gnatonthewall

All smiles | Lehigh Valley baby photographer

2010-08-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

This little 4-month-old is pretty pleased with the fact that she just figured out how to sit all by herself. She is such a good-natured little girl, and I'm loving watching her grow!

Sleepy little boy | Philadelphia newborn photographer

2010-07-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on posting, but I just couldn't wait to share some photos from this past week.

This little guy was very sleepy, he just didn't want to admit it. He started off pretty bright-eyed, but after some coaxing by his father, he realized sleep was the way to go, and I'm so thankful! I loved their blue wall and I'm so glad we were able to put them to good use.

I usually prefer to photograph newborns on darker colored blankets, but we just had to show off his great hair!

The newest love of my life | Allentown newborn photographer

2010-06-01T04:27:00.000-07:00

My nephew Alex is now a big brother, and little Wes is just as amazingly adorable. I was pretty sure my camera was going to be melted by their cuteness when they were both in the frame. I am so excited that I will be able to see them more when I move back to the Lehigh Valley in a couple weeks.

Wes has the same intense eyes that Alex does.

Don't be fooled by Wes's closed eyes, these two are definitely already plotting trouble.

Megan Sneak Peek | Lehigh Valley Newborn Photography

2010-04-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

She's here! My buddy Sean has a new, perfectly adorable little sister. I got to spend the morning with her and I just couldn't wait to post a few of my favorites. What a sweetheart!

I've been trying to find a way to use this scarf for years...I so happy with the way this photo turned out :)

Little Boy Blue | South Jersey Newborn Photography

2010-03-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to start the weekend is by hanging out with an adorable newborn, so yesterday I got to visit with this handsome little fellow. He was very bright-eyed when we started the session, but soon we convinced him that sleep was the way to go.

Enjoy!

Little Man on the Move | Lehigh Valley Children's Photographer

2010-03-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

What better way to enjoy this must-appreciated taste of spring weather than to head outside with my favorite one-year-old? I can't believe how quickly a year went by, but yes, my littlest nephew is one! As usual I couldn't choose a favorite, so enjoy the long post. :)

I know this isn't the greatest photo, but I just love it. I don't know if it's the hat, the green monkey shirt or the way Alex was carrying that stick around and checking everything it out, but to me it just sums up "little boy."

This one is for Uncle Vince...

Perfect little boy | South Jersey Newborn Photographer

2010-01-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

This blog post should come with a warning because this little guy will totally steal your heart! From his little smooshy lips to those chubby little toes, he is totally perfect. Have I mentioned I love my job?

Precious little girl | Newborn photography

2009-12-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I've photographed a little girl. Though I certainly can't complain about the adorable little boys I've been chasing for the last few photo shoots, it was fun to choose from frilly clothes and bows for this little lady.

Belated Halloween | Lehigh Valley Children's Photographer

2009-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

I spent this gift of a gorgeous weekend the best way I know how— taking pictures of gorgeous kids. After getting into the Christmas spirit with Mr. Blue Eyes from the previous post, I headed up to Allentown to explore the great outdoors with my nephew. He was a little unsure at first, but we managed to sneak some smiles out of him.

What a little prodigy...taking his first steps at 9 mos. old.

Superbaby! I missed the Halloween party, so Alex graciously donned his costume again to show off his super powers.

Being a superhero is serious business.

Santa's on his way...

2009-11-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post before I head out the door for another shoot...Try not to let this little guy steal your heart!

Happy 2nd Birthday | Lehigh Valley Children's Photography

2009-11-04T05:07:00.000-08:00

Two years old. It's hard for me to believe how quickly the last two years have gone and how much this little guy has grown. The son of two of my closest friends, Sean has quickly become the center of attention at our weekly dinners. He always keeps us entertained with his antics and good sense of humor and he definitely inherited some of his father's ridiculousness.

I love this expression...he's such such a mischievous look.

He did this pose all by himself.

Picture-perfect day | Philadelphia Maternity Photographer

2009-10-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met up with parents-to-be at the Art Museum for an outdoor maternity shoot. We were so thankful that we pushed the shoot back, since last weekend was freezing and yesterday the weather was perfect. They were awesome and I can't wait to meet their little one in December :)

Married on the Moshulu | Philadelphia Wedding Photography

2009-10-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Andrew and Crystal weren't technically married on the Moshulu, but that has a nice ring to it, so I'm sticking with it. Anyhow, they got married earlier this month on a day that threatened rain in the morning, but ended up being beautiful. They are such a sweet couple, and it was great to see every detail fall into place for their day.

I couldn't get enough of this little guy! He even had his own little suit to go with his great big smile.

Here are a few great details from Matt.

Vote for our new logo!

2009-10-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

Matt and I are trying to redesign the Fairmount Photography logo. We came up with a few prototypes, and we're trying to narrow it down to a winner. Let us know which one you like best. Leave your vote in a comment below.

Thanks!

