Megan is allll about options.  She brought a terrific array of choices and we ROCKED it out!

Thanks Megan!

School has started up again which means it’s that time…senior season has come to an end.

All the lovely young women I was lucky enough to work with this summer are back in school, applying for college, so excited to graduate and embrace the next stage of their lives. And let me tell you…these girls are going to take the world by storm.

I had such an amazing time working with my seniors this year!!! What a gorgeous, talented group!

Congratulations, Ladies!!! You rock my world.

So…back to work, but first, here’s a snippet of some of that fantastic-ness for you, and a taste of what we’ve been up to lately. August, here we come!!!!  And frankly, how can it be August already?!

Aww, heck…why not two snippets?!?!

Oh.  And if any of my brides didn’t get a copy and want one…I might have a ‘couple’ extra– like…1,000.  ::laughing::  You should have seen the clerk at Wegmans when I went up to the counter and plunked them down.  I was totally disappointed that she didn’t say.a.WORD.  I mean come on!   I was bursting to tell her why I was buying so many!  ::shaking head::

I also had the honor of being interviewed by American Photo Magazine  — Theano Nikitas did an INCREDIBLE job writing an article on the new direction senior photography is taking.  I was STOKED to be included in the mix of talented photographers — and it was incredible seeing my work in a national publication.  Truly jaw dropping omg how is this happening wonderful!  Thank you so much — I am honored and humbled that I might have something interesting to say!

very rarely do I mix and cross over these groups with each other.  So…since I thought it might be interesting to push everyone into one slideshow (read:  laaazzzyy ::laughing::) — so that there’s a record of 2009 visually all together in one place.  It’s pretty cool.

Some images you’ve seen…some you haven’t.  And no, this isn’t EVERYONE who I worked with this year — that slideshow would be about 4000 hours long (not really — but I wanted to fit it into one song – -so this is my best shot)…so I pulled images that appealed to me TODAY.  If I worked on a slideshow tomorrow — it would be completely different.  So…gather what you want about my mood today — here is 2009 in 4 minutes.  Put your seatbelt on please.

Click on the image.  Ra ra ah ah ah….

Busy week.

I was lucky enough to be able to travel to NYC to photograph three of my couples who are getting married either next month…or next year.  I had soooo soooo soooo much fun.

I also got to spend some time with my OWN son who is a senior this year {sniff} and take his senior photographs.  How amazing is that?  Amazing I tell you.  Amazing.   I love him soooo much and it was bittersweet taking those pictures.  I’m so proud of him.

I love watching the transformation women especially go through during a photo session.  Every.single.girl who walks in my door is uncomfortable and uneasy.  When they leave — they are relaxed and happy.  Always.  Trust me on this.  One of my girls today said as she was walking out the door — “I feel like I just had a spa treatment”.  ::grin::  I thought that was the coolest testimonial ever.  Maybe that should be my new tagline.  Tammy Swales:  Just like a trip to the spa.  ::laughing::

I am constantly amazed and awed by my clients.  It’s not easy, is it, to stand in front of a camera.  All of our insecurities come bubbling up to the surface — every mean thing that anyone said to you in high school and beyond is right on the tip of your tongue.  I watch…and watch…those insecurities get tucked away one by one during my photo sessions.  I watch people become THEMSELVES.  And that, my faithful and incredible blog readers (hi mom) is why I do this.  Keeping it real.  Keeping YOU real.  I love that.

So.  Watch with me.  All these beautiful talented silly friendly solemn thoughtful people I get to photograph.

Wow.

And yes.  I know a pic appears twice.  It’s late.  I haven’t had caffeine.  Plus I like the pic!  ::laughing::

And also.  I love this one….

So yeah.  A good week.  A good one.

Busy Week Recap #4,524,216 section 671:

Wedding with Leslie and Victor — was soooo beautiful.  every single thing was beautiful. Victor’s mom was traveling from Latvia for the wedding — so they planned this whole thing in like…a blink.  And did I mention the food?  OMG.  It was amazing.  I also got to work with two of my favorite vendors:  Stacy K Floral and Events by Jen.  Amazing job as usual girls!

