LanierStar has moved! You will be redirected to our new blog in a few seconds.

redirecting

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:56:00 +0000

All visitors to this blog will be automatically redirected to our new blog at www.lanierstar.com/blog .

Bye Bye Blog...

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:15:00 +0000

Please visit the new blog at lanierstar.com/blog and update your feeds/subscriptions. Thanks! This blog is going bye bye bye.

Moving on up

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:37:00 +0000

to that deluxe apartment in the sky!

I have a fresh new blog! Still putting on a few touches, but it's just about ready to go. Please visit at

http://lanierstar.com/blog/

I will be shutting down the feed from this blog on a couple of days, so please move your RSS feeds ASAP! Thanks and please enjoy our new home!

Bye Bye Blogger!

Long time, no blog...

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:57:00 +0000

I just wanted to pop my head in really quick and say that my blog is not dead! I actually have a lot of new sessions to post, but I am waiting to do so on my NEW BLOG! I am almost finished setting it up with my new LOGO & COLORS! So much excitement. :) Hopefully within the week I will be sharing my new blog address with all of you. So, be looking for the next post!!! Until then here is a quick peek of an engagement session I shot this past weekend in St. Augustine. This is Jeremy & Claire who will be married in January 2009.

hey Florida photogs!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:05:00 +0000

Anyone need a "ticket" to David Jay's Free to Succeed tour in Orlando, Sept. 4? If you'd like to buy one from me please drop an email to info[at]lanierstar.com. THANK YOU!

Fay, Fay GO AWAY!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:50:00 +0000

I'm pleased to announce we survived our first Tropical Storm of 2008! TS Fay is now gone and I don't think I've ever been so happy to see the sun. After 5 days of rain and clouds and wind - UGH! Not to mention I think we were all stir crazy from being cooped up.

The worst part was when I was watching TV and they said that there was a tornado going over our area. It was actually in the river as a waterspout- which the river is the next street over! All I could do was hold Jett and listen with every fiber of my being for the "roaring sound" which would send me running into the bathroom tub. It was a little freaky!

Fortunately, our biggest damage was that the top of my plumeria tree was torn completely off. We filled 2 trash cans with leaf and limb debris and still have a huge pile left. We made a trip to Home Depot yesterday and saw several trees in the plaza that were blown over. We also saw someone's fence that had been blown down. Other than that- just a lot of tree limbs and A LOT of water. We had standing pools in our backyard because there was just nowhere for it to go. We still have tons of water in our driveway. I shudder to think how bad the mosquitos are going to be!

On one of our boring indoor days I spiced things up by taking some photos of the monkey. Rainy days make for great photo lighting!

Well, guess I spoke too soon... The rain just started again. (sigh)

lots of things

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:32:00 +0000

Well first off let me just say- I am so glad that hurricane season 2008 is here.

(insert sound of crickets chirping)

When I went to sleep last night I was thinking that Tropical Storm Fay was no biggee. I woke up this morning to a new forecast that has Fay all around us and right over us. The worst part? Looks like she might head out over water and intensify before she comes to visit-

we live between the 2AM Thurs. and 2 AM Fri. markers. so, i'm getting ready to head out and stock up on hurricane supplies and stuff for the generator. let's hope this ends up being a practice run.

in better news- one of my favorite flickr friends had a baby girl a couple of days ago- Congrats Tiffany on the birth of Delilah! :) you can check out a super cute pic of her by clicking HERE.

i am still working on some lanierstar.com construction, so please be patient cuz awesome thngs are coming!

if anyone has had issues emailing me, please leave a comment on this post! one client said her email was bounced back by my server over the weekend. i'm hoping this was an isolated incident!

all of you fellow floridians- STAY SAFE OUT THERE! i'll keep you guys posted. :)

Phase 2 is complete!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:01:00 +0000

I am so sorry for not posting lately, but I have been busy doing construction! Phase 2 of the LanierStar Photography remodel is complete. I am proud to introduce to you

LanierStar Photography {Weddings}

Simply visit our current site and then choose [weddings website]. I am so excited to be able to showcase the weddings that I have photographed across North & Central Florida- including Jacksonville, Orange Park, Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Gainesville and St. Augustine. Coming soon I will be able to include Orlando, Georgia and feature lots more from Saint Augustine, too. I have only a few dates left in 2008. I can't believe that I am already booking Summer 2009!

