Our Cruise Vacation...aka Our Annual Recharge

We love what we do but even the fun parts can wear down our batteries in a year's time. That's why we need an annual recharge. And what better way to refresh ourselves than taking a two week cruise! It's the perfect vacation for us because we spend our year planning our couples' big events and photo shoots, and on a cruise, you don't have to plan much at all! There's no cooking, no driving, no cleaning (hallelujah!) and yet there is so much to do. Plus you get to see so many amazing places in one trip.

Our cruise started in Baltimore, Maryland and then went to Bermuda, Tortola, St. Maarten, Curacao, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and ended in Tampa, FL. It was 2 weeks of blissful relaxation even though we did a lot and tried some new things. We could go on forever about how incredible it was but after being gone for 2 weeks, we have some work to do so we will just share some of the photos we took in our travels.

All of the following shots were taken with our new camera, a Sony Cybershot H20, our very first point and shoot ever...yes that's right...EVER! We thought taking our huge, professional DSLR's along would make it less like a vacation and more like work so we left those at home and opted for a pocket-sized camera that also has HD video capability. There were a few times when we wished we had our higher quality cameras but overall we loved the simplicity of the point and shoot, the fact that it weighs less than a pound (compared to more than the 6 lbs of camera+lens we normally work with) and it's video mode. We are by no means videographers but it was hilarious when we would be taking a video horizontally and all of a sudden go vertical for a better composition! As photographers, we do that all the time and don't even think about it but you just can't do that with video.


We tried not to think about work too much but we thought this place would be perfect for a wedding or even just a photo shoot. It's a really old church in Bermuda that was never finished so it looks like ruins.


Brides, could you imagine walking down the center between columns that are hundreds of years old, feeling the Caribbean breeze in your hair. Freakin' sweet!


We tried to avoid the touristy spots of Bermuda and just ventured off on our own when we didn't have an excursion planned. Sometimes we found little hidden spots that were so much neater or more beautiful and unspoiled, like this little cove called Tobacco Bay (bad name, gorgeous place).


Also Tobacco Bay.


Apparently this is where all the money went instead of finishing the "Unfinished Church" you saw above. Though this cathedral was certainly beautiful and grand, we thought the ruins of the other church were much more unique.




A view of the other British Virgin Islands as seem from Tortola. Missed the UV filters on our SLR lenses to cut down the haze but a beautiful view none-the-less.


For the most part, every island we went to seemed to be so divided between really fancy tourist resorts, beach houses and boutiques and the impoverished native homes and shops. There seemed to be no middle-class, but no matter what, everyone was always friendly and happy. Oh and goats seemed to be the most popular pet!
Here is an example of the disparities in wealth in St. Maarten. On the left is the castle-like mansion built by the owner of the island's only casino. On the right, a tangle of what we presume to be water meters for 10 or so homes. Our tour guide told us that the mansion's stone walls cost more than most "nice" homes on the island.


A divi tree on Aruba's pristine Arashi beach. One of the most beautiful beaches and clearest water we have ever seen. We didn't want to leave.


We did zip-lining again (we had done it in Jamaica on our cruise last year and got hooked. But by far one of the coolest excursions we have ever done was riding a dune buggy through a rain forest in Cozumel to a cenote, a sinkhole used by the Mayans for freshwater, that doubled as a bat cave!
Here is what we looked like after the ride to the cenote. With several mud holes on the path, we learned quickly, even though you are having the time of your life and want to scream your excitement the whole time...close your mouth for the mud holes ;) Yeah we ate mud a couple times but what a fun ride!


Here is the cenote/bat cave. Pictures just do not do it justice as it was actually quite beautiful and serene. We even swam in the chilly water which was surprisingly clear and lovely. It was pretty cool to be chillin' in the water with hundreds of bat's hovering above us and occasionally swooping around. And to answer most people's first thoughts, we were not swimming in tons of bat guano...or at least we didn't see it :)


And here is a good depiction of how muddy and dirty our dune buggy got. If you are ever in Cozumel, Mexico and looking for something to do, we HIGHLY recommend doing the Xrails to the Jade Caverns tour. A truly awesome adventure.


Here is a shot just after sunset from the pier in Cozumel. The moon was full and beautiful. Notice they even had a Christmas tree up already.


