Marcia Tumminaro: Wedding and Portrait Photographer, Chicago and Rockford

ender photo project: 12 weeks (...and counting)

2011-12-14T15:31:00.001-06:00

i've been doing a weekly photo project of ender, to see how he's growing from week to week. (if you follow me on facebook or google+ you may have seen them) here are just 2 of the series...

week 1

week 12 (this week)

it's been a whirlwind 12 weeks at the ol' tumminaro abode! lucy turned 8! thanksgiving tofurkys were delicious! and we've begun getting ready for ender's first xmas, and our first as a family of FIVE!!! (which means adam and i will be sharing a stocking until i can find another one that matches the 4 that i adore, or a new set of FIVE!!)

now that ender is 12 weeks old, i'm really starting to find my balance! plus...having a new baby is much easier with 2 extra sets of small, yet capable, hands to help out!!! and believe me, lucy absolutely ADORES her baby brother! she even asked to change his diaper a couple weeks back! i videotaped the whole thing, and it just about blew my mind!! (speaking of which...we decided to do cloth diapers this time around, and i gotta say that i'm in LOVE with cloth diapering!!!!) and lucy is not alone in her love for her new sibling, elliot is quite fond of him, too! although, he's more eager for ender to be old enough to actually play with!

ahhh...i'm gonna go ahead and gush for a second, and say that i am one lucky mommy!!! :)

ender greyson: a birth story

2011-10-10T11:11:00.006-05:00

i know i've been neglectful of the blog for the past couple months, but i swear i have a very good excuse! that excuse is a tiny, little man named ender greyson tumminaro! the newest addition to the tumminaro family!!

he was born september 17th at 8:15pm! and although he is baby #3, everything about him has been so vastly different from the other two. from the health concerns we faced during pregnancy, to the delivery itself, to the fact that even though he was 8lbs 3oz, this kid looks like he doesn't have an ounce of baby fat on him! (unlike the other two who were little chubba bubbas). also, this time around, we had a decent camera in the delivery room, so adam took the reigns and acted as leaqd photographer for 11 of the 15.5 hours of labor! yep...15.5 hours of drug-free, natural labor! (my other 2 deliveries were also drug-free, but they were each only about 5 hours)

here's the slideshow of the delivery:

the full birth story:
i woke up shaking uncontrollably at about 3:30am, and noticed a few irregular contractions. then, at around 4:45am, i noticed that those irregular contractions were now regular and timable. so i woke up adam, and told him that if this time around was anything like the last 2 times, we should probably get showered/ready, and drop the kids off at my in-laws and head over the hospital. we all started getting ready, and hopped in the car for the hour-long drive.

when we got to my in-laws, the contractions were mild, but still regular. i gave my dr. a call, and they said to come on down to the hospital. after another 30 minute drive, we finally arrived at the hospital at around 9:00. they did a quick check, and said i was about 5cm dilated, which sounded like good news to me! they were going to contact my midwife, and if all went according to plan, she'd be here, and we'd be having a baby soon!

unfortunately, things weren't exactly according to plan! for one, my midwife wasn't able to come to the hospital, so i was going to have one of the OB's (whom i'd never met) be my doctor, and she wouldn't be able to arrive for another couple hours. luckily that wasn't a huge setback, just a little speedbump. adam and i stayed in the room, and i kept on laboring. i had arranged (with my midwife) to NOT have any IV's, so i was able to walk around the room, and walk around the delivery ward. the only drawback, was that they still had to sit me down and hook me up to the monitor once an hour.

at 1:00 the doctor arrived. after another check, she said i was STILL at 5cm! this was quite shocking, because i hadn't progressed at ALL after 4 hours of labor! (to be fair, it was 4 hours of manageable pain, but it was still 4 HOURS!!) so, the doctor decided to "break my water", in an effort to help things progress.

hours passed, and the pain did begin to intensify. but, it was still not even close to what i experienced with lucy (with lucy, they gave me pitocin from the start, and that was absolutely EXCRUCIATING!!! that was the reason why i became so adamant about no IV's and limited interventions) a few hours later, they came and checked me again...and i was STILL at 5cm! so, in an effort to help with pain management, i hopped into the shower, and that was a huge relief!

finally, at about 7:00, after another check of 5cm, the nurse told me that the dr. said that with my water broken, the longer we go the higher the risk for infection, and that i need to be put on pitocin. i was very apprehensive, but the nurse said that they would start it at the lowest possible dose, and hope that it would create enough of a "whiff" that it would get the baby in gear to come on out! after a private discussion with adam, i reluctantly agreed to an IV with a LOW dose of pitocin.

with the IV started, it did mean that i was a little restricted in my movements, but i was able to stand, at least, next to the bed. after about an hour of painful contractions, i started to fear my ability to make it to delivery, since i had been laboring so long, barely had food, and very little sleep. just then, i suddenly felt it was time! i told adam "i feel like i need to push", and he immediately rushed out to grab a nurse. but instead of just 1 nurse, a whole fleet of nurses rushed into the delivery room! i was still standing at the time, so in between contractions, i made my way onto the bed as quickly as i could...which ended up being quite difficult!

once i was on the bed, the nurses told me that i was ready, but that i need to NOT push! (since there was NO doctor around to catch the baby!) they called my dr., as well as the hospital's on-call OB. and basically, whoever got there first would be delivering my baby! unfortunately, what the nurses may not understand, is how impossible it feels to hold off a push when the baby is COMING!! it probably only took the hospital's on-call dr. about 5 minutes to get to the room, but it felt like hours! finally he got there, and i got the green light to start pushing.

after about 2 minutes, and 2 pushes, he was born!!! my hospital does this thing called "kangaroo time", which means, they put the baby directly on mommy's stomach, under her hospital gown, for immediate skin-to-skin contact. and they do all the checks and things during that time, instead of whisking the baby away. (that was the main reason we chose that hospital.) unfortunately, kangaroo time was cut a little short, because he needed some heavy-duty suctioning. luckily it was brief, and he returned to my tummy. then he stayed with me during the transfer to my post-partum room, as well as the rest of the night. (that's another reason we chose this hospital)

lucy, elliot, g'ma t. and g'pa t. all came to see me/him while i was still in the delivery room. and when adam ran into the waiting area to get them, i looked at my new baby boy, and that's when i decided that of the couple name options we still hadn't decided on, that he was definitely an...

ender greyson tumminaro!!!

summer rae: 1 year old portrait photography

2011-08-10T10:41:00.056-05:00

for summer's first birthday, her parents were looking for some portraits to use for some really adorable birthday party invitations!

meet summer rae! she's 1 year old

i can't get over those CHEEKS!!! :)

now onto the girly-girly outfit and props that summer's mom picked out special for the invitation. at first, we tried to do it in a studio-style...but summer decided she'd rather do things somewhere else...

OUTSIDE! which is always fine by me, because i love me some natural lighting! one of the props we used was this personalized jewelry box

another prop was this delicious lollipop

just look at those eyelashes!!

i had an idea to have summer's daddy throw her up in the air so that it looked like she was a flying fairy. that didn't pan out like i hoped (scroll down for an outtake). so instead, i just had her daddy hold her up, and i strategically took the shot so that he wasn't in the pic.

as promised...here's the outtake from the flying-fairy idea...

it was such a fun session, and i can't wait to photograph those chubby cheeks again soon! :)

full disclosure: this post is back-dated, due to the fact that late-pregnancy, labor, and having a newborn have made for a couple very busy months!

ryker jace: newborn photography

2011-08-04T21:34:00.004-05:00

meet ryker jace! he's 2 weeks old and the newborn brother of another adorable little girl who has graced this blog.

he was asleep the whole time i was photographing him, but i did manage to catch a little smirk.

TOESIES!!!

sock monkeys, big and small!

another little smirk

see what i mean? no matter what we did with him, change his clothes, move him around, put him in a basket...he just kept right on sleeping!!

welcome to the world ryker!!

samuel and danielle: backyard wedding reception photography

2011-07-02T22:50:00.001-05:00

a couple months ago i received an email asking if i was available to photograph a 3-hour reception from the mother-of-the-bride. the bride and groom were already married, (they had a surprise wedding for close family in january), and were planning an intimate backyard reception for their extended family/friends. now, at first, i was a little hesitant, since i knew i would be almost 7 months pregnant, but after giving it some thought, i decided to go ahead and tell her that YES, i would be available! the bride contacted me, and we quickly found out that we were from the same town, went to the same high school, and the kicker...i was friend's with her older sister waaaaaaay back in middle school! needless to say i was very excited when their reception came around, so much so that 3-hours on my feet felt like nothing! i'm pretty sure my adrenaline was in overdrive, because i had a huge burst in energy that lasted until the minute i got in my car to drive home. (and after getting home, i promptly crashed for the night). but it was definitely worth it because everything was simply splendid and spectacular!

when i got there, danielle was dressed, and just doing some final accessorizing touches

the reception was gorgeous, yet casual.

we took a few minutes to take some shots of the two of them. (and yes, that's still their backyard!!!)

i think it should be a law that if you have a pond in your backyard...you should also have parties and receptions on a regular basis! such a perfect setting!

their choice of attire was absolutely, without a doubt...P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!! (and her dress had pockets!!!)

their idea of having some fun backyard games to entertain the guests and kids was genius!

that is samuel's brother...twin brother! and from what i could tell, this picture really captures their brotherly dynamic. :)

the tent set-up was very elegant

and the paper lanterns added additional style and brightness!

just as my time was coming to an end, it was time for dinner to be served. and anyone who's been to a wedding knows about the tradition of the clinking of the glasses at dinner. well, when the guests starting clinking their glasses, samuel's BROTHER was the one who got the kiss!

while danielle, and the rest of the guests cracked up!

click here for the "Best Of" slideshow

all in all, i am so glad that i was able to be a part of their reception! as a photographer: it was the perfect setting, perfect subjects, and perfect styling, and on a personal level, it was great to be back in my old neighborhood, and catch up with old friends!

congratulations samuel and danielle, and thank you for a wonderful 3 hours!!! :)

happy father's day!!!

2011-06-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

i LOVE that video!

it's so quiet, simple, and so very, very sweet! lucy was a little less than a month old, and adam didn't know i was filming, making it a genuine moment in time between the two of them. (and that can sometimes be rare to capture, because if i'm not stealthy when i want to film/photograph adam, he will NOT cooperate!!) but i'm glad that i have that moment because it is just one small example that adam is a very attentive and loving father! i'm pretty lucky to be raising 2 (soon to be 3) kids with him!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, ADAM!!

also...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY DAD!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY FATHER-IN-LAW!!

...and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the other wonderfully sweet and simple father's out there!!!

children's portrait photography: bryan turns 2!

2011-06-10T11:23:00.001-05:00

when bryan's mom called me a few weeks ago to set up a portrait session we had plans of taking shots in their backyard, then walking to the park. fun, fun, fun! well, the weather wasn't exactly cooperating...so we didn't go in the backyard, but we did take a walk to the park near their house. and as soon as we got there bryan became pretty much a blur for the next hour! (as most toddlers do when at their favorite park!) he definitely gave his mother and me quite the workout...the FUN kinda workout!! i had a blast, and i'm pretty sure he did, too!

meet bryan!

he just turned 2 years old!

he is FULL of energy.

he is also quite fearless! he would have slid right through those bars if allowed.

when he did stop to rest, it was only for a second or two. let me tell you...that boy LOVES to run, and jump, and play, and move!

as you can see, he is quite the handsome little man!

he's also a great climber! he kept climbing that retaining wall

and the more he did it...the more proud of himself he became! (i love that!!!)

AHH...don't you just LOVE those cheeks? :)

i had so much fun with bryan, and i can't wait to see him and his family again when i photograph his auntie melanie's wedding next year! he'll be a year older, and i can guess he'll have even more energy and be even more fearless!!!

can't wait! :)

happy mother's day

2011-05-08T06:49:00.000-05:00

the mom-to-be in that photo was young, naive, inexperienced me when i was pregnant with lucy. it was taken on mother's day, and i was 20 years old. little did i know the roller coaster of motherhood that awaited me. no, in that photo, i had purchased the ticket to the coaster, but was still waiting in line to get on the ride. still blissfully unaware of the loops, nose-dives, and anticipatory climbs ahead.

8 years later, i'm a little older and, coincidentally, just as pregnant. i've got a bit of weathering on me from some of the rougher bits of track, but continue to cherish every exhilarating twist and turn! and, as i watch lucy and elliot every day, i am on pins and needles to see what they do next. (and i can't wait to do it all over again with baby #3!)

so...

to all the mother's out there, i sympathize, empathize, thank, and salute you! enjoy your day, because you deserve it!!

to all the new mommies out there, try to remember to take it one day at a time, because every day with give you the skills you need to prepare you for the next.

to all the moms-to-be out there, enjoy this time in your life, because it'll be your turn soon enough! :)

in short...
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

maternity leave info

2011-04-29T12:43:00.001-05:00

*************

I would like to announce that I will be taking a short maternity leave from wedding photography during my pregnancy. I will still be making appointments and booking weddings that are planned for the 2012 wedding season. I will also keep two 2011 openings available, one for November, and one for December. Openings for 2012 will be limited, so that I can maintain a balance of family and photography. If you are planning your 2012 wedding, I would suggest that you book now before spots fill up.

Additionally, I will continue to photograph portrait sessions during my pregnancy (since they are shorter and more relaxed). That includes engagement sessions for weddings booked for 2012, as well. And EXTRA excitement for maternity sessions! (Who knows what you're going through more than a preggo photog?)

I thank everyone so much for their continued support and understanding through this exciting time in my family's lives!

*************

now that the disclaimer stuff is out of the way, here's the low-down...i decided early on in the pregnancy that i would not be booking weddings while pregnant. mainly for the fact that, having done this twice before i know what's in store for me over the 9-month period...

for starters...i'm a dead-tired log for the first trimester, which means i spend every free second sleeping, napping, and/or complaining about how tired and icky i feel for 3 months straight.

then...i have a limited burst of energy during my second trimester, which means i am a motivated POWERHOUSE, and capable of doing most of the baby-getting-ready things for a very short 2-3 month period.

finally..i am HUGE AS A HOUSE in my third trimester, which means, i waddle like a penguin when i walk, get swollen ankles, and am all around cranky and impatient to be NOT pregnant so i can get my body back to normal (and meet the new baby, of course)

so, the thought of photographing an 8-10 hour wedding while in any of these states...makes me a wee bit nervous (to say the least). especially considering how much stuff we still have to do/get/make/fix/buy for baby #3's arrival! (we donated just about everything from lucy and elliot's baby days, and what we didn't donate ended up broken and in the garbage, or is out-of-date with current standards). so, my to do list for this summer has been a MILE long, to say the least. not to mention my "nesting instinct" that has make me OBSESSED with wanting to sell our house and move into a new one closer to family. an instinct that i knew would also go along with me when i'm pregnant, given that when i was pregnant with lucy, we bought our 1st house, and when i was pregnant with elliot we sold our 1st house (by owner), and bought our current house! (how i orchestrated the sale of our first house along with the purchase and move into a 2nd house while pregnant still boggles my mind!)

and since a post isn't a post with a picture (or two)

see, a baby isn't the only thing i've been growing around here these days. the kids and i planted and have been tending to those seedlings for the past couple months. we've all been patiently awaiting until the weather warms up so that we can plant them in the garden out back and what a garden it's shaping up to be, we've got tomatoes, peppers, squash, carrots, artichokes, beans, peas, melons, onions, and so much more that i can't even remember right now.

elliot approves of the process (and also has a double-jointed "hitchhiker's thumb" like me and some other members of my family)

maternity photography: nikki, miguel, and baby ?

