I can’t belive the time is FINALLY here for WPPI Las Vegas. I’ve been looking forward to this since last year  and  I am out of my MIND itching to get out of here!!  For those of you who don’t know, WPPI is the Wedding and Portrait Photographers Association and holds a gigantic conference and trade show every year in Vegas. EVERYONE will be there. SO MANY photographers that are leaders in the industry will be teaching classes and mingling with the “rest” of us! I’m going to meet people such as Audrey Woulard, Lori Nordstrum, Jasmine Star  and Brianna Graham!! AHHHH!!!  

I’m also especially excited to attend the trade show. There are hundreds and hundreds of vendors there and I’ll be able to get my hands on the hottest products available on the market. I will be choosing the very best and soon will be offering them to clients of Teresa Wilds Photography!! SEE? It’s a win-win for everyone. 

I plan on  posting bits and pieces of my week while I’m there. I’m taking my camera, but I’m not sure how much it will actually make it out of my room…I have a feeling my point-and-shoot may see more action this week so I can put my focus on soaking up the experience and all that I’m about to learn.  If you send an email or inquiry in the next week, please be patient! I will be checking emails on a limited basis, but response may be a bit slower than normal.  I will return on the 11th ready to  hit the ground running!!! See you then.

T

This is a topic that comes up in photographer circles all.the.time these days. It’s also something that occasionally comes up with clients as well. “What about digital files”. Do you sell them? HOW do you sell them? How much are they? 

I feel the question really needs to be “WHY do you sell them?” Or, from a client’s perspective, “Why do you want them?”  I admit the idea of having a digital file in my hand to keep for forever in a little black box on my desk is a comforting feeling…to know it’s there all safe and sound and tucked away sounds good. But I have to question, what’s the point? Sure you can EASILY find a photographer willing to charge you $200 or $500 and give you all your images on a disc. They are everywhere these days.  But let’s think about this a little further.

When clients come to Teresa Wilds Photography, they come to me expecting to get beautiful images and a fun, enjoyable experience for their kids and family. They want ART for their walls. Pieces to treasure for a lifetime, that will grace their walls, that friends and family will admire and that their great-great grandchildren can say – WOW wasn’t she beautiful wayyyy back in 2010?  I don’t know about you, but I have over 80,000 digital files of my family on my computer, backed up to an external hard drive, backed up onto CDs as WELL as an off-site facility (just in case an asteroid lands on my roof and destroys all my other copies of everything).  Just think about that….80,000 files. This doesn’t count the tens of THOUSANDS of prints I have from the pre-digital era. Who is ever going to  look at those? Is ANYONE ever going to sift through 80,000 files someday? (80,000 as of February 2010 mind you. My kids are only 9, 5 and 1 - by the time they leave my home, there could be 500,000 or  750,000 or a MILLION  ”digital files” on my computer). Is anyone EVER going to sift through them and pick out their favorites? print them? care about them? CHERISH them???  I challenge you that they will not.  The ones that will be meaningful to my kids are the ones they walk  past on a daily basis…portraits they have seen on the walls – portraits of themselves, their siblings, of family memories that we’ve shared – and that we TALK about because they’re hanging on our walls and we remember….

Portrait photography is a gift. It’s the one gift we give to our children that they will always have with them.  Long after the toys have broken, video games are obsolete, the clothes have been outgrown and the trips are all taken – these portraits are meant to be out in the open – meant to be shared with our children to help them remember their lives – remember the feelings they had running through the park, dancing in the waves, playing with their dog, chasing the seagulls, being held in their mother’s arms. 

When you are choosing a photographer to capture these priceless times in your family’s life, please take the time to choose someone who is PASSIONATE about the service and portraits that they provide to you. Someone who wants to see their service to you through to the end product  and provide you with beautiful art for your home and lifetime treasures for your children.  I feel so strongly about this that I really felt it was important for clients and prospective clients to understand why I do what I do. 

So back to the original quesion “Do you sell digital files”? The answer is yes – in a very limited basis. I do allow the purchase of digital files along with collections that include professionally printed and protectively coated gift and wall sized portraits. As a mom, I do understand wanting files for my black box on my desk. But I hope that if you choose Teresa Wilds Photography, your main goal is to provide your children with true gifts and art for your home.

And I leave you with one little, tiny thought…does this precious little face belong in a black box???

