These boots are made for walking...right to Broadway.

'What are you carrying, a dead body?' my Pop-Pop asked as he lifted my suitcase out of the trunk.

I was a teenager and my grandparents were taking me on my first 'real' vacation on a cruise to Bermuda.

For some reason when I was told to bring 'basics' it happened to be basically everything in my closet.

When my grandfather opened the suitcase to try to lighten the load,

the clothing sprung out like the old 'Jack-In-The-Box' toys.

Not only did I have every kind of seasonal clothing option stuffed in there, but there were also winter boots.

Okay. They really weren't winter boots per say.

They were the really cool (back in the day) tall white leather boots that had the fringe down the back.

Remember those?

But boots were clearly boots, and something you didn't need while vacationing in the Caribbean,

(or so I was told).  

My mouth was agape while he went through my suitcase and took out half of what

I was bringing and placed it in a heaping pile next to us.

I wasn't sure how I could possible live for a week without everything I had brought. 

I wanted to be prepared and ready for anything.

Even if that meant a snow storm on an island.

He gently patted my hand sensing my frustration, and re-assured me I would live to tell about it.

(Little did he know I actually would one day in a blog ; )

I watched him carefully roll my clothes as if they were tacos and stack them neatly back into the suitcase.

He then packed my grandmothers clothes and his clothes...into the same suitcase.

Looking back on that day I'm sure Pop-Pop thought we were just packing...

but really we were making a memory for me.

***

I tried to contain myself.

But in reality I wanted to skip and spin in a circle on top of a mountain ala Julie Andrews in

'The Sound of Music'.

I noticed the suitcase first when they popped the trunk open.

It was one of three bags they were pulling out to take on location with us.

The best part?

It was so heavy we needed to use the wheels.

They were my kinda people : )

*squeallll*

                                                                   

 It was a hot summery 90 degrees...but unlike my Pop,

I was praying they actually had boots in there ; )

***

At just 16, Kelly has already been recognized in her field for

her superb acting and singing skills.

Not only has she received fabulous accolades and amazing reviews for her performances,

she is wonderfully giddy just talking about it. She has the kind of enthusiasm you want to bottle up and sell. 

And if that wasn't enough, she's modest, charming and super pretty to boot!

Speaking of boots...I knew the girl had it all, when I saw them in the bag ; )  

I love, love, love when my clients are excited to be a part of a shoot.

Kelly and her Mom were no exception.

They brought along thoughtful props, and a fun diverse change of clothes.  

It makes the session fun and feel more like a fashion shoot then just traditional portraits.

 Taking pictures should never be about just taking the picture either.

It should be about the experience.

I love that my clients get that.

Thank you Anna and Kelly for being so super fabulous to work with.

I loved seeing all of the thought you put into the preparation and your contagious enthusiasm.

It was wonderful!

p.s

Hey Readers...Kelly will receive a complimentary gift if you can help her receive 20 comments!

Before you go...leave your thoughts below!

A Beautiful Bride - Mrs. Kathleen Poveromo

Some of you may remember Kathleen from a few weeks ago?

I loooove her. 

And I'm not just saying that because she has referred three other brides to me either ; )

She is just such pure happiness and that makes me happy. 

We had a fabulous second play date this past weekend playing 'dress up'.

When the wedding day is over and the brides are stress free, it's such a wonderful time for them to hop 

back into their dress and have a carefree shoot. 

I mean, how often are they going to put on their dress again for a dinner party? ; ) 

Kathleen, you're stunning...

 Kathleen, thank you a million times over for being so super fabulous. 

I have loved every single moment working with you and seeing your new life unfold.

Not only are you a wonderful client, but now also an amazing friend. 

Much love, happiness and tons of laughter in your new life together!

Happy Birthday...to me.

Dear Stacey...

That's how my 'letter's on life' each year start.

I use to be one of those people that would keep a journal. I would jot down quotes, funny things I heard, news about my life and the world around me. Once I had my kids, the journal entries were few and far between. It was a paradox.
The more I had to write, the more I couldn't.
My full life gave me no time to reflect on what was happening at the time.

My mother told me when I was young that she wrote herself a letter and then sealed it in an envelope to be opened five years later.
I remember thinking to myself that five years was an eternity.
I scoffed at the idea.
How would I even remember to look for it?! 

