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Award Winning Family Photographer | From Maternity & Babies to Seniors & Underwater Space Coast - Brevard County FL Father's Day Gift Guide
Mother's Day has passed and it's time to start thinking about Father's Day. I've put together a list of ideas in case you are scratching your head this year. (Thankfully I came up with a great idea for my hubby earlier this year so all we have left is a craft/card from my son!) For these, I've tried to separate by what Dad might enjoy doing and have tried to include links for local places to go when possible.
For the Dad who likes to fish...
Fishing Rods - Last year, I bought fishing rods for my husband and my son, as well as some basic fishing supplies to get them started, and gave them to him for Father's Day so they could go fishing together. They've been doing this a good bit lately and really enjoy the time together. I loved fishing with my dad when I was a kid (though part of it was getting hot chocolate and fresh donuts on our way to the lake haha!) Fishing Charter - If Dad already has a great fishing rod, you could book him a fishing charter. Two local places with great ratings (though I have no personal experience with them) are Angler Outfitters & Charter Fishing (where you could also grab some new fishing goodies for Dad) and Amelia Island Charter Fishing.
For the Dad who likes baseball...
Tickets to a Baseball Game - This is what I opted for this year. My husband is a huge Chicago Cubs fan and I had the perfect opportunity to get us all tickets to see a game this summer. We like to do experiences for gifts when we can, and being able to watch a Cubs game with his family is going to be so much fun! If you can't travel for your hubby's favorite team, you could always go see The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and Dad can still share his love of baseball with his kiddos. Some of my favorite memories with my Dad when I was a kid was going to see the Cleveland Indians games.
For the Dad who likes tools/woodworking...
Gift Card - I know, this one doesn't feel as personal. But let's face it, when it comes to tools, it's better for them to pick it out unless they've circled several options for you in a catalog or made a wish list online. (It's like if my husband tried buying me something photography related without me giving him a very specific list of options with links to the items... he's likely to get something wrong, haha!) Class/Workshop - Sign Dad up for a class or workshop to learn a new skill. For the woodworkers, Woodcraft of Jacksonville has classes regularly that would make a great gift. (They have other locations if you aren't local to Jacksonville.) Magazine Subscription - This is another good option for Dads who might want to learn more or get different ideas for projects.
For all Dads...
Food - Let's face it, guys love food! From a nice big breakfast to a well planned dinner with Dad's favorite foods, don't forget this one on Father's Day. Homemade Crafts from the Kid(s) - Handmade gifts were always a big hit with my dad. Whether you do a big craft or just a homemade card, here's a list to get you started if you don't want to spend forever on Pinterest (like I did looking for a decent list to share haha!). It's a great way to get the kids involved, especially when they're little. Photographs - Of course this list would not be complete (or on my blog!) without including photos! And this doesn't need to be a professional session with Dad. You could take some photos of Dad with the kids yourself and then print them out and put them in a frame. (If you want to know how to do this better, sign up for my email list for your free guide to taking better photos or check out my camera class!) If you prefer not to DIY, you could book a session for just you and the kids so you can give him a great photo to keep on his desk at work (and you'll have great photos with your kiddos too!).
What will you do for Dad this year? Drop me a comment and let me know!
<3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography High School Senior Session at the Ball Field & Beach | Amelia Island Senior PhotographyI'm super excited to be offering lifestyle senior sessions and doubly excited that I was able to capture this time for this special high school senior. Senior sessions are all about celebrating who the senior is, their passions, and their dreams as the enter into adulthood. My goal is to showcase who the senior is and capture this exciting time in their lives while giving the senior a fun experience! After talking with each senior and reading through their answers to the questionnaire, I can come up with a plan to incorporate who they are into the session. Portraits are nice, but a photo that really captures the essence of who they are will be treasured for a lifetime. Miss M is graduating from Camden County High School and is headed to Valdosta State so we incorporated her t-shirt into the softball portion of her session. Softball has been a big part of her life so we did a few "pretend you're playing softball" photos and just a few fun ones at the field.
Miss M also loves having out at the beach, so we headed to the Fernandina Beach for the second portion of her session to have some more fun! She's also been learning how to play the guitar so we included that for some of these too.
