Sun and Sand Photography

new blog!!!

2010-06-13T22:38:00.000-05:00

Can be found here!

http://destinphotographer.blogspot.com/

Sunset Sneak Peek!

2009-06-30T22:56:00.003-05:00

Class of 2010 - Meet Kevin!

2009-06-01T14:18:00.002-05:00

I love what I do!!! The week in pictures:

2009-05-31T00:23:00.002-05:00

We had some awesome sunset sessions this past week!

Our clients totally ROCK!!!!

Simply a stunning, soothing sunset!

2009-05-14T09:26:00.003-05:00

I'm addicted to you baby...

2009-05-04T15:44:00.002-05:00

My love, my darling, FACEBOOK!

Haha!

Would you like to become a "fan" of our Sun and Sand Photography Facebook page? Just click here, then click "become a fan" - it's instant, requires no approval and it's FREE!

See you there!

Good friends, good times.

2009-05-03T11:50:00.008-05:00

Thomas and I had a great Saturday! We started by picking some strawberries in Panama City with a few friends! On the way home, we stopped at Ebro Greyhound Park. We stayed for 2 races and a cheeseburger. :) No big winners for us!

Go out and do something spontaneous today!

Visiting photographers

2009-04-27T10:51:00.003-05:00

We were lucky to have Kara and Mary (both from different states!) visiting Destin last week!

Networking with other photographers can be so rewarding!

We played around at the studio for a while then had some lunch at The Crab Trap!

Miss you girls already!

Say you saw it on the BLOG!

2009-04-24T10:59:00.003-05:00

I'm ready for my close up!

2009-04-21T09:34:00.002-05:00

Thomas loves to search for that perfect shot. Sometimes he sees things I never give a second look... We affectionately refer to his outings as "spelunking" lol. While he hasn't actually visited any caves... I'm sure that's not too far off in the future!

Boys will be BOYS!

2009-04-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

We met Lynn at our new studio in Fudpucker's new "Father Fud's Central Market" - stop by and say HI! Thomas is usually there from noon - 10pm! Come see some of our samples and the other fabulous vendors!

I love how each one of our shoots are completely different! It is our goal to capture the spirit and personalities of our clients and I think we did just that with the Vaughans.

How sweet it is.

2009-04-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Peggy and her son Sam were in town last week and we shot 'em!
Our weather has been a little hit and miss lateley, so our original day (according to the weather reports) just wasn't going to work. We rearranged the schedule and headed out to the beach a day early.

We had such a good time! It was quick and fun! I think we captured some great moments.

Say, say my playmate...

2009-04-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

To have the care-free life of a child! What I wouldn't give!

Today was a little family party for my nephew's 4th birthday! Lots of good food, family and FUN!

It's so wonderful how distinct and individual children's personalities are. Such a wonder to me.

P.S. I promise not to wait another 3+ months to post a blog! :)

Memphis Dancer...

2008-12-21T00:34:00.002-06:00

Last weekend my friend Andrea and I took an unexpected trip to Memphis!

Why?

Why not! :)

We met up with a few of my friends that live up that way... I'll post all the details of the trip soon - but here are some of my favorite shots of my friend (photographer and ballet dancer) Bing.

A little bit of Christmas...

2008-11-19T13:28:00.002-06:00

Here are a few samples of some holiday cards that I have designed for my clients.

Little Lucas

2008-11-12T22:44:00.002-06:00

My friend Kristin gave birth to Lucas yesterday!

5lb 14oz

Isn't he perfect?!

Something for those of you missing Florida...

2008-11-10T19:12:00.001-06:00

More from the hood!

2008-11-09T18:33:00.000-06:00

My Best Friend Shawn...

2008-11-03T01:36:00.003-06:00

And her BEAUTIFUL family!

I drove to Daytona Beach this past weekend to visit Shawn and James and Connor and Zoe!

We went Trick-or-Treating AND we celebrated Zoe's first birthday.

I love you Shawn and I miss you!!!!

A cold day at the beach!

2008-10-28T23:24:00.001-05:00

Introducing my new website!!!

2008-10-21T02:51:00.002-05:00

I have created a new website!

www.amybenzenhafer.com

Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think!

See you soon!
Amy

The 32nd annual Mullet Festival!

