Blog Award :) September 30, 2008

I received a wonderful little surprise in one of my blog comments today from a fairly new reader of my blog, Heather of Heather Lynn’s Photography. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, please do by clicking on the name of her blog above.  Heather has some really great portraits of her beautiful daughter on her blog so stop by and visit and leave her a comment or two!

Today was a rough Monday at work so it was really nice to come home and read that Heather presented me with a very thoughtful blogger award.  To learn more about the award I made my way over to her personal blog to read what she wrote.

Thank you Heather for finding inspiration in my work!  That was very kind of you.  I’ll be sure to continue to stop by your photography blog to see your latest work.

I made a screen capture of her blog to show you the kind words she wrote about her 5 blog nominations.

(click to view larger)

The Truest Friend We Have September 29, 2008

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington

Sweet Soul Shining Through September 28, 2008

“Those true eyes… Too pure and too honest in aught to disguise the sweet soul shining through them”

Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton. British diplomat, viceroy of India and poet, 1831-1891

Happy 12th Birthday Dominick September 27, 2008

Tonight was my friend Tiffany’s son, Dominick’s, 12th birthday party.

I honestly can’t believe he is 12 years old.  I remember when he was born and it feels like yesterday.  I guess that happens the older I get…sometimes I just can’t believe how much time has passed.

It’s hard to comprehend the fact that one of my friends has a 12 year old son that I held in my arms as a baby!

I think I’ve been to all of his birthday parties throughout his life…

Dominick stealing a taste of the icing on the cake on (approx) his 4th birthday

Ready to blow out the candles with Mom

His Pirate Treasure Hunt Party on his (approx) 5th birthday

(that’s me in the orange sweater in the back and Dominick with the sword and eye patch on the left)

And tonight’s 12th birthday celebration

(Angel Food Cake with strawberries and homemade icing)

You know I made him do this…haha!

I have a hard time believing he was ever this little (Dominick and I back in 2000)…

…and is now 12 years old (he and I today!)

I made a quick collage to highlight everyone who celebrated Dominick’s birthday with us tonight.

I’ve know Tiffany’s family so long – they’re like a 2nd family to me.

Click on the collage below to view larger:

Here’s to another great year Dominick!

You’re the best kid around!

Christa + Mark = Engaged! September 26, 2008

Last Sunday I met with Christa & Mark for their engagement session on Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) campus. We spent the entire afternoon taking photos all around Hennessey Hall (The Mansion) on campus.  What an absolutely perfect location they found!

Christa & Mark met through a running club so periodically you’ll see a pair of running sneakers that “sneak” their way into some of the photos.

It was such a beautiful day with a beautiful couple!

I am really pleased with the results of the shoot and I cannot narrow down my top favorites…because of that…you’ll be seeing quite a few below so buckle up!

I’d love to hear your feedback on your favorite images as well as what REALLY struck you when you saw it and why.  Your feedback helps me to know what kind of post processing really works and what doesn’t. Thanks!!!

#1

Ahhhh Silhouette!

#2

That fountain was gorgeous!

#3

Love the way Mark looks at Christa… *sigh*

#4

#5

#6

The arches were fan-tas-ti-cal!

#7

I always wanted to take a diagonal up the stairs shot!

#8

#9

I told Mark this was his “GQ Pose”

#10

I love “stealing” moments like this one…

#11

…and like this one!

#12

Look at the sparkle in their eyes!

#13

Could they be any cuter???  I think NOT!

#14

I had a “thing” for these lanterns!

I switched to the wide angle lens just so I could get them in!

#15

Love those across the wall shots.

#16

DANGER DANGER!

#17

KEEP OUT!

I love the B&W “newspaper-y” look of this one

#18

I heart WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE ANGLE!

These columns ROCKED!

#19

The Bling-Bling!

#20

I just love this….

#21

…and this

#22

Yes, I laid in the grass and asked them to walk over me slowly for this and a few other shots…

What am I not willing to do? So, far I haven’t figured that out yet.

#23

I called this my “paparazzi” moment

I wanted it to feel as if I took it hiding behind the pillar without them knowing

#24

Ahhhhhh Texture…. love this

#25

You couldn’t stage a moment like this…

#26

Always bring a step stool (especially if your short! ) !

