~ It's All About Beautiful Spirits ~

Perhaps I just caught them on a great day but I meet a lot of families, not many with five children, and not many with five wonderfully co-operative joyful children! Lets all be thankful for great parents that give endlessly and care for beautiful spirits like these in our world.

I must say that even when some pronounce their discomfort they are beautiful...


I can only hope to honestly express my exuberance for life each day like the Williams boys.

Reach For The Sky And Fly

Don't you love dreams where you are flying? After working on the images for the wonderful Kenney family I slept and dreamt of flying. Each one of us has the potential to achieve our dreams and to live rich abundant lives and our children can fly with a finacial education. Two books come to mind that you may already know. Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not! My 7, 11 and 14 year old all have read this and I see how it has affected their thought process about forming their future in such a positive way.

And for older children perhaps this book should be required reading for anyone graduating High School Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller--Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century. Thank you Kenney Family for the inspiration!

Seeing Music & Hearing Portrature

This week I have started putting the first of 25 years of music onto iTunes. The guitar pieces behind my galleries are some of the pieces from this album. You can listen to some clips from my album "Dreams of Truth" on iTunes if you click this link: Dreams of Truth
or you can open up iTunes and do a search for TheodorePaul.

When writing music I often envision images and describe what I am seeing in music. And as in on of my latest photographic session ~

When deciding how I will compose and treat an image, I imagine the music that goes with what I am seeing and follow the tone and timber the music conveys like this golden night and golden boy or the happy music I hear when I see these children playing in the serf.

Throwing Shells into a pastel evening...

When our eyes see the subtle colors of the Captiva sky subdued and layed back, I love turning up the volume, pulling those quite colors out, making them shout in a vibrant pastel dreamy scene ~ Throuwing Shells into a pastel evening.

Each shell is as unique as the child that holds it ~ each child discovers wonders of this world in the palms of their hands.

Super Heroes Among Us!

The Karom family is a wonderful family that for the most part, appears the same as you or me .... But things are not always as they seem!Super Heroes!!! That's right! Super heroes deserving of Infrared imaging! We are not sure of what their individual powers are, but I think they have something to do with turning the world on its' edge!Typically they carry each other on their back to build up their super strength.
They look great! considering the fact that they just swam from the ocean and on to the beach, I believe that they are water resistant!
They are a great brother and sister team that we are lucky to have working for the good of mankind.

Fire ants ~ Vow Renewal!

Unaware of the perils that await a Floridians feet, ankles and legs, a vacationing New Englander is an easy victim of the Fire Ants painful self defence. In the northern states we know ants as harmless crawling creatures that at worst steel picnic baskets from Yogi Bear. In Florida you must be sure that no Fire Ants mound is below your feet for if you happen to rest on their home they will send as many ants to climb on you as fast as they can and when there leader gives the signal, they will all deliver tens of bites that release a wasp like venom stinging like fire. If you would like to know more: http://www.floridaenvironment.com/programs/fe00207.htm

Jennifer and John have come down to Captiva each year to renew their wedding vows. This years was the first that John had come in contact with our lovely little Fire Ants. Luckily he survived to have a warm celebration of Jennifer and his happy years together.

"Cleansing the sand of commitment"

Listening to the Paster as their hearts are renewed & refreshed,
I wish you both many years of peace, happiness & love.

Colorful Holidays ~ Spring has Sprung

When spring arrives in Florida the beautiful foliage changes surely but subtly. It slowly nurtures blooms and pedals from their sleep and we see colors peep from trees, brush and pulled into and out of the sky melting into the waving water surrounding our feet.


The Hernandez family enjoyed a colorfilled evening with feathers found and sunsets melting down.
Although the smooth waves can be a bit scary to some, they glisten with Autumn wispering in colors ~ "Spring has come, Spring has come!"

Flying Home to England (And boy are my arms tiered!)

I am so lucky to be able to meet families like the Dowsett family from England. This was the very first image I took of them. They are such natural and warm spirited people that right from their first image we had great portraiture.


There youngest decided that she could fly back to England powered by her incredible jumping ability. She nearly made it in one tremendous jump!

