East Orlando Photography

Engagement Shoot in Cypress Grove Park

Chris Honour — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:35:39 +0000

Cypress Grove Park is a hidden gem in Orlando. I didn’t know what to expect because of where it was located, but it really is a gorgeous place. I met Audrey and John out there and even though it was our first time meeting face to face we had a great time. Hope you enjoy a few of the photos….

Chris Honour

Winner of the Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Award ’12

Chris Honour — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:02:20 +0000

I’m in the top 5% of wedding photographers in Florida!

It’s quite thrilling to hear that I won the Bride’s Choice Awards 2012 from WeddingWire! This is the 4th year in a row. This means I’m in the top 5 percent of Wedding Professionals nationwide.

Working as a wedding photographer has its own reward in how clients appreciate the photography. Even then, it’s a great pleasure to be recognized like this.

Swinging cameras around on the wedding day is pretty cool, but the hours and hours spent in the office in front of the computer… I’ll take this award as recognition of that as well.

How are the winners determined?

The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards ™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. Awards are determined by a combination of four factors: Overall rating (quality), total number of reviews (quantity), review performance from 2011 (recency), and consistency of reviews from year to year (consistency). This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of WeddingWire’s vendor community, across all service categories and all regions throughout the US and Canada.

When a Wedding at Home Works

Chris Honour — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:52:18 +0000

I first met Linda and Scott at their son’s, Steven, wedding. It was a small and intimate wedding in Leu Gardens and I had a blast meeting the family. So, when Linda contacted me I was floored that she was tying the knot and she wanted me to shoot the wedding! They were also having a small wedding but this one was at their home.

When I arrived at their home, it was obvious they made a perfect choice for the location. They had moved out most of the furniture to make room for the big day and decorated just about everything. I was equally excited to see their daughter in law Kayla and their son Steven and the feeling was mutual. After catching up for a bit, it was time to get shooting. It really made the day run smooth for me as I had already worked with everyone once before.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites…

Thanks, Chris

Paradise Cove Wedding – Leo & Michelle

Chris Honour — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:53:11 +0000

I got to shoot another wedding out at Paradise Cove. This time for Leo and Michelle. The weather was awesome, the food was great and everyone had a great time. The last time I shot there it rained HARD all day and night, so it was nice to not worry about that. Leo is a bit reserved, but I saw him come out of his shell a few times that night. Anyway, congrats guys and hope you are enjoying the married life!

Here are some of my favorites…

- Chris Honour

Arlington National Cemetery – My Grandfather’s Military Funeral

Chris Honour — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:21:06 +0000

My grandfather lead an interesting 90 year life. He lived through 17 presidents and 35 years in the Navy (which included flying 26 types of airplanes with almost 4600 flight hours). He worked another 16 years for the city of Jacksonville (through one form or another) and enjoyed almost 25 years in retirement. He was the father of 4 sons and one daughter and had 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

My granddad loved to tell stories. Stories of when he was a boy, when he was in the Navy, his career with Jacksonville but most of all how good his golf game was. I have heard most of his stories so many times that I often tuned them out. Something I feel kinda of guilty about now a days. But golf…. thats something we all enjoyed. I dont think there was a visit in my adult life that we didnt play golf. Heck, even as a kid I used to drive the cart and watch him play. My granddad had a pretty good game in his younger years but as you can imagine old age increased his scored and handicap. Even then, the man hit everything straight as an arrow… just not as far. My cousin Scott and I used to tease him about how boring it must be to hit the ball just about where you want every time. If you played competitively with him, you had to watch the putting because he loved to give himself “the benefit of the doubt”. My dad and I would chuckle about his interpretation of the rules. However, in the end it was golf that was his demise. On June 11, 2007 Walter Whitaker Honour had a major heart attack on the green of his home course in Newland, NC. The unfortunate event made worse by the fact that Newland is in the middle of no where. The closest trauma hospital was by helicopter in Johnson City, TN. Forest fires were fairly bad that particular year so the travel was slow. After surgery and a stent, granddad never returned to golf. In fact, his health never was 100% after that. His health slowly declined to his passing October 31, 2010.

