Happy Fourth of July!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun weekend. We celebrated with a BBQ and playing with sparklers down at a park where we had an awesome view of St Pete's fireworks display.



I think Evan looks like a superhero here :)

Our Trip to Arizona

After our fabulous night in Sin City, we got to head east to meet up with Evan's parents in Flagstaff, AZ. They rented a cabin there and it was a ton of fun to explore a new environment. We got to go hiking a little on our own and then we drove with the family to Slide Rock park which was a complete blast and do some more hiking in the forest. The creeks were so beautiful and we did a lot of drinking from them- as I tend to trust fast moving river water over the Floridian tap variety. Something about sipping water right from nature really makes me feel free. And of course through the whole trip we had our equipment in tow. So here are some of the shots I wanted to share.

An awesome look at the water pooling at Slide Rock Park, the colors really looked like that


This was my must take shot of the trip, cracked earth was on my photography bucket list. Check!


We took this awesome Jeep tour in Sedona at sunset and this is our favorite shot of the whole trip


After a few nights in Flagstaff we drove up to the Grand Canyon. I've been out west tons of times but this was our first time seeing the Grand Canyon and it took my breath away.


Here is my Ansel Adams-esque shot


And the thing that totally blew my mind was being able to see all the stars and constellations so clearly. I'm so used to light pollution and the nights in the Grand Canyon were so peaceful. Can you see the Big Dipper?

Vegas, Baby!

On our way to meet up with Evan's parents and brother in Arizona for our first family vacation including me, the part I was most excited about was the fact we had to fly into Vegas and then drive to Arizona. The plan was to land early, get a few hours of sinful fun in and then head 4 hours east, over the Hoover Dam, and through the woods to where the parentals would already be staying. Well, I've never been to Vegas before and I didn't think it would be my kind of place but there was so much stuff I wanted to see that a few hours wasn't enough. Well, Evan is quite the romantic and he surprised me with reservations at the MGM Grand as an Anniversary present so we could enjoy a whole night and day exploring the strip. Turns out, Vegas totally gets me. I'm usually a super serious person but was totally able to loosen up and have some fun. The shopping! The art! The food! It was fantastic and we had a blast. Evan doubled his investment in blackjack ($10) and I played some slot machines and came out $6 richer.

Here's a quick glimpse at our fabulous time


Inside of Paris, which I was certain would be my favorite hotel




But it turned out that the Bellagio won my heat, with the Chihully installations and gallery, and of course the Jean Phillipe Patisserie. Absolute heaven.

2010: The Year of The Smiths!

Happy New Year everyone! Well, I took a bit of a hiatus with the blogging through December but not because of lack of material as we have been busier than ever! It is insane to think that it was one year ago that I had a crazy idea to start a photography studio part time and in such a short time myself and Evan now dedicate ourselves full time to this business. It's silly really to even think of it as a business because we are doing what we what we love, everyday, together. How much better can it get, really? But nonetheless, 2009 was amazing. We shot our first billboard, were published in The St Pete Times, were published in a local magazine, worked with 5 local charities and donated over $4,000 in photography services, invested in tons of new equipment and made tons of new friends in the wedding community, and we were just awarded a 2010 Brides' Choice Award from Wedding Wire- which means we are in the top 5% of wedding professionals. And that's just a few!

We are so grateful to our amazing clients for making this such a fulfilling experience and we are excited to see what the new year will bring us and CSE Photography! I'm not big on New Year's resolutions (I make my yearly resolutions on my birthday each year) but we do have some goals for the company and for us this year:

1. Blog Regularly About Everything: Not just our newest wedding work but the fashion projects we have been doing as well as a few other fun things in the works.
2. Company re-branding with a new website launch over the summer.
3. Open a new studio and gallery space: it will be great to not live in Starbucks anymore :)
4. Capture at least one destination wedding.
5. Design our own wedding album (we've been married 3 years and still have not done this)
6. Do our own trash the dress session in May on our Anniversary!
7. Take an actual vacation (like with a plane involved and everything): We haven't been on one since our honeymoon!

So, those are just a few fun things I wanted to share and I hope that you all will hold me accountable to them. And of course I know you want to see me in my wedding dress right?