5. (courtesy of Ben)

Katy & Craig | Connecticut Wedding Photography

2009-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went up to CT to help my good friend Sarah cover Katy and Craig's wedding. It's always a treat to shoot with Sarah. Since I'm second photographer, I get to cover the boys "getting ready." Usually this includes a lot of setting around and drinking beer. I even had one group stage a pillow fight and then fake toboggan in the bathtub. (That definitely made for some entertaining photos.) Then about half an hour before their transportation comes the guys start looking for their tuxes. But not this group of boys — When I arrived at 11:30, I was greeted by six fully dressed and ready-to-go men. So we took advantage of the situation and went across the street to take some early portraits in the park.

Before the ceremony...

I also got to play in the choir loft.

There was some crazy light in the church. This is probably my favorite priest photo,even though this priest reminds me of a teach I had in high school who I didn't like very much.

Later, after the ceremony, we got another treat when we went to City Hall for formal portraits. I'm pretty sure Sarah and I could have spent the whole day just playing in there.

There's always time for a quick shot in a rotating door...

Rocking out to Bon Jovi.

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Joanna + Joshua

2009-10-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Matt and I photographed Joanna and Joshua's wedding in Glenside. We had a blast. Josh has an endless supply of goofy expressions, and they are both such happy people. My favorite part about weddings is watching how much joy two people find in each other and seeing that joy reflected in their family and friends. It never gets old :)

Seriously...Josh wasn't the only one with personality here. I asked Joanna to strike a pose and bam!

Matt caught the next three shots of the guys before the ceremony.

Jumping the broom

I love the expressions in these formals :)

Late bloomers

2009-10-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

It may be a little late in the season, but I can officially call my dahlia-growing experiment a success! I have long been wooed by the dahlias growing along the fence that separates my father's yard from his next door neighbor. This neighbor has been growing dahlias his entire life (he is now well into retirement), and his tubers have been passed down from his father. He is known around Bethlehem as the "tuber-man", since come spring he is happy to share his bounty with aspiring gardeners. This year I was one of them.

In early May I received a box of what looked like four dusty sweet potatoes and a couple of photo-copied pages about how to successfully grow 5-foot tall plants with gorgeous flowers out of these objects. Each one had a little label on it: "Smarty Pants", "Fremont's Memory" and "Hissy Fitz" are the three I can remember.

I read and reread the instructions about 20 times. I decided to "bench" the tubers until I could find suitable containers for them. This involved planting them in a shallow bed so that they could develop roots and small plants. The key thing seemed that you didn't want to plant them outside until the soil was warm enough to not shock them. There were also many warnings about overwatering, since that would cause the tubers to rot instead of grow.

Well then it rained all of June. I can't tell you how many times I placed the benched plants outside so they could get a bit of sun, to only have to run outside hours later to rescue them from a torrential downpour. By early July, when they should have been reaching their full heights of four to five feet, my poor little tubers were still not in pots and were better measured in inches, or in Fremont's Memory's case, in millimeters. The fourth tuber had opted to shrivel up instead of grow, so I sadly tossed it when I finally planted the other three.

Well now it is October, and one of my late-summer bloomers developed their first buds about two weeks ago. Of course it was Smarty Pants. Living up to it's name that show-off has led the way the entire time. It also looks like it will probably be the only one to bloom. Hissy Fitz has reached a height of about two and a half feet and has stayed that way since August. Fremont's Memory has been growing steadily since it discovered that ability at the beginning of September, but I doubt there will be enough warm sunny weather for it to reach maturity.

But it's no matter, because this week, Smarty Pants finally bloomed and I got the satisfaction I've been waiting for since April. I grew my own gorgeous dahlia.

Philadelphia Portrait Photography | 2009 Holiday Cards

2009-10-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

It may seem like I'm jumping the gun a bit, but in fact it's the most wonderful time of the year — for holiday card portraits. How many times in the past week have you heard, "I love this time of year!" The temperature is perfect, the leaves are starting to change colors, the Phillies are headed to the playoffs and best of all, the world just seems to glow around 5 or 6 o'clock as the sun starts setting.

All this means it's the best time to round up the kids and give me a call! There are limited spots available to take advantage of the holiday portrait package, which includes a portrait session, an 8x10, two 5x7s and 50 custom-designed holiday cards for $275.

To help kick off the season I teamed up with designer Tara Askin to offer you some wonderful new holiday card options. Check out these samples:

Sudha + Andrew: Philadelphia Engagement Shoot

2009-09-18T04:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after we all got home from work, and it seemed that the predicted rain was not to be, I got a chance to take my housemate Sudha and her fiance Andrew out for a brief engagement shoot. Part of the reason that Ben and I get along so well with Sudha and Andrew that our personalities all seem to be foils of each other. Andrew and I have similar personalities and Sudha and Ben are more like each other. So while Andrew and I have had many in depth discussions about planning our respective weddings, Sudha (and sometimes Ben) like to pretend there is nothing to plan.

