Perfect Fall Foliage

For the past few days I cannot get over the vibrant colors of the trees. Either my memory is failing me or I don't recall fall being this gorgeous. What I can tell you is that the Gilmartin family picked the ultimate Saturday morning for their shoot.

Fall Foliage aside, I do make jokes on how I get people to relax for photo shoots. Let's face it, who gets their picture taken everyday? But, I actually know Colleen from my book club. Which was a good thing and what I love about this book club is the fact that we actually read interesting books and have valuable discussions. So we have that in common.

As for Steve, men can be slightly more difficult to "break in". Now, Colleen and I have both hosted book club at our homes. I think the discussion segment is something that our respective husbands may want to differ with us on, in terms of it's possible "discussion". In fact, I think Steve was a bit nervous about me. As soon as I made a crack about me having a "gaggle of book club geese" over the other night which drove my husband to the liquor cabinet, this caused Steve and I to be fast friends. In fact, I think he wanted to get together with my husband to check out his cabinet.

Crazy Faces, a must with little boys...

Little boys just love their mommies.

Such a sweetie.

It was a fun day! I actually did get shots of the kids in their Halloween costumes. Charlie wants it to be a surprise, so out of respect, I will not post those. Maybe on 10/31 he will approve it...

Wait, I think I forgot something...

I know, look at me. Things have been quite crazy. Crazy puppy. Crazy 3yo. Crazy International traveling husband (no, he is not a man of mystery, he just never brings me back anything cool from Rome, London, Copenhagen, Budapest...). Oh and my business that I love. It is an addiction. I am just that way. I get lost in it and get a high of sorts when I am shooting and then processing my images.

But did you notice the one person up there that I did not mention? The person that I have been neglecting lately? Myself! I cannot remember a good solid week of running, or any exercise for that matter and boy do I need a hair appointment. My grandmother has not seen me in a few weeks since my cousin's wedding, but she would be very disappointed and would be probably be sitting me down to start an afternoon of her Clairol and the Price is Right.

So what does Heather Reed O'Mara do? Well, after seeing this shot of myself, it was like I woke up from the silly world I was masquerading in. Where was the girl that made the lists that included things for herself once in a while? So, as vain as my grandmother is, this time she is right. Now I am determined to discovering a better way to manage my time and projects to gain a better balance so I don't really turn into what you see in the photo above. Wish me luck.

Those eyes, that hair and nice boots!

You got it. Well, she's got it and she works it. She's got her daddy wrapped around her little finger and when you see her deep blue eyes, sweet smile and the way she skips about on her toes, she'll get you too.

Her boots were just killer!

She is definitely one Super Sweet little girl.

This is one very happy Family.

Jessie + Zak = Married {Sneak Peek}

What a beautiful fall day for a fantastic couple!

Oh those shoes!

Kind of funny that the phrase could be stated in so many was. My friend Heather loved these, as I do. But my grandmother, not so much. You see I LOVE how comfortable they are, that they can work with jeans and that they have that look of a maryjane. Must be the Catholic School Girl in me. My grandmother just sniffed and twisted up her face in disgust.

You see my grandmother could be classified as a style snob. At 89. She still dyes her hair dark brown, paints her nails and is always all gussied up. Full face of makeup at all times, even to just watch the Price is Right. She is so vain about her appearance and keeping up with it that a cousin of mine, Frank, called to visit and she told him no. He asked why, she said, "well, I am dying my hair today dear".

Oh, so back to her and the shoes. Yes I do like to have some style, but comfort is a nice thing too. I like my sneakers, the cool ones, I don't spend my life in my Adidas all day. I have ones from all different vendors that don't look so much like sneakers, but as a friend put it, they make me look European. My grandmother hates each pair, wrinkles her nose and always calls them "ugly". I swear she misses the days I was more in the corporate life with my killer high heels and pointy shoes. Her joke with them was , "the better the kick people in the shins with". I guess she liked the fact that I got glammed up everyday to tackle the world. What she doesn't realize is that I am doing it in my own way. With my insane little boy and shooting my black pants off at Weddings. Which, by the way is the color she hates me in....but that part of my closet is another story for another day.

