Island Visions

Nicole & Craig

2012-01-16T16:26:00.002-05:00

Nicole and Craig Irish were married 1/15/2012 in a ceremony on the Lawn of La Playa Beach & Golf Resort in Naples Florida in front of 30 of their friends and family. Their ceremony, performed by Dr. Dan Lamey, was followed by a reception on the Lawn and a dinner at the LaPlaya Ballroom. Brett Foreman MC'd and provided music for the wedding, the reception and the dinner. For more photos of Nicole & Craig's wedding go here.

Shelley & Stacy

2012-01-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

Shelly & Stacy wed January 14, 2012 at Pointe Estero Resort on Fort Myers Beach. Accompanied by their five children, Shelly and Stacy celebrated with a simple ceremony conducted by Glory Williams of A Perfect Beginning, culminating the ceremony with cake and a first dance under the Pointe Estero's Tiki Hut. For more photos of Shelly & Stacy's wedding click here.

2011-10-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

Alison and Coy, October 25, 2011

Down a sandy path strewn with roses, under the gaze of their loving parents, Alison & Coy were united in matrimony on Fort Myers Beach FL.

Christina & Austin's Wedding

2011-10-04T10:47:00.000-04:00

Christina & Austiin tied the knot at Diamonhead Beach Resort on October 4th 2011.

A beautiful sunset highlighted the couple's romantic beachside moments.

2 Guys & A Doll

2011-04-08T15:56:00.000-04:00

After an hour at Bowditch Pointe Park, Cameron, Deriek & Kailean gathered at the beach for a look at the Pirate Ship cruising by in the background as the sun set. We didn't find any Pirate Treasure, but we found the treasure of the calm seas and orange sunset.

Seniors -- Gotta Love 'Em!

2011-03-31T15:15:00.001-04:00

We ventured forth in December on one of the coldest days on record here to photograph Lindsay, a 2011 Senior, who blithely wore shorts and mini-dresses with aplomb while her mom and I shivered. What a trooper! In addition to being a beautiful young lady she's got stamina and perseverance.

And her lips didn't even turn blue....

Jen & Mike Tie the Knot at Lover's Key

2011-03-21T17:30:00.000-04:00

A beautiful afternoon was the setting for Jen & Mike's nuptials at Lover's Key State Park's Gazebo. Beautiful preparations by Nature Recreation Management's Janet and her staff transformed the beach and gazebo into a field of white with tiki torches after sunset and twinkling lights descending from the peak of the gazebo.

A few dozen of Jen and Mike's close friends and family enjoyed a pre-sunset wedding, video-taped by Larry from Stay Tuned Productions, followed by a sumptuous dinner catered by Johnnie and crew from Lover's Key Resort's Flippers on the Bay restaurant and dancing to the tunes of LandSharks band.

Wedding Vow Renewal on the Beach

2011-03-15T15:50:00.001-04:00

Kim & Sean Szlak celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary with a Vow Renewal ceremony, witnessed by Shayn, 10, and Skyler, 7, on Fort Myers Beach recently. As Kim said: "We're beach people, so w choose Fort Myers Beach to have our Vow Renewal."

Church Installation

2011-02-18T13:04:00.002-05:00

St. Peter Lutheran Church recently installed it's new Pastor, Rev. Lorrie Davison, in ceremonies held Sunday, February 13 and attended by clergy from Lutheran churches as well as other denominations.

Beachin' it again

2011-02-18T12:39:00.002-05:00

The Sheppard Family, Rees and Jenny and all the kids and grandkids, gathered on Fort Myers Beach recently to have beach portraits taken.

Brag a Little

2011-02-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

We're pleased and honored to be awarded the first annual Butch Anderson Memorial Award for Outstanding Service by our Professional Photographers of Southwest Florida association. And the Island Sandpaper's Amanda Parke gave us a tremendous writeup in their Friday 2/4/11 edition. I'm bursting at the seams with pride.

No sun but lots of love!

