​It was a pleasure to be Amy and Tim's photographers and harpist on their big day. They took their vows at one of our favorite venue:  Cross Creek Ranch in Dover, FL! It was refreshing to photograph another wedding at Cross Creek Ranch, as it is such a fantastic place to create such beautiful memories. 

We started the morning at the Residence Inn Tampa where Amy got ready with her bridesmaids. It's always fun hearing their stories and capturing these moments. Once done, we left to Cross Creek Ranch. 

Amy and Tim had a very lovely ceremony at Cross Creek Ranch's French Country Inn - a beautiful lush outdoor garden venue for smaller weddings. Kristen delighted the guests as they arrived with the harp, as well as playing wedding songs for the ceremony.  As always, I kept hearing guests talking about how beautiful it sounded!

There was a lot of merrymaking at the reception. So we waited for the perfect timing to photograph as many moments as we could.  Amy and Tim had a fantastic wedding and we won't forget this one in a long time.  Thank you for letting us be a part of your celebration!

Take a look at the highlight video above and some additional photos below.  If you are looking for a wedding photographer and harpist at Cross Creek Ranch, or anywhere in Tampa Bay, contact us!  We want to be a part of your wedding!

​We had the honor to photograph Kera and Philip's wedding celebration a few weeks ago at The Great Escape Lakeside in Groveland. We were super excited with photographing at The Great Escape Lakeside Estate as it's a very well known location due to the amazing fun gaming amenities it includes.  Kera and Philip wanted to have a different setting for their family wedding and choosing The Great Escape couldn't have been more perfect!

Kera and Philip cemented their union in front of their close friends and family members in a very lovely ceremony outdoors by Lake Wash.  After the ceremony, we gather everyone for a very cool heart photo with the couple in the middle.  

Kera and Philip spent the wedding reception dancing and mingling with their guests. The atmosphere at the reception was super fun and perfect for entertaining the guests. We enjoyed drifting among the guests to take the best shots and witness the stories unfold as the hours went by. 

This wedding was a lot of fun and EXTREMELY memorable.  We love that they decided to make it different and have fun. All in all we had a blast at Kera and Philip's wedding!  

Take a peek at the slideshow video above and at some photos below.  Also, make sure to read Kera and Philip's WeddingWire review that they left us.  It was so heartfelt that we made a post about it separately! 

If you are looking for awesome wedding photographers in Tampa, Lakeland, Sarasota, Bradenton, or all of Central Florida area, contact us!  We would love to be a part of your wedding day! :) 

We recently photographed a wedding for Kera & Philip at The Great Escape Lakeside in Groveland, Florida.  We are getting ready to blog more about it, but with having weddings back to back to back, it will take a little longer to post a blog.  BUT, we were humbled and just floored by the touching and amazing WeddingWire review we just received by Kera & Philip!  For real, it made our day, week, month, maybe year.  Take a moment to read it below:

Kera & Philip...THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts.  This means so much to us since we work very heard for all of our couples and do it with passion.  As we mention in our website, we treat each couple's wedding as if it was our own and try to provide the best customer experience and artistry.  I'm glad to have been chosen to be a part of your wedding day and can't wait to meet up again for more captures of your beautiful family. 

Stay tuned for more photos of Kera & Philip's wedding soon on our blog!  

If you are looking for a wedding photographer or harpist in the Tampa Bay area, contact us!  We want to be a part of your wedding day. :) 

Jose & Kristen
​Photo Harp Weddings

When Victoria and Arley reached out to us about their engagement session, we initially planned on downtown Plant City, Florida as the central location for the portraits.  But the closer we got to the day of the photos, Victoria and Arley came up with a fun way to make this session memorable...by revisiting and capturing moments that mean a lot in their relationship!  With that said, as soon as I captured the image above, everything turned interesting for the rest of the session!  Here's how it went. 

FIRST: Arley, took off his pants, and revealed the speedos he was wearing underneath.  Why speedos?  Well, you see, when they first met at a wedding, he was also wearing speedos and that was part of their ice breaker conversation that got them interested in each other!  

