Kelly Vasami Photography Blog

New Year, New Blog!

2008-01-02T00:39:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, please update your links, this site has moved to its new home:

http://kellyvasami.blogspot.com/

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Thanks!

Holiday Schedule

2007-12-20T00:52:00.001-05:00

I hope each and every one of my clients and friends have a very safe and happy holiday season.

Just wanted to update everyone on the studio's Holiday Schedule. Kelly Vasami Photography will be closed from Friday, December 21st until Wednesday January 9th. I will be heading out to Pennsylvania to spend some time with my loved ones over Christmas, back up to New York for New Years, and then heading down to sunny Florida to attend the Digital Wedding Forum Convention, as well as checking out Imaging USA 2008. These are two very important seminars that I have been looking forward to attending and I can't wait to come back refreshed, and inspired, and full of new products to offer, and ideas to create for my 2008 couples and families.

Best wishes for a successful New Year and I will look forward to speaking with all of my clients upon my return on Wednesday January 9th. All orders placed between now and January 9th will not be processed until my return. I will have limited access to emails during this time, and I'm thanking all of my wonderful clients in advance for their patience.

Baby Jackson

2007-12-13T23:37:00.001-05:00

Loyal blog readers will remember the portraits I take semi-annually of Madison. Well, Madison's mom Kristen has a cousin (Jody) who has admired the portraits I have done of Madison in the past. So when Jody was expecting her first baby, Kristen immediately came to me with the idea of giving Jody a gift certificate for a portrait session of their newborn.

I was so excited to meet Jody's beautiful son, Jackson - he did not disappoint! Jackson was happy the whole time, smiling, looking right into the camera! Jackson is a natural. When he is gracing the covers of all the baby magazines someday, just remember where you saw him first. :)

We were lucky to have a bright naturally-lit area to photograph. I try to shoot only with natural, available light whenever possible. Flashes and newborns do not mix! We had an overcast day and a location next to the window. Diffused light, on an overcast day, is actually the perfect kind of light, photographically speaking.

With his mom, Jody...

And his dad, Jesse. (I LOVE this one!)

So young, yet so expressive already!

SUCH a cute family!

I can't look at this picture without yawning!

Thanks again Jody and Jesse - I had a great time!

[b]'s Party of Five Seminar

2007-12-10T23:56:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was in Southern California last week to attend 'a photography workshop'. But it wasn't just any workshop, this was [b]ecker's Party of Five workshop! If you read this blog pretty frequently, the name [b]ecker is not a new one to you. I am a huge fan of [b]ecker's work and a frequent reader of his blog. [b]ecker is a prominent figure in the wedding photography world and not only is he a great guy, but he is super willing to share his knowledge and the inner-workings of his successful photography studio. I've had a great time learning from [b]ecker this year, both at the [b]ecker in [b]rooklyn get-together and at the party of 5 seminar I attended.

We had an on-location instructional photo shoot with this couple, former clients and current friends of [b]ecker. As you can see, they are pretty easy on the eyes and work well for an 'instructional' photo shoot - you pretty much couldn't get a bad shot of them if you tried! Thanks so much to Mindy and DJ and little Draden for letting us photograph you!

Love the sunflare going on here! :)

Draden attacking [b]ecker with leaves :)

One of the other benefits to attending this seminar was a chance to hang out with Jessica Claire, who is also a super-talented and influential Southern California wedding photographer. Jessica happens to be [b]ecker's "special friend", and she came out to keep the rest of us entertained while we took turns having a one-on-one session with [b]ecker. Jessica's blog is one I read DAILY! She is also a bridesmaid in my friend Laura Novak's upcoming wedding, which will probably be attended by no less than 85 photographers! Should be a fun night!! :)

My Husband and My Son

2007-12-10T23:24:00.001-05:00

This was originally posted on my baby blog, but I loved it so much I had to show everybody here too....

