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Posts Tagged ‘engagement portraits rochester ny’


The Tiniest Update Ever | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

November 9, 2009

Flu.

Travel.

Catch up.

Someone said something nice about me – -holla!

A tiny sneak peek.  SO MANY MORE NEED TO BE POSTED.  And will.  Soon.

sneak2debgary The Tiniest Update Ever | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

3 Comments

Mabyn
11.09.2009

I’m playing catch up now too. It’s even worse when you’re sickipoo! Feel better soon love!

Jason Dufair
11.09.2009

Feel better.
Breathe deep.
Breathe deeper.
<3

kristi
11.10.2009

Love these!! The dof on the underpass shot is just divine!

 
 

 

Color Me. | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

September 29, 2009

I admit it.

You are hearing it here first.

I am utterly and completely addicted to color.  Vibrant, muted, pastel, jewel…it doesn’t really matter.  Colors just SING to me.  Every day.

A lot of my clients worry when the weather is bad…and you know what my response it?  It’s perfect.  Cloudy = soft beautiful light and VIBRANT colors.  Fall weather?  Bring it on baby.  LOVE the light and color at this time of year.

I think if you spend enough time looking at what I do (like me… because…yeah.  duh.) you’ll start to see some common things emerging:

First:  I LOVE people.  I love interacting, talking, playing, laughing, goofing around.  I think that shows up in the images.  Typically my clients are very comfortable with me and if they are NOT — they’ll tell you it  doesn’t take long for that to go away.  I’m a button pusher.  If you’re shy I push you to be in front…if you’re loud — I might make you do some quiet beautiful shots…it’s just…fun to play.  That’s the only way I can express it.

Second:  The color thing.  I can’t help but put people in colorful settings and SURROUND them with it.  And the funny thing is?  I can’t tell you how I do it.  I am not consciously looking for it — it’s just so much a part of how I see things that it just happens.  I love that part.  It’s why taking photographs is so magical to me.

Third:  Not soooo traditional.  ::laughing::  I can do traditional.  I have done traditional…but always just a leeetttllle bit of tammyitis sneaks in and they have some strange little twist.  Again.  Can’t explain it better than that.  I want my images to say something.  I want you to look at them and laugh or cry or FEEL something.  Traditional photography — wedding photography — is a little flat for me.  I want emotion darn it!  EMO-SSSHHIIOON.  ::laughing::

So.  There is my soap box for the day.  It’s fun, blogging.  I love thinking about what I want to say and how I am going to say it.  I love choosing images to help me show you how amazing my clients are.  And I LOVE when you COMMENT!  ::wide cheesy grin::

Here’s What’s Happened in Tammy’s World This Week:

A wedding in which the entire wedding party CONVINCED ME ( it’s ALWAYS the other way around) that they could climb into a dry creek bed for photographs.  I was worried.  High heels + Little Stones = Tammy Worry  But it turned out incredibly.  LOVE the light and the viewpoint.  This wedding rocked the house.  Wait until you see the slideshow — details were off the HOOK by Stacy K.  (duh).

A portrait session with the coolest girl who wanted to document her love for her horse and her dog.  They’ve hung together for years and she decided (I think she told me it took her two years?  OMG) that it was time to get photographs — she loves taking pics too — but as with all of us — there are no pics of HER in the ones she takes.  So this was her opportunity to be on the other side of the camera.  And the farm.  And the fields.  And the barn.  I was in HEAVEN.

An impromtu — hey can you photograph a civil ceremony on a Tuesday?  wedding.  This couple cracked me up.  We’d never met.  It was POURING and somehow we rocked out the images.  Nevada was GORGEOUS.  And they were totally into letting me be creative.  So even something so simple — turned out amazing.  I’m so glad they hired me.  I took one of my all time favorite images at their wedding.  Can you tell which one it is?  Seriously — did you KNOW City Hall looked like that on the inside?!  I thought we were in an Italian Villa!

An Engagement session in which I did absolutely nothing but laugh and watch two people have fun with their dog and their boat.  And yep.  I ended up in the water (just mid calf, nbd).  But it was a moment when I was thinking…WHY DID I WEAR A SKIRT?!  WHY TAMMY WHY?  (Answer:  no clean laundry.  oh wells. )  Also…one of the shots (I’ll let you guess which one) made me laugh so hard…omg.

A wedding with a couple who just lit up the day with their happiness.  I LOVED photographing them.  And her father’s backyard?  Seriously?  Crazy.  They were super good sports about all my crazy ideas — and I LOVE what we did that day.  The images rock.

Also – I’m finishing up senior season and maybe, just maybe I’ll do a load of laundry this week.  It could happen!  (stop laughing.  it COULD!  ::grin::)

Here’s this week’s crazy in the VIZ:

week10 Color Me.  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

week10.2 Color Me.  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

Oh PS:  If you’ve gotten this far then you’ll notice that I also went to a football game.  it was cold.  and my big fancy lense was USELESS from far away.  So I amused myself by photographing the entire game from the tops of the player’s heads.  Cuz you know.  It was fun.  The image above is one of my favs.  Touchdown!!

