It had been almost two years since I’d taken Dhara’s headshots, when I received a text from her asking for graduation photos - for her and eight ILR graduate student friends! We began at the ILR school and proceeded to walk around Cornell’s campus snapping shots at iconic locations such as the gothic War Memorial, and popping open a bottle of champagne to celebrate!
I was so thrilled to receive a message from Emilio, who planned to propose to Eloisa at the bottom of Taughannock Falls. Eloisa had no idea that her hike with her boyfriend and daughter would turn into a proposal! I pretended to be another tourist and stayed undercover until the last second when he kneeled down for this beautiful moment. This was one of the most exciting photoshoots I’ve been a part of!
After taking some time off from photography due to Covid19 restrictions, I am now offering socially distanced photoshoots! Also, if you don’t like shooting in the cold with rosy cheeks, now is the perfect time to schedule your senior portrait in a warm, summer setting. Can’t wait to set up some beautiful shoots with you!
I was surprised and honored that two of my photos were recognized in the 2020 Scholastic Art Competition for the Twin Tier Region in New York and Pennsylvania. My photo of Vivian in the water received an honorable mention, and one of Scarlet that I shot in a greenhouse received a Silver Key Award. It was inspiring to be recognized along side so many talented artists and the Clemens Center awards ceremony and opening reception for the exhibit at the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira were special events.
A local photographer, Becca Howland, asked me to be an assistant photographer at a wedding on a lake in Pennsylvania. We captured photos of the bride, Roxanne, getting ready, and some adorable photos of her mom helping out. After the ceremony and the dinner, we sneaked Roxanne and Ryan outside in order to get some couple’s photos on the dock. The fall leaves made for an amazing backdrop for this beautiful wedding!
I was thrilled when Erik asked me to take promotional images for the Physics Bus during Southside’s “Streets Alive” event in Ithaca. What fun! Documenting beautiful moments of discovery on the faces of young and not so young Ithacans was made even better by the stunning weather and the happy vibe of the event. Although taking well-lit photos on a bus can be a challenge requiring fine adjustments, I found that toggling back and forth between inside and outside shots helped to produce a wider variety in terms of the people I photographed and the exhibits that were represented.
A field of u-pick flowers provided the perfect setting for Emi’s senior photos. She and I had so much fun improvising poses with different angles and backdrops. After taking shots in the flowers, we explored the farm and came across a row of beautiful peach trees, where Emi may have borrowed a peach as a prop. I wish Emi the best of luck in her senior year at Ithaca High School. She is natural in front of the camera and a totally sweet person!
I’ve been longing to do a water shoot ever since I started learning photography last fall. Several weeks ago, I was thrifting at the Salvation Army and came across a white slip dress that was a perfect fit for the theme I was going for in the water shoot. I scouted the location, and set the time based on my prediction of when the light would be the best. When we arrived at Six Mile Creek, I was braced for working around crowds of people since the day was perfect for an evening dip. However, we had the location almost entirely to ourselves! I started with having Vivian sit on one of the lovely boulders that was jutting from the water. We progressed to taking photos of her walking in the water, and then moved to a spot with more rapid movement in the water. What I think makes Vivian such a great model is that she’s a very talented dancer so she knows how to look graceful in every pose. As the sun became a bit dimmer behind the trees, we headed to still-water for some direct light shots. It was with this light that I took some of my favorite photos of the entire shoot — despite getting completely sopping wet in pursuit of the perfect shot :)
Last September at NYC Fashion Week, I met Anastasia who was modeling in a fashion show for Ellen Wise Couture. After the show, we got to know each other and this summer we planned a photoshoot! I traveled to NYC and the next day, I explored the city looking for the right photoshoot locations. In the early evening, Anastasia and I began putting together outfits and doing makeup for the outdoor shoot. We decided to take some photos on the steps of some brownstone houses near Washington Square Park, though it was tricky because residents were coming and going. After changing outfits in a particularly gross Starbucks bathroom, we took more pictures on some cool stairways and walked into the park area where we could get some back-lit evening shots.
