Body of Art

Caroly absolutely adores the sport of bodybuilding and fitness. Although she only started two years ago, she competed soon after picking up the sport and won the Miss Fitness Bermuda twice, and then went on to place in the top three in the Central American and Caribbean Championships. With a goal to turn professional in this next year, this hard working athlete has not only a lot of training ahead of her, but also a lot of fun. So with so much to look forward to, Caroly wanted to capture where she is right now in  a nontraditional fashion through artistic photos. She realises what a piece of art the body is and so what better way to capture this new physique than with artistic imagery.

We decided to approach the shoot from an abstract, yet feminine angle. With some jewelry draped on select body parts, it was the perfect way to highlight all Caroly's hard work. Despite the early morning and late night training, plus weekends no longer really being her own, she feels it is a small price to pay for that feeling she gets when she walks onto that stage on the night of a show. The payoff for all her sacrifices suddenly make it all worth while.

What Caroly didn't realise when she decided to compete in a Fitness show were all the little things that go with the performance. Like the posing suits, the make up and of course that stage tan that shows off the sculpted body so well under the harsh lights. The spray on tan is definitely Caroly's least favourite part of the whole preparation, for the skin remains stained for weeks after the show, and even in these photos, it had already started to slightly blotch, but again, she feels it is all so worth the reward in the end.

After the jewels, I picked some wild roses from my garden and sprinkled them over Caroly's back. It was so beautiful to see her sculpted back and the delicate petals scattered across her. Love these images.

This last one is the same shot as the first one, just processed in a regular way, but love both versions.

Caroly - thank you so much for such a fun shoot - I really appreciate your trusting my creativity. It is not often I have a client walk into my home and simply say do whatever you will - I love your vision. So thank you for your trust and willingness to let me make some magic and thank you of course for being such an incredibly beautiful model - all your hard work has definitely paid off as these photos well show. I wish you the best of luck in all your training - may 2011 bring you much success, and even more happiness. xxx

Melissa's Grannies in town!

You may remember Craig and Laura from their amazingly creative and personal maternity session. The two had loved the shoot so much, they were keen to capture Baby Melissa's first year at various stages and on momentous occasions. So what better opportunity than when both grandmas were visiting at the same time? The new parents had asked their mothers to come and help to care for Melissa after Laura had to go back to work, in order to extend the sweet baby's home time as long as possible. Both the grannies were so generous with their time and so when it came to booking flights, they made sure there would be a weekend overlap where everyone was in Bermuda together. And of course, this was a perfect chance to schedule the first of Melissa's photo sessions.

First up was Laura's mum, Trish, who lives in Ottawa, Canada. Trish loved to read to Melissa who was very alert and keen on her books even though she was only just four months old. 

 Next up was was Craig's mum, Bette who came from Oakville, Canada. She had just arrived so had lots of memories yet to make.

These delicious booties had been Craig's when he was tiny.

Melissa is also the first grandchild on both sides of the family so her arrival has been extra special for everyone and she is adored and spoiled just as she should be.

Three generations of beautiful mamas

 I usually prefer not to shoot babies after the first two weeks and before about five or six months. There are many reasons, mainly due to the fact that the expressions most babies make during that period if they are awake look utterly adorable in motion, but any one of the expressions frozen is often not how they really look. Sleeping babies under 5 months look more how they look naturally, but after two weeks, that is harder to make happen. So I generally only shoot over 6 months when wee ones are sitting up, grinning up a storm and more relaxed in their faces. That said, since this was a special occasion with only a narrow window of time when everyone was all together, I broke my rule. But I didn't want to focus too much on Melissa, but rather all the whole family all being together. But I did shoot one, and of course, her parents will know she has a thousand other looks, but hopefully this did indeed capture at least one of them.

I adore this series below - here her expressions are hilarious and just love her parents in the background making out!

