Friday, October 24, 2008

Feelin' like a Teenager!

OK, I'm not sure I believe this myself, but I just hosted a slumber party. Yep, a real honest-to-goodness slumber party. Food, girlfriends, staying up late, gossip...and a bit of work thrown in.

Two of my best photographer girlfriends (part of the group we call the ShutterChicks) came and we camped out in the studio on Wednesday night to work on some exciting new products. These are going to be very sentimental items, with a lot of personalization, and we wanted to spend some time brainstorming about how to get it just right. We worked/played/burned candles/ate until about 2:00 in the morning, and then I couldn't sleep because my brain was whirling.

The three of us had been to a seminar over the weekend (which was wonderful) and got these ideas from a wonderful photographer from Boston. They are called "Love Letters" and "Love Stories." The Love Letters is a special folio presentation that includes a portrait and a hand-written letter to the recipient sealed in an envelope. There will be a guide to writing the letter included with each one.

I'm really excited about this! I am going to make one of myself for my husband and I'm planning to photograph each of my sisters and my brother and ask them to write a letter to each of their children. This is going to be my Christmas gift to my nieces and nephews. (I hope they're not reading this....guess that might ruin the surprise.)

The Love Stories is a whole different idea, with a multi-media presentation included. It's all about couples in love, from young to old. Can't wait to get this ready either, it's gonna be super cool!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Special Visit from Ronald


Guess WHAT! We just had a surprise, a personal visit from a famous celebrity. He's starred in tons of commercials for an international company, is the second most recognized entity on the planet (right behind Santa) and has hair the same color as my lobby walls! It's Ronald McDonald. For real, no joke!




We couldn't resist the photo op....so here's a quick shot of me and Vanessa (my studio manager) with Ronald. Say CHEESEburger!

First Post: Welcome to the Family

Hello out there!!!

Wow, I can't believe it. After hearing about blogging for a long time, and deciding ages ago that I wanted to have one of my very own, I finally have found my long-lost "round tuit" and here it is.

Honestly, I'm not sure what kind of stuff will end up in here. I know there are things I want to share with you, and this will let me do that even in the wee hours (when I often find myself in front of a blinking screen). The content I expect to share most often are new ideas and inspirations, what's going on at the studio and in my life, and some cool shots I got that I just wanted to share with the world. Oh, and some funny stories along the way...you wouldn't believe some of the things I hear and see.

For this first post, I want to share the two happy new additions to my family.

First, I have a brand-spankin' new great-nephew, Jacob. Yes, that makes me a Great-Aunt--of course my nieces and nephews will all tell you that I was already a great aunt. ;-) Despite the fact that he is making me feel old, I think he's completely adorable. Born on Sept 18th, and weighing in at only 4lbs, 13.5 oz, he was a tiny little thing but full-term and healthy. He's packin' on the pounds already!


Jacob certainly wins a prize for being photographed before he even got home, these were taken at the hospital when he was only 2 days old. Like most of my family he lives in Virginia, so I wont get to see him nearly enough, but I'm anxious to get back "home" and capture new photos! After Thanksgiving you will probably see him here again.

Our second addition to the family is a new sister-in-law. My brother Randy, (not to be confused with my husband Randy) married a beautiful woman named Evelyn in a small outdoor ceremony at his vacation cabin. Both of them are nature lovers so having the wedding at the cabin surrounded by national forest and close friends and family was the perfect way to start their new life as a couple. I'm so happy for them!

I will say, it's not a typical day when I stop by the hospital to photograph a newborn on my way to shoot a wedding. Yep, big stuff happening around here.