It was a beautiful morning in City Park to shoot Kristina’s senior portraits. I am glad we rescheduled the shoot for the morning since the original plan was to shoot in the afternoon, when I found myself getting drenched in a rain storm at Jazz Fest. Before the shoot, I drove by one of my favorite spots in the park to see if the flowers were in bloom yet. They made for a beautiful backdrop at the end of our shoot.

We started under the Peristyle and then moved on to the nearby stone bridge and trees.

Senior portraits are kind of a landmark moment in our lives and I was delighted when Kristina and her mother asked to have a photo together.

I liked this one because I thought it was a nice, natural moment. I have used this tree a lot for portraits and this spot always gives me nice lens flares, which give the photo a fairytale feel. It is not a suitable photo for a senior photo or a sorority application, but I gave her plenty to choose from for that and I thought it was too pretty not to capture.

The trick with trying to get more natural moments is to never stop shooting. I also asked her to do things like walk toward me or look away, which occasionally made her smile and laugh naturally.

And sometimes serious faces can be very flattering.

I wish Kristina all the best in her future endeavors.

Like this old oak tree, Kortney and Robert’s love has strong roots and will no doubt grow larger and larger.
It was wonderful getting to know this lovely couple. I met Kortney for coffee a few weeks before her wedding and ironed out the details. I could tell right away that she would be easy and fun to work with.

The wedding day started with the girls getting ready in the hotel room. In New Orleans style, we had a spontaneous live music show outside the hotel window while the girls got ready.

It was an intimate setting with a small bridal party and her mom, who could not stop crying tears of joy.

Next I spent some time with the guys for a bit before the ceremony. Kortney had written Robert a letter and watching him read it was very touching.

 The ceremony was held under the peristyle in City Park. It was a beautiful evening. The groom teared up as the bride walked down the aisle and there was not just one, but many kisses at the end.

   I loved shooting portraits of this couple, their loved ones and their party. The people were so sweet and clearly cared about each other and the setting was so beautiful, that it was almost too easy. I love New Orleans weddings.

In true New Orleans fashion, the reception involved lots of dancing, good food (including a fancy king cake for the groom’s cake), a cake pull and a creative “guest book” that asked guests to sign jenga game pieces. I’m sure Kortney and Robert will have fun playing jenga on their anniversary for years to come.

I wish Kortney and Robert the best of luck and many years of happiness. Thank you for including me in your special day!

Our Earth is a beautiful and magnificent place. In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to post some of my recent nature photos. I wanted to go out and take some photos today, as photographers all over the world are doing, but I worked last night and work tonight, so I don’t have the time, unfortunately.

I will celebrate two states that hold a special place in my heart.

First, a photo I took in my last visit to Colorado in February on the way in the Boulder one morning. I miss those snow capped mountains.

This one was taken in Louisiana in March. I will always be in love with the trees down here.

The rest are from my latest swamp tour. One of my best friends in the world, Sara “Minx”, came to visit from Japan and I took her on a swamp tour. The alligators were hibernating, so we only saw one, but we did see my favorite wild water boar family. I saw “Oreo” (the black and white one) as a baby and here she is all grown up. I am still in awe of the beautiful and unique landscape down here.

Happy Earth Day everyone. Get out there and enjoy the wonders of our world!

I have been through a lot in the past few months and coming back to blogging has been hard for me to do. I lost my mother suddenly the day before Thanksgiving and then lost my Granny a couple months later. An entire piece of my life is now missing. My mom was the most avid reader of my blog. She always supported my photography and she read every entry. I wanted my first blog post after my hiatus to be a tribute to her, my grandmother and my family.

One small comfort to me as I grieve has been memories and the photos I have help me recall those moments and remember the good times. While cleaning out my Granny’s house, we came across many old family photos. I scanned them in to preserve them and share them with everyone in the family. I recommend this to everyone, because these old photos will not last forever. I adore old photos and this entire collection has reminded me of the importance of what I do. As photographers, I think we often worry about capturing the important moments with the correct exposure and an eye catching composition, but sometimes forget the significance these photos may hold for people someday. These frozen moments in time capture glimpses into our lives for generations to come.

