Nicole Montmarquet Photography

THIS IS MY OLD BLOG!

2011-11-30T11:17:00.002-05:00

Hi there... with all of my crazy busy-ness, I completely forgot to redirect you guys over to my new blog.... there's been lots going on over there, including a new website! Everything is now all in one place, which I LOVE, and it makes life so much easier for everyone. Who doesn't love to simplify? :-) Anywho... head on over and check it out, I've had some really great shoots in the last few months and I'm just starting to catch up on my blogging.... CLICK HERE and while you're there, please feel free to take a look around. As always, contact me with any questions you may have!

NEW LOGO AND WEBSITE COMING SOON!

2011-09-29T15:05:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let you all know, I'm working on new branding complete with a new logo, and a new website to be revealed soon! I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the weekend (I'm doing it all myself!), but if you've ever done any website work you know it's extremely tedious work.... ugh. I can't wait for it to be over. I've been developing my style over the past couple of years, and I think this wedding season has really given me insight into who I want to be as a Photographer and the direction I want my business to go. I'm so excited for everything the next year has in store for me and I think I finally have it figured out, for now ;-) I don't believe in having one specific style, or one specific way of doing things because I think it's important that we always leave room to grow :-)

Anywho, here's a peek at my new logo... and just for the record, I am IN. LOVE. I think it means even more to me because I did all of the research, the PAINSTAKING research and development myself! What do you all think?

Tara and Mike - Engaged!

2011-09-26T11:41:00.002-04:00

So, you may remember the contest I held a few months back for a free engagement session... I had engaged, or soon to be engaged couples send in a photo of themselves with a brief explanation of how they met. I posted the photos on Facebook and the couple with the most "likes" under their photo would win. When Tara emailed me, she told me that she and Mike have known each other since first grade and pretty much had eyes for each other right from the beginning! After graduation, they didn't see each other for a while but met back up a couple of years ago. They have been together ever since and the rest is history! Now, this contest was VERY VERY competitive and VERY close, but Tara and Mike pulled out the win with the love and support of over 400 of their family and friends! 400!!! HOLY COW! This contest exceeded my hopes and I will definitely being doing another one soon, so stay tuned for that! Anywho, these two lovebirds just recently purchased their first "love nest" and are tying the knot in April... I think they've come a long way since first grade, wouldn't you say? ;-)

Tara said she wanted an urban feel for some of her photos... I think we succeeded. :-)

Mike is so naturally affectionate toward Tara... I didn't have to guide him at all!

I love this one :-)

Okay, so another example here... the two of them were walking toward me when Mike felt the urge to dip Tara... LOVED IT!

Well, hello great looking couple!

Rawr.

We found this great little alley with some awesome doorways...

For the second part of their engagement session, they changed and we headed to Winnekenni Castle for some more photo op goodness... ADORABLE.

And enter Dailey... talented, handsome, sweet pup. You'll see more of him in a minute :-)

We got this photo in before we were attacked by Dailey, the love pup...

He just wanted some attention too...

Tara suggested we incorporate her tattoo into the photo session somehow as it's very important to her... I came up with this idea and I love how this came out!

Such a beautiful couple!

These two seriously rocked it out like professionals all day... it was awesome!

As we were leaving, I saw this light and had to sneak in one more photo :-)

Tara and Mike, you are an amazing couple, full of love and laughter, and I'm soooooo happy for you two! Lots of love, Nicole. <3

New Hampshire Wedding- Jim and Christen are married!

2011-08-30T20:46:00.000-04:00

Jim and Christen are good friends of mine and I've been looking forward to this wedding for quite some time. They got married at Flag Hill Winery in Lee, NH a couple of weeks ago and it was GORGEOUS! I actually originally turned down the opportunity to photograph their wedding because I really wanted to be a guest for this one and celebrate with them, but at the end of the day, I couldn't resist! Besides, I got to get off work early and party a little bit with them anyway ;-) Christen is a beautiful girl, on the inside and out, and Jim is one of the nicest guys I know... besides my husband of course! ;-) They have so much fun and are so sweet together, and their wedding day was just a representation of everything they are... fun, relaxed, real, and everyone including the bride and groom had a blast! Jim and Christen, I hope you love these photos as much as I do and I wish you many many many many many years of love and happiness! <3

The beautiful bride....

And all the beautiful girlies... :-)

I must say that I really love this shot...

And this is what it looked like RIGHT when I was supposed to do the guys' photos... the sky opened up and it POURED. Not just poured, but it was complete with thunder and lightening. Gotta say, I was a teeny weeny bit concerned as it looked like Christen wasn't going to get the outdoor ceremony that she was REALLY hoping for....

We hid under some overhangs, and my wonderful husband, Brian, who came along as a guest (and to help me out because he loves me) held umbrellas over everyone to keep everyone as dry as possible. But a little bit of thunder and lightening didn't deter these guys from putting on their game faces. :-)

To get this shot, which I looooveeee by the way, I was in the middle of the vineyard. In lightening. Yup.

I kid you not, 2 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start, the storm passed and the skies returned to normal. This shot I think was right after the Officiant asked if anyone objected and Christen turned to her guests and told them all that she would hurt anyone that objected... ;-)

Just a little trouble getting the ring on... they were so cute the entire day.

A little bit of first kiss.

I love this... Christen looks so truly happy and Jim looks like the proudest guy on Earth. Sigh.

I think this might have been my favorite moment of the entire day... in the middle of the family formals, Christen was getting ready to have her picture taken with her grandparents when her grandmother let out a cute little shriek... can you see the frog jumping up Christen's dress? Hahaha.

The gorgeous bridal party.

And on to the bride and groom portraits... LOVE THESE.

Ummm... hot. I think this might be my favorite. Christen, you are BEAUTIFUL.

Speaking of beautiful...

I love this one too... it's very "them".

And here Christen is already practicing being a good wifey. ;-)

The guys doing... what guys do.

And this is just one of the many many reasons I love Christen... while the guys were hanging out, she was entertaining herself by balancing and juggling her bouquet.

Yum.

This was right after the first dance. I love the expression on Christen's sister, Michelle's face in the background. Her family is so wonderful, loving, and supportive.

I had to include this one, even though Christen may hurt me. ;-) She is so not a crier, and when she started tearing up during her sister's speech, it was such a beautiful moment that I had to.

And her mom looking on during the father-daughter dance.

Speaking of dancing, Jim and Christen did a little bit themselves. LOVED IT! They had so much fun together.

And I snuck this last one while Christen and Jim took a moment to take everything in. It was really a great wedding and everyone had such a good time.

Congratulations again, Mr. and Mrs. Blais! I hope you had an amazing time on your honeymoon! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

WIN A FREE ENGAGEMENT SESSION WITH COMPLIMENTARY HAIR AND MAKEUP!

