Two weeks ago we had one of our larger snowfalls of the season, and in about two weeks spring will officially arrive. Right now we have clear blue skies and rising temperatures, and yet still plenty of snow is holding the ground hostage. So I’d say today is the center of a two week seasonal sandwich.
So while I anxiously await the bare ground, buds forming on trees, and a new crop of migratory birds to appear, I wanted to send winter a little parting gift of photos. Beth and I had so much fun photographing Derek and Cooper who took advantage of the big snowstorm with a super fun day of sledding…
Poor Derek got a boot full of snow on his last run of the day…
After a loads of sledding fun and climbing back up the hill, Cooper reached his tipping point…
Cooper and Derek are so lucky to have not only a brother in each other, but a best friend as well…
Bon Voyage Winter… see you in nine!
posted in ANYTIME PORTRAITS, KIDS, PERSONAL | tags: BROTHERS, CHANGE OF SEASONS, CHILDREN, COOPER, DEREK, KIDS, SLEDDING, SNOW DAY, SPRING IS COMING, WINTER
I love my dogs + I love my house = My Vintage Dog Collection
I like to go to thrift stores, antique shows, flea markets, and even the occasional auction in search of vintage dog pieces that speak to me. There is a lot of it out in the world, and not all of it speaks to me. I have a hard time putting my collection and taste into words, so I thought I’d share some photos with you. What words would you use to describe my collection?
posted in MI CASA, PERSONAL, PETS | tags: ANTIQUES, BLACK FOREST, DOGS, HOME DECOR, INSPIRATION, MID-CENTURY, MY HOME, PETS, VINTAGE DOG COLLECTION
Carolynn Giordano and her little dog Maromi are both so sweet! Carolynn will be introducing her new Two Brunettes website soon, showcasing her incredible talent in design, illustration, and for you lovely brides to be… custom branding for any event! Until her new site is up, be sure to subscribe to her great blog here. Needless to say, I was beyond honored and thrilled, when she asked little ol’ me to photograph her new portraits. We took some photographs at her studio…
Then we braved that cold New York weather for some of my new favorite portraits to date. As you’ll soon see, I had a hard time picking my favorites, so I went ahead and indulged in a feast of photos. Do you have a favorite?
Thanks Carolynn! Give that little muppet Maromi a kiss for me. xoxo
posted in ANYTIME PORTRAITS, FOR BRIDES, HEADSHOTS, PETS, VENDOR INTRODUCTIONS | tags: CAROLYNN GIORDANO, CENTRAL NEW YORK, CUSTOM WEDDING BRANDING, DESIGN, ILLUSTRATIONS, MAROMI, TWO BRUNETTES, UPSTATE NEW YORK, WEBSITE PORTRAITS, WEDDING INVITATIONS
I can’t wait to share the rest of this session, but for now gaze your eyes upon all that is adorable with Carolynn Giordano and little “Ro” of Two Brunettes…
Thanks Carolynn! Beth and I had such a great time with you today! xoxo
We made it…Day 14 of my 14 Hearts blog challenge! When I look at the image I’ve selected for Heart no. 14, one caption keeps running through my mind…
What is the secret to your love?
Wishing you a Happy Valentines Day! xoxo
Several years ago, I read an interview with rocker girl Gwen Stefani. I don’t think she was pregnant yet, but she was talking about her marriage and plans for children in the near future. She asked “Really, what is more romantic than two people choosing to raise children together?” I know, I know. It can be very tiring, very messy, very unromantic on a day to day basis, but the hopeless romantic in me hopes that Gwen is right.
Some of my dearest wedding clients Piper and Jamie asked me to photograph their one year old daughter Helena. When I look at this photograph, I see romance and all kinds of love…
I think this is one of my all time favorite portraits!
posted in BABY, BLOG CHALLENGE, FAMILY PORTRAITS, HOLIDAYS, KIDS, WEDDINGS | tags: 14 HEARTS, BABY AND CHILD PORTRAITS, GWEN STEFANI, HELENA, KIDS, LEARNING TO WALK, PIPER AND JAMIE, ROMANCE, VALENTINES DAY
The Irish Claddagh ring is so cool when it comes to expressing love. On it’s own it symbolizes the key factors of love with three design elements. A heart representing love, two hands holding the heart for friendship, and a crown to honor loyalty. Cool, right? If that weren’t enough, you have four options of wearing the ring, which can symbolize that you are single, your heart is taken, engaged, or married. To find out how to update your relationship status via Claddagh ring click here.
My niece has worn a Claddagh ring for as long as I can remember. I appreciate Abby letting me photograph her ring for today’s entry in my 14 hearts countdown to Valentines Day blog challenge…
Like fire and ice, sometimes opposites attract…
Big thanks to Beth for making me this awesome ice candle… such a clever girl!! xoxo
I hope you are enjoying my 14 hearts countdown to Valentines Day. Let’s face it though, sometimes we don’t always get what or who we want. What do you do when a heart is out of reach?
This photo is from a snapshots! session with my nephews Derek and Cooper… you guys are the best! xoxo
posted in BLOG CHALLENGE, HOLIDAYS, KIDS, SNAPSHOTS! | tags: 14 HEARTS, CENTRAL NEW YORK, COOPER, DEREK, FAMILY PORTRAITS, HEART COOKIES, SYRACUSE, VALENTINES DAY
I’ll always love the Beatles. Anybody a Beatles fan? If so, you might understand the Beatles reference with the repetitive number nines.
