We're off to the Zoo!

Please...can we go to the Brevard Zoo!

Where do we want to go first?

Feeding the giraffe

Feeding the Lorie's...this one flew right on my shoulder to eat!

High Five!

I have a secret!

I love trains!

Time to go home....

JetBlue - Boston to Orlando

I had a great flight down to Orlando, flying JetBlue for the first time. They are a great airline to fly... and it was so nice to leave the freezing cold for some warmer weather:)

Out of the office

I am on my way to Florida to visit my family and will only have sporadic access to email. So if you don't hear back from me right away, I will get back to you I promise. I'm headed for much warmer weather:) It's 7F right now, but so windy it feels like -12F!! Stay warm.

It's not just about taking pictures

When you are looking for a wedding photographer, you're not only hiring someone to take your pictures, but someone who spends time with your images after the wedding day making them look even more amazing then they would right out of the camera. This is what we in the "biz" call post-production work and each photographer has their own techniques, style and vision for their wedding photography. If you gave a group of photographers the same image file out of the camera, we would all come up with something completely different for that same image. Some photographers provide "shoot and burn" packages, meaning they spend very little time doing post production work. They take the pictures right out of the camera, then burn them to a CD for you. This is not my style of wedding photography. I view my wedding images as art. They are as special to me as they are to you and I spend a lot of time with them. Some images I spend more time with than others because they mean something special to me...maybe it's a moment or a detail from your wedding, that I hope will bring back an amazing memory for you.

Here's an example from Lara & Brian's wedding. I just love this picture! It was right after their ceremony and they had just walked down the aisle past their family and friends and stole a kiss during a private moment in the chapel foyer. It was such an intimate moment between them, a moment I wanted to capture for them to remember forever.

before....

and after...

Brrrr....it's cold!

Ok, it's not as cold as yesterday, when the thermometer read -4F, and that was at 9:30 in the morning!! It actually feels warm today compared to that;) I hope everyone is staying warm and getting ready for the snow storm due to arrive tomorrow.

My Bridal Show Booth

The Bangor Bridal Show is over and I had an such a great time meeting couples and hearing about their wedding plans. I was surprised at how many brides I talked to were planning their 2008 wedding. They have gotten a jump start on the planning, but it is suprising how fast that time passes, how much there is to do, and how fast your favorite vendors get booked up! I was quite happy with how my booth turned out, and the many compliments I received means I chose just the right pictures to display. Thanks to everyone!

Don't Forget!

The Bangor Bridal Show is today and tomorrow!

When:
Saturday 1.13.2007 - 6-9pm
Sunday 1.14.2007 - 11-3pm

Where:
Spectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin Road, Bangor

Hope to see you there!

Lara & Brian - 01.07.2007

My first wedding of 2007! Lara and Brian had the most beautiful, evening wedding in Maine! The ceremony took place at the Flagstaff Memorial Chapel in Eustis, Maine with their closest family and friends in attendance. The chapel was so tiny, I actually drove right by it! It was such a quaint chapel, but with bright overhead lights on it wasn't the intimate setting Lara and Brian wanted. What they really wanted was a candlelight ceremony, but they also did not want any flash photography during the ceremony, which would have really limited the pictures, so they decided on doing a portion of the ceremony in candlelight and said their vows with the lights on, which I thought was a great idea. Their reception followed at the Inn on Winter's Hill in Kingfield a gorgeous bed & breakfast. Here is a **slideshow** of some of my favorite images. Congratulations!!

New Lens!

I just purchased a 50mm 1.4 lens to add to my gear bag. I am so excited! I love it and can't wait to use it at Lara & Brian's wedding this weekend and get some amazing pictures! Of course London became my unwilling test subject. I just know he's thinking "will you please hurry up, I want to get back to napping on my favorite blanket." And of course I had to take a self-portrait...it's very difficult to compose a picture, when you're holding the camera backwards:) Hope everyone has a great weekend and don't forget to check back on Monday for a sneak peek at Lara & Brian's wedding.

Favorite Images

I'm a member of the Digital Wedding Forum (DWF) which is the most amazing community for wedding and portrait photographers. Of course now that we are starting a new year, we all look back at 2006 and want to share our favorite image of the year. This is imposssible!!!! There are so many great images from every wedding I photographed, how can I possibly choose my favorite???? Plus my favorites are always changing!!! So to all my 2006 clients even though I chose this image, I LOVE so many images from each of your weddings, many of them are hanging in my office!

The reason I love this image is because Meagan & Chris had just finished listening to the toasts and I happened to be walking behind them. They had just raised their glasses and I just knew they were going to kiss:) My favorite images are always the ones where I'm in the right place at the right time and capture an amazing moment:) One of the most important aspects of wedding photography is being able to anticipate those moments. When I do capture a moment like this it is so exciting for me because I know it is an image that will bring back so many great memories from the day.

Destination Weddings

You're planning a wedding in a far off and exotic location, maybe because it's a special place for the both of you or maybe you just have a sense of adventure. Your closest family and friends will be there to share your love and celebrate the beginning of your new life together. Planning a destination wedding can be daunting. You may not be able to travel to the area before the wedding, so most of the planning will be done long distance, trusting in the vendors you have chosen to make your day special. One of the most important things to remember is that you will want the most amazing pictures to remember not only your wedding day, but this gorgeous and romantic place that you brought the most special people in your lives to. It's hard enough to hire other vendors that you won't have a chance to meet beforehand, but if the photography is one of the most important aspects of your destination wedding, why not find and hire a photographer who is near you; a photographer who can get to know you personally beforehand and someone you feel comfortable with. As a destination wedding photographer I share that love of adventure and travel with you and offer the opportunity to not only capture your wedding day, but those special moments before and after. Since you will be spending more time at your destination wedding location, opportunities to explore the area and photograph the two of you in either a "we will" or "we did it" sessions in the place you have chosen to start your new life together are a great way to capture more relaxed pictures of the two of you. My second passion next to wedding photography is travel. I've traveled all over the world, from South America to Europe and many adventures in the United States and Canada and each experience has provided me with so many amazing memories. I'm available for several destination weddings each year...I already have one booked for 2007 in Chicago, which I can't wait for, it's where I was born:)