I’ve been telling everybody who would listen about this fantastic shoot I had with Cathy and Tommy’s family. Click the picture — or click here — to jump straight to the slide show. Turn up the sound, and here’s fair warning: have a box of tissues handy. This one’s a tear-jerker for sure!

Their daughter is fondly known as “Little Cindy Lou Who.”



And this is why. Take a look at those eyes!



I loved working with her family.



Her big brother is so cool!



I love the blue spruces in the background of this picture.



Call me strange, but this one is my absolute favorite family shot. So natural.



I like this one too. Cathy is strong!



This is my favorite one of the two children.



I like to look for pictures that clearly show scale. How tall is this boy right now? In another year, he won’t be able to stand straight up on the top bunk without ducking!



And she won’t be able to prop her feet up on the dresser while pushing against the bed! (Well, unless the bed progressively moves out.) I love this picture because I remember doing this very thing against my dresser when I was a little girl.



I love her pink hat. This picture is priceless!



I like this one too.



Little Cindy Lou Who. So adorable.

Here’s the link to the slide show again.
Thank you SO MUCH, Cathy and Tommy, for letting me photograph your family!

To all my blog readers: thank you all for your extra attention during my big anniversary/birthday month. I’ve been keeping tally of who posted the most comments, and I’ll add the ones from this post and let you know the winner of the posting contest in a few days. There are still a few contest questions that don’t have winners yet, so take a look through those posts. You might still have a chance to win! Good luck, and thanks again for playing!


Oh wait, I couldn’t resist posting just one more. I LOVE this shot.

When I shot Donna’s maternity images, I told her that I am a little backed up in the editing department (I’m a one-woman show here). She pleaded with me to put up some pictures as a preview for her. (Never say no to a pregnant woman.) So, here you go Donna, as promised.



Isn’t she gorgeous? Oh wow.



This is Dylan.
Hi Dylan!



They’re so cute together.





What a beautiful home they have. Victorian, my favorite style, and decorated beautifully! I’m talking home decorating magazine stuff here. Donna, when I get set to turn my living room into a studio, I’m calling you to decorate it for me!



I did this session with almost all natural light — or rather, available light, since there were some lamps turned on — I love the results. Donna, you are beautiful! Call me when the baby is born! I can’t wait to meet…

Oh wait! Here’s a great contest idea, or rather, a sort of pool. The first person to post a comment correctly predicting the baby’s birthdate will win a $10 Amazon gift certificate delivered via e-mail.
I’ll give you a hint: She’s due in three weeks.

You have to post your comment before the baby comes! Anybody’s eligible — you too, Donna!

Good luck!

One year ago today, I dived headfirst into my photography business. To celebrate, I’ve posted two pictures from one of my favorite places to hang out in Central New Jersey. Be the first person to post a comment correctly naming the place and you’ll receive a $50 gift certificate for the Olive Garden delivered via snail mail. (They don’t do e-cards.) Here’s the other shot:



Good luck!

Nicholas is 3.

Click the picture — or click here — to jump straight to the slide show.



Nicholas is good at being 3.



See?



Peek-a-boo!



Still, I managed to get in a few family shots, some with Nicholas, Pat and Tracy all looking at the camera at the same time!
Yay me!



What gorgeous eyes he has.



This is Tykina, probably the coolest dog on the planet.



When I say “cool,” I mean “cool.” I think she was intrigued by my camera. Don’t you just want to reach into your computer and hug her? Such a sweetie.



I’m going to make these pool pictures my screen saver so that while I’m sitting in my studio editing all summer I can think about Tracy and Nicholas hanging out by the pool. Did I mention it’s a heated pool?
*sigh*



I love this shot.



And this one.



Can’t you just see this one in a clothing catalog? Thanks, Tracy, for helping me get the shot I love to get — the lifestyle clothing catalog picture featuring a real family!

Here’s the link to your very cool slide show. Enjoy!

