Sunday, May 31, 2009

Oh I am so there!!

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I have a super wedding couple who are getting married in August and guess where the reception will be? Yep! Is that gorgeous or what? Check out the website here; http://www.prestigeyachtcharters.com/yacht_lexington.asp

This is going to be one awesome summer! :)

~Valeen

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Album Design

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I have been having so much fun designing albums the past few weeks which is really crazy because I used to cringe even thinking about it. I think it was something along the line of 'writer's block', it can be overwhelming to decide the images, the design, what to keep, what not to include, wondering what the couple will like vs. what you like...whew! But then one of my brides told me to pick the images because she couldn't decide and when I was done, she loved it, no changes!! Oh yeah!!! Love that!! So I had a sample album delivered today and now have uploaded another, and another... this could get addicting! :)

Monday, May 25, 2009

April Showers bring May hail???

When I woke up Sunday morning, I looked outside and it appeared to be shaping up to be a spectacular day!  The sun was shining and the birds were chirping.  I just figured the weather forecast on the news the night before was wrong because they were predicting a rainy day.  So I went about my day doing fun things like cleaning. haha. 

Then 3 o'clock rolled around and the sky turned black and it started pouring buckets!  Almost instantly it turned to hail and it was practically coming down sideways.  It was fast and furious and HUGE pieces of hail were pelting our bay window, our cars, and our helpless little shrubs in the front of our house.  It lasted for a good 10-15 minutes and then it stopped.  The sun started to come back out so I decided to shoot some pics!






Our poor little hydrangea plant has holes in it's leaves now from the hail!!



My husband had the other camera out too so he could get some pics and he snagged one of me...



and this is the shot i got!



Enjoy the rest of your hail-free memorial day weekend!  Keep smiling!

-Kasey :)

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Stacy and Peter Part 1

Yesterday we were at Connecticut College in New London for an absolutely beautiful wedding. The weather couldn't have been better and Harkness Chapel is one of my favoritest places! Yes, that's a word, at least it is for me!! :) 

More and more often, we are booking weddings without even meeting the couple!  It's crazy and I never thought it would happen so much, but sometimes we don't even get to talk ahead of time.  This was the case yesterday, and I just have to say that the trust of our couples have in those that refer us is wonderful, thank you so much!

So for Memorial Day weekend... meet Peter and Stacy!  I will be blogging more but had to post one of my favorites!  

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~ Valeen

Monday, May 18, 2009

Weekends fly by when you are having fun!

This past weekend was GREAT!  I must have taken almost 600 pics!  Between an engagement shoot, a 1st birthday party, and a baby shower, my camera sure got a workout !  It was so great because I got to meet new people, catch up with old friends, and hang out with the family.  What more could you ask for?  So here is my weekend in pics....

It first started with Lena and Gregg's engagement shoot.  They are such a sweet couple and I'm so excited to shoot their wedding in November!







Then it was off to Aiden's 1st Birthday party.  Isn't he such a cutie?  Soooo big!



Val you would have loved the cupcakes!  This one is for you...



On Sunday I ventured over to my best friend Peggy's house for her sister's baby shower.  Check out these AMAZING flower arrangements she made!



And at the shower was this little cutie-pie named Taylor.  How can you not smile at this adorable face! 



What is even cuter is that instead of crawling like most 1 year old's do, she does butt scoots across the floor and this was her in action...



So that was my weekend in a nutshell!  Hope these made you smile and have a Happy Monday!

-Kasey :)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Lena and Gregg's Engagement Session - Harkness Park, Waterford, CT

There is something magical about Harkness Park in Waterford.  You can use a lot of words to describe it and never mind the fact that it has a mansion, a beach, endless perfect gardens, lighthouses, archways, ponds, frogs, trees, rocks, ivy, pillars, flowers.... but yesterday...it had something extra special. Fog. Yep, fog. Can I tell you how excited I was to wake up to fog yesterday morning and then just hope against hope that it didn't burn off by the time we got there?