The two older girls caught her on her decent down from the sky...thank goodness!
The older girls attempted to carry each other on the long journey across the sea but decided it was a bit to late in the day to be traveling that far.
We had another beautiful sunset and the Dowsett family resigned to fly back to England on a plane, but I am sure they will do some amazing things when they are home. Perhaps we will be lucky enough to have them visit us here in Captiva sometime soon again.

Stanwick the Blue Heron

It is finally time to start entres in my blog again.

Being busy getting my Sanibel Captiva book together and getting my fine art prints distributed in galleries and businesses around the two islands has taken all my extra time. (also this is baseball and softball season and I spend most evenings with one of my two daughters or sons games).

I had a great session last weekend with the Houska family in Captiva. We had a Blue Heron "Stanwick" crash our session ~ he was anything but camera shy.

The three boys and Stanwick did there best impression of Stonehenge.

Captiva, water, shells, sunshine, and a happy family, what could be nicer.

There are so many sites to see and so many things to point at.

This one may make the book but will definatly make my fine art prints.
Sending all who visit this blog the very best of wishes.

Theodorepaul

What Do We Do At The Beach?

I had a great session with the Burke family at a wonderful beach in Captiva Florida and answered the age old question: "What Do We Do At The Beach?

The Burke children new the first rule of beach goers everywhere ~ You must be rested and relaxed ~ lounge around preferably in a hammock before going on to the beach.
If you have to pose for a picture ~ relax and do it like this ~ you all did great!
Look for shells ~ and if you find one be proud and show it off to your family and friends like this:
Did you realize that if you push hard enough on the sand you can make the beach tilt ~ depending on how strong you are . . . Most af all have fun with the people you are with ~ we surely did!

When the Cold Wind Blows in Captiva ~ brrrrrrrrrrr!

It has been a while since I added to the blog ~ I have been busy working towards meeting my publishers deadline (which is swiftly approaching) for the book of my Sanibel and Captiva's images due out in January. You can view and purchase prints of most of the images that will be in my book, on the Fine Arts section of my site.

Here is an image from the book. It is of the beach in Captiva during one of those very windy days around hurricane Charlie.
Yes every so often (but not very) the wind on the beach blows a bit more and the chill bites us a little more than we would like here in SW Florida.
The Millers and family's six wonderful children did great even while the wind blew sand in their eyes and cold in their bones.
One truth I have adopted as a goal is that wonderful grandparents make wonderful families.

Though you may not know it by the image we almost did not get the beach walk ~ but the children stuck in their for one last cold windy walk down the beach.

Amy & Drew's Amazing Wedding

Well!!! I had such a hard time deciding my favorite images to share here on the blog, I love so many of them!

We had the best time at Amy & Drew's wedding!

Amy & Drew make the best couple. I can see them 50 years from now after spending a warm happy life together, still enjoying life and each other.

Amy & Drew had conceptualize the feel and look they were after with Drew purchasing an 18th century coat an top hat & Amy adorned in a beautiful wedding gown and veil that achieve a trip back it style that it so fun to photograph. I love these hats!

Drew was bringing down this very cool mirror from his dressing room and Amy graciously posed in it for us.

Kellen the maid of honor and Kris the best man dressed & took steps back in time to season the wedding day to Amy's and Drew's taste.

After the ceremony we took some beautiful images of Amy.


On their way out to the reception they were showered with peaces of sugar that looked like rice and was safe for the birds & fun for them.

When I saw Amy's mom in the background I new I will feel just like she looks, when I see my daughters walk away from their wedding hand in hand with their new husband! I will feel happy & proud, & for a second I might see their lives from a baby until now flash before me seeing them off on their journey, enjoying the memories we have made together.

Amy & Drew had their wedding carriage (car) designed for their wedding ride to the reception.




At the reception Drew was a little hungry but we had a great time. I enjoyed meeting and speaking with all their family & friends.

I feel so lucky to have met & been able to take images for Amy & Drew.

I feel that their love will touch many throughout the lives.

Love & best wishes,

TheodorePaul