Sophia: Fun and Fancy Three!

 

This adorable little lady turned 3 recently and I simply can't believe it! She's smart, funny, cute, and sassy and getting cooler every single day. Got to spend a really fun morning and afternoon with Sophia (and her awesome mama and grandma, too!) for springside portraits, followed by playing in the water and soaking up some sun for a few hours. Not a bad way to spend a summer day!

Happy Birthday, Miss Sophia Rose. You're the sweetest little fairy I know. 

Gearing up to Dive Down

 Summer is rapidly approaching (aka, it's spring in Florida which means it's BASICALLY already summer), and along with that I have several underwater sessions coming up. And I. Am. Stoked.

Revisiting one of my faves from last year as I prep for these ones that are on deck; hey, Sorcha! We miss you and hope you're enjoying NY...whenever you visit, you know we're going back out for another aquatic adventure, right? Okay, great.

(What a babe.)

Underwater Dresses with Jessi

Recently got together with the lovely Jessi for an underwater session, and she was an absolute boss at the (very challenging) task of swimming in a dress in very cold spring water. We had ever so much fun and she did awesome, which means that I had a tough time choosing my favorites from her session!

Jessi being so very awesome and at ease underwater meant that I had a tough time choosing my favorites from her session. She made me work hard to narrow it down!

Thanks for an awesome session, Jessi...you rock!

Ready to book your own aquatic adventure? Drop me a line at hello@rachelsullivanphotography and I'll be happy to help you plan your session!

Underwater Adventures with Molly

 My client and friend Molly does a lot of cosplay and is completely at home in front of a camera. But, she has always harbored (ha, water pun) a dream of being a mermaid and trying her hand (or fins, ha--I'm full of jokes today, apparently) at an underwater session. So we headed up to North Florida a few weeks ago and made her dream a reality.

 

With my trusty Ikelite housing and Gen1 Finfolk Sandy Shoal Green in hand, we jumped into the cold clear water of the famous Florida Springs. She took a few moments in the shallower spots, getting the hang of how to swim in a tail, but before long she was gliding through the blue as if she'd been doing it forever instead of just a few moments.

 

By the time we finished up at the first spot and headed to the second spring we'd be using for the session, Molly was an old pro. It was also adorable watching her happily interact with the many children who kept coming up to her, curious about her wig and makeup and in awe of her tail. Their little shouts of "Look Mom, a MERMAID!" could be heard many times that day. Molly had a blast talking to them, answering their questions, showing off how she could swim, and even letting one of them take a few photos of her with her little camera.

By the end of our session, Molly was right at home, a real mermaid, diving and posing as graceful as could be. We had a wonderful time and I am so stoked with how her album came out!

Until next time, Molly! You're a natural, but knowing what I know of you, that's absolutely no surprise at all. Welcome to the Mermaid Club.

A sneak peek at what's in my editing queue tonight.

Katrina, how are you so perfect?!?

Working on wrapping up my latest session with this luminous being; I simply can't wait to share more from Kat's recent underwater portraits because she's truly incredible, above and below the surface.

Hello, Fall!

Autumn has arrived! Which is to say, it has arrived as much as it ever does in Florida. We are still sweltering in the 90+ degree temperatures and keeping an eye on the tropics, so essentially, it's business as usual here in Sunny Florida.

Tons going on here as we wind down from our summer events and sessions and kick off all the fun of fall, including a handful of weddings, a bunch of portraits, our annual Halloween mini sessions, HHN, and even an underwater session here and there. (Now, THERE'S the benefit to the everlasting summer...we don't have to worry about running out of chances to shoot outside or in water, which is a silver lining to the crazy heat that I will absolutely take!) I'm in final stages of booking for the very last spots we have open for 2019 and just about full for the Santa Jim mini session event dates, so if you haven't yet secured your date or if you've been meaning to reach out to book, time is growing shorter and shorter and your chances are dwindling!

While I play catch-up on some editing and gear up for the true zany nature of this most busy time of the year, enjoy some of my faves from a few of our recent sessions and weddings. Much more to come soon, and as always, stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram for more photos and info as autumn rolls on!





















Happy fall, y'all!

Goddess

Got to spend a day with this beautiful momma-to-be at one of my favorite places last week, and I think this single sneak peek speaks for itself.



Katrina is just stunning, and she's a warm, funny, wonderful person through and through, so getting to help her and Jeremy as they prepare to welcome their sweet baby girl was an absolute honor. Also, can I just talk for a moment about how much of a boss babe Kat was during this session? Crazy cold water, flowing currents, and the challenge of managing her flowy gorgeous dress while looking completely serene? Wowza. I was blown away by how awesome she was and can't wait to share more from her session!

Kit-Kat, Patience Buckner, Mama Katrina...you're beyond incredible. I can't wait for little Miss Kennedy Aurora to arrive, and I know that you and Jeremy are going to be the best parents ever.

(Also, many thanks to two of the most esteemed members of my Mermafia for coming along and helping me with this session; Allison and Cassie, thanks for being there for this and for your help with safety, pose assistance, and fabric wrangling. You ladies are the best and I appreciate you.)

Congrats, Katrina and Jeremy...counting the days until Kennedy's debut!