Happy New Year

one of the most amazing things I did this year was just a day or so ago, in Southbury, CT they have a viewing area where you can watch Bald Eagles in their natural environment... We saw 6 eagles, 3 adults & 3 immatures... It was fantastic!!! Two immatures (approx. 2 years old, still getting their colours) put on a spectacular display, frolicking & playing in the sunshine for ages... It was truly something to witness, and a very uncommon occurrence. It was a blessing to watch...

I wish you all a wonderful new year, filled with love and laughter and lot's of smiles!

I'm off to Tampa for my convention (via Disney), then I'll do my year in review when I get back mid January... Till then, stay happy & warm, blessings for 2008.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, magical day. Merry Christmas. All the best for 2008. Love and Peace.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given...

Hallelujah.

feed the world (literally...)

My fabulous sister, Marla, sent me the link to this wonderful site... Free Rice
Improve your vocabulary & the United Nations World Food program will donate free rice to those in need through sponsors... In just a few minutes I learned my vocabulary was not too bad (but why can't I remember any words when I'm playing Scrabble?) and I donated 1000 grains of rice...

CORRECT!
quahog = round clam (living on the Cape, how easy was that one?)
ameliorate means:
improve
wander
dwell
snip

(it's improve, I got it wrong!) Go play for yourself, it's quite addictive!!

Don Quixote

...the day before the big snowstorm, Lewis Bay certainly exemplified the calm before the storm, the ocean was like glass, perfectly still (except when Lucy went for splashing, crazy, wild romps through it!), amazingly calm. And then the snow came, and it returned to normal, covered with snow, but normal! Returning home, there was this large snowball at the end of someone's driveway where it had been plowed. Lucy stopped about 100 yards from it and started barking ferociously (well, as ferocious as a black lab gets!), I couldn't get her anyway near it, she was barking like mad. All I could think of was Don Quixote & the windmills, "en garde big ball of snow..."

beauty

sometimes the beauty that is all around me everyday takes my breath away...

Today I was walking Lucy along the beach, it was foggy and cool (and I didn't have my camera!). There was a six or seven foot strip of beach from the edge of the sea that was absolutely flat & smooth. There were no stones or shells or normal beach things, the sand was like an empty journal page waiting to be written on. It ended at this gorgeous marbelized strip of sand, tans & grays & blacks marbelized by the waves & sea... It was so peaceful and beautiful.

When I went back, merely an hour later, the tide had come in, the smooth path I had followed earlier was taken back by the sea, the sun broke free through the fog, and I was reminded how quickly it all can change...

Happy Birthday Ray, we love you & wish you peace & happiness for today and through-out the year... xxx

the Nutcracker...

The play was fabulous, congrats to all the kids! Now it's time for the Nutcracker, there are many to choose from... Try Reaching Heart's Nutcracker at CCCC, this weekend, Dec. 15th & 16th !

The photographer in me always wanted Adriana to be a ballerina, it was all about the cute costumes... but, she had no interest in it sadly... I think she's been bitten by the acting bug though, after the first night of 'Best Christmas Pageant Ever', she begged to be in another play, wants to take acting lessons, etc... I think her favorite part was on Sunday, when one of the fireman scooped her up, fireman style (throwing her over his shoulder), and ran across the stage with her in an impromptu bit of improvisation...

who knows where it will lead...

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

This weekend don't miss 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' based on the book by Barbara Robinson at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Old Main Street, So. Yarmouth. The Herdman's, the worst kids in the history of the world, take over the annual Christmas pageant at the church, bullying their way into all the best roles... You'll laugh out loud, and cheer for the cast comprised mainly of children, who bring the play to life...

Mom: okay children you're supposed to have on your costumes today, are these your costumes? Is this what you're going to wear?

Baby Angel 1: my wings got all bent.

Baby Angel 2: I can't find my halo.

Baby Angel 1: Janet's got my robe.

Baby Angel 2: My mom doesn't have any white sheets for me to wear, can I wear one with balloons on it?

Friday 12/7 and Saturday 12/8 at 7:30pm, Sunday 12/9 at 2:30pm

Tickets $12 adults/$10 children & seniors

gifts that give back

(photo from Oxfam's site)

As you're preparing for the holidays and buying gifts for everyone, I wanted to share one of my favorite gifts I received last year. My dear friends, Mouse & Dave, bought us the gift of planted trees. They may have been fruit or avocado trees, or trees that provided shade for coffee plantations, or maybe they were planted to stop erosion...