2008-10-19T04:50:00.002-05:00

I have been to most of them!!! :)

Uh... He's tall! :)

I like the horses... but can't stand the merry-go-round!

Poor guy! He's missing an antenna!

Believe it or not... I don't have a Mullet Festival shirt...

This MUST be LOVE!!!

You never know when you are going to need one...

So close...

2008-10-12T21:53:00.004-05:00

Lance and Thomas are days away from being finished with the cookbook!!!!!

OMG!!! I just can't believe it! We are so excited.

But I am nervous. What does this mean? What is going to happen when it's actually published and they sell thousands of copies? It's making my tummy do flip-flops. They have had great response from certain kitchen appliance manufacturers... and commitments for large sums of book purchases... but all of this is just their word. Will it really happen? Will they sell any books? I am sure some of our friends will be buying a copy, but it's crazy to think that strangers will be buying it... It's just like photography - they are selling themselves. Not food, not a blender, or a cast iron skillet... you have to like them to buy their book. Is our photography of the finished recipes good enough?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

While I go bang my head on my desk, take a look at some of this yummy food!

Tell us what you think! :)

Vegetarian Boudin Balls

Caramelized Onion Delight

Roasted Drunken Pears

x2

Spiced Acorn-butternut pudding (can be used as a pie filling!!! yummmm!)

Banana bread

The Boys

Thomas

Lance

Shopping!

Oklahoma...

2008-10-11T10:21:00.002-05:00

Sure is a long way from Florida!!!

In March, Thomas and I drove to Skiatook, OK... It took about 18 hours to get there. It took about 21 hours to get home - we stopped a lot on the backroads of Arkansas...Mississippi... and took some pretty cool photographs.

Last week, I flew to Kansas City and met my friend Jenny. From there we made the 4 hour trip to Skiatook in about 6 hours! lol
Don't ask... everytime we got in the car together it was like some kind of time warp.

What a relaxing wonderful weekend!!! We stayed at the Skiatook mansion... Pat and Grant's house! They are so wonderful...

We watched the most amazing thunderstorm at 4 am Saturday morning... And had an eventful day Saturday! A couple of amazing models got in some wedding dresses and off we went! We came back to an amazing dinner cooked by our friend Cort. And some even more amazing desserts cooked by our friend Lynda!

Saturday night was um... FUN! While I can't go into detail (this is a pg13 blog, right!??) I laughed so hard for 3 hours that my head still hurts.

We were able to get together our guidelines for our gathering in March. About 80 photographers from around the country get together and learn from each other.. and have a great time... and get some amazing shots.

I can't wait.

As much as I absolutely love having my camera with me everywhere I go, I only used my camera 1 day. What a joy it was to spend time with my friends and just be.

Here are some of the shots from that day...

Enjoy!

Jenn:

Karrie:

Bing:

Must Like Snakes!

2008-08-22T23:24:00.003-05:00

The dogs were going a little crazy this morning... So Hubby went to check it out...

They cornered a snake! He hid in a terra cotta pumpkin planter we have. So what's a photographer to do?! Shoot it, of course! [;)]

Mr. Luna got the tripod and his extension tubes and had a little photoshoot. He put the him in a big black garbage can (still in the planter..)and then put some water on him to clean him off... so some of these show him in the water...

IMO - these are AWESOME!

Then he drove him out to the woods and released him.

The end.

"Trash The Dress"

2008-08-19T00:36:00.003-05:00

What are you going to do with your wedding dress? Let it sit in your closet? Sell it?

What about a "Trash The Dress" session?

A friend of mine from Tennessee who is also a photographer came to Panama City with a bride... they wanted to do a TTD session on the beach!

LUCKY me!!!!

Check out these amazing photographs we got at sunrise!

The first image is the one that killed my iphone. :(

My friend Angela!

2008-08-17T22:52:00.001-05:00

And her beautiful family!

A cruise, a bride... a good time!

2008-08-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

On July 20th, I had the pleasure of joining Chuck and Sierra onboard the Solaris to photograph their wedding!

Everything was perfect! The staff was wonderful, the scenery beautiful and the ceremony unforgettable.

A friend, a tutu and some sand!