Thank you for allowing me to capture you as you enter into adulthood. Wishing you all the best as you begin this next stage of your life! <3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Looking to capture your high school senior before they head out into the world? Do you want to capture the essence of who they are? Contact me today for more information on scheduling a senior session! Spring Clean Your Personal Photos
It's spring, though the weather doesn't always feel like it lately, and it's time for spring cleaning! I actually cleaned my windows the other day, woohoo! Next is the carpet so I can get rid of all the awful pollen we've had that's making me horribly sneezy. All. The. Time. But this blog post isn't about the spring clean we usually do around the house. This is about cleaning and organizing your photos. Yes, all those photos you have on your computer and your phone and haven't done anything with. It may feel like a monstrous task that you just really don't have time for, but when you break down the tasks and commit to just 10 minutes a day, it will get done! Everyone has just 10 minutes each day they can reallocate, like substituting 10 minutes of social media scrolling for 10 minutes working on organizing your personal photos so you can actually print and enjoy them! Here are some tips to get our started.
1 - Let's start with images on your phone. Go through and start deleting. Yes, delete! You don't need 5 images that are almost all exactly the same. So often, we are taking several photos of the same moment in hopes to catch one that's good and then we never delete the bad ones. So go through and delete anything that you wouldn't print in an album. It's easier to go through older images once the moment has passed and you can better choose the best ones to keep and delete all the rest. For any images you want to keep on your phone, for whatever reason, make folders to store those so you have them organized and easier to get back to view or share them.
2 - The next step is to get those photos onto your computer. Plug that baby in and transfer those images over to your computer. Put them in a temporary folder to organize later. Then delete them off your phone.
3 - Now that the photos from your phone are on your computer, make sure photos from any other cameras that you use are on your computer too. 4 - It's folder time. Decide what folder organization system you want to use and create those folders today. Personally, I have a folder for every year and then I have subfolders for each quarter and within those might be a folder for a vacation or special event. You might want a folder for each month or folders for photo type like nature/wildlife, landscapes, sunsets, etc.
5 - This next step is optional but it's something I like to do to help me keep everything organized better. I go through at add the date to the front of the filename of each image. So if the filename is xyz123 and it was taken on August 3, 2017 (when you click on the image you will see the date created in the file information), I will change it to 20170803-xyz123. You might just want to do the year and month, or label it with it's category or location, it's totally up to you. This is the most tedious and time consuming step if you don't have a program that will allow you to export them with the date and filename (I use Lightroom for this sometimes). Remember, 10 minutes a day. You'll be amazed at how much you can get done in 10 minutes!
6 - Next, move those files into the appropriate folders that you have created. This will be the easiest step if you've renamed your files.
7 - Go back through your images and delete any duplicates or not-so-great photos that you may have missed or that were from your camera instead of your phone.
8 - Now that you're organized, it's time to print! Everyone can enjoy them once they're printed into an album and off the computer. For a list of album companies and pros/cons, head over to this post.
9 - Stay organized by taking time once a week to go through your photos on your phone and delete the ones you don't need to keep. then at least once a month, upload photos from your phone and/or camera to your computer and rename them and put them into folders.
Hope this helps you get organized and don't forget to print! <3 Kim Styled Family Session | Award Winning Family & Child Photographer | St Marys GATouches of lace and flower crowns, what's not to love? This sweet family is always styled so well for their photo sessions and this session was no different. It was time to update photos of the whole family together so we went back to the last place they had them done the last time (which was 3 years ago!). The historic area was the perfect backdrop for their clothing and everyone is stylish without being too trendy (which can date a photo). The colors all go together without being matchy-matchy and having everyone in the same color. By choosing colors that go well together in a color palette, it encourages the eye to move around while looking at the photos without distracting from the subjects. The texture of the lace adds another element of interest to the photos as well. And those flower crowns, by Lavender Grace in St Marys, were the perfect finishing touch for the ladies. These will go perfectly on their walls in their home!
Here are some of my favorites from the session. Whenever it's important to the family to have everyone looking at the camera, I always do what I can to make that happen. And then we have some fun too!
