Venue: Newton Marriott 

k.i.s.s.i.n.g.  (click on the cover to download it.  This is the high Def version!  The low res version link is below)

Please know the Low Res text is a little harder to read, if you have the time and space to download the High Definition version, go for it!)
http://www.cordelephotography.com/ezine.pdf (Low Res -fast download)
http://www.cordelephotography.com/ezinehd.pdf (High Def-slow download)

Feel free to share it!  Also, I’m looking for input in what YOU want to see in the next issue.  Problems you’ve faced? Vendors you love?  Details your using?  Fun websites you can’t live without?

If you’re a vendor, I’m looking to spotlight a vendor in the next issue.  Feel free to email me.  it’s great exposure!

This was by far the craziest and most adorable shoot I’ve ever been on.  Trying to wrangle and get the attention of 12 (yes, I did say 12) puppies was a challenge.  I wasn’t sure how the photos would turn out, but if I was being paid to shoot (and play) with 12 puppies, I was up for the challenge.  Photographing animals is a lot like photographing children. I always tell my clients “set you expectations low, and be surprised by what you’ll love”

The Mom of this litter is Mazzie, she’s a Best in Show dog!   She’s an amazing dog.   I photographed her once before as part of an MSPCA fundraiser I had.  She was such a sweet dog, and it made me fall in love with another breed.

I asked Emily to summarize Mazzie for me.

“…She is pretty impressive! And of course you can use the old photos you have of her. She has shown at Westminster three times and won Best of Breed in 2009. She was ranked in the top five Black & Tans in the country in 2009 and 2010 (#6 in 2008). She is featured on Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 show (she is the dog in the white room) and she is the Black & Tan Coonhound featured in Kate Lacey’s photographic breed guide “Show Dogs”. She loves kids and my husband is working towards her being a therapy dog at Childrens’. She is training for titles in agility, obedience and tracking. She knows how to bow (of course!), twirl, roll over and give high five. Her favorite things besides sleeping and counter surfing (bad dog!) are her kitties and tortilla chips. She is a pretty cool dog and we are so lucky that we get to spend our lives with her. ”

Now, I’m sure, you want to see the puppies- right?  I know I know.  Me too!!!

Each puppy is here, all have very different personalities, but all look very much the same.  It was hard to tell them apart.  So hard, I had to have Emily come in, and help me make piles of puppies!

Enjoy the cuteness!!!

I just spotted one of my photos from Aja and Chris’s July wedding featured on the Weddingbee.com blog

Pretty cool!!

I am so excited that this year will bring a Newletter PDF aimed at helping give tips and tricks to my clients.  It will have real interviews with real brides and ideas for how to make your day flawless.  It will also include some photos of weddings gone by.  Stand by your email boxes and my blog to be sure you get the latest version.  It’s slated to be a great read!

With the New Year comes new resolutions.  I don’t generally make resolutions, I find them hard to stick by.  This year, I’m setting goals.  I’ve vowed for the last few years to lose weight, and well I haven’t gained weight, the scale never seems to move in the direction I want. (Ya, being old).  In the last few months, I’ve been working with a trainer.  Let me tell you, I have more strength than I have ever had before.  Truly.  I’m amazed at how much I can lift, and how much you can actually sweat at the gym.    You’ll hear more about my trainer Eric, in the next few weeks.   I hope to be able to spotlight him in one of my newsletters.  My sister inspired me to get a trainer after she lost 60 pounds with her trainer Dan.  For all my brides out there, You’ll hear more about Dan too!

My goals this year:

Lose weight…

drink more water

eat better

Sleep more

Read a few books this year

Finish the scarf I’ve been knitting for 2 years.

Book 20 weddings.  I’m half way to that goal.

This year I had a few Christmas Cards designed for clients.  You’re here to see photos, and photos you should get!

I have a couple portraits I still have to post as well as an event.

Enjoy!

We hit up the North end, one of my favorite go to spots.  Kyle was a good sport even though I made him a public spectacle.  We tried to keep the PDA to a minimum.  Even with the minimal PDA we were able to get some killer shots.  Some of my favorite shots are the sunset shots as we were walking back to our cars.

You waited for the ring, and it finally came.  What are the first three things you did (besides call people) after becoming engaged?

Anyone that responds gets a free engagement session  with $50 print credit (okay, I’ll limit it to the first 15 people.. the internet scares me )

To receive your free engagement session, you have to comment, and put your email (although it doesn’t show up in the comments)

Comments need to be approved by me, so it may not show up right away!!!  This helps prevent spam!