Seniors.  This week — let’s see — I climbed a MILLION stairs at a house on a lake, convinced a senior that a piece of cloth wrapped around her head was going to be amazing (her=dubious)…and got to hang out with some of the coolest kids ever.  My seniors are so INTERESTING AND THOUGHTFUL AND DYNAMIC.  I love that they friend me on facebook — because then — I see them getting through their senior year and then going off to college…it’s really really incredible to see.  The weird thing for me is that this year — MY SON is a senior — so it’s much more personal.  Gheesh.  How did that happen??

Headshots.  I LOVE when I get asked to do headshots.  This week my good photographer friend Lou (who tells me he hasn’t actually been photographed since he was 13.  huh?) asked me to “take a couple of pics of him”.  Um…no.  I made him do a whooooolllleeee session with clothing changes and all.  It’s good for photographers to be photographed — it helps us remember that it ain’t so easy being in front of the lens instead of behind it.  It was SO MUCH FUN — and I was honored to be asked.  Thanks Lou!!

Kerry Cannan.  I tell you — when this CD hits the market — this girl is going places.  I MADE her (I’m bossy.  Sorry.) sing in my studio and her voice.  or I should type it like this:  HER VOICE.  ZOMG.  GORGEOUS.  As was she!  We had a huge session creating images for her CD and promo materials for the release.  LOVE!

Other things to note:  A family that is getting married in October — we did a combined engagement and family session with James and Robyn’s daughters that was simply too much fun for me to even TALK about.  Charlie’s Angels?  Super Force 5?  Star Wars?  Yeah.  We went there.  And had a BLAST.

Also — the award for “Most I’ve EVER Laughed During an Engagement Session” goes to Beth and Brian.  I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how funny they are.  Who agrees to cartwheel in the dark?  And one of us ALMOST ended up in the water because we were being so dorky and laughing too hard.  Yeah.  I LOVE my clients.  LOVE.

This weekend I will be in Manhattan and Brooklyn all weekend shooting engagement sessions — so — I’m expecting AMAZING IMAGES to share next week.  ROCK ON!!

I have more to share but frankly, if I don’t start editing the 1.5 million images I have to get done — clients are coming to lynch me.  And then who would write these addicting blog posts?  You would miss me, right?

::silence::

:crickets::

::tammy laughs::

Oh.  And if you were patient enough to actually READ all the blah blah blah above — let me say this — I’m shocked.  ::grin::

PS — I also went to Pirate Weekend with my mother.  Shiver me timbers!

So.  If I talked to the powers that be — or I guess that would the The Powers That Be — and said…”hey.  so.  I have some cool ideas for senior sessions…what do you think about sending me some amazing senior girls.  yeah.  oh.  and…some sun…and oh…i dunno…a corvette…and a blue dress…some music…and… also the girls should all be sweet and funny and cool”

That would completely cover my sessions with Kate, Holly and Brittany.  Seriously.

And while I’m at it — how about a couple of IN-CREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL brides who absolutely ROCKED out their weddings?  Yeah.  That would be Jessica and Suzanne.  I’m so lucky.

A Tam Week To Remember.

Love You All.

Also — a note to seniors.  I am almost 100% booked.  And by that I mean like…99.99% — so if you’re thinking of working with me?

You know what to do, right?

Yeah.

I’m bored with talking about me and how busy I am.  I mean…really…who isn’t busy and who DOESN’T have a million things going on?!

Instead…this is about all the cool things I did this week — things and people that made me happy…that made me laugh…and that made me realize just how amazing a week I had…

First of all…I HAVE to share this image I took at Dana and Matt’s wedding on Saturday in the Thousand Islands.  I don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience — but sometimes when my shutter clicks…I just…know.  I know that that particular image is going to be AMAZING.  Dana calls it “You know Tam Tam (yes, she calls me Tam Tam – just like my mom) THE shot.”