I’ll start first with some really old ones. This first one was actually originally showed to Evan and I in Ireland at my grandmother’s cousin’s house. It is a photo of my great great grandparents, Thomas and Mary McLynskey and one of their daughters. We think the girl is Katheryn. The next photo is Katheryn McLynskey.

This one is my grandmother’s father, John McLinskey, and following it we have Thomas Jr., Thomas Sr., Katheryn (in lap), Mary and John James. These would be my grandmother’s grandparents and some of their children.

Here is Ed Coley, my grandfather’s father, with some big blues, followed by my grandfather, John Coley, Sr. as a boy.

This is a photo of my great grandmother, Julia McLinskey, working in her garden in The Bronx, New York, dated June 6, 1915. Look at all the land they had in NYC then. She immigrated from Ireland, where Evan and I visited this past summer. Below, Evan and I standing in front of land she grew up on in Ireland. All that is left of the original house is now used as a cow shed.

This is John Coley Sr. (Jack), my grandfather, as a boy; three brothers, the middle one being my grandmother’s father; Jack (on right) in front of an old grocery store; Rose (my grandfather’s mother) with Jack; Bob Coley, my grandfather’s brother; and Rose.

The following are photos of my grandmother when she was young. The first few are her with her sister, Gene, who tragically died in a car accident when she was 16. My granny, Mae Coley, was very close to Gene.

Here is a photo my granny treasured of Gene and her boyfriend, followed by a photo of granny looking at another picture of them and reminiscing a couple years ago.

Here is granny as a young teenager with her sister Gene (on the bottom).

And here she is with her other sister, Evelyn.

My grandmother was such a classic beauty.

And this is my handsome grandfather.

We have many photos of my grandmother and grandfather when they were young. It is fascinating getting a glimpse of their lives when they were my age and younger. It looks like they had a lot of fun. Between the stories my grandmother told us over the years (including an interview Evan and I did with her), the details my mom and uncle have filled in for us, their eclectic record collection, old letters and all these photos, we have been able to paint a picture of their younger days.

They were both pretty sharp shooters.

This is their wedding day.

They traveled to Jamaica and Niagara Falls (with aunt Evelyn). I guess I know where I get my love of travel and adventure from. Jamaica was pretty exotic in those days.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…

Here is my uncle John and my mom with Granny on the right.

My uncle loved his stuffed horse, Brownie.

Here is my grandfather with his mom, Rose, and my uncle John.

My mom had some pretty adorable outfits. From all the photos, it seems like she was a happy kid. Following is a sample of my mom and John growing up with some of their friends, other neighborhood kids, their cousins and my grandparents,

I remember the house they grew up in very well from my childhood. The house on Sydenham Road. I loved that house, especially the little bar and sitting room area. I have a few pieces of their furniture (including a chest that my grandfather made) and some horse head lamps now that I will cherish always. Here, they are pictured in the bar area with Granny and with friends (family friends who are still close to us today).

This is my mother’s senior photo from the yearbook. She was beautiful.

And here is John’s military photo. They wrote letters back and forth to each other when he was in Vietnam, My mother kept them all and they provide a unique insight into their sibling relationship and their personalities at that age.

Here are a few more from their teenage and young adult years.

After my grandfather retired, they spent a lot of time in the Florida Keys with their friends. Today, John and my aunt Pam do the same thing.

Granny always did like a good Manhattan.

My mom and her childhood best friend, Joyce.

My mom met and then married my father, Neil, who had two kids already, my brother Kurt and sister Kimberly (shown in the third photo), and John married my aunt, Pam, who already had Jessica.

My cousins and I were soon to follow, bringing us to photos from my lifetime. Below I am on my grandmother’s lap with my mom and great aunt Evelyn.

Here John and Pam sit on their porch with Jessica and baby Laura.

Soon, Kelly followed and then Sara.

Here is a sampling of me with my parents and with granny and grandpa.

Here I am with my earliest friends, Zach and Alison and with my mom’s friend Joyce’s son, Nathan. The last one is a birthday party. Some of the guests are still friends of mine today.

Here is my dad on his sailing trip to Tahiti.

My cousins and I grew up as sisters–we have always been very close. From going to the beach, to putting on plays to lemonade stands, we were never bored.

We used to bring my grandfather to the beach in a special wheelchair.

