Starks Photography Blog

20

contest winner + erin & spencer : sneak peek!

04.20.09

I've noticed that my blogs have been doubling up lately (or tripling up, for that matter). This is probably because I'm a littttttle behind on blogging. Over the next couple of days I will be playing catch up.

Isn't that phrase sort of weird? Are we ever really "caught up?" I feel like I'm constantly chasing after my work and responsibilities, but they must be flippin' marathon champs because I can never seem to muster up enough energy to pass them.

Man, have I ever mentioned that I despise running?

Anyway, clearly I didn't meet my deadline for announcing the winner of the contest. Not that I'm fumbling to come up with an excuse, but Ben and I (along with my sister and her husband) threw my parents a 25th wedding anniversary party this past weekend, so that consumed a lot of my time and efforts. (p.s. The party will be one of my near future blogs. :))

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Twitter challenge. Your entries were sweet and inspiring, and provided me with tons of new perspectives about "love." But we had to pick a winner. And that person is.....

Megan Tucker!!!

Here's Megan's entry: "Megan thinks that love is knowing someone isn't perfect, but realizing that you wouldn't have them any other way."

Isn't it true? In her pure and simple statement, Megan pointed out that we accept the ones we love - without condition, flaws and all. Well put.

Megan, I'll be sending some tunes your way soon! Congrats! :)

***

Part 2 of our blog is a sneak peek of Erin and Spencer's Winter Park engagement shoot. I will be devoting an entire blog post to detail how fabulous this couple truly is, so I'll just let you enjoy the sneak peek images below. There will be a bajillion more (that's right - bajillion) in the bigger post because Erin and Spencer are two of the most insanely photogenic people we've ever met:

Hello, fierce.

Cuteness overload. :)

Erin, you're gorgeous.

The very last shot of the day. Talk about ending on a good note.

(1) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Yvonne Morrow:

Love the rich colors in the last picture -- the green of the grass, the purple of her top, and the blues of their jeans! Great looking couple!
Nana

(04.23.09)

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19

diane & derek : married!

04.14.09

*Our contest is only running for 1 more day! Be sure to get your entry in! :)*

Two posts in one day. This has to be some kind of record.

I have not failed to notice the irony of me posting this entry about Diane and Derek's beach wedding on a day when we've had tornado warnings and constant rain. I guess it will be nice to reminisce about basking in sunshine as I sit in my sweatshirt, staring out of our window at the gray, muddiness of this day. I'm not bitter or anything. ;)

In March, Diane and Derek were married on beautiful Anna Maria Island. Their ceremony was held on the sand, and the reception was carried over to the BeachHouse Restaurant where guests enjoyed dinner and dancing through the remainder of the night.

I suppose I should mention that Diane and Derek's wedding day was one of the windiest of the year. Or my lifetime, for that matter. From the moment I stepped out of the car, the ocean air began whipping my hair in 74 different directions. Palm trees were flailing around like one of those inflatable advertisements outside of a tire shop, and the waves looked like they were in the middle of a leap frog tournament with how quickly they were crashing over each other.

However, this isn't what I remember most about this day.

What I do remember is how Derek looked watching Diane walk up the aisle. What I do remember is Diane's bridesmaids sharing in the excitement of their friend being married by offering hugs and huge smiles after the ceremony. What I do remember is the toast given by Diane's father - filled with love and pride for his daughter and her new husband. What I do remember is the carefree, cheerful atmosphere that permeated through the air at the reception.

The weather was a miniscule detail; a blip on the radar. It was an unimportant aspect because Diane and Derek chose to treat it as an unimportant aspect. There was no stress, no anxiety, no irritation - they simply rolled with the circumstances, and didn't let anything come between their joy and enthusiasm of becoming husband and wife.

Diane and Derek - We enjoy every minute that we get to spend with you guys. Thank you for being two of the most easygoing, considerate people we've ever had the pleasure of working with. We feel so lucky to have been a part of your incredible day! :)

(*The gorgeous floral arrangements and event decorations were created by the dynamic mother/daughter team of DSR Designs & Atmospheres. Future brides, check them out - they are fabulous!)

