i love this photo - it's both a ring and a shoe image, and i adore how the light is dispersed through the diamond to create a glow on the heel of the shoe. ( i will post something a little higher resolution once i get my watermark on it - the detail in the diamond is so sharp).  but i MOSTLY love it because brenda set it up and i took it.  we were really working as a team.  the day went very quickly - at a pace a little faster than i prefer - but working as a team i think we got some fantastic images!  I think there truly is a synergy in working together as 2 photographers.  Bren was really ON with the fisheye - check out the next to the last image in the MOVING PICTURES!  It's fabulous!  We were soooooo lucky with the weather - a full review is on the way!!

Congratulations Jennifer and Ken!!

I read this quote a couple weeks ago.  I just love it.  I think everyone should read it an think about it.  It's by Marianne Williamson.   

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

also - i have xanny's 'after' pics ready, but i wanted him to grow out a little and take a current one.  his eyebrows were sooooooo short - he was kind of freaky looking!  but now he's growing in and looks more like himself.  i'll post a few as soon as i can.  next time i'll ask eric to keep his eyebrows longer.  and xander has been practicing with the brush since he got such a bad report card!!  he bites at it a little less now.

 

 

 

you've got to take 5 minutes and watch this...

CLICK HERE!

mind-blowing, isn't it?  i'm just waiting for my jet pack to arrive and we'll be moving into the space colony any day now...

oh! and wait until you see alexander's hair cut!!  here's a 'before'...   the after is coming!

this is such a neat website! 

if you are looking for something handmade, or make things that you would like to share with people, check out etsy.com.  i can think of a lot of people who should know about this site - people who love to shop and people who have something to offer!

you have to click 'buy' and then shop by color - it's so cute how it all interacts!  very dynamic.

a few of you might know what that means, but here's the deal....

i work a LOT.   in fact, i work so much that i've reached maximum density, and have been feeling pretty rotten about myself and my health.  so, i've decided that it's time to stop complaining.  i know a couple of people (who shall remain nameless) who are following weight watchers and they have inspired me to return.  (they are lookin' AWESOME!)  i am a lifetime member and it's really hard to go back.

i went to a meeting last week, and while this weekend was a total train wreck, i'm on the wagon this morning.  i'm not in that very highly motivated mode, but i've decided to give it a chance.  which means, i will do all the steps... meeting, writing, planning and following through.

i've decided to do the 'flex plan' - and i only get 19 points!!!  ugh.  i guess i'll be getting a lot of veggies at the store this week. 

Weight Watches works.  You a have to follow it, though.  i know what to do - i just don't do it!  i'm a stress-eater and i'm always stressed.  i like all the stuff that's bad for me, and my portion control is 'portion outta-control'.  plus, for me, eating healthy takes time - i have to go to the store and prep the food - and all i do is work (well, and eat).  but, i guess it's time to get a grip and just do what i need to do.  plus, weight watchers has some very interesting online tools now - so i'll be checking that out for sure!

i'm tempted to post a 'before' picture, but i think i'll wait until i'm an 'after'.  based on what i'd like to lose - about 25 lbs., i'm thinking i'll be posting an 'after' around thanksgiving.  i'm just being realistic.  i could lose it faster, but what's the rush?

!

SO FRESH!

photography is all about finding great light... and wow! we found some at valerie's home right before she married christopher!  i loved how she looked just standing in her living room with her garter on her arm, righ tbefore we went to the green room...  just look at the light!

and the green room!  Valerie's mom, Donna is really has quite an eye for colour - i just LOVE the palettes that she chose for her home - and the LIGHT!  i just love when the light allows for great 'catches' - like Valerie slipping on her garter... what gorgeous legs!

and what a stunning bride!

light, light, LIGHT!  it's all about light!  sometimes a challenge here in pittbsurgh, but with the right combo of window light and the subject just the right angle and distance from a window, you can get a fabulous result!  (it does help to have a beautiful bride )  oh! how i love a cathedral veil!!

after the ceremony we we went to my favorite street!  i had a vision for the bridal party, and i must say that the shade of the bridesmaids dresses was perfect against the green of the trees.  this street is really gorgeous with the enormous tress, and while dodging the cars, we were able come up with this...

we didn't take a long time for photos, but they really flowed!  i adore this little series.  so FRESH!  i don't think i ever did this before on a wedding day...  how sassy is Valerie?!  and isn't Christopher a doll?!

valerie chose bethel bakery to create this fabulous cake!  (i think this is becoming my 'signature' cake shot.) i really love the little details of this cake - don't you?  and mango filling... mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!  and the flowers?  reed and petals.

the reception at the airport Double Tree was so much fun, thanks to Kelli Burns, the music entertainment director at 3 rivers entertainment in pittsburgh.  she was fantastic! 

after this intro, take 5 minutes, and check out the moving pictures - it took me along time to narrow this one down.  beautiful bride, handsome groom and that fabulous light! (don't forget to adjust your sound!)

ENJOY!

i read somewhere that 38000 people will tie the knot today!  that 's 3x the number of people that were married last year on this weekend.  it's no wonder its 7-7-7,  and some people think this is the luckiest day ever!

we have the pleasure of photographing Valerie and Christopher's wedding today!  here are a few photos from their eSession last year - what a great couple ~ stop back tomorrow for the moving pictures!

We had the true honor of photographing a beautiful family portrait recently.

What a lovely family, and the reason they all came together was for a graduation.  Not too unusual, but the graduate has 6 children, and i lost count of the grandchildren!  i thought this was such an awesome achievement that i put together a special Moving Pictures for them. 

Mr Milton earned his degree in accounting - and he did it all online.  Really a fantastic achievement for someone of any age! 

Check out the special Moving Pictures here!

Kristin and Jeff's wedding was great and the photos are just amazing!  The light was terrific!  I had a hard time editing the images down for the album, and I felt that the photos were so strong that they stood on their own.  This is a wedding where i could have just put one image on a page because they are so rich.  I think a wedding album should be timeless and not look like a scrap book - scrap books are great, too, just different from a wedding album.  I love the clean white pages and the sharp focus on the images from this wedding.  Here you go! Take a peek!