PHOTOGRAPHER’S CONFESSION #1: MOTHER/SON WEDDING DANCE – Orlando and Central Florida Wedding Photographer

July 12, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

Photographer’s Confession #1:

I always have a hard time making it through the mother/son dance at the wedding without bursting into tears myself…I can’t help but picture the day, sometime in the future, imagining myself dancing with each of my boys as they get married. I always especially love the song choices for this dance. One of my all-time favorite dances was at the wedding of my bride and groom, Tommy and Nicole Downey Edwards and the DJ played “A Song for Mama” by Boys II Men…I wept that entire dance as Tommy and his mama embraced and cried together on the dance floor! What a moment!

Francisco José Expósito-León and Amanda ‘Kaydence’ Ferree were recently married at Casa Feliz in Winter Park, Florida,
Mother Son Dance

and I was so moved by his mother’s emotional expressions as she danced with her baby boy. It’s a moment every mother of a son will understand, right along with me.

So the next time you see me at the wedding and the mother/son dance is approaching, you might want to grab me a tissue…I’m gonna need it!

Mother Son Dance Wedding

Twin Maternity Session – Orlando, Central Florida Maternity and Newborn Photographer

April 3, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

I have the most amazing clients, and I enjoy being able to capture memories for them as exciting life experiences happen. Amy and Kevin are clients that I have had so much fun working with for years now, as loyal clients and friends. I’ve photographed Amy as a bride, the two of them as a couple, so when Amy and Kevin contacted me to tell me the exciting new that they were expecting twins, my mind started gushing with ideas for their maternity and newborn portrait session.

A baby boy and a baby girl were on the way, so we captured a fun and playful maternity session in Orlando. I brought along some homemade props and Amy and Kevin brought along their amazing sense of style and that oh, so adorable baby bump!

Some of my favorites from the day were the bubble gum “About to Pop” shots. Poor Kevin couldn’t blow a bubble to save his life…we had some great laughs over his many failed attempts! I was patient with him LOL until he FINALLY blew a perfect bubble for my shot!

We scheduled our session time to align with the perfect sunset over the water. I captured some amazing shots of Amy and her beautiful baby bump, profiled by the sunlight. Check back this week for the newborn session and meet baby Liam and Olivia in some oh, so delicious newborn portraits.

Posted in Maternity Tagged Orlando Maternity Photography |

Editorial Feature Published – Playground Magazine – Orlando Children and Family Photography

March 28, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

IMG_0670HVintage

January is always a busy month for my studio, which usually involves getting my game face on with organizing my calendar, catching up with the business side of things and booking lots and lots of weddings. This year, I wanted to do something a little different in planning for some of the mini-sessions I sometimes offer throughout the year. Instead of the traditional props and accessories, I thought it would be fun to stylize a shoot just for kids, in the same way I bring a team together for a wedding editorial feature and offer those super-unique, stylized sessions for my clients. The concept was a hit and within a few hours I had every available slot booked for the minis. The Dream Team was organized to style the shoot, which consisted of Jennifer Bergherm, a creative genius I also am lucky enough to call my friend. Jennifer owns Sweet Expectations Bakery in Altamonte Springs and does amazing things with all things sweet. She customizes cookies, makes cakes, cake pops, and just about anything you could imagine you could get into an edible delight, she can make it! Jennifer and I decided to team up to make my theme of “Charm School” come to life. I asked Debra Robertson from Atmospheres Floral to assist with the floral and table settings to go along with our theme. Cristi Miranda was asked to come on board as well and do all the hair and make-up for the models. Carmen Rogge from The Flair Exchange, provided the amazingly adorable flair for the balloons and Lemonade stand set.

Jennifer and I had so many fun brainstorming sessions, thinking up amazing sets and table scapes, but it seemed like all the work that was going into these specialized sessions was very much like something I was sure a magazine would be thrilled to have as a set for an editorial feature. I decided to pitch my idea to the editors of Playground Magazine and they were so excited about the concept we had created they asked if they could collaborate with us, provide models and clothing and thus an editorial feature was planned. We were so excited to be teaming up with them. Our set designs were so dreamy and included a country chic table with burlap and a chandelier, a sweets table with 3 cakes and custom cakes and cookies, all made by Jennifer, and a rope swing, decorated with real roses from Atmospheres!

