capturing real life

Allison & Stephen are engaged!

Finally! Allison is a sweet friend from my hometown of Keystone Heights. I have known her since high school. A few years ago I did a charity photo shoot for a Men In Uniform Calendar and I met Stephen. He asked where I was from and mentioned that his girlfriend Allison was also from Keystone. 

I'm not exactly sure when Allison started following my blog but I just love her because she is a self proclaimed blog stalker. Actually, I can't really call her a blog stalker because she is a real life friend and she has always taken the time to comment. 

I adore this couple. They have been dating for a LONG time and when Stephen finally proposed in December we were all THRILLED. Yes, me included. I am honored to be shooting their upcoming wedding in October. You can bet that it will be every bit as beautiful as they are.

Elizabeth & Gary's Couture Weddings After Session!

Elizabeth & Gary were the winner's of Couture Weddings FREE After Session Contest! Jaime and I met them back in April and had a wonderful evening capturing these two. The award could not have gone to a more deserving couple. They are beautiful people both inside and out. The session was so relaxed that Elizabeth & Gary had no problem showing their love and affection for one another. It's so cliche' but GIVING means so much more than receiving. 

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW!

Oh, and Elizabeth's identical twin sister Stephanie just got engaged in the Bahamas. The first thing she did when she returned was book me as her photographer! YAY!

9 month project

You'll be seeing more of Denai's beautiful belly in the coming months and meeting her sweet baby in January!

{10 weeks}

My Summer Schedule

I have been busy capturing beautiful weddings the past few months! I have so much to share. I cannot believe that it is already May and the spring wedding season is almost over. My plan for the month is to get all these weddings edited and online. I currently have four that I am working on. 

I will be out of town on the following dates so please be patient with me if my e-mail responses are slow.

May 8-10 I am traveling to West Palm Beach for my sister's college graduation. 

May 17-24 I will be out of town for some much need family time.

I am going on a little work hiatus this summer. I am considering it an extended maternity leave since I did not have much time off after BREANNE PAIGE  was born in February. I am only booking a few studio portrait sessions during the months of June, July & August. I plan on spending the summer with the kids and getting my house in order.

FYI - The Capturing Real Life Photography Studio has MOVED! The new location is 7435 SR-21 in Keystone Heights. If you are familiar with the area it is next to Pennyworth Homes and 4 buildings before you get to Johnny's BBQ on the right. I am really excited about having a much larger space to shoot and meet with my wedding couples. I hope to take some pictures soon.

Michelle & Brett's Dream Beach Wedding!

On one of the most beautiful days Ponte Vedra beach had seen this year, Michelle and Brett had their dream wedding. Jaime and I pulled up to the Sawgrass Beach Club with the bright sun and coquina shelled beach as our backdrop. From the breathtaking floral arrangements from Floriade Florist to the wedding cake by Classic Cakes, everything was set for perfection.

Michelle and Brett  were Couture Wedding Studio's first official couple and we could not have been more excited! Not only are they gorgeous on the outside, these two are the most grounded and down to earth pair of peas-in-a-pod you will ever find! They were just naturals in front of the camera. 

Words cannot even begin to describe how fabulous Michelle and Brett's Wedding Day was. This is a blog post where the pictures really do speak a thousand words. We hope you enjoy viewing their memories as much as we did capturing them. Take a few minutes to enjoy their slideshow. If you have never viewed one of our wedding slideshows please make this the first. I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THEIR WEDDING SLIDESHOW!

It was such a pleasure working with them and Michelle's fabulous Mother, Cindi! We have appreciated you all allowing us to do what we love to do. We hope you two had a wonderful time on your Bali honeymoon, and know that trip was merely a start to your life full of adventure and fun! Much love and appreciation, Amy.

Click here to view more images from Michelle and Brett's Wedding on Jaime's Blog.

Amy on the other side of the lens.

Well it was my turn to be in front of the camera. I am not a big fan of having my own picture taken. My partner Jaime was the one that pushed this session on me and I am glad she did. We really needed some updated photos for our website, blogs and marketing materials. So we asked our photographer friend Jennifer Adams to take some photos of us. I am not sure if she knew what she was getting herself into since we are SUPER picky. Jennifer was very patient with us and put up with all our antics. Jaime encouraged me to try a new "look" for the session. I went out and bought a new outfit and had my hair and make up done. I must admit that I felt GREAT! After a long pregnancy, the post partum ick, sleep deprivation and too much work I had the total blah's. This was exactly what I needed and I actually had fun.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Jaime & I would like to thank all of our couples who entered the After Session Contest and all of our blog readers who voted! There was a definite race to the finish line and the votes are in!

For the past few weeks we have been running a contest open to all newlywed couples married in 2007-2009. Contestants e-mailed a creative image of themselves depicting life after the wedding. We were excited that couples took the challenge to think creatively!

Ok, ok.....get on with it, Amy....

After a weeks worth of voting and soliciting hundreds of votes from their friends and family, this deserving couple won first place!  I did not shoot the winning couple's wedding but you might recognize the bride from my portrait website (go gators), which makes the reveal all that much more exciting!

Drum Roll....


The


Winning


Couple


is...

Elizabeth & Gary!!!

