Happy New Year!

As we begin a new year, I realize how difficult it was to accomplish all that I had hoped to during 2009. It was an interesting year with my 20 year old Daughter moving to her own apartment and my 91 year old Mom moving out of an apartment in to a Living Center where she can get the 24 hour care she needs. These events, although not mine, directly affected my life. It was a year of many changes.
The last half of the year was mostly mine to do with as I wished and I spent most of it with my clients! It was a very busy time and I loved photographing old friends and new.
2010 will be a time for me to concentrate on those things which make business better and one of them will be to keep up with this BLOG. I will post more often and maybe even catch you up with some of last year's events that I wasn't able to get to.

To everyone, I wish you a HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

A 50th Reunion!

I met Carolyn years ago when I had a booth at the Hilton Craft Antique Co-op. My first rental area was the wall on the stairs leading to the second floor in the old Marple Furniture Building. That was all I needed at the time for displaying framed prints.

After the fire took the building, there was a year or more long search for a new spot. We all ended up on Ridge Road at a larger, more improved site. It took some doing to make our spaces cozy and try to get the feel of a homey spot. I worked many days with Carolyn during the time I kept the booth and we had lots of time to talk.

When it came time for her Charlotte High School 45th Reunion, she called to see if I was available to capture a memorable photograph for the attendees. It went well, with many graduates attending and lots of interest in acquiring a copy.

This year was the 50th Reunion at Lakeshore Country Club and even more graduates came home to join in all the fun. Carolyn and her committee do a wonderful job of planning their events! We had time before the dinner to capture this photograph which will become a lasting treasure for those who attended.

Thank you Carolyn and the Charlotte High School Reunion Committee for thinking of me and having the confidence in my work to choose me as your photographer. It was a pleasure!

Seniors are so much FUN!

There is nothing better than to photograph the Senior Portraits of someone you've watched grow up. I've had that privilege several times this year.

I've known Emily since she was in elementary school at Quest. She is now a beautiful young lady who is active in sports and music, along with her studies. We talked about locations when we were planning her Session and decided to personalize her portraits by taking them on location at her home. She was also given permission to use her neighbor's pond and creek which gave us a wonderful variety of backgrounds.

Emily plays the piano so it was fun to include her own instrument, in her own home. These images will become a remembrance of her time spent practicing there. The hardwood floors and french doors became wonderful backdrops for some poses with her other instrument, the oboe.

Our session was fantastic and fun filled and I'm so happy to have been part of Emily's Senior Year.

A Nutcracker Preview

In August, our daughter Morgan decided to audition for the Flower City Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker.
http://flowercityballet.com/Pages/Performances.html
She has been dancing since the age of 2, but took some time off to start college, a job and move in to an apartment.
She is dancing in the Snowflake Dance, the Chinese Dance and Waltz of the Flowers. Rehearsals are in the final stages and the Company gave a preview of what's to come at Borders in Henrietta last Saturday.
We enjoyed seeing her sparkle again while performing and can't wait to see the full performance.

What happened to Camille's little brother?

Ben is now a SENIOR at Odyssey Academy in Greece, NY. Who would believe this is the same little boy who used to come to recitals when Camille, his sister, and my daughter Morgan were students at Ballet Theatre?

I love being chosen to photograph Senior Portraits for families I've known for years. Camille came to us for her Senior Portraits quite a few years ago and I am always honored when parents come back to have siblings photographed.

Personalizing portraits is a very important part of the experience I give my clients. In discussing Ben's options with he and his Mom, we came up with the idea of doing his session at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, www.rmsc.org, where he spent last Summer working at their camp. He was able to get permission to use the grounds, so that's where we went.

What variety we were able to get!  There are great structures, gardens, a mirrored wall and even a spot that looked as if we were out in the country. Ben seems to be comfortable in front of the camera, was easy to photograph and a pleasure work with. The portraits not only show what a great young man Ben has become but will become lasting memories of his time spent at this interesting job.

Best of luck for your Senior Year Ben!

                                        

UPDATE!!
Ben was voted "Best Smile" at Odyssey Academy in the Greece Central School District. I definitely agree! 

Look Who's Running for Town Board

Rod Zulkosky

Tom Jensen

I had the privilege of photographing both of these Hamlin, NY Town Board Candidates. They are working very diligently to meet all voters in town in order to let people know who they are and why they are running for office at this time. Be sure to welcome them when they arrive in your neighborhood.

If you'd like to read more about Rod and Tom, and how they hope to improve government in the Town of Hamlin, visit their facebook pages at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rodney-Zulkosky-candidate-for-Town-Council-Hamlin-NY/127422282728?ref=mf
and
http://www.facebook.com/tos.php?api_key=25a1e39226da30cbcebb9d6dc591d1e1&next=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.circleofmoms.com%2Fhome.php%3Ftrk%3Dfeed_join_kid2%26_fb_fromhash%3Dff85d8c3bb9dd9225e83c70e0ed029ee&v=1.0&canvas#/pages/tom-jensen-candidate-for-Hamlin-Town-Council/103762298916

Don't forget to vote!

Our best wishes for success to both candidates.

Vacation Photography Tips

Yes, Summer is almost over but I forgot to post this link to an article I wrote for kidsoutandabout!
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-vacations/VacationPhotos.html

The ideas work no matter what time of year you travel. Hope the information is helpful!

Where has Summer gone?

