Everyone is ok here, Annie and James are fine.  Amber continues to work hard as ever and is in a plane way too often, but that’s life for now.

Being a Destin Photographer gives me the ability to shoot photography I wouldn’t normally get to shoot if I didn’t live on or near the water.  I love the sunsets, the brown pelicans, all the different kinds of boats and I just love Destin Harbor.  Anyhow, that’s what I’ve been doing.

Now, as a Destin Photographer I am always talking with my clients about where they’re staying, how long they are going to be in the area, have they been here before, what kind of food do they prefer, etc…I always like to let people know where the good spots are in my opinion.  I am typically not a franchise kind of guy and I have actually blogged about this spot before, but it’s been awhile and it’s totally worth bringing up again, so drum roll please…  McGuire’s Irish Pub makes Capture Destin for the second time.  I’ll tell you why shortly.   McGuire’s has some amazing burgers and a great appetizer called “boxties.” They are mashed potatoes with bits of cheese in them rolled in panko bread crumbs in small balls and then deep fried.  They are typically served with three dipping sauces salsa, guacamole, and horseradish.  It’s yummy!!  They also have an amazingly good hickory smoked prime rib that’s out of this world.  Want more?  They have a house drink called an Irish Wake, must have Irish Wake, also yummy!  Don’t drink and drive you might hit a bump and spill your drink.  No, seriously it’s strong and you need to make sure you’re the passenger if you partake.  Oh, I almost forgot one more of the great things about McGuire’s.  They have an upstairs seating area that is perfect for sunset and great views of the east pass and Crab Island.  Now for the why I am writing about McGuire’s again.  They have added a pizza place outside with the same bar drinks and great microbrewery beers as the main restaurant.  I have actually not tried it yet, but everyone that I have talked to about it has nothing but great things to say.  How bad could a pizza be with prime rib on it, right?

So, there you have it.  When you plan your trip, don’t forget to book your photography with TheDestinPhotographer.com or call me at 850-499-2213 to book your session.

Most of the last few days have been spent cleaning up Christmas and playing with my web sites Thedestinphotographer.com PerceptionsByMayer.com and my blog site CaptureDestin.com.  Being a Destin Photographer I am pretty much able to make my own schedule and get all the “stuff” done that needs attention on a daily basis, things like getting the kids out of bed and ready for school, dinner, laundry, Annie’s Piano, James weekly shot, groceries, playing with the doggies Blue and Lucy.  Even as the owner of my own business, there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done.  I do a fair amount of business in Destin and Panama City Beach with vacation rental photography but with the weather not being the greatest over the past month or so things have backed up a bit.  Over the past week I have been able to get back on track and I am feeling much better about where I am with the business.  Last year was my 5^th year and my best.  Thanks to all my current clients in the vacation rental industry and thanks to all my summer beach vacationers as well.  Hope to see some of you again this summer.

Its much prettier than the cabbage

It’s hard to believe that it is already August and I skipped an entire summer of blog posts. To be honest though – I’ve been writing them all along in my head and now I just have to take a few evenings to pour them out here on the world wide web. 

Busy would be an understatement to describe our Summer.  Joe has been incredibly blessed to have worked with some of the finest clientel any photographer could ask for!  The resort has been full steam ahead and in between work we have found a little time for play so that the kids don’t blink and summer is over.

This summer has been truly memorable.  Family visited for five weeks in a row and we survived, Michael Jackson died but I’m fairly sure we spotted him at Disney World, our dog is still lively but naps more than she used to and has gray in her muzzle, my son and I can wear the same shoes and he’s only nine, my daughter looks like Daryl Hannah and we’re terrified, our hearts were broken over losing a house three days before closing, we mended our wounds with brand new vehicles and have no room left in our driveway, and had the most beautiful sunflowers in our front garden that replaced the cabbbage.

In retrospect, it is probably one of the best summer’s I’ve ever had – nothing terrible to report, lots of laughter with the family (just imagine 11 Italians in less than 1300 square feet for over a week….), I didn’t gain any weight even though all anyone wanted to do was eat or cook during the visits and I passed my milestone – I have not been sick for two years! 

