A painting is worth a thousand words

 Did you know that any session that is shot by Unobstructed Studios can add a hand painted portrait on to their session? Well, now you do!! Unobstructed Studios offers this service on any session as well as commissioned pieces as well.

Any photo, can be painted. Our talented painter can turn any image or images into a masterpiece.

These are but a few great examples of some recent work completed.

Your painting will be gallery wrapped, this means that even if you choose not to frame your painting it will still be able to be hung in a professionally completed manner as the edges of your paintings will be painted.

There are many sizes to choose from to help you turn your photo magic into a masterpiece. If you are interested in having a portrait session image painted you can contact Unobstructed Studios and speak directly with the artist if you choose. If you would like to view more of out artists portfolio please contact us and we provide that for you.

Our in house artist has been drawing and painting for most of their life and has recently began completing commissioned work in the last few years.

Picture Perfect

 Can I first just say that I never ever shoot at the beach! I shot at a beach in Cape Coral and was attacked by sand fleas, since then I have feared the beach!!

So, when tossing around ideas with my clients, my heart dropped when they wanted to shoot at the beach. I agreed, and started sweating! However, I must say, it was one of my favorite sessions and the outcome couldn't have been better.

And, I got to see my cool friend Hayden!!

Now the last time I saw Madam Hayden, was in July at her first session. It was hot and sticky as it was July and Hayden did not care too much for me, but all was not lost and we still managed to get some nice shots. Well, Hayden has grown some. And is now the tallest kid around and has opened up more to reveal the coolness with in. This adorable little girl is an adolescent adrenaline junkie and really loves being in the air. So, not only was this a great session but I also almost had some panic attacks, due to the fear that someone wouldn't catch her or something of that nature, but her great parents have a good grasp on things and she was ok, and never fell or was hurt or anything but loved and such. It did seem that the higher she was tossed up in the air, the bigger her smile became. Hey, whatever makes a kid smile, I am all about. The images were great! And there were so many great images to choose from!

 Have a look at this awesome family! They are great people and they truly are very dedicated to their little girl! I cannot say enough nice things about them. These are just a few of the excellent takes from their session! There are so many wonderful pictures! You can view their gallery at Facebook.com/UnobstructedStudios. Anyone interested in a session similar to this one should feel free to email contact@unobstructedstudios.com! We'd be happy to hear from you and help you!

 

 

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.

You know you love my dress!!! Ha! Everyone meet my sister! Sheri!!!

We had a very last minute session the other day on her only dang day off from work!! I had a blast!

This was one of the best times I have had at a session! My sister was a little nervous about her sisters crazy-off-the-beaten-path-ideas. As she knows me best, she should have been nervous!!!

This session had alot of meaning to it as well as fun.

More than anything this was about her! Yall, this girl works her ass off, sorry, but you have to be at least 13 to read this anyways. So, where was I? Yes, Sheri was very nervous and yall, sometimes my ideas get out of hand, I want to bring in anything I can...it starts small but just grows and grows. So, in an effort to not scare off my lovely sister and show her I wouldn't make her look silly or anything, I agreed to be the silly one. My sister hates dresses! And I told her if she got in one for me, I would shoot her session in a dress too! So, I am not one to back out on my word, I shot the session in a prom dress, made for Vanna White.

Would you like to buy a vowel? I did also insist on bringing my birdhouse with us. And I sure did try to fit it in anywhere I could! See left...birdhouse. Now, I did bribe my sister and wore the dress but I also really used the opportunity to get a good picture of us, for our Mother. She likes birdhouses. The resulting images are beautiful and I couldn't be happier to share them with you all. This is my sister and she is great. Growing up when mom worked nights and me and Sheri were home she had to take care of me, and she did. Girl can make some mac and cheese. She helped me with my homework and did my laundry. What a damn good sister. And to this day I still rely on her for advice and encouragement. She will always be honest and she is usually right. And she still has my back. So...hrmphh... These are just some of my favorites from the session as there were many many favorites. And I am also trying this new diptych format, which I am loving! 

Now, Sheri's best friend and roommate also came along and rocked a big ole dress as a good friend would to show her support. Some of those images are below also. The guitar that I used in this session is very special to both of us. It was a gift that was given to me by a very dear friend of ours shortly before he lost his life. It was a special moment there on set, that guitar normally doesn't leave its designated place in my room, but it was a great fit for this shoot. Sheri and our friend Uriah were very close. 