As I got older, I remained close to my parents. My sister had a son, Patrick, and I became and aunt. I lost my brother Kurt when I was in high school and then my father when I was in college. These events brought my sister and I close together and my mom and I remained a support for each other.I’m so glad I have my sister through all this to lean on.

I love this one of my mom in Venice. I studied abroad in Rome and traveled afterwards with my mom and sister. It was a very memorable trip.

My cousins and I have remained close. In many ways, not much has changed.

I met the love of my life, Evan, in college. I am so happy that I have him to lean on through all of this. My family also grew that day, and it is comforting to know I have my in-laws to look to as parental figures and additional siblings in Evan’s sisters. My friends, my chosen family, have been a wonderful support to me as well. Zach, my mom’s friend Gail’s son, is like my brother and I grew up with my friend Sara as a sister. I love them all. I am happy my mom was there for my wedding and my granny was also around for wedding festivities like the engagement party. My uncle walked me down the aisle and danced with me. These are memories I will cherish always.

Since my father and brother passed away before my wedding, I put photos of them in lockets that I attached to my bouquet and my mother and sister’s bouquets. Another example of how photos can provide comfort.

And here is a random assortment of more modern photos from before and after our wedding, including a Mother’s Day, the beach, the session of Evan and I recording granny, holidays, my mom visiting in New Orleans, London with Jessica and Harry, Ireland with Sara and Mick and granny’s 95th birthday.

Over the summer, as you can see from previous blog posts, Evan and I were in London and traveled around Europe. See the Ireland post for all the details, but here is a small sample of photos from the family we met in Ireland for my Granny’s cousin Julia and her husband Michael’s wedding anniversary. The first two pictures are photos of them they sent to granny years ago. It was such a magical experience meeting so many family members and I am so glad now that I made that connection. They have all been very supportive during this time too.

So that is a quick overview of my family and the memories we have captured over the years. They have provided me with some comfort during this time and it has reminded me of the importance of capturing these moments for other people, whether it is a wedding, a new baby, a baby who isn’t going to make it, a graduation or a family. These are all precious moments in life and I am happy I am able to help others preserve their memories for not only themselves, but future generations. Thank you to all the photographers, amateur and professional, who have helped us capture our memories over the years,

I lost my mother suddenly, but these photos are a reminder of the good times. My granny was a bit more expected, and I showed her old photos often, which I think helped her reach some closure toward the end of her life. I will love and miss them always, but they live on in all of us through these memories.

I am interrupting my series of posts from Europe to post my latest edit- an engagement session at City Park in New Orleans.

I photographed these two a couple weeks ago. I had never met them before, but I soon learned that they are super easy going and fun to work with. Plus, it is obvious that they are in love, which makes the photos so much nicer. I began with a few of my favorite spots in City Park, mostly using my favorite portrait lens, my 85 mm 1.8 prime lens. It really does a great job of separating the subjects from the background.

I tried to let them be natural most of the time, so I could capture their real emotions.

The park was crowded and the tree I wanted to use was filled with children, so I asked them if they had anything in mind. I am so glad I asked them, because they mentioned a field of flowers they saw driving in and it turned out to be a perfect spot for photos. I went a bit photo crazy in this field of yellow flowers. The bright flowers complimented her green dress and highlighted the cheer of the occasion for these two.

The flowers brought out the playful side in them. The lighting was tricky because of the time of day and lack of shade, but I just watched their faces and used the light to my advantage. The images in the flowers pop nicely thanks to the sunlight. Glaring sun, as I have learned through the years, does not have to be the photographer’s enemy.

I wanted to take a macro shot of her ring on one of these flowers. I took one with my camera (top image), using a technique where I turn my 50 mm lens backwards and hold it steady. I have been wanting to get a macro lens, but good ones are pretty expensive and I just don’t shoot macro that often. I liked the look of it, but I was unable to completely get the ring in focus, so I took one with my iPhone (bottom image). I have been very impressed with how well my iPhone takes macro images. I used the camera plus app and put it on the macro setting. Maybe I don’t even need that macro lens…

Alicia made a heart cut out in the paper fake leaf and asked me to shoot a photo through it. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but because the effect is subtle, I think it is actually pretty cute.

And finally, we ended the day back by the tree I had wanted to photograph them on.

