Jamie

A sofa and a chair is where it began for him. 

While the people were hustling around them at their job, he remembers Jamie. 

Their conversation. 

The random things about life they spoke about. 

You know...those sweet nothings...that mean everything.

As he so finely puts it, 'little did she know that was when I began using, so

subtly, my amazing charm to win her over'. 

He may have a point, but I think he may have sealed the deal when he knocked 

on her door at 3:30am after driving five hours to surprise her. 

All because he missed her.

***sighhhh***

When I met Jamie and ummm Jamie (more on that later), 

I loved how happy they were. 

They grinned from ear to ear while sharing their ideas for their wedding day. 

I love when a couple shares that enthusiasm with each other and with me. 

A day that you will remember for the rest of your life - needs to be appreciated. 

They were doing just that.

While planning their engagement session they suggested going back to the place where it all began...

which was Danford's Inn...

a waterfront inn...not to shabby of a place to work... 

They posed on their own too!

and my theme for the week...a frame within a frame...

So let me preface this next set. 

Jamie is a Giants fan and Jamie is a Jets fan...

See if you can solve the riddle...

I'm going to let you all in on a secret. 

The next shot is one of my favorites and I'll tell you why. 

It's not perfect and it's not fancy.  

But the expression is there. 

If you catch a man looking at his soon to be bride, juuuust right...there is a softness 

that comes over his face. I adore that.

That expression, tells a story.

Thank you both for being up for a fun session. 

Thank you for humoring me. 

Thank you for trusting me. 

Thank you so very much for letting me be a part of your upcoming 'big' day.

I can't wait until then...when you will share the same last name....

well, the same first and last names! ; ) 

p.s.

A quick thank you to Jill and Cameron who sent this amazing couple my way. 

I say it often, but I'll say it again. 

'Birds of a feather flock together'. 

'Amazing'...seems to run in your circle ; ) 

I'm looking forward to seeing you all this summer in the Hamptons on Jill and Cam's BIG day!

p.p.s

Help this couple reach 20 comments and they receive a complimentary gift!

Something About Mary...

The day we met the notebook sat neatly in front of her with custom 'do it yourself' tabs
marking the different sections.
Each section was titled by vendor and notes upon notes were organized under
the flower tabs that lined the top.

I have to tell you, I fell a little bit in love. 

A wedding scrapbook of details?!
O M G

I secretly wanted to grab it from her and run.
It was that cute.

Details.

Those small little things that create one of the biggest moments in your life.

The first time you saw him. 

The first time he held your hand.

The butterflies you got when the phone rang.

The sweet anticipation. 

The details are by far my favorite aspects of anything really. 

It's probably one of the main reasons I don't like to be surprised. 

I just think it's far better to enjoy the days leading up to the surprise as well.

It's kinda nice to carry around that excitement for more then a day.

 Anticipation makes the little things matter. 

The little things that add up to the one big thing.
Your love. 

***

We talked about where it began for them.
Where they were in life when they met.

Jay, was a lifeguard spending the summers at the beach and Mary...well...she was walking up to
 complete strangers and striking up a conversation with someone she thought was Jay (but wasn't ; )

They're comfortable and natural. Laid back and relaxed.
There was absolutely no pretense about them.
I loved that.

They were quick to laugh at themselves and even quicker to laugh with one another.
I'm sure at times even at me.
Not that I didn't deserve it! ; ) 

It has been raining here for five days straight and the day we met didn't look too promising either.
But wouldn't you know, as we began walking to the beach, the sky gently parted to
give us a little hint of sun.

A glimmer of hope, that tomorrow perhaps the sun will shine big and bright again.
Hope...like anticipation.
A small detail, but yet the 'big picture'. 

Her rock...

well...you'll see him in a bit too ; ) 

see...don't they just look comfortable?

and sweet...

and happy...

and silly...

and cozy...

and natural...

and Abercrombie-ish?

and while i haven't been keeping up with my 'out of the box' shots, 

I figured I would include one this time around. 

For those of you that are new, the out of the box images are shots I do for me. 

Something I want to try, something different. 

An unusual way to look at something normal.

For this shot I tried a frame within a frame. 

It was the first time trying something like this. So for any of my photographer friends, 

I will shoot at a smaller aperture next time around to get the frame in focus too. 

A quick thank you to Sue for the wonderful 'word of mouth' referral. 

I'm humbled by it...especially knowing your commercial background in photography. 

Thank you. 

Thank you a million times over. 

I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate the faith and wonderful support. 

Thank you Jay and Mary for putting up with my crazy antics. 

For allowing me to get creative and try new things. 

I love that you gave me the freedom to play. 

