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….

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:

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!!

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’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.

Busy.

Twins.

Nutritionist.

Dogs.

Weddings.

Seniors.

Maternity.

Engagement. Wait. no. no engagement shoot this week. ::laughing:: I must be delirious!

These are seriously fun to put together. You should see me in front of the computer peering at all of my images from the week. It occurred to me that it might be good for you to understand my workflow (right? cuz you’ve been laying awake at night thinking…I wonder…what Tammy’s workflow is…yeah. I know.)

When I photograph a person…or a wedding…or a dog…I have to immediately go home and look at the images. Sometimes I get so excited about images that I want to leave the shoot and go home and immediately start working on them! Just kidding (sort of). ::laughing:: I always give my clients a sneak peek. Digital has made us all immediate gratification junkies. I see everyone (me too) peering at the images on the back of your cameras — I so get that. So I edit up one or two images and post them. Usually on my facebook first…or email (if it’s boudoir, obviously) if the client prefers that instead…or doesn’t…have…a…facebook…account. Did I just say that outloud?That doesn’t really happen, right?

So. Sneak peek done — my lovely and efficient assistant Jess contacts the client and puts them on the calendar for their proofing appointment. Yep. I do it all in person. Because I like to SEE you react to your images. It means a lot to me — so I make this a priority. So my point being — that I work on images twice — first time is the sneak peek — second time is in preparation for the client seeing the images — so sometimes you’ll recognize a person (or dog or wedding) you saw two weeks ago. Sometimes I pull out old images and work on them just for the fun of it. Those might show up too. I just can’t promise that all my stuff is chronological. It’s more “tammylogical” which makes way less sense but is much more fun. (at least…in MY opinion. ::grin::)

But first…lest you think ALL my work is perfect (because it’s so easy to show only the GOOD stuff) here’s a moment that I LOVE actually, from my session with one year old twins — (happy birthday AJ and Sophie!)…this makes me laugh every time I see it:

haha  — funny right?  I love everyone’s mouths in this image.  I should add speech bubbles!

Here’s the pretty stuff:

As boring as I get.  ::grin::

Here’s a little window into what I am shooting/editing/thinking about this week!  An amazing wedding in Skaneateles NY at the incredible Frog Pond Bed and Breakfast…some crazy cool seniors, Jess Best an Opera Singer from Tampa…some amazing flowers by the ever talented Stacy at Stacy K Floral…the coolest group of teenagers ever…phew!  Busy week!  But how much fun is this?!  Way way way fun!