Beth & Jeff ~ June 8, 2012

I had to start with this. Background... 

I babysat these three sweet, beautiful girls, Cynthia, Beth Ann and Raechel when I was 15 years old. I don't know how to explain the impact they had on me and my career.  These girls were different, not like other kids. They were smart and strong and innocent and wise and I wanted to find a way to put that onto paper.  I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up and got my first real camera at 15 too. These girls helped to form the kind of photographer I would be.  What an incredible feeling to photograph the wedding of a girl who helped shape me. And by her side, two women of honor, her sisters who also hold a place of honor in my heart. I love you girls and I thank you for all you did to help me become who I am today. 

When I met Beth, she was 6 years old.  Poised and self assured, smart and careful,  pensive and extraordinary. A woman in a little girl's frame.  I wondered then what kind of a woman she would be when she actually was a woman. She is still all of those things and so much more and what an incredibly stunning bride. 

The wedding day was perfect. Beth and Jeff were calm and certain. The bridal party was fun and easy and supportive. The feeling was right, everything was exactly the way it should have been. No hiccups or second glances. Just together. Jeff told me at the end of the night that he wakes up every morning thankful that Beth is in his life. It's that simple.  I hope you both wake up that way every day of forever! I had such a wonderful time with you both. Thank you so much for including me. Thank you to your family and friends for coming together to create a magical day that I got to document! Congratulations Beth and Jeff! 

Jul & Nik ~ June 1, 2012

Not exactly sure how many years ago, 5 maybe? Julie worked with me for a little while (thanks Danny).  We were sitting in a car outside of a bride's house in Ocean City because we got there a little early. We talked about the wedding Julie would have someday, member Jul?, because she knew then, Nik was the man she was going to marry.  Fast forward a while to September's wild engagement session and a year's worth of anticipation of what I knew would be an unforgettable wedding. The engagement session WAS an indicator of how much fun the wedding day would be. You all rocked very well and I don't think it could have been any better. Everything was just right. Julie, you looked like an angel, Nik, you looked like a rock star...oh wait... the flowers were incredible, your bridal party had so much spirit, the weather was gorgeous, your parents were full of pride and love was gushing all over the place. Julie and Nik, thank you so much for choosing me and for trusting me.  Thank you to your family and your friends for being so good to me and for making my job so easy. Thank you for being so graceful and confident and beautiful, inside and out. I am so glad I got to be a part of such a magnificent day. 

http://bit.ly/KELepw vote for Man Overboard!

Christina & Matthew ~ May 26, 2012

My daughter just interviewed me about my job for her homework. What I do and why it's important.

Julia, my mom, a photographer

She takes pictures at weddings and sometimes portraits of people and other things.

Her job is important because it helps people remember things forever and ever.

I spent last Saturday with Christina and Matt and I really, truly hope I help them remember things forever. Christina and Matt, please don't ever forget how much fun you had, the way you looked at each other, the way you laughed together and enjoyed one another's company. Please remember how tightly you held each other's hand during your ceremony, how much fun your guests had, how overwhelming your reception room was, how much fun it was to dance with sharks! 

I had so much fun with you and your bridal party. I will have wonderful memories of the Camden police who offered suggestions, the passers by who honked their horns and cheered, the brightly colored solo cups, the quiet under the bridge, the look in your eyes, the laughter, especially the laughter. Thank you for including me in such a fantastic day. Thank you bridal party for making me feel like one of your friends. Thank you moms for bringing up two genuinely good people who would find each other and eventually create so many memories. Congratulations Christina and Matt! May your memory making never stop!  

Summer & Pete ~ May 11, 2012

SUMMER! PETE!

What an incredible start to the season I've been waiting for.  I feel like the universe sent Summer and Pete to me for complete reassurance that I'm on the right track. A dream couple, focused on the reality of how fantastic love is.  All perfectly giddy and overflowing with joy.  When you see them look at each other, you can almost feel the butterflies in your own stomach.  Summer told me while she was getting ready that during the weeks before the wedding, she and Pete felt like their relationship was brand new. At a time when stress and chaos are at their peak, Summer and Pete managed to remain head over heels.  A week or so before the wedding Summer wrote me an email that made me cry. I cry easy so forget that. She wrote me an email that changed my view, brought me back, redefined my mission. For that, I will always be thankful. Thank you so much Summer and Pete. Thank you for being so wonderful to me, for being so incredibly, visibly in love, for the moment after moment, for filling the room and the jersey shoreline with emotion, and making my job not only so easy but so enjoyable. 

Gavin

This baby really exists. This beautiful, awesome, brand new human, completely packed with personality at just one week old... is real. I generally love babies but Gavin is different, way cooler than the average baby. It makes sense though because Alana and Travis are way cooler than the average grown up. Thanks guys for letting me be there to hang out with such a magnificent little person. 

This is personal...

I have always been creatively disorganized. I like to have 7 projects going at once and thought it would be easy to apply that approach to my business. Truth is, it's impossible for me, but for years I've still attempted, repeatedly hitting invisible walls face first. Album design, edits, facebook, website, purchases, new tools, new software. Not to mention the fact that recently my love of photographic art finally resurfaced and for the first time since college an array of personal projects are rocking my mind. I saw today that my last blog post was from September and before that, June. For shame. There should have been 30 posts in between but my head is spinning. I feel busy when I'm not, I never feel caught up, I feel like I'm letting my brides down by not having designs out fast enough. So now, thanks to a good friend (and groom), Mike Federici, I am going to have a brand new office. An organizational mecca of design and creativity. Everything in it's place and a really good stereo for dance breaks. I am reinventing myself but I'm sure clarity will only increase creativity, not stifle it and I haven't been this excited about work in so long.

I went through a divorce this year. A good one, not quite Demi and Bruce, but close. Still the task of designing wedding albums while waiting for my court date was a little daunting. I fell behind, I hid my left hand when I met with brides, I referred to him as my husband even though he didn't live here anymore. I was ashamed, loving marriage and commitment and weddings as much as I always have, I still couldn't make it work. I worried that I would become permanently jaded, that I would no longer find value in marriage, that couples would not feel comfortable involving me in their weddings.  That's not what happened. Instead, I respect marriage even more. I appreciate the gamble we take, putting ourselves out there, never certain of the outcome, but filled with faith. I think what most people really want is to just share the massive amounts of love stored in our chests, right? Weddings, marriage, vows, are outward celebrations that make that affection tangible. It's such an incredible feeling to adore someone, to feel adored, that's something that should be shared.  I am deliriously in love. Restored. Renewed. Thankful. Grateful. Overjoyed.

I am ready for this season. Here's to doing it right!

With Love.