Nick & Amanda Engagement | Downtown Tampa

Amanda and Nick were such a fun couple to photograph and I get to photograph their wedding in May of next year! Nick was such a funny guy to be around and was always being sure to make us laugh.

I loved the location they chose. Beautiful part with a view of Downtown Tampa across the bay!

Fiance's Hidden Talent

So as some may know, I myself am finally getting married on October 5, 2013. I just crossed a huge task off my list of finding THE dress. Purchased this weekend at The White Closet in Tampa! Well, when I bought my dress I got this nifty 'bride' hanger for free.

 It was really cute but I wanted something more personal. It was important to me to have because of course, pictures are very important to me for my big day && every detail matters! Well I decided to try a DIY bridal hanger and it definately wasn't easy. I knew it was going to be a long time before I was a pro at bending letters and not just bending wire in crazy directions. I did okay but my fiance said let me try. I was hesitant. This was my project I wanted to do it but I said fine.

This man, no joke, put me to complete shame. He made it look like he had been doing this for months. Anything I told him I wanted he did. He really surprised me.

Now we have a list already started for making others these hangers. We decided it would be a great way to raise money for our wedding :) Every dime is going to go to our wedding, so if you would like one made, please contact me at XtinaPhotography@gmail.com !

Newborn Safety

Newborn safety is a very important subject with all the photographers there are nowadays.  I do not photograph newborns often but when I do get the chance to photograph them, I absolutely love it. I mean what's not to love. The little pouty lips while rolled into a tiny ball and that little yawn you get after moving them into a new position. They're the sweetest little things. A lot of people don't realize that you have to be very careful with newborns. They are completely reliant on you. They do not know how to hold their head up and support themselves nor hang  from a tree branch and catch themselves if they fall. A lot of people try to get all these amazing shots but disregard the safety of the newborn. No picture is worth putting baby at risk!

When I do photo shoots, I usually only do the basic poses plus the head in hands as long as baby will let me. It takes a lot of practice and took me a little bit to get. But what you really have to master is photoshop & layers. Most photos of newborns nowadays with the poses you could never expect a baby to do are composites. Hands  holding and placed in different areas of the photo so in the end, you can merge all the photos together for one seamless photo.


The whole point of this post is just to bring awareness to so many photographers. As much as we want to get 'THAT AWESOME SHOT' you must put safety first and find a way to do it!

Tips for Newborn Photography & Safety:

• Keep the area warm. Whether you have a small heater or keep the house warm, it will definately help when photographing the newborns. They are used to being in a tummy for 9 months. The second they are undressed they get upset and cry if they do not feel warm and secure.

• Always have a second pair of hands around to help you get the shots. I mean you can't take the photograph and hold your hands up and get the shot you want! Mom or Dad or an assistant should always be there to help with those shots.

• Photograph within the first 2 weeks. The earlier the better. Babies sleep most of the day when they are first born. During this time it makes it easy to switch up poses and keep baby asleep. 

• Be ready to spend 2-4 hours with the newborn. Between getting the shots you want, switching out the props and feedings it can take quite awhile. Some poses take a few minutes for baby to relax into.

Included below is a composite of my last newborn session with Jaxon. You can see mom held baby from underneath, then above so I merged the two together to create the final image.

Meghan + Branden

Meghan & Branden! Where can I start with these two lovebirds! I had an absolute blast photographing this couple's engagement shoot. They came all the way from Deltona to have their engagement session. Let's back track a few months. I held a wedding contest  on my facebook for an engagement photo session. These 2 were neck and neck with one other couple. Battling it out to win! Total they ended up with 994 votes! WOW. It was an insane contest!  

But we finally got around to doing the shoot! You can just see and feel the love between these two when you're around them! Can't wait until their wedding which is right around the corner!  November 2, 2012! :)

Ava | Newborn 4 Days

First post on my blog page! Yay! It's like a newborn blog so what better to start out than with a newborn post.

Last night I had the privilege to meet Ava Isabella. She was born on August 11, 2012 :) Courtnie has been a friend of mine for quite awhile now and since I wasn't doing photography when her first little one was born, I couldn't wait to be there photographing her beautiful girl :) Oh how sweet she was! She slept the entire time for me until the end when she began getting hungry. I haven't been able to photograph many newborn girls so I was WAY too excited for this shoot. Bows, ribbons, eek! The headbands in the picture were made by Diva Tutu Couture: http://www.etsy.com/shop/divatutucouture Be sure to check her out!

I still have so many photos to go through and edit but for now here's a quick glimpse of Miss Ava :)