Well, I’m back from vacation, and it was FABULOUS! Hopefully it won’t take me another year to get photos up for you guys ;) Since coming home, I’ve been catching up on emails, shooting, and editing a LOT of images! There should be a bunch of new blog posts coming very soon, starting NOW!
Going on Vacation
It’s been a busy week around here! Wedding albums being designed and ordered, I’ve had 3 photo shoots, and most importantly – I’ve been busy preparing for my family vacation in FLORIDA!! :D As of tomorrow morning, I will be on vacation for a whole WEEK! YAY!!
And just because I’m getting pumped up, here are some photos from last year’s Florida Vacation!
My niece Reilly
My sister, Kyla and baby Caeden
Michael & Tristan
One of my favorite photos EVER! Me with my little Reilly. Gotta love that face!!!
We had a family portrait session on the beach one evening. I’m debating whether or not to bring my tripod so we can get one of the whole fam… It’s a whole other bag though and you shouldn’t have to carry a lot of stuff on vacation!
The kids were having a great time, no really
The kids and their Kiki :)
It works a whole lot better with my sister running around and being ridiculous behind me. Way more genuine smiles – especially when she fell down in the sand ;)
My Mom & Dad – the amazing people who make it happen!
And this will be my view for the next few days! Don’t be jealous ;)
I’ll be responding to emails and phone calls when I get back. Have a great week!!! :D
Beth & Steven’s Wedding in Newport, RI
Last season I had the chance to second shoot with a bunch of great photographers, but haven’t had a chance to share any of the images with you. Until now :)
This event was shot with my dear friend Erica Pelaccia. We drove down to Newport, RI for the beautiful wedding of Beth & Steve at The Officer’s Club at the Naval Station Newport. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day…
Beth & Steve got married outside by the water, with the sun getting ready to set behind them. It was a beautiful scene, and definitely a fun challenge to shoot!
After the ceremony and the family portraits, we got to spend a little time with just Beth & Steve and the golden sunset. It was gorgeous!!!
Erica working her magic :)
Their reception ended up being one of the funnest parties EVER! It started with a choreographed first dance…
Then the father-daughter dance
Then the best part was that the band was an 80s cover band!!!!! They even dressed up!!! Oh my gosh, they were SO AWESOME!
At first I was a little worried that the crowd wouldn’t be into an 80s band, but I was WRONG! This crowd ate it up!! Everyone from kids to 80 year-old grandparents were gettin’ down on the dance floor all night long. It was a AWESOME!!!
Erica, gettin’ down with her bad self! I love you, Erica ;)
The party was so fun that we closed the place down! On the way to the car, I saw this and just had to get a shot… Gorgeous!
Thank you Erica for inviting me to come shoot with you! It was lovely as always :) Thank you Beth & Steve for having me at your wedding – it was great to meet you guys and enjoy a night boogying with your friends & family! And thank you Fast Times for the best wedding music ever! You guys ROCK – I’ve got to make plans to come out for a show in Boston soooon!
The Rescue
For those of you who have followed my blog for a while (like since the beginning), you know that I’m a HUGE fan of Invisible Children! Invisible Children began as a documentary about children in Northern Uganda who would commute miles each night from the villages to the city to avoid being abducted and forced into the rebel army (the LRA). [If you haven’t seen the film, please buy it and watch it – or ask to borrow it from me!!] And now, Invisible Children has become a movement of young people who want to do something to end the 20+ year war in Uganda.
Peace talks have failed once again, and Invisible Children, along with much of the international community is calling for the arrest of Joseph Kony (the leader of the LRA) and the rescue of the thousands of abducted children who make up his army. On April 25th, 2009, Invisible Children is calling on the youth of the world to abduct themselves to free the abducted by participating in an event called The Rescue. The Rescue is taking place in Boston, and dozens of cities all over the world. Go to the site to find a city near you!
