Favorite Game EVER!

Friday nights with friends and my hubby. Good times. Last Friday, we were invited about by some friends for a night of dinner at P.F. Changs and games. I love all three...friends, Chinese food, and games! Yep, LOVE LOVE LOVE games!! Friday was also the day before my two crazy Saturday's (and Sunday's) began. Last Saturday, I had two shoots. One with Holly and Todd, whose wedding I shot this summer, and the other with a new couple I booked for their wedding next October! My day started meeting Todd and Holly in Winchester, VA, which is an hour and a half away from Arlington. I got a little bit lost getting there, but thoroughly enjoyed the scenic view. If I wasn't in a hurry, I would've stopped to take pictures of the amber colored mountains in the foreground. Just gorgeous! (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Fall?) The little town of Winchester is simply adorable! We found some cute places to shoot in. I'll be posting those shots soon. After Todd and Holly, I drove out to Great Falls to meet Christa and Blaise for the first time. I have never been to Great Falls, but it's gorgeous as well. And Christa and Blaise made the Falls even more beautiful. So I spent my Saturday driving, shooting, driving some more...and more, and shooting, and then finally driving home to Brian and crash landing on the couch. I was exhausted. Brian was so good to me and made me dinner (one of our favorites, Almond Flour Banana Pancakes) YUM! It was a great day hanging out with both couples, but I just wish Brian was there to enjoy the views with me. :)

Anyway, I rented my favorite lens for these shoots, the 17-55mm 2.8. Oh. my. stiking. LANTA! I'm SO in love with this lens! I could shoot all day with it. Since I rented for the weekend, I figured I might as well take advantage of it so I brought it to dinner and games with me. I'm glad I did because I was able to capture the awesomeness of what Apples to Apples does to people.

I just LOVE the light this lens gives!

The night started at P.F. Changs in Ballston.

With some yummy-in-my-tummy Chinese food and wine.


(photo credit: Brian)

This is Brian's idea of a Friday night, a beer and the Blackberry close by. :)



As well as teaching others how to use chop sticks. I still don't get it.

My hubby being a good provider and paying for the meal. Thanks for dinner, Babe! :)

Oh, and yes, he went to sit down at the other end of the table because we was surrounded by girls who were talking about girly things. hee hee.

I was playing around with the shutterspeed to see if I could get the servers blurred out like ghosts.

And we ended up back to Caitlin's for some delicous Fall treats and my personal favorite Apples to Apples. Seriously, why do I love this game so much?? It's just awesome!

Sweet Laura.

I think this might've been Evan's turn picking the card.

Thanks, Caitlin, for having us over! So fun!

If you haven't played Apples to Apples, you just...you just have to. I don't know why, but I love it! Maybe it's because you can see everyone's sillyness come out and there's lots of laughing. It's a weird game, but it makes you laugh.

New York City in the Fall

I feel like I need to break out into the song "These are a few of my favorite things" from the Sound of Music while I write this blog. As I was posting the pictures, I was thinking...that's a favorite, and that is a favorite, and Oh...I LOVE that! These are pictures of pretty much my favorite things of what we did and saw in NYC this weekend.

I love going to NYC in the fall, especially when it gets closer to Christmas. The season is just about to turn to the hussle and bussle of Christmas shoppers. I love that feeling. I love walking into Macy's and feeling like I stepped inside It's A Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart and my life is suddenly in black and white and Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole are all singing Christmas tunes in the background. The men are wearing classic fedora's and ties while shopping and the women are in dresses and lovely overcoats with their hair in perfect array. The children are watching the window displays of old trains going around in circles. Seriously, I should've been apart of THAT generation.

Anyway, I didn't have my camera, expect a point and shoot, with me on this trip so I opted to use my iphone and that WAY awesome hipstamatic app feature. I just love the pictures that came from it. Check 'em out.

Brian and I bought a Christmas ornament in Bryant Park. We love it. We don't have many Christmas ornaments so we are trying to build.

This was taken at Grant and Sarah's place Sunday morning whilst Brian was dropping his hot beats on Dj Hero (kinda like Guitar hero only way more funner!)

I like this picture. I like the lines and the light.

Of course, we had to make a stop at the Plaza Hotel where we got engaged.

In Trump Plaza after getting a much needed Starbucks. It's the first one I had in a week. I'm "fasting" from Starbucks.




ahhh....love.

So I know it looks confusing, but I really like it. We are in the Trump Plaza again and I am pointing the camera down while the water falls down on the lights.

One of the Catholic churches downtown. Someday, I would LOVE to be the photographer for a wedding there. BEAUTIFUL!

In line at Banana Republic. Bought me some jeans.

