For A Moment Photography

A Wedding in The Most Beautiful (Public) Building

Sunrise the morning of.

The Venue the morning of.

The Inn.

The breath taking bride.

Walking down the aisle.
Groomsmen.
Details.

Seeing her groom.

Ceremony.

Mr. & Mrs.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding in the picturesque  location of Santa Barbara, California.  This trip was the first time I have ever been  to this city promoted as the “American Rivera” with “Mediterranean” type climate.  The beach was beautiful, the sea food fresh and plentiful I felt like I was walking in a post card.  In short this place is a destination not to be missed, making it a perfect location for a wedding!

The bride and I have known each other for 8 to 9 years.  She lives in California so we have not seen each other too much but I have loved the time I have spent with her and adore her two boys.  Michelle and I are “friends” on Facebook but she is by no means a “heavy user”.  Lucky for me (somedays I’m not so sure of this) my business model requires I post on Facebook (and often).

Michelle had seen my work (on Facebook) and liked my style and wanted hired me for her wedding.  At first I was a little apprehensive to say yes.  I have every confidence in my work and I always put my whole heart into my work.  My only fear was that the wedding would not be a good fit (more than 100 is a for sure no for me).  Lucky for me after our first conversation with Michelle I knew we were a great fit.  Then after our first talk I googled at the location-- I fell in love! 

Which is part of the reason it took me a week to post any photos.  I tried to just edit a few but I just kept wanting to edit more and more.  So many photos and so little time!  Not to mention the sessions I had this week...  

Obviously I love the photos and the bride and groom were such a charming couple to photograph.  They were stress free, low key and very loving with each other and having more places to take photos then we had time for was a good problem to have.  Being with the bride and groom on their wedding day is always an honor, being with Michelle and Jerry gave me a chance to get to know them as a couple.  Before the wedding I had only met Jerry once a few years ago and photographing someone is for me the best way to get to know them.  

The location was stunning, the bride and groom were delightful and the energy of the day was beautiful.  While photographing weddings I always work hard at keep my stress and excitement levels down, there are plenty of other people panicking enough for us all.  My job is to use my camera to show the love and beauty that surround these two. 

 

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A Little Silver Bay in Your Pocket...

The first book packaged and ready to go!

This beautiful photo was taken from our dock in Silver Bay, NY.  Accompanied by a quote from Henry David Throeau. 

 

This 6 page panel are photos I have taken around Silver Bay Inn that many of the summer EMP's may recognize.

 This is one of my favorite photos.  It's our campfire with pinecones burning on the bottom.  The words are a fun addition.

Every summer it's harder and harder for me to leave our summer home in Silver Bay, NY.  The people there (in Silver Bay and Ticonderoga) have become such a part of our life and happiness I'm not sure if it's them or the beautiful simplicities of the lake we all enjoy that keeps bringing us back.  Being there it is hard not to be inspired and I'm left trying to find ways to share the natural beauty of the Adirondack Mountains with others within my art and in my life.

As our time this summer dwindled down I found myself and other visitors talking about how they just needed, "a little bit of Silver Bay" to last them until next year.  On my return home the idea of this mini book came to my mind.  I thought it could be a great way to share images of Lake George with others.  The obvious beauty is something that you don't need to have been there to enjoy, most anyone would love the gifts the Forever Wild Adirondack Mountains have to offer.

One of the most enjoyable parts of creating this book was reaching out to some of my Silver Bay (SB) friends asking them to help me find words that reminded them of SB.  Many of them came up with many more words than I needed which further reminded me how dear this place is to so many and for so many more reasons.

The book is available on my site and if you click on the images above you will be directed to a page with more information on purchasing the first of this series of Silver Bay books.  These books will only be available until the end of this year.  It is my plan to create two more books to go along with this first addition. 

The photos do show three different colors of books but for now I am only offering the rustic red cover.  It compliments the images very nicely.  I'm hoping this first book is well received so I can make more and add a Ticonderoga book as well.  

 

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Two Much Cuteness

Last week I photographed for the first time, twin babies!  Landon and Evan they were just over two months old and completely stole my heart right away.  The day of the photos was the first time meeting their mom.  She was referred to me by a client of mine (I love that!).  On the phone this new mother of two (she also has a 3 year old and 2 large dogs) sounded so calm and I just knew she had to be out of her mind busy...

The morning of the session I let her know not worry if she was running late, that's 100% fine it will take me a bit to set up.  I was concerned that she was going to be stressed out and worried.  When I arrived she was just as calm and she looked great!  The boys were getting ready to be fed and everyone was happy and ready for me.  

