Adios

Leaving for majestic Costa Rica tomorrow morning, and I just stalked the FedEx guy until my lens rental arrived this afternoon.

Can we all just stare at this beautiful masterpiece for just a moment?? So stoked to see the beautiful creations the 135 will produce at this wedding. I love you primes.

Reality

How this parent spent her Valentine's night out. But hey don't get me wrong, sometimes the eerily peaceful and quiet grocery store at 9pm is all you need as the day's gift. Happy Hearts Day everyone!

{366} Day 43

The most unique packaging I've ever seen in my existence. Is that a pterodactyl I see?? Atop a Dali scene on Mars?? Leave it up to photographers man.

31.

Yup, that’s my age today.  I’m usually all Let’s party!! for my birthdays.  But oddly, not this time.  Sort of like a birthdays smirthdays attitude and I’m not sure if I like where my head is going on this one.

I think 30 is one of those holy birthdays where even though there’s a 3 on the front of your birthday cards from family with funny you’re-getting-old jokes, it’s a momentous milestone so you’re still excited about celebrating it.  Well 3 plus a 1 behind it just plain feels like Damn, I’m in my 30’s. 

I know, I know, I boast all of the time about the grass is greener on this side of the fence and viva la life.  But to add to those beliefs, 31 just feels like pressure.  Pressure to get things really moving in the direction of my dreamy end goals, as a New Year’s Eve ball drop countdown seems to have appeared in my already-too-full head as of this morning.  Granted an extremely slow ball drop where once it hits 3-2-1 I’ll be basking in a settled home full of kids with an adjacent photography studio on our lot full of my best work on the walls, calendar filled with work that I yearn for.  But I just can’t ignore that sparkly rhinestoned disco ball dangling up there to remind me of where I’m destined to be.

So to distract my thoughts of the new Studio 54 accessory up there, I did what I always do to live in the moment -- just hang out with my family on my birthday.  Taking pictures of Lyla, which always seems to make everything in my head just freeze.  Not think.  Just be.

In order to embrace and not ignore, I made a new 31 years old attitude goal: Put on my 6-inch platform silver sparkle knee-high Steve Rubell boots and dance along the way of my disco ball drop.  Cause it's gonna be a party all along the way and of course once we scream Happy New Year!  upon arrival of the dream.

Here's to this new year of 31.

Gearing Up

It seems as if there’s a package per day coming to the house these last couple of weeks in my beloved B&H or distinct Amazon boxes.  It’s the sure tale sign of wedding season approaching!!!  My UPS guy & I are on a first name basis by now.  And I think it was fate for him to be my guy in brown…he’s a hobbyist photographer.  The B&H boxes always get a little tender love and care on the way to my address.

“New lens?!”, Bill exclaims as he hikes it up our front stoop stairs.  (Because Bill knows lenses & cameras require pain-in-the-butt-to-make-sure-you’re-home signatures.)

“You’re here! You’re here! Yup, it’s a new lens. I have been tracking number stalking you all week.”, I reply like a little kid waiting for Santa.

“Well you have fun with that.  I remember the days of discovering new equipment.  Maybe I should buy something new myself?”, Bill ponders.

I smile and send him off with a “I don’t think I’ll ever stop!”

All of the learning I’ve been doing the past year has been a home-schooling adventure of sorts.  Tangently clicking into the wee hours from You Tube video to Vimeo link on the in’s and out’s of how to set custom white balance, how to meter for the sky, how to use strobe lighting.  Some nights my head felt like it was going to burst like an overfilled water balloon when it hit my pillow after way too many hours of dude’s with accents from all over the world using the word aperture a bit too much.

But thanks to a notorious slower winter season, I’ve had the opportunity to really invest some daylight hours into professional online workshops hosted by some of the top photographers in the world.  It seems now as if my Amazon shipments are equally proportional to the number of workshops I’ve watched.  Bravo to the sponsors who sucker us into their genius products.

Reflectors, strobe lights, white balance cards…man, what a great enhancement they bring to the table.  Maybe I was a bit naïve before claiming not to be MGM Studios with intimidating equipment in my bag, but I’ve learned it’s only intimidating if you don’t' know how to use it! 

Gear bag is stocked.  New lens is kickin’.  Second camera is so crisp.  Softboxes are loaded.

Let’s do this!!!  2012 Wedding #1 kicks off the season in Costa Rica next week.  Yes, I said Costa Rica.  And I am so very thankful to be able to deliver it’s beauty to you all very soon.  I can envision the plush green jungle-lined cliffs filled with miniature springing monkeys and Toucan Sam’s in the trees. (Toucan Sam has to live there.  It’s only right.)

Now…onto packing my suitcase!!

Binky + Joe | Miami, FL

When I first got my DSLR loaded with 1080i HD video, I just couldn’t ignore the little movie camera icon staring me in the face with the other 9 still image options.  Canon’s capability to produce high definition movies that were being picked up to create indie films winning at Sundance and shows like House was not to go unnoticed.  Some photographers claim to have never even clicked their dials into Movie Mode.  But for me it would be like buying my Jeep Wrangler and never using the 4WD – it just doesn’t make sense to not see what driving through some mud puddles is all about!