2011-04-16T12:53:00.001-04:00

As of today, Nicole Montmarquet Photography and Vero Salon and Spa are hosting a contest, and the winner will receive a FREE engagement (or couples) session which includes a disc of the high resolution images from your session, an 11x14 canvas gallery wrap of your favorite image to hang on your wall, and your hair and makeup done for the session for FREE as well! If you are getting married and need beautiful engagement photos, or if you're a couple that isn't engaged YET ;-), you still can enter this contest and have beautiful images of you and your significant other to cherish forever. The details are:

TO ENTER:

1) Become a fan of Nicole Montmarquet Photography and Vero Salon and Spa on Facebook.

2) Send in your favorite picture of you and your significant other and include your names, wedding date, and contact info, to NicoleMontmarquetPhotography@gmail.com.

3) Nicole Montmarquet Photography will upload all photos on Facebook and voting will open as soon as we receive at least 10 entries.

Any couple can enter, and you may also enter another deserving couple into the contest... just make sure they wouldn't mind having their faces on Facebook! ;-)

TO VOTE:

Become a fan of Nicole Montmarquet Photography and Vero Salon and Spa on Facebook, find the picture of the couple you are voting for and "like" it. The couple with the most votes wins, so make sure all of your family and friends vote! Voting ends at 11:59pm on May 14th and the winner will be announced on May 15th.

I can't wait to see all of the photos of all you amazing couples! :-)

Sara and Justin- Round Barn, Waitsfield, VT- Part 2

2011-03-28T14:31:00.001-04:00

This is Part 2 of the two-part Round Barn photo shoot! I'm sooooo excited to finally be able to share these images with you! Again, mucho thanks to these fabulous people for everything!

Nicole D'Agata- The Painted Tulip in Vermont for the flowers and design.

Anastasia Aponovich- Anastasia Designs in New Hampshire for the invitations and menus.

Kate Parker and the Prepare to Wed team for putting this together.

Justin and Sara for being the best models evaahhhh.

My amazing, handsome hubby for spending his birthday helping me out :-)

And also my very generous mom for watching my beautiful kiddos. :-) :-) :-)

PICTURES!!!

Sara and Justin- Round Barn, Waitsfield, VT- Part 1

2011-03-26T21:11:00.000-04:00

The beginning of March was CRAZY busy for me... between seminars, client meetings, workshops, & photo shoots, I was a busy busy bee and that's how I like it! These photos are from the Round Barn in Vermont and I'll make this quick because I've been waiting anxiously for weeks to post them! A huge thank you goes out to Nicole D'Agata at The Painted Tulip, who was the wonderfully talented florist and event designer I worked with (you'll be seeing her work in Part 2 of this post), Anastasia Aponovich of Anastasia Designs, who created the beautiful invitations and menu that you'll also be seeing in Part 2, a HUGE thank you to Kate Parker and the crew at Prepare to Wed (which is an amazing wedding planning resource for couples getting married!) for putting all of this together and inviting me to be a part of it, a double huge thank you to Justin (who is an amazing drummer btw.. check out his music here) and Sara for being THE. BEST. EVER., and finally the biggest thank you of all goes to my wonderful husband who spent his birthday up in Vermont with me, helping me work, and being a constant source of encouragement for me always as I chase my dreams. I love that man. :-) And I also love these engagement photos... enjoy!

CLIENT WEBSITES ARE LIVE!

2011-01-28T12:36:00.000-05:00

One of the awesome features of booking your wedding with me are these beautiful client websites! They are a great way to show off your engagement photos to family and friends, share a story about you and your fiance and how you met, leave information for guests about accommodations, registries, and any other important info you may want to them to know, and of course share your wedding photos after the big day! Guests also have the ability to leave you comments, and it's a great way to put everything in one place and share away! It's also easily integrated with Facebook! Check it out! :-)

Click here to view the full version of the website!

What is a "First Look"?

2011-01-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to address a question that comes up quite frequently... what exactly is a "First Look"? Some brides-to-be have heard about it, and some haven't at all. For more traditional brides, there's kind of a stigma that's associated with the First Look, and more often than not, it's because they don't fully understand what it's all about and the many many many benefits that it allows. Though I am a huge fan of the First Look, I myself did not do it for my own wedding. However, the only reason I didn't is because I had an evening wedding in August and it was still light out until 8pm. Also, being a Wedding Photographer myself, I made sure to build in PLENTY of time for portraits of me and my hubby after the ceremony and during cocktail hour.... and our cocktail hour was more like cocktail hour and a half! Had I not had the luxury of ample light, and ample time, I would have most definitely done the First Look.

One of two things usually happens when I discuss the option of the First Look with my brides: Either A) they say, "What a great idea!" and we end up doing it, or B) they immediately say "no thanks, we're kind of traditional and want to see each other for the first time when I walk down the aisle." After a little bit of chatting about it, together we realize that they weren't exactly sure of what the First Look was all about in the first place. Some think it's just about pretty pictures. While pretty pictures are definitely part of it and a huge bonus... there's a lot more to the First Look you may not know about....

1) During a First Look, the groom is usually isolated somewhere until the bride is ready. With his back turned to her, the bride walks up to him at which point he will turn around and see each other for the first time on their wedding day. The photographers usually have on their long lenses at this point so we can stand far back and give you two some privacy (of course while capturing those beautiful "oh-my-gosh-you- look-so-amazing" moments with our cameras). Usually I like to do this for about 10 minutes while you two just soak in the love. After we get some amazing pictures of the two of you usually we would include the bridal party and do those shots as well!

2) More often than not, the First Look is the ONLY alone time that the bride and groom get on their wedding day! If you choose to not do the First Look, we are usually pressed for time and have family formals, bridal party, and bride and groom portraits to do all during cocktail hour!

3) If you choose to the First Look, you actually get to ENJOY some of your cocktail hour with your family, friends, & guests!

4) You actually get to talk, kiss, and hug your soon to be bride/groom if you do the First Look! Usually, if you wait to see each other when you walk down the aisle, you can't kiss and hug and talk about how much you love each other because you immediately have to turn your attention over to your Priest/Officiant! Doing the First Look allows you to really take a few minutes and soak in everything you've waited for and worked so hard for!

5) The First Look really produces the most beautiful photographs. My favorite favorite favorite photographs are un-posed, un-rehearsed, and genuine reactions and emotions. And what reaction and emotion could be more intense than seeing each other for the first time on your wedding day? If you go the more traditional route, you will see each other for the first time walking down the aisle, at which point you're probably both nervous and maybe may not feel 100% comfortable reacting the way you would if you had been alone.

6) I have heard of people that didn't do it that wished they had done the First Look, but I have never heard of anyone that has done and wished they hadn't!

