It was Kerri and her family‘s first trip to the Virgin Islands and “could not have had a better time!”.   Deep Sea Fishing, Snorkeling, Trip to the Baths, Virgin Gorda, and this view!   The view from their villa over looking Magen’s Bay was breathtaking and they said it was like a dream waking up to this beautiful view every day.

What a great family.   We met first on Magen’s Bay and then headed to their Villa on Peterborg on St. Thomas.

On one side of the house, you can view Hans Lollick.

Then on the other side of the villa looks over Magen’s Bay.

LOVE…

Brothers and Sisters

Lots of Laughs…

Dad with the girls

and the men…

Vi is from Denver and came to visit a friend who is now DJing in the Virgin Islands.  She needed photographs for her submission to be in the Hooters Calendar and came to me.  I primarily photograph Weddings and Family Portraits, however six months ago I did the fashion shoot for Bella Vera (with one of the images welcoming you to St. Thomas at the Airport) and fell in love with the production of it.  It has inspired me to pursue fashion as well as portraits and weddings.  In the next year, I will be traveling more to the states in the meantime working on my fashion portfolio in the Virgin Islands.

For Vi’s shoot, we went to a more private beach on the north side of St. Thomas.  It’s not a typical beach I would go to because it small, no amenities or public parking, and a hike to get there, but once you get there… wow – rocks, nature, stairs, backdrop, blue ocean… amazing.

I wouldn’t be surprised if she will be living here in the next 6 months. How can you not love this place?

These are some fashion shoots and commercials that have photographed in the Virgin Islands before:

(If you know of anymore, please let me know!)

• Sports Illustrative Swimsuit Calendar 2009 was photographed on St. John
• J-Crew Catalog was photographed on Magen’s Bay and “True Love” Yacht
• Corona Commercial – Linquist Beach

The 2012 Calendar will be on island in two weeks.  They are $10 each and sold at Kokopelli’s.

The Calendar looks similar to last years but this year the US Virgin Island Holidays are listed on it, and larger font.

Yesterday, my cousin, Danny Armitage, whom I had great memories and an ideal role model growing up, was changing a flat tire on I-696 westbound near Farmington Road in Michigan and was hit multiple times by passing vehicals.  It saddens me to have lost a family member but more so to all the other people who he has touched their lives as well.  Danny, an Ann Arbor firefighter, was a father of three, devoted and loving husband, great cousin, and a hero.  He was just talking to my cousin, Lynne, about their upcoming family trip to Sarasota visiting my parents, brother, Aunt and Uncle and cousin.   My prayers are with his wife and three sons.

FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ)  WWJ spoke with Ann Arbor Fire Chief Chuck Hubbard who said Armitage had been with the department for 16 years and was on his way to being promoted to lieutenant. He called Armitage’s death a “huge, huge loss” for his fellow firefighters.   “We come to work on a daily basis knowing that that could be our last day, but when something happens off-duty like that you just don’t plan for that. You don’t even think about that,” Hubbard said. “He’s a young man, you know. His whole future was in front of him. It’s just awful.”

They don’t know how the accident was caused.  “It’s a sight I’m never going to forget, I can tell you that,” Gillenn told WWJ Newsradio 950′s Ron Dewey. “I don’t know if the person was talking on the phone or texting or just driving too fast, who knows those things you know, but I can tell you this, they shouldn’t have been doing whatever they were doing.”

Police are looking for the public’s help in piecing together exactly what happened. As of Thursday afternoon, no one had been charged related to the incident.

“We need anybody who might have seen the accident or was in the area at the time to help us with some information. We need to talk to anybody who might have been involved, saw anything, or who might have run over something in the road, might have thought it was something else, we need to talk to them,” said Tinney.

Anyone with information is asked to call Michigan State Police at (248) 584-5740.

Police investigate accident (WWJ Photo/Ron Dewey)

I believe the song “Knee Deep” would be a perfect song to describe Adam and Sharon’s wedding.  It was as relaxed, carefree, and beautiful as anyone would dream of their island wedding.  They had close family and friends join them as they said their vows on Emerald Beach St Thomas, and then they headed back to “Island View” Guest House which over looks downtown Charlotte Amalie for their dinner and celebration.   Sharon looked stunning in her wedding dress, and you couldn’t help look at Adam the way he looks at her.