2 Comments

I love when people say “are you going to blog about me?” | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

September 17, 2009

Um.

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.

week9.2 I love when people say are you going to blog about me? |Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

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

week9 I love when people say are you going to blog about me? |Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

And also.  I love this one….

jjweb 730x1095 custom I love when people say are you going to blog about me? |Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

So yeah.  A good week.  A good one.

7 Comments

Sophie Delaveau
9.17.2009

The shot in the subway, j’adore!

Stacy
9.17.2009

Tammy this is the session that I totally fell in love with you on….well actually it’s the first one I saw from you but hey it’s still awesome and rockin…you can FEEL the love from this couple. In some it’s like your not there and that’s what it’s all about. Congrats hun!

Jason Dufair
9.17.2009

Matt looks super. Glad you had fun in NYC. Guess we’ll have to see about engagement shots when you’re here ;-)

Gina Meola
9.17.2009

These are fantastic!!! How fun!

Dianne
9.20.2009

You are a true Artist

elizabeth
9.29.2009

Ohhh My Gosh girl.. these are all amazing

Chelse
9.29.2009

The last one with the boats, the sky, the water…ridiculous!

 
 

 

Tammy+Busy Season = Fun and Crazy. OMG | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

September 10, 2009

This is the blog post that (almost) never was.  (Did you KNOW I have a degree in English?  It shows right? hee hee)

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!

weekrev8 Tammy+Busy Season = Fun and Crazy. OMG | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

week82 Tammy+Busy Season = Fun and Crazy. OMG | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer


3 Comments

Kristi
9.10.2009

the top hat shot is the week’s winner for me!!! LOVE it!!

Jason Dufair
9.10.2009

Edit away then! I would miss the posts!

Living large, T. Glad you’re doing it. You continue to inspire me.

I read all the way to the end. Glad to be your shocker :-)

Lou
9.24.2009

Awwwwwww….. you blogged about meeee! :D

 
 

 

Making Beautiful Images is Amazing to Me | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

August 7, 2009

So.  This week.

Here’s the cliff note version:

wedding.  fun.  pink.  amazing sunset.  (you’ll have to wait for those however.  they’re still a secret.  ::grin::)

senior Bryanna with the most.amazing.hair.and.blue.eyes.ever.

crazy fam session that included sand eating (8 month old) and falling into the lake (3 year old).  Yep.  I laughed the entire time.  So freaking cute!

a pair of adorable Llapso’s and their moms and a great sunset.  but lots of mosquitos.  You’d be surprised at how many mosquitos I have to photoshop off people’s faces at this time of year.  srsly.

an engagement session that started with a soccer ball being kicked quite dramatically at the poor fiance.  And yep.  My suggestion.  Luckily Victor didn’t actually HIT her with the ball.  But I made a note to self:  bad idea.  ::grin::

Whirlwind week.  New ideas.  New components that I can hardly wait to share with you…but I must.  Self restraint is never good for me — but I am trying to improve as I get older — so you’ll have to stick with me and see when it rolls.  But I mean it — so cool.

Without further ado…I give you:  this week in pictures.  Sort of.  this week in sneak peeks for clients.

photos from tammy swales rochester ny wedding and lifestyle photographer

week421 Making Beautiful Images is Amazing to Me | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer


1 Comment

Sneak Peek For the Week | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

July 9, 2009

There is a problem.

When I neglect the blog — there is a log-jam of sessions that I want to show you…talk about…tell you how amazing and fun they were….and I realize that I would have to post like…a bajillion entries to catch up.  And then I get overwhelmed.  And then I don’t post.  It’s such a VICIOUS cycle!  ::laughing::

So — here’s today’s brainstorm:  the “here’s what Tammy is currently working on” Sneak Peek.

Some of these sessions haven’t been blogged or facebooked (oh.  facebook.  there’s A LOT more work on my facebook profile!).  Some of them have.  Some of them are weddings where I got to shoot cool places with other cool photographers like Gwyneth Colleen in the Cayman Islands and James Bass in the Thousand Islands ::waving::.  I love them both and had sooooo much fun – I mean, seriously?  Is it possible to have a cooler job?  (Although I do not mean to suggest that Gwyneth is in the Cayman Islands — she’s a wedding photographer in New Hampshire and James is a wedding photographer in Syracuse!)

But mostly — it’s just me working.  If you can call what I do work.  I love my clients so….freaking….much!  ::waving::

Rochester NY Wedding Photographer Tammy Swales

Wedding Photographer Tammy Swales Rochester NY


2 Comments

Jason Dufair
7.10.2009

I love how you can be classic and then turn around and break all the rules with joy and Tammyness.

carla Ten Eyck
7.10.2009

Seriously? COME ON SWALES!!
Love this little / big / crazy pretty snippet of your work- you are so crazy talented girl!