Thank you to all of the brides and grooms that chose LanierStar Photography to shoot their weddings! I am looking forward to meeting many more of you. :)

Stay tuned- Phase 3 is now in the works! Woooot! So much excitement. :)

Check it out!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:28:00 +0000

Phase 1 of our virtual construction is complete! Please go visit the all new & improved:

www.lanierstar.com

Stay tuned because there are 2 more phases!
:)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:32:00 +0000

Please excuse the virtual mess. LanierStar.com (as well as lanierstarphotography.com and kristenmorganphotography.com) is going to be under construction during the next week. There may be times where my site is down, but the blog should remain up at all times. Also, there may be a short time where email is down. Keep checking the blog for more info as I have it. Thanks for your patience as we go through some awesome changes!

FREE photo/Model Search response!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:47:00 +0000

WOW! I mean, wow! The repsonse has been overwhelming. I am sifting through all of the emails and photos now. Within a week I'll be responding to my choices via email with more info. I am still accepting entries so keep them coming!

Team Angel

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:46:00 +0000

image by Sarah Jean, copyright Bellysimo Photography

From the Team Angel website:
An extraordinary boy and his amazing family need your help.

On July 22, 2008, eight year-old Angel received a liver, bowel, and pancreas transplant. Although he and his family remain optimistic about what the future holds, they know that they have only just begun the exceptionally long road to recovery.

In addition to navigating the unknowns of his surgery and recuperation, Angel’s family faces many additional challenges. In order to be close to him during his hospitalization and in the many difficult months that will follow, Angel’s family has had to temporarily relocate two hours from their home. This relocation has affected not only his parents, but also his three year-old brother, who misses his sword-fighting partner desperately. To top it off, Angel’s mother is due to give birth on August 13, 2008, to his long-awaited baby sister, and now needs to do so with a new doctor at a new hospital some two hours away from home (ironically, down the hall from her recovering son).

There is nothing Angel’s family would not do to help him get well, but the reality is that the costs surrounding Angel’s surgery and his family’s subsequent relocation – including housing, gas, food, child care, and additional bills – are staggeringly high… and they simply cannot do it alone.

Even superheroes sometimes need a little help.
Join Team Angel today.

For several years I have had a contact on flickr named sarahjean. I was first attracted to her photostream because of her gorgeous photography. As I explored her stream further I discovered a wonderful story of how she & her husband had adopted a special needs child named Angel and from then on continued to follow the story of their family with their second son named Hudson.

Please visit the Team Angel website by clicking HERE. Anything you might be able to do to help this family is greatly appreciated!

10% of August's total sales will be donated to this family. Now is a great time to purchase extra prints from your last session or book your holiday session. You'll help a great cause!

would you like FREE PHOTOS?!?

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:19:00 +0000

Of course you would!

I announced a few weeks back that I was chosen as a featured artist by Portfolisitez. They will be using my work in their next template design. I'd like to add a few fresh faces to my portfolio beforehand so there will be some neverbeforeseen work on the new site! :)

Do you know someone that could do modeling in one of these categories?

maternity/newborn
baby/child
teen/senior
couple/engagement
wedding (must provide own dress)

Please drop an email to info@lanierstar.com with the category you are interested in, along with a photo. Models will receive their choice of three 5x7 photos from the session as well as low-resolution digital files for web use.

Spread the word! Tell your family & friends!

taking a sick day

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:46:00 +0000

i am really bummed to report that the stomach flu that has been going around finally caught up to us. :( i am going to be taking the weekend off and i will catch up with all of your emails & phone calls on Monday. thanks!

CUTENESS!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:28:00 +0000

This is another of my anniversary clients. Here is a photo of Lexi & family last year-

And here she is now! Isn't she a complete doll?!? I seriously just want to eat her up.

I'm thinking this just might be my best "eyes" shot ever.

And who would not kill for these eyelashes?

I will in no way be envious of her parents in about 16 years. She is going to be a beauty. Not like you couldn't tell that by looking at her hot parents. ;)

I promised Mom & Dad I wouldn't get them in any photos since they weren't dressed, but this was begging to be taken!

I had an awesome time at the beach with you guys. I've got Lexi's next b'day marked on the calendar! ;)

How about a little anniversary gift to this family? I know that it's LanierStar's anniversary so we should get the gifts, but what can I say? I'm a giver! If this family can rack up 15 comments on this post from their friends & family then I will gift them a Brag Book! Lexi's parents don't count- haha! Just click on the word "comments" at the bottom of this post to leave one.

Good luck!

Here's the Slaters! & Happy Annv LanierStar...

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:35:00 +0000

I am so excited to be celebrating the anniversary of when I began taking my first clients. The funny thing is that they are all calling to get appointments because it's been a year since they had their portraits taken. So, you are going to be seeing quite a few anniversary posts coming up soon!