Looking forward to your big day in September!

p.s

Hey, readers...help this couple reach 20 comments and they receive a complimentary gift!

The Experience - T. Carlton Spalon

In between dropping off prints and a park session I had four free hours.
Yes. You heard me right.
A mother of three, and four free hours?!

I felt light headed. It was as if I had won the lottery. 

What to do?

Go shopping, get lunch, or just sit in my car just to hear my own thoughts clearly?

While entertaining the wonderful idea of running into a store without schlepping three kids,
 I caught my reflection in the rear view mirror. 

Ugh. Dreadful.

I think it was two years since I took full assessment of what was staring back at me in the mirror.
I needed a cut and color, and I needed it now.
Like right now.
I dialed the closest salon to where I was stopped at that red light.
They were able to squeeze me in in an hour.
Perfect. 

***

The music was piped through the speakers in the parking lot of T. Carlton Spalon,
 and as I walked in the hum of the hair dryers steady rhythm was like a lullaby.
*soothing*

The interior was elegant.
Okay, that's modest.
 More like decadent and glamorous.

Leopard print and mocha caramel walls surrounded me.
Framed mirrors, chandeliers, and super fun stained glass lighting hung strategically around the massive yet cozy space.
There was so much eye candy there it was ridiculous.
Plush chocolate sofas and an icy cold pitcher with beautiful orange slices floating through it.
There was even a celestial theme on the ceiling for your viewing pleasure while
you were having your hair shampooed! I know. Fabulous, right?

I walked in that day for a haircut and came out having an experience.

When a person, company, service or product can do that, I want to do business with them.
It's really that simple.
They get it.

The best part of this whole experience?
I know what most of you would guess.
You look soooo much better.
But that's not it.

You feel so much better.
You feel happy.
You have an extra spring in your step.
You feel a little healthier, maybe because you are actually taking the time to
take care of yourself...and perhaps even a little sexier.
The way you look, the compliments and the confidence is almost an after thought.

In today's age when everything is a commodity it's nice when a service or product goes above and beyond. Not just so you sit up and take notice, but because they care.

They care about your loyalty, they care about how you are treated.
They want to make sure you had the best experience possible so that not only will you come back,
you will holler to your friends to go.

So, we're friends...right?

What are you still doing here... ; )



p.s.

T. Carlton Spalon is located centrally in Smithtown, NY.
They can be reached at 631-584-9393.
They have a full line of services for your hair at their studio,
 and a wonderful spa for the most luxurious visit. 

The Hampton Home and Montauk Cottage Frame Collections

I'm super excited to announce two new frame collections I'm now offering 

to help you 'Show and Tell' your story a bit better.

I have been searching for a while to find the perfect additions
to my product line up for you, and I finally found them after an extensive search.

It took me a while to find something that 'spoke' to me. 

Cause I mean let's face it - a frame is a frame...or is it?

I wanted something whimsical, but classic. 

I wanted something different then the ordinary. 

I wanted colors. I wanted options. 

I wanted custom pieces that you could design based on style, decor, color and shape. 

I'm thrilled to introduce two fabulous new collections. 

The Hampton Home and The Montauk Cottage frames.

They're fun. They're stylish and they ain't your Mama's frames. 

To me they just look classic and well...happy!

Hampton Home Collection

Image courtesy of: Peahead Photoghraphy

Montauk Cottage Collection

All of the custom framing options above are hand crafted by artisans. 

They are not manufactured. 

I think a personal touch goes a long way in todays age. 

I would love to work with you to find special images from your session to display in one of these fabulous frames.

Need me to come to your home to measure and help lay out a design or color scheme? 

Each frame order comes with a custom consultation before hand,

 so we can make the right choice on properly displaying your heirloom imagery. 

Thanks for stopping in to have a peek at the exciting new little luxuries I'm now offering!

Faith

It POURED.
No. Really. It was a monsoon.
The heavens just opened up and buckets fell from the sky.

30 minutes before we were to meet, we re-scheduled our location to accommodate Mother Nature.

As much as I love the rain, I was pissed.

Well, annoyed was more like it.

My attitude lasted a good three minutes before I realized that being annoyed
wasn't going to help the situation or get me in a 'happy' place.
Why not just think good thoughts?!

Sooo I thought of it not raining.

I made up my mind to have a little bit of faith.
It was after all the theme of the day.

Faith.

It's a broad term.

It can mean many things to many people.

 I sat in the church watching the children receive their communion.
Intently I stared at the community around me wondering what was the
common thread in our lives that brings us here. Together.

What makes us pray and how important is faith?

Faith to many is a religion (regardless of what you 'practice').

And while I have been baptized, and have received my communion and confirmation...
faith to me is more then a religion, or a belief.
Faith gives us all a sense of purpose.
Not only in religion, but life in general.

