Archive for 'Uncategorized'
I loved these pictures of her so much that I put one on a canvas and the other on a matboard! I’ll post those on my Facebook for everyone to see! Happy Tuesday and Thanks for stopping by! xoxo Christina
I was trying to figure out if I should name this post Reflection or Stuck in the mud. However, the more I thought about it, everything on here is a mere reflection of who I am and my life as a photographer. Since my dog decided to try to dig her way out of her new Alabama backyard, this fit wayyyyy better. Bad Dog! Lately I have been kind of digging (no pun intended) for where I see my photography heading and which direction I am leaning to and the amazing thing about moving IS that I get to start over. It’s rewarding to me that I am able to gain clients despite the obstacle of having to move because most photographers get to build their business in one area with connections and an audience that they specifically market to. Being a military wife, my audience changes along with my environment. The one thing that I am so appreciative of is that my military audience is always supportive! So as I have been unpacking, I have also been doing some soul searching. I started to think back. Wayyy back. When did I start photography? Why did I start photography? What do I love shooting? I bought a camera in 2008 so that I could document my son’s first years. It was a Nikon D80. I wanted the images to be amazing so he could look back and see how much joy he brought me and how much I enjoyed capturing every moment. I had no knowledge of digital cameras and I honestly didn’t own a film camera. I had it set on Automatic and I was shooting like I was a pro. At least when you don’t know the rules, you can’t really break any. Right? I started a blog to post the images and I thought they were good. Real good. It wasn’t until I spoke to a photographer that pointed out everything that I was doing was wrong. :) All wrong. I spoke on the phone with her for maybe 15 minutes and she asked if she could critique my blog photos. I thought I was going to die but I was so excited at the same time. Needless to say, I realized I had a lot to learn. Of course I realized I needed to get off of Automatic settings and start learning photography and that was the beginning of my self taught experience.
I have shot weddings, I have shot newborns, bellies, and more. I love all of it. However, what I really love is the reason I began this journey: The love for childhood memories and to capture love.
As I look back on my photos last year I absolutely loved that they told a story. I didn’t just point and shoot. I wanted to evoke the emotion out of your children and represent love in your family. I want to capture you like I would capture my own. My good friend thought I was crazy to narrow down my specialty but I really do believe you have to follow your heart. Therefore I am no longer taking weddings and limited newborns. It was a huge decision but I do believe that this is the right thing to do, for now. I still love capturing engagements and the love between two people but I will not shoot weddings unless there’s a ton of begging involved. :) I feel confident that my photography is going to be even better this year. I can’t wait to deliver.
While I hate the fact that my dog can’t stand to be in the backyard w/o me for more than 2 minutes and has to try to dig her way out … I am so thankful that she made me realize that I too was stuck in the mud myself. I should probably thank her for making me realize that I needed to make the decision to move forward. But I think I will give her a bath instead…..
Here’s to less talky and more images in 2013.
This adorable and patient family drove to see me from Medford and behind the scenes we were working with two horrible situations. 1. The brightest day EVER in 2012 stuck out in an open field with nothing to hide under & 2. The coldest day of the year. The kids definitely deserved whatever mom promised them after these photos because they truly hung in the best they could. I still give them major props for making it look like a warm spring day and for absolutely sticking with me to get these images despite the challenges. I love when my clients bring outfits to change into and even more when they are showing off their amazing style from Anthropologie, Mini-Boden, and more. When the images came in from being professionally printed, I was so happy that now they have something to show on their walls for everything it took to get these photos. Every time they look at their walls, they will be reminded of not only the day of that shoot but the life they have together. I love that you can see how proud they are of the family they created, the love he has for her, and the glow of two small happy children. It’s a beautiful life.
I have been a huge fan of Lexi Vornberg and when she launched Lemonade and Lenses, I loved her even more. L&L is a great site for photographers not only to get inspired & share ideas, but to learn how to grow as a photographer. I puffy heart everything on this site because the work on L&L is always beautiful, soft, romantic, and it just completely woos my heart! I obsess over photography unlike the average person because it’s my passion and my favorite thing about L&L is that every artist featured uses their photography to tell a story. Their images capture not only a family or a person or a bride, it tells a story. That is what I try to achieve in my sessions. I don’t just try to get the perfect image of kids smiling or everyone looking at the same time, but I strive to capture the beauty that you absorb, the movement that makes us enjoy life, and I want to give my clients photos that remind them of the blessings they receive. I am so looking forward to 2013 because I think my photography grows each and every year! I am so blessed to have others enjoy my photography as much as I do and when I was featured on Lemonade and Lenses the day before my birthday this year, I wanted to PASS OUT. If you asked me two years ago if I would be featured on blogs and have my work get published, I would laugh. I am so honored to be doing what I am doing and I am so grateful for those who see my passion, who support these goals of mine, and I will continue to challenge myself !!! My awesome and beautiful clients Aimee & Derek were featured on Lemonade & Lenses. You can check out the full article HERE
“We are still waiting to hear how TJ’s family shore house did. No one is allowed on Long Beach Island for a few days….The pictures we are seeing do not look good though.”
