This month, I had the pleasure of shooting TWO weddings in a row for The Camera’s Eye. This one, in Rome, PA, was with Stefanie and Mike:

The wedding took place at Stefanie’s dad’s house in the country, where her grandmother, who has passed away, used to live and do the landscaping. This truly made it feel like she still there with the family on the big day, and the WHOLE event had a fun, down-home, country feel.

It was very easy to tell there was a HUGE bond between the bridal party and the bride and groom – all of the speeches were very emotional, and it was overwhelmingly clear that everyone was there out of love.

To match that, it was a do-it-yourself kind of wedding – the bridal bouquets were made that morning. They took a chainsaw into the woods to make some of the centerpieces and the signs. There were maybe 100 guests tops. It was low-stress, a ton of fun, and an intimate and personalized day!

Stefanie’s dress was vintage, and it required Patrick *carrying* her in and out of the creek to get these shots 🙂 Her mom had sewn her into the dress that morning, and when her eyelet broke, I had to sew her a new one to get her back into her dress after these shots!

Besides the overwhelming love you could feel in all aspects of the day, there was a beautiful takeaway message between the bride and groom: love each other’s flaws and celebrate those flaws. The bride has a tattoo, “omnia vincit amor,” (love conquers all things) as a reminder of their triumph over even the difficult times.

Gotta LOVE this sunflower coat, which Stefanie picked up at a thrift store outside of Philly.

And I couldn’t NOT include a picture of the cupcakes, by Dessert First in Waverly, NY. As always, they smelled incredible and tasted just as good 🙂 They were arranged on logs to match the woodsy, outdoor feel of the event.

Part of the reason this wedding was so much fun for The Camera’s Eye to shoot, aside from the wonderful people: I had clients who had complete trust in their vision for their day, and in me! Whatever floats your boat and whatever happens, your wedding WILL work, and I’ll be able to capture the images.

The bride and groom just returned from a hiking and camping honeymoon, which is perfectly fitting 🙂 Thank you to Stefanie, Mike, and their family and friends for sharing their day with me!

Sometimes I come away from a senior session at The Camera’s Eye SO energized by the person I got to meet and whose personality I got to capture. Meet Michala Tiffany, a rising senior at Owego Free Academy:

She has been a violinist since age 9 and plays with the Binghamton Youth Symphony, so we of course worked that into her senior shoot. The black lace dress is what she normally wears for symphony performances:

I especially love her style, since senior session clothing can be a tough one for many clients at The Camera’s Eye. She used Pinterest for a lot of her ideas, and she knew she wanted a natural and classic look to her photos. She chose a white dress for something breezy and light to go with the more natural backgrounds, and wore the gorgeous blue earrings for a “contrasting pop of color”.

Her sweater and shorts combo was a more casual option, and ended up working out great with the chair I brought along! Check out all the soft colors and variety of textures:

Thank you for such a stylin’ senior session, Michala Tiffany, and best of luck in your last year at OFA!

At The Camera’s Eye, I LOVE working with seniors who have their own unique vision for their senior photos! Meet Ethan, a 2016 senior from Owego Free Academy.

I had photographed Ethan’s older brother two years ago, and I love the chance to keep working with the same family 🙂 Ethan is an outdoor kind of guy, and his senior session was nothing short of adventurous! He wanted his senior photos to reflect the fact that he plays basketball and likes to hunt and fish.

We started out at the school, where I hopped into the truck with Ethan and his mom to get to a local farm. I knew we had to stop to shoot as soon as I saw an old rusted dump truck on the property.

As we were taking these pictures, we heard a tractor approaching – and the driver INSISTED that Ethan get some shots not only next to the tractor, but also in the driver’s seat.

Then on to the pond!

None of these pictures capture the mini-adventures we had – almost getting the car stuck in a 5-foot ditch…or a mud puddle…or the mosquito bites…or the cuts from the sharp blades of grass…

But that’s all in a day’s work when it comes to my summer senior sessions 🙂

Thank you for letting me in on your adventure, Ethan! Best of luck from The Camera’s Eye on your last year at OFA.

So I already featured some of the artisans I met at the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, but a few of them had such interesting stories that I needed MORE space for them! So meet Jeff Turney of Lone Ranger Antiques in Florida!

Jeff specializes in antique Swedish furniture. Here are some of his wares on display at the Country Living Fair:

So, how does one get started in antique Swedish furniture? Jeff started visiting Sweden in 1986, when he was 21 and especially interested in Swedish girls um, culture. While waiting in line for ice cream at Kings Garden in Stockholm, he got chatting with an American guy and a Swedish woman. They bought him some ice cream – his Swedish language skills being non-existent – and they sat down to start chatting.

The American guy offered Jeff a job so that he could continue living in Sweden. The couple then invited Jeff to spend the weekend with them at their country farm house. Right across the road was an Estate Auction sign. All that Jeff bought was a box of old wooden tools for $2, but that was all it took – he was totally hooked. See Jeff’s own photos for proof:

Today, he owns his OWN Swedish country house, and spends summers in-country buying up items from estate auctions like an unstoppable force.

He has spent nearly three decades making the trip to Sweden each year, and frequently hears from customers that “there must be nothing left in Sweden.” He actually finds that with the popularity of IKEA and other modern, cheap options, there’s not a whole lot of demand for the type of antiques and collectibles he finds, and he never has trouble scooping them up and bringing them home.

In fact, the items he’s after are frequently called “Mors Mors Skit” by the Swedish. “Mors Mors” is “grandmother” and “Skit” is, well, just one letter different than its English translation. I can say that his wares are WAY better than that term implies 🙂

Jeff does four shows each year –  the Brimfield Antique show in Massachusetts (summer and fall) and the Round Top Antiques Fair in Texas (next show starting September 28th, 2015).

