Walk With Me

Karyn & Rob

August has come and gone, and I'm wondering if Fall has actually arrived with the first day of September. I simply love warm Summer days...(not that it isn't lovely outside this week)... and a cool ocean breeze lifts my spirits and can make any hot, humid, Jersey day much more bearable. On one of those recent heated days, I took a short trip down to Belmar for portrait session with Karyn & Rob. Jack was kind enough to assistant on this photo shoot (with the promise of a crab dinner)...the threat of sudden showers required towing along a couple of umbrellas ... since Karyn, Rob & I were determined to have fun shooting, rain or shine. The tail end of a nearby hurricane had the water swelling and the air very thick...but the breeze and cool surf kept us comfortable enough for a sweet shoot during our walk down the beach. (ok...Karyn & I were comfortable...but Rob, not so much)  Fortunately, Rob will be enjoying the wedding day temps much more...they'll be married in December at The Park Savoy... (when I'll be shivering and back to my winter moaning). Thanks for a great afternoon and recommending Klein's Fish Market.

 

 

Kate & Kevin

I had the pleasure of spending a warm sultry evening up on the roof of Kate & Kevin's building in downtown Manhattan. What an amazing view...and what a sweet couple. They'll be getting married in just a few weeks out at Trump National in NJ...so it was fortunate that we managed to squeeze in a little time to get to shoot some portraits and enjoy a glass of wine. Mr Murray...the most gorgeous cat...joined our shoot for a bit while we were inside. Our brief stroll around Battery Park was just too sticky for fun...so off we headed back to the cool breeze of the roof top, where we were graced with a fine NYC sunset.

 

 

I've been having a lot of fun!

I've had a great Spring season of shooting...making a lot of new portraits for my couples who are marrying this year...and enjoying spending time getting to know some new families...and overall having a grand time enjoying the blessings of my job. So here's a quick look at some of the portraits I've loved creating with the help of some very willing people.

This weekend is the wedding of Niki & Fred...we had a great afternoon picnicking together at Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown. Couldn't have asked for a nicer day...maybe just a tad hot but a perfect blue sky. Hopefully this Saturday will be equally fantastic weather.
 

Coming up next week will be the wedding of Julie & Vince...they live out on the west coast and were just in for a short trip to finalize details for their wedding. SO just before they headed back home, we met up at Liberty State Park for a portrait session backdrop of NYC. I had a  great time getting to know them each a little more and seeing just how silly Vince can be. We spotted a large flock of geese and decided it would be fun to make them all fly and shoot...so off Vince went running into a perplexed bunch of birds. Hilarious! Nothing like chasing big birds to make yourself at ease in front of the camera.

not sure if Vince is doing his flying geese impression or that Karate Kid pose

That same week I spent a day with Stefanie & Brett wandering around their town...Hoboken. Most people really aren't that comfortable with having a camera pointed at them for more than 30 seconds...and Brett had proclaimed that from the start. So it took a bit of strolling and cajoling and goofing around...and I think I may have changed his mind. Stefanie had no problem...she loves photos and the camera loves her face. She is simply filled with light and love of her world...and it radiates out in her smile. For all the time they've lived in Hoboken, neither had explored the Lackawanna train station...so I gave them a tour of one of my favorite places from way back when I lived there ( a long long time ago).

 

The New Babies Have Arrived...and more on their way

Tis the season for making babies...I've had 2 of my bridal couples give birth since New Years...and 7 more couples with little one's on the way. I'm thinking the recession is good for family planning...too expensive to go out at night, so why not stay home and make your own entertainment...wink wink.

One of the things I love most about my work is making photographs that tell the story of the lives of the people I am connected with. The pictures of the first moments in a new family's life is the  best gift I have to give. I still look at those first images of Jack coming into my world (16 years ago!)...and remember so vividly, all the emotion I was experiencing then.

I want to welcome into the world a little boy named Gregory...and congratulate Sadie & Philip, his proud parents. He arrived into the world on January 3rd, 2009 @ 2:56 am. Here he is @ just 2 days old.