Flowers:  East End Flowers

Cake:  VI Desserts

Villa Kaleidoscope is an amazing villa my friends Susan and Tadzu stayed at last week for their 10th Anniversary.  Love these guys.  I met them 6 years ago on Scubadu, and have been great friends since then.

Villa Kaleidoscope has four bedrooms detached from the villa.  Two rooms are on one side and two rooms are on the other side.  Perfect for two families, couples, or friends.   You can always find privacy, but the great room is perfect for entertaining.   There is a great breeze with an pool side bar, and surround sound throughout the villa, which you can adjust the volume for every speaker.  Above the bar there’s a lookout area that would be perfect for an intimate wedding.    The photo opportunities are endless for both families and weddings.    To enter the neighborhood, you must go through a gate, and then the house itself has a gate.  Not that theft is an issue on St. John, but the extra security gives this villa more warm fuzzies.    At this time, there’s only a house below the villa, which you really can’t see or hear, and there’s a villa that they are building at the end of the point.      Villa Kaleidoscope is located only moments away from Cruz Bay and 20 minute drive from Coral Bay.   There is a private beach in the neighborhood, not your typical white sandy beach on St. John, but it’s none of the less beautiful.  From what I have heard the owners are extremely friendly, and their villa manager Justin is great.  Only rave reviews in the guest book.   This is a great villa for entertaining a small group of 30, however you may want to check with Justin how many people they can accommodate for a party.

Definitely check out their website…  https://www.kaleidoscopeusvi.com/.

Below are photos I captured with my IPhone.  Not really the camera of choice, and was killing myself when I saw this villa.

The above photos were photographed during the day.  The large photo was the sunset, and then the bottom photos was the sunrise.

Can it get better than this?  When asked if the view ever gets old, or taken for granted, absolutely not.  There’s not a day, even when it rains, that I’m thankful for the beauty mother nature gives us.

I didn’t take the whole day off… I did work while I was there.  I had a couple of emails and orders I needed to do, so I took my Mac Book Pro…  This was my view.

Our Gallery Block takes personalization of wall decor to a new level.  Choose from a “Single” Gallery Block or a “Floating” Gallery Block below.  What is the difference?  A Single Gallery Block is an individual, laminated professional print over a solid wood construction.  “Floating” gallery blocks refer to a series of smaller gallery blocks constructed as a collage on an overall large background, also made of a gallery black.  Check out the video!

The Center Stage  (1)14×8 float on (1) 24×18

The Top of the Line (1)  10×7 float on (1) 15×20

The Center Piece(1) 12×19 float on (1) 16×21

Built in Wall Hanging System

The Following Images below are Samples from the Manufacture.  The Gallery Blocks are made in the US and shipped directly to you!

Single Sets (Available In Different Sizes)

Single Gallery Block – Available in Multiple Sizes

CUBE DECOR

SWEET FRAMES

Taylor is getting ready for the holidays and her baby brother who is due December 5th.  She is full of energy, laughter, and love at 19 months.   She’s all dressed up in her favorite clothes from Kool Kidz, a fun clothing store for children located in Yacht Haven Grande, and Baby Gap.  The photo session was in the studio and was roughly two hours long.

So excited to finally transfer from Digital Discs to Flash or Jump Drives.  When you purchase the Digital Image Files from your session with your package (not included with every package), you will receive a Jump Drive with the Digital Image Files you have purchased.    Not only will the jump drives last longer than discs, they are Eco-Friendly.

Eco-Green USB Flash Drives

The USB Drives listed on this page are ROHS compliant and are certified not to contain Lead, Cadmium, or Mercury. We are happy to offer our green flash drives.   The Biodegradable units in which the drives casing is made of corn.

Our green promotional USB Flash Drives are environmentally conscious and are manufactured from only eco-friendly components.

Below is the Tin Box your Jump Drive will come in (at this time).

Ask Ashley for more details!