2011-02-07T15:52:00.000-05:00

On a not so sunny Saturday, John and Dianne made their own sunshine in a beautiful and moving ceremony on Fort Myers Beach, with a few dozen close friends and family looking on. After the ceremony the couple and attendees took Naples Trolley to Nervous Nellie's for their reception outdoors under the stars to the sounds of island music, and some serious island seafood entrees!

Always the Same, Always Changing

2011-01-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

I never get tired of doing sunset family beach portraits. The place is frequently the same and the sun always sets, but the people, their expressions, the clouds, the colors and the tides are always changing.

Viva la difference!

Lover's Key Reprise

2011-01-19T17:52:00.001-05:00

One of my all-time favorite places to photograph couples and families is Lover's Key State Park, located just down the road and across San Carlos Pass drawbridge from Fort Myers Beach. Here's Shawna and Greg, a delightful couple I had the privilege of photographing back in November.

No Snow Here!

2011-01-05T17:13:00.001-05:00

Another one of our glorious Florida sunsets puts the final touches on another successful family beach photo session for the Sheppard family. No snow here!

I'm BACK....

2010-12-22T16:55:00.000-05:00

After a long delay due to a hectic holiday work schedule I'm back to blogging, and I wanted to feature some of the fine folks whose portraits I've been allowed to make these last few months. Here's the Decker family, who rented one of our beautiful bayfront homes here on Fort Myers Beach, and allowed me to photograph them with Estero Bay in the background. We even had a Great Blue Heron standing around watching us (not pictured).

The Coast is Clear!

2010-06-08T14:59:00.001-04:00

I'm happy to report that the only oil on the beaches in our area (Southwest Florida) is suntan oil!

We've got lots of Coppertone, Banana Republic, Hawaiian Tropic, etc.as our visitors and residents continue to enjoy sunny days and beaches free from the "bad" oil.

And, given the predictions and the normal flow of the Loop Current, we don't expect any of BP's spill to land on our beaches. We're in a "forbidden zone" which is not subject to the normal flow patterns of the Loop Current as it passes our shores a hundred miles out to sea.

For an updated beach report click here then click on "Southwest Florida" then "Lee County". (Or just click on the little pink area marked "Cape Coral".)

For more technical information about the Loop Current and the "forbidden zone" click here or for a NOAA animation of the Loop Current's location and flow go here.

And for an eyeball report click here and I'll walk down to the beach myself and report back by cell phone with the waves lapping in the background!

We grieve for our Florida Panhandle beaches that are experiencing oil coming ashore, but they're 700 miles to the north of our beaches. So come enjoy!

Basketball Musical Impressario

2010-04-30T17:02:00.001-04:00

Recently I had the pleasure of photographing author John Grissimer, author of a book/musical called "The Perfect Game: Jim Naismith Invents Basketball.''

One of our clients, Stewart Jacobson of Naples, is helping Grissimer promote his book/musical and he called on me to photograph Grissimer during his promotional tour for the musical.

The photograph appeared in the Bonita News-Press and is being distributed to other publications by Stewart Jacobson Productions.

"We are the only dramatic depiction of Naismith basketball that exists," said Grissmer, who was in Naples recently to promote the musical. "Our real goal is to get a New York production. Then we can get reviews that are national and established. The better this product is known, the more of a chance people will do their own productions."

Publication Portraits

2010-04-13T18:16:00.001-04:00

In addition to weddings and family beach portraits, we work with local businesses to produce publication portraits for use in their advertising needs, including business cards, web sites and blogs.

Recently we had the pleasure of photographing Kelly Cooley, Sales Associate/Realtor at Waterside At Bay Beach, and producing her full color business cards.

Four wild and crazy gals!

2010-04-13T17:25:00.002-04:00

I've not had this much fun at a beach family portrait shoot in a long time! Four great ladies were my subjects for a session at Bowditch County Park on Fort Myers Beach one late afternoon recently.

They came together to produce a family portrait as a birthday present for Mimi. Being a gentleman, I won't tell you which birthday, except to say that this lady ages gracefully and well!

Mimi, Sandy, Sherri and Christine were not only fun folks but a real pleasure to work with, because they were willing and eager to try every crazy idea I (and they) could come up with.