As soon as I saw the images of Long Beach Island, I knew that some of my clients this past summer could have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. Amy & TJ invited me to their family beach house in Surf City, NJ this summer and I’m just now getting around to posting my session with them. As soon as I arrived to the beach house it instantly reminded me of a place full of memories. TJ grew up spending many summers there and now he gets to share that with his own children. Everyone was friendly and happy among the streets as we walked a very short distance up the path to the beach. The kids smiled as they were pulled in their wagon and their hair just blowing in the wind. The day was perfect.
While they were awaiting news of the damage if any, I was thankful that no matter what we had these pictures. The damage on the shores of New Jersey and the images that pop up in our social media pages, in the paper, on tv, and in the magazines is so hard to imagine. But it is real and people are still trying to figure out how to put their lives back together. Where does one begin to rebuild? We start with our hearts and we do it with LOVE.
The Red Cross continues to focus on reaching as many people as possible who need our help. To help with disaster relief here in New Jersey, you can donate here.
I met Aimee for the first time at a Christmas cookie drive for soldiers overseas. We cleaned the tins, sorted cookies, and stuffed the tins with all different kinds of cookies. It wasn’t until the end of the event that I realized she actually lived right across the street from me. I had just moved to New Jersey and it was right before everyone went into hibernation for the winter. Yes, that kind of happens. It’s been over the last two years that I have learned that she’s super creative and can knit gorgeous sweaters, scarves, socks, hats, ect. like nobody’s business! The best I’ve ever seen! Aimee asked if I would take some photos of her & her husband. I knew she had great style not to mention she’s beautiful so I was super excited to photograph some photos for her and Derek….and their dog Winston! How cute is he? I took them to my favorite empty field where I knew the colors of Fall would help pop their Fall attire. Don’t they look awesome? Her cute polka dotted dress is from Anthropologie. Well, the latest news is that these three are moving to Seattle and I am so excited for them! I hope they have many great adventures to come but I am thankful to have captured an end to a great New Jersey adventure. Often people tell me thank you for giving them pictures but sometimes I should probably say : Thank You Aimee & Derek for making my images beautiful. xoxoxo
Okay so I got to shoot for Columbus Cupcakery in Southern New Jersey again. A little cupcake store in Columbus New Jersey is selling out daily of these beautiful cupcakes. How could I say No to photographing these delicious treats? Cathy asked me to come back so she could put some canvases on the wall and while I probably could have eaten every cupcake, I can honestly say, I had half of one. I was good. I held back. It took everything not to walk out with a dozen but I knew that I’d eat the whole box before the kids got home from school! I don’t know how she’ll choose what to put on the wall but here are some of my favorite pictures from the shoot. Who’s hungry?
I could eat a whole dozen by myself………
It’s a crazy month of wedding events, school starting, and trying to catch up with everything! We just got back from an amazing trip to Colorado. I can’t rave enough to friends and family about our trip. While there I was able to photograph this cutie! I can’t wait to catch up on all my sessions and get back to blogging……
My clients give me a gift every time I walk away from their session. That gift that life should be celebrated. We should celebrate the company we surround ourselves with and enjoy every moment. It’s such a blessing to capture the love in a family and I walk away with a full heart ALWAYS. So thanks to all my clients for giving me such a huge important gift.
Remember Sam? He was featured on the Indie Tot when I first photographed him last Fall. Since then he has shared the spotlight with his new baby brother who I photographed here. Well months have passed and they are both growing even more adorable! I was thrilled to see them again because they are just so fun! Sam makes my job easy and his brother followed suit. There is so much love and laughter in this family! I love being able to capture photos for families! It’s so rewarding to walk away from a session and feel like I captured their life behind my lens.
I know, I know….the session is over. I feel the same way. Come back and see me Mr. Sam!
First off, I’m really excited that her last name is going to be Crews. I don’t know if that’s because my favorite store is J.Crew or if it’s because I keep thinking of how many cool ways she’ll be able to sign her name! Meet Krystal. This girl has fabulous hair and it might have something to do with the fact that she is a hair stylist in Virginia Beach, VA. at Hair 360. Krystal has been dreaming about her wedding day since she was a little girl. She is THAT girl. She loves LOVE and she loves BIG. I couldn’t be more excited for her!
Krystal met Barney {yes, like the purple dinosaur but who cares, he has an awesome last name & I gave her enough grief about it} when she cut his hair. She was totally intrigued by him and felt completely comfortable to be herself around him.
Barney just gets her and she loves that.
I am so excited for these two! We finally nailed down a good weekend to get some pictures before their September 2012 wedding. Being in New Jersey won’t hold me back from driving the distance for a great couple! I couldn’t wait to start her session! She was so nervous and so scared! I kept telling her that it’s going to be a blast and she shouldn’t be worried at all ! Being from Virginia Beach, I was excited to get pictures for her in my hometown and I totally expected her to say, let’s do the pictures at the beach! I mean, it is Virginia BEACH. But she was like No, I’m not a beach person and I get it. I mean, I totally get it. My own wedding wasn’t at the beach because I wanted something different. It’s important that your photos represent you as a person and I wanted to give that to her. We found an empty field and a field of flowers in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t about the backdrop but more about them. It was perfect. I am so excited to go back for their wedding! Here’s a few pictures from her session:
Special thanks : Make-up done by Veronica Ruiz from Hair 360.