7) Think about the timeline of your wedding... Will it be getting dark or be completely dark after your ceremony ends? If so, you should definitely consider doing the First Look!!! If it will be dark, the only option for photos will be indoors, which isn't usually the most flattering light/background or maybe isn't even large enough to accommodate all of your bridal party!

There are tons of reasons for doing the First Look, but at the end of the day it is YOUR wedding day! If you choose to do it I am confident you won't regret it, but if you choose the more traditional route, that's fine too! Just talk to your photographer about the timeline and make sure you set aside plenty of time for photos, as they will be the only thing you have to remember your special day by when all is said and done! All that hard work and love should be documented and cherished forever! <3

KRISTIN & DAVE- MARRIED! - MA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, NH WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-01-15T14:48:00.000-05:00

I met Kristin and Dave last year when they commissioned me to photograph their New Years Eve wedding. I liked them instantly. They are beautiful people, inside and out. They come from a strong Catholic background, and their hearts are huge. They are real, and you can tell they are there for each other always... partners. It was my first New Years Eve wedding, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend it. From the beautiful, heartwarming speeches, to the tender dances, and occasional tears... Kristin, Dave, and their families and friends were all amazing! They are a tight-knit bunch and I adore that. I also adore the crazy amount of fun, laughter, and love that was had by all as well! Kristin and Dave, it was an honor to meet both you and your families. I truly wish you much happiness in life! :-) And now for the photos...

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE FREEZING!

2010-12-14T18:12:00.000-05:00

Well, my last blog post, though very dear to me, wasn't very merry and bright... so I'd like to cheer things up a bit.. a couple of weeks ago I decided to take on a little bit of a challenge (which is kind of a secret so I can't tell you much about it ;-)). What I can tell you is that it involved a FREEEEEZING day, and a lot of Italian hand gestures ;-). And these mugs you see below... ? Well, this is some of my family and well... I kinda love these guys! ;-) These smiling faces are what the holidays are all about... love and family. They brighten up not only my day or my blog, but they add sparkle (and entertainment) to my life. :-)

Hope you all stay warm!

ALZHEIMER'S SUCKS.

2010-12-08T16:15:00.001-05:00

Alzheimer's sucks. Literally. It sucks the life out of it's victims. It sucks out the light. It is a black-hole of a disease that erases all traces of humanness from it's sufferers. It begins with minor loss of memory... you forget where you put your purse, you forget your keys. It gradually spreads it's blackness throughout the brain and attacks a little deeper, now things like recalling the names of familiar items are more difficult. You confuse items, faces. People you love. You sink deeper into silence and solitude, and you're aware that something is wrong but you can't put your finger on it. Eventually, you become unrecognizable. Alzheimer's attacks and destroys the person you once were.

Some of you may know that my grandmother suffers from this awful disease. She actually got it pretty young, and it has progressed quickly. It has attacked her in horrible ways, erased all of the beautiful things that my grandmother was and has amplified her weaknesses. It is because of this that I haven't seen her in years. She has been in a nursing home for quite a few years now, and I believe I have been there twice. One of those times being last night. My great-grandmother (my grandfather's mother) also had Alzheimer's, and she passed away when I was 12 or 13, I think. But I remember her as being in a state of constant bliss. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, right? Granted, she couldn't recall our names, once stared into the face of one of the little kids in the family and cooed, "What a cute puppy!!!", But she was HAPPY. She had been a woman of God all her life and she wasn't about to let Alzheimer's interfere with her faith, happiness, and love for life. Had this been the case with my grandmother, maybe she wouldn't have progressed so quickly? Who knows... All I know is that the woman in that wheelchair is not my grandmother. It's incredibly difficult for me to see her this way. INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. Some may find it selfish of me for not having visited more than once or twice, but believe me, it's not that. Besides the fact that my grandmother was a woman full of pride and would never WANT to be seen or remembered this way... I absolutely refuse to think of her this way. Instead I choose to remember the loving, determined, generous woman that used to hug me, let me have sleepovers, and hum the same tunes I hum to my kids today. She was an amazing woman that loved her family very much, and I miss her more than I let myself believe. I used to beat myself up about not seeing her and for not being there, but I don't anymore. I had a dream about a year and a half ago, no doubt out of the guilt I felt for not having seen her, that I went to visit and she was sleeping. I sat next to her bed and put my hand on hers and she woke up. She started coherently talking to me....she was cured! She went on to tell me that throughout the entire sickness she was aware of everything going on around her, but the disease had immobilized her and she couldn't speak. I apologized for not visiting more often and cried to her and told her I was so glad to have her back and asked for her forgiveness. She hugged me and kissed me on the forehead like she always used to do and told me that of course she forgave me. She understood and there was no reason for me to be upset. And so I woke up, sobbing, and forgave myself. I felt at peace with my decision.

I hadn't seen her in years but, I got a phone-call from my grandfather yesterday afternoon asking if we were planning on attending the annual tree-lighting ceremony at the nursing home. "They have cookies, and Christmas music, and Santa....", he went on, but I quickly came up with more than three excuses. I was going to offer to have my mother bring the kids, which she has done a couple of times, but then remembered my mother is away on business. I shook it off, and told my Papa that I just couldn't go. But what I really meant was that I haven't been able to BRING myself to go. And then I heard it... a sad, defeated "Well...Okay" on the other end of the line. I had disappointed my grandfather and it was obvious. I quickly hung up the phone and shed a few tears then dialed my husband for consoling. He has been urging me to go visit my grandmother for the past year at least, but he is probably one of the only people that understands how deeply it affects me. I told him I just got off the phone with my grandfather, and the reason for his phone call, and asked him what he thought... though I already knew what I was going to do. Because Christmas is a couple of weeks away, because Christmas is my grandmother's birthday, because her name is Carol, and because it was just time... we packed up and took our daughter to the nursing home for the tree-lighting ceremony on a Tuesday night. And my grandmother didn't open her eyes once. But we met up with some of the family, including my grandfather, and I'm just glad that my grandfather had, and has us there with him. It was everything I thought it was going to be and worse, but it was time to visit regardless. My daughter had fun seeing Santa and having the Christmas carrolers sing to her, but all I saw was this:

People in wheelchairs, staring out the window at the rest of the world going on around them...

My great-aunt Barbara (my grandmother's sister), holding on...

And my confused daughter trying to wake my grandmother, to no avail...

These photos are to show how devastating Alzheimer's is, how deeply it affects me and I how I view it. This is why I don't go. I'm scared silly at the very real possibility that I could get this someday. I could BE this someday. That woman in that chair could be me in 30-40 years. I'm petrified of not knowing my children, or my grandchildren. Not having control of my body, my brain. Being stuck in limbo for years and years and not having the ability to escape it. I cry at the thought of my devoted husband leaning over my bedside daily, and force-feeing me pudding. I don't want that and I don't want the people I love to have to go through that. All this being said.... I'm okay. Presently healthy, and I have come to terms with not visiting. Last night was for everyone else. For my Papa, for my daughter, for my mother, for the sake of Christmas and for my grandmother. To show that even though Alzheimer's sucks, it doesn't take away love, the support of an amazing family, and our memories of the way it used to be.

