It's been a while...

because at times you just need to hold on...

Molly and Mark

Being a Ct. Wedding Photographer is a great thing. Ct. is a great state, beautiful woodlands, rolling fields, the ocean.... It's a great thing. But what's better is heading out to other states, places and lands for weddings. This particular wedding was in Rhode Island, a beautiful location nestled into the woods, a nice little pond, indoor outdoor reception and so many great smiles. 

Of course there was the clouds above, the threat of rain, thunderstorms and just not much greatness. Ya know, in England they say rain is good luck on your wedding day. Though my theory there is that they have to go by those words because it rains there just about every day...

And while those rain clouds where above, the rain stayed right where it was suppose to. Tucked away in the clouds, meaning that the ceremony could take place outside on the lawn with the pond in the background and beauty all around...

And what a great day it turned out to be. Beautiful smiles, a wonderful time for all and the uniting of two great souls... Molly & Mark....

See.... We need to love what we do.

Loving what we do in our lives is such a huge thing. From work to your spare time. If you're not truly enjoying what you do, well, what's the use??? 

Now I'm not saying, get up and quit your job if you're not happy. Sometimes it's our "jobs" that bring us the ability to do the other things that we love... What I am saying is quite simple, don't sit there and just think about how nice it would be to do this or that. Just go do it. From hiking, to painting to what ever else you find pleasure in, do it. If you need help, ask, if you don't know how to do it but want to, learn... We only have so much time and it's that time that you should enjoy. Now don't leave those in your life behind, bring them along for the ride and let them enjoy your happiness as well. And let them do the same... It can all be great. 

And lately, the shoots, the websites and more have been nothing less than great. Sure, throwing my back out wasn't exactly great. But with the help of those around me, I pulled through and in the mean time, even had a chance to rock out a portrait / engagement session with Stacey and Miles. I can't wait to shoot their wedding in the VERY near future... :o) What can I say, I LOVE WHAT I DO!

And don't forget to join into my facebook world over ----> there....

WWW.TABPHOTOGRAPHIC.COM

A little Jennifer and David Teaser

A beautiful day, with some awesome people and some great energy made for a wedding that just rocked!!! As for the photos, yea, they rock too! So for a little teaser.....

Too much time has passed...

At times, it blows my mind at how much time can creep by with out having a moment to spare on getting on here to spread some of the recent happenings. This has surely been one of those times and because of that, there's a very good chance this post may be long, contain many different stories, pieces of time and what not...

Sooooooooo.... To start off, Collinsville, Ct. One of, if not THE best small town in Ct. Of course part of that is because it happens to be my town. Anyway, it looks like we're about to jump head first into a great little music and art festival. The plan, music all day, art all day, smiles and fun all day. More details to follow so stay tuned!!! And if you're reading this and want to volunteer, by all means. Let me know.

Another up and coming! Dog portraits! As many of you know I'm an animal lover, a photography lover and there's a whole new side of TAB Photographic rolling in. I won't give away the entire thing yet. Just be ready for a new site, new fun and awesome, lovely, rockin' photos for dogs and a random cat.. (if need be)

Some photography happenings, shot a great wedding this past weekend in New Haven. I'll post some of those shots ASAP! And two weeks ago I stepped up to volunteer to shoot at the MS Walk with one of my other shooters Jeff. Cudos to Jeff for heading out on the walk while I had to stay behind for some simple and fun team photos... You can check out some shots by watching the video below.

Other things, yea, the news. We don't need to go there. The "pork flew", yes I know it's "flu", is just that, a flu. Not a good thing, but don't stop enjoying your days and your life. If anything, it's more of a reason to be happy for what we do have. Or don't have. Like the pork flew.

The economy, yea, we all know about that, but it seems to be picking back up...

Obama's first 100 days, all good....

Life as we know it, just rocks! Keep working on today, and enjoying the moments. With out those, we have nothing...

***************************************************

"The portion of reality that you act upon is the portion of reality that you think about. So, what are you thinking about?

What do you think this day will bring? What do you think you'll be able to accomplish?
What do you think you deserve? What do you think is the best way forward?
The way you think is the way you are. Choose those thoughts that empower you, and inspire you, and compel you to give your best effort in moving forward.

Imagine in rich detail the story of your own upcoming success. Think it intensely and you'll soon be doing it.

Give your thoughts a magnificent place to live. And the whole of you will be living there too. "
-- Ralph Marston

"The Daily Motivator - Think it" -

Just painting a dog....

Just wanted to throw a little update on the dog. He's surely coming along but at the same time, well, not nearly as fast as I had hoped... Anywho.... Check out his progress.....