As the morning session unfolded I realized that Alysia had an amazing calmness and steadiness about her.  She had been this way on the phone but until I had met her I didn’t know it to be instinctively her (not just her for five minutes on the phone).  

Her boys were too old (sounds silly I know) to do the sleeping baby photos I had set her expectation with that but I would try anyway.  The boys didn’t sleep for us but they did let us fuss with them long enough to get some adorable images...

With the boys together it was so easy to tell them apart, separate them and it was impossible.  They both have amazing blue eyes and the most precious coos.  I even got Evan to smile at me.  Landon was a bit more fussy and really seemed to know the difference between me and his mommy holding him.  All babies are a gift but I feel a special bond with twins.  It’s like we’re in a club and it’s something you have to be born into...  I hope I get to see these two again.

PS for those without twins, you don't need to say "two twins" - twins means two.  This always makes me laugh. 

 

 

Portraits for Professionals

Recently I've had a lot more work as a portrait photographer for local businesses.  Who doesn’t have a website these days?  Or I’ve had clients that part of being hired was having an online presence.  For those clients having a bathroom self portrait wasn’t ideal.    

When I first started out I never wanted to take these types of images.  Now it’s just another part about my job that I enjoy.  These sessions usually take part during the week day after I drop Presley off at school.  These clients don’t require candy as photo bribes...  Some of them do ask for a cocktail, anyway.  

These portraits can take work to get the client comfortable in front of the camera (without a morning cocktail), getting them to trust me and the process.  This initial “calming” process is what makes it so gratifying.  I know I’ve done my job if I got them to trust me and now they have a photo they are pleased with.  It could be said that these are harder photos to take compared to children.  As adults we have so many more barriers to work through.  Kids, if they feel like smiling they aren’t wondering if they look silly doing it... 

I recently had one client tell me she was not photogenic.  Wow, she is in her “second act” and a stunner to photograph!  If she just had the right photographer (me- sooner) she could of had realized she’s dead wrong...  I’ll never forget the words from a fellow photographer, “you’re never going to be younger than you are today- don’t be afraid to step in front of the camera”.

Family Session on the Beach

 

I can hardly believe it myself but I have been already booking family holiday photo sessions.  With the current weather being in the 108 range, it's hard to imagine.  My clients have figured out that there are not a lot of cooler weekends before the holidays arrive so early booking is important.

This past weekend I was so lucky to meet my clients in California for their session.  While trying to book a session we realized we both were going to be there for the long weekend and we were not too far from each other.  I had been dying to photograph a family session on the beach so this worked out perfectly.  

My clients were introduced to me by a mutual friend and I have taken their photos for the past three years.  In those three years our families have become great friends.  During our photo session this year Lindsay and I both agreed we really connected for the first time went I did their family photos the first year.  

This year’s photos are some of my favorite images.  I love this family, these kids and I’m so glad I get to spend time documenting their life.  All I want is more time with great families like this and maybe a few clouds (helps with my photos)...   

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A Real Photo VS. a PhotoShop Image

On the left is Straight out of camera.  On the right is edited.  

Tonight may not be the best night to write this post but it's been brewing for some time...  Very often when I share my photos I often end up hearing, "well, that's edited right?"  for the most part none of my photos are straight out of camera (SOOC).  This goes back to the days when I was working on film.  Back then the work was done in a darkroom (dodging and burning by hand), now it's done in Photoshop.

Most people don’t mean anything by it (I think) but “other photographers” say it in a condescending way.  It reminds me of a time (early in my photography) when I didn’t know how to explain the work others have done or how to recreate it so I assumed it was Photoshop magic and it made me feel better because “they were not better than me” they just knew Photoshop better.

Now that I’m several years into my photography career I look at my work and other works from a different perspective.  Just because something comes, “straight out of camera(SOOC)” doesn’t make it any more “real” than something that’s edited.  First of all an image SOOC is not necessarily exactly what you see or “real”...

In my life I’ve never felt very confident in my swimming, but I’d always admired the sea and people at home in the water.  As a child I remember watching a show with Jacques Cousteau and he spoke about photographing life under the sea.  I distinctly remember him saying that a camera can never capture the true colors of life under the sea, to see it in real life is so much more vibrant.  I have no doubt this is true.  There have been many times in my life that I have taken a photos and looked at the image and it does not capture the beauty I see right in front of me, sometimes to be there is the only way to experience it...    

