My First, My Last, My Everything

This is my very first slideshow and I am so excited! I can't tell you how many tries it took me to get this thing on here. Creating it was the easy part; publishing it is where I floundered. So, I'd like to thank my dear friend (and webguy) Matt, my other internet guru Dan, and fellow photographer Kate for their assistance. It really does take a village. Anyway, here are some of my favorite images from Miguel and Erin's wedding. They had a beautiful ceremony and then a backyard reception, totally fitting of their families, friends, and personalities. Enjoy!


The slideshow isn't perfect yet, but we're getting there!

Everybody's Gonna Love Today

Things I am in love with today (besides Doug):

1. The guy singing songs in the town common last night. I was sitting in my office and I could hear his voice reverberating off the buildings. First it was a Dean Martin Italian song. Then it was Paul Anka's "Diana." Doug and I had to go check it out. This guy's voice was booming! He sang Sinatra. He sang Sammy Davis, Jr. He sang Elvis. It was fantastic. He was working the crowd (of 20 people spread out over the common), essentially doing a lounge act. He totally should have been holding a tumbler of scotch in his hand, jiggling the ice cubes as he walked. He had a technical team following him with a spotlight and video camera. It just doesn't get any better than that on a summer's night in the suburbs.

2. Joe Biden. I don't care what your political affiliations are and I'm not going to get all political on you - I just like the guy. He's got experience and he's personable. He smiled and laughed a lot. I'd like to see that in the White House.

3. My new headband. It has feathers and a little piece of tulle.

4. George Clooney, of course. That's an everyday thing.

5. My friend Sarah. She talks at least as much as I do and didn't criticize me when I ordered eggs and not egg whites for breakfast this morning. Then she gave me a present full of Mr. Men and Little Miss stuff that just rocked my world. So very exciting, and all practical, too. Who doesn't want a Little Miss Trouble notepad?!

Brighter than Sunshine

Last night I went to the most amazing seminar! It was called the Free to Succeed Tour and it was led by photographer David Jay and it was awesome! Jasmine Star also spoke to us and she was really funny and inspiring. Frankly, the whole evening was inspiring. Even Becker was there to speak about his new project. All three photographers are from the west coast and have been traveling around the country for weeks now. Did they seem tired? No. Did they seem bored? No. They were as enthusiastic about giving their talks as we were listening to them. When I fell asleep last night, all of my dreams consisted of something having to do with the seminar. Then when I woke up this morning, I was excited about the future and determined to make myself a better photographer, a better businesswoman, and a better person. Yes, 5 hrs of sitting in a Sheraton did that. Life is good.

Something I've been listening to lately, a song called An American Prayer by Dave Stewart (he was one half of the Eurythmics back in the day). I first heard it on Perez Hilton (yes, I read Perez Hilton daily) when he showcased it in his column and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The link I gave you brings you to the video, which is also really moving. Back in the 1960s, music supported a revolution. These days, we don't hear much music with a political message. Let's face it, things aren't great right now in this country. I think musicians are finally starting to participate, starting to reach out to their audiences. Anyway, you should check it out. If you like it, you can buy it on iTunes!

I didn't want to post without a photo, so here's one taken at Amanda and Alex's wedding this past weekend:

I love making my couples do silly things. And by "making them," I mean, not letting the groom go to the cocktail hour until I get the shots I want. And the shots I know they'll want.

Won't You Let Me Take You On a Sea Cruise?

The day I photographed these little munchkins, they were getting on a boat to celebrate their Nonna's 60th Birthday! I managed to get photos of the whole crew together, but I'll surprise Nonna with those photos. Grabbing some of each girl separately was an added bonus. Can you imagine? Five granddaughters. That's trouble.

{Carolyn}
I couldn't bring myself to photoshop the munchkin crumbs off her face. It was too adorable.


{Abbie}


{Emily}


{Katie}


{Sophie}

My Gift Is My Song

This is my favorite recent photo of me and Doug, taken by me at Miguel and Erin's wedding last week. Things have been a little bonkers over here in the W.C. this past week or so. I've been working steadily on editing, plus I've had some shoots, plus this past weekend, Doug's sister got married, plus last night I had to check out the parade for Alicia Sacramone, Winchester's very own Silver Medalist. Not bad. I've got photos of all of the above, so at some point, I'll actually get around to posting them! Hope you all are enjoying the top-notch weather!

These Lines of Lightning Mean We're Never Alone

Doug's best friend Miguel got married this past weekend and I was the photographer. I am mastering the art of being both official photographer and wedding guest. Really, the only difference is that when I'm also a guest, I get to have a glass of champagne. And I might actually have dessert. Miguel and Erin had a really lovely intimate wedding that suited them perfectly. Not to mention, it didn't rain at all, which around here is a rarity these days. I'm editing the photos now and this one just struck me. I love it. Congratulations, Miguel and Erin!

Still the One That Turns My Head

Suzanne & Doug married at the end of June and I was lucky enough to second shoot at their wedding. It was fantastic! This couple is so amazing and fun and welcoming - Emily and I had a blast. You can see more of their wedding photos on Emily's blog.







Towards the end of the reception, the groom definitely started to lose some of his wedding garb...


Hmmm...