So as I delve into these next few posts  – everyone please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay on reporting our most intimate and hilarious moments these past few months.  =)

Blue getting after some turtles

Blue is one of those dogs that you can’t help but love but if she belonged to anyone else you would be thinking the owner should call the dog whisperer.  Blue is a weimeriener and the breed is known for being high strung, but we rescued Blue from the pound and she is “special”.  

Joe will tell you that she use to listen a lot better before I came into the picture.  It’s probably true, but I think he enjoys Blue more now that she is so cuddly and allowed to be more involved in all of our activities – like snuggling on the couch in the evenings.  Dogs are not meant for kennels – they are meant for companions and I’m not keen on sitting on the floor.  =)

I’ve never seen a dog that screams like a child, but Blue can literally holler.  Not whine, not yelp – she hollers.  When we were about to leave on our Spring Break trip to Texas, Joe forgot about Blue’s anxiety and he put her in the kennel first and walked back in the house.  Thirty seconds later our neighbors were outside wondering who was killing their dog.  It was 3am – we’re definitely not going to be winning yard of the month for a while.

Texas is Blue’s favorite place on earth – she even knows when we get there before we pull in the driveway and she absolutely can’t sit still she is so excited.  This was the first trip that we realized she is almost eight years old and we are starting to pay more attention to all of our “moments” with her.  Still a puppy at heart – we took a break from our destin photography and snapped a few candid shots of Blue being intrigued with some turtles in the pond.

Stunning View of Maroon Bell Aspen CO.

Maroon Bells, Colorado is one of the most beautiful, breathtaking places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.  Amber was still sleeping at our hotel in Snowmass, Colorado when I snuck out before dawn and headed to the wonderous peaks near Aspen.  The water was like glass and offered a flawless reflection of the majestic mountain ranges that surrounded Maroon Lake.  Such a landscape is a treat for us beach living permanent tourists in Destin.  Being a Destin Photographer is such a satisfying profession, but after our escape to the mountains, I can see the allure of traveling the world and capturing it piece by piece with each flicker of the shutter. 

Upon return to Snowmass, I realized that we chose our accomodations poorly.  Although Snowmass has an extremely diversive range of available hotels, condos and townhomes … there is not much to do in the off season and the food choices are lacking to say the least.  Aspen has such amazing charm!  It still resembles an old mining town, but instead of dirty windows or vacant downtown buildings, everything has been transformed into upscale shopping and dining venues without changing the landscape of the town into suburban/urban concrete parking lots.  Aspen is definitely on our list of annual escapes from now on.  The entire vacation cost us under two thousand dollars including airfare, accomodations, dining and activities. September is off season for the mountains but there is still plenty to do including horseback riding, white water rafting (Amber’s favorite), hot air balloon rides (not Amber’s favorite), and chaperoned hikes through the multiple nature trails.  Speaking of nature trails ….

Yes, we made a huge mistake.  The map made it look like a quaint little walk – but alas, Amber and I embarked on a nature HIKE with no bottled water, no idea of the extent of the trail, and no clue what we were getting into!  Too funny once it was over, but there were distinct moments where we were certain that we would end up on the Discover Channel or 60 Minutes post-humously.  Oh, now that I’m safely home – shame to you “hikers” that litter … there is nothing worse that spotting a beautiful view and then having to pick up all of the bottle caps, candy wrappers and trash before you can snap a photo!

Other than Amber being terrified of our drive from Denver to Snowmass (it was dark, raining, there were cliffs and I was comfortably going 15 miles over the speed limit) – this trip was relaxing and left us with the distinct feeling that we lead a blessed a life.

After this trip, I am considering expanding my genre of photography from Destin Beach Portraits and Real Estate to other areas of the country … anyone interested in a Mountain Family Portrait?!

Destin Family Beach Photos

Many families that venture to the area want to bring a tangible memory home with them and having professional photos taken on the beach is a fabulous treasure for the whole family to share! By the way, just in case you were thinking you might take a little bit of our precious sugar-white sand – that’s illegal! So stick to photos and shells!

Professional photographers are available in the area and pricing ranges from a minor pocket pinch to some major investing – but we love PerceptionsByMayer photography. Joseph Mayer provides his services in the Beaches of South Walton and Destin area and charges a very reasonable rate and allows his subjects to use his photography for printing at their own leisure and even finds time to throw together a cute video presentation with music for his customers!