Stephanie and Randy = Engaged!

It was not your typical session. Then again, Stephanie and Randy are not your typical couple. I found myself laughing with them the minute I sat down before the session. I usually try to ease into things because it is not everyday you hope into a photo shoot, unless you are Giselle and Tom Brady or David and Victoria Beckham. But you don't need to be. You need to be you. Besides, those people are probably so airbrushed and have you seen Tom Brady's new hair lately? Good Lord. I thought it was a wig and that it looked rather silly. For once, he did not look attractive.

Oh yes, back to the stars of our show, the brilliant Stephanie and Randy! This couple is set to get married in December, right before Christmas. Which should be beautiful. We were able to do their shoot in Valley Forge and use the wonderful fall colors.

You can completely tell that Stephanie is a teacher as she was ready and willing to follow the direction to a tee. She was relaxed and had fun.

As for Randy, he loves her, he's happy and it shows.

So, they were relaxed. They were themselves. I am am so excited to be a part of their special day this December!

Oh, I did mention that this was not a typical shoot. That is because I felt an odd feeling like a bee sting on my leg. Through my jeans. Then another, and another. I had to run to my car and take my jeans off and found something that looked much like a hornet. He and I were both relieved to get him out of there.

A Note to Dog Owners

We get visitors at our house, but never for our puppy, Sawyer. He was going wild at our window and demanding to go out. I thought he saw the other dog in our neighbor's yard and they wanted to have their chat at the fence, but it was something else. There was an awesome Chocolate Lab out there on our property. I was shocked, to say the least. He was sweet and friendly, getting along with our much younger dog.

Since I knew that there was a family missing this guy, I checked for his tags. I saw his vaccination tags and his extremely worn ID tag. It had his name and address, but no contact information. So, I called information to try to find his family, but there was no answer at his house and the voicemail was not working. I also had no idea where his street was. Thankfully, my suburban town is not big. It is just that I have a young son and a puppy. My neighbor did not know where the street on the tag was either. I had to call the police.

So, animal control van pulled into my driveway. I was a little nervous as to what that meant. But, the officer was nice. She saw he was well kept and had tags. He would be returned. I just hope it was soon and there is a not some sweet, little girl or boy missing their dog.

Moral of my tale? Yes be sure to have an ID tag on your dog with the following information:

1. Name of Dog

(First and Last, i.e. Astro Jetson)

2. Street Address

3. City, State and Zip

4. PHONE or CELL number

(use a number that is always accessible to you and is up to date)

Those special reminders that you are loved

Each Wedding, for me, begins as a blank canvas, but I approach it with a POA (plan of action). I know that each detail has been planned by the bride and groom over a long period of time that will unfold quickly in one day. Yet, is this really true of the other observers?

When I approached the home where the bride was getting ready, I have somewhat of an idea of what to expect. A beautiful bride, that I met, shot her engagement session and chatted with over the phone. She was awesome and cracked me up. Most likely, there would be a flurry of activity in the getting ready process and I needed to have my head "in the game".

But as I walked in, I was completely taken in by something else. The sweet whirling dervish making her way around the home confirming that everyone had what they needed with the happiest look on her face. I needed a double take as she reminded me of my own grandmother on my Wedding Day. The happiness, the pride, the love and the laughter were spot on. I was doing double duty shooting the bride and grandmother and was able to capture the above. I love the gaze she gave the bride as she walked into the living room. It was so touching. This is a woman would held her when she was born and has now seen her grow into a beautiful young woman. How could she be nothing but so happy and proud?

Maria and Kevin = Engaged {Sneak Peek}

Saturday was a beautiful day for lots of Fall things. One being the Engagement Session of Maria and Kevin. Here is a Sneak Peek of our time at Valley Forge Park. I am so excited they chose me for their Wedding next Fall.