freezing my hoo-ha off part 2

As if it wasn't cold enough for me on Friday, I had a second engagement shoot on Saturday and it was COLDER! Not sure how that happened as I was not on the open beach with those forceful shore winds! But cold it was, and luckily for me Zack was such a prepared gentleman he let me use his spandex gloves, better to shoot in than the ones I was trying to use! Melina & Zack are such an energetic couple- we were talking about the photos we are going to do before their ceremony and it may involve a farm, an old white barn and COWS! I am really amped for that, for many reasons- old barn, anyone? And white? Love it! Throw in some cows for good measure and my mind is spinning! Lot of black and white, hopefully some rich green grass and deep blue skies...!
Love the shadow shot I got of Melina & Zack- I was telling them how when my husband and I travel I try to get at least one shadow shot of us showing where we have been. I try to get some type of cool shadow shots during my weddings, it's really hard to get something different and interesting- and also hard not to be in the shot myself! Thankfully I have photoshop!

meghan & brian

Friday I photographed Meghan & Brain's engagement pictures in the FREEZING cold, with some serious wind. Why not wait for the spring? Well, I offer a custom guest book that feature pictures from the engagement shoot so I need time to design and order it (it takes a month just on the album company's end) and I am not a fan of cutting things close! Meghan & Brian were such good sports, I think I was the biggest complainer of the day! I don't know where I am finding these couples that are just so easy and comfortable in front of the camera, but they were SO super comfortable and needed very little 'warming up.' This was good as my 'warming up' sessions tend to be me cracking my dry old jokes! And Brian, no, you do NOT suffer from the Chandler Bing Syndrome!
Another exciting aspect of our shoot was this was my first people shoot since seeing Kevin Kubota's seminar at the CPPA's Convention on February 12th- 'Dynamic Digital Imaging.' For those of you that don't know, I am a seminar junkie- I feel that you can learn something from everyone and can find inspiration in things that are not centered around weddings.

This was a big part of Kevin's message- he finds inspiration in so many things- it was nice to hear one of my idols talk about things that I believe in so strongly, it means I am on the right path! In alot of Kevin's images he has his brides and grooms doing some pretty dynamic things, so of course, people ask him how he gets them to do it. 'Just Ask!' he said. Simple but true. His clients trust him and hired him because they love the imagery that he creates and they trust his creative vision. The same is true of anyone's clients- so if you are my client and are reading this now, prepare yourself for some fun sessions! On your wedding you only have one time to get it right, be adventurous and open minded, you never know what you can come up with!

floral fashion shoot

This afternoon I shot some floral arrangements for a local florist, A Special Place in West Hartford- how cool is this? Sandy, the head designer, came up with this for a bridal show at the Wadsworth Mansion the other day and called me to shoot it for her up coming web site- I was pretty psyched to shoot it, it is so creative and fun! Sandy is so laid back and creative, we were both gabbing our heads off about flowers (I am an avid gardener) and come on, who doesn't love flowers? An hour and a half later I left to bring the boquets and arrangements to my studio to shoot. And all I have to say is, THIS IS MY JOB!!!! How lucky am I?

dead moms club one year anniversary

February 10 will be one year since my mother died. She was sick for a long time with COPD, a lung disease for those of you not up with the Sick Mom Lingo. I shot this image at her wake- the kids are most of her grand children, two of which are mine. There was a moment when all of them just kind of made their way up, no one prodded them to, they just went up naturally. The room became really quiet, except for the muffled sounds of people noticing. How natural for me to see this, as children were always so drawn to my Mom, and she was to them. Her coffin is draped in a quilt she made with my brother's and sister's hand prints and drawings back when easy to use fabric transfers didn't exist! My Mom painstakingly crafted this tribute to our childhood, as I in turn created this image as a tribute to her death, surrounded by her creative expressions- quilts, dolls and the promise of youth. Beautiful floral arrangements made by her family filled the room.
I miss my Mom so much and wish she could see all of the beautiful things I am doing with my life, how my children are growing and changing. I took over my childhood home and am lovingly renovating it with my husband- I wish she could see all that we have done and are going to do still. She appreciated old houses and all of their charm.
On a shoot a little bit ago I had the opportunity to talk with two sisters who had recently lost their mom. We had a really great talk about all of the things associated with being in the 'dead moms club' and how angry we are and how sad. It was great to laugh and yell and not care what we said because we knew all of us would understand, as only those in the club do. So for those of you who still have your Mom in your life, love them, appreciate them, hug them!

coming up roses

Still looking for a florist for your Connecticut wedding? Look no further! Call A Special Place in West Hartford, they are very easy to work with and are creative floral artists! I highly recommend them. Here's the 411: A SPECIAL PLACE LLC, 20 Jefferson Ave., Suite 9, West Hartford, (860) 218-2981. A Special Place specializes in distinctive and sophisticated floral designs, each crafted with uncommon floral materials.