  I have never seen so much smiling and laughter out of three people as I did at this session. We crack each other up. And I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more than my sister. Take a look at these pictures, she is a beautiful girl and if you ever see her on the street, make sure you haven't done me wrong ever. Don't let the smile fool ya, family comes first to her and I. I'd have to say my favorite of all the pictures taken has got to be the one above to on the left. That's a genuine smile, and I remember what it was for. And just as I encouraged her to step outside of her comfort zone a little, I encourage all my clients to do the same. It's a photo shoot!! Have fun and push the limits.

I am just glad we got to spend the day hanging out. And I hope you like your pictures Sheri! And here is the ones for mom!

I work with the cutest kids

 I have been starting to wonder how I am as lucky as I am. Looking back at every single session I have ever shot...I work with the cutest kids. And not only are they cute but they are all smart and fun! I have learned alot in life thus far, but kids always teach me something new. Always.

This handsome fellow here, Esaiah, has more energy than I don't even know what. I am certain that the energizer bunny outsources, and he gets his energy from this little boy.

Esaiah has some amazing parents who have taught him well. His Daddy owns the cell phone establishment on Roosevelt Blvd on the west side of Jacksonville, so if you need a phone, go see him!! It is near Lillian's. Or an iPad cover, they have those too. One shameless plug later, I was supposed to work with Esaiah and his little baby sister, but she was under the weather, but I want to share with you all what I have learned from my new BFF Esaiah.

 Let me say, this kid cannot be tricked. He pays attention. I tried to trick him and told him he could take my picture if I could take 2 more of him. Most kids usually forget I say that as I am saying it. Esaiah counts down. He took a very nice picture of me with the help of his mom.
I was schooled in the game walking tag. And rock scissors paper. What a cool kid!
We had a good time shooting. And I always know how well a session is when I am done shooting and I hear a mom say, you got some Earth all over your clothes :) Oh, how did I get so lucky?

Now riddle me this...when you look at this picture directly left, how old does this CHILD look to you all?? He is four years old people! He looks so much older than that! And it happens every session, there are always a few frames that are like the shots of the future! Needless to say, Esaiah is smarter than the average 4 year old and he should be his mom is a very intelligent women and is very well spoken. Kids always remind me to take life a tad less serious! Very true here.

How did I get so lucky :)

Meet My New Friends!

It was just before Valentine's Day when I met Ciara and her adorable God Daughter!! We met at Memorial Park, in Riverside on a very nice sunny day. Ciara had been referred to me by a co-worker of hers. And I was so excited to work with her because I could tell just from the phone conversation that we had, she was a nice person with a kind soul. And it did not take long for these two girls to get comfy!

You could see that they are happy people and that they have a very close bond. It was a little chilly outside but you would never be able to tell.
There were so many great shots from this session I had a very hard time narrowing down my favorites and I did have a blast editing them.

They were very open to all my ideas and even had fun playing with red glitter that sticks to everything!!

I cannot say enough about these two! They were awesome! And I had so much fun, I cannot wait to work with them again!

Take  a look at these images I picked. They are my favorites and they really capture alot of love, happiness and wonder. I met Ciara's family that day, her mom and sister, nieces. They were all wonderful people and I am so glad to have met them.

You can see their whole album on the Unobstructed Studios Facebook Fan Page. If you are interested in a session yourself you can also contact me through the fan page or email me at cynthia@unobstructedstudios.com

A boudoir affair

Every one of my clients has the option to keep their session private, as in, not using them for marketing value on my website or on my fan page or blog. Most often this option is chosen for boudoir sessions. And I am totally okay with that!!! I would be the same way!

So, on one of my last boudoir sessions, I had set everything up for my client. While she was touching up her make up and settling her nerves, her cat jumps up into the scene and I snapped a few pictures of the cat. As I was looking back at them, I noticed that the cat, was very similar to how humans are in regards to boudoir sessions.

What I mean is, in this first image above, the cat is timid and hiding a bit. Yes, it is a cute picture but this is how sessions start, the client is nervous and needs to get comfortable. After a few frames they loosen up.

Once the client is more comfortable, they start to pose more and loosen up. You can see here in the left image, that cat is loosen up and posing.