It’s technically  not Valentine’s Day anymore – it’s 12:16 AM…but I’ve been very busy today! I’ve been working on a little treat for you – a little Valentine’s treat for all my readers!  I WOULD have had it done ahead of time to be posted bright and early this morning. But this stupid dumb freezing cold weather here in Florida has kept me from the task at hand. NOW I know ya’ll from the north are laughing at our piddly 30’s, 40’s and 50’s weather…but really…I have a good argument.

See…we have long, hot 1029802830984% humidity summers – usually lasting from April-October with our windows shut tight and very little venturing outside before the sun starts setting…it can be a little claustrophobic. (Not unlike your cold winters up north, I’m sure). BUT we put up with these terrible, sticky, so-thick-you-can-cut-it-with-a-knife weather because we  know we have the holy grail come December. We have December through April of heavenly beautifulness. A wonderful string of months where our windows are open, there is no humidity to be found – NO RAIN – and 70’s sunny days that wrap their arms around you for days on end. NOT THIS  YEAR. Enter end of 2009-2010.  We’ve been waking up to 30-s a LOT lately. (that never happens). It’s been STAYING in the 40’s all day. (THAT never happens). It’s been raining for what feels like NON STOP. (THAT NEVER HAPPENS In the winter – we have enough of THAT all s ummer!) So forgive me if I whine and have a bit of a temper in regards to my STOLEN outside time this year.  I digress…

We woke up this morning to 38 degrees. UGH. I’ve had Allie’s v-day tutu in the wings for months now – just waiting for the perfect day to do  Valentine’s pictures so I would have this ready to go for today.  Finally, I surrendered to the ugly winter at hand and took my poor children out in short sleeves and no socks (allie at least) and had a little mini-frigid-photo shoot to at least have SOMETHING to work with. Besides Allie’s lips and feet turning blue at the end,  we ended up having a really fun time – we saw a beautiful sunset at the beach and then I came home and began my all-night-project at hand…First of all, I’ll share my favorite photos from the day.

I love this shot of my girls:

Allie was such a trooper in her little bare feet and short sleeve shirt! It was 50 degrees at this point, but hey, that’s rough on us thin-blooded Floridians. She was a good sport:

And here’s my little man….It’s so funny – he really likes having his picture taken all of a sudden!

Here’s my big girl – she’s a little shy at the camera at times…doesn’t realize how beautiful she is both inside and out.

Here’s  Daddy doing what he does best – playing with his iPhone:

Allie’s not so much a fan of the beach…we’re gonna have to make a believer out of her soon…see? Another casualty of a winter STUCK INSIDE…

Here’s all my babies together…

One more for kicks!!

SOOOO – now that I’m at the end of my post, this is the spot I was going to insert my video…apparently it’s too big and Wordpress won’t let me upload it. If you are still with me, check out my facebook page where you can view my video from our day. These videos are a new product offering for Teresa Wilds Photography and I’m VERY excited about them!! Let me know what you think!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teresa-Wilds-Photography/310913711986?ref=nf  Click this link, become a fan and check out my new video!!

I had the honor to photograph my very first set of newborn twins recently.  I can’t begin to describe what fun this session was for me!! Seriously – can it get any better than this?  They say when you are doing what you’re supposed to be doing with your life, it’s really not work. That’s EXACTLY how I feel with little newborns – but 2 at once?? That was TWICE the fun!!   These precious little guys were so fabulous for me. As long as their little tummies were full, they were the perfect little sleepers. It’s quite a long day with twins, I admit – but the payoff???!?! Check THIS out – Seriously can it GET any sweeter???! I think not.

If that’s not enough – how about this??

Here’s just a couple more – these guys were just such a joy…why can’t they  just stay little like this a bit longer???? Sigh…..

Kelly – thank you so much for the opportunity to photograph your precious little guys!!

I’ve decided to commit myself to a project this year. A project that will force my creativity, get me thinking outside the box – and force me to blog. Let’s face it, I’m not the best blogger in the world!! I will be doing one “photo walk” per week for the rest of the year. I plan on going to a different place each week, just heading out with my camera and one lens and just explore! I’m very excited about it. There are so many beautiful places around here and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to just shoot for fun with no expectations but to enjoy the beauty that is around me.  

Those that know me, know my love for Sawgrass Lake Park right here in St. Petersburg. Every time we go there, I’m taken in by the beautiful light and the serenity of the place. We usually see our favorite alligator – but she wasn’t there this time…It was only 54 degrees out so maybe she was in hiding!!! With that said, here’s a few from my first walk….

Florida’s version of fall foliage!

