face first films

I had the distinct pleasure of having dinner and (mostly) drinks last night with the way too funny for words, Jeff Reilly of Face First Films fame. Many of you see his comments on my blog and are probably wondering who this joker is. Man or woman? Friend or foe? Well, I am here to tell you he is one of the funniest, most endearing guys you will ever meet! I met him for the first time at stevedepino.com's PUG meeting a few months back and we hit it off instantly. He was throwing one liners around like he was at a comedy show, and I was hooked! In addition to being super witty, he is also a mega talented video editor- he did steve's promo video, check it out! He posts the most insightful reviews of movies- he truly loves them and analyzes all aspects of them- it's truly fascinating to read his rants!
Half way through our meeting the lovely Miss Becky, Jeff's lady love, joined us! She is a pepper, I am totally looking forward to getting to know this lady- in fact I left dinner feeling like I had known the both of them for years already! Thanks again for dinner guys, next time I'll make sure to order the lobster! ;)

Gigi's first day of school and summer adventures recap

Well, I didn't get to post this but I totally have to- I had a bride and groom drive 3+ hours to meet with me from New Jersey (hi Tom & Charisse!!) and tell me that they thought that I had real, live monkeys! How cute is that!! So to clear that up I am posting some super cute pictures of my monkeys, the adorable Mister Jackson and super crazy Georgie Girl! They are too much! I just downloaded pictures from my point and shoot and the whole card pretty much sums up my summer, can't believe it's almost over...super sad! Right now Jack is listening to my old disk man with jazz on, and he is humming right along! So cute! When he was just getting into trains (and boy is he into them!) Dave would put on Duke Ellington or McCoy Tyner and just play with Jack in his room- set up blocks, play trains, build tunnels...now Jack totally associates jazz with trains! Today was Georgie's first day of school- pre-pre K- and she was such a big girl, she went right in, gave me a smooch, and ran to play with the mermaid barbies! I can't believe it! There is a picture of Jack's spanking new school shoes; him blueberry picking where he said' take a picture of me like Charlie Bucket (from Willy Wonka) because he had a bucket around his neck! And them just being cute in general!So, enjoy my monkey's, I know I do!!

10,000 and still going strong!

My buds Justin & Mary have hit and passed the 10,000 hits blogging milestone a few days back and I have been meaning to post about it in celebration! Justin and Mary really rock the house in so many ways, I can't even try to sum them or how much they mean to me in one blog post! They are truly two of the most generous, kind, supportive and wonderful people I have ever met let alone been lucky enough to count as some of my dearest friends! They really and truly walk the walk and just reach out to everyone to help, regardless of what they have going on in their lives. And let's face it, we all have things going on which makes it so easy to just retreat and be caught up in how busy we are! I know I am guilty of doing that but have been trying hard to follow their stellar example. In addition to being wonderful people they are such talented photographers, a veritable dream team combining killer photography skills, kick ass branding and super phone skills! :) I joke but man there is nothing worse than someone who doesn't know how to conduct themselves on a phone!
Justin is also an alum of the one and only RIT, as am I, and Mary graduated last year from Yale Law School! I know, right? They are super schooled!
All in all, I am lucky to have them in my life, and can't wait to see them take their careers to the next level when they are featured speakers at Pictage's Partner Conference in Los Angeles in September!! You can be sure I will be sitting front and center with our PUG pals, cheering you both on, and probably crying with pride!!! I love you guys!

liora + michael

To cap off my super duper weekend of shooting I met up with Liora & Michael in their stomping grounds of beautiful Boston. It was threatening to rain the whole time and of course as luck would have it as soon as I parked it down poured like crazy! Me and my precious gear remained dry, thank you very much! So we all chilled out in their apartment for a bit with Michael checking the radar on his computer- the storm passed in about 10 minutes, thankfully, and we were off on our whirlwind shoot! Now, no matter how many times I try to explain to my current and potential clients what my engagement shoots are like, it never seems to sink in until it is your turn! Everyone seems to think that every other client I post about is that much more comfortable in front of the camera, and yes, I have had the pleasure of photographing some of those kinds of very rare people! But all in all I mostly have couples that are a bit uncomfortable being photographed- that is until we work together! :) I try to make my engagement sessions something new and fun and relaxing- where we all end up laughing and having a great time while I really capture your chemistry together. In the end, creating some beautiful images. Well, I can't say how much I LOVE these shots that I am posting from this shoot. I feel like they embody so much of what I am trying to get from my clients- pure emotion, fine art, real moments- bodies of work that I would be proud to hang on my wall. Liora & Michael were so open and real with me- in meeting with me previously I had to be just as open with them- my 2 year old daughter Georgie had to be in our very first meeting before we booked and they were so cool about it! We had the best time going all around Boston, sweating it out, because it was SO muggy and hot! But in the end, so worth it- we capped off the night with an amazing Italian meal in the North End at a great Restaurant called Fiore's. What a night! So here you are, sister, hope you can see how truly beautiful you are and how clearly, deeply and whole heartedly in love you both are with each other! Thanks for sharing yourselves with me!