THEN, we set on a short walk and sat at a bench in beautiful downtown Plant City.  There Victoria and Arley enjoyed reading a book as they both like to do, with Arley's briefcase as a reminder of the love for reading and travel they like to do!  Make sure to zoom into the book's title :) 

WE walked over to capture a photo in front of the Heart of Plant City mural.  Plant City is the city they love and live.  As a matter of fact, they both have deep roots here where they serve the community in many different ways.  One of them is via social media, where Victoria manages the awesome Instagram account of igersplantcity.  There she shares the love and beauty of Plant City.  Make sure to follow! 

VISITING local Plant City bars is something they love to do, so we set on a quick trip to Strawberry Patch Lounge & Package. There was one of the first dates they had, where Victoria used to sing karaoke to show her singing skills...or try to anyway lol Regardless, her charm or singing worked since they are still together after these years! We recreated some of these scenes on our engagement photo session adventure. 

HAMBURGERS. They love burgers, specifically the ones from Checkers in Plant City. They love it so much that they actually made burgers a part of the engagement when they both asked each other for marriage.  With that in mind, we did a quick stop to recreate that moment as they savored the delicious and juicy burger from Checkers!  Notice the golden strawberry?  

On our last stop, we went to one of Plant City's jewels...Metals & Nature.  Metals and Nature is owned by Arley's family and it's a beautiful garden and store adorned with statues, metal art, roaming peacocks, and much more.  It's truly a dream to visit!  There we took a few more photos, speedos and all, where we finished up with a coronation by an unique hat they got from visiting the country of Myanmar.  They love to travel and visit places, so what a better way to capture this than the crowning using the hat made out of buffalo teeth and bones!  How cool is that!  

For real, at this point, I had NO IDEA this session was going to finish up like this.  EPIC!!!!!!

BUT, just as we finished up, we saw the sunset and we just couldn't leave without a few more pics in the grassy field next to Metals & Nature - on the side of Highway 60!   Yeah, these images look like we were on some rolling hills in the country, but nope - cars and trucks were honking at us lol.  We then ended on the dirt road as we came to an end to an amazing, fun, exciting, interesting, and memorable engagement photo session!​

I'm more than humbled and thankful for the opportunity to capture these for Victoria & Arley, and I can't wait for their wedding day!  THANK YOU!

If you are looking for an engagement or wedding photographer in Plant City, Lakeland, or all of Tampa Bay area, contact us!  We want to be a part of your wedding! :) 

When Kaitlyn and Max reached out to us about their engagement session, they wanted to have a nature theme for their engagement photos.  With that in mind, we thought that Edward Medard Conservation Park in Plant City would be the perfect choice for them!

Here are our three top reasons we love Edward Medard Conservation Park in Plant City for engagement photo sessions:

1.  The roots - this park has an incredible number of trees with the roots coming out of at the bottom creating such a mystical location for some epic and unique photographs! 

2.  The ferns - adding to the mystical look, is a sea of ferns located by the trees that adds another option for beautiful backdrops in your pictures!

3.  The sun - the sunsets are to dream of!  Because of the large trees, there's beautiful light all through the park, making it super photographer friendly!

Kaitlyn & Max's engagement photo session at Edward Medard Conservation Park in Plant City was truly magical!  We had an amazing time exploring and going on an adventure through the woods and then enjoying the sunset as we finished up the photography session at the bridge.  Enjoy more pictures below of this enchanting engagement session in Plant City.

If you are looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in Plant City, Lakeland, or Tampa Bay area, contact us!  We would love to be a part of your wedding day! :) 

Timelines....without one, your wedding will be a mess and not enjoyable! For that reason, we work with our couples and our wedding coordinators to make sure that we communicate clearly on our wedding photography schedule for your wedding. 

How does it work?  About 30 days prior to the wedding we send you an online questionnaire where you give us all the details of you wedding, including any timeline from your wedding coordinator.  We will then create a wedding photography timeline with that information and share it with our couples for approval.   