Well, we'd love to post more but must get back to work. These Christmas cards won't design themselves. Stay tuned for a couple posts from recent shoots. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is looking forward to a wonderful holiday season.


Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography

Kristen & Steve's Beach Wedding on Anna Maria Island

Wow this year seems to be flying. Is it really almost April already?! This past month has been crazy, between turning our basement into a studio and gallery and traveling for a couple destination weddings. We've been having a blast though. We're so excited about the new space and can't wait to unveil all the cool new things we'll be able to do with it. We'll post some progress pics in a few days.

Until then we thought we'd blog about one of our awesome Florida weddings. All of our clients are special to us and we enjoy the friendships we form with them but this wedding was particularly special since it was for Kristen, one of our good friends that we have known since High School! It was also a complete change of pace for us. Emily was actually in the wedding as a bridesmaid and we wanted her to be able to enjoy the day with Kristen and not worry about shooting. Though she did photograph Kristen getting ready, I was the sole photographer for the day. It was actually a fun challenge for me to ensure I was getting everything that we normally capture together.

The wedding was held right on the beach in Anna Maria Island, Florida and it was a gorgeous sunny day. And when we flew back to Greenville the following Monday what were we greeted with but snow on the ground! Go figure.








Guess who. Yes that's my beautiful wife Emily doing her best Cousin It impersonation. I'd say she nailed it!
































The flower girl was so cute when she jumped for joy after catching the bouquet. She was one of the most enthusiastic we've ever seen.


Kristen & Steve,

We are so glad that you found each other. We are also glad that we could be there to share in your big day and capture it for you as well. Thank you for being such great friends and we wish you all the happiness that a lifetime of love can bring.


We love you guys,

Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography

Jen & Wes' Wedding in Clearwater Beach, FL

Since moving from sunny Florida to the mountains of South Carolina, it's not often that we get to do a beach wedding anymore, so it's always exciting when one comes along. Jen and Wes gave us one such opportunity recently. Though their original plans of having the ceremony on the beach fell through, we still got to go to the beach for some awesome sunset shots, so we were thrilled. And where they ended up having the ceremony, the historic Bellevue Biltmore hotel, had a lot of neat architecture and charm so between that and the beach, we had so much variety we were in photo heaven! Aside from the fact that they are a really fun couple, the whole day was like a reunion with Jen's family since we shot her sister Kelli's wedding last year. Everyone made us feel so welcome and like part of the family.

The reception was held at one of Jen and Wes' favorite restaurants, Tucson's. And once again, Jen's Martha-Stewart-eat-your-heart-out Aunt Patty, with help from the fam, did an amazing job decorating both the restaurant and ceremony site. We're almost sad that Jen doesn't have any other siblings so we can be a part of another O'neal shindig! Oh well, there's always babies, which Kelli has already got a jump on (see her first bundle of joy a few posts down). But feel free to take your time with that Jen and Wes. Look at us, we're pushing 6 years of wedded bliss and the closest we've come to a little one is a cat that acts like a dog! ;)

Be sure to check out a different kind of slideshow below.







































Now's the part of the post where we usually show a cool slideshow of some of our favorites from the day. Well we're going to try something different this time. As most of our clients know, we specialize in custom-designed albums to really showcase all the beauty and fun of a couple's wedding day. That's why we thought instead of just a bunch of our favorite images in a slideshow, we'd show their album design so people can get a feel for what we do.

Jen & Wes,


BIG thanks again to you and all your family and friends for making us feel so welcome and having us at your most awesome beach wedding! We can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of all the images.


Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography

Introducing baby Zoee!

While we're down here in sunny (read: hot!) Florida for a destination wedding, we caught up with one of our favorite couples, Kelli and Matt, who just had their first baby! Lil' Zoee is just two months old and as adorable as can be. We had so much fun with Kelli and Matt throughout their engagement and wedding that we told them we had to be their personal photographers for life.

Since they live near Clearwater beach, we thought what better time for Zoee's first trip to the beach than a family portrait session. Afterwards, we went back to their place for some more "lifestyle" portraits in Zoee's "Princess Pink" nursery.

Be sure to check out the slideshow at the bottom for more utter cuteness!





She knows she's adorable. Look at that face!





No sleep for this wiggle worm. She is so active (and strong) for a two month old.





Only babies can make spit bubbles look downright cute!






Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography