Thursday, December 31, 2020

The Best Things of 2020

 

Photographer Krista Kowalczyk on Sanibel Island


Happy New Year! It's the last day of 2020 and I have one last family portrait today and then Impressions Photography is officially closed for the year (until our next wedding on January 3rd anyway!). I know 2020 wasn't the year any of us expected but I found some silver linings along the way that made it all a little better for me. It was really an honor to be a part of the weddings that I photographed this year. Many looked a lot different than they originally were planned. Masks and hand sanitizer were in every welcome bag and were a uniquely 2020 party favor, events moved outdoors, guest count was dramatically smaller and making sure I wasn't in the way of the zoom device while I was shooting became a new concern. Amidst all of those changes was also this overwhelming feeling of wanting to love and celebrate hard. The general vibe was that the 8 guests in attendance were hell bent on making up for the 130 that could no longer attend. It was the most love filled, appreciative, kind, heartfelt year of my career. Everyone loves to witness love, eat cake and mingle with friends, but this year just being able to be there was enough to be thankful for. Being a part of my 2020 weddings definitely made the year for me.


Another big silver lining in the year was the overwhelming support and encouragement for the community service projects that we did this year. I began 2020 with plans for fundraising events, charity runs and a golf outing all to celebrate Impressions Photography's 20th year in business and to honor the community that has been so supportive over the years. As one by one all of those plans were cancelled I had to quickly shift to other less contact type fundraisers. Thanks to help and great ideas from friends and clients I was able to change many plans to other fun ways to still make a little impact on our world. Even though in the end none of those plans were as grand as I had initially envisioned the fact that they were so well supported made them just as impactful and definitely so meaningful. I'm forever thankful for everyone who helped me with my 2020 goal of making a difference in the world. 


A huge Thank you to everyone who helped me with my community service and fundraising projects! We are ending 2020 with some accomplishments that were definitely a group effort! Thank you for helping Impressions Photography to:

Planted 140 trees in Florida
Donated 25 books to a local school
Raised money to provide over 1,000 meals at Harry Chapin Food Bank
Added a brick to the Alliance for the Arts ArtsPark
Donated 5 goats to a community in Haiti
Supported a Haitian shop that crafts gifts
Raised $1,000 for a scholarship fund
Donated over 25 hours of photography to Big Arts on Sanibel Island
Taught photography to high school students in Fort Myers
Advocated for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools
Mentored students through the Take Stock in Children Program
Donated portraits to several causes and made monetary donations to multiple organizations









Sunday, December 13, 2020

Sanibel Family Photographer | SWFL Beach Portrait

 

 






This family photo shoot at Sanibel Moorings on Sanibel Island has some history with it. This sweet family and I have met for pictures many, many times before. I first photographed them at the Sundial on Sanibel for their engagement pictures about 18 years ago! Then their wedding in Fort Myers and then when their boys came along it was family pictures with little ones and now it's hard to believe the boys are in high school! I think a throw back to when they were little is going to have to happen (And I'm sure they will love that!).  

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Captiva Island Wedding | Elopement Photography

 

Captiva Island Wedding Photography

Casa Ybel Wedding | Sanibel Island Photographer

 

Casa Ybel Wedding Photography

Naples Wedding Photography | Destination Wedding

 

Naples Wedding Photography with Palm trees

Fort Myers Beach Photographer | Family Portrait Shoot

Fort Myers Beach Family Vacation Pictures




 





Family beach pictures are definitely a fun activity when it comes to the Southwest Florida family vacation. It's nice to check the family portrait off of the annual to do list, but it's actually more than just a task, it's a ton of fun. If you are planning a trip to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Naples or anywhere here in Southwest Florida I'd love the opportunity to plan a casual, laid back and fun beach photo shoot for you and your family too!

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Rehearsal Dinner | Captiva Island Photographer

 

Captiva Island Palm Trees






Rehearsal dinner candid pictures










Sometimes the party isn't just a day, but an entire weekend of celebrations. This group had us join for their welcome dinner at South Seas Island Resort for the kick off to their wedding weekend. We are always happy to spend a little extra time on the stunningly perfect Captiva Island, so we were definitely down for this fun plan!

Saturday, October 10, 2020

South Seas Island Resort Wedding Reception

 I find myself sharing pictures of all of the bride and groom moments, the beach pictures, the gorgeous wedding party pictures but it seems like the wedding reception pictures always get cut out of the blog posts. It's not that I don't think those pictures are special, important, fun and all of that, they really are but somehow they rarely make the cut. So I thought why not do a post that is all about the party.... A celebration of the celebration if you will :)

This very tropical island wedding reception was at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island. The group really celebrated hard with a party that was filled with energy and a stunning backdrop too. The wedding guests could watch the sun setting as they sipped cocktails at the outdoor bar. They even had an ice sculpture that served up their very own signature cocktails. The group had all traveled to be at South Seas Island Resort for this destination wedding, so you could just tell they were ready to party and they really did enjoy every moment. 

The photojournalist in me loves a good party because there is just so much to capture. This evening was exactly that. I feel like capturing a wedding well means wearing many hats and photographing lots of different types of pictures and moments well. And although I don't always share them, the party pictures are definitely great ones to have. I think pictures like these are really the best reminders of the special people who came together to celebrate your day.

© Impressions Photography - Beach Portraits and Island Weddings | All rights reserved.
BLOG TEMPLATE HANDCRAFTED BY pipdig