Just a little quiet moment at home between Ralphie and Jake. Not your typical father/son picture :)

The Boyack Family

2007-12-09T21:51:00.001-05:00

I was in Southern California to attend a photography workshop, but I came out early to spend time with friends and family on the west coast. Long-time blog readers may recognize my husband's cousins in these pictures. I always have fun photographing the Boyack family because they are just so darned photogenic!

Are these kids gorgeous or what??

They get their good looks from Mom & Dad:

The whole family in the front yard...

And on the staircase of their awesome house. The fabulous California sunlight pours in through the windows, I couldn't wait to photograph them here, even as the light was changing all morning:

Can't forget precious Max & Millie!

Holiday Ordering Deadlines

2007-12-09T12:34:00.001-05:00

Last-minute holiday shopping? There's not much time left....

MINI GIFT ALBUMS are 3x3 leatherette hard-back albums in pink, black or blue and hold 10 images. They are available for $50. They make a great gift for grandparents! We have a very limited amount available. The deadline for ordering mini gift albums is Thursday, December 13th.

MATTED MINI ALBUMS are 3.5 x 4.5 leatherette hard-back albums in pink, blue, black or ivory, and hold 20 images. They are available for $75, also in limited quantities. The deadline for ordering is Thursday, December 13th.

GIFT CERTIFICATES are available in any amount. Perfect for the expectant mother, the newly-engaged couple, the young family, or anyone who loves photography. Beautifully presented in our signature packaging and ready to give. The deadline for ordering is Thursday, December 20th.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

DEADLINES:

~~GALLERY-WRAPPED CANVASES - Thursday, November 29th~~ DONE!
~~HOLIDAY GREETING CARDS - Friday, November 30th~~ DONE!
~~MINI ALBUMS -Thursday, December 13th~~ DONE!
REPRINTS - Saturday, December 15th
GIFT CERTIFICATES - Thursday, December 20th

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SHIPPING:

Our last shipping day will be Thursday, December 20th. Orders will be shipped by FedEx or UPS to arrive by Christmas Eve.

Portrait Session - Olivia & Ethan

2007-11-22T12:43:00.001-05:00

After my session with Madison, I headed up to visit my cousin Jennifer and her kids, Olivia and Ethan. When I am in town, I like to make the most of it! We had a great time and spent a lot of it playing, rolling around on the ground, and having a great time in the fall leaves. Olivia didn't warm up to the camera at first, but after a little while I think she might have even enjoyed it a bit.

Sometimes to get kids to warm up and relax and forget about the camera, I suggest we just run and play for a little while. I'll shoot with a medium telephoto lens and just let kids do their thing. Sometimes I get the best pictures that way:

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Ethan is just too cute. You'll be seeing more of this picture in my new marketing materials as well.

The whole family, Olivia, Earl, Jennifer and Ethan. This is the closest we got to having everyone sit still and looking at the camera :)

We did a lot of playing on the slide in the backyard

After we were all finished, Olivia insisted I take pictures of many of her toys, including this dinosaur. This one cracked me up - I love her expression!

Portrait Session - Madison Rose

2007-11-21T13:38:00.001-05:00

I am lucky enough to get to photograph Madison pretty often! Maddy's mom is my first cousin, Kristen, who has always been super-suportive of my work. It's so much fun to get to really see how Maddy has grown and changed since the last time I photographed her, which was right around her first birthday:

Now, Maddy is up and walking, running, bouncing and playing! I had such a good time with Kristen, her husband Chris, and of course, gorgeous Madison! We went to Kristen's aunt's farm, which has been in their family for years. It was such a cool place to shoot - great light in the barn, beautiful fall foliage and animals everywhere!

I made them do this quite a few times because the backdrop was just too cool. I think they enjoyed it!

Loved the light in the barn:

And the light outside, too:

My three absolute favorites from the session (you'll see some of these on my new marketing materials)

Toddler + 250 Plastic Balls + Bathtub = FUN!

