A Joyful Celebration

I had the pleasure of photographing a friend's daughter's First Communion last Sunday.
I love to shoot family celebrations. It's always fun for me.

If I can capture the joy of the day I feel I have done my job. I take some posed shots of course but it's those little moments that are unexpected that make for the best photos. And how can you take a bad shot when your subject is a beautiful little girl?

I asked her if she minded having her picture taken and she said, "No".  She would live to

regret that statement six hours and 450 photos later.

Her mom on the other hand was thrilled and I'd like to quote her text message to me this morning.

She wrote: These pictures are sooo awesome. I can't stop looking at them!!! You need to do this more- I never thought cookies and candles could look so pretty. And you definitely got more than one money shot.

I joked with her about the money shots. You know, what shots were the must haves of the day. They were shots of her daughter smiling, a shot of her daughter and son smiling, some photos of the church and  that was about it.

The church was beautiful. Lots of gleaming marble.  The altar was really grand. I really do not like the look of modern churches. I prefer the more traditional look like this church.

The brother and sister shot.

A pensive mood before the ceremony.

I am so happy I got a photo of the father doing a reading.  He wasn't in many shots and he was just fine with that.

Our First Communion girl's favorite color is pink so the priests wore their pink robes just for her special day.

 

I wish I had moved a few inches to my right for this shot.   I had to walk a fine line when photographing this religious event. I did not want to be intrusive or disrespectful.

Two proud grandmothers were in attendance to share in the celebration.

The priests happily posed after the ceremony. They attended the reception too!

I loved these table markers. Each one had the name of a Saint.

All of the cookies for the reception were made by aunts and cousins and friends.

So much love for one special little girl.  I was truly blessed to witness and photograph the day.

Wedding Wow Factor- Live Event Painting

It occured to me that I have not posted one of my sister's live event paintings in a while.
This is the latest completed project.

For those of you who haven't read the other posts, my sister has a business as a live event painter.

She takes her easel and supplies and she paints the event as it takes place before her. She calls it the Wedding Wow Factor.

Most of her business is for weddings but she would also attend and paint at any type of special occasion.  As you can see, she not only paints the bride and groom but the surroundings as well. She tries to get as much done as possible at the event and then puts the finishing touches to it in her studio.

I really like the cake in this painting. Imagine painting all the guests! She spends time making sure she has added all the minute details to the painting.

Many of her clients are family members of the bride or groom who wish to give a unique gift to the couple. And it is very unique, there are not many artists who do this type of work.

If you would like a live event painting for your special event, you can email me and I will pass on the inquiry. I like to keep track of the inquires received from my blog posts.

And I will be in touch with my creative side tomorrow as I have been hired to photograph a First Communion in East Boston and the reception afterwards in Cambridge. I am looking forward to it.

  

An evening in Rockport

I was in Exeter a week ago ( see the last two posts) and I had a great time shopping at the unique stores on Water Street. While I was taking a coffee break, my sister called.  She wanted to know if I wanted to go to Rockport for dinner.  Well as you can see by my phone, the weather was very nice and warm for April so I said sure. I returned home, fed the kitties and headed out for the evening with my sister.

We went straight to the restaurant as my sister was starving. This is the entrance to Brackett's Oceanview. I love that antique sideboard by the window. I fantasize about stealing it everytime I see

the piece but I really never would do it. It would fit in nicely with my condo decor.

After dinner, we walked around the downtown area. We walked past a new concert hall in Rockport. We could see straight to the stage and a harpist was practicing for her performance that night. I will definitely go to a concert there. The audience can view the ocean while watching the performance. How cool is that?

This pretty dog named Rowan watched us intently as we walked by here home.  Her owner said she was watching him since he almost always takes her with him when he goes out.

It was getting dark but I still attempted a shot of the Motif No. 1.

It is a Rockport icon.

This photography studio is so beautiful! I would love to have my own photo

studio in Rockport.

Here's another shot of the gallery.

We walked to the end of Bearskin Neck and the wind was whipping around.  It had

become quite cold but not freezing.  We braved the wind and took in the salt air

and spectacular ocean views.

Despite the wind, it was rather peaceful at the end of Bearskin Neck. Just the sound of the waves

crashing against the rocks and the chilly air slapping at my cheeks. Perfect! I must surely be a New Englander because I prefer cool crisp air to the heat of Summer.