Sudha's first request for the engagement shoot was that she would like to not have to touch Andrew. We gently reminded her that despite her distaste for PDA, since it is an engagement shoot, some physical contact with Andrew may be necessary. In the end she came around and we got a few nice shots...including one of her (gasp!) kissing Andrew!

We started in a park that Sudha and Andrew had help rebuild. Here is Sudha's idea of the perfect engagement portrait: her in the front in focus, Andrew blurry in the background.

It look some coaxing to get Sudha to this point, but she finally admitted that she does like Andrew, and she gave in to relaxing a little and having some fun. Thank you Sudha!

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Beth + Patrick

2009-09-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Beth & Patrick tied the knot last Saturday at the Japanese Tea House in Fairmount Park. Their whole day was simple and elegant, and it fit them perfectly. With just 10 wedding guests and a Quaker ceremony, it was definitely our most unique wedding of the year. Matt and I really enjoyed this opportunity.

One of our favorite things about Beth and Patrick is that they are our first Fairmount couple, so not only were we actually able to walk to this wedding, but they also share our love for this neighborhood with it's neat rowhomes, treelined streets and friendly atmosphere. Matt snagged this shot outside their house.

Matt had to scramble around the perimeter of the garden and through some trees for the next two shots, but I think it was totally worth it.

The grounds were so beautiful and we could not have asked for better weather. I'm pretty sure we could have spent the whole day taking photos.

Here's another shot by Matt. The Koi Pond is one of their favorite parts of the Tea House.

All 10 of their guests were transported to and from the wedding in a trolley. After the wedding, Beth and Patrick took their family on a quick tour of some of their favorite places in the city.

Goodbye summer

2009-09-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

It feels like summer had hardly begun this year before it was declared "over." Heck, my dahlia plant, which is supposed to bloom in late summer, just got its first bud last week. So I'm going to insist that summer hang around at least through the end of September to ensure that we get our fair due of sunny days and warm weather. I'm not quite ready to let go...

Here are a few shots of my friends' son during our long weekend at their lake house in NY. This was the only sunny day of our trip, but it was still a pretty entertaining time.

Philadelphia Engagement Shoot: Beth + Patrick

2009-08-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my Fairmount Photography cohort Matt and I had the chance to spend some time getting to know Beth & Patrick, whose wedding we are shooting next weekend. We explored the area behind the Art Museum, where the photo opportunities are pretty much endless. This is one of my favorite spots in Philadelphia, because you can get a mix of naturey photos and urban photos. (Ben and I even had our own engagement portraits taken here by the wonderful CT photographer Sarah McCoy just a few weeks ago!) Beth and Patrick are very laid back and we are really looking forward to their wedding at the Japanese Tea House in Fairmount Park. Stay tuned for those photos in a few weeks.

Patrick gets a thumbs up for bring the chess board...what a perfect prop!

The photo below is a great example of why I love doing weddings and engagement photos with two photographers. I had an idea that resulted in a nice shot, which then inspired Matt to make this even better photo.

Teamwork again! While Matt was setting up the image above, I was shooting the one below. It's a great way to get more variety and capture more natural images.

The best way to do portraits...

2009-08-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Jacqui didn't want to worry about having enough time for formal portraits the day of their wedding, so the day before they rented a limo and we hit a bunch of their favorite spots in Philadelphia for their portraits. The weather was perfect, and they were such a fun couple to work with. I wish we were able to spend three hours doing portraits with all our clients!

I have no self control...

2009-08-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took Alex out to Cedar Beach in Allentown for his six month photos. We got the perfect glowy light, and even though it was pretty toasty outside, Alex stayed in good spirits for most of the shoot. Just when we thought he was about done, his daddy showed up and he just couldn't stop smiling and jabbering away. He's just so freaking adorable that even at the risk of boring you I just couldn't narrow down these photos any more.

What's better than a bucket hat on a baby?

Ok, a monkey might be cuter.

These next few are special requests from Alex's dad...

His beautiful mom...I guess it's easy to see why he's so good looking.

Beautiful glowy light...it was so worth chancing the cranky baby.

This is when Daddy arrived at the shoot...notice the huge smile.

We decided to end the shoot by popping him in the water. We weren't sure how he'd react, but I'm so glad we went for it because these are my favorite shots. He looks like a little Buddha...

The blue, the green, the adorable kid, I just couldn't resist. I told you, no self control.

Nephews Part III

2009-08-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

And of course, there are the obligatory Alex photos. He was not so happy about sharing the spotlight in this shoot, so I have a lot of shots like this:

But I was able to get at least one where the boys were looking in the same direction.

I couldn't pass up this awesome sunset. Luckily Alex's mother was happy to oblige :)

Nephews Part II

2009-08-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Here's David's doting big brother, Danny I wasn't sure how cooperative he was going to be, since he's a kid who is always on the move, but Danny was a natural little model.

