Jillian and Michael’s Wedding

This past weekend, I had the joy of attending my cousin’s wedding at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown, NY.  It’s common for guests to take photos at weddings, but I’m not the average guest photographer, and cel phone photos are inadequate for me.  With my minimal vacation equipment (one lens, one flash, as opposed to the several of each I typically use on a wedding day), I was able to capture some beautiful moments of their special day. I even got to pass off my camera several times and appear in front of the lens! 

The ceremony took place on a beautiful sunny terrace overlooking the Hudson River, followed by an energetic celebration.  A painting was created of the reception as the reception took place, and a game of spin the bottle was played to identify the next dancer to show off their skills at the center of a circle, something I'd never seen at a wedding before!  There was a double Mezinka, a tradition where the parents wear flower crowns, and guests dance around and greet the parents whose last child is getting married, and the weekend concluded with a farewell brunch the next morning.  The overwhelming feeling was love between and for Jill and Mike, and I look forward to many more happy celebrations with this family!

Rachel, Greg, Ellie, and Cullen’s Gender Reveal

When I last photographed this family, one of the shots included a sign announcing mom was expecting an addition to their family!  Having just photographed a beautiful gender reveal, I showed the pictures to mom, and she loved them, and couldn’t wait to schedule her own.  With our schedules, we did this one evening after work, when it was supposed to be rainy and disgusting out.  We had a back-up plan to shoot at a park pavilion, but as I was driving over there, the sun made its way through the clouds, and ended up giving us some gorgeous light!

This family of four also invited some close friends to witness their reveal.  Being a Pinterest user, I knew I’d be able to involve them to participate, not just witness the event.  Having seen confetti gender reveals, I set about to creating my own.  Not having the time or budget for 40 inch party poppers online, I created simple confetti cones out of black cardstock, and folded down and taped the top to conceal the color of the confetti until we were ready.  Check out the results!

Madison’s 9 Month Portraits

It’s been so much fun to photograph this family every 3 months during Maddie’s first year, so they need no introduction.  It’s also been a challenge for me to keep their sessions creative and fresh.  But that challenge just makes success that much sweeter, although such a sweet baby makes it easier!  It’s also been interesting to see our relationship grow as photographer and subjects, as they continue to grow comfortable in front of my camera and I’m able to capture more genuine family moments.  Enjoy!

Dani and Ava: Wynwood Walls Family Photo Session

I met this little sister when she was a model at the Sense of Wonder workshop I attended back in February.  We’re from the same county, and we’ve kept in touch via Facebook, so I was excited when mom said they wanted to schedule a photo session at Wynwood Walls, one of my favorite places.  This area is filled with incredible street art.  I even attended the Wynwood Art Walk yesterday to scope out some spots, though the beauty of these subjects outshined the walls by far.

Barbara and Paul’s Wedding

This couple has one of those great love stories where they met earlier in life, went their separate ways and led separate lives, then reconnected years later and realized they were meant for each other.  They greeted guests at a cocktail hour, then tied the knot in a beautiful backyard ceremony, surrounded by family and friends.