Jenn + Frankie - Almost 20 Years In The Making...

Today's blog is about my sister Jenn + brother in law Frankie, their dog child Tara
and my 'coming soon' nephew Lucca. 

My sister wasn't much of a picture taker when it came to her pregnancy. In fact, I had to inconspicuously snap photos while she was talking just to have SOMETHING. You could only imagine how surprised I was when she sent me the text that she wanted some photos of her belly.

With that being said - I was SUPER nervous for this photo shoot but at the same time, SUPER excited!

Jenn + Frankie have been together for almost twenty years now.

I have known Frankie for most of my life.

He gave me my first drink, He shares my love for Christmas, He says Yes when Jenn says No, He's a big kid at heart and probably the only person that I'll willingly accept invading my personal space with his big bear hugs.

As for Jenn, she's my sister.....and that's it. Okay guys Goodnight!

KIDDING!

"The coolest thing about being a sister

is that you come into the world with this forever friend just waiting for you."

Now that I'm an adult, I can fully say that having an older sibling who kicked my butt as a teenager was probably the best thing I could ask for. Especially now that I have a younger teenage sister of my own, I have a whole new outlook as to how much of a pest I was. (Love you Cassey)

My sister use to be my hardest critic in terms of my choices in life

 but now she's one of my biggest supporters.

I guess it was just her mother instinct. I still remember being a little kid, scared of the thunderstorms going on outside my window during the night, and slowly opening Jenns door to her room to see if she was awake. Only to see her pull the covers back and tell me to "get in" before I even said a word.

She was my protector.

If it wasn't for her, I may not have continued doing what I do.

I may not have had these photos to show you,

I may have still been sitting in my basement picking career choices out of a hat.

For that - I am forever Thankful.

TARA!

What Jenn and Frankie don't know is that for their wedding day I had a speech prepared BUT I am the BIGGEST scaredy cat when it comes to public speaking that there was NO WAY I would have been able to get up on that podium.

I came across a copy of the speech that I've held onto for these past seven years and I still haven't got over the whole public speaking issue of mine so why not share it here?

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Jenn, I have a confession on your wedding day. You don't know this but remember how you always use to get so made about me hanging around your room?

Well one day, maybe a year or more after you and Frankie started going out I was in there snooping around for a birthday present or something and I "accidently" knocked over what looked like a notebook. I figured since it "fell over and opened" I had everything right to read it :)

It opened up to a page that talked about grad night at Canada's Wonderland. You talked about how scary the rides were, how cold the night was and the fact that half the rides closed down because it started to rain. Now to anyone else that would have been a pretty crappy grad night but from what I read, to you, it was one of the greatest nights of your life because you spent it under the stars in Frankie's arms. You wrote about how safe you felt, how happy he made you feel and even though I was a bit sick of reading all that lovey dovey stuff it put me at ease.

To know that my sister is being taken care of by someone that I know will love her forever and keep her safe really opened my eyes.

It's almost been 9 years since I read that letter and things have changed over the years but you two have stayed strong and I admire that.

I wish you both the best of luck in the future and I hope you know that even though you're not under the same roof and soon enough you'll start a whole new family of your own... I will always love you.

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Now don't worry. I ONLY read that and nothing else.

Believe me when I say, I'm happy I never came across anything I didn't want to read.

Dodged one hell of a bullet there.

*insert: "EWWWWWWWW" here*

But I'd like to say one thing, seven years later since I wrote that speech and seven years later I can say that you both still show the world the same love you had when you were teenagers.

To my Dearest Lucca:

I have a special little spot reserved for you in my heart and I know you're going to

fill it up enough that it just might explode!!

You will make a lot of people happy

and I can't wait to hear your first words and see you take your first few steps.

I will be the aunt to give you candy when moms not looking,

I will also play with you in the dirt when dads not looking. :P

Be prepared to be loved and spoiled and loved some more.

See you soon.

With LOTS of Love,

Tia Tish

We've gone completely digital!

Hello all,

I'm just here to fill you in on a few things that are new with P.S Photography. 
This is one of the many changes happening within the next couple of months.
One of the good ones I promise!

With that being said -

P.S Photography will no longer be offering a CD with digital images.
You will now have access to all the watermarked images taken on the day of your session.
No more limits to how many images!
With this there will be a slight increase in pricing but don't fret, nothing too unreasonable.

Introducing Pixieset - 

Pixieset is a new way of viewing your photos with a sleeker design, allowing you access to download all high resolution images from the website directly to your hard drive. 

We all know everyone misplaces their CD. I get constant e-mails about it.

At least now you can have all images sitting right inside your computer or smart phone.

You will be provided a 4-Digit pin in your e-mail that you will use after clicking the ‘Download’ button (see above)
From there you will receive another e-mail with the download link.
Keep an eye out!

You can favorite images that you love.
It’s a great way for me to see what images you really enjoy.
All types of Feedback is welcome.
The Favorite option also helps in choosing which prints you would like to purchase.

You can also directly share them to the social media outlet of your choice right then and there!

Don’t worry – there will also be options to have your images password protected so that only you or whoever else you give the password to will be able to view the images.
That password which I will provide once the images are ready.