Other than that, things are still pretty busy around here. I love it! I bought a new lens yesterday - 24mm f/2.8. I'm pretty excited to try it out at Amanda and Alex's wedding this weekend. I also bought a new camera bag, but it might go back. I'm trying to decide if it will really be comfortable and convenient to carry around all day. This week I will be hard at work editing photos from Miguel and Erin's wedding this past weekend. Be prepared for some cigar smoking!

Your Love Has Given Me Wings

This lyric is from the song "Volare," which is a fabulous Italian song and very fitting for this post. Last weekend, I photographed the 50th Anniversary party and vow renewal for Carmelo and Benita. Everyone spoke Italian, including the DJ. It was awesome. My family is Italian but my great-aunt is the only one left who speaks it fluently, so it was really cool to be around a family who speaks both English and Italian. It did make me miss my grandfather, though.




Every time you photograph a wedding, you are bearing witness to the love people feel for each other. Not just the couple, but their friends and family, too. It is an honor. I have been so lucky in the past few months to photograph such wonderful relationships. I mentioned before that a handful of my brides & grooms had been together for years before getting married. Now I'm photographing couples that have been together for 50 years. Fifty years. Wow. And yet, Carmelo and Benita still danced and cried like it was their very first dance. No matter how long you've been married, you're always still the bride and groom. Congratulations!

It Takes Two

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing these adorable twin girls. At 7 months old, they were the perfect age for pictures. Come to think of it, they were just perfect. They were so cute and fun and they clearly thought (knew) I was crazy. I get that a lot. An occupational hazard, I guess.



I love these photos all together because they tell a story. I have a feeling mom and dad will be hearing/seeing this story for a long time to come!





There are so many more I could post. Maybe another one or two will pop up in the future. This past weekend, I shot a 50th Anniversary Vow Renewal. It was pretty crazy. I'll have to post some photos after I finish editing. I was also sick this past weekend, so things have been moving pretty slow around here. I'm not quite back on three square meals of solid food yet, but every day is an improvement.

Also, if you liked the photos from my previous post, you can check out the AltF Boston post here. You'll be able to see what John Michael Cooper's photos look like in comparison to the ones I was able to snag.

Also, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been unwillingly sucked in to watching the Olympics. And I like it.

There Ain't No Graduation From This Kind of Education

Hang on to your hats, kiddies, there are lots of photos in this post!
Yesterday, I was privileged enough to attend the Very AltF Tour when it made its stop in Boston. The workshop is run by John and Dalisa Cooper. They are rock and roll photographers. I don't mean that they actually photograph rock and roll bands; I mean they are rock stars themselves.

This is John Michael Cooper. If you haven't seen his work, get your butt to his website and check it out!


Kate and Mike were our engagement models for the day. They are indeed photographers and they are indeed engaged. To each other.




I liked the way John's arm and body framed this shot.


Riding the zipline. Looks like fun?


This is John. He's an orange.


Our afternoon shoot was a conceptualized bridal. John set up a shoot that was inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. He's done some super-cool shoots on his tour so far (you should check them out... www.earth13.com) and this one was no different. After he finished shooting, we learned about his editing workflow and we got to see the finished product, which I'm sure will be up on his blog in a few days. It was really cool. Since it was raining out, the photographers didn't get as adventurous with our cameras as we normally would have (or at least I didn't), but I caught some cool images from where I was standing.





When I originally signed up for this workshop, I was so excited, but so nervous. I felt like I was going to seem like such a newbie, that maybe I'd be out of my league. In fact, I emailed John and Dalisa and asked if I would be out of my league. They assured me that the workshop was for people of all skill levels and they encouraged me to attend. I am so glad I did! First of all, I know I am a totally different photographer than I was 8 months ago when I signed up. Secondly, I never felt like I knew less than the person I sat next to. All of the information was accessible and John and Dalisa were totally humble and down-to-earth. I really appreciated that. It was like I was back in school again. I loved it! I even took notes.

Thank you to John and Dalisa for a wonderful day. Thanks to Jeff Newcum for hosting us at his house!

Also, those of you with a keen eye may notice that I keep changing the font for my name in these photos. I'm trying to choose a new one. Any opinions?

Monday Morning You Look So Fine

I have been remiss about keeping up with my blogging this week and for that, I apologize. Doug and I have been busy putting our home in order for company this past weekend. There's nothing like impending company to motivate you into cleaning. And we can finally celebrate the last of the furniture assembly. That task has been completed! The place looks great, if I do say so myself.

To catch you up on a couple of shoots, this is a two-for-one post. I photographed these two little ones a couple of weeks ago on one of those sweltering days. They were troopers (as were their parents). Charlotte ran all over the place, exploring and dancing. Luke liked to be tickled. He also liked it when I jumped up and down a lot.



Last weekend, I photographed a 50th Anniversary celebration. The couple's actual anniversary was in January, but they celebrated last week when they could finally get their entire family together. Let me tell you, this was a family I wanted to hang out with. They were awesome! Nancy & Norm have been married for 50 years, but they were still so much in love, laughing with each other and the wonderful family they created. I was only with them for an hour or so, but the joy was contagious. Here's a photo of the bride and groom.


I'll have more to post later, but I wanted to make sure I checked in today. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that your week is off to a good start!