The first one features 2 of the clients that were in one of my all time favorite pictures. You have probably seen this one on my website-

Well here is that family one year later-

It was a blast! Love you guys! xoxo

The real Mr. & Mrs. Smith- beach wedding!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:56:00 +0000

Welcome to the photos of one of my all-time favorite weddings! There were so many favorites that I finally just closed my eyes and clicked on a bunch to put on the blog because I couldn't choose. :) Unfortunately when I uploaded them they showed up in no particular order, so I apologize! You can add that to the long list of things that I dislike about my current blog. So, why don't I switch you ask? Well, maybe LanierStar will have an announcement coming soon...

Back to Matt & Jessica- They had their wedding on the beach in Amelia Island with the reception at Summer Beach Resort. What a great venue! Some of the things I loved about this wedding are:

the way Jessica's friends looked at her when she was getting ready
the camaraderie between Matt & his groomsmen
the casual vibe
the personal touches
how Matt couldn't stop kissing Jessica
when I asked Jessica to move away from Matt for a sec so I could get a couple portraits and Matt was dying to get back into the pictures with her
their friend singing to them during the reception (remind me of the song in the comments!)
the awesome candy bar
the beautiful spirits of everyone that was there
when Jessica enjoyed the "sparkler tunnel" so much she had to turn around and do it again
the amount of fun I had

I love weddings like this where the couple gets to enjoy themselves, the occasion and the people around them. That is what a wedding should be about.

Onto the photographs!

I would also like to share a review that Jessica & Matt left for me on Wedding Wire:

Kristen Morgan of LanierStar Photography was awesome! Choosing a unique photographer for my wedding was very important to me and after seeing Kristen's work online - I knew exactly who I wanted to photograph our wedding! I did not want the usual posed wedding photos - I wanted a lot of candids and photographs that everyone else did not have...and that's exactly what I got with LanierStar! She was there while we were getting ready and stayed until my husband and I left the reception in a tunnel of sparklers! I could not be any happier with our photos! I know once Matt and I have children, I will be tempted to travel to Orange Park for Kristen to take their pictures also! Thank you so much for such beautiful art!

Feel free to check out their slideshow at http://kmorgan.photobiz.com/slideshowbiz/#

Thank you guys so much for choosing me! It was awesome!

officially off the beaten path

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:44:00 +0000

today we went to go look at a 1976 Airstream that is for sale. i love these shining beauties and can totally see myself hauling one around. i would also love to renovate one, but after looking at this one today i realized that i can only take on so many projects at once and needed to back away from this one. maybe in a few years, but right now my plate is FULL! between remodeling this house (we are about to embark on the kitchen- pray for me!), landscaping (happy to announce i just completed the front and am ready to mulch it in with pine bark), stimulating my toddler's mind in preparation for pre-school and running this business- i am out of fingers to place into any more proverbial pies. so for now i will continue to eye the airstream forums in case there is a great deal on a trailer that is ready to roll.

back to my original story... we knew the trailer was out in the woods- what some people refer to as BFE or the "boonies". but, i knew we had officially gone off of the beaten path when we ran across this road sign-

hope you all had a great weekend. i hung out with 2 WAY cute kiddos that i can't wait to share with you!

Wanna do me a favor?

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:24:00 +0000

Pretty please?????

I was just accepted as a new member on Team Wedding .com. If you visit their site by using the link on my website they will see how much you guys love me. :) Please go to my site http://www.lanierstar.com/ and click on the little gold badge with a pink banner that says TOP WEDDING SITE MEMBER. You guys are the best! Thanks.

P.S. Only one visit per computer please!

Jett is officially in the terrible two's...

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:33:00 +0000

Yep, my baby turned 2. I don't know when this happened. I could swear that his first b'day party was only a few months ago! I feel like once I had my son that my life jumped onto an escalator- and it keeps moving faster & faster!

Jett's birthday party was a Mickey Mouse theme. He discovered "Bickey" (what it sounds like when he says it) about a month ago and has been obsessed since. The funny thing is that I was a huge Mickey Mouse fan when I was his age and my first 2 or 3 birthdays were Mickey. However, when I went shopping for Mickey items I found out that the rest of the world seems to have moved on. I went all over town to find a Mickey cake. I finally found one 20 minutes away. When I went to Toys R Us there was about a 3 foot section of Mickey in the entire warehouse sized store. I thought for sure I would luck out at the Disney store, but even they had barely any Mickey stuff. I bought all of the PJ's they had (2 pair) since Jett asks for Mickey pajamas every night. I also found a plate, cup & placemat. I guess "Bickey" is just old school now...

The official party greeter. Quite possibly the largest balloon I've ever seen!