(3) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Yvonne Morrow:

Beautiful wedding, beautiful pictures. Especially love the handprints and rings!

(04.15.09)

Diane Lokey:

Thank you so much Ben and Amy! Everything was so perfect and these pictures are just gorgeous!!! I can not wait to see all of them! Thank you for working so hard and doing such wonderful job! Your talent really shows through your pictures! :) Thanks again!

Diane and Derek

(04.15.09)

Cami:

hey this is where Kyle & Cathy got married! It's such a beautiful spot & you guys captured it marvelously! The handprints with the rings are my favorite!

(04.17.09)

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18

easter, bella, and an anniversary.

04.14.09

I have a lot to say, so this is going to be a three-fer post.

Up first - Happy [belated] Easter! Easter was a little different for me this year - no baskets with candy, no "new" Easter outfit, no traditional egg hunt. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. Those aspects of Easter, while enjoyable, are just fluff on the much greater significance of this Spring occasion. Ben and I truly enjoyed spending the day in gratitude for the amazing God that we serve, and the incredible family we're surrounded with. And for me, that was a much sweeter deal.

There was food though. Fabulous food. And lots of it.

Amid the Easter festivities, we also had another reason to celebrate - I'm an aunt. :)

Before any of you who know Callie and Adam start jumping the stroller and asking about due dates, let me detail my previous statement. I am the aunt to the most precious, tiny, furry little niece in the whole world. Blog readers, meet Bella:

She's a mini-daschund, and weighs less than Putter's left paw (in fact, I'm pretty sure that the photos above and below are "actual size").

She's already stolen our hearts, and will probably never know how to function without being picked up, cuddled, and spoiled. I've already been labeled "crazy camera aunt" after this past weekend - Somebody lock me up when an actual baby gets brought into this world...

And last, but certainly not least, I need to say a very special "Happy Anniversary" to my parents; on April 14, 1984 they stood in a church, before family and friends, and vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives. Today, 25 years later, they're doing just that.

Mom and Dad, you are the model marriage for Ben and I. You have shown us that being husband and wife means making sacrifices, unconditional acceptance, having love and respect for one another, and committing to overcoming obstacles - no matter how big they may seem. Your lesson in love has been priceless, and is not only one that we admire, but one that we will strive to achieve as we journey through our own marriage. :)

In leu of their big milestone, Callie and I (along with Ben and Adam) have decided to throw my parents an anniversary party this weekend. My parents have opted to renew their vows during this celebration, and I couldn't be more excited about being a part of this extremely special, memorable day. Ben and I will be documenting the whole thing, so there will be many photos to come!

Congrats mom and dad - we love you! Here's to another 25 years - I'm confident that they'll be even better than the first 25. :)

(*It should be noted that, for years now, my mom has purchased "themed" party paraphernalia for birthday celebrations, and we all have to wear it. This photo was taken at Adam's birthday last year. The theme was Transformers. He was turning 24 years old. I'm fairly certain that she'll continue this pattern for as long as we're having birthdays.)

(5) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Heidi Mitchell:

Love this about your parents! So sweet. And love your new blog! Yay! It's beautiful. I can't wait to be finished with school so I can update mine. It's in major need of an update! Oh, and that dog is adorable. You just wanna kiss her :)

(04.14.09)

Andrew:

very cool. Way cute puppy too! Can't wait to see you guys this week.

(04.14.09)

Mom and Dad:

Amy Lee and Ben -
Loved the pics of Bella - two grand-dogs! We are so lucky. :)

Thanks for the sweet words for us and our anniversary. It's been fun and we are looking forward to the party - and the next 25 years! You four are such a blessing to us. Much Love.

P.S. I feel sure you all would miss the party themes if I stopped! Ha ha

(04.14.09)

Anonymous:

Cute.
I love ms. morrow, she's a great advisery teacher!
Your dad's great too he brings us doughnuts just because.

(05.02.09)

Kelly Ann Jones:

I know this is a wee bit late on this post but I'm browsing through and I actually made some pretty high pitched baby talk about that puppy. :) Love allllll your photo's.