On with the 14 hearts blog challenge. No. 9 is pulled from a wedding I photographed in San Francisco, way back when I was shooting with film. I’ve always thought this cake was really fun…
posted in BLOG CHALLENGE, HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL, WEDDINGS | tags: 14 HEARTS, BLOG CHALLENGE, CALIFORNIA, HEARTS, NUMBER 9, SAN FRANCISCO, THE BEATLES, VALENTINES DAY COUNTDOWN, WEDDING CAKES
What is your favorite dessert? I love chocolate cake, but chocolate cupcakes rank pretty high, as well. Today’s heart comes from my cupcake photo shoot in January…
Mmmm, delicious!
These images come from Julie and Rick’s engagement portrait session last summer. I followed them along as they picked blueberries, which they used to make homemade blueberry jam for their wedding favors. They were so nice to send me a jar. I thought I would make a nice Marthaesque picture of the jam, but instead I just ate it all up. I had never been blueberry picking before, and I was amazed at how delicious they were right of the vine…
When I spied a nearby picnic table at the blueberry farm, I knew exactly what I was going to do next. Although at the time, I had no idea it would someday be referred to as heart number seven…
posted in BLOG CHALLENGE, ENGAGEMENTS, HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL | tags: 14 HEARTS, BLUEBERRY PICKING, CENTRAL NEW YORK, ENGAGEMENT PORTRAIT SESSION, HEARTS, JULIE AND RICK, SYRACUSE, VALENTINES DAY
Heart number six is in honor of my new friend Clayton Austin who is visiting this weekend, all the way from Texas! In addition to being the speaker at our CNY PUG meeting on Monday, Clayton also flew all this way so he could photograph some portraits in the snow here. With that in mind, I present heart number six…
Don’t forget I’m a newbie at this blog challenge business, but hang in there with me. Today’s entry is a little different from the rest. Instead of making a heart, Beth my sister “found” a heart. Kind of like when you’re laying on a blanket looking up at a summer sky and you see a shape in the clouds that reminds of you something…. only this time it was a winter day, (about 20 frickin’ degrees outside), we were standing up, and Beth pointed out the heart shape in one of the old magnificent trees in her yard. She and I both thought “that’s no. 5.”
Here is a recent pic of my amazing sister Beth. She is rocking her new everyday casual but oh so glamorous winter coat and a lovely new “do” by our friend Krista at Lavish Hair Salon…
Thanks for all that you do Beth! xoxo
If you are new to the blog, I’m in the midst of my first personal blog challenge. I’m posting a heart a day for the first fourteen days of February just for a little bit of Valentines Day fun.
So here is heart number 4. It’s another example of Michelle and I having fun making hearts during a wedding day session. Michelle did an excellent job drawing this perfect heart, in the sand, at Megan and Ernie’s beautiful Santa Barbara wedding…
Scroll down to January 27th’s post to see another heart portrait from this series used as the cover photo for the wedding album!
posted in BLOG CHALLENGE, HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL, WEDDINGS | tags: 14 HEARTS, CALIFORNIA, HEARTS, MEGAN AND ERNIE, MICHELLE, SANTA BARBARA, VALENTINES DAY, WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, WEDDING PORTRAIT
I dipped into the archives tonight to bring you heart number three in the 14 hearts blog challenge, but this one is worth repeating.
Karina and Bruno had an amazing wedding at the Figueroa Hotel in Los Angeles famous for it’s Moroccan flair and the Blue Door. Here is a little fun my second shooters Sonia and Michelle had at the end of the night…
posted in BLOG CHALLENGE, HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL, WEDDINGS | tags: 14 HEARTS, BI-COASTAL WEDDING AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, BLOG CHALLENGE, CALIFORNIA, FIGUEROA HOTEL, HEARTS, KARINA AND BRUNO, LOS ANGELES, WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Seeing as I am a photographer, and this is my blog, it is perfectly acceptable for you to assume that I am going to post another photograph with a heart in it for day two of my 14 hearts blog challenge. Well look out! This is a curve ball post, as I just have to include this gem of a heart.
Love this drawing of my dog lulu accompanied with the sweetest little love message from Besso. I’ve got a file specifically designated for Besso treasures. Besso is 11 now, but this drawing was made when she around 7 or 8. I love everything about this drawing, but some of my favorite points are Lulu’s party hat, collar, and the attention to detail put into Lulu’s hairy moles, I mean beauty marks. So stinkin’ cute…
Besso, I’ll treasure this forever! xoxo, Alice
posted in BLOG CHALLENGE, HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL | tags: 14 HEARTS, ALICE, BESSO, CHILDREN, HEARTS, KID DRAWINGS, LOVE, LULU, PUG
I’ve heard people complain about holidays, saying that they don’t “believe” in them. That we should all just treat our loved ones special everyday. Well, who can really argue about treating each other special everyday? Not me. Yet, while Valentines Day has been notoriously called a Hallmark holiday, I still like it. In fact, I pretty much love all of the holidays. I think it’s fun when someone makes that extra effort to send a valentines to a friend, lover, and/or family… even better if that someone has an ounce of creativity in them. So yes, give the love out daily, but if you have it in you, add a little Valentines fun into your life.
All that being said, I’ve created my first blog challenge. This is going to be tough because I’ve never blogged on a daily basis, but I’m going to make an effort to post a heart {of some sort} a day, for the next 14 days… you know, until it is Valentines Day. Lucky for me, I took a lot of pictures of the cupcakes we used for the January’s Snapshots! session. Please enjoy heart no. 1…
If you are a photographer/ blogger, and want to play along… leave a comment and let us know about your own heart a day challenge.
by alice
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