The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Christmastime is without a doubt my favorite time of year.  In between the hustle and the bustle, everyone seems to be enjoying the holiday music, the store decorations and the chill in the air.  My family has made it a tradition to visit children in their homes - 10 years now.  We enjoy seeing all of their smiling faces when they see Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elves.  Have a Wonderful Holiday Season my friends.

Kayla and Sarah:  The Elves.

Okay, so not EVERY child is happy to see Santa.

Santa and Mrs. Claus posing with a happy child.

Smith Point Beach in the Fall

I love the beach any time of the year.  

But - I have to admit, I enjoy it more when it's cooler out.  

It's so peaceful.

Fall Photo Shoot

We had beautiful weather for this years fall photo shoot at Southaven Park.

Baby Bump Shoot

I was so excited for my first pregnancy shoot. I'm looking forward to taking photos of the new addition to the Diaz family in a month.

Oh how time flies.

I can't believe that Halloween was swept out from under me.  Where did the time go?  We're well into fall and I've begun shooting for holiday photos already so I figured that I'd post a few Halloween shots before we put the Christmas tree up.

Toddler Photo Shoot

One of the easiest photo shoots for me is taking pictures of little kids in their element.  On location offers the best shots, catching children at play and capturing real moments, not poses and fake smiles.  This little boy had a blast on the playground and I enjoyed documenting the day for his family.

      

9/11 Tribute

This tribute was created by my son Ronnie Matthews in memory of the lives lost on September 11, 2001.   Click here:  Tribute to 9/11

Bikini Photo Shoot

I recently shot a beach and bikini shoot at Smith Point with an amazingly talented model.  It was a beautiful summer evening (shot around 5pm) which to me, is the best time to shoot this time of year.  We used a reflector which helped tremendously in controlling the light. 

Rain and the Beach

It was the first time in a very long time that the beach was empty.  It's been a very dry and hot summer, making it a wonderful beach season.  Although it was a very warm and  humid day, once the drops began to fall, people ran for their cars.  I couldn't pass the opportunity up to take a photo of barren Smith Point beach.

The outdoor shower was stuck in the "on" position.

Still my favorite shooting area at the beach.

Another shot of the outdoor shower.

I'm really surprised that the waves were so small today.

Graduation Party

Shooting a graduation party on an enormous boat was certainly a challenge.  Thankfully, we only cruised the bay as the ocean would've definitely caused my Nikon to feel a little nauseated.  I kept the strap around my neck for most of the four hour trip.  I didn't even want to think, "what if someone knocks into me and "poof" my camera flies overboard!!"  I did, however, get more comfortable on the dance floor.  My strong desire to shoot (semi) out of control people from above their heads stepped into high gear.  It was a lot of fun and surprisingly, no one got seasick, or should I say, "baysick."

Back to Fire Island

Yesterday we took a trip to the Shinnecock East County Park which brought us to the "unofficial" Dune Road part of Fire Island.  Absolutely beautiful place to visit.  Lots of things to photograph.  Although the outer beach was gorgeous, I still like Smith Point better.  People are a lot friendlier - it's more like family there.

Our Trip to the Poconos

What a beautiful place to visit.  We visited the Delaware Water Gap, Stroudsburg area including Bushkill and Shawnee, and also took a trip to the West End to visit our old neighborhood.  We had a great day and I enjoyed taking photos of the amazing surroundings.

Teen Photo Shoot Party

I thought I'd try something new so I hosted a teen photo shoot party.  The girls had a great time getting their hair and make-up done and loved having their photo taken.  At first, I thought I'd be dealing with a bunch of shy teens, but it turns out that they were all a bunch of hams.  We had a lot of fun!

Beach Photography

One of my favorite places to do a photo shoot is at the beach. The calming atmosphere enlightens the models and creates a perfect backdrop. The natural lighting is amazing - if you go at the right time of day. Here are a few examples of images that I shot at the beach.