rovinggirl.com » Portraits

Windows in their Eyes….

Ruth — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:07:24 +0000

What can I say… I love me some window light. It’s flattering, diffused, and even. It doesn’t happen to have two very adorable subjects, too.

A Special Engagement | Katie & Andrew at the Jacksonville Zoo

Ruth — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:22:05 +0000

Another fabulous engagement shoot at the Jacksonville Zoo. I wanted to post something special on Valentine’s Day this year, so I held off sharing this one until today.

These two are so lovely together.

Jacksonville Wedding Photographer Ruth Shepherd: What is true beauty?

Ruth — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:37:56 +0000

Today I’m featuring someone whose actions and influence have changed my life forever, my mother. As I’m sliding fast towards my 30s, she’s… well, older than that, obviously, but I have to say, my family has a lot of very beautiful women. Here’s a portrait I did of her around Christmas.

And when I say beautiful women, I mean beautiful women. My grandmother was with us that day (I love it when everyone’s together) and they posed together.

I’m suddenly feeling a lot better about growing older :) It’s exciting to look back to where they were to where they are now, seeing what God has done in their lives. Daily struggles are just that, daily. Things happen and things pass, and God brings us through them all to emerge a more beautiful person, stronger and more confident to deal with what life throws at us.

Beauty is skin deep, and I think a good photographer can bring out the inner beauty in those moments where we let our guard down and allow ourselves to be what makes us special, being ourselves. That’s why I’m adopting a slogan that really underlines what I do as a photographer, why I think it’s important. Real. Beautiful. You. We all need to be reminded that who we are is what makes us special, beautiful. This is my goal, what makes a photoshoot successful for me: To catch the moments between poses where we allow ourselves to relax, smile, and laugh without reservation. To me, this is when a person is beautiful outwardly — when the inside shines through.

Mandarin Portraits

Ruth — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:05:06 +0000

Let me introduce Jen. We met several months ago through a local Jacksonville photography group, and let me tell you… it’s nice to have someone around who geeks out about photography like I do. Most recently we’ve started collaborating on a few projects, mainly weddings, but the last few weeks have been stagnant on the photography field. Really, who wants to go out and get engagement pictures done when it’s 30 degrees out?

Brr… it was way too cold for this part of the country. Forget that I spent my first 25 years in Minnesota, and was born in Alaska, and it’s -35 this week in my hometown; this is Florida! But finally, this weekend the weather turned and we saw the sun for the first time. Desperate for some shoot time, Jen mentioned she needed some head shots, so we struck out for the Walter Jones Memorial Park in Mandarin — Jacksonville, FL.

Jen was as lovely as the weather that day:

Hopefully it’ll be just as nice this weekend for Kristin and Mike’s engagement photos downtown Jacksonville!

-Ruth

Playing with lighting downtown..

Ruth — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:28:46 +0000

This past weekend I was blessed with remarkably cool, comfortable weather and a plethora of models to choose from. As a photographer, you never know what you’re going to get when you ask for models, but as I’ve had a chance to work with Valerie before, I was excited.

Not only is this young lady gorgeous, but she’s got a smile that’s great to shoot. Add a great location (downtown Jacksonville, Florida) and some rim lighting, and the possibilities are endless…

Hair blowing in the wind...

Showing her strength and confidence

Now all I need is the 10-year advanced booking to be the photographer at her wedding!

-Ruth