Stolen Memories + Mother's Day

They were gone.  Stolen.  All of their memories, vanishing like the morning fog, no trace to be found.  My parents were moving back (well, my dad was moving back, my mom was coming for the first time) to the United States from Korea.  In their entire shipment of belongings packed up by the movers, two boxes never made it to their new home.  And these boxes contained the expensive electronics (including my dad's camera gear), as well as all of their photos.  In a matter of days, a lifetime of memories were thieved by someone who valued a paper dollar over someone else's treasured and irreplaceable paper photographs.

There are just a handful of photos that remain from my parents' early days of marriage, before my sister and I were born.  One of these is my mother's passport photo, and to this day it remains one of her favorites.  Several months back I took this small photo to a local camera store and had them scan it.  And just recently I found some time to retouch the new digital copy - getting rid of the honeycomb pattern from the paper, cloning out the imprinted passport stamp, and correcting all of the small scratches that have worn the photo through the years.  I then ordered an 11x14 enlargement on art watercolor paper and had it framed.  This was her Mother's Day gift yesterday, and her reaction was that of joy and tears.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom - I still think you're beautiful....

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You Are The Peanut Butter To My Jelly

You build me up when I’m feeling worn down.

You are my compass when I’m feeling lost.

When I’ve had a rough day you console me, even if you’ve had a rough day of your own.

When I’m overwhelmed and want to hide under a rock, you ARE my rock - my fortress, my strength.

The days I feel like I’m just not good enough you encourage me to keep going and tell me how proud you are of me.

When I haven’t had a chance to shower and my hair is a wreck and I’m not wearing any makeup and am feeling my most self-conscious, you tell me I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.  And then I roll my eyes.  But you say you’re serious and then tell me how much you love me.

You never complain about helping me fold the laundry, and our sock throwing wars always make me laugh.  You keep me young.

You are my fitness coach, therapist, and problem solver.  

You are my best friend.

You are the peanut butter to my jelly.  You hold me together when I’m a mess.

You encourage me to pursue my dreams and you support me in all my endeavors.

You are more than I could ask for and everything I didn’t know I needed.

Happy 7-year Anniversary to the most amazing man I know.  I love you, Chris!

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Celebrating One Year

It's my 1 year anniversary.  A year ago today I said my final goodbyes to co-workers at my day job so that I could pursue my dreams of running my photography business full time.  I've thought about this post - what I would write and what I might say about all the reasons and circumstances that led me to this point.  But then this morning I read one of my bride's blog posts.  And, well, she pretty much sums up the reason that I do this:

"When I began searching for our wedding photographer, I used my trusty friend, WeddingWire.  As I clicked through profile after profile and read countless reviews I waited for that *spark*.  Photography is an important part of our wedding and I wanted someone with an artistic eye, to capture this special day.  When I came upon Laurie Bracewell Photography and clicked through to her website and blog, I immediately had a good feeling.  With fingers crossed I contacted her and found out she was available for our day! Within minutes of our first phone conversation she felt like an old friend and I knew she was definitely the photographer for us!  Laurie is an inspiration to me, as she is also a graphic designer, who left her 9-5 corporate job to pursue her true passion.  She is incredibly talented and  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she’s a big name in wedding photography in a few short years.

After having so much fun with Laurie at our engagement session, I quickly received our final photos… and I cried. They were beautiful and truly captured the love Shaun and I share.  We are so excited Laurie Bracewell will be part of our wedding… not only as our amazing photographer, but also as our friend."

Thank you, Christine, for capturing the essence of why I do this.  I love my clients and cannot express enough the gratitude I feel for getting to do what I'm so passionate about; and getting to meet and become friends with some pretty amazing people along the way.

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Happy Leap Year 2012

"If your house was on fire and you only had 60 seconds, what would you grab?"  Declan poses this question to Anna in the movie Leap Year (one of my favorite chick flicks!).  She thinks about it but doesn't have an answer.  But Declan knows exactly what he would take, and it's something sentimental and a part of his family history.  (I won't spoil it, in case you haven't seen the movie.)

So I thought about it, and wondered what, exactly, I would try to save if my house was going up in flames.  Clearly, we will assume that my husband and two cats have made it to safety, because Chris would react all Adam Sandler-like when he rescues seven cats from a house fire in Mr. Deeds.  So would it be my computer? My hard drives? My laptop?  No, because I have a cloud backup solution and all that data is safe.

