5/23/15: Oates Wedding

Last month I was given the opportunity to shoot my very first wedding! I stayed in contact with my own wedding photographer, whom I love & adore (Ioana Bentum), and when she asked if I would be interested in being her second shooter for a wedding in Rhode Island, I said yes without even thinking.

The whole day was a whirlwind, and was beautiful from start to finish. Julianna was so radiant, and I loved seeing Tyler’s face as she walked down the aisle. It was nice to experience a wedding from a different perspective, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I still have so much to learn, and a lot of practicing to do, but I have never been more excited (and a little bit nervous) to share pictures.

Here are a few of my favorite shots: 

Chicago: Pictures & Words (but mostly pictures. a lot of pictures)

Dear Blog, I have failed you.

It turns out that traveling and blogging don’t always mix. But fear not! I am back…for now.

Last week I was able to visit my family in Illinois. When I lived there, my family lived within 5 minutes of each other, went to the same church, and had frequent family dinners at my grandparents’ house. When I moved to Upstate New York with my parents and Sophie, everyone sort of scattered throughout the state of Illinois. My Aunt Mariela (Auntie Lala) and Uncle Brent live in Skokie, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Lee live in Belvidere, and Uncle Sam and Aunt Sara live in Naperville.

My week in Illinois was spent visiting the city, spending time with my sweet cousins, and taking lots and lots of pictures. Some of these were taken at Millennium Park/Maggie Daly Park, at the Museum of Science & Industry, the Chicago Botanic Gardens, Midway Village in Belvidere, and the Morton Arboretum in Naperville.

It was such a great week spent with my family, and I’ve missed them so much since I’ve been home.

B O S T O N

I feel like it’s been a while since I posted anything. This Summer is already flying by, and it only just started a few weeks ago.

Last weekend Caleb and I went to visit my friend Chelsie. Chelsie and I have been friends for almost 10 years now, and despite going to different colleges, and settling down in different cities, we’ve remained friends. We have the kind of friendship where you pour strong cups of coffee into big yellow mugs and pick up conversations that were set aside months ago. The best kind of friendship, in my humble opinion.

Chelsie now lives in Quincy, which is right outside of Boston. She let us crash in her cozy apartment, cooked me Whole30 approved food, and showed us around the city.

Thankfully, we were able to leave Pennsylvania on Thursday evening, so we had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to explore.

On Friday, we had lunch at Faneuil Hall & paid a lot of money for chowder and a lobster roll, I watched Caleb consume a Lobster Tail, which is a delicious, flaky, pastry, and I bought way too much fruit at the best produce market. Even though I didn’t eat anything from the shop, Bova’s delivers everything that a food enthusiast could ever want: pastries, bread, cheese, happiness.

We also walked through Harvard’s Campus, and I felt like Rory Gilmore, except not as academically qualified, and married. I didn’t get a picture of Harvard. Why didn’t I get a picture of Harvard? I promise you, we were there.

Finally, we watched the Angels demolish the Red Sox at Fenway Park. It was a good day.

I met Chelsie’s roommates, who are just as wonderful and sweet as they look on Facebook, and live up to all the great things Chelsie had told me about them. Their bond is rare, and is surely enviable. I’m thankful for them too, and even though they hardly know me, I wanted to give them big hugs goodbye, and thank them for letting two married weirdos stay in their humble abode.

On Saturday, I was a REAL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHER AND WAS A SECOND SHOOTER AT A WEDDING. I won’t say much more in this post because it is deserving of its own, but I’ll just leave this picture here:

The rest of the weekend was spent eating brunch with my wedding photographer (I also worked with her on Saturday), her husband, and their new baby girl, walking the Freedom Trail, and editing a thousand photos.

Overall, Boston was kind to us. The weather was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the produce was excellent.

The Fawn

Yesterday Caleb and I walked a new trail at the John J. Audubon Center, and while we saw a few beautiful birds and flowers, we saw a fawn that made the hike worth it. I had spotted a few deer, but couldn’t get close enough to take a good picture. Then this fawn came, and almost walked right up to us. It was such a surreal moment, and definitely one that I will remember for a long time.

Ithaca & Watkins Glen

A few shots from a trip to Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca, and the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail.

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Sister Day

Today Sophie and I had a Sister Day. We slept in, went out to lunch, bought fruit at this adorable produce stand, and hiked one of our favorite trails in Ithaca. I’m so glad that I was able to spend this day with my sweet sister. 🙂 

Emma, Lilly, & Landon

Today was a day I’ve been looking forward to for a really long time. I had asked my friend Jennifer if she’d be willing to let me take pictures of her beautiful children for extra practice. We met at one of my favorite State parks, and somehow avoided the rain. We hiked up the trail, jumped over puddles, and walked through beautiful woods.

Emma, Lilly, and Landon are so well-behaved, hilarious, and were naturals in front of the camera! I had so much fun taking these pictures, and I’m so excited to share them with you here. 🙂

As a Flower

“I am as a flower fading fast,
trying to blossom while I last.
I am as a wave tossed and lost in the sea,
but still God makes notice of me.
He listens to my every need
and takes heed of every plea.
Who am I but a girl who’s searching and poor?
Still He lifts me up and makes me more.
Though sometimes I feel low and next to nothing,
in Him, I become something.
I am as a flower fading fast,
and I will serve Him while I last.”

(I’ve been trying to find who wrote this beautiful poem, but to no avail. Please let me know if you know who wrote this.)

Sophie

“You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you..” {George R.R. Martin}

The Bethadilly Challenge: May 1 – 10

May 1: fruit {a v o c a d o}

May 2: seasonal {flowers and spring}

May 3: i bought this {i haven’t made any purchases lately besides gas, groceries, and a few restaurant meals. we’ve been going on a lot of walks lately, and have put Caleb’s binoculars and my camera to good use}

May 4: sweet {sweet, sweet flowers}

May 5: little {shoes that make my feet feel little}

May 6: five {five different pictures of flowers}

May 7: my walls {the walls of this old greenhouse are amazing}

May 8: thank gosh it’s friday {and I GRADUATED. I have been waiting for this day for a long, long time}

May 9: colorful {this tulip in my parents’ backyard}

May 10: makes me happy {spending Mother’s Day with my mom makes me happy}