It’s a crazy world out there folks. In times like these curling up on the couch with your littles and taking comfort in a good book is the perfect medicine.
Meet Lauren Bercuson. Lauren, a media specialist is passionate about children’s literature. It was with this passion that she founded Happily Ever Elephants . a blog dedicated to Children’s Literature. Lauren has curated lists of children’s literature titles to teach and explain certain topics/themes and these can all be found on her blog.
Want to talk to your kids about feelings? Lauren’s got a list of books for that.
Want to talk to your kids about gratitude? Lauren’s got a list of books for that too.
In these uncertain times, a book can explain complicated issues to kids better that I certainly can. Now would be a great time to check out Lauren’s list of books about Hygiene as well as her list of resources for parents on “virtual learning.” Which is quickly becoming a reality for us with school aged kids.
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Lauren on new branded photography for the Happily Ever Elephants website, marketing and social media. If you’d like to see more from Lauren’s branding session click here.
I photographed Brooke and Parker for the first time 9 years ago, so of course I was thrilled to see them again. This portrait session was just for mama. Every mama deserves to have beautiful portraits of her AND her kiddos. Being both a Mom AND a photographer I’m rarely in pictures with my kids and I truly value the ones I have (which admittedly most are iphone selfies).
Excited to announce that I will be once again offering Natural Light Studio Portrait sessions on weekends. I just couldn’t stay away. Get in touch for more information.
Happy New Year! The end of 2019 was extremely busy and exciting. Love connecting with old and new clients. I have so much to share over the past three months. Keep checking out the blog for client sneak peaks and upcoming events.
This family definitely has a piece of my heart. This was our fourth custom family portrait session together. Always a fun time, these three kids keep me on my toes. The bright colors of the Miami Design District are a fabulous backdrop for their custom family portrait session. I love this one particular street; the multi-colored windows, great natural light, and minimal traffic are PERFECT.
The Miami Design District is a hidden gem of a location for custom family portrait sessions. Now that the holidays are behind us and 2020 is well underway, it’s a great time to schedule a family portrait session without the pressure of sending out holiday cards or ordering gifts. Now is the time to do it for YOU…for your family. You love your family, you love your house, and you’re tired of looking at the blank walls. Together let’s create beautiful, one of a kind custom portrait art that celebrates your family and turns your house into a home. Whether it’s on the streets of Miami or any of the hundreds of great portrait spots throughout South Florida, let’s create custom family portraits that showcases the beauty that is your family.
Downtown Hollywood Mini Sessions are back. When I first started Courtney Studios (I celebrated 12 years this September!), Downtown Hollywood mini sessions were my jam! 30-60 minutes in and around the streets of Downtown Hollywood. The landscape was and continues to be ever changing, so each family portrait is a complete and totally different experience. As a photographer, the landscape is just as much an inspiration as my subjects. After a few years away from these fun family custom portrait sessions, I’m excited to bring them back in time for the Holidays.
The Downtown Hollywood Mini Sessions are Sunday, November 17. The cost is $250 and includes an 8×10 mounted print ($65 value). Your custom family portrait mini session includes a 30 minute walk around Downtown Hollywood, an online proofing gallery to share with family and friends, an 8×10 mounted print ($65 value), and an in person order session where we will go over all your finished portraits to create the portrait package that best suits your family’s portrait photography needs.
Follow us on Instagram @courtneystudios and my personal page @courtneyortiz (for headstands and running and recipes and kids and life…). On the studio’s page, I’m going back in the vault to share some of my favorite family portraits taken in Downtown Hollywood. Many of the murals and favorite spots are no longer there, but with new incredible art and secret spots to still discover.
There are a limited number of Mini Sessions available and you must have an appointment to attend. Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions or are ready to schedule your custom family portrait session today.
Meet Blanca and Joaquin. We spent the morning exploring the Miami Design District during their custom family portrait session. Their mama, Angela, is a clean beauty advocate with Beautycounter, the founder of Ama Consulting, and a friend.
I don’t venture into the Miami Design District for family portrait sessions very often, so it was fun to see what was behind every corner. The Design District didn’t disappoint. Lots of amazing natural light, big bold colors, and on a Tuesday morning, not many other people (which is always a plus!).
Halloween is just a few days away. Your family portrait session must be scheduled before December 1 to guarantee Holiday Delivery. Holiday mini sessions in Downtown Hollywood are Sunday, November 17. There are still a few appointments available.
total number of images published this summer at Camp Starlight.
570 campers,
50 days,
263.07 miles walked,
621,701 steps
I’m the first to say, “Quantity is definitely NOT quality,” but I wear that number as a badge of honor.
Each day, step and shutter click was an opportunity. An opportunity to remember another name. I cried during performances, cheered during games, and celebrated accomplishments. I gave every camper a little piece of my heart. I loved those genuine smiles. The way you smile at a friend.
“My Favorite” images of summer 2019 are now on my website HERE. After two summers at camp, my favorite images are more about the people in them rather than the photograph itself. These only skim the surface. With 107,515 images to comb through, I’m finding new gems everyday.
I promised myself I’d be in more pictures this summer. These are a few of my favorite.
I love a good mural. And Renda Writer is my favorite mural artist EVER. He is incredible inside and out. So you can imagine how thrilled I am to have this beautiful new Renda Writer original not too far from me on the side of the Yakut Properties building in Dania Beach, Florida. Renda’s message of peace and love is the perfect backdrop for this custom family portrait.
Incorporating art into your family portrait is an incredibly personal detail. Let’s chat about it.
As the excitement builds for our upcoming trek to Camp Starlight, here it is…a kind of BEST OF SUMMER 2018. I ain’t gonna lie, I could look at camp pictures all day. So this was a fun project to work on throughout the past 10 months. And honestly, this doesn’t even scratch the surface of images that take my breath away. But this tells the story, and hopefully stokes the excitement in you for the summer ahead.
In less than a month, I’ll be back to do it again. This time some of those smiling faces that come bouncing off the bus on arrival day, may actually be that excited to see “me”. And that makes me feel pretty special. Something really incredible happens during those 7 weeks. My experience was unique in that I got to experience ALL of camp. Not just isolated with one age group, gender, or activity. I was with every age group, every gender, every sport, every activity…EVERY DAY. I saw it all. Incredible and exhausting all at the same time.
“It’s the Picture Lady!” One of my favorite things to hear. It’s nice when people are excited to see you. And when those people are the students at Lehrman Community Day School, I know I’m in for a good day! I have been the official photographer at Lehrman Community Day School for the past 5 years. I come in a number of days throughout the school year to create custom imagery for the school’s marketing, PR and fund raising. Which really means I get to hang out with the students. AMAZING!!!! Creating imagery of happy children in their school. I can’t imagine a better way to spend my day.
With summer approaching, I took the time to really look through the photographs I took this year at the school. You can see more from Lehrman here and understand why it’s one of my favorite places.
“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 -
