Sonja Revells Photography

Yay!!!

2012-01-24T21:54:00.000-06:00

I'm so happy to receive The Knot Best of Weddings 2012 Pick!

Veil Fine Art Series

2012-01-21T20:22:00.000-06:00

It's not often that I have a bride that has a long veil for her beach wedding, so when I learned that Laura was going to have a long veil I was excited and wanted to play around a bit after the ceremony to see what kind of unique photos she and I could create. At first Laura was a bit shy and maybe thought I was weird for telling her to basically wrap herself up in her veil and slowly turn around and move with it and out stretch her arms... but after a few twirls I think she got into it and I'm glad she did because I think these images are AMAZING! Can you imagine one... or two... of them as a canvas piece? I can!

2011 FAVORITES

2012-01-03T16:09:00.003-06:00


This little cutie had her eye on the wedding cake, and I had my eye on her.

Reflecting back on 2011 and the many wonderful people I have met and the 30 weddings I have photographed, I felt like sharing some of my personal favorite images from each wedding.
Often times a photographer's favorite will differ from a clients, so I'll offer a little insight as to why each of these images are special for me... I've also decided to show wedding and trash the dress or day after sessions, and not bridals, engagements, and boudoir and commercial sessions simply because there are soooo many images overall. :-)

For over a year I have wanted to get a shot with a bride and groom on a jet ski. Chris and Lori Gordon decided to spend their honeymoon here in Panama City Beach and were interested in some fun photos on the beach in their wedding attire... towards the end of their "dry" more formal photography session, Chris and his bride jumped on a jet ski and had a blast riding around St. Andrews State Park

Melanie is not quite the high heel wearing type of gal, so on her wedding day she sported a pair of her favorite converse high tops and danced the night away comfortably at The Boatyard, in Panama City Beach.

Alyssa and Chris's wedding at the Brokaw-McDougall House in Tallahassee, Florida was a beautiful setting for a vintage inspired and fun wedding. As Alyssa and her bridesmaids laughed it up Alyssa's father enjoyed a few minutes alone after most of the festivities had finished.

Michelle and Christopher were married in Camilla, Georgia. With the majority of my weddings taking place at the beach, I was determined to capture an image with the two of them on a country dirt road... shortly after their ceremony, I got it. :-)

What I like about this image is that it is not your average wedding cake photo. Heather and Chad's cake was kept in the wine cellar at The Owl Cafe, in Apalachicola Florida, which was a good idea since they umm... didn't cut the cake until almost midnight. ;-)

I love this beautiful bridal portrait that was taken moments
before Melanie and Jonathan were to wed
at The First Presbyterian Church, in Panama City, Florida.

Aaron and Amanda were married at the Vue on 30a, in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. I couldn't help but be emotionally moved by the love this officer has for his lovely lady, which is apparent as they exchanged vows.

Brittany and Jonathan were married at Carillon Beach, in Panama City Beach, Florida. With a variety of so many wonderful settings at this unique location, I was able to capture this romantic moment "before" Brittany and Jonathan walked down the aisle, or rather... walked down the beach to profess their love for each other and commit the rest of their lives to one another.

Jessica and Myles were married

at Vue on 30a, in Santa Rosa Beach.

I absolutely love this image of Jessica

before the ceremony and this simply

classic black and white image of her with

Myles shortly after the ceremony.

These two little ballerina flower girls from Amanda
and Kurt's wedding were quite interested in their flower
pails before leaving to Eglin Beach Park Okaloosa Island.

MORE PHOTOS TO COME!

A little FYI for brides to be.... :+)

2011-11-26T23:26:00.001-06:00

I recommend reading this article!!!

http://shine.yahoo.com/beauty/bridal-beauty-advice-real-brides-210700685.html

I agree with most of what this article says except the professional make up part.... I do advise using a professional make up artist for your make up... a trial run before your wedding day is GREAT way to insure you are happy with the way you look and that it suits your personal style.
Also, one thing you may not know.... you always want your eyes to "pop" a little more than your usual everyday look. It makes a HUGE difference in your photographs.

Another GREAT accolade!! The Knot Best of Weddings!!

2011-11-23T12:31:00.000-06:00

Yay!!!! This is some good news!! Waiting for the "official" badge... if you will to display on my blog and website. I am delighted to inform you that you've been selected as a recipient of The Knot Best of Weddings 2012! Congratulations on being voted #1 in your market! :+)

Jet Ski Wedding Photo Shoot!!