But how does a wedding day photography timeline help you?  Here are our top reasons from our experience as wedding photographers in Tampa Bay:  

1.  A wedding day photography timeline helps you know exactly when we will get there and were we will be during the day.  
2.  It will give you peace of mind we will not miss any important details that you have requested for your wedding.  First look? We got it  Sunset photo?  We got it! Photo with your favorite uncle?  Got it!
3.  It helps you schedule other vendors.  Especially the hair and makeup vendors if you want us to capture the get ready moments! 
4.  Lastly, we can help you stay on track and on schedule....and more importantly, at peace! 

Having a wedding day photography timeline is essential and we provide this to all of our couples.  Below is a sample of a basic wedding photography timeline.  EVERY WEDDING IS DIFFERENT!  There is no timeline alike.  Some include travel time between venues, first look, time away during reception for photos, special requests, additional cocktail hour harp music, etc.  

We hope this information about wedding day photography timeline has helped you!  If you are looking for a wedding photographer or harpist for your wedding in the Tampa Bay area, contact us!  We would love to be a part of your wedding. :)

Erin and Kris loved a gallery from a prior session I photographed at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida and they fell in love with the architecture and the scenic backdrops that Bok Tower Gardens could offer for their engagement photo session.  With that in mind, we set up a date and planned our epic engagement session!

Bok Tower Gardens offers such a diverse number of locations for photographs, but I narrowed it down to my favorites here.  Normally we would meet at the Visitor Center and then walk over to the Pinewood Estate. 

First location is on the way to the Pinewood Estate, where there are tons of opportunities to stop and take some pictures in the beautiful gardens area.  

Second is at the actual Pinewood Estate, where the possibilities are endless!  We normally start on the left side and walk around the grounds taking pictures at different areas until we get to their iconic octagon water fountain garden. Then, we would make our way back to the tower. ​

The third location is at the actual Bok Tower.  Once again, there's so many hidden places on the way so make sure to keep your eyes open!  The tower also makes an amazing backdrop for engagement photos.  We had to skip the tower for Erin and Kris' session due to the fast approaching rain, so we decided to go to our last favorite location at the gardens. ​

I had a BLAST photographing Erin and Kris and can't wait for their upcoming wedding later this year, we have some plans for some epic pictures and it's going to be amazing!   Take a peek at some more pictures of their Bok Tower Gardens engagement session below for additional ideas!  

If you need a wedding photographer or harpist in the Tampa Bay area, we would love to be considered!  Contact us and tell us about your wedding...big or small, we want to be a part of it! :) ​

Taneha and James love the beach and after looking at some beach location options, they wanted to have their engagement session in Anna Maria Island.  Having done some engagement photos in Anna Maria Island before, I knew of a secret spot that I love and it's my go to location for sunset beach engagement photos in Anna Maria.  That location is...Bean Point! 

When Nichole and Mario reached out to us, it felt like a match made in heaven!  They shared their vision of their beach wedding (that included the harp for the music!) and we knew right away that it was meant for us to be a part of it!  Their wedding will be at the amazing Lido Beach Resort in Lido Key / Sarasota area.  Lido Key Beach offers sooooo many beautiful photo options that we decided to take the engagement photos at the hotel area, and let me tell you....it didn't disappoint!   In a typical Florida weather fashion, it was raining during the day of the session and we almost thought about rescheduling, but we looked at the weather maps and all signaled for a clearing during sunset.  So we decided to go for it...and I'm super glad we did!

We started in the parking lot area where there was a big puddle of water due to the rain and took some water reflection photos that I love so much.  We then moved to the beach area where there are some small white wood buildings and some greenery.  Then, we (by "we" I mean Nichole and Mario lol) got adventurous and climbed on the rocks for some epic photos!  Lastly, we did a final walk in the water to finish up the session.  

This session was so much fun!!!  Nichole and Mario are such a cute couple with so much love and passion.  With that said, we can't wait to be a part of their wedding!  Take a peek at some of the photos from the session below as they may help you with some ideas for your Lido Key beach engagement session. 