And now — today’s contest: for a $10 iTunes gift certificate delivered via e-mail, guess the dog’s nickname. The third person to leave a comment with the correct answer wins! Have fun!

You might recognize Hope. She’s been in my portfolio before. Some say there’s a family resemblance, but I just don’t see it. My niece is GORGEOUS! I love her new brunette look.



When Hope and her friend, Christa, came to New York, we did a little photo shoot so Hope could have new pictures for her portfolio. I used Christa’s new CD for the slide show music.

It’s fantastic! You’ve GOT to see this one!
CLICK HERE!



Christa and Hope have been best friends since kindergarten. They’re BOTH gorgeous.



I think Hope has a great future in modeling. But she’s also a great makeup artist and hair stylist.



And she’s a natural at posing too.



My Metuchen readers will recognize Tommy from Variety Village. He was kind enough to let us photograph him for our music video. Thanks, Tommy! You look great!



Did I mention she’s a natural at posing?



This one cracks me up.



Beautiful eyes.



Remember the name CHRISTA JOY because with a voice like that, she’ll be fighting off the real paparazzi in no time!
Congratulations, Christa!

Ya’ll leave a comment for Hope and Christa. It’s a great song. Be sure to turn up the sound!

Here’s the slide show link again. Enjoy!

Today’s my birthday! Ahem. Those candles in the cute little cake Mike made for me (isn’t he SO sweet?) do not represent my age in actual numbers nor in decades. Still, as Gregory put it this morning, “Mom, you’re old.” Help! I need to laugh today. So, since it makes me feel WONDERFUL to give things to people that I know they’ll love, I’m giving away a FREE family photo session today!*

Here’s how to win: post a comment adding captions to the photos of Kaptain Karl (a k a Karlito, Meatloaf, Schnookums). The best set of captions — the set that makes me LAUGH OUT LOUD — wins! You can also leave a comment voting for your favorite set of captions to help your friends win the big prize!

#1



#2



#3



#4

The small print: *To win, you must be a resident of Metuchen or Edison, NJ, or be willing to travel to Metuchen or Edison. Family sessions that include more than six people are subject to additional fees. Free sessions do not include print credits, and are transferrable, which means if you win, you may give your session to a friend. Remember, you do not need to leave your full name in the comment post. I’ll know who you are by your e-mail address.

HAVE FUN! Make me laugh!

The employee cafeteria on the 14th floor of the new Times building is simply stunning. STUNNING, I tell you! This is the view from over by the grill: Eighth Avenue looking toward Central Park.



Salad bar in the foreground, stir fry by the window. How many chefs get a view like that?



Drinks. I can’t decide. If only my fridge could be so organized.



Don’t bother bringing cash. It’s a cashless system, like an electronic tollbooth. You can use a guest card to pay, or your Times ID. Can’t help but wonder if my health insurance will reflect the fact that I ate a hamburger tonight.



The eating area has a balcony with couches, two story windows and fabulous views. (The man on the stairs is wiping away footprints.)



Gorgeous in the evening light!



This is one of several executive dining rooms in different sizes and with variously-shaped tables. I imagine there’s some protocol for what sort of event demands the large oval one, a melding of minds over half-and-half.

It’s like the Titanic in here: brand new ship with dishes all in place, the smell of fresh paint and an occasional unattended punchlist. I love the fact that the tables are set, ready and waiting for some bright dignitary or gathering of new faces, and yet, not a soul in sight. (No, mom, I ate my burger at my desk.)



Standing by the window, I turned around to see the decor, a splash of red under featured photographs from the Times pages. (The orange light on the glass is a reflection from the sunset.)



That’s New Jersey. Ahhh, home.
That Titanic reference is just too much for me.