There are many wonderful organizations that offer gifts that give back, I wanted to share some sites you can purchase these gifts. Oxfam offers items like school uniforms & desks, planted trees, and shares in a fair trade coffee cooperative. At the Heifer Project you can buy a heifer, or a goat, a flock of chicks, or honeybees to help a family support themselves. (There's a fabulous book you should share with your children, Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier and Lori Lohstoeter, about a poor Ugandan girl who's able to go to school because of receiving a goat from the Heifer project. Prior to having the goat, they couldn't afford the school uniform, and she wasn't able to attend school without one! It's a beautiful story that shows you what a big difference these gifts make.) There's also Seva Foundation which provides gifts of service, the gift of sight, or medical care...

These are wonderful gifts for the person you don't know what to get, or the person who has everything, because they share with those who have nothing, what better gift could there be?

one more...

tonight at dinner, I came up with a better elementary school story, in the 3rd grade we played "Muskrat Love"* in our recorder recital, I even had a solo! (*it was the 70's...)

8 things you may not know about me...

Although I just shared a few things, my friend Tom 'tagged' a bunch of us to share 8 things you may not know... so here's a few more for you!
1. I LOVE musicals, The Sound of Music, Evita, West Side Story, Guys & Dolls...
2. I spent my summers at Camp Maria Pratt GS camp, my Indian name was "Sparkling Smile" - I like to think it wasn't all about the braces...
3. I've got 99 Red Balloons & Safety Dance on my i Pod.
4. My first job was selling cameras in the photo dept. at Caldors, I also had a brief stint as a draftsperson for my step-father.
5. In the 1st grade concert, my best friend, Suzanne, had a solo singing "Sunshine on my
Shoulders", she got nervous & starting crying, so I went up on stage and put my arm around her to give her the strength to sing her song... Needless to say then everyone else had tears in their eyes!
6. I came to America on the Queen Elizabeth 1, a 5 day journey with my mum & my sister... It was the farewell year of the QE, sailing from Southampton to NY, and the first time I slept through the night (I was 5 mos. old!)
7. One of the first things I did in Paris was visit Jim Morrison's grave.
8. I got engaged to Ray under palm trees & moonlight in Puerto Rico.

Scavenger Hunt

We photographed a lovely wedding yesterday, Kathleen & Mike got married & danced under the "Beaver Moon", (no, we don't know why it was called that either...), it was a great day. It's not often as a wedding photographer I see things which are completely new & different to me, but yesterday, Kathleen did something I thought was very cool. She had a scavenger hunt with the table cameras, each table (& camera) had a different list of things they had to photograph, the bride's grandmother & grandfather kissing, the biggest hair, the youngest guest, the craziest dancer, the cutest couple (other than the bride & groom of course!)... what fun! I overheard the groom's mother laughing because one of the photos was supposed to be her & her husband kissing or hugging... Here's two I caught, the bride &/or groom sticking out their tongues, and someone making a face!

bad day for the turkey

take a gander at this thing of beauty... man I love my husband!

gotta go enjoy it!

HAPPY DAY!!

give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends, family, and clients... I am thankful for my beautiful daughter, my family, my loving husband, being able to have a business that allows me to share my passion with people, my friends (old & new), the LoveCats (a phenomenal group of women photographers who I am so blessed to have in my life), being able to create, rock tumblers ;-), living and working by the sea, my list could go on and on, there are so many things to be thankful for in this life... Adriana is thankful for Lucy (our black lab), me & Ray, and her American Girl Doll (she is 7!). I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, full of love, good cheer & happiness.

a little bit about me...