The day of the shoot ended up being the coldest day we’d seen in Florida the whole year! Brrrr, it was COLD! Jennifer and I were on set at the Hilliard Estate in Apopka to get everything put together by 6:00 am! It was going to be a LONG day! We shot the editorial spread in the morning from 8-12 and the mini-sessions were scheduled all afternoon from 12:30 to 5:30. It was a marathon day of shooting for me, but the end result was so amazing! Enjoy some of the previews of the editorial feature, as well as some of the other images we shot that day! I also threw in some of my favorite shots of the little cuties I photographed all afternoon. Thank you to Playground, Atmospheres and Sweet Expectations Bakery, as well as the Hilliard Family and Cristi Miranda, for without this amazing team of people the shoot would have never happened or have been published! Here is the feature in the magazine! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Ad, here are a few of my favorites from the editorial feature shoot and mini-sessions that afternoon. I have the most adorable clients, don’t I?

Keep your eyes and ears posted for we have another stylized mini-session planned for June or July! If you are interested in reserving your spot early, message me and I can add you to the list. The spaces are VERY limited and will be sure to fill quickly. See you this summer in June or July for another day of stylized portrait fun!

Posted in Family Portraits Tagged charm school party, editorial feature, etiquette party, manners party, on-location photography, Orlando Family Photography, outdoor photography, party planning, Stylized children's photography |

SWIBA Awards in Atlanta, GA – WINNER 2013 – Photography Business of the Year

March 25, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

This year I have really made a conscious effort to grow my business connections by attending networking functions, meeting new people, making new connections by attending more workshops and joining new organizations. I became a member of the Stiletto Woman organization last year, which empowers women who run small businesses throughout America. I have been blessed with so many new friendships and social connections online because of my affiliation with this amazing organization this year. You can imagine how excited I was to find out in the fall that I was nominated for 3 national SWIBA awards this year: Mom Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year – Weddings & Events, and Photography Business of the Year.

My schedule is often so crazy, I don’t have time to hop a plane and take off for any “me” time, so when I found out the awards ceremony would be taking place in Atlanta, GA the morning after I had a wedding scheduled I thought it would be next to impossible for me to actually attend. Somehow, the stars aligned and I was able to attend this powerful conference and awards ceremony March 16, 2013. It was a whirlwind weekend, hopping a plane at 7:00 am from Orlando, arriving in Atlanta that morning and making my way to the workshop and awards. I met some of my friend affiliated with the organization in person for the first time. I got to meet Karlena Wallace, who is the CEO and founder of the organization, finally meet my Facebook buddy, Aradia Knight in person. Aradia is the owner of AIDARA and winner of “Entrepreneur of the Year”. I was so impressed with the work done by Walethia Aquil, who won “Girl Advocate of the Year”. She provides prom dresses to girls who can’t afford them. Be sure to check out her organization My Dreams Do Come True.

As the awards began, I was so very impressed with each and every woman who got up and told their story of the challenges they faced in their businesses and how they overcame great obstacles to find success. There were plenty of tears in the room and lots to celebrate as these amazing women are so very inspirational to us all in our own businesses. I was thrilled and honored to have won the “Photography Business of the Year” and to even be mentioned on the platform with all these amazing women and businesses is a thrill I will cherish!

I met amazing women who are making big things happen, like the founder of Blogalicious and blogging guru, Stacey Ferguson, Television Actress, Tina Sloan from “Guiding Light”, TV Personality and Coach Dee Marshall and author and powerhouse speaker, Brandi Mitchell. I was so inspired by Stacey Ferguson or “Justice Fergie” to blog more this year. I plan on attending her conference in Atlanta this year as well. Dee Marshall spoke and is like a tiny tornado, on fire with passion for life. One quote in particular really stuck with me, and i plan to keep it in mind as I move forward with my business and personal life this year. She said, “In everything that you do, HONOR your PASSION, and WALK with PURPOSE”! Sounds pretty simple right, but those little words are so powerful. When I feel overwhelmed, or tired, or feel like I am a failure at this thing called life, which happens to the best of us at times, right…I will recall this powerful little statement, and hopefully it will inspire me to put on my “stilettos” and go out and walk with purpose. If that is what we strive for, haven’t we already found success?

Thank you Stiletto Woman Media for making these types of opportunities possible for women in small business to get together, make connections and be recognized for all the hard work that goes into being everything and doing it all in your own business! Until next year!