This is how I choose to remember her... my sister and I at one of our dance recitals with my grandparents...

My grandmother with my son when he was little...

At my high school graduation...

And my Nana and Papa. Their love is incredible, to this day. My grandfather's undying love, faith, and devotion is inspiring and I love them both to the moon and back.

I love you, Nana. Happy birthday and Merry Christmas. <3

Boston Wedding Photographer: Deanna and Tony: Engagement Photos!

2010-11-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

They like metal. No, not the kind that you wear on your finger in the form of an engagement ring, or that kind of metal at all, actually. I mean the music. Metal. As in head-banging, loudly screaming, guitar wailing metal. That was one of the first things Deanna told me about her and Tony when they first commissioned me to photograph their wedding. Now, I am not opposed to metal at all. Even slightly, actually. But I'm not sure if she meant like Metallica type of metal (which in my opinion is actually good music) or something like, um, Korn. Let's not go there ;-) But in the sentence that directly followed, "We like metal", she also said, "We need you to be really aggressive and take-charge because we're too laid back". I giggled because it seemed like those two statements just didn't belong together, but I assured Deanna if take-charge was what she was looking for, she came to the right place ;-) Deanna was actually referred to me by my long-lost best friend from elementary school (shout out to Kristin!) that had recently found me on Facebook. I was more than thrilled to hear from Kristin (Deanna's MOH) and just as thrilled to meet Deanna! So anyway, I met up with Deanna and her fiance, Tony, last weekend and we had pretty decent weather for this time of year. It was a little chilly, but Deanna was a trooper, and we got overcast skies which is great for photos! Deanna rocked all session and I even got Tony to warm up to me, too! Right, Tony? ;-)

Tony proposed on Christmas and handed Deanna this big, silver box. Inside of that box was the Santa box, and inside that box, the red box, and I think you get the point... Deanna wanted to make sure we got a picture of all of the boxes, which I thought was a great idea! :-)

Deanna, stay tuned for the rest to come soon! :-)

GIVING BACK

2010-11-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I want to share some SUPER EXCITING news with you all... So because I've received so much support from friends and family through my own tough times in the past, because I always try to give back, and because the holidays are just around the corner and I'm in the apple pie baking, Thanksgiving family football playing, Christmas-caroling type of spirit (and yes I know this sentence is full of grammatical errors), Nicole Montmarquet Photography will be photographing one lucky couple's 2011 wedding PRO BONO!!! Here's the deal.... this does not apply to current weddings booked with me for 2011. If you are getting married in 2011, and have not booked a photographer yet, you are eligible for this! All you have to do is send me an email with you and your fiance's names, ages, date and location of your wedding, and why I should choose your wedding to photograph pro bono. That's it! I will be choosing the lucky couple before the end of the year. And oh yeah... there will be a little something for all of the other couple's who write in as well! Head over to my facebook page to "Like" it and stay up to date with all of the details! http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Andover-MA/Nicole-Montmarquet-Photography/139543242762314

You can email me at NicoleMontmarquetPhotography@gmail.com! I look forward to hearing all of your love stories, and to giving back all the support and love that I've received over the years!!! :-)

-Nicole

The H Family

2010-11-16T10:37:00.001-05:00

This family found me online a couple of weeks ago to schedule a family photo session. Leah explained to me that her husband had left for Afghanistan right after their daughter, Alivia, was born. He just came home a couple of months ago and they have yet to have photos taken of them. We set a date and got GORGEOUS weather, gorgeous light, and I got to photograph a gorgeous family. Alivia was AMAZING throughout the whole session and gave me plenty of smiles and giggles all afternoon. Probably because she could sense the soft-spot I have in my heart for Alivias. ;-) Here are some of photos from their session :-)

Leah, it was a pleasure meeting you and your beautiful family... I hope you all enjoy the photos and the rest are to come soon! :-)

The B Family!

2010-11-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

So, I had a little contest over on Facebook to see how many people I could get to "Like" my business page. I told my fabulous followers that the first person that reposted my business page and got 10 of their friends to "Like" it, that I would award them with a FREE Family Photo Session. Yeah, I know, I'm super cool. ;-) Honestly though, it was a great way to expose more people to my business page (WARNING: Shameless self-promotion to follow....) which you can find over at http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Andover-MA/Nicole-Montmarquet-Photography/139543242762314. Anywho... it was to my great pleasure to see Roberta be the winner of this little contest. I have known Roberta since FOREVER. Okay, maybe not forever, but literally since I was in diapers. She used to date my uncle back when they were in high school and babysit my sister and I ALL the time. We used to jump the huge waves at Old Orchard Beach together, play barbies together (and she let us stay up past our bedtime!), and every time I see her I want to ask her if she wants to buy a duck. Which, I still don't understand Roberta...? ;-) She was an amazing babysitter and since has become an even more amazing mother to these three adorable kiddos, who are very lucky to have her. She is a beautiful person, inside and out, and I'm so glad she has remained a close friend of my family's all these years. On this day, we had beautiful weather for a beautiful family.... on to the (many) photos!

Hope you love the photos, Roberta! <3

I HAVE A NEW NAME!

2010-11-02T23:00:00.001-04:00

Sooooo, I'm sure you've noticed that I've gone ahead and changed my business name! Perspective Photography by Nicole is now Nicole Montmarquet Photography! To tell you the truth, this is the name I've always wanted for my business but I wasn't married yet and even though we were engaged to be married and had a date set and all, I didn't feel right using the name yet. But now I'm married, business is looking up, and I put some time and resources into kind of giving my whole business a new look and feel. This is just the beginning and you can expect many more fun improvements in the months to come... I'm so excited! I couldn't be happier with where my business has gone and is going and hopefully it will just keep getting better! Please take a minute to head over to my new website at www.nicolemontmarquetphotography.com and also head over to my facebook business page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Andover-MA/Nicole-Montmarquet-Photography/139543242762314?v=wall and please LIKE my page! Thank you again for all of your continued support!!! :-) -Nicole

Kristin and Dave are Engaged!

2010-10-21T14:40:00.001-04:00

I met Kristin and Dave back in the spring, and that's when they hired me to photograph their wedding that's coming up on New Years Eve! To say I am very excited about this wedding would be an understatement. Kristin and Dave are a fantastic couple and I know they will have a beautiful wedding, not to mention Kristin is going to make a gorgeous bride! Well, we met up this weekend to do some engagement photos for them at a local State Park, and Kristin was a little nervous at first. At first they actually said they were going to skip the engagement session all together but after talking about it a bit, they changed their minds. It's a great way to get familiar with the camera, and I think I heard Kristin say she was glad she did it after our session was over! ;-) I concur, Kristin, because check out these photos!