 
 

 

Welded and Melded. A Sneak Peek. | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

July 3, 2009

So.  I’m not sure where to begin with this post.

How about this:  I love Jen and Antony.

I do.

I loved them from the moment of meeting and was super excited to be asked to be their wedding photographer!  So, as with all my couples — we planned a fun engagement shoot.  I had good ideas…good location…and this fun couple — and to be perfectly honest — we got some great images that I love!  But…also…Antony was sick…he troupered it out — but still…and it was cold…and rainy…and just…bleah.

So.  I suggested we meet up again when the weather was nicer.  Turns out…Antony is this uber talented welder — and as we talked about it…a series of images developed in my head — and then all I had to do was convince them of how cool it could be.  (note:  I never really know if ideas are going to work — when they are things I haven’t done before there is some element of surprise — but that is what I LIKE about it!)

Last night was the session and I just really really enjoyed myself.  You cannot imagine how HOT I looked in a welding helmet.  Hot I tell you.  Yes.  I’m sure I did look hot.  That’s why everyone was laughing hilariously when I had it on.  But darn it…I FORGOT to take a picture of myself!  ::shaking head sadly::

But.  The pics are amazing.  I love them.  I love everything about them.  And I absolutely LOVE when an idea comes together and WORKS.  Jen and Antony — thank you so much for playing along.  Cannot wait to share the rest of them with you guys – -dont forget to email Jess and get on the calendar!!

Can you imagine how fun and cool their September wedding pics will be?!!  Can’t wait!

jenanthonysneak Welded and Melded.  A Sneak Peek.  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

jensneak Welded and Melded.  A Sneak Peek.  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

anthonyweldingsneak Welded and Melded.  A Sneak Peek.  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer


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So…it was minus 10 degrees today… | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

January 24, 2009

…and Lindsey and Tony met me at the lake.  Now.  It was a cold day regardless of where you were in Rochester…but the lake.  Now THAT WAS COLD.  Coldest shoot I’ve ever done.  ::laughing::

So check this out.  We did a couple of quick series shoots — then I promised them a nice warm studio if we could just go to the amusement park around the corner (crazy thy name is Tammy Swales ::grin::) … I made them stay in the car while I got my light and equipment out…and the light STUCK to my fingers.  THAT IS COLD.

So…needless to say…we didn’t stay long.  But seriously, can you tell it’s minus 10 degrees outside?  Look at how cute Lindsey is in the face of such horrid conditions!!

3224397556 ca6e6c4920 o So...it was minus 10 degrees today... | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

And…as promised…they got rewarded with a nice warm building…LOVE the pics we got you two — hope you love these images as much as I do!

3223540621 e9fb09afcd o So...it was minus 10 degrees today... | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer3223538829 5e09f5bd70 o So...it was minus 10 degrees today... | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

3 Comments

Melissa Hathaway
1.25.2009

Well, they look absolutely fabulous! And – they don’t look cold! How do you do it?

Kate
1.25.2009

I love the blue sky, even though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t blue in downtown yesterday. You work magic :]

Eileen Broderick
1.27.2009

Um…who looks that cute in -10 degree weather? Insane. Nice images. what a cute couple. I love the amusement park shot–fun colors, composition, playfulness. Is the last shot from inside your studio? (Jealous!)

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Hot Pics on a Cold night in Boston | Rochester NY Engagement Photographer

Bethany and Patrick.

How I love them.  Seriously, these two just made me crack up laughing the entire time we were freezing our butts off in downtown Boston.  Egads it was cold!  (how often do you get to use the word egads, anyway?)

But we worked it out.  You can tell from the pics what fun they are — and these are only the sneak peeks.  The entire session is hilarious and touching and sweet.  Patrick and Bethany are getting married at Chapel Hill and Artisan Works in Rochester this July — so I  am expecting it to be a LOT warmer the next time we hang out.  Yeah baby!

How I love them.

3223063467 3a38a1b951 o Hot Pics on a Cold night in Boston | Rochester NY Engagement Photographer

3223065707 5bb90d2b4c o Hot Pics on a Cold night in Boston | Rochester NY Engagement Photographer

3223914770 eccdc2ca68 o Hot Pics on a Cold night in Boston | Rochester NY Engagement Photographer

3223917362 693ee3e22e o Hot Pics on a Cold night in Boston | Rochester NY Engagement Photographer

1 Comment

Eileen Broderick
1.27.2009

Such fun! Love these shots, Tammy. This last one is classic! Glad you had fun in Boston. =)

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When You’ve Got It… | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

December 6, 2008

They are going to be stunning when they get married.  I can’t WAIT!

3088665032 5736b80742 o When Youve Got It...  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

3088396142 7f7a0c1fbb o When Youve Got It...  | Rochester NY Wedding Photographer

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