If you are looking for a wedding photographer or harpist in the Sarasota, Lido Key, Anna Maria Island, or Brandenton area, reach out to us!  We would love to be a part of your wedding! :) 

Mary & Bruce will have their wedding at the stunning Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay later this year.  When I asked them about their engagement photos, they wanted to also have them at the resort.  With so many beautiful areas for pictures at the hotel, I said, why not!  Let's go!  With COVID-19 affecting some of the restaurants temporarily closing, Mary spoke with the team at the Grand Hyatt to see if we could go up and take some engagement photos from the amazing views of Armani's restaurant.  Gladly they were able to do so for us!  And let me tell you...WHAT. A. VIEW!   Take a look at some of the photos we took for their engagement.  With so many other location options that the hotel offers, I can't wait to photograph their wedding later this year!  

If you are looking for a wedding photographer in the Tampa area, contact us!  We offer tailored photography experience at a very high level of expertise and professionalism! 

4.  Give your guests something to remember.  As a wedding photographer, I have been in many weddings and have seen many options for wedding music. But, when my wife Kristen is the harpist for the wedding, it's the only time I hear the guest talking about the music and how beautiful it was.  ALWAYS!  Of course, that makes me happy :) I generally hear things like "OMG they have a harpist!" or "I've never seen a harp in real life before, it's so beautiful!"  or "Wow! So cool that they hired a harpist!" 

5. It’s a stunning and beautiful instrument to look at...making for beautiful and elegant pictures of your wedding.  From the bride and groom photos or just having it as a backdrop, the harp is just so elegant!  It's the official instrument of the royal family, so that should say something! 

If you’re still undecided for your wedding music, you cannot go wrong in hiring a professional harpist like Kristen Elizabeth for your wedding! Remember, that with us, being a husband and wife team, it's even better!  Kristen Elizabeth also helps as a second photographer during the day, so it's the perfect match :)

With that said, contact us today to learn how we can help you we can help you with our wedding photography and harp music experience! We want to be a part of your wedding day in Tampa Bay! ​
​

I've always wanted to photograph an engagement photo session in Downtown Plant City, especially at The Heart of Plant City mural found behind the Whistle Stop Cafe at the Collins Street Mural Park.  So when Amy and Tim told me they wanted their photos in Plant City, I was super excited about the opportunity.  When we got there, to my surprise Amy told me that her father was on the mural!  I learned that Amy's father and family have deep roots in Plant City - which made this engagement photo session even more special!  After taking photos at the mural, we did a quick stop at the old telephone booth outside the Whistle Stop Cafe store, then we walked to the old Plant City  Hillsboro State Bank for some additional photos.  On the way back, we did a quick stop by the State Theatre Antiques (Plant City's old theatre) where I saw a puddle on the street and visualized an opportunity to do a creative reflection photo!  We then drove to the Old Plant City High School (1914 Plant City High School Community Center) a few blocks away.  There we finished up the session with some beautiful sunset photos and more creative shots by the stairs on the side.  

I had an amazing time exploring and learning about Plant City.  Thank you Amy and Tim for letting me capture these and be a part of your wedding day later this year at the beautiful Cross Creek Ranch!

If you are looking for a wedding photographer or engagement photographer in the Plant City area, contact us today for a free quote! We want to be a part of your wedding! :) 

I recently had an engagement session at the beautiful Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County.  A lot of our couples want beach engagement sessions and Fort De Soto Park is one of the locations I usually recommend depending on the vision of the couple.  Amy and Chris are both avid water lovers, and after checking out some options, we decided on Fort De Soto Park.  

What I love about Fort De Soto Park is that it offers different landscapes and backdrops to a beach session, giving you more options to be creative in your photographs.  We normally would meet at the historic fort parking, then walk around the fort to take some photos.  The fort has a very distinctive look and makes for such a nice contrast.  It also offers some opportunities to take photos inside some of their rooms - I normally do a cool effect with color and off camera flash!  On one side of the fort, there is a nice set of stairs that can also be used for photos.  I then walk around the other side of the fort, looking towards the beach and find an area with greenery, palm trees, and flowers.  Again, more options and diverse backdrop!

To end the session, we walk over to the beach area where you will find some ruins of the fort.  This area makes for a very dramatic look, especially when the sun comes down!  I encourage my couples to get in the water and have fun!  That always makes beautiful and memorable engagement photos for years to come. 