And we had a great area to pose in, with lots of fallen trees due to recent beach erosion, albeit a small working area due to a high tide! We all got our feet wet as we worked in among the trees with the waves gently washing ashore as we worked.

Sign me up for the next birthday, ladies!

Fun (pictures) in the Sun

2010-04-13T16:44:00.001-04:00

We do a lot of family beach group portraits, and of course we always do the multi-generational group, the grandparents with the grandkids, each family unit, etc. But we also like to have a little fun, and especially when we've got kids (of all ages) that we can get involved.

The Manion family clan gathered together recently on Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel Island for us to document their three generations, and after we finished the posed groups we started doing some "fun" poses like the "pile on" and the "trust issues" poses.

Everybody seemed to enjoy it, and no humans, big or small, were injured in the making of this sequence!

Beachin' It Never Gets Old!

2010-03-27T16:13:00.002-04:00

Another family loves our Composite Prints!

Joe and Debbie Scolaro and their parents Toni and Anthony gathered behind the condos of Fort Myers Beach one late afternoon for a series of family group portraits.

The result now gracing their wall was a beautiful Composite Print showing Joe & Debbie and their sons Anthony and Matthew with Toni & Anthony on the sand and in the surf.

Bliss on the Beach

2010-03-27T16:05:00.004-04:00

On a crisp, sunny day in February, Ann and Cole came together to pledge their love in a simple but beautiful ceremony on the beach behind Gull Wing Resort here on Fort Myers Beach.

Surrounded by family, friends and assorted beach walkers, they were married in God's geat sunshine with the sound of the waves and the cry of the sea birds in the background.

A beautiful ceremony for a beautiful couple in a beautiful place. We were honored to photograph the event.

Five in One

2010-03-27T15:50:00.001-04:00

Our new Composite Prints are providing many clients with a cost-saving alternative to multiple prints in multiple frames.

Using our extensive knowledge of digital technology, we combine multiple images on one print. Lower print costs, lower framing costs, and only one picture hanger to drive into the wall and one frame to get straight!

The Gilley family loved our Composite Print so much they had us make two versions, one for each family with kids, and change out their family (upper left) on one version so each has a customized Composite Print.

Boy, could these folks hold a pose

2010-03-27T15:35:00.001-04:00

We gathered at Lover's Key State Park's north beach for another sunset family group, and it was so cold that after we finished the "formal" group poses I sent the family back to the car to warm up while I waited by my equipment for the sun to get closer to dropping below the horizon.

While I waited I was greeted by a spectacular "pre-sunset" cloud formation, but, alas, the family was in the car warming up! But I took the image anyway, and lucky for us all that I did.

When they returned for the sunset we got one quick image while the sun was still too high and bright for good results, then the shivers returned and we quickly all disbanded.

But, thanks to the magic or digital retouching, I was able to use their pose from sunset with the "empty beach" image I had taken 15 minutes earlier to produce an image that incorporated the best of both images.

More "Family on the Beach"!

2010-03-27T15:24:00.001-04:00

We always enjoy going to the local beaches to photograph families, although recently we've had a spate of cold weather (cold for us, that is) that has resulted in some "keep warm" exercises and long pants and shirts and even the unheard of -- coats!

But our clients persevere, and we get great images despite a few goosebumps. On this chilly January afternoon Janet, Dave, Ray, Marylou and the boys gathered at Lover's Key State Park to photograph the three generations of the Morrison family.

Rear Commodore Frank Benak

2010-03-27T14:48:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Frank Benak, recently chosen Rear Commodore of St. Charles Yacht Club of Fort Myers.

We had the pleasure of making and framing his official portrait to hang in the halls of the Yacht Club located on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.

We gained this commission thanks to our good friend and former local photographer Paul Foreman, who has moved to Alabama.

Luckily for us, Paul didn't want to travel this far for a "location" session!

For you that are yachtsmen, St. Charles Yacht Club is a large deep water marina located at 26 Degrees 30' 39" N 81 Degrees 58' 49" W in a sheltered cove easily accessible from the Caloosahatchee River, Gulf of Mexico and Intracostal Waterway.

