Lucky In Love

I always have a hard time choosing wedding images to post on the blog. I usually take hundreds of photos, and narrowing it down to five or six is near impossible. Nicole and Graham's wedding is no exception!

For starters, the bride and her attendants were all gorgeous. We started the afternoon by "playing" on the streets of Portland. The girls brought out their shades and strutted their stuff... it was so fun... and unique... not posed at all. That was the spirit of the whole day!

As the ceremony time approached, it became doubtful that this outdoor wedding would remain dry. The clouds rolled in quickly and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance, like back-up for the bagpiper.

As luck would have it though, the rain held off. We sped through the "formal" shots and just as Nicole, Graham and I were walking away from the lighthouse, the sky opened up. Luckily, a prepared groomsman was running to meet us with an umbrella! A few umbrella shots, and then that was IT... rain like you've never seen.

The Saltwater Grill was our next stop, so the rain did not dampen anyone's spirits. The guests were all chatting about how lucky Nicole and Graham were, and how perfectly timed the wedding seemed to be with the rain. The foul weather wasn't the only thing perfectly in-sync... Nicole and her bridesmaids wrapped up the party with an awesome dance routine to "Solja Boy".

Just goes to show, that no matter how hard yo plan, you never know what your day will bring. Unless of course, you are lucky in love like Nicole and Graham!

Happy Anniversary...

...TO US!

My blog has turned into a nice place where I share a little about the lives of those whom I'm commissioned to photograph... a new bride on her wedding day, a couple expecting their first (or fourth) child, a high school senior commemorating the very important age of 18, etc.

Well today I thought I'd take a little spot on the blog for yours truly, to wish my hubby (and I) a happy 11th anniversary. For without his love and support this blog, or this business would not exist and more importantly, neither would our beautiful daughter Katie.

So, happy anniversary, Tom. Thanks for 11 wonderful years of marriage. And yes, this means you're NOT getting a card now!

Location, Location, Location

The location, or spot where senior portraits are now taken have become just as important and unique as the students themselves. So when Chris, a Biddeford High Senior and golf team captain wanted to go to Dutch Elm Golf Course, (where he also works on the grounds crew) it was obviously a fabulous idea.

Chris would have no doubt done great no matter where we landed for his portrait session, but Dutch Elm was just perfect. Owners, Norm and Elaine Heavey were so accommodating, they even had a golf cart waiting for us when we arrived!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Nicole

Catherine McCauley senior, Nicole is another stunning student I had the pleasure of photographing last week. It was so nice of Nicole to "squeeze in" her senior portrait session between a full day of school and SAT prep classes that evening. She's so photogenic though, that getting in lots of great shots was no problem at all... Even with a slight "wardrobe malfunction," (She forgot one of her shirts at home and her dad had to brng it to her all the way from Old Orchard Beach!)

Amanda

What a treat to see Amanda again! I used to photograph her on the Easter Bunny's lap a loooong time ago, and now, she's just a delightful young woman. I think that shows in her senior portraits.

Right now, Amanda is in her last year at Kennebunk High School, but she has big plans for the future including a career in radiology. Though I think she could be a model if she wanted too... we had so much fun playing at her family's summer home in Cape Porpoise. Some may think it odd that Amanda's family vacations just a few miles from home, but if you saw this location, you'd get the picture!

Amanda will be happy to see that I was actually taking pictures of her during our time together and not just chatting, looking for sea glass, swinging from a tree and having fun.

Thanks Amanda, for the very first piece of sea glass for my brand new collection and for sharing this very special family home with me for the afternoon.

Service Above Self

I've said it before and I'll say it again... The best part of my job is getting to work with fantastic people!

Meet Christopher. He's a senior at Wells High with a passion for community service. With hundreds of hours under his belt already, Chris plans on taking his love for helping others to even the next level by majoring in community service in college.

As Student Council President, Chris has a busy year ahead of him, but he always finds time for family, friends and volunteering. I'm always proud of young people when they make time to put service above self.

Lucky for me, this selfless senior is pretty darn photogenic too... He just doesn't enjoy walking barefoot into marshes... Right Chris?

Take That, Hannah

If you've ever had a portrait session with me on a day rain was predicted, you know my philosophy... wait and see. When portraits are concerned, I'll take an overcast sky over a sunny day any time!

But when the Thyng family called me the morning of their shoot to see what I though of the weather forecast, I broke my own rule and suggested we reschedule. After a few hours of phone tag, and me wearing out the Weather Channel's website, the family and I decided to move the session up a bit but still try to get it in in between the projected high winds and rain of Hurricane Hannah.... and I'm so glad we did.

The rain held off until we were driving away, the family was all together and looking great and the skies were just how I like 'em... Take that, Hannah.

Dancing Queen

As my marathon of High School Seniors continues, I recently had the pleasure of photographing Katie, from Biddeford.