The littlest one really stole the show, as you can see here!
I try to keep my camera out until everyone is in the car. This one happened on the way back to the car and it was so sweet. Missing flowers and all <3.
Thank you B Family for continuing to trust me to capture these memories for your family. I have loved watching your family grow and am so glad you all are part of our lives!
<3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Looking to capture your family as they are right now? Do you want to capture the connections you have with your loved ones? Contact me today for more information on scheduling a family session! 100 Days of Connor & Jack: A Boy and His Dog | Child and Pet Photographer | St Marys GAThe idea for this project has been something I've thought about for the last two years. Ever since I took these photos of my son and our German Shepherd, Zoe, before she passed. Zoe was so good with him and they were great buddies. I loved capturing their special relationship as my son grew and it became even more apparent once she was gone, how important these photos were. I wanted to do a bigger project capturing children and their special relationships with their pets. The year following our loss of Zoe, I wasn't ready. And then last year I chose to focus on moms having fun with their kids and pushed off this idea again. Then we brought Jack home over Memorial Day weekend last year. He is my son's dog; and watching them grow together has been so much fun (and sometimes not so fun when they get on each other's nerves, haha). I knew I wanted my 100 Days project this year to focus on capturing their relationship. It's been the perfect way to start my year. This project is part of a bigger project I am working on to capture kids and their pets. I have some plans and goals for this project that I'm pretty excited about, but I'm not telling just yet! I do need more models, though, so if you live in the St Marys - Amelia Island area and your child (any age up to 18) has a special bond with their pet, I'd love to photograph them! Send me an email and I'll send you more info on participating in this project. Ok, back to Connor and Jack.... here are some of my favorites from the first half of the project. If you'd like to see them all, head over to my Instagram and follow along!
<3 Kim Does your child (any age up to 18) have a special bond with their pet? Want to participate in my kids and pets project and live in the St Marys - Amelia Island area? I need more models! Send me an email and I'll send you more info on participating in this project. Small Business Spotlight | Soulshine Reiki Healing - Amelia Island FL
I met Nichole a few years ago through La Leche League but it wasn't until this last year that I've actually gotten to know her better and learned that she is a Reiki Master. I'd heard of Reiki before and it had been something I wanted to try. I finally booked a session with Nichole in late fall and honestly didn't know what to expect or what exactly a Reiki session entailed. Fall is a busy, often stressful, season and I am so glad I went to see Nichole. It was a warm and relaxing experience and I got some insight and confirmation on some things I had on my mind too. It really helped me feel calm, less stressed, and more balanced. When I went to see her for a second time, it had been a few months and I felt totally out of whack and left feeling so much better emotionally and physically too.
So when I thought about who I'd like to feature for my first Small Business Spotlight for 2018, I immediately thought of Nichole. I'm so happy to share more about her with you!
Tell us about your business. What services/products do you offer? Soulshine Reiki Healing is all about Energy Healing! I am an Intuitive Life Coach & Reiki Master specializing in happiness. I work with awakening, heart-centered women who struggle with self-doubt and needing permission to act on her desires to help her instead learn to love herself and connect to her intuition so she can feel confident fulfilling her desires and life purpose. I use a variety of energy healing modalities such as Reiki, sound therapy, crystal therapy, archangel therapy & aromatherapy. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress relief & relaxation. Reiki and energy work is performed by light touch from the Reiki Master, at the main chakra points and various other energy centers throughout the body. It can feel warm and tingly as you release energy that is no longer serving your best interest.
What inspired you to open your business? I started my journey as a healer in 2015 after realizing I was DONE living a life on auto-pilot, full of people pleasing, needing permission to do what I wanted and codependency. My self-doubt and lack of self-love and knowing myself really fed into my fears of never being good enough. I didn’t trust myself; in fact, I trusted my husband and family more. Once our second son was born in 2015, I was living my dream life as a stay at home mother, and I truly felt my new circumstances would make me happy, in reality, I had NEVER felt so empty and unhappy as I did then. It was such a hard time for me, I was really unable to enjoy and be present in life, even though I felt like I should be happy. Enter major codependency: I kept looking to my husband to tell me what makes me happy and fulfilled, I was DESPERATE for him to pull me out of this funk. Day after day, he couldn’t help me and I got so fed up that I decided the only way to happiness was to finally have the courage to get to know myself and what I wanted so I could finally love myself, feel confident and find my purpose. This was huge for me, because I had felt so guilty for not being happy as a stay at home mother with my children, but I knew I had to change something because I certainly didn't like who I was.
