Road Trip!

Yesterday Val and I were in New York City to attend the Photo Plus Expo and of course I had to bring along a camera (go figure!). My little point and shoot fits in my pocket and goes almost everywhere with me.

We did LOTS of walking, did LOTS of research on equipment and suppliers, etc and had a great time in the process! Here's a few random shots from the trip.

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The train station in Old Saybrook, waiting for our ride.


Here's where we came up out of Penn Station in NYC. This picture actually helped us find our way back later since the pigeons ate all the popcorn I dropped...


Some shots from the walk from Penn Station to the Javits Center.





Lots of vendors outside the Javits Center selling hotdogs, chicken, sausage, and shish-kabob. The smells were incredible!




Inside the Javits Center.


Entrance to the show. We made it!


We shoot Nikon. We love Nikon. For us, this is the mother ship...


If we've shot your wedding, you may have noticed some plastic Tupperware looking things on our flash units. Technically, they're referred to as "diffusers". They soften the light and eliminate the harsh shadows you often see in flash pictures. The type we use were designed by this guy, Gary Fong, and we stopped by to say hello while we were there! Gary had some new diffuser models for sale, which of course we bought, then he was answering questions and demonstrating techniques. He shoots Canon but we won't hold that against him!


After the show, we walked back to Penn Station and on the way stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant, La Bella Stella. A "Mom and Pop" place, the food was incredible! We didn't leave any room for dessert unfortunately but if I had, this would have been my choice!


Some night shots from the walk back...





Have a great weekend!

-Bruce

Halloween night in Portland!

Portland has an event every year along Main Street where the local businesses stay open late and the kids can walk from store to store trick or treating. My boys are 5 and 7 (prime trick or treating years!) so we have a blast with this! It's a lot of fun, they get to see a lot of their friends, and we can do all our trick or treating in one confined area, which makes it nice for Mom and Dad!









And of course, what would a post to this blog be without SOMETHING wedding related! The Wedding Dress had their window decorated in the spirit of the "holiday" ;) Something I know she does every year because I have some photos from last year as well. So in case you're ever considering a Halloween theme for your special day, I know they can accommodate!!










Happy Halloween!

Angela & Brian

It was a dark and stormy night... well, actually it was day, and it didn't matter one bit to this bride and groom. They say that if it rains on your wedding day it's good luck so Angela and Brian will be forever the luckiest couple in the world. Because we couldn't get outside to take any photographs, we went to the Lighthouse Inn in New London, the staircase there is fabulous! This is my absolute favorite picture, she was stunning.



While we were taking pictures, the guys were having a good time with the piano! Well done, although I can't remember the lyrics of what you were singing...and I'm not sure that I could print them here anyhow?



Another shot of Angela on the stairs... gorgeous dress too!



The first dance.



And the bride sitting on the floor with the flower girl...



The Venice Restaurant had a great little bar upstair so everyone had a little fun waiting for the intro.

I think Brian was a little concerned when it came to the cake cutting?

Congratulations to a wonderful couple and I hope Hawaii is great!!

Thanks for letting me share your day and all the best to you always!!! ~ Val

Kimberly & Bryce

Earlier this year I received a call from Dorothy, who was planning her daughter's wedding for October. (Kimberly and Bryce live out west) She said it was at Mystic Art. Hmmmm... now I've lived in the area for a long time but wasn't familiar with it. So I was anxious to check it out, what a wonderful place!! And what a really elegant wedding.



I have to say, with having two little grand daughters, that I just love Flower Girls! And these two were just adorable. They had on their little monogrammed silver bracelets, too!



Love the centerpieces!!



You just can't beat a sunset in Mystic with a beautiful couple...



The girls!



And of course the Guys!!



And something I've never seen before... a Candy Garter!



Thank you for letting The Sweetest Days be a part of your day, happiness always!! ~ Valeen

Liz and Matt (by Bruce)

Everything's bigger in...Connecticut?? This was a BIG wedding!! In fact the biggest we've shot this year. Lots of bridesmaids, lots of groomsmen, lots of guests...which means LOTS of love and laughs and photo ops!! This wedding was so big it took both of us to cover it! And we love when that happens :) We have a great time working together! And in the tradition of BIG this is a big blog post!! 12 pics for you guys...

As Val said, The Water's Edge is just a phenomenal place to have a wedding. Incredible staff, beautiful grounds, and how can you go wrong with the view? And although it was chilly, everyone hung in there. They were determined! The reward was a beautiful ceremony and some incredible light later in the day that really just warmed the photographs we took. The sunset was unreal!! So here we go!

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How 'bout a couple of the groom to start off with...Matt stylin'!!




The guys heading down to the water for some pics...and this isn't even all of them!


The girls get a little toast in before the ceremony. I think it was just so they could stay warm while we were down near the water taking pics!




How's this for "above and beyond" from a bride's maid!! All so we could get a great shot without Liz's wedding dress blowing away in the sea breeze...


What a backdrop for a ceremony!


And almost on cue, the sun broke through the clouds in this incredible display!


After the ceremony, we went back down to the water with the guys AND girls and had some fun taking pics. I LOVE this one!!


A gorgeous bride...


While we were taking pics, the rest of the guests made their way back up the hill a little ways to an outdoor cocktail hour before the reception began. This of course gave them a clear view of everything we were doing on the beach with the bride and groom. So when Matt dipped Liz, the crowd decided to cheer him on, and of course he had to acknowledge his fans!! Too funny!!


Liz and Matt, thanks so much for letting us share your day. All the best!!

-Bruce