Happy Holidays!

I wanted to take the time to wish all of you (all 6.8 billion of you) a heartfelt message of love and peace this holiday season. The message this card conveys is simple - Love one another. Such a simple and powerful act will change the world for the better.  Be a rebel in your own time. Rise above the pettiness, hatred, and fear and love one another.  

Radley and Ansley portrait session

Had a great portrait session on Tuesday afternoon with these two adorable children - Ansley is four now, and she visited me 3 years ago to have her baby portraits made - her younger brother Radley Jr. was ready for his baby portrait so they came to the studio for a session. Radley was a ball of energy and we captured some great photos of him just being super cute - Ansley wasn't going to be upstaged, so she joined in the fun too - she loves flowers, so we went out in the yard and made her a little bouquet for her to take home and pose with. Good times... here's a few of my favorites...

St Marks Monarch migration

Late October and the Monarchs are making their yearly pilgrimage to Mexico - They converge on bushes in the St Marks NWR and it's quite the spectacle - lots of people come to see lots of butterflies...Was a lovely day and I was able to get few nice images...

Canoe ride - come along!

Joshua Tree National Park

On a recent trip to San Diego, we were able to get away for a day and visit Joshua Tree National Park... for about 7 hours.... (I'm already planning a longer stay next time)  The high desert is hot and very dry this time of year, but still beautiful and colorful once your eyes adjust to the total lack of green that an east coaster like myself is used to seeing. The reds, browns, and greens of the desert flora make for a gorgeous palette... enjoy!

 

Big Sky

Paynes Prairie soooo rocks... I cross the prairie on a regular basis, and it is always such a high point (ok, I have no life, but still...) to come out of the lush foliage on south 441 and drop onto the two miles of flat open space that naturally delineates the south side of Gainesville. I've seen meteor showers, shuttle launches, lotus blooms, horses, palm trees, alligators, sandhill cranes, approaching storms, rainbows, and more, simply by stopping my car at the 441 prairie overlook. Venture over to the north rim, Bolen Bluff trail, or the state park for even more access to this special place...On Sunday I was enjoying these clouds when this cyclist went by - I hope he was enjoying the scenery as much as I was....

social networking meltdown

Is it just me, or is this whole social networking thing running amok? I wanted to twitter about my blog, but I got so busy playing games on facebook I forgot to post to my blog, then it was too late to twitter about it, and fish or cut bait...fish or cut bait...

Carlos is back!

Carlos surfaces once again - Lucky for us, he's all about accessorizing...He wanted to wear his Doggles for the first shot - they keep the tall grass out of his eyes while he's chasing down dog treats.... He needed an update for his modeling portfolio, so we made this nice headshot for his lady friends. In case Hollywood is interested, he's been practicing his best Rin-Tin-Tin.... maybe he's getting in shape for a year end photo shoot...hmmm... Run Carlos, run!

Alien Crop Circles in Reddick, Fl.

August Newsletter

See what's going on at Dana Rasmussen Photography - Click here to check the new news letter

Dressage Naturally - Riding in Harmony #5 DVD cover shoot

The ever fabulous Karen Rohlf (Author and world renowned horse trainer) called me to photograph a new cover image for the 5th DVD in her natural horsemanship training series 'Riding in Harmony'.  Her horse Ovation was in fine form and we made lots of images of the two of them riding at Temenos Fields. Here's the cover shot and a few other faves...Learn more about Karen Rohlf here : http://www.dressagenaturally.net/

Monarch wing detail

Plant milkweed in your yard!  Soon, Monarch butterflies will appear and you'll have these lovely creatures flying about in large numbers....beautiful! This one had recently emerged from it's chrysalis and was drying its wings. It may be hard to see here, but the wing detail is amazing.   Enjoy!

Tomatoes!

They just keep showing up...

Tippi Hedren dreams...

A little humor for all the Hitchcock fans out there...

Christina and Eric

Christina and Eric had a wonderful wedding at Hammock Dunes on May 24th. Great people, a beautiful location, and cooperative weather all came together to make this day extraordinary. View the wedding slideshow here.  Totally worth it....Enjoy!

 

Sunset in the Florida Keys

I was in the Florida Keys for several days last week and had a wonderful time - Lots of snorkeling, a little fishing, a side trip to Key West, and did I mention a LOT of sun? Good times...Sunset over Duck Key was gorgeous on Tuesday - check it out!

Artist's Palette

Driving down Highway 441 a week or so ago, I stopped to watch an artist painting a landscape -it was that magic time right before the sun sets and the clouds were turning all kinds of crazy colors (see my next post too!) I liked his painting, but was even more impressed with his one of a kind palette -  an old set of jalousie windows have been recycled into a multi layered palette - very cool and colorful - here's my take...

Joy!

Just finished a wedding in Ponte Vedra this weekend, and this boy was running by me - my camera was set for inside photography, but he was outside, and you're supposed to make all kinds of adjustments to your camera to get the shot, but there is often no time in these moments, so you shoot anyway and see what happens - this one happened to work out great! the overexposure caused this ethereal image of the kid we'd all like to remember being...

Dog!

I was photographing a newborn a few months back and this little guy was quite the sideshow during the shoot - I couldn't help but snap a few frames and this one really caught my eye. Move over Carlos!

Hammock Dunes Wedding Photography

Christina and Eric tied the knot on Sunday May 24th at the Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast - For anyone who isn't living in a cave, you know it has rained for a week straight here in North Florida (seems like a month) and the Palm Coast area was particularly deluged - over 20" in a 5 day period, with more rain predicted to fall -  So, what's a couple to do?  Have the wedding outdoors anyway! I love the spirit of these two! Christina and Eric were blessed with an overcast but rain free day - I love this image of them! Look for a slideshow and more images on the blog shortly...

Sneaky Tomato #2

Ah, spring gardens are in full production now, and fresh fruits and veggies are popping up everywhere - this little guy wandered into my kitchen last night, just in time for dinner.  Of course we had an impromptu photo shoot right there on the kitchen counter - unfortunately for me, he sneaked off before I had time to throw him into the salad bowl....

Engagement Session at Kanapaha with Kimberly and Eric

Kimberly and Eric are getting married this fall and wanted some special engagement photographs - They chose Kanapaha Botanical Gardens for the location of their shoot, and we made lots of great images of the two of them enjoying one another - the incredible green of spring really shows in these images, as does the chemistry these two have. I'm looking forward to the wedding this November!

Posh Pastry!

I had the pleasure of meeting Kristy Peacock of Posh Pastry last weekend at Bay Laurel in Micanopy - She makes a gorgeous cake! There were also these delicious chocolate covered pretzels that everybody loved - Thanks for the great food, Kristy!

Horse and Rider Portraiture

Ocala and the Gainesville area are such great venues for horse photography -  I wanted to share this pair of photos from the 2009 HITS show. 

Everglades

I made a trip to the Everglades a few weeks back - I'm looking to create lots of new nature images for my portfolio - here's one I like - No, it's not photoshopped!  -  just a reflection with an impressionist feel. Enjoy...

St Simons Island Wedding Photography

Julia and Greg were married February 7th on St Simons Island at Wesley United Methodist Church - What a gorgeous couple! The day and the ceremony were beautiful, and the reception at the King and Prince Resort was a blast.  Here's a few images - see more in the slideshow,  here