2011-10-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

Really looking forward to today's shoot!! Chris and Lori were married last week in Minnesota, eh! ;-) And are spending their honeymoon down here in Panama City Beach and want to take some FUN wedding photos in their wedding attire at St. Andrews State Park, so....... what are we gonna do for part of the shoot??? Why, put them on a jet ski of course!! I've been wanting to incorporate a jet ski into a wedding related shoot for a loooooong time now. Finally!! :+)

To Ali and Austin!!

2011-10-24T01:35:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get this format figured out so you can see your blog post larger.... please forgive the inconvenience of the small image size.... after I contact the company tomorrow I will re-format and and write your proper blog post.... but wanted to go ahead and send this on over to you!!

What Made ME.... feel like a Rock Star!

2011-10-23T19:15:00.000-05:00

I hear a lot of times from portrait photographer's shooting and partying like a "Rock Star"....
   well, coming from a photojournalism background and shooting hard news and actually
photographing real rock stars... I can't quite relate to the idea of becoming some Rock Star portrait photographer.... however, I did feel like a real Rock Star the other day when I took my little niece on her school field trip, which also happened to be the same day as her 6th birthday.
     She was so happy to have me there and introduced me to all her little classmates as "This is my Auntie!" as she squeezed my arm and held me close. I let her carry my (lighter than usual) camera bag for a few minutes and while I stepped away to grab the grown ups lunch, when I came back to the kids lunch table and one of her friends had picked up my bag, a little jealousy peeked out from behind my nieces spirit and she didn't want to share anything of her auntie's with any of her friends. She told me over and over all day how much she loved me... and to her, I am her butterfly.
    This is my first attempt at trying a new blog layout format and I already know I have messed it up a bit as I tried to compose this blog post, but the next one "hopefully" will be correct.
    Here's for all the real Rock Stars!!!

Reflections of life...

2011-10-10T14:54:00.006-05:00

Yesterday's engagement session was postponed due to the weather.. but it freed up my afternoon to
hang out in Seaside and enjoy the area, something which I need to do more often!!
   While sitting on the beach, I grabbed this picture with my phone.. and as I watched the waves come and go along the shore line, I thought... the beach, the water, the gulf... is a metaphor for life's ever changing nature.
   Sometimes the water... like life... is calm, smooth, flat and tranquil, other days it's turbulent, tumbling and even dangerous, some days the water is clear and your visibility is good... you can see confidently far ahead.
    Other days the water can be murky and full of seaweed and obstacles and you can barely see 2 feet in front of you.
   The beach.. the land.... represents ourselves, our bodies... and the water is life's circumstances pressing against us constantly, unrelentingly... representing life's ups and downs.    Sometimes the water, like life is calm and relaxed and we can see far ahead and our vision is clear and perhaps we may consider our lives a little dull and uneventful... while other times it/life is exciting and rough, even scary because our sight and our vision is limited..
    Our lives, like the gulf.. the ocean.. the sea... is ever changing, we must whether it's ups and downs and know that nothing stays the same, that we should not attach ourselves to the calm and peaceful even boring days, just as we cannot attach or hold onto the turbulent, difficult days as well... for they will be gone just as soon as we get used to them.
I should have taken a picture of the water and the various reflections of color I saw as I was sitting there with my feet in the sand... but I did shoot this picture.   :-)

Lauren and Sam Wed!!

2011-10-07T00:25:00.000-05:00

Lauren and Sam decided to have a simple yet elegant relaxed wedding in Seaside, Florida with their closest family and friends. The fall is the BEST time for weddings in the gulf coast area with the cooler weather and great sunsets and with a nice breeze coming in on the balcony where Lauren and Sam exchanged their vows. Here are a few images from their special day. Thank you to Heather Archdeacon Williams from Seaside Weddings for her attention to detail and wonderful coordination.

Megan and Ryan's Music Slide Show!

2011-10-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

What a great, relaxed and fun wedding with a GREAT couple! Megan and Ryan are made for each other and will have a life time filled with happiness and sports. Lol
They were married at Bay Point in Panama City Beach on Alligator Point with the reception at Boat Yard just down the road... they danced the night away with Mr. Chuck Lawson providing great music and the children showed the adults how to bust a move. Take a moment to view the images from their wedding day and feel as if you were there celebrating with them!

Tropical Storm Lee

2011-09-10T00:34:00.000-05:00

I hadn't intended to photograph Tropical Storm Lee... but after taking my nieces onto the pier to look at the Gulf of Mexico during the storm... I decided I needed to come back and shoot a bit.
So they headed back home and I hauled butt to my house to get my gear and ran back onto the pier..
after about 30 minutes of shooting... there was hardly any light left and I was done.
Here are a few of my favorite shots from that day.

