Archive for September, 2009

Two Girls a Photo Booth and Fun!!!

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

I’ve never done one before, well, okay, at the mall, when I was a kid, with my other friends….we’d all smoosh inside a tiny little booth and pull the curtain. From outside, I’m sure it looked more interesting then what we got on the film strip.

Things have changed and now photo booths are showing up everywhere….even weddings and WOW I have to tell you…They are fun. Actually they are way more then fun.

Photo Booths have changed, the images are better, and having a photo booth at your wedding is one way to really get some awesome candid and most times amazing fun shots of family and friends. You actually get a CD with all the images that are shot at your wedding with the photo booth! WOW!

When we went to the Cleveland Bridal Show, as I said before, we always walk around and meet the other vendors. It’s how we roll, it’s what we do. So when we saw Eric outside a photo booth we stopped to talk and meet him, he told us all about his booth and how he ended up doing a Photo Booth and he’s doing amazing with it.

We knew it was coming, we were almost waiting for it…and then he asked us “So, you want to try it out”

AHHHHhhhh like two little kids getting treated to cotton candy, we tried to act so cool, like, oh sure, yeah, we’ll try it. Inside we were squirming and squealing like we were 10! YES PHOTO BOOTH!!!

We opened the curtain and sat down. He showed us what to do and said “Most importantly, do not look at your image below, LOOK at the camera” This is an important rule and a hard rule to follow.

I imagine we sounded like 10 year olds as we plotted our next pose. It was SOOooo much fun and even seeing ourselves on film was fun too.

We’re photographers and we are used to taking pictures not being photographed but these…these are some of the best pics we have of ourselves.

Thank you Cleveland Photo Booth. We love you!!!

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As you can see, we did not listen to the “most important rule” on the last shot, but I think it worked well.

So, this is us…at the Cleveland Bridal Show, 2009. I think we are going to make it a tradition to do a photo booth shot at every bridal show now.

Yes, it’s that much fun! If you are even remotely thinking of doing a photo booth at your wedding reception let us know, we are working on a package with Eric’s photo booth now.

It’s just too much fun not to!

Our weekend..Cleveland Ohio

Monday, September 28th, 2009

It took me 9 hours of driving to get there. I picked the best hotel and the best location and was not let down. I only stay at Marriotts and I am always very pleased! This hotel was a Courtyard on Chagrin Blvd. It was right down the street from some of my most favorite stores: Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Corky and Lenny’s and Taza’s.

Raquel came up to help set up for the Bridal Show.

We went to eat at Taza’s and sadly they changed the menus and dinner was okay, but our waiter was awesome! He kept us in pita and za’atar all night, THAT has never been done for us there before!

We then left to pick up some tea at Trader Joes, if you’ve never tried Tejava, you have to give it a try. It’s awesome! At the checkout Raquel mentions that she loves the sample hand lotion they have and the cashier just gives it to her! It was a brand new bottle and she gladly accepted and we knew….THIS was our weekend!

We went back to the hotel and proceeded to package up our “little” favors and our basket for the giveaway…it took a few hours and by 10:30, we were done.

The next morning up, showered and breakfast! We headed to the show. It was time to set up! It’s 7:30am

First thing I have to do is give Taya the best and biggest props I can give. Taya set up the show, managed it and she did an awesome job. She thought out every detail of the show making sure that the vendors were covered and had things in place to make sure the vendors got the best possible showing! She had a rough few days I am sure and she worked very hard, and I am sure she did not do it alone, but Taya, YOU CRUSHED IT! It was an awesome show! We have NEVER had such an amazing group of people to work with. Thank you all!

Other props have to go to Rock The House, nice guys but they picked up the ball when another vendor left and Mc’d the bridal show! Great job on such short notice!

Cleveland Photo Booth was there – Okay, I’ve never done a photo booth…HOW FUN! You’ll be seeing CPB more and more and we are going to add a photo booth package very soon!

We were between Macys (awesome ladies) and Ardyss (ladies this is simply amazing, oh and men also!)

We shot some video and I’ll be putting together a short “how to” and “how not to” video to help people who have never done a show before.

One of the greatest rewards of a show is meeting people, not only potential clients but other vendors. We always take time to walk around and greet people and talk, YES, even the photographers. I’m not their competition, I’ve never agreed with that mentality.

The show was great, we were fed breakfast and lunch, met some awesome Cleveland brides to be and we just can’t wait to see who ends up choosing us to be their photographer for 2010!

Our 2010 brides list is growing. It’s going to be an awesome year!

Just a few pics of the day!

part of what we gave away

part of what we gave away

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Sneak Peak – Samantha and Steve

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Sometimes the internet is a very strange place!

I posted this blog last night and even had a comment on it and it’s now gone… somewhere, lost in internet space. So, here we go one more time:

The last sneak peak I got a response she (Lori) did not like me anymore, and last night she did reply to the blog post in her defense that her sneak peak was not a shot of their whole bodies, so…after that I decided to change my sneak peaks to full body shots. So, Lori, changed our world here :-)

We loved doing Samantha and Steve’s wedding, they were such a fun and loving couple…more about that to come with an exciting video and blog post…for now..