2008-07-20T11:15:00.002-05:00

Regina and her girls came to Florida from Missouri! We sure made sure it was hot Florida weather for them!

What's better than photographing your friends?!

I spent my birthday in Savannah!

2008-07-11T01:11:00.003-05:00

I took my lovely niece Breanna to Savannah to see my friend Jenn and her daughter Gabi.

Wow! These little girls are troopers! I absolutely loved every minute of it! Thank you Jenn!

Be sure to check out my link for Jennifer Walsh Photography for some of her great images!

Amy

Russ and Irina.. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!

2008-06-28T02:00:00.003-05:00

You probably don't want to hear this again, but...

Congratulations!!!! ;)

You two are gorgeous! Irina - it was so lovely to meet you!

I just couldn't go to sleep without posting some of your images. You guys are too easy!

Enjoy!

Sometimes I see things a little differently! :)

Turn your frown upside down!

2008-06-24T23:22:00.002-05:00

Well I have been having a rough couple of days... but look at this beautiful girl!

She's only here in town for a few more weeks, so I just have to take any opportunity I can get to photograph her.

We had dinner this evening at our favorite Chinese joint called "Hong Kong" :)

There's some random stuff in there too.

Thanks for stopping by!

The best niece ever!!!!

2008-06-15T13:41:00.001-05:00

This is my niece Breanna!

She is beautiful!

I think I have found it!

2008-06-02T23:29:00.005-05:00

The next step of my "style!"

I have been trying a new technique... I am sooo in love with the way they look.

Here's to hoping they are a HUGE success!

Sunday Concerts!

2008-06-01T22:11:00.004-05:00

Are free at Gulf Place during the summer! Next week we have the Sarah Mac Band. Very exciting!!!

http://www.sarahmacband.com/

But today, we said goodbye to Kim. She accepted a position with the school her daughter attends. So now, when we have a holiday... Kim and her daughter Nina will be stopping by to rub in our faces that we have to work!!!!!

We'll miss you Kim! And Nina too!

See you around town!

My job is amazing.

2008-06-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

I am so lucky that I get to do this for a living.

Vertigo

2008-05-30T23:10:00.004-05:00

A new teen club is opening tomorrow night! I went with a friend of mine that knows the owners to the club tonite. The DJ was spinning, some girls were dancing and the pizza oven was cookin'!

Andrea - thanks for a great night!

Happy Memorial Day...

2008-05-29T21:50:00.003-05:00

Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored. ~Daniel Webster

Nature has her own fireworks...

2008-05-29T00:31:00.002-05:00

You just have to find them!

Enjoy the small things.

I work hard! Honest...

2008-05-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

Look at this beautiful family!

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What a pleasure they were!

Here are my faves from our shoot!

Feathery friends

2008-05-18T09:19:00.002-05:00

While Theresa and I were waiting for the sun to drop just a little more, we were entertained by these little guys.

I think one of them had a little bit of an attitude! I heard him say... "So you want a picture, huh? Well take a picture of this..." and then he pooped. Got a great image of it! lol

Theresa - Part 2!

2008-05-18T01:11:00.002-05:00

What great weather we had today! Good seeing you again!

Here are some from today!

Theresa!

2008-05-14T22:00:00.005-05:00

What a pleasure it was to photograph you today!

I took the liberty of making some of them a little funky! I hope you like them!

There's more on the way!

See you Saturday!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T23:44:00.007-05:00

My mom is in North Carolina - so unfortunately I don't have any images of her for my blog today! I love you mom and can't wait to see you soon!!!

We went to the ever fabulous P.F. Chang's for dinner this evening with Thomas' parents. We weren't too happy with the food tonite - everything seemed a little "off." The sauce on the orange peel chicken was too heavy - there wasn't enough curry in the singapore street noodles and the beef a la sichuan wasn't spicy.

Even though the food was a dud - the company was amazing!!!!

This woman - whom I have been lucky enough to call mom for the past 14 years - is beautiful and strong.

Love you mom!

How to paint.

2008-05-10T08:43:00.004-05:00

First... make sure your surface area is clean.

Second... make sure you have plenty of room to work.

Third... make sure the LID is on the can of paint before transporting.

Love ya Steve!!!!

A new project!

2008-05-05T18:08:00.005-05:00

For those of you that don't know, my Hubby and his friend are putting together a cookook!

AND - they found a publisher! Woo Hoo!

Part of the final process is to get pictures together for each recipe!

So exciting!

Wait.

SO MUCH WORK TO DO!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Here are a few that we have taken so far... Not that all of these will be used in the cookbook... we are just finding what we like... :)

Enjoy!

No drooling on your keyboard!

A few from Santa Rosa Beach!

2008-04-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

The most amazing weekend ever.

2008-04-01T18:54:00.002-05:00

Thomas and I drove up to Oklahoma (a little bit north of Tulsa) and met with some fellow photographers.

What a wonderful experience. I have never had the pleasure to meet anyone I have "met" on an internet forum, but this weekend I met about 70 of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to have in your lives.

I will soon post a more in depth blog with names and faces... and links to where you can find them! =)

But for now, here are some shots from our road trip home.

Interested in purchasing prints?

2008-03-25T11:32:00.002-05:00

I am currently adding a page to my website that showcases our landscape, nature and beach photography.

For now, feel free to browse all of my posts. If you see an image that you would like hanging on your wall or in your office, send an email to amy@sunandsandphotography.com.

Here are a few from this weekend!

Happy Egg Day!

2008-03-23T10:22:00.002-05:00

The nephews are with their mom this weekend, so no easter egg pics with the little stinkers this year.

Today is "G" day. But because of the holiday, we have all agreed to skip posting our pics until tomorrow. Who knows, maybe you will see 2 "G"s tomorrow! ;)

Enjoy your day and don't eat too many eggs. It may be hazardous to your family's sense of smell.

Love!

Father

2008-03-23T02:00:00.002-05:00

Tom's dad... looking at my new camera! :)

Edamame!!!

2008-03-21T22:25:00.002-05:00

ABC's!

2008-03-21T07:26:00.004-05:00

Occasionally, a group of photographers will brainstorm and come up with an "assignment"... these generally last 30 days and the purpose is to get us of our keisters and SHOOT something! Get creative, think outside the box, work on composition and technique.

This time we chose the ABC's! Here's what I got so far... (Hubby helped! That's his azalea!)

Azalea

Butter

Cast Iron

Donuts!

Donut Down!

Dirty Donut Digits

It's the simple things...

2008-03-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

A look at Seaside...

2008-02-24T22:36:00.002-06:00

I'm with the band...

2008-01-29T12:35:00.001-06:00

Haha! No, I am not, but my BFF is! She is the vocals for a 3 piece blues band. I visited her and her family in Daytona this weekend. Here are some artsy shots - musical in nature. (I will post baby pics later!)

Meet Beemer and Porche!

2008-01-24T11:05:00.001-06:00

The cutest couple around! :)

Meet the Koudelkas!

2008-01-10T20:31:00.000-06:00

Who says you can't have fun in the rain?!

This was my last session of 2007! Who knows... maybe they will be my last session of 2008 as well?

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas, Moon.

2007-12-26T11:28:00.002-06:00

Peace. Love. Joy.

Friday Night Lights...

2007-12-14T23:18:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful sunset we had tonite!

Thomas and I spent some time watching the sun go down and watched the loons and herons and dolphins going about their day.

It was beautiful.

Enjoy!

A little peace.

2007-12-13T22:12:00.000-06:00

This is one of the beauties I get to see on my drive home. Finally stopped to capture it the other night.

Meet my friend Carla!

2007-12-09T20:32:00.000-06:00

Isn't she beautiful?! I know Carla from work, and I am so lucky to be able to call her my friend.

We had gorgeous Florida weather today. It was sunny and in the 70s!

Enjoy the pics and send us some love!

Meet the Bothe Family!

2007-12-04T23:37:00.000-06:00

This was an important shoot for Grandma. It's been a while since the family had a group shot. So we met at the home Grandma and Grandpa built 40 some years ago...

Beautiful family and a beautiful place.

Andrea, Lori, thanks so much for allowing me to be there!

Love this little boy!!!

2007-12-04T02:21:00.000-06:00

Isn't my nephew just adorable?

Of course he is!

This post is all about Robbie... He is growing so fast! He used to push his little trike with his feet - he refused to use the pedals! Well, not anymore! He can go FAST! =)

So cute.

Scenes from a lake...

2007-12-02T00:47:00.000-06:00

Lake Juniper was drained. While it was drained, I took some pictures! It's need what you can see and find in an empty lake. (I think there was invasive plant life that needed to be controlled!

My Dad and Brother took the opportunity to repair and rebuild the dock while the water was gone. (All shots are pre-restoration!)

I can't wait to go back and see the progress...

Meet the neighbor...

2007-11-27T22:24:00.000-06:00

Haha! This little guy creeps me out! He is not as bad as a praying mantis... I seriously think I have a phobia of those things. But still... he gives me the heebiejeebies.

He brought a friend with him... see the little ant?

Thomas and I planted our orange tree about 3 years ago. Looks like we will have about 3 dozen oranges this year! How exciting!

Pictures of the oranges to come later... but just some pics of Jose for now. LOL

Enjoy!

Meet the Smiley Family

2007-11-25T22:37:00.000-06:00

BRRRRRR! Who would have thought how wonderful our pictures would have turned out?! It was so gloomy this morning. The wind was relentless! But what a pleasant surprise it was to get to the beach this morning and see such beautiful colors - without a ray of sunshine anywhere...

Thanks so much, Rita! We had a great time!

Meet the Tice Family!

2007-11-23T22:25:00.000-06:00

I have know Mr. and Mrs. Tice for a little over 5 years now. I met them while managing their condominium in Destin. I had the privilege of photographing them on Black Friday! =) Let everyone else fight traffic and search for deals - we were at the beach!

Introducing Photo Jewelry

2007-11-17T04:06:00.000-06:00

I love to show off photos of my nieces and nephews... I am worse than a proud grandparent! My laptop is too big to carry everywhere and an album just gets in the way.

So why not wear their photos???

Photo jewlery has been around a long time. I used to have a locket - but it was soooooo small.

The new pieces that you can now find are a little ornate for my taste and still a little small.

Through my searches I was unable to find any photo jewelry that matched my keen sense of style!

So I made my own.

It wasn't pretty. Finding the right material was difficult and so was figuring out the process. But I perservered and it has finally come together.

These items will soon be an available option during checkout.

"Frame It" is heavy and has an etched checkerboard design on the back. The bail is hidden behind the frame.

"The Big One" is big! Smooth silver on the back. The bail is very very large. Big enough for an omega chain or even a small gemstone type necklace.

They both have a high gloss, glass type finish. (The chain is a reverse double rope chain. Very heavy as well, but is not included.)

Look for new designs after the 1st of the year!

Take a minute to sign the blog and let me know what you think!

Amy

The Elusive Moonlit Sunset...

2007-11-15T00:11:00.000-06:00

Hehehe... so after the time change - it feels soooo weird! Doesn't it?
Maybe it is because it was pushed back a month... But when it is 5:30 - It feels like it's sooo late at night - at least 9:30!

Even the moon is confused! Look at it chasing down the sunset.

Gorgeous colors.

Each day can be anything you want...

2007-11-12T18:51:00.000-06:00

You make the decision.

Sometimes it just takes a moment to realize how GREAT everything is!

Today, I decided would be an 'acid wash' day!

The weather was perfect, the sunset was fast...

The moon was following very quickly behind the sun.

Tell me about your day!

New stuff at Sun and Sand Photography!

2007-11-09T11:47:00.000-06:00

I am in the process of creating a new image gallery. It is up! While it is still a work in progress, it looks nice and can be viewed while I am working on it!

Stop by and take a look!

I have also created and new watermark logo! It's right up there on "The Blog"!

What do you think?

Kara was a one of my beautiful brides this summer! I love to use her pics any chance I get!

Trying out something new...

2007-11-06T12:06:00.000-06:00

I have a new endeavor... can't quite talk about it yet. It's been in development for a while and I hope that by this time next week I can reveal it to the world!

Ok, that's a little over dramatic. But seriously. It is very hard not to talk about. I am a big blabber mouth and have to buy presents at the last second otherwise everyone knows what their gift is before unwrapping it!

Thomas and I took these pics last night. Still haven't been able to decide if I like the necklace in the 1st one yet.

Enjoy, my bloggies!

different crop...

different angle...

Day 5 - Satisfied

2007-11-06T00:46:00.000-06:00

Meet our new neighbors...

She was very satisfied after her treat... (1/2 a bag of carrots split between them...) At least I hope that's what she meant!
(Ahhhh! I just realized I missed day 4 - Darkness... I did take a pic, honest! It was a picture of the neighbor's street light and his boat lurking in the shadows... nothing fancy!)

Day 3 - Scene from a ledge

2007-11-04T00:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I didn't follow the rules for today's image...
I couldn't find a ledge and didn't really try. =( I am such a poor sport! I know!
But, we did play with our lights tonight.

My amber and jet necklace (with my new prop!)

My moonstone necklace...

And one of our Halloween masks... I missed Halloween this year because I was sooo sick! :(

See you tomorrow - Day 4 - Darkness!!! I gotta start thinking about this now...

30 Days of creativity!!! Day 2 Grateful...

2007-11-02T16:32:00.000-05:00

So, am I grateful that I am soooo sick while I am on my vacation? NO.

Am I grateful that I have to swallow HUGE pills while my throat is killing me? NO.

I am grateful, however, for my friends at Mpix... I have "met" so many wonderful photographers. I have learned so much from them. I am grateful that the mpix forum has helped keep me a little sane while I am enjoying my vacation on my couch. =(

30 Days of creativity!!! Day 1 Beginnings...

2007-11-01T17:29:00.000-05:00

A group of photographers have gotten toghether and decided to have a 30 GOYA challenge!

Get Off Your Ass and shoot!
Just like any craft, you can get lazy when you don't have deadlines or assignments.

So for the month of November, I will be shooting a different theme each day.

Today's theme is Beginnings...

I have a sad "beginning"... I have been on vacation since Monday and was supposed to be driving to Daytona Beach today to be there for my BFF giving birth to her 2 child (1st girl... Zoe Bela...)

But... here I am.... "beginning to heal"... I have strep throat. Been fighting it a few days... but had to go to the Dr. today, because I just can't stand the pain. Have any of you ever had it? It is IMPOSSIBLE to swallow. Well, possible, but it hurts like the dickens...

So anyway, my beginning is not quite what I had in mind!

The Moon...

2007-10-27T23:37:00.000-05:00

Driving to the moon....

Moon gazing...

City of Lights!

Check it out!

2007-10-27T00:53:00.000-05:00

We visited a beautiful art glass gallery this evening!
Check out their website!
www.fusionartglass.com

Hubby took a shot of a jellyfish! I got to play with it in Photoshop and I could stare for hours!

The Mullet Fesitval!!!

2007-10-21T15:44:00.002-05:00

Gary Allan was the headliner this year... I wish I had gotten closer - but respected the crowd and kept my distance! :)
Enjoy!

S.J.

2007-10-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph this lovely lady and her family during Saturday's sunset!

The weather was perfect, the sun was gorgeous and the family was awesome. We even made it through the redtide just fine.

And hey, if you need some Arbonne products, she can get it!

Enjoy!

Bad Blogger! Bad!!!

2007-10-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted this month!

Let the flogging begin!

I vow to try and blog more... should have more time now that our Flutterby Festival is done!

We are currently experiencing "red tide"... bleh. Icky stuff....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide

So the last couple of nights we have enjoyed the sunset (with the camera of course!) and I just can't believe people were fishing and swimming!!! Just sitting out there irritated my throat and gave us a cough...
AND there were dead fish washing ashore!!!

So...

Here's to more blogging!!!

Love!!!!

Last weekend of September...

2007-09-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

My mom is back home from North Carolina. Although she lives in Pensacola (about 1hr 20 minutes away...) it is much closer than the 9 hour drive to N.C.

Mom decided to drive over Saturday and spend the weekend with us. I had to work, Hubby had to work, but we were all going to meet at home around 5:30.

I get a call from mom about 4:30 - she *thought* she had a flat (heard a pop and then the car started shaking violently...) but saw no evidence of a flat tire... hmmm... what to do? Well, she inspected the tires a little closer and saw that the front driver's side tire was shredded. (Good thing she didn't lose control of the car!!!)

Told mom to wait (what else was she going to do, right?) On the way to meet Hubby at his work - pack up and get to where mom was ASAP. Mom called while I was en route and said a nice fella stopped to help her. He was glad to have a reason to stop because his bum had gone to sleep! =)

I don't know this gentleman's name, but I am thankful for him stopping. Mom said that he wouldn't take any money. He was driving from Dallas, stopping for the night in Tallahassee, then going to drive the rest of the way to Miami. His mother in law was in very poor condition last week - told them to get there ASAP. Made the trip - MIL got a bit better, so they went back home to Dallas. A couple of days later - they called to say MIL had passed away. So the trip had to be made again.

Thank you kind sir, for helping my mom.

That was about all the excitement we could handle for a Saturday night! So today, we went to Walmart to get a new tire, went to the bookstore to pick up Gregory Macguire's new book (which turns out is a book for middle school aged children - jenn - maybe gabi would like it! It is called "What the Dickens" and it is a funky story about the tooth fairy. His books are amazing.)

We also had lunch at a local chinese restaurant. (Can't wait until P.F. Changs opens!!! Anyone ever eat at one? The rumor is that once you eat at P.F. Changs - you will never want to eat at another chinese joint again...)

After some serious shopping at Walmart we stopped to get some ice cream at Marble Slab... Hubby's fave - black cherry ice cream, dark chocolate ice cream, graham cracker and strawberry mix-ins. My fave - chocolate dipped rolled in nuts waffle cone - dark chocolate ice cream with a snickers mixed in. Mom's fave - white chocolate dipped rolled in sprinkles waffle cone - strawberry ice cream and chocolate ice cream. Not thrilled with the snotty girl behind the counter swimming in attitude, but we overlooked that and enjoyed ourselves.

We also picked up the Halloween version of Yahtzee at the bookstore! Just like regular yahtzee, but the die have Halloween pictures! A haunted house, a spider, a headstone, a witches hat, a pumpkin, and a bat! Mom kicked my butt! As usual.

After mom left, Hubby and I were out in the yard admiring our flora. He just got a 'forest pansy' redbud tree, a 'brown turkey' fig tree (stinking birds already ate all the figs!!!!!!) a strawberry bush (not the kind that produces strawberries, but the blooms look like strawberries...) and a couple of butterfly bushes (one is 'bi-color' -lavender and orange, and the other is called 'midnight magic' - blackish purple.) The monarchs have begun their migration - we are on their way to Mexico. Hopefully I can get some great shots before too long.

I was, however, able to get a few shots of this cucumber beetle. Not sure if he is harmful for my roses or not, but isn't he cute???

New Look! New Cards! Get yours today!

2007-09-25T03:22:00.000-05:00

My design style has progessed a bit over the past year and while I love love love the look of my old business card and logo - I felt it needed to be updated.

It is time to order more business cards, so no time like the present!

[I secretly hated my old post cards (which is why I have an entire unused box sitting around here somewhere...) so I wanted to update them to go with my business cards.]

So tell me what you think. And to make it more real - leave me a comment on any of my blog posts, then send me an email with your mailing address (amy@sunandsandphotography.com) - I will snail mail you a business card and a post card!

Love all you can.

and then some!!!

The Storm After the Storm Before the Storm

2007-09-23T04:17:00.001-05:00

This hurricane season has been nice and mild - but we aren't out of the woods yet! Hurricane Opal devestated our area in 1995 - in October!

We had a tiny storm this past week and we got some much needed rain. Rain is not only great for the environment, but fantastic for our economy. It's a little silly the frenzy that happens at retail stores when it starts to rain.

Driving home from my day job - I was in awe of the gorgeous clouds on the Gulf of Mexico - I just had to stop and shoot!

Wide open spaces... you can see 2 systems coming together.

Behold the beauty she gives us.
Peace, my friends!

Pappa's Birthday!

2007-09-17T10:09:00.000-05:00

Sunday was Pappa's Birthday! It was a good day! I helped Oma make "rouladen" a german dish that is sooooo out of this world! Of course, I didn't document that... I should have - but Hey! It's a top secret recipe... and man, I tell you I was craving another helping around midnight... :)

Anytime we are at Pappa and Oma's house... I get to take pictures of the nephews!!! (They live 2 houses down!)

