Welcome Mr. & Mrs. McQuade!!

Ryan McQuade and Hayley O'Reilly tied the knot Saturday, March 6th at Fort Caroline Christian Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Their reception location was at the Firefighter's Hall on Stockton Road. Food was provided by Hayley's family. We all had rave reviews of the seafood pasta. Music was provided by "Deland Entertainment" and video documentation of their special day was shot by "We Cover Weddings". (Look them up on Facebook and become a friend). Hayley's hair and makeup services were compliments of her sister and maid of honor, Gaynor O'Reilly. I would highly recommend all of these vendors again if you were planning your wedding.

Hayley chose to rock her dress the next day with a session in San Marco. She chose to pop the hot pink from her wedding colors.

Ryan and Hayley... I hope you have a blast on your honeymoon! Bring back lots of warm weather! I love you both!

Junkyard Babes

Thanks to Faythe Hall Mesic and her wonderful team of make up artists, models, and photographers, we had a wonderful shoot. I hadn't realized that I didn't post these on the blog, but did every where else, so here are the shots. I had a blast working with such talented people and connecting with many other photographers. This just makes me excited for the March shoot!

Model: Sarah DeLucca
Hair: Faythe Mesic
Makeup: Faythe Mesic






Model: Tara
Hair: Sonia Garza
Makeup: Erin Foster






Model: Sammi
Hair: Sonia Garza
Makeup: Sonia Garza






Model: Jamie
Hair: Sonia Garza
Makeup: Sonia Garza






Model: Kymbr
Hair: Faythe Mesic
Makeup: Faythe Mesic






Model: Elizabeth
Hair: Sonia Garza
Makeup: Faythe Mesic






Model: Tiffany Ashley
Hair: Sonia Garza
Makeup: Erin Foster

Adkins family welcomes baby Noah!

I had the honor of photographing Noah's older brother Ethan when he was only 8 weeks old, so when Cheri "mom" contacted me and asked if I would take Noah's pictures, I was estatic! I love doing this because I get to see how much everyone has grown.

3-week-old Noah looks very similar to Ethan except, Noah has his momma's beautiful red hair. We decided that we wanted to do a session that was unique to Noah and different from his big brother. Since Ethan had done a studio session before, we chose an outdoor session for Noah instead. Thanks to the beautiful weather and Noah being a trooper, we got some awesome shots.

(Here is a link to see Ethan's pictures when he was first born:
http://jhalsteadphotography.blogspot.com/2009/01/adkins-family.html)

Here are some of my favorites!

Garcia Family

Not only was this weekend beautiful, but for me, it was very productive. My son's birthday party was Saturday, Sunday I had two sessions, and two of my classes ended this weekend. I jumped in my truck after Sunday church lunch, turned the key over, and nothing! There is nothing more frustrating than being in a hurry or having something important to do and something go wrong. Luckily, it was just a battery cord, but it threw off my entire afternoon. I always tell myself that the Lord had a reason for this to happen. Sometimes He has to slow me down in my tracks.

My first of the two sessions on Sunday was with the Garcia family. We met up at Jacksonville Beach. It was beautiful and sunny, but also windy and chilly. I actually photographed their daughter, Danielle, for her senior session.

There are more of these to come, but here is a sneak peek.

Blue + Belly = BOY!

Ayden Jeremiah will be entering the world very soon! He's due March 13th, but as for now, he has decided to come into this world mooning everyone. He has been breach for a couple weeks now. Mom, Nicole, is going weekly to appointments waiting to hear news of either a baby who has decided to cooperate or to find out that she is being scheduled for a c-section.

Having your first child comes with many nervous moments by itself. Having your first child and learning he's breach and that you are a likely candidate for a c-section is even harder. Nicole is doing great! Supported by her partner, Lori, the two of them are keeping a positive attitude and know that what ever comes their way they will make it through.

Nicole is some one very special in my life. She lived with us for several months, so she feels like family to me, like a daughter. I was there the moment she learned that there was a plus sign on the pregnancy test. I feel like my own daughter is about to have a child. And to see all that she is going through, just worries my heart. I know though, that the Lord will be her strength and her refuge.

We did a couple studio shots first, then hit the hay field for a little rustic look, but landed in Downtown for the final shots. Enjoy and look for delivery and newborn shots of Ayden's big day!

Danielle "Rose" Garcia

Beautiful.....that was the word of the day! God blessed us with perfect sunshine for a wonderful senior session.

She is known by her family and friends as Danielle, but her classmates call her Rose. She looked amazing! We held her session at various locations around Jacksonville Beach. Rose will be graduating from Seacoast Christian Academy in May, and has hopes of pursuing a career as a paramedic. She is also the captain of the flags team at her high school and is currently working very hard on her spring performance. She enjoys photography as hobby and plans to continue to grow in her creativity. Her family is so proud of her!

Welcome Mr. & Mrs. Ames!!!

Katie and Dixon married at Arlington Baptist Church, in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, Feb 6th. Katie's curls and cowgirl boots were perfect for the special day; while Dixon sported sweet shades and pin-stripes. The reception location was at the Navy Officer Club at NAS Jax, overlooking the incredible St. John's river. Katie and Dixon spent their honeymoon at Disney!