2007-11-06T21:52:00.001-05:00

70% Addicted to Blogging

2007-10-24T23:04:00.002-04:00

70%

8 Things you may not know about me...

2007-10-23T12:34:00.001-04:00

I was tagged by Meg Belanger - so glad I am finally getting to play the photographer's tag that has been going around! :)

1. I spent ten years as an in-house corporate graphic designer before realizing that my heart was really set on photography (I still design too!).

2. My pinkie fingers are extremely small in proportion to the other fingers on my hands. It's this crazy genetic thing on my father's side - all of us have it. We can trace it back MANY generations. My generation seems to be the last to have it though- my son was born with 'normal' pinkies.

3. When I was a freshman in college, I got a make-over on a talk show. I received a standing ovation from the audience - the only one they gave out that day - ha!

4. When I go to Vegas (or Mohegan Sun), I only play roulette, and I only play the following numbers: 3-5-7-11-15-23-30-35. Those closest to me can figure out why.

5. I am an office supply junkie. I can never seem to have enough pens, double-stick tape, rulers, Xacto knives, scizzors, etc.

6. I have lived in the following six places in my life: Exton/West Chester, PA; Gaithersburg, MD; Frostburg, MD; Alexandria, VA; Christiana/Newark, DE; Scarsdale/Eastchester, NY.

7. I have been using the Internet since 1994 and I'm darn proud of that fact! :) I've also been a Macintosh user since 1995 and I'm darn proud of that fact too. When Macs weren't "cool", I told everybody how stupid PCs were (and got lots of funny looks). I'm glad ya'll have finally seen the light...

8. When I was a teenager, I would paint the walls in my bedroom. At one point, I had a 5-foot-tall Red Hot Chili Peppers logo on one wall, and a life-size Ren & Stimpy painting on another. If I painted something I didn't like, I'd just paint over it until I found something I did like. My bedroom was my own little art gallery. (My father spent many, many hours scraping off the layers and repainting the walls once I moved out - sorry 'bout that dad!)

I tag:
Kim Anthony
Sherri Jackson
Jennifer McKinney (who gets a pass because she just had the world's most beautiful baby about three days ago!)

[b]ecker in [b]rooklyn

2007-10-19T00:25:00.001-04:00

There is a huge photography convention going on here in New York, so lots of great talented people are in town. One of my favorite photographers (and 'virtual mentors') is southern California-based photographer [b]ecker. [b]ecker let everyone know (via his blog) that he would be in Brooklyn for his birthday and invited anyone who was interested to come along for some lunch and a walking tour of the city. I knew this was a rare and unique opportunity to meet one of my absolute favorite photographers, and also to spend a nice day out with like-minded New Yorkers. We were in for all kinds of goodies - [b]ecker showed up with business partner Marissa, and they handed out Shootsacs and Shootsac covers to all in attendance. We sported the uber-chic and functional photography bags all over the city, taking promotional pictures for Jessica Claire (designer of the Shootsac) to promote "Sacs In The City." I had a great time and met some awesome people. I am also including some images from other attendees blogs so you can actually see a picture of ME on my blog :)

A bunch of cool and talented people, including one girl (second from left) whose mom (third from left) let her skip school to come see this! :)

Mmmm... pizza at Grimaldi's

Me on the far left, birthday boy at the head of the table

The MAN in action

Manhattan Bridge

My absolute favorite shot of the day (pretty much SOOC - straight outta the camera).

Me in the middle (pink shootsac cover)...

...as I'm taking this picture:

...or this one, of Steve Depino.

My new friend Meg Belanger just posted this new one of me:

The whole group (I'm back row, third from left)

My new friend Melissa Bitter sporting her fancy new Shootsac and Orange cover.