Nephews

2009-08-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

This post is grossly overdue. The photos I'm posting this week are all from a shoot I did back in May. My step-sister on my mother's side brought her two boys down for a day-long photo shoot and my brother brought his son, Alex, over to join the fun. Alex and David were born exactly one month apart, both on Friday the 13th, so we're pretty sure we're all going to be in for it. Right now their biggest threat is melting your heart. I'll post more photos throughout the week, but today you just get to see David.

Such a smiley baby! This is the difference between shooting a newborn and a two month old...he's got some great expressions.

Utah 2009

2009-07-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

We just got back from visiting my fiance's family in Utah. It was such a nice break from all the craziness at home, and it looks like we also picked a perfect weather week to leave the East Coast. While it was gloomy and rainy in PA, we had four perfect sunshiny days in Utah. We spent most of our time catching up with family (which is really nice, but doesn't inspire much picture-taking), but on our last day we went for a hike on one of the mountains near Ben's grandmother's house with his cousin and her husband. I think I'll just stare at these photos a little bit longer and pretend that it's not back to reality on Monday...

So happy together: Stacy & Andy

2009-07-21T07:43:00.001-07:00

Stacy and Andy are definitely one of those contagious-happiness couples. They are so love they just spent the whole day beaming, and that kept everyone around them smiling too. They also had a perfect weather day for their wedding, which I took as a good omen for myself since I'll be getting married a day before their first anniversary.

See what I mean about the beaming? I dare you to look at this photo without smiling.

My assistant for this wedding was the lovely and talented Jane Caruso. While I was working on the above shot, she was busy getting this awesome photo below. This is a great example of the benefit of having two photographers.

Meet Winston!

2009-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

He's finally here! Even though he came a little early, it feels like we've been waiting so long meet this little guy. He is the son of the expecting couple you saw a few posts back. The new dad had lots of ideas for the shoot...my favorite is the baseball glove. Enjoy!

2009-07-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here's some fun shots from last weekend's family camping trip. It was my first time actually camping. It's a little different from my father's definition of camping when we were little. He used to let us set up sleeping bags in his home office and we each got to pick out a candy and movie and stay up really late, like 11 p.m. This time there was actually a tent and some trees. It was pretty fun. Ben and I were only there for one full day, but we packed a lot into it. My youngest brother and I took a nice long hike in the morning, later in the afternoon we went kayaking and of course there were plenty of campfire meals.

Here's Vince all ready to head our on our hike. After experiencing Bonnaroo last month, he's a camping pro.

Here's a few pretty shots from our hike.

And of course the requisite Alex photos... ( I am powerless against his cuteness)

First swim/camping

2009-07-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a little bonus post of my nephew's first time in the pool and a shot from our camping trip last weekend. Seriously, can this kid be any cuter?

Even though he's a real momma's boy, nobody makes him laugh as hard as his daddy!

Blessed: Anna & Eric

2009-07-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo-filled post to make up for my lack of posting the last couple weeks. Anna & Eric's 4th of July wedding had the most perfect weather. Everything just seemed to fall into place and it was a wonderful day. They are so in love with each other, I think it could have poured and the day would have been just as beautiful.

Here is Matt's totally awesome shot of the guys. I love how it contrasts with my shot of the girls.

Anna and her siblings are all runners (they even went out the morning of the wedding),
so of course we had to stage a finish line.

Best of luck you two! It was an honor to be your photographer :)

Beautiful baby girl

2009-06-12T16:19:00.001-07:00

Little Miss K put up quite a fight when I first arrived, but that worked out alright in the end. She wore herself out and then fell into a deep sleep. Then I had plenty of time to photograph each perfect detail from her full head of hair to those adorable chubby fingers!

John & Rachael

2009-06-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

John and Rachael's wedding quickly won over my photographer heart for a number of reasons. Everything was tastefully green, my favorite color. (I even went out and bought the same shoes as one of her bridesmaids for my own wedding.) They held their ceremony and reception at the F.U.E.L. House in Old City, which had a great set-up (beautifully decorated by Innove Events). It was a really fun venue to work at with the open second floor and the juxtaposition of old and modern. John and Rachael also followed the golden rule for perfect weddings: They really personalized their day and then they just enjoyed every minute of it.

It's going to be a long summer...

2009-06-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Julie, my fearless leader in the custom publishing department at the Courier-Post, is getting ready to meet the little one who spends most of the day kicking her. She will be sorely missed this summer, but I'm so excited for and her husband...they are going to be great parents!

Joanna & Joshua sneak peek

2009-06-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Joanna has been super patient all week waiting for a peek at the engagement photos Matt and I did last Sunday for her and fiance Josh. We met up at Curtis Arboretum outside Philly, which is a beautiful park with plenty of cool photo opps. What a great couple! Josh kept us all laughing for the whole shoot and they were pretty much professional smilers. I'm sure their September wedding is going to be a blast!

Mood swing

2009-06-01T05:31:00.001-07:00

This photo pretty much sums up my feeling about Mondays....