2011-03-29T20:20:00.001-05:00

*****UPDATE*****
IT'S A GIRL!

Madeline May was born on April 11, 2011 at 5:00 pm

6 lbs 8 oz · 19.3 inches

CONGRATULATIONS to nikki and miguel!!!

-------------------------------------------------

the universe definitely has a sense of humor! ever since i began my photography business (5 years ago), i've always wanted to get my feet wet with maternity photography. when i had family members or close friends who were pregnant, i would offer them free maternity sessions...to which they would politely turn down. most likely for the same reasons i don't have maternity portraits of myself...not every pregnant woman feels like a beautiful goddess in their 9th month. (i know that when i was 9 months pregnant with lucy and elliot, i felt like i was the size of a HOUSE. and the fact that people would joke "ha ha...are you having TRIPLETS??"...didn't help either.) but oddly enough, within a MONTH of finding out i was pregnant myself, one of my past brides, nikki, contacted me to ask about maternity photos. i had to laugh at the coincidence of this, and rub my belly to thank the baby for being my good luck charm!

i am so glad that my first maternity session was with nikki! not only is she an example of how a woman CAN BE a beautiful goddess while pregnant, she's also someone i genuinely feel comfortable with. (evident by the fact that we always end up talking for hours every time we have a meeting or get together. seriously, we turn into little chatty schoolgirls, or something. it's awesome!).

the best thing, i think, about nikki's pregnancy is that they don't know the gender, so they're going to be surprised! but, not only did they want to be surprised, the little guy/girl deliberately didn't cooperate in the ultrasound, so they CAN'T know until its BIRTHday! i LOVE that!!

we decided to do the session in their soon-to-be nursery. i loved the bright, natural feel!

oh, and did i mention that the weather acted EXACTLY like it did on nikki and miguel's wedding day? on my way over, it was pouring rain, with dark ominous clouds. i was starting to get a little worried that since we were going to be inside, in their nursery, that there wouldn't be enough light! but, after i got there and when we were finally ready to start shooting, the sun miraculously came out and lit up the nursery to perfection! (on their wedding day, it rained and rained...until it was time for outside pictures, then the sun was out and shining!)

i am a definite fan of nikki's decision for a barely-there-makeup-look!!

FAVORITE!!!!!

we did a quick wardrobe change, and invited miguel back.

nikki, i wish you the BEST WISHES for a healthy and safe delivery! i can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl!! i am so, incredibly thrilled for you and miguel! and thank you so much for letting me photograph my first maternity session! i'm so, so, so glad that it was for you!!! :) :) :)

it was 10 years ago today...

2011-02-23T19:32:00.041-06:00

today marks a very special day for adam and i. because 10 years ago today, adam and i officially became a couple! and of those 10 years, we have only spent ONE day apart. our streak of seeing each other every single day came to an end this past december, when he went to go record a demo in WI with his band. he left on saturday morning, and didn't get back home until after midnight on sunday...thus breaking our long-running streak. (i'll admit i was a little saddened by the end of the reign)

but as meaningful as this day is to adam and i, we are adding even more meaning to today, because of this:

today was my first midwife appointment, and my first glimpse of my newest tenant! i've been waiting almost a month to make it official on this blog, and now that i have a photo, it seemed like the perfect time!

we are so excited to add a fifth member to our family! and i can't wait to share more photos in the months and years to come!!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY ELLIOT!!!!

2011-02-17T15:24:00.001-06:00

we had fun things planned for elliot's birthday today, but when he came down with a fever yesterday, i knew that plans would change a bit. so...elliot wasn't able to go to school on his birthday, or share cupcakes and treats with his classmates. instead, he opened his gifts from adam and i (lego sets...his favorite), and we spent most of the day putting them all together! i baked him a cake from scratch, and even made chocolate frosting (although it ended up more like a ganache). so, the plan is now to spend a quiet evening at home, and hopefully he won't stay sick forever. :)

so, here's to 5 astounding, wondrous, sensational, extraordinary, and magical years with my favorite little guy on the planet!!!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY ELLIOT!!!

his humble beginnings...

this was taken the day he was born, and it has remained one of my favorite photos of him, (even though it was taken with a cheapo digital point-and-shoot.)

some days i just just look at him and lucy and feel like the luckiest mommy in the whole universe!! :)

FEATURED: the knot chicago magazine spring/summer 2011

2011-01-27T13:53:00.000-06:00

when i was saying my goodbyes on jim and hameeda's wedding night, i was on cloud nine! everything about their day was beautiful and perfect! the flowers, the colors, hameeda's dresses, the food, the cake...everything! it's one of those weddings that i felt such a sense of honor that i was chosen to be a part of it!

so, when i got an email a few months back saying that their wedding was scheduled be featured in an issue of the knot chicago, and asked for some of my photos from the day i nearly fell out of my chair!! being published in a magazine has been a goal of mine ever since i picked up a camera! in fact, i even put it on my 55 in 5 list that i made last year!

it has been a long wait these past couple of months for the issue to arrive on my doorstep...but IT'S HERE!! at first, when i saw the package, i honestly didn't know what it could be. but then, as i opened it, and peeked inside, it dawned on my what it was, and i ripped the envelope open faster than a kid on christmas! with the envelope in pieces on the floor, i frantically (but carefully) flipped through the pages! when i sent in the photos, i had no idea of what the layout would look like. would it be a tiny spot at the bottom of the page? would it be a half page? i just didn't know. so, when i saw that it was a full page, i was FLOORED! (i honestly expected 1/4 page at the most!)

well, without further ado, my very first magazine feature starring the lovely hameeda and handsome jim!!
page 66 of the knot chicago spring/summer 2011 issue!!!

the feature is in the "10 chicago weddings we love" section!

and here it is!

another thing i didn't know was if they would publish my name or not. turns out they did...TWICE!! *happy dance*

if you're planning a wedding and loved jim and hameeda's wedding as much as i did, i would suggest checking out the issue to find out what vendors they used (there's a complete list!)

i am just so blissfully happy, thrilled, and honored. i don't know how it happened, but i am incredibly thankful that it did! i will treasure the magazine along with the memories of photographing such a splendid wedding day!

thank you the knot!
*happy sigh*

broken silence

2011-01-23T19:21:00.005-06:00

since i've missed a bit...

HAPPY {belated} HALLOWEEN!!
HAPPY {belated} THANKSGIVING!!
MERRY {belated} CHRISTMAS!!
HAPPY {belated} NEW YEARS!!

life has been keeping me REALLY busy these past few months, so i apologize for taking such a long leave of blog absence. but, with a little patience, i will have some pretty big things to share and announce very soon! ALL GOOD THINGS!!! :)

in the meantime, i just want to give a heads up that i have just started the process of switching web hosts, so marciatumminaro.com and the photos on this blog be down over the next coming days. that also means that i might not be able to receive any incoming emails to contact@marciatumminaro.com! if you need to contact me, please email me at marcia@tumminaro.com, or just give me a call/text: 630-400-7127.

thank you, and since a blog post isn't a blog post without a picture:

lucy is 7!! apple picking at valley orchard

2010-10-14T00:47:00.001-05:00

it's true! today is lucy's birthday. and she's SEVEN YEARS OLD!!! i can't believe it!! and i can't believe how smart, funny, adorable, and amazing she is!!!

every year, we always try to do something different and special for her birthday with close family. This year we did something that the kids have never done, and something i haven't done since i was too young to remember having done it! we went apple picking at an apple orchard near our house.

it's apple picking time!!! i passed out bags from the orchard. i gave everyone a bag big enough for a peck of apples (roughly 10 lbs/20 apples).

lucy quickly hitched a ride from adam's brother. they became a mega-apple-picking-tron!

see!

lucy was very proud of this one! it's a perfectly picked apple!

lucy was jumping for apples!!! it was so cute!!

hauling back her peck of apples!

in all, we probably picked about 2 bushels of apples!

love, love, love!!!

elliot's turn to hitch a ride!

after a long day of picking apples, it's time to open presents!!! and i gotta say this is the BEST BACKDROP EVER to open presents!!!!!!

a little punch-your-uncle break before the big reveal...

we got her a nintendo dsi!! a hot pink one, no less!! she was so excited!!

so was elliot! we kept the dsi a secret from him, because he has a BIG MOUTH!! he would have told her instantly.

family birthday parties are my favorite!!

i can't wait to use all the apples we picked, and can some apple sauce, apple jelly, and apple butter!!!

and because she can see my blog on her new dsi...

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!!

I LOVE YOU A BUSHEL AND A PECK!!!!!

YOU ARE THE BESTEST GIRL IN THE UNIVERSE, AND I'M SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AS MY LUCY!!!!

LOVE,
MOMMY

hospital visit: my niece has MRSA

2010-09-19T11:34:00.002-05:00

last friday, my niece tatum had the beginning signs of MRSA. she was in the hospital for 5 days, before being discharged. but her stay at home didn't last long, because she was back in the hospital less than 48 hours later.

before i walked into the room, i had visions of tatum laying in her hospital bed, all sad and pitiful looking with the blankets pulled up to her chin. but, when i walked through the door, i immediately heard squeals of excitement, "Aunt Marcia!!!!", followed by tatum jumping up on the bed in hug-ready position. it turns out that my visit was on the best day possible, because her spirits were high, since her pain and sickness was minimal.

this was during a routine nurse checkup

and here is her IV. since she's a child, they have to create a whole arm brace so that the IV doesn't do any damage to her.

MRSA is a strain of staff infection that is resistant to most antibiotics. with staff infections it is very important to wash your hands, and keep things as sanitary as possible. unfortunately, tatum wasn't able wash her hands due to the IV arm brace, so she had to use foaming hand sanitizer. they had a dispenser in the room, and one directly outside the room.

imagine for a minute that you're 4 years old, stuck in a hospital room for OVER a week! you DEFINITELY need some sources of entertainment. the hospital, as well as family and friends gave her loads of toys and presents to help the time go by a little faster

another source of entertainment: makeovers!

tatum's turn for a makeover!!

beautious!

in the second room she stayed in, there was an in-room computer, complete with internet connectivity and everything! she was playing a little caillou here!

next to the bed there is the usual doctors supplies, so kailey (tatum's sister and my oldest niece), was giving tatum her own checkup.

it was great to see that tatum hasn't lost her SILLY!!!

aunt marcia with her 2 nieces!!!

kailey and tatum were taking turns using my camera! i think i've got 2 more candidates for future photographer assistants!!!

my favorite photo of tatum and me!! thank you kailey!!!!!!

self-taken photo of the 3 of us!

tatum!

the latest news is that the doctors are hoping to discharge her tomorrow (09-20), 10 days after she was first admitted! throughout all of this she has been an AMAZING trooper!! she's gotten her routines down pat, knows exactly what to do when the nurses come, and actually seems to LIKE the hospital! i wouldn't be surprised if this experience sparks an interest in her to pursue the medical field when she gets older.

yep, that's my official tatum-prediction!!

vintage tea party: lilly is (almost) 2!

2010-09-07T19:24:00.001-05:00

have you ever had a plan that came together so perfectly, so quickly, and so easily that it just seemed like magic? this session was exactly that! here's how it happened:

on sunday night, lilly's mom, tiffany, sent me a message, "i know it's last minute, but can you do lilly's 2-year portraits tomorrow? i've got a cute dress, and i want to do it in the woods, but we need to do it while the weather is still nice" then i got a picture of lilly in her dress via email, and IMMEDIATELY i knew i wanted to do a vintage fairy tea party theme. so i told her "we need to find a small wooden table and chair, vintage style tea set, and a rug. see you tomorrow."

so, she went out and picked up an adorable metal PINK AND GREEN (my favorite colors) tea set. when i got to their house, they had the perfect table set that they had painted the perfect shade of seafoam green. so we loaded it in the car. then i asked if they had any cute, vintage-y stuffed animals for the tea party, and they just happened to have the perfect giant sock monkey. so we loaded that into the car. then we headed over to my in-laws to see about getting a rug. so i checked the basement, and rolled up in the corner was the perfect rug. on my way to load it into the car i saw the most perfect, perfect, perfect item...a bottle cap checkers table with chair!!!

so in less than 24-hours we managed to plan, obtain all the necessities, and photograph one of the most adorable vintage tea party sessions ever! and i'm not exaggerating! see for yourself...

meet mr. sock monkey, oh and that planter...i also grabbed that from my in-law's on my way out. i knew that the tea party needed some sort of centerpiece!

as hard as we tried, we just couldn't get her to sit down at the table to have tea. this was the best we got. she spent exactly 2.3 seconds playing tea party.

the teacups were definitely worthy of photographing! :)

so, we moved away from the tea party set up, and just let her wander. this was no easy task, and i'll admit there was no shortage of motion blurred shots! when this girl moves, she moves FAST!! but every once and while, she'll slow down long enough for me to snap a pic of her adorableness!

here's the perfectly perfect bottle cap checkers table!!!!

and it was the only thing that caught her attention! and when it did, she was hooked. she spent a good 20 minutes just playing with the bottle caps!

while lilly was going to change outfits, we had a few guests to the party!

lilly was a very good hostess! she kept screaming, "HIIIIIII DEEEEEEEEEEEEEAR!!!"

here are some behind-the-scenes shots...

while lilly was getting into her dress, lucy and i were setting up the tables. i asked her to be my tester-model, and she did a great job. "this is for when lilly is sipping her tea"

we also tried a few different places for the checkers table. it didn't stay in this spot, but this test shot of lucy is a keeper!

and THIS is how we were able to make it all happen! mcdonald's french fries! and in addition to helping me test the areas, lucy was amazing when it came to helping lilly stay focused.

i think we all ROCKED that session!!! and tiffany can definitely call me on short notice any time! i think that's when i'm at my best!

oh, and having lucy there with me was just the best thing ever! if i could i would bring her to every session. :)

jasmine star on creativelive: photographer's dream workshop!!!