Who is your biggest inspiration in life/business? Melissa Ambrosini is a huge inspiration in both my personal life and business because she was able to overcome her co-dependency and inner mean girl in order to open her dream business and is success at doing so because she trusts and loves herself.
What is your favorite quote? If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. ~Lao Tzu
What do you love most about what you do? Connecting to other women through their pain and helping them to realize they have a choice and they can heal; that there is more to life than suffering, that they deserve happiness.
What is your biggest success with your business to date? What are you most proud of? My ribbon cutting is still a day I am very fond of. I fought long and hard to believe in myself and my ability to open my Reiki practice and when the day came I was overwhelmed with gratitude for myself and the universe. I was proud I did not give up on my deepest desires and I was also overcome by all the support my friends showed me as they kept showing up, one by one, to witness this special moment in my life. I think it will always be one of my biggest successes in my business because there were so many times I almost believed my limiting beliefs of not being good enough to open my own healing business.
Do you have a memorable moment in your business that you can share with us? My most favorite memories are when women are working hard to heal themselves outside of my office and are doing homework I assign them, taking care of themselves and setting proper boundaries. One in particular was recently a woman who kept telling me she had pain around her solar plexus and as we started talking we were discussing how she felt worthless to most of her loved ones. I was so heart-broken for her and could certainly relate but as soon as I explained that the solar plexus is the powerhouse of our identity; including limiting beliefs, I could begin to see her relax and let go of negative energy. We did a reiki session and she had some large releases in her solar plexus. She couldn’t believe how she felt afterwards and what a difference her pain level was.
What can your clients expect from you when they book with you? I do both local and distance healing and either way it is the same. We discuss the major reasons for coming in and what they’d like to see change in their life and sometimes what part of their body is physically bothering them most, so we can connect an emotional reason to it. After we come up with a plan, we do the reiki session (45-50 minutes) and afterwards I give a chakra analysis. Chakras are you major energy centers—a popular one you’d know is your heart! I like to tell my clients which ones I focused on and what the overall theme of the session was.
Name three local businesses you love and why. Color it Green! The women who own and operate it are some of the kindest souls I have ever met and have helped me to grow my business to where it is today. PLUS- everything they sell gives back to the ocean and conserving what we’ve got left of it!
Joanna Glisson Yates is a local personal trainer who concentrates on functional movement and retraining your body. You see, I am an ex dancer, retraining my body to work out in proper form PLUS let go of old injuries has been a huge goal for me! Joanna has the physical trainer background; including functional movement as well as energy knowledge. She can tell when I have a blocked chakra and gives me exercises to work it out! Shes almost like me but a personal trainer!
Precision Chiropractic. Dr Kevin Lin helped me when I was pregnant with Emmett in regards to comfort level. I was in a lot of pain from a weak pelvic floor and misalignment. I have since went back and see him 2x a month now for a neck/shoulder/back injury THAT IS 10 YEARS old. The pain has been debilitating throughout 10 years and I tried everything- chiropractor, physical therapy, MRI’s, cat scans, etc I can go on. His philosophy is very different, he basically believes if your head is aligned the rest of your body will align too, so I’ve seen a dramatic decrease in my neck/shoulder and back pain in such a short amount of time! I had given up ALL hope in ever feeling better and hes showing me that not only my body is getting better but also my stress responses are getting better---less triggered. He does a complete exam, including stress response by pulse and questionnaires. Its amazing.