That's my very expressive nephew Alex during a joint baby shoot I did two weekends ago. There will be more blog posts with him and his future partner in crime, David, who was born exactly one month after him, later this week.

Action Jack

2009-05-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

Jack, my oldest nephew, primed me in the art of shooting a toddler on the move. I used to babysit him, and later his sister, all summer when I was in college. Jack is overflowing with ideas and every day was filled with bug hunts, fort building and bike riding. Here's one of my favorite shots from those summers:

And now look at him! I caught my breath when I took this shot. The eyes are the same, but he's grown up so much. Not much else has changed though...I still spent most of the shoot chasing him. (And he can move a lot faster now.)

After this shoot we all ended up back at my father's house for his birthday dinner. Jack sat next to me as I went through the photos, and it was really cool to hear his thoughts. He really is a smart, thoughtful kid. Maybe in a couple more years I'll have an intern :)

Beautiful Belle

2009-05-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Little miss Isabella Rose is certainly a personality. Since she was a little baby she's had so much charm--and she knows how to use it. The last time I photographed her she wasn't far from her toddler years. It's amazing to photographer her now as a 7 year old and see her grow into that sense of wisdom beyond her years that she has always had.

Belle had also just lost her two front teeth. So you can be sure we got also plenty of cheesy grins!

Oh Henry!

2009-05-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Talk about your overdue photo shoots...

Henry is the youngest of my step-sister's children. He was born after I graduated from college, when I had to go find a real job instead of spending my summers babysitting. So I never really got the chance to spend a good chunk of time with him to get to know him and do a real photo shoot.

He has also seemed to glide through the terrible two like a charm, but hit the terrible threes fast and hard. Henry is very selective with who he will and will not talk to, and if he decides you're not on the list that day, you're flat out of luck. The week before this shoot I asked him if I could take his photo and he gave me a flat no. I told him I was still going to try since I've never gotten the chance to take his photo before. His response: "Well, I'm not going to make it easy."

I was prepared for a battle, but luckily my step-sister worked a bit of reverse-logic on him and he decided before I arrived that morning that he wanted me to take his photo. I got on the good list and I'm so glad I did. His little raspy voice and his serious face just melt my heart. What a beautiful kid he is!

A sneak peek for my (very patient) step-sister

2009-05-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been an absentee blogger lately...a combination of the end of the semester (I teach a design lab at TU) + the kick off of wedding season + a nasty cold meant that the last two weeks were pretty much a blur. But now I'm back on track with lots of new posts!

First up: The rest of this week is dedicated to my niece and nephews who I had the great luck to spend an entire weekend photographing. They'll each get their own post later this week, but today I'm sharing a few of my favorite group shots. I had so much fun chasing them around!
(P.S. To see an image larger, double-click on it.)

Don't mess with this gang!

This photo demands a good caption...

Jack Hanna show

2009-04-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

Highlight from last weekend: Petting a baby kangaroo. (btw...they are supersoft)

Last weekend Jack Hanna visited the State Theatre in Easton and I got to hang out back stage during the show. Hanna is such a nice person and his show is really interesting no matter what age you are.

I didn't get a great shot of the kangaroo... (he was just like a real baby and kept turning his face away from wherever I was)...but I did get some shots of some other awesome animals. Please forgive me if they're not labeled correctly, I was too excited about being so close to actually write down any information.

This is my favorite shot from the day. It kinda cracks me up because I've seen it done so many times with people, and I think it makes you look twice when you realize there's a penguin. I also learned that pretty much any photo of a penguin is hilarious. So it's hard to go wrong.

This guy was a total showoff.

This aardvark and the porcupine after it were two of the coolest animals. And they both made me a bit nostalgic for my little hedgehog Dora, who I had to give away. The aardvark seemed to just be a giant version of her without the spines...both have bad eyesight, constantly twitching noses and general lack of brightness.

Ok. Just craziness to be so close to such an awesome animal. It's like "growing up cheetah" in person. (Great show on Animal Planet...can you tell I'm an animal geek yet?)

Lemur! Less than 1ft. from my lens. Nuff said.

At the end of the show, each of the assistants brought out an animal for kids to see up close.
I love these girls' faces as they check out the vulture.

"Big kid" photo shoot in Bethlehem

2009-04-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I had my first "big kid" photo shoot of the year with two awesome sisters from Bethlehem. It was a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon, and they certainly kept me on my feet!

Only 998 more to go...

2009-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ben and I are folding 1000 paper cranes for our wedding. We finally decided on our wedding colors so now the official folding can begin. His parents sent us a bunch of origami paper for Easter so here are our first cranes in our wedding colors.

To texture or not to texture...

2009-04-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Adding texture to photos seems to be all the rage right now. Since I just figured out how to do it I figured it was worth a try.

I have to give credit to my great subjects here. This shot was totally the big sister's idea, and little sister was all too happy to "run all around all over the stage singing and dancing" while her sister sat on the edge of the stage quiet and serious. More fun photos from this shoot coming on Friday.