2010-08-27T08:02:00.004-05:00

picture, if you will, a 14-year-old marcia, with long blond hair, hormonally unbalanced complexion, fresh from her 8th grade "graduation", as she sits down to plan out her class schedule for her first year of high school...probably wearing the same t-shirt and jeans that still hangs in her closet. ok, lame as that picture is, i wanted to paint it for a reason, because that was when i chose the class that would impact my entire life! i was looking through all the electives available for freshmen that year, and the first class that caught my eye was "Discovering Photography" with Ms. Zappia! I convinced a few of my friends to take the class with me, and we signed up! i'd love to be able to say (queue the dramatic music) "from the moment i stepped into the dark room, i felt like i was HOME!", but in reality, I was a snotty little freshman goofing off with my friends while having fun with a camera. i mean, don't get me wrong, i DID fall in love with photography...but as a student in that class, i'm sure my friends and i drove my poor teacher CRAZY!!! so, after maturing (slightly) over summer vacation, i signed up for "Photography 1-2", and this time i didn't do it with my friends. this time i just did it for me, and that was when photography started to shift for me from "my fun goof off class" to "i can't wait to see what we do in that class today!!!" needless to say, i kept taking photography classes until my senior year, and the things i learned from Ms. Zappia still resonate with me today!

the reason for this sudden trip down memory lane, you ask? because for the past couple days, i have been COMPLETELY engrossed in creativeLIVE's 5-day online course featuring jasmine star! this workshop/online course is any photographers dream come TRUE!!! and while i was watching it, i found myself taking notes, and it felt like i was back in Ms. Zappia's class learning new and amazing things with wide eyes and an open mind!!

for anyone who isn't familiar with the rockstars of photography, this girl went from law school in 2005 to being (arguably) one of the world's best wedding photographers in 2010! for the past 2 days, she has given a presentation, answered questions, and even did a LIVE first look/bride groom portraits (with today's happy couple: laura and billy). and today, she will be photographing laura and billy's REAL wedding LIVE for anyone with a computer to see!!!! and while i was watching this course via uSTREAM and creativeLIVE, i started to get really, honestly, and truly emotional! for starters, jasmine is phenomenal in front of the camera! she's gorgeous, she's informative, she's charismatic, the list goes on and on! second, jasmine doesn't HAVE to be doing this! she could easily ride out her photography days, taking amazing photographs, and having all of us wondering..."HOW does she DO that???" and lastly, as i was watching and listening, i began thinking about my own love of photography, and how finding this one thing, this ONE thing in your life that's mine, something that drives me, something that moves me to tears, something that without it would make me feel like an empty shell of a person, is a rare thing to be able to find! not everyone gets to find that thing, and not everyone realizes when they HAVE found it. now i'm not going to sit here and pretend that photography has been a happy go-lucky joy ride for me. i've had my high moments, but i have also had no shortage of my failures and lowest lows! i think all those things combined plus the desire to CONTINUE is what makes me KNOW that THIS is my passion!

ok, grabbing a tissue and getting off my soap box now.

anyway, this creativeLIVE course has been amazing and i can't wait to watch her in ACTION today! as with everything in life, there is always something new to learn about photography! thanks to jasmine, i am feeling truly inspired for this weekend's wedding!

so, THANK, THANK, THANK YOU creativeLIVE, jasmine star, laura & billy, and everyone else who helped make it happen!

what do i do now?

2010-08-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

for anyone who hasn't read my recent facebook posts, last week was lucy's first day of 1st grade, and today was elliot's first day of pre-elementary (a.k.a. pre-school).

enjoy your daily dose of cute:

lucy on her first day of school last week...

lucy with her julius gear...

"ok mom, are we done? can we go to the bus stop now?"

this morning, after i got lucy to the bus stop, i came back inside and finished getting elliot ready...

elliot's school makes these bags for the pre-elementary kids with pictures of things that start with the same letter at their name. that way, if they can't read their name, they can at least recognize their picture. well, when lucy was there, her name was "lucy lollipop". after she found out her school name, she started giving out names to everyone, ("daddy dog" and "christopher crab"). and the name she picked for elliot? ELLIOT EGG!!! she picked that name for him 2 years ago, and it just so happens to be his school name this year!!! when i saw his picture, i nearly died laughing!!!

so, after i drove 30 minutes to drop elliot off this morning, i had this moment of "ok...uh...what now?" you see, when lucy went to pre-school, elliot and i would sometimes stay in town to kill time, or we'd go back home and just hang out for an hour before going back to pick her up. but this morning, i didn't want to go back to an empty house just yet, so i drove up to target and walked around (and checked out the home section, since i am in total HOME REDECORATE mode.) i have to admit that i felt really weird walking around without a shopping cart...all by myself. and everywhere i looked i was reminded of lucy and elliot, because the whole store was filled with moms and their kids!

even though i don't feel old enough to admit it...the truth is i am the mother of school kids! watching elliot walk into the school without me, was such a strange feeling. and when i picked him up, it seemed like he had completely grown up in the 3 hours he was there! the good news...HE LOVED IT!!! he had SUCH a great time! and that was a huge sigh of relief for me! i mean, the whole drive home, i was practically jumping out of the seat, smiling and laughing as elliot was describing his first day!

now i just have to figure out what to do with myself while the kids are at school!

arlington race track portraits: david and heather

2010-08-10T00:15:00.014-05:00

david and heather were married in vegas, and are friends of some my amazing and fun past clients: j.r. and jessica! so when heather called me to ask if i would photograph the reception they were planning here for local family and friends i was stoked...until I realized that i was already booked for that day! :( so, after i sadly told her i would not be able to celebrate with them, heather said, you know what...let's do a trash the dress style portrait session! my frown turned upside down in approximately 0.3 seconds, and i became stoked once more!!!

we decided to start the session at the park across the street from their apartment

definitely a favorite of mine!

this was when they were telling me about how they met (gk2gk), which got us talking about all stuff geek including WoW, EVE, gaming, and my own personal addiction to the scott pilgrim comics/movie! we probably could have stayed there talking for hours...but we decided we should get on with picture makin'.

after a little while in the park, we made our way to arlington race track, where we had full access to the entire grounds...and a tour guide to take us to the best spots!!! the first place we went to was the stables. i'm pretty sure they were laughing at my don't-kneel-in-poop stance, because even though the ground was hosed down...there were still a few horse leftovers we had to watch out for.

this is the GRAND STAIRWAY. and when jeff (our arlington race track tour guide) told us we should check out the grand stairway, he wasn't kidding on the GRAND part!!

THIS. IS. MY. FAVORITE!!! i saw this, and my jaw dropped!!! heather looks undeniably, phenomenally, flawless!!! i think every woman deserves a picture like this of herself!!!

before the session, heather warned me that david has a tendency to have the same bright big smile in every photograph of him, to the point where he often times looks "photoshopped" in. he really does have a great, big smile, and it's even greater when it's nice and relaxed like this!

this was a landmine of...horse leftovers. they were trying very hard to tread with care!

if you go to a horse race, you MUST have a proper fancy-lady hat!! heather's was a perfect choice!!

JAZZ HANDS!!!!

it's no secret that i'm a sucker for viney walls!!

david and heather, i'm so glad i got to spend a few hours getting to know you two!! i had so much fun! i hope you guys have a BLAST at your reception this saturday!!!!!!

a fresh new office in the making...

2010-07-21T15:22:00.002-05:00

when we first bought our place, this huge office space was immediately claimed by adam. it had average looking carpet, boring wood trim, and plain white walls. adam used that as his office for a few years, before we finally decided that it need a serious makeover!

so, we pulled up the carpet, and i got to work painting all the trim white, and the walls a yummy caramel-ey, mocha-ish color. after the walls were painted, we put down that black moisture barrier, and brought down the brand new flooring to give it a few days to acclimate to the room. those few days are almost up, so we're about to start installing the floors.

now that i can see how amazing this office is going to look, i've decided to move in...and i guess i'll let adam share it with me! ;)

it's definitely a work-in-progress, but check out how it looks so far...

i am totally IN LOVE with that ledge wall. the possibilities of what i can do with it are endless!!! in fact, i've decided that my desk will be on the window wall where i'll have loads of light and function!

and here's a close up of the new flooring we'll be putting in.

with a new space, new furniture will be greatly needed! so, i've decided to keep with the clean lines and go with a brand new desk:

and cabinet:

i can't wait until all our hard work has paid off, and we can work and relax in our brand new shared office!!!! :)

UPDATE:
for more info and pictures on my office remodel, and also on all our other home decorating adventures, check out my personal blog here: http://grownuphome.com

cousins are fun!

2010-07-16T23:41:00.000-05:00

i've been meaning to blog some photos from my fun-filled day with the kids/nieces/nephew. a couple weeks ago, i decided it would be a good idea to babysit my 2 nieces, and nephew for a WHOLE DAY!! yep, that's right, 5 kids total from 9:00am to 7:00pm, with the help of my mother-in-law and her super kid-friendly house!

the night before, i admit, i was a little nervous, but as it turned out, it was much easier than i thought it would be! i planned so many little activities, that the day just fleeeeeeeeeew by! but, i must say that elliot seemed a little relieved to have me all to himself again.

and while i was a little too busy to be auntie photographer, i did manage to snag some uber cute pics of the kids!

this is tatum, she's a few months younger than elliot, and she just had a birthday last week! she is amazingly sweet and adorable!

there's lucy and kailey. kailey is a couple months older than lucy, and those two were off playing in their own little world most of the day.

that's gavin with elliot there. he is your typical energetic toddler, with a smile a mile wide! :D

and in this picture, gavin is the spitting image of my brother!!! (or at least, my brother when he was a toddler)

tatum has such bright big eyes!! and she was so helpful all day long.

this picture blows my mind, because kailey looks SO grown up! and she's definitely mature beyond her years, too. she was like my little babysitting assistant all day.

now, the main reason i wanted to set up this little play day, was because very soon they will be moving to arizona. so, the play days will definitely be few and far between after they leave. and since the kids have such a blast together (as cousins usually do), i want to get in as much quality time as i can!

etsy love: vintage brooch bouquets

2010-07-13T17:38:00.001-05:00

i love etsy...i mean who doesn't?!? etsy is one of THE BEST resources for handmade or vintage...anythings!

after james and tiffany's detailed extravaganza of a wedding, filled with things from etsy, it got me thinking, what other unique ideas can etsy offer brides??

ENTER: vintage brooch bouquets!!!!

from the second i saw one on etsy, i KNEW it was an idea that had to be shared with any and every bride-to-be! every single brooch bouquet is unique (BONUS), since they are made from vintage brooches. and, rather than having a bouquet of flowers that dies after a few days, this bouquet would easily last long past your 50th wedding anniversary!

here's a few examples of what i'm talking about:

this bouquet is full of fun and whimsy, and can be found here from the shop of hairbowswonderworld:

this one is also from hairbowswonderworld, and it can be found here:

i just love the sweet and romantic feel of this one, found here in the shop of Noaki:

in doing some more research about brooch bouquets, i stumbled upon this blog which had loads of images of all SORTS of bouquets!!
this one stood out as my favorite from that blog:

thank you etsy! once again you've shown that you are THE resource for fantastical ideas!!!

jim & hameeda - part 2: wedding at Promontory Point, Chicago

2010-06-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

this is the 2nd (and final) installment of jim and hameeda's AMAZINGNESS!!!

the final touches...

we had a little "first look", and the location was breathtaking!! they were married at promontory point in chicago, and everything was spectacular!

the stunning flowers were provided by hello darling, and more on them later...much more!! :)

hameeda, you are absolutely fabulous!!!

ok, let's talk about the flowers! this definitely needs to be shared as one of the BEST flower ideas for a wedding i've ever seen! now, at first glance these just look like bunches of gorgeous, beautifully modern, and expertly arranged flowers (natalie walsh at hello darling is a genius!!). but...do you see the vases each bouquet is in? every single vase (including a couple that decorated the ladies rest room) were found and purchased by hameeda. as you can see they are all hobnail, milk glass, and/or jadeite style vases. she found some on ebay, some at antique stores, but all hand picked by her! and if THAT weren't enough, at the end of the night, she began giving these GORGEOUS vases away to her guests. and, as i was saying my goodbyes to her, she hands ME ONE TOO!!! i nearly cried! it was beautiful, and RIGHT UP my alley, style-wise!! by far the BESTEST parting gift i've ever received!!! here are just a few of the gorgeous flowers in their amazing vases...

and here is the vase and flowers i received from hameeda! every time i look at it, it just makes me smile!! :D

hameeda's family came in early and hung all those paper lanterns. i loved the pops of color they added!!

fyi-jim made that wedding arch!!

here comes the bride!

they both wrote their own vows (i LOVE when bride and grooms do that!!), and jim's was probably the most beautiful, thoughtfully written vows i have ever heard! he had everyone reaching for a kleenex...including yours truly!

:)

just a few clothing adjustments before dinner.

mr. and mrs.!!!

after dinner, hameeda did a little costume change into a more dance-appropriate dress. (her wedding gown was beyond stunning, but it wasn't quite the type of outfit she'd be able to dance around in.) check out jim with his sexy lady cutting the cake...

since she changed clothes, i begged for a little session quickie...

these. are. my. FAVORITES!!!

i'm not gonna lie, when i look at this picture, the first thing i notice are hameeda's dainty little ankles.

ok, ok, ok, so in addition to being able to build a wedding arch, write vows that can make a photographer teary-eyed...jim is a doctor by day, and i guess DJ JAZZY JIM by night. because during the reception, jim busted out his mad DJ skills on the turn tables! he was REALLY scratching in this pic...for REALZ, YO!!

wicki, wicki, wicki, wicki, waaaaa

it was an extraordinary night, and thank you SO MUCH jim and hameeda, and all your friends and family for being so wonderful!!!

mehndi+wedding BEST OF slideshow

congratulations jim + hameeda!!!!!

jim & hameeda - part 1: mehndi at india house in schaumburg

2010-06-25T19:24:00.001-05:00

this is the first of 2 installments of jim and hameeda's amazingness...

hameeda's mehndi was at the india house banquet hall in schaumburg, and it was so, incredibly COLORFUL!!!!

when hameeda arrived she looked stunning!! i found myself staring at her dress most of the night, because it was just exquisite!

they arrived separately, so this was their mehndi first look, so to speak. ;)

and they could hardly keep their eyes off each other! but, can you blame them, they BOTH look amazing!!!!

mehndi was open to everyone and anyone who wanted a little decoration for the wedding. (including yours truly!) here are just a few of...

jim is at it again...staring at his bride-to-be.

let the henna flow...

i was in LOVE with their shoes!! mostly hameeda's at first, but jim's were pretty rad, too! and, he said they were quite comfortable!

FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVORITE!!!!

hameeda's sister saying a few words before the entertainment began.

do you see that woman dancer? hameeda and her have known each other since they were born, because their mothers are very close friends. growing up hameeda always knew she was a great dancer. so, it was no surprise when she became a dance teacher, and started opening dance studios all over! some of the other instructors, and even some students came for one GRAND performance! needless to say, IT WAS SPECTACULAR!!!

they did several numbers, and with each number there was a costume change.

(see!)

oh, and WOW were these guys SPOT ON with their michael jackson number!!!!

that's all i've got for now, but check back soon for more of jim and hameeda!! :)

a carnival, a rose parade, and fun times...oh my!