Allan Zepeda in action:

Eileen & Ivan - October 6th

2007-10-11T16:47:00.001-04:00

What can I say about one of the coolest, most fun, most touching weddings I've ever been to? Eileen & Ivan's wedding had the most out-going guests, the sweetest and most fun bride, a wonderful funny groom, and amazing family members. This was such a great wedding and a great way to end the 2007 wedding season for me. (Unless someone else wants to fit in a last-minute date!) Thanks so much to my wonderful assistant/second shooter, Sherri Jackson, who captured some unbelievable images, thanks to Eileen & Ivan for letting us be a part of your amazing day, and thanks to all of the wedding guests who made us feel like family. Ei & I - it was a pleasure to capture it for you!

I could have easily posted all 800 images here - seriously. But I don't wanna overload my Blogger account, so I will try to keep it to a 'reasonable' number....

GETTING READY:

CEREMONY:

RECEPTION:

Church Doors, Park Avenue, Manhattan

2007-09-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

I'm really enjoying shooting in low-light lately. Night shots using available light only - no flash, no tripod, just a high ISO and a wide-open aperture. I can do a shutter speed as low as 1/30 and still get a crisp image. Here are two doors that really stood out to me on a stroll through Manhattan on a beautiful late-September evening recently.

Connecticut

2007-09-05T22:55:00.001-04:00

I was on a jobsite with one of my freelance design clients the other day, who also wanted me to do some photography for an upcoming project we're working on. While he set up, I had a chance to take some pictures in the perfect late summer sunlight at a very posh beach club on Long Island Sound. Have I mentioned how much I love this area??

(Reminder: you can always click the images to see a larger and better version. For whatever reason, Blogger preview images just don't do justice to the larger picture).

Have You Scheduled Your Portraits Yet?

2007-08-31T02:26:00.001-04:00

Now is a great time to schedule portraits of your children enjoying the things they love most. Before the hustle-and-bustle of school projects and homework, and before the leaves start falling off the trees, before the studio is all booked up! The holidays will be here before you know it, and it's no fun running around trying to get the perfect portrait of the kids for the annual Christmas card with no time to spare. Why not give Kelly a call now, and schedule the portraits you've been putting off. There's no time like right now! (914) 262-2893

Congratulations Rebecca & Ed

2007-07-17T23:39:00.001-04:00

My good friend Rebecca (who grew up just around the corner from me in a great little neighborhood northwest of Washington, DC), got married over the weekend to a great guy named Ed. They had a beautiful ceremony in an intimate historic church, a cool reception in community arts center (with the coolest lighting!), and their families gave moving and beautiful toasts. I wasn't the official photographer for the event (that's why I left off my logo below), but I can't resist bringing my camera even when I am just a wedding guest :) (I behaved myself - just brought my little camera, one lens, one flash - now that's restraint!)

AMAZING Engagement Session

2007-06-27T03:09:00.001-04:00

This post is gonna be a looong one! Pull up a nice comfortable chair and get ready for this nice, big juicy photo blog post!

My cousin Beccah just got engaged to Rollin and we are all so happy for them! I was even more excited when Bec asked me to be her wedding photographer! Woo-hoo! I now have two 2008 weddings! :)

Anyway, Bec asked me if I might be able to take a few engagement pictures of her and Rollin sometime soon. It turned out I was going to be in town over the weekend shooting my second of two weddings with the super-talented Matthew Tennison, so I told Bec that we should get together on Sunday. I asked if they would mind driving all around downtown Lancaster to find some cool spots, textures and fun urban areas to shoot. Luckily, everything just came together and fell into place and I shot some of my most favorite shots of all time. It certainly helps that Bec and Rollin are both ridiculously good-looking and crazy in love.

Bec & Rollin - thanks for being such good sports and putting up with all my crazy suggestions. I'm hoping you'll like these as much as I do!! Enjoy! (I am soo excited about this post - can you tell???)

Erin & Michael - June 2nd

2007-06-13T13:02:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of photographing Erin & Michael's wedding at Erin's parents house here in New York. It was such a beautiful, intimate ceremony and I was honored to be one of the few people in attendance. Erin and Michael are such a sweet couple, and they made my job very easy - it was impossible to get a bad picture of Erin!