I have about 600 “friends’ and it’s been a great way to reconnect with old friends.  You know the person you use to see or talk to all the time, and then life got in the way. A lot of my old friends love the photos I post on Facebook, and they refer me to friends, or they contact me themselves. I can’t hate Facebook for that reason.  A few months back, I got a message from my old friend Holly, from Junior High.  We were good friends and then I went on to a private high school, and she continued on in her current school.   She said that she absolutely loved my photos and that she was recently engaged.  She wanted to meet up and talk about wedding photography.  I was thrilled, Holly is such a sweet person and I forgot how cute and fun she was.  She also has so much energy, I couldn’t wait to see her!

When I meet with her and Alan, there was something about the way they interacted. It was almost like that movie love, that just don’t see in real life. They were very much in sync with each other and you could tell how much Alan cared for Holly.  I was so excited when they booked me.  They are getting married at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, and I’m so excited.  Secretly, I’m a car girl. I LOVE cars, but not modern day cars.  (Although, if a Dodge Viper fell in my lap I wouldn’t complain.)  I’m a little nervous because they have something like 10 Million dollars worth of cars in the museum.  I don’t think I’ll be putting up my light stand at that wedding. I don’t think my insurance covers 10 Million dollars….

For their engagement photos we meet at Joe’s American Bar and Grill and walked around the North End and over to the Moakley Court house.  Holly was such a good sport, as she was wearing heels and schlepping all the way over to the court house.   We had a blast and getting these two to interact was so easy, it made me love my job so much!  We got some great photos.  I have a few favorites, some of these photos are HOT!

Erin was a referral from a good family friend of mine.  She met with me, and instantly I could see that Erin, was one of the nicest people.  She just had this vibe about her, that if you ruined her favorite shirt, she’d forgive you and never mention it again.   I could tell she didn’t have a mean bone in her body and that her and Ryan were easy going people, in love.  Their wedding wasn’t about the details or the actual day, it was about them as a couple.    When the day came, Erin was only nervous that the guys going out the door to the church.  In true guy form, they were ready to go watching tv, having a drink waiting for the trolly.

Erin got one of the prettiest days too get married.  It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold.  She had one of the BEST bridal parties I had all season.    They all put up with my requests to get the photos I wanted.  Not one complaint in the bunch and I kept hearing “YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THE BEST PHOTOS!”.   (which puts pressure on me to make sure to deliver)  It makes my job so much easier when the bridal party is on board with what we are doing, because ultimately it makes it more fun and the photos shine.  The girls, were SO willing to do whatever we wanted.   With my trusted second shooter Erin Curran (From Erin Curran Photography) we got some amazing shots.  The weather, the beautiful bride, the bridal party and the love and friendship this couple had, made for an amazing day.  It was a day that I was happy to end my season on and one that left me itching for another wedding like this. During the toasts, I even heard someone say “Erin is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”  They were right.

Congratulations to Erin and Ryan!  You have an amazing connection and some amazing family and friends.

Rings;  Santisi & Bove (We love Santisi! Family owned and located in Downtown Boston!)

Flowers:  Stapleton Florist  (twitter: @stapletonfloral)

Reception: Seaport Boston Hotel  (twitter: @seaportboston)

First I have to say that I’ve known Chris since I was 18.  (I feel VERY old right now, because today I turn 35 and he turns 34.  We share the same birthday,  Happy Birthday Chris!).   We meet in college, and he introduced me to my best friend and husband, Seth.  Chris and Seth have known each other since middle school.  It’s a friendship that’s stood the test of time, and distance from Coast to Coast.  I think I owe Chris a lot, because if I had never met him, I’d never met Seth, and my son Jake wouldn’t exist.  Funny how that works.  Chris and I have been through a lot of things together as friends, and I’m so happy to share in his new adventure in marriage.    Heather, who i’ve only know a few years, is wonderful.  She’s sweet, thoughtful and tolerant of Chris and his Fantasy Football, his obsession with running, and the antics he and my husband get into.  One day I left Chris and Seth alone and Chris had shaved Seth’s head.   I’ve never left them unsupervised since.    Heather is the perfect balance for Chris.  She’s a great cook, so he’ll never be skinner than her.  She’s a great runner, so she can keep up and challenge him, and above all, she’s just a great friend.  There are so many thing about Heather that are wonderful and I’m so glad she and Chris found each other.  I’m also, happy they asked me to do their engagement photos.

We went to a secret spot Heather found, and although I’m a good photographer, it helps to have a stellar location and an amazingly good looking couple in love!  This place was amazing and I’m not even going to say where it was because I want to keep it hidden   Heather came up with this entire concept.  I am not normally a vintage photographer, but this is what she wanted, and it was beautiful. She got all the props, the location and even found the prefect dress and shoes.   I love these vintage engagement photos!