I often recommend clients shooting a boudoir session have a glass of wine or whatever may relax them more.

After normal posing, comes playfulness. And this is good because alot of boudoir images are successful because of the playfulness involved in them. The images are better also because the client is more relaxed and more candid and natural. See the below image for some playfulness from the kitty.

After all these phase play out the client or cat :) then is at their most comfortable. This is about the time that the real magic happens and the best images are taken.

And even though I cannot show you all most of these images, due to confidentiality, trust me, they are awesome images.

And think of it as if it were yourself, or you can look below at the one image that I was able to convince a client to let me post publicly.

I would like to remind everyone boudoir sessions are always available through unobstructed studios, Valentines Day is not the only time it is offered. You can email me at cynthia@unobstructedstudios.com for for information on boudoir sessions, which are available inside or outside. I hope you all enjoy the image below.

Love was all around

And what a Valentines Day is was! So many sessions and so little time! Love was for sure in the air and I got to meet and work with alot of great people! Boudoir sessions were very popular this year, sorry guys :( per most of the clients requests, they are private! We did do some great work with frames and children, check them out...

It was also brought to my attention that Unobstructed Studios was nearing a full year of web success and my very wonderful Valentine surprised me with a lovely token of one year-ness.

YAY! A year!! That is every so exciting! Alot of hard work has gone into the last year! And there is so much more to come!

Art Walking

Hey All!!
Does everyone know that Jacksonville holds Art Walk on the first Wednesday of every month in the downtown area? It is a great chance to meet other artists and potential clients, and it is always alot of fun! This past Art Walk in February, Unobstructed Studios was at Art Walk like always, but this time, we unveiled some new options and products!!

We have created a banner wall for all of our favorite Art Walkers to come have their picture taken with it. Pink carpet style we call it.

It's Argie!! Argie is a local artist and JU alumni, she is an amazing painter and designer, she is seen here with her mutually talented friend Lauren.

I am sure you see, we have some things to tweek in the banner design and display!! For March we are going for a black background and multiple logos.

I did find it is an excellent way to converse with clients and patrons, and if your a guy, meet pretty girls, like Argie and Lauren.

I enjoyed the wall, it was nice and until it rained, it looked cool. This month we are switching to a fabric banner, for durability. Check out some other fans we caught at the wall...

I am certain that everyone knows Jacob!! Here he is posing like a pro!! Jacob is an excellent friend to have and he helped out in so many ways at Art Walk! And, he was even going to rock a bright pink shirt for Unobstructed Studios!! Well, I am getting him one!!!! Jacob is an artist as well and has an amazing knack for drawing and has even drawn some tattoos for his friends!! The logo looks great! Thanks to Robert for the fabrication! Thanks to Jacob for the posing!!!

Another local artist that stopped by, Aaron Smith, painter extraordinaire. Everyone in town knows Aaron for his work on glass. He paints amazing pieces full of color and life. His most recent work can be seen in the Main Library downtown.

One thing we noticed was that our banner wall needs to be a little longer as we were catching every ones feet from the other side!

In other exciting news, Unobstructed Studios is now offering new package options and add ons! Every client now has the option to have one of their images from their session hand painted on canvas. The paintings are painted in a style known as gallery wrapped, this means the edges of the canvas are also painted, this way you don't have to also have to frame it and it still looks amazing, finished and gallery ready! Our painter, Robert Darenberg has been painting and drawing for most of his life and can turn your session into a finely mastered work of Fine Art. This service is not limited to just people! Consider your favorite pet! Our artist, Robert, is highly skilled in other areas as well, if painting is not your preference, he can draw your desired image in pencil, ink, graphite, charcoal, you name it, and he can create it. Robert has completed plenty of commissioned work and has the testimonials and credentials to create wonderful works of art for you to cherish.

Amari

This was a very special session for myself, as I remember when Amari's mom was in middle school! Our mothers were friends and I truly have watched Rebecca grown up. It is very hard to change an association that is preconceived with people. For example, I have the hardest time accepting that Rebecca is growing up and has a beautiful baby boy, 3 months old!

I work with the coolest and cutest children, I swear! Amari is 3 months old and already pretty smart and loves to hear the ABC's! The World should watch out for this one! And even though I do have a hard time with seeing Rebecca all grown up and maternal, she is an amazing mom and is very very very dedicated to her son and making sure he is raised properly and with plenty of love.