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged #SWIBA, Awards, BeBlogalicious, Blogalicious, Dee Marshall, Justice Fergie, Photography Business of the Year, Small Business, Stacey Ferguson, Stiletto Woman Media, Women in Business |

Lady & Danny’s Vintage Historic Dubsdread Ballroom Wedding – Orlando Wedding Photographer

January 20, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

One thing I know about weddings, you can’t control the weather…as was the case the day Lady and Danny decided to get married at The Historic Dubsdread Ballroom. The stage was set for a gorgeous ceremony out under the grand oak tree, but Mother nature had another plan in store…about 10 minutes before the scheduled ceremony, the rain began to pour, much to the bridal party’s discontent…but never fear, Dubsdread jumped right in and made the best of what could have been a bad situation and fixed the reception area in the ballroom for the wedding to take place there instead. They even hung the bride’s paper decorations that had been hung in the trees outside. Nobody would have ever known that wedding wasn’t intended to be inside, as the room was spectacular, and the bride and groom were thrilled!

Lady and Danny chose to do a “First Look” and were so pleased we had done their portraits earlier in the day, so they didn’t have to worry about portraits in the bad weather. We got some gorgeous shots out on the Dubsdread golf course. They yellow and melon colors really popped against the greens of the gold course, and the vintage theme was so much fun! Lady looked STUNNING and Danny, so suave.

The two were very emotional as they exchanged their vows. The fun began when the reception started. The bridal party walked in and then all broke out into the “Wobble” on the dance floor. It was so much fun to see! I loved working with Lady and Danny to capture their Big Day! If you are interested in my wedding photography packages, be sure to contact me through the website.

Posted in Uncategorized, Wedding Tagged Dubsdread Wedding, Florida Golf Course Wedding, Golf Course Weddings, Historic Dubsdread Ballroom, Orlando Wedding Photographer, Vintage Wedding, Yellow and Melon Wedding, Yellow Wedding |

Carmen and Aaron’s Old Florida-Themed Wedding Published in Orlando Wedding Magazine – Orlando Wedding Photographer

January 20, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

I LOVE working with fun and laid-back couples and Carmen and Aaron take casual cool to a whole new level. The couple planned their DIY wedding in their lovely back yard, complete with tent, mojito station, wine bar, pastry table and more. Aaron brews his own beer and had two special varieties on tap for the wedding guests, along with a cigar area and Scotch. The decor was a mix of traditional and old Florida, with cigar boxes decorating the tables and Florida oranges mixed into the design. I wasn’t surprised when Orlando Weddings Magazine decided to feature their table decor in their current issue of the magazine. The magazine selected their tables, with cigar boxes and Florida oranges as their cover story images. The clean, yet elegant table decor was a perfect fit for their fun wedding.

I always love capturing and telling wedding stories, but this one was so much more exciting for me because of all the personal touches Carmen and Aaron included into their wedding day. I asked the couple if they had written out vows and Carmen presented me with a sheet of small paper, with the vows typed out, while Aaron’s were hand written and a little crumpled from carrying them around in his pocket all day. It was a detail I knew I had to capture as the vows the two of them wrote to each other were some of the best I’ve seen over the years. They included details like Aaron agreeing to “Always top off Carmen’s beer”. Good stuff.

The couple agreed to do a “First Look” together, so their could maximize their portrait time and spend more time with their family at the actual wedding and “after party”. It was so much fun capturing the love the two share. As I snapped away, Aaron would whisper into Carmen’s ear and she would burst into laughter. Their love radiates all through their wedding day images. They are so clearly in love, and have a good time together!

One of my favorite details from the reception was the small chalkboard I found inside the house. I passed it around to all of the wedding guests and had them write personal messages to the bride and groom, then I took their photo with their message. The couple even got to leave personal messages for each other that they wouldn’t see until they saw their wedding proofs.

As the day drew to an end, I was left with a good feeling about love and life. Aaron and Carmen are so much fun and I thought to myself, “Work isn’t supposed to be this much fun, right?” I know one thing, those two definitely know how to throw a good party…I just hope I make it on the guest list again. Check out the feature published in Orlando Weddings Magazine.

