NEW BLOG!!!!!!

Well... it's not *quite* perfect yet, and it may change a bit before I'm completely satisfied with it... but I'm finally ready to announce my new Blog :) You can reach it here: NEW Blog. This will be my last post on this one. I won't change or delete anything here, but I won't be making any more updates to it :)

Please come check out my new blog and let me know what you think! I'll be adding more content (and lots more BIG pictures) VERY soon. If you run across any problems, please let me know via comments or an email: gypsyisledesigns@yahoo.com

I look forward to seeing you at my new Blogging home! (and, since I am taking December off to work on my Biz... I should have the new wedding and Boudoir site up by Jan. 2009... only 6 months later than I originally planned :) I'd feel worse about it except I had so many wonderful clients keeping me busy! Thanks for sticking with me!)

Brent... 2009 Senior

Working with Brent was an absolute blast! We were supposed to do a beach session, but because of all the storms our beaches are a bit messy (and VERY windy) right now, so we put off that part of his session until later in the year. We almost cancelled, but I convinced his mom to let me do an urban session instead... my favorite kind! I hope you guys love these and will agree that these are as good or better than the beach would have been. And I can't wait til part two of our session!

The Green's

The Green's were a wonderfully fun family to photograph! Thanks to Hurricane Gustav, our session was almost canceled... but they decided to brave the wind (plenty of it!) for a fun beach session. The kids had a blast looking at jellyfish and running up and down the beach, and mom and dad were up for anything. Thanks so much for letting me be a small part of your family vacation- I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Kim and Chad- a wedding

Kim and Chad are an awesome couple from Hattiesburgh, MS. We tried meeting several times... but in the end, it was just 2 weeks before her wedding when we were finally able to sit down and go over everything. I was thrilled that they were so handsome and that Chad was such a great guy- obviously in love with Kim and willing to do anything to make her happy (shouldn't all grooms be so accomodating?). Unfortunately, a little storm by the name of Tropical Storm Fay was threatening Kim's perfect beach wedding. We weren't sure if it would be a hit or a miss...but to be safe we went ahead and scheduled a pre-wedding shoot with just Kim and Chad. It was a beautiful afternoon and I am so happy we were able to do it. TS Fay ended up being mostly a miss... but did provide some jittery nerves, dramatic skies, and a spattering of rain just as the bride was walking down the aisle. But a little rain never deterred the fun and everyone enjoyed the ceremony and the party. Kim and Chad- thanks for allowing me to document one of my most memorable wedidngs :) I can now say I've done a wedding in the rain- and it was a blast!

Ms. Kristin pt 2!

I was hoping to debut my new blog with this post, but I don't want to hold off sharing these any longer. Kristin- thanks again for being an awesome hostess and for running around scouting with (and for) me. I REALLY appreciate it and love you to death! Enjoy :)

Ms. Kristin Pt 1...

Wow- didn't realize I'd been away for so long! I've been so busy that I had to skip a few blog entries/clients... if I get a chance I'll put them up later :) But Kristin has been terribly patient waiting for her small sneak peek. I promise there is TONS more to come (there are a few small benefits to being my hostess for a whole week... one is that you get more pictures than you will ever need in your life ;))

I have to admit these are a bit skewed towards pics of Kristin herself- but I think she is just gorgeous and I love working on her pics! the next peek will have more of her adorable boys (all 3 of them!). Thanks once again for being an awesome hostess and setting up my California trip for me. Enjoy your pics... I hope you love them all!