Kasey and I met up with Lena and Gregg and just started shooting right there by the parking lot.  They were so much fun and we had a blast with them, I can't wait for the wedding in November. 

So... hundreds of shots later... with wet pant legs, sand and grass covered feet, and with a bit of a Wuthering Heights feeling, here's a little sneak preview.

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Gregg thought it would be fun to get this shot, something about frogs and princes!

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Laugh for the day!

"The only real difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits." 

Thanks to my niece Corrissa for posting this on Facebook, too funny!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Cha-Cha-Cha Changes!

Okay, it's supposed to be that old song, but I don't know how many "cha"s go before it, and no, I'm not taking dance classes either!  Stop laughing!!!  It's not that funny!!!  :)   Well, okay, maybe it is! LOL 

Anyhow...as they say, without change there can be no butterflies.  I love that quote, and it's true.  Some changes are forced upon you, others you choose, but either way, it's an opportunity to go in new directions.  We've been working on our BRAND and I'm totally excited. The new logo, direct from Scotland, is done! Now just the finishing touches on new website, some new packages, services and lots more. 

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This pic was taken outside in the garden. The butterfly is NOT "Photoshopped" into the image, it was very real.  And I just planted more zinnias to attract them all back again this year too! :) 

~ Valeen

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

398

So how does it happen that I don't read the blogs that I follow for a couple of days and now I have 398 to go through?? If you need me, I'll be at my computer for the next few hours. :)

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Analisa & Stephen (part 2)

So I just wanted to share a couple more pics from the wedding we did a couple of weeks ago.


Love the dress...





Loving Analisa in the dress!





What a cute couple!









And I will leave you on one final note... Shouldn't shoes be the centerpiece of every mantel? (hehe)






Congrats to Analisa & Stephen! Remember to keep smiling!

Friday, May 08, 2009

Dogwoods and Dandelions and Mother's Day

I woke up this morning thinking about the pink dogwood that blooms outside my bedroom window. It is so pretty right now and I knew I wanted to take a photograph of it, more to play with ISO's and settings and all that 'stuff' (yeah, I know, I'm real technical!) So I got George (and you know that's my D3, right?) and a few lenses and went outside.

What a day!! Wow! I started shooting and as I looked around, I saw that there were so many perfectly gorgeous flowers and shrubs in bloom, well it was amazing! And it got me thinking about Mother's Day...

I see all the ads on TV to buy this and that for mom, like you can't show your love without spending a fortune. (Yes, those diamond studs ARE dazzling!) And all the arrangements and dozens of roses from the store are beautiful and thoughtful... but I really think the best gift you'll ever receive will be the bouquet that your little one picked by themselves in the backyard.

So for all the moms out there... I wish you all the joy and love in the world! Happy Mother's Day! :)

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And let's not forget the all time favorite!

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~ Valeen

Friday, May 01, 2009

Rants and Raves

A couple of things really bothered me this week and I had to write a little about them.

One was the closing of yet another bridal shop. Apparently the shop was in business 10 years and closed without warning leaving 18 brides without their dresses. Now, even taking into consideration that the news is sometimes not 100% accurate, even ONE bride left without her dress just days or weeks before the wedding is one too many. I think the worst part of this is that it happens so often. I've worked at a few different bridal shops in the past and even though they are now closed, not once was a bride's order not filled and delivered. Not Once. There is no excuse for this, not ever.

And the other rant... finding out just how badly couples have been treated by their wedding photographer. OMG! I am truly stunned at some of the tactics that are used and the complete lack of integrity. Worst part of hearing all this? Is that I've heard the identical stories from DIFFERENT couples and even from some venue staffers and DJ's I know. It's depressing and makes it difficult for all the wonderful, talented and awesome photographers out there.

Today was just Rants... so many Raves too and I'll post more, just needed to get that out there.