Our family had a “celebration” service back in November to remember his life. My dad went over his life’s “timeline” and told funny and proud stories of his dad. My Uncles did the same. I listened to bunk mates from the Naval Academy (class of 1944) tell stories I never heard and coworkers from his 2nd career told their fond memories. Scattered around the room were mementos of his life… plaques, medals, certificates, airplane models and lots of photos. It was pretty humbling how many people came. Granddad’s final funeral service would be at Arlington National Cemetery were he would be buried with full military honors, that took place back in April.

My wife, son and I traveled to DC to attend the memorial service. I have to admit that I was taken aback by how much honor, pride and patriotism was displayed that day by both the men and women of the old guard and the tourists that were also there. The ceremony in the chapel was short and sweet. Afterwards, just outside the chapel my granddad’s ashes were placed in the horse drawn caisson. Since his branch of service was Navy, all the service personnel performing his service were Navy. A nice touch. The band began their parade song and march, followed by the escort troops and the horse drawn caisson. My dad, my 2 Uncles, my granddad’s sister in law and I all walked behind the caisson for the 1.5 mile trip to the gravesite. During our march, we encountered tons of tourists that stopped what they were doing and stood still while we passed. Children, teenagers, parents and retirees all stood in awe of what was happening in front of them. The coolest part was when we passed a group of Boy Scouts and they stopped and gave the three finger salute. My dad fell back from the formation, turned and faced the group and saluted back. The act was so simple in nature but was so symbolic that it really took my breath away. At the end of the trek, granddad’s ashes were taken out of the caisson and placed at the ceremonial grave site. The service included the gun salute, bugler playing “Taps”, flag folding and the presenting of the flag to family. It all went so fast, but was so surreal to experience.

As a grandson, I wanted to soak it all in and feel the emotion, but I was concerned about how I would handle it all emotionally. I took my camera but as many of you that read this blog know, I wanted to be a part of the ceremony and not be a “photographer”. However, as the day started I quickly fell into that role anyway. In the end, I was ok with my decision. Anyway, this blog post and working the photos were a major part of me processing the entire event.

Below is the Obituary that the family created so I wanted to share that and the photos at the end of this post. Thank you for reading…

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Captain Walter Whitaker Honour USN (retired)

Captain Walter W Honour made his final takeoff October 31, 2010. Born into the “greatest generation” August 4, 1920 in Orange NJ, son of Stanley and Carla Honour, he attended public schools in Waterford, NY and graduated from East Orange HS in 1937.

Walt studied engineering at Newark College of Engineering and enlisted in the Unites States Marine Corps Reserve, rising to corporal before accepting an appointment to the US Naval Academy in 1940 where he played varsity soccer and basketball. Ensign Honour graduated after three year war curriculum as part of class of 1944 with a BS in Engineering. He married Elaine Gibson in Newark the next day. Together they had five children, Walt Jr, Craig, Eric, Stephen and Melanie.

After a short tour as a navy flight observer, he joined USS Intrepid (CV 11) bound for the pacific war as Assistant Navigator and survived many combat engagements in the Central and Western Pacific. During battle for Truk, the ship suffered a direct hit by an enemy aerial torpedo. Captain Honour was designated a naval aviator on V-J day and rose rapidly through various squadron and station tours in Guam, Atlantic City, Memphis, Patuxent, and Purdue University. After flying C-118’s across the Pacific for two years, he was promoted to Commander and graduated from Army Command and General Staff College in 1959. He joined Patrol Squadron VP-18 flying P2V’s and rose to be Commanding Officer. He was rewarded with a second command as the Commanding officer of VP30 where he flew P5M seaplanes, P2V’s and introduced the P3 to the fleet. He followed with Executive Officer tour on USS Boxer and then the pentagon navy staff.

Captain Honour next commanded the ship USS Pawcatuk before becoming the Commodore Fleet Air Wing 11 at NAS Jacksonville. He headed back to pentagon where he earned dual Master degrees at George Washington University. He retired from a distinguished career after 35 years.

Captain Honour then had a successful second career in Duval County government as Director of Bio-environmental Sciences where he was influential in stopping sewage into the St Johns and reducing pulp mill odors. In retirement he consulted, travelled, built three houses, wrote books and played a lot of golf. He married Bobbie Sue Blanchard Miller in 1998.

He is survived by his second wife Bobbie Sue Honour, sons Craig Honour, Eric Honour, and Stephen Honour, 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

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Hope you enjoyed….