A Day in the Life of a Wedding Photographer -- Bridal Session

2011-08-25T15:59:00.000-05:00

From the moment Miss Jordan Swindle and I talked on the phone I knew she and I were a good match and thank goodness we were because her bridal session proved to be one adventurous afternoon... to say the least!

With her wedding right around the corner there wasn't much time to waste and we needed to go ahead and shoot her bridal session despite the August heat. We decided on Eden Garden State Park in Walton County for the backdrop. Jordan, her sister Sarah who is 8 months pregnant, her 3 year old niece Harper and Jordan's mother Eileen and I met at Eden Garden on a late afternoon to begin the bridal session. The heat of late August is oppressive but we had to do what we had to do. The session started out well but as we continued the heat was getting to everyone.. especially poor Jordan in her beautiful but rather heavy wedding gown. Jordan's mom Eileen had recently had surgery on her foot and had a wheel chair in the back of her car that was due to be returned... initially they brought it out for little Miss Harper to sit in and relax while we took the pictures but Jordan became overheated during the session so she sat in the chair while her mother pushed her down the path to the next location for the next picture. Luckily with a little rest and water Jordan was ready and able to continue.. and as I wiped the sweat from my brow we were able to create some GREAT photos!

Now... as some of you may know most of our parks down here close at sunset.. and normally a park ranger will chase anyone out of the park who stays past closing time. Well, as my luck would have it, a belt had broken on my car just as I had pulled into the park that afternoon, but I did not discover that until I was trying to leave after we had finished the session. As the sun was going down and I contemplated my options, Eileen and Jordan asked me if everything was okay. I explained to them that it looked like my serpentine belt had broke and I was going to have to call a tow truck. However the park was closing and no ranger or emergency after hours phone number were to be found... ANYWHERE!

I called a friend to pick me up and told Jordan and Eileen I would come and get my Jeep in the morning. It occurred to me that there might be a gate at the park entrance and if I waited inside the park, my friend would not be able to get to me.. I'm sure I looked pretty helpless at the moment too and Eileen said we will drive you to the entrance and wait with you until your friend arrives. So, the 5 of us set out in two cars and headed towards the entrance to the park.... only to find.... WE WERE LOCKED INSIDE THE PARK!!!

It was getting dark outside but not quite nightfall yet.. but there we were locked inside Eden Garden behind a decorative metal gate that would not open.. no matter how many times we tried.

Now, I already knew there was no emergency number or after hours number or park ranger that could be found because I had already looked for those when I realized my car would not start. So the only thing to do was call the police. They told us to approach the gate from the opposite lane and that should trigger it to open... try... no go... we tried walking around it from both sides... no go... we tried pulling it open with our hands... no go... just as two Walton County Sherriff Department officers pulled up, a park ranger magically appeared behind our trapped vehicles inside the park. He had the code and the gate swung open and we we're free! Soon after my friends arrived to my rescue and we were all able to go back to our homes.

Now the car is in the shop and I'm ready to post some images from Jordan's bridal session. I have to say with the heat, the physical strain of the session on all of us, the difficulty with my car at the end and then getting locked inside the park not one of us panicked or became frustrated.. we laughed about the situation and joked the whole time. Of course I'm sure we all wanted to get home but it's a story to remember and the pictures... I think... were worth all of it!

Jordan with her niece and future flower girl... Miss Harper.

Jordan had this special bouquet made from her grandmother's antique brooches.

Jessica and Myles' Wedding Slide Show

2011-08-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

Jessica and Myles are one of the sweetest couples I have had the pleasure of photographing. From the day we met over coffee at Amivida Cofee shop in Rosemary Beach, I knew they were a couple that loved and truly respected eachother. As I photographed their engagement session it became even more apparent to me the kindness and care they had for one another.
Their wedding was beautiful and took place at Vue on 30a in Santa Rosa Beach. Being we live at the beach you never know what to expect with regards to the weather and the Gulf of Mexico itself. There was a greater than usual amount of seaweed that was spread everywhere on the sand. Myles knew this would distract from the beauty and elegance of the wedding Jessica wanted.. so what did he do?

Early that morning he came to the beach where their ceremony was held, and gathered up all the dried seaweed that was near their ceremony site and wrote 'I LOVE YOU' in the sand. It was a perfect expression of his love and devotion to his lovely bride. Take a look at their music slide show to see how their wedding day unfolded and their new life together.. began.