Some of the cutest images from the session came from this picnic basket, which Amari, did not like being in at all. But what a sport he was, we wore him out to where he fell asleep during the session! To see the full gallery of images click the link below. I am very excited to watch Amari grow up and capture it all!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unobstructed-Studios/131380740213354?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=48439&id=131380740213354

Alaina the Adorable

Kids can be so cute!!! This precious little girl was one of the highlights of my week. She was so cooperative and really has a very genuine character! It always amazes me when I arrive to sessions and meet with children and parents and see the interactions between them. I can honestly say, I have never had a session with children with out this phenomenal connection. This little girl, Alaina, is so loved by her whole family. To see the interactions between her and her mom and grandpa was heartwarming! Not to mention how much it helped the outcome of images.

When working with children I am always very aware that they are clumsy and I am always so careful to make sure they are well protected, even from themselves. However, little Alaina did stumble and I did get to witness a tender moment when she cried out for her Mother, a very emotional moment between mother and child. I cannot stress enough how sweet this little girl is. You can tell, she has an excellent foundation of family and love.

Just look at that face! I know I am not the only one that adores this little girl and thinks she is going to grow up to break a few hearts. She could be a model, very versatile. It is a rare occasion to have a child naturally pose so perfectly.
To view the whole gallery click the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unobstructed-Studios/131380740213354?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=48427&id=131380740213354

The more you know...

Oh hello there friends!
It has been raining for days and that makes photographers sad :( we start getting antsy and craving sessions and shooting time. However, it is also a great time to catch up on retched paperwork and also work on new things! Like packages, session types and promotional items. So it is this rainy weather I am letting all you beautiful people know of some things we offer that you may not be aware of!

What Is a Portrait Party?

Portrait Parties are exciting opportunities for you and your friends to have professional portraits made in a fun and affordable way.  The party takes place at the hostess’s home, a park, or another suitable location for shooting portraits – Cynthia will set up a shooting area inside or out. Each guest receives a 20 minute mini session.  And here’s the best part – as a hostess, besides getting your own mini session, you receive 10% of the party order total as portrait credit!

What is required of me as a hostess?

You will be in charge of organizing the Portrait Party.  You will be the key ingredient to a successful party.  You will invite guests, coordinate food and drinks, schedule sessions (a minimum of 4 bookings is required) and confirm all bookings.  Successful hosts follow up with their guests with reminders to ensure that every session time is filled to get the most portrait credits possible.  After the party, the guests will visit their online gallery (with 10-15 images) to view their portraits and order prints.  After all guests have ordered, you will then be able to place an order based on credits from your guests’ purchases.

What type of portraits do you offer?

Portrait Party mini sessions are limited to 1-2 people per time slot (unless you choose to do a Family theme), and are best for ages 6 months (sitting) and older. One outfit change is allowed.  As the hostess, you will decide on one theme for your party.  Themes for Portrait Parties are only limited to your imagination.  Here are some ideas:  Children, holidays (Halloween, fall, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s day, Valentine’s Day), Seniors, glamour, pets, maternity, football, teens, families.

How Far in Advance Should I Schedule My Portrait Party?

Portrait Parties usually have a better turn out when scheduled approximately six weeks in advance. This will ensure your guests will be able to attend and give you ample time to meet with Cynthia and to prepare for your Party.

How do I schedule a Portrait Party?

Just call or email Cynthia to check availability and to find out everything you need to know to have a super successful party.  She will send you all the necessary paperwork including a portrait schedule, guest info sheets, invitations and fliers.  After the first party, you will be well on your way to becoming a portrait junkie!

We also come events, we recently covered the Jacksonville University Film Festival, event coverage varies depending on your budget and the type of coverage you desire. Email Cynthia for further information about covering an event.

As you can see we can cover your event in a way that will please all the parties involved, including any sponsors you may have. Their is no event too big or too small for us, and nothing we can't cover. Cynthia can give you a great price on any event and work with in your budget but still provide excellent quality images and professional work.

For more information on covering an event email cynthia@unobstructedstudios.com with your event information and we will work you to ensure everything is taken care of and goes smoothly. 
Hope everyone is having a great day and stays dry!