Seeing it’s my last day, thought I would post my annual mini session with my best friend Kelly and her beautiful family. You can see last year’s session here.  We do one every year during our last week in Cape Cod.  Kelly lives in London and it’s one of the reason’s I’m so sad to leave the Cape – I know I won’t see their family until Christmas and it just seems like forever.

They are just too cute.  Really, get a room kids. 

Thanks for a great summer K family.  I love you all so much!  Bye bye Cape Cod.  sniff.

Kristen and Tom are one of those natural couples – not the all mushy kind of natural, the fit together like a puzzle piece kind of natural. They laugh at the same time, get the same jokes (although one is supposedly highbrow, and one lowbrow, looked the same to me!), and have all the same sort of interests that you can just see them getting old together. All their friends just mesh together so that at the wedding you can’t tell which side is the groom and which side is the bride – I love that.

So, where to start with all this fabulousness? I think Tom’s first look at his bride.  They wanted to spend as much time with their friends as possible – so they opted to take their formal pictures ahead of the ceremony.  Not traditional, but I think it’s amazing.  You get a special moment between just the two of you and get all those nerves out of the way.  It was so cute!

This is Tom’s reaction to seeing Kristen for the first time and K getting a little misty right after!

Kristen planned the wedding by herself along with friends – I think they did an amazing job!  The theme was hydrangeas and flip flops – can it get more Cape Cod than that?

Tom owns a restaurant/bar called Quahog Republic in Falmouth – notice the clam (a Quahog) on his tie?  We had to make sure that got a little attention shot.  You’ll see a bunch of Quahog references, just want to keep you in the loop! 

I for one think everyone should laugh like this on their wedding day….

I had a little idea while preparing for this wedding.  As you’ll see in my last post, I’m working on trying to give my clients something different during their sessions.  Weddings are a beast on their own, but I wanted to do something fun for Kristen so I talked to her sister (who happens to be my best friend) about doing a photobooth/guest book for her.  I asked her to pick up some chalk board and thought it would be really cute to have the guest write a message to the couple and I’d photograph anyone who wanted to participate.  It was AWESOME!!!  Everyone had a blast and it ended up being like a party game during dinner.  About 99% of the wedding guests participated.  Here’s a few of my favorites!

There are way too many, so I thought it best to include everyone in a little video:

Thank you so much for a great day Kristen and Tom!!! Can’t wait until you see all of them!
Lots of love and luck to you both!
xoxo

I just got back from a workshop in Pittsburgh with the very talented Australian photographer Barb Uil, otherwise known as Jinky Art.  She is AMAZINGLY talented – just oozes with ideas and creativity.  Her work makes my heart sing (her words for something else, but I found it so appropriate when trying to describe how her images make me feel).

These are some of the images I captured while studying with her.  I love that they are concept sessions – props without being too done.  Showing everyday life, but just a little exaggerated.  Isn’t that how children see things?  Life – but more colorful, whimsical and filled with wonder and imagination…  I am bursting with ideas (all written down in my new creative journal) and now I just need places and people.

I was so humbled this week as a photographer.  There are so many talented people out there to inspire you.  Have you been inspired lately in what you do?  If not, I hope that you can find what I did this week.  A nice kick in the bum to get you into action and make your daydreams into reality.  Gosh, I needed that.

This is my favorite image of the workshop.  I found this little caterpillar while we were shooting and gave it to Jinky’s daughter to hold…  normally I might have passed it by, but it was too colorful and with her high socks it looks like Alice in Wonderland to me.

No, this wasn’t a model.  Again, these are clients of the hosting photographer.  Um, hello beautiful people.  Wow, I love these mason jars as lanterns!!  And do you see how mommy and baby’s heads and mom’s arm make a heart on the bottom left???

I loved this little guy.  All he needed was a goat.  Oh wait, there was a goat – he just wasn’t cooperating when I took this image.  Seriously, she brings goats to sessions!

This little two year old was SO happy and beautiful.  I had to put a toes shot in too…  Plus my friends and I were borderline obsessed with the swing so it MUST be included.

Many thanks to Jinky, Deb, Meg, and Kathy for all the hard work.  It was wonderful.

So a few months ago when she asked me to do her maternity pictures I was floored.  Honored.  Thrilled.  Terrified!

Another photographer asking you to photograph them is such a privilege.   Made me feel so validated and happy!  Thank you Melissa for allowing me to photograph such an important time!

Here are a few from the urban session we did.  So much fun and her kiddos are just angels.

I haven’t had a chance to go through them all, but this is my first round of love.

This is my favorite of the day!  Too cute a family, right?

She had this shirt made for our session.  Photogs everywhere are going to be calling Melissa!

I love this!

This big red sculpture was just begging for some love…

I can’t decide if this is too odd (she does look like she’s floating!) but it’s kind of cool to me!

This is so her.  I love ya girl!!!!  Thank you SOOOO much! xoxoxoxo

Custom portrait photography is much different than your average simple studio session.  I love looking for unique locations, helping style your clothes and make you feel like VIP’s for a couple of hours.  It also means I’m yours for a while – completely accessible by email, phone, skype, facebook, you name it!

