A Look Back

I was looking back on photographs I have taken over the last year.  Boy do I have a lot to post about!  So I will dig in with a sampling of a very joyous day last September.  I've known Eli since before he was born....can you do that?  He is the older of the two amazing sons of my LONGtime close friend Nan.  

Eli, all grown up now, got married to a sweet, spunky little lady named Venessa.  They met years ago as camp counselors and married each other lakeside at the campground chapel.   Their good humor, love of theatrics and their butterfly theme were major highlights of the day.

I began the day at Venessa's parents lovely cottage home near Long Island Sound.  Although it threatened rain throughout the day, we also had sunshine. 

No rain but plenty of umbrellas.

Debonair groom & groomsmen.

Eli loves his hat.  He managed to put it aside for the ceremony & photos.

May the best bestman win!

The cool temperature of the day kept the butterflies they released from flying away.  It made for some really magical photos.

Is this the sweetest little flowergirl face or what?

I loved how many heart shapes are in this photo just the way they are entwined.

I'd love to take some directing credit but these two are just naturals.

Did I mention that Eli was a lightweight?  Note the hat. ;)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ELI & VENESSA!

Portraits of Jenn

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Jenn (a sister red head!)  She needed some head shots for an upcoming Connecticut teen pageant and she's also interested in pursuing modeling.  She was up for an outdoor experience so she and her Mom and their little dog Bootles met me at one of my all time favorite places, Elizabeth Park.  

We had a lot of fun exploring the gardens and surrounding areas for locations.  And I had a great time directing her all over the place!  Yes, you read that right.......I had a great time directing.  It was like I was speaking from a different source, a direct line from vision to mouth.  It rocked!  I'm sure it helped that Jenn was so into it, she made my visions a reality in the .....uh....click of a shutter. ;)  Here are some highlights from the shoot.  

She's a natural model.  

This was after a couple cart wheels to loosen up the moment.  It worked.

 

I loved her sandals.

And of course we stopped to smell the roses.  This one is my personal favorite.

Good Luck in the Pageant Jenn!

Riding High

One of this summer's highlight has to be Abbie's riding lessons.  She's been eager for years but also a little scared of the whole idea.  All her fears melted away when we got to spend some time at Julia's beautiful horse farm.  

It was kizmit that I reconnected with Julia (a former instructor at a horse therapy barn where I volunteered) at Carla's studio opening party last Spring.....small world.  I told her my daughter wanted to be around horses and do barn work and grooming and she said "come on over".  Well it only took about 10 minutes of watching Julia's gift of humor and patience with a student rider and Abbie knew she didn't want to wait any longer to learn. So she and Pippin the pony got busy.....  

I just love the way she beams through her entire lesson.  

Look Ma......no hands!  Naa, actually she was doing her balance exercises.

Evan and Julia's son Mason kept each other busy during Abbie's lesson.

And this beauty is Beau.  I just loved the way Beau and Abbie were in stride together......

And of course I could not ignore Mason's awesome boots!

And that's how I pass the time during her lessons. ;)

Rhode Island Yaahhhhd Sale

Last weekend I got to visit one of my favorite families and one particular lady I've known for probably many lives.  I met Yesha when she was just 11 and knew I wanted her for my little sister.  She's my soul sister for sure and one of the most positive forces walking this planet.  Well, she's moving away and I went to visit during her weekend long Rhode Island "Yaahhhd Sale".  Liquidating a day care center certainly makes for colorful images.  To top it off I had the great pleasure of sharing the trip and surprising them with their friend Susannah.  Susannah is so much fun and so easy to be with, it's no surprise that I eventually came down with a case of laughing pains.  She's also crazy (like me) over Lucky Charms.....how can you not love that!    

A trip to the mall late in the day resulted in some killer Converse Sneaks for Leif & Susannah.

Nicky, carpenter extraordinaire & super neighbor friend, displays his permanent allegiance to his team.

As this door closes, there's another in SD about to open.

It's not just the Red high tops that inspire this artist.  Leif has always had a talent for drawing, and his dragons are wild and intricate.

Little ball, big hope.

Happy hour feet.

Rockin the high tops....

Susannah's funkadelic Converse

Nicky's Preston

Impossible not to get great shots of the "Bops"

Genuine Brotherly love.

The goodie jars in Yesha's kitchen are always a huge hit

At their house, all is colorful.

That's me, chillin in their guest house with a cold one.

Leif did a great job keeping an eye on the lemonade sales.

Thanks for a super weekend Yesha, Matt, Leif, Finn, Xan, Susannah, Elizabeth, Nicky, Barbara & Preston!