2010-06-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

this past weekend was the annual carnival and rose parade in roselle (a.k.a. "tumminaroville"), so we packed up the kids, the dogs, and my cameras, and headed out to enjoy the festivities.

this was one of elliot's favorite rides...

since elliot's desire to try new rides was slightly lacking, lucy and i rode the spinning dragon-belly ride together. she REALLY loved it! the expressions on her face are of genuine excitement!!

that's elliot's "mommy, stop taking pictures of me!" face. i actually don't get it too often, but when i do, it's priceless! oh, and you see that mark on his nose? it's from a nose-dive into corner of the coffee table. nothing too serious, but it was quite the mini-crisis at the time.
(word of wisdom: NEVER even whisper the word "blood" when a child is bleeding! the moment they know they're bleeding the freak-out goes from 1 to 1,000 in under 3 seconds!)

at the carnival, we played the duck game, and each of them won a stuffed dog!

after the carnival, we headed to adam's parent's house and played outside in their gorgeously green backyard!

favorite elliot-swinging picture!

ok, listen up because i gotta brag for a second (i'm a mommy, so i'm allowed)...LUCY TAUGHT HERSELF TO PLAY LONDON BRIDGE ON THE PIANO! and she ACTUALLY READS the sheet music!!! she's 6, has never had a piano lesson, and she taught herself to play a song on the piano!!!!!!! i mean...WHAT?!? she's flippin' amazing!!! :D

(see the sheet music for london bridge?)

i just LOVE elliot's tiny little feet!

elliot definitely loves his baby cousin, but i'm not sure he was enjoying being squashed by her. check out his expression!

i'm not a sports fan. and when i met adam, one of the qualities i loved about him was that...neither was he! but he IS an eve player. and yesterday was the eve equivalent of the playoffs that lead up to the superbowl. so, he was following the battle updates all day via his cell phone! and you know what...it was kind of adorable. :)

it may just be me, but adam kinda looks superhero-ish in this photo!

the parade was LOUD, LOUD, LOUD! and elliot doens't deal too well with LOUD noises. so luckily lucy and elliot's uncle came prepared with sound-dampening headphones! elliot wore them most of the parade.

in the car ride home, i had my camera in my lap, looking through all the photos of the weekend, and decided to take ONE more!

what an extraordinary weekend!

james and tiffany: belvedere chateau, wedding photography

2010-05-31T21:31:00.001-05:00

i've said it before, and i'll say it again...i simply love weddings!!! it's the day a couple begins building their new life together, surrounded by their closest friends and family. and while i'm not usually privy to the years building up to that day, i am able to catch a small glimpse as those closest to them share stories, words of wisdom, and well wishes. so, when i'm picking the photos to blog, what i'm really doing is telling the story of their day through my eyes. this is the story of james and tiffany...

james and tiffany got ready at her parents house, in separate rooms until the first look!

this is the first of MANY amazing details! i believe this was an etsy find.

tiffany, you look stunning!!

you GOTTA love these socks!!!!!! check out the label! i'm telling you, there was no detail that was overlooked! (once again, another etsy gem!)

let me tell you, his feet were nice and toasty! no chance of cold feet there!

i just ADORED his tux!! he was going to go with pin stripe, but i think he made the right choice with this gray number!

here's james, waiting for his FIRST LOOK at his bride-to-be...

i just LOVED their shoe choices!!!!

they were married at the belevere chateau in palos hills, and it was simply breathtaking! it was elegant and regal with a touch of rustic appeal. amazing!!!

:) i don't remember what he was gesturing about, but it makes me smile nonetheless.

luckily i was aware of this next part, because when he came with the second banner, he RAN down that aisle, and gave me just enough time to snag 1 pic! :) once again...another detail that added some extra personality to the ceremony! i LOVED it!

this is another one of my favorite little moments from the ceremony! james did this right after they were pronounced man and wife! :)

when i say the belvedere chateau was elegant and regal, i mean it! they entered the reception like royalty!

another part of the day that had my eyes welling up was the TOASTS!! they passed the mic around to everyone and anyone who had a few memories to share, wisdom to impart, or just to wish them well. and there were MANY well wishers!! it gave that much more insight into james and tiffany as a couple, and the love and support they've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by! and if my count was correct, there were 22 people who took the mic! this is just one of my favorite shots...

they also had an extremely talented friend serenade everyone. and for his second number, he sang A CAPELLA!!

and can i just say...I LOVED THEIR CAKE!!!

before i end this post, credit needs to be given to james and tiffany for the immense thought and effort that went into all the details of their wedding...(and a nod to etsy for being a GREAT resource for wedding details). here's a collage of some of the details:

BEST OF Slideshow

special thanks to james, tiffany, and their friends/family for making jen and i feel extremely welcome, and for letting us be a part of your day! we wish you guys THE BEST!!!

radio silence

2010-05-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

it seems as though i've been neglecting my blog duties recently. if you've been following me on twitter or facebook, you may be aware of my house and car drama, the excitement of lucy's last day of kindergarten, and that i've been busy editing tiffany and james's wedding photos. it's been crazy, and hectic, and fun, and i promise that blog entries will resume shortly.

in the meantime, here's a pic of me that my assistant, jen, snagged at james and tiffany's wedding

jim and hameeda: garfield park, chicago engagement session

2010-04-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

every couple is unique (duh!). and it's my job to figure out how to best photograph their natural interactions. sometimes a couple interacts most naturally while their walking, sometimes they're cuddlers and are most natural sitting on a bench, and sometimes they are perfectly natural in portrait (head and shoulders). such was the case with jim and hameeda! as you're about to witness, whether we were sitting, standing, or walking, their love just constantly ooozed from their eyes when they looked at each other, their smiles and their laughter, and best of all, the way hameeda nuzzles up to jim! they were so much fun to photograph!!

we started out at the garfield park conservatory, and it was a GORGEOUS april afternoon!!! oh...and it also happened to be HAMEEDA'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! she got pampered at a salon before the session, had a super fun afternoon with her soon-to-be hubby, and planned on SUSHI (yum!!) after our session. now THAT sounds like my kinda birthday!!!

this is definitely a fav of mine!!!

hameeda's smile is just gorgeous

see what i meant about the nuzzling! it was just too sweet!!

i think they were recounting their first date, and how jim made a joke which made hameeda surprised to find out that he also had a sense of humor.

the conservatory was closing, so we had to scurry our way to the front door.

but not before taking a few last shots inside

jim noticed this tree (dogwood...i think), and THANK GOODNESS he did! it was gorgeous!

sunflared kissing shots are the best!! :)

happy birthday to you!!!

i LOVE these next two shots!

click here to view a slideshow of my favorites from the day.

thanks so much jim and hameeda! i hope you had a happy birthday, and i can't wait to see you guys again in june!!

what a GREAT way to start the season!!!!

-----

also, to the photographers out there:
this engagement session marked the first time i didn't use photoshop to process the photos (except to add the logo and make it blog-ready). i used lightroom for all the processing. (normally i edit in lightroom, then do a 2nd edit to all the photos in photoshop, then use lightroom again for the final export). but, by maximizing what lightroom can do (and it can do just about ANYTHING), this will enable a quicker turnaround time to clients, while still being able to hand process and touch up every single image, and without making the images feel OVER processed! i've always used and been a fan of lightroom, but now i'm definitely head over heels in love with it!!

lucy: reading dr. seuss

2010-03-08T16:20:00.003-06:00

after DAYS of painting, our yellow walls are now...

BLUE! (hence the TWO empty light blue paint cans.)

but more interestingly, lucy is an AMAZING reader!!!! she's been reading for months now, and just gets better, and smarter, and CUTER!!!!

also, what do you think about the blue walls?? i'm still working on the room (new floors, new trim, etc), but i'm LOVING The blue walls!! especially to photograph. :)

just because

2010-02-24T15:34:00.000-06:00

EVERY boy should own a pair of superhero pajamas! it's a FACT!

lucy stayed home sick today, after being sent home from school sick yesterday. but, in true lucy fashion, you'd never know it from looking at her!

:)

happy birthday elliot!!!!

2010-02-17T10:46:00.004-06:00

4 years ago today, i was on my way to my in-law's house, because i had a feeling it would be THE day. i spent loads of time with lucy on her final day of being an only child. and while adam was finishing up his work day, i was timing my contractions. we waited a while before going to the hospital, and after 4 1/2 hours of labor and 4 1/2 minutes of pushing we met elliot! all 9 lbs of him! and i've been in love with having my little girl, and my rambunctious boy ever since!!

last night, adam filled the family room with balloons, and this morning, elliot had a blast playing with them!

here are 4 pics of 4-year-old on his 4th birthday!!!

p.s. elliot is a fan of being as naked as possible, it's true, but for the record, he IS wearing boxers in these photos. ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIOT!!!!

facebook weddings: vendor spotlight!

2010-02-09T10:03:00.009-06:00

today, all day, i will be featured on facebook weddings in the "vendor spotlight"!!!

it's just for today, but if you'd like to check it out, click the image below.

(and if you're viewing this post after the 02-09-10 spotlight date, you can check out what it DID look like here.

and, while you're cruising facebook, feel free to check out my profile. :)

Marcia Tumminaro

have a great day!!

55 in 5

2010-01-18T11:43:00.003-06:00

i don't make resolutions at new years (or any time.) they're usually quite vague, (do less of X. do more of Y), and since they're vague they're almost impossible to keep or maintain.

so instead, i prefer to make long term "to do" lists. because i LOVE to do lists!! i love making them, i love how they motivate me, but i especially love marking each item "COMPLETED". my list is similar to the famous "101 in 1001" (101 things to do in 1001 days). but, i think 1001 days isn't nearly enough time to do 101 things, and 101 is waaay too many things for me to remember! so, i decided i'd make my list a 55 in 5. (55 things to do in 5 years).

when i was thinking of the 55 things i want to accomplish in the next 5 years, i noticed a running theme in everything i want to do. it gave me a little insight into the type of person i am, and the type of person that i strive to become. i won't bore you with my list, but to give you an idea, just about everything on the list could fit into these 4 categories: education, charity, family, and photography!

and after looking at the whole list, it's clear that this is going to be an AMAZING 5 years!!!!

[belated] happy new year, and 2010 catalog

2010-01-15T16:00:00.003-06:00

it's already 1/2 way through the first month of the new year, and i'm finally getting a chance to post!

i hope everyone had a happy and healthy new year!!! this was quite a busy holiday season, with all the xmas parties, elliot's new star wars and lego star wars obsessions, creating a new and fresh 2010 catalog, lucy's first visit from the tooth fairy, as well as a recent death the in the family. (the patriarch of the tumminaro empire peacefully passed away.)

but, life goes on!

and with that, i'd like to show you my brand, spanking new catalog!
(click here to view full size)

handmade DIY gifts...

2009-12-21T09:46:00.027-06:00

now that each gift has been opened by their perspective recipient, i wanted to share the gifts i made, because i LOVED making them, i LOVED how they turned out, and the recipients LOVED them too!

first up, the HARDEST to make...
each cube is 3/4", and it's 5 blocks x 5 blocks TIMES 6 sides!!! (you can see why making these took me ALL day!) also, it should be stated that the images were chosen for their a)funny factor and/or b)vintage appeal. and just so they knew that these were custom-created puzzle blocks, we added one of our favorite bobbi+mike photos for good measure! :)

next up, a slightly simpler version...
these were a little easier to make, but still quite time consuming. each cube is 1". i've already got demands from lucy and elliot to make a few of the 1" block ones for them. :)

and last, but not least, another 1" set...
(my favorite from this one is definitely the bing crosby side! it capture the old school feeling i was going for PERFECTLY!!)

if you're wondering how to make your own, here's the website that inspired adam to show to me which inspired me to create these fun and personal gifts...
dime store games by MARTHA STEWART [who else is there for do-it-yourself awesome ideas??]

p.s. and it's not too late to whip up a few of these bad boys, and sneak them under the xmas tree! ;)

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

happy holidays!!

2009-12-20T09:41:00.003-06:00

our 2009 holiday card...

:)

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

getting into the holiday season!

2009-12-05T08:08:00.001-06:00

we started decorating the house the day after thanksgiving, because lucy and elliot just could NOT wait any longer to put up the tree! usually we AT LEAST wait until december 1st, but this year, we caved!

so, with the decorations up, and the first snowfall on the ground, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!! :)

so, i snagged some pics this morning before the sun came up.

as you can see, we decorate our tree in a mixture of ornaments given to us when we were kids (notice the "Marcia 1988" apple ornament, given to me when i started kindergarten), ornaments we've made ourselves (such as the red ball with the stars on it and the heart with a picture of lucy on it), and ornaments that are annually given to the kids (i.e. the strawberry shortcake and the easter bunny-looking carousel ornament right above her). it may not look very martha stewart, but each ornament holds a special memory to me, so i LOVE my tree!! :)

one year we'll actually hide the pickle ornament and give a special present for the one who finds it...but not this year.

our "fireplace" is great for holidays, because it's the perfect place for decorations! and this year, we really loaded it up!

i love the way the banister looks decorated with lights and garland!!

happy decorating this year!!

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i'm 27!!

2009-11-18T09:14:00.001-06:00

(that was me!)

with 2 handmade cards (by lucy and elliot), breakfast-in-bed, [meatless] sushi and a shopping spree with adam and the kids planned for tonight, not to mention last weekends' birthday-buffet bash for me at adam's parent's house and an evening hanging out with close friends whom i haven't seen in ages, it's been a pretty PERFECT celebration of my 27th year of life!!!

the feeling of being loved by those around me has filled me up so much that it's spilling out everywhere!! you can't tell, but i'm grinning from ear to ear right now!!! :)

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birds on the wires

2009-11-13T16:30:00.000-06:00

adam found this video a while ago, and elliot just LOVES it!

simply amazing random happenstance!!

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my big brother is the big 3-0!

2009-11-12T11:36:00.002-06:00

i am the youngest of 3 kids, and the only girl!

which means i grew up as the bratty little sister to 2 big brothers. :) brian, "the middle child", on the left, and scott, "the oldest" on the right.

well, today is my brother, brian's 30TH birthday!

wow!

30?!?

this was him before i was born (and possibly one of my favorite photos of him)

there are times when elliot looks a LOT like my brother!

i just can't believe he's 30! i mean, i still have vivid memories of how he used to make me laugh so hard that i would have to bolt down the hallway to the bathroom! a feat that we don't get to duplicate very often, since he lives in florida.

here's another favorite photo of him and me!

(i'm the little one in the blue)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!

we love, and miss, you terribly up here in illinois! i hope you did decide to take today off, and enjoy your birthday right! :)

oh, and when i was little i would get so excited for my brother's birthday, because it meant that my birthday was less than 1 week away!! :)

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

james + tiffany: navy pier engagement session!

2009-11-05T16:06:00.003-06:00

i had such an amazing time with james and tiffany, and soooo many favorites from our session!!

it must be showcased that chicago is SPLENDID in autumn!!

definitely a favorite!! (i told james it was his JOB to keep making tiffany smile and laugh...and he did GOOD!)

see....

another FAVORITE!!!!

so, as you can see they are both wearing a TIFFANY'S shade of blue...and the name on that blue ship in the background....JAMES!!! perfect? DEFINITELY!!

at some point, the topic of ANTM and smizing got brought up. (yep...i'm a fan!!) james and i kept saying that tiffany was a natural in front of the camera...well, i think it needs to be pointed out that JAMES was pretty amazing, too! he totally doing some GQ smizing!!!

tiffany is such a natural beauty!

love this one, too!!

when we found this little place we were ACTUALLY looking for the beach! well, since i've only been to navy pier once before, and james hasn't been there since he was a kid...we never quite made it to the beach. i'm pretty sure we took a wrong turn somewhere, but no worries. we TOTALLY "made it work"!! and i'm so glad, too, because i LOVE how these seaside shots turned out!!

tiffany was quite good at smizing, too!! ;)

i'm super proud of this shot!!

james and tiffany BOTH have gorgeous, out-of-this-world cheekbones!!!

james: hard at WORK making tiffany laugh!

watching these two interact was so inspiring, but i'm pretty sure all i could saw was "awwwwwwwww!"

click here to view more from their session!

also, i just downloaded the free beta version of lightroom 3! (totally legal...for the record). this version of lightroom FINALLY offers the option of exporting a slideshow in VIDEO format. (in the past, you could make slideshows, but only export them in pdf format...not very blog-friendly).

well, i was playing around with it, and i created a video slideshow of these blog photos! since i've never really played around with the lightroom slideshow feature (since it wasn't very useful in previous version), this is like a first test-run.

enjoy!

Click To Play

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james + tiffany: engagement sneak peek!

2009-11-04T07:21:00.000-06:00

james + tiffany + navy pier + another gorgeous chicago autumn day = this amazingly fun engagement session!! :)

here's a sneak peek...more to come soon!

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

dave + melanie's autumn wedding at the river east art center!

2009-11-03T13:53:00.001-06:00

i've officially decided that fall is my FAVORITE season!! not only are the changing leaves vibrant and colorful, but i've noticed that october brings with it some of the most beautiful blue skies of the year! plus...it's HOODIE WEATHER!!!! :)

now, onto dave and melanie's intimate wedding at the river east art center...

black frame glasses!!! (my favorite!) and, they had small pearls on the side that seemed like they were designed specifically to match her wedding day jewelry! :)

i love the mix of warm wood tones with cool aquatic tones!

ahhhhhhh! :) they picked THE PERFECT WEEKEND in october to get married! the autumn colors were gorgeous and vibrant!!

again with the warm and cool tones mingling in perfect harmony!

definitely one of my favorites! the light was just perfection!

these were some of THE most beautiful floral arrangements that i've ever seen!

another favorite!!

melanie's nieces and nephews were a riot! (if you look closely, you can see he's wearing nail polish. he has a 5-year old sister...need i say more?)

(that's his older sister in the green! those 2 reminded me of lucy and elliot!!!)

the ceremony was in a gallery exhibiting photos taken by chicago photographers!

:)

after the ceremony, they moved to the reception, which was in a gallery exhibiting black and white paintings....get it? black and white...groom and bride! (rather appropriate gallery choices, if you ask me!)

she was just simply stunning!!

i love watching and listening to the toasts to the bride and groom!

especially when they involve comical props!!!

the bride/groom sweetheart table!

click here to view more photos from dave and melanie's wedding.

everything about dave and melanie's wedding was perfect! they arrived arm in arm to the river east art center, where we immediately started a relaxed bride/groom portrait session. and when we got into the session flow, i realized how incredibly relaxed they are with each other! it was a joy to photograph them!!

thank you so much dave and melanie!!

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dave + melanie: wedding sneak peek

2009-10-31T07:38:00.000-05:00

last weekend, i was quite the busy bee! and, i admit i have been slacking on my blog "sneak peek" duties. here is the first of two sneak peeks...

dave and melanie were married at the river east art center in chicago, and everything was absolutely beautiful and perfect!

be on the lookout for more from dave and melanie, and a fun autumn engagement session with james and tiffany!

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

today is the first day of the last year of adam's 20's!!

2009-10-19T07:55:00.002-05:00

or, more simply...adam's 29th birthday! and since adam is not really a birthday kinda person, and we've spent the past 2 weekends celebrating lucy and lilliana's birthdays...we don't have much planned today.

so, instead, i wanted to share the smartest, funniest, and musically wondrous gift that lucy got for her birthday...

our family has always loved they might be giants, but now with the addition of the here come the 123's CD/DVD, that's all the kids want to watch/listen to!! they also have a here come the ABC's and their brand new release here comes science (just to name a few of their kid-friendly albums)...but we don't have those...YET!

here are some of our favorites from the album...

"zeros"

"one everything"

"apartment four"

"seven days of the week"

those are just a few, but, if you're a parent with smart and awesome kids...you should get "here come the 123's"...FOR SURE!!!

well, HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY ADAM!!!

(and happy monday to everyone else!!)

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lucy, it's your birthday! happy birthday, lucy!!

2009-10-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

today is lucy's birthday, and she is 6 years old. 6 YEARS old?!? 6 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!
*sigh*

i present to you, her humble beginnings...

on sunday, we decided to head over to the pumpkin farm with some family. we went through a corn maze, saw some exotic animals at the animal farm, witnessed a pumpkin-eating-dinosaur, burned our tongues on some deliciously scalding hot apple cider, picked out a few pumpkins, and followed everything up with some insanely scrumptious apple cider donuts!! oh, how i love the pumpkin farm!!!

let the maze-ing BEGIN!

lucy was the leader, and she led us to freedom!!

i adore this shot of the three of them, walking hand-in-hand, with feet moving exactly the same!!!

ever see that animal at an animal farm??? come to think of it, i've never seen that animal anywhere!!

(even with a belt, you can't escape the inevitable elliot crack)

see what i mean about the SCALDING HOT apple cider??? if you look closely, you can see the steam rising from the cup!

after warming ourselves up with cider and donuts, we headed back to the grandparent's house to eat cake and open a few presents. adam took control of the camera, and these are a few of the images he was able to capture...

about 2 weeks before her birthday, and out of the blue, she became barbie-crazy! so, most of her presents this year were...BARBIE!!

i love this shot of lucy...well, i love every shot of lucy, but this one is definitely another keeper!

adam was trying very hard to be artistic and stealthy, he definitely gets a "A" for effort!

well, today we're planning on keeping things low key for her actual birthday. i predict she'll spend most of today playing with some of the toys she opened before school this morning. (the fact that we asked her what she wanted for dinner, letting her know she could have anything, or go anywhere in the WORLD, and she chose TACO BELL should be proof enough that we're a pretty laid-back, low-key family)

well, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY, LUCY!!
:o)

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happy 1st birthday lilliana!!

2009-10-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

today is lilliana's 1st birthday!!!! so i felt it was fitting to share some photos from her birthday party!

such a perfect idea for a 1st birthday candle!!! they didn't even need to light it.

i wonder what she's thinking when she makes that face.

she was very concerned about keeping her fingers clean. so, she would take a tiny bite...

then wipe her mouth using the back of her hand...

then, she just decided it was cleaner to eat without even using her hands by diving into her cupcake, face first...

the aftermath...

cupcakes!!

in addition to the cupcakes, they also had a giant cupcake-shaped CAKE! so, elliot opted for that instead.

lilliana was not exactly interested in opening her presents, so lucy and elliot decided to help out. here they are bringing our present for lilliana...

and inside the card was the DVD of the photos from our session with lilliana!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY LILLY!!!!

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lilliana grace - 1 year old!!

2009-10-08T10:58:00.000-05:00

lilliana grace is back, and adorable as ever! next week she turns 1 year old!!! it's hard to believe it's been a year already. (for those who don't know, lilliana is my niece, and INCREDIBLY photogenic!)

we decided to do most of the session inside and outside of their house, and on "tumminaro lane" (nicknamed as such, since there are 8 houses on the same street that are owned by individuals who all share similar DNA!!)

i love this shot of lilliana in her crib! the light from her window was perfect!!

the colors in her room are so vibrant!

we quickly moved outside to their amazing porch!! lilliana decided to tidy up before we began. :)

another favorite!

she's so expressive!!!!

daddies are so good at making their daughters smile!! her dad (aka adam's brother) was running back and forth behind us, and it was cracking her up!

from the porch we migrated to their backyard. (isn't that the most perfect grass you've ever seen?)

the sun provided some amazing flare!

one of my favorite things, is watching little ones discover their surroundings! a simple thing like a twig becomes something new and wondrous to a child!

oh, and since lilliana is lucy's cousin, lucy wanted to come along as my assistant to help make lilliana smile! she was doing a great job, but when lucy saw adam's brother building a brick patio, she decided she'd rather be his assistant than mine. :)

lilliana in a tree. :)

another favorite!!!

she is very skilled at walking, but the grass did present her with a few challenges. she kept falling face-first, butt-up!

lilliana with her dog, dakota!

last stop: tumminaro lane!

yet another favorite!

lilliana has some of the most gorgeous blue eyes i've ever seen...definitely a tumminaro trait!

as the sun was fading, we made our way inside grandma's house and did a quick wardrobe change into her birthday party dress. unfortunately, i only got about 2 shots, because about 4 seconds after this shot was taken, lilliana took a little tumble and knocked her head on the table. she was ok, but we decided to call it a day anyway.

we'll be seeing lilliana real soon, since her birthday party is this weekend, but as always, she was an adorable subject!!!

happy 1st birthday lilliana!

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josh+megan: my first wedding in RAW!

2009-09-16T11:02:00.003-05:00

josh and megan's wedding was filled with firsts for me. it was my first time 2nd shooting. well, technically, i was 3rd shooting, since the 2 main photographers were a husband+wife duo from rockford. nels and anna akerlund have asked me to help them out from time to time when they're booked, so josh and megan's wedding was their opportunity to see me in action for the first time. the experience, for me, was both nerve-wracking, and calming. (if that's possible). for one, i'll admit i was a little self conscious about having another photographer (who has been in the business 20 years) seeing not only my HITS...but also my misses! but, at the same time, it was nice to focus my time on the parts of the day that are my absolute FAVORITE!!! the bridal preparation...and the details!!! (and as you'll see, that's exactly what i did!)

my other first was shooting the entire wedding in RAW format. i've thought, contemplated, and wanted to do this for a while now, but i've always been worried about having enough memory cards. i mean, i shoot THOUSANDS of photos at a wedding, and shooting RAW requires dozens of cards for that kind of photographing rate! but, the benefits of shooting RAW far outweigh the cost of a few extra memory cards!!!

well, without further ado, my first wedding in RAW...

this is one of my favorite shots of megan! she has such delicately expressive eyebrows!

i saw the tri-fold mirror...and i couldn't resist!

i love how she punched her way into her dress!!!

megan looked stunning!

megan and her dad on their way to alter

this flower girl was absolutely adoreable!!

as you can see it was an autumn theme, and it was so gorgeous!

details, details, details! (ok, so i may have went a little overboard blogging all the details, but hey, it's my blog!)

nothing like a trumpeted entrance to make a girl feel like royalty!!

married!!

after the ceremony, we all made our way to sinnissippi gardens in rockford, where we were greeted by a couple swans. i made a joke that if i had control over the universe, i would get two of the swans together in front of them and have them make a heart with their necks.

i kid you not...it ACTUALLY HAPPENED about 5 minutes after i said that!!!

p.s., but those swans SCARED the heck outta me!! every time anyone walked by them, they would make this hissing sound. apparently, they are extremely aggressive animals, which is weird that their image has been associated with love.

anyway, back to josh and megan!!!

well, since i was technically a 3rd shooter, i left shortly after arriving at the reception, for practicality reasons. but, not before i shot a couple more detail shots. the center pieces on each table were individual cakes, and i just loved the toss bouquet!

well, it was a lot of fun shooting along side other photographers. it was refreshing to see other points-of-view of approaching the day! i look forward to working with them again in the future! thanks nels and anna for letting me tag along!!!

and a big ol' CONGRATULATIONS to josh and megan!!!

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

dave + bobbi: MARRIED!!

2009-09-13T10:08:00.004-05:00

i've known dave and bobbi for 3-4 years now...because dave is my sister-in-law's BROTHER! (dave's sister is adam's older brother's wife...and the mother of the adorable lilliana grace! and if you managed to follow that description give yourself a cookie!!) so, when i got the call that they wanted to hire me as their photographer, i was overjoyed!! so, while this wedding was completely legit and professional, it was also a family affair...which is one reason why my sides were splitting all DAY!!! :)

we started the day at the salon so that all the girls could get their hair did...

when i saw the magazine just lying there...i just HAD to!

meet bobbi! (my sister-in-law's sister-in-law)

one of my favorites from the salon!!

after the salon, the girls and i headed back to the house..aka the ceremony site...aka the reception site. yep! they had their wedding in their own backyard!! and, it was cozy and intimate, not to mention gorgeous!!!

some details...

i was in the living room, wedding dress in hand, looking all around for a good spot to photograph it. when, through the window i spotted their gazebo, gorgeously lit, with flowers all around. it was perfect!

meet dylan! (dave and bobbi's ADORABLE son...and the ring bearer!!!)

does this little cutie look familiar? she was the flower girl.

just before she walked down the aisle...

i told you their backyard was gorgeous!! (i suggested to them that they consider renting it out for weddings and events!)

married!!!!

bobbi and her mom. (they were making me laugh, which was making it a little hard to keep the camera steady.)

these girls were cracking me up ALL DAY! especially bobbi's maid of honor, katy! (katy, should i be picking out winter coats or flip flops?) ;)

dave and bobbi are fans of the corpse bride, so dave MADE the topper, and decided on a topsy-turvy style wedding cake!!

lilliana and dylan are cousins, and they had some fun "dancing" together!

i have a confession...i can't resist a chocolate fountain! about 5 seconds after i grabbed this pic, i also made myself a yummy chocolate coated pretzel! they used dove chocolate...so you KNOW it was deeeeeeelicious!!!

first dance!

the best man must have felt a little left out, so dave had a first dance with him too. :)

check out the ladies' man!

dave's parents

after the reception was in full swing, i stepped outside, and noticed the card box set up in the gazebo. i love the shadows in this image.

to see more of their photos, click here.

dave and bobbi, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding! i had SOOO MUCH FUN!!! and i can't wait to see you guys soon for your family portrait session!!

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

dave + bobbi: wedding sneak peek!

2009-09-09T16:41:00.002-05:00

this past labor day weekend, it was all about weddings!! on saturday i photographed dave and bobbi's wedding with the help of a 2nd shooter, and on sunday, i photographed josh and megan's wedding AS a 2nd shooter!

so, as you can guess i've been a busy little bee at my computer, and i'm waist deep in editing! however, right now i'm focused on dave and bobbi's wedding!

when i came across this photo i had to put editing on pause and switch to computer #2 to blog! it dawned on me that i hadn't posted a "sneak peek" shot yet! (shame on me!)

more to come, soon! :)

contact marcia, or check out more galleries.

where the wild things are

2009-09-02T16:33:00.006-05:00

i happened upon this trailer, and my eyes and ears perked up in suspense and surprise, culminating in all over warm fuzzies!!

the release date is 2 days after lucy's birthday, so i know what we'll be doing for lucy's birthday weekend!!

2009 rockford air show

2009-08-23T19:20:00.003-05:00

yesterday we all headed to the rockford airport to check out the air show...

lucy and elliot had their own personal rides for most of the day.

a favorite!!

THE best shades to sport at an air show!!

also, the cotton candy was SOOOO good!!

my FAVORITE photo of adam and me that i've ever taken!! :)

did you think we could go out, have fun, and NOT see elliot's crack? um...i don't think so! :)

lucy watching the parachuters...

these guys were great!

I. LOVE. THIS. ONE!!!!!

i'm SURE we'll be attending the air show next year (and probably the year after that, and the year after that!)

first day of kindergarten

2009-08-20T08:23:00.006-05:00

well, we all survived lucy's first-day-of-school sendoff. although, my night of sleeplessness lead to a bit of a late start this morning. I planned on getting up at 6:00, set the alarm clock for 5:50, hit the snooze a couple times, and before i knew it the clock read 6:20! but, luckily, i busted out my inner flash gordon, and got lucy AND me showered, dressed, and breakfast'd in 30 minutes FLAT! (a new record in the tumminaro house!)

as is custom, i snapped a few photos of her in front of the house before we headed to the bus stop.

(as you can see, her hair was still wet from the shower she had just 30 minutes prior!)

the house feels a little quieter without lucy, a little calmer, but elliot and i are still missing lucy a whole bunch!

oh, and because elliot hasn't made an appearance in the blog for a while...

< cliche >they grow up so fast!< /cliche >
(yeah, that was a programmer joke)

getting dirty with totally rad!