Ringing in the New Year

2010-02-13T16:16:00.001-05:00

We started off 2010 with a bang, carrying on from our busy Christmas season. Our first family grouping was with the Chaffin family, who gathered at Lover's Key State Park for a great beach session. We took them for a walk on the beach, as the photo shows, and it's a shame you can't see the wonderful expressions as they chatted among themselves and completely ignored the camera.

Then we moved into the posed groups, but we just couldn't resist having a little fun with Amy and Brandon, the newly-weds, in our "trust exercise" shot.

But, as always, that golden Florida sunset beckoned us to the shoreline as the sun broke through some clouds in one last glorious burst and we posed the four of them together at the water's edge.

Ringing out the "old" year

2010-02-13T15:55:00.003-05:00

We ended 2009 off with a busy week of family groups on the beach, including the Vredenberg family at Bowditch Point Park on the north end of our beautiful island.

We went for a "formal" group of the entire family, all three generations, before we did our "breakouts" of the individual family units.

With three little ones and a couple of pre-teen boys we had our hands full capturing their "best" look amidst the interruptions, but we managed, with the help of a little "eye opening" retouching, to get a great image of the whole family.

Then we took a few minutes to pose again with the setting sun as a background as the clouds turned pink and orange against the yellow fireball sinking into the azure blue of the Gulf of Mexico.

Christmas Eve on the Water

2010-02-13T15:28:00.005-05:00

What could be a better way to celebrate Christmas than a romp in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Christmas Eve as the sun sets and the trade winds blow.

The Hill family gathered on the beach to pose for family group photos, and the youngest generation couldn't resist wading into the water at sunset to have a little splash time.

And yes, I got wet... and it was fun!

Christmas on the Island!

2010-02-13T15:18:00.008-05:00

December was a busy time for us, especially between Christmas and New Years, and one of the delightful families we had the pleasure of photographing was the Cox family, three generations of fun-filled folks intent on enjoying their vacation in paradise.

We not only had the opportunity to photograph their families, but also to experiment with our newest Composite Group photographs, shown here. It's a fun, economical way to put all the important family elements into one print, saving printing and framing costs, not to mention the hassle of hanging multiple frames and have them all in a straight line and equidistant, a feat that will truly try a man's soul!

And, we got to sneak off for a quick sunset scenic in between family groups while we waited for the sun to set for one last family group.

Waterside Inn room "portraits"

2010-02-13T12:21:00.010-05:00

Occasionally we get a chance to vary from our principal "diet" of weddings and family groups and return to our "roots" as a commercial/architectural photographer, and such was the case recently as one of our long-time clients, Waterside Inn On the Beach on Sanibel Island called us to upgrade their room photographs because they've updated their look.

We always enjoy working with resort clients such as Waterside Inn, and building long-term relationships with them. We've been doing Waterside Inn's photography, design and printing of their brochures and rack cards for longer than we'd like to admit, and our relationship with the owner Bert Jenks goes back to prior real estate and aerial photography we did for him on Fort Myers Beach for several projects he was involved in.

And we've spent a fantastic "lost weekend" at Waterside Inn On the Beach ourselves, enjoying the "olde Florida" charm of this intimate resort facility. We recommend it highly if the big high rise condo's don't appeal to you (although they have one of those on the property, too.)

Last 2009 Weddding

2010-01-10T16:27:00.001-05:00

We had an opportunity to photogaph an intimate back-yard wedding on December 30, and what an easy date to remember for a wedding anniversary!

Angela and Stephen gathered with a group of their friends around the pool for the ceremony, then everybody, after posing for pictures, settled down for a beautiful sunny afternoon of grilling and chilling to celebrate their ceremony.

Sanibel Cottages Resort Wedding

2009-12-08T14:27:00.009-05:00

In a brightly decorated gazebo in the middle of a lake at Sanibel Cottages Resort, Larry and Feita and a few close friends gathered to watch them exchange their wedding vows.