Erin's mom pins the boutonniere on Michael

Erin wore her Grandmother's engagement ring as her "something old"

Model-gorgeous!

Erin and her mom

I just love this picture!

The groom and his niece (so cute!)

The bride's sister, Katelyn (Ralph's junior high school girlfriend!) and her boyfriend toast the happy couple

I love how Erin and Michael look at each other!

All of the wedding guests squeezed in for this shot :)

Equestrian Session

2007-06-04T14:13:00.001-04:00

My cousin Jessica and her friend Missy asked me to do a session with them and their horses last week. I think we got some cool shots. Freddy and Phantom were both tons of fun to work with - pardon the pun!

KellyVasami.com Goes LIVE!

2007-05-23T00:12:00.001-04:00

I am so very proud to announce that after MONTHS of hard work and COUNTLESS late nights, my photography website is finally complete! Please visit kellyvasami.com to see my photography portfolio. Those who are frequent visitors to my blog will recognize many of my former blog favorites, but there are a few never-before-seen tidbits too.

I have to mention that if it weren't for my awesome friends and family allowing their kids to be my guinea pigs, and for my cousin Jess being brave enough to ask me to shoot her wedding a year ago, this site and this new career would have never taken off for me. My most sincere and humble thanks.

Laura and Andrew - May 12th

2007-05-19T17:48:00.001-04:00

My first wedding of the season kicked off with a very energetic couple who were a lot of fun to work with. I think we got some great shots on their wedding day, which turned out to be very beautiful, despite fears that rain may spoil their outdoor ceremony.

Andrew helps the ringbearer get ready (I love pictures of hands together)

I just thought this was a cool shot of all the beautiful layers that make a wedding dress look so nice.

Andrew is a big NY Giants fan, so Laura surprised him with a Giants Garter!

The ringbearer was too adorable!

I promised them that they might feel silly jumping up and down while all dressed up, but they would LOVE this picture once the saw it - hope they agree! :)

Andrew REALLY got some air here!

Hope you have a wonderful journey together!

Madison - One Year Old

2007-05-10T17:46:00.001-04:00

Here are some shots from my most recent shoot with little Madison who just had her first birthday! Many of you may remember Madison from her Christmas portraits. It was nice getting to shoot her in the sunshine this time! Maddy is my cousin Kristen's daughter - and she is too adorable!!!

Chrissy & Jeremy (updated 4/27)

2007-04-26T17:09:00.001-04:00

I spent lots of time shooting bridal models in Vegas, but a REAL bride is a thousand times more beautiful:

Our friends Chrissy & Jeremy got married in Philly over the weekend. I was happy to be a guest and not the photographer, but it was hard not to spend the whole night shooting - everything was sooo beautiful! The very talented Mike Kerr and his assistants did an awesome job!

One shot I got during the ceremony (the guest are seated on a balcony, above me, facing the bride and groom).

And another one of them just after becoming husband and wife. I LOVE the look Jeremy has on his face here! He is thrilled to be married to such a goddess!

I designed the invitations and stationary for the wedding. Chrissy has FANTASTIC taste and awesome ideas. It was sooo great working with her during the planning. I think we were both happy with the results:

Here are some shots I took after the reception and at the after-party. Turns out I can shoot okay even after a few glasses of Pinot Grigio! (But I won't be doing it on a paying gig, tee hee)

The emerald-cut engagement ring:

Flowers and purse at the after-party bar:

Maid of Honor bouquet, modeled by the awesome Jessica:

Chrissy's stunning hair and make-up:

Philadelphia City Hall:

Walking from the reception to the hotel after-party (tell me again: why did we not take the shuttle?)