Water and Babies - a two part post

Many of us know about a very bad flood that is going on right now in North Dakota. Growing up in a flood prone area I can understand their pain. Though only to a point because for us, the floods meant 3 feet of water over the roads and that was about it. As pre-teen boys we would play in it and stir up commotion. (until the school bus came through and soaked us all)...

Right now, there is nothing fun about what's going on North Dakota. With a river cresting more than 40 feet above flood stage. The entire city of Fargo is in danger.

But here's the thing, thousands and thousands of people are all working together to build a wall of sand bags 12 miles long!!! Think about that for a second. A 12 mile long wall of sand bags. Now think about the thousands of people, in sub freezing temperatures all working together. No one talking down to others, no one robbing banks, no bullies pushing other souls down. A 12 mile long, sub freezing temperature, sand bag wall with thousands of people all working together for one soul purpose... To save their community..... Now I just have to say that's what community is about. Banding together in a time of need, helping those up when they're down, and not being so self centered that you can't just stop to help a stranger in the time of need...

So here's the thing, we're not there. But there are still two things we can do... We can think about that stranger in a time of need and give them a helping hand... And we can, more importantly, think about all the strangers, all of the energy filled souls working beyond their capacity in North Dakota doing everything they can to just save something that means so much to them. Their homes, their lives and their communities.

Keep them in your thoughts. Not for me, but for them......

Now, for the lighter side of the news.....

Ever wondered what was going through a babies little fresh brain? The stress doesn't exist, fear doesn't exist, hurtful words and thoughts don't exist.... Just a pure mind taking in the colours, the faces, the objects and so much more. And at times, some guy with a weird thing that keeps making a really bright light over there flash... "What is this guy doing...."... I can only imagine, well you all know I was snapping away and capturing some great shots! Honestly, I love so many of them which made the collage below such a hard thing to put together...

And keep in mind that while this universe is causing things like the above flood to happen, it is, at the same time causing things so beautiful and with so much life to happen..... Such as the below....

Shine on!

How do you know?

At what point do you realize that you truly do love what you do in life? I know that as a photographer I truly love what I do. Not to mention being a wedding photographer on top of it all. 

And yesterday March 7th - 2009 was no different. It was, with out a doubt, the nicest day of 2009 thus far. The sun was out, the temperature was up and there was just an energy to the day. Probably much like the honey bees when it's finally warm enough to emerge from the hive and they buzz around free... ???

And this day, there was a different energy in the mix. It was Christine and Jonathans day. And there's a quote that I have enjoyed for so long... "A Misty Morning Does Not Signify A Cloudy Day"... I think there are a few certain individuals that will know why I'm throwing that quote in the mix...

The day really was great. The small church that made it possible for everyones spirits to intermingle and energy to dance around as they said their "i do's"... And learned about what a box of crayons can truly mean when looked at in the proper light. Really like the colours in every part of our lives.

And from the ceremony through the reception, spirits where held high! Smiles were EVERYWHERE! Voices were singing and feet were dancing. I must say, the DJ (HG Entertainment) did a pretty good job at keeping up with the requests and not letting the party go in different directions. Music is such a great thing in our lives! 

Of course there was the venue itself. The Woodwinds. There are certain venues that can be rather pushy, trying to dictate how your day should go. Trying to lead the other vendors through the evening and just about telling them what their job should be, there are venues that will throw you out at the exact hour on the minute and worse. Well, Scott, over at the woodwinds made  sure that none of that was the case. 

Sure, Scott made sure things rolled along, and everyone was kept happy but not once did I notice him being pushy, he kept a light feeling in the room and for that, I commend him....

Other than that, it was a great evening! From some Mallowmars (great little cookies) to some proud parents to a bridesmaid and another guest putting on a production through one song that was just about worth an oscar!

I guess when I ask "at what point do you know that you love what you do" it's because I know that I love what I do. I love capturing those images that will help others look back and bring in some memories... From their wedding day, to their new born, their youth or their furry friends...

I'm not sure I realized at any certain point that I truly love what I do, but I can be sure of one thing, each and every wedding and portrait session I shoot brings back the realization...

That I love what I do....

The Dream Assignment

I won't lie, if I could I would make about 5 different dream assignments happen to benefit my own life experiences as well as the world as a whole. But for right now, right this moment I can't. I have to start with just one. So if you could, please.. (and I normally don't beg) click on the "PIC" button below and then when the new site opens click the "PIC" (vote) button once more to help me get into my great dream assignment.

I would really appreciate it. And please, if you think you have friends that would be willing to help this great power and more, well, of course you can share away. (I know I know, this might sound a bit like begging but hey, what can you do.)

Don't worry.....

Sunshine Day Dream update

A little update on the painted pooch..

