I don’t know what it is about sunset, but I think most of us agree that it’s by far the most magical time of the day. I’m pretty sure Instagram is 80% sunset photos. Ed and I are probably guilty for half of that. But I don’t even care. Sunset is gorgeous, especially here in Mexico Beach! Add in a beautiful girl, and you have the makings of some perfect Mexico Beach portraits.
It’s been a long time since we had a real family vacation. Ed and I travel a lot, and I am grateful for that, but most of that traveling is work-related and without our kids. We were a bit naive last year and thought our trip to Ft. Walton for dance nationals would count as our family vacation. We ended up spending so much time at the Convention Center for competition (plus it rained the whole week), that we didn’t get much time for relaxation. So this year, we decided to do things differently.
I’ve been trying to feel less guilty about not having my camera with me the entire time we’re on vacation this year. But, come on. I’m happiest with my camera in hand, so there’s still going to be lots of picture taking! We made sure to get at least a few Ft. Walton portraits.
We can’t complain about spending an entire week in the Ft. Walton Beach sand. Well, except that we didn’t spend much of it in the sand. The real reason we are here is to watch our kiddos and our awesome dance studio compete for their national dance titles. So we spend most of the time here at the Convention Center with blankets and sweaters (they keep it so cold in there for the dancers)! But there are a couple non-dancing days that we are able to spend out on the beach.
One of our favorite things to do at the beach is to just sit on the balcony and soak in the sights and sounds. Waves crashing against the shore is one of my favorite sounds in the world! It’s especially awesome when we can wake up early (always a challenge in this household!), sit down in a comfortable chair with a Bloody Mary, and watch the still waters before everyone else starts filling up the beach. If we’re lucky, we are rewarded with the peek-a-boo sight of a dolphin or two.
We are beach people. All of us. So, naturally, the first thing we do when we get to Ft. Walton Beach is hit the sand.
We are thoroughly enjoying our time at the beach so far. But while we’re away, we have exciting news! We’re giving away a free engagement shoot to one lucky couple who’s getting married in 2015 or 2016, just for following and liking us! Enter below using Rafflecopter; you get one entry for each platform you follow or like. Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and follow us on Pinterest to get the most entries.
Today, we’re packing up and getting ready to leave bright and early tomorrow morning for the beach. This year’s dance recital is over, which means it’s time for the National Competition! Our whole family will be spending two weeks in Florida. One of those will be mostly consumed by dance (which is fine by us!), but we intend to totally morph into lazy beach bums for the other.
As photographers and artists, we always try to stay inspired. This means finding new angles, looking at light differently, and trying new things. Lately, we’ve been incorporating small video clips into our slideshows to create fusion videos. Learning about and practicing with video has been a real fun adventure for us!
Greg was shy. He was so shy, he could barely say two words to Kimel when he met her. When a friend introduced them, she tried to engage him in conversation but soon gave up when she thought he wasn’t interested. In fact, she thought he was a jerk, albeit a good-looking jerk. So when the friend told Kimel that Greg wanted her number, she was surprised to find out that Greg thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met.