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Has it really been a week since my last post? Wow, how time flies! Let's just say it's been a busy week! I've been updating some of my information on the web, playing with my new camera, doing some volunteer work, and getting an album put together for one of the lovely brides I worked with recently. I've also been trying to do a little brainstorming for a friend's blog I was honored to be invited to guest blog on (more on that later)!

The busy week gets capped off with an evening of cheering my husband on as he swims in the annual Swim for Diabetes! I missed the opportunity to take a camera along last year, I won't make that mistake again tonight...especially for the business suit relay. If you've never seen that particular relay, it's quite a sight! A pool full of people swimming while trying to keep an over sized wool suit on...pants and jacket! It's for a great cause, and it's lots of fun!

Next week will be fairly busy too...I've got a shoot on Friday for an amazing woman and I can't wait to share more about her. She blogs and her writings are always a source of inspiration.

In other news, I'll be doing some in-studio work for Easter Portraits! Easter is so early this year, so if you or someone you know would like to have some portraits done I'm taking apointments now through the 19th with a special offer...Half off session fees and a free 8x10!

Now, let the weekend begin!

What's the Weather Like Today?

The other day, Susan posted a request to all who read her blog to post pictures of what the weather is like in their neck of the woods. It's worth noting that she lives in New Orleans where the weather channel.com says it's about 73 degrees and sunny today. Well Susan...here in Grove City it's about 28 with about 4 inches of the fluffy stuff (and about a quarter inch of ice covering it to make for some really great sledding)!

I don't kow of anyone who actually uses these things anymore (except for certain individuals who tie them to the rear end of their trucks and watch sparks fly. Seriously, when is that going to end up on YouTube Heath?) , but it made for a rustic looking picture anyway. After the photo was taken, we put the sled away and brought out the Super Slick Snow Saucer!

A little snow can't keep these two from the swing set!

A Look at the Night Sky

In case anyone missed it, we had a total lunar eclipse last night. If you've never seen one before, you should really make a point to put December 20, 2010 on your calendar.

Three and Six year olds are usually in bed by the time an eclipse like this really gets underway, so I braved the cold and took my [new] camera out to shoot the night sky as a way to let the kids see what they missed. The above picture was taken at about 10:00 pm and I beleive the two brightest stars there are Saturn (okay, not a star) and Regulus.

This was just for fun...Slow Shutter Speed+Time to kill (while waiting for an eclipse to become complete) = Painting with the sky as your canvas and the moon as your brush.

Some Excellent Wedding Resources!

As promised, I've finally gotten around to compiling a list of my favorite wedding planning resources! I'm working on getting links for them on my sidebar, but in this post I wanted to write a few words about each resouorce and why it's so great.


Perfect Wedding Guide: Local resources for everything wedding! The thing that's great about it is that it is simple. It's laid out simply and not oversaturated with information (which IMHO can make what you're looking for hard to find).

Deer Creek: A beautiful setting for a wedding ceremony and/or reception…Everything you need for stunning wedding photos too (water, trees, gazebo…you name it).

WeDJ.com: Another good resource for finding service providers in your area.

Zookbinders: Gorgeous heirloom-quality albums! Check out their Photobook link for parent album ideas.

Gabrielle Bridal: Custom designed bridal couture in Westerville.

How to get a marriage license in the state of Ohio

A cool site for the studio I use on occasion. Great when the weather is less than desireable for things like Engagement Sessions!

A Solid Gold Sound: Excellent, affordable DJ services!

Paragon Music: Looking for a string quartet? Harpist? Have you always wanted to walk down the aisle to “Trumpet Voluntare’”? Here’s the place to call!

What’s the best way to get those “Thank You” notes written? How do you let guests know where you're registered? Find out the answer to that and many other etiquette questions here.

The Clock Tower: Another beautiful location for ceremonies and receptions.

bludomain: Amazing Photography resource!

A friend turned me on to this site...Great ideas and resources for having a beautiful wedding, and keeping it simple.

Looking to have your bouquet preserved… Are you a Do-it-Yourselfer? Check this out...

I'll be adding more links as I find them. If you know of one that should be added, let me know!

And Now For Something Completely Different...

So this is entirely off the subject of Photography, but it looked like fun so here goes! My friend Sarah tagged me as a part of a book meme the other day. Since I'm still in my blogging infancy (maybe toddlerhood, now) I had no idea what to do with it! All I knew was that I was supposed to pick a book (with more than 123 pages), turn to page 123, find the fifth sentence and write (or type) the next three sentences.

She enlightened me on what I needed to do with the actual post. Sadly enough, when she tagged me I wasn't reading anything at the moment (let alone anything with over 123 pages, I have two young children...remember?). But I picked up a loaned book I had been meaning to start, turned to page 123 and followed the rest of the directions.

