Ashley & Jonathan!

Here are some of my favorite shots from Ashley & Jonathan's engagement session earlier this week. Enjoy!

Ashley & Jonathan - Engaged!!!!

Our very dear friends Ashley and Jonathan were recently engaged, and I have the awesome opportunity to photograph both their engagement session and their quickly-arriving Jan 10th wedding!!!!

Here's a sneak peak while I edit the set :)

PDN in NYC!

Talk about C-R-A-Z-Y!

I just spent the last 22 hours in one of my favorite cities in the world,
New York City!
I flew up for the last day of the 25th Annual Photo District News Expo, which took place at the Jacob Javits Center. There were hundreds of vendors, from the Canon and Nikon killer booths to the album and printing and binding companies, to world-renowned photographers giving presentations about their work and technique, to web hosting companies and SO much more!

I went in part because several album vendors I've been researching had booths up there, so it was great to get to touch and feel some books and ask the vendors a million and one questions. It was also great to go to an expo in the industry in which I want to grow my business.
I also went because, well, I love New York and I'll take any opportunity I can to go there!
I brought back a flood more of information and have plenty more homework to do on my end!

Here are 2 quick shots i took at the expo.



this is the Canon presentation area, and as I walked into the expo, they were demonstrating the new 5D, which not only do still digital images, it also does video at 1080i and allows for still frames to be taken as well. A 5D that does film AND video. Freakin' incredible. I think it's safe to say that all watching this demo, yours truly included, were drooling over this new 5D.

this guy is the awesome Jerry Ghionis, an Australian wedding photographer

At the end of the expo, my heart was set on doing some vintage
shopping in the Greenwich Village.
Generally, I rock with and have a good sense of direction, yet, somehow, this sense of direction disappears when I'm in Manhattan. So i walked in the rain (drizzle - it wasn't too terrible), and asked directions to make sure i was heading in the right direction. I pretty much wasn't :)

I hit a drug store to take some shelter from the rain, and asked a group of NYU students where the Greenwhich Village was, and since they happened to be headed in that direction,
they let me tag along for several blocks until I was in the right neighborhood.

After we split, i happened to walk by a church and saw a group of gospel singers moving, clapping and a crowd standing in the pews......so I have to say that i have ALWAYS wanted to see gospel singers perform in person and here was my invitation!!!

I asked one of the people by the door if i could come in for a few minutes and i ended up staying for nearly an hour. The Middle Collegiate Church was having their Gospel Choir Festival and i caught the last 2 groups singing, and i was moved to tears. Literally.

The music, the signing, the people standing, lifting their hands, shouting out "Amen!" and words of encouragement - this environment enveloped me and moved me. It was AMAZING.

Here's what i saw from where I sat - the very last pew of the church
(this was the last song, where all the choirs sang as one):


I managed to get my camera out and gather up enough courage to walk up (ALL the way from the back of the church) to the front, right to where the choir was singing, and took this shot.
I wish i knew her name. She was INCREDIBLE.



The entire choir - ALL of the choirs - were absolutely amazing.
I only hope to have another chance soon to be witness to this once more.

After some shopping (I got some kick-ass clothes!),
I headed back to the bus station on 42nd to catch a bus to NJ,
where I spent the night with some friends.

Here's a cool work of art in the station:


It was pouring at this time, but i still decided i had to take some shots of a rainy 42nd Ave,
so I grabbed these shots, while constantly wiping my camera and lens dry :)



And that, my friends, was my 22-hr trip to the big apple.

I LOVE NEW YORK!

Britt

Following Ava's photo shoot on Saturday, I photographed Britt,
her baby cousin. Britt was the sweetest little bundle of joy, who although quite serious
while being photographed, finally managed smile for a few shots :)





here's Ava with her cousin Britt

Jamison's Birth Announcement Photo Shoot

I can tell you right now that besides our own babies (when we are ready to have children!), Jamison will be one of the most photographed babies around!

I will be the first to tell you that I know very little about babies - being an only child and just not being around babies up until recently, I am in complete awe and melt at the sight of Jamison.

Among many things, something that amazes me as I watch Jamison grow is how attentive he is.
As I took photos of him, he would stare at me for seconds at a time. I mean STARE at me and keep his gaze right into the lens. He also looks at the artwork at Erika & Mike's place and follows his mom with his eyes in such a way that blows my mind.

I have a feeling I will have many more observations as I see Jamison grow.

I digress.

This past Sunday, I took photos for Jamison's birth announcement. Here are 3 of my favorite.

Ava!

Today was an action-packed day filled with not 1, not 2, but 3 - yes THREE - photo shoots.

The first, which I am editing right now, was Ava, whom I have photographed for her Christmas card for the past three years (she's 3, BTW).

It's always fun to photograph Ava and Chrissy, and to watch Ava grow with the passing of each year.

Here's one of my favorite photos thus far.



more to come!

It's a BOY!!!!!!!

Erika is one of my best friends. I've known her since our freshmen year in college - back in 1997. We played on the Queens College Tennis team for a season and were part of a close group of friends all throughout college.

I had the pleasure of photographing Erika's wedding (one of my very first!)
back in 2004 and soon thereafter she and her husband Mike moved to Columbia, SC.

Once they came back to Charlotte, we started having breakfast every week, to catch up and know what was going on in each others lives. We have done this for the past 3 years, and it has been my absolute pleasure to see her belly grow and watch her become a mom!

She knew it was a boy, but she wouldn't share his name until he was born.

And so, on Tuesday, September 23rd, Jamison Michael came into this world - a beautiful, strong and healthy boy. I was attending the David Williams Seminar up in Raleigh when he was born, so it was surreal to see the first photo of Erika and Jamison via email. It all was surreal until my husband and I met him, just a few days later.

Here are some photos from the "Welcome Home Jamison" get together that Erika and Mike's family had the weekend after he was born.


this photo was from 2002 - a year after we graduated college


this is the beautiful Jamison!









Congrats Erika & Mike!

Can't wait to watch Jamison grow and keep photographing him!!!

See you Sunday for his birth announcement pix!!!!

love,

-Caty

Los Enanitos Verdes!

Last night, CarlotanRock Productions (recently featured on NPR), presented Los Enanitos Verdes, a Latin Rock band that has been around for almost 30 years.

In my opinion, they are the equivalent of The Rolling Stones as far as the number of fans they have all over the world - and of all ages. Both my husband and I grew up listening to these songs ever since we can remember, and the audience sang the words to just about every song. Now THAT's what I call an uber popular Latin Rock band!

Los Enantitos Verdes played to a jammed-pack audience at the Neighborhood Theatre and the show was a complete success!!

Here are some higlights of the show:

here are some of CarlotanRock production T-shirts for sale


get your t-shirt here!

Juan

Here are 2 portraits of my fabulous rock star husband, Juan,
just before he went to play tennis with some friends.

Details

hi there!

here are some detail minis i took at the David Williams seminar in Raleigh a few weeks ago.