I’m glad we made the final stop, because I really like the final frame I shot. The sun flare and the golden light behind them set a lovely mood. Best wishes to Alicia and Tyler- enjoy your engagement, the wedding to come and beyond!

We were lucky to be in London while the World War I memorial at the Tower of London was being constructed. We left before it was finished, but the photos I have seen are very impressive.  Artist Paul Cummins designed the piece, which includes 888,246 ceramic red poppy flowers, one to represent each fallen British or colonial soldier during WWI. The instillation is titled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” and was designed to mark the 100 year anniversary of the war. I wanted to post this on Tuesday, but I had work the last two days, so this was as timely as I could make it. On Tuesday, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Europeans paused to remember the moment the war ended in 1918.

Poppies were the first flowers to grow in the churned-up earth of soldiers’ graves in Flanders, a region in Belgium. The use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance was inspired by the World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields.”

It was touching to see the crowds of people gathering to honor and remember the dead for weeks.

Pieces of the memorial will now be displayed around the UK, part of it preserved in the Imperial War Museum. Some poppies were also sold for 25 pounds each, with proceeds from that going to charities. I think the artist designed a beautiful and poignant instillation that touched many people.

For more on the story and photos of the finished instillation, see these articles.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29965477

One weekend early in our stay in London, we decided to do something outside the city. I researched places that were not too far away and came across Epping Forrest. It is a 6,118 acre ancient forrest situated between greater London and Essex. We planned to go for a hike, but when we arrived, we happened upon a small festival, complete with live music and a dog show. It was a completely random day that turned out to be one of our most memorable adventures.

The World Cup permeated the culture there all the way to the children. One of these boys said to the other, “I’ll be England, you be France” as they kicked the ball around the field.

The dog show was adorable. It was truly a glimpse into local life in the UK. Children and adults participated and the dogs competed in categories ranging from best costume to best trick. The proud pet owners marched their dogs around in a circle as the crowd gathered to watch from haystacks.

This old house was very interesting to tour. The structure was apparently studied by the architect who reconstructed the Globe Theatre.

The houses that people actually live in near Epping Forrest also had interesting architecture.

After exploring the festival and surrounding area, we grabbed a bite to eat and had the best burger we had during our entire stay in the UK, not to mention the delicious ginger beer.

Bellies full, we set out for a hike in the forrest and let ourselves get a bit lost.

It was a beautiful day and a wonderful glimpse into country life just outside the city.

While spending the summer in London, we took several trips just outside the city to enjoy the many attractions in the country. We learned that while we love everything big cities have to offer, we really love the feel of country life. This is going to be a bit of a long post, as I am going to cover all of our day and weekend trips to Oxford, Essex County, including Castle Headingham and Thaxted, Bath and Winchester. I apologize for the gap in my posting, but I have been a bit distracted readjusting to life in America and finding a new job. I start my new job in a neonatal ICU (NICU) on Monday and very much look forward to learning something new. I also plan to continue making photography a larger part of my life. I have a family portrait session booked for Friday and a few more, plus a wedding in the near future.

Anyway, I’ll start with Oxford. My cousin Jessica and her husband Harry came out to stay with us in London. It was their first time in Europe and we loved showing them around the city, but they also wanted to get a taste of the country. While Evan was at work, the three of us took a day trip to Oxford. It is an old college town with beautiful architecture, lovely gardens, fancy courtyards and punting.

After walking through the city, we spent some time in the beautiful gardens. All three of us have some interest in gardening, so it was a good way to spend the afternoon.

Next I suggested that we go Punting. A punt is a boat designed for shallow water. One person stands at the back of the boat and steers it using a long stick. Harry was our driver and he did a very good job. Jessica and I relaxed and fed Cheetos to the ducks. We were a little concerned at one point that we would go into the River Thames, but we found our way back.

We came across a nice family navigating the small rivers with us and I shot a few photos of them. I caught a few good candid shots and when I ran into them on the train home, I gave them my business card and told them I would be happy to send them photos. A few months later, I got an email from them and sent them the photos. I am so happy I was able to share the photos with them. I love capturing life’s moments, but it is all the sweeter when I can share them with the people who will really appreciate them. Thank you Franco and family for allowing me to post these photos and share them with you. Cheers!