A couple years ago, IC put on a similar event called DisplaceME to raise awareness about the plight of Ugandans being forced to live in IDP Camps because of the ongoing war. A group of my friends from church and I went down to New York to participate and it was a very cool experience – one that I never did share on this blog… No time like the present, huh? :)
This is Bobby Bailey, one of the filmmakers who started Invisible Children.
love this
it was a cold wet night, but people stayed and really slept in card board shelters! (except me, I’m a wimp and I slept in the car ;)
I really love this organization! I wish I could be there to participate on April 25th (though I’m not sad that I’ll be on vacation in FLORIDA). I’m happy that I can support Invisible Children by just passing on the word – and because they’re one of the organizations I support through my wedding photography GIVE program – where 10% of every wedding photography goes to charity. Maybe someday I’ll get to go to Uganda and shoot some photos for them… Hey, I can dream!!
Take a minute and go to www.invisiblechildren.com to learn more. And if you have 30 minutes to watch a powerful video on child soldiers, please click HERE.
SpringFest
One of my 2008 brides, Jessica, emailed me the other day about a charity event she’s planning and asked if I would help spread the word. If you’ve visited this blog before, or visited my website, you know that I’m very much into charity work, and using my photography and my business to support organizations that are really helping people. I checked out the info on Jessica’s event and I think it sounds great!!
SpringFest is a charity fair hosted by Berkland Baptist Church to raise funds and awareness for the China Nest of Hope Orphanage in Beijing, China. The orphanage is part of the China Nest of Hope Foundation, a charitable organization that strives to help orphaned and underprivileged children in Beijing. SpringFest festivities will feature family-friendly activities like games, arts and crafts, demonstrations, music, food and more. There will also be a charity raffle with awesome prizes like airplane tickets & iPods, and winners will be drawn throughout the day.
I love that I get to work with great brides like Jessica, who do cool stuff like this! Visit www.SpringFestBoston.com for more information about SpringFest and about the China Nest of Hope Orphanage, and hopefully I’ll see you there! :)
McGarry Family Chiropractic – Winchester, MA
A couple years ago, I started seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis. I’d been having some pretty regular shoulder and neck pain for a few years, and decided it was time to do something about it. Turns out, carrying heavy camera equipment on my back and holding a camera to my face and a flash over my head for hours at a time, is not so good for my spine. Like many people, I was really skeptical of chiropractic even though lots of photographers had told me it had really helped them. Dr. Lieschen McGarry had become a friend through church, and so I figured I’d give it a try since she was someone I felt really comfortable with and could trust. She explained to me that when your spine is out of line (subluxation), it can disrupt the nerves sending signals to your whole body, which can lead not just to pain but to all sorts of health issues. She also showed me how when your spine is out of line for an extended period of time, it can cause structural damage as well (subluxation degeneration). Looking at my x-ray was a little scary (apparently I have the spine of a 40-year old), so I started going for adjustments on a regular basis, and still do. And it’s really helped!
So, when Lieschen told me she was working on a new website for the office and needed some photographs, I was thrilled to work with her on them!
We started out with some headshots…
Gorgeous, and talented – gotta love it!
This is Maggie, one of the office assistants
And Jessica
They’re a great team!
This is the view from the adjustment room – that’s lovely downtown Winchester
Dr. McGarry explaining Subluxation Degeneration to a patient
Two of the adorable babies she treats
A big part of Dr. McGarry’s practice, is working with families and children. A lot of people freak out at the idea of adjusting children, but she’s incredibly gentle. We photographed her adjusting some babies and kids, so people could see what that looks like.
See, smiling faces :)
Thanks Lieschen for such a fun and different shoot! And thank you especially for all the care you’ve given me over the last couple years! I don’t know how I’d make it through a wedding season without you :)
Britt & Mike’s eSession – Chatham, MA
A few months ago, I met Britt & Mike and we tried to have a fun engagement shoot by Fenway Park, but the weather didn’t really cooperate. Since they live in Washington D.C., it wasn’t so easy to reschedule. So we decided to wait until they came up to Boston during the winter and have a fun, snowy engagement session instead. Well… the weather didn’t exactly cooperate with that idea either! When they came up to the Cape for Valentine’s Day, the skies were blue and the snow was GONE! Oh well! We had a fun time wandering around Chatham anyway, and I was totally thrilled by how the photos turned out – so it all worked out all right :)
We spent the afternoon walking around downtown Chatham and kicked off the shoot at a little park with a band stand.
