Peonies:: A Haiku

Beautiful pink blooms

Overwhelming the senses

Short-lived appearance

Right outside the house is a peony bush. Each day, I'd walk out and admire the beauty of the bush, and revel in the new blooms each day. I enjoyed taking some pictures of them outside, then some that were placed in a vase for the dining room table. 

What's most fascinating to me is that the 'inside' of a peony is so grand, yet contained within a little ball the size of a bouncy ball. It reminds me of that phrase 'dont' judge a book by its cover' - in that you'd never think all that goodness could be contained in something so small. Oh, the life analogies that could be made on many fronts. I digress.

And here are some from my iPhone:

Levine:: Newtown, PA family

It's always a pleasure to meet other small business owners who are excited to partner together. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Melissa of 'Bella Bling by Melissa' and talk about working together. Melissa makes a number of custom baby clothes and accessories, including headbands, onesies, tutus, pettiskirts, and items that are adorned with Swarovski crystals. Melissa provided me with a number of items, and I've been attempting to photograph many of her items for use on her Etsy shop.

I was able to meet up with friends of mine - Kim and Kyle - and their little girl Lily. We went to the park one evening and took some pictures. While the pictures were mostly intended for Melissa, Kim and Kyle asked if we could do some images for them as well.

What a precious little girl they have, and what a fun time we had laughing at her facial expressions. I am SO glad I was able to capture the 'mouth-agape' look...she kept doing that when I would try and get her to smile.

Here are some of my favorites...and be sure to head over to Melissa's Etsy shop, or visit her on Facebook, and give her some love. Thanks for the props Melissa!

Spring Blooms - 2013

Last year I photographed some of the blooms at my parents house. When I was home recently, spring was delayed by about a week compared to my home in PA. It was fascinating to drive just an hour north and see the difference in trees' leaves, daffodils and tulips that were still waiting to open, and the flowering trees that hadn't yet lost their blossoms.

I snapped these pictures moments before I was leaving home.... I love my visits there!

Tina M :: Portrait Session

Tina and I met in the whimsical town of Chester, NJ for a photo session yesterday. I was a bit nervous about the looming rain, but it held off just long enough for us to get in a great shoot. Tina is trying to make her way into the NY scene, both with acting and trying her hand at writing a few novels. She's already completed her first novel (can't wait to read it!) and is working on book #2.

Tina has such an outgoing and vibrant personality; she's one of those people who seems to always have a smile on her face. And I feel like if I didn't know her, and we were sitting by ourselves as two separate tables in a cafe, we'd strike up a conversation and become fast friends. She is so eager to see her dream become a reality... when she sets her mind to doing something, she sees it to fruition unless it becomes a for-sure closed door.

Thanks, Tina, for allowing me the opportunity to take your portraits. I had such a fun time getting to talk a bit about what's going on in your life. I wish you ALL the best with your novel, and am excited to see you do BIG things. And when that book gets published, I'm here to take your author photo, if we need an even more updated one :-)

Here's the beautiful and fun Tina.....