Thank you all for such a great shoot - I am so happy you were able to all be together and enjoy this precious time with sweet Melissa. Hope you all have fabulous holiday and can't wait to see how Melissa changes. xxx

Shannon & Nicholas - Elbow Beach, Bermuda Wedding

Shannon and Nicholas had the fairytale wedding they had been dreaming of forever. The weather was glorious, they were surrounded by Bermuda's fabulous pink sanded beaches, its spectacular views, and sharing all their joy with family and friends as they said their "I dos". With over 80 guests joining them at their destination wedding in paradise, the newlyweds were overwhelmed with love for each other and all they had to be thankful for. Their 56 guests left New York City on a seven day cruise on the Norwegian Dawn, and couldn't have asked for a better trip. It was a dream come true and the perfect way to start their life journey together.

Shannon chose to wear very little jewelry on her wedding day. However, Nicholas surprised her with beautiful princess cut diamond earrings as his wedding gift which she wore with pride, and they accented the sparkle in her dress. The gown was found at David's Bridal and her talented seamstress did an amazing job of altering the dress to fit Shannon so beautifully.

Shannon's vibrant bouquet of gerberas, roses and calla lilies was arranged by Designer Flowers. The bride's hair was styled by Laura from the Norwegian Dawn, upon which was the ship the family and friends sailed to Bermuda, and her makeup was done by her cousins Melanie and Jill, and her close friend, Lisa.

For something old, Shannon was loaded up on luck. Her garter was hand made from her grandmother D'Allesandro's wedding dress - love the history steeped in that. And then to add to the charm, an old penny was sewn into the garter for Shannon's beloved deceased brother, Murph. Also stuffed into her dress was a family heirloom handkerchief from her dear godmother. The bride's something borrowed was her cousin, Melanie's floating diamond, which Shannon wrapped around her bouquet and her something new were here gorgeous princess cut diamond earrings. For something blue, she wore pretty black panties with 'BRIDE' embroidered in blue.

The rings were found at Charles Stechler Jewelers in Marmora, New Jersey. Shannon's engagement ring is a solitaire princess cut diamond set in white gold and her wedding band is a half moon, pave style setting with round diamonds. She was lucky enough to also receive an eternity band from Nicholas to symbolise his eternal love to the one person in his life who is his anchor. That too was a round diamond pave set ring. Her wedding band was engraved with their wedding date, and the eternity band had the words 'MY ANCHOR' unscripted on the inside. Nicholas' wedding band is made from palladium and was also engraved with their wedding date and the same 'MY ANCHOR'.

Nicholas is a policeman and works crazy hours but loves his job. My sister, Amanda Temple, took the below photo for me as my foot for some odd reason had been hurting the day of the wedding and out of fear that I would not be able to walk, I asked her to be there, just in case the worst happened. She was amazing and stuck around until I was sure I would be ok, and lucky Nicholas and Shannon got some great shots and moments captured that would not have been possible without her so thank you, thank you Amanda! For instance, they were all running very behind schedule so while I photographed the bride up at the hotel, Amanda went down to shoot the groom near the ceremony site. Without her, these shots would not have happened so have to say, very thankful for a sister in the same business as me.

It was 4:15 am when Nicholas arrived home one Saturday night after working over time. He was wide awake from the adrenalin rushing through his body and it was not from what had gone on at work. He had a very important question in mind for his beautiful girlfriend as he lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling, all the while knowing that 20 feet away, the perfect ring was waiting to be slipped on her finger. He had looked up what time the sun would rise and was grateful that he had less than an hour and a half to wait. The two had always said they wanted to watch a sunrise together and finally it was time. He sat up and said, "Let's go. Get up - we are going to watch the sunrise." He quickly ran to unlock the safe, first cluttering around with laundry to mask the sounds, and by the time he returned to the bedroom, Shannon was already and unexpectedly ready to go. He had waited months for this time in their relationship to come and the butterflies started fluttering knowing it was finally happening. The sweethearts drove down to an old fishing pier where a small jetty parts the beach. The sun was rising and when the moment felt right, Nicholas dropped to one knee and asked Shannon is she would marry him. There was no answer to be heard - just tears and a kiss. But that was all the answer he needed - they were finally engaged.

The guitarist for the service comes from the Bermuda School for Music.

At first glance, the wedding colours look like they are orange and pink, but then you realise there is no other colour anywhere as all the guests were asked to wear only black and white. It was so dramatic and made the vibrant colours punch out all the more.

