ONE HOT MAMA-TO-BE [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

I just love the energy of an expectant mother.

How her smile warms you to the core.

How, if you are a mom already, it brings back that time so vividly.

I had the pleasure of photographing [S] and Dad-to-be [M] at lovely Ft. Pickens. Have I ever mentioned how I love that location? How the light is just SO yummy? How beautiful natural Florida is? Thought so. :) It is the perfect backdrop to almost anything...and [S] TOTALLY ROCKED IT.

Something about this gives me the warm fuzzies. Holding hands is so sweet. Not in a [cute] sort of way, but in a [I will love you forever] sort of way.

I can barely wait to meet Baby [C] and capture her first days - The first days that [S] and [M] will have become a [family]. I know I have said this before, but watching a [couple] transform into a [family] is one of the most beautiful experiences.

Congratulations again you two :)

delightfully,

Monica

FUN TIMES! [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

This week has been SO fun! My cousin, who is more like my sister, is in town with her family. Ever since we were little girls we have dreamed of our kids playing together. We always said we would live next door to each other once we got married. Ah, the dreams of an 8 year old. Maybe we'll retire next door to each other...

It is so fulfilling, yet surreal, to watch our kids play together. Seems like only yesterday we were riding our bikes, playing in the tree house that Uncle Ronnie built, and I was getting run over with the go-cart! Fun times! We spent our summers together. She lived in Georgia and me in Alabama. That 6 hour drive seemed so long. I couldn't wait to get to her house to play, and I cried the whole way home when I had to leave. I can only hope our kids have the same kind of relationship.

I had the pleasure of photographing them yesterday. Of course, my family tagged along so I got some fun shots of my kids too. These are straight out of the camera. You will hear me gush over and over about my camera, lens, and the beautiful light at Ft. Pickens. LOVE that place!

For now, here are some of the fun shots I got yesterday. I will post more family shots once I edit their session :)

I LOVE family photos rockin' the sunglasses!

Can you BELIEVE she is 5 months pregnant???? They are having another baby girl! EEEEEEEEE! I am SO excited!!!

[And what is a family photo without your niece running around in the background? That is exactly why I chose this one!]

i can't believe my kids actually cheese for the camera. what am I doing wrong??? LOL

This is my FAVE. Hugs, kisses, and togetherness.

It makes my heart swell to see our kids together.

Once Savannah had had enough of the camera I found my kids balancing on a large piece of driftwood. I love capturing kids just being. Kids. That is what they are. This time is so fleeting, and so FUN. I am trying to take mental snapshots (as well as actual snapshots) of this time as often as possible.

Oh, this may be my favorite post ever. I love my family. Wendy and [her] Jake are 2 of my favorite people on the planet. Isn't it funny that we both married Jakes? And only 5 months apart. We both have sweet little girls, and poor Luke will just have to hang with the Jakes I guess. I cannot wait to meet new baby [H] in September. She is due on her daddy's birthday. How perfect is that???? Just thinking of what they have gone through to have this precious child and grow their family makes me well up with tears.

I love you, Wendy, Jake and Savannah. And I can't wait to meet you baby [H]. I see family vacations, lots of sleepovers and plenty of family photo sessions in our futures.

Congratulations guys!

delightfully,

Monica

A BRAND NEW ANGEL [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

Whew. This week has been unbelievably busy. I am looking forward to the weekend with my little ones splashing in the beach and listening to their laughter.

The highlight of my workweek was photographing this beauty. I had the pleasure of meeting little miss [C] this week. It was wonderful holding her, snuggling her, and gently swaying her to calm her on occasion :)

So peaceful.

[J] and [S], she is simply delightful.

I cannot wait to finish editing her session and show you more! I just couldn't make you wait through the weekend to see one :)

Have the most wonderful weekend everyone!

delightfully,

Monica

IN MY BAG

So I have been trying to find time to post this for a while! People are always asking me what equipment I use and what they should buy to learn with. I think the best way to answer these questions is with 2 separate posts. Today I will discuss what tools I use in my business and [hopefully] later this week I will have time to post what equipment you should invest in if you are serious about learning :)

MY CAMERAS

I am a Canon girl. I have nothing against Nikon, but my first investment was a Canon, and after you start with a brand, there is no reason to change.

I cannot say enough about my camera. I LOVE it. Absolutely, truly, madly. I purchased a

Canon 5D Mark II

last year and I think it is the Bees Knees. It has incredible ISO capabilities, which come in handy since I shoot with natural light only, and sometimes in client's dark homes. For a backup I carry my older Canon 40D. If you just clicked the link, you will see it is discontinued. I hit over 10,000 frames with it sometime last year. It continues to be a wonderful camera.