Elizabeth & Gary will receive an After Session in an urban setting with the second location being the romantic field of wildflowers with all their images on CD!

Congrats you two & thanks again to all our couples for entering!

It's time to VOTE for the winning couple!

IT’S TIME TO VOTE FOR THE WINNING COUPLE!
Couture Weddings is giving away a FREE After Session to a lucky newlywed couple! The session will take place in an urban setting with the second location being the romantic field of wildflowers. The winning couple will also receive a high resolution DVD of images with copyright release!

 The following adorable couples submitted their photo entries for the contest. PLEASE VOTE on the couple that you think should WIN the Free After Session! 

[Voting Poll at the bottom of this post]

Voting ends April 22!

#1
Erin & Jeb
April 12, 2008

Erin and Jeb submitted their photo with the following:

"The realities of marriage: the wife can't cook, we need more money, and where does the laundry come from??"

#2
Elizabeth & Gary
October 18, 2008

Elizabeth & Gary submitted their photo with the following:

"The photo was taken at Austin Cary Memorial Forest where we were married.
Gary graduated from the University of Florida and is wearing one of his favorite camouflage "Gator" hats to represent his degree in Wildlife Resources and Ecology.

Elizabeth is holding her hair! This is her 6th Annual donation to Locks of Love!"

We chose to wear matching outfits to show our unity. We wore white shirts to show purity in our relationship, and jeans to show that they are laid back!

In November, we brought home our brand new puppy, Decoy! We think of him as our child... and we had to drive all the way to Grady, Alabama to get him, and I would do it again in a heart beat!"

#3 

Anna & Brett
July 14, 2007

Anna & Brett submitted their photo with the following:

"We were married on July 14, 2007. Only 6 months after we got married, we were pregnant! Now, I stays at home with Hudson, who is almost 7 months old. When Brett gets home from work, it's his turn to take care of our "little man" while I get busy in the kitchen cooking!"

#4

Cheryl & Joseph
December 27, 2008

Cheryl & Joseph submitted their photo with the following:

"This is what we have been up to after the wedding. Nothing has really changed! We still love to have fun with each other! Marriage is everything we could have wanted and more."

#5
Megan & J.C.
March 22, 2008

Megan & J.C. submitted their photo with the following:

"We are both outdoors people and love to share our passion for hunting.....but things sure changed when we got married I had to learn to become a housewife! "

#6
Melissa and Deerwood
March 21, 2009

Melissa & Derwood submitted their photo with the following:

"This is us on our snowmobiling trip in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in March 2009. This is the view of the Teton Mountains from the Togwotee Mountain Lodge Lookout!"

Miranda & Steve's Military Wedding Sneak Peak!

 

  

  

  

Miranda & Steve were married April 3, 2009. The wedding was done in First Class Military fashion and this couple shares a true American Love Story. Steve is a 2006 graduate of Westpoint and recently returned from Iraq. Miranda did all the wedding plans while Steve was gone and she was in Fort Campbell. I can't wait to share the rest of their wedding images. It was a day to remember.

Couture Weddings After Session Contest!

Couture Weddings After Session Contest

Deadline April 14 @ 8pm

Couture Weddings is giving away a FREE After Session to a lucky newlywed couple! The session will take place in an urban setting with the second location being the romantic field of wildflowers. The winning couple will also receive a high resolution DVD of images with copyright release.

The contest is open to all couples married in 2008 or already married in 2009. You could have had ANY photographer shoot your wedding. The lucky couple will meet up with Amy and Jaime for a totally fun After Session. Girls must wear their wedding dress and can snazz it up with some cute shoes and accessories. Guys can skip the tux! Think fresh and stylish.

Contestants will e-mail a creative image of themselves depicting life after the wedding. What have you been up to? Did you buy a house, get a new job or have a baby? Are you a sweet little housewife or is your man in the kitchen? What is REAL LIFE like since the wedding? Images will be placed online and blog readers will vote on the winning couple.

There are no strings attached--you won't be charged tax, forced to buy anything else if you don't want to, or anything like that. This is solely an opportunity for us to give a deserving couple something that we hope they will treasure. Feel free to send this entry to your deserving friends--We hope to find a really special couple to do this for.

Deadline to enter is April 14^th at 8:00 pm. Images will be placed online and voting will begin the next day. You can use Facebook, myspace, twitter, email and blogging to solicit votes. Here is the link to the contest flyer http://www.capturingreallife.com/contest.jpg. Feel free to put it on  your website. Only one vote per person per day will be allowed. Voting will end on Tuesday, April 21^st at 8:00 and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 22.

To enter:

1.    Add Amy Barry and Jaime Smith to your Facebook or Couture Weddings Myspace .

2.    Send your CREATIVE PHOTO and the following information to: info@coutureweddingstudios.com

a.     Name of you and significant other

b.     E-mail Address

c.     Phone Number

*Session will be subject to dates that we are available. Couples must be able to participate between April 27^th and May 30^th with as little as one week’s notice due to the flowers only blooming for a short time.*

*If winning couple was not one of our wedding clients a wedding license will have to be provided for proof of wedding date.*

*Session and DVD is valued at $800. No exchanges.*