It was 1996 when I wrote my first one. I was 18.
I wrote about where I was in life and what I wanted to achieve.
The areas that were disappointing to me and the things I wanted to do differently.
I wrote about my family and each person in it.
The penmanship was practically a scribble.
I sealed the envelope and marked it...
'DO NOT READ UNTIL JULY 2001'.
I laughed at the thought of even coming across it again.
I mean I couldn't even find my other shoe most days.
(and I had taken them right off next to each other).
Please tell me that happens to some of you too?

Anyway, back to the subject...lo and behold five years to the date, I was unpacking boxes at my new apartment and there it was. I found it in the month and the year I was suppose to. I was amazed by that alone. I remember grabbing an ice cream sandwich out of the freezer as if to celebrate the occasion.
I stopped what I was doing, cuddled up on the couch and opened the letter. 

You know how a picture brings you back to a moment in time?
Reading my words, thoughts, ideas and memories was like visiting a long lost friend.
I knew 'her', but I didn't quite remember her until I saw her in black and white.
It was me at 23, seeing me at 18.
It was enlightening, fun, sad, heartwarming and special.

Ever since then, I have tried to write letters to myself to be opened every five years.
Like clock work, I find them five years later...exactly to the month and date.
Each time, I'm still surprised to find it.

The letters are written around my birthday or new year - those two times are the most
nostalgic for me and signify change.

I have maintained the tradition but I have spared myself (and maybe my children) from reading my handwriting after I wrote the first. I typed the ones there after.

The letters are never the same.
Life changes things.
People. My little 'world'. Even me.  

The one thing that has not changed in my letters each year is the part where
I'm thankful for the people in my life.
My family, friends and even acquaintances.
Your steadfast support, love, and humor are what I think about most when I think about change.
You have changed me and my world for the better.

FYI...my daughter was born on the 22nd ; ) 

***

I think the main thing about celebrating a birthday is to do it thoughtfully.

You know that saying, 'it's the thought that counts'?!

That's actually true.

I use to think it was the actions.

The unexpected card in the mail, the phone call from a friend who thought of you.

That's the happiness you can't wrap up.

I signed on to Facebook yesterday and while everyone gets a notification that it was my birthday, I was still overwhelmed by the people that actually took a minute to stop by my 'wall' and write a note. Each and every one of you put a smile on my face. Really. Each and every one of you. I saw family, friends, clients, past clients, new friends, and photography friends. It was amazing to see how my circle of friends has grown in the last year and I'm so very thankful for each of you. Every single one of you has added to my life...

I think this quote sums it all up:

"...For I am but a total of the many folks I've met, and you happen to be one of those
I prefer not to forget.

And whether I have known you for many years or few,  

 in some ways you have a part in shaping things I do."

Thank you for being a part of my life and for making my day special!

p.s.

Thanks Adryanna for making my day extra special!

                                                       A family portrait, by Adryanna

Make...Believe - A Fairy Birthday Party

Every summer when I was a kid, we would head to the 'mountains' (Upstate, New York)

and rent a small, cozy cabin nestled in the Catskills.

My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins would come to vacation with us as well.

The days were filled with potato sack races, 'kick the can', and catching tadpoles in the lake. 

The creek that lulled us to sleep at night was where we soaked up the sunshine during the day.

We would dip our feet in the ice cold water, and dare each other to take a step further in until we were up to our bellies laughing and shivering at the same time.

At night the camp fire lead to gooey toasted marshmallows and listening to music played on cassette tapes (remember those?), while our folks enjoyed cocktails in the lawn chairs and the kids

slurped Shirley Temples.

We watched our parents play horse shoes, scrabble, and gamble their quarters away

during late night poker games.

They laughed loudly over one another and spoke about the previous years memories.

Early mornings were spent with wet feet from the dew on the grass and the air still smelled like the wood we burned the night before. We would watch the world come awake. Slowly. Even the creak of the screen doors as they greeted the morning sounded as if they were tired from the day before.

My Aunt Kathy would take us on morning or evening walks and show us the

puffs of smoke on the mountain side and explain

to us about the fairies that lived there.

She would talk about their lives in great detail.

Way before Tinkerbell was famous and fairies were popular, we believed.

A part of me still does. 

***

Adryanna's 6th birthday was held at Scudder Beach which over looks Northport Harbor.

Picturesque, cozy and secluded.

A large pavilion kept us covered, while we celebrated her day with pixie dust, fairy wings

and our imaginations.

Each of the fairies were given their wings, wands, crown, outfits and fairy pails to collect their treasure.

The wonderful items were made by 'Fairy Nana' of Fairy Nana Land on Etsy.