Through months and months and months and months and months of dedication to learning the art of stabilization, panning, and EDITING, I am proud to showcase my second official wedding videography experience.

The wedding of Beatrice to Joseph (because it sounds so grown up when you say your full names) was a weekend full of fun, Miami style baby.  From the moment we walked through the airport sliding doors and into the thick, warm night air, we knew we were in for some good ole family fun in the sun with the added bonus of salsa dancing and wedding cake.

So go ahead and pause that flashy red music player at the bottom of this page, and enjoy Binky’s complimentary red wedding day shoes instead.  Welcome to Miami!!!

Chillaxin

Lyla’s preferred way of eating her turkey & avocado sandwich.  I don’t even know how it’s possible.  Just imagine the bad thoughts of tables at Olive Garden now for soup, salad, & breadsticks lunch hour if everyone ate this way. 

Add to checklist: teach ladylike manners by age 3. She has stumped me every time on how she fits her feet through the sliver of a slit between the high chair and the countertop.  You can squeeze like maybe a golf ball through there.  Freaking Gumby!

{366} Day 36

Viva La Lightroom!!

{366} Day 35

EUREKA!!!!!!!!!!  The answer to my run-out-of-the-shower-dripping-in-order-to-write-down-shower-thinktank-thoughts-for-blog problem. 

My world is now complete.  The neighbors will be so thankful.  Gracias Aqua Notes.

{366} Day 34

Bokehlicious.

(For those mumbling What the hell is bokeh? in your heads like I was a year ago, it refers to the fun blur in the background of a photograph.  The curtain graphics here are spiraling out some really fun lines.)

{366} Day 33

The mothership has landed.

Now let’s get this party started.

{366} Day 32

A little photography tool that changed my life.

{366} Day 31

How you know you’re a mother at a wedding.

Flower Girl Express

You would think that when your daughter is a once-in-a-lifetime flower girl, and you the mom are a photographer, you’d naturally hold a flower girl photo shoot the day of the wedding bells to produce hundreds of “Look At My Baby!” photographs that may even compete with the brides attentive photographer.  Get all paparazzi up in there. 

But reality check, where mom is busy off on her own as a bridesmaid and Lyla was not a fan of loud music and strangers.  But boy did she ever look angelic, her hairpiece doubling as a halo.  I quickly took a handful of shots in the backroom where the boisterous wedding party gathered after the ceremony (with not a sliver of natural light) and the bribery of an iPad looping Elmo on my lap, but then put the camera down in order to play my #1 role: Mom.  Poor thing was not a fan of the noise a gathering of family & friends can produce and crashed on my chest at 5:00 out in the venue lobby.  But hey, we tried!

If she lasted 15 minutes or 150, I’m just thankful she will one day be able to say, “One time I was a flower girl at my Aunt Laura’s wedding.  And Daddy joined me as Flower Boy down the aisle.” 

But I have a suspicious feeling this won’t be her last gig  ;)  Probably Flower Boy’s though.

Bookmarked

DOWN SYNDROME section updated with an intro I’ve been meaning to write for a while.

Just One Of The Girls

Lyla made her debut as a flower girl this past weekend!!! (enter obvious duh from the picture above).

All of the caffeined bridesmaids showed up bright and early to the house to get our hair done conveniently there. Miss Flower Girl loved just hangin’ with the chicas, mesmerized by the gigantic aerosol hairspray in action that was as big as her leg.  She entertained us while we waited our turn for the magical hair chair with groundbreaking performances of Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle. 

Girlfriend can rock a mean spider.

Wrap It Up

Our new canvas display in the kitchen!!! 

It’s way to easy to forget about your own wall art to order when you’re a photographer.  I often get so focused on valued client’s experiences that I forget about my own!!  Never forget:  quality pictures are meant to shine on your actual walls, not just your Facebook walls.

(We didn’t forget hubby.  He is currently picking out his favorite “Dad shot” from the same day to complete the 12x12 trio arrangement.)

{366} Day 26

I have no idea how this vibrant poinsettia is still alive.  I am pretty sure I have watered it twice. 

The best part?  It was free with our tree.

Stylin’ Baby

The latest product shots I did for a brand new bonnet line! La Fleur Bonnets out of Massachusetts just opened their doors to showcase their couture pieces for our little ones.  The hand-crafted design and sewing skills are seriously jaw-dropping.  My immediate thoughts when I opened the product shipment were “W.O.W. I wish I could sew like that.”

Check out their Etsy shop!!

{366} Day 24

Because we keep our Christmas cards up until February 1. 

There’s just too much effort in compiling these friendly-faced greetings and too many everyday smiles that they generate to prematurely take them down before then.  But since we’re partial, only the photo ones :)