Apparently dogs like to shop at Banana Republic too! :)

30 Rockefellar Plaza. Probably one of my favorite spots in NYC.

People watching. People watching people. :)

Brian's new shoes!

Honestly, he really was having a good time with me!

I could show all those ice skaters what's up!

More iceskating at Bryant Park.

Mmmmm...Bryant Park. I bought a lovely scarf there.

Christmas decor at Macy's. Perfect.

Waiting for the train.

ditto. We waited together.

The end. I know the pictures are out of order, but that's ok. :)

Love NYC!!! Can't wait to go there after Thanksgiving to see the tree!!! It's on my bucketlist. :)

Moved to Tears: Breezy and Elliot Wedding

For the past week I've been waking up with a really bad sore throat. It has been on FIYAH!!! My ears have also been feeling a little bug in them too. Yikes! Yesterday, when I woke up it wasn't any better. Still today, not really any better, but the cough drops seem to do a temporary fix. So Brian and I decided to take a sick day on Thursday. I'm glad we did. I was feeling kinda overwhelmed with photography projects I needed to get done as well as thinking ahead of time with four more projects coming up. Yay! So I took advantage of the time and well...you can just call me Productive Pam! I knocked out a wedding and a family shoot yesterday! I'm so glad I did because Brian and I are going to NYC this weekend so I wouldn't have any time to do some work. Phew!!! I get really excited to give client's their pictures! Sometimes I wish I were there to watch them look through their photo's. Hmmm...maybe I'll take pictures of them looking at their pictures someday! That could be fun! I love giving gifs to people just watch their facial expressions. It gives me great joy to see that. When I was younger, I remember giving my BFF Bethany gifts like My Little Pony and other things just because I wanted to. (Not sure if you remember that Bethany.) But I distinctly remember trying to WRAP the pony...haha...without using a box or a bag...but just trying to literally wrap the pony around it's legs, neck, whole body. It was quite difficult, but I think I did it! Another reason why I like this bidness. I love to give my clients a good product and something that can make them smile all over again as well as feel that same joy I do when I give it to them.

The wedding I finished was one I did in Michigan in August. It was the wedding of Brianna and Elliot Eggert. First, I MUST tell you, Brianna (or Breezy) is a dear family-friend. Remember Bethany who I was just talking about? Well, Bethany and I have known each other since birth. Fur realz. I am 5 days older than her. :) Hee hee. We would often say how our mom's would visit each other in the hospitals so we could actually say we were best friends since being in the womb. haha. Breezy is Bethany's younger sister. It was fun growing up with them. I have many fond memories of playing at their house and walking across the street to watch the horses. Ha! We even named the horses. Or in the winter when we would go sledding on a near by hill. Haha...one really funny memory was when I "married" Bethany's younger brother, Ben. BAAAHAHA!! I think Breezy might have been the flower girl. Breezy, I'm so so so glad you found a great man! I loved taking your wedding pictures! Ya'll were easy to work with and SUPER fun! You were such an easy-going, gracious bride. And I don't think I've ever shot a groomsmen portraits as funny as those guys were. You're heart for the Lord is so evident. You have such a sweet sweet spirit about you. And also, I loved each of your vows to each other. So sweet and God-honoring. I know you pretty much rock as being Elliot's wife. Thank you for letting me be apart of your amazing day! And Elliot thank you for marrying Breezy! (AND!! Great idea on the luggage! So cute!)

I don't know about any of you, but pictures move me. There is something inside that either just melts my heart or move me to tears. It's amazing when a photographer can capture an emotion like that. It's something I strive to do in every shoot. Just today I was looking at New York Times Photo Journalism blog called Lens about a father who is a photographer but also a dad to a 5 year old Autistic little boy. It was a great piece! The blog talked about how the father was having a hard time not only parenting this child, but also learning how to relate to him. He didn't understand why his son was like that. So in order to get into the little boy's mind, the dad decided to look at his son through his lens. He made kind of a...documentary of this little boy. But what is so interesting about this is that the boy was excited to do it and most of the image concepts were something he thought of. It was moving. I was moved.

As I was choosing the pictures to showcase in this blog for Breezy and Elliot, I noticed a trend...it was in Elliot. He cried. I love that! The moment Brianna walked down the aisle, Elliot lost it. All those years of dating had finally come to the BIG day where they pronounce their love for each other, their committment to serve, cherish, respect, honor, and love one another. The day where they became one...husband and wife to glorify the Lord together. It was at this moment Elliot became fully aware that he was about to receive the most precious gift (besides salvation). He was getting Brianna as his wife, forever! And he was moved to tears to see his breathtaking new bride walk to him.

Well, I think the pictures below will speak for themselves.