Lesley and Rudy: Married!

2010-10-21T09:10:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Lesley and Rudy's wedding last weekend up in the mountains of New Hampshire. To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. But what was even more beautiful was the love, innocence, and commitment that I had the privilege of witnessing that day between two people that are truly dedicated to one another. Lesley had emailed me just a couple of months before her wedding and immediately hired me to photograph her big day. I hadn't met either her or Rudy before the wedding day, and on top of that it was going to be just us and the two of them because they were eloping...so I didn't know what to expect when I got there. Couple that with the fact that the weather forecast called for rain and heavy winds, and it looked even worse when my husband and I drove up the Kancamangus to find that it was snowing! SNOWING! Now, if you're from the area you know that the weather you get going up one side of the Kancamangus isn't necessarily what you'll get on the other side, so after a little convincing on Brian's part, I had hope. Sure enough, when we got there, the sky at that gorgeous little Inn was blue, the birds were chirping, and Lesley and Rudy enjoyed marrying on a fine fall day in the mountains of New England. Together. Alone. And with me to document it. :-) When I met Lesley and Rudy, I immediately felt like I had known them forever. They are warm, welcoming people, and though I often felt like I was intruding upon their very intimate experience, Lesley kept assuring me that I helped to make her day complete. :-) I am so, SO, grateful that I was able to witness the simplicity, beauty, and honesty that can come from an elopement. Having a larger wedding myself, I never understood why someone may want to celebrate without their friends or family by their side... but I can honestly say that after witnessing Lesley and Rudy be completely wrapped up in each other all day, with no distractions, no fillers, no show, no chaos, I have been enlightened. Lesley and Rudy, it was more of a pleasure to meet you and spend the day with you than you'll ever know. Thank you for enlightening me, for making me feel welcome, and for dinner. :-) It really was an honor. So, with all that said... on to the photos!

A little fall foliage...

And who doesn't love hot cocoa on a crisp fall day!?

A little ring-a-ding ding shot....

And another....

The amazing Lesley and Rudy :-)

Rudy, looking handsome... he told me he doesn't like to smile in pictures, but I don't think I had to ask him to smile once :-)

Lesley looking beautiful and glowy...

The ceremony was pretty short, but I LOVED this moment between them during the ceremony...

First kiss.... woot!

Mr. and Mrs.

They took a carriage ride to a little clearing, and told me about how breathtaking the view was... maybe next time I'm up there I'll take one myself :-)

Okay... so, before last weekend, I don't think I have ever pat a horsey... well, these girls were adorable and FULL of personality... check them out...

We were trying to get a nice picture of them with the horseys but the one on the left kept nudging Lesley and giving her horsey hugs. It was adorable.

This cake was beautiful and delicious and I love the fact that even though they eloped, Lesley took the time to design and order her own flowers and cake.

Cheers to you both, Lesley and Rudy! May you have a very happy, healthy, and wonderful marriage :-) It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and Brian and I enjoyed our conversations with you and the entire day, really. It was beautiful and I couldn't be happier for you!

Kathy and Paul: Married!

2010-10-20T23:37:00.000-04:00

So... Kathy and Paul got married a couple of weeks ago and I posted a slideshow for them, but I'm just realizing I didn't post any actual photos! I apologize for the delay, and before I waste anymore of your time, on to the photos! :-)

Kathy and Paul got married!

2010-10-15T13:42:00.002-04:00

Kathy and Paul got married last weekend and it was full of emotion. The focus for the day was on their friends and family, and everyone had a great time celebrating with Kathy and Paul. They are two very good, loving, hard-working people and I wish them many many years of happiness! :-) Here's a little slideshow of their day!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

LIZ AND RAF GOT MARRIED!

2010-10-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

Liz and Rafael were married last Saturday on one of the most gorgeous fall days, evah. The air was crisp and clean, and Liz and Raf were so relaxed. They were surrounded by the people they love as they pledged their commitment to each other, and it was an honor to be a part of such a wonderful day! Liz and Raf are so real and genuine, and their quiet gestures toward each other speak volumes of the respect, support, and understanding that seems to define their relationship. They are great people and I'm so happy to have met them and document their wedding day. Liz and Raf, thank you so much for the opportunity and I wish you a lifetime of happiness together! :-)

We started off with a few of Raf getting ready...

The relaxed groom....

This is Raf and his brother/best man, Danny.

I spy....

I will have you know, we took great care to assure that Liz's dress did NOT get dirty during these shots :-)

The gorgeous bride...

Liz photographs so beautifully.

This is inside of Liz and Raf's house... they live in a gorgeous Victorian house with a great staircase! :-)

The amazing flowers... I LOVED the colors she picked.

Liz and Raf had a sunset ceremony, so chose to see each other first so we'd still have some light for their portraits... I adore their reactions.

She is seriously always smiling and laughing... I love it.

Ummm, yes... that's a Model-T...

This is their driver, and very helpful gentleman! :-)

The rings.

I'm not gonna lie... I love this photo... something about the anticipation here really makes me smile. :-)

See... always laughing...

Liz and Raf incorporated a handfasting ritual into their ceremony.

Some of the details....

They chose to do pies instead of cake ( I LOVE pie), and they looked soooo good ( I REALLY LOVE pie ), I totally wanted to stash one in the car for later... but I didn't. ( Have I told you how much I love pie? )

Liz and Raf had green and orange lanterns, and green uplighting... it was very groovy.

This handsome gentleman is Liz's father. Not only is he Liz's father, but he's also famous. He was in the movie, The French Connection. He was the waiter that served Gene Hackman. I know it's a great movie, but believe it or not I haven't seen it. But I promised him I would watch it, so I will order it from Netflix asap. And if you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you do. ;-)

I just think this picture of Raf's brother and his girlfriend is cute.

A little bit of dancing never hurt anyone...

Liz and Raf, I hope you have an AMAZING, LONG, and HAPPY life together!

GROWING UP

2010-09-30T12:36:00.000-04:00

An Un-BEAR-ably good time ;-)

2010-09-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

Saturday we took a beautiful drive up to Clark's Trading Post on an even more beautiful day. If you've never been to Clark's, you're not missing much. LOL. Sorry, it was cute, the kids had a good time overall, and it was an enjoyable day with the in-laws, but the place is nothing to write home about. Their claim to fame is their trained bears... a few bears that they've kept in captivity for decades so they can train them to slam dunk basketballs, sit on a swing, stand on barrels, get the mail, and unhygienically share ice cream cones with their trainers. And then they put the "It's so important to learn about bears and respect them and protect them" spin on it so it doesn't look like they're just out to make a lot of money off selling tickets to see the bears. I apologize if I offend anyone, if there's really anybody other than my mother that reads this, but that is just my opinion and how I saw it. The kids got bored after about 10 minutes of the show and we headed off to do something else, which was good because all I could really focus on was how sad it was that the bears will never know their true home. I'm no animal activist or anything, but something just doesn't feel right about dressing a bear up and showing him off like he's a chihuahua in a purse. Sorry :-( Anyway, here are some photos I took yesterday of the kids... like I said, they had a good time just running around with each other and we had a great time being able to catch up with family. Something that we don't often get to do. Plus, the bumper boats were pretty cool.