Without texture:
With texture:

What do you think of the texture for this photo...love it or hate it?

Happy thoughts

2009-04-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Rainy Mondays are the hardest days...especially when you know they're going to be followed by rainy Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I consoled myself by photographing my blooming clivia and thinking about how soon the outside flowers will be blooming too :)

This plant started as an offspurt from one of my grandmother's plants and this is its first time blooming. It started off all crooked and uneven, but look how well its grown! (I feel like a proud parent, even though I pretty much did nothing but water it once every couple weeks, lol)

Sneak peek for John & Rachael

2009-04-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

My Fairmount Photography partner Matt and I did our first engagement shoot together this past weekend. This shoot was rescheduled from a rainy day in February. I felt like we hit the jackpot when I found out that the forecast for the new shoot was a sunny 70 degree day. It was a perfect day for the park, but it seemed like half of Philadelphia felt the same way and we had a lot of trouble finding a spot inside Rittenhouse Square where we didn't feel like we were putting on a show. But John and Rachael were good sports and had some fun exploring the nearby neighborhood where life was a little less crowded. Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

I love that John's shoes match Rachael's dress...plus bonus points for being my favorite color!

Here's one of Matt's pictures:

We actually found a spare bench near the end of the shoot!

Mike & Kara

2009-04-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

After getting back home from CT I was anxious to do another photo shoot to solidfy everything I learned from Carla. Luckily I have very obliging friends :) I met up with Mike and Kara at Temple for a photo shoot on Thursday evening. Part of the challenge was seeing a place I was so familiar with in a totally new way in order to make meaningful portraits. Kara and Mike gave me lots of ideas and we had a great time.

I know this photo is pretty familiar, but Kara has such cool eyes, I couldn't resist.

This photo was definitely a collaborative effort and I love how it came out!

This shot had to be done...

Carla Ten Eyck workshop

2009-04-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

The best way for me to describe the workshop I attended last Tuesday is "empowering." Carla Ten Eyck is not only an awesome photographer, but a really great teacher as well. We went to a parking garage in Hartford for a photo shoot with Billy and Carol, and even though it was freezing, I feel like all of us got some really great shots. Plus I will definitely never look at a parking garage the same way again!

Billy and Carol are natural models...shooting them was seriously like cheating.

While Billy and Carol did a quick costume change and warmed up, the class checked out our next challenge: the puddle. I took a picture of the rest of the class while they were using me to set up their shots.

Here's what I came up with for the puddle.

Billy brought out his skateboard for our final shots. It's too bad it was so cold, we all would have loved to play in this parking garage some more, but by this time it was getting late and no one could feel their fingers anymore!

Levan & Stephanie

2009-04-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a few of my favorites from my cousin Levan's wedding last month. Despite the rain, snow and hail it was a beautiful day. My aunt and uncle's house is truly breathtaking. They held the ceremony and reception at the house and really kept everything in the family...my uncle wrote the ceremony and performed the wedding, my aunt did all the cooking and I was the photographer. It really gave the whole day a cozy feeling and I'm so happy for Levan and Stephanie. They are so happy together and I wish them all the happiness in the world!

One of their vows was to keep each other laughing, so my cousin pulled this little stunt right before the kiss...

These are the ladies who pulled off all the cooking and setting up. My aunt is in the middle. Don't you love their aprons!

Catching up I: Columbia River Gorge

2009-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

This post is over a month overdue. At the beginning of March my east coast family made a long overdue trip to the west coast for my eldest cousin's wedding. (Wedding photos coming tomorrow!) On Friday we decided to drive along the Columbia River, which separates Washington and Oregon, and visit the waterfalls along the way. It was gorgeous and the waterfalls were truly breathtaking. Photos just don't do them justice, but here's my best attempt.

Quincy

2009-04-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

I'm in CT for the extended weekend and I had the great luck to spend the day catching up with one of my best friends in the world yesterday. And even better, I got to meet her new baby...an adorable cocker spaniel named Quincy. I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of him, even though he was no easy subject!

I mean seriously...how can you resist that face?! Check back throughout the week...I have a lot of catching up to do, so there's plenty more posts coming.

Alex

2009-04-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Alex was a full month old before we got to take his formal portraits. But here he is in all his adorableness. There's plenty more, but these are my favorites :)

This is his "Here's looking at you kid" impression

I love little toes!!

They're hee-re

2009-02-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

On Friday the 13th of Feb our family got two new members: My brother's son, Alex Julian Nigito and my mom and step-father's black lab puppy Pete. Since Alex and family spent the weekend in the hospital getting to know each other, I'll be posting more photos of them later when we get a chance to do a real photo shoot. This weekend Pete dominated my camera when I wasn't too busy fending him off. Too cute!

Isn't Alex awesome!!

And here's Pete:

Annie wonders what she did to deserve this.

Snow!

