Elton Anderson » weddings. lifestyle. fashion.

Justin and Jennifer are in love — in love with each other, in love with their dreams and madly in love with their new daughter Marleigh. I mean, who wouldn’t be? Marleigh is one of the cutest babies around. So you can imagine my excitement when J. Snow (aka Jennifer) asked me to capture her family for the first time. 

We spent the better part of the day cracking jokes, talking about the good ol’ days at FAMU and the best restaurants in LA (yes, we are all foodies). More importantly, we talked about pursuing our passions. I know this is a topic I bring up ALL the time on this blog but I really feel its something we all need to hear. You see, Jennifer has been an inspiration to me for some time now and I was so happy to hear that she’ll be hosting her OWN show on the Style network this fall (sorry Jen, you know I have a big mouth ). 

I truly believe Marleigh is the luckiest little girl in the world to have such amazing parents and I’m even luckier to be able to capture this beautiful family.

I’ve heard its considered good luck if it rains on your wedding day. If that’s true then I must be luckiest wedding photographer in the world! This past weekend I shot two beautiful weddings during two crazy rain storms and still managed to take some great pictures. First up, the newly blessed Charles & Shelley West.

I always remembered Shelley being the smartest girl in my business classes at FAMU and on Sunday she was the happiest girl in Atlanta when she married Charles. They’ve been together for as long as I can remember and have always been a steady source of strength and love for one another. Sure, it rained on their wedding but neither one of them were concerned — they were too busy being in love. It’s great to see beautiful couples like Shelley and Charles come together and even better when I get a chance to capture it. I wish this couple the best!

Wedding Planner: Your Fantasy Affair ; Second Shooter: Alicia Keefe

Delilah Johnson is a dreamer – a BIG dreamer – and on Friday she took the first step in becoming her dream. This past weekend we shot the first campaign for her new clothing line and I could not be happier for her!

Delilah’s story is a lot like mine: Both from the midwest. Ran track for FAMU. Went to business school. Joined a greek organization (she’s my AKA soror). Got a great job out of college and moved to Miami. All these accomplishments were great but she had yet to follow her passion. Delilah spent her days going to work as a buyer for Macy’s and her nights sketching, sewing and creating until one day she made the leap. There’s a point for every young entrepreneur when your passion becomes your purpose and it can be a very scary moment. For Delilah, that moment was filled with support from the people who love her and the people  who love her beautiful dresses. As you can see I’m Team Delilah all the way… she has talent, the passion, the personality and did I mention the talent! If dresses could change the world, they would be Delilah’s. 

Special thanks to our amazing team who made this shoot possible: Jessica Nabongo – Art Director/Make-up artist, Nickey-Ann Leon – Production Assistant/assistant stylist, Sarah Clark – Stylist and Our models – Venisha Hinton & Nicole Hutchuinson. **Special shout out to Jamaican Paul aka “Creepy McCreeperton” on being the male model for the shoot.

For a sneak peek of her first campaign click here: http://eltonandersonblog.com/slidingstories/delilahj/

Yesterday was a HUGE day for my fashion designer friend Delilah Johnson! This is the first campaign for her clothing line and she hired me as the photographer. I’ll post the pictures soon but I wanted to share a few behind the scenes pics of how I roll.

This was actually the first time I’ve had a “real” shoot with stylists, make-up artists and models I didn’t have to find myself, so you could say this was a huge day for me as well. I learned that things run a lot smoother when you have a team and I’m in the process of building mine as we speak. By the way, I typically shoot in Van’s Sneakers but this location required a heavier duty shoe… check out the Asic’s, lol.

**Photo’s Courtesy: Irene O. Aihie

I got caught “chimping”

Delilah was caught slipping too, while getting one of the model’s prepped.

Anyone who knows me knows that food has a special place in my heart — seriously, I LOVE to eat! And over the last  year I’ve had a chance to eat at some amazing restaurants, so I’ve decided to blog about them. I’m sure some of you readers love food just as much as I do, so you can now start checking back here every week for the best restaurants in MIA (in my opinion). And if you’re in town I might just join you for lunch. enjoy.

Soyka’s Restaurant isn’t actually on the beach but it’s certainly worth the 15 minute trip. Located in the trendy area of lower Biscayne Rd (5582 NE 4th CT to be exact), Soyka is probably one of my favorite restaurants in Miami. Great ambiance, amazing food and fair prices make this place the perfect spot for a date or dinner with friends. Visit their website here.

I am very serious about my calamari and this is some of the best I’ve had in Miami. Golden brown, great dipping sauce and rich batter. mmmmm….

Since this was just lunch I went with the 7oz. Churassco w/ fries. PERFECTION! The chimichurra sauce was a great touch, too. I finished it off with the Flan Cheesecake… diabetes never tasted this good.

I’m no Zagat but this was the best lunch I’ve had in months. ALL the flavors were on point, service was great and at $23.00 it was a great deal. If you’re visiting Miami and feel like leaving the beach this is a great place to go.