Where can people find you? Website: www.soulshinereikihealing.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 904-477-6672 Facebook: www.facebook.com/soulshinereikihealing Instagram: www.instagram.com/soulshine_reiki_healing Address: 1886 S 14th St STE 6, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Date Night - Connect and Have FunValentine's Day is just around the corner. I've been working on a list of ideas for date nights for myself and my husband for the year, and I thought I'd share them for anyone else who needs some ideas. For those who don't know, my husband is Navy and was away for about 8 years being a geo-bachelor (that's a long story for another day), and finally got a shore duty last year, which was thankfully here so we didn't have to move! He's now been home for just over a year straight, which is the longest stretch we've been together in our entire relationship (3 years dating and 13.5 years married). It has been soooo amazing having him home and not having to go out to sea or be stationed elsewhere. We took the time we needed to adjust to our new routine as a family and we've mostly found our groove. We realize that now being parents, our date nights need to be scheduled and aren't so fly by the seat of our pants like they used to be. It's important to make sure we make that time to connect with each other and have adult conversation. We've even chosen a night a week to be our night to stay up late together no matter what time our son goes to bed so that we can have some one-on-one time together.
And now for the list. Most of these are dates we have done in the past year or have on our list to do this year (and are in no particular order). A few were recommendations from friends. If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear about them! (A couple photos included are of my husband and me, but others are just of clients. I love getting a photo of mom and dad by themselves at family sessions!)
Bowling Bowling is one of those classic things I still love to do, even though I'm kind of a terrible bowler, ha! My husband has his own ball and is much better than I am. I like that we can do something fun together but still be able to have a conversation (unlike when going see a movie). It's also super budget friendly for when the budget might be a little tight. We love to go to the Rack 'N Roll Lanes on base. For those of you who are not military, there's Nassau Bowling Center in Yulee and Bowl America in Jacksonville (there are 3 locations). *Note: I have not been to the bowling alleys in Yulee or Fernandina but wanted to mention them so you can check them out if you like.
Dinner & Walk on the Beach Another go-to date night for us is dinner and a walk on the beach. We are big beach lovers and we even enjoyed this kind of date before having our son. Whether we go grab a bite to eat at a restaurant or bring a picnic dinner to the beach, it never gets old for us. The picnic option is another budget-friendly option if you don't want to spend a lot of money beyond the sitter. And again, this kind of date gives you lots of time to just be together and have a conversation without your kids interrupting. There may be a theme here, haha. Communication is such an important part of a healthy relationship and for us, it seems like one of the biggest challenges now that we have a child and our schedules don't allow for much time together just the two of us. (Photo Credit: Life Unstill Photography)
Dinner & Walk Downtown St Marys or Fernandina Beach Another date night we've done and enjoyed is grabbing dinner at a favorite restaurant (or even bringing a picnic dinner to the waterfront park in St Marys) and then just walking around downtown. The waterfront park in St Marys is a great place to just hang out and enjoy each other's company. You could also visit some of the local shops and support small businesses while your there. There are several good restaurants where you can grab some dinner too. There's entertainment on the first Fridays throughout downtown and in the summer, there's a free concert in the park on the second Saturdays. We also really love walking around downtown Fernandina Beach. There are so many great places to eat and shop or just hang out for a bit at the coffee shop. First Friday's they have an Art Walk and the art galleries are open later. I'd love to go do that sometime soon. Our most recent date was just before New Year's and we went to Timoti's for dinner and then to Amelia Island Coffee for a warm beverage. We spent most of our evening talking about 2017, our first full year together, and reflecting on what we loved doing together and as a family and what we could do less of. We made a bucket list for 2018, a list of things we wanted to make sure we made room for and what we wanted to do both together and as a family. On another date in the fall, we may or may not have ended up in the awesome toy store downtown, Villa Villekulla Toys, and ran into another couple we know who were also on a date and without kids, in the toy store.
Miniature Golf Yes, in case you haven't figure it out by now, we are pretty low-key people (ok we might be a little boring sometimes but we're ok with that, haha) and don't need a lot of excitement for our dates. The important thing for us is to have the time together, just the two of us. We actually did mini golf dates before becoming parents, and they're fun for the whole family too, but that doesn't mean they can't still be fun for just the two of us too! There's a simple course here in town at Crooked River State Park and then you could go for a hike or bike ride if you're doing an earlier date and like outdoors stuff. They also do sunset boat cruises which might be another option if you go in the evening. Then there's Island Falls Adventure Golf in Fernandina Beach, which we have also done and enjoyed. Then you can grab some pizza at Moon River Pizza or 1000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza. If you want to head north and spend an afternoon or evening on Jekyll Island, we've enjoyed their course there, Jekyll Island Miniature Golf, and then a host of other activities you could also do while you're there. If you're in Jacksonville, Adventure Landing is a fun place for miniature golf and has other activities as well.