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL.

2010-09-08T08:22:00.000-04:00

My son is too cool. I don't know when this happened, but I don't think I like it very much :-( Yesterday was his first day of 4th grade, and like all proud moms, I brought my camera along to snap some photos of my growing child. I tried not once, not twice, but three times on the playground, waiting for the bell to ring, to get him to cooperate for the mini photo session but instead got, "Mom, come on, seriously? I'm in fourth grade now. Mom, you're embarrassing. Put. The. Camera. Away!"...Alongside grumbles, hands in front of the face, and turning his back toward me. Insert sad, crying face here. But like a good mom, I sacrificed getting the good shot for the sake of my son's humility. This required a little compromise on his part though, because you see, I always win somehow ;-) So you bet your butt I made him promise he was going to cooperate when he got home from school. The first day of school was over, he was home playing in the yard with his friends, and it was an hour before I remembered! Bogus! I didn't take his pictures!!! Soooooo, I took what I could get.... even if that meant his hair resembled a mop from an hour of jumping on the trampoline, shirt was wet after a water fight with his best friend, and his refusal to not be a complete goofball (remember, he's in front of his friends). It'll do. So, disheveled, goofy, and featured alongside his best friend... here are my masterpieces..... LOL.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall! Oh yeah, and haircuts!

2010-09-06T22:27:00.001-04:00

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Today was a great, relaxing day. My son goes back to school tomorrow so we were all trying to enjoy the last official (in my eyes) day of summer. I feel a little relieved, to tell you the truth, that the summer is over and the fall is on it's way. Aside from the fact that I ADORE everything about the fall itself (think warm apple pie a la mode, vibrant foliage, football, brisk nights, roasting marshmallows in the fire pit in our yard, apple picking, cider donuts, Halloween, cute clothes and shoes, and Thanksgiving), I'm just really content to see the summer go. It's a little bittersweet as this ENTIRE summer revolved around our wedding and everything that had to do with the wedding. Mostly the planning. AND. OH. THE. PLANNING. It was crazy stressful, hot, hectic, and went by in a flash, but this summer has also been beautiful, fulfilling, rewarding, emotional, and full of love, fun, family, and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better summer, but now it's time to put it to bed and wake up to a new season. A much less sticky season ;-) Anywho, today my aunt was gracious enough to have the family over for a Labor Day/End of the Summer BBQ. Here are some photos from today :-)

And seeing these photos just reminded me that I was supposed to remind myself to get my kids haircuts. ;-) Happy Labor Day!

And all is right with the world again...

2010-09-04T02:20:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, there's just too much frustration, bad news, stress, work, doubt, and hate in the world. In our own lives. Sometimes, we need a break. Sometimes, our hearts need uplifting. And sometimes, we just need to see something like this to put a smile on our faces again. :-) What a beautiful moment.

Cookies and Sookie

2010-09-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

I've been learning A TON lately. Between courses, workshops, google searches, talking to people, reading, and practicing, the amount of knowledge I'm absorbing is comparable to dipping an Oreo Cookie in a glass of milk. You dip it a few times, it soaks the milk up, and it's delicious. But before you know it, most of the milk is gone and you're left with a small piece of a soggy, poor excuse for a cookie. Well, I feel like that's what is left of my brain right now.... only the glass of milk is bottomless. There are gallons and gallons of milk to soak up but only a soggy fragment of what used to be a cookie. But, this is good! I'm learning so much, and I'm so happy to take my business to the next level... I will be launching a new website soon and I CAN'T WAIT! Good things are on the way and I am ready! :-) But right now, my brain is so dead I need some mindless entertainment.... I'm ready to watch me some Season 1 of True Blood... Brian and I missed most of the first season but recently subscribed to Netflix and got the DVD in the mail today... I've been waiting for this all day. I never understood the big hype surrounding Netflix but now I do because it's AWESOME! Season 1 isn't On Demand and I'm excited that I finally found it somewhere because I can't get me enough of Sookie, Bill, and Eric.... So off I go! Goodnight all! :-)

Liv, Little Lady

2010-09-01T23:32:00.000-04:00

My daughter is growing up. Kids do that I suppose, but really, today I was just taken back by how much she's grown up. We have started potty training, she's saying please and thank you without being reminded, she takes her food to her table and sits down while eating, puts her dishes away in the sink when she's done, washes her hands, puts on her shoes, brushes her teeth, says 'I love you' before bed, and is forming her words more clearly by the minute. I'm left wondering when the heck all of this happened!? She is a beautiful, happy, determined, smart, and loving little girl, and I tell her at least 5 times a day how proud she makes me. Today I realized that I didn't have any photos to document how she is in this moment in time, the real her, right now. I took my camera out this afternoon as we headed out after nap for our usual playtime.... and even though she wasn't in the smiliest of moods this afternoon, I'm happy with what I got because THIS is my Olivia. My Liv. The nickname, Liv, is so appropriate for her because that's what this little lady does... she lives. She has so much beauty, energy, and life inside her already, and the world better be ready for this one. When she's ready, she's going to be a force to be reckoned with!

I love you, my little Liv!!! <3

I'm going to google gaggle.