2009-02-03T19:56:00.001-08:00

Me and the roomies took a nice long walk into center city to get some delicious Italian hot chocolate from Capogiro and to enjoy the snow. I wish I could have brought my camera the whole way, but it was way too wet out. It was gorgeous though. Here's a few shots from our front porch when we got back. We were inspired to build a snowman to celebrate the first real Philly snow : )

Sweet baby girl | Philadelphia Area Newborn Photography

2009-01-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

This is my last scheduled newborn before I inundate you with photos of my nephew, and what a good model she was. There was hardly a peep out of her the entire session, she just wanted to see what everyone else was up to. It'll be no time before she's on the heels of her big brother.

And here's a rare still moment with the new big brother:

Maternity photos

2009-01-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

I did my first maternity photo shoot today and it was so much fun! Sheena was the best subject I could ask for. She had lots of ideas and wasn't afraid to try anything. I hope when my little nephew is born in the next couple weeks he follows his mother's photogenic footsteps : )

Christine + Dave

2009-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a few shots from a wedding I shot with my friend Sarah the weekend after Christmas. It was hard to shift from holiday mode to wedding mode, but the wedding was a lot of fun and I really like some of the shots we came up with.

To see these shots larger and some of Sarah photos from the wedding visit her blog at sarahmccoyphoto.com/blog

Moab

2009-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

More Utah pictures... Ben and I took 2-day break from family time to travel down to Arches National Park in Moab, UT. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was also one of the hottest. I wanted to catch the sunset so we headed to the park around 5 p.m. (sunset eta was 8:30) and it was still around 95 degrees. By the time the sun went down it had cooled off to about 87 degrees. But Ben was a trooper and carried my tripod all over the place so that I could talk all the photos I wanted. It was such a great day, that Ben was inspired to propose at the end of it!

This had to be done...

This arch (the Sand Arch) was actually inside of other rock formations.

This is the famous Delicate Arch seen on most Utah license plates. We are standing about 1 mile from the arch. (It's a 3 hour hike to get to the arch and we were definitely not up for that.)

The rocks on the right are the Three Gossips and on the left is the Sheep Rock.

Hogle Zoo

2009-01-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

This summer Ben and I took a trip out to Utah so I could meet his extended family. His cousin Dean works at the local zoo, so we had some fun checking it out. Here's a couple of my favorite animals:

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T11:46:00.001-08:00

This year my brothers and my brother's girlfriend Sheena and I celebrated Christmas early by spending last Saturday together making pasta sauce, meatballs and pasta from scratch. It really was a lot of fun. Here are a few of my favorite pics (taken with the new 5D <3 )

Sean on the move

2008-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast a year went! Sean turned one at the beginning of November and we had a multi-part photoshoot to celebrate. He is turning into such a character and keeps everyone laughing with all his funny faces.

Sean's mom baking a giant cupcake for the last part of the shoot. We thought he'd have a ton of fun digging into it. But since he has a bunch of allergies (including eggs and milk) he had never had cake before (don't worry this is a special cake!) He wasn't quite sure what to make of it and it took a while for him to realize he could actually eat it. Maybe we'll have better luck when he turns two.

A photographer's photographer

2008-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's always a little nerve-wracking for me to take photos around another photographer, let alone of another photographer on their wedding day... but Melissa was a great sport and I had so much fun shooting her big day.

True love?

Pet day in the Park!

2008-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite days of the year! I get to help out my fellow photog (and good friend) Sarah McCoy at her church's Pet Day in the Park, up in Glastonbury, CT. We get under 5 minutes with each group and try to get a smile from both the two-legged and four-legged subjects. These are far from award winning photos, but I love the challenge of getting everyone set and smiling at the same time. Plus it's really funny to see how much the owners and dogs look alike! Here's a few of my favorites:

Check out the tongue on this guy.

Smallest dog ever!

One of the biggest challenges of the day: The dog wouldn't stay still and every time we got the kids set, the dog would get up and walk out of the photo. None of the kids was strong enough to hold onto him, so I just had them all run up and hug the dog at once...It took a couple tries, but we actually got one with everyone's face.

Summer lovin (had me a blast)

2008-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a few of my favorites from this past summer's weddings:

(Sarah...I LOVE this lens!)

08.19.08 Sean at 9 mos.

2008-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

I just finished editing Sean's 1 year photos, so I fgured it was time to upload the 9 mos. photos. He just keeps getting cuter!

11.15.08 Sleeping beauty

2008-12-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to do some catching up... Here is the first newborn I photographed since attending a newborn workshop this summer.

I'm going to try to start posting a bit more regularly...check back for daily updates through at least the new year.

Sneak peek

2008-12-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

I've been a lazy blogger, but here's a sneak peek at an awesome little guy I photographed today. Just 5 days old and weighing a little over 5 lbs, he's definitely the smallest newborn I've photographed yet. More posts to come in the next couple days...

I know babies can't really smile, but you gotta love this face :)

6.24.08 Boston Flowers

2008-09-07T04:27:00.000-07:00

We spent a long weekend in Boston, and even though there was plenty to look at, my favorite thing to photograph was the flowers.