Posted in Uncategorized, Wedding Tagged Back Yard Wedding, DIY wedding, Florida themed wedding, Florida Wedding Photographer, Orlando Wedding Photographer, Tampa Wedding Photographer |

Tyson is 2 – Birthday Portraits – Orlando Newborn, Infant and Toddler Photography

January 19, 2013 by heather | Leave a comment

I always love working with clients and getting to see their children grow through the years. I especially love documenting the first year of a baby. My how they change from newborn to toddler. I have been blessed with three beautiful boys of my own and contrary to what everyone assumes, I have not been the best at always documenting the important stages of their lives. Taking everyone else’s portraits, often leaves me with little or no time to document the lives of my own babies.

As I looked through some of the old photos I had of my two older boys and it made me sad to think I had not taken the time to document each little stage. I decided that when my last baby arrived, I would be diligent about taking the time to make sure his life was captured, and in the process try to make up for lost time with my other two boys.

When Tyson was born I made time to take portraits of him and the boys at every stage. It is hard to imagine my sweet baby grew from a precious little baby to a bright-eyed. blonde toddler.

It’s now one month until my sweet baby boy will turn 2 and I am waxing nostalgic, as I look back over these two years and how quickly he has changed and grown up. What a difference from newborn to the 6 month stage.

After six months, the baby has turned into a rambunctious toddler, then it’s on to a big boy from there! Last summer I captured his first year portraits, along with his smash the cake session. I found an amazing spot for his cake portraits and these are some of my favorites from his first year birthday session.

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Baby's first year photography, first birthday portraits, first birthday portraits orlando, Orlando children's photographer, Orlando family photographer, Smash the cake, Smash the cake portraits |

Kimberly + AJ’s Bella Collina Wedding – Orlando Wedding Photographer

December 29, 2012 by heather | Leave a comment

Kimberly and AJ became Mr. and Mrs. Green on December 1, 2012, and I had the pleasure of photographing their AMAZING wedding at Bella Collina Weddings. Every last detail in their black and white themed wedding was spectacular and elegant. My special tradition to the couples I have the honor of doing their engagement session is presenting the bride with a special charm for her bouquet when the flowers arrive. Kimberly loved her black and white charm, to match her colors and theme.

If you haven’t experience Bella Collina, well you need to take a peek at what they offer their brides…the dressing room alone is the most amazing space, complete with access to the spa area and tubs. There is plenty of room for the bride and all her lovely ladies to dress with ease and even space to relax. Kimberly was even given a personal butler for the day, waiting on her every need.

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The special relationship between Kimberly and her mother was so evident as I captured them interacting while Kimberly got dressed in her gown. Her mother helped her plan all the little details, and the pride showed on her face as she saw her beautiful daughter as a bride.

Kimberly and AJ chose to do a “First Glance” session before their ceremony, to make the most of their portrait time. We found a perfect spot in what looked like a tuscan courtyard for their peek-a-boo portraits. These types of portrait sessions allow couples to make the most of the venue and the lighting, if they select to marry at sunset or dusk, during months where the sun sets early. They are also such a nice option to have some “alone time” on your wedding day. Kimberly and AJ said this was one of the best decisions they made that day, because it allowed them some one-on-one time to relish the day together.

When it was time for the ceremony to begin, I was drooling when I saw the rose petal design down the aisle, Kimberly had asked for. Debra with Atmospheres Floral really outdid herself with an elaborate rose design and amazing floral display by the alter. Everything was just as Kimberly had imagined for her beautiful ceremony. Bella Collina is one of my favorite venues to photograph, as every bit of scenery and backdrop makes you feel like you aren’t in Florida anymore…it’s as if you’ve stepped out of Florida and right into a Tuscan wonderland. I was able to capture the brides mother’s reaction when she Cheryl first saw the ceremony site. She was clearly thrilled and filled with emotion as she saw the details of the day coming together, just as she and Kimberly had planned.

I LOVE their expressions, right after they are announced as “man and wife”.

I LOVE it when the groom is so clearly and madly in love with his bride. AJ’s expressions are so sweet, and he looked at Kimberly all day with such love in his eyes.

The ceremony took place on the lawn of Bella Collina, but the reception was held indoors. The rooms were amazing, accented with amber uplighting from Kristen at Our DJ Rocks and PhotoBooth Rocks. Kristen was also on hand as the DJ for the event, providing microphones and sound for the wedding and DJ and uplighting for the evening cocktail hour and reception. I have worked many events with Kristen, and she really is amazing at getting a crowd going and creating an atmosphere of fun entertainment at a celebration!

