ROCK THE DRESS PHOTO SHOOTS!

Wedding Day.  Pinned curls.  Lace.  Veil. Something new.  White. Rings.  Pearls. Diamonds.  Something borrowed. High Heels. Airbrush. Love songs. Centerpieces. Something blue.  Bouquets.  Baby's breath. Soft. Pure. Perfect.   The Dress....  The Dress...... Oh, The Dress!

A Dress that awesome should never be worn just once!  (I capitalize "Dress" in this sentence... because we should all honor and praise it....and hold it in the highest regard!)

One of my favorite things to do is re-purpose!  Doing a very different photo shoot, without your mom and bridesmaids... without the stress of having to get to the cocktail hour.  Just the bride (or bride and groom), me and a camera.

Let me paint a picture!

ROCK THE DRESS SHOOT.  Runway hair... Big and FIERCE!  Dramatic makeup!  Model! Boots!   Rockin' necklace!  Bracelets for days!  Your favorite bad-ass rock song playing! Edgy! Fun! Relaxed! Showing your color shine through all that white!  

OR

MESS THE DRESS SHOOT.  Let's face it.... your daughter probably won't wear your dress in 30 years.  Jump in the ocean!  Be an artist... play around in paint!  Roll around on the beach!  Have a food fight with your husband!  Skies the limit!  

This time... September, October, November - post-wedding, is the perfect time for one of these shoots!  It can be whatever you want! I'd be thrilled to brainstorm great ideas that will reflect you!  

SOOOO MUCH FUN!  Get back in that dress before you box it up!  Don't you want to feel great wearing it, just one more time!  

I said it once... I'll say it again.  A dress that awesome should never be worn just once!

Save Your Memories... Print Your Photos!

We are children of a digital age.  Amazing things come with that fact.  If you are thinking about an old friend, you can text them in one second to say, "I love and miss you," and bring a smile to their face.  If you are thousands of miles away and you need to see your mom... you can Skype or Facetime and feel like you are in the same room... even if it's just to show her the dress you are wearing.  If you need to know who played that role in The Breakfast Club.... Siri is moments away.

As far as photography goes, the editing software is incredible.  Whether you're taking photos with your phone or a high end DSLR... you get to use filters and enhance... and pick and choose which you like and want to post on Instagram and Facebook or wherever else!  

But where do they go... these memories?  We share them on social media... and they live on our computers and phones.  And yes... we can show our friends instant moments from our lives, seconds after the moment transpires.  

But will we be able to share them with our grandkids?  Not if they aren't printed, we won't!  I'm writing this blog today because I'm guilty of the same thing... not printing my photos on a regular basis.  There's something so special about sitting around a dining room table with my mom, dad and brother, looking through albums... yes ALBUMS of photos of my grandparents and my family growing up over the years.  It's extraordinary to take out a box of photos and hold a piece of paper that my grandmother held in her hand. 

It's not the same sitting around a computer.  It's just not.  And technology fails...computers crash...all too often... and then what?  All those moments, gone!  It's a heartbreaking thought.  

So, today I urge you... to go through your phone.  Go through your computer.  Back up your photo files in more than one place.  Export them to Shutterfly or Blurb or Simple Prints or Artisan State.   Make prints. Frame some.  Make books of your photos.  Save your memories in a place that you can share them easily, not just in a text message, but around a dining room table in twenty years.  

This photo is from the App, Photofunia.  It's a collage of a few photos of the wonderful weddings we went to this summer.  I'm going to print them right now!

Heart of the Warrior... a growing project!

In January, I put up an exhibition called, Heart of the Warrior: Portraits of Women Who Share in the Fight Against Breast Cancer.  About a month ago, I got a call from the Governor's office asking me about the project and wanting to help me potentially move forward with it.  I was invited to the launch of Governor Cuomo's, "Get Screened.  No Excuses." Campaign.  It was awesome to be there surrounded in people who support this cause.  The photo below is from that day.  It is Governor Cuomo, and Sandra Lee getting ready to go sign a bill to make it more accessible for people to get screened.

After six months that I have been away from this project, I am both humbled and excited to move forward.  

I have been asked to present the Heart of the Warrior Exhibition at the Long Island Beauty Ball on September 26th at Crest Hollow Country Club.  This is a huge event!  Their goal is to raise $250,000 this year!  For information on how to purchase tickets, visit: www.longislandbeautyball.com

As far as moving forward in other capacities... I'm not sure exactly what that will be yet.  Maybe another shoot?  Maybe a publication of this work?  I feel like this will likely be an ongoing project... as Breast Cancer is an ongoing problem.  And there are always more women to inspire and celebrate.

The Beginning...

It is wedding season!   My Love and I will be going to our fourth wedding in 4 months tonight. And another in a few weeks.  The weddings we have been to are all people that are so important to us.  It inspires me to see so much love around.

I had the honor of officiating the wedding of my best friend, Katie and her new husband, Josh a few weeks ago.  As she read a letter from him... and got into her stunning dress, I thought about how amazing this time in our lives is.  Full of possibility and life and adventures we can foresee... and some we can't even imagine.  Their wedding was truly spectacular... full of sincerity, and elegance and peppered with truly personal touches from start to finish.  It really represented this glorious couple perfectly.

It's so interesting ...  all the wedding planning... picking out flowers and dresses and shoes and favors.  Having been in theatre my entire life... I understand the production of a wedding... the details are important to create this beautiful picture.  

But, the more exciting thing... sometimes scary because of the variables, is planning a life together.   My advice to brides... don't forget that at the end of the day... it doesn't matter if the cake didn't come out perfectly ... or if the flowers wilted by the end of the night.  You just married the person that will stand by you through all the bad cakes and wilted flowers.... and hopefully will buy you fresh ones when you need it!  

"It has always been you... you. ... You that pulled me from the longest sleep and kissed my tired eyelids awake." -Tyler Knott Gregson

I dedicate my first blog to my beautiful friend Katie, and her handsome new husband, Josh.  A stunning couple that is destined for s stunning life together.  

And to all getting married this summer... enjoy this time in your life.

Remember to live in the moment.