The Sneak Peak…
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Do I inspire you? Inspire me!

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Remember my near car accident. I was writing on the back of a clients folder, sitting at a red light. Inspiration hit me and I know I can’t “wait till I get home” to write it down. Much less can I “wait till I get up” to write it down, that is why beside my bed is a notepad and pen. You know you won’t remember it when you wake back up!

So I was inspired and I started to think… Do I inspire you? yes YOU! You, the person reading this right now! You know you read it and you don’t respond. Do I inspire you?

IF my attitude, my personality and my work can cause one person to grow, to do better, to acheive their “passion” then, it’s been worth it.

My goal in life is NOT just to be a “great” photographer. I want to inspire others. I want to help people find their passion. I heard a video by Gary Vaynerchuk, and he was talking about inspiration and he said the only question he found he could not answer was “How do I find my passion”. He did not have an answer for it.

I do! I want to help you find your passion. I want to inspire you, to help you get to where you are going!

And… along the way, I think we all will find more interesting things about ourselves.

I’ve been so blessed to assist a few people recently find their passions. It’s been thrilling! Some want to say I’ve mentored them, I say I’m being a friend!

Everyone wants their life to matter, to count, to mean something….to be remembered.

Isn’t that what photography is all about. I take a picture, it locks in that moment in time, it seals it for all eternity or as long as that image will last. That image says..you were important enough to take that photograph, to stop all time for that one short second, to say you mattered enough.

When I look over my images from a shoot sometimes I am in awe of the “image” I capture. Sometimes it’s a look, a glance, or just a “moment”. It’s captured, and it inspires me!

You inspire me! I know where my talent comes from. I’m very thankful to do what I do. You have no idea how grateful I am. To live a life doing what you love to do. To feel the passion of a moment and to capture it. WOW! That’s Amazing!

I look for inspiration all around me, in life, in magazines, in you, yes you! I’m back to you. You know who you are, you’re the one who reads my blog posts, smiles and moves on. I look for your comments, not just positive, but constructive critisim. I’m a big girl, I’m up to it, I can handle it. C’mon, give me a try. I want to see more comments from my readers.

My blog on average gets 60-90 hits a day. WOW, that is awesome!!! Now I want to start to hear from you folks, if you need inspiration, ask me. if I need direction, direct me. I want to hear from you.

Tell me what you think, what’s on your mind!

I sure hope I inspire one person in my life, but my goal is going to be a lot more then just one!
Do I inspire you?
Inspire me!
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What did I do?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

I kept the money! But I guess that was not the hardest of my decisions.

I walked around Target with the money AND the lottery ticket. You guys all forgot about that powerball ticket. What if it hits? What if I win. (little song goes through my head: Finders/Keepers… Losers/Weepers)

But in all seriousness I was not in need of 3 dollars. I kept thinking WHAT if the person that lost this was.

I had a choice to make, I could give it to the high school student at the lost/found. Yeah OKAY, we all know what would happen with it then.

I’m not one of those people who feel it’s an act of God when I find money on the floor OR if the cashier gives me the wrong change (in my favor) I think those are times for us to shine and do the right thing and go back and say… you know, I think you gave me a 50 in stead of a 5.

Oh and I’ve done that and they’ve had to recount the drawer before they could do anything, so being honest is not always easy!

So I did not feel an angel dropped this money on the floor for me, nor did I feel “blessed”.

So, I took the 3 dollars to church tonight and put it in the offering. The lottery ticket is on my fridge. It’s got two chances of the powerball.

If I win, I’m not sure what I would do. I’d honestly feel pretty bad. But what else could I do? I am sure everyone will say it was theirs if it did win.

So if I win… well..that is another blog post.

So..that is what I did.

I liked all your responses… It’s just fun to share experiences and comment about what we would do!

Be well everyone!
C’mon Powerbal! (I joke, I joke)

Here is a shot of the moon I took the other night from our back yard. It’s soooo amazing here. And these kind of moons are so common! Enjoy!
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What would you do?

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Today started out like any other.

My alarm went off, but I was already awake, I checked a few emails and answered a couple text messages. I went right for my 1st glass of water and sat down to get some work done!

Around 9am I knew I had some running to do. This is where my day all started to bloom!

I ran to the bank and got inspired writing on the back of a folder as I sat at a red light, I heard this “strange” noise and when I looked in my rear view mirror I noticed the van behind me rocking! The car next to me looked shocked.

I thought, did he hit me? Could I have been so engrossed in what I was writing that he hit me and I did not notice? No way! So as I turned left I saw that the lady behind him REALLY hit him. Her entire front end was…smooshed! How he could have not been pushed into me was nothing short of a miracle! I was thankful!

I ran to Target and while there, I noticed some money laying on the ground. I honestly wanted to just pass by as if I did not see it. I thought could it possibly be a Christian tract? Nope, it was real money. So I knelt down and picked it up. I looked around and no one was there, but there was a paper in it, maybe a name..So, I looked and it was a lottery ticket…Now what?

What would you do? I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you would do and later tomorrow I’ll tell you what I did.

From there I went to Penn Station, I LOVE their french fries so I ordered and waited, and had a wonderful talk with a girl that works there, she’s the one that gave me that choc. chip cookie. Now I have to run an extra mile. We had a wonderful conversation and I was so happy I decided to go there.

You never know when you step out of your house what will happen or who you will meet. I was thankful for every experience I had today.

Make every day count and every outing an adventure!

So back to the question of the day! What would you do? I can’t believe what I did!
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My new concrete countertop

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

I got so many comments on my countertop project that I decided to put up a blog post and some step by step photo’s.

We decided (okay HE decided) to do the concrete countertop months ago. I had to be shown, because in my mind I was not going to eat off of a driveway!

So, we went to the internet and found some amazing examples! I was sold. Not only because of the pretty pictures, but because I know my husband and he’s one of the most talented contractors I know.

So, the day came and the work began the night before…
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I went to bed… I was sooo tired *smiles*

So we got up early and started to do what we had to do to make way for the concrete truck. Jim added wire to the forms and we (he loves it when I say “we”) made a form for a pad by the garage for the garbage can!
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Then came the truck!!! he pulled up to my front door and put the chute inside my door!
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The “pouring” began, which meant, dump into a wheelbarrow and shovel it into the frame! I helped too, until the driver said he would do it for me *smiles*, but in all honesty I don’t mind doing work like that and find it fun to do new things and challenge myself. Ask my family!
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Next Jim did some troweling to start to smooth it out:
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and then added some hardener, which will also add a bit of color to the concrete:
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We took off one edge to see how it looks…here it is raw:
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The concrete came at 11 am it was 5:30 when Jim had to finally stop what he was doing and take care of some other things. He worked really hard getting a nice finish on the countertop.
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Jim is actually going out of town for a couple days, so this is where the post has to stop. We are keeping the bottom forms on, and we are waiting for the sealer to come in before we can really finish the top and give it a nice shine. Jim also has to polish the corners and edges. But that will have to wait till he gets back. I promise the finishing pictures as soon as he gets home!

So for now, no sink for me! Which means my boys have to take me out for a few nights! YES!
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So this is our new countertop…it’s amazing. and really pretty beautiful. We’ve decided on a cafe setting for the dining room and kitchen, a very comfortable more cozy atmosphere then formal! I can’t wait to find the perfect furniture for it!

Comments… please!!!

Showing the love for the Spread The Love Tour 2010

Monday, September 14th, 2009

So there are some really cool things going on out there and I have to tell you about one of them.

Some really cool photographers Justin and Mary Marantz are going to be out and about for a 20 city “Spread The Love” tour!

They started this really way cool contest so we get to choose where they go on their trip. (can you say St. Louis!)

So, part of the contest is to blog about it and let you all know what’s happening and to show them some love

So, right now, drop what you are doing and go here and show Justin and Mary some love!

Check out the rest of their blog also, they’ve got some amazing things going on!

Fall Ball and Luke

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Luke loves baseball, he lives it, plays it and dreams it. He’s got major plans for his life when it comes to baseball and if you follow his Facebook or MySpace you’ll know that one day Luke plans on living the dream of a major league player.

So, it’s no surprise that when fall ball came around Luke was there…

So here are just a few images of Luke playing ball! This is more of a recreational league but he’s had a blast playing and getting to know the team members!

I’ll be putting up a slideshow soon of a review of the season for Luke!
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Sept. 11th

Friday, September 11th, 2009

My son and I went running down at the track at the high school and I noticed that the field was named after someone, so I asked my son who he was. Luke did not know. He did not seem to care.

So I told him, how sad. That for some reason, this field, these stands were dedicated to a person who you have no idea who it is. What if it was a child who stood on this very track and died for some horrible reason, what if it was a man who gave his life savings to build this place and my sons response was what if it was a man who named it after himself because he built it.

I thought about the naming of the field and how at one time, every student and every faculty member knew who it was and why it was named for him.

I also thought that as time went on, people stopped telling the story of John R. Lawrence. Slowly people graduated, moved on, passed away and the story of John R. Lawrence went with them.

I thought twice about posting a Sept 11th blog posting, because EVERYONE will be doing it. But it’s only been 8 years. What will happen in 20, 30, 40? Will people still remember? Will anyone care what the twin towers were and what happened on that day, not only to the towers but to the hearts of every american citizen that watched in horror and disbelief.

I’ve spent many many days and months in NYC, traveling there up to 6-8 times a year. NY has so many special memories for me and even if I can’t consider myself a New Yorker I can a least honor those that are!

The history of who we are, what we are, will only stand as long as we continue to talk about. Never forget!

Passing down history from one family to the next, from this generation to the next and it shall never be forgotten.

I plan on finding out about, and why the field was named for him. I’ll let you know what I find out.

For every survivor and every surviving family member. I hope today finds you more peace then yesterday. More hope then last month. More faith then last year.

“Hand grasps hand, eye lights eye… And great hearts expand, and grow”
Robert Browning

“Courage is the capacity to go ahead is spite of great fear”
Scott Peck

Some quick shots I grabbed as we set our hearts to remember 9-11.

Never forget, Always Remember from Lisa Nikole on Vimeo.