Simmer Wedding I Lover's Key I Bonita Springs, FL

If you have been following my blog over the last few months, you have seen my excitement over the union of these two. On April 12th, we drank drink champagne... danced on the beach... and celebrated the marriage of Athena and Scott Simmer at Lovers Key in Bonita Springs, FL.

I spent time with the bride and groom as they got ready at Lover's Key Resort, then attended their ceremony as a guest, and later captured the couple's bridal portraits with Matt before the reception. What a beautiful day! Athena was glowing, Scott was dashing, and their family and friends were rich in sentiments expressing happiness for the newlyweds. A friend of Athena for nearly 20 years of my life, I like many of her friends was ecstatic that she finally met her soul mate. Someone she connected to in every way and on every level, someone who brings her happiness and truly compliments her. Her sister, Alexa, summed it up in her toast to Athena saying "You carry the heart of everyone who knows you... You now have a man to carry yours". We all adore Scott and can't wait to see what the future holds for these two. For now I leave you with the sweet intimacy and giddiness of love on Athena and Scott's wedding day and a few surprises at the end...



And highlights from the night before...

A solo photo with the bride...

Fort Myers Maternity Photographer I The Chabin's are expecting!

The Chabin's are expecting! Amanda is looking gorgeous & radiant as she awaits the arrival of her son later this April. We met up at Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs for the couple's maternity photos. I took them on a little adventure (#callsecurity) as we made our way (#wrongway) to the sunset that evening. Here's a look at Amanda's baby bump (#sneakpeek)...


Hot Air Balloon One Year Session I Molly & Matt Photo

I must say I've been wanting to try to create a hot air balloon prop for a session for quite some time. It seemed simple enough and I already purchased an extra large red balloon on clearance at JC Penny around Christmas time.  I collected the rest of my supplies at JoAnn Fabrics which included a basket for the anchor piece, a small basket for the upper section to hold the balloon, 4 wooden dowels, and green chevron fabric. 

The star of my session was one year old Garrett. Adorable as can be! The creation was not baby proof and I will need to do some maintenance if I plan on using it again. It did hold up long enough to capture these cute shots. Maybe I'll do newborn next time!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Love,

Molly

Meet Caleb I Southwest Florida Lifestyle Newborn Photographer I Fort Myers, FL

Spent this past weekend photographing a wonderful couple, Chris and Gina Fisher, that welcomed their first baby, Caleb John, on February 5th at 7:45 pm. Coming in at 9 lbs, 10 oz and 20 inches long, Caleb was a JOY to photograph and as CUTE as can be. The Fisher's have a gorgeous home with amazing taste! Caleb's nursery was way cool! We had some FUN with props including a giant spoon that matched Gina's kitchen decor. Can't wait to share these images!! Enjoy a peek at our time together:

Check out Chris and Gina's maternity session by a dear friend, Zee Anna Photography, here. 

FORT MYERS FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | Parker/Gilbert Family

I was lucky enough to photograph my dear friends, Jessica and Jeremy, on their recent trip to Fort Myers to visit Jessica's mom and dad for Christmas. My camera captured Wright fitting into his role as a big brother and I was delighted to meet Ronan for the first time.  Jessica's parents made me feel right at home, reminding me that our friendship has lasted the span of 15 + years. It's an annual tradition for us to meet up for the holidays and an occasional other celebration like weddings, babies, or running a marathon!!!  I will forever remember Jessica cheering me on at mile 23 in Tampa during the Gasparilla Marathon in 2009. Miles later, cities apart (The Gilberts lived in Chicago and now Washington D.C.), it's like time has frozen and we reconnect like we're still walking the halls of FMHS.

Why I loved this session... I photographed Jessica as a mom, wife, and daughter. I also captured the beauty of Jessica's mom, Ronnie with her husband and family. I know this meant so much to the family.

Love the Parker/Gilberts! 

Athena + Scott {engagement} I Lover's Key I Fort Myers Beach, FL

Rather than the usual blog post I write for sessions, I thought it would be fun to feature a write up from a client about their experience.  This is not just any client... this blog post is written by my talented best friend, Athena Ponushis, who happens to be a writer (Florida Weekly) and will be getting married in April (so excited)! We got together last fall for her engagement photos on Lover's Key with her fiance, Scott. I asked Athena to share a few details about her actual engagement and she sent these kind words:

"Scott proposed on May 17 amidst the lavender gardens of South Africa wine country. On his knee, he looked up at me and said, "Good times, bad times, I will love you forever. Will you marry me?" A thousand times yes.
He had the timer on the camera set up to snap the picture. I love the moment, but feel it was not the most flattering pic. Our engagement shoot with Molly remedied that. Felt like I was in an Anthropologie photo shoot. Vintage rug, old record player, wanted the pictures to feel like our life -- dancing off into the sunset. 
One of my closest friends from high school, Molly is a master talent. When I look at her pictures, I want to live there. When I looked at her photos from our engagement, I realized I do. Experienced a huge shift. She makes you feel beautiful and your life exquisite. She puts your love and life in focus. She puts you at ease. "
-Athena Ponushis

The wedding invites are sent, the bridal festivities are set, and we are just a few months away from Scott and Athena's big day. I am so happy I was able to capture these moments for them and plan on also doing bridal portraits at their wedding. I am ecstatic these two are madly in love, here's a peek at the fun we had:

 


Hello Tristin I Fort Myers Newborn Photographer I Fort Myers, FL

Drum roll please... Tristin Thomson Silvashy is here !! All BOY at 10lbs, 9oz, and 22 inches. The Silvashy family welcomed him into the world on December 22nd, 2013. We met up just before the Florida State Seminoles won the National Championship and I captured a few adorable shots of Tristin and Sam in their FSU shirts.  Tristin's dad is a rugby player and also happens to be a personal trainer so we photographed him with Ron's ball and weight. Here's a peek... Congratulations Rhiannon and Ron!

And a few favs from just before Tristin's arrival in November...

fORT MYERS FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | The Kim/Pak Family

One of the best things about doing portrait photography is truely the people you get to capture. The laughter, the smiles, the love and relationships within a family. Bona, our dear friend, was down visiting for Thanksgiving and arranged a photo shoot for her and her sister, Sujin, and their mom, Rosa. Bona's mom had been wanting photos for quite some time so they were really excited to have us behind the camera. We fit the photos into their busy schedule before Rosa rushed off to her restaurant, Origami, and Sujin to NAMI.

We got what we were looking for with every session: emotion, laughter, fun, FASHION, and most of a snapshot in time of who these ladies have become and just how special they are to each other. I think we nailed it! 


FORT MYERS FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | Riley + Cole + Ella

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas... Here's a few of our fav pics from a recent session with Riley (almost one 1!), Cole, and Ella at South Seas Resort on Captiva, FL. We grabbed a few fun shots in the Scoops and Slices candy store at the resort then headed to the beach for a beautiful sunset! 

FORT MYERS FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | Romine Family

It's almost Thanksgiving so I thought I'd share a family I'm thankful for working with...  

The Romine family came to us as a referral from another client, Tessa LeSage (thank you!!!). They were looking for a local photographer to work with, as they have been traveling to the other coast for the past few years to get their family photos taken.  Could I be the lucky local photographer to fulfill their "artsy fartsy" style? It turns out I was and Jonathan, Megan, and Ava were so easy to work with and had a fun color scheme amongst the beauty of Koreshan State Park. Sharing highlights from their session this week!

Have a great holiday and thank you for all of our clients for your love this past year!




Bethany & David {Engaged} I Fort Myers Engagement Photographer I Fort Myers, FL

Congratulations to Bethany and David on their upcoming wedding in November! We were introduced through a common friend (Sarah Martin) and were thrilled to photograph them in Downtown Fort Myers during the 4th of July weekend.  Matt and I spend a lot of time in the Fort Myers River District as a family with our daughter Lillian.  We appreciate and revel in the architecture, art, culture, and commerce as a unique urban backdrop for sessions.  Bethany knew she wanted to start at the yacht basin and work our way to the gorgeous banyan tree near the court house and we stopped at various DTFM favorites along the way including the Whitehurst Federal Building (Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center).

Here are the highlights from our session… Enjoy!