Mission Aborted....Again

During Christmas break of 2008 we went to Virginia to spend Christmas with Sue's sister and her family. We intended to go from Virginia to Philadelphia to visit my cousins and then on to Ocean Grove to visit my sister Caren. On Christmas Day Cade started to fade and by the next day he looked like he had the plague, so we cancelled the rest of the trip and went home.

This year our plans were to go to Virginia and then to Ocean Grove. Cade felt great. It was Mother Nature who was tossing her cookies all over the northeast. The hardest hit area of the blizzard was of course Ocean Grove. We're used to a bit of snow up here in Western New York, but 30" in 15 hours will bring anyone to their knees. The storm ended Monday morning, but we didn't dare venture north in to the "combat zone" with winds still whipping up to 60 mph, blowing the snow on to the highways.

With the major roads virtually impassable, I can only imagine that it will be a week or more before the side roads are accessible. Caren sent me some photos, including some of the residents taking upon themselves to start shoveling the streets.

I have to say I'm a bit jealous. We haven't had a good snow storm in Canandaigua since March of 1999. Don't get me wrong, we get plenty of snow, but an inch a day for 90 days doesn't get the heart pumping like a kid hoping for a snow day.

Canandaigua is just too far east of Lake Erie for the heavy Lake Effect snow and the wrong angle off Lake Ontario for the heavy snows. Rochester broke a record for December snow with 46.5" for the month so far. If I had to guess I would say Canandaigua has only about 8" total for the month.

I may as well just move to Florida.

Happy Holidays

Crazy 11x14 Session Sale

2011 Mustang Calendar

Our 2011 Mustangs of the Finger Lakes calendar is hot off the press and ready for Christmas delivery for your Mustang enthusiast. At just $20 these are the perfect gift for the car nut in your family. Here are some images of the cars from the calendar along with an order that you can click and print, or simply call the studio at 585-393-9242 to order yours.

Gift Certificate BOGO

Little Cherub

Earlier this week I did a photo shoot of the cutest little baby. Nora was adopted 6 weeks ago. She certainly was an early Christmas gift. With her irresistible cheeks and smooth as silk complexion, she'll be gracing the home page of our website as the Image of the Month.
To see more of Nora's photos, visit Patty's Place on Main Street in Canandaigua where her images will soon be gracing the walls.
Enjoy the photos below. See if you can do it without smiling. I don't think it's possible, like sneezing with your eyes open.

Big Red

A few weeks ago we had a visit from the big guy in the red suit. We've been doing photos with our Santa for about 10 years now and he never fails to amaze me how he connects with the kids. He is the real deal.

I've been so swamped with photo shoots and editing that I have neglected the blog for a while. It's strange, I actually feel guilty when I don't blog. After the holidays I have some new ideas I want to blog about and I'll have more free time to do it.

For now, here are some of the photos from our shoots with Santa.

Emma's Bat Mitzvah

Last weekend Rich and I photographed Emma's Bat Mitzvah in New Rochelle, just outside of NYC. I drove down on Friday and photographed Emma with her family, almost like I would with a high school senior. Most of the drive down, the scenery was the bland browns of winter with the leaves well past peak. As I got to within about 15 miles of the coast, it was like traveling back in time several weeks with the foliage in full color. I did photos at their house before we headed down to Glen Island Park on Long Island Sound, where the party was to be held the next day. The scenery was spectacular with the different inlets and islands in the harbor. For a brief moment, I missed the growing up on Long Island and boating in Oyster Bay on Long Island Sound with my Dad.

Mustang Calendar

After many hours of shooting over the summer and many more editing, our 2011 Mustangs of the Finger Lakes calendar is back from the printer. This would make the perfect gift for any car enthusiast, especially the local one's who can see the cars in this calendar up close and personal at area cruise nights.

The calendars are on sale for $20 each and can be purchased by calling the studio at 585-393-9242 or by printing the order form image below and mailing it in. There are a limited number of calendars available to be guaranteed for Christmas delivery. If they sell out we will have more printed, however I can not guarantee the time frame.

Here are a few sample pages.

Three Years

It's hard to believe it's been three years since Sandi's death. So much has changed since she was killed, yet her presence is still so tangible it feels like she hasn't missed a thing.

Three years. It seems like an eternity when you're waiting for something you want, like getting your drivers license or graduating high school. When you don't want the time to pass though, that same amount of time disappears in a flash, like turning 40.

Thinking of all the things that have happened since November 7, 2007, it seems like a long time ago. Thoughts of that day itself though are still fresh, like it happened just days ago. Thankfully, 99% of my thoughts are from the awesome memories we had together.

I was going through some old photos at my Mom's house down in Florida when I came across a photo of Sandi from the Dansville Balloon Festival in September of 2007. My stomach flipped when I realized it was just weeks before she was killed. If we had known then that there was such a short time left, what would we have done differently? The real question though is if we knew how she was going to be taken from us, what would we have done differently to stop it?
There are some people who don't reach their true potential until after their death when the legacy they leave behind profoundly effects people. Sandi, however, was one of those rare people who had that profound effect on people in life. Her presence in our lives was a gift and she is missed immeasurably.

Here Comes Santa Clause

I wanted to send out another reminder that Santa will be at the studio November 20-21 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For those of you who have joined us before, we'd love to see you again. For those of you who haven't, check out the photos below to see the best Santa ever. He is the real deal. No "Santa's Helper" here with the fake beard and hair. We will be doing 15 minute sessions by appointment with 4 different studio sets available. The session is $75 and includes 1-8x10, 2-5x7s and 25 4x5.5 custom designed Holidays Cards. We are about 50% full and expect the rest to fill up quickly. If you want to book your session, call the studio at 585-393-9242.

If Santa isn't your thing, we will also be doing Winter themed barn photos on December 4th or 5th with the same pricing structure as the Santa photos.