Where The Wild Things Are

A couple of weekends ago the Walshtons got together for an evening of fun and festivities, which, unbeknownst to us at the time, lasted until the wee hours of the morning. At some point Thelma heard the distant sound of a feline in distress, and the next thing you know the four of us were traipsing around the Country Club with flashlights, trying to locate it.

Meet Friday. (Who knew it was actually Saturday when Thelma captured her, lol.)


After much discussion about her fate, (The Husband and I are both very allergic to cats) we decided she could hang around outside as long as she'd like, and we'll look after her. Providing, of course, that it was OK with her.

Because she was just a baby, seemingly dropped off by the side of the road, she was a bit skittish. (And quite hungry, it turns out.) This was a familiar site for the first couple of days, as she was so scared she hid underneath the deck. (Please excuse the state of the deck, it's a project that hasn't been started yet.)



I explained to The Youngest that it would take some time for her to trust us, and that he just had to be patient. I sat out there with him for a couple of hours that morning while Friday decided whether or not he was a threat to her.

How cute is she?!



She came a little closer...




...and closer...




...and closer...


...until he finally got to hold her.



Poor Friday!

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

A simple website update gone wrong has left me in a lurch this week. Please bear with me while I get it figured out!

Adam & Ariel at Cornell University

Last week I was contacted by a woman in PA who is interested in becoming a Photographer and is looking for someone to mentor her. When I asked her if she realized I was located in NY she said she did, and that she had contacted Photographer's locally who told her they weren't interested in training their competition.

That mentality always makes me sad because I firmly believe there is enough business for all of us. On Saturday I had another opportunity to shoot with Frank DiMeo, an amazing Photographer who shares that same philosophy. Frank has a reputation for paying it forward and helping other Photographer's succeed, regardless of where they're located. The knowledge you come away with when you have the opportunity to 2nd shoot with him is priceless.

It was my pleasure to meet Kris Kellogg and Julie Stone. Julie owns Julie A. Stone Salon in Ithaca, and Kris and her sisters did the makeup for Ariel and her Bridesmaids, along with Ariel and Adam's mothers.

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful the entire day was. Ariel, Adam and their families welcomed me into their special day as if they'd known me forever. Their joy was abundant, and you could feel the love all around you.

Ariel and Adam are both Cornell alumni and chose to have their ceremony at Willard Straight Hall and the reception at the Statler. Their day was meticulously planned out by Tara Reimer and everything came off without a hitch.

I want to thank Ariel and Adam for letting me be a part of their special day, and thank you to Frank for the experience and the invitation!

Does This Make Me A Soccer Mom?

Or am I in the clear if I don't drive a minivan?

Surprise!

I love my couple's, I seriously do. :) They're a beautiful, educated, caring bunch of people who trust me with one of the most important days of their lives. Because they mean so much to me I like to surprise them every once-in-a-while.

I'm a sucker for beautiful packaging, and this gift wrapping knocked my socks off. I just had to post a picture of it!

Keep an eye out...someone's expecting a package!

Rosebud

Anyone who's been reading my blog for a while will recognize Thelma's oldest. I've been her personal photographer since she was 6 months old. It's amazing to watch a child grow up and develop a personality, especially when it's directed at the camera. From the moment I took the first image, she was "on".

The Youngest has nicknamed her "Rosebud", I think after some movie they watched together. The name has stuck and when I thought about it on the way home from her session (we did it on location at their house) I decided it couldn't be more fitting. She's such a beautiful girl, inside and out, and so incredibly sweet. How could we NOT call her Rosebud?

I absolutely adore these pictures. Thelma, I think our little Rosebud is becoming quite the model!

Images From The 4th

I think if I was stranded on a deserted island and could only have one lens with me, it would be my macro. I love that I can get so close to my subject, and yet get longer focal lengths as well. All of these were taken in Watkins Glenn on the 4th. (You weren't expecting pictures of fireworks, were you? You know I like to do the unexpected!)

This little guy was hanging out on our picnic table when we got back from our hike. He volunteered to model for me, but then hopped off after only a few shots.



The Oldest had rescued this broken down guitar that morning, and I spent about 30 minutes taking pictures of it when the boys went swimming. I'm sure the nice people at the picnic table over wondered what the heck I was doing taking pictures of a guitar for a half hour, lol!



I just love using a shallow depth of field in these situations. (For those of you non-photographers, that means only a small part of the image is in focus, and the rest is blurry and kind of abstract.)



The sunset over the lake right before the fireworks.

Independance Day!

The fam and I are heading out for a fun filled day of hiking, picnicking, lounging and firework watching. I might even take some pictures. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic holiday weekend!

Joy & Dustin

Hot Husband & I traveled to Manhattan Sunday for Joy & Dustin's E Session. I was really excited because this is the first time I'd had the chance to do one outside of my stomping grounds. Hot Husband was born in Brooklyn and went to High School not far from where we met up with Joy & Dustin, so it's nothing really new for him. I, on the other hand, had never been to the city until we met, and I relish every chance we get to visit. I could wander around for days doing nothing but people watching, lol.

Since it was on their turf, I told Joy & Dustin the location of the session was completely up to them, and they chose Central Park. We had no real plan other than walking around and stopping whenever the mood struck, and it gave me lots of time to chat and get to know them. I'm pretty sure I wore them out...we were going to hop over to Rockefeller Center for a few since Dustin used to work for NBC...but we never made it there.

The weather was hot and sticky, made worse by the fact that our first train into the city was late...causing a domino effect of subsequent missed trains and delaying our session time by an hour. Joy & Dustin were troopers, though, completely understanding mass transit woes and braving the hot sun whenever the location called for it.

We had a great time hanging out with both of you, and we hope you had as much fun as we did!

As always, here are a few of my favorites!




A happy accident.



This one is Hot Husband's creation.