2009-08-19T14:20:00.007-05:00

well, the photoshop gods at totally rad have done it again...but this time they have gone above and beyond what was thought possible by us mere mortals. they have created a photoshop plugin so totally amazing, so totally cutting edge, so totally easy to use, and so TOTALLY RAD...that human words can not describe it!

here is a demo video by the zeus of photoshop himself...doug boutwell:

my jaw dropped, by knees went weak, and my hand inexplicably crept toward my wallet so i could buy the totally rad dirty pictures texture plugin!!! not only have the TRA sets and how-to videos taught me how to use photoshop more creatively, but they have helped me maximize every image that i photograph in a quick and simple way! to say that TOTALLY RAD has revolutionized the photography industry (especially with the addition of the new dirty pictures plugin) would be an UNDERSTATEMENT!

sign me up...i am SOLD!

back to school week

2009-08-17T11:20:00.003-05:00

this week marks lucy's return to school! so, we've got a kindergarten orientation to attend, some new school clothes to be delivered. then...her first day of KINDERGARTEN!! (which also includes her very first ride on a big, yellow school bus!!)

she's very excited...to say the least. and she's been practicing her reading skills, and memorizing her phone number/address so that she's all prepared!

she's definitely prepared...but i'm not sure if i am. ;)

salvatore+maridia's baptism

2009-08-09T18:44:00.003-05:00

once upon a time i decided i wanted to start my own photography business! so, i started out by photographing my brother's wedding on the beaches of florida. a few months later, based on those photos, i received an email from frank and carmel! they knew i didn't have much experience, but decided to take a chance on me for their wedding! they were some of my first clients. before their wedding, frank (who is also a wedding DJ) began organizing a wedding open house. he invited me to showcase myself and my work, and encouraged me to meet brides, as well as some of the other vendors that they had hired for their own wedding. it was my first taste of the industry as a whole, and i met a lot of great brides, and talented vendors. frank and carmel definitely hold a special place in my heart, and have helped me in more ways that i can say!

cut to a few years later, frank and carmel become parents...to TWINS!!!! a handsome little boy, and a beautiful baby girl! so, when the time came for their baptism, frank called me up to document the twins' momentous spiritual birth into the church.

salvatore and maridia were calm and quiet through the whole ceremony. they looked so sweet and content!

i was told that their rosaries were blessed by the pope!

i love baby hands!!! :)

and i love flailing baby arms!! (salvatore was doing that quite a bit. i wonder if it was his way of saying "hallelujah", or maybe he was just saying "hi" to me. :) either way, he was too cute!!!)

there's salvatore's arms again!! (LOVE this one!)

salvatore's baptism...

i love this one too!!

maridia's baptism...

i love how carmel is looking to the sky, and maridia is raising her hand to the sky as well! (another favorite!)

maridia looked like a little angel!

frank, carmel, salvatore, and maridia all together!

there's salvatore's arm again!! (i know, i know, so many arm photos of salvatore. but, i just can't help myself!)

salvatore and maridia, with their godparents!

and check out this cutie patootie! (she was the flower girl at frank+carmel's wedding.) but don't let that sweet face fool you, she'll be getting her black belt real soon! :)

click here to see some more photos from salvatore and maridia's baptism.

thank you again frank and carmel...for EVERYTHING!!!

mark+nicole's fairy tale wedding

2009-08-08T19:57:00.005-05:00

mark and nicole...where do i begin?!?

first of all, it must be mentioned that it was an absolute TREAT for me to photograph a wedding that was close by to my home, and didn't require over an hour of driving!! :) i met up with nicole at their hotel/reception site (Lexington Hotel/Cliff Breakers) in rockford, just around the corner from lucy's school! but that was just the BEGINNING of their amazing wedding plans. since their ceremony was about 40 minutes away from their reception site, they decided to rent a PARTY BUS!!! not ONLY did it save me the gas and stress of driving all by myself, but it provided tons and TONS of great photo opportunities...some of which have been censored for the blog (but don't worry nicole, you'll get ALL of 'em!!) ;) on TOP of that, their reception hall had WINDOWS GALORE!!!! they did an excellent job planning every single detail of their wedding to make it a fairy tale dream come true...and it showed!!!

their hotel room was 2 floors! so nicole BRILLIANTLY thought of the idea to hang her dress from the second floor before i got there!

i love the pink gerber daisies (duh), but ALSO the sparkles everywhere!!!

LOVE this one!!

alright, are you ready for a crazy wedding story? about 15 minutes before we all had to load ourselves onto the party bus, one of the bridesmaids comes into the room in a little bit of a panic. it seems that her zipper got off its track somehow, and it wouldn't zip up OR down...and her whole back was exposed! so, we all tried and tried and tried with NO luck! it just would NOT BUDGE!! so, as a last resort, another bridesmaid called down to the front desk to see if there was anyone who could help us out. a few minutes later this gentleman came and knocked on the door. it turns out, his mother was a seamstress, so, he worked his magic on that zipper....and VOILA! a snip here, and a zip there, and the zipper was back on track!! the fact that it happened was crazy enough, but the fact that the problem was discovered, and rectified in under 15 MINUTES is proof of the fairy tale magic of the day! (oh, and nicole kept her cool the WHOLE time!!)

THE PARTY BUS!!! (i HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend renting one for your wedding!!!!)

nicole...natural light LOVES the heck outta your skin!!!

that's a 7 month pregnant belly out-of-focus in the background...and i'm SO jealous of how tiny she still was at 7 MONTHS!!!

arrival at krape park in freeport!

oh, yeah! they hired a harp player!!! did i mention that it was a fairy tale wedding?

i love toddlers in tuxes!!!

the bride's been SPOTTED!

DUCKS!!!! :)

there was a little waterfall near their ceremony site, so of COURSE we grabbed some picks near it!!

one of my FAVS! i just love pink flowers!!!!!! :)

PARTY BUS (the censored sequel!)

another favorite!

that cake was SOOOOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!

when mark asked nicole to marry him, he put together a whole cinderella themed propsal! this was the exact glass slipper he used in his proposal!!! (insert "awwwwww!" here) :)

love me some back lighting!!

CAKE FIIIIIGHT!!

yes, there was some cake-filled motor-boating action! ;)

the AFTER MATH!

TO MARK AND NICOLE!!!!

this was a genius idea for keeping the kiddos entertained!!!!

the entire bridal party dancing in a huddle!

this is definitely in my top 5 FAVORITE dance floor shots i've ever taken!!

click here to check out more photos

best wedding toast ever

2009-08-05T10:37:00.005-05:00

so, i love weddings...obviously! and whether i've known the couple for years, or just met them a week earlier, i often get swept up in the emotion of the day!

so, it's no surprise that this video made me cry...

Amy's Song

what a LUCKY, LUCKY couple to have such AMAZING (and talented) friends+family!!!

mark+nicole: wedding sneak peek!

2009-08-03T13:55:00.003-05:00

mark and nicole were married saturday, and while i go through the hundreds and hundreds and HUNDRENDS of photos, please enjoy a little peek at what's to come from them...

ALSO...be on the lookout for more from mark and nicole's wedding, and the napolitano twin baptism sneak peek COMING SOON! :)

AND...after that, a little creative project i've got planned with an old friend of mine.

new studio sample!

2009-07-29T10:46:00.004-05:00

recently, i've been trying to update my studio samples, because most of them are YEARS and YEARS old! so, i ordered a new sample canvas print! actually, i ordered it, then i completely forgot that i ordered it, and when it arrived i was completely baffled and surprised...in a good way! opening it was like opening a big birthday present. :)

this is the first canvas print that i've ordered through pictage. it's printed and assembled by simply canvas, and the quality is breathtaking!!! the colors are bright and beautiful and the canvas finish is gorgeous!

i chose a photo from mark+nicole's engagement session in belvidere, because i just LOVE the moment, i LOVE the light, and i LOVE the skin tones!

and speaking of mark+nicole, i'll be seeing them REAL soon, since their wedding is THIS WEEKEND!! so keep an eye out for their wedding posts soon.

cheap 50mm lens

2009-07-21T16:42:00.006-05:00

about 2 years ago, while i was trying to build up my lens collection, yet still lacking the funds to incorporate a complete l-series line-up, i was tricked into buying one of THE cheapest lenses i have ever seen. i wanted a 50mm, but didn't have the $1,500 (or so) for the f/1.2, so i picked up the 50mm f/1.8 for (get this) $78.00! (told you it was cheap!). i used it for a few weddings with my very old, and long-since retired rebel xt. the term "you get what you pay for" was an understatement with this one, but it did serve it's purpose with it's wide aperture for a few low-light situations.

nowadays, i keep the f/1.8 hidden at home most of the time like an unloved stepchild. but, for kicks, i decided i would use it on my 5d for the first time ever, because lucy was begging me to take some pictures of her. (i'll be honest though, putting a cheap lens on a high-end camera felt a little like putting keds on a botticelli statue).

once i started taking pics of lucy, of course elliot HAD to jump in, exclaiming "ME NEXT, MY TURN, ME NEXT!!!"

well, i think the 5d's high quality may have minimized the limited quality of the lens, because the results were actually quite nice, i thought! perhaps, i won't leave the f/1.8 home, alone, and collecting dust next time. maybe, just maybe, i'll actually start using it again...that is until i pick up the f/1.2. then, i'm sorry, but it'll be GOOOOOOODNIGHT NURSE!

lucy: two sides

2009-07-18T23:21:00.002-05:00

i have had my camera at-the-ready for the past few days now due to the fact that lucy and elliot have been EXTRA adorable lately!

that being said, when lucy went through the winter accessories box and pulled out a little black winter hat and put it on, i sprinted to grab my camera, and i took a few shots of just a couple of her personalities...

this is lucy's dark and serious side.

and THIS is lucy's warm and sunny side!
(she took off her hat, and i grabbed this shot as she was giving me a big LUCY HUG!)

being lucy and elliot's mommy makes me happy!!! :)

trying out some new image branding

2009-07-17T10:30:00.007-05:00

when it comes to things like the look of my website or blog, i DEFINITELY have A.D.D.! i'm always looking to improve or change or evolve it in some way. and the way i brand my images for the blog is no different. i've been playing around with some new looks, and i've even created photoshop actions to make the process go quickly!
here is my newest image branding prototype...

the thing i like most about this prototype is that i can move it anywhere. that way, i can place it in a spot that doesn't cover up any important parts of the image!

i think it fits into this image quite nicely!

(by the way, that's lucy posing it up with a shootsac cover. for the record, she's never been a thumb-sucker, this was purely for the photo. she's such a great little model!!)

like i said, this is just my newest prototype, you may see some variations on it, or i may decide that i like it just fine! but, feel free to let me know what you think!

have a great weekend!!!

web developer (in training)

2009-07-16T18:46:00.006-05:00

we've got quite the computer lab. there are 4 computers in this photo alone...
(one is elliot's, another is lucy's, and the two in the back belong to me!)

elliot had just eaten some crackers, as evidenced by the crumbs all over his face...

just for fun!

2009-07-15T23:11:00.005-05:00

lucy and g'pa tumminaro put on a little puppet show, and it was just so CUTE that i HAD to share it!

lucy + g'pa put on a puppet show from lucy goosey on Vimeo.

we've been bobbi+mike'd!!!

2009-07-13T13:02:00.006-05:00

some photos from my family's session with the AMAZING, FANTASTIC, FABULOUS bobbi+mike!!!!

THANK you adam for wearing a polo, (his DAD'S polo to be exact). i know it was very difficult for him to put it on, but luckily it caused only minor emotional damage. ;)
(for the record, adam is NOT a polo guy, or a tie guy, or a dressy guy by ANY means! but he sucked it up, and wore a bright orange polo...just for me. now THAT'S love!!!)

DEFINITELY one of my favorites!!!! (this is in adam's grandparent's BACKYARD!!)

:D

i ADORE the kid's facial expressions in this one!!!!

adam's uncle's car which was located in the driveway of adam's brother's house. another one of my FAVS!

elliot has been a plumber-in-training for some time now. (we have zillions of butt-crack photos of elliot from just about every family party or function!!!)

adam felt MUCH more comfortable once he got out of his "dressy" clothes. :)
i'll give you a cookie if you can identify the symbol on his shirt!!

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE IT!!!!!
this was taken in the back alley near lynfred winery, which i've passed a million times, but i have NEVER seen the stacks of barrels before. it was a GREAT location find!!!!

as bobbi would say: AYKM?!?!? :D

just in case it's not obvious...elliot was a MESS after he finished his ice cream!!

ANOTHER FAVORITE!!!!

click here to view their full blog post!!

i now know what my clients go through after a session. the waiting, the excitement, the obsessively hitting refresh on their blog hoping that one of these times, i'll get to see our names plastered across the top of the screen...i mean, er, what? i never did that last part. ;)

i am so glad that bobbi and mike took the drive to come and photograph us on "tumminaro lane"!! it really was a very personal location for us, since it's where we spend most of our time. i think it helped make us all more comfortable to be on our own turf! :)

bobbi+mike ROCKED our socks off!!! and the fact that they were able to rock it basically just going from tumminaro-backyard to tumminaro-backyard is PROOF of their awesomeness! (and also proof that tumminaros have AWESOME backyards!!!)

we love you bobbi+mike!!!! and we will DEFINITELY be seeing you again in the future!!!!

the tumminaros: bobbi+mike's sneak peek...

2009-07-09T11:15:00.008-05:00

here's a little sneak peek that bobbi+mike twitpic'd.

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!!!!! (i can't wait to see more!!)

distracted

2009-07-07T07:36:00.003-05:00

i've been slightly distracted the past two weeks or so. for starters (in case you don't follow me on twitter or facebook), my dad had his surgery, and is back home recovering well.

i also had my first taste of what it feels like to be the photographed, (instead of being the photographer) when bobbi+mike drove all the way from indiana to take some fun family photos of adam, the kids, and i. i never knew how much planning actually goes into a session...from the clients point-of-view. anywho, it was so much fun, and bobbi and mike are phenomenal people (oh yeah, not to mention AMAZING photographers!!!!) i'm so excited to see the photos!!!!!!

well, since no blog post is complete without a photo, here's one i took of lucy when i rented a 35mm f/1.4 lens a while ago. (one of the many L-series lenses on my wish list!)

matt + katie: MARRIED!!

2009-06-20T20:03:00.004-05:00

after spending an afternoon with matt and katie at navy pier, i KNEW that their wedding was going to be filled with opportunities for sweet and affectionate moments...and a few goofy ones! ; ) they certainly did not disappoint!

the day started out with the guys getting ready at the hampton inn...(google maps presented me with some delays, but my father-in-law's GPS saved the day!)

don't be mistaken, matt is a man who is SERIOUS about his ties!

i think he looks very distinguished in this shot!

oh, and this was a first for me...watching a groom shine his own shoes! see, matt doesn't mess around when it comes to STYLE!

after some time with the boys, i went to go spend some time with the girls. katie's dress was simply gorgeous!

this is one of my favorites of her getting ready.

katie's dress...in all it's glory!

katie, you HAVE to know how gorgeous you are, right? because you ARE!!!!!

just before getting married.

i was told that the organ didn't actually work, but it was still INCREDIBLE!!

i was in heaven with all the repeating lines and shapes!!!!!!!

sometimes it's nice to have family taking photos, too, because every once and a while i get lucky and get some of their flash in my shot!!! :) this is my favorite shot of her walking down the aisle!!!

i don't do it often, but i HAD to bust out the fisheye for a few overhead shots.

these two were so CUTE!!!!!! i love that she's on her heels, and he's on his tip toes. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!

imagine walking down these halls DAILY!! (i admit, i was in disbelief of how gorgeous everything was...just ask katie!)