Some dream of fortunes, others dream of cookies...

There are times when I wonder why my mind goes in the directions that it does. Why I look at so many things and don't just see "a thing". Why I look at a rock and I believe it's more than a rock, or a tree isn't just another tree. Rocks, trees, streams and more can be some of the most beautiful things on this planet. I know I'm not alone here, I know that so many others out there understand what I'm saying. We live on a planet that can be... No, IS, such a magical place. Dwelling on those thoughts, I can only rationalize it down to one thing. Growing up with a father who was an artist, a photographer and a man who saw the planet for what it was. How he would point out a tree in a field, with the sun hitting its branches as if it were on fire. Sure, at the time I thought he was just a fruit loop but now I see myself pointing those same things out. The sun rolling over the mountains, the eagle soaring above, the colours reflecting off the river and so so so much more. I believe it's why I love being a photographer so much! Being able to capture those pieces of the planet with out harming a thing. Even being a wedding photographer, capturing the beauty in each soul and the pieces of the day. It's almost like living in a dream. A great big wonderful dream. A dream that can continue on each day, no matter what's lost, you still have so much beauty all around you. ALL FOR YOU...

Are there parts of your day that don't hold that beauty, parts of your future that you just don't believe will ever become reality? Are there pieces in your way that disturb your dreams? Disturbing your peace, disturbing your love for life? Can you fit those pieces into your puzzle some how? Or maybe they don't belong to your puzzle at all. So what do you do with them? Discard them.

Now if you could, stop for a moment. Think about what your dreams are. Do you know? Have you thought about those dreams lately? What are they? Write them down. Yes! That's it! Write them down. Take your top 5 dreams and write them down. Don't have 5, then round off the list with your priorities to life. The thigns that will make you happiest. The top 5 pieces of your puzzle that will create true riches in your life. Share them, don't hide them away. Dreams are good! Dreams are beautiful. Sharing them with the world just begins to make them that much more of a reality! So what do you say? Got 5???

The Painted Dogs Are Coming

It's been a bit longer than normal for stopping in to blog. Sorry about that. But it's all good. I'll be coming back around a bit more frequently to share thoughts and pics. I have more thoughts than I am ready to throw out there at the moment. Thoughts about change, life, the past, the future and the present. About health, the world, you and your choices. Though right now, I'm sharing a great new adventure for the coming few weeks. 

I'm sharing "Sunshine Daydream". Sunshine Daydream is a wonderful little pup. He has come to life to serve as part of a fundraiser to the Windsor Educational Foundation.

His future is set to be bright, colourful and filled with love, life and positive energy. Currently, yes, he sits as you see him below. A white figure, yet still smiling. From here, he will slowly morph into an altered state. He will become "Sunshine Daydream"...

Submitted with many other entries to the Windsor Education Fund by so many talented artists for their Paws for a Cause. I was so excited to hear that one of my entries was accepted and that I would be painting a dog. Not to mention all of the meaning behind him. His design came about after Pippin was struck by a car. Pippin, if you haven't read before with in the blog, broke his hip in two spots, his lower jaw, many staples in his shoulder, bruised heart and punctured lungs. But still kept that unconditional love and strength deep with in to pull through such a tough time. And not only pull through but for the most part, to a full recovery. And what you will see transform comes from Pippin, from the love of life that he has, the energy to run, chase his ball, lick the peanut butter and more. For bright and colourful days. That's what Sunshine Daydream is all about!!!!

Sometimes when the evenings young, 

The wind dies down the setting sun, 

crochet's the clouds with yarn so fine, 

and fills the ocean with red wine, 

I see the sky, the forest fair, 

bringing flavor to the air. 

I raised my glass and in a while, 

you answered with a secret smile.

The New Albums

With 2009 there are a TON of great changes coming down the pipeline for TAB Photographic! From new websites (that have recently been shown to the world), the new logo which you can see on the new websites at WWW.TABPHOTOGRAPHIC.COM to so many other changes that are just going to rock! One of those changes would be the new albums that I'm going to be using for 90% of all album and book orders in 2009. These albums are by Finao. You can dig a bit deeper into my blog for more info on them as I mentioned this late last year when the decision was made. 

But for now, I just had to share some of the "simple" Element Albums that they are offering up to the world. These albums are not the large flush mount wedding albums but more of the simple, keep anywhere you want type albums. They even make some small enough to keep in your purse (european carry all for you men), in the car, on your desk at work to anywhere else! They even make great gifts. Not to mention that all cover material is designed and chosen around your wants!!! Seriously, what could be better. 

So chalk a mark up for Finao as they will be making the albums that just rock!!!

More samples and a couple beautiful wedding flush mount albums coming soon!!! Stay Tuned!