Contest of the day — Before the move to the new building, I drove into the city and parked in the delivery bay of the Times building on 43rd Street. The first person to leave a comment guessing the precise number of miles I put on my car every day will win a $20 donation to the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter in your name. Remember, you don’t need to leave your full name in your comment post; I’ll know who you are by your e-mail address. (Thanks, Pat, for the donation idea!)

And thanks for playing!

The moving truck parked on Eighth Avenue by 39th Street was my first hint that I was approaching the new Times building.

See previous post about moving out of the 43rd Street Times building.

Notice the Port Authority building in the background. The Times is directly across the street. Bus riders from Jersey are pretty stoked about that one.

I’m taking the train these days, which, by the way, was a near disaster on my first night. The clock closest to my desk was set an hour early, and by the time I realized it, I had literally six minutes to make it to Penn Station for the last train to Metuchen. Lucky me, the train started moving about 15 seconds after I jumped on. (Two lessons learned: Never trust a brand new clock, and I SERIOUSLY need to exercise more.)

To backtrack just a bit, here’s what the new office looks like:



First of all, I didn’t know where I was going, so I had to follow the maze of signs within the scaffolding still surrounding the building.



The new lobby (complete with our dear old security guard friends).



Upon arriving at the 2nd floor, I had no idea where to go, and so I was happy to find a map with my name on a little purple box. Problem was, the map didn’t have one of those “You are here” pointers so I stood there squinting, trying in vain to find something marked “elevators” on that map so I’d have some clue which direction to go. Never found them.

So I just started wandering around looking for familiar graphics faces. “Joe!” (Found one.)



My first look at my new desk. A WINDOW! I’m near a window! Yay! The movers did a great job because all my stuff works, well most of it.



There’s Bradley on my screen! Feels like home already.



Speaking of Bradley, when I told him and Gregory that there’s a Popeye’s (think really greasy chicken) just outside that window, they were jumping up and down like baby sparrows at an earthworm farm.



The best thing about the new building is the red walls. Photographers and designers LOVE red. Would I have bothered to take this picture if that wall had been industrial-office-grey? Nah. However, the most common phrase I heard today: “I’m glad all the walls aren’t that color.” True. There’s only a splash here and there, albeit a BIG splash.



This is the view from my desk. I’m in a back corner, far away from most anybody else. It’s rather quiet.

LOOK! A human!



This is my desk after the unpacking. During the unpacking — hope you’re not eating your breakfast — I grossed out when I discovered mouse droppings at the bottom of the crate. I’m not even going to contemplate what that might mean. Nope, not going there.

Tucker? Tuck is that you?



This is what the rest of the 2nd floor newsroom looks like. (Red wall behind me.) The stairs lead up to the 3rd floor newsroom where the other half lives.


Thanks for bringing in the beautiful flowers, Natasha!

Quiz for the day: For a $10 Amazon gift card delivered via e-mail — What was the second most common phrase I heard today?

The New York Times (where I’m the night manager of news graphics) is moving into the brand new 52-story Times Tower at 620 Eighth Ave between 40th and 41st Streets.The scheduled move time for the graphics desk was Friday night after the paper closed. Eager to get started, the movers swarmed the graphics department around 12:35, about an hour before the whistle normally blows. (It’s actually a cow bell, but that’s another story).

See those orange crates? Except for the computers, we had to pack all our own stuff. When the packing crates arrived, our maps manager just happened to be wearing a crate-colored shirt. His posture expressed pretty much how we all felt about having to pack all our own stuff in those crates.


D-Day: The movers began swarming our floor at around 8:35 p.m. (They seemed so focused and hurried that I was just a little concerned they might put me on the truck too.)



Pink bubble wrap for Amanda’s computer.



No time wasted: this is a well-oiled machine of moving teams.



Overview of our little corner of the newsroom. The paper has been edited in this building since 1913. (I haven’t been there quite that long.)



Keyboards and Wacom tablets went into plastic bags.



Um, could you be careful with that baby?



