Celebrate!

I still have presents to wrap, cards to send, laundry to do, cookies to bake and deliver to school. I'm shopping online for last minute deals, writing lists of everything I still want to do. So much is not finished, it's not what I pictured. I'm harried and hurried and wonder what happened. I tell myself this same thing every year that next Christmas I'll relax and be kind to myself. But the life that I lead is hardly so tranquil, I remind myself that at least I am vertical. So I try to be grateful when chaos surrounds me, keep moving and breathing and soon it's astounding. That I no longer care about the lists I have made, because it's here today, time to celebrate.

This post is in honor of Robert Neal Johnson who passed away this afternoon surrounded by love.

Happy First Day of Winter!

It seems like it's been Winter for months already, but today is officially the shortest day of the year. That means that it will start to stay light longer from here on. Now that's something to look forward to. As much as I really prefer the warm weather, the snow that we are getting (It's still falling) has been lovely. We went into the city yesterday to the employee childrens party at the Penninsula Hotel where my hubby works. Seeing Rockefeller Center and a decked out Grand Central Terminal was refreshing. After living in the city for years, you stop paying attention to the beautiful sights. Now I go in whenever I want with a new perspective.

I've never seen Metro North go so all out on holiday decorations. They were projecting light shows periodically and we just caught one on our way through.

And I can't believe that I got a posed shot of my son at the hotel. He is completely over having his picture taken. I'm hoping that he grows out of it cuz I'm not going to stop!

They go all out for the employee kids. Santa comes with gifts, they have an indoor moonbounce in a banquet room and clowns who paint faces. The buffet is everything a kid would possibly want to eat and then some. I loved the face painting table.

We made it through the crowds to see a bit of Rockefeller Center.

Then it was straight to Nintendo World. What a gas! I could stay in that store for hours. You can be sure that Santa will have some Nintendo goodies for under our tree.

Then back home today it finally stopped snowing late in the day, so I went out to catch some snowy sights and get out of the house. The neighborhood was looking gorgeous under a fresh blanket of snow.

I'm so lucky to live on this beautiful property. I love my river.

The house at dusk in the snow. More snow! At least shoveling is good exercise.

Canon EOS 5D Mark ll

I've been wanting this camera ever since Canon announced it. I didn't get in on the first round of available supply and really thought that I'd be waiting months to catch this in stock. While checking my email last night, I clicked on a B&H Photo email and just decided to try calling again. Their website has had this camera back ordered since its announcement. Somehow when my salesperson checked, his computer finally said "Now accepting orders". WhoooHooooooo!!! SOLD! Could be a week, could be a month, but I am really popping out of my skin over this one. Check out Canons feature on Vincent Laforet and his video short "Reverie". I'm inspired!

Album Art for Libby Johnson

I've known Libby since we were both little kids growing up in New Canaan. Libby's sister Carrie is my BFF since age four and I am simply a member of the Johnson family. Both Carrie and Libby are AMAZING singer/songwriters and they both have new records out. I shot the album art for Carrie and so it was really fun to do something completely different with Libby. Libby's album is due out any day. You can check out her website at libbyjohnsonmusic.com. From there you can go to her myspace page or head over to iTunes and pick up one of her amazing albums. I have some of her music featured on my website and I love it. When she and Carrie collaborate on a project, the resulting sound is always magical. I'll do another post from Carrie's latest release soon, but for now check out some of the imagery that we shot for Libby's album art. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much talent! I think that this might be Libby's best album!

Holiday Boat Parade in Stamford, CT.

For the past few years we have been going to the holiday boat parade in Stamford, Ct. This year the weather was a balmy 40 something degrees, but somehow the turn out was less than last year when we all froze our butts off. My Mom lives on a Marina, so we have turned this evening into a post Thanksgiving tradition. It usually ends up being a huge party and officially begins the kids countdown for Christmas. I have been using these "Magic Blog It Boards" for a while now with "MCP Actions" to create photo collages, so it was ironic to get an email this morning that they are running a contest to give away a gorgeous Into the Darkroom Blog. This Blog of mine could use a little love. Wish me luck!

Flexing Your Creativity

Last night we had our monthly Pug meeting with record numbers of new photographers joining us. It must have been because
Carla Ten Eyck was our guest speaker. Carla is an amazing woman. She's a wife, a mom, a super talented photographer and someone who constantly pushes herself to do better. If you get to know her a bit, you realize that she is a real "doer". Things don't just get written down on a list to try out at a later date, she just puts ideas into action before they have a chance to stale. I found her presentation and words so inspiring because I always have an ongoing list of things that I want to shoot, things that I'm passionate about. The reality for me is that I probably get to about 50% of them. I can feel so buried by all of the hats that I wear as a self employed woman. Carla brought up some very interesting questions that began to rattle around in my brain. I'm famous for saying, "put it on the list". Well maybe I will still keep a list because I'm forgetful, but I think that I will approach it with an organized mind and a selfish "just do it" attitude. Creativity is an action, an energy that expands. I love the expression, "What would you do if you knew that you could not fail". So thanks to Carla I have some serious questions to ask myself, not just today but everyday. So my house might be a mess and the yard could probably use some more clean up before the Winter really sets in, but today I sat at my computer and just tackled some of the projects that I've wanted to get to. Only a dent in the surface really, but I feel like I've had a productive day. I even found these two photographs of my son and his toys that I've wanted to do something with. I love to combine images that have a common denominator yet a strange juxtaposition. For the record these were shot in the Winter of 2007.

Boudoir is back

Now that the cold weather is setting in, it's a great time to get inspired to do a boudoir shoot for your fiance or husband. I typically come to your home to shoot you in your own environment where you are most comfortable. I always have a lot of fun with these shoots. They are very laid back. Depending on your personality, you may want something a bit avante guarde or perhaps more subdued. I try to work with whatever is comfortable for you. I am offering a special price on these sessions of $400 or $650 complete with a coffee table book. Please email the studio for more details. info@cynthiabrownweddings.com

Christmas Portraits at Maple Row Tree Farm

Last Sunday was a chilly day for two year old boys who probably don't have getting their pictures taken as top priority. After a couple of days of rain, the sky was rather dramatic-I love that! Maple Row Tree Farm is not yet open for their 2008 Christmas tree season, so I called and got permission to wander the farm with Anna and her boys. I love shooting in new places and I always have fun on a farm. Despite the cold, we got some good shots of the boys for Anna's Christmas cards this year.

The trees were gorgeous with the moody afternoon light.

A shot of Anna and her boys.

I have this thing for old trucks!

I loved this American flag that someone painted on one of the barns.

Jeff & Aleksandra Barney Wed at New Haven Lawn Club

I've been looking forward to this wedding for a long time and it did not disappoint. From day one, Jeff and Aleksandra were a delight to work with, not to mention a very handsome couple to photograph. Their wedding took place at The New Haven Lawn Club. This is one of my favorite venues. Christine and Darin are both so helpful and the building itself is gorgeous. The grand ballroom has beautiful Lalique chandeliers and deco sconces. Jennifer from "Fleur De Lys", transformed the ballroom into such an elegant space with her tall floral arrangements and candles. Jennifer also decorates the front of the building and entrance hall. The flowers are always stunning. Ana Parzych created a beautiful and delicious cake that was classic and simple in design and accented the room decor. Lots of eye candy for me and a wedding that I was thrilled to be a part of. A big thank you to both the Kopacz and Barney families for making me feel so welcome. Congratulations Aleks and Jeff!

How smart to rough up your new shoes on your wedding day!

Jeff's brother and Best man dedicated a song to them, everyone loved it!

Heartfelt well wishes!