BUBBLES!!!!!

a big thank you to everyone that kept blowing bubbles even after katie and matt had passed them, because i love how they fill up the whole frame!!!

if i was her mom, i would TOTALLY get this in a canvas print and hang it on the wall!! ; )

i don't know how it happens, but i have always lucked out getting clients with INFECTIOUS laughs! katie is definitley no acception! :D

matt and katie always pick places with out-of-this-world trees!!! (remember the trees from their engagement session?) although, it'd be a lot more romantic if someone didn't carve "4:20" into the tree. ; )

i just loved the shape of this one.

ok, ok, ok, i admit it! i like glass shots. probably because i love repeating lines and shapes.

these. were. delicious!!!

ok, i just LOVE this one!!!!

matt loves fresh fruit, so of course there HAD to be a fruit buffet...YUMMMMMMY!!!

more amazing architecture!!!

sometimes i just like to get artsy! : )

it should be known that katie and matt didn't just throw this wedding for themselves, they gave a lot of thought and consideration to the wants and desires of their guests. so, since they knew there would be kids in attendance, they had a little pinata set up! they also had a table full of fun arts and crafts to keep the kids entertained! AND, although they didn't know that i'm a vegetarian, lucky for me, they had some guests with special vegan needs. so my dinner was a DELICIOUS vegan meal! anyway, back to the PINATA!!

the kids CHARGED when it fell! (which is why they're out of focus)

the headless pinata remains...

matt's parents dancing to the song they first danced to at their wedding!

oh, so loving!!

click here to check out more photos.

thank you so much matt and katie for letting me be a part of your beautiful, gorgeous, line-o-rama wedding!!!

matt + katie's wedding sneak peek

2009-06-16T10:14:00.003-05:00

this past weekend was matt and katie's wedding at katie's GORGEOUS alma mater! an all-girl catholic college built in the 1840's, located in notre dame, in. the architecture alone was simply divine (no pun intended).

here's a little sneak peek while i go through the hundreds of photos...

more to come, soon!

josh + jaime: the official wedding post

2009-06-11T14:34:00.003-05:00

enough waiting, let's get down to business.

we'll start with a few of their AWESOME details...

these were the place cards...as well as additional decorations for the guests

the ceremony and reception was held at the meson sabika, and the colors and feel were oddly familiar! they reminded me of the basement of the coffee shop were we shot their engagement session.

the dress was BEAUTIFUL!!

as were the shoes!

i felt very geometric and symmetrical all day!

i wasn't even looking through the viewfinder for these next ones. i lifted the camera over my head, (a technique i often use, since i'm only 5'3"), and these shots aren't cropped or rotated at all. i love everything about them!!!

i LOVE these, and i'll tell you why. this was jaime's first look at herself all brided up! i LOVE her reaction, and the reactions around her! when i was editing them, i got a little misty-eyed myself.

YES, jaime...you looked ABSOLUTELY DIVINE!!!!!!!

jaime's mom...trying not to cry.

the FIRST look! i told you i felt very symmetrical all day!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one!

one of the reasons why i love josh and jaime is because they're not that into posed traditional photos. even when we were doing a few traditional shots, there was much laughing had by all, turning each shot into a mini-moment!

FAVORITE GROUP SHOT!!!!! check out that rainbow perfectly arched over josh and jaime!

GA-GA-GA-GORGEOUS!!!

i loved josh's suit! it was simple, and unique.

on the steps of meson sabika

THIS is another reason why josh and jaime are an AWESOME couple to shoot!! i mean, the LOVE, the EXCITEMENT, the COLOR!

a little dancing before the reception? yes please!

i love this moment during one of the toasts...

ok, ok, ok! i can't show photos of josh and jaime's wedding without some of THE BOX!!! this custom box, designed to represent josh, jaime, and their relationship filled to the BRIM with small tokens, photos, gifts, you name it, from their friends and family! it was one of the most amazing presents i've ever seen in my life!!!!

here is the box...unveiled. josh held it up like simba from the lion king, for all to see!

a little peak inside the box...

their laughs are infectious! my cheeks are still sore from going through all these photos, because i was smiling the WHOLE time i was editing!!

this photo makes me laugh!

why have a big sword, if you're not going to use it to cut the cake?!? :D

these cupcakes were simple scrum-diddily-umptious!!!

what's a party without a little cutie on a table?

no, this was NOT YMCA! oh, and i forgot, this was yet another TOAST AND JAM wedding!!! this the the 4th wedding i've photographed with a toast and jam dj, and as ALWAYS they ROCKED IT! leslie stiles was there, and she's an awesome dj, and an all around cool person!

after you dance on a table, you should probably put on your jammies!

this was literally the last photo i took, and i just LOVE jaime's body language and expression!

to see more of there photos and AMAZING details, check out the slideshow: http://marciatumminaro.com/weddings/josh+jaime

thank you josh and jaime for being a PERFECT couple to photograph!!!!!!!!!!

just a taste: josh + jaime's wedding

2009-05-31T09:39:00.003-05:00

there is SOOO much i could say about josh, jaime, their wedding, their family, and their friends!! but, i'm going to save that for their actual post. what i will say is that i simply ADORED EVERY SINGLE THING, EVERY SECOND, EVERY DETAIL of their wedding! i laughed, i cried, and unfortunately, i cheated on my diet...

but who could blame me? i mean, LOOK at those cupcakes!

(that photo is just a small taste of the awesomeness of their wedding to come!)

josh and jaime, i can't wait to go through all your photos!!! :)

proud mommy moment

2009-05-26T19:54:00.005-05:00

when lucy was 2 years old, she began telling me this fabulous tale of a frog named carriage frog, and his friend mama. when she started i quickly grabbed a pen and paper and began vigorously scribbling every word she uttered. and when she stopped, i would ask "what happened next?".

when she had finally completed her story to me, i read it back to her and realized what a great story it was. it had character development, action, adventure, a villain, and even a moral at the end!

later in the day, i gave her some crayons and paper, so she could draw. to my amazement, the pictures matched the story, and in the blink of an eye, i realized that lucy had just written and illustrated her very first book!

i was so proud and excited, that i scanned her drawings, and turned the whole thing into a pdf which i uploaded to lulu.com so that we could have a actual book that i could read to her over and over again, and sometimes she could read to me!

here's the cover of her book:

well, long story short, i just got an email from lulu.com saying that the book she wrote 3 years ago is now FOR SALE ON AMAZON.COM MARKETPLACE!!!

how many 5 year olds do you know who've got a book for sale on amazon?

i'm so proud...i'm BEAMING!! :D

BOOM SHAKKA LAKKA!!!!!

2009-05-24T18:58:00.010-05:00

UPDATE 05/25/09:
well, the galleries work fine and dandy in Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari browsers...but Internet Explorer browsers are having some issues handling the photos and javascript. for some reason, some of the photos have white speckles on them when viewing them in Internet Explorer, but the original files are perfectly fine! also, the auto slide show in the initial gallery landing page transitions perfectly in every browser....except internet explorer. there, all the photos are underneath each other. so, until i can figure out what, exactly, is tripping up IE7 and IE8, i would highly suggest viewing the gallery in Firefox, Chrome, or Safai!

: )

I. AM. PUMPED!!! not to mention SO, SO, SO proud of myself!!!

i just spent the past few days creating an ALL NEW gallery for my website!! and it was NOT done in flash, although it sorta looks flash-ish. it is all jquery, BABY!! a coding language i knew little about before this project. but adam suggested i use it, and wow, it ROCKS! i know that what i did was probably a picnic compared to what adam does on a daily basis, i gotta say that it was pretty frustrating, and complicated work...for a non-developer like me. but, i did it, all by myself! well...adam did tell me where to put the code to make the vertical photos centered. (it was just a simple text-align...DUH to me!)

the best part of all of this is, i made it SUPER easy to add/subtract/change photos. woo hoo!

anywho, i really hope you check out my hard work! and if anyone runs into any bugs or trouble navigating, please let me know so i can correct it and/or make it more user friendly.

here's a little sample (click to go directly to the gallery)...

looking for an awkward laugh?

2009-05-21T09:58:00.003-05:00

adam sent me a link to this site, and there are quite a few hilarious gems!

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

it's also a great source of examples of how NOT to photograph people and families. : )

typical sunday afternoon

2009-05-18T11:58:00.004-05:00

we spend most of our weekends with family in roselle. and yesterday was no exception. i brought my rarely used 40D, and snagged a some pics...

BUBBLES!!!!

going through these photos it dawned on me...my lucy and elliot are growing up SO FAST!!

case in point: lucy looks like such a BIG KID! pretty soon she'll need to fight the boys off with a stick!

we took a break from bubbles for lucy to play some "highlights" games. she had to find words that start with B, and then write the words down.

she also rode on her bike for the first time!

after watching lucy ride her bike, elliot wanted in on the action!

here's adam holding his niece, lilly.

does anyone recognize this cutie? she was the star in one of my favorite portrait sessions!!

adam...

this one cracks me up! adam's older brother helped lucy make this shot!

lucy with adam's younger brother...

elliot LOVES this truck!

fun times!!

fine arts showcase

2009-05-15T22:12:00.002-05:00

lucy's school had a fine arts showcase tonight, and the pre-elementary classes sang a few songs...

(lucy is in the middle row, third from the left)

THEY ARE ALL CUTE BEYOND WORDS!!!!!

lucy's class SINGS! from lucy goosey on Vimeo.

(sorry the camera was so shaky. i was holding the camera with one hand, and elliot's hand with my other hand. plus, i was shifting my focus from looking directly at lucy, and looking at the back of the camera.)

camera phone video: elliot sings!

2009-05-12T14:32:00.004-05:00

twinkle, twinkle from lucy goosey on Vimeo.

i'm sure that i'm a little biased, but the most impressive thing about that is his vocal range. if you notice, he's actually hitting the notes correctly, instead of just singing in mono-tones! (we have an audio recording of lucy singing the same song at about the same age, and her's is equally as adorable!)

well, i hope you enjoyed that!

my kids make me SMILE!!! : )

happy belated mother's day

2009-05-11T23:22:00.007-05:00

i just wanted to write a quick (albeit belated) mother's day post.

i am so proud to be a mother, especially to two amazing children, like lucy and elliot! i've been busy with them the past couple days, gardening, relaxing, and receiving a multitude of drawings and paintings filled with "i love you mommy" sentiments!

i can't help but be reminded of how it was that they entered the world. both were natural, drug-free deliveries. however, lucy was delivered the doctor's way (with pain-intensifying petocin to make things move quicker so my doctor could be home for dinner, while making my pain and discomfort EXCRUCIATING!!), while elliot was delivered MY way with the support of a midwife, (no IV's, complete mobility, and much less painful)! i'm a HUGE advocate for natural childbirth, and i highly recommend it to any woman who is, or planning on becoming pregnant!

in honor of my experience, my mother's experience, and my grandmother's experience (and so on), i wanted to share one of my favorite documentaries of all time, "the business of being born" produced by ricki lake:

here's to all the mother's out there...happy belated mother's day!

matt + katie's engagement session

2009-05-06T20:30:00.003-05:00

i simply adore matt and katie. both as subjects for my camera, but more importantly as people! i can't even begin to describe the FUN we had during our session! also, i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE navy pier! it's quite possibly the BEST place for a session in chicago, because of it's diverse and versatile backdrops!

this photo makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

it was a gorgeous day! we just HAD to hit the beach!

definitely one of my favorite backdrops of the day! those trees are insane! :)

matt and katie make each other happy!!

I LOVE THIS!

we took a ride on the ferris wheel! i love the simple lines and bold colors!

one of my favorites from the day! katie, you are GORGEOUS!!!!!!

ok, this is another one of my favorites!!!!!!

before you say it, i know this image is out of focus. but i absolutely adore the moment that was captured!

if you'd like to see more from matt and katie's SUPER FANTASTICALLY FUN engagement session at navy pier, click here.

i will be photographing matt and katie's wedding in june, and i KNOW that we're all going to have a blast!

matt + katie (sneak peek)

2009-05-04T15:35:00.003-05:00

yesterday was a roller coaster of excitement, fun, and a little frustration.

the fun and excitement was my engagement session with matt and katie! the frustration was the dreaded chicago parking!!! it's the one thing i fear most when i know i have to drive to the city...PARKING! fortunately, finding a parking garage close to navy pier was the easy part, i even found a space immediately, just steps from the elevator...but i knew it must have been too good to be true, because when i walked back to my car after spending 2 amazing hours with matt and katie, it took me 30 minutes to EXIT the parking garage. first, the machine to pay for the parking ticket wouldn't accept my payment, then all the signs directing me to the exit, ended up just directing me back to the entrance. so i drove around the parking garage in circles, until a very kind stranger pointed me towards the actual exit, which was hidden through a maze of garage-door type openings. when i reached the gate, i tried once more to pay for my parking, and it still wasn't going through. so, finally the operater came out, and informed me that the credit/debit servers were down, and he gave me a free pass to exit. so...for the cost of 30 minutes of frustration, i got FREE PARKING IN CHICAGO!!! woo hoo!!

all of the parking drama aside, yesterday was so much fun! it was my first time to navy pier, and i've already started making plans to go again with the family!

while i edit the rest of photos, here's a little sneak peek...

yep...we took some shots on the beach!

more to come soon! : )

mark + nicole's engagement session

2009-04-27T00:39:00.001-05:00

this engagement session marks a new ALL TIME record for QUICKEST editing and turn around time for me!

i think the quick editing time is due, in part to a new work-flow routine i tried out for the first time, which combines david jay's showit effects platform which works seamlessly with all my photoshop actions, and adobe lightroom's sorting and quick-editing capabilities! (also, to the gorgeous sunrise light that made it easy to nail my exposures!)

well, without further ado, mark and nicole's engagement session in belvidere:

i think this is one of my favorite shots of the day!

this little area was lit so perfectly, that it made for some super creamy skin tones!

i told them to just be natural, so nicole tried to lift mark up! it was too funny!

then, mark showed her how it was done! (p.s. i LOVE this shot!!)

i LOVE the attitude in this shot! i'm pretty sure nicole watches ANTM, because she is TOTALLY smiling with her eyes!

this is one of the shots i took while i was attempting to balance on the railroad track. there's a reason why i didn't become a gymnast...i have terrible balance!

this is another one of my favs of the day

they were in a perfect spot to play around with some sun flare, but the sun wasn't exactly cooperating. it kept hiding behind the clouds, then peeking out for a minute, then it would hide again. fortunately, i did get a couple nice flare shots! i love the rainbow in this one.

and the star burst in this one

mark did a better job of balancing, than i did! (but, to be fair, the railroad track was much narrower!)

then, it was nap time...for nicole, that is. ;) seriously though, this was such a sweet moment, and nicole looks STUNNING!!

i LOVE this shot, and i'll tell you why. without knowing, or planning it, the way they are standing with their feet crossed are exact reflections of each other! it was one of those things that i didn't even notice until i started going through the images. TOO CUTE! (i think that's a sign that they are perfect for each other)

some more shots of the N M wall!

i love this moment!

i LOVE nicole's eye peeking out behind mark's profile!

to see more photos from their engagement session, click here!

i had so much fun with mark and nicole! i can't wait to photograph their wedding in august!

mark+nicole (sneak peek)

2009-04-25T10:02:00.003-05:00

today i woke up at 5:30 a.m. so that i could meet nicole and mark for their engagement session in belvidere! i'll be editing their photos over the next several days, but until i'm finished, i just wanted to share a quick image, because it was one we were super lucky to set up!

on our way to our last stop, we went through this little alley/tunnel. there was a mural on the wall, along with some writing. as i was scanning the letters, i mentioned "we should try find an N and an M together", before i could even finish my sentence, nicole pointed out this N and M. (oddly enough is was RIGHT in front of my face, and i didn't even notice it). i can't believe how perfectly sized and spaced it was. it's almost as if the people who painted it knew that nicole and mark were going to have their engagement session and pass by it! ;)

although we were all a little sleepy, (waking up for sunrise will do that to you), i am very excited to go through all the photos, because i know we got some good shots!

more photos on the way. for now, i'm going to take a nap, and get prepped for tomorrow...(it's adam and my wedding anniversary!)

beautiful day to play

2009-04-24T20:59:00.002-05:00

the kids and i spent some time playing the backyard today, since it was SO GORGEOUS! too bad that it won't be this beautiful tomorrow. i was supposed to have an engagement session tomorrow at sunset...but due to weather, we bumped it up to tomorrow at sunRISE!

here are a couple pics:

well, i think i'm going to head off to sleep...since i'm gonna have an eeeeearly morning! :)

tee hee!

