Vandyke Prints

Many of you may not know that I am also an artist (when I get the time in between raising children, taking care of my family and home, and working as a wedding and portrait photographer). I went to art school at several different schools and finally graduated with my BFA from the college of Saint Rose. I also went to Southampton College in Long Island, studied abroad in England at the Winchester School of Art and Miskolc, Hungary. I found my love for art in Vandyke printing. The VanDyke was invented in 1842 by the English astronomer, Sir John Herschel. Basically I mix 3 chemicals in the dark (Ferric Ammonium Citrate, Tartaric Acid, Silver Nitrate, and distilled water), making a light sensitive liquid, paint the liquid on to paper, and print using sunlight. I then wash and fix the prints, which makes for some unique beautiful pieces. I was recently commissioned to create some prints for a wedding I did and someone's home. Here is the result:

Senior Janelle Class of 2010!

Busy Bee Cole, 15 months old!

Welcome Annabella Marie August 4th, 2010!

Senior Tiffany Class of 2010!

Attention 2010 Seniors! I have recently decided to open my business up to photographing seniors. Please set up an appointment soon. I have two options: classic posed or edgy; your choice!

Photographing Babies

Many people often tell me how lucky I am to be a mom that can take really great pictures of my children. I will admit it's great to be able to photograph my own children, but it is often one of the hardest tasks to do. My children don't see me as "the photographer," they see me as "mom." And to sit there while mom tries to observe them rather than playing with them or holding them is not fun. So . . . my son, Gabriel, is now 6 months old. When he reached that marker, I decided to wait a week to photograph him, partially because I was so busy, and also because he had just learned to sit up. I figured if I gave him a week, he'd be better at it for the photos. Well, a week passed, and then a nasty cold set in. The poor little guy was so sick. I decided to try a photo shoot anyway, but he wasn't having it. So after five minutes of wiping boogers and calming tears, I gave up and decided to wait another day. A few more days passed, the cold was lingering, but I decided to try again. Nope, he wasn't having it again. It's like he saw the camera and all smiles disappeared. Okay, so I waited one more week. Now it's his teeth. He's getting the top front teeth in, and he is miserable! So after 4 trials and 1 week left until he's 7 months old, I'm giving up. I got a few good ones, but sometimes babies don't want to cooperate. The song my mom used to sing to me as a child keeps ringing in my head; "have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry . . ." Without further ado, my son's 6 month photos:

Gabriel is 6 months old!