Weddings
Engagements
Portraits
Posted on January 27, 2010
Being a wedding photographer is fun in so many ways. You get to see beautiful, happy people celebrating love and starting a new chapter of their lives. You have a chance to explore different neighborhoods and find new nooks and crannies you never knew were there before. You get to laugh and cry as Best Men and Maids of Honor honor and embarrass their brides and grooms.
And in Pittsburgh… you get to visit the cookie table. So what if we don’t get much sun here in Pittsburgh? We have the cookie table tradition!
I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, and had never heard of a cookie table. But it is simply what it says – a table full of trays and trays of cookies. Sometimes they’ve been baked by friends and family, sometimes they’re provided by a bakery. Sometimes the table is open during cocktail hour, so hungry guests can choose to snack on hors d’ouevres… or ladylocks, chocolate chip cookies, or Buckeyes. And since there is usually a huge abundance of cookies, bags or boxes are usually provided so that guests can take some home.
Cookies are my weakness. Cake doesn’t tempt me at all, but when I arrive at the reception, it sure is hard to say no to a table full of cookies! Not that I eat a whole table full. Of course not.
Now let us admire some of my favorite cookie tables of 2009.
Want to read more about cookie tables?
Posted on January 26, 2010
Our story begins during Christmas 2006 (and ends with a contest!), when we bought then almost-2-years-old Leo a Geotrax train set for Christmas. Matt assembled the train tracks, and Leo promptly destroyed them. He’d play with them for a little while, but inevitably found stomping on everything far more entertaining than watching the trains chug along. He did enjoy it enough that we acquired some additional components. “Some” being the key word here – that’s nice and vague, right? I suppose “a lot of” additional components would be more accurate. We enjoyed playing with them throughout the winter, but eventually nicer weather brought us outside more with less time for trains. Leo’s continued destruction of our construction may have played a little part too.
Geotrax is suggested for age 2 1/2 and older. At the time, Leo wasn’t quite 2 1/2 – just a few months shy of that. We wondered how much less destructive he would be in a few months – could he really change that much?
The trains went into hibernation in Rubbermaid containers in the basement. They came out a few times when requested by visiting friends, but quickly went back into the bins.
Until…. January 2010. Leo is now almost 5, and Jonas just turned 2. His favorite birthday present was a Cars-themed GeoTrax, complete with a super-fast Lightning McQueen. We set it up in the dungeon basement, and then I started adding on our old tracks.
And then rearranging them.
And then adding some more.
And rearranging some more.
I think I might have gotten a little obsessive about it. I’m not sure a completely rational person would have the patience to put all the trains together. I generally don’t get into a project like this, but for some reason, the past few weeks I have really enjoyed assembling all the tracks, adding ramps, and seeing how high we can get the tracks to go. Of course the motivating force is watching how much the boys enjoy playing with them, and fortunately, most of the time they play side by side and don’t fight over the trains. (Most of the time. Definitely not all the time.)
Thinking about this, there are some signs of obsession. In the following list, ONE of these is NOT true. Which one? Leave a comment with your guess. The first person to guess correctly will win a $10 gift certificate to iTunes.
- Suggesting to the boys that we go play with trains even before they asked to go see them.
- Working on track setups while the boys were sleeping.
- Scouring ebay for deals on… more tracks.
- Rearranging the setup so that the track colors match as closely as possible.
- Setting up off camera lights to create more dramatic photos of the trains (if anyone picks this one, you must not know me very well… and/or didn’t read any farther)
- Watching youtube train videos with the boys
Now, some photos!
Although Jonas is the same age Leo was when the Geotrax first arrived, his approach is completely different. He has not once intentionally broken any tracks, and instead is fascinated for hours pushing trains along the tracks or working them by remote control. And thankfully Leo doesn’t destroy them (intentionally) any more either.
They both love to hang out in a loop of ramps, as pictured below.
I love finding ways to creatively frame subjects. I knew I had to find a way to shoot through one of these suspension bridges. So I lay down and waited for Jonas to get in just the right spot so I could see him through the bridge.
Sometimes worlds collide. Let the wild rumpus start!
He’s probably thinking, “aww man! I left my controller all the way over there.”
Sometimes, trying to get out of the loop can be tricky.
But that’s what big brothers are for.
Just hanging out in their chairs, watching the trains. (Flash gelled yellow, I was playing around with creating a sunset feel indoors.)
Finally, a little fun with off camera lighting. This is a two-light setup, with one flash on the track behind the building, and one behind camera right for some fill.
Gelled blue flash is firing through the tunnel right behind the Sheriff.
Gelled yellowflash firing through the city.
Posted on January 17, 2010
It’s been quiet on the blog! And I have to admit that instead of reporting that I’ve spent the past weeks working feverishly on assorted projects, the reality is that instead I’ve been enjoying the quiet winter season to spend as much time playing with my boys as I can. It’s now Sunday morning, and I remember that I did do a load of laundry yesterday and take out the garbage, but other than that… I spent the whole day playing. Our basement is filled with Geotrax trains, and the boys and I are getting a little obsessed with track-building. (I expect there will be a post about that in the near future as I really should document my mania.) After playing with trains for much of the morning, and then taking a little nap with Jonas, Leo and I went to the rink at PPG Plaza downtown for a little ice skating. Fun!
But the highlight of the weekend was not just one, but two visits from our very good friends, the Winters family. We’ve been friends for years, and were neighbors, too, until the Winters relocated to State College over a year ago.
Their visit reminded me that in last fall’s rush, I neglected to share photos from a November session with them at Mellon Park.
Jack, the oldest.
Neva just turned two. Doesn’t she look so sweet and quiet and mellow? Well – she may be sweet – but forget about the rest! This little girl finds trouble like no one I’ve ever seen. During a visit when she was about 18 months, her mother had gone upstairs to change Neva’s little sister’s diaper, leaving her under my supervision. I went into another room to get something and when I returned I found her in the kitchen with a box of Bisquick. Feeding handfuls of said Bisquick to my dog. On Friday night as they prepared to leave our house for their hotel, Neva managed to completely undress (except for one sock). And last night, while we were all in the basement with the trains, Neva disappeared. I went upstairs and found her on the dining room table, scurrying away from a plate of butter with an “I didn’t do it!” expression topped with a bit of “and you can’t catch me!”
And here’s Paige, who will be turn one in March.
We miss you, Winterseses!
Posted on January 10, 2010
Happy birthday to my wonderful, sweet, huggable little boy.
He’s crazy about his birthday present, a Lightning McQueen/CARS GeoTrax set. We’ve added that on to our existing GeoTrax, so you can’t really walk in the basement without stepping over a train track.
Delicious cake, too.
I’m so crazy about my little boy! He says so many things that are so endearing. Like when we argue about whether he’s adorable. He certainly wins the award for most creative sausage-eating style. His brother is crazy about him, and I think the feeling is mutual. He’s silly, and has some unusual ways of saying things. Like how he asks to get down from his chair at the dining room table.
I love that when he wants something, he says “baby please!” but don’t like that I have not been able to capture it on video. Likewise his spontaneous declarations of “I love you” especially before he falls asleep. And when he says “thank you” for something simple like handing him whatever he said “baby please” about.
I love YOU my little boy!