Yup. It was cold. So cold that that my fingers were sticking to my equipment. (That’s cold.)
But who cares?
Neil and Jess braved 12 degree temps and a snow storm for their session. I wore jeans (WHAT was I thinking) and got completely soaked.
Dana and Mike were fearless on their wedding day and we did ALL their photographs outside! I was so into it I forgot to put on my coat! Yeah. The whole day outside in a shirt. Go Tam. ::laughing shaking head.::
Check out the AMAZING new website for the Spa at the Del Monte — you might recognize that the photographs on it have a particular “Tammy Swalesesque” feel! ::grin::
You know what happens when creative minds think together?
MAGIC.
Thanks to all who were involved in this project, including the Delmonte crew, Stacy K, Ashley and Gil Durfee, Amy Nachtrieb Bell, Calico, and of course my team of hotties who helped late into many nights pulling this all together.
I can’t believe how amazing this is. I have been LUCKY enough to be published in two magazines this Spring — the FANTABULOUS WellWed Magazine — in which Stacy K’s dream of a wedding is featured — OMG so so beautiful! Stacy K and Ozgur’s wedding was at the INCREDIBLE Artisan Works — the perfect fit for this colorful crazy wedding, and I could not have gotten the day captured as wonderfully as I did without the help of Rachael Hadiashar of Merge Weddings — I am so so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing and talented people. Cake by Deb Stirone at Gourmet Goodies — Jason Ripple at Rock Paper Scissors Salon did the crazy cool hair – Joan Lincoln did makeup — Hank Parker provided the chairs and tables and linens — and of COURSE Stacy K handled the style, design, decor, floral arrangments and everything else amazing. WHAT A TEAM PEOPLE!!
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!
I had the opportunity to work with the amazingly talented and uber-cool chick behind the genius that is Reckless Necklace. Seriously. These pieces are original and GORGEOUS. Blynn needed help updating her website — and although it is not live yet — I can promise you that when it IS — it will be CRAZY COOL.
This was a multi-person collaboration and I could not have gotten these images without the cool headed and idea driven talent that is Stacy K – and the technical genius that is Erich Camping. We ALL had input into these images and I love love love them so much. We had a great group of girls who modeled for us — and I was super impressed with the professionalism and energy all the girls put into delivering images that sold Blynn’s cool necklaces!
I realized…when I thought about doing a “year in review” post (that would be 2009 peeps. I might be a wee bit behind. lol) that when brides meet with me I show them wedding images…and when families meet with me I show them family images…and when seniors meet with me…I show them senior images…
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.
Hey Tammy! I’ve been following your website all the way from lightcrayon to your present one- your work is so inspiring! I was just wondering if you were still shooting for events- there hasn’t been too many posts lately. As a rising senior for 2011, I’ve been trying to keep tabs on your work…with the hopes that you’ll be shooting for senior pictures over the summer! Keep up the amazing work!
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!!
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!
Stacy at Stacy K Floral got married to the love of her life Ozgur Ercan on May 30th. And seriously…when a person who is in the wedding business gets married — EXPECT AMAZING. Stacy created this incredible, colorful, meaningful, beautiful day — and I was so honored to be a part of it. Stacy and I, it turns out, are a dangerous combination. We generate ideas that will keep us busy into 2099! ::grin:: I had so much fun working with this amazing, beautiful, talented woman. I love her and Ozgur together. They are such great people.
Stacy’s Reception was at Artisan Works — and if you haven’t taken the time to go there — GO. Just…Go. It’s indescribably beautiful. Louis, Victoria and their team made everything run smoothly and gorgeously.
Many many thanks to Rachel from Merge Weddings for being an awesome 2nd shooter — and for taking care of me while I’m doing my usual “she never stops during a wedding” thang…
Without further ado — I give you the slideshow from one of the most incredible weddings I have ever attended or been a part of. Thanks you guys — you know I love you!
The pictures are amazing! I am not surpirsed, it was an amazing day and you are an artist, Tammy! Stacy and Ozgur must be so happy with how perfectly you captured the day. You were so great to work with on this!
Yay! Tam, these photos do a wonderful job of sharing parts of the day. LOVE the cake cutting and throwing money shots – I think those highlight the way you see the world in a DIFFERENT and WONDERFUL way compared to the normal wedding photographer. You put an incredible amount of work, time, effort into getting these fabulous photos and displaying them beautifully – and I’m proud that I could assist you for the day. Cheers to a job well done. (I hope they buy you drinks sometime soon.)
Tammy, you are amazing! The family,friends, and even future brides think so. The responses from everyone were tears of joy. You gift is rare and beautiful Tammy,and you should be very proud. Thank You from the bottom of my heart for making Stacy & Ozgurs day so very special.
MAGIC.
4.06.2010
yay yay yay go Tammyswales.com!!!! We love you!!
4.09.2010
I have this issue and read it. Well done.