Afterwards, the bride and groom walked to the beach front to enjoy a picture taking session culminated with Larry gathering Feita in his arms and twirling her around in the surf, her beautiful red dress contrasting with the blue-green Gulf of Mexico waters.

I consider it a privilege to be able to capture memories like this happy couple shared that day, and will continue to share through their photos and their memories.

Paul & Maureen Tie the Knot!

2009-12-08T14:10:00.004-05:00

Paul and Maureen and a host of friends and guests gathered on the beach behind Holiday Inn to celebrate their nuptials just before a beautiful Florida sunset recently.

Then, after a stroll on the beach for a "photo opp" everyone moved inside to Holiday Inn's delightful Pincher's Restaurant for dinner and dancing.

In the formal style, the bride wore a long white wedding dress and the groom a tuxedo -- but they and the entire wedding party went barefoot in the sand. That's what I call a formal wedding, Beach style!

Giving Back

2009-12-08T13:08:00.003-05:00

I've always been a believer in giving back to the community in which I live, and I was honored to provide pro bono photography services to the Snook Bight Marina/Bayfront Bistro sponsored Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer fundraiser held recently.

"All Aboard Against Breast Cancer" raised $70,000 for Breast Cancer Awareness, and I'm proud to be a small part of that effort.

Flying Fun!

2009-12-08T12:40:00.006-05:00

There's nothing I like better than aerial photography. Seeing the world from 200 feet up, from a helicopter with the doors off, is like having a magic carpet ride!

I recently had the opportunity to photograph each of the 18 holes at Kelly Greens Golf Course from "up close and personal". We spent an hour crisscrossing the beautiful tees, greens and waterways of this outstanding course.

Fall Wedding on the Beach

2009-12-01T12:04:00.005-05:00

Leo and Krystal enjoy a moment alone on the beach after their beachside ceremony. The beautiful ceremony with family and friends included a bagpiper leading the processional, and the fall colors of the bride's gown perfectly matched the glow of the sunset!

Calusa Blueway Paddle

2009-11-09T16:21:00.006-05:00

Recently 60 or so of the several hundred intrepid paddlers of the 4th annual Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival gathered at San Carlos RV Park & Resort mid-way through the 10 day event and posed for a photograph commemorating their adventure, and we were please to be able to record that group for posterity (not to mention selling prints to participants).
Prints can be ordered here

Love on the Beach

2009-09-30T14:50:00.013-04:00

Haley and Brandon were married in Tennessee last week and spent their honeymoon on Fort Myers Beach.

Tuesday we went to Lover's Key State Park and spent an hour exploring the beach, the park trails and the lagoon with it's pretty arched wooden bridge, resulting in some spectacular Honeymoon Portraits of this loving couple.

For a look at Haley & Brandon's Top 10 Picks, click here.

Beach Wedding....Reception in the Park

2009-09-14T17:50:00.014-04:00

Lover's Key State Park (with a name like that it's a natural for weddings) is one of my favorite place for small, informal weddings, and recently Kathy & Timothy exchanged vows on the beach at sunset, then followed the small (5 people including me) wedding with an impromptu but well planned reception held under the trees on a picnic bench just off the beach in a beautiful, shaded part of the park.

They brought the tablecloth, cake, champagne, glasses and all the goodies to do a "tailgate reception" with flair and ambiance.

Love those informal weddings!

P. S. The raccoons didn't steal our goodies.

Beach Kids

2009-08-25T17:35:00.012-04:00

Kids on the beach are so much fun! Challenging, but fun. We started off with this "formal" pose, but then we quickly switched to much more interesting and fun poses in and around the water.

I call this series "splash the photographer" and Parkes did a pretty good job of it! Lucy and Charlotte tried, too, but I came out OK with a great series of "action" images Worth a little salt water!

Then the sunset happened just as the pirate ship sailed into port behind them, and it was hard to belive it was raining just a few minutes before we started the session.

Red, White and Boom!

2009-07-16T16:06:00.005-04:00

July Fourth found us on the beach again, photographing a July 4th wedding just before the town fireworks display lit up the entire sky.

The bride and groom had an American flag decor for their reception, and just before sunset we meandered down to the shoreline to capture them in front of a beautiful Florida sunset.