While her items are certainly treasures, so is she!

Check out this link for the most adorable fairy items anywhere.

The craftsmanship is remarkable.

Hydrangea fairy wands!

Special thanks to Grandma Donna for making the fairy-licious yummy 'mushroom' treats below.

Two of Adryanna's favorites...hard boiled eggs and tomato's. Weird kid. I know. lol 

Face painting...

The birthday girl...

The beautiful fairies...

Check out the little curl.

Love it!

I don't care how old you are...cotton candy tastes good at any age!

There was a fairy treasure hunt...

With a little pixie dust...the girls were flying high!

Oooor was that from all of the cotton candy? ; )

Discussing how they will go about the changing of the seasons...well, from what I gathered ; )

Cupcake pinwheels!

Another find on Etsy.

Check out the seller who is also located on LI.

The place mats are from Fairy Nana.

Cupcakes from Aunt Autumn...thank you!

Doesn't it look like it's a good wish?

I think it's a natural instinct to purse your lips when you see someone else blowing out candles : )

Mmmmmm...

Delish...

A frame within a frame ; )

I was so busy hosting the festivities and taking pictures of the girls, I barely took any pictures of the beautiful scenery around us.

I caught this shot of my girls as we were packing up to leave.

              I think 'believing' is one of the most important things we can dare to do.

It's the link between dreams and achieving them.

 dream - believe - achieve

I'm pretty sure we live life how we think things, not necessarily how we see things.

And isn't wonderful to know we can change achieve anything almost by

changing our thoughts to accomplish it?

Sometimes I think we forget that.

Muhammad Ali once said 'The man who has no imagination, has no wings.'

I wanted to pass along not only happy birthday wishes to my daughter,

but also the belief that with 'wings'...we can all fly.

There is no greater gift then the gift of imagination and enthusiasm.

Whether it's your birthday or not, I hope you unwrap that gift everyday...

United...

When I started out in photography...it was a big old world.

There was so much to learn.

Exposure, compensation, metering, composition, camera bodies, lenses, and shooting in manual.

 There were also plenty of new words too.

Aperture, 'iso', shutter speed, bokeh. 

Who knew that photography was so technical? 

There were also numbers involved. I know. Crazy, right?

Fractions no less. 

Have I told you I suck at math?!

 All of a sudden it wasn't a 'hobby' any more.

Although I loved it, it was work. 

That was just the tip of the iceberg too.

There was still Photoshop, re-sizing, cropping, editing, researching labs and calibrating computers.

I read, I studied, I took classes, and workshops. 

It was beyond daunting.

Once I was able to get past the technical part, there was still the business side to learn.

Logo's, branding, marketing, web-sites, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Google Analytics, taxes, and income/expenses.

While I would read until 3 am every morning (and still do) to get to where I needed to be,

I believe I couldn't have gotten to where I'am without some wonderful help

from some really fabulous people.

I was lucky enough to have a few mentors that held my hand and walked me through a tremendous amount of questions

I have asked through the years.

I'm so grateful for their knowledge, kindness and above all else their friendship.

If you are looking to get into a new field, find someone to mentor you.

It's so important.

Not only for the wisdom and experience, but for the ability to relate to someone about something you're passionate about.

Recently I joined a local Long Island group with over 100 professional photographers.

The name of the group...'FEO'.

'For Each Other'.

We are not competition.

We do not judge because we have all walked a mile in the other persons shoes.

We grow faster, stronger and smarter when we surround ourselves with like minded people I think.

You know that saying, 'it takes a village to raise a child'?

I think that's true in all aspects of life.

We're better together.

United.

It's nice to know that you're not going through 'it' alone.

Whatever that 'it' may be.

Whether it's photography, Weight Watcher's,

AAA, or a mother's group, it's a good feeling to know that there is someone

in the world in the same situation as you.

***

The good people of Berger Brothers recently hosted a Wescott Lighting Workshop at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale. We had the privilege to work with some fabulous lighting gurus, and had access to get up close and personal with the aircraft, and some fab 1940's pin up girls.

There is something powerful about being united.

There is a strong kinship. A likeness. A community. 

I find that communities are full of unlimited resources.

The people, places, and things that you need are all at your fingertips.

 Coming upon this fourth of July weekend, I think I'll end with a quote from John Dickinson,

which sums up today's theme...

 'Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!

By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.'

***

While celebrating Independence Day this weekend, I think it's important to remember that we became independent by being united.

Have a Happy 4th!