And last but not least – one of the little critters following us along the way…he had to be included:

See you next week!!!

Remember this little guy??  I photographed this little bundle a year and a half ago…

That was then and this is now!! Holy moly what a difference a year makes!!  Little man “M” is one of the busiest little guys I’ve ever photographed. He was just so excited to explore the grounds of the University of Tampa…and who could blame him, really? It’s a gorgeous place!  You can just see the love in this family and I’m just so happy to have the chance to catch up with them and photograph their growing family!!

Not only was this a fun family – I just LOVE any opportunity to shoot at UT. My husband and I met and graduated from UT so it’s very near and dear to my heart….Thanks so much B family!

OK Just wanted to send a shout out to anyone who’s tried to contact me in the last two weeks – ESPECIALLY anyone with a gmail account. For some reason, my email will NOT accept .gmails to come through. We’ve been online with technical support today and for some reason, the problem isn’t getting fixed.  If you’re trying to contact me, go ahead and call my phone. OF ALL times of the year for email issues – this is NOT a good one!! I’m sorry for the inconvenience and I hope everyone that needs to see this DOES see it!!!

10 little dimples on ten tiny fingers

10 busy toes

10 hours straight sleeping through the night

10 diapers a day ( well, sometimes)

10 hours a day exploring new sights

10 different nicknames that have nothing to do with her name.

10 times a day pulled away from the dog food

10 thousand kisses

10 thousand hugs

10 thousand times telling her how much I love her.

10 blissful months of true love and sweetness.  How has it gone by so fast???

My sweet baby girl….10 months old.

Her smile melts me to peices…

I LOVE little baby piggies…….Just want to kiss them.

You have my heart little bean.

I have a feeling this little guy is going to be the life of the party when he grows up!  The whole time I was there, he was doing all he could to keep an eye on me.   He would look out of those litttle tiny eyes and wrinkle that little tiny forehead and look up as if to say, “What are YOU doing here??” “What’s that you’re holding?” We would JUST about have him to sleep and it would start with the wrinkles….then one eye, then the next…next thing you know, we have wide awake baby again!!  It took almost 2 hours for him to give in to my charms! 

Don’t ya think the wait was worth it?? I sure do.  Mom, can’t wait for you to see the rest!! As always, I saved the best for your gallery.  Enjoy your sneak peak!!

I had the absolute PLEASURE of photographing little “L” for his first birthday. I think my face hurt after this session from smiling so much! Baby “L” had just the sweetest disposition and was a joy to photograph!!  Who could not fall instantly love this little face????  Mom, I know you’ve been excited to get a glimpse of your portraits, so here’s your little sneak peak!! I hope you enjoy!!

Check out these baby browns!!! What a little sweetie pie….

This little sweetheart came a bit too early!! Her mama and I had plans for a beautiful sunrise maternity session at Sand Key. I was watching the skies for days preparing for the light and had just sent a final email out to mom to let her know the deails of our shoot when I got the call…Little “A” decided to come a bit early!!  Not only did mom miss out on the maternity shoot, but Daddy missed out on the birth!!  I guess little missy was ready to join the world…I think mom and dad are gonna have their hands full with this one!!  

I have so many sweet, sweet shots of this little one, it’s been difficult to choose – but as always, I save the best for mommy and daddy in the gallery.  Can’t WAIT for you guys to see them.

Till later!

Isn’t she just the sweetest??

When the “L” family called to have me shoot at their new beach cottage with a Model T garage, I have to say I got very excited. I really enjoy it when people want to shoot in their own space – and in surroundings that mean something to them.  This cottage is a work in production,  however is being crafted lovingly by mom into a very creative and unique work space.  With items purchased from the old Biltmore Hotel along with it’s own vintage charm, it was a beautiful space.  Your portraits are turning out beautifully and I can’t wait for you to see the rest!

The next set contains one of my new favorite photos.  I told “A” to surprise mom and dad – I told mom and dad to “brace themselves”.  I am LOVING the result!! 

Stay tuned!  I have a lot to blog about in the next few days!! It’s been a very busy fall!!

This is the second year we’ve gone down to the “Old Northeast” for Halloween. Honestly, it’s a lot of trouble. It’s  SO CROWDED you can hardly move, you have to wait in line at a lot of the houses to get candy and this year it was 90 degrees and ten THOUSAND percent humidity.  But I’m telling you – there can’t be anywhere in the country that does Halloween like the Old Northeast in St. Petersburg!!  It’s worth every ounce of hassle…and more!  These people go  ALL out with their decorations. It’s like the movie “Christmas Vacation” only every single house in the neighborhood is in on the competition to outdo each other. It’s incredible.  From bodies falling out of trees while you walk by, to caskets opening up as you walk by…”chop houses” in garages where they tell the kids they have to exchange an eye ball for candy. (Josh wanted NOTHING TO DO with that house.) This year one of the houses had a stage set up in the street in front of their house and had fire dancers and other performers as you walk by.  One of my favorite houses this year was the THRILLER house – they had life size characters of Michael Jackson, warewolves and other people from the Thriller cast on their front lawn – INCLUDING a giant big screen TV playing the Thriller video. It was pretty cool.  The kids’ favorite house is of course the Wizard of Oz house. This woman dresses up like the Wicked Witch of the West – stands on the balcony of her house with a microphone and calls to the children – and blows FIRE out of the top of her house when she gets angry. It’s incredible!! Josh was asking for a week ahead of time if we were going to see the “witch house”. SO much fun was had by all. Like I said, a long night, but well worth it.  Here’s some  pictures from our night.  NEXT year we won’t be dressed in black. As I said, it’s incredibly crowded down there and all 3 of my kids were in black. Next year they’re wearing neon with flashing lights on their heads.

Here’s my little kitty – isn’t she the CUTEST????

Here is the Wicked Witch of the West :

Here Josh is a little disturbed by a dismembered arm sitting next to him!

The holiday photo sessions are in full swing and I’m having a blast! I was so excited for the chance to do yet another session in Ybor City. It’s nice to venture out of Pinellas County and take in some new scenery!!  The “N” family is always up for adventure – and it’s so fun seeing little ones grow and change! Last time I photographed little miss “L” was her 2nd birthday. She has grown and changed so much since the last time I saw her!!  And Mr. “J” has really become a little ham for the camera!! 

Here’s your sneak peak – I hope you enjoy!! It was so nice seeing you all again and I’ll have your full gallery up very soon!!

I’ve looked forward to the day I had a little boy playing tee ball. I have been a life-long baseball fan. I played softball all the way through high school and loved every second of it.  My little league team went to Nationals when I was in 7th grade – I know – such an accomplishment…it was by far the most exciting thing to ever happen to my little midwestern self at the time!!  I hold those memories so dear to my heart – being a part of a team, playing  a sport I love….dreaming of marrying Ryne Sandberg when I grew up (Cubs fans will know who I’m talking about.) YES I admit it – I had a life sized poster of him in my bedroom all the way through my teen years – along side with Kirk Cameron (ha).

OK…got a little sidetracked there. Back to Josh’s life. Yes. Tee ball. He’s finally 5 and playing this year and I have to say it is SO MUCH FUN to watch him play. I have to share his little comment at his first practice.  He was playing catch, the balls were going past him and he promptly turned to the stands where all the swooning mommies were and announced, “Mommy this MITTEN isn’t WORKING correctly”. I about fell of the seat. Darn Mitten. Of COURSE it’s the mitten’s fault.

I love his concentration and his excitement at his good throws. He seems so “stunned” when he actually catches it – looks to me for approval and acknowledgement of this feat of all feats. Honestly, I think I can’t get enough of it.  This next picture cracks me up every time I look at it. It’s their first game and the boys were told to “run the bases” before the game. Well, there ended up being a tiny little pileup at first base….5 boys like little Dominoes…so funny. Josh managed to avoid it…barely.

Here’s Josh’s very first base hit…

And just a couple more of my favorites…..There’s really nothing cuter than 5-year-olds playing tee ball, I’m convinced.

This is a session I have been SO EXCITED to do. To get downtown to Ybor City in Tampa and explore the alleyways and really fun architecture…..however, being in St. Petersburg, I don’t get the opportunity to go to Tampa as often as I would like.  I have been having the most difficult time going through the incredible amount of photos taken for the “P’ family. I usually don’t have such a difficult time widdling down to my very favorites, but I have to say, it’s tough this time!!  We had such a blast  -  we explored lots of new, exciting places to shoot and I have to say, I am in LOVE with this area. Literally every direction we turned, each spot was better than the last. 

A, W, K and K – you guys were great. I can’t wait for you guys to see what I have in store for you – I’ve had to hold on to the very, very best for mom and dad’s gallery.

And a note to Dad – serving our country proudly in Iraq right now – I am so thankful for your service and all you are doing to protect us and this great country. God Bless you and your wonderful family while you are apart.