2010-08-31T22:18:00.000-04:00

So, tonight, Brian and I were debating what to have for dinner and couldn't really decide or agree on anything. We went through the list of usuals (which needs some serious updating, FYI, so please feel free to leave some yummy recipes) and nothing was really grabbing us. We finally lacklusterly decided on burgers... it was quick and we figured the kids would be happy with our decision. I brought my daughter inside to get some juice as Brian cooked on the grill, and then heard him call for me a couple minutes later........ "Hurry up! Come outside! There's a gaggle of turkeys in our yard!" To which I replied, "A google of WHAT?" Apparently, there were a bunch of wild turkeys running around in my yard... more specifically, a mama and her 5 babies that aren't so small anymore. These turkeys are well-known and have been making their rounds around town, visiting each home along the way as if they're campaigning for something. Anywho, I went outside to take some pictures, and my camera (or my crazy dog) must have scared them off because they all started to jump the fence! Well one of the babies jumped the wrong way and hopped/flew right into the tree in our front yard. I turned and intently watched the mama turkey's reaction, as I would have been annoyed if I were her. She circled around the tree a couple of times, went and chatted with the rest of her babies, walked to the street and I kid you not, got a running start and tossed her old, heavy body into the air and just barely made the lowest branch, which reminds me of the camp song, "The other day... I met a bear.... a great big bear.... a way up there...."Anyway, back to the story.... so, the mama turkey is now lodged in between a hundred branches and looks thoroughly annoyed. The baby didn't move, to his credit, he was scared and I started to feel really bad that I even contemplated Brian's suggestion of a turkey dinner instead of burgers (kidding). I watched the baby beg for help and the mama put her foot, uhhh, claw down, and demand her baby learn a lesson from all of this. I don't think she was planning on teaching this lesson to all 5 of her babies, but that's what it was looking like was going to happen as I watched each and every single baby, one by one, fly up into the tree, blindly, because that's where their mama was. By this time, the mama turkey was fed up and started to ignore the babies and totally started giving herself a bath and biting her nails, and who can blame her? I hung around for awhile to get some pictures, and then caught the eye of the head-of-household turkey and I swear we had a woman to woman moment. It was as if in that brief second that we held our gaze, I could hear her gobbling, "Listen lady, these kids aren't coming down until you're gone... I have things to do, you can relate... do a sister a favor and hit the road!" And so I left. I came inside, and started thinking about the word 'gaggle'. Gaggle? I wasn't so sure a bunch of turkeys was referred to as a gaggle, so I googled gaggle. The Webster Dictionary says that a gaggle is used to refer to a flock of geese, specifically when not in flight. Hmmm.... these were not geese, and they actually had been in flight. I read on to see where Brian may have confused the definition of the word and read a second definition.... a group, aggregation, or cluster lacking organization gaggle of reporters and photographers>.... LOL. Oh lovely! It was actually me and my peers that are referred to as a gaggle. Perfect! LOL.

The baby calling her mama... And it was a happy ending, FYI... they all are safely out of the tree! :-)

What is "It"?

2010-08-30T14:37:00.000-04:00

Oh boy, where do I start? It's obviously been awhile since the last time I've blogged, and to tell you the truth I kind of took a break from all things Photography. Brian and I finally, FINALLY, got married on August 7th and the last month has been a whirlwind of crazy emotion, fun, family, friends, adventure, love, and returning to reality. Wait... WHAT?! I have to come back from this past month of living at the center of all things with my new husband? I felt like we were the black hole at the center of our solar system, everything and everyone was revolving around us and being hurled toward us.... without the negative side effect of having the black hole (us) suck all the light out of everyone of course. ;-) What I mean though is we had a month of quite literally having everything revolve around us. Everyone wanted a piece of us.... vendors, friends, immediate family, extended family, our kids. We had gifts sent to our house often, people sending cards, parties, cookouts, showers, and pampering. I had more pictures taken of me over the last few months than I have for the previous 29 years of my life. We went on our honeymoon and had the chance to spend some MUCH NEEDED alone time together. We had people we don't even know congratulate us, we got to sleep in, finish a full cup of coffee in the morning, drink wine with dinner, go OUT to dinner, sit by the pool and RELAX instead of having to catch our 20 month old before she dove into the deep end without any swimmies on..... Over the last few months we got lots of presents, got to enjoy the company of friends and family that we don't often get to see, and got to be giddy like little kids and not apologize for it. Brian and I got to experience raw emotion together, and relive beautiful feelings and pledge our lives to one another. We got to put rings on each others hands and cry together and look into the eyes of our best friend and focus on us. We got to begin the rest of our lives together. We have two kids, a house, a dog, demanding jobs, and rarely ever get so much as a date night. We loved being able to not have to think, get up, juggle 5 things at once, and stress. On our honeymoon we were in a so-called bubble of peace and love and we didn't want it to pop. So I ask ya (spoken in the voice of Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny), how does one come back from all of that? How do you re-focus and find ambition instead of wishing you were sitting poolside with your new hubby, sipping pina coladas, alone and in silence? How do you go back to work phones, alerts, potty-training, back to school shopping, cleaning, cold cups of coffee, sibling rivalry, and bad nails and hair? Well, I'll answer my own question. Aside from the fact that Brian and I came home from our honeymoon a day early because we missed our kids soooo much, I also have something new to look forward to. Well, not completely new, but I am super excited to bring my Photography business to the next level and I'm looking forward to putting in lots of hard work, time, and dedication to Wedding Photography. Yes, somehow in this big, long, hard to follow, messy post of a blog, I can somehow relate it to Photography. Wedding Photography more specifically. I've always wanted it, but I've never been so sure and as inspired to succeed at it as I am right now. Thanks are awarded to good timing and good clients, in part, but I also have another Photographer to thank for kind of lighting a fire in my heart and under my tush, for that matter. Her name is Jasmine Star. Maybe you've heard of her. She's currently making a huge name for herself and spreading her knowledge and positive vibe throughout the industry like wildfire, only in a really good way. This past week she embarked on an adventure, a highly informative adventure, and did something no other Photographer has done, that I know of anyway? I'm sending my prayer to the Photography Gods for forgiveness in case I am wrong. Anywho, Jasmine photographed a real live wedding, and it was shown live online, for all the world to see. As in LIVE live, through a website called CreativeLive. Like exposing her talent, enthusiasm, strategies, stories, information, advice, and flaws in front of thousands of people live. Live, on air live. And if there's anyone out there that didn't understand the meaning of live, I'm sure you do now ;-) She also did a few days worth of classroom teaching and a kind of workshop with a few lucky Photographers that won the opportunity to join Jasmine in Seattle for this crazy cool event. I thought about entering the contest, but honestly, I was in the middle of planning my own wedding and I couldn't even fathom thinking about flying out for a week to be so immersed in someone else's right after my own grand event. What I was able to do though is watch it. I watched Jasmine rock it from my the comfort of my own computer. I soaked in her bravery, her strategies, her advice, her experience, and probably most importantly, her will and her spirit. Her spirit is contagious. Jasmine Star went out on a limb, a HUGE 100ft hanging over an alligator infested swamp limb, to share her knowledge with less experienced Photographers like me. Just because she is that kind of person. And I've been inspired to make something of it. I may not be the talented blogger and business-woman that Jasmine is, and I may not yet have reached the level of creativity and genius that Susan Stripling possesses, but I am good, and I love what I do, and my potential is limitless. I hate patting myself on the back like that, but I firmly believe that. I know there's still things to learn, and there will always be something more to learn but, ever since I was about the age my daughter is now, my favorite and most frequently spoken words were "I do". Because I wanted to do "it", whatever "it" was at the time. And I did do it. And if I didn't know how to do it, I learned how to do it. I pushed myself to do it. I expected myself to do it. And even if somewhere along the line I decided I didn't want to do it anymore, I still did it just to prove to myself and everybody else that I could do it. That's not the case with Wedding Photography though... I truly want it, love it, and I will learn and do whatever it takes to get it. And I will continue to do it. (As a side note, my daughter is now saying "I do" as well, and I didn't teach her those words ;-)) So... I have 3 weddings booked for this fall season so far, and next year is going to be better, and I'm hoping I can continue to improve and grow my business and grow as a Photographer. Thank you to Jasmine Star for sharing her knowledge, spirit, bravery, and success. Jasmine talked about starting out with a kind of Jasmine Star cheer squad, well, here's the Nicole Montmarquet cheer squad......