#27

It’s raining love (corny…I know!  LOL)

#28

I loved their expressions when I told them to kick like crazy

#29

Sun Flare…mmmmmmm delicious!

#30

I know you’ve seen this one but I couldn’t think of ending this post any other way

but with this… *long sigh*

If you have some extra time on your hands and you’d like to see the entire gallery from this session in a slide show click HERE.

4 Snaps in a Z Formation and 2 Thumbs Up in a Circle September 25, 2008

Thanks to Bri (Julie Lawson’s daughter) for making me laugh so hard that I had tears coming out of my eyes for 10 minutes.

I sent Julie & Bri the gallery from Sunday’s Engagement Session and as they were reviewing them I kept getting snaps and 2 thumbs up on specific photos from them.  Then Bri said “four snaps in a z formation” and I replied “two thumbs up in a circle.”

Next thing you know I was getting a video of the Bri’s interpretation of “four snaps in a z formation with the addition of two thumbs up in a circle.”

Have a giggle for yourself:

The Golden Hour September 24, 2008

The golden hour

The pink hue warms the sky

The golden sun slowly makes it’s way to the horizon

It falls so quickly

I’m left saddened about it’s disappearance before my eyes…leaving me in darkness

But I smile…reminding myself that this is not the end of the light

Tomorrow brings a new day and another sunrise

~J.L.R.

Whatever Our Souls Are Made of, His and Mine Are the Same September 23, 2008

Mindless Fun September 22, 2008

I needed a one minute break away from all of the editing I’m doing…

There’s a fun website out there where you can enter your blog link and it will pull from the words on your blog to make a fun collage like mine below:

The link is:  http://wordle.net/
Have fun!

Action Packed Weekend! September 22, 2008

I hope you all had a great weekend!!  I did, but I must say I’m exhausted!  Whew!

Today’s blog title “action-packed” is probably an understatement!  I could also describe the weekend as “non-stop,”  “busy, busy, busy” or even “Jen’s Photo Frenzy!”

Saturday morning started for me with a drive to upstate New York (approximately 2 hours from me) to visit two of my college friends Stephanie & Craig.  Stephanie was in my sorority and Craig was in a fraternity where I spent a lot of time during my college years.

Stephanie & Craig recently had a baby boy and they asked if I would make the trip to their house in NY and photograph their baby “J.”  I said yes immediately!  Jo Ann and I made the trip and we had such a great time with Steph, Craig & Lil “J.”

They were truly fantastic to work with and lil “J” was amazing the whole session!  What a trooper!!  It was so great to connect with old friends and to be able to capture this very special time in their life for them!

To top off the great day – Stephanie recommended a great restaurant in Tarrytown, NY where Jo Ann and I had a great appetizer and dinner.  (Mmmmm Potato Skins!)

Here is a sneak peek from the session…

Then, today I met up with Christa & Mark for their engagement session on Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) campus. Christa & Mark took a ride the day before the session and found a great spot for photos by Hennessey Hall (The Mansion) on campus.  It was the perfect location!

I met Christa about 8 years ago through my childhood friend Nicole and when Christa & Mark got engaged recently, Nicole recommended me to do their engagement photos.  I was hoping they would ask me and they did!  YAY!

We had such a BEAUTIFUL day for the session…we kept saying over and over that we couldn’t believe how lucky we were! It was a wonderful 82 degrees out!  It did get a little HOT for us in the direct sun but then we just found the lovely shade to cool us down!

The trouble was that I couldn’t cool down this couple because they were sizzling hot the whole shoot (hey Christa & Mark, did you like being called “sizzling hot???”  LOL!)

At the end of the session I was playing with the concept of “good sun flare” and I got this shot!  Now, this is what I call GOOD SUN FLARE!!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PHOTO!!

Hmmm, did I mention that I love this photo?? 

More to come from these two sessions in the coming days!

And there are a lot more jobs coming for the next couple months that I can’t wait to share with you all!

The Only Element We Can Exist In September 19, 2008

Light, when suddenly let in, dazzles and hurts and almost blinds us: but this soon passes away, and it seems to become the only element we can exist in.