The bride used her grandmother’s silver to decorate the tables and the guests ate on her grandmother’s silverware! What a wonderful way to include her grandmother’s memory on her special day. Each room was different, but the silver and white floral decor was so elegant and lovely.

All the guests were so surprised and excited when they realized that the cake was only the first of the sweet treats they would receive at the reception. The servers from Bella Collina appeared from the back with silver trays full of hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts as favors for all the guests. What a unique and fun party favor! YUM!

As the night came to an end, the two ran two lines of party guests, waving lit sparklers over them, as they ran to their car. What a way to end a wonderful wedding celebration!

Special thanks to all the vendors who took part in making this wedding celebration beautiful and perfect!

Check out the highlight reel created from this wedding by the very talented, Enrico Marcellino from Barefoot Empire Films.

Highlight Reel – Kimberly & AJ’s Bella Collina Wedding

VENDORS:

Heather Rice, www.HeatherRicePhotography.com

Brittany, with Tickled Pink Brides, coordinated the event

Debra, with Atmospheres Floral, provided the gorgeous floral decor, bouquets and table scape details

Kristen, from Our DJ Rocks and Photobooth Rocks provided the gorgeous ambient amber uplighting and was the DJ for the ceremony and reception

Enrico, from Barefoot Empire Films, did the videography

This gorgeous venue was Bella Collina Golf and Country Club, in Monteverde, Florida

Posted in Wedding Tagged Atmosphere's Floral, Barefoot Empire Films, Bella Collina, our DJ Rocks, Tickled Pink Brides, Wedding, wedding photographer |

2012 Family Holiday Favorites – Orlando Family Photographer

December 27, 2012 by heather | Leave a comment

As I look back on my 2012 calendar and check off the days until 2013, I am reminded of all the beautiful families, couples and children I had the pleasure of photographing this holiday season. The holidays are always busy for me…kind of like an accountants tax season, but I relish the opportunity to capture families and larger groups of extended families, when their loved ones are in town. This fall, I photographed more than 30 family sessions and 7 weddings! Although that meant a lot of work and editing, I so enjoyed getting to know some of my new clients and their families, as well as some of my returning clients this 2012 portrait season.

As 2012 comes to an end, and we prepare to welcome 2013 with a bang, I thought it would be fun to look back and post some of my favorite fall family sessions from 2012. If you are interested in getting on my fall 2013 calendar, plan to contact me and secure your date early, as I usually amy totally booked up by September ever year. Thank you to all my new and returning clients, who I also consider to be my friends, for allowing me the opportunity to do something I love, while giving you memories you will cherish for many years to come!

Now booking January and February sessions. For more information email me at JHJRice@aol.com, or use the contact tab through the website.

Posted in Family Portraits Tagged Family, Holiday |

The Black Family Holiday Sneak Peak- Orlando Family Photographer- Holiday Portraits

November 12, 2012 by heather | Leave a comment

I had the pleasure of photographing the Black Family for their holiday session. They were an amazing family who hadn’t had formal pictures taken for some time. They had two adorable boys, Austin and Carter who were strutting their stuff in their super-cute clothes! Carter insisted on wearing his Beatles shirt so his mom incorporated it into his holiday outfit.

Mom was worried about getting a toddler to cooperate with the camera, but as you can see from these adorable sneak peeks Carter and the camera were definitely friends.

Here are some tips for keeping your toddler happy during a portrait session.

Tip 1: Bring a toy. Have the toy hidden away, but have access to it when needed.

Tip 2: Bring snacks, like Goldfish crackers, raisins, or baby puffs that can easily be given to a squirmy baby or toddler to preoccupy them while the photographer gets candid shots.

Tip 3: Bring special treats or rewards. Give them to the photographer to use to reward good behavior during the portrait session.

Tip 4: Let the photographer give direction to the kids. Kids are easily distracted when too many people are giving instructions, which usually results in a meltdown.

Tip 5: Parents, relax. Your kids feed off your energy and sense if you are worked up. If you are relaxed usually the kids are too. Trust your photographer to get the shots.

Posted in Family Portraits Tagged Child Photographer, Church Street, Downtown Orlando Photos, Family Portraits, Holiday Session, Orlando Family Photography |