Jamaica or bust!

What in the world is Scarlett Lillian suddenly doing in Jamaica?

(And here’s a hint, she’s not shooting a wedding.)

a. Enjoying her honeymoon after a shotgun wedding with her soulmate she met last week.
b. Documenting a honeymoon for another couple.
c. Taking a much needed vacation.
d. Attending a destination photography workshop.
e. Taking photos of a V.I.P. celebrity for an upcoming cool project.
f. Doing a Trash the Dress session on the island.

Leave a comment with your guess! And those that know already, don't give it away!

So to clients and friends here on the blog, I will be out of town this entire week and will respond to email when I am back at my desk next week.

And to those I'm running against in the Nike challenge, due to this last minute trip, I'm bummed that you guys will have a 5-day head start on me since I obviously won't be able to start my runs this week like originally planned. But when I get back, I plan to go into overdrive, so watch your backs! And Biscuitman, whoever you are, stop running 10 miles a day! I'd like to participate before you win it all! wink wink

I hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Let's chat one-on-one!

Everyday I get flooded with emails from so many wonderful photographers asking all the similar questions that I had in the beginning of my photography career. I love to help publicly for everyone's benefit through things like this Q&A video blog, but without neglecting my brides, sometimes it's hard for me to keep up with all the emails and give you the personal attention that you deserve!

But now there is a great way you can get my undivided one-on-one attention in a special mentorship program through Photographik.org, the Elite Photographer's Network.

I have been asked amongst some of the best in the business to serve as an Expert in helping the Photographik members through personal telephone consultations and portfolio reviews. I so excited at this opportunity to give my knowledge and help you out more personally! So if you would like to connect with me one-on-one and pick my brain further, definitely check this opportunity out! While being listed in the photographer's directory is exclusively chosen by Photographik, general membership to the website is available to all photographers! It's a great way to network with other photographers, chat and learn from their message boards, and participate in the Expert program with me!

I look forward to getting to know you soon!

Happy Birthday to me... again!

Ok, so I promise I'm not like Paris Hilton who always seems to celebrate her birthday 3 or 4 times at different locations. But with my first birthday party being so close to Christmas, a few of my girlfriends, Kacy and Darice, were unable to make it to my party the first time because they were out of town for the holidays. So the gals were so sweet to offer to take me out for a belated birthday celebration! Darice is another fabulous photographer here in Jacksonville, and Kacy is a very talented make-up artist! We started the night out by Kacy doing my make up so I could show my brides here why you should hire her! If you are looking for an awesome make-up artist, email Kacy at face.ks@gmail.com. And of course, thanks to Darice for taking all the fun getting ready pics.





Rhett always has to be in the middle of everything! But that's why I love him!








This is always my favorite shot to do with brides, what I call the "eye lash" shot. Gotta love fake eye lashes for moments like this!


Kacy and I doing some supermodel faces!


Single and fabulous!


Here's some fun ones from our point and shoots:




My birthday "carrot" cake.


I thought this was cute. The bill was placed in this envelope.


But this was the real damage. I totally broke my water glass! I'm hoping that's good luck to break glass on your birthday. Eek.


Girls nights out rock!

Have you seen Cashmere Mafia yet?

"They have ivy league educations. They were CEOs by the time they were 30.
And they do it all.... in 5-inch heels."

Cashmere Mafia has become my new favorite show! It's like Sex and the City, with stellar fashion sense, but this time, in addition to tackling relationships, the four women friends are also tackling the NYC corporate world. I love how the show gives permission for women to be successful and powerful, and not have to apologize to men for it. As an entrepreneur business woman myself, I can appreciate this struggle. Lucy Lui is my favorite character. She's sensitive, yet a strong powerhouse, all at the same time.

Here's a fun preview of the show. It comes on ABC on Wednesday nights at 10pm. Or you can watch full episodes online anytime at abc.com.

I've got new shoes on.

Ok, I don't literally have new shoes on....

.....Though my latest favorite new-ish shoes are these cute black and silver sparkly ones from Target. I adore them and even though they go best with little black dresses, I still wear them to places as casual as the grocery store to keep a little sparkle in my step. Anyways, I'm digressing.

My new favorite song is "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini. I think it's been out for a while, but randomly I heard it the other day and instantly downloaded it. Now, I listen to it when I'm running, I listen to it when I'm working, I listen to it when I'm getting ready and I've even been guilty of annoying my neighbors on the other side of the wall in my condo by cranking up my iTunes just so I can dance around my living room to the song.