Tuscawilla Country Club Wedding

Chris Honour — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:42:27 +0000

I have worked LOTS of weddings over the years and when my friends and family ask what was my favorite…. well lets just say its one of the hardest answers to give. I know, that sounds like pandering to you, but its true. They are all great and awesome in the their own way. Sure, some are cooler than others. Some are more elaborate than others, but that doesnt really make a wedding my favorite. So what really makes a wedding land in the “top” of my favorites? Its simple. The couple and their bridal party. If the chemistry between the bridal party and I is really clicking it just makes for a great time. When that happens… the day flies by, nothing seems hard, my creative juices just flow and the experience is simply amazing. Its a reminder of why I love doing this. It should also serve as a reminder to all you couples out there looking for a photographer to find someone that you “click” with. Its worth the time.

Chris and Nicole’s wedding was destined to be a great one. It all started at the engagement shoot. We had so much fun and I discovered Nicole’s infectious smile. So fast forward to their wedding and I knew I was in for a surprise. The bridal party was full of family and they were loads of fun. I dont know how or where to pinpoint it so much as to the fact that Nicole just smiled all day and her sister’s and brothers did the same… and shed a few tears. Both families were there to have a good time and celebrate the love Chris and Nicole had for each other. All in all, Chris and Nicole’s wedding certainly goes down in my top 5 ever.

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites….

– Chris had gotten Nicole some very nice flowers, balloons, card and of course, some jewelry. Nicole cried…. it was very sweet. I particularly love Nicole’s sister and mom’s reaction.

– Nicole is fighting back the tears.

– The girls and dad.

– Father Steven administered the ceremony. He married my wife and I over 7 years ago and he still remembers me from back then. Its always great seeing him again.

- Chris Honour, Orlando Wedding Photographer

A Wedding at The Orange County Regional History Center

Chris Honour — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:56:31 +0000

Lauren and Eric are a great couple with great families and I was looking forward to their wedding reception at the always awesome Orange County Regional History Center. But, before we could start the party at the History Center, we had the ceremony at a small church just south of downtown. The church is a Baptist church now, but Lauren and her family use to attend church there for years before it converted. So, when Lauren and Eric got engaged they asked the pastor if they could take over the church for the day to have their wedding. The pastor and his church were happy to obliged. It’s the small stories like this that make me love being a wedding photographer. Anyway, here are some of my favorites from the day…

Eric wears his emotions on his sleeves… and he loves his mom!

This is so classic. The “guys” with the garter toss…

This is my favorite “departing” shot, ever!

Chris Honour
Orlando Wedding Photographer

Photography and Art

Chris Honour — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:15:24 +0000

Seth Godwin had a post on his blog today that really resonated with me. I thought I would share. Seth is a genius in marketing and you should definitely check out his blog for daily inspiration.

“Art is what we call…

the thing an artist does.

It’s not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.

Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artist.”

- Seth Godin

Intimate Winter Park Ceremony

Chris Honour — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 07:13:32 +0000

I have known Troy for about 6 years and was very excited when he told me was engaged. I was even more excited when he asked if I could shoot the ceremony at his house. Close friends and family, cold beer and great food was what this intimate affair was about and I was glad that I got to shoot it for them. I got to put down the camera and relax after the ceremony and just be a guest. So thank you Troy for inviting me and letting be your photographer. Enjoy a few of my favorites…

Chris

The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne – Bridal Party

Chris Honour — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:28:11 +0000

I received a surprise phone call from a bride’s mother asking if she could hire me to shoot her daughter’s bridal party at The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne. I had all ready shot her daughter, Lauren, engagement photos and was shooting her wedding in a few months. Lauren’s mom, Linda, also wanted to purchase an engagement shoot book for me to bring to the bridal party. This was officially my first surprise shoot and I was happy to be there. Besides, Lauren and her fiancee, Eric, were so much fun to work with that I just couldn’t pass this one up. I did have some conflicts on my schedule but a few phone calls later explaining what was going on and I was suddenly available!

I had a blast surprising Lauren and shooting her family and friends. They had a great time playing all sorts of games that were designed to give information about her and Eric’s past, present and future together. They also had a crepe station set up from Puff and Stuff Catering, plus lots of gifts and other entertainment.

Here is a collage of the day…

St. Augustine Wedding – The White Room

Chris Honour — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:05:22 +0000

I shot Liana and Keith’s engagement photos back in April and had a great time because they were a lot of fun, but also because they had just recently had a little baby girl, Ella. It was so much fun being around little Ella and it brought me back to when my little guy, Zach, was that age. Man, the time flies. So fast forward to Liana and Keith’s wedding in St Augustine and I was looking forward to some good times with their tight family. I even got to see a bride of mine from a wedding back in 2009.

