MEMORIES OF A LIFETIME [Monica Brown, Fort Walton Beach Photographer]

Happy 80th Birthday Great Grandpa!!!

What a wonderful day.

Again, I cannot stress enough how thankful I am to live near family. We had the pleasure of celebrating Jake's grandpa's 80th birthday with him today. Everyone together. Around one table. It was great. As soon as I got the camera out, Reagan wanted me to take her photo. Jaw dropped! I love how warm and fuzzy this photo makes me feel. Nothing posed. Nothing moved out of the shot. Just how it is. Happiness. And cake, of course :)

What a blustery winter day it was. Early rain. Windy and overcast. Just like January should be in Florida. I caught a quick snapshot of the kids in the wagon that Grandpa was pulling around the house. Around and around. No time to frame. Sorry Grandpa. You got cut out! And check out Reagan's skirt. Compliments of Great Grandma. She is amazing with a needle and thread!! This is one of the simpler things she makes. I will have to post her other masterpieces.

Great Grandparents with ALL of the grandkids and the two great-grandkids (my two). Jake is the oldest at 36 and the youngest is little John Ryan at 3! Just a couple of months older than Reagan. Great grandkid #3 will be here in just a few weeks....can't wait!!

I just love the movement in this photo.

Of course, none of the kids are still. And thanks, Jo Ann, for dancing behind me to make the smiles so big and believable!

I L.O.V.E. how Great Grandma is smiling down at Great Grandpa.

So happy. So happy.

Here they are with just their "kids." All grown up. Looks like a little one snuck in there too.

And here is everyone (except me - I'm taking the photo!) What a beautiful family. Congratulations you two on making such a wonderful family!

I love a good close-up, but this is the same image below, just not cropped, and it is my favorite. I love how Great Grandpa is sitting in the swing. The center of the family. And the branch curves over above - supporting him, and covering his family and their home. I love how the winter Sun is barely breaking through the clouds in the background above the roofline. I think this will be my favorite family photo of us always.

We found a tripod, so here we all are. The last shot of the day. Very last. We didn't even know we were taking it until Jake ran back toward us after pressing the shutter again. Everyone get back in!!!! We all ran back, somehow got still, and smiled happily. With just a box on a stick, I am surprised my kids are looking in the right direction!

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okay, so NOTE TO MY FAMILY. Do not print these!!!! They are LOW resolution and will NOT print! Email me and I will send prints to your mailbox :)

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So here is hoping that everyone reading this has as wonderful a family as I do. And that you can see them frequently enough to have a good relationship with them. Because really it is people that make our lives wonderful.

delightfully,

Monica

SIMPLY DREAMY [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

OH MY GOODNESS!

These new products are. to. die. for.

You will not believe just how DREAMY they are until you hold them in your hands. And then, you will just have to have one. I did.

DREAM BOX

I encourage every new mother to get one of these. They come filled with one 5x7 print of each and every photo from your gallery. It is totally customized. Your favorite image on the cover. Your child's name on the binding. And don't worry about the photos falling out...there is an invisible magnetic closure.

They are also great for weddings, or even those special family sessions. They look AMAZING on the shelf or coffee table and give you a way to display your images without actually hanging every one on the wall :)

The photos are easy to remove. A beautiful satin ribbon lays underneath to gently lift them out when you are ready to hold them. And a CD of your images can pop right under the cover for easy storage!

6X6 DREAM ALBUM

I took all of my favorite images from my son's first photoshoot (he was only 4 days old) and put them in this DREAMY DREAM ALBUM. I call it the BRAG ALBUM in my products guide. It is the perfect size to carry in your purse, or let's face it, diaper bag to show off your new little one!! It is also a wonderful gift size for grandparents.

And they open a flat, into one big spread (yes! a full 180 degrees!) for presentation on an easel if you wish.

Each board like page is coated with a lustre coating to protect against fingerprints. That means that big sister or big brother can oogle over the photos or show them to everyone who comes to visit the new little one without getting in trouble :)

They also come in a perfectly fitted black or white presentation box. Beautiful!

9x9 DREAM ALBUM

Just like the 6x6, but obviously bigger, so it holds more photos! And they're BIGGER photos!

Check out this. 9x18. Yes. That is NINE by EIGHTEEN!

Awesomeness.

And I just love this photo. It is totally on my business cards.

OKAY...One last product...

THE STANDOUT

This is the less expensive option to the gallery wrap...and one that doesn't require me to take wide angle shots. I can crop as close as I want and you still get the whole image since none of it is wrapped around the edges. I still LOVE a gallery wrap though. Two totally different ways to display your piece of art :)

Sigh. My FAVORITE photo ever of my 2 kids together. You can HEAR their smiles ;)

1.5 inches thick. white or black edges depending on image.

all the way around.

I haven't hung this one yet because I can't decide where it should live. That will be my next project...

So there it is! My babies! What I have been designing for the last few month in my "spare" time.

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VERY delightfully,

Monica

A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

Wow. I have been meaning to blog this session for quite a while. But since I have been spending so much time with my FAMILY, I have not taken the time.

So here is THIS BEAUTIFUL FAMILY.

full of love...as it should be.

parents that KISS are AWESOME.

Laughter is pretty cool too...

I love to SEE a mother's love

And my FAVORITE photo of the day. Aren't they just so cute???

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N family, Get 25 comments below and receive a FREE 8x10!

delightfully,

Monica

HER HAPPINESS [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

I just love my Reagan. She is so sweet and loving and HAPPY. Here is one reason why.

Sparkly shoes.

LOVE how the toes are almost worn through.

Wish they made them in my size...

delightfully,

Monica

DOWN TIME [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

What a wonderful Christmas it was! I did my best to do nothing. Just enjoy my family. And it couldn't have been better.

We played outside as much as possible (with all of the rain over the break) and had a blast. The kids got a sandbox from Grandma and Grandpa :) I LOVE outdoor toys!

Reagan likes to bake sugar cakes in the sand.

And this is one of the few times Luke actually sits on his bottom to go down the slide. He can climb the ladder all by himself now and just can't wait to get down the slide...so he goes head first! I would have posted a pic of that, but with his hat on, you can't see his smiling face at all!

I am loving my new camera Santa brought. These photos are straight out of the box. No editing. Super sharp and vivid. LOVE. IT.

I'll try to get back to "work" one of these days and post some more photos, update my site etc. For now, gotta go play with the kids and their new toys!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

delightfully,

Monica