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It’s BROKEN!!!!
My camera broke. Today. I can’t even believe it. Well, I sorta can. Apparently, the digital Rebel is supposed to last for 10-20,000 shots (the shutter only lasts that long) and I have significantly more than that. I’m probably in the 30,000 range. I have had the camera for almost 5 years! So it has well surpassed my expectations. I was wrapping up the shoot with Billy, and I got the dreaded Error 99 message. I tried all the tricks that are listed in various places online for fixing it, but I just know it’s the shutter- I can hear it. It just won’t take any pictures. None. At. All.
I dropped it off to my camera store in town. Mark told me it will be 4-6 weeks until I even know what is wrong with it and how much it will cost to fix. Yes, 4-6 WEEKS. I am having serious separation anxiety. I have never been apart from my camera for that long since I got it. Oy.
For those of you who have upcoming shoots with me, don’t worry. I have a backup plan. Well, two plans actually. One, I borrowed my good friend Beth’s digital rebel body tonight so I will have that for tommorrow’s shoot. Thank you so much Beth- I owe you as usual. I still have all my lenses and flash cards, and speedlight, so I’m good to go (and I even got my lenses cleaned today-so they are all sparkly and clear!). Two, my very wonderful parents bought me a new camera YESTERDAY. Talk about good timing! I will be getting the Canon 30D by the end of this week.
Woohoo!!!! So either my current camera died from overuse or because it was so sad it is becoming the backup camera. So, once it is fixed, I will have a really good backup camera to take with me on all my shoots. I usually end up borrowing Beth’s for those "non-do-over" shoots (ie. parties, the wedding, anything that there is no rescheduling for) as my backup, but sometimes she needs her camera too!So that’s my sad story for today. At least it didn’t die during or before a shoot when it would have been REALLY bad.
Off to a newborn shoot tommorrow morning- I’m really excited for that one. It’s Mrs. P- the same one I did the maternity shoot for, now the baby (girl) is here. Look for pictures soon.
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Billy
This is our cousin, Billy, who is an actor and comedian (and a good one, too). He needed updated headshots so I got drafted- well, really I kinda volunteered- to do them. He came out from Queens for the afternoon and we hit a few spots around town that I thought might work. 
We had a good time, and Billy was a real good sport (although he was the one who picked out his clothes) because it was 90 degrees here today and he’s wearing a wool sweater and blazer. I couldn’t look at him without sweating. He ended up staying for dinner tonight which usually only happens once a year on Thanksgiving. But it turns out that today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so it worked out okay.
Billy, I hope these are to your liking and I hope they help you (& me too) get lots of work!
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A sweet (almost) 16
At the surprise party I met a nice woman who was there with her two daughters, both adopted from China (that is great story, too-get to that in a minute) who also happens to be the principal of the middle school in town. She explained to me that the older of her two girls will be having her sweet 16 in a few weeks and that she would like a few pictures to put up at the party, and wanted to know if I would take a few. Being that the girls are so beautiful and sweet, how could I say no?! Plus the fact that it would be fun to get these two together as they share such an amazing bond. So we headed outside the restaurant and snapped away.
The story is that these two girls were best friends and grew up together in the orphanage in China. First, "JL" was adopted and brought back to America to live with her mom. Soon after she asked her mom to go back to China and adopt her best friend. Of course, the mom went back to China and came home with another girl. So now they are not only best friends, but sisters too! They came to America only recently (within the last 5yrs or so) and spoke no english- you would NEVER know it. Isn’t that the best story? Here they are.
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A 60th surprise party
I was asked to take pictures at a 60th surprise party yesterday. What a fun bunch of people, and I know the birthday girl was very, very surprised! Everyone couldn’t have been nicer and easier to work with. The woman who asked me to photograph the even was unfortunately not able to come to the party as her kids are sick with the croup. What a big bummer, huh? Well, E, I hope the pictures make up for missing the party a little bit and I hope the kids are feeling much better. It was a great party all around, and "e"’s husband couldn’t have been any more accommodating-he was trying his best to make me take home food from the party! It seemed like everyone was so thrilled to be there to help the birthday girl celebrate. A very tight knit group of family and friends- so nice to see.
Here are a few from the day, the rest are in an album to the left. Click on any image to see bigger.
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The “Cul” family
A beach photoshoot today, and I have to say that as much as I am wanting "real" fall weather, I’m so reluctant to let go of the beautiful, continuing summer weather. It’s the beginning of October and I was more than comfortable being barefoot on the beach. Crazy! And it dosen’t hurt with all of the beach shoots I am doing.
Anyway, a last minute shoot today for a friend of mine and her wonderful, photogenic family both immediate and extended. My boys go to school with their youngest daughter and are good friends with her. The middle daughter, C, and some of her friends are Timmy’s fan club and are so good to him. She chased me down the street one day when Timmy was crying in the stroller on the way to school just to give him a little toy car so he would cheer up. And it worked. Really, all the kids are just the sweetest. So well mannered, fun, and just NICE. The littlest boy in the pictures is my friends nephew- around the same age as Timmy. His mom wasn’t in the picture mood today so it was just him and his dad. I am hoping mom lets me get some of her next time.
Such an easy shoot today- a total pleasure. Big kids are so super easy. No chasing. They just go where you tell them and stay there. The only challenge is getting those natural smiles. I think I caught a few. All the pictures are in an album on the left. Click any image (below or in album) to see bigger. Hope you like them, J and M too!
