Going on Vacation

It's been a busy week around here! Wedding albums being designed and ordered, I've had 3 photo shoots, and most importantly - I've been busy preparing for my family vacation in FLORIDA!! :D As of tomorrow morning, I will be on vacation for a whole WEEK! YAY!!

And just because I'm getting pumped up, here are some photos from last year's Florida Vacation!

My niece Reilly



My sister, Kyla and baby Caeden



Michael & Tristan



One of my favorite photos EVER! Me with my little Reilly. Gotta love that face!!!




We had a family portrait session on the beach one evening. I'm debating whether or not to bring my tripod so we can get one of the whole fam... It's a whole other bag though and you shouldn't have to carry a lot of stuff on vacation!


The kids were having a great time, no really



The kids and their Kiki :)



It works a whole lot better with my sister running around and being ridiculous behind me. Way more genuine smiles - especially when she fell down in the sand ;)



My Mom & Dad - the amazing people who make it happen!



And this will be my view for the next few days! Don't be jealous ;)



I'll be responding to emails and phone calls when I get back. Have a great week!!! :D

Beth & Steven's Wedding in Newport, RI

Last season I had the chance to second shoot with a bunch of great photographers, but haven't had a chance to share any of the images with you. Until now :)

This event was shot with my dear friend Erica Pelaccia. We drove down to Newport, RI for the beautiful wedding of Beth & Steve at The Officer's Club at the Naval Station Newport. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day...



Beth & Steve got married outside by the water, with the sun getting ready to set behind them. It was a beautiful scene, and definitely a fun challenge to shoot!


After the ceremony and the family portraits, we got to spend a little time with just Beth & Steve and the golden sunset. It was gorgeous!!!


Erica working her magic :)


Their reception ended up being one of the funnest parties EVER! It started with a choreographed first dance...


Then the father-daughter dance


Then the best part was that the band was an 80s cover band!!!!! They even dressed up!!! Oh my gosh, they were SO AWESOME!


At first I was a little worried that the crowd wouldn't be into an 80s band, but I was WRONG! This crowd ate it up!! Everyone from kids to 80 year-old grandparents were gettin' down on the dance floor all night long. It was a AWESOME!!!


Erica, gettin' down with her bad self! I love you, Erica ;)



The party was so fun that we closed the place down! On the way to the car, I saw this and just had to get a shot... Gorgeous!


Thank you Erica for inviting me to come shoot with you! It was lovely as always :) Thank you Beth & Steve for having me at your wedding - it was great to meet you guys and enjoy a night boogying with your friends & family! And thank you Fast Times for the best wedding music ever! You guys ROCK - I've got to make plans to come out for a show in Boston soooon!

The Rescue

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while (like since the beginning), you know that I'm a HUGE fan of Invisible Children! Invisible Children began as a documentary about children in Northern Uganda who would commute miles each night from the villages to the city to avoid being abducted and forced into the rebel army (the LRA). [If you haven't seen the film, please buy it and watch it - or ask to borrow it from me!!] And now, Invisible Children has become a movement of young people who want to do something to end the 20+ year war in Uganda.



Peace talks have failed once again, and Invisible Children, along with much of the international community is calling for the arrest of Joseph Kony (the leader of the LRA) and the rescue of the thousands of abducted children who make up his army. On April 25th, 2009, Invisible Children is calling on the youth of the world to abduct themselves to free the abducted by participating in an event called The Rescue. The Rescue is taking place in Boston, and dozens of cities all over the world. Go to the site to find a city near you!


A couple years ago, IC put on a similar event called DisplaceME to raise awareness about the plight of Ugandans being forced to live in IDP Camps because of the ongoing war. A group of my friends from church and I went down to New York to participate and it was a very cool experience - one that I never did share on this blog... No time like the present, huh? :)






This is Bobby Bailey, one of the filmmakers who started Invisible Children.

















love this





it was a cold wet night, but people stayed and really slept in card board shelters! (except me, I'm a wimp and I slept in the car ;)










I really love this organization! I wish I could be there to participate on April 25th (though I'm not sad that I'll be on vacation in FLORIDA). I'm happy that I can support Invisible Children by just passing on the word - and because they're one of the organizations I support through my wedding photography GIVE program - where 10% of every wedding photography goes to charity. Maybe someday I'll get to go to Uganda and shoot some photos for them... Hey, I can dream!!

Take a minute and go to www.invisiblechildren.com to learn more. And if you have 30 minutes to watch a powerful video on child soldiers, please click HERE.

SpringFest

One of my 2008 brides, Jessica, emailed me the other day about a charity event she's planning and asked if I would help spread the word. If you've visited this blog before, or visited my website, you know that I'm very much into charity work, and using my photography and my business to support organizations that are really helping people. I checked out the info on Jessica's event and I think it sounds great!!

SpringFest is a charity fair hosted by Berkland Baptist Church to raise funds and awareness for the China Nest of Hope Orphanage in Beijing, China. The orphanage is part of the China Nest of Hope Foundation, a charitable organization that strives to help orphaned and underprivileged children in Beijing. SpringFest festivities will feature family-friendly activities like games, arts and crafts, demonstrations, music, food and more. There will also be a charity raffle with awesome prizes like airplane tickets & iPods, and winners will be drawn throughout the day.

I love that I get to work with great brides like Jessica, who do cool stuff like this! Visit www.SpringFestBoston.com for more information about SpringFest and about the China Nest of Hope Orphanage, and hopefully I'll see you there! :)

McGarry Family Chiropractic - Winchester, MA

A couple years ago, I started seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis. I'd been having some pretty regular shoulder and neck pain for a few years, and decided it was time to do something about it. Turns out, carrying heavy camera equipment on my back and holding a camera to my face and a flash over my head for hours at a time, is not so good for my spine. Like many people, I was really skeptical of chiropractic even though lots of photographers had told me it had really helped them. Dr. Lieschen McGarry had become a friend through church, and so I figured I'd give it a try since she was someone I felt really comfortable with and could trust. She explained to me that when your spine is out of line (subluxation), it can disrupt the nerves sending signals to your whole body, which can lead not just to pain but to all sorts of health issues. She also showed me how when your spine is out of line for an extended period of time, it can cause structural damage as well (subluxation degeneration). Looking at my x-ray was a little scary (apparently I have the spine of a 40-year old), so I started going for adjustments on a regular basis, and still do. And it's really helped!

So, when Lieschen told me she was working on a new website for the office and needed some photographs, I was thrilled to work with her on them!

We started out with some headshots...

Gorgeous, and talented - gotta love it!





This is Maggie, one of the office assistants





And Jessica





They're a great team!





This is the view from the adjustment room - that's lovely downtown Winchester





Dr. McGarry explaining Subluxation Degeneration to a patient





Two of the adorable babies she treats





A big part of Dr. McGarry's practice, is working with families and children. A lot of people freak out at the idea of adjusting children, but she's incredibly gentle. We photographed her adjusting some babies and kids, so people could see what that looks like.













See, smiling faces :)







Thanks Lieschen for such a fun and different shoot! And thank you especially for all the care you've given me over the last couple years! I don't know how I'd make it through a wedding season without you :)