Photos.  I would save photos.  From back in the days when we all shot on FILM...remember that folks??  I have boxes of prints, negatives, and of course our wedding album.  And that...that is irreplaceable.  I value the memories of family, friends, celebrations, and places traveled throughout the years of my life.  A single photo can instantly take us back to a place and time and allow us to relive those moments.  A history of my life can be passed down to my children and my children's children.  History and memories - other than what we retain in our own minds, photos are the only tangible items we have to remember these things and pass down through the generations.  (And let's face it, when I get older it will be nice to prove to my grandkids that I was once young and non-wrinkly.)

So what would YOU grab if your house was on fire, and you only had 60 seconds?

PS - If you haven't seen this movie, you must!!  (Even if only for the fact that Matthew Goode and his accent are HOT.)

PPS - Tradition says Leap Year is the one day in which it's acceptable for a woman to propose to a man.  Anyone following this tradition today? Pin It

Christmas Eve Tradition

Chris and I both have our families in the area, making us incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so much love.  However, that also makes the holidays a little tricky.  But we seem to have fallen into a rhythm for Christmas that gives us a chance to spread time - and love - all around.  We spent Christmas Eve day with my side of the family, complete with a dinner feast and gift exchange.  I never thought I would enjoy seeing my nieces open their gifts more than I would enjoy opening mine, but my heart melts when I see their their faces light up in excitement and joy.  I hope your Christmas was filled with as much wonder and excitement as theirs and ours!

(Will someone please wrap my gifts in Winnie the Pooh paper next year??)

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Why The Angels Sang

Okay, so maybe that was me singing...when my iPhone 4S arrived at my front door!

Why?  Well aside from the obvious reasons of its awesomeness, a huge part was the frustration over the slow death of my first generation Droid.  I exercised daily patience while it went haywire and took on a mind of its own like a bad Sci-Fi movie.  It selected applications and performed Google searches without me even touching the keypad, and it seemed to favor the letter 'q.'  The letter 'a', on the other hand, was apparently exiled.  If it weren't for autocorrect, my text messages would have been deprived of an important vowel.

I plan on celebrating my new iPhone by chucking my old Droid out the window of a car at a solid 65 mph.  I know I will savor the moment.

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I Am Thankful...

...for many things today.  Not the least of which are the TWO Thanksgiving feasts I get to stuff myself with (score for celebrating with both sides of our families today!).  Another is vanilla ice cream, and that it's a perfect complement to apple cobbler and pumpkin pies.  God takes pity on those of us who don't have time to cook, and for that I am grateful.  So I got ice cream for BOTH family celebrations today.  Okay, well, technically Chris picked up the ice cream while I was still hard at work.  So I'm thankful for him too, especially since he also picked up Linner for me, and always takes good care of me.  :)

And on that note, after a busy wedding season (and amazing clients! - which I'm also thankful for), I'm thankful that I can take off for the next few days...because I'm my own boss!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and are thankful for the small things!

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My Anniversary, Random Facts, And A Sneak Peek

Yesterday was my 2 year blog anniversary, and it's crazy to look back and see how far I've come and how much I've grown since then.  What was merely a spark is now a wildfire, and I'm loving every minute of it.  When I quit my day job this past March, I never thought that Fall of the same year would be as busy and crazy as it has been.  Taking that leap was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

But looking back at my blog I realize I don't talk much about myself.  Well, because I hate talking about myself.  I find other's lives much more interesting than mine!  So here are a few random facts about me on my bloggiversary:

• I put ice in my milk because I like it super cold.  My husband finds this both strange and disgusting.
• I spend about 7 minutes brushing my teeth.  I'm pretty sure I have some mild form of OCD.  Chris thinks I'm ruining my gums, but I boast that my dentist always says I have beautiful teeth and always gives me a clean bill of health.  
• I like going to the dentist.
• After I brush my teeth I get a runny nose.  The upside is that when I use a tissue, it smells faintly of Chris' cologne since the box sits on his sink, and it makes me happy.  
• Bright sun makes me sneeze.
• I fidget.  A lot.  My mother used to tell me I was shaking my luck away.  But I assure you I feel like one of the luckiest girls in the world to have an amazing husband and a job I absolutely love!

Okay, enough about me, and onto someone else.  :)  Here's a sneak peek of Erin and Daniel's engagement session from earlier this week.  I can't wait to blog the rest!

Happy Friday!!

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One Of Those Days...