AND the there's the 2 new guys living down the street...Alexander & Michael were born to Sarah & Rob on January 15th, 2009 @ 12:56 am. Sarah spent many many long days in bed... keeping these little guys growing till they were finally ready to meet the world. The boys had to stay in the NICU until they were big and strong...and now their finally at home, keeping Rob and Sarah up most nights and one their toes all day.

Blessings to all the new parents and babies...I look forward to watching your lives blossom and grow.

Little Julia's Big Day

Julia had a big celebration for her first birthday & christening...lucky little girl! Not too long ago one of my best friends Maryanne (from way back when) finally became a new mommy when she and her husband John adopted their daughter Anna..the waiting was a long long long process...and then poof, in a day they became parents. Well it 's funny how things work out for people, because, Mare & John had been trying for years to adopt a baby from China...but Anna was born right here in Jersey. But surprises do happen, and shortly after Anna arrived, they received word from China that Julia was waiting for them to be their mom & dad. So off to China they flew this Summer...to bring home their newest addition to their family...Julia. She's only about 6 weeks younger than her big sister...so there won't be much sitting around for the parents.

I was invited to spend the entire day shooting the festivities of Julia's big day...breakfast with the Koechley-Rupy family...off to church for the christening...and then back home for some hanging out and birthday cake. I hadn't seen Mare's little brothers or cousin's in many years...so it was extra fun for me to catch up on life in my friend's family. I can't wait to watch these 2 little girls, Julia & Anna, grow...and see what life has in store for them.

3074 miles + 458 = Boston...Roadtrip continues North

After a few months of hanging around home base...working and all that sort of stuff, I managed to find myself with 1 free weekend this October. Since I've made it my mission to reconnect with the thing that brings me the greatest joy (friendships), I decided that a visit to hang out with my good friends, The Graziers, for a weekend in Boston, would be absolutely what the doctor ordered. What I love about these guys, is that our friendship was so instantaneous and easy. We really only met 2 years ago...but it seems like we've always been friends. Anyway...Enna, Matt, Ollie & Will were just putting away their Halloween costumes when I arrived on Saturday. Matt was off shooting a wedding for the day, so Enna & I just kicked off our shoes and hung out... watching the boys eat candy and catching up on all things photo and life related. We did manage to take a nice walk with Enna's boys & Jackson the dog... at an arboretum near their home...brought my Hasselblad with me for some impromptu photos. Sunday morning we filled our bellies with a delicious breakfast and then Enna & I took off for some art exploring at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Before I headed back home, I took a few more photos of that I hope capture the feel of their family life.










 

More Photos From The Road

I'm finally taking a look at the last rolls of film I shot on my road trip this summer. These  images were all made using my Hasselblad...and film. I've still got about a half a bag of old film...so I guess I'm gonna continue shooting film for a while longer. After seeing these photos, and enjoying the sound of my shutter releasing, I'm not so sure I can ever give up using film. Slowing down and shooting consciously is not the current name of the game in wedding photography. So this is my personal practice for staying connected to what I love...walking rather than running....shooting slower rather than faster...and now I'm even cooking rather than grabbing what's immediately within reach. Today I'm feeling very appreciative of my world, my health, my cameras, my eyes, my friends, my family...and hope that I do my best to show my gratitude.

Columcille...in the Pocono area of PA

Vicki in the garden

bountiful harvest of turnips
 

making blueberry pancakes

Jack picked up playing the guitar this summer while at Darrow Camp. My father gifted him with his guitar and Jack practically sleeps with it every night.

Portrait of Jack and Millie just before she left for school

Galli & Ben in Central Park

Galli & Ben met up with me for a last minute engagement portrait this past week. I thought I was pretty familiar with Central Park, but had never heard that there is a waterfall there. This true NY couple introduced me to one of their favorite spots in the park...quiet, away from all the tourists and just the right place for making their portraits.

Their wedding day is just a couple days away...So with some fast turn-around...here's a peak at the photos we made together last week.

