What I Did This Summer

In the spirit of back-to-school time I thought I'd write a "what I did this summer" essay. I'm trying to relive the good old days of 5th grade here...humor me :)

The recent months have been extremely busy, but extremely awesome. Tom and I moved into a new home. We weathered a seemingly endless remodel that had the fridge in the family room and the toilet on the balcony (no, we didn't use it out there), and boxes that still need to be unpacked. We've traveled across states for concerts, workshops and weddings.

The last few months have whirled by and mostly I'm just trying to keep up. But when I stop and take a moment to look back I am so grateful. My life has been enriched by each place I've taken in and by each unique person I've shared the moments with. Sometimes I can't believe how fortunate I have been.

Once the dust settles (literally) I will be back to blogging. In the meantime here's a few cel phone pics I've snapped along the way.

under construction

enjoying the new view

Andy, Mike and me reflecting with Tom at Phish, Darien Lake

Pittsburgh roadtrip to see the The Decemberists play "Hazards" in full

Kenny Kim's shot of us modeling at the Davis Love Story Workshop in MD

golden

Tom's view of the Tahoe wedding

Art for Art

A while back Kerry contacted me looking for headshots for a project she's working on. A super talented glass bead artist, she was looking for some pictures of herself at work in her studio for a book she's writing. I of course was jazzed about seeing her in action. She's an artist with a talent I wanted to know more about, and I was going to watch her work her magic! When the day finally came, I was as fascinated as I thought I'd be. Kerry was so cool; she made my job easy! She excitedly welcomed me into the studio, showed me all of her 'gear' and chatted with me while she demonstrated her skills. With a rainbow of glass rods, torch, steady hand, and her incredible talent she whipped up little masterpieces. In between snaps I found myself in awe of the glass, their brilliant colors and her ability to meld them into beautiful, wearable pieces of art. I'm telling you, she is amazingly talented. Don't take my word for it though, check out her site and her blog to get the full impression.

I had so much fun watching Kerry in action and now that I've seen her stuff first hand, I know more than a few people that will love to have one of her creations for themselves, myself included (hint, hint). If you're ready to own a beautiful piece of jewelry that will wow people you have to talk to Kerry. Be on the lookout for news of her book coming out...I for one am definitely psyched to see it!

Songs At Home

There are so many reasons I love sharing a home with Tom. He doesn't mind doing the dishes. He's not that much of a sore loser when I beat him at Wii bowling and doesn't gloat too much when he wins. He makes me tea in the morning. The list could go a mile long but one thing I'm particluarly grateful for is the music he fills the house with. Guitar in hand and full of passion he'll belt out favorites from Pearl Jam, The Beatles, Jack Johnson, or one of the many beautiful songs he's written. He can make me laugh, warm my heart, or bring me to tears with the sounds and songs he makes. I can't imagine living in a house without music and thanks to Tom I won't ever have to.

Here he is after some songs at home with his much loved guitar.





Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. - Plato

A Mind of His Own

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with David and his parents Steve and Mary.  From the moment I got there David was only interested in one thing, play time.  The images I caught were stolen in between bribes of time with his toys...in just one more minute.  Thankfully we were able to distract him long enough to catch him being his charismatic self.  David has quite a big personality for such a little man.  He took over the room...where he sat, how he sat, and who he sat with... it was all up to him.  Pictures with mom and dad weren't enough.  We HAD to take some with his green dinosaurs too.  He is sweet, funny, and clearly knows what he wants.  A little man with a mind of his own for sure.

A Bond For Life

I have the best job. Really. I have been so lucky to work with the most wonderful people that always add more joy to my day. This session was no exception. These kids teased each other, drove tractors around, joked with me, made snowballs and even started an attack on dad! In spite of all the mischief that's typical to kids at this age you can tell they have a special bond. It was awesome to spend some time with a family that so clearly enjoys their time together. It reminded me of how thankful I am for my family; for my sister and brother. The bond siblings share is unique and one that I am extremely grateful for. I love to think that these kids will only grow closer as the years go on. Aren't they a beautiful bunch?