So first…here is  THE shot:

Other cool things?

I met some REALLY funny and amazing seniors this week — I swear — I laugh so hard with these kids — their insights, facial expressions and jumping expertise just gets to me every time.  They are amazing!!

I photographed a family that I saw this winter — and the boys looked about 3 years older!  How does that happen???!!  So adorable this family.  Srsly.

I went to the Thousand Islands and photographed an amazing wedding with a peacock feather theme at a fairy tale chapel.  MMMM…YUMMYLICIOUS (see about for THE shot ::laughing::)

Oh…and…one of my good friends scored a REALLY cool chair and couch for me at a garage sale.  I put the chair in my van and in true Tammy style — forgot it was there.  So…when the sun was setting on the river and I was thinking…man…I WISH I had some cool piece of furniture to put the bride and groom on …

Um yeah.  ::laughing::  You see how I ROLL!

Other good things:  another good friend brought me over a COUCH that I LOVE that she didn’t WANT for my LIVING ROOM (phew.  that was a lot of capital letters!) — and I am soooo happy.  It’s the coolest couch EVAH.  Thanks guys!

I am setting up an appointment with a cool nutritionist — more about that later — but first she wants me to take a metabolism test.  She sent me the guidelines today and I have to be without caffeine for FOUR HOURS.  I don’t know Carol.  That is a LONG TIME!  ::laughing::

Also — did I mention PEACOCK FEATHERS???!!  LOVE!

So…sounds fun right?  Just to enhance my prodigious story-telling capabilities ::snort::  here’s my week — in the PICTORIAL SENSE:

Here we are.  The absolute HEART of busy season.  I don’t know if you know this about me — but I follow over 500 blogs daily.  (I know, right?  Srsly.)  I don’t read them every day — but I do know this — that right now is when you find your favorite bloggers — photographers especially — sort of trail off into silence…or a post begging you to understand how busy they are.  ::grin::

So I am blogging to tell you:  I am busy.  I am blogging.  And I am here.  Crazed.  But here.

This week (okay.  last week.  I am a wee bit behind in most things in my life.  ::grin::).

Here’s all the fun stuff I got to do:

Jess and I re-wrote the FAQ section on the blog.  That sounds boring, doesn’t it?  But truly, it was fun to work with Jess on it and fun to see it all come together so awesomely (is that a word?)!

I put together some FUN AND CRAZY WEDDING SLIDESHOWS for Kelly and Dan,  Brooke and Dave, and Bethany and Patrick.  But only check them out if you’re serious.  My slideshows are long and elaborate and I am in love with every single one of them.  Also – let me know what you think — cuz I’m still working on a format…

A 70th birthday party with a PUPPY and BOYS and LAKE and SAND.  Could the day have been more perfect?  I think not.  It was so much fun!

Seniors.  If you are looking at my photographs and thinking – wow.  I love those  – I need Tammy to take MINE ( or my son/daughter or my neighbor who’s a senior or the girl in Ontario) — my answer:  get.on.the.calendar.  My sessions are booking so fast my head is spinning.  But there’s still some.  Grab one.  that’s all I’m saying.

And for the record:  when did seniors get so sophisticated and beautiful?  I know.  a definite fact.  That I NEVER looked so good.  And my senior pictures?  Big ol’ zit right in the middle of my nose.  The Rudolph Series.  Nice.  ::laughing::

An AMAZING WEDDING with two families that were beyond wonderful.  And a couple of silly fun incidents (hello — the priest almost fell on me!) that made taking photographs EXTRA fun!

A guitarist with dreams of making it big and writing his own music.  Rock on!

A family of girls so beautiful that I could NOT take ONE bad picture.  Not one.

Did I mention the PUPPY yet?  OMG.

I love this time of year.  One of my photo buddies said — you know Tam, you use sun flare A LOT — but somehow…I never get tired of it!  Right?!  I NEVER get tired of it!  So stay OUT SUNSHINE!

Here’s my recap in the VIZZUUUAAALLLL: