April in Pictures: Erin's 365 project

Spring! Or so we thought.

April has come and gone, and my 365 project is still going strong. I'm starting to get to the point where I'm waking up at night just to think about what tomorrow's image might be. Yikes!

I still love photographing my son, and this month I had the joy of photographing a lot of other family time as well. Easter, bridal showers, birthday parties, and just time with family and friends were all among the images. But also, the beginning of Spring - which is my favorite season. A few of the days were about breaking out the flip flops (yay!), the daffodils, the green grass and yes... a touch of snow, unbelievable at this point, but still happened. Ew.

Next month, our engagement sessions and weddings for the year begin. I'm looking forward to photographing these moments for our awesome clients, as well as continuing to capture my own life as it unfolds. Thanks for following it all with me! ~ Erin

Photographer Reboot : New Zealand!

From April through December, our lives as photographers can be chaotic… in a good way of course! But come January to March, things slow down around here, and hibernation sets in. This year, my husband and I escaped the epically cold month of February and chased down summer… on the other side of the planet!

NEW ZEALAND!! It’s my new happy place. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. It was an unbelievable dream come true. Breathtaking, fun, gorgeous, friendly, walkable, adventurous, relaxing, delicious, sunny… Anyone have plans to work on a teleporter? I’m willing to invest…

Here are a few things we did: boat rides, Hobbiton, ziplines, a hot air balloon ride, wine tasting, biking, hiking, walking, photographing, swimming, driving, busing, hitching, eating, meeting locals and other travelers, and just, you know, enjoying life.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, if visiting New Zealand is not on your bucket list, it should be. And don’t think of it as just a 3 day add on from Australia. Heck no. We spent 16 days there, and I promise you it was not enough!

So I’m going to shut up now, and let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!

Lori

Would you like to see more? Let me know! I’m currently working on my panoramic album and would be happy to share it when it's done!

Lucas at 7 months old: rochester ny photographers

Most people have their infants photographed two, maybe three times in the first year of their lives. Not me. Thanks to my 365 project, and just generally being me, I have had more "sessions" with Lucas than I can count on both hands. The images I take of Lucas are beautiful to me, and I love taking them. However, I'm always the one behind the camera, and it was time to be a part of the action with my family. I cannot even begin to tell you how important it is to me to have photographs of not just Lucas - but Lucas with me and his daddy.

Enter, Lori. I'm so lucky to not only be able to work with her, but have her there to capture my family and our relationships as well. And because she knows me so well, she knew exactly what I was looking for with our last family session. She knew how I wanted to look, and how best to accomplish the task.

So here's my PSA for today:  Moms, be in the pictures. I don't care if you think you look fat, and I don't care if you think you have bags under your eyes.  These photographs are SO important. Find a photographer who makes you feel comfortable, and knows what you want photographed. Don't stand behind the camera. Your kids will thank you someday. Please, just do it for them.

End PSA. Now back to your regularly scheduled cuteness.

It's no secret that I have one of the cutest babies on the planet... biased much? Yes, yes I am. Here's a glimpse into our session! Thank you, Lori, for being awesome!

365 project in March : Rochester NY Photographer

I love compiling my images from each month for these posts. I get to see just how many things happened each month and how many great people are a part of my life. I also get to see just how much Lucas changes in just a few weeks. That alone makes me so glad I decided to take on a 365 project this year. I can't imagine not having these images to remember all of his milestones. Family, friends and fun was what March was all about. With Spring creeping in at a snail's pace, we were lucky to get outside a few times. We are also starting to see more sessions pop up on the calendar with our favorite clients. We even got away for a conference in Buffalo, where we got to learn new things to incorporate into the business and our shooting style.

So far so good, I'm still going strong. With our busiest months of the year yet to come, I'm looking forward to more friends and more fun images to share as a part of this project. 3 months down, 9 to go! ~ Erin

February in Pictures: Erin's 365

2 months down! Yes! I've been at my 365 project now for 2 months. It's obvious, that I've taken on a theme, a very "close to my heart" theme. My son is the inspiration for this project. I want to capture as much of this first year of his life as I can! He'll change so much this year - heck, he already has, and astonishes me.

So, naturally many of my pictures revolve around him and will continue to do so. This month, Lucas hit the "half" year mark. I'm trying to capture what he's learning, the funny and sometimes frustrating moments, and the relationships he's building with the world and people in his life. I want to remember all of these little daily milestones that are forming him into the person he's becoming.

Also this month, Nigel the Gnome returned! After Lori left on her trip, I started to feel lonely - so Nigel kept me company during my days. I'm looking forward to seeing where he ends up during my 365 project.

Valentine's Day was a part of this month's images and as we all know, the deep freeze of a winter we're having continued to tortured us.  So that had to be included somehow too!

Enjoy my recap in photos!

~ Erin

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Erin's 365 Project begins : Rochester NY photography

As Lori finished up her year in photographs on December 31st 2014, mine began. Only 334 days to go, I'm just getting started. I was inspired to see so many of my photographer friends complete their project last year, and decided it was the right time to begin mine. So I guess I should warn you of three things as I embark on this photographic journey.

1) The overwhelming majority of this project will focus on my son, my family and my dog. These are the most important things in my life, and this is a milestone year for us. Lucas is going to change so much, so fast, and we're all going to change with him. So naturally, this is my inspiration for this endeavor. If you don't want to see cute pictures of babies or my dog, don't look.  :)

2) I'm not burdening myself with any rules. It's hard enough to complete a 365 project without adding rules in. Besides that I know me, I'll miss a day or two. Some days I'll use my iPhone instead of my DSLR. Some days might include an Instagram filter. Or, some might include two images. Again - it's my project, my rules, right?

3) Some of my images are probably going to be boring. I'm not sure that this can be avoided, but you can bet there will be a few days where nothing exciting happens. Not every day of a year is photographic gold.

So here we go folks, my 365 project begins. I'll need your help and encouragement to keep going. I know from watching others do it, that it's a big undertaking. I'm proud of myself for trying, and so far succeeding.

This month focused on Lucas, a fun family wedding in Chicago, and other random goodies. January is complete, bring it on February. Only 334 days to go.

In no particular order, here's January! ~ Erin

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I think you are beautiful, even if you don't | rochester ny photography

I have a gray hair. It's not my first, but it is literally in the middle of my forehead - front and center. If you've noticed, thanks for not commenting. My husband looks at it every day and begs to pluck it. I have fought him off for months now. I'm trying really hard to own it. It's a gray hair... so what? Lots of people have them, and most everyone gets them. Why should I let it bother me?

Every morning I see it; it is right there in front of my face. It reminds me that life is short. It reminds me that I'm not perfect. I refrain from plucking it as a test of myself... there are more important things to deal with. I am not my gray hair.

We all have our own issues, insecurities, things we don't like about ourselves. I've never met someone who doesn't. This year, I've had the privilege of getting to know many students, and capture who they are as they enter their final year of high school.

With this opportunity, has come the challenge of showing each student their own beauty. Some of them had their hair or makeup done, which brought them confidence. Some were lucky enough to be comfortable in their own skin. Others fought the battle of self doubt, lack of confidence, or just plain fear of the camera.

I wish I could say this is only true of high school seniors, but it's not. I have seen mom's ashamed of their size, dad's embarrassed of their receding hair lines, grandma's ashamed of their wrinkles.

It makes me sad.

Everyone is beautiful. You, me, all of us! We may not feel it every day, but we as adults have bigger concerns. We need to worry about things other than our waistlines, our hairlines and our wrinkles. We've earned those things. Living our LIVES got us to this point – birthing a child, inheriting a family trait, experiencing years of love and life and adventure.

Embrace it. Own it. Don't let it scare you away from the camera. And pass that confidence on.

I'm sorry that you don't like your braces, the way your eyes squint when you laugh, or your hair on humid days (guilty). Smile anyway, laugh anyway, live anyway.

Maybe this makes me a bad photographer – but I don't want to photoshop your wrinkles, your bald spot or your gap. Those things are part of you, and I want you to know that I think you are beautiful, even if you don't.

Sincerely, Lori

2014 in Review / 365 Wrap up

We've made it through another year, and survived... no... thrived. If nothing else this year has taught me that we can do anything. When Lucas showed up 4 weeks early, in the middle of our busy season and threw the entire business into my lap so Erin could be with him, we made it. With help from our intern, our colleagues, and support from family and friends, we made this year our best yet. I can't wait to top it all next year! Rewinding a second now... I set some goals for myself last January including this little 365 project. It started as a creative challenge to make a photo every single day. Some months had themes, some did not. Some photos were great, others a little lame. But I stuck through, I kept creating, I kept sharing, and I can now check this project off the list. And it feels good.

Some of my other goals included: -Decluttering my newsfeed/email (I did this by hiding people whose posts I always found myself shaking my head at and unsubscribing from dozens of emails I didn't read) -Bike a 50 mile event. This one will stay on the list another year. My best event this year was 33 miles. -Start a new hobby (Archery). Didn't happen, but I am still interested in it. -Workout 3x a week. I think I get partial credit here. I actually put this on the calendar for Mon, Wed, Fri mornings which makes me much more likely to do it. I've been good the last 2 months, but over the summer... this goal always seems to die. -Simplify finances. This I can say I did accomplish. I got rid of unnecessary credit cards, closed unneeded bank accounts and made everything much easier to keep track of.

So I can say I accomplished 4.5 out of 6 goals. Not bad, but I can do better.

I spent a while on the Christmas theme this month, trying to explore it in different ways.

Do you ever find yourself thinking "Where has the time gone?" Yeah? Me too. The cool thing is this photo-a-day project has helped make me really aware of how I spend my time. There are some days when literally -nothing-interesting happened and I found myself photographing the shadows on the wall. Other days were so full, it was a challenge to pick the best photograph/moment to share! So as I review my images of the year, I thought it would be fun to share some highs and lows with you in this recap.

First, the cool stuff: -LASIK! AKA the best investment I ever made and wish I made sooner. It is seriously the biggest change to my life this year. I am free from contact lenses and glasses, and it's something I am thankful for every day. -Seniors! This year we photographed 26 seniors, shattering our goal of 12. I learned just how much fun it is to work with this age and look forward to growing this portion of the business! -Lucas! He's only going third because he didn't arrive until August. But this little man entered the world lucky enough to have two fantastic parents and the best auntie in the world. He changed everything, and I can't wait to watch him grow. -Friends and Family. Between a little road trip, a new nephew being born, throwing a themed party, and just hanging out on game nights, I love looking back at all of the fun we've had this year. -Home Improvement. We finished the kitchen by finally installing a backsplash, added a nice gate for the dogs, and replaced our old windows and sliding door to improve heat retention. This crosses off a few items we had on the house list for a few years, yay! -Being outdoors: Rec softball, hiking, hammocking, jarts, gardening. Love it. -Eating. In true instagram style, I photographed a lot of our meals this year. I'm happy to say we have been eating healthier, more local and more in-season. There's room to do better here, but a good start nonetheless. -Portraits. This was a record setting year for how many folks I was able to put in front of my lens. Thank you to every single one of you, I'm so lucky that this is my profession!

2014 wasn't entirely sunshine and rainbows though. We said goodbye to my grandmother this year, learned about Erin's father's cancer, and I had a frustrating ordeal with technical issues in the middle of our busiest month. But we made it through alive, stronger, and ready to conquer a new year.

And what's Christmas without the people you love?

And of course, my lapdog.

Looking ahead to 2015: we'll be traveling to New Zealand, Florida, Colorado, Massachusetts and who knows where else! We get to celebrate several weddings with friends, family and clients. I'll be replacing the 365 project with a new challenge (more to come). But most importantly, we'll get some more time to spend with our family, our friends, and our awesome clients as we continue on this journey.

Thanks for being here, I hope to see you around this year. Get in touch, let us know how it's going for you too!

I encourage you to set some goals, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help you with them! Wishing you all the best in 2015! Lori

If you'd like to see more from this project, check out these other posts of 2014:

January | February | March | April | May | June |July | August | September | October | November

The final photo of 2014... and I'm excited to hand this project off to Erin this year!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas: Rochester NY Photographers

I've always loved Christmas, it's a wonderful time of the year.  I'm the one who puts up the Christmas decorations as soon as Santa arrives at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My husband laughs at me, then plays along - because, if I only get to enjoy them for one month, he knows I want every possible second of that month. To me Christmas is family, friends and an overwhelming spirit of love. Now that Lucas is here, I get to share in a whole new kind of love. I'm so very blessed. I could go on to tell you all of the ways I'm blessed, but I've been told I keep making people cry with my blog posts. So for their sake, I'm going to keep things on the lighter side today.

At the ripe old age of four months, Lucas has been photographed by no less than 3 professional photographers - not including myself. I have more photographs of him in four months, than I have taken personally in an entire year. Poor kid, he has no idea who he's dealing with yet. There have been a few moments where he's told me subtly what he thinks of me, my ideas and my camera. For example, his expression with Santa for the first time was priceless, and then "accidentally" giving me the bird while I photographed a mini Christmas session in his adorable knit hat. Yep... that's my boy! Regardless, so far I'd say he's handling it quite nicely.

No Christmas card picture is perfect. We should know. It may have taken you 23 tries to get your 2 year old to stop picking his nose. Or maybe, when your daughter saw Santa, she had the most epic meltdown in the history of meltdowns.  But on Christmas Day in 20 years, you'll remember those moments and laugh, as you show your child's significant other "that time" when he gave the camera the middle finger. I know I sure will.

Merry Christmas to you and many blessings to all those you hold dear.

Peace, love, and joy - Erin  :)

Part 11 of the 365 adventure: November with Lori

If you've never challenged yourself with a 365 project, I'd like to encourage you to try it. Every month that I do this, I look back and think: wow, all of that happened in 30 days? It really has helped put things in perspective. Now, let's get specific. This month, I noticed a few trends in my images. First, a technology trend. I got a new computer, and my husband got a Smart Watch. Between those, the iPad, and our phones, we spend a lot of time with technology.

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Then, food. I've photographed food a lot this year, as eating is something we do every day. However, this month the food was usually shared with someone. Girls night, cousins night, Thanksgiving... it was all wonderful.

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Another favorite subject, my dogs. They also made an appearance this month, of course.

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I did work a bit too. This month ranged from kids, to families, to construction equipment, to couples engaged.

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But I also got to spend time with family, including surprising my dad on his 60th Birthday, playing dominoes with grandma, and taking my adorable niece to the George Eastman House.

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But the photo of the month this time goes to a really special moment. You may have seen in last weeks post, that Erin's father has been dealing with cancer. Their family hosted an incredible benefit event in his honor to help with costs related to treatment. It included concerts by her aunt, the talented Josie Waverly, and also her Uncle Kevin, from Dr. Moxy. This photo was taken while Josie sang "How Great Thou Art". It was a powerful moment between family members. I was honored to capture it, and I am honored to know these folks.

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There you have it... another month in the life of me. Hope to see you for the grand conclusion next month! -Lori

What I'm thankful for in 2014

It's been one heck of a ride for me this year. There have been many ups and downs, and everything in between. I decided to put it down on paper, and share some of the biggest things I'm thankful for this year. So, in no particular order, here they are.

1) Lori: This year has been an amazing year for business, and it would not have been possible without Lori. She picked up the pieces where I couldn't, and went above and beyond to keep us not only afloat, but moving forward. I could not be more thankful that I have her in my life, not only as a business partner - but as a most wonderful friend as well. I only hope that I can do my best to make 2015 as awesome as she made 2014.

2) My Son: Just thinking about what I've already learned by becoming a mother, makes me tear up. I won't lie, the past 3 months haven't been easy. I never expected the mixed bag of emotions I'd end up going through. It's utterly incredible, that my 5 lb peanut could alternately make me crazy one day, but bring me such peace and joy the next. But I'm thankful for him because he's taught me to love deeper. He makes me want to work harder, and be better for him. I want him to know what it's like to love and appreciate this life - and that it's possible to dream big, like his Mommy does.

3) My Husband: It should go without saying, but I'm still inspired by what he does for our family and for me. He supports my dreams, dreams with me, and still keeps me from eating a steady diet of cereal. ;)

4) My Struggles and My Community: For those who don't know, my father has been diagnosed with stage IV cancer.  Somehow, writing it down makes it even more of a reality. I won't dwell on the negative though, because that's not the point I'm trying to make. I guess, in a way I'm thankful for this struggle God's put in my family's path. It has made me remember what and who is most important in life.

I'm also thankful for the outpouring of support and love we've received from the community around us. It's immensely overwhelming at times. There are so many people out there, whose lives have interconnected with ours along life's journey. It's incredibly humbling because I know that everyone has their own daily battles to fight. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you who have taken the time to reach out with an arm of support for us. Some of you, I haven't seen in ages - yet you're there for me, and us still today. Wow.

This weekend, my family has put together a benefit in support of my father. If you're interested in attending, it will be a great time! Live music, raffle prizes, a photo booth and great people - there's information here on Facebook: KTK Benefit

It all comes down to this:

This year, I've never been more thankful for the help and support from others. I'm thankful for those who have taken the time to donate, or just to reach out after a lot of passed time and say hello. And I'm thankful for those keeping my head above water, for listening when I need a friend, and for helping me to be a better version of myself.

Today, and every day I'm thankful for all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving. ~ Erin

PS - This post would not be complete without some fun and cuteness...so, here it is!

Lori really rocked it this year!

Lucas at his newborn session, courtesy of Linda Hayes Photography

Love when Allie watches over Lucas.

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Even though I see this face a lot, he's loved.

Daddy and Lucas

My parents, with Lucas.

365 Project : Part 10, October!

Alright friends, I have a confession to make. I missed a day, well two. But, I have not given up! I must keep moving forward, I've come to far to let this drop, so here are this month's images. In October, I found more time for personal things. I got in some hiking, some family time, games, a corn maze and wine tour all on top of making some fun images for clients! Enjoy :) -Lori

PS: Don't forget to follow along for the day-to-day commentary on Instagram!