Sean at 7 Months

2008-06-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

Well Sean's sixth month was a bit hectic for me since I decided to move two months earlier than originally planned. So we had to take 7 months photos instead. He didn't mind at all, cause that meant he had all kinds of new skills to show off. He's not quite walking yet, but he sure can play the piano!

05.31.08 Team photos outtakes (and one keeper)

2008-06-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time for children's portraits lately since I've been gearing up for wedding season and my second business has been keeping me busy. Fairmount Photography is the name of the business I started with my friend Matt. We specialize in event photography and we've also been picking up a couple groups of sports team photos. I know a lot of photographers find that second kind of shooting pretty boring, but I think it's helping me develop different skills. I have to be able to create a good pose with each kid, get a smile and check for any details out of place (shirt untucked, hair in eyes, etc.) very quickly. For the first round of baseball photos it started raining half way through the shoot. So we moved inside to the small, dark club house and created a mini-studio. Matt and I really had to think on our feet to keep everything organized and not let the shoot drag on too long since there were still 6 teams left to shoot when we moved inside. Since the club house had such low ceilings, the 15-16 boys team was too tall for us to shoot their whole body. So we made them kneel and we just shot from the waist up. That of course prompted rude comments from their teammates, but it worked for us because we got a great smile on every boy's face. Here are a couple of my favorite out-takes from while we were getting set up.

And here's my favorite shot:

03.02.08 Double Twofer

2008-06-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get a bit more experience with newborns. There were two babies I've been waiting for with due dates about 3 weeks apart. Well, of course, one was early and one was late so I squeezed them both into one weekend. It was a good experience cause both were little boys with a 2-year-old sister, so I got bonus toddler and sibling shots as well. All were great models, I think I've been spoiled!

02.09.03 Sean at 3 mos.

2008-06-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Just a few from Sean's 3mos. photo shoot. I'm not sure if this is an age I'll keep in the package, since it was hard to come up with much of a variety of shots. I think instead of doing a shoot every 3 months, I may do one every 4 with an option to add on an 18 mos. and 2 year photo shoot. Any thoughts?

01.12.08 First newborn shoot

2008-06-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here is my first attempt at a newborn photo shoot. This sweet little girl is Sean Brogan's cousin, and she is a complete peanut next to him. She is just 5 days old and a perfect little model.

12.15.07 Sean at one month

2008-06-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a little out of order here, but here's my favorite shot from Sean's first full photo shoot. I haven't edited many of the photos from his shoot since I'm so backed up with work.

01.06.08 double shot

2008-06-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today I got to meet my former roommate's daughter for the first time. Maybe I'm biased, but I'm pretty sure she's one of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen. It was great to catch up with my old roommate, and so funny to see her as a mom. I'm sure little Fiori will follow her mother's footsteps and be one of a kind.

Later I did a Christmas card shoot (yes, slightly belated) for my aunt and uncle at their now 1 year old pub.

11.11.07 Night portraits

2008-06-24T06:14:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you run out of daylight for portraits after a November wedding:

I guess it's not so bad :)

11.06.07 A new member of the GLS

2008-06-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

The much anticipated Sean Patrick Brogan made his event planning father proud by arriving on his due date (11.04.07) I visited Pat and Lisa at the hospital and helped them bring Sean home. They are two of my closest friends and I am so thankful I got to be a part of this experience.

Mom and Dad put on Sean first non-hospital outfit.

Anyone following this blog will get to watch Sean grow up since he's my trial subject for the Year 1 book I'm going to start offering.

11.24.07 A merry 2-year-old

2008-06-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

Little W. was all smiles for these portraits. He really enjoyed decorating the mini Christmas tree that was his height. The best smiles came at the end when he saw dad arrive home.

Catching up

2008-06-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, since people keep asking me when my web site is going to be up and it doesn't look like the answer is any time son, I'm going to do a big round up of my favorite jobs and fun from the past year. Enjoy!

Tuesdays with Natalie II

2006-11-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

My favorite little monsters:

It was supposed to be an afternoon photo shoot with the goal of my step-sister having a good photo for a Christmas card, but it ended up being a sad day. Their dog had to be put to sleep (as did my fathers') so instead of a formal shoot, we just had fun. The game was to hide under the blanket, then i would lift it and snap a few photos. The result was a lot of wasted memory, but it was fun.

Hiding from Aunt Nat

You should see this outfit with the hat.

tuesdays with Natalie I

2006-11-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

Since I'm stuck at a desk wednesday through Sunday, I've decided to use Tuesdays as my photo day so that I don't forget how to be a photographer. I tend to be very bad with resolutions so we'll see how it goes. I headed down to Cape May for my first Tuesday to help get a jump start and a little inspiration. So here goes:

PT's ready to hit the road

all alone

Bonus Picture: Ben's Cricket-- he wanted me to kill it not shoot it.