MY LENSES

Right now I seem to shoot almost everything with my Canon 24-70/2.8. Most of the time super fast children are a part of my sessions so I need a zoom that is faster than my feet! When I want to take a step back and just watch as a session unfolds, I use my Canon 85mm/1.8. It allows me that distance while still providing the cool depth of field that everyone loves. Every now and again I pull out my Canon 50/1.8 [Nifty Fifty]. For any beginning photographer this is a lens you can't afford not to have. It lets you play around with extreme apertures and it costs less than $100! I have a 35/1.4 on my wish list as well as a Canon 100/2.8 Macro for photographing newborns :)

I have lots of other lenses that I use for around the house shooting and such too. They are too middle of the road for use in my business, but they are great for snapshots and beginners. I will mention them in my next post.

HOW I CARRY IT ALL

I am an Etsy lover, so I was super-pumped to find this gem on there. My Ketti Bag! If you follow me on Facebook you know how much I anticipated its arrival. It is a super stylish camera handbag. It allows me to carry my monster camera anywhere safely and without drawing attention to it. It look just like a big purse, but has all of the padding and separate compartments of a camera bag. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE it????

When I am on a shoot, most of the time I have my ShootSac wrapped around me. It holds all of the lenses that I brought along and fits snugly against me so that when I end up on the ground for a shot, my bag doesn't flop all around. I can't decide on a cover, so for now my bag is just the basic black...

MY TOOLS

Other than my camera, my best tool is my Mac. I use an extra screen with it to make my workflow faster. I edit all of my images with Photoshop CS4. I know some photographers use Lightroom, but I find that Bridge and Photoshop do all that I need them to :)

Occasionally I use a reflector for shooting newborns indoors. This comes in handy on really overcast days.

And of course, I have an entire cabinet of blankets of all sizes, colors, and textures to carry with me. Never know when you will need one!

That is about it! I always LOVE to get my hands on new lenses, so I'm sure if I do get a new one, I'll write all about it!

Have a most wonderful day!!

delightfully,

Monica

JUST HAVIN' FUN [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

Oh how the [For Sale] sign in this little girl's front yard breaks my heart...

I have been photographing her since she was in her Mama's tummy. I have enjoyed watching her grow and change. But with military life, we all move along. We meet wonderful people along our paths, and pray that our paths cross again. I snapped some photos while she played in the park a couple of weeks ago. She already looks different.

L.O.V.E. this one.

She was having so much fun in that swing smiling at her Daddy with each push.

Oh my, how I am going to miss those little toes.

Got to stop typing before I start crying...

Can't wait to watch her bounce around tomorrow at our play date! Little ones are SO FUN!!!!

delightfully,

Monica

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

I had the pleasure of photographing this beautiful mommy and her handsome boys yesterday.

I kindly asked dad to step out of the frame for this one.

LOVE it.

so sweet.

[M], you have 3 heartbreakers on your hands.

Boys that love and respect their moms grow up to be such wonderful men.

I am fortunate enough to have married one.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms that work so hard to make it look so easy.

Have the most wonderful day!

delightfully,

Monica

REBRANDED! [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

So I did not see this coming so soon! However, I am totally excited with the results of my

total

and

complete

rebrand.

The other day I was working on some marketing material and finally came to the realization that my original logo [burst] was WAY out of proportion with my text. Lesson learned. Back to the drawing board it was. And then I came up with something better.

I not only changed my logo, I have created a complete branding image that could not make me happier.

A play on my original [burst] that was inspired by light and all things photography, this derivation is true to what I have become - Inspired by nature as well.

My photography has taken a very natural turn to nature. The outdoors have always been a part of my sessions, but lately I have discovered how to incorporate natural elements that are subtle yet breathtaking, and it adds so much more to the images that I create for you.

So this new dandelion burst signifies light, nature, and sense of carefree childhood to me. I mean, who doesn't love to blow dandelion petals into the wind and watch them go....

Just the thought of it brings a smile to my face and a sense of peace.

And I would like to thank my wonderful friend Michelle for helping me know it was the right decision. What would I do without her? I don't want to know.

I am looking forward to using this lovely brand that represents my business and ME.

delightfully,

Monica

OUR WALL [Monica Brown, Pensacola Photographer]

So THIS is what I did with my favorite images from our family session.

I usually have various 12x12s of the kids at different ages, but I was [AM] so IN LOVE with our photos from the field, that I overtook the entire wall.

I promise to be a better blogger this week. I had a sudden rebranding come about due to my lack of being an actual graphic designer. Lesson on proportion learned. Do-over :)

The new branding and logo will make an appearance later this week!

delightfully,

Monica