I am both a proud member of, and the vice-president of Professional Photographers of Cape Cod http://www.ppocc.org/ which consists of some fabulous photographers, and some of my fabulous friends... At our meeting tonight I was "member of the month", mostly because I said yes! Here is a sampling of my questionnare answers... The most difficult part of my job is days like today when I got hailed on at my beach session (brrr)! My fave non-photographic activity is seeking stones, standing stones & stone circles in the UK (a topic for another blog I promise!), as well as just general rock-hounding. Ray & Adriana bought me a rock tumbler for my b-day, I'm in day 2 of a 30 day process, the photo is the rocks as they were when we found them on the beach, they're tumbling as we speak, my patience is being tested!!! One of the questions, was "when did you know you were a grown-up?" to which I replied "when my dad died", but I have another happier answer too, one time when I carried my sleeping daughter in from the car, she must have been 3 or 4, as I was opening the door with her on my shoulder I was amazed at a powerful feeling of protectiveness, and just be a mom-ness, and I felt sooooo grown-up! My fave food is linguini with a cherry tomato & clam sauce, my husband came up with the recipe and it is fabulous! and I am still a dead-head after all these years.... (my cell phone plays "I know you rider..." and I happily sing along every time it rings...)

UNITY!

What a cool job I've got, today with a little help from Peter Childs of Childs Arborists, Inc. (who donated the cherry picker that lifted me into the sky) I photographed Marstons Mills East Horace Mann Charter Public School's celebration of Unity... This is the second year they have brought the school together to celebrate community, and I am honored to be a part of it... Last year the kids made a spiral, this year they spelled unity, can't wait to see what they do next year!!

(visit Peter's website at http://www.childsarborists.com/)

I Love Lucy

the other night I turned the tv on, and on the program guide there were three episodes of I Love Lucy on in a row, so the screen read "I Love Lucy, I Love Lucy, I Love Lucy", and I thought to myself, "yeah, I really do..." Lucy is our black lab. She's so delightful, though walking her in the dark tonight with no streetlights and coyotes howling was less than delightful... it was quite the speedy walk!

wait till you hear about my wedding coming up on Saturday... anyone have any good dog stories to share?

and baby makes three!

Very busy here on the Cape, photographing families, weddings, high school seniors, barely time to take a breath, let alone blog... sorry for the quiet...

I photographed Meegan & David's wedding at the Popponessett a few years back, and this summer got to meet their charming son, Andrew... He is just adorable, sweet as a button (although I've found at a previous sitting this summer that this description doesn't go over well with 13 year old boys, hmm... guess 'cute as a button' is just not that cool!)

I love catching up with families year after year, watching my wedding couples families growing, meeting the new additions, it is such a fun part of my job...

International Exhibition

Today, I was thrilled to find out that 3 of my images will be on display at the 116th International Exhibition of Professional Photography, in Tampa, Fla. in January, 2008! Out of 5,000 entries, 3 of mine were chosen to hang amongst 4,000 other photographic works from this both this competition and traveling and special invitational displays. The images constitute the world's largest annual exhibit of professional photography gathered simultaneously under one roof. I will receive one merit for each of my prints, "Waiting on a Snowflake", "The Long Walk Home", and "Raindate" which I will apply towards my Master's of Photography degree.

Peter Pan...

"Nana had no doubt of what was the best thing to do with this shadow. She hung it out at the window, meaning "He is sure to come back for it; let us put it where he can get it easily without disturbing the children."
But unfortunately Mrs. Darling could not leave it hanging out at the window, it looked so like the washing and lowered the whole tone of the house. She thought of showing it to Mr. Darling, but he was totting up winter great-coats for John and Michael, with a wet towel around his head to keep his brain clear, and it seemed a shame to trouble him; besides, she knew exactly what he would say: "It all comes of having a dog for a nurse." " (from Peter Pan)

High school senior portraits on the beach can be such fun! Tonight the light was so fabulous, and sometimes I'm inspired by silly things, on turning from my beautiful senior with the sun on her face and the water behind her, I saw her friend behind my reflector and had to take this shot! And for all of you Peter Pan fans, "Of course it was a Friday".

Gina and Frank

Another beautiful wedding on Cape Cod, after a delightful ceremony (with plenty of onlookers!) Gina and Frank are married! The Cape Cod Museum of Fine Arts looked amazing, the bride and groom were fabulous, and DJ Tom Tuttle set the tone with some fabulous tunes... A great time was had by all... We wish Gina & Frank all the best (and happy rock

hunting!)

Friday the 13th

What a fun day to get married, the sun is shining, a delightful day... Can't wait to share it with Vanessa and Brian!!!

