I have always been an advocate of practicing as much as possible. Even if it means taking a camera with me to one of Orlando’s theme parks or just taking photos for fun — I know it will lead to improved photos when it comes time to a wedding or portrait session.

Last Saturday was one of those days. I participated in the Location Portraiture Workshop sponsored by the Harmon School of Photography. The class was held in Orlando along Lake Ivanhoe and we had 3 great models for the class – Rebecca, Lindsay, and Elizabeth.

John and Susan do a fantastic job running the school and I’ve taken part in countless classes over the years. Every photography class I’ve taken through Harmon has been a ton of fun and I always walk away having learned a new trick or technique.

I hope you enjoy these photos!

Today was the Orlando Meet & Greet at The Acre off of Edgewater Drive in Orlando. The Orlando Meet and Greet is an event held a couple times a year at various locations around Central Florida with the goal for models, photographers, stylists and makeup artists to get to meet and work together.

The Acre is a very interesting location in Orlando, where an abandoned space in the College Park section was converted in to a facility for events. It’s got a lot of personality and charm and the organizers of the event took advantage of the location. The theme for the event was “Southern Rustic”, and many of the models took the inspiration with the clothes that they wore. An old truck and a Volkswagen Bus made for great props for the impromptu photo sessions.

I’ve considered doing this event for several years, but have always shied away as I don’t do much fashion/glamour photography. However, I embraced this opportunity to meet some great people and to try some new techniques, and I’m so glad I did. I had a fantastic time at the event and am very happy with the photos.

Many thanks to the models in the photos below — (Evan, Jessica, Summers, Amber, Samantha, Claudia, Blair, Anthony and Ashelyn)
Also, a big thanks to Jesse Walker who organized this event that had over 400 signups! I’m looking forward to the next Orlando Meet and Greet!

Lisa and Olivier were a fun couple to do engagement photos with. We met at Leu Gardens in Orlando where we visited the various areas of the gardens for photos. Despite being a bit chilly for Orlando, it was still a gorgeous day and many of the flowers were in bloom.

Lisa brought along some picture frames that we used for some fun photos, and I brought along a bag of candy valentine hearts where I took photos of Lisa’s fantastic engagement ring. I do wonder if anyone has ever proposed using candy conversation hearts.

I can’t wait to photograph their wedding later this month at the Historic Dubsdread Ballroom!