Siblings

I shot this picture in ludignton while walking with the kids out to the Breakwater lighthouse.

It really is a beautful moment when a mother sees her children interact as siblings and freinds. This made me reflect on my own relationship I have had with my 5 siblings over the years. Did you know, only one third of siblings remain close into adulthood.  

I admit I only speak to 2 out of my 5 siblings. Some part of me hopes my kids somehow beat those odds. If there ever comes a point in the future when they are not speaking to eachother I will send them this picture to remind them of when they did.

"From the time that they are born, our brothers and sisters are our collaborators and co-conspirators, our roll models and cautionary tales.  They are our scolds, protectors, goads, tormentors, playmates, counselors, sources of envy, objects of pride. They teach us how to resolve conflicts and how not to; how to conduct friendships and when to walk away from them.  Sisters teach brothers about the mysteries of girls; brothers teach sisters about the puzzle of boys.  Our spouses arrive comparatively late in our lives; our parents eventually leave us. Our siblings may be the only people we ever know who truly qualify as partners for life.  Siblings are with us for the whole journey."

Katherine Conger - University of California, Davis

St. Patricks Day

For the first time in my life I officially celebrated Saint Patrick's Day.

I am part Irish (just ask my grandma). I'd never really seen the novelty in the holiday, I don't drink beer, so the thought of trying to choke down GREEN beer sounds even worse!

But this year my friend Jen said she was having a divorce party on St. Patty's day! Now that's a good enough reason to celebrate! So I met up with her happy crew downtown Ann Arbor. I was happy when she asked me to take pictures of the group of girls. To my surprise a large part of the group was from a facebook group for mothers of twins. How cool is that?? I didn't even know such a group existed.

 

I have tried to dress my daughters (who are 2 years apart) identically for years now, and they refuse. 

So, no twins for me.

I did get a change to visit with my favorite little leprechaun Saturday morning before the festivities got started. All he was missing was a little green hat, lol.

P.S. I'm well know for studying the origins of holiday and was asked several times during St. Patty's to explain. I have included links in this blog post from wiki for all you curiosity seekers.

WPPI 2012

WPPI is an annual photography convention that I attend in fabulous Las Vegas each year.
I met tons of amazing people this year. Which I'll be blogging about over the next week.

Caroline & Moon Morey win my cutest couple award. I met them while shooting out at the Nelson Ghost Town. Moon is originally from Hawaii, which explains his unique name. Caroline is a wedding photographer from Irvine California.

They were gracious enough to humor me and agreed to "model" while the group was between shoots. These two has such a playful camaraderie. It was absolutely delightful to see them engage in laughter as I was shooting.

If I had to give this image a title it would be called "Love Tap".

Post Cards- Mumbai

I've decided to start a new series called "Post Cards". I though this would be a great way for me to share some of my landscapes. It's sort of like a "HAPPY"card you can share with anyone you know who needs a little dose of goodness!

About the photo: This shot was taken outside the the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. OnOne PhotoFrame was used for border and texture.

Dreams

Lately, I have been dreaming.
Vivid, enchanting, complex surrealistic dreams.
I think our dreams have a way of weaving together the impossibilities that our waking state does not permit us to perceive. Making something new where nothing existed before. Some of the greatest minds attributed their greatest break-through to dreams. So here's to all the dreamers.

The photo-centric engagement

I recently met with a future bride named Cassie . Over a caramel latte at Starbucks in Ann Arbor, she shared with me her amazing story of her Canon Christmas proposal.

Last year, Cassie was just starting out in photography. She had big photo dreams and had been diligently saving money to purchase her first DSLR camera.

 When Christmas time rolled around, Cassie and  her boyfriend Brandon got family & friends together for a Christmas party. Once everyone had arrived, Brandon handed Cassie a box and told her to open her gift. She felt worried because they had both agreed not to buy each other gifts that year. (Cassie’s brother stood by with video camera in hand.) When she opened the box she saw the word Canon and started shaking with excitement. Tears streamed down her cheeks as She took the Rebel Xsi out of the box. Brandon handed her a memory card to use in the camera. He said, “Check the card to make sure there aren’t any of my old photos on it”. She hit the play button and this is the image that popped up.

 When she looked at Brandon he was down on one knee. Brandon looked up at Cassie and asked “ I love you, will you marry me?”

Cassie just stood there in amazement, holding the camera, holding her breath, smiling, crying, looking at Brandon. Her brother, still holding the video camera shouted “Well, are you gonna say yes?” She looked around to realize that all eyes where on her, waiting for her to say something, anything.

She exclaimed “yes, yes, yes”, and the celebration began!

Brandon purchased Cassie the engagement ring in October & had planned on popping the question then. However, he decided to wait until Christmas because his brother had just become engaged.  Brandon knew how special the camera would be to Cassie and thought it was a perfect vehicle to deliver a proposal. Brandon took 72 shots to get the image above.

Their wedding is scheduled for June 2012.

As a female wedding photographer,  this is the kind of story that just pulls at your heartstrings.

How sweet, photography love to the umph power.

Novi Bridal Show

The experience of the Novi Bridal Expo was amazing. Each year exhibitors from Michigan gather at the event to provide brides with one stop shopping for all their wedding day needs. This year myself & Steve, my business partner in He Said She Said Photography were in one of the booths for photographic services.

We met some super cool vendors & played nice with everyone except the balloon guy (who shall remain nameless). One would assume that a balloon vendor would have the pleasant disposition of a daycare worker, after all balloons are happy & I am happy, but he was not. As you can see from the photo below I am happy, so very happy, because I have the best job in the world!

The very best part of the weekend was the brides. We met amazing women (and a few men) from all over the country.
What is the best thing about meeting new brides?
They are in love. They have found someone that they love so much they want to spend the rest of their lives together. Love is the most beautiful, flattering feature from a photographic standpoint.
  Love is the purest form of happiness. I could photograph happiness every day for the rest of my life and die with a huge smile.
I could go on and on about love, but I wont.
I'll just say "I love love".
There is something very genuine about the way a couple looks into each others eyes when they are in love. These are the stories I want to tell with my camera.

I have an amazing story from Cassie coming next week, so grab your camera & tissues because this is a good one. Not only is she a future bride but she is also just starting out in photography and her engagement story touched my heart.