Children are Priceless! Nathanael and Nicholas (Florida)

I recently photographed two of my cousins, Nathanael and Nicholas. They are two of the sweetest little children that I've met. We had a great time capturing their true personalities. The pictures are priceless to me because years down the line they can look back and get a feel of who they were as children. Keep up the great job Michelle of growing such lovely children!

Play Safe in the Sun Day at Trump International Golf Club (Florida)

Last week Friday, the Mayor of the City of West Palm Beach, Mayor Lois Frankel declared November 21, 2008, "Play Safe in the Sun Day." This was done in recognition of the valuable contribution that the Women's Dermatologic Society made in a community outreach service supported by L'Oreal USA to enhance the lives of the public at the ADT Championship LPGA Playoffs in West Palm Beach, Florida. They offered free skin cancer screenings by board-certified Florida dermatologists, sun damage assessments, educational materials, free sunscreen, and other sun safety giveaways. Phil Galewitz of Palm Beach Post's, On Call segment was present to chronicle an article for the newspaper. You can read the article using this link: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/healthblog/entries/2008/11/21/the_health_dangers_of_golf_loo.html
You can visit the Women's Dermatologic Society's website at: www.womensderm.org The pre-event news release provides provides more information about the event: http://www.playsafeinthesun.org/events_2008/2008-11-21_pre.html The prestigious Florida Golf Magazine rates the Trump International Golf Course as “the best golf course in Florida.” You can visit the golf course's website at: www.trumpinternationalpalmbeaches.com Mr. Trump ensured that it is indeed a fabulous venue and exudes an aura of opulence!

Thanks to Dr. DeAnne Collier (Jupiter), Dr. Marta Rendon (Boca Raton), Lisa Nguyen (Boston University Medical Student) and Cindy Bae (BU Medical Student) for the great time we had and for encouraging me to use sunscreen to prevent sun damage. A very special thanks also to Nancy Fitzgerald (Director of Communications) for hiring me for the event. It was a pleasure working with you! I am looking forward to the press release where one of the pictures will be featured in 3,000 print, online, and other media. One of the pictures might be featured on a billboard in Times Square, New York! May we take heed to the caution to protect our skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

Aldrea and Oliver's Destination Wedding in Sweet, Sweet Jamaica

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing Aldrea and Oliver's Destination wedding in my original island home of Jamaica! The ceremony and reception took place at the breath-taking Cranbrook Flower Forrest (www.cranbrookff.com) in St. Ann. The first time I saw the majestic palm trees lining the path leading to the Gazebo a few years ago, I said to myself that if I ever got married in Jamaica, I would likely choose Cranbrook. Peacocks, vibrant tropical flowers, a winding river, Arawak Indian (original settlers) village, native animals, and Granny (grandmother) House added to the rustic rural charm that reminds me of my childhood days in St. Ann. Aldrea looked like a perfect island girl with the flowers in her hair and breezy dress. Oliver looked like the perfect groom coordinating well with the wedding colors. It was a pleasure seeing my next door neighbor, Latoya Harris who I haven't seen in about 18 years all grown up giving a toast :-) The professional event planners, Dawn and Everol Black did a beautiful job of putting everything together. They can be reached at 876-975-2144 and everaldawn@yahoo.com A very special thanks goes out to Terrence Bowen of www.bowensweb.com for the referral! Thanks Aldrea and Oliver for flying me in to capture your special day. The wedding is over but I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness in your marriage!

To view the rest of their wedding pictures, go to: www.shellyedwardsdestinations.com and click on Galleries. They are the first wedding pictured there. I'm looking forward to capturing your or someone you know local or destination portrait/event :-)

Cornwall College's 14th Annual Dinner Dance (Florida Chapter)

This month Cornwall College's Florida Chapter celebrated it's 14th Annual Dinner Dance. Cornwall College is a top school in Jamaica. I enjoyed capturing their special night for the first time last year and was delighted to see familiar faces again. As usual, everyone looked like they were stepping off the runway in the latest fashions. I loved the fact that they had Tallawah Mento Band performing Jamaican music representing the vibe of the island. The band director, Colin Smith can be contacted at 954-257-0375 for your special event. The principal of Cornwall College was the special guest speaker this year. Congratulations to one of the students pictured below for getting eight 1's in his CXC as he seeks to become a medical doctor. He was given a financial reward to help him fulfill that plan. Thanks again to Terrence Bowen, web-designer at www.bowensweb.com for the referral. Thanks also to Lance Gibbs (president of the association) for inviting me back this year.

Carly and Branch's Destination Wedding (Sweet Home Alabama)

Last month was AWESOME!!! The final shoot for the month was with an amazing couple, Carly and Branch. I first met them at Mae and Tad's wedding (featured as the 1st wedding in the Gallery section on my main website). Carly was a bride's maid and Branch was Tad's brother and groom's man. Little did I know that they would fly me in to share an unforgettable weekend with them in Carly's hometown of Alabama for her ranch wedding. The wedding was held at Trifecta Farms (http://trifectafarm.com/facilities.html). The decor and location was phenomenal with horses, a cat, and a dog! The owner is the lovely Katherine Coleman. Hope to see you perform at the next Olympics Katherine :-) The venue was perfect as it highlighted Carly's love for horses as she used to compete in the equestrian sport of dressage. It was an amazing experience as everyone was wonderful and treated me like family/friends. The rehearsal dinner was a lovely warm up to the big day as it gave me a chance to better bond with everyone and created a comfort level to photograph everyone the next day.

The wedding day was perfect! Everyone photographed fabulously and looked great! We had enough time to do a Bridal session with Carly transforming her into a model on her special day and my did she rock the camera! :-) Branch looked dapper and we were able to get some great shots as well. It was also a pleasure seeing Mae and Tad again and seeing the fire of their love blazing brightly. We finished up the following day with taking some honeymoon pictures at the breath-taking hotel we stayed at, Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa. One of the highlights for me was when we took the same flights back to Florida and Carly and Branch were able to view the pictures on my digital camera. I kept on hearing her across the isle in the seat behind me saying, "AWESOME, AWESOME!" :-). I felt great knowing that I had fulfilled my wish and their wish to give them great memories of their special weekend! :-) Every weekend since then, I look back and wish I could relive the experience. I'm happy that I have the pictures to look back on. Thank you Carly, Branch, and everyone for a great time and I definitely wish you much love and happiness forever together!

To view their wedding slideshow, visit my website at www.shellyedwards.com Click Weddings and Collection and then select the first wedding. To view some of the honeymoon pictures, click Gallery, then Portraits.