Sunday, March 30, 2008

Fun for the Kids! Our Feathered Friends Wee Workshop

The adventures that they have for our kiddos at the area parks are so much fun! Our family has had the opportunity to attend a few of them at the Tillie K Fowler Regional Park (formerly the Westside Regional Park) across from the main entrance of NAS Jax on Roosevelt Blvd. With it being spring break week for the kids in Duval and Clay, this is a great way to get the kids out of the house and have fun with nature! This one is for the WEE Explorers under 7 years old! Sounds fun!

WEE WORKSHOP: OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS…BIRDS!
10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 2
Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park
7000 Roosevelt Blvd.
Calling all wee nature explorers (7 years and under) and their adult companions to join in on a search for our feathered friends…birds! Learn what makes birds special and different from other animals. Participants will decorate “binoculars,” which they will learn to use and can take home with them after the program.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

People's Choice - Third Place!

What happens when you get a room full of professional photographers? You get to see some amazing images and have a little friendly competition! Each month when our Professional Photographers Society of North Florida (better known as PPSNF) gets together, we have what's called "People's Choice" where members vote on their favorite images from fellow photographers.

For me, this experience is about learning. Learning what really makes a great photograph and learning from those who have been in this business a lot longer than I have. So, each month, I try to bring an image that I am particularly proud of that meets some of the 12 guidelines for competition and I put it down with the photographs of others to be judged by our peers. We each take a turn voting and before the meeting begins, they announce the winners of People's Choice.

Last night, it was an absolute honor to have tied for third place among about 15 entries. The title is "Tres Chic" and the beautiful model is Miss Hannah.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Big Announcement

Watch for some big announcements coming very soon! Can't say anything else quite yet!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Our Beautiful City

The City of Jacksonville has such a beautiful skyline, especially at night. A while back, my daughter and I headed down to Friendship Park in the evening to photograph some of the beauty that Jacksonville at night has. This is one of the photographs in my series! Enjoy!

Family Fun - Kids Kampus at Metropolitan Park

If you haven't yet checked out the Kid Kampus at Metropolitan Park in downtown Jacksonville, you definitely need to! The Kid Kampus is a "ten-acre recreational facility with bright, colorful, climbing, digging and sliding equipment with an educational twist." And the best part is it is FREE!!!

Set right on the St. John's River across from the Jaguars stadium, children can ride their tricycles or training wheel bikes on the roads of a miniature downtown Jacksonville, complete with miniature Jacksonville landmarks. If you don't have one of those kind of bikes, you can easily rent one for no cost! But don't try to bring in a bike for an older child (ones that are not tricycles or with training wheels) as they won't allow them for the safety of the younger kids.

Kids can also play in the sand pits, or on the large playground with lots of places to climb and play. There are plenty of benches for parents to sit and watch the kids and restrooms are right there, too. There is also a picnic pavillion and jogging trail. During the summer months, the Splash Park (May - Sept) will be open, as well.

Spring/Summer Hours: Mon-Sat, 8am-8pm; Sun, 10am-8pm. Fall/Winter Hours: Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm; Sun, 10am-6pm. (Hours subject to change due to holidays, special events and inclement weather.)

For more information, call 904-630-KIDS or visit www.coj.net

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Getting back in the habit!

The past month has been very busy, both with business and my family!

My son and I had a great time on our whirlwind trip to Pennsylvania. Although it was very short (19 hr drive on Wednesday and 19 hour drive back on Sunday), we did get to visit with my aunts that I haven't seen in a very long time. My son was so excited to see snow, however, when we arrived, the only snow was that which had been left over from the snow plows and were mostly covered with cinders and dirt. So, my dad and I ventured over to the ski resort I spent much time with growing up just so Ean could experience the joy of snow. He absolutely loved it! The visit with my aunts was wonderful and I'm hoping to be able to travel back up there this year to visit with them again.

Half my family, including myself, have been dealing with a bout of a very bad cold, however, we are on the mend and are almost back at 100%.

On the business side, we've been enjoying working with our amazing clients. We are putting some finishing touches on some new products and expect to announce them very soon! You definitely won't want to miss them!

