Mud Wars- Event Photography on a Whim

By Evan

This blog post had been a long time coming. You're no longer reading the elegant words of Caroline, my beautiful wife. Instead, you have switched gears to the less social media inclined thoughts of he who puts the "E" in CSE Photography, Evan.

Expect more tech related items coming from me in the future, but for today, I thought I'd mention a recent spur of the moment shoot we did in downtown Saint Petersburg. On our way to an event at the pier, we stopped by Spa Beach where an unexpected treasury of images awaited us. The first annual Adult Mud Wars put on by Tampa Bay Club Sport was taking place. After catching a glimpse of the festivities, we quickly ran home and grabbed the camera.

On this day, history was made as many proud athletes gathered from the Bay area to compete in many activities including mud tug of war, mud football, mud dodgeball, and mud obstacle courses. It's not hard to figure that these are events with capturing, enjoy.













Some of the best shots- both in life and in weddings- are the ones you can't predict. Look forward to some insight on shooting and editing techniques we use to add the extra flare and personal touch to all our client's photos.

Shannon & Mark's Lange Farm Engagement and Vintage Touches

As a continuation of my vintage inspired engagement week, I speedily prepared these shots from yesterday's shoot with SHannon and Mark on the Lange Farm. Beautiful Florida day, check. Beautiful people in love, check. Bicycle built for two, oh yeah. After needing to reschedule once due to rain, we were given a gorgeous blue and sunny sky with a breeze today while we explored the fields, picket fences and resident furry creatures of the farm.

Shannon had some amazing crafts that she made for the session, including adorable signs and a banner we hung from the barn. We also became very good friends with a resident cat, who followed us around almost the entire shoot and even found his way into a few shots. Besides being on such a beautiful property, the touches that Shannon made to her outfits and vintage hairpieces were spectacular.




Here is kitty's moment of fame. The right photo is my favorite of the day. Shannon's expression is so soft but high fashion and she is just so gorgeous.






My other favorite capture of the day.



The bike was such a blast, Evan and I even rode it for a bit. Hey, we like to have fun too.




So much fun, that I actually needed a nap afterward :) With all the little details I can't wait to see what Shannon comes up with to personalize the wedding! Can't wait for next March!

Ashley & Sean Vintage St Petersburg Engagement Session

Vintage is a popular trend right now, but we are lucky to have couples that know how to do it right! We started Ashley and Sean's session around downtown St Pete and ventured around to see what cool stuff we could find. Well, how about a really old Ford on the side of the road? Yes please! We lucked out with a really nice owner that actually uses this beauty as his day-to-day car and let us lean on it and climb inside. We only stayed in the vintage theme for about half of the session, even though Sean was not shy about saying he wished people still dressed like that because Ashley looked so adorable (awww, they're so cute right?).

We spent the second half in some more comfy clothes and drove to a park where we played with butterflies (ok, that was me) and got some shots that showed a little more of this couple's fun personality.








Here are some of the more casual shots from Sawgrass Lake Park.



And I just love the way he's looking at her here...


Can't even wait for their wedding next March which will take place in an orange grove!

Geena & Henry University of Tampa Vintage Engagement Session

The University of Tampa is one of those places that you see a lot of engagement sessions done. It's a highly requested location, especially for couples wanting a vintage look. I actually attended UT for a few years so I know the campus a little too well, so when we do shoot there we try to expose hidden hallways and rooms that you don't typically see in a photographer's portfolio.

Geena and Henry met up with us on a really hot day to do their session and even though the weather was trying (very hard) to make us miserable we had a really fun time. Here's an example; walking along the campus to do an outfit change Evan begins going on one of his rants about something (probably movies) Dialogue-
Evan: "You know what I've never understood?..."
Henry: "Russian?"

I was busting a gut. I am hoping to be able to rent Henry on an hourly basis in the future to teach me other great ways to thwart Evan when he starts a conversation which will inevitably trap me into his dilemma of how different versions of the same comic book contradict the characters.

Anyway, you want to see some of the fabulous shots of their session right? These are a few of my favorites-







I just adored the little details that Geena thought of like her hairpiece, jewelry, adorable shoes, and the vintage watch that Henry wore. They are our lucky 10/10/10 couple and I so look forward to seeing the personal touches Geena finds for their wedding!

And vintage is the theme this week so stay tuned until tomorrow when I show off Ashley & Sean's 1940's themed engagement.

Laurie & Dave | Sanibel Island | Destination Wedding Photography

Laurie and Dave decided to do a barefoot beach wedding in Sanibel with just their parents and brother. There were a total of 8 people including Evan and I and including the bride and groom. It was an intimate and personal wedding, just about two people in love and we were so honored to be part of it.













Congrats again to Laurie and Dave! I hope that this idea of an intimate barefoot beach wedding will become more of a trend because it was so special.

Venue: Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa
Reception: Courtside Steakhouse
Dress: by BCBG
Florals: by Special Arrangements in Ft. Myers, FL
Cake: Yum Yum Cakes

Rachel & Brian South Florida Museum Wedding (Part Two)

The details! Rachel designed the majority of the decor of her wedding around her beautiful red embroidered gown. The personal touches of this wedding were plentiful and masterfully coordinated. From a beautiful DIY escort chart, to the programs and stationery Rachel designed herself, these touches did not go unnoticed by the guests. The South Florida Museum alone is a fantastic venue and we definitely took advantage of the transition from daytime ceremony to nighttime courtyard which looked absolutely magical. Here are just a few of the gorgeous details and reception photos.






One of my favorite details was the coloring book Rachel created for the younger guests, that told the story of Rachel & Brian living happily ever after










Venue: South Florida Museum
Catering, Linens and Cake: Orange Blossom Catering
Florals: Bee Ridge Florist