Ever have one of those days?  The ones where you can't seem to get anything right?  Where you leave the house for a couple of errands, only to discover while you're driving that you left something at home for one of them?  Where you have so much to do that your head seems to spin?  Where you can't seem to answer emails fast enough?  Or process images fast enough?  Where you can't seem to keep your cat from digging shredded paper out of the shredder bin?  Where you're so stressed that you get irritated with your husband when he calls and sweetly asks you what you'd like for him to pick up for dinner?  Yeah...that's me today.  And on these days, I know that if I don't laugh, I'll cry.  So here are a couple images of me, taken by my friend Maria Vicencio at a recent wedding.

I tend to hate photos of myself - I make a lot of weird faces.  This is why I'm behind the camera.  This one I don't mind so much...

This was after I caught her taking pics of me...

Happy Wednesday, and remember to find humor in life, even on those days! Pin It

Relaxing In New York City + Martha Stewart Party Sneak Peek

Sometimes I just need a little time away.  Whether it's immersing myself in a good book or going for a drive out in country, a little escape helps me to regroup and refresh.  This time my getaway was a trip to NYC.  And while I thought I would be super busy and that there was no way I could relax in the city, I found myself with plenty of time to walk around Central Park yesterday, listening to birds chirping in the trees; hearing the steady pace of runners come up from behind and then pass me; catching fleeting conversations of employees on their lunch break or friends having a picnic in the afternoon; and watching tourists take pictures of squirrels.  Yes.  Squirrels.  I don't know what it is about those furry little creatures, but I see this phenomenon all the time in DC.  Someone standing next to a national monument in our nation's capital......taking a picture of a squirrel.

While I didn't take many photos as I walked around (especially not of squirrels), I did snap a few here and there to remember how good it felt to relax and unwind....

Aaaaannnd....I can't wait to tell you about the Martha Stewart Party last night!  I'll be blogging the details in the next day or two, but for now here's a sneak peek!

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Sunrise

(Written this morning...)

There is nothing more glorious than a beautiful sunrise.  Except for more than 1.5 hrs sleep.  But since the latter didn’t happen, I’ll gladly take the former.  I’ve lived in Virginia for 23 years and this is the first time I’ve ever taken a commuter train.  Despite the 4:30 a.m. rise to get to Union Station after getting home late from shooting a wedding yesterday, I’m sitting on the train and taking in the sights of trees starting to change into their fall golds and reds.

I questioned traveling to New York in the middle of a busy wedding season (sleep is more precious than gold to me - ask my husband, who knows how cranky pants I can get), but seeing this morning’s warm golden sun rise gently in the sky and bathe all of God’s creation in its soft light has already made the lack of sleep worth the trip.  And cranky pants is currently at bay.

So here’s to a new day and new adventures; may they all be this beautiful...

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Obsessions

Does it happen to you too?  I find a new site online and I'm sucked in for days.  (And by days I mean weeks.  Well, okay, not really weeks but it kinda feels like it when you spend late nights and ENTIRE Sundays on them.)  One such site is Pinterest.  I had heard of it a while back, but really, I just didn't have time for the latest fad.  I'm too cool for school, right?  (<--- Just saying that phrase proves I'm not.)  For the longest time now, whenever I found something online that I wanted to come back to later, I would save a link to the page somewhere.  And this somewhere ended up being everywhere.  I would email links to myself, save them in a Google document, bookmark them - on different computers and different browsers - and, well, you get the idea.  If saving page links could be a hot mess, my system was in need of a Stacy London intervention.

Enter Pinterest.

This gem of a site lets you pin your websites all in a neat and pretty little package.  It's visually appealing, and I bet 100% Stacy-approved.  The greatest part is that I can see what others are pinning, and re-pin their pins.  Which also happens to be the worst part.  Because I found my next obsession.

Polyvore.