Always the shy one, I had a great time getting the residents of the city of Philadelphia (and everyone riding on this Septa bus) to cheer on the newlyweds... (Yes, I apologized the next morning - lol)

More of that fun urban photography. I love the juxstaposition of a beautiful white wedding dress on a gritty downtown street.

Only THIS awesome couple would agree to following a drunken lunatic (me) into the middle of the street, in the middle of the night, to get this shot. I was happy with the results, but I really wish I had remembered the tiny little ring adapter for my make-shift fisheye lens attachment. With a different lens, this would have been a stellar shot. I'm just glad they agreed :)

More Fun Vegas Bridal Shots

2007-04-13T01:58:00.001-04:00

We took some bridal models out on the streets of Vegas and followed them around like papparazzi - very fun! I really love this type of urban wedding photography and I am hoping to be able to use this style with some of my 2007 and 2008 brides. Anyone feeling adventurous?

Did I mention the FLOWERS??

2007-04-13T01:32:00.001-04:00

So I am a HUGE lover of flowers. They are my favorite gift to receive. There is nothing on earth more beautiful and complex and fragile than a flower - the colors, the shapes, the scent, everything about a flower is intoxicating. I can't help myself from taking tons of pictures of flowers everywhere I go. You have to pry me away from a gorgeous bouquet. So Vegas is a flower lover's dream! Each hotel has flower arrangements more gorgeous and impressive than the next! What a great place to be a florist, huh? Here were some of my favorites from the Westin, the Bellagio, and The Platinum Hotel & Spa:

You waited, I delivered!

2007-04-12T22:25:00.001-04:00

Here are some cool shots I got of a very brave bride and groom, on a dry lake bed in the middle of the dusty Nevada desert. This was taken at the DWF Convention Desert Shoot, conducted by John Michael Cooper and David Beckstead, two photography geniuses!! This isn't the kind of stuff I get to shoot in Delaware everyday, so it was a lot of fun to do this shoot. Beautiful people, beautiful classic car, beautiful landscape - what's not to love?

Fabulous Pictures Coming Soon!

2007-03-29T22:56:00.001-04:00

I have been out in Vegas since sunday night at the WPPI and DWF photography conferences and - MAN! - have I been learning a lot! Lots going on, surrounded by fabulous photographers from all over the world. I have been walking and walking and walking. I am staying at a FABULOUS Hotel, just off the strip. It's called the Platinum Hotel and Spa and it is awesome. Huge room, huge balcony, huge plasma TV, full kitchen, and the best part: the place is totally non-smoking!!! WOO-HOO! This is the first time I have come to Vegas and not smelled like an ashtray at the end of each day.

I promise LOADS of incredible pictures are coming as soon as I can get home and put them on my Mac and start editing them in Lightroom. We had a Bridal Photoshoot at The Bellagio and another one on a dry lake bed. COOL, COOL stuff!!!

Laura and Andrew

2007-03-26T04:05:00.001-04:00

After months of emailing back and forth, I had the pleasure of finally meeting Laura and Andrew face-to-face the other day. It was so nice to finally put a face to a name. I will be shooting their wedding in seven short weeks from now, in a vineyard in Felton, Delaware. Laura and Andrew are such a cute couple, so obviously in love, and I can't wait to shoot them on their special day. Laura is also a photographer, so the pressure is on!

Some New Gems

2007-03-24T01:27:00.001-04:00

The Sodano Family

2007-03-07T01:13:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to get to do a newborn session this past weekend. Baby Marissa joins her two big brothers Matthew and Ryan, along with her very happy Mom and Dad. And how gorgeous does Marissa's mommy (my good friend Jolene) look only 2 weeks after giving birth?? WOW! I had such a fun time with the whole gang, and I loved getting to record a typical day in the life of this fun energetic --and adorable!--family.

Kyler, 10 months

2007-03-07T01:04:00.001-05:00

Ice, Ice Baby - too cold!