Looking forward to it!

MEET: EMILY

2010-07-19T15:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I showed you a little preview of Emily a couple of days ago, I just couldn't wait! If you didn't check out the post a couple of days ago, you'll see for yourself why I couldn't wait. At 5' 6", blonde hair, green eyes, and killer legs, she made any background look great! Life is so not fair sometimes. :-P Not only is she gorgeous, but Emily babysits my son's best friend and she's super good to the kids... the kids go back and forth between the houses and she's always a sweetheart about taking Matthew with her when they go places. Well, on to the photos.... there are a lot because I can't pick favorites, they are ALL my favorites.

So for these last few photos I told Emily to give me "sexy", to which she replied, "I don't know how to do sexy!" Ummmmmmmmmm, I beg to differ... looks pretty spot on to me! :-P

Thank you, Emily, for having fun during the photo shoot, for our girl talk, and for everything you do for Matthew! :-)

A LITTLE BIT OF EMILY

2010-07-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

A little preview of the B-E-A-YOOOUUUTIFUL Emily... much more to come soon!

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

2010-07-15T15:26:00.002-04:00

Georgetown bridal salon to give away dresses to military brides - Georgetown, MA - Georgetown Record

Hopefully, this will be of help to someone out there. A dress shop in Georgetown, MA is giving away free wedding dresses on a particular day to engaged women in the military. I'm not sure how it works, but you should definitely check it out if you are in fact, engaged, in the military, and of course, a woman ;-) A good friend of mine does meet these criteria, but she is currently in New Orleans right now helping out with oil spill disaster... so, if she can't benefit from it, maybe one (or hopefully a lot more) of you can! :-) Happy dress shopping!

Georgetown bridal salon to give away dresses to military brides - Georgetown, MA - Georgetown Record

MEET: LIZ AND RAFAEL

2010-07-15T13:40:00.001-04:00

I met Liz and Rafael for the first time this past weekend when we met up to do their Engagement Photos. They are getting married this October and I truly cannot wait to photograph their wedding! They were SOOO laid-back throughout the entire Engagement session that I felt like I had known them forever and I get excited thinking about their wedding day because I know they will have that same energy then, and it makes for GREAT photos! They smiled, laughed, joked, and laughed some more and I think these pictures show how amazingly calm and relaxed they are as individuals and as a couple. Liz and I chatted about some wedding details and when I asked her if she was getting nervous or stressed, she just looked at me curiously and said, "No, not really." Hmmmm. Can you teach me how to be like that please, Liz? She has an amazing smile and laugh, and that's pretty much all I saw out of her all afternoon :-) And Rafael laughed almost as much as she did. It was a great afternoon! On to the photos......

I love the emotion here.... even though Liz claimed that she and Rafael aren't the "mushy" type. I think it looks really good on them. ;-)

The beautiful laugh I was telling you about....

Liz's GORGEOUS hand-cut diamond ring that has been in Raff's family for over a century.... things like that turn me into a big, soft, ball of mush... LOVE it.

They're so cute.

Probably Andrew

2010-06-24T13:09:00.001-04:00

Meet.... Andrew. Probably. Most likely. It's about a 90% chance it will be Andrew. That's what his mom told me, anyway! ;-) Regardless of his name, this cherub was born into a loving family and his arrival was much anticipated by everyone including his two older brothers. I got to meet him in the hospital when he was just a day old, and I couldn't be more excited! Here are some photos of the peaceful, adorable, probably Andrew.

Welcome to the world, sweet little (okay, not so little at 9lbs. 7oz.) nephew! You are beautiful and loved. :-)

2010-05-27T13:57:00.000-04:00

Meet Andrew.... Andrew is the most adorable, calm, happy, and laid-back 6 month old baby I think I've ever met! As I sat and watched Andrew army-crawl across the floor, all I had to do was call his name and he gave me sweet little coos and giggles and happy baby smiles. :-) He's incredibly smart and cuddly, and I love this little guy to pieces! Here's some photos from our quick session....

How I keep sane...

2010-05-11T14:09:00.000-04:00

To all you moms out there, I'm sure you understand when I say that some days are just tough. No matter what you do, nothing goes your way. It seems as though your patience, logic, and even your sanity are pushed to their breaking points. Naptime can't come soon enough, and it doesn't. The minutes seem like hours, and sometimes keeping our kids entertained is more difficult and more time-consuming than we can afford. Little Miss Olivia has oooodles of energy and I'm always trying to find new things to do and new ways of keeping her, how shall I say this...content. :-) So here I'll show you just a few note-worthy things we've done in the past week or so to keep busy :-) Please feel free to use some of our ideas as inspiration on your own kids when needed! LOL.

We watched Matthew's soccer game and chatted over coffee...

We rode the horse-y....

We stared in wild, wild wonder....

We ate the finest food....

We got some sun....

We went on some rides...

But as busy as we were, we never forgot to stop and smell the flowers...

Hope you all stay busy, and have a great rest of the week! :-)

2010-03-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

We had some unseasonally great weather here recently and we got out to enjoy it as much as possible... here's a few photos of the kids from the past week or so...

This is my son who acts so tough all the time... except when he's around his friend, Madison, pictured here with him. I love catching moments like these... he held her hand so she wouldn't fall. :-) He didn't know I was watching him.

Daddy taught her how to play "fetch" with the dog...

Walking her toy dog...

See, women are born with the ability to multi-task.... :-)

BFF's :-)

2010-03-21T10:11:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing a friend of mine over the weekend... We met a couple of years ago, as her son and my son go to school together and are very good friends. She is a beautiful and sweet woman, and I think these images captured just that!

This one is my favorite...

2010-03-19T21:28:00.002-04:00

So I finally decided to start a blog! This is where I'm going to showcase my most recent and favorite work and where you'll get a better idea of who I am personally and professionally. I'm so excited for this upcoming season as I already have a couple of weddings booked... and I'm also looking forward to my own wedding this summer. I'll be sure to share some of those details with you as well! The photos below are of a couple of GORGEOUS women! We did a couple boudoir sessions a two weeks ago and it was a lot of fun! Both of these girls were sooooo easy to work with and as you'll see, photographed BEAUTIFULLY! Here are a few of my faves...