Dana & Bayla...the funniest engagement portrait of the year

I've been contemplating the the idea of FUN...and JOY...this Summer...reconnecting to the things that make fill me with the fullness in my heart. I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with one of my couples, Dana & Bayla...who will be getting married on just a few more weeks. They exude happiness....practically swim in an ocean of playful love and laughter. And their energy is intoxicating.

To capture the wonderful energy for their engagement photos, we decided to check out the NJ State Fair on a late afternoon a few weeks ago...not realizing that everyone else in the state would be heading there too. After waiting way too long to enter the parking area...we finally set out to have some fun and make some hilarious photos.  Dana is full of ideas...Bayla is willing to go along with her...and so we come to the funniest engagement photograph I think I've ever taken.

Need I say more?!!!!
There are quite a lot of great shots from the day...and I really appreciate when a couple wants to collaborate in making the photos...it always reveals so much about who they are and what unique relationships are being manifested all the time.
Here's just a couple more of my favorites..and the slide show for more laughs.

Joy Ride

One of my photo friends, Eric Laurits, has a blog named Seek The Joy.  That simple name has been such an inspiration for me since I met him back in December at the Photo Biz Boot Camp. Joy...what does that mean to me...how do I seek out the people, places, and things that bring to feeling of joy? I know that the work I do brings me joy. I know that my family brings me joy. I know that my son, Jack brings me joy. The past 7 months have been very challenging ones...one's in which I kept asking myself, what brings me joy. I'm not exactly a social butterfly, in the party girl, extrovert way of being. But I am very social...and my friends I've made over the years...they bring me tremendous berry filled buckets of joy. And nature....it brings me peaceful deep breaths of joy. And the slow subtle way of shooting film with my Hasselblad brings me joy. So I followed the instructions of that simple message, Seek The Joy...and set out on the road for the past month, with a bag full of old film, to visit the folks I love and the places that allow me breathe deeply.

The thing about film is it's slow....like a long road trip...it takes time for processing. It takes time to consider if the image is saying anything worth saying. I can no longer process my own film...it makes me sad that I can't be in a darkroom anymore, shaking the film can full of chemistry, pouring in the developer, stop bath & fixer...then holding my breath to see what has magically appeared on my long narrow piece of celluous. But then again, these chemicals haven't been good to my body. And so I send the film out and wait for an email to arrive, to say my film is ready for review. So it's a slow process. And I've slowed down over the past month. And it feels good, I feel good. There's still a few more rolls to send out for processing...and I'm still processing all that has happened in my world. Enjoy the Ride... and thanks for listening. (BTW - the song on the slide show is by Alexi Murdoch, whom Eric also introduced to me.)


Mimosa Tree in Cheryl's Yard

Sweet Tupelo in the yard

The shooting range


"Porch-trait" of Cheryl

early morning in Maryland

I have watched this tree change for 6 years now...one of my favorite sites on Full Circle Farm

Andrew McFarren...formerly referred to as The Bubster

Lauren McFarren...had the pleasure of introducing her to film and focusing.

Chrissy McFarren

on our way to shoot some photos and pick some raspberries

I'm usually awake way before everyone else. I don't mind when I can go exploring.


Hiking in Th Blue Ridge Mtns with Susanna

I met Mike, the gardener, while I was shooting photos at UVA. He graciously let me take his photo too.

Floating in a sea of Rosemary...it smelled divine

a back road hike in Santa Fe, TN

Leslie picking blueberries

Bernie the farmer invited us to pick some berries on his land...showed us around his garden too.

Leslie & I talk almost everyday...usually she's sitting on her porch with her morning cup of coffee.
This was how we spent most of the mornings while I was visiting.
Papa Boudreaux, also known as CJ...getting from point A to point B is sometimes quite a ride with Papa.

Family Portrait...Family Business

Silly Dog Tricks...yes it was my idea to put ALL the dogs on the plank thing. What do I know!

Dorie & I have been friends since 6th grade...but we hadn't seen each other for 3 - 4 years. A lot has happened...and still things are always the same with us.
Mirabai & Mary...2 good friends.