Easter '10

   My time for blogging, here lately, has been...um...limited...at best.  So, I'm JUST getting around to putting up a few pictures from the Easter holiday spent at ye old homestead. But it was a wonderful holiday and I just had to share a few of the memories!

Dad, preparing The Meat. 

A word about The Meat: Allen Bros Prime Rib Roast, dry cured. It was smoked over hickory to a lovely medium rare. That is Prime grade beef, people, not just Grade A. It was a very special treat that Dad prepared for all of us, with his usual exemplary level of culinary expertise.

A lovely array of desserts was also on hand

Random images of all the youngsters

Hilda, egged on by a hysterically laughing Q, doing the crazy-wild-puppy-run

Wherein Jackson hi-jacks my camera and takes pictures of random things including a buzzard, a pile of cow poop, himself in the car mirror and my butt as I went to open the gate. You should all thank me profusely for not posting that last one **shudder**  I think I need lay off the old Prime beef, heh-heh! :-D

Skiing surprises

My sister invited me to go skiing with her and the kids this week, in continuing celebration of my niece's 16th birthday. Having never even seen a ski, I was pretty excited about giving it a whirl (a glide really, but whatever). Many fascinating surprises awaited me. I've written down a few to share with you.

I was quite surprised...

--to find that my eldest nephew Austin was such an amazingly patient and skilled ski instructor to his utterly clueless aunt. How he was not laughing as he watched me wallow and flail around after each tumble, I cannot say. He's a good boy, that one.

---that I could actually keep my balance, correctly steer and do the gliding wedge, i.e. "pizza slice" very easily. Like second nature, really. I felt very, very cool.

---at how quickly coolness can turn to fear.

---that I could inadvertently do 0-50 in 4 seconds despite the making of a very large and aggressive "pizza slice" the entire time.

---by the number of very nice people who offered me assistance each time I made a, um, less than graceful maneuver which landed me on my back or balled me up in a snow bank. Nice people ski :-)

---how intimidating the ski lifts were, upon first seeing the whole load/unload process

---at how easy the whole load/unload process actually was

---that there are slope cops who actually "pull you over" when you do something wrong. When we asked Jack if he had ever been pulled over, he replied "Yeh, like three times" in a tone which implied that if you haven't been pulled over you're not REALLY skiing.

---when I creamed some unsuspecting snow boarder on my very first go down the slope. And I mean DEMOLISHED him. Never even saw the poor guy. I felt a big bang and next thing I know me and this dude were rolled up in a ball over by the fence, skis-poles-snowboards everywhere. I gasped out my apologies and said that it was my first time on skis. He, breathing heavily also, said it was his first time on a snowboard. So all was well. Again, nice people ski :-)

---to find myself, by the end of the day, gently swooshing down the small slope all by myself without falling or injuring others. It was really FUN!!

---that I really enjoyed myself, crashes and all. Ok, I guess I was more pleased than surprised. But I'm definitely ready to go again. I can see myself really getting the hang of it with some practice.

Two more surprises from the day, unrelated to skiing, but noteworthy:

I was surprised...

---at how amazingly delicious and well presented the tapas was at the little restaurant where my sister I had supper

---when my sister, after Mojito #2 accidentally substituted "cow-tailed" for "cow-towed" during a very serious conversation about politics. Priceless moment, really ;-)

Thanks, Melissa and the kids for letting me tag along. It was a great trip and I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime!!!

Martha and Bennie's Wedding

Details. It was all about the lovely, well planned details on Martha and Bennie's wedding day. From the table decorations in the reception hall to the gorgeous fall themed flower arrangements, it was very apparent that every little thing was carefully thought out with a lot of TLC.




Martha is BIG into shoes and her bridal shoe selection did not disappoint. The pearls-on-the-shoe idea was hers---very elegant! And how cute is it that each of the bridesmaids wore a different style shoe?




One of the most important things I try to do as a wedding photographer is to capture the special moments, as they happen. The expressions and the body language tell the story so much better than words ever could. Martha and Bennie's day was full of these special moments. Here are a few of my favorites:







And of course, my favorite part, the fun formals




I love , LOVE the way the colors in the leaves and bouquet bring out Martha's beautiful eyes!


After working with Martha on her engagements portraits, her bridal session and her wedding, I have to say that she is one of the sweetest, easiest to work with brides I have ever had the pleasure of photographing. That's just a fact. And I have really enjoyed her adventurous spirit, too! I will be writing a separate blog post to tell the story of her bridal and engagement sessions--we had a blast and created some pretty amazing images, there, too. So stay tuned, folks!

Thanks, Martha and Bennie for giving me the pleasure of capturing the special moments of your wedding day. All of my best wishes for a long, happy life together!

Robin and Robert's Wedding

Casual. As in, slippers and flip-flops instead of heels. Laid back. As in pizza and beer at the reception instead of froofy hors d'oeuvres. Robin and Robert's wedding day was the exact opposite of uptight and formal. Don't get me wrong, now...it was absolutely beautiful. Robin's attention to detail was apparent in every aspect of the event: the pretty dresses, the flowers, the amazing cake. Everything was gorgeous and well thought-out. But it was also really FUN for everyone involved! That's not always the case, at weddings, I assure you :-)

Robin and Robert were married at the beautiful college chapel on the grounds of Robin's Alma mater. The white columned brick building with it's towering steeple was situated among giant oak trees and lovely manicured lawns. We took advantage of all of these unique features to create some great images of their special day.

Here is Robin putting on the finishing touches for herself and her gals

Speaking of gals, how cute is this little one?

Dad whispers something in the bride's ear just before giving her away

I love capturing these unplanned, special moments of emotion. They are so beautiful!

Lovely venue for a wedding

Robin's friends were a riot.

I told them to give me a "candid moment" and this is what I got...bwahahahaha!

The bride and Groom were very sweet and very much in love. Here are a few that I especially liked of just the two of them

No sore feet for the B&G at the end of this wedding day!Aaaah!

The newlyweds make their grand entrance in to the reception

The cake, the flowers, the dresses: everything came together so prettily!

The dance floor was rockin' and the B&G were having a ball with their friends

And WHO doesn't love a conga line??

Robin and Robert were so very pleasant to work with throughout the whole day. Their friends and family were fun and welcoming. I was so happy to have been there to capture these special moments for them. Best wishes for a long, happy life together, Robin and Robert! :-)

Senior Session with Arianna

  Seniors sessions are always fun but Saturday's session was exceptionally great! Arianna is a high energy, upbeat gal with a very sweet disposition. It was a great shoot and I think we captured some of her awesome personality in the images. From studio to mountains to waterfalls, Arianna was ready and willing to go that extra mile to get the shot. She was a terrific model to work with! I have lots more of her pictures still to edit, but I thought I would just share a few that I especially liked.

You have to love the Glam look. This lighting really brought out her crystal blue eyes.

Arianna is a serious volleyball player. She is a hard core Setter!

We did a fun combination of studio and outdoor shots. I LOVE the B&W on the left with the Hollywood lighting---if I had to choose a name for that shot it would be "10 Feet Tall and Bulletproof"!   And how about the hair-moving spin with the fall colors in the background? Is she runway material or what? :-)

This snazzy blue dress was a perfect contrast with  the grungy brick background.

All in all it was a fun, productive afternoon. I am happy that I got to play a small part in making the Senior year special for such a sweet gal!  

A Quick Bit of Silliness!

SENIOR ROCK STAR VIDEOS!!!!!