I've learned that 95% of the time I take a group photo with a child in it that all of the adults will look at the child to see if they are looking. This year's "grandparent portrait" was no exception.
On a side note, my dad started chemo this week and we were fortunate that he was able to come spend a few hours at the party. For all of you that have asked about him- thank you!

A Mousekateer!

When babies multi-task...
Lunch-

Uncle Blair was so excited about the gift he bought Jett- a train set! Blair had talked about it all week. Unfortunately Jett discovered the wonder of helium balloons that day and was uninterested in all the gifts. Sorry, Uncle Blair! That night we set it up and Jett had a blast. It is definitely a fave toy now.

Here is Jett clapping for us after we sang "Happy Birthday". Is that a look of pure happiness or what?
For a second there we weren't sure if he was going to blow out the flame or eat it, but he pulled it off!

After the sugar started to kick in we figured we should get the kids outside to let off some steam.

Snacking on grass-

The great water gun fight of 2008. Want to see what happens when Jett gets ganged up on????

He goes into "TAKE NO PRISONERS" mode! This photo cracks me up.

Man, sprinklers are fun!

As you can see, Jett didn't let the balloons get too far away. That night he took a balloon into the shower (what a racket!) and then to bed. When he awoke the first thing he did was grab his balloon!

All in all it was a fun day. Thank you everyone who came over and for the family that couldn't make it, I hope you enjoy these photos.

I also have a ton of client photos to get up, so look for those coming soon! :)

tips on photographing fireworks

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:39:00 +0000

Thought I'd share these great tips from photographer Stacy Reeves. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th!

If you’re planning on seeing a fireworks show for the Fourth of July, you might be wanting to take some cool photos of the display. Here are a few tips I’ve learned from my experience shooting fireworks:

* Set your mode to shutter speed priority (usually Tv or S on the dial) and set your shutter speed to 5 seconds. Later, you can adjust the shutter speed to get more or less of the light streaks (I recommend 3-5 seconds).
* Use a low ISO, such as ISO 100 or 200, as long exposures can be somewhat grainy.
* Use a tripod! This is non-negotiable! Make sure you get one that will allow you to tilt your camera straight up and not fall over, just in case you end up directly beneath the fireworks.
* If your camera has a short timer option (such as a 2-second timer), use that so that the camera shake when you press the button doesn’t blur the image. Better yet, get a wireless or a remote trigger for your camera!
* To focus your camera, switch the lens to Manual Focus, and then turn the focusing ring all the way to the infinity symbol.
* Shoot, shoot, shoot! You will take a TON of photos, and probably only 5-10 of them will turn out well. That’s okay!
* Later, when you’re tweaking the photos in Photoshop, use the Burn tool and set it to “Shadows” at about 10-15%, then paint over the areas where you have smoke or haze. This will make the sky darker so the streaks of the fireworks stand out more.

All of the above tips are for people using SLR or DSLR cameras. If you’re using a point-and-shoot, look to see if your camera has a “fireworks” or “nighttime” setting. That’s your best bet! Don’t forget a tripod!

::cute alert::cute alert::cute alert::cute alert::

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:27:00 +0000

So, not only are these 2 girls the cutest things since I don't even know what, but they had the best personalities and the most beautiful hair and were so spunky and- well, I just fell in love with them a little bit while I was there. I can't wait to see you guys again!

C is for ...

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:50:00 +0000

...the Carter's! Here are some favorites from their recent family session. We also were able to sneak in some shots of just Mom & Dad since they recently celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary. Congratulations you guys!

I was chosen as the new FEATURED ARTIST!

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:04:00 +0000

Portfoliositez.com Website and Template Services is a website design company that specializes in offering web solutions to artists and photographers. They are beginning to design a new template that will be launched in the next few months and they were looking for a photographer who's work they could use in the build of this "sample" website. I am beyond pleased to announce that they have chosen Kristen Morgan and LanierStar Photography as the next featured artist! I am very happy to work with a company that has quickly built a reputation for themselves as a business that cares about their customer's needs and provide exceptional customer service, which is something I feel very strongly about. You can see the announcement on their blog by clicking here. I will be sure to keep you all updated as to when they release the new template featuring my work. I will also be changing my website over to this company soon, so keep an eye out for a whole new LanierStar Photography coming your way!

Now, I'm going to go have a glass of champagne!

Ring-a-ding-dong

kristen@lanierstar.com (Kristen | LanierStar) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:32:00 +0000

Here's a few shots from the Ring family portrait session. It was wonderful meeting you all! I look forward to doing your daughter's Senior portraits next year! :)