I recently trekked all the way to the Upper East Side [my fellow NYrs know this is not much of a trek!] to photograph the very smiley Jace. Now, I should mention that I’ve worked with this family before. Engagement shoot+wedding = baby session. So when Meredith & Jace greeted me at the door and he was already laughing, well, let’s just say, this is a good thing for a photographer!

Jace was patient through many a wardrobe change, didn’t fuss when we then removed  the aforementioned wardrobe for some tummy shots and giggled the entire time I crawled behind to capture those little toes! It was a fantastic shoot! Seeing M&R and meeting the newest member of their beautiful family, well that was just the cherry on the happy Jace cake!

I know that the next time I see him, Jace will be running not walking and I plan on cross training to keep up with him!

to view the photo montage from this shoot:

http://video214.com/play/wiCcnaJvdmtG7MVn483Sng/s/dark

- Melanie

While some clients received their cards in November I just SHOT mine last weekend. It was an elaborate scenario involving my four-year old and fourteen or so wardrobe changes. We got all of the shots we needed and then came the card design. The cards just arrived and will be promptly mailed today [thank you USPS!].

While staring at the multiple images of Maxwell, I couldn’t help but dream of some sort of Melanie cloning for 2011 … now where is my letter to Santa?!

- MWPhoto Team

Perfect! But… this little miracle known as a newborn could not care less about having their photo taken. Actually the tinier the baby the more oblivious they are to my existence. Sure, this sounds like a candid photographer’s dream come true… but it poses [pardon the pun] some minor issues. Let’s take Miss Abigail. After a speedy delivery she came into this world with a full head of hair, and the face of a little angel. I couldn’t wait to get to NJ to see her and her parents capture the tiny little bits and pieces before she reached a month!

Abigail, not interested in my arrival, needed feeding, a diaper change, and well some Mommy time. In between her busy newborn routine she graced me with the random scowl, and yes…. even a smile! Sure, it was likely a gas bubble passing through but a photographer can hope it was a smile! You can judge for yourself:

I always caution clients [and friends] that newborn photos are not the most exciting. I should also start advising that they can be the most tender, endearing shoots as well. When I    headed back to NYC after the shoot, I had the image of that little 3″ foot one day slipping on a wedding shoe and all I could think was that I better be the one photographing it!

photos from this shoot may be viewed at:

http://video214.com/play/nRMyYansD50GiXz1q1yPcQ/s/dark

- Melanie

Let’s take Maire & Greg for example. Their engagement shoot was awesome… easy smiles, lots of laughing and no one got offended by my jokes [heck they may even have laughed at a couple of them!]. Their wedding day was even better. Blue skies, funny groomsmen and bridesmaids that could strike a pose [even after a little broken glass incident - BM Bridie wins the super trooper award]. We played around and got some great shots at the Tarrytown House as well as at their beautiful church. All the while Marie and Greg were in sync, having fun, smiling and always holding hands.

I’ve been remiss in my posts this summer. It’s due only to the blessing of a heavy workload not a shortage of amazing couples to make mention of. Please take a look at their montage link below and check back soon as there’s lots more to come from MWPhoto’s “summer of love”.

http://video214.com/play/KFqTwIic1Zp615Fm6VM4Wg/s/dark

- Melanie

Adrienne and John were recently married and it will forever be one of my favorite weddings! Allow me to backtrack to explain why…

At one point in my life I was just an unusual kid of ten years old… and two of my best friends were Monica and Adrienne [pretty sure you can see where this is heading!]. As the years flew by our friendship fizzled, we grew up and went our separate ways [except that my unusualness never seemed to fade]. Through the miracle of the world wide web [thank you Al Gore] and FaceBook [thank you ?] Adrienne and I were back in touch and oblivious to what first kept us apart and completely disinterested in why… we were just thrilled to catch up! In doing so I found out that she was getting married [a second time around] to a great guy [we'll call him John... well.. because that's his name] who was also married once before.

They both have amazing children who were going to play a big part in their wedding and the more I learned about this affair… the more I wanted to be the one to rock out their photos!
I get the “we want you to come as a guest” thing all of the time… and while appreciated… nothing brings me more joy than to give a friend photos that they’ll love for a lifetime… so when I was asked … I jumped at the offer!

A weekend wedding… guests came from near and far to the ridiculously adorable New Hope, PA to celebrate. It was hot, humid and amazing! With great attention to detail and fantastic attitudes the wedding was perfect! It didn’t hurt that the newlyweds and their children jumped into the pool at the wedding’s end! [you must check out the link below]

I was inspired by Adrienne & John and their finding love the 2nd time around… and I think it touched me even more because she and I have our own “new hope” of sorts.

to view the photo montage from this event:

http://video214.com/play/PfukYjpfcAQWcJzLoJcBKQ/s/dark

We had an itinerary which I will now admit I had little faith would work. Not because of my planning, but because their plans were ambitious and well when the city runs things… maybe not the most efficient. We met downtown… groom first and the Kirstie strolled down the street without breaking a sweat! The ceremony [albeit fast] was prompt and fun and we hit the streets! We had a blast taking advantage of all of the “props” NYC has to offer… hots dog vendors, the “Law & Order” steps of the courthouse, Brooklyn Bridge. A quick check of the watch and we were off to “our” next gig… St. Barts!

At a glance the photos would look like a lot of other weddings I’ve shot. Beautiful church, B&G exchanging vows and formal portraits. There was nothing typical about this event. Not the locations, the couple or the itinerary! I did learn some new math from D&K… 1 bride + 1 groom x 2 weddings = a very memorable day.

to view the shoot please follow this link:
http://video214.com/play/j67LP4G3qSpV4LichixQKQ/s/dark

The Mastropietros are two of the warmest, easiest going people to be around. The family and friends that were there to celebrate with them spanned generations… from lifelong friends of Mrs M to their grandchildren. Everyone obviously adores the not so newlyweds and the slide show that they presented during the party really showed why! This is a family that loves… well… being a family!

As it turns out, Holly & Ken are the marriage newbies comparatively speaking. Kenny’s sisters are both married for an impressive number of years and obviously going strong [from this photographer's perspective]. I felt blessed to share in the 50th milestone and since the apples clearly don’t fall far from this love tree… am looking forward to sharing some more anniversaries with the family!

to view a photo montage from the shoot please visit:
http://video214.com/play/iw9OHh7ZseR2GFpDMVkWeQ/s/dark

- Melanie

Then a couple of years and babies that are no longer babies later, it happened… the Mrs. sent an e-mail. The shoot was scheduled and off to Chappaqua I went! The weather was amazing, the grass unbelievably green and the family suited for photos. Max, the eldest, was ready to go. He shared stories of the two goals scored just an hour before our shoot and showed me his moves. Ella, the little munchkin was off the charts smiling, laughing , doing all of the things little girls do! And Jed… off to a rocky start, he quickly joined in once I told him it was OK to stick his tongue out at me! [boys!]

I’m eager for the Strobers to see their photos. We’ve had a two-year build up to this shoot … and I have to say that I think it was well worth the wait!

To view this shoot visit:

http://video214.com/play/0i7RJweQ2FswqDANkdN3Hg/s/dark

- Melanie

Maddie’s folks made it look easy as pie, but having photographed and thrown parties for the toddler set I know it takes attention to detail to …well… keep their attention! Needless to say, happy little party goers make for a happy photographer and hopefully all of this happiness comes through in the photos!

Here’s a link to a montage from her shoot:

http://video214.com/play/IhoB01LS0Gs3oPDcDyBlxg/s/dark

Happy Birthday Maddie and thanks for rocking out your photos!

- Melanie