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.

Book Ends

Whenever I travel with my sister Ellen, we inevitably start talking about the book ends of the travel. The book ends happen on the flight home, when the time between the flight to the destination and the return flight gets compressed in the blink of an eye. It always amazes us how fast the time in between goes, like a grape being squashed between two fingers.

I went down to Florida last week to visit my aging Grandparents. They are 95 and 98 years old and poised to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary this coming Spring. When you look back at their lives, what comes to mind is the legacy they have built as the heads of the family. Family is everything to them. You should see the pride in their eyes when they talk about their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and even great great grandchildren. What doesn't come to mind is how much money they made, how big their house was, what kind of car they drove, etc... It's all insignificant at that age. When the book ends of life slam together and compress everything in between, what will the summary on the back of the book say? What it all boils down to is how much they were loved and how much love they gave. We come in to this world as helpless infants and for many of us, we'll leave the same way. The important thing is how much love did we fit in the middle.

Key Largo

Since Saturday, I've been down in Boca Raton, Florida, visiting my Mom. The purpose of my trip was to see my grandparents, which I will blog about soon. However, while I was down here, I spent some time on Sunday with my cousin Jared and his wife Colleen. They were married a year ago at the Marriott Key Largo Bay Resort.

Sunday was their one year anniversary, so what better way to celebrate then to go back to the Keys and do a Trash the Dress shoot at the Marriott where it all began.
Ellen and Rich shot the actual wedding. I was so jealous. I couldn't go having my own wedding to shoot in the Finger Lakes. They did a great job. So good in fact that we were added to the Key Largo Marriott's preferred vendor list.

I was very excited for this shoot, not only to see the tropical venue first hand, but to add to the portfolio of images they could show to potential wedding couples.

Colleen and Jared were awesome, putting up with my crazy ideas, even swimming with some interesting sea creatures, like star fish and jelly fish.

We should probably call this a Drown the Gown session instead of a Trash the Dress. Yes, the dress did get wet and sandy, but it is no worse for the wear. In fact, Colleen is having it cleaned and is donating it to charity for some one less fortunate to have a beautiful gown.

Happy Anniversary Colleen and Jared. Same time and place next year? :)

With All Due Respect

When I posted about the Canandaigua Lady, I failed to mention that I'm not the only one who took an awesome photo of her. My sister Ellen beat me to it a year or two ago as the Lady made a night pass by her house overlooking the lake. Out of respect for her photographic talent, I want to share her photo with you as well.

Dancing with a Lady

I have a few memories from childhood that evoke a calming feeling, like a warm hug. The memories are from when I was 3 or 4 years old and have to do with glowing colors. The first one was when I was sitting around the kitchen table in my old house in East Meadow, Long Island. It was night time and the lights were off. We were playing my new board game of Casper the Friendly Ghost. I don't remember the game, but the game piece was a glow in the dark Casper that at some point in the game would light up when you pressed on it. I remember seeing my siblings faces glowing and laughing as we played. The memory is one of those surreal moments in life that seem like a slow motion movie.

I also remember a TV show from when I was little called Villa Alegre on PBS. I don't remember the TV show at all except for the ending image and theme song. The image was a sunset view of a carnival that evoked that same feeling of a calming glow.

A few weeks I did a photo shoot down by Steamboat Landing and then stayed there for dinner. After dinner, I came outside to an amazing sunset as people were boarding the Canandaigua Lady for an evening cruise. I had time for a few hand held photos before the light faded. The resulting image brought me back to that warm feeling of my child hood. The moment was so surreal and calm I just had to sit and enjoy it. It was also one of those life affirming moments where I just sit back and say, "I live here."

Nor' Easter

I wrapped up my stay in Massachusetts with a wedding in Spencer, MA during a Nor' Easter. Despite the adverse conditions, we got some nice fall photos. Julie and Jon took it all in stride and had a ton of fun. The wedding and reception were at Zukas Hilltop Barn, located in the hills of Central Massachusetts. The setting was spectacular, I just wish we had more of an opportunity to be outside. The bride was holding a huge umbrella for a few quick photos outside and at one point it took all the bridesmaids to hold on to it so the bride wouldn't get air born from the wind. I was picturing a scene from The Wizard of Oz only with the bride spinning inside the tornado with the Wicked Witch zooming by.

Lucky in Love

Whenever I hear the song "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait, I can't help but smile. The lyrics, "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend," tell the story of last Sunday's wedding couple, Tina and Lucas, in Hudson, Massachusetts. When you look at them, you can't help but smile.

Their emotional ceremony brought tears to everyone's eyes, followed by Lucas's fist pump at the end like he just won the lottery. His lucky numbers 10-10-10, were the winning numbers worth more than any money could buy.

Tina bought Lucas a flat panel TV for a wedding gift. I told him I would come watch the Super Bowl with him since the Jets will be in it. As a Patriots fan, he didn't share my enthusiasm.

Congrats Tina and Lucas, you guys are awesome.