There’s something really special when I start to build relationships with clients. When their kids start to recognize me and feel comfortable in front of my lens. This is one of those families.
Mason just welcomed a new little sister into his home. Mason is an amazingly gorgeous little boy, full of spunk and energy with an insatiable love of baseball. The arm on this 22 month old, could put quite a lot of grown men to shame.
After a week in the hospital, baby sister Marlow came home to a gorgeous nursery. Who needs a mobile when you can stare up at this?
My favorite shots during newborn sessions are ones like these. Completely candid displays of affection and emotion.
I am falling in love with what is Hollywood Beach more and more each day. My family and I are living on the beach this summer until the end of August, and it’s been a transition for sure, but I know that my husband and I are going to look back on these three months as some of the most magical of our lives.
One of the reasons that I am falling in love more and more with Hollywood Beach is because I am shooting here all the time. Everyone who has grown up in South Florida has some memory of Hollywood Beach and when my clients step out onto that broadwalk for the first time in years, they are immediately taken back. The look has changed (thank god!), but the sights, the sounds, the smells, the people, the families are still there. They’re the same as they were when we were kids. This gorgeous soon to be mother of two, grew up in Miami Beach, but remembers that when her mother took her and her brother to the beach, they always came to Hollywood Beach. We even reminisced about the old pizza place that used to be just south of the bandshell (I can’t remember the name).
Marci is five weeks away from having a little girl. This little one has big shoes to fill. She has an adorable and charming big brother.
Let’s talk about wardrobe and family photography sessions on the beach. I 100% encourage clients to NOT wear all white on the beach. Especially all white and matching! I do this for a number of reasons, although the #1 most important reason is……IT’S BORING. I tell potential clients, “If you wouldn’t dress that way to go out to dinner, then please don’t dress that way for your family portraits.” It is my goal as a photographer not to just capture your family, but to capture true and genuine experiences, interactions, and emotions. To document the true essence of who your family is at that exact moment of time. In 20 years when you are looking back through your Session Album, I want you to remember how much fun you had that day…together. A Lifestyle Session on the beach, with me, is just that; a fun afternoon at the beach with the people you love most. You won’t have those memories if you’re all wearing matching outfits, standing stiffly as a group in front of the ocean saying, “Cheese.”
This is truly photography for the modern family.
Interested in a Lifestyle Session on Hollywood Beach???? courtney@courtney.com
Now, the only reason these cuties are wearing matching dresses is because they’re twins! xxoo
This gorgeous family is the courtney ortiz photography, first monthly drawing winner!!! If you’re in the downtown Hollywood area, stop by the studio, located inside the Haircut Hangout, and enter for your chance to become our “Family of the Month”. The “Family of the Month” receives a complimentary studio session, a 16×20 enlargement, and their picture in the Hollywood Gazette. So look out for the July issue of the Gazette.
The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic here in the Ortiz household. We sold our first home of seven years, moved out of said home, visited family in DC for Memorial Day weekend, and have moved into our summer residence. While we look for our next home we decided on a beach vacation for the summer. We have rented a quaint little beach cottage a block off the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, and this is what we’ll call home for June, July, and August. The internet connection is really lacking, and I’m hoping that Comcast will be able to pay us a visit earlier than our scheduled appointment for next Monday. So in the interim I’m relying on the free “wireless Hollywood” signal. Which means it takes ALL night to upload client galleries rather than a couple of minutes. This in fact is my first attempt at blogging since we’ve moved and I’m curious to see how quickly (or slowly for that matter) it takes to upload photos.
But to celebrate the beach, courtney ortiz photography is offering mini sessions on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk through the summer. A mini session is a 30-45 minute session, includes an 8×12 print all for $100. I’ve been lucky enough to have a few sessions recently on Hollywood Beach and it’s really a great and fun alternative to traditional beach portraits.
I have been wanting to do a “real” family lifestyle portrait session at The Girls Strawberry U-pick since first going there during strawberry season last year. (I say “real” because I’m not counting photographing my own family there). The Girls Strawberry U-pick is an amazing amazing place. When talking about it to people who have never been I describe it as a “wonderland.” I don’t think you can truly appreciate what a magical place it is without actually experiencing it for yourself.
Sooooo…..which brings us to this gorgeous family. This was actually a session that I donated to the Children’s Aid Club’s annual “Taste-n-Tell” luncheon. So when Grace called to tell me she was the lucky winner, I took advantage of the situation, and two weeks later we were meeting for the first time in the parking lot outside the entrance.
I’ve had some really amazing “Lifestyle Sessions” lately. A “Lifestyle Session” is an on location session where I actually accompany a family on an activity or outing. We just kinda hang out for a couple of hours. It allows for really comfortable, relaxed, and intimate images. So this family wanted me to come with them down to the studio of Romero Britto and do their family session there! AYKM!!! Yes Please!!! So that’s what we did. Met down at Romero Britto’s studio down in the Art and Design District of Miami, toured his space, MET HIM, and took some AWESOME one of a kind family portraits in and around Britto’s studio!!
“Her work is distinct and holds a special place in our home.”- Marcy Hirsch -
“Courtney's photographs had a huge impact on NCLR and helped us raise over $1 million in December 2014. Her work is beautiful and engaging and shows the central goal of the fight for marriage equality -love."”- Ace Portis, Major Gifts Officer, NCLR -
“Courtney truly captured the uniqueness of our family and created beautiful, original works of art that we will treasure always.”- Darlene Giol -