(03.21.10)

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17

amy & chad : married!

04.11.09

This is my first "photo" post on our new blog. I'm still giddy about it. :) Don't forget to check out the contest that we're running - you could score some free music! Who doesn't love music? And who doesn't love free?

Onto Amy and Chad. You may recall a recent sneak peek of this wedding. As a refresher, Amy and Chad were married outside at Tavern in the Gardens

(hello fantastic venue!).

This wedding will go down as one of my favorites.

From Amy and Chad's down-to-earth, easygoing personalities, to their families' welcoming attitudes, to the energetic, fun wedding party, to the gorgeous weather, to the sincere joy and excitement flowing through the atmosphere - everything about this day reminded me of why I love my job (if you can even call it a job after rattling through a list like that).

The day ran smoothly - and even if it wouldn't have, I'm certain that Amy and Chad would have taken the kinks in stride. They are so enjoyable to be around, and share an enormous amount of love for one another - so it's no surprise that their wedding was nothing short of amazing.

In the car after the reception, Ben and I began recapping our day. "That's exactly how a wedding should be," I remember saying to him. Because it's true; nothing - not stress, not worry, not a schedule that's running behind, not bad weather - absolutely nothing should alter the happiness shared between a bride and a groom on the start of their life together a husband and wife. Amy and Chad's happiness was refreshing and contagious - and I'm absolutely confident that this happiness will trickle - no, overflow - into their marriage. :)

Below is the BlogShow of their day. I love that I can use the word "BlogShow" - the awesomeness of this thing is still sinking in. :)

Amy and Chad - You guys rock! We think that you're fabulous. We have seriously loved getting to photograph you both - in fact, we're hoping that you'll be calling us in the future when your family starts growing... ;)

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alex.kruk photography:

beautiful pictures !! I really like it ! After one I couldn't wit to see the next one.

alex

(04.12.09)

Amy Rickabaugh:

Oh my I cant even begin to say how absolutely FABULOUS the two of you are!! These pictures are amazing. I swear for all who already got married and didnt have the two of you as their photographers should be crying, I have seen alot of wedding albums and these pictures blow all of them out of the water!! I love each one sooooo very much, I thought there was no way our engagement pictures could be topped, and then Im blown away AGAIN! I love you guys sooooooooooo much and cant wait to see the rest! Everyone is so impressed, as they should be! Your blog page is awesome I know it has taken alot of work! Talk to you soon!

(04.13.09)

Meg:

Beautiful!!! I love the blog format too- great work!

(04.13.09)

Ben and Amy:

@Amy Rickabaugh - Amy - you guys are so awesome! Thanks for being two of our favorite clients in the world! :)

(04.14.09)

Kelsey & Chris Wunder:

Stunning photos, y'all! You looked amazing and it was fun to see pictures from your wedding!

(04.15.09)

Andrea Hankins:

Amy and Ben, these are just amazing! This makes me want to get married all over again!!! Beautiful pics!!!! Congrats Amy and Chad!! :)

(04.17.09)

Valerie Lentz:

Seeing pictures like these make me soooo excited to have you photograph our wedding. It makes me wish it would hurry up and get here so that I can see my pictures!

(04.22.09)

Terry:

Man i def missed out. Grats you two.

(04.22.09)

Nikki DeSapio:

oh wow!! Amy!!
i haven't seen you in years!! We used to go to Trinity Baptist back in the day!. you look gorgeous.. props to the photographers!! you two are l amazing

(05.28.09)

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16

launch party : new blog!

04.10.09

Well, we broke up with our old blog today for a taller, darker, more handsome one. Call us ruthless, but we couldn't help it. We fell in love.

Can you detect the brand-spanking-new blog smell?! I love it. :)

I have to tell you - I get excited pretty easily. Like, for instance, if I happen to catch an episode of Law & Order: SVU that isn't a rerun, or if Chick-fil-A gives me an extra nugget which brings my 8-count to a 9-count, or if I happen upon the perfect sundress, on sale, only in my size. I'm wired to get stoked about little things. So you can imagine what my enthusiasm looks like for big things. We're talking huge-smile-someone-hand-me-a-party-hat thrilled.