Lisa and Paul

A beautiful day for a perfect Cape Cod wedding... The Cape Cod Museum of Fine Art is always gorgeous, and Lisa and Paul got married in their garden, simply lovely... as always, how lucky I am to share in such wonderful days... We wish Lisa and Paul a lifetime full of love...

Relay for Life

My daughter and I walked and walked and walked this weekend to raise money for cancer research in the Relay for Life. The DY Relay raised $315,000 so far, how amazing that is, how proud I am to have been a part. There were a lot of tears shed, but there was also laughter... The luminaries on one side of the bleachers said "HOPE" and I have hope... Thank you to all who supported us in our walk.

Locks for Love

Well, I kept talking about it, and finally, I've cut my hair to donate to Locks for Love. I donated 12 inches of my wild, crazy, mane of hair...

If you'd like to find out more, please visit http://www.locksoflove.org/.

If you're thinking of donating hair, call the studio, I'd love to create before and after portraits for you as a gift... (by appointment only please!) I can also refer you to a couple of great hairdressers.

Trina & Dave got married

Trina and Dave had a beautiful wedding at the Sandwich Hollows, it was a great day to photograph such a beautiful couple! What a fun day it was, lots of laughter, the dance floor was hopping, the food (catered by the always fabulous Casual Gourmet) was delicious... A wonderful day for them to begin their journey as Mr. and Mrs... We wish them the best always...

damn Yankees

photo by Ray

well, we had a great time, the rain held off until about 11pm, and then it was just a dry rain (as we Cape Codders say, well at least that's what a friend of mine was told we Cape Codders say!), we came from behind, it was all very exciting, but then those damn Yankees... sadly, they also came from behind, and we didn't make it back... But, like any Sox fan knows, this game didn't make any difference, it's early in the season, and just really doesn't count...

Good seats $85.00, parking $30.00, being at a Red Sox/Yankees game, well okay not really priceless when they lose, but almost...

weddings

Trina and Dave are getting married, hooray! This weekend they will start their journey together as man and wife, and how lucky I am to be a part of their day... What an amazing job I have that I get to celebrate such momentous occassions with my clients, there's nothing like being with the bride as she's getting ready for her walk down the aisle, or seeing a dad crying as he entrusts another man to care for his darling baby... On that one day, I see what no one else sees, the whole day unfolds, and I'm there for each step... being a wedding photographer is such a gift, and then you add the beauty of the Cape to an already beautiful day, lucky me.

Congratulations, Trina and Dave, may your lives together hold much happiness!

gallery wraps

oh the beauty of a gallery wrap... Beautiful prints that wrap around the edge of the canvas frame, they hang right on the wall, no frame needed... how cool they are! I'm using my blog today to show samples of how great they look, come to the studio to see them in real life! Call with questions...

Mother's Day

Hope all of you moms had a wonderful day yesterday...
On Saturday, my daughter curled up next to me and asked, "Mom, what's your favorite thing?" without hesitation I replied, "you". On Mother's Day, I received a list of why I'm so special, with prompting lines and then areas she filled in, the first said "You really love..." to which she wrote "me".
After I read the whole sweet list, she told me that she was just checking when she'd asked me what I really love the day before, she wanted to be sure it was indeed her! Thankfully, I'd come up with the right answer, because really, I could have replied anything from zebras to blue cheese to splashing in puddles to martinis, depending on my mood, but my response was the one she'd wanted to hear! phew....

the season starts

This weekend, I had my first portrait session at Dowses Beach in Osterville... my favorite beach for photographs... I've had other beach sessions in this early part of our season, but going to Dowses is like going home... I know the beach so well, a part of my spirit comes alive while I'm photographing there... I'll be there all summer, photographing families and seniors, but there's something about the first session of the season that's special, and this one was made even more so....

Upon arriving, there was a male Osprey hanging out lazily (as they're prone to do) near his nest, where his mate was sitting (perhaps on eggs?). I (always being early!) had a few minutes to spare, and jumped out of my car to get him on his perch, and she on hers, but I guess I made him nervous, and off he flew... I stood (at a good distance from his nest, lest anyone think I was encroaching on him) and watched him circle... What amazing birds they are. How lucky we are that we didn't lose them entirely. Thank God for Rachel Carson, and those early environmentalists...

