Across the Universe

I just went to see the movie 'Across The Universe' tonight and WOW! I grew up listening to the Beatles and they are my favorite band of all time- so as you can imagine I was PUMPED to see this- well a brief description of the movie is it is basically a musical set to 34 Beatles songs. The best part is that there is very little dialogue, it's basically each song leading into the next- which was part of the fun of the movie for me was trying to figure out which song would fit the scene. Interestingly enough I guessed wrong most of the time, which was awesome as it presented a wonderful little surprise each time. Beatles trivia abounded throughout, some of it obvious- like character names- Sadie, Prudence, Jude, Lucy etc. but it was exciting for me to hear each character introduce themselves 'This is Sadie' and I'd get all charged up because I knew the song from whence she came. Totally dorky, I realize! There were other more subtle references, a ton of which I am confident I missed but that were fun to catch- mostly spoken words of obscure lyrics. A true Beatles fan will enjoy the movie if only for the treasure hunt that is sure to ensue! The singing was awesome, the acting was incredible and the sets were out of control. Some highlights were the bowling lane scene in the beginning and Bono, yes, that's right, BONO (!!!!) in a psychedelic rendition of 'I am the Walrus.' Right? Check out the trailer here!

melissa + bill wedding at Cascade's

Melissa is one of the most full of life brides I have ever had, let me just start there! Her sense of humor and positive energy are boundless and contagious. Jean and I had such a great time shooting the getting ready shots with her wonderful family and bridesmaids and had plenty of time to come up with some creative shots. I love the ring shot I was able to get and really wanted to put the rings in a book that was meaningful to them- so I told Melissa what I was going for and she grabbed her Mom's book that was by her bedside. It really boosted this image to another personal level and really went with the rest of their Chinese-themed wedding details. Their ceremony was at the very old and beautiful St. Mary's Church in New Haven following with a reception at Cascades in Hamden. We stopped around Yale for some really fun shots thanks to Melissa's friend- we got some really great locations, thanks again!! Congratulations Melissa & Bill!!

charisse + tom e-shoot

Last Monday I spent the day walking all over Boston with my couple Tom & Charisse. They met in Boston and know the city pretty well and thought it would make a nice place to shoot that was meaningful to them. I couldn't agree more! They brought me to one of my new favorite places- Beacon Hill- aka super cute Hobbit ville! Talk about my dream place!! Beacon Hill is filled with the most quaint New England town houses with the coolest details like boot scrapers, vintage flags, beautifully planted flower boxes, IVY ga-LORE, cool doors and the best cobble stone alley way, like EVER! I had a field day and couldn't stop oohh-ing and ahh-ing and basically spazzing out over all of these details! One of the shots I have posted where the cobblestones are in the foreground I was belly down on the ground shooting and a guy literally had to step over me to pass- I didn't realize how tiny the sidewalks were- Charisse said it looked pretty hilarious from her vantage point! I was in the zone, and didn't even realize I was in the way, what can I say? We got caught in a bit of rain in the beginning but ended up having a nice lunch and people watching for a spell, and then got to shooting! I had a blast! Thanks Tom & Charisse for a wonderful day!

more marantz fun!

Friday marked the middle of what is now the end of the fantastic Bess-Marantz Fest of 2007. I couldn't resist taking a ton of shots, for one because they are my people and I gotta represent with my slide show and two because my little man Jack L-O-V-E-S trains. Which is totally why there are so many shots in the beginning, they are for my guy. So love 'em up! Now, please make a mental note of how super adorable Miss Mary is in her argyle sweater and those freakin' KNEE SOCKS are killing me! So cute. And yes, Justin has an argyle sweater on too, I don't think they planned that but come ON! I have major fashion envy. Big New England shout out to all of the CT Puggers on board and a hearty Yankee Welcome to Miss Sarah Barlow and Mr. David Jay, they were rockin it up with us!

happy birthday jean!