Please note: 

The gallery is only open for 30 days from the day that you receive the e-mail and will be taken down once the 30 days have commenced. 

For all my non tech savvy individuals – a CD may still be requested with your package.

Thanks for checking in and making this business such a success.
I'm truly grateful for all of you!

Melissa + Rosalia - A sentiment to an old friend & a couple new friends...

Today I bring you to this  mother/daughter duo, Melissa & Rosalia.

About two weeks ago I had this sweet idea to have a mother/daughter maternity shoot. The natural light, soft setting and neutral colors all spoke to me. It was something I wanted to create and when I brought it up to Melissa she was quick to agree. Who turns down a free photoshoot right?

These two women hold very dear places in my heart. 

One - a childhood friend, a family member, somebody I can literally say was there from day one.
One of the few women in my life who keep me laughing, who give me honest and real advice, who believe in everything I am capable of doing even when I don't. One - who I can recall being by my side when I was bathing in my own tears and vice versa. She is a woman with a great heart. A woman who will put the ones she loves over her own needs. Who will make sure you're happy before she can even find her smile.

The other one has done enough for me and she's not even three yet. She's the one that lit up a little section of my heart. A section I never even knew was there. There's just something about the way she calls my name or the way she runs to me when she sees me. It's that feeling of knowing someone lights up when they see you. There are only a few times in life that people truly get to experience that feeling. I may not run to her, squeeze her or maul her with wet kisses like some (okay maybe sometimes) but I can promise that it takes every bit of me NOT to do that!

Little Lia is my little helper....

She can help wipe mommys tears when I'm not around. She can make her laugh when I'm not feeling funny and she can make mommy feel something in her heart that I can't make her feel.
She makes her mom happy, which in turn makes me happy. 

This blog is meant for one of my best friends.
These pictures are for you to hold onto as you get older.
To portray every bit of happiness that you have surrounding you.
To remind you that there's always someone watching
and through every hurdle, you'll always have a hand to help you through it.

To Baby Olivia -
You're a sweet little thing and I can't wait to see you home & healthy.
You're the perfect little solider to join Team 'Keep Mommy Smiling'
Mommy & Daddy will keep you safe and love you unconditionally.
and big sisters can be pains but don't worry, they mean well.
Can't wait to see you smiling.

I Love you.

Arianna + Sophia - A tale of a mothers quest to make memories last a lifetime

Today's my first blog post in over three years. I opened up this blog in 2010 to bring you in deep to all my emotions. To write down my thoughts and show the world what rings in my head everyday.
Unfortunately, all I wrote were sad things, things that - 3 years later - did get better.

So now I'm going to use this blog to showcase the thing that woke me up. The thing that brought on a wave of new emotions. That thing is called Photography...

Just a week ago I was sitting at home wondering how do I pay my bills with "happy"?
Then I met Ariana. She was in a panic because her daughters 1st birthday was only five days away and her photographer had an emergency last minute. She is an event planner, a tow truck driver as well as an amazing mother to little Sophia.

Another little bit of information about Ariana is that she has a brain tumor. Her worries were that this may be the only birthday she gets to spend with her daughter and therefore it's either go big or go home.

Before I go on with this blog post, I have to show Ariana's AMAZING work! She was busy as a bee, running around making sure every thing was nothing but perfect and trust me - it was!
Below are a few things she put together but let's not forget the Clown/Magician, Popcorn stand, Photo Booth and Build a Bear workshop!

Meeting Ariana was an answer to some questions I was asking myself lately. I think over the past few months I felt like I wasn't creating memories, I felt like more like I was JUST taking pictures. Like I was the girl with the camera, not the photographer. I know, "suck it up!"

but when I showed up that day and saw the set up, I couldn't help but smile. Every little bit was absolutely perfect. Then I met little Sophia for the first time - She was shy at first. Looking at the girl with the camera, wondering why I kept sticking it in her face and gripping onto her mother as if she will never let go and sometimes she really didn't.

My job at events is to capture moments but also stay out of peoples way. FYI: If you ever see a photographer in a weird pose on the floor for no apparent reason at all...Don't move out of the way and don't ask questions. We get enough weird looks as it is but I promise you were conjuring up something special.

So the more I stayed on the sidelines and paid attention to every moment between Ariana and her daughter I could see that she never took her eyes off of her. As if every thought was about Sophia, as if all she wanted to do was explain to her how much she loves her and how special she is but that she was too young to even know what she was talking about.
That's when it hit me hard. I realized that I'm not just the girl with the camera, that I'm not just taking photos of a one year olds birthday party. I realized that I am capturing this moment, right here, right now. Where every word is said through my photos. That Sophia will grow up to see what a beautiful person she has as a mother and that she is loved by an amazing woman. That maybe one day she will hang my photos in her home with her own family.

So with that being said - I owe this blog to Ariana and Sophia. To waking me up again and making me see why I chose this path.
Despite the fact that Sophia may never know who I am, it makes me happy that I gave her the opportunity to hold onto this memory of her mother forever.

Here's to many more birthdays to come...