Aren't they just the cutest?

Oh, and there is always cool stuff in their yard, too.

Happy Birthday, Pop! Love you!

Great Crocs!

2007-09-11T00:25:00.000-05:00

No, not really. I don't like "crocs."

I was never interested in owning a pair. Swore I would never buy a pair.

They are not attractive, and while everyone raves about their comfort, they are not very nice to wear to the office.

Well Shawn and James decided to buy me a pair. I am not singing in the streets about crocs, but they are comfy and they finally made something that looks nice enough to wear to the office.

Visit http://www.crocs.com/ and see what you find!

Love!

My Best Friend

2007-09-09T22:54:00.001-05:00

My Best Friend...

I love her! And I love her family! I had a blast this weekend!

Shawn came to town with her Hubby James, her son Connor and "baby on board" Zoe.

Connor is the cutest 6 year old there ever was! So of course I had to take a zillion pictures! Just wait until Zoe gets here... NO ONE is safe!

"YELLOW!"

A day of Goodness

2007-09-04T23:14:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I enjoyed our day together! We had a great lunch at Firehouse subs... a great adventure at the Gulfarium and a great dessert at Marble slab!!! HMMMMM!

Enjoy the shots we got today!

Love!

Untold Stories of the ER

2007-09-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

My mom is moving out of state on Tuesday... so today, she drove over (takes about 1 hour 20 minutes...) to go to the beach!

So we met at my brother's house. He will be storing her vehicle for a month or 2... she had a few packing boxes in the car that we threw in the back of my truck. These were boxes she bought from a moving company.

Before we got to the beach, we were caught in a deluge. No problem - looks sunny over across the bridge... but so much for the cardboard boxes...

Over the bridge and through the traffic lights... there it is in all it's glory on Labor Day Weekend... our beautiful beach.

Trying to find a place to park at a public access is just about impossible. But, we find a spot and I parked my dodge quad cab dakota - parrallelly - without a hitch! (ba-dum-bump)

The plan is to eat lunch at the restaurant, eat too much and then nap out on the beach.

Turns out my mother in law was enjoying the day at the beach as well. So up the boardwalk we went to meet her... I was ahead of mom (cuz she walks slow!) and went to hug my MIL...

"Ouch!!! &*%^#@ Dang it!"

Oh geez...

Mom has ripped her toe nail on her left foot just about all the way off. Bleh. Blood. Bleh.

So I got to have my first photojournalistic shoot in the ER.

Enjoy!

Had to leave my gun in the truck... LOL

Her name tag said "Cinnamon"

Listing all the medications she takes

My phone and my lens cap

Waiting for the DR.

Ugh - I can't stand to look at it!

Being in the ER is like playing 20,000 questions

This is my "artistic" take on the procedure... The next image in the series is graphic and I will save you the sight!

All done!

Keep it clean!

Now we can go eat!

Love you mom!

Photography 101

2007-08-30T19:02:00.000-05:00

We have about 1400 employees in our company... about 25 of us volunteered to be a part of a "photography" committee.

The 2,800 units that we manage up and down the Florida Panhandle (from Pensacola to Panama City) need to have their picture taken to go up on our website. They each will require between 8 and 12 pictures a piece! (You do the math...)

The company purchased (from our friends at BH Photo & Video) 5 Canon Rebel XTIs and 5 sets of lights and we had "class" today to learn how to use these digital SLRs.

We were split into 3 groups to have a managable size class. Luckily I was the only "professional" in my group. From what I hear there were 3 pros in the 1st class and they took the most time because there were "discussions" on different preferences like, which is better... RAW or JPEG? Since there will be so many new users on the camera taking images that will be displayed in both print and on our website, of course we are going to shoot in RAW. I explained to our marketing director that it would not be necessary to shoot RAW + L - since that would take up valuable space on the CF card... (I think I won! hehe)

So here are a few pictures from our class... It was fun to watch other people "get it"...

I can't wait until I can join an Mpix meetup... :::sigh:::: good people, they are!

Love!

My First!

2007-08-29T23:12:00.000-05:00

Hello Ladies and Gentleman!

Here is my 1st blog! Yay!

How about a pic of my little brother to get us started?

Love!