See, we were away last Pesach. For the whole thing. And my husband felt he had missed enough days of work, so when we got home he dropped me off with the kids, the suitcases and a boatload of laundry and dashed off to work. As I nonchalantly headed down to the basement to tackle the first load, I was greeted by literally a river of brown water gushing out of a gigantic hole in the ceiling.
I looked down. I was standing on a carpet that was making gurgling noises, murky water up to my ankles. My camera and lenses were bathing in a tub of water. My props were full of rocks, dirt and wet plaster. Two backdrops, the color no longer recognizable, were hanging from a soaking wet backdrop stand, dripping mud onto the floor. My eyes were trying to take it all in while my head was calculating the cost of the damage, the cost to replace it... As the figures started reaching towards the...well, you know what photo equipment can cost, I fell apart. I had given my whole heart and soul to this studio over the last two years. It was my baby, and in many ways a re-birthing for my self as I was finally able to see a way out a career I was no longer enjoying. And there was mud up to my ankles. I dropped the laundry and started to cry.
Fast forward about two months. So much hashgacha pratis. Number one, that I had just thought to add the studio to my homeowner's insurance policy about a month before. Everything was covered. Within two days, I had all my photo equipment replaced, and the workers cleaned up the basement and set up a makeshift studio for me to use. Number two, the crew that I hired to do the renovations in the summer were absolutely fantastic. Hard working, perfectionistic, and creative - they were a dream come true. All I had to do was shut the door, give them a key, and a month later, the studio reopens - beautiful, airy and nicer than it ever was.
So I guess you know the lesson here... things aren't always as bad as they seem...what seems like disaster can be a blessing in disguise...insure everything in your home that you can't afford to lose... you pick.
Anyway, I'm excited to invite you all down, so my gift to you FALL customers is 15% off your largest wall portrait!!! however, if you're a member of my Facebook group, its 20% off for you.
A word about my Facebook group... well, we're on Facebook! And I'd love for you to join because its a fun place to see sample photos, talk about your friends that have recently had sessions done, comment on your relative's photos, and I will even email digital files from your session to post on your own Facebook page. This is the only way to receive the digital files from your session.
Please look me up, Natural Light Photography, by Aviva Rand and request to join. Here's the direct link. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=49861020558&ref=ts
Or simply, add me as a friend, Aviva Rand, and I will personally invite you to join.
So what else was so great about summer? Well, it wasn't that hot, my kids were happily occupied in individual day camps and I finally had a lot of "me" time. Don't get excited. I spent my "days off" lunching with my sisters in law, eating out with my mom, meeting my husband for quick lunches (ok so I spent a lot of time eating, you mind?) a little beach, a little shopping, some reading...but it was heaven.
And now onward, a new year, some new jobs, new kindergarten for my daughter, first time playgroup for my son... it should be exciting. And I'm most looking forward to meeting a lot of special new customers.
Please enjoy the summer photos below. There were so, so many that I had to choose just a few to post and even those didn't fit into one blog, so Summer Part 2 will follow in another day or so.
I greatly welcome your comments, so please keep them coming.
The Crystals are old friends. Dovi here was just as photogenic as he was last year...just a little taller.
Last year, baby Esti wasn't interested in the camera. I can't say that she was that much more excited this year, but with that awesome hair and photogenic face, whatever we get of her is a winner.
Leahle is my buddy. We chat during her photo sessions, I've photographed her three times already, and I work in the school she goes to, so we keep in touch throughout the year. I love her tan here, and I love this photo. It says "summer" all the way.
These two reminded me why navy and white is my favorite summer clothing choice. These two brothers were a delight!
Meir has to be one of the cutest one year olds I photographed this summer. He had so many cute pictures; I wish I had room to post more. He was so cooperative, too.
Yechiel's personality really came through in his summer photos. Mom said that other years he was more shy about showing us his true self, but not this time.
Is there anything cuter than a six month old baby girl? Tziporah came just at the right time. 6-12 months is my favorite age to photograph babies.
She kind of learned how to stand for the first time during her session! Her parents were pretty surprised! (She was holding really tight though).
Mom says that her two beautiful girls are very photogenic. She was right. Tzippy and Nechama were naturals.
Love this picture.
Here's Nechama again... she was a wonderful model.
And just when you thought they don't come any cuter...along came Elyanna.
She was a pro at taking pictures, giving me smile after smile.
I think she's pointing to the puppies across the street...or the buses, who knows?
We didn't spend the entire summer outdoors. The Freund family came for some studio portraits of their two adorable girls. Here's Pessi - one of the most photogenic little girls I've had in a long time - she could model for, well, anyone! Here's a few more of her ...
A sibling portrait... baby Esti is 1.
Pensive and curious...sounds like a 1 year old!
Some kids have it all. Yehuda came down for his upsherin portraits and gave me some of my favorite boys' shots ever. I love the colors in his portraits- all the rustic brown and oranges and how they complement the backdrop, his clothing and his hair.
Even though the color portraits were my favorite, I have to admit there's something about the contrast in this black and white photo that I like very much.
Yehuda has what I call "hair with personality." So does my daughter. You'll see some other kids with "personality hair" in the Summer, part 2 photos.
We used this photo for the wall portrait. It was my favorite, too.
I recently bought a new wooden floor for the studio and it looked awesome with my designer backgrounds. Yehuda liked it too. A BIG Mazal Tov to the Guttmans.. may Yehuda bring you much nachas and joy as he grows up!Hope you enjoyed what you've seen so far... Summer Part 2 should follow in a few days.
