just a quick note to let everyone know i'll be out of the studio for a few days.  headed to the west side of the state for an awesome wedding - wahoo!  tommy and I are extending our stay for a couple of days to enjoy some sun and beach time.  I'll have access to email and phone, but no promises as to how responsive i'll be ;-)

And because, what's a blog entry without a picture, here's a little something pretty to look at - close-up of the flowers on our porch after yesterdays crazy storm  :-)

have a great weekend!

Check out these hysterical sites!

awkward family photos
regrettable tattoos

And here's an awesome video, just because: Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Borderline

You may now return to your regularly scheduled wednesday evening ;-)

Thought I'd share some fun images that I captured in Mexico while I was down there for Mark and Meghann's wedding.  It's always so much fun to wander around in new places with my camera ;-)  And the light down there was just ridiculous - and colors, colors everywhere!

some random snaps from town

i think this is my favorite (from the puerto vallarta zoo).  Flamingos ROCK!  we're actually thinking of making a huge print of this for our living room (if we ever finish our remodel, that is!)

some other fun animals





and a few from our visit to the tequila factory!
'
thanks again to meghann and mark for bringing us along on the adventure!

A photographer friend of mine emailed this to me, and it almost made me cry! Am I a total sap or what ;-)

It's a really powerful piece, and communicates perfectly why photography is so important.

wouldn't ya know it, I've always preferred fuji to kodak - but damn, this is good advertising! ;-)

enjoy!

lots of good stuff happening this week!  First, my spankin' new website is almost here!  I'm currently getting the servers switched over, so www.abbyrosephoto.com may actually be down for a day or so - but no worries, it's just cause the new site is uploading.  here's a sneak peek:


It's got a nice, clean interface - nothing dramatically different from my last site - but lots of lovely new images!  And some old favorites have made the trip over, too ;-)  I'm putting the finishing touches on the galleries, and working out some music liscensing details (gotta have my jams!) - but it'll be live soon!

I also placed a bunch of winning images in the ISPWP winter contest.  It was the only contest I had time to enter this year, so I was psyched to see so many make the top ten.  These contests are always pretty subjective, but it's always nice to get recognition from peers.  Here's just a couple of my winners -

this shot from Michele's bridal session took 4th in the 'bride portrait' category:  I'm actually thinking of a big metallic canvas of this for the studio
from Jen + Mike's wedding - placed 4th in the 'wedding party' category (jen + mike - almost done with your album!!)  
will + alyssa - 5th place in 'all about light'.  I kinda cleaned up in this category - my images placed 5th, 6th and 7th - yahoo!

anny + francisco - i just adore this image - it placed 6th in 'reception - dancing'
OK, enough tooting my own horn ;-)  But there's some seriously amazing work in the winning galleries - check them out here if you feel like some wedding eye candy. 

I also found out this week that i've been selected to recieve a 'bride's choice' award from weddingwire.com.  Apparently, I "demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility".  Hey, i'll take it!

weddingwire is actually a pretty cool site - kind of like a facebook for the world of wedding vendors.  thanks to all my clients who have left reviews for me!  If you haven't yet and have a moment, you can do so by clicking below
 

So...our flight got delayed, which was a pain in the butt.  However, upon arrival, we were greeted with this view our balcony: SO yeah....I never want to leave!!!  Stay tuned for lots more amazing photos! 

I know, I know, I have been the lamest blogger *ever* this past month.  I promise, I'll be better!  Lots of good stuff coming up.

Bright and early tomorrow, we leave for Mexico to photograph Meghann and Mark's wedding, which is sure to be amazing - here they are after their "official" church ceremony last week

It is going to be an incredible time!  Plus, am I ever ready to get out of this miserable winter weather for a bit!
Soooo...you all know the drill by now - out-of-town means I might now be as reachable by phone or email.   So don't panic if I don't return my emails right away.

Enjoy the week!  Not sure what my internet access at the resort will be, but i'll try to blog a bit if possible!

Today is my lovely mother's birthday!!
 
here we are all glammed up for a night out



Thanks for all your love and support through the years, mom - have a wonderful day!!

XOXOX

After much consideration, I've decided to cede my status as last remaining American not on facebook...

So go ahead, you know you want to!  Become a 'fan' of Abby Rose Photo!



I'm still trying to figure out exactly how it works - so we'll see how often I wind up updating my page ;-)

Happy Holidays everyone!  Tommy and I are off to Cleveland tomorrow for a Channukah party with my family.  mmmhhmm....latkas! 

I'M ENGAGED!!  YAHOOOO!!!


I think most of you had guessed it by now (plus I have a big mouth and told just about everyone I've talked to lately) - but I wanted to wait until the ring was here to make the 'official' announcement ;-)

So there you have it!  I am getting married!

Many of you have gotten to know Tommy as he's become a bigger part of my business over the past couple of years, and I think we've both known for awhile that our partnership was headed in this direction.  This is my favorite picture of the two of us:

My friend Liza took this on the 4th of July circa 2004 - on a Hasselblad polaroid back, no less (hi Liza!).  Look at what a smitten kitten I was (who am i kidding, i still am!).  Anyhow, I look at this picture, and think about everything I've accomplished since than - growing my business, opening a gorgeous new studio, buying a house - and Tommy has been by my side for it all (well, there were those six months he moved to NYC to be a rock star - but he came back!!).  I feel like the luckiest gal alive ;-)

And I *love* my ring - I wanted something a little modern/funky - but still classic.  Plus, it was my grandmother's stone, which makes it even more meaningful.  My grandparents were married for over 60 years, and madly in love the whole time. 

We haven't set a date yet - although I'm thinking 2010, since 2009 is already pretty booked.  Now I just need to lose 15 lbs, get perfect skin, and achieve 'kate arms'.   Gah - being engaged is making me crazy already!!  I'm even having irrational thoughts about teeth whitening. 

OH - and first person to ask who's shooting the wedding gets a SPANKING!!!

xoxoxo