Annnnd there it is.

Trying to hold it in...

Nope, he lost it.

Breezy, you were such a beautiful, gracious bride!

:)


Seriousy, he couldn't take his eyes off of her...just watch.

Still on her.



and still. I love that. It's how every groom should react to his bride. Can't take his eyes off of her.


Saying the vows were even harder to get through. So beautiful.

The last few are just for kicks. Not only does photography move you to tears, but it can also make you giggle. I caught the flower girl in action during the ceremony. Adorable!




hee hee :)

Good Timing.

Monday I was feeling a bit blue. Ok, actually I was in a bad mood. It was Monday, folks. I had to go back to work after a nice relaxing weekend. I had photography projects I wanted to work on instead of being at work. Therefore, I was blue. But I shouldn't have been. There was really no reason for my being blue. I should be thankful for the job I have. And I AM thankful. VERY thankful. It's a job, right? It's just...well...my heart YEARNS to be doing what I love. It was also on Monday I thought about giving up photography. I'll be honest, there have been many times I have thought about giving up photography. I'll think:

"I'll never get as good as the other more experienced photographers out there."

"I don't have any time in the evenings to just relax or take the time to slow down at night when I have so many projects to work on."

"I'm really tired everyday after working till sometimes after midnight working on projects."

"Is it really worth it?"

"All the equipment is SO expensive and there's no way I'll ever afford it."

"I would have more time to spend with Brian."

"My saturday's wouldn't be so packed."

But my main reason was because I didn't have any weddings coming up in the next year yet.

So later that night, I talked to Brian about it and he pretty much said I was crazy. He reminded me that wedding season is over right now and there will be jobs in the summer. He also reminded me that I love photography! And he's completely right....I DO love this field! I love everything about it! I love the adrenaline rush I get from running around during a wedding. I love going home that night and feeling like I did good work. I love being able to push out a GREAT :) product for a client. I love making them smile while they reminise on their big day. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. I love it becomes very evident in pictures when a family and couple love and enjoy each other. Brian also reminded me how I know I love this field...I think about it when I get up in the morning. I think about it during the day. I think about it at night. I do it in the evenings. I crave to know more about photography. I do research on how to better my service and my product. I learn from other photographers different techniques. I LOVE learning and knowing more about this. I've actually found something I LOVE to do! Why give that up? God has given me a gift, a talent, and why waste it? It's like my hubby...(he might kill me when he reads this) BUT he is INCREDIBLY TALENTED (yes, Brian, you are) in drawing. I mean, the man. can draw. WELL! For my birthday, he drew me a picture of my favorite monument, the Lincoln. It's incredible! It now hangs on our wall in our living room in a frame next to another picture I took of the Plaza Hotel in NYC where we got engaged. I see him doodle during church and even his doodles are amazing! Why waste something like that?

All that being said, if you love to do something; if you have a talent that you know you pretty much rock at, don't waste it! Use it for the Lord! Let him be glorified through it. He gave that gift to you. He wants you to use it! I so get jealous of anyone that can sing. Oh goodness. I think singing is the most precious talent. You can pretty much make anyone swoon.

After our brief talk and my brief thought about quitting photography, the next day the Lord has great timing and I got an email about a wedding for 2011!! I am so stoked! AND I got another request for a family shoot this month! YES! Again, seriously stoked. Everytime I get a new client or a new job, I can't stop thinking about all the poses I want to put them in or the type of technique in taking and editing their pictures. I start looking at other pictures for inspiration. I'll write down notes so I don't forget on the day of the shoot. I'll research certain lighting techniques I don't know how to do, but want to learn. Brian is right! I can't stop thinking about photography! I love it! :)


Definitely NOT giving it up.


Enjoy this picture I took at Brianna and Elliot's wedding in August. Haha...sometimes, it's fun to see how to get myself in the picture. Tomorrow I'll be posting more from this wedding. I forgot to email myself the pictures I wanted to post otherwise I would've done it today. :)



Photography rules!

Predictable? Who? Me? Never.

I am not predictable.

While we were making breakfast Saturday morning, Brian made a comment to me that I was predictable. About an hour later, this is what happened.

Me: "Hey, when we're older, let's get Alzheimer's together! That'll be fun!"
Brian: "Ok, I take the predictable comment back."


Did anyone have ANY trick or treaters on Sunday? We had one...ONE!!! I was asleep for that one too! Dagnabit! I was SO looking forward to seeing all the cutie-patooties in their little costumes. I saw none. NONE! :( sad day.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of costume awesomeness to show you.

BUT, here's something fun! You can post a picture in the comment sections and leave cute costume awesomeness in there for me and other's to see.

Let's try that. :)