Check out this article from an awesome website, Rock ‘n Roll Bride.  This is a must read for anyone getting married (and especially those of you that love and appreciate photography!).  I encourage all of my bride’s and grooms and potentials to read this one.  Very Very Good Stuff!!

http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2010/07/how-to-get-the-best-from-your-wedding-photographer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rocknrollbride%2Findex+%28Rock+%27n+Roll+Bride%29&utm_content=Google+Readerj

The highlights:

1-  INSIST ON A PRE-WEDDING SHOOT

2- CONSIDER A “FIRST LOOK” AND PRE-CEREMONY PHOTOGRAPHS

3-  THINK TWICE ABOUT GROUP PHOTOGRAPHS

4-  SCHEDULE IN ENOUGH TIME

5-  TELL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER OF ANYTHING PARTICULARLY SPECIAL

6-  BOOK THE RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHER

And, well, what’s a blog without a photograph??  Just some random stuff from the past….

Very luckily for me, this family was the recipient of a thoughtful (baby shower) gift certificate.  I always love to photograph newborns and was really excited to finally meet newborn, Marilena, and her proud new parents, Kim & Anthony.  I arrived with all of my flowers and props and practically moved into their home.  They were so accommodating with this!

Once I got settled in, we moved Marilena all around inside and outside of the house.  I loved their house!  I think I may just offer Kim a job as a stylist for my upcoming photo shoots! 

Anyway, Marilena did SO great!!  A natural model indeed!   Oh, I have to say that Rocky & Spunky (their dog & cat) did excellent as well…. as you will see!  They were so cute and just wanted to be near all of the photography action and, of course, be close to Marilena

Well, I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed creating them!

A little side note about some of the props:  I recently purchased the pink tutu, the white tutu (that Marilena is lying on) and fairy wings here:  http://www.fionasfairys.com/.  This is a great new shop at The Piazza in Northern Liberties.  The owner, Karen, is extremely nice and they have an array of beautiful outfits and accessories for babies and older kids (including boys!).  Oh, and the designer of the white tutu is:  Kaiya Eve.  Very cool stuff!!

This next shot really did just happen all by itself!  Eventually, we did re-position Rocky just a little bit.  Even still, seriously, HOW CUTE!?

Sleeping fairy….. sigh….  (ps. she is sleeping on top of the 12 month tutu skirt)

Here is Rocky making sure not to be excluded from this family portrait. 

This is a blog post for all of you fishtowner’s.  SoYo’s, NoYo’s, Newbie’s, Lifers, Oldheads, Yuppies, Hipsters, Thugs….. whatever you care to call yourselves…… :0

It was one of those recent days where it was somehow storming and sunny all at the same time.  Beautiful, really.  My friend Jenn called and asked if I had any city photos she could have.  I then suggested we wonder through the neighborhood on this gorgeously dreary day.  It was fun to get on the streets again and photograph.  The streets of Philly are where this entire photo adventure of mine started many years ago…..  I was much bolder then… See “Don’t Talk to Strangers” series.

My most frequented corner store:

Check out this awesome door made of, I assume, bench ends.  Very cool!!

From the Spring Garden El stop.  Many years ago I was kicked off the El at this very station for taking photographs.  A friend and I were “written up” by a cop and told never to photograph on the El again. Haha!!  I will say that, at that time, I was using a giant 4″x5″ camera with a hood over it.  And, I was attempting to photograph the people on the train.  Wow, I really was bold back then!

Cool PBR advertisements at Spring Garden (designed by various different artists).

You can see the El steps and, I believe, some of the new art school that they are building on Front Street.  Oh, and a bit of the city line on the left….  This shot really shows the dark cloud, bright sun contrast that was happening that day.

Water from a fire hydrant…

Gamer…

Kensington.  Does it look like I am jailed in or jailed out? 

Recently, I was asked if I had any “Stock Photography” of a 4 generation family portrait of women to be used for the cover of a magazine.  Hmmmmm…. well, I was sure that I did somewhere but it would require contacting families and getting permission, etc.  I decided to photograph my grandmom, mom, sister and baby niece.  This portrait session was, as expected, a lot of fun and full of laughs!

My amazing, beautiful, fantastic, funny & kind grandmother (I can’t say enough about her!), very unfortunately, suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.  Ughh… I hate to give that terrible word a capital A but since it was named after a physician and is the proper punctuation I will leave it be….for now…. :/

ANYWAY, we went to visit my grandmother at her now home, Arden Courts – Warminster.  If you have a family member that suffers with this destructive disease and are looking for help and care, this is a wonderful place!  It is clean, the staff is really nice, the food is good, the residents get their own bed and bathroom, it is not overcrowded and there are always an array of fun and creative activities going on day and night.

I am so glad that we took these photographs!  Though Kylie (my niece) and my nephews will never get to know first hand just how fantastic their great grandmother was…. I am glad that there will always be many great stories and, of course, photographs.

By the way, I will let you know if any of the photos make it to the magazine!! 

Love Affair Workshop is giving away a Get it Together Kit.  Go enter to win! http://loveaffairworkshop.com/

I would really just LOVE to win this kit that helps artists & business women get their you know what together.  The layout of the kit looks fun and interesting.  A perfect “visual supplement” for the artistic and visually minded artists out there, such as myself.  It is always tricky to be both left & right brained all of the time!  Any opportunity to enhance the right side, for me, is priceless!!

Good luck!