For the indoor part of our shoot, we met at an East Village apartment early in the morning so that we could get the right light. This shoot is very minimalistic, light and simple, but I love it! I took shots of Anastasia sitting on the kitchen counter and sitting in a chair in one of the bedrooms. For this shoot, I also experimented with direct light (I know, so rare for me!) and I really love how some of those shots turned out. All I can say is that Anastasia is a real pro and she made my job easy and fun. At the end of the shoot, we parted ways knowing that we LOVE working together and that we took some beautiful photos!
Together with Magda, a wonderful photographer friend in the Ithaca area, I have worked to schedule this two-model shoot for a while… four summer schedules can really clash! We decided on a field in Ithaca that I’ve admired in all seasons. Our theme was light, rural and slightly boho. We arrived and noticed that, unfortunately, more than half of the field had been cut down in recent days. Despite this obstacle, we set to work. All of us brought clothing that might suit the style of the shoot, so we settled on similar white tops for both models, orange pants for Lydia and a beautiful red skirt on Lena. We snacked on some blueberries that Magda picked from her garden and began shooting. First, we split up: each photographer with one model and then, after we got some shots, we switched. Next, we brought the two friends together for some group shots near the fence. We changed outfits and walked to a part of the field that hadn’t been cut down. There were nice tall grasses and some adorable purple flowers that we were able to use in the photos. We took some shots with Lydia and Lena together and then, splitting up again, Magda left with Lydia to shoot under a willow tree while I stayed in the grass with Lena. We swapped models and I took Lydia to where the grass had been cut down so we could make the most of the beautiful sunset.
This photoshoot was so much fun and such a great way to change things up! I loved shooting two incredibly beautiful models and working with a gifted photographer to allow for a wider variety of shots and artistic perspectives.
Cela, a rising senior at Ithaca High School, decided that she wanted to go for more of an urban look for her shoot. We chose locations in downtown Ithaca such as The Foundry, Argos Warehouse and the top of the parking garage. For the outfits, we mixed and matched different items that Cela had brought to the shoot including a white denim skirt, cargo pants, crop tops and a neutral shirt dress. We wanted to get shots of varying themes, so we shot indoors and outdoors. For the inside locations we decided to create a soft, relaxed feeling so Cela wore her simple shirt dress to draw the attention to her natural beauty. When the shoot was over, we went through some 1,700 photos that I took. Together we sorted out the favorite portraits to be edited. In all, she received around 30 photos.
I’m so excited to do more senior shoots this summer so if you’re in need of senior portraits, don’t hesitate to fill out the form in the Book Me section of this website or DM me on Instagram!
I’ve dreamed of shooting in a field like this for a long time. The day was absolutely perfect, with hardly a cloud in the sky, when Gigi and I went to Ithaca Falls as the first location for our shoot. Gigi told me that she wanted to capture the softness but also edginess of her style, so at the falls we decided to go for more of a modern look. Then we went to a special field west of Ithaca to take more ethereal photos. As the sun moved lower in the sky, golden hour came upon us. The light was in the perfect position to get the lovely backlighting that we wanted in order to achieve magical looking portraits. We had so much fun twirling and running through the fields, and occasionally changing outfits as the sun lowered so we could get each look in different lighting. By the end, we were both hot, tired and sweaty, but also delighted because we knew this shoot was truly spectacular. Gigi was a dream to work with, and she made the photos look like they came straight out of a fairytale!
It’s that time of year! High school graduations are such special moments for families. Tatum’s graduation party in Pittsford, NY had stunning weather and a picturesque home setting. I loved taking photos of family members and friends in candid interactions. I documented the food truck experience, general food preparation and took several group portraits. We had a lot of fun taking couple shots with Tatum and her boyfriend Matt. I look forward to photographing my next event!
If you are interested in booking me to document your special occasion, head to the Services page for more details and to the Book Me page to schedule!