2007-02-17T18:40:00.001-05:00

We spent Valentine's Day indoors (mostly) because of the great ice storm of 2007. No work, no school...no electricity! But at least I got a few neat pictures out of it:

The trees were all weighed down with the ice, causing them to sag, sometimes on the power lines. Not a good combo.

But it made for some pretty cool pictures of our icy wonderland.

It temporarily got above freezing, and the ice began to melt just a little bit.

The idea was to capture a snowflake with my macro lens, but I guess I was too late. Here are some 'former snowflakes' on the sleeve of my new winter coat, inside.

Emily, age 2

2007-02-12T13:09:00.001-05:00

Tiny things

2007-02-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

Pet Portrait: Jamie

2007-02-06T02:10:00.001-05:00

Only a lab can be six years old, going grey, and still be totally in the 'puppy stage.'

Here's Jamie, a very 'vocal' black lab, who takes her name from the Van Halen song Jamie's Cryin:

Affiliate Photographer

2007-02-06T01:25:00.001-05:00

I am very proud to announce that I have been accepted as an Affiliate Photographer with the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep organization. NILMDTS is a non-profit organization that offers infant bereavement photography to families dealing with the loss of a child. I was moved to participate in this organization because of the loss of a very sweet boy, Noah Graves, who lives in Denver. I wanted to be able to do something for Noah's family, but also for families in my area. Through Noah's blog, I learned of the volunteer opportunities with NILMDTS, and knew it was something I had to do.

I know there is not much you can offer to anyone when they lose a loved one, but the opportunity to photograph the final moments between a parent and child, and give the family the gift of those images to hold and cherish long after their baby has passed, is something that is very important to me.

My reason for announcing this news is to spread the word to families in need - this is a free service, available all over the United States. Doctors and nurses should be aware of this service and offer it to families in need. To find a NILMDTS photographer in your area, or to learn more, please click the banner below.

Baby Jake

2007-01-17T02:32:00.001-05:00

I sometimes groan when other photographers post pictures of their own children..... So go ahead, groan away.

Maternity Session with the Szewczyk Family

2006-12-14T14:28:00.001-05:00

My friends Nicole and Dave and their adorable daughter Madelyn let me come to their home as they were getting ready for the Christmas season. Madelyn was busy helping her dad put up all the lights while Nicole and I had a photo session for the newest member of the family - who will arrive sometime in the spring. As you can tell, Nicole is even more gorgeous while she's expecting - she certainly had that "mama-to-be glow" thing going on.

Madelyn has a thing for gum these days - I love this shot of her playing with it.

And then she was gracious enough to give me a smile, even though she wasn't really diggin this photo-session thing.

What a cute couple!

... and what a cute family! I love the interaction between Madelyn and Dave here.

Maddie and her mama. And a smile!

I'll admit it...we resorted to bribing Maddie with candy. Here she is enjoying a tootsie roll. I love the look on her face. I am sure I just asked her: "So Maddie, wanna take a few more pictures?" And it looks like her answer would probably be: "Lemmie think...uh, NO."

Maddie shows me where her new little sister lives.

Baby Madison

2006-11-25T23:55:00.001-05:00

Had a great time photographing beautiful baby girl Madison Rose this afternoon. Madison is almost 7 months old - and a total cutie pie!!!

VEGAS BABY!

2006-11-22T15:16:00.001-05:00

Well, we didn't win big, but I got some great pictures and some great stories...

We stayed at The Flamingo right on the strip. The 18th floor has an awesome view. Highly recommend. Had to get this must-have picture of the epitome of Vegas neon lights.

The strip during the day, taken from a bridge between the MGM and Excalibur, looking toward New York New York, the Monte Carlo, Bellagio and Paris.

And the strip at night, from the bridge between the Flamingo and Caesar's Palace, looking toward Bellagio, Paris, and Bally's.

Ralph has a wonderful family friend, Tony, who moved out to Vegas about 10 years ago from New York. Tony showed us a great time (his stories are legendary!), and was kind enough to drive us out to the biggest tourist spot in town - the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. Thanks again "Cab Driver".

