family photographer, jacksonville photographers

When we arrived at Vilano Beach we didn’t have much time left before we lost the light so we went to work! We love the rocks and the soft light in these photos as well as some fun props. I found an enamelware mailbox at an antique store which went perfectly with reproduction royal mail envelopes. Once Mike is deployed I’m sure they will be corresponding often. We also threw in a mini book about “sweet nothings,” a red lantern and a metal sailboat as a subtle reference to their backgrounds in the Navy.

Technorati Tags: hayes photography, St. Augustine engagement portraits, St. Augustine photographer, St. Augustine wedding photographer

Katie contacted us wanting to schedule an engagement session as soon as possible because her fiance Mike, was getting ready to go off to training and eventual deployment for the US Navy. They are getting married in 2012 in Pennsylvania and we are so happy they chose us for their session. We used light props this time due to the time constraints and used a bit of a travel or “Bon Voyage” theme. They knew they wanted to do the session in St. Augustine because  they shared a really nice day there once when they were dating. We started out at Flagler college to avoid the evening rush on St. George Street. There are so many great spots at Flagler College, we could have shot for several hours. We then headed to Vilano Beach for some sunset shots. Those are coming up next in part II!

Technorati Tags: hayes photography, St. Augustine engagement portraits, St. Augustine photographer, St. Augustine Portrait Photographer, vintage engagement

You may remember Kyndra and Derek from their movie themed engagement session here. They had a beautiful winter wedding at the always gorgeous Palm Valley Gardens in Ponte Vedra. Kyndra’s pretty A-Line dress was from the Avenues Bridal Shop and the yummy food was catered by Matthews. Lastly, the cake was crazy delicious and tasted as good as it looked (love all the crystal embellishments!) Check out their preview below.

Technorati Tags: hayes photography, Jacksonville wedding photographers, Kyndra and Derek, palm valley gardens, ponte vedra wedding photography, Reception Photography

For the second half of the shoot it was polka dot perfection with Barbe in a lady like outfit with ribbon trimmed fedora and a polka dot halter dress. We finished up the shoot with a leisurely stroll around the Kingsley Plantation before heading to get some breakfast together. Their wedding will take place this March at the Mayport Navy base but Andy and I will get to be in a wedding for a change, so it will be up to someone else to capture all the fun of their day. Okay, so maybe I’ll have to sneak a few pics with my camera  . . . I’ll try not to get in the photographer’s way. Haha. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Engagement Portraits, engagement session, Florida engagement portraits, hayes photography, Jacksonville engagement, Kingsley plantation, timucuan reserve photography, Wedding Photography, wedding photography Jacksonville

I was hoping to do this in two parts, but there were so many photos I liked that there will need to be a part III. If you haven’t seen the proposal, scroll down to Part I. To represent the Prince Charming and Ladybug theme we brought in cupcakes with a ladybug and a crown on top. The gold crown matched Tony’s gold tie and Barbie’s ladybug accessories (ring, ladybug flower on her hat) matched her ladybug cupcake. We also brought a homemade sign, fresh flowers, and a little bubbly to help things stay loose. Stay tuned for part three when Barbie turns into a ladylike ladybug.

Technorati Tags: antique engagement photography, hayes photography, jacksonville photographer, jacksonville photographers, wedding photographers jacksonville

Andy’s best friend Tony enlisted our help when he decided to propose to his girlfriend Barbie. We hatched a plan to invite them to “model” for us, then during the session set up a pose with Barbie’s back to him (so Andy could slip him the ring), and then capture the reaction on camera. To keep up the “model shoot” ruse we set Barbie up with new clothes and accessories, a woodsy location at the Timuquan Preserve and Kingsley Plantation, and styled it with a vintage picknick motif.  To further personalize what would become their engagement session, we were inspired by their pet names for each other: Prince Charming and Ladybug. The details were kept secret until the question was popped, tears were shed, and laughter was had. Stay tuned for all of the fun details of their engagement session in part II. For now, enjoy this sweet proposal . . .

Technorati Tags: engagement session, hayes photography, jacksonville engagement photographer, surprise engagement, timuquan preserve, vintage engagement, vintage photography, vintage picknick, wedding photography Ja, woodsy location

As a photographer, I spend all of my time behind the camera and not in front of it. While like most women I am particular about myself in photos, I think it is good to get on the other side of the lens once in a while. It allows a photographer to stay connected to what it’s like for clients and how to communicate with them in order to get the desired outcome. During one of our off Saturdays, Andy and I decided to go do a personal shoot with more of a stylized look just for fun. A friend and client of ours allowed us to shoot on her Grandmother’s property and we had to make ourselves stop, there are so many photo possibilities out there! I hope you enjoy these photos Andy took of me (just remember, I am definitely not a model so be kind

Technorati Tags: fashion photography, fashion portraits, hayes photography, jacksonville photographers, portraits jacksonville, vintage photography

For Grant’s 8 year photos, we headed up to Amelia Island for a beach shoot. For little boy portraits, I like to direct them to pose like little men. In other words, they don’t have to be super smiley. I also like to let them start to play so their personality comes out. Sometimes it works well to have them make a mad “model” face, then they can only hold it so long without bursting out laughing. I love the brooding ones.

Technorati Tags: amelia island, Children's portraits, family portraits, hayes photography, Jacksonville family photographer

I’m excited to say that we’re featured today on the Weddings Unveiled blog! Weddings Unveiled is geared completely to the Southern Bride so I love to see what goodness they have on their blog each day and what other Southern couples and photographers are doing. They did a wonderful write-up of Allie and David’s wedding and I love how they put the images together. Thanks Kristin! If you would like to see the feature click here. To see their full wedding preview on our blog you can find it here. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: hayes photography, jacksonville wedding, Jacksonville wedding photographers, Press, Published, Weddings Unveiled