Good night Motif No. 1, I will be back soon!

The Art of Antiquing in Exeter

This post is a continuation of my last post about my daytrip to Exeter, New Hampshire.  I went to my favorite antique store in Exeter, Art N Tiques. This store is so interesting and packed to the gills with the coolest stuff. If you like to rummage, this is your happy place!

I have a blast when I go there. This was my third time visiting and it did not disappoint. I absolutely love to pick through the piles of "treasures".

This time there were lots of boxes and pieces for storage like trunks and vintage suitcases. Be still my heart! I love finding unique ways to store stuff!

This is Charlie, he is Linda the shop owner's dog.  He has to be the sweetest gentlest dog I've ever met.  Charlie was a rescue dog but Linda says she didn't rescue Charlie he rescued her. I think they rescued each other as Linda loves Charlie and Charlie clearly adores Linda.

Oh yes, the vintage suitcases I mentioned earlier.

Frames, yes!  See that gold one in the front? It came home with me and

I have big plans for that. I'm thinking someone can do something to it for

me and it would make a lovely birthday gift!

This is Linda's section of pieces she uses for her art. She doesn't sell these pieces

because many of them are broken and she repurposes them in her art. She invited me to

her show which will be in August in Amesbury.

Here is one of Linda's creations.

Linda obtained some old high school band uniforms . 

This is the jacket from the band uniform. Linda describes it as Sgt Pepper meets Civil War General.

Another thing I love about Linda is her sense of humor.

I know you are dying to know what I bought at this cool store. Well, my big prize was this antique typewriter from 1910. I honed right in on this baby the minute I walked in the store.  It now sits on my hallway table. I'll take a better shot another time.  I also bought a pair of very old skates and the aforementioned frame.  Yes, I did good. Linda asked if I had a shop because I always pick out the most interesting things. I am flattered by that comment.

I hope your travels will take you to Exeter, New Hampshire. When in town stop by Art N Tiques and say hello to Linda and Charlie!

Daytrip to Exeter, New Hampshire

I had a free Saturday so I decided to go to Exeter, New Hampshire. I love the town and there's great shopping there so off I went. 

I took so many photos I will need to do two posts,  This post is about a new store I discovered on Water Street called Reminisce.

Reminisce is a beautiful shop filled with many lovely items. I was of course drawn to the teacups and china plates. In fact, I purchased some plates. I promise to show them to you in another post.

I had a nice conversation with the owner. She worked as the manager of furniture design shop for nearly 20 years. The shop went out of business and she decided to pursue her dream of owning a shop.

At an age when many people are considering retirement, this woman is starting a new venture.
I find that admirable and very cool!

The owner told me she has always shopped flea markets and estate sales so she has the perfect vehicle for displaying her finds.

She carries some vintage clothing too. This sweet dress is from France.

I did like this teacup but I found some china plates that I liked better.

She sells furniture too.  Of course she does, her background is in furniture.

Another lovely set of dishes and I loved these glasses in such a pretty lavender shade.

A gold teapot and yes that is my reflection.  Such a nice selection of tea items!

As I said the china pieces were stunning. I was proud of my self control.  This is just the type of shop
that would cause me to spend my entire paycheck.

The owner of the shop noticed a crack in the wall and she asked a local artist to paint a nest in the crack.  Can you see the original crack?

The artist's work was fantastic. It reminds me of a Marjolein Bastin work. Marjolein paints wonderful
nature themed greeting cards.

And a bird graces another section of the wall. Taking flight and a leap of faith just like the owner of  Reminisce. You can find Reminisce at 109 Water St, Exeter, New Hampshire.

Those quirky kitties

Never a dull moment in my household. Sometimes it's like having 3 kids, toddlers at that.  There's Oscar about to steal my shoe.

And Percy is where he shouldn't be. I've told him a hundred times not to sleep on the cable box.

Obviously Molly is copping a catitude. She's giving me her backside. She must not have liked something I said. It's probably about the late hours she's been keeping.

And Percy thinks he's King. He thinks he's the boss of me but he's not.

When I see them all in the same room together I think 3 cats is a lot.  But I can handle it. Most days.