And, my promise to you is to get back in the habit of updating my blog regularly! We've got some pretty neat things planned for the blog. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Operation: Love ReUnited


Mikkean Photography proudly announces their support and involvement with Operation: Love ReUnited. Jacksonville and it's surrounding areas is home to many military families who are attached to either NAS Jacksonville, NS Mayport and NSB Kings Bay, GA and this is our way of saying Thank You to the military. A limited number of sessions are available.

If you have ever been through a military deployment, there are no words to explain how hard it is to send the father or mother of your children off to some foreign, dangerous land, leaving you all behind…. Alone. It’s indescribable to watch their faces light up as their mother or father comes up the stairs of the airport after months, possibly a year or more, of not hugging each other. Emotions fly through the main lobby, it’s so very good to have them home. Your base’s Family Support Squadron will help you with your deployment. But the last thing on your mind when your wife or husband arrives home after a 4 to 18 month tour, is capturing all this love– on film. Most people are so overwhelmed with emotions they forget to simply point and shoot the camera they are grasping of their child’s first hug, or that single tear of relief from a mother being able to hold her twenty year old son again. With the help of Operation: Love ReUnited and local photographers near your base, you can.

The Operation helps those long months go by a little faster. It’s designed to capture moments that you will never remember. It’s art. It’s love. And it’s all made possible by artists wanting to give something back to those who make the United States what it is, and ask for nothing in return- but to come home.

If you are a member of the United States Military, and are interested in having very special and touching images with a patriotic edge taken of you and/or your family before a deployment or during, and at your reunion, please contact Mikkean Photography now.

In addition to the complementary session, you will receive one (1) 4x6 album of pre-deployment images, such as a child’s hand clasped in his parent’s with the faint glimpse of a BDU sleeve, a marine in dress with his family, a salior with his parents right before departure, or a child playing dress up in combat boots and a helmet. The album will be sent directly to the deployed soldier by our studio.

About Pre-Deployment & Deployment Sessions:
OpLove Pre-Deployment & Deployment sessions help you say goodbye and cope with being away. Anyone who has had to see their husband or wife, son, daughter, sister or brother off to war knows how hard it is to watch them walk away from you. Our studio volunteers to capture these emotions. We feel your pain, having been a military spouse and family member myself. We want to listen, help ease your worries, and want to do what we can to help you through this deployment, and we do that with our photography. Your initial session will be either with the your spouse before he or she deploys dressed in their dress uniform or BDUs for most of the session, or if you find OpLove after your loved one has deployed, your session will be done without your loved one keeping a patriotic theme that could include dress, hats, BDUs, boots and other military gear, but they will still experience all the love & benefits that OpLove has to offer.

About Returning Sessions:
When your loved one comes home from a deployment, the last thought on your mind will be your camera. Most people are so overwhelmed with emotions, they simply forget they are holding it in their hand. Once you find out about the time your loved one is to return from his or her deployment, please let Mikkean Photography know. We will want to accompany your family to the welcoming home of your spouse or loved one, and capture that first glimpse, that first embrace, and all the love that surrounds every person who walks off that plane, into their families arms.

**Please note that orders may be requested. Pre-deployment sessions in which the deploying spouse is participating, should include their military uniform, dress or BDUs, being worn for most of the session. Some images may be taken in civilian clothes but please understand that this program does not focus on traditional family portraiture. If an OpLove session takes place and the spouse has already been deployed, the session should keep a patriotic theme including military gear such as hats, uniforms, boots, etc. A model release must be completed at the time of the session.

No purchase is required. If you would like images in addition to the complementary 4x6 album for the deployed soldier, they will be available for purchase.

If you have additional questions, please contact Mikkean Photography or visit www.oplove.org

Fun for Kids - Tunnelz N' Tumblez

We were invited to a birthday party last weekend and discovered a fun place for kids to play that is not nearly as hectic as Chuck E Cheese (and much cleaner, too). It's called Tunnelz N' Tumblez and is located on Sunbeam Road in Jacksonville. They have a
a great climbing and sliding area, a really cool 9-hole indoor pirate themed miniature golf with the walls painted with phosphorescent paint and lit with black light, a laser tag area for the older kids, and a snack bar which you can order pizza and more.

This seems to be for children about two years of age or older. Parents ARE able to climb in the tunnels, too!

For more information and directions, visit their website at: www.tunnelzntumblez.com/

P.S. If you live in St. Augustine, there's a location in the St. Augustine South area!