It was a wonderful day trip. I recommend Oxford to anyone spending time in the UK.

We went to Essex County, about an hour outside London, a couple times. It is a place that is made fun of by some British people in the same was New Jersey is here, but like New Jersey, it is a beautiful place. It is quite a large area, filled with rolling green hills and really old villages with cobblestone streets and thatched rooftops.

We first went to visit some family friends with Evan’s parents. We ate at a wonderful gastropub owned by Jamie Oliver’s parents and then relaxed at their country home. We simply fell in love with the area.

We went back to the area a couple weeks later for a weekend. This time we stayed one night with my third cousin, Regina, and her partner, Stuart. We had met them in Ireland and they invited us out for a visit. They live in Castle Headingham. It is lovely quaint village with a few old houses, a restaurant and a pub–pretty much all you need in life.

This is a typical thatched rooftop.

We went inside an old church. There was a beautiful display of all the buildings in the village stitched onto a tapestry.

Stuart collects cars and took turns driving Evan and I in his TVR sports car. We went 100-110 MPH on country roads.

Although there was a wedding at the castle and we were only able to sneak a peak at the outside, we enjoyed walking on country roads, picking apples, strolling through fields with sheep and relaxing at their home with some Pimms cups. The sheep thought they could hide from us behind the tree. They are not the smartest animals.

In the afternoon, they took us to Finchingfield on the way to our friend’s family farm. We enjoyed some beer and watched the scene unfold. It is a popular spot for British tourists.

We were there during a harvest, so we passed several tractors on our journey. Our friends Heather and Michael spend many weekends at Michael’s dad’s wheat farm in Thaxted. They were nice enough to have us out for a lovely weekend of relaxing, cooking and spending time with the family dog.

They showed us around the town, which featured cobblestone streets, a beautiful old church and a windmill.

That night we enjoyed a tasty meal of cheese, bread and wine and then had a lazy Sunday morning in the rain.

Evan and I took the dog for a walk in the afternoon when the rain let up and I took some corny shots with my beer glass- wheat and hops.

We did a traditional Sunday roast that afternoon. Heather and Michael cooked us a wonderful meal using the unique old stove in the farm house. It is always on to help heat the house, making cooking a baking a whole new game.

We absolutely loved the farm and all the hospitality. Thank you so much for having us!

Switching gears from Essex, in the beginning of our trip we went to Bath for a day with Smiz. It was not, honestly, one of our favorite day trips. This was in part due to the trains shutting down for a few hours, making our journey crowded and long. Once we did reach Bath, it was a beautiful city and touring the Roman baths was very interesting.

The Romans used to etch wishes onto these and throw them into the baths.

Hot air ran underneath the bath floors, and they were elevated on these to keep the floor from getting too hot.

A group of school children dressed the part.

In the end, it was a nice day, complete with a beautiful train ride back into the city. One of my favorite things is to ride on trains and take photos out the window. I have a whole series of these from various trips which I will post once I finish my project and put the series together.

Finally, toward the end of our stay, I took a day trip to Winchester to visit my third cousin, Matt, and have him cut my hair. He is a hair stylist and since I needed my hair cut, I figured I would use the excuse to get out to see him and tour Winchester. He did a fantastic job- I still love my haircut.

While Matt was working, I toured Winchester Cathedral. It was beautiful and massive.

This is the house where Jane Austen spent her last days.

We had dinner at a pub, where I enjoyed a delicious scotch egg.

I saw a little bit of home when I came across a magnolia tree.

Then we walked through a park and along a river where we saw the oldest preserved part of the Roman wall in Winchester.

We ended the evening in a quirky pub. There were more stuffed animals, including things like giraffes and monkeys, then I have ever seen in one place. It was quite disturbing, but very unique. Matt says it is a cozy spot in the winter with the fire lit. I wish we could do that more in New Orleans.

Thanks to everyone who showed us around the country and small villages surrounding London. We truly enjoyed all of the experiences.

The stars appear to be raining down on Evan as he gazes up at the night sky. For our two year anniversary, Evan and I went back to our honeymoon spot in Bordeaux, France, and it was as magical as ever.