This session is a good example of what you’ll get from an on location session. I totally understand why people love sessions at their house, but there is something to be said about a different location!  I love that this session was completely organic and this family is a happy one!  Hope you like it!

One of my blog readers, Eileen van Hoek, nominated her friend Annette Russo with a beautiful letter.  Annette – an inspiring woman who should get supermom of the year award!  After her own battle with Lymphoma, Annette and Anthony got news no parents ever should ever have to – their only daughter had been diagnosed with Leukemia.  Samantha is in her second year of chemotherapy, and is finishing up in November 2010.  Expect a party.  BIG.

Samantha (or Sam to her mom’s chagrin), is one of those 13 year olds going on 30.  She is as strong as her mom, beautiful inside and out, and just as sweet as can be.  I’d really encourage you to take a look at her blog, written updates by Annette, to see all they are going through and how much this family stands together.  They are truly amazing.

Samantha’s BLOG

Meeting them, you would never know what they are going through.  I tried to keep our session as casual as possible so it would be fun and the kids would look back on it as a good day.

Here are some of my favorite images Russo family.  It was an amazing honor to photograph you all!!

My favorite of the day – Nicholas didn’t really want to take another picture, but to his credit he did it for Sam because when I told her my idea she thought it would be fun.  It was!  (well, to me anyway!)

Beautiful mom and dad – I really wanted to get them laughing and had to make them do a bunch of ridiculous things…  still got my laughing shot even though I had to embarrass them!

The cool, collected and incredible Samantha.  She wanted this tree shot, so we took it!

and another cause she’s just too pretty and cute.

Noah and his very cool hair.

Oldest Nicholas and youngest Alex.

And we can’t forget Buddy too!!

Thank you so much for being fun, cool, strong, sweet, polite and charming.  It was a pleasure working with all of you!

Every year my Grandfather comes down from Buffalo to celebrate with us.  I honestly can’t remember a birthday without my Grandfather here because it’s almost like our birthdays are one.  We never had the down the street relationship because he lived a bit away my whole life, but we’re alike in a lot of ways and there is always an unspoken respect between us.  We find the same things funny, we’re both incredibly stubborn, and we both really like the ladies…  oh, wait.  That’s my brother and him.  Apparently all Tauruses have a lot in common.

My Grandfather is a spitfire, as they say.  He still drives, still lives on his own, still likes a Manhattan on the rocks, and can drop a charming line on a lady quicker than you can blink.  When I go to a restaurant he’s been to once (mind you he lives in Buffalo) the waiters, owner and even the cook will ask me how he is.  He’s just that kind of guy.

He’s 96 today.  You would think he was a lot younger if you met him in person – but I think these few images give you an idea too.

Love you Grandpa.  Happy Birthday Russell Sebastian Portale!

I should add, I don’t think he was thrilled with me taking his picture.  But being the good sport he is, he went along for the ride!

This is the dapper man that all the ladies love!  Seriously, who can blame them??

Just because you can’t just give a little hug, it’s got to be a really big one and usually with a running start.

Just because you say thank you without me having to remind you.

Just because you ask me to kiss your boo boos and you won’t let anyone else do it.

Just because even though you don’t like sharing you do it anyway.

Just because you like to pick out your own clothes at the age of two and you’ve already decided what’s ‘cool’.

Just because you call the organic milk boxes “cow juice”.

Just because you yell Holy Cow!  when you hit the ball off the tee really far.

Just because there is nothing you like better than snuggling with me.

For all these silly reasons I love you, but most of all -

Just because you’re mine.

So this week I got back from my Easter holiday and there it was.  My sign.

My Magnolia tree is in bloom.

You can smell it before you can see it.  It makes my whole front yard sweet and perfumed.  As soon as I open my front door it is the promise of summer – warmth, hope and cheer all wrapped together in one magnificent whiff.

I love magnolias.  It kills me it only stays in bloom for about a week or so.  If we get one hard rain it’s gone even faster. (and Lord, what a mess it makes of the front yard!)  That week though?  It’s heavenly.

The warm weather this week got me so excited for this summer.  Inspired me for ideas for sessions and things to do with my son.  Back to normal temps for the next few weeks, it was almost a tease!  At least I have these to remind me when the Magnolia leaves start to fall…

I saw this post on Three Men and A Lady DIY design blog…  she listened to her photographer, Michelle Rasmussen about ordering canvas – note the difference on the before and after!  What a statement it makes on this wall!!  Instant art.  It might cost a little more initially, but it will save you money on framing – it’s a win/win.  Really!

Go to her site to see more, I’m currently re-designing my office to (hopefully!) see clients here, so I’ve been looking at inspiring blogs like this all week!  There are so many creative people out there, just makes me all warm and fuzzy that the internet brings them right to me…If any of my canvas clients want to send me pictures of their wall galleries…  I would love to see them!

*** please note, photography is work of Michelle Rasmussen!  Just using to show how it can change a room and I don’t have any ‘before’ shots of my own clients!