Other times a little space in between the experience and the retelling of the experience is all that’s needed.  I often explain this occurrence as a memory I share with a friend.  When we each tell the story the story always has our own color or variation to it.  I also believe that in a few years they’ll “remember it (summer for example) better”.  What I mean by better is that the story of their summers on the lake will be told without the flies or the bug bites or the nights when baby didn’t get enough sleep so they had a melt down at a fancy dinner.  Instead they’ll tell the stories of fireflies, campfires, s’mores and playing in the woods and lake giggling all day.  Both stories are true and both took place, some just have more color.

Above is a photo I took Straight out of camera (left) and edited in Photoshop (right).  The image is not that much different and to be honest in real life it was brighter and pinker.  Both are real and both are beautiful and it's art my art.  Most mornings my cabin is pink with sunlight that I wish the world could experience with me.  Until then you’ll have to take my word for it or just appreciate my photo of it...    

 

 

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Where has the time gone? The older I get the faster time seems to hum along. Our time in the Adirondack Mountains, for that reason is a time that I cherish. Presley seems to be more connected to all the tiny creatures around us and the landscape itself is more inviting than the sometimes harsh terrain of our desert home. Summers on Lake George are as cliche as it sounds, a time to slow down and be thankful for all the real gifts in life.

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t feel lucky to be here. Even with this year’s rainy beginning, followed by the buggy, muggy days to follow. I can walk out my door and takes hikes through grand trees to views that remind me how small I really am. I am awaken to sunrises that are so exquisite they touch my core as I try foolishly to etch that view in my memory. Each year my heart aches to leave.

This year I wanted to take photos of the places and things that bring me joy. It’s my hope that everyone has a place and time in their life that they go to do feel small and thankful for the wonderfully wide world around them. My summer is coming to a close but my photos will keep my spirit fed until next summer.

Happy 4th of July 2013

Last minute photo idea for the 4th.  She's too cute so the photos just work!  

Every summer I look forward to taking a July 4th photo of Presley.  It's always been one of my favorite holidays and a time I look forward to.  This year I had lost track of time and realized late on the 2nd that I still hadn't take my photo or planned it.  What I did know is that I wanted to share some images of a photographer that I admire, Robert Frank.

In the late 1950's Robert Frank released a book, The Americans.  The images show the clash in the idea of the 1950's optimism with class and racial realities.  At the time the images were not well received, it was so different than what was popular at the time...

The images speak to me and I wanted to share a few.  

Wild with Wonder.

I always look forward to photographing Charlie.  I've taken his photo every year for the past three years.  Each spring I start to wonder if I'll hear from his mom and each year I do I'm pleased!  She always dresses Charlie in the most adorable outfits and she is open pretty much all of my ideas.  Both of those things are part of the recipe for a great photo session.

This year Charlie turned 4 and was a lot more talkative than I've ever seen him.  I asked him if he remembered me, he didn’t but it didn’t matter.  From the moment he arrived at our location to meet me he was comfortable and had stories to tell.  The time we spent together is so special to me, I love seeing this little guy grow.

Taking photos is what I love to do but connecting with my clients is what makes it worth doing.

Few Stops Not To Be Missed In Paris.

 

Today I walked to Sainte Chapelle, a beautiful piece of history that was started in 1242 and completed 6 years later.  It was built so King Louie IX could place the relics he purchased, fragments of the cross and the crown of thorns.  The size and detail of the stain glass is truly breath taking.  As I sat in one of the few chairs I looked around and try to conjure up the people that have walked and worshipped in this space, it's pretty incredible to think about.  This often leads me to wish that I had been able to walk these spaces back then...   

This photo was from my second trip to The Eiffel Tower.  I was underwhelmed with my first attempt of capturing the beauty of the lights.  I followed up with a second trip and I was able to snap this photo in less than 5 minutes.  The rain drops are just so perfect, I am so glad that it started to rain! 

 

On my walk home from the church I stopped by the flower market, in the hopes of a great photo.  The market was quaint and the fragrance was apparent before I even laid eyes on the market.  Unfortunately I did not get a photo that would do this lovely little market justice.  Cars parked all around the marekt made it difficult to photograph at a distance...    

In doing my research before coming ot Paris I found a link to the famous Les Puces (Flea Market).  This was the one thing I really wanted to do and the one thing that I was not sure I'd be able to do, worried I'd run out of time.  Thankfully I can't seem to slow down!  The link (click here) was from a blog I'd never heard of and I didn't check to see how old the blog post was, didn't think to do that until I was on the metro not sure of where I was headed.  

Luckily it all worked out.  If you plan on going I should just mention it's a rougher part of town, so be careful.  But once you find the flea market, you'll love it!  I was even able to negotiate on my buys something I'm usually too nervous to do.  The idea of going back before I leave is still being tossed around.  Maybe I was too disciplined in my purchases.      

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