We always feel so relaxed and at peace at our spot in Bordeaux. It really is the other life. We stayed in touch with the B&B owners of L’Autre Vie, Justin and Vanessa. They are from Australia and used to work in finance in New York and then in London. One day, they decided they didn’t want that life anymore. They bought a beautiful farm house surrounded by vineyards in Bordeaux and turned it into a small B&B with four rooms- the London room, the New York room, the Sydney room and the Bordeaux room. We always stay in the London room.

They made us dinner on the first night and we chatted over local wine and whisky. It was a beautiful, clear night, so we enjoyed the stars for a few hours after dinner. I think we each counted over ten shooting stars. We don’t get to see many stars living in New Orleans, so we get pretty excited when we are in the middle of nowhere where we can view them.

It was wonderful to catch up with them and meet their daughter, Imogen (Imi). They were pregnant when we went on our honeymoon and were pregnant again during this visit and recently gave birth to their second daughter, Alessandra. Imi is adorable. She is barely two and is talking up a storm. She is learning English and French and began calling us both Jackie, so Evan was dubbed Monsieur Jackie. She loved watching Evan play guitar and showing us around her world, from the wood pile to the homemade slide to the rocks.

On our first day, we explored a nearby village and went to a farmers market. With some of the fruit we bought and some food from Vanessa and Justin, we had ourselves a little picnic out in the vineyards complete with wonderful conversation about the future and beautiful views.

Among all the vineyards were sunflower fields. Unfortunately most of them were dying, but they were still really pretty. Apparently they plant them to replenish the soil.

We explored a medieval village that afternoon. Evan took a beautiful photo of me posed by an old wall. It was fun for me to be on the other side of the camera for a moment.

After exploring, we went back to our favorite restaurant in the area for our official date night. I wore my rehearsal dinner dress from our wedding. The food was amazing and looked like art on a plate. We also made friends with a kitty outside the restaurant. I was missing my kitty at home.

The next day we went wine tasting and walked around Saint Emilion. The tour was informative, though not the best one we have ever been on. We did bring a bottle of wine home for a special occasion someday.

We had a lovely final evening at the B&B complete with a faint rainbow. We bought a bottle of wine to share with Vanessa and Justin from Saint Emilion. It was a 2002, which is the year Evan and I met and coincidentally also the year Vanessa and Justin met.

We went on one final picnic and almost got run over by a tractor.

Thank you Justin, Vanessa and Imogen for showing us a wonderful time. We recommend this place to anyone. We love you, L’Autre Vie.

While visiting my third cousin, Kayleigh, and her husband, Adam, in Plymouth, England a few weeks ago, one of my favorite things was seeing wild ponies. Kayleigh is one who contacted me and invited us to Ireland to meet the family. I was happy I got to spend another weekend with her and meet Adam. It was too bad that Evan had to work, as it is one of my favorite parts of the UK. On the last day of my visit, we had planned to go to see the Eden Project, a large indoor garden project, but instead we opted to hike around Dartmoor, and I am so glad we did.

Dartmoor is in south Devon, England. It is protected by National Park status and encompasses a massive amount of land- 954 kilometers. It is also used for training in the Royal Military, which Adam is in. We brought their dogs, Rolo and Lola, and hiked a small portion of it. The land is beautiful with terrain unlike anything I had ever seen.

The granite hilltops, or tors, allow many different types of wildlife to survive. Farmers have sheep and cattle in the area, but although the sheep we saw were marked, I have been told there are also wild sheep.

Of course, my goal when we began hiking was to find ponies. I felt like a little girl searching for wild ponies, but the concept is so foreign to me. I was told there are so many that there is no way we would miss them, and sure enough they were correct. They were everywhere and surprisingly let us get really close to them. Their manes are long, their bodies stalky and their fur is often matted, but I thought they were beautiful. We saw families and babies too.

The area is rather open and thus is subject to extreme weather conditions, making the animals hardy and ideal for working animals.

It was a wonderful visit and I will always remember watching the Dartmoor ponies. They really are magnificent creatures. They have declined in population from 25,800 to about 5,000 with an estimated 800 in the Dartmoor area as of 2004. These numbers are taken from Wikipedia after a quick online search, so I am unsure how accurate they are or what the numbers are today, but it does give you an idea. I hope these babies grow up to be strong and help continue the breed.