A sense of purpose is vital, and I think without it life can feel empty.

With faith also comes resilience and perseverance.
'It' helps us to believe in our own capabilities.

If good things happen, how do we process and understand it?
Do we attribute it to our own power?
Someone else's power?
Or just luck?

I feel having the ability to realize that we all have the power to create our own happiness
is by far the greatest gift or attribute one can have.

* * * *

I was lucky to spend a day with two very special girls to celebrate a double communion!
Pretty genius if you ask me.

Why should best friends have to miss each others parties?
Their brilliant Mom's split the difference of the event, and they celebrated in style
among friends and family this past weekend.

While communion is an important part of our religion,
the surrounding aspects of it and why we do it are just as significant.

We have to believe that there is good.
That there is hope.
That love can help, and pull us through difficult times.

That we are there for each other when we need each other the most...no matter how busy life gets.

'Do unto others as you would have done unto you.'
Whether we follow it or not, we understand it.

Faith is about coping.
Life is full of uncertainties.
Resilience, a sense of purpose, optimism and humor can get you through almost anything though.

We all need to have strong conviction in our own potential.
When we don't think or feel we can do it on our own...
our family, our friends our neighbors,
our church and community can help us.

If I have learned anything from life it is this...
the need to believe in yourself...and other's.

As I pulled up to the location the rain had stopped.

And while I don't necessarily believe I convinced the clouds to hold the rain a bit longer for me,

 I do think I was able to convince myself to happily accept the outcome either way. 

Because come rain or shine...

 faith...will pull you through.

Thank you Diane and Christine for letting me capture a small piece of your history.
The girls were as sweet as pie. It was wonderful to see their happiness.
When smiles reach the eyes and smiles go ear to ear...you know you're doing something right!

Naked...

Well, not me...exactly ; ) 

It's the eye color palette from Urban Decay.

I can't say enough wonderful things about it.

The perfect colors for any complexion.

Goes on wonderfully and stays put.

5 star rated with over 1,850 reviews, and over 16,000 'likes' on FB.

Run, don't walk to Sephora and get Naked...yourself ; )

All Heart

I have a cool 'job'. 

But what came unexpectedly along with this job,

 was the fact that I get to meet really cool people. 

To be completely honest...I have never been one of those people who would say, 

'I love meeting new people.' 

I didn't. 
I liked my inner circle of very close friends, hanging with my family
 and really who has time these days to make new friends?

It all changed though when I started my photography business.

90% of my business is word of mouth referrals. 

I'm so very grateful for that. 

Not only because people are speaking well about my business,

 but the fact that I continue to get clients I love. 

It's true when they say, 'birds of a feather flock together'. 

My clients are happy. 
They appreciate savoring a moment. 
They live life thoroughly, 
once in the moment and then a second time recalling it. 
They love big and laugh hard. 

They're funny and honest, and are people who I would love to call a 'friend'.   

I find we surround ourselves with people who have bits and pieces 
of things about us we find similar. 
For some reason there is more of a connection, 
and less to explain then about the real 'us'. 

The 'us' that can be 'felt' above and beyond words, because we know they just 'get it'. 

I'm sure if all of you have been following my blog,
 you have come to know that I try to look for the little things in life 
that help us pull through the not so easy times. 
That silver lining...that glass half full mentality. 


I don't know if I would consider myself an optimist, but I try to be. 

It's just so much easier to live life happy.

My clients are the same.  

I knew immediately I would like Stacey, because, well, she had a super cool name. 
Not only that, she even spelled it right! ; ) 
I also knew I would love her because of who referred her. 
(Thanks Marietta!)


When I sent out my quick questionnaire, this is what she wrote when I asked her to tell me about a 'family tradition'...

'We are all about being together, so we make a party about everything! 

We love movie nights...we love to have picnic lunches or dinners in our living room. 
We love to tell each other about the best parts of our days...have sleepovers...
and try to make memories out of even the simplest daily events. 


We never take a moment for granted, and we cherish every moment 
no matter how small it may seem at that time! 

Our motto is to always smile! 
No grumpy faces allowed!'

I think 'Mom' said it best and I actually have the proof below. 


Meet 3 month old Kaylee...

It's not everyday that a 7 and a 9 year old like hanging out! 
See...happiness!
They were so awesome. 

What is it about children with bare feet that get me?

Spontaneity...

I usually take the group shots in the beginning of the session cause well, they are a little intimidated. 

They sit still and actually look at me. Crazy concept, right? lol

This time around we didn't have that luxury, so Mom was off to the side (my little cheerleader) singing the Mickey Mouse theme...
"Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog...'

You know you're a mom when that song gets stuck in your head the rest of the night! 