This is a big thing.

Lucky for you all, I also start feeling especially generous when I get excited. (side note: Christmas is my favorite holiday - just envision what my bank account looks like on December 26th after my generosity has collided with my high excitement level. It's kind of ridiculous.)

So we're running an awesome new blog : launch party contest! Since every post looks prettier with some color, check out the details below:

So here's more of the scoop:

Twitter has redefined social networking. People can "tweet" status updates (in 140 characters or less) from their phone or computer, allowing people who "follow" them (friends, family, fans...stalkers :)) to keep track of their day-to-day thoughts and activities.

Starks Photography is on Twitter (look up in the top right hand area! :)) - follow us so we can connect! I promise we lead interesting lives at least 64% of the time.

We like that Twitter provides an outlet for expression. And we like love. That's why we're running this contest. In true Twitter fashion, we want you to "tweet" your thoughts or feelings about love (following the rules above) through a comment on this post. There are no boundaries to this - it can be a thought, a definition, an experience - anything! Just be honest and creative. We can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

You're probably thinking - hello, Amy - this is a contest...where's the prize?? I gotcha covered. In addition to Twitter, we also love music.

In order to stay true to the theme of our contest, we compiled 20 of our favorite "love" songs in a playlist on iTunes. After we select a winner, we'll buy the playlist, and e-mail it over to you!

Gentlemen, don't let this discourage you from entering - Ben had a hand in the selections, and we promise that they aren't too terribly sappy. On the other hand, even if they are, how much of a stud would you be if you won them for your lady? Major points.

Single or skeptical friends, don't be hindered either - we realize that the idea of "love" is pretty broad, so we were sure to be conscious of that when making our choices. :)

(*Note: You do NOT have to have a Twitter account for this contest - we're simply using the concept of Twitter. However, it is pretty cool, so you may want to check it out. :))

So after you leave your comment for a chance to score free jams, take some time to check out our new blog home! Some highlights: the about section (get to know us!), preferred wedding vendors, BlogShow (the coolest way to post a series of images), fabulous flash header, and a place to shoot us a message! We're going to be posting lots of awesomeness on a much more consistent basis, so be sure to check back often! Oh, and if you feel so inclined, leave comments. We heart feedback. :)

Ok, I think I've reach my quota of :)'s today, so I'm going to bring this to a close. Launch party : new website! will be happening in the very near future with another chance to win some serious swag - get pumped!

(11) Comments Leave comment Send to a friend

Ashley McCormick Photography:

I loooooove you new blog! Congrats you two! It's awesome! :)

(04.10.09)

Kyle Farris:

Nice new blog. Congrats. I'm interested in seeing your new website too. You two are definitely the coolest photographers I've met. Okay... so I haven't really met too many. But, seriously... you two are really cool. If future prospects are reading this... do it. ;)

(04.10.09)

Last Forty Percent:

Great website!

Okay, Brianna thinks that love is best through the eyes of a 2 year old. Sweet, innocent and completely accepting :)

(04.11.09)

beth:

Beth thinks that love is a gift is a spakely red package that everyone hopes they will receive one day.

(04.11.09)

beth:

dangit i suck at spelling!!!

Beth thinks that love is a gift in a sparkely red package that everyone hopes to receive one day.

(04.11.09)

Stephanie:

thinks that Love is when someone knows everything about you and doesn't mind all your flaws and shortcomings.

(04.11.09)

Mike and Tina:

Mike and Tina think that love is... if you had a choice of whether or not to do it all over again...you realize you would.

(04.14.09)

Cora:

Cora thinks love is when tears show up when you least expect them to!

(04.15.09)

Megan:

Megan thinks that love is knowing someone isn't perfect, but realizing that you wouldn't have them any other way.

(04.15.09)

Letty:

Letty thinks that love in the dictionary is followed by the definition/word: Bill.

(04.15.09)

Andrew:

Andrew thinks that love is "the reason to get up in the morning. Because no matter what it is you love, it gives you hope, and w/o hope... what's the use?!"

(04.16.09)

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