Wishing you all...

... and THANK YOU... to all of my family, friends and clients for your support and encouragement this year! I wish you all a safe, happy and healthy 2009!

~ Denise ~

Another Christmas come and gone...

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday... we sure did! The boys were beside themselves with anticipation on Christmas Eve. We did our usual thing, a nice dinner, a ride to see the neighborhood lights, followed by the opening of just one present each. They both had trouble getting to sleep that night, but Santa arrived right on schedule.

A few pics of the boys on Christmas Eve...





Instead of cookies, this year we baked cupcakes for Santa. Matthew took it upon himself to leave him this adorable little note....



A few favorites from the Christmas morning chaos...



And later at my brother's house Rick played some checkers with our four year old nephew, Christopher. I just LOVE the look of concentration on his face in this one...



Rick's looking really comfy in that tiny little chair... lol



And a few favs from Christmas day...




Have a safe, healthy and happy New Year everyone! Thanks for stopping by. ~ Denise ~

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy, healthy, Merry Christmas! I am so thankful for all of my family and friends... and the wonderful people I have met this year through my little photography biz! I look forward to the new year and to meeting and creating art for many more wonderful people! I am so fortunate to be able to do something I truly love...

So, I thought I would share a few images from our Christmas tree. Its a work in progress - has been since the day Rick and I married... adding to it year after year... and remembering each year as we decorate it the years that have passed.



This is our very first ornament ever... it was given to us by my Great Aunt Kay, who passed away many years ago. Each year when I unwrap this beautiful ornament and hang it on the tree I remember how wonderful she was and how much I wish she was still here...



That first Christmas, Rick and I could barely afford a tree, let alone any ornaments. So I made dozens and dozens of these candy cane ornaments that year from pipe cleaners and beads. They still hang on my tree today!



The year we moved into our new home my parents gave us this one...



A special ornament marks the year each of my boys was born...



and pretty much every year since then they each have a personalized ornament...



This ornament is for our beloved dog Roxy who was our very first "baby", and passed away when my oldest son was just two...



And yeah... the kid's contribution to the tree includes none other than Homer Simpson... oh well...



Thanks for stopping by... and have a wonderful holiday!!!!!! ~ Denise ~

Black and White Revisted

Having a lot of fun working on black & white techniques in the digital darkroom... its amazing how much is involved in stripping away color and creating a mood with black and white. The nuances of the various shades of white, grey and black. I love a black and white with depth and contrast... a timeless feel. Creating a great black and white takes me back to when I was a child and would draw with pencils or charcoals for hours on end... blending... shading... massaging the image and bringing out the depth and the light. In working in black and white in the digital darkroom the process is very much the same, and intrigues me just as much as those charcoals did way back when...

I thought that these "lifestyle" images of Miss "L" were quite well suited to black and white to reveal the emotion of her tentative steps as she was learning to walk during our recent session. Holding onto her mommy's leg or hands... giggling at Daddy behind me. A real slice of life...

Hope you enjoy these and that they bring a smile to your face!







Thanks for stopping by today! ~ Denise ~

How could I resist...

Posting one more of little miss "L"??? This was just too stinkin' cute!



Hope that made you smile! ~ Denise ~

Sneak Peek - The Lovely Miss "L"

Do you remember this little one????????



Well the lovely "Miss L" is growing up... fast! She's fifteen months old now, and just as cute as can be! We had a wonderful session this morning, and here's just a peek...




Its pretty easy to see where her good looks come from!



And here's a few in her adorable Christmas outfit!




Thanks so much J & R for letting me photograph your beautiful daughter again! Lots more to come... I will contact you soon when your gallery is ready!

~ Denise ~

Brrrrrrrrrrr.... Sneak Peek "K"

Wow is it COLD today!!! I had a session with the beautiful Miss "K", and we were just crazy enough to do it at the Point Pleasant Boardwalk! It snowed last night, and the boardwalk was covered in a lovely mixture of snow, ice and slush. I nearly fell on my butt more than once! The wind was seriously whippin' down the boardwalk, but "K" was a real trooper, braving the cold and trying whatever crazy things I asked of her. I think her poor hands nearly froze off while I had her holding onto a metal pole to get just the right angle. I am in the midst of editing her pics, and it was sooooo hard to limit myself to just a few here for her sneak peek! "K" you did an amazing job - I hope you enjoy this sneak peek - and I'll be in touch very soon!

Shadow play...

I always loved the long shadows created by the late afternoon sun as a kid, and the way I could manipulate them. My son and I were out on the driveway when I noticed the shadows and showed him how funny they could be. He caught on immediately and had himself a great time playing with the shadows and of course I couldnt resist photographing them...

Making muscles...

This one makes me think of the original "Rocky" movie... "gonna fly now..." you know the scene - after he runs to the top of the steps and throws his arms into the air...

Ok, so I had to get in on the act too!

And this one... well I'll leave you to your own interpretation...

And just one more because I thought it was cool...

Hope you enjoyed - we did! ~ Denise ~

Kodak Picture of the Day!

So, I woke up this morning to find that one of my favorite photos, "JUMP", is the Kodak picture of the day today! Once again, I didnt get the email telling me about it so I didnt get to go into Times Square to see it live on the Kodak board. :( Matthew was pretty excited about it this morning though - this is his second time being on the "big board"!



Oh well... maybe next time!