 I adored that both Shannon's parents walked her down the aisle.

The couple was keen to have a destination wedding on a beach. They chose Bermuda because Shannon had visited the island several years ago and fell in love with it here and even then, hoped that someday she would be able to have her wedding here. They chose Elbow Beach after many many internet searches. After viewing several locations, they decided that Elbow Beach had the perfect combination of beautiful beach, great gardens, fantastic seaside restaurants and friendly staff, all on one property.

The ceremony was put together by the couple and so their first dream was to be married on the beach facing the ocean. They also wrote most of the ceremony themselves, and Rev. Charly Franks was the amazing officiant.

The entire wedding was filmed and linked up to a laptop to be viewed live by those loved ones who were unable to make it to the island for the wedding.

The Unity Sand Ceremony is traditional in the US, especially at beach weddings. The pouring of the two colours of sand from two different vessels into one represents the two separate lives joining to become one through marriage. After the vase is filled, the couple takes it to display in their home. The pink was one of the wedding colours and a favourite of Shannon's and the orange was Shannon's brother, Murph's favourite colour.

Next was a release of a pair of pure white doves. Traditionally, when doves are released at a wedding ceremony, they represent peace, purity, faithfulness and prosperity. Shannon and Nicholas wanted the doves to further represent their love and commitment to each other - when the birds were allowed to fly free, they always returned not only home, but indeed to each other.

There were so many special details. Dark "n" Stormies are Bermuda's signature cocktail made from ginger beer and Goslings Black Seal rum. Their water bottles also were personalised and so fun.

I adored this sand sculpture. Shannon's father, John, commissioned Bermuda's own "Teamsandtastic" to build it as a surprise for the lovebirds. John designed it, keeping in mind Shannon's love for the words Live, Laugh and Love. It was perfectly placed at the entrance to the aisle of the ceremony and was such fun to photograph.

The black and white and beach side theme was continued up on the Ocean Terrace.

This was the kids table - so thoughtful to add the bubble blowers.

The couple had their own table that was raised so they could see all their guests enjoying the celebrations. On the table were dozens of coins. "Pennies from Heaven" were for Shannon's deceased brother, Murph, who is well remembered for always misplacing his money as he was growing up. He would lose money all over the house, and mostly pennies. Even from Heaven, he lets the family know he is watching by leaving pennies for them all to find. Shannon wanted to keep thoughts of her brother with her on her wedding day and so their dinner table was covered - beautiful.

The live coverage of the day's events continued on all night for those who were not able to join in person.

Here you can really see how dramatic the black and white dress code was when all the guests were gathered at the reception.

Love fun introductions of wedding parties into receptions - this group had all the moves.

Shannon's favourite flower is teh sunflower. Nicholas always brings his love a fresh bouquet of sunflowers whenever the previous bunch begins to wilt. During the planning of the wedding, the family convinced Shannon to go with a tropical theme in terms of the flowers and so she conceded, even though what she had really wanted was sunflowers to be a part of her bridal bouquet. Nicholas was full of romantic thoughtfulness and made the day even more perfect than before when he surprised his bride with a big bunch of fresh sunflowers waiting for Shannon at the reception.

Shannon and Nicholas chose a song that was very special to them for it speaks of how the groom feels for his bride. It is an Italian love song by Eros Ramazzotti and Anastacia called, "I Belong to You" and Nicholas has even has the song's title in Italian on a tattoo.

Aren't these fairy lights and paper lanterns so beautiful? I purposely blurred the focus in order to emphasise the dreaminess of the setting - just so picture perfect.

Shanon chose a song called "I Loved Her First" to dance with her father. I have to say, John was the first father of the bride I have ever dealt with in the wedding planning stages. He was amazing. From start to finish, he tended to every detail and was a huge part of the success of the day, particularly where I was involved. So impressing and touching.

Nicholas' mum, Patty, chose "A Song For My Son" by Mikki Viereck. She was full of energy and the emotion of the day.

Shannon and Nicholas - your day was magical from start to finish. Thank you so much for asking me to share in your incredible festivities and to document your union. It was a beautiful event and you are both so full of love for each other - may you have a rich and blessed journey together. Love to you and your family. xxx