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! 

Alexandra and Steve had a fantastic wedding a couple of weeks ago. Knotted Roots on the Lake is located in Land O'Lakes was a perfect choice for the wedding.

The day began with me photographing Alexandra while she got ready at the bridal house. I really enjoy photographing bridal prep as it gives you a chance to get to know the bridal party a little better. My wife photographed Steve's preparations over at the guys super cute vintage silver trailer.

Once they were prepared, they took time to do a first look with the bridal party...Alexandra and Steve got super emotional as they saw each other for the first time.  We love first looks because it gives us extra time to take additional portraits of the bride and groom, giving them more time to spend with each other later after the wedding. 

It was a cloudy day and it obviously had the bride and groom worried about possible rain, but the clouds eventually left and the sun came out at the same time as the bride was walking down the aisle to the romantic music of the harp..perfect timing! They spent the wedding reception mingling with their guests and enjoying the moment. 

As well as having a thoroughly fantastic day, it was just a joy to photograph Alexandra and Steve's wedding and I just know they will build a fantastic life together. :) Enjoy the highlight video and the images below from their wedding!

If you are looking for a wedding photographer and harpist team for your wedding in the Tampa Bay Area, contact us today!

Katie and Alex were planning their dream garden wedding at Sunken Gardens for a while.  We were super excited to be a part of their planning as we got ready for their intimate family wedding.  But, when the day came, a tropical storm put a hinder at their plans and they had to move their garden wedding indoors.    Non the less, we were ready for it to make sure we helped them feel at ease and that we will be able to capture some beautiful pictures of the wedding.  

Sunken Gardens rightfully moved the ceremony indoors into their second floor banquet hall.  The decorations were perfect and there was a nice backdrop of the gardens through their impressive, big windows.   As the ceremony was getting to start, Kristen played the harp to set the mood and get everyone ready.  

During the ceremony, Katie and Alex filled out a Scrabble game with their names and their kids names - such a great idea!  After the ceremony, we looked out and we saw there was a little break in the weather, so we headed out for some quick photos in the gardens.  So glad we did!  

Overall, even though sometimes things may not go as planned, we are ready for any challenge that may arise and we will be there for you and help you through those challenges and still capture the loving memories.   Here are some heartfelt words by Alex & Katie:

That review made our day...maybe our year! Take a look at Katie and Alex's wedding slideshow and some images of their indoor Sunken Gardens wedding below.  If you are looking for a wedding photographer in St. Petersburg Florida, contact us!  We would love to be a part of your wedding :)