I can't believe it's almost September and I have yet to post anything interesting here. We have had a busy Summer and had a chance to do a little traveling.
We made a quick trip to the North Country and stayed overnight at the Clarkson Inn, www.clarksoninn.com in Potsdam, NY.


We decided to make our way home along the Seaway Trail. The 1000 Islands area is one of our favorite places to visit.
We hadn't visited Chippewa Bay at all and found it very charming.



I love Boldt Castle and the whole tragic story about love and loss. www.boldtcastle.com



The Clayton area much quieter than Alexandria Bay.

This is the Museum in Clayton, NY.

We found a really great old home in Cape Vincent right on the St. Lawrence River. It would make a great B&B with a gallery and studio. I can dream, right?


Our last stop was Sackets Harbor where we explored some of the old Madison Barracks. It looks like they are turning some of the of the officers quarters into a condo community.
www.madisonbarracks.com

It's always fun to get away, but summer is beautiful here on Lake Ontario, so it's nice to be home.

Fun with the NYAD Dancers!

Dancers are some of my favorite people to photograph!

This year Mandi Gurrell, owner of New York Academy of Dance, www.nyadance.com, decided to have her student's portraits taken on Dress Rehearsal day. Since the dancers are already scheduled to be in costume with hair and makeup done, this is the perfect time to capture everyone at their best.

Even Mandi's son Reece got into the act this year! What a cutie.


I love posing dancers for photographs because they are graceful and poised. Even the tiny dancers are ready to show off their best pose.

This year's group was fantastic and we were treated to a wonderful recital too!

Here are a few of the cutest dancers around.

Self Assignment in Gettysburg, PA

It is rare that I am able to travel with no other purpose than to take photographs. On the last weekend of May I took a trip to Gettysburg for just that purpose.

Debra Ross, who runs the wonderful website www.KidsOutandAbout.com, told me about a concert trip planned by the Bach Children's Chorus www.bachkidsusa.org. The group, which is made up of young singers ages 8 through 16, is based in Rochester and has a far reaching reputation of excellence. The concerts were to take place in Washington, DC and Gettysburg, PA for the anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg address.

Deb's daughters, Madison and Ella, sing with the group and the whole family was planning to make the trip. I have had the privilege of photographing the Ross family for many years and thought it would be great fun to make the trip to Gettysburg to document this momentous occasion. Since I'd never visited the Battlefield or National Cemetery, it was advantageous for me to spend time photographing the area too.

My husband and I arrived on Saturday afternoon and began to tour the spots where the historic Civil War battles took place. I don't know what I was expecting. but I hadn't thought about how difficult it might be to capture the feelings of such an historic place with images. The battlefields and monuments are spread out for miles around Gettysburg and figuring out how to include the important spots was a little daunting. It took some time for me to decide how to go about it. but I finally found good ideas for something creative.


We met up with BCC members on Sunday at the Visitors Center to capture all the exciting moments of the concert there and then headed to the exact spot in the National Cemetery where Lincoln gave his address. Members of BCC had memorized Lincoln's words and began by reciting the Gettysburg address for the audience. They then performed a few more songs and left for lunch in town.



Frank and I continued on our way to photograph the spots we hadn't visited the day before and also took a little time for browsing the shops.

It was a wonderful experience to hear these talented children perform on such a unique occasion. I enjoyed capturing the special moments and had a great time wandering the area with nothing on my mind but photography.

What a great weekend.

Daffodil Fun

What a nice surprise to receive a call from a colleague I hadn't seen in quite a while!

Heather White, M. Photog., had seen the write up about Daffodil Days in the www.KidsOutandAbout.com newsletter and thought it would be fun to bring her children to the park for portraits in the flowers.

It is quite an honor to have such a talented photographer ask me to do a session for her. She has taken some time off from her business to raise Jasmine and Travis and is a really smart Mom. She knows how difficult it is to prepare herself and her kids for a portrait session and be the photographer at the same time. By the time everyone is ready, you want someone else to do the photography work. It is also my experience that children might listen better to someone other than "Mom" when you really want them to cooperate. I think our kids just learn to tune us out.

With all her experience, Heather realizes the importance of proper clothing selection and chose a beautiful light green for the children. It was the perfect color to compliment the surroundings.

So, after much scheduling difficulty, we finally headed out to the park on a beautiful afternoon to create the portraits. Jasmine and Travis have grown so much since I'd see them last and are becoming quite "mature". They did everything I asked and we had a great time exploring a variety of scenic spots.

Not only did I have a chance to photograph these two beautiful children, I had a nice time catching up. Thanks for thinking of me Heather and I really enjoyed visiting with you.

Anniversary Portrait

Mary Lee and Nancy celebrated their 40th Anniversary last month. They wanted to commemorate this milestone with a Portrait.

When we spoke, they told me they had never had a formal portrait taken together and asked for suggestions on how to make it special. I like to personalize portraits for my clients, so I always suggest that we use their surroundings and belongings. There will be no one else on earth with the same background or "prop" in their portraits.

They decided to have the session done at home and we found several wonderful spots to use. The resulting images tell something about these unique women and show a little of who they are.

It is also my hope, that along with a beautiful finished portrait, the clients have an enjoyable experience. It was a nice surprise to receive these kind messages after delivering their finished products.

"Honey,

We felt so comfortable working with you. It was actually FUN!! And who would have thought that you would be able to photograph us against some of our most colorful treasures!
Mary Lee"

"So far, all of the folks to whom we've given pictures have been delighted with them--as are we!!!!

Thanks again,

Nancy"