Boom!

Back to the Beach

2009-06-26T16:55:00.006-04:00

Last week found us at the beach at Bowditch Point for a couple of family sessions in between our frequent rains.

Working around the boats dredging Matanzas Pass, we were still able to get a beautiful sunset photo after a day of rain.

There's nothing like a lightly clouded sky to reflect the sun's setting rays back into the sky in patterns of blue, red, orange and magenta.

Magnificent!

Beach Wedding

2009-05-11T14:48:00.006-04:00

Saturday night found us on the beach, photographing a lovely wedding on the wide, white sand beach of the Holiday Inn.

Sara and Canaan "tied the knot" before a crowd of family and friends and then Sara, Canaan and I ventured out to the lagoon at Little Estero Island and then on to the beach for a glorious sunset photo session.

Then we all returned to the Inn's banquet room for a reception with dancing, great food, tearful toasts, and loads of fun.

Tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

Blues on the Green

2009-05-07T15:38:00.006-04:00

Fort Myers Beach's Island Arts Foundation sponsored a two day "Blues on the Green – the Seaside Soul Serenade" event this past weekend. It was a fantastic array of great Blues artists, blue skies, great food, cold beer and "Yahoo" watermelon...a real down-home experience on our sunny island paradise's Golf Course.

Here's Sean Carney and the "Queen of Boogie Woogie" Wendy DeWitt jamming on Saturday.

A particularly rewarding experience, made all the more so by seeing that there was not one single piece of litter left on the ground any time during the concert -- We're a pretty environmentally aware group of folks here on the island, and it showed in how we treated the venue.

Easter Sunrise

2009-04-12T11:39:00.003-04:00

We've just returned from an Easter Sunrise Service, on the beach. What a sight! Hundreds of folks gathered on our white sand beach by the pier, with a thick fog to the east (no sunrise that we could see!) but with the moon visible over the ocean, and waves gently lapping the shoreline. The sounds of voices raised in song, and birds beginning to stir in the trees. Sublime!

Fireworks + Marriage = Fun!

2009-04-09T17:29:00.005-04:00

Wow, I just booked a sunset wedding for July 4th. What's so exciting about that is we have a huge public fireworks display on the Pier here on the island (not to mention many elaborate private displays despite a law against it) and it starts a half hour or so after sunset.

So Amanda & Andrew are going to be married at 7 PM, we'll take pictures until sunset, and then they get to walk down the beach to see the fireworks displays all up and down the beach and at the Pier.

What a way to start a honeymoon!

Website Update

2009-03-18T18:55:00.004-04:00

Well, In my spare time (?) I've been busy learning a new web building program, Adobe DreamWeaver, and I've been playing with it (and tearing what little hair I have left out) and have made a new "home page" for my website, www.HesterPhotography.com.
Check it out!
I've focused more on my principal markets, beach portraits and beach weddings, on the new home page, with links to all the other stuff I still do like studio portraits, aerials, commercial photography, stock photography, graphic design, print brokering, etc.
But now my brides and destination families have a shortcut to what they want to know about beach weddings and family groups and reunions.
As soon as my hair grows back out I'll tackle some of the other pages!

Spring Break Time!

2009-03-09T13:03:00.007-04:00

It's Spring Break here on our island paradise. Each year loads of college students converge on Fort Myers Beach for sun, sand, adult beverages and entertainment. Mainly confined to the "touristy" north end of the island, they bring, along with skimpy swimsuits, suspiciously large beverage containers and lots of money that helps our tourist economy. For the next month or so we'll be hosting our Spring Breakers along with our usual mix of "snowbirds" and family vacationers.

Being a photographer, you'd think I'd be posting a photo or two from the middle of the crowd, but I stay as far away from the north end of the island as I can this time of year, when going four miles can take over an hour, so here's a photo of our little island paradise. See the Spring Breakers? Look closely, now.

First post

2009-03-06T13:57:00.001-05:00

After looking, lurking and reading a few blogs, many of which are from fellow professional photographers, I'm taking the plunge and starting a blog!