Like so many of my grooms, Mike’s not a big fan of having his photo taken. So, we spend a lot of time just laughing and getting everyone relaxed. I also spend a lot of time pretending like I’m not taking pictures ;)
I looooove Britt’s engagement ring!
After the park, we went to a candy shop, and then kept walking down the road. Britt kept telling us that the beach where they’ll be married this May was “just a little farther” down the road. After walking pretty far along the road in the cold, we decided to just walk down to the beach, and take the beach route the rest of the way. It was gorgeous!
Britt was excited to get down to water and show us how close we were! Too bad there were all those rocks in our way. haha!
I love that Mike spontaneously picked Britt up and started spinning her around! I try to direct my couples as little as possible so the photos are really natural, and reflect the true nature of their relationship. It’s always fun for me when the true nature of their relationship is to be really playful and make each other laugh like crazy!
or to tease them mercilessly ;)
Gotta love those argyle socks :)
I seem to get a photo like this of almost every couple… Groom staring off in the distance, Bride looking dreamily up at Groom. You people in love are all so cute!
On the other side of the beach, there was this super-tall beach grass. I’ve always wanted to do this, so I asked them if they’d be willing to walk in for a few photos. I was so pumped that they were willing to tromp in, and they turned out to be my favorite photos of the day!!
One of my favorites!
And these…
Could Britt be any cuter?!
very serious, Mike!
And would you look at that? A photo of Mike looking at the camera and SMILING – like for real! Amazing! See, I told you it wouldn’t hurt ;)
And by that point, we were pretty much frozen, so we made our way out of the grass and back up to the road.
After all of that excitement, we still had to walk back to town. Britt apologized a hundred times for taking us so far away, but I didn’t mind :] It was totally worth it!
Britt & Mike – thanks for a fun afternoon! It was great to see you again, and I’m so glad we got to go check out the house where the wedding will be – it’s got me all excited for the big day this May! And thanks especially for the cookie offer last week – you guys are so sweet and I’m so blessed to get to work with people like you! It feels a lot less like “work” when you get to hang out with warm, wonderful people on days when they’re super happy :D
Ozzy the cat
About 7 1/2 years ago, I was living in Chicago and working in a photo studio as an assistant – just beginning my career as a photographer. One day, we got a call from a client asking if any of us wanted to adopt a cat. I’d been thinking about it and told her I might be interested. She asked, “well, what about 2 cats?!” I didn’t really want to become a cat-lady ;), but she told me about what beautiful pure-bred bengals they were, told me how her Mom was sick and couldn’t care for them anymore, and she convinced me that I would love them :) Ozzy & Harriett have been my roommates, best buddies, and a big part of my life ever since.
Late last year, Ozzy got sick. He got down to 5.5 lbs, started losing his vision, and just didn’t seem right. Over the last few months, the vet has run all sorts of tests, and finally diagnosed him with FIP in January. FIP is a viral infection he’s probably had since birth, but only now has come out. It’s terminal and there’s really nothing that can be done except keep the cat as comfortable as possible. It’s been rather horrible watching him get sicker and sicker, and always wondering what would happen next and when he might die. And trying to feed him has been incredibly stressful because he neurologically just couldn’t seem to make his mouth work right half the time. It’s really been a difficult time for both of us.