Thank you Stacey for being all heart. 

For loving so much that it is evident in your children's sunny dispositions.  

Thank you for letting me use your fabulous curtains as a backdrop,
and for letting me play 'dress up' all afternoon with Kaylee.
It kinda felt like you and I had a play date with a baby doll, didn't it? : )

Special thanks in advance to Grandma, Ladybugs, and God for the extra special attention 

Kaylee needs right now.

P.S. 

I would love to ask my readers to please say a few prayers for Ms. Kaylee, 

who will be going in for heart surgery this month. 

I'm pretty sure it's because there is so much love inside it's overflowing...

A Celebration!

There are some events in life that not only document the celebration,

 but the exact moment of where you were in life.

What did you look like, how did you feel, who was there, and who you were.

Don't believe me?!

Pick up any old album that you have from when you were a kid.

Pick any picture. Now look at it. Take it all in.

Did you just look at your hair style and the funny clothes Mom dressed you in?

Or did you remember the moment? Everything that was not only in the frame but outside of it as well. 

Your surroundings.

The day.  

Those little things stitched together not only create a picture, but a story.

Have communions and sweet 16 parties gotten a whole lot bigger? Yep.

Are they necessary? Nope.

But maybe we need more things to celebrate.

Maybe we need to be reminded to stop and take a moment to breath it all in.

How often do we do that?

We try to do them at milestones.

They are the one thing that keeps us on track. Tradition is nice that way.

The newborn pictures, the toothless grins, the baby sitting and then standing independently.

Then as life gets busier, our priorites shift and time seems to pass more quickly in life,

and in between portraits.

The birthday parties, communions, bar mitzvah's and sweet 16's

seem to capture that in between stage from 7-16.

When they are still ultimately 'yours'.

If you aren't into the parties, just celebrate that 'event'.

Document that part of their lives when they are growing up so fast

that you don't even realize they are changing.

It slips by quicker then we can catch it.

If I have learned anything from this session, it's the fact that certain times in life are meant to be enjoyed.

And fully.

Get your hair done. Get the most perfect dress. Plan the most perfect party.

And be present.

Because after all, isn't that the best gift?

I know life isn't always a party, but wouldn't it be fun if it was?

If this face doesn't show complete and utter excitement...I don't know what would.

Special thanks to Cactus Salon in Stony Brook for the gorgeous hair!

The hint of a smile...

When Julianna was done getting ready, Mom called me upstairs to come have a peek.

This is what I saw coming up the steps and where I shot this from.

As pretty as a princess...

So in twenty years from now, when you have me come back to take her wedding pictures, lol,

I want to re-create this picture.

What a dress, huh?

You can find the 'Couture Collection' at Christie Helene.

Not only do they have couture (that you can clearly see fits like a glove) they have their

'Signature Series', 'Angel Collection', and a special occasion section as well.

What a fabulous line of amazing pieces.

The tiara was worn by her Mom on her wedding day.

I love that they incorporated it into the communion.

Sentimental details just tug at my heart.

Sisters...

I have been dying to do a 'sister' shoot for quite sometime now. I had only one in the last year.

I know. Crazy!

My other sessions were all brother and sister combos, or just brothers, but no sisters.

So I was super excited for this opportunity.

I'm a firm believer that sisters don’t need words. They have their own language.

A smile, a smirk, a snarl, a wink.  Expressions of amusement, shock, or even at times disgust.

A hand held tight, a stifled giggle that becomes a snort. 

You know, that bond of childhood that only siblings share.

I adore it.

While we may not always hear the love, that's okay...they show us.

A little fun with some petti skirts.

I wish I could walk around in one and it wouldn't look funny. 

I guess I will have to live vicariously through my clients for now.

Well, until I get to the point I'm too old to give a damn ; ) 

 We were fortunate enough to run into the home owners of a super old charming house.

They offered their porch to us so we could snap a few pictures on it. I'm super grateful for the opportunity.

It was an old home that we were told pre-dated the US before it actually was the US.

The two images below are my favorite shots.

I wish they were of my own girls.

It's a 'natural' shot, while looking utterly irresistible.

The feet. The hands. The mid-laugh.

*swooon*

Thank you Donna for teaching me the importance of the 'experience'.

For knowing there is something special that comes from going the extra mile.

The hair, the outfits, the mood and the laughter.

When I saw your arms flapping at your sides (pretending to be an airplane or was it a bird?)

while running wildy in the meadow with your daughter,

I knew that you 'got it'.

You were living in the moment.

What a memory for your children to recall when they look back at the pictures from this day.

I'm sure they will not only remember the occasion of the communion,

they will remember the laughs, the playing, the silliness, their sister, the fairies and you.