I've photographed Katie and her family before, when she was little, but this day was all about her. Katie is a smart and talented young woman who loves working with children and is a wonderful dancer.

Katie's been dancing most of her life, and I think that that talent really shows in her portraits, even without her fancy wardrobe or dance shoes, her movement, smile and attitude was one of a confident dancer.

Can you believe that this "dancing queen" was nervous before we started? Just goes to show that if you're having fun, everyone can tell!

Aubrey And Her Mommy

I just love photographing little-ones because it's sometimes such a challenge!

Between the ages of 2 and about 4, kiddos usually have their own agenda and would much rather explore the camera closet, poke through the costumes and outfits or ride the darn rocking horse than stay on the background and say "cheese". I think that that's what makes the images better though.... if sitting still and saying 'cheese" is not your child, than that's not the photo we should get.

Aubrey was the typical, beautiful example of this. Her mom, Jill was a trooper though, and very patient as we "switched things up" every few minutes. We played pirate ship, (don't fall off the ship-background) superstar, (don't fall off the stage - background) and other games that would keep Aubrey interested for a few seconds at a time.

So, if your apprehensive about bringing your toddler in to be photographed, (here or anywhere) don't be. We often have a few tricks up our sleeves to capture the shots. What usually happens, like in this case, is that the little-ones end up capturing our hearts too.

Good-Old-Days

Somewhere, tucked away in my basement, I have an album full of cherished photos of Tammy... and a few of a cute boy she was quite smitten with... Steve.

Tammy and I were roommates in college, so I've been photographing her for a long time (Photography majors are always looking for willing subjects). Who would have thought that this many years later, Tammy and Steve would still be my "models"? These days though, Tammy makes the trip from New Hampshire, and not from just across the hall, and now, it's not just the girls any more... she insists on bringing that guy she had a first date with back in 1993 (now her hubby)...and their four beautiful children Brandon, Emily, Kiley and Teddy.

I always get nostalgic about our college years whenever I see Tammy. It's fun though to think about her visits now, and how these days, will soon be the good-old-days for our kids.

Congratulations!

I've photographed Alison since before her her daughter, Laila, was even born. For the past few years, I've photographed the two of them together either at the beach or in-studio. Alison is great about keeping up with portraits and always comes armed with great ideas and a killer smile.

This year, when Alison made an appointment, she told me the great news that she's engaged! Naturally, her fiance, Steve and his son Mike were included in this years photos.

It was so nice to see Alison and Laila again, as always, but it was a thrill to see Alison smiling like I'd never seen before.

Congratulations!

All Grown Up

It feels like only yesterday that I photographed Samantha's sister's wedding. Back then, she was just a "kid", but we joked about her senior portraits. Well, now it's no joke... Samantha's all-grown-up and she's a senior at Biddeford High School.

You can tell by her photos that Samantha is a fun and athletic gal (she loves tennis). I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with her the other day and catching up on how her mom and gang of many brothers and sisters are doing.

Time flies!

Mike

Mike, a Thornton Academy High School Senior, came to the studio the other day. I've been "waiting" for Mike since I photographed his sister Rosie's senior portraits a couple years ago. It was nice to catch up with their mom, Chris again and get the scoop on how Rosie is doing in college....but this particular morning belonged to Mike. Chris specifically requested a little "slide show" of Mike's session....she's been waiting two years. So though his session was all about him, this slide show is all for mom!

Pamela and Frankie

Special is the only word I can use to describe Pamela and Frankie's recent wedding.

Well, adorable is another good word... Pam and Frank's children, Princess Maiea and newborn, Little Frankie were all too cute. Maeia in her flowy pink dress and crown and Frankie in his mini-tuxedo.

I guess I could call it lucky too... it poured all afternoon during their reception (held prior to the ceremony) and then the skies cleared just in time for their romantic sunset service. As the skies cleared, the groom's parents and the best man wandered onto the scene, another lucky moment, as they all got lost on their way to the beach, but made it with a few moments to spare!

Ok, so I guess special isn't the only word I could use to describe this long-awaited day, but it was special to even me... you see, the groom, Frankie is my cousin, who I hadn't seen in nearly 25 years! I was honored to be a part of this SPECIAL day!

Princess Castle

I always have a great time when I meet a family at the beach, but when the Torstensen gang filed out of their vehicle, I knew that this session would be super-fun! I couldn't believe how adorable the girls were in their hot pink sneakers...then, they changed into little "princess dresses" that sent the cuteness factor through the roof.

Not only were the girls little dolls, and the weather perfect, but we even discovered a sandcastle that seemed to be built just for our two princesses.

In a few weeks, the Torstensen family and I will meet in the studio for some belly portraits (Mom, Leah is having a boy!). Though there won't be any surprise sculptures or pretty sunsets in those photos, they're sure to be C-U-T-E with this growing family in them!