Save the Tiger!

World Wildlife Fund, along with other tiger conservation groups, launched this fabulous campaign to save the tiger. They are having supporters of tiger conservation upload their photo which they are making into a photomosaic of a tiger. They will then send this photomosaic to the leaders in China, to ask them to continue to support the ban on the trade of tiger skin and parts... I have proudly submitted my photo and my daughter's photo to show our support. Learn more, or upload your photo, at http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigermosaic/?enews=enews0407t

Let me know if you add your photo, I'd love to see it! If you want to use one I've taken for you, let me know, I'll gladly post it for you!

(photo taken from WWF website)

quahogs

Clamming is a part of Cape life, and quite a yummy one I must add! Today the Town of
Barnstable had Clamming for Kids, we bundled up in rainboots, and rubber gloves (except of course the clammer in the family, he had Neoprene gloves, waders, you know the whole nine yards) we girls did the best we could... Off to this great spot in Cotuit on the bay... Adriana was great at finding steamers, measuring them, wiggling them back and forth like a wiggly tooth to get them out (she's had a lot of practice lately!) She was thrilled when she raked up a huge quahog (we won't tell her dad found it and set it on the sand for her to find!) So I guess you know what we'll be having for dinner...

April Vacation

As you may have noticed, I have a lovely little daughter, and this week I'll be spending my time with her, my dear sister and her sweet daughter... So all will be quiet on the Studio front, but the office is open, call or email if you need anything... they'll help you out... I'm going to enjoy my family for a few days... *writing with a big smile on my face*

the baby brother

what a joy it is to be a photographer... I first met Emily when she was 3 months old, and what seems only minutes later, she turns 5 next week. She brought her baby brother, John to meet me today... what a treat! photographing at the studio is such fun, I'm usually taking beach portraits, or on location at weddings, sometimes I don't get to utilize my great space here... children fill our lives with such light and laughter, don't forget to appreciate how amazing they truly are!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, happy spring, happy today... How ever you celebrate, I hope that you are enjoying this lovely time of year...
The Easter bunny arrived at our home yesterday, my daughter found her first egg before she left her bedroom in the morning! Peeking out through her window on the second floor, she spied a purple egg on the fence... As usual, we were short one egg, no one could find the last one... eventually while we were out playing in the yard it appeared!

Relay for Life

Adriana and I will be walking in the Relay for Life in June. We're part of a team that will walk at DY High School to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We'll be camping out, it should be quite the adventure! I've made the commitment, now I need to start raising money, so I'll be adding my ACS personal website to the studio's site for a month or two... If you would consider donating, please visit my online donation form at:

http://www.acsevents.org/relay/madennis/photogsarah

for just $5.00 you can purchase a luminary in a loved ones name that will be decorated, and we will light on Friday night.

Contact me with any questions! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

April Fools!

My husband thought of a great way to fool our daughter, she always gets up first, so he rigged the bathroom door so that when she opened it, a bunch of stuffed animals would fall on her head, and a sign came down (complete with a swinging monkey) that said "April Fools"...

(they've improved on their, get Mom with the sprayer while she makes her tea trick, I checked for the rubber band before I filled the kettle, who knew they'd taped the handle together? maybe I won't get soaked again next year...)

It's not easy being a princess, it's hard to walk in the shoes

You have to love the little ones... spent my last 2 mornings photographing some local preschoolers, 75 of them! What a great time I had... I told one little boy his spiky hair looked very cool, and asked him if his mom put stuff in it to make it that way, he replied, "yes, she put jello in it". I commented on another girls necklace, "it's beautiful", I said, "did you get it for a special occasion?", "no", she replied, "we haven't been on occasion yet".

how truly blessed I am that this is my life...

NEIPP

Just settling back in from an intensive week studying with Don MacGregor, Master Photographer (US and Canada) at the New England Institute of Professional Photography. What a great time! Photographers sure know how to have fun, our days were spent learning about our craft, and our nights were spent dancing and enjoying each others company... It was a wonderful week!

March 07

We're working hard on updating our website, it's nearly done, so exciting! Lot's of specials in March, for families buy one get one 50% 0ff! Seniors, it's time to order those graduation announcements... Call or email, we'll give you all of the details...