I got my new website and was putting it together and I mentioned to my Dad that I really wanted a new photo of me for the new site but hadn’t had time to schedule a shoot with another photographer. He had a suggestion - have my daughter Jaedyn take it! She LOVES my camera and is actually pretty good - and she’s only 3 1/2. So, I let her go for it. She was really so funny telling me what to do and even told me to strike some poses that got me laughing hysterically. I think I might have a family business in the making…. Here are my favorites:

This wasn’t the same day, but I thought it was funny seeing how big my camera is compared to her!

After battling with incredibly strong and cold winds on our first outing, we went out a second time for Vanessa & Rob’s engagement session. The first time was a lot of fun, but the second time was an absolute blast! These two had me laughing so hard that my face and stomach hurt! Just looking at their faces you can see how hard we were all laughing! After our second session Vanessa & Rob invited me to hang out with them at a local pub and we chatted and joked for a while longer. We had such a great time - I can’t wait to see you two again!! Congratulations - I’m really looking forward to your wedding!

I had a blast with Kelly and Marc shooting their engagement session all over downtown New Haven and was more excited than ever to photograph their wedding. They are both so funny, caring and authentic. I feel blessed to know them and their families!

Kelly and Marc were married at The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Haven, followed by their high energy reception at The Waterview in Monroe. I have never seen so many people on the dance floor at a wedding before! I don’t think that anyone there - including service staff - didn’t have a great time! Kelly was gorgeous in a simply elegant strapless gown and one of the most beautiful veils I have ever seen. I just about died laughing when she put on her grey Puma’s with her gown (so she didn’t mess up her white slippers in the mud and rain on the way to the church)! The Waterview was gorgeous and the staff was great. Tina, the coordinator at The Waterview, is just fantastic! Congratulations and thanks again, Kelly & Marc!!

Stunning cake by Lorelie Carvey cpastrychef@gmail.com

I am reading a really fantastic book on the future beyond branding called Lovemarks - the future beyond brands by Kevin Roberts. Pretty much my entire life I dreamed of what I wanted my business to be. What I stood for. What I felt passionate about. I knew I wanted to stand out from the masses. I knew that if I put my heart and soul into it, shared my passion, stayed true to myself and truly cared about my clients, I would succeed. This book is right up my alley. 2006 was a HUGE learning year for me and I’ll admit, I let some things that were important to me slip through the cracks. Almost ALL of my time was devoted to my business, my family and myself were suffering. This caused me to lose focus on what really mattered to me, my family and my clients. Once I took a little bit of time off to refresh and rejuvenate I decided to go full force into changing things… both in my family life and in my business. I have been working very hard at making those changes in both and still have tons of ideas that I am in the process of implementing. There’s still something missing though - another perspective - I want to hear from you…… my clients, my family, my friends… What do you think I need to change? What could I do better (there will always be plenty of these, I know!)? What do you like about what I am doing? What don’t you like? What products and/or services would you like to see implemented? I truly value your opinions and will certainly be taking suggestions into strong consideration. Thanks!

I have had countless people ask the same question over and over when they see me photographing people outdoors - “Why are you using flash? There’s plenty of sunlight.” Well, the light isn’t always in the right spot or at the right intensity, so we use flash to balance it out. The most difficult lighting situations? Strong backlighting and the high noon sun. Flash helps tremendously when photographing someone with the sun to their backs (or in front of a bright window indoors!) so that they do not become silouetted. It also helps to alleviate the “raccoon eyes” shadows that are associated with the sun being high in the sky.

With a point and shoot camera (or even an SLR on auto settings), the sensor in the camera “talks” to the flash and tells it whether or not to fire. Your camera’s sensor will see the abundance of light in these two situations and tell your flash not to fire. Next time you’re in one of these situations, try forcing your flash to fire… this can usually be done by simply pushing a button. Read your camera’s manual to find out how to do it on your camera.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything so I thought I’d start trying to catch up! I have been travelling a bit and having lots of fun. I drove out to Michigan with my daughter Jaedyn in January to celebrate my Grandmother’s 80th birthday in Lansing and see family that I haven’t seen in years… and some that I have never met before! It was really great being able to be there to celebrate with my Grandma. After the celebration I drove about an hour over to Auburn Hills for some more visiting. One of my closest friends, Ginger, is there and my husband, Sean, was actually there on business too! Sean’s trip was pretty last minute, and we ended up staying longer than we had planned just to spend some time with him. Sean was lucky though, he flew there and back - Jaedyn and I were driving! Our last couple of days in Michigan were during the big ice storm that had hit Oklahoma and Texas so hard. It made its way over to Michigan and delayed our drive home. We made it home on my birthday at around 7 PM and Sean pulled up in the driveway (coming home from the airport) literally one minute after us! I hadn’t even gotten Jaedyn out of her carseat yet! Talk about great timing! The next morning the three of us drive up to Ludlow, Vermont and I tried snowboarding for the first time. Being a Floridian, I have never done any snowsports at all - not even sledding… so you can imagine the troubles I had! Despite all the advice to rent first, I bought a snowboard, boots and bindings while in Michigan - it was a great deal that I couldn’t pass up! My in-laws paid for a lesson for me as a birthday gift, so at least I had help. I started to get the hang of it and then hurt myself… three times. What can I say, I’m stubborn. I kept trying even after getting hurt. By the time I was done I could barely walk, couldn’t sit and couldn’t bend. Not fun. It got worse that night and I didn’t start feeling better for about a week and a half. So the biggest question I have gotten recently is “Are you selling the board or trying again?” Anyone who knows me well knows the answer to this… I’m going to keep trying. I am not a quitter. I am a Capricorn - stubborn is my middle name!