I’ve been a bit bad about blogging this past couple weeks. You’ll have to forgive me… It’s Santa’s fault, you see. Seems he needed a bit of extra help this year and his requests went to my spam folder by accident.

In an effort to keep up and honor my OpLove Families, I wanted to share with you a few images from a session I did last week. Admittedly I have a soft spot for kids but man… these kids… They do funky fun like no one’s business! Seriously cute kids and a wonderful family.

Many thanks to Kim, Emma, Hanna, Joshua and Caleb for the delicious candy and fabulous time! I really cannot wait until we all meet again… Yay! Homecomings!!!!

I had the absolute pleasure of spending a couple hours with Lori, Eli and Ari the other night. As part of my ongoing commitment to OpLove (www.oplove.org) I went to their home and spent some time in their world…. you know, just hanging with the boys, their dad’s uniform and oh yeah mom’s tickles. Ahh. I almost forgot, Grandma and Grandpa too!

These two boys have the most amazingly beautiful curly hair. I am completely enamored by these two. I’m also reminded of the very difficult challenges that face families who have a loved one serving overseas. The wives and mothers who say goodbye and never knowing when they’ll see each other next. My gratitude towards these families and my amazement by their strength and courage makes this one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

I’d also like to take just a moment to wish the entire family a Happy Hanukkah.

Here’s a selection of some of the images from our session.

So, it was time to sit down and work on the blog tonight.  If you’ve been here before, you’ll notice some pretty big changes.  I still need to get my header images into a spiffy flash thingie, but I’m moving a bit slow tonight.  I was supposed to be at my high school class reunion tonight (and I really wanted to go) but had a minor medical snafu in the plans and am flat on my arse instead.  So, what better to do than take some pain killers and rebuild your blog?  I backed up first. 

Anyhoo… hope you like the new digs… And by all means if you see something that isn’t working, let me know!

This image was actually taken a few weeks ago at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.  This is Erika… She was absolutely fabulous to work with!

OK, I don’t know why the idea of brides being amongst the ruins that were once Eastern State Penitentiary appeal to me, but they do. I took so many images I like from the day I was with Cliff Mautner in his Lighting and Skillsets Bootcamp that I had to blog at least a few.

I also would like to just take a minute aside to tell you about my experience at Cliff’s Bootcamp. I really should put together a full review for those who may be interested in taking it themselves, but for lack of time, I’ll just say a few things here. If given the opportunity to learn anything from Cliff Mautner, I’d gladly accept a second (3rd, 4th, etc) invitation. He and I are about the same age, but he’s got about 700 weddings under his belt and a good 20 years more experience than I do. He’s got more relative information in his head than I could ever get into mine in 3 days. Although our personal styles couldn’t be more different, working with him made me identify what my own strengths were and applying his sense of light and dimension into my vision is only just beginning.

It took me over a week of sessions and several lighting scenarios to actually realize the true value of this workshop and how it would effect my own work. I went into each with more confidence to roll with whatever I might be faced with and adjust. A simple concept but I’m guessing it’ll be a lifetime of challenges that test me. I sure hope so, anyway.

In all the trials and tribulations of starting up a photography business and learning (and then learning more) of the technical aspects, Cliff’s advice to see with your eyes first rang true for me. It’s time for me to trust what I know and let it work more in the background now. Being a photographer is like being a lifetime student, but confidence is something that develops naturally (for me) as I start to like my own work more. I’m not where I want to be yet, but thanks to Cliff Mautner, I think I’m on the right path.

One last bit of 2 cents. This class isn’t cheap. It’s not a class for those not seriously interested in taking their skills up a few notches and building a bigger book of business because of it. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend it for the casual photographer or for those who are just going to shoot one or two weddings. It’s also not for someone who is just looking to get compliments from one of the greats. I quickly learned that accolades had to be earned and it brought more value to the workshop because of it. When you leave Cliff’s Bootcamp, you’ll get a lifetime invitation to call him when you have a question and you will likely never meet someone who has steadfastly remained so passionate about providing consistently great work for his clients. He’s truly a master when it comes to using available light. When he speaks, I find myself really listening. I almost never do that these days.

If you are seriously considering taking his bootcamp and have any questions about my experience, please ask me.

I tried to pick some different images than I’ve shared on facebook or flickr. I also picked images that I was channeling a bit of Cliff Mautner.

“Saying Goodbye….
Being apart….
It’s hard.”

About a year ago I volunteered to be a part of Operation: Love Reunited. Photographers from all over the country participate by offering services to families of deployed or deploying soldiers. It’s our little way of making the years and the miles just a little closer together.

Last weekend I met a family who made me both cry a little and laugh a lot. I cannot begin to tell you how touched I am by their story or by how they allowed me to be a part of it for a day.

A soldier, a husband and father of 4 said “goodbye” again last summer to his family as he went back to Iraq to serve for the NJ National Guard for another tour. He won’t see them until next summer. “Maybe June.” The oldest daughter is 21 and she’ll be shipping out to yet another war zone, herself, very soon. This is a tender time in this family’s life: A balancing act of humor, honor, good will and courage. They do it with such grace but they do not hide themselves behind pretense. This is tough times and they’ve each learned to get through it together.

The images are a selection from our session together. I feel truly blessed for getting to know them.

My favorite part will be when they come home though.

I only have time for one image from the day (will post more here after this week)…

She looked amazing!

What can I say? Not only is Maureen stunningly beautiful, but she’s a blast to work with too! I mean...really a blast to work with!

We started out with some natural light filtering in through the window and then headed outside for some mixed looks… I’ll have more on her later, but wanted to share some of my own favorites from the shoot (so far).