The guy in the white shirt was assigned to my desk. He waited patiently while I took pictures. Most of the time he was standing behind me with his arms crossed tapping his fingers on his forearm.



That’s it. My computer is gone, taken right out from under my fingers. “Hope you don’t need anything else tonight,” I told the news desk. “All the computers in my department are gone.” (Perfect day for a slide if you ask me.)

Total time it took to clear out the graphics desk:
32 minutes start to finish.



The front lobby desk. I’ve walked by that desk nearly every day since 1990. One day soon it’ll probably be a Baby Gap or a Starbucks or something.



The newspaper was printed in the basement of the building on 43rd Street until 1997. The delivery trucks were loaded in the delivery bays you see above (that’s my car in the picture). How did I luck out with such a great parking perk? When the presses moved to College Point, Queens, the space in the bays wasn’t really being used for anything. When I was expecting Gregory seven years ago, the security guards (and Bob Sheridan) arranged to let me park in the bay. And this is where I’ve parked ever since — the best perk ever — FREE PARKING in Times Square! I am SO grateful for that generosity and for all the guards who opened the door for me coming and going.

Here’s one of my favorite parking stories: One night a few years ago, on my way into work around 7 p.m., two elderly women dressed to the nines were walking down the sidewalk on 43rd Street as I was about to drive into the bay. (They looked like tourists headed to the theatre.)

The guard held them back so I wouldn’t run them over. One of the women took out a camera, saying to the other woman, “Here, get her picture. She must be somebody important to get to park there.”

The guard didn’t skip a beat. “She owns the place,” he said.

For a brief moment, I was the subject of their paparazzi, my 30 seconds of fame. Alas, truth be told, I was nothing but a lucky peon with a fantastic parking perk. But that day, I couldn’t stop smiling.

With the move to the new building, I lose my parking place. The picture above shows my car parked in the bay for the last time.



Though I hold out hope that I’ll find luck in new ways!





Times Square just outside the Times building on my last exodus from 43rd Street, the hazy, misty air around 1 a.m. If you look closely, you might make out the moving truck coming down the street.

And finally, today’s contest:



This picture shows what was under my bookshelf after I disassembled it
– mouse droppings —
EVERYWHERE!

Ewwwwwwwww!

You can win a $10 iTunes gift card delivered via e-mail if you are the first person to leave a comment revealing the answer to this question:

For 10 years I have written stories, many have included adventures here in the 43rd Street buiding, and many of those involved stories of mouse sightings.

What was the name I gave to the central mouse character in my stories?

Hint: the answer can be found in the archive quotes and thoughts.

Remember, you don’t need to leave your full name in the comment post. I’ll know who you are by your e-mail address. Have fun!

Check out Jennifer and Derek’s engagement session!
Click the picture
— or click here —
for the slide show! After the show, it will jump back here where you’ll find another question in my JUNE CONTEST SERIES! Read carefully and HAVE FUN!



Aren’t they so cute? I think Jennifer looks like a movie star! And Derek has a killer smile!



Sweet!



Jennifer’s favorite thing to do: wedding planning in the hammock with her sweetie!



Ok, maybe she has more than one favorite thing.



Love this pose.



Can’t take credit for this one. It was their idea. So cute!



But I did learn through their engagement session questionnaire that they’ve been taking dance lessons. LOVE the dance moves!



I also love the evening light. Beautiful.



Jennifer’s other dog, Petey, was at a sleepover that day so we only got to shoot one of her dogs. Jennifer says Petey feels like an orphan since he’s not in the pictures. Little sibling rivalry here. Yikes!



Love this shot.



I can’t help myself. I LOVE this dog!

If you didn’t check out Jennifer and Derek’s slide show yet, here’s the link again.
Just click here.

And here’s today’s contest question:



What affliction did I get while taking St. Francis’s picture?

Prize for the first commenter to guess the correct answer: a $10 iTunes gift card delivered via e-mail. Have fun!