meghan + bryan wedding at the waterview

Meghan & Bryan went from one shooting extreme to the next with me- when we did their engagement shoot in February it was so bitter cold I thought my fingers were going to snap off! Then come their wedding on the 3rd of August at St. Gabriel's in Milford (not air conditioned!)and I thought I was going to melt- it was so super hot but that didn't seem to matter to anyone- not one person complained and everyone had the best time! Bryan gets to join the ranks of my emotional and sweet grooms (that means you Yves!;) He had a moment of pure, raw emotion while waiting at the aisle for Meghan to appear- he totally set off the entire cadre of bridesmaids and sent them into tears! He was laughing at me, during this moment of such intimate exposure, because there I was with my camera catching him at his most vulnerable. But before I shot, I made eye contact with him, encouraged him- I was a person first, a photographer second. Maybe that makes me not the best photographer? Or maybe that makes me a better one? In any event I had a great time because I had some serious company shooting on this super hot day- my right arm and ace photographer Robin Dini and guest star Richard Esposito were my artillery for the day! We had a blast and all learned some amazing new things from each other. Now, I have three ring shots posted- I couldn't decide which one was my favorite- the one with the picture is Meghan's parents' wedding picture- it was hanging on their wall so I popped the rings on the frame and had fun- sweet, right? I love tying the past with the future visually! Then I had fun hanging Meghan's dress on the clothesline- Thanks for trusting me and not second guessing me- she was like 'Oh the clothesline? Perfect! Need help?' I love when my ideas are supported and trusted, it's an amazing and empowering feeling. So then I had to play with the rings on the clothesline, and love both shots. And then I became obsessed with the flower girl- she was so cute! All in all we had a blast- and had fun watching RE roll in the sand, Carla style!

technical difficulties!

I have been having email issues all day and am not able to view my emails, please be patient or better yet call me if you need to send me something urgent! 860-989-3773 Sorry for the inconvenience!

here you go Jason!

THE RULES:
1. Post these rules before you give the facts.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. At the end of your post, choose (tag) someone and list their name (linking to their page.)
4. Leave them a comment on their blog letting them know they've been tagged!

OK, OK, after reading Jason's 8 random and amazing facts, I am going to post mine...certainly random!
1. I used to be on a synchronized swim team in high school (yes, it is a sport and stop laughing)
2. I used to coach a girls soccer team- I love coaching and am finding that I am in perpetual coaching mode, which I love- why not push yourself and try to be the best you can be, and work together as a team?
3. I am the third oldest of nine children, five of which are adopted
4. I recently moved back into and am rehabing my childhood home (a Queen Anne style Victorian, built in 1900) that my Mom left to me after she died a year and a half ago
5. I love mint- mint everything- ice cream, chap stick, tea, gum, toothpaste, lotion, air freshener, yankee candles, mint flavored chocolate....! I just am hard pressed to find a mint anything that I don't enjoy!
6. I am fluent-ish in sign language- I went to RIT (home also to the National Technical Institute of the Deaf) and would learn while watching the interpreters- one of my close friends, who is deaf, and I would go to restaurants and pretend I was deaf so I could hear what people would say about her/us! Very interesting experiment! (I also got to interpret for Kevin Kubota and Doug Gordon's seminar at WPPI in Las Vegas last March because the interpreter was late!)
7. I work great under pressure, especially in an emergency- and would never hesitate to call 911 for almost anything, and start delegating out what needs to get done.
8. I can't fake laugh


Hey Paul & Krystal, your turn! //studiofoto.com/blogphotos/blog.html

janet + tom wedding at great river country club in milford

Third time's a charm at the Great River Golf Club in Milford! I love working with their wonderful and helpful staff- and this is not just idle blog banter- I have unfortunately worked many places where the staff is rude and unhelpful, but Jennifer and her crew know how to have a party and get the job done, while working in tandem with other vendors like photographers and DJ's as a team! Well, Janet & Tom are a great couple who rolled with the rain and the ceremony location changes and were just excited to share their day with everyone. The garter shot is of Tom's brother who they say is quite shy...I don't know, he looks pretty outgoing in that shot! ;) I was resizing the first shot into my blogging border and couldn't decide which crop I liked best, so I put them both up. I love how I got a similar image of Tom's hands around Janet's waist at their wedding because for their engagement I got a nice shot of her hands around his waist, which I love! I love her hair in the top and the color and the dress details! It also shows her gift to Tom, that beautiful watch! Congratulations guys!