There is something about the analogy of new shoes that is so symbolic in my life right now. I may not literally have new shoes on, but since my breakthrough moment on Monday, God has blessed me sooooo much this week beyond description with what feels like 40,000 new shoes and that joy that usually comes from retail therapy. Except this time, my credit card didn't take a hurting from any retail therapy, and instead my heart is simply full and loving life all over again.

Anyways, just had to the share the video. And wow, turns out the singer is very yummy to look at too!





And speaking of shoes, let's put on our running shoes! Below is the Nike challenge I've started and I would love to race you! The first person to run 50 miles will get a $200 gift certificate to Amazon.com!



And according to how many people sign up, the losers have to contribute to the pot. So the more people that join, the less you will have to contribute, so invite your friends too! And if you don't want to contribute, please don't sign up. This is for serious runners only who aren't sore losers.

So if you are a photographer, just think, $200 could go toward that amazing new lens you want on Amazon (that's where I buy all my camera gear!). Or if you are a bride, it could go toward your own wedding shoes. Or if you are a friend and random blog reader, buy yourself a bunch of new books or DVDs with the winnings! But before you can spoil yourself, you must first take care of yourself and get out there running!

I look forward to kicking all of your butts!! wink wink

In order to give people a chance to sign up and go get their Nike/iPod goods this weekend, the race will start Monday, January 28. But you can also join the race at anytime during it, so it's never too late to catch up. You can click on the thing-a-ma-jig below to sign up, or if you have problems signing up, email me your email address and I can invite you personally to it!



I'm also going to post the Nike thing-a-ma-jig at the top of my blog for when this entry gets pushed to the arvhives. And totally feel free to grab the HTML code from the Nike site to embed the race on your own blog! This is going to be fun!

So, "New Shoes" is obviously my new Power Song on the Nike/iPod dealio. Tell me, what is YOUR power song?

The best compliment of all.

I am always so touched to hear why brides select me as their wedding photographer. Here is a sweet email I got this morning from a bride whose wedding I will be shooting at the gorgeous Jekyll Club in the fall.

"Scarlett,
I am so excited to finally have made my decision and if you'll still have me, I would love for you to do the photography at my wedding!  My budget was low for someone of your caliber but I just don't like anyone else as much.  Your photographs are ... beautiful.... they make you feel something... they make you see a story.  Soooo I printed off the contract and will sign it and put it in the mail today!
 
Looking forward to working with you!"

I am also excited because she is using diva-licious wedding planner Terrica of Fabu-LUXE Events, who I adore. It's always a pleasure working with her, and if you need a fab coordinator for your day, I totally recommend her!

Congratulations Krisha & Rob!

What a treat it was to get to fly down to the beautiful island of Dominican Republic to shoot the wedding for Krisha and Rob with my good friend Katie Thurmes. Krisha and Rob share such a sweet fun love that against the gorgeous ocean and sand, radiated that much more. Their engagement session was a lot of fun to shoot around the Dreams Punta Cana resort, but I truly enjoyed every detail of their wedding day and the affection they celebrated in becoming man and wife. I got teary eyed several times just watching how much Rob truly adored his new bride. They were both a great reminder that true love is worth the wait.

It was so hard to pick favorites, so here are a ton of photos below. I couldn't get enough of the golden Dominican sunset and juicy colors around the resort. Enjoy!




Any man that admits to wearing "pink" is a real man. No, seriously, Pink is a high-end name brand in London, where Rob is from.


The hot groom, Rob.


Toasting to the boys!




Krisha's gorgeous dress. I loved the green accents!


The beautiful bride, Krisha.








My favorite shot of Krisha!








Krisha walking down the aisle with mom and dad while smiling at Rob. I love how excited she is to be walking toward her soon to be husband.




The cool rotunda the ceremony was held in. In the foreground is Krisha's dad and Rob's mom looking on.
















Talk about timing before their announcement got washed away and Krisha's dress got soaked!


















Their gorgeous backdrop for the reception!


I loved how their cake had a seashell opening on the top!




My favorite shot of the day!


I'm always a sucker for Father/Daughter shots.


I've noticed Bon Jovi's "Living On a Prayer" always does this to wedding guests.




What I love about this shot is that in the background on the righthand side, that is Krisha's dad holding her mom so sweetly.I just think this shot is so beautiful representing the two generations of love.