Looking up in the atrium of the Luxor hotel, which is shaped like an Egyptian pyramid. Love that wide-angle lens!

Another view inside Luxor.

There is this awesome store between the Luxor and Manadalay Bay that is called Lush Puppy - they sell items exclusively for dogs. They had these adorable Vegas dog cookies! I wanted to buy the whole store up! I have realized over time that photos make better souveniers than the actual crap I used to buy.

This was near the House of Blues in Manadalay Bay. Very cool place. There was a big bank of slot machines, with the top prize being a motorcycle.

They come up with the funniest ideas for slot machines!

These are the lions they keep in the MGM Grand hotel. I felt sorta bad getting these pictures - there were all these suckers around me shooting picture after picture with their very standard cameras, and I knew that they did not have the benefit of a telephoto lens. This was about 50 feet away from the lions. No one else went home with a picture like this. However, if it makes anyone feel better, I got my payback by not having my nice camera with me when we met Mario Lopez on the streets of Vegas on Saturday night. I took a crappy camera phone picture, and if you tilt the screen, and squint really hard, you can see me and a dark blob next to me. Yeah, that blob is Mario Lopez. And now my camera phone refuses to forward the picture to my email, so I can't even photoshop the picture and make it somewhat believeable. So I guess it all evens out in the end...

The Eiffel Tower at Paris Hotel

Leavin Las Vegas.

Thanks for the great flight, Southwest! We got the funny flamboyant flight attendant on the way back - LOVE that guy! Faaaaabulous!

Mountains not far from Vegas.

This was a really cool area of water not far from Vegas. Shot from the plane window.

The view of the desert (somewhere Arizon-ish)

The reason I could never live in a square state (no offense to anyone living in, or hailing from, Kansas)...

Bathtime for baby

2006-11-06T23:44:00.001-05:00

I just keep coming back to this one:

Preying on the Mantis

2006-10-29T13:00:00.001-05:00

This was the scene in our front yard yesterday and this morning. I love this time of year because we always have the last big praying mantis of the season that comes to visit with us until it gets too cold, and then he disappears. This year we have two of them. They always hang out on either the front window screens, or our front door. Anyone know how to help them stay a little longer?

Cleaning his antennae

The spotted body of the green one

Turning up to look at me

The green one, yesterday, trying to cling to the window frame

The brown one, today, where the green one was yesterday - cross-eyed?

The green one, after being chased by the dog away from the front door.

Bellview at Sonar (Baltimore, MD)

2006-10-12T23:35:00.001-04:00

Here are some pics from a photoshoot I did of my brother's band Bellview, who performed at Sonar last night in Baltimore. The band sounded great and I loved getting to do some action shots in low light. Check out Bellview on MySpace. Their song "Weightless" is great... but it's not for the, um, faint of heart. You guys wail!

Ocean City Maryland, Summer 2006

2006-08-29T00:03:00.001-04:00

Kids are so fun to take pictures of!

2006-08-17T16:52:00.001-04:00

These are my husband's cousins, who were in town from California.

Hands and Feet

2006-08-17T00:29:00.001-04:00

It sounds funny, but I have always looked closely at hands. Old hands, new hands, rough hands, soft hands. You do so much with your hands in the course of a day, a month, a year, a lifetime. They never wear out. No two pairs are the same. You can tell a lot by looking at someone's hands - married? single? old? young? hard working? pampered? A story is waiting to be told by every set of hands: the dark stained nailbeds of a mechanic, the fingertips of an artist covered in oil pastels, the manicured hands of a bride on her wedding day. (Am I on to a self-imposed photo assignment here?)

Here is my four month old son and his great-grandmother. I love the contrast of the two sets of hands next to each other, and couldn't resist when I saw this scene unfolding.

Doggies... are some of my favorite models

2006-08-17T00:12:00.001-04:00