This site is like having a free personal stylist!  I have found outfits that I love, put together by fashionistas, and the best (or worst if you see my credit card statement) part is that all the items on the style board link to websites where you can purchase them!  Oh. Be still. My heart.  I was up until 2 a.m. the other night, buying a pair of whiskey colored heels, a couple of shirts and some jewelry.  (I'm hoping this is one of those posts that my husband doesn't read.  Yes...can you believe he doesn't read everything I post?  Pssshhh.  This'll teach him!)  Kiddiiiinggg, sweetie, if you're reading this.  :)

I would bet Polyvore is also Stacy London-approved!  If you have any other obsessions you feel I should know about, I'm all ears... :) Pin It

Hurricane Irene Couldn't Stop Me

It was about the only thing on the news for the past few days...Hurricane Irene, it's path up the East Coast, and the potential destruction it would cause.  Photographers all around the region were worried about safety - of the bride and groom and of course themselves.  Would they get stuck at the reception location?  What about the areas calling for mandatory evacuations?  Thankfully, the wedding I was shooting with my friend Melissa Manzione on Saturday was located inland, and even though the hurricane started moving in by morning, the worst of it wasn't expected until later that evening.  So, dedicated as we are, we made a commitment and there was no question that we would stick to it!

The bigger question became...what would I wear?!  I had just bought a new dress to shoot weddings and was hoping to wear it on Saturday, but if I were swept up in a flood and became the victim in a televised rescue, did I want to be cute or practical?  Dress or slacks?  I posed the question on Facebook, knowing I could rely on my friends for funny and witty replies - they didn't disappoint.  General consensus was that cute wins out over practical any day!

I wore my new dress and loved it!  If any ladies out there are looking for a dress that fits just right, is comfortable, and can sustain hurricane force winds, I'd recommend this one from Nordstrom...

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If It Ain't Broke...

...there's no need to check the rest of the house for damage.

By now news of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake (yes, EARTHQUAKE) that rumbled through the Eastern United States today has spread all over the world.  The epicenter was about 60 miles from my home in Northern VA.

I heard it before I felt it, and didn't quite know what it was at first.  A train?  A large 18-wheeler rolling up my cul-de-sac?  Then when I felt the house starting to shake I thought the construction crews were dynamiting some rocks out of the ground in the new section of our neighborhood.  When the shaking grew stronger, that thought turned to dynamiting gone wrong.  Because it couldn't be an earthquake...here in Virginia!

I immediately turned on the TV but the programming was still daytime soap operas and talk shows.  So naturally, I turned to Twitter.  The source of real-time news from friends tweeting and retweeting!  Really, who doesn't hear things on Twitter first these days?!  As word spread that the quake was felt as far as Toronto, I received phone calls from my husband and my sister, making sure everything was okay and sharing our disbelief.

I walked around the house looking for damage, and when I saw that all my crystal and fine china in the cabinet was in tact (and had barely moved!), I could rest assured nothing else in the house was broken. So here's to an exciting day, and a well-built home!

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Hangin' with Jacklyn Greenberg of JAG Studios

She has a style all her own.  She stands out instead of trying to fit in.  She's fun, funny, sweet, cool...and she just plain rocks!  Jacklyn Greenberg of JAG Studios is an award-winning photographer who inspires with her vision and creativity, and I had the incredible pleasure of hanging out with her yesterday, along with two other wonderful and talented friends - Kristi Odom and Lisa Boggs.  We spent the afternoon at Barrel Oak Winery (one of my faves), wine tasting, relaxing, and basking in the golden sunset.

Believe it or not, the finger puppet fun started before any wine tasting began. ;)

Don't ask me why Lisa is holding her flip flop....

These beautiful horses were grazing lazily in the field next to the winery, and this fella came over to say hello.

And then jaws dropped as he sauntered over to Jacklyn and gave her a kiss!  In the midst of awed silence, the only sound was camera shutters clicking away...

Thanks, ladies, for a fun and relaxing evening...loved spending time with you all!! Pin It

Lens Love: Canon 50mm 1.2

I looked like a hot mess when I answered the door, but I didn't care.  I refused to either get in the shower or go to the basement to work out, in fear of missing the UPS man.  And when he finally arrived?  (At 5 pm mind you!)  Well, I was more excited than on Christmas morning.

My new Canon 50mm 1.2 had found its way to its new home, and I couldn't wait to test it out!  So far, it has not disappointed.  I've been using the 1.4 version until now, and while it has been a great lens, I always felt it was, well....lacking.  Not to mention I had also dropped it.  Twice.  (But that's a whole other blog post.)

Right now I just wanted to share a couple test images from the 1.2, shot wide open.  I'm loving the color and buttery goodness from this lens!!

Meet Chloe...