How They Grow!

I will never stop being amazed by the little hands and tiny fingers, spontaneous giggles and extraordinary light that comes from little ones. I often wonder how it's possible that I was ever that size, how any of us were that small once. So innocent and so full of wonder. During photo sessions I often find myself standing in awe of these fascinating little creatures. Their innocence and wonder makes me wish I could remember who I was when I was that small. How it felt to be so wide eyed and unaware of myself. The younger years fade away too fast and before we know it these moments become memories. For my part, I just keep trying to stop time for families with babies that are growing way too fast. The last time I saw Ella she was just 3 months old. It's 3 months later...she's changed so much, and surely too fast for her parents!

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow is a big day. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Who doesn't look forward to the mounds of delicious stuffing, turkey and apple and pumpkin pies? But there's so much more than piles of food that make Thanksgiving a favorite of mine. It's the opportunity to feel gratitude for health, the freedom we have to make our dreams come true and wonderful friends and family in our lives. I am grateful beyond words for all that I have and will spend the day reminding those that make my life better how thankful I am to have them. Life is good...really good!

Before I take off for the holiday weekend I wanted to share a few pics from a recent session. We went to the pumpkin patch in pursuit of the perfect pumpkin. I'm not sure we found it, but it was lots of fun looking!

He's a handsome little man, isn't he?


In hot pursuit of the great pumpkin...


Now go spread thanks and stuff yourselves silly!

Blog Slacking

I've done it again. I've neglected my blog and my loyal readers...boooo. I've never been so busy and in the interest of making deadlines for clients I have let my blog efforts slack. So it's for good cause that I've been MIA from the blog world right? I've had some really fun sessions in the last few months and can't wait to share some the images from them. Once I dig through them all, I'll be putting them up so check back soon! In the meantime I wanted to share one recent image that I just love.



Be well until the next time...

One Week

Lula is one week old today. It's unbelievable how much she's changed already! We had a brief visit yesterday. She squirmed around a little bit, inspected my face as I held her, and mostly just napped. I spent some time starting at her, being fascinated by the purity of this new little person I held in my arms. Simply amazing. Here she is looking adorable and oh-so-sleepy!

Kaitlin & Stephen

When I think back to Stephen and Katilin's wedding the first thing that comes to mind is the image of them teasing each other and having a good laugh together. On a day that can stress many brides and grooms, Kaitlin and Stephen approached the day lighthearted and full of spunk. It was a joy to work with them and to spend the day shooting such a carefree couple. I couldn't help but feel a little bit lighter in their presence. I think the pictures say it all.

the beautiful bride

clowning around...as usual!

Many thanks to Kaitlin and Stephen for reminding me how much fun love should be and to the Guenette and Gionta families for sharing such a special day with us!

Also a huge thank you to the super talented Tomas Flint for continuing to inspire and motivate me. Swing by his blog to see more of his perspective.

Farwell...until the next time blog watchers...
k

Welcome to the World Lula!

8/18/08 12:38am

Little Lula made her grand entrance, finally! She kept us waiting, arriving over a week late, but she was well worth the wait. Aside from her shriveled feet (from staying in the "oven" too long) she is beautiful from head to toe. The doctor said she's perfect. I snapped picture after picture but spent so much time at the hospital I've only pulled a few of my favorites of Lula's first 12 hours. I'll be sure to get more up asap so all of you out of towner's can get a good look at her.

Congratulations to Mike and Ali on the birth of their amazing little girl and best wishes for days filled with laughter and nights filled with good rest (you're gonna need it!)
love you all!

Ella

Ella is teeny tiny and absolutely adorable. At 3 months old she's quiet and sweet. She's the kind of baby that makes you think having a newborn is easy work. During our session she barely made a peep. Mostly she spent her time staring in awe at the camera. From the looks she kept giving me I'm pretty sure she was wondering what the heck that big thing was that I kept pointing at her! When she wasn't looking at me with her quizzical face, I caught her being her cute self.

Thanks so much to little Ella and her parents for welcoming me into your home and letting me share a little bit of your new joy with you!