Liana and Keith were wed at the White Room, right in the thick of old, historic St Augustine. In fact, the ceremony and reception was on the top floor and outside. These two spent a lot time in St Augustine and Keith even asked Liana to marry him right in front of the old court house. So, I knew that we had to capture that love of the city in their photographs. Here are some of my favorites:

ABOVE: I love how the shoes match the diaper bag…

ABOVE: Keith’s vows were so sweet.

ABOVE: The men bow their heads before the ceremony.

ABOVE: Some of the best cupcakes I have ever had!

ABOVE: Keith and Liana were technically all ready married, they exchanged their rings again at the ceremony. Keith had bought her a nicer ring and decided to give it to her at the same spot that they were engaged. Very romantic…

ABOVE: Liana checking out the new bling…

ABOVE: The park always seems to have some sort of gathering of music, this time a small church group was there and this gentleman sang to the couple.

Chris Honour, East Orlando Photography

Outdoor Wedding at Tuscawilla Country Club

Chris Honour — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:33:56 +0000

I have shot a few weddings at Tuscawilla Country Club and I really enjoy shooting out there. Janice and Jose were married on a beautiful day with an outdoor ceremony on the grounds of the County Club. The club has an awesome place for outdoor weddings that is just marvelous. So, besides the sun being very, very bright… it was an amazing ceremony. Once inside, everyone cooled down and had a great time. Once again, I am happy that I got to shoot Janice and Jose’s wedding and I cant wait to shoot their next big, life moment.

Chris Honour

Winter Park Farmers Market Wedding

Chris Honour — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:25:42 +0000

Emmalee and Brad got married at the always cool Winter Park Farmer’s Market. The place has so much character… Spending the day with these two was a blast and here are some of my favorites:

-Chris Honour

Ashley and Fouad: Baby Shower at Highland Manor

Chris Honour — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:21:57 +0000

One of the greatest things about being a photographer is the honor to witness some of life’s best moments. Like the baby shower for Ashley and Fouad that I was asked to photograph.

Turns out that Ashley and Fouad didn’t have a photographer at their wedding because it wasn’t in their budget. So, when they were having a baby shower they decided to spring for one to capture all those fun and special moments. I was very excited to be there for them and as the father of an almost 4 year old, I know how special a baby shower can be.

Highland Manor is a beautiful place, so if you are looking for a venue to have your wedding at check them out. The staff gave Ashley and her family tons of attention and took care of everything, even though they were setting up for a large wedding that was starting in just a few hours. I will also give Highland Manor very high marks for the way they took care of me. Some venues are not that great at treating vendors well, but this place made sure I had everything I needed…

Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Chris Honour

Paradise Cove Wedding: Melanie and Josh

Chris Honour — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:25:44 +0000

Melanie and Josh’s wedding goes down as the wettest I have ever worked. It was pouring all day long and not one of those short, but hard Florida rains. It was raining hard, had been for hours and was scheduled to not let up for several hours longer. Now, normally we would say bummer, no outside shots, but this was not your ordinary venue. This was Paradise Cove, where the venue is all about the outside. There isnt much of a plan B, but the folks over at Tuxedocatering were able to move the entire event under the large, covered patio.

On the patio, the venue had canvas “walls” for the rain, so they were able to pull those down. There were a drips here and there from the roof and those “walls” didnt seal out all the water. I went in thinking I was going to use natural light for the ceremony as it was later afternoon, but that storm made it feel like the sun had set long ago. So, I had to set up some lights. However, with all the wind and rain, I had to break out the fancy water proofing gear I had been saving for just this occasion so that my flashes and remotes didnt get ruined. If you are a potential client, dont read this next part… If you are a fellow photographer, then you know what I am talking about. Those good, ole kitchen trash bags did the trick and diffused the light just right.

Anyway, I also worked with Karen Osborne of StudioOsborne.com and she shot the trailer below. She was a blast to work with and cant wait to do it again…

What a great wedding, so thank you Melanie and Josh for the chance to shoot your wedding and be a part of your wet day! Here are my favorites from the day.

Melanie & Joshua — Trailer from Karen Osborne on Vimeo.