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Happy Father's Day, And My First Fancy Camera

He gave me my first camera.  Well, several cameras really.  The usual kinds parents buy for their kids for birthdays and Christmases.  My first was a 110 film, and when I graduated to the 35mm point and shoot I felt I had hit the big time.  But I didn't know big time until I went to college, and my dad gifted me all of his equipment after I signed up for my first photography class.  I had often envied his Nikormat EL with its assortment of lenses, teleconverters and filters.  It all seemed so fancy.

My first day of my first photo class I couldn't wait to start taking pictures - never mind the fact I didn't understand ISO or aperture or shutter speed.  It was painful to let the camera sit silent as we read through our Intro to Photography book for the first few classes.  By the end of my 4th year I had burned through endless rolls of Kodak T-MAX 400 and spent countless hours in the dark room, watching the photo paper magically develop in front of my eyes.  Nothing was as satisfying as returning to the drying rack and heat pressing the dried prints.  Even though digital cameras have made developing less tactile, there's still nothing that compares to hearing the click of the shutter, capturing a moment in time, and seeing the final image on screen and, finally, in print.

Thank you, Dad, for introducing me to the world of photography and giving me my first fancy camera.  I would not be where I am today without you!  Happy Father's Day - I love you!

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Memories and Emotions

As I perused my previous blog entries last night I was overcome with many different emotions.  Without realizing it, I smiled, I giggled, I awwwwed....  Then at one particular entry, I froze.  I recognized that all of those emotions brought me back to how I felt at that moment in time when I pressed the shutter release button on my camera.  For one day I'm a part of my couples' lives, living in their moments and capturing the joy and love that they feel.  It's impossible not to be affected by it; I delight that my heart is touched by it.  And it was truly an affirmation of why I do what I do, and why I love it so much.

During Tuesday night's engagement session, my bride and groom, Nicole and Kelly, asked me how I enjoyed being a photographer full time.  My response to them was, "You know how people go through life wondering what they want to be when they grow up?  Well, I found it!"  (Okay, my actual response was much longer and more incoherent than that, but they understood what I meant!)

So all that to say.... Thank You to all of my clients for entrusting me with such an important time in your lives, and for all of the wonderful memories that I am able to look back on so fondly!

Aaaaaand...here's a sneak peek at Nicole and Kelly's Georgetown engagement session... (I heart you two!!)

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Memorial Day 2011

He was raised in upstate New York, working farmland for $1 a day as a kid.  When he graduated high school, my father decided he wanted more out of life, and so he joined the Army.  He met my mother while stationed in Korea and worked hard to provide and save for his family.  It was through his work ethic that I learned discipline and the value of a dollar.

The Army provided him opportunities he would not have had on a farm in upstate New York, and he took those opportunities to make a better life for us.  Thank you dad, for your service to our country.  And thank you, also, for providing a good life for Mom, me and Pam.  I love you!

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Hair Perms and Education: Celebrating Mom

Yesterday my family gathered in celebration of my mom’s birthday and a late Mother’s Day.  As the aroma of shrimp scampi filled the air, I reminisced about growing up with such an amazing woman.  From sewing my bunny costume in the 2nd grade for my role in the play Peter Rabbit Goes Rock and Roll, to bringing me homemade spring rolls (because she knows how much I love them!) today, my mom has always been giving, sacrificial, and loving.  Not to mention really into home perms.  

I remember her winding the tiny plastic rods into my hair in the middle of the kitchen and the smell of chemicals lingering in the house (and my hair!) for days.  Starting in elementary school, I don’t think I saw the natural state of my locks for 9 years.  She even honored my request for a “crimp” perm in middle school.  Yes, internet, I said CRIMP perm.  Oh, ‘80s, I love your music but I don’t love your style.  Can we say “I’m-closer-to-God-than-you bangs?!?”  (At least I can proudly say I never rocked the side ponytail.)

In addition to well-permed hair, my mother also stressed the importance of education.  Her parents died when she was young, and due to her circumstances she was never able to finish secondary school.  She wanted my sister and me to learn all the things she never could, and to have all the opportunities she never had.  She took on a job as a custodian in my middle school to help save enough money for our college funds.  While most kids that age might have been embarrassed by this, I felt proud knowing my mom would do anything to provide for me, and sought her out to say hi when I stayed late after school for activities.  Her commitment to my education and her sacrifices for our family have always inspired me to work hard and be thankful for the life she helped to provide for us.  

Mom, thank you for all that you’ve given and all that you are.  I love you!

This was my mother's original passport photo and her favorite picture of her (basically unheard of in the passport world!).  So I had it scanned and am going to retouch it for her...

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