That same evening I picked up the book in earnest and began to read it. What has intimidated me just because of it's sheer size and what I beleived would be a difficult to follow writing style became something completely different. And I was surprised to find that some of the early subject matter dealt with was some things I'm experiencing in my personal life so that made the book even harder for me to put down.

The truth of it is that I don't know too many other bloggers (one of the 2-3 that I limit myself to reading regularly is the one that started this meme), so there's really no one else for me to "tag" here, but this exercise was truly a blessing for me just because now I get to devour another piece of classic literature! Thanks Sarah!

From page 123 of Les Miserable by Victor Hugo:

"But as his youth died out, his gaiety increased; he replaced his teeth with jests, his hair with joy, his health with irony, and his weeping eye was always laughing. He was dilapidated, but bedecked with flowers. His youth, exiting long before its time, was retreating in good form, bursting with laughter but showing no loss of fire."

I have no idea who that passage is refering to yet (I'm only on page 35), but I look forward to meeting him!

Another weekend is upon us, and there will be more to shoot next week! By then I should also have those links on my as-of-now empty sidebar that I posted about on Monday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

All you need is love...

Bridal Extravaganza!

A huge "Thank You" to everyone who braved the cold and the wind yesterday to visit the Bridal Extravaganza at Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center! Yes, we may have had the most frigid location in the whole building (right in front of the doors), but it was a great time anyway! What an honor to be surrounded by such amazing wedding professionals too. I'm working on getting some links on my sidebar for some great wedding planning resources...some from the show and some that I've come into contact with in the past.

One of the most exciting things about it was that I got to share my new product...the Photobook from Zookbinders! These are beautiful albums that make great gifts for parents, grandparents or even attendants! With wraparound covers (not just dust jackets), they are the perfect compliment to any flush mount album! And the best part is that they are affordable!

If you were there and you entered my drawing for a free package upgrade, I'll be e-mailing the winner tomorrow!

City Girl, Country Girl (Or: I'm a Little Bit Country...I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll)

Big cities have always mystified me. The first time I visited Chicago, I was in love with its' rythm, the lights, the eateries, the music...the sheer energy that existed on the streets! Ditto for Miami (only with the added bonus of a the nearby beaches)! But I've always had a fondness for the the quiet and the peace of the the country too (I blame it on growing up with Little House on the Prairie). This weekend I had a chance to go out and shoot both!

We started out at North Bank Park downtown, then as we were making our way to the statehouse I thought we could stop and grab a few shots of the Dispatch building. It’s such a Columbus landmark, and I guess it has a little sentimental value too seeing as my Grandfather worked there first as a journalist and later in the typesetting department years ago. I couldn’t help but imagine how that corner has changed since his years there…what kinds of cars were parked on the corner, what news was making headlines for him to write about?

The next day, we headed out to our friend’s place in the country! They live on a farm with loads of sheep that the kids just adore…and to make it even more interesting, some of those sheep had little lambs! If you’re interested, you can read more about the lamb experience here. http://snoringscholar.blogspot.com/2008/01/surprise-in-barn.html

The dog, Louie had to watch over everything, of course…

Twenty bucks goes to the first person who can correctly identify exactly what this is…

Well, not you Sarah. Or you Susan…Or Isaac…Okay never mind. It’s the front end of a tractor. Can’t say what year, but I know for certain it’s a John Deere, best there is (or so I've been told)!

Before we went inside to watch the big game (and trade blogging tips) I had to get this one of the barn. This little red barn haunts me every time I visit, begging me to capture another little facet of it’s being. I can’t quite explain it, but some people try to capture the perfect sunset…For me, someday I’ll capture the perfect shot of this barn…

BoMA!

If you’re looking for a place to hold your wedding reception, rehearsal dinner or party check out BoMA, the Bar of Modern Art!

I had an opportunity to attend an event there a few days ago and was “Wowed”! The name caught me a little off guard, I mean I realize that MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) was taken, but why not “Club of Modern Art” (CoMa) or Resturant of Modern Art (RoMa)? Oh well, name not withstanding it’s a truly unique venue.

Situated in what used to be a downtown church, the bar has incorporated the gothic elements of the architecture (gorgeous stained glass windows and stunning archways), Chihuly (or just Chihuly-esque) sculpture, eclectic cuisine (such as oyster shooters and goat’s cheese cheesecake) and some super cool house music for a location that really is one-of-a-kind.

To call it a bar though really doesn't do it justice. There's a full-service resturant too! And being a photographer, I couldn't help but notice all the great places for photos (Grafitti walls, long balconies, overstuffed sofas and fireplaces...you get the idea)!

Check out this link for more pictures and information!