Fine Art Boudoir Photography Debut

2011-08-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time coming and is still in it's infancy, but I am now offering fine art boudoir photography to the list of photography I have decided to focus on. The long term goal for this work is a big bodacious project that will evolve over time and be spectacular! If anyone is interested in having their own session please feel free to email me or call. In order to access the gallery you will need to enter my site here: http://www.sonjarevellsphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1 under the galleries section.
And enjoy this sneak peek of some of my favorites!

Wedding Wire Rated!!

2011-06-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

Yay!! I have just been notified that I am officially Wedding Wire Rated!

Puerto, Puerto Rico!!

2011-06-08T16:57:00.000-05:00

Just had to share some of my favorite few pics from a trip I took with Miss Kitty to Puerto Rico in March.
I hadn't planned on putting personal photographs on here... until, well, just now.

Hope you LOVE them... as I do.

Heather and Chad's music slide show!

2011-06-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been to Apalachicola, Florida... you're missing out on this quaint and lovely fishing town. Filled with charm, the people who live there are not your every day folk.. ;-) Which is totally fabulous!
So when Heather contacted me about the possibility of photographing her and Chad's wedding, I was hoping she would pick me. After meeting the two of them at The Owl Cafe, it was fairly certain we were a good match.
And from viewing their music slide show... I would say, we were.

Congratulations Heather and Chad!

Michelle and Chris's Music Slide Show!!

2011-05-27T17:40:00.000-05:00

Alyssa and Chris's Music Slide Show!

2011-05-09T17:59:00.000-05:00

What a perfect song for a unique and sweet couple! I love it!
Alyssa and Chris were wed in Tallahassee at the Brokaw-McDougal house on
March 26th 2011.

Cigar Aficionado Submission!

2011-05-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

While photographing Alyssa and Chris's wedding in Tallahassee, my attention was IMMEDIATELY
drawn to the guys room where I saw playing cards, a bottle of rye, matches, and a box of cigars.
It was a perfect scene to photograph that represented a man about to get married hanging out with a bunch of his closest friends. After spending a few minutes shooting all the various items I found, I learned later that Chris's father was an avid cigar smoker and actually had wanted a picture of all the guys with cigars to submit to Cigar Aficionado.

Well!! Check out what I already shot I told them, and later in the day we were able to get Chris, his father, brother and other friends and family members in a real, man's man shot hanging out on the front porch.. with those cigars. Not bad if I do say so myself. Lol.

2011-04-27T15:38:00.001-05:00

Article written in Illinois newspaper about my work!!

2011-03-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to learn that two of my images were picked up along with an article about Dawna and Jeff Shusterman's September 2010 wedding in Seaside Florida this past fall. It was such a great honor to have the writers feature this in their newspaper The Herald-Review in Decatur, Illinois.
I'm sure it made her mother very happy! And me too!!

The wedding of Dawna Tankersley and Jeff Shusterman was featured in Gulf Coast Bride magazine’s winter issue. (Submitted photo)

Just before sunset, with the music of steel drums in the background, Dawna Tankersley and Jeff Shusterman were married on the beach in Seaside, Fla.
A Maroa-Forsyth High School graduate and a graduate of the College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Ga., Dawna insisted that every aspect of the ceremony be perfect, including the photography of this Sept. 25 moment of a lifetime.
Sonja Revells of Panama City, Fla., clicked as the choice.
The result was more than 3,000 images. One image of the bride in a white strapless gown is on the cover of the Gulf Coast Bride magazine's winter issue.
There are photos of the ceremony, photos of the wedding party, photos of the flowers, photos of the beach, photos of the large sand sculpture and photos of the bride and groom rehearsal cakes - hers was a key lime 3D Hello Kitty watching his Rice Krispy treat flat screen TV featuring a "Fox news alert" about the wedding, complete with a chocolate cake remote control.
The only hitch in the fairy tale proceedings was rain during dancing at the reception, also held on the beach. No problem. The 65 guests and the wedding party adjourned to a waterfront bar.
The newlyweds live in Norcross, Ga., an Atlanta suburb. Dawna is a lighting consultant and multi-media artist. Jeff is president of Majority Opinion Research in Atlanta. They plan a honeymoon trip to Bora Bora this year and, eventually, a move to Seaside, a beach town with an old time feel reminiscent of past Northwest Florida, a popular destination for tourists. The architecture emphasizes the front porch.
Dawna and Jeff met in January 2004 when Jeff was shopping for a lighting fixture. She sold him on a light sculpture named "Wish" that she helped design. He sold her on a date and many more during a six-year period.
On a trip to Cabo San Lucas for New Year's 2010, Jeff proposed. They had made many visits to the beaches in the Seaside area, so Dawna quickly picked it as the wedding site. She developed the seating for the ceremony and reception and designed a logo of starfish with their initials D + J, used on printed materials and invitations.
Now Dawna has the chore of scanning those 3,000 photos - all meaningful.
http://www.herald-review.com/lifestyles/article_8cc426f0-4912-11e0-8869-001cc4c002e0.html

