Women of Vision--Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens

One Circle Around the Sun--Jude's Year

Here is a slide show of Jude's first year of life and it is accompanied by the original music of Brian Eltomi (more about him in coming up in another post). I began photographing Jude's parents when they were a month or so away from becoming parents. When Jude was born, I visited Jude in the hospital and documented a bit of his first hours of life, and then continued to visit him every three months up to his first birthday. It was an amazing experience watching this family grow! As I left them on his first birthday, I thanked them for the experience, and Jude's mom said, as I was getting in the, "You were with us for his first circle around the sun." T

Kristin and Matt {wedding commission}

Whew! It's been too long since I've posted on my blog. I have much news to write about, but first I want to share some photographs from Kristin and Matt's beautiful wedding. Kristin was a lovely bride. It's easy to see why Matt couldn't take his eyes off her! Click here for highlights.

Saying goodbye to the home you grew up in...

This family gathered with all the siblings and grandchildren to say goodbye to their home. Each family member wrote memories and put them in a box and buried them.

click here for slide show

A boy and his grandpa....

Little boys are so much fun to photograph! I love his dinosaur faces! Slide Show

Summertime is for family reunions...

Click here to see a slide show with more images.

Litza and Ari {wedding}

Click here for a slide show...

A few weeks ago, my cousin Litza, one of my favorite people in the world, got married in Manhattan. Litza has always been a person who knows her own mind. She is brilliant and passionate. Her interests (too many to list) range from cultures, music and books, to computer programming and web design. I first heard about a strange new way to communicate with friends across the country on a computer (e-mail) from her--when she was 9 years old and learning hyperlink on a primitive mac computer. Litza loves entertaining, she loves bees and ants and all sorts of natural creatures, she loves her family, and now she loves Ari.

Ari and Litza are amazing together. He matches her in many ways, especially in his zest for life.

Litza and her hair stylist worked together to find a style that would suit her and her beautiful vintage dress. They decided on a style incorporating the 1920's flapper finger waves. Megan at Lift Hair Studio in Astoria, NY, says stylists still take the same licensing exam that stylists in the 1920's took. She was very excited to have a chance to use her knowledge.


Litza loves vintage dresses, so of course, she researched and found the perfect vintage wedding dress, one she could dance happily in on her wedding day. Several times throughout the day, I was struck by how much she looked like a Degas ballerina in her dress.



Litza and Ari LOVE to dance. And they are very good at it. Here they are practicing their first dance together one more time.


I love the joy on their faces in this shot. I'm also fascinated by how they look like they could have been dancing together in a ballroom 80 years ago.
Thank you, Litza and Ari, for an amazing weekend, and for such a lovely wedding celebration.

Portrait Commission

Slide show...

Neha and Rahul {wedding commission}

Every wedding is unique to me. It's always exciting to see different families as they celebrate and all the details that go into creating that celebration. This wedding was exhilarating because of the beautiful Hindu traditions and all the amazing colors. But the very best part about it was the joy and the love that filled the air. Here is a SLIDE SHOW of a few of the images from their wedding day.

Matt and Kristin {engagement portraits}

One of my favorite parts of wedding photography is the engagement session. I enjoy getting to know a couple before their wedding day. Here is a slide show from a recent session with Matt and Kristin. Thank you Matt and Kristin for a wonderful afternoon. You were both so much fun, and I am very excited about photographing your wedding! Click here to see the slide show.

Cole and Emily {wedding commission}

Emily reminded me of Grace Kelly...the whole wedding had a classic 1940's feel to it with touches like the white tuxedo jackets and Emily's beautiful veil passed down through her family. Thank you, Emily and Cole for giving me the opportunity to document your joyful wedding day. CLICK HERE to see a slideshow with highlights from their wedding.

{Catherine and Nick} wedding commission

Click here to see more highlights from Nick and Catherine's lovely wedding.

FREE!

Last night I had an amazing experience. I attended a benefit performance of the Axis Dance Company of Oakland, California (www.axisdance.org). The performance was hosted by Hope Haven Children's Clinic and Family Center (www.hope-haven.org). The Axis Dance company features dancers with and without disability. From the moment the curtain went up, I was mesmerized and enthralled. I loved the way the dancers integrated their movements with each other, and the way the disabled bodies and the non-disabled bodies became more buoyant through the support of the other. I also LOVED how the wheelchairs and the prosthetic devices became a part of the performance, and I loved how beautifully each body expressed itself.

I was so moved, it was all I could do to keep from jumping out of my seat and moving with these amazing dancers (good thing I restrained myself)! Watching them, I began to get an understanding of why photographing people with special needs is such a powerful experience for me. Watching each dancer fully embrace the capability of his or her own uniquely beautiful body, I glimpsed how powerful it would be if we were ALL able to embrace exactly who we are--disability, hardship, talents, blessings and all. I got a picture of how exciting it would be to see each person expressing their own individual creativity, and joining with the creativity of others by being fully themselves--embracing the strength and the fragility that is a part of every human life.