Horseback Ride on the Beach Ok, this has been on our to-do list for probably over 10 years, so this year we are determined to finally do this! I found three options on Amelia Island: Kelly's Seahorse Ranch, Happy Trails Walking Horses, and Amelia Island Horseback Riding. There's also Golden Isles Carriage and Trail at Three Oaks Farm on Jekyll Island (they also do carriage rides, that might need to go on our to-do list too!). If you've ever done this, I'd love to know which place you went with and how your experience was! *Update: We did this for my birthday in 2018 with Happy Trails Walking Horses and it was a blast! I highly recommend it!
Class or Workshop This wasn't originally on our list as we hadn't thought about it, but I think it needs to be added for sure! I recently discovered Paisley Grace Makery in Fernandina Beach through the Network of Women (a women's networking group I just joined), and after being there for a meeting, I really want to go back and do one of the workshops she offers. There are so many projects to choose from and there are couples projects too. You (or your partner) don't need to be crafty to do one of the projects, so I think I may be able to convince my husband to do one! Then I had a friend suggest taking a class through The Studios at Florida School of Holistic Health. I had never heard of them, so I headed to the website and it looks awesome! I might need to do some convincing on that one too, but I would totally love to take one (or more) of the classes they offer. We missed the Art of Making Rootbeer but if they offer it again in the future I might be able to convince him to do that one with me. Update: My husband and I did a date night at Paisley Grace Makery and we both had a lot of fun and love our signs!
Escape Room I've recently seen friends posting on social media about going to an escape room and it sounds like something my husband would LOVE to do. This would also make a good group date. You get put into a room with clues on how to "break out" and you have an hour to do so. There's one in Fernandina: Amelia Island Escape Rooms, and two in Jacksonville that I know others have gone to: Mind Bender Escape Rooms and The Great Escape Room. It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun! Update: We've no done two escape rooms at Amelia Island Escape Rooms and plan to do the other two sometime this year. They make a great double/group date and were a blast!
Painting Another suggested date night option was a painting night. I love to pain but my husband, not so much, so while this isn't on our list, it might be something fun you'd like to look into. There's a studio in Kingsland: Camden Art Parties; and there's a place in Jacksonville that was recommended to me: Painting with a Twist.
If you have any other suggestions for date night ideas, I'd love to hear them! And if you've tried any of the ones listed here, I'd love to know what you thought. <3 Kim Owner/Artist-Photographer Kimberly Tank Art & Photography, LLC Stay up to date on blog posts like these and other happenings by signing up for my monthly newsletter. P.S. When was the last time you had photos of just the two of you? Your wedding? Let's fix that! I make a point to grab some shots of mom and dad together without the kiddos during family sessions and the best time for beach sessions (spring!) is rapidly approaching! Contact me to book your session. |
Kimberly Tank is an award-winning professional photographer in Rockledge, FL, servicing Brevard County on the Space Coast in Central Florida (including Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, Viera and surrounding areas). Using natural light and custom on location sessions, Kimberly Tank specializes in photographing families from babies to seniors and commercial clients, both on land and underwater; providing an exceptional customer experience and helping save you time and preserve this chapter in your life's story. Kimberly Tank is a proud member and ambassador of National Association of Professional Child Photographers. Signup for my monthly newsletter and receive a FREE PDF on taking better photos of your kids! Click HERE Contact Me for more info and/or to book a session
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Kimberly Tank is an award winning professional lifestyle photographer in Rockledge, FL, servicing Brevard County in Central Florida (including Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Viera and surrounding areas). Using natural light and custom on location sessions, Kimberly Tank specializes in photographing families from babies to seniors and underwater photography; providing an exceptional customer experience and helping you capture your story and turn your memories into works of art.