At long last... The Sissons

The Sissons have been so wonderfully patient with me! I thought I'd have this peek up last week- but got a wee bit sick (ok- a lotta sick!) and just couldn't get them blogged as fast as I wanted. This family was so fun and fabulous to work with. It didn't hurt that they opted for an urban+beach session (the two types of sessions I most love!, and that they had a teen boy (my fave age to work with!) so I was definitely excited about their session. But, they were also a very close family (I couldn't believe a teen boy could enjoy being around his parents so much- give sme hope for my future in 10 years lol). I hope the wait was worth it and you love your sneak peeks! Your gallery will be ready tomorrow :)

Ms. Martinez... & family

Ms. Martinez definitely had the easiest "baby" to work with, which was a huge surprise (and relief) to me lol. I've never done a doggie session before but my wonderful friend Jeanette Chisolm of Off the Leash Photography had given me some tips in the past and I tried to do her proud! (incidentally- Jeantte comes down to visit me few times a year and I'd be happy to arrange a session with her if interested!). Xochitl (sol-chi) was beautiful but a bit shy... but I managed to coax her into a few pics with her baby. I hope you love these! (I just had to add really fast- the first is my absolute fave)

The Walkers...

The Walker's were a gorgeous family and were the first to treat me to a California Beach! It was a bit weird shooting at different angles to the sun than I am accustomed to, but it was definitely cool for me to have something other than white sand to work with! I loved all the rocks surrounding this spot, while Ms. G & Mr. B. loved the birds and tide-pools. It was definitely my most climatic end to a session ever- my camera and I were drenched by a big wave (we have itty bitty ones here in Pensacola lol) but we both managed to live lol. Thanks again everyone; enjoy your peek!

The Bartholomay's... plus a peek for Cindy :)

Phew... I'm getting there :) First off, I want to say thank you sooo much to Cindy for being a sweetheart and giving up her place in line. Since she was kind enough to move to the back of the line, I wanted to share a few pics from her session before I put up PJ's sneak peek :)

And, I wanted to apologize for my super short blog postings lately! I'm a bit (ok a week lol) behind right now due to numerous reasons... so I'm trying to keep these short and sweet so I can keep on working! So please don't take my lack of gushing as any indicator of how aweosme everyone was to work with!

PJ- Thanks for your patience... I hope you love your sneak peeks... your full gallery should be ready by tomorrow :)

The Witherby's... and cousins :)

The Witherby's heard about me at the very last minute, and I was so honored they wanted to do a session! It was a double session (hence the LONG post lol)... and these were a very energetic group of children :) I have to admit they got the best of me- I never did get the cousin shot we all wanted. So, in honor of the lost cousin shot, I'm including the one (yep- just ONE!) picture I got before the little ones got away ;) I hope you guys find it as cute as I do! Thanks again and I hope you love these! I'm almost done with both of your sessions and will send a link as soon as I'm done.

(next up is PJ and Robyn ;))

The Perez's...

Monday June 23rd was my first "double,; was the hottest day of the whole week, and I had two "Jennifer P's" that day! To add to the similarities (to ALL of my sessions up to this point!) I once again had an older sister and toddler boy :) I have to admit those little boys wore me out! I definitely need to hit the gym to keep up with these lil guys! Mr. C and Ms. K were a lot of fun. While we were waiting for Mr. C to arrive, Ms. K ran around and modeled for me- and did a great job! I'll have your gallery ready by tomorrow (both Jen's ;)), but I hope you enjoy these until then!

The Priest's...

The Priest's were a delightful family (plus cousin!) who unfortunately had the HOTTEST session of the week! But they were troopers and managed to keep lovely smiles throughout the entire session. And I even managed to sneak a few of grandma in! I hope this sneak peek can tide you over til your gallery is ready. Thanks again!

The Kastners...

My second session in California brought this adorable family- who are new to the area (they're actually Yanks- but I forgave them ;)). I had a wonderful time chasing down dandelions and "seeds" with Ms. M while Mr. J was determined to ignore me. He loved his Buzz and Woody and we were finally able to tempt smiles from him with lollipops and ice cream. They chose beautiful locations and we had a great session. Thanks much, enjoy your previews!

The Olivas...

I've been having a blast editing the Cali sessions, and am pleased to share these sneak peeks from the first session I had the pleasure to shoot. The Olivas were so much fun and I was so pleased with this cute little park. And my favorite moment was when I asked Mr. R if he loved his mom and he said she was the best mom ever and deserved a gold medal- then promptly gave her an imaginary one. I hope you guys love these!