Jeff is the one on the right, FYI.

Senior season is in full swing at The Camera’s Eye, and I wanted to share some shots from Maddie’s senior session!

Since Maddie was looking for an edgy urban feel, we shot in downtown Binghamton.

Maddie did an awesome job choosing her outfits for her senior session! As she explains: “I don’t normally wear a lot of color in my everyday outfits but I wanted my senior pictures to have color so they didn’t look washed out.” She added some prints and jewelry pieces for some extra pizzazz. The basic outfit breakdown was 1) black romper with bright statement jewelry, 2) black dress with colorful flowers and 3) ripped capris with an off-white tank top, brown hat and gold jewelry.

I love how these outfits work because they add a pop of color and interest without overwhelming the shot, all while staying true to Maddie’s personality and style 🙂 That makes for an ideal senior session outfit! She radiates confidence in every shot, no?

Thanks to Maddie for a fun senior photo session in Binghamton with The Camera’s Eye. Good luck in your final year at OFA!

As you know, The Camera’s Eye recently traveled to the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck! I loved getting to meet individual vendors and take some shots of their wares, including the incredible jewelry made by Mary DeMarco of La Contessa in Baltimore:

Her jewelry is inspired by nature and completely hand-made through an intricate plating and layering process.

Mary, along with her husband, has been making pewter jewelry since 1986. As you can see, her pieces are highly detailed and the use of semi-precious stones really makes the color jump!

If you’re in the Baltimore area, definitely stop by her shop, which is attached to the studio. Here’s a sneak preview of what the store looks like – now I am dying to take a trip myself! Check out other retail locations here.

Thanks to Mary for sharing more about her business and letting The Camera’s Eye photograph some of her gorgeous jewelry at Rhinebeck!

It might be senior photo season, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time for the younger set at The Camera’s Eye – like newborns!

I’ve worked with mom Carrie and dad Corey through their engagement session AND their wedding photos, and I was honored when they tapped me to shoot their sweet little girl, Blake!

Carrie and Corey are easily some of the most mellow new parents I’ve ever met. They completely handed the shoot over to me, and were very trusting. When I shot their wedding, it poured – so they let me try out the idea of putting all the wedding gear back on and shooting them the NEXT day. It was just as magical as we had hoped! I was so glad we could find the magic with their newborn session as well 🙂

Newborn photography always brings its own challenges, and its own unique style of creativity and fun. Patience is key when photographing any newborn, and I think that (much like being pregnant and then having a baby) the end product is well worth it!

Thanks to Blake and her parents for entrusting The Camera’s Eye with their newborn photo session!

I recently spent a weekend at The Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY with two of my FAVE local Owego artisans – Lisa Bystrak of Lisa B. Contemporary Art and Chris Knickerbocker of Old Souls Home!

Some wares from Lisa B:

These two ladies filled out the applications for the Country Living Fair as a way to challenge each other and up their motivation. They made their applications as crazy and unique as possible, and it seems to have worked – they were both accepted to take part in the fair in Rhinebeck! I tagged along to photograph all sorts of art and antiques, and to meet awesome creative folk!

Both ladies bubble over with excitement and pride when talking about their experience at the Country Living Fair. It was a huge professional affirmation of their talents. There’s nothing like being supported and uplifted by other artisans with the same interests! It was a major instance of getting a foot in the door professionally, and it lets both ladies “take [themselves] a little more seriously” as artists.

The fair features about 200 vendors from all over the country – a mix of artisans and those who purchase goods for a store, such as antiques dealers.

So let me introduce you to a few of them! Striking Swedish country antiques from Jeffree Turney at Lone Ranger Antiques, South Florida/Sweden:

Heart of Ohio Antique Center. Abbey Knight came all the way from Springfield, OH to showcase the goodies she buys and sells all over the country!

GORGEOUS jewelry from Mary DeMarco /La Contessa, based in Baltimore.

Stunning handmade jewelry from Andrea Lithgow / Dandy Craft, down in Texas!

Meet Heidi from Hi Ho Home Market in Gardiner, NY:

Beautiful (and often hilarious) fabric collage pieces by Sue Handman:

The balloon launch at Owego Free Academy is unlike most other events we shoot at The Camera’s Eye – and I love it!

Middle school students in the Blue Horizons Club collaborate to launch a balloon from the football field. Hosted in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, the project changes each year depending on the students and their goals.

This year, students included a solar panel, which was used to power a buzzer to help them determine the balloon’s exact spot of impact at the end of its journey.

This year, the students installed a GPS and a camera with the goal of tracking the balloon and taking pics of themselves….from 100,000 feet. The ultimate selfie 🙂 Check out some of the images from the balloon itself, courtesy of the Blue Horizons Club!

 

 

Check out our full gallery of images at The Camera’s Eye proofing page, password “Launch15”. You can see even more photos at OFA’s Picasa album for the event!

I was on such a high after shooting the Mud Mountain Rock and Run 5K last month! Time to finally share some photos 🙂

The Run is crazy, crazy fun….and funny at the same time. You see all kinds of runners – those who take it seriously, those who are there to laugh and maybe avoid some of the nastier obstacles, and a non-competitive group who could walk and have fun!

The obstacles aren’t impossible, but they are HARD. I was glad to be behind the camera rather than neck high in mud, like some of the runners.

At the end of the day, it’s an awesome cause. The money raised went to the Family Enrichment Network. All the runners get to wash off with hoses and enjoy some yummy food and great music. There’s a very communal atmosphere, where everyone gathers with friends at picnic tables.

I get so jazzed by the energy at events like the Mud Mountain Rock and Run, and it’s really when I’m shooting something like this that I’m at my BEST!