Take a peek below for some ideas of engagement photos at Fort De Soto Park.  If you are looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in St. Petersburg or Tampa Bay area, contact us!  We want to be a part of your wedding day! : ) 

As the Coronavirus continues to make waves across the globe, we hope that you and your families have been staying safe and healthy. 

Our top priority for this year is making sure that we do right by all of our clients. While we hope that your wedding planning will not be disrupted, rest assured that we are here to make our part of your big day as easy as possible. 

As of now, every wedding that we had in contract during this time of pandemic, we have been able to help our couples in finding a new date and rescheduled the wedding!  Also, we ARE STILL BOOKING WEDDINGS!  That's correct, if you are still undecided of booking because of what's happening, we totally understand. But, all things will come to an end at some point and if you have a wedding to plan for later this year or 2021, 2022, etc....contact us ASAP!  The good news is that our contracts are client friendly, plus we only require a small retainer and since we limit the amount of weddings we book a year, we have more flexibility than other photographers who may have tons of weddings and don't have the flexibility to reschedule dates.

Now, as for us, we've been taking extra precautions because wedding season must go on as soon as this is over, and it's our responsibility to stay healthy for our couples!  We strongly suggest you do the same and follow all quarantine rules - we want to photograph your wedding!!!! 

If you have ANY questions, please email us, or contact us via any of our social media pages.  We are here for you and hope that all of this can be over soon so we can celebrate your day.  :)  

Love, 

Jose & Kristen

A few weeks ago I was at Shayla and Preston's fantastic wedding ceremony. They took their vows at Cross Creek Ranch in Dover, Florida. I was thrilled to photograph a wedding at Cross Creek Ranch. It is an excellent location for weddings, I hope to come back soon. Being a wedding photographer in offers great opportunities to work with lovely couples like Shayla and Preston in fantastic locations like this one.

Shayla got ready at Main House on the morning of the wedding. I really enjoy photographing bridal prep as it gives you a chance to get to know the bridal party a little better. For this wedding, my friend Andrea Jackson from New Ground Photography helped me out as a second photographer and popped in on Preston while he got ready at Groom's Cottage.

Shayla and Preston tied the knot at Enchanted Forest and it was a emotional ceremony among family and friends.

During the wedding reception we photographed some portraits and formal photographs. It was a lovely atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Photographing the reception was interesting and heartwarming. So many moments were caught!

This was a fantastic Spring wedding and we made sure we got some lovely portraits at the venue. There was a lot of cloud about on the day, but clouds create the softest light, and that really helps create flattering photographs.

I really enjoyed photographing Shayla and Preston's special day and I'm sure they will be really happy together. ​ Take a peek below at some of the images from their wedding at Cross Creek Ranch!  

If you are looking for a wedding photographer for your wedding at Cross Creek Ranch in Dover, contact us!  We would love to be a part of your wedding day :) 

Photographing Alison and Bryan's big day was so much fun! Alyson and Bryan decided to have a non traditional wedding and when they told me about their plans I was more than excited since it's something we don't get to experience of photograph often!  They held their wedding at Ulele,  located in Downtown Tampa. It was the first time I photographed a wedding at Ulele, it's a great venue right by Tampa's Riverwalk that allowed me to bring the best of each moment.

I started the day photographing Alison at The Barrymore Hotel. I photographed her having her hair and makeup applied and getting the final stages of her preparation.  It was so cool seeing all the details of this renaissance type of wedding with hand crafted medieval jewelry and dresses.

Once we got to Ulele, friends and family looked on as Alison and Bryan exchanged rings in a fantastic ceremony right on the riverfront while my wife played their favorite tunes on her harp!

Ulele was decorated beautifully based on Alison and Bryan's love for role playing games, cosplay, and medieval/renaissance.   The guests were chatting happily, as they enjoyed drinks of their choice while I was still on the lookout to catch fantastic moments on camera. 

Alison and Bryan created a fantastic day and it was a joy to share it with them.

This unique wedding was a success thanks to the amazing work of Rachel Dummeldinger with Ardour Complete Events!  Take a peek at some of the images from the wedding below. 

If you are looking for a wedding photographer and harpist in the Tampa Bay area, reach out to us! We would love to be a part of your wedding day!