~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827

_____________________

I loved this pier…

Despite the ones below being taken at ISO 1600 (BY MISTAKE) I think I salvaged some of them to be pretty decent:

I like the sunburst…

Outer Banks, North Carolina

Bay Side

Over 20,000 Hits September 18, 2008

I’m really speechless…. (well sort of…I’m never really short for words)

Around 1:00am today the blog was 9 short of hitting 20,000 hits and when I woke up today it was well past there!

All I can say is “thank you” to anyone who visits my blog whether you comment or just lurk (or stumble here by mistake).  Back in August of 2007 when I made my first post I never thought this blog would mean so much to me.  But now I look forward to writing and sharing my work with you all.

WordPress is a powerful blogger service!  I started my blogger blog on August 6, 2007.  Then I switched from blogger to WordPress (and imported all of my old posts & comments) on June 11, 2008.  On June 12th I hit 10,000 blog hits (after 11 months of blogging).  With WordPress I hit the 20,000 mark in ONLY 3 months. That’s amazing to me!

Jen’s Big Adventure – Coming Soon! September 17, 2008

It’s official!

Yesterday I booked my flights to visit my good friend Julie of Julie Lawson Photography of Indiana (in November) and my good friend Heather of One Shot Beyond of California (in December)!

I’m so excited!!

I’ve been wanting to visit Julie & Heather for quite some time so I decided to go for it!  I’m sure there will be lots of photo adventures during my “big adventure” and I’ll be sure to share them here on my blog!

(Click to view larger:)

Don’t you just love the “flying Jens?” I was going to use little airplanes but thought this would be a heck of a lot funnier! LOL!

The P Family and “Lightning McQueen” September 16, 2008

Sunday I had a portrait session with the “P family.”  R, B, & little R were a pleasure to work with.

Little R preferred to go by “Lighting McQueen” for the duration of the session so that’s what we called her.

Who is Lighting McQueen you ask??

Well, if you’ve seen the move “Cars” you’ll recognize the character:

And for my session on Sunday – this was Lighting McQueen!

Lighting McQueen moved as fast as lighting!  Mom and Dad had to catch her running by to get her in the photo.  We made a game out of it.  She’d run in the other room and we’d call for Lighting McQueen to come in for a photo and she’d run in, I’d snap her in a shot and she’d run away.

I coined the phrase “One before you run” meaning she had to take one shot before she ran away! 

Sometimes she got past Dad and he’d scoop her up into the photo!  We were laughing the whole time!

Look at how she landed for this photo!!  Isn’t she the CUTEST with her soccer ball and her one leg up?

Who isn’t smiling when you look at little “R” (ooops, I mean Lightning McQueen) in this photo below?

This one is just tooooo cute!  Look down by mom’s leg for the cute little peek-a-boo!

Look at those smiles!

   :)

And a couple photos of Mom & Dad:

 

We Cannot Hold a Torch to Light Another’s Path Without Brightening Our Own September 13, 2008

We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.  ~Ben Sweetland

Tokina 12-24

THE CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHT STATION
On December 1, 1875 the beacon of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse filled the remaining “dark spot” on the North Carolina coast between the Cape Henry light to the north and Bodie Island to the south. To distinguish the Currituck Beach Lighthouse from other regional lighthouses, its exterior was left unpainted and gives today’s visitor a sense of the multitude of bricks used to form the structure. The lighthouse was automated in 1939 when the United States Coast Guard assumed the duties of the Bureau of Lighthouses. At a height of 158 feet, the night beacon still flashes at 20-second intervals to warn ships hugging the chain of barrier islands along the coast.

LIGHTHOUSE FACTS
Number of steps: 214
Height to focal plane of lens: 158 feet
Height to top of roof: 162 feet
Number of bricks: approximately one million
Thickness of wall at base: 5 feet 8 inches
Thickness of wall at parapet: 3 feet

I Didn’t Ask For It To Be Over September 12, 2008

“I didn’t ask for it to be over, but then again, I never asked for it to begin.

For that’s the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance.

But even the most beautiful days eventually have their sunsets.” – Author Unknown

On the Sound - Duck (Outer Banks) North Carolina – September 2008