Jacksonville, FL Family Photographer {Smith Family | Sunrise at the Beach}

When this momma contacted me to book her session, she said the words sunrise and I immediately was like “ummm” because if you know me, you know that mornings are not my thing. I much prefer to sleep the day away and stay up all night. However, once we talked and she explained that her sweet little twins preferred the mornings and she really wanted to get some great canvas images, I understood and happily scheduled her session.
The day dawned, well, not really yet, and I headed to the beach. Y’all, it was still pitch black out. I had a minor panic attack moment that maybe the sun wouldn’t come up and we’d be taking photos in the dark, but then calmed as I pulled up to the beach and saw the very first rays peeking over the horizon.

And y’all, this session is now one of my all time favorites. We got SO much variety. We got the very earliest of light all the way to full sunlight. We went from sweet soft pastels, to bright vivid colors, and I am just in love with this gallery. We spent the morning laughing and playing (and maybe a little yawning on my part.) Since we weren’t on a deadline with the sun going down we even got to take a good break so the twins could warm up and relax a bit more.

I hope you enjoy looking at their gallery as much as I did shooting it. If you would like to book a session with a Jacksonville, FL Family Photographer I hope you keep me in mind! Amanda.dennette@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Jacksonville, FL Baby Photographer {David | 1 Year}

I have been so honored to watch this little guy grow. Mr. David is such a handsome little guy and I love photographing him.

For this 1 year session, we met up at their home for some cozy family shots and shots of the birthday boy. His big sisters were so adorable and oh you can see how much they love him. They couldn’t stop hugging him and kissing him. Its safe to say this boy is loved by his family.

We started with just a few shots of the birthday boy. Then we moved to more family oriented images, making sure to get some adorable sibling only shots.

Happy birthday, little man! You are so loved!

To book your Jacksonville, FL Baby Photographer please message me at Amanda.dennette@gmail.com

Jacksonville, FL Photographer {What to Wear- Holiday Sessions}

I get a lot of questions regarding what kind of suggestions I would give for clothing options for different sessions, so I decided that it might be time to do a what to wear blog post with different ideas. When choosing your outfits, I always suggest coordinating, but NOT matching. Coordinating colors and patterns give the most pleasing look in images. It also ensures that each individual can stand out with their own sense of style. When matching outfits are used, everyone blends together. While that can be a look some desire, most of my clients prefer to coordinate instead of matching so everyone is comfortable in their own style.

I usually suggest starting with one person’s outfit, and then building from there. For example, you have a super cute dress for your toddler daughter that you want her to wear. Start with that, and then pull elements of her outfit into mom, dad, and siblings clothing options. Maybe there is a hint of yellow in the dress, so mom can wear some yellow jewelry, or even a yellow scarf.

Another thing I love in images in TEXTURE. I love a great textured sweater, or dress. Textures look great in images. Whether its a classic cardigan sweater, or a lace dress, or a fuzzy shirt, I love them all.

One more idea to keep in mind is layering. Layering not only creates a texture look, but it can also create several different looks to your images if you remove or add different layering options. Layering options can be a jean jacket, a scarf, an overshirt, etc. Layers are super awesome in photos!

To help with different ideas I put together several ideas for coordinating outfits for families so you can have a visual guide. Please keep in mind, these are only to give you ideas. Take them and then have fun creating your own outfits to suit your personal style! Feel free to pin them to pinterest if you’d like so you have a quick reference guide.

I love the idea of a neutral base, with a fun pop of color. I chose aqua here, but you can chose any color you prefer!

You can’t go wrong with a classic holiday look for Christmas photos. I love the pairing of the red and cream here.

I’m a big fan of coral and seafoam green so I paired the two and came up with this super cute and fun family idea.

Another color that looks amazing in photos, is green. You really can’t go wrong with it. I chose to use the green as more of a pop color and put it with creams and browns to really make the green pop.

I love this look as well. Its neutral, but still has enough texture and pizazz to be interesting. I am a big neutral fan, so this is one of my favorite looks.

I love yellow! Its a new favorite color of mine to photograph. I really love the look of a butter yellow and love the way a mustard photographs. Its just so HAPPY. I like it paired with denim, but it could do with brown, navy, or even a cream and still be beautiful!

I’m also including just a couple ideas for my twinkle minis coming up.

I love holiday pjs with twinkle minis. I prefer the look of pjs with patterns instead of ones with characters. Remember, however, these are your images and should reflect your style!

Another option for twinkles is to embrace the gold and really dress your little one up. I love the look of gold on gold with the twinkle background. Very tasteful and classic.

Remember, if you ever have any questions on what your family should wear, or if you just want my opinion on your choices, feel free to email me Amanda.dennette@Gmail.com That’s what I’m here for. I want you to have the best photographic experience with me.

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Jacksonville, FL Maternity Photographer {Arin | Bump}

I met this gorgeous mom a year ago at a mini session and we became fast friends. When she messaged me several months ago that she was expecting their third child I was ecstatic. We quickly started planning her bump to baby session. The date quickly approached and we scheduled for a gorgeous evening to do maternity and family shots. I like to include family in on my maternity session, since its not just mom expecting, but the entire family.
We met up at one of my favorite little preserves here in Arlington and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful evening. It was cooler than usual and the sky was glowing almost as much as Arin was. We started with some family shots, and then moved in to more couple maternity and individual. Arin also donned my gorgeous maternity gown for a few ethereal images in the forest. She was such a trooper!

I hope you enjoy these images and if you are looking for a Jacksonville, FL Maternity photographer I hope you choose me!

Amanda.dennette@gmail.com

Jacksonville, FL Military Photographer | {A special homecoming}

I absolutely love when everything aligns just right, and I’m able to schedule a homecoming. This one was a first for me. I’ve shot countless ship homecomings, but have never shot a plane coming home. I was so excited when my client told me that it was a plane.

There just are usually no words to describe a homecoming unless you’ve been there. The emotions are all so high, and everyone is simultaneously excited, nervous, and happy. More like elated. This one was no different. Mom and her sweet babies were on cloud nine waiting on their hero to come home from a 7 and a 1/2 month deployment. He was bringing with him the amazing planes that would be retired on their arrival home. So many families lined the runway just waiting. It was just amazing.

I’ll just let the photos do the talking.

Jacksonville, FL Military Photographer
Amanda.dennette@gmail.com