Today my right arm is turning 21! :) As many of you know, Jean is my second shooter / assistant this year and she is kicking some major tail. At the beginning of last year Jean and I sat down and talked about our goals and where we saw ourselves and what we wanted to do, ideally, if we could do anything. Well, I am happy to say not only have we done what we set out to do we have surpassed anything I could have imagined for my business! At first we imagined being in my old studio (the carraige house, some of you have been there) and having the whole space humming with computers and shooting and life. Well, we did that! Then now, I am converting a huge old porch / deck area into my studio and it is looking FABULOUS! In the interim, Jean and I took over my kids playroom, painted it 18% gray ( I LOVE IT!) and are making the space work until the new space is done in January. The whole time, before the big bang of 2007 hit- aka wedding season, Jean was plugging away. Whether it was learning editing software or Show It or putting together furniture she got things done. I told her many times it was like having magic- I would talk out loud to myself, going over my to-do list, always a lengthy beast, and then BAM, I would turn around and things were done! One of my favorite things about working with Jean is her unsurpassed love of sushi. I know that every Tuesday is 'sushi Tuesday' at Carla Ten Eyck Photography!! And no matter how much you eat, you never feel gross! Am I right?
The top image I shot of Jean and her children for my project. This is how she feels most beautiful! She is such a wonderful and patient Mom.
Yes, that super HOT bride with the camera is yours truly. I have never worn a veil, not even on my wedding day- and I kind of wish that I had. I have total veil-regret. So Dawn (my bride) was taking hers out and I told her that and she promptly put in on me and Jean caught one of the most special times in this old girls life...sniff, sniff. ha ha ha!! Very funny stuff.
Now at weddings Jean is stealth. She is quiet, always observing and is always in tune to the kids and pretty details. While shooting Jean is led by her heart and often catches sweet, emotional and fleeting moments that really work well with my images to tell the complete story of the day. She is so hungry to learn more and is always pushing herself to do better. In the process she pushes me to be a better shooter and a better person. All of these images posted here were taken by Jean at various weddings this year, I think her work clearly speaks for itself!
Have a happy, relaxing and special day, sister, you deserve it!

photo + booth

OK, so I am totally going out of order here but I am so pumped to get this done so quickly- this photo booth was from Melissa & Bill's wedding at Cascades this past Saturday and was it a BIG HIT! At one point there was a line that snaked through the entire place! One of my favorite things about the photo booth is that there is such a mixture of formal, serious shots and straight up goofy ones. What a nice way to have really nice pictures taken at a wedding without all of the visual back ground clutter, I say. This is a condensed version of what we shot, otherwise it would be as long as Kate & Ted's on my site- about 900 shots! YIKES! I am going to condense that and post it here soon! This song is here special for Melissa & Bill they were introduced to this song! A big congratulations to you both! Enjoy Italy!

corinne + graham wedding at the Candlewood Inn

A few weeks back I shot a couple who I had never met in person prior to their wedding, which is a first for me. Needless to say I was super nervous- I pride myself on the relationships I create with my clients before their date so that it fosters an atmosphere of comfort for them on their wedding day. So this was new and I was a bit nervous! Well, I could not have been more warmly welcomed by Corinne and her fabulous family! She instantly reminded me of one of my best friends in the world, Miss Jaime Oppenheimer of Scruffins Multimedia Fame- as she was tall, like Jaime and had the same warm, loving and funny personality that just immediately puts you at ease. Her voice even sounded the same! So I felt at ease right away and had a blast shooting all day at the Candlewood Inn in Brookfield! Graham and Corinne are so in love and so cute to watch- during their portraits the way Graham just held her or looked at her was like, WOW.
His Dad said something in his toast that has stuck with me- and I barely know Graham but I could clearly see how true it was. He said something like 'Graham is brilliant but with no swagger.' What a humble, open and fun couple! Their family was amazing as well, Corinne's dad busted out with his Irish tin whistle and man could he rock it! Her Mom was so sweet and funny and totally reminded me and Susannah (one of my best friends and assistant for the day) of my Mom- which is why we were both totally crying when Corinne was putting in her corsage- just the way her Mom was looking at her it hit us, like wow, there's Georgie! Very powerful to feel at a wedding, thank goodness I am good at biting my cheek to stop crying!
For Corrine's family shot I think it was her sister that suggested shooting them doing their calming ritual of huddling and humming- it was really fun to see, I was on the ground shooting up at them and it was really calming and a fresh take on a family shot, can I get an amen on THAT?!
Thanks for hiring me, I am looking forward to seeing you guys soon!