Sonja :-)

2011-02-11T15:11:00.001-06:00

Yay!! Received the Bride's Choice Award from Wedding Wire

2011-01-26T14:19:00.000-06:00

January 25th 2011 WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Sonja Revells Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Photography

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Sonja Revells Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Sonja Revells Photography for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Sonja Revells Photography is among the very best in wedding photography within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/vendor/VendorViewStoreFront?mode=edit&tab=profile
For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

New Photography!

2011-01-16T14:16:00.001-06:00

I am excited to FINALLY begin work on some new photography work and projects!
Will post samples of the work as soon as they are ready. For my brides who think "outside the box"
you may find this work particularly interesting. :+)

Images featured on Album Cafe!!! Yay!!

2011-01-04T23:56:00.000-06:00

I was soooo excited when Album Cafe wanted to know if they could use my
images of Jerry and JoAnna which were featured using the Album Cafe's cool,
artsy templates. Why sure you can, I said!!
A cool vintage themed shoot, shot in Alys Beach on Highway 30A, for a cool
unique couple, and these amazing new templates I want to use with everything!!
Check out this link to see the images!http://thealbumcafe.blogspot.com/2010/11/check-out-these-awesome-blog-it-samples.html

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Wed!!

2011-01-04T23:40:00.000-06:00

Jerry and JoAnna were married on a chilly November day in Panama City.
Even though the weather was cool outside, I believe everyone's hearts were warmed
by the obvious love and respect these two displayed for each other.
They were married at the Historical Church of Saint Andrews. A lovely, quaint
and timeless church located in the heart of Panama City. The reception was held
nearby at the Oaks by the Bay Park. This truly was a lovely ceremony and day, for a
lovely couple. Congratulations Jerry and JoAnna!!

Baby Ethan

2010-12-11T12:16:00.000-06:00

Four week old baby Ethan had his first photo shoot recently and did great! Besides a little pee and poo! We were able to get some adorable pictures of this little wiggle worm. He is lucky to have such loving and patient parents. This is one lucky little boy.

Matthe and Mary Miller's Music Slide Show

2010-12-10T02:14:00.000-06:00

Jessica and Joe's Wedding Music Slideshow

2010-12-03T12:56:00.000-06:00

New Cover Photo on Gulf Coast Bride Magazine!!

2010-12-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

Yay!! Happy Wednesday morning to me!! I was just informed/notified that my
image of the recently married Dawna Shusterman is the featured image on the
upcoming issue of Gulf Coast Bride Magazine!
This will make for the 2nd cover image I have had featured on the magazine in less than 2 years. I am so happy!! Yay!!
Finally something that got me off my butt to actually post another blog... I've got to post more than say, twice a year. ;-)

Bridal Portraits

2010-05-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited to "unveil" these gorgeous bridal portraits of beautiful Heather Oden taken this past Saturday at Eden State Park and Alys Beach here in the Florida Panhandle.
I have to admit that I had a little help with these portraits, in that photographing someone as pretty as Heather, it's really impossible to take a bad picture. ;-)
Next up, her friend Alyssa's pictures!

Mike and Elizabeth Grandy's Wedding Images

2010-03-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here are a few images from Mike and Elizabeth Grandy's wedding from February.
They were married at St. Dominic's Church in Panama City, Florida.
The reception was held at Breaker's in Panama City Beach and was the funniest and most enjoyable reception I have been to thus far!
From the best man providing the new bride and groom a glimpse into their future with a "Back to the Future" slide show, to the practical jokes played on Mike and the slight undressing/dance Elizabeth was confronted with by one of Mike's closest friends. I have never laughed so much at a reception!!
I hope this happy couple enjoys their future... and with friends and family like they have, I'm sure they will.
Congratulations again Mike and Elizabeth!!

1st Post!

2010-03-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

Here goes my 1st attempt at blogging!