2009-04-21T10:34:00.003-05:00

i love the onion!

p.s. i went studio hunting again yesterday, and i think i may have found THE studio space for me! it's in roselle on main street, so it'll be a trek for me...that is, unless we decide to move. ;)

mother's day mini-sessions

2009-04-17T15:17:00.012-05:00

mother's day is fast approaching. and seeing as i have a newly found desire to expand to more frequent baby and child portraits, i want to introduce...

THE MOTHER'S DAY MINI-SESSION!!

normally, my sessions are 2 hours long. this has proven to be a generous amount of time to relax, change outfits, as well as capture hundreds of photos. but, recently i have found that i can still capture quite a few photos in the span of 30 minutes. (lilliana grace's session, for example, was about 30 minutes!)

the power of chuck!

2009-04-15T12:25:00.007-05:00

some of you may have noticed that my mother has been posting comments much more frequently on my blog. while i 1/2 credit myself to finally convincing her to "get with the times", it really has more to do with our family project.

a week or so ago, we decided to start a blog to document my dad's trials and tribulations through his battle with cancer. since many of our family lives all around the country, my uncle thought of the idea to start a blog so that we can all feel connected and informed. so, my 2 brothers, my mom, my dad, and i will all be blog-authors to give each of our perspectives, as well as the ability to update for the times when my dad will be in the hospital, or perhaps just too tired to write a post. so far, my mom has been doing most of the updating. and don't worry, it's not all gloom and doom. you see, my family can be...how shall i say...a bit theatrical. my dad used to do some community theater, and my mother has a flair for the dramatics! ; )

for all who are interested, you can check out the blog here. feel free to comment and leave your thoughts or best wishes. we're all very confident that my dad will beat this thing, and emerge its champion, but some kind words of encouragement couldn't hurt. : )

some of mine...

2009-04-14T11:46:00.003-05:00

adam did a great job behind the camera yesterday, that i hope i can follow his photos with a few of mine. ;)

here's a few of lucy in the car on the way to grandma's house. we make the drive several times a month, but i'm usually the one driving. it was nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery

this is lucy's new message board, and she wrote this all on her own. i saw it, and had to document it, because it was just TOO CUTE! (she followed it up with the same message, only saying "daddy" instead of "mommy")

grandma gave the kid's some bubble makers. the thomas the tank didn't really work all the well, but elliot make a really cute effort!

here's elliot "fixing" his car. i LOVE the scrunched up look on his face!

all in all, it was a good weekend, but now we've got waaay too much candy around the house! it was SCREAMING my name all day yesterday. luckily i didn't cave in...too much. ;)

adam, the camera bandit!

2009-04-13T19:01:00.004-05:00

yesterday, while having some good ol' fashioned family fun, adam decided to play photographer for a while. so, he picked up my camera and documented some of the day's events.

here are some of HIS shots!

i'm pretty sure i was talking with my parents about some serious business

until i realized adam was taking photos of me

due to adam's short attention span, he started taking photos of one of the cupcake topper bunny rings

then, adam moved to the basement where his brothers were playing pool. here's his youngest brother, ryan, planning out his next move. (for not knowing how to set the camera in manual mode, and without a camera flash, adam did a pretty good job with this shot!)

what's a family get together without a little elliot [almost] crack? actually, his butt crack was showing all day, so it's kind of ironic that it wasn't showing in this shot!

now, i did take some photos, myself, yesterday, but i thought i'd just show off adam's today! who knows, maybe one day he'll become my second shooter! ;)

studio hunting

2009-04-11T07:48:00.004-05:00

for those who noticed my twitter post the other day, i've spent the past few days writing a business plan, so that i can apply for a small business loan and move into a new studio space! (this is something i've been preparing for since i first started my business.)

so, in an effort to make the most realistic financial plan, i decided i should shop around to see what kind of spaces are available and at what prices.

the obvious choice was to check out downtown belvidere. for 2 reasons:

1) i LOVE the atmosphere in downtown belvidere! the buildings are so charmingly photogenic! and it's a mix between urban and small town appeal!
2) it's close to my home! (always a PLUS!)

anywho, so i took a walk down my favorite street, and noticed 2 practically perfect buildings for lease/sale that have the exact look and feel that i want for my studio! as per usual, i had my trusty camera phone to take some snapshots of the buildings...

this was the first building i saw:
PROS: great windows, large space, unique curb appeal
CONS: only for lease...not sale (preferably, i think it would be a better investment to buy a building), there's a small step when you walk up to the door that i KNOW i will trip over at least 100 times a day!

this photo was taken through the window:

here's the second building that caught my eye:
PROS: i LOVE the curb appeal, again...great windows and large space, corner building, for sale AND/OR lease, newer looking interior with nicer flooring
CONS: load-bearing beams...only because i don't know how i would arrange the space with them. but who knows, maybe they'd end up being helpful

this photo was also taken through the window:

i know it's a little premature to start studio hunting, but, i don't care...it's FUN!!!!

this should be REAL!!

2009-04-10T19:18:00.003-05:00

i LOVE google analytics!

currently, i have google analytics set up for my blog and website to track where visitors are coming from when they find my blog and main site. (also to track how many page views and visits.)

well, thanks to this ability, i saw that one of the referring links is from jaime's livejournal. so i checked it out. (her friends had some really great things to say about their engagement photos, which completely MADE MY DAY!!!!) but, not only that, jaime had a link to a fan-made movie trailer that looks...in a word: AWESOME!!

i just wish (as she does) that it was a REAL movie. adam, lucy, elliot, and i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the thundercats! (lucy does the cutest "thunder, thunder, thundercats HOOOOOOO!" and "eye of thundera, give me site beyond site!")

anyway, without further ado, i will show you this MASTERPIECE that SHOULD TOTALLY BE FILMED AND RELEASED RIGHT NOW!!!

first of all, kudos definitely goes out to the fan that made that, because the quality is excellent, and the editing is phenomenal.

but secondly, doesn't that LOOK like it would be an awesome movie? we'd go see it!

spirit week

2009-04-09T09:05:00.004-05:00

this week was spirit week at lucy's school, and tuesday was "WACKY HAIR DAY"!!

here are a few images i shot while she was eating breakfast before school...

it reminded me of dr. seuss! (and her outfit was so colorful! she wore that hot pink dress with stripey leggings, and cute brown shiny shoes)

this was her way of trying to get me to stop taking pictures so we could leave for school!

well, today was the last day of spirit week (because there's no school tomorrow), and it was "CLASH DAY". unfortunately, i didn't have time to get a pic of lucy's outfit before i took her to school...it clashes so bad...but in a good way!! (she wore a brown short sleeve shirt with a purple argyle pattern, red plaid skirt, stripped leggings, gray hoodie, and mis-matched shoes! SOOOOO ADOREABLE!!)

i hear the weather is going to be AWESOME tomorrow, so i'm thinking it'll be a great day to spend some time outside...FINALLY!

lilliana grace - 6 months old!!

2009-04-08T13:58:00.004-05:00

lilly was so much fun to photograph! those big blue eyes! those chubby, chubby cheeks! that giant toothless grin!! oh, it was just too much fun!

meet lilly!

isn't she a cutie?

since lilly turns 6 months just after easter, we had a little easter theme going on...

she kept making this A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E silly face!!

she also kept trying to eat that egg!

and that one

we wrapped about 5 minutes before this shot was taken. but, when i saw her sitting there, it was too cute to pass up. so i picked up my camera again, and grabbed a few more!

click here to view more from our session

obviously, lucy and elliot are the cutest and most beautiful kids on the planet, but lilly definitely comes in at a very close third! ;)

i had SO MUCH FUN photographing lilly, that i'm going to try to do more kids photography!

so, keep your eye out for a new child photography promotional discount!!

what i've learned...

2009-04-05T09:44:00.004-05:00

when i began my business, i knew plenty about composition, f-stops, ISO, shutterspeeds, etc. but i have learned more about photography as an art form, and the importance of self-confidence, in the past 3 years than i ever did in the 10 years prior!

here's a comparison of the type of photographer i was in the beginning of my business vs. the type of photographer i am now...

then...
i shot everything in either Shutter Priority, or Aperture Priority settings
now...
i shoot EVERYTHING in manual!

then...
i used my flash for just about everything
now...
i use natural light as often as possible, and only use flash when natural light is insufficient

then...
i shot everything in auto white balance mode
now...
i use custom white balance mode 90% of the time, and auto white balance mode when i don't have time or white card.

then...
i was shy, and let the situation dictate my shot
now...
i'm more assertive, and able to direct a session

then...
i was afraid to get too artsy because i wasn't sure if the client would like it.
now...
i will swing for the fences, because i know, sometimes the most odd-looking lighting/backgrounds/positions, can make for KILLER images!

then...
i was shooting with a Canon Rebel XT with 1 standard lens
now...
i'm rocking a Canon 5D, and mainly use fixed focal length lenses.

then...
i used a bulky camera bag
now...
i've got a gorgeous, handy dandy, shootsac!

everyone has to start somewhere!

i'm just glad that i can be proud of my journey to where i am now!!!

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL MY CLIENTS!! you have given me something more valuable than photos in a portfolio. you've given me the tools i need to become a BETTER photographer, and a better, more confident person!!

I ♥ you all!

joshua + jaime - engagement in belvidere!!

2009-04-02T00:08:00.004-05:00

on saturday, joshua and jaime braved the ice rain, and drove MANY, MANY miles to have a super fun engagement session in belvidere. when our session was scheduled, the march weather was getting warmer, and sunnier...but about 5 minutes before i left to meet them, the rain showed me that it had OTHER plans. as i sat in my car, singing "rain, rain, go away", in the hopes of salvaging a nice outdoor engagement session, it dawned on me that the rain was presenting me with an opportunity. so, when josh and jaime arrived, i suggested that we head over to belvidere's "coffee cafe". (yeah, the owner ACTUALLY named it that!)

i had been there before with adam and the kids, and it has a very cheers-esque bar look to it, with very friendly employees. we took some shots upstairs until the lady behind the counter suggested we check out the basement. i figured, we may as well take a look at it, and...OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! with all the little knick-knacky, quirky, and TRULY one of a kind decor, i decided then and there that we were just going to stay here for our entire session! it was full of fun stuff, plus, it kept us out of the FREEZING ice rain!

josh and jaime definitely make my top 10 list of couples who are incredible comfortable in front of the camera. most of the interactions are 100% THEM, with very little "set-up" by me. basically, i suggested which location, and if they should sit or stand, and they did the rest. be careful though, their love OOZES out of every photograph!

i think this image captures so much of jaime's personality!

jaime suggested we take a shot with this mirror. so after a brief collaboration, this is what we came up with...i LOVE it!

by far my favorite place in the whole basement. i LOVE LOVE LOVE this door!

if you can recognize the mural in the background, i'll give you a cookie!

another one of my favs of the day!

click here for more photos from their session

after spending only an hour with josh and jaime, i am fully confident that their wedding is going to ROCK!!!

april fool's day fun

2009-04-01T07:28:00.002-05:00

since it's april fool's day, and i'm not exactly the prankster type, i thought i'd post this video. i can't tell if it's real, or rehearsed for the purposes of creating a funny youtube video.

either way...

enjoy!

a little serious

2009-03-26T16:19:00.007-05:00

*warning: i'm going to start this post with some serious news, but i'll follow it up with something a little more fun...i promise*

i'm not usually a debbie downer on my blog, but this has been quite a difficult week for me and my family. on tuesday, my dad had a routine medical procedure, and it was discovered that he has a malignant, cancerous tumor. it came as quite a shock to me, because i didn't even know he was going in for the procedure. i was just calling my mom to tell her about a recent online purchase of mine, when she broke down and told me. so far my dad has a very positive attitude, and is more interested in how he can give back and raise awareness after he's beaten it. not many of my clients/blog readers know that this isn't my first encounter with someone close to me being diagnosed with cancer. a few years ago, adam was diagnosed with, and went through some surgeries for a cancerous tumor on his foot. and although adam and i jokingly consider it "fake cancer", since he didnt' have to go through any chemo or radiation therapy, i feel a little more prepared than i think i would have been.

so, that being said, i've had some ups and downs the past few days. (today was probably one of the hardest for me.) lucky for me, i received a distraction in the form of 2 deliveries that i have been waiting for.

the first delivery was my new sample album.

the second was my long awaited shootsac! i have wanted to get myself a shootsac for quite some time now, but since adam and the kids bought me a new camera bag for mother's day a while ago, i have been waiting the appropriate amount of time before replacing it. don't get me wrong, i still love and use the bag from them, but it's quite big and bulky! so, when i received a notice in my inbox that shootsac was offering a free lively cover with the purchase of a shootsac...the EXACT cover that i have been coveting, i placed the order right away!

well, as promised, here is something fun: some photos of my new shootsac.

(thank you, again, UPS for diversion.)

P.S. i love you daddy, and i'm so proud of your strength!!

painting with light

2009-03-23T10:23:00.003-05:00

today is the first day of spring break for lucy! so, for fun, i thought i'd do something i haven't done since high school!

paint with light!

now, since it's about 10:00AM, the only completely dark place in my house is either the bathroom, or the basement. (i opted for the bathroom)

when the kids saw what i was doing, they wanted a part in it...however, with 10-15 second exposures, it's hard to keep them from moving! also, this is a great example of why painting with light works much better when you're outside at night, and there are no surfaces for light to reflect off of behind you. oh well, it's still fun times!

here are some of the better ones we shot. (i definitely think i'll be doing this again in the future...outside...late at night...the RIGHT way!) :)

this was before the kids came in. i was trying to write "i ♥ u" with a couple ♥'s above it. it looks more like a butterfly, though.

i think i need to practice writing backwards in the air! :)

fun times!!