So, after a few months of fighting it off, the disease seemed to catch up with him this week. His eye sight got significantly worse, his legs didn’t seem to be working right, and he just seemed sad. Every once in a while, he’d just look up at me and cry :( I was praying and praying that God would just take him and that I wouldn’t have to put him to sleep – but in the end, Ozzy needed me to do what was best for him. So, yesterday I took him to the vet, and we put him down :'( It was incredibly sad, but also a bit of a relief. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore, and I’m glad I got to say goodbye and spend some time with him before he died, I’m glad he knew he was loved. But, I am really going to miss having him around. Ever since I started working from home full-time, Ozzy has been by my side every moment I’ve been home – which is a lot. I realized today that I’ve spent more time with him over the last few years than any other person. And now, he’s just not over on the other side of the room sleeping while I work. He’s gone. And for such a little guy, he’s left quite a vacuum…
previous 2 photos were taken by my friend Cynthia a couple weeks ago
I’m not the only one who’s going to miss Ozzy. Poor little Harriett has spent her whole life with him. She’s become more detached in the last few months as he got sick and a little grumpy, but they were still close. I tried to get her to say goodbye, but she didn’t really get what was going on. She seems to know something is wrong, but I don’t know if she realizes Ozzy is gone.
These were taken yesterday before our appointment.
and this is the last photo I’ll ever take of Ozzy. He slept under that blanket all day, and I just laid there and petted him. Poor little guy…
Ozzy, I love you buddy! I’ll miss you so so much! xoxo
Revive, Brandon Heath & Third Day Concert
Over the weekend I went with some friends to see the Third Day Revelation Tour in Worcester. The Australian band Revive opened, followed by Brandon Heath (who sings Give Me Your Eyes – which is AWESOME!), and the headliner was Third Day, who I have loved since even before I became a Christian. Third Day is one of the best-selling Christian Rock bands of all time – and they are fabulous! It was such an awesome night of worship, I just loved it!
I didn’t really get any photos of Revive b/c I was helping a sick friend – but I could hear them and they were phenomenal! You should buy their cd :]
I did get to see Brandon Heath though, and he was awesome! I only knew his first hit, and was very impressed by how great the rest of his songs were. I must buy more!
The crowd loved him too
Third Day was AMAZING! My friend and I snuck up to the balcony to get a different view…
Oh, it was just so good!!!! I can’t tell you what it did for my heart to be surrounded by so many people worshiping God together!
At the end, Dave from Revive, and Brandon Heath came out and joined Third Day to sing God of Wonders.
here’s a video of the song I found on youtube…
After the show, Revive and Brandon Heath came out to meet fans. My friend Suze was not leaving without meeting both, so I waited with her and took some photos. Here’s Suze & Shea with the boys from Revive…
When it was my turn, Rich (Revive’s bass player) decided that he wanted to play with my sweet camera. This is my ha-ha-please-don’t-break-my-camera-face
Then the guys started growling at the camera…
And Rich got a little carried away…
Or maybe a lot carried away
So, my camera was returned unharmed, and I was glad. And then when we went over to meet Brandon Heath, Rich came back to take a few more photos for me… This is me with Brandon Heath :) He’s giving his best Blue Steel here.
I’m not sure what we’re doing here…
It was such an awesome night! Photos with handsome musicians were just the icing on top of the cake ;) Thanks Rich, for the fabulous photos – I’ll cherish them always!!
Laura & Bearden – An Anniversary Shoot in Central Park
Last Fall, I took a little trip to New York City for PDN PhotoPlus Expo. My friend Erica asked her friends Laura & Bearden if we could stay with them at their place while we were in town. They were fabulous hosts, and as a thank you, I spent an afternoon taking some Anniversary Photos of them in Central Park. It was so fun! Laura & Bearden are fascinating people, and it was doubly cool since I’d never been to Central Park before!
I love the view of the buildings behind the field!!
It was right about this point when one of Bearden’s students came along and saw us. Bearden spent the rest of the afternoon looking over his shoulder to see if there were students around. I think he was a little embarrassed to be seen out on a photo shoot ;)
How much do you love Laura’s Orla Kiely bag?!
This is my absolute favorite!!!!
I love this one too!!!
This was my favorite part of the park, for sure. The ceiling in this place was amazing!
Love it!
Bearden has such a great laugh! (If only you could hear it through the photo…)
Another Favorite :)
One last view of the park before we left
Laura & Bearden – It was great to meet you guys! Thanks again for being such gracious hosts, and for a fun couple of days!