Photo 365 Project

She’s the kind of girl most of us wish we were in high school but were far from achieving.  A fun and fashionable straight-out-of-Teen-Vogue, kind of gal.  To photograph this amazing teen was an absolute pleasure.  She is very relaxed in front of the camera and has an easy style about her.  She really epitomizes the kind of senior I wish I could photograph every single day of the week!

It was a very gray day in CNY and to make matters worse, it was threatening rain all day and downpoured after 4 minutes of us showing up to Onondaga Lake Park.  Didn’t matter to Sam, she took it in stride and rocked it anyway!

To say the least, she brought it!

Love the soft red colors serving as a backdrop!

She is a natural.  Clearly!

Just some fun ones at the end of the session which turned out adorable!

Samantha, all the best for your senior year! xoxo

Finally was able to pick up my copy of Today’s CNY Woman magazine! A beautiful client of mine (who you need to check out) is featured, along with her inspirational messages.  Even though she was kind enough to send along the pdf, I really like going through the process of hitting a coffee shop and picking up the physical copy.  (Thank you Freedom of Espresso for continuing the espresso addiction).  We took that photo from the session a few months ago (and I had the time of my life.)  She’s spectacular! I read the article four times…she is SO motivating.  I am honored to see one of my photos showcased in the article! Here are highlights…

I’ve been meaning to watch the sunset.  That is to say…really watch it. To put down the Blackberry and planner and car keys and itinerary.  Just watch the sunset.  It didn’t disappoint.

They met on the ‘hill.  Never more than a quick walk or a few doors away from each other at Syracuse University, Colby and Mike say it didn’t take long for the friendship to blossom into a real life love story.  Within a few months, they were inseparable.  And, as they say, the rest is history.

These two couldn’t be cuter or better suited for each other.  It rained from the time I met up with them at SU to the time we parted.  We had a big day of apple picking and fall loveliness planned, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  May I just point out, the showers didn’t dampen their spirit in the least.  It seems as long as they’re together, none of that trivial stuff matters.

I am thrilled and honored to be able to shoot Colby and Mike’s wedding next year! Their demeanor and constant smiling makes my heart happy.  Some of my favorites from our time together…you’d never know it was raining the entire time!

So, I think Colby has this awesome mix of gorgeousness and spunk, so I had her hop around a little bit.  Man I adore her!

If you haven’t caught their insanely awesome act at a local CNY bar…at the very least check them out online. I was truly honored to be able to photograph them… twice.  Once in their natural element and the second for some group shots in Syracuse.  For this shoot, I embraced a dark, brooding look with both lighting and editing.  It was somewhat of a departure for me and I was thrilled do have the opportunity.

Some of my favorites…

This bottom shot of the lead singer I think could be one of my favorite portraits ever.  The light flare was perfect (just a softbox!) and the Syracuse landscape in the glasses took it over the top…plus he’s a brilliant frontman!

Thanks guys for your patience, kindness and all around coolness.  Great things ahead…

xoxo

This photo shoot had me really, really excited for a number of reasons: Mainly, because it’s not often I get to shoot events that don’t involve balloons or Yo Gabba Gabba.  For realz.  So it’s some out of the box shooting for me! I jumped at the chance.  Decree is a band most often seen around central New York.  They are fantastic.  And I don’t say that lightly…because if you know me, you know it takes a lot of effort to get me out on a Saturday night! I would go out any night of the week to see these guys! Some of my favorites…

Not only are the guys photogenic, they are pretty damn cool.  All of them were up for photos and didn’t mind (apparently) me laying on the ground as they were performing, or mixing it up with all of their fans (and there were a LOT).

There is a saying in photography.  It goes something like, “Get the shot that everyone’s paying for, then do your thing.” These next few shots are me doing my thing, ha ha haa!

The next sequence of shots are my favorite.  It shows the range that frontman Bill has…he goes from superstar quality to a more brooding, serious singer.  I only hope I did them justice…

Check out this band as soon as you can, and like them on Facebook!

She couldn’t have been more trustworthy: When Nina wanted to do her photos in some gritty locations, I thought of a few spots immediately.  I told her I wanted to meet at some railroad tracks where homeless people are known to roam AND (because the creep factor wasn’t enough for me, clearly) I wanted to take her to an abandoned building.  Well, she didn’t even bat her gorgeous eyes.  Nina is kind, personable, and a superstar in front of the camera.  Our focus was a patriotic theme/beautiful woman in front of an edgy location.  She is a singer/lyricist and a hugely talented one at that.  She was an absolute pleasure to photograph too, it was truly hard to pick my favorites!

(Above) I think she looks like an angel here.  (Below) The light was lovely…we took advantage of the sunset in this hidden area!

Location two: An old abandoned factory on Syracuse’s north side…I LOVED it because there is a raised platform that looks like a stage.  I felt this gave a perfect backdrop to Nina, who is a performer…

A variety of headshots with a range of emotions.  She was game for anything and I love the variety of expressions (and the super hot pantsuit!) And I’m sure at this point you have noticed her STUNNING eyes.  Yes, they are that amazing in real life!

It was an honor and pleasure to shoot this talented, superstar woman! I can feel great things ahead!

-xoxo

In an effort to spice up my daily hello to you all, I’m giving away something on this here blog.  It’s pretty simple: A $25 Starbucks gift card to the first person who can name where I was standing when I took this photograph in Syracuse.  (If you don’t have a ‘bucks near you, I’ll make it Dunkin’ Donuts!) All you have to do is…

1.) Name the building on which I’m standing and put it in the comments section below

2.) Be a fan on my Facebook page

That’s it! If you don’t want to put your real name on the comments section, just make something up and check back on this blog post to see if you’ve won…then I can get your snail mail address to deliver the goods!

“But wait, there’s more!” For people who don’t get the answer right, I have a consolation prize…you can download the free, original, non-watermarked high resolution photos I took of Syracuse, here! (I enabled my family discount for free downloads or if you want to buy an inexpensive print!)

Also, a sincere thank you for those who read this blog daily.  I don’t know how you can take my daily ramblings, but I thank you for your patience and support!