Snow Day!

There is a snow storm coming. I remember when I used to love snow storms. They used to mean snow days and snow tunnels. I remember when my dad used to plow the snow up really high, and my sister and I would work all day digging out rooms (each with very specific purpose), making them just big enough for us to sit comfortably and admire our hard work. Then we went inside from exhaustion, with our red cheeks and noses for hot chocolate. Sometimes the houses turned into forts, and enemy forces (boys) in the other bunker would feel the wrath of our iced snowballs. But mostly it was a simple lesson in how satisfying building something with both our hands and our imaginations can be. Now that I am older I tend to forget that lesson, and I definitely don't enjoy the cold like i used to.

The last snow storm we had I was listening to George Winston, a pianist that I used to love as a kid. He composed the music to one of my favorite winter movies "The Snowman". It's is a silent movie with the most beautiful soundtrack. In seventh grade, My dad got tickets for me and a friend to go see George Winston in concert in Hartford, which I though was awesome enough (i know weird for a 12 yr old). When we tried to get autographs, we were declined despite our cuteness, but not defeated. My father snuck us around to the back of the building and in through the stage door. We ran onto the stage to meet George and we didn't take "No" for an answer. We went home with our autographs and a great sense of accomplishment.

My dad was good for breaking the rules. When he was young he couldn't afford art school, so he used to sneak into the drawing classes at Uconn. He got kicked out repeatedly, but due to his persistence and passion, he became an artist.
The snow flakes, dancing to the sound of the piano sparked up memories, and motivated me to go out and shoot. I didn't really care about the results, as I did the experience. The silence of the snow falling, the emptiness of the beaches, the child-like sense of adventure; to be the first footsteps in the snow, were all so refreshing. Normally I would walk down the beach, but today just seemed to good to keep to myself. I left the snow and the beach without footsteps, without a trace of me being there, so someone else could see the beauty, and feel that same sense of discovery.

More of Emily

This lovely young lady is Emily. This shoot was cold but fun. She has 3 horses who are all more like dogs than horses. They were super friendly and even posed for some shots. I don't have a light kit yet and since i knew we would be in the barn (it was raining. And did I mention cold?), I needed to figure something out for lighting, fast and cheap. So I went to Lowes. I bought a 500w construction light, and a 300w bulb that I put in a silver dish lamp, that acted like a beauty dish, without the grid. It was harsh lighting, but her skin could take it. Anyway it was fun, She was awesome!

Tom And Gina

This Was an awesome wedding. I had so much fun. It was small and elegant. The house that they had the reception at happened to be the same house that my mother and all her siblings grew up in. It then was owned by my uncle and when I was a kid my cousins and I used to play there all the time. The attic was such an interesting part of the house since it was completely original. It was built back in the 1800's, and it had so much character we had to use it in a photo.

AHHHH!!!!! 2010!! It's here, it came fast. I have a whole lot of catching up to do. Here is some fun stuff to check out for now. I've been it a bit of a funk. I tend to go into hermit mode when it gets cold. Good old New England winters. Does anyone else suffer with that? I do love the smell of wood stoves and fresh snow, and Christmas is always beautiful. But that cold keeps me in to a fault, because I know that all bundled up there is a world of fun out there and lots of pictures to be taken. Here are some pics I took about a month ago before winter set in. Don't let them fool you it was still cold, but die hard surfers and body boarders couldn't be stopped, and since one of them was my husband I had some strong convincing to get out there and I'm glad I did. The beach is the best in the off season, the lighting is amazing and it's never crowded.