Chris and Melissa are both social workers that love working and serving children in Hillsborough County. I remember meeting at the Starbucks on N Dale Mabry and seeing how much respect and love they have for each other. I commend them for pouring out their hearts into the foster care system, yet still having enough love and energy for each other. They had their ceremony and a small reception at First Baptist Church of Plant City. This was the Church were Melissa grew up and her parents are still members. Melissa's sister stood with her as her maid of Honor and Chris' dad was the best man. You could sense that both of the families were excited to see them become husband and wife. After their ceremony and a small reception at the Church, Chris and Melissa headed out to the Carrollwood Recreation Center to finish the rest of the night with dancing and great music! Side note: Chris and one of his groomsmen met at Carrollwood Elementary, which it's across the street from the Venue. Feel free to share the photos with your friends and family! "Like" My Facebook Page
Carla and Alex are one those couples that as a photographer you truly enjoy. They met in the summer of 2012 and you could tell that they were made for each other. From the stares, laughs and tender kisses, you could feel their love for each other during their entire session. We shot a sunrise session at the house of Alex's parents. They lived right on Egypt Lake in Tampa and it was the same house where Alex proposed to Carla. Alex shared how he had a short window of time to make sure her family knew of his intentions; to be exact , just a few minutes while Carla stepped out from the dining room. Alex proposed to Carla on Christmas eve as they walked alongside the lake where we took those morning photos. The morning was beautiful with a light fog hovering over the water. Diego, Alex's son, was animated and eager to be in the photos as well. After a few shots by the lake, we headed to Ybor City to capture some of the essence of Alex's background. He was born and raised in Tampa from Cuban parents. (Side note: Find out more about the history of Ybor City by visiting the Ybor City Museum website). Carla and Alex are getting married next year at a resort on Cozumel, Mexico joined by friends and family. See all the photos at the end of the post.
I was so glad that I was able to get together with Chris and Melissa to do their engagement session. We had to reschedule once and I was looking forward to get this really cute couple on camera. Thank you for allowing me to be your wedding photographer!
We arrived to Ybor City to find out that the St. Patrick's day Parade was only a couple of hours away from starting. Green is one of my favorite colors, so I had no complaints about that. We met at the New World Brewery to grab a couple of quick photos at a place they often love to go. I've come to find out that Melissa and Chris love live music! I cannot blame them. The live music scene has vastly in Ybor City with Orpheum moving to a new and bigger location and with places like New World offering amazing food pair with local bands.
We roamed the streets of Ybor using them as backdrop to tell their story. Melissa and Chris are both social workers within the foster care system. You need to check out this video that narrates a compelling story of a child in foster care.
I can tell they are passionate about what they do and find strength on each other and their relationship.
The first weekend of March was a very productive weekend for me. I had the opportunity to do a promo shoot for Nonstop Worship. A group of Haitian young adults decided to break the mold and create a worship band like no other in their community. Nonstop Worship "aims to be way more than just a band because the talents that God has given us doesn't just stop at music. We are planning on doing missionary work especially in Haiti where most of us were either born or have ties there". We decided to do our photoshoot in the heart of Ybor City in Tampa, FL. Ybor City provided a beautiful urban background that matched perfectly the image they were looking for. They were such a fun group to work with. They truly resemble a small united family as I could see from the way they were interacting with each other. They were laughing and making fun of each other... They were having a blast. At one point, they treated me to a small performance of one of the songs they will be performing at their upcoming concert "In Spirit and in Truth". Their voices quickly melted into one collective sound that could be described as majestic. Show them some love in the comments below and make sure to check them out next week at their concert.
"In Spirit and in Truth" that is our theme this year. This is an invitation to something special! Not just a simple concert but an invitation to worship and to witness a spiritual awakening in the hearts of those who do not know what worship is. We'll be teaching what we've been learning about true worship!
When: Saturday, April 5th at 6:30 pm Where: Adoration Baptist Church Admission: $10 Call Amos to tickets at 813-526-8926
ChrisRyan is local Tampa blogger, student, music aficionado and movie lover. He can quote (500) Days of Summer verbatim for you. He often compares himself to Denzel Washington and likes to ramble about his latest favorite band. In all seriousness, he is an stand up dude with great ideas. He lives with a bunch of random people that love Jesus. Check out his blog posts here and guest blogger here.
verbatim for you. He often compares himself to Denzel Washington and likes to ramble about his latest favorite band.
