Diego Godino — “Good Things Take Time To Bake”

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That is the mantra of this young up-and-coming hip hop artist who hails from Sarasota, FL.  Anybody else now in the mood for brownies??  Anyway, after you get your chocolate fix, head over to his fan page on Facebook — Diego Godino and show him some love by listening to some of his tracks and liking his page.

Diego came into our studio on Tuesday evening wanting some fresh new photos to add to his portfolio.  We wanted to go for more of a relaxed approach…I’m pretty sure Diego is pretty good at chillin’ at home while he writes and records, so we thought we would try to capture a bit of that in studio.

 

Then we decided to move the shoot outdoors.  It was around 8 pm and the sun was starting to set.  We headed to the Ringling bridge in Sarasota, FL and took advantage of the beautiful, natural lighting the setting sun offered us.

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Sneak Peek at Carla

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You know how on Christmas a kid gets a new toy they just love and HAVE to play with right then and there?  Well, that’s kind of how Urban Moda’s photographer, Tony, is when he gets new equipment.  If he spots a new box on our doorstep it’s all tunnel vision from there:  What’s in the box?  I bet it’s my new flash…or my new backdrops…or or…

So upon receipt of some new toys from Santa eBay, we called in a guinea pig (no, not a real guinea pig) to help us test it all out.

Enter Carla…a sweet, young girl with a beautifully exotic look and wonderful personality :)

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Alex, Amber, & Summer

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On Saturday, we brought back the lovely Amber!  You may recognize her from the stunning photos we shot a few weeks back when she came to our studio alone for a portrait session:

Remember this?

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Or this….

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Well, this time she didn’t come alone.  We decided to head to an outdoor, beach location off the tip of Long Boat Key in Sarasota, FL called Greer Island (affectionately referred to as Beer Can Island by the locals).  We parked and walked a short distance to where it looks like trees, along with their roots, have washed ashore.

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The setting was perfect, the water was inviting, and there were very few people.  Amber, her husband, Alex, and their adorable two year old daughter, Summer, made the perfect subjects for a beautiful family photo session on the water…Image

If only we could have gotten Summer to look at the camera ;)   It just goes to show that when the child decides he or she is done with photos, you’re ALL done with photos!  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a shot or two without her knowing ;) Shhhhh…don’t frighten away the smile…

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While Summer was off enjoying some time hunting for seashells with me, Mommy & Daddy got some alone time…

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Ahhhhh….bliss.

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xoxo

Shannon

Fedora Fun & Starbucks

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Who’s ready for a fashion tip?  Ready or not, here it comes:  buy a fedora.  Wear it.  Accept all compliments you’re about to receive.

I love hats.  Mostly because I have many days (particularly on the weekends) that I don’t feel like spending a lot of time on my hair.  I never used to enjoy wearing hats…I was under the impression that only boys wore them.  I could not have been more wrong.  You’ve probably seen a lot of celebrities sporting fedoras these days…Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, Cameron Diaz, Posh Spice (aka Victoria Beckham…I’m a 90′s kid, she’ll always be Posh Spice), etc.  A fedora is a simple, stylish way to add a little fun to your attire.

When picking out a fedora (or any hat/ article of clothing), make sure you try it on!  Look in a mirror and make sure it fits your head properly.  If it’s too small, it’s just going to look odd.  Likewise, if it’s too big, you will just look like you are wearing a giant’s hat…plus, it will blow off in the wind.  Not good.  Experiment with the positioning of the fedora…push the front of the fedora to the side just a smidge, for instance.

As I mentioned earlier, I often throw on a hat if I don’t feel like spending time on my hair.  Hats are a perfect way to hide a bad hair day…or your roots if you haven’t had time for a retouch ;)   Bottom line is, anyone can pull off a fedora!  Give one a try!  They’re kind of a confidence booster.

My personal favorite fedora is a tan colored one that I bought at Target…it’s simple and it was inexpensive.  Gotta love Target!  I get complimented on this hat wherever I go.  Grocery store, mall, Starbucks, etc.  This morning the barista at Starbucks said, “I’m diggin’ the fedora.”  I thought at first she said, “I’m digging for Dora.”  At first I was like Well that doesn’t make any sense.  Then I realized what she had said :)   It was early & I was just then getting my coffee fix…work with me, here.

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^^This was me recently at my little sister-in-law’s graduation.  Pay no attention to my grouchy toddler :)   Or do, she is still pretty cute…even with a scowl on her face!

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^^This picture is from about a year and a half ago..we were out on the town.  The black fedora was the first one I ever purchased.

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^^I mentioned finding a fedora that fits properly, right?  ;)   My youngest daughter LOVES my hat!

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^^See???  The little girl all the way to the right is a friend’s daughter.  She is sporting my oldest daughter’s (far left) Hello Kitty fedora.  She definitely experimented with the whole positioning of the hat!

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^^Wear it to the beach…but be mindful of the wind!

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^^A friend who did a shoot with us wanted some photos in my hat!  She looks GREAT, right???  Style it up!

As you can see from the photos, fedoras go great with all sorts of casual styles.  To dress it up for a night out, all you have to do is accessorize.  A cute fedora, some sexy earrings, a sparkly black top, skinny jeans, and a pair of hot shoes will turn heads…I promise.

To help get you started on the road to fedora fabulousness…here are some different styles you may want to give a try (click on picture to view pricing and details):

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Many many other options out there!  Pick one, or five, that suit your style!

Remember to head over to our Facebook Page and *like* us!  You can also follow us on Twitter and be sure to check out our Website to read more about who we are, what we do and why!  Contact us for all of your photography needs!!  941-284-1427 or email us at urbanmodaphotography@gmail.com

Another Year…Where Does The Time Go??

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I know this is a photography blog, but I’m also going to use it for my own selfish reasons.  I’m sure most of you will understand :)

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012 I turned 31.  Not 20, not 21, not 30….31.  How lame is the age of thirty-one?  I really had not been looking forward to celebrating this birthday at all!  My mom came all the way to FL from her native land of Minnesota to spend the week prior with me, the husband, and our two little munchkins & also to be able to be here for my birthday.  This was all well and good because it had been a while since we had seen her.  She visited in September, but we haven’t had a chance to fly our family of four up to MN (have you searched airfare recently????  I have!  No bueno!), so it was nice to have her down for a while.

Back to my birthday.  I did some minor reflecting that day to attempt to figure out why I wasn’t really “feelin’ it.”  This is what I came up with:

  • The year I turned 20 I was excited because I was no longer a teenager and also had something pretty spectacular to look forward to…
  • Turning 21…hell yeah!  If you don’t get excited to turn 21 well then, I dunno…in that case, you must live in a country where nobody gives a crap how old you are when you start drinking.  OR you’re a good little church girl/ boy (although, let’s be honest, sometimes those types are the WORST…yeah, don’t lie!)
  • 22-24…personally, these years were spent really defining who I was.  Ha…and I was the aforementioned “good little church girl.”  I even decided to move to FL to attend a faith-based school in South Beach.  I was naive enough at the time, thanks to growing up in a small town in MN, to not know what really went down in SoBe.  In 2005, at 24 years old, I moved to FL.  At the beginning of 2006, I started dating the man I would marry that same year.  We would also leave SoBe to move to the opposite coast of FL to be near his family…not because Miami life was too crazy, but because our faith-based school was too crazy.  That’s another story for another day & probably a totally different blog.
  • 25…we have established some roots in sunny Sarasota, FL and decide in November of 2006 to take a trip to Minnesota so I can see my family for the first time since leaving & my new man can meet them for the first time.  We also decided that we would get married while we were there.  You know, kill three birds with one stone.  So on November 25th, 2006 I became a Mrs. with a totally new last name.  Two months later, in January of 2007, we find out we’ll be expecting our first baby in September of 2007.  Holy sh*tballs.
  • 26…I become a mommy.  On September 13th, 2007 I gave birth to a healthy, beautiful, heavenly little baby girl that, to this day, we call Sophie.  Well, we can’t really change her name, can we?  Becoming a mom has consumed me entirely.  I did not know it was possible to love another human being so fervently until this little girl entered my world.  She gave life new meaning and purpose.
  • 27…our little girl is about nine months old and still as cute as ever.  The year 2008 is upon us and is a year of many things…new career paths for both myself and my husband (this is the beginning of our career of working alongside one another), a big move, and we find out that baby #2 is on the way.  Again I say, holy sh*tballs.
  • 28…so now we’re in 2009 and just prior to actually turning 28 in June, my brother is married in April :)   I’m asked to sing a song at their ceremony, I agree to do it.  The day of the wedding I have a ridiculous cold/ flu bug and am about 7 1/2 months pregnant, so I apologize to them (and the original performer of the song I sang) for my horrendous performance that day.  So June arrives and I turn 28.  Awesome.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and June 26th arrives and I give birth to my second reason for living life to its fullest every day, my sweet Addison.  Another healthy, beautiful, heavenly little baby girl.
  • 29….wow.  My last year in my 20′s.  I’m enjoying my 20′s.  They’ve been full of ups and downs, but every trial, every step, every move has molded me into the person, the wife, and the mother that I’ve become.  I spent my 20′s trying to figure out who I was and where I belonged.  I met my husband.  We welcomed two adorable daughters into our world…we became a family.  I had a family.  As one chapter closes, another one opens…
  • 30…finally, a new decade.  No more 20′s.  I have my husband, my daughters, a great relationship with my in-laws & my family back in MN.  We have established ourselves as career people.  We have caring and fun friends (and have lost some along the way).  I feel grounded and like….like what?
  • 31…OK, what’s left?  What now?  What more am I supposed to do?  What’s 31 going to bring me?  What fun things happen at 31?  I can already drink.  We’re not moving.  We are done having children.  We have great jobs.  Now what?

I was really not excited about turning 31 because of these mundane little things.  I guess my 20′s were so busy and so full of new things and new experiences that I just felt as though I was left to be wondering what is left for 31 and beyond.  I have come to the following conclusion…suck it up & stop wallowing in self-pity.  The truth is, we do lead a pretty great life.  We have no complaints.  Sure, we have the typical issues of any married couple with children, but we are doing pretty well in every aspect of life.  As for what is left for 31 and beyond…well, I guess that is up to us & since we are a couple of go-getters, I’m certain that 31 and beyond is going to bring a whole new mess of experiences.

As for my actual birthday this past Saturday…it turned out to be pretty spectacular!

Now for a few pictures in an attempt to incorporate some photography (not all professional, mind you!) & also give a bit of a “behind the scenes” look at who Urban Moda is comprised of!!  Click on a picture to enlarge the gallery :)

And that’s all for now.  I hope you all will continue to follow Urban Moda (and tell your friends to book sessions!).  As we grow, we invite you all to grow with us.  Stay tuned for more!

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