A night wedding outside made me very worrysome so I suggested to the Bride to do a first glance before the cerimony and I did not think she would agree since it is not common at all for Brazilian Weddings. They are very superstitious but to my suprise she said what ever you think is best, you know better. Aren’t those the words you want to hear from every client? For them to trust you enough to do what they are paying you to?  Long Branch has a great beach and I have been doing some beach sessions there but I wanted something differant. I was so psyched and I had driven by Monmouth College and thought it had been calling my name, almost mysterious and lush green from all the trees. My gut feeling was right, it was a great spot, having this almost Rome like  pillars and great garden surrounded by old buildings, FABULOUS!. There were major delays and we were behind schedule making me very nevrous for my first glance shot but I am so glad we did, best shots of the day. Here are a few, it was an emotional moment and I felt blessed and honored to watch it.

The world is big and small and maybe even smaller now in the Internet age. I found Wale Photos online, he is a photographer from D.C and posted an ad online in need for a second shooter, few emails later and we were set.  He told of of how awesome the couple was and that it was a Nigerian wedding but not too traditional. I had no idea what was coming and was so excited at the opportunity. As I arrived at the their hotel, the room was packed with girls, make up, shoes, flowers. I felt very comfortable and very blessed. Wale and the videographer was were the only guy in this room full of girls and it was fun moving around as my friend David Toth says anticipating moments. I got the chance to also visit the groom. When Wale mentioned the groom’s name, it sounded familiar and when we went up a few floors to visit the guys, the groom looked familiar, not sure from where or when but  I felt I knew him. The day started taking speed and all went by so fast, a bit crazy and so exciting. I have lots to post about this wedding but wanted to say that I added the groom on Facebook and he sent me a message saying how long it had been and  I saw he went to Rutgers. Turns out we were both leaders of College Organizations and were in meetings and projects together. Such a small world! Made it all even better. Both Bride and Groom were on phones and computers making sure all details were in place but they were all very calm. I have not seen such an organized bride as of yet and Oby was a joy, ready to pose at any time. Here are a few sneak peaks of the getting ready.

Yesterday I began to think, what if God answered us like we answered our children when they are begging for our attention? Would the answer be “hold on, just a minute, let me finish this, we will get to it later, uh-huh, sure but not even listening”. I have been at fault, at fault with my kids, I have had a really hard time being home with them and trying to balance my photography dream and being a stay at home mom. Some days I am so wrapped in me that my answers are a huh, what, wait, maybe, later, NO, I need to work and if God answered me like I answered my kids, oh boy, I would be in big big trouble, I would be at a dead end. Sometimes children are so begging for attention that they do devious things to try and get it, perhaps that is the case with little Josh, he has been on a rampage lately, sofa pen marks, grabbing things he should not and he even lied the other day, he is only 2. He denied peeing on his bed and said I did not do nothing when I told my husband. That really grabbed my attention, where is he learning such behavior, to hide and lie, not from us but as , not that we are perfect but where he would learn such a thing. Humans are born with that capacity aren’t we. We are not good, nope, that is why God says he inclines His ears to us and we are but grasshoppers, we are the drop in the bucket but hHe hears us and calls us and He does not answer us like we answer our children. Today I decided to step outside and take some time off with the boys, children need attention, love, care and I have not been giving them what they need.I sure need my children, I need their smile, laughter, their monkey bars attempts and mommy screams for help while climbing a new obstacle course, their chicken nuggets pleas and their hugs. Although I am almost ready for fall, for hay rides, for  apple picking and colorful leafage,  I want to enjoy the last few days of summer because soon winter will be here and soon I will be way too busy so we went out for some fun in the sun. We went to Dorbrook Park in Colts Neck, NJ. What a great place for picnics, runs, slides, shade and lots of H20. Here are some pictures of smiles, splashes and satisfaction. Lucas and Josh I love you and pray that we have more days like these.

Last Saturday I had the privelege of many firsts. It was my first wedding in Long Branch, NJ, it was my first First Glance Session, it was my first outdoor and more importantly it was the first time I worked with my husband. It has been an inside wish for him to take interest in weddings and once he mentioned he hated weddings ( he was in denial) and I thought the little dream was dead, I was so wrong and God is so good because it is in God’s timing that things occur. I was nervous about all the firsts and worried about working with him and it was so cool, almost like we did not even see each other as husband and wife but as a team of a photographer and videographer, I think you have to separate that a bit in order to be more professional. It was hectic as weddings are but very rewarding, I am so exciting about our launch of Max Productions, website in the works and pray for many more blessings to come. Here are a few sneak peak of Rose getting ready my husband in action.

Love shoe shots but we needed something more, so I headed outside

This last image is definetely all rights reserved.

Catching up. A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of meeting up with the Teixeira Family for a beach portrait session at Point Pleasant Beach.  I met Vanessa at a birthday party  I shot at and we added each other on orkut then on facebook and our friendship began. When I arrived at Point Pleasant, I had parked a few blocks from the beach and then I found out I was 6 blocks from Jenkinson’s Boardwalk where I wanted to be, which was okay cause I so need works outs, fattie over here. I called and then I saw them, wearing bright yellow outfits which so remind me of a summer morning at the shore. Vanessa’s smiles just captivates you, it is big and contagious and her kids Juan and Bianca are the cutest kids ever! along with daddy Antonio, they smiled and crossed the street and I asked someone at the park if we could take some shots before the park opened and they said yes. Being a photographer comes with some brownie points I must say. So it was a day of boardwalk, sun, beach, rocks, ocean,carnival games and a great beautiful family who are now friends, what more can a girl ask for? There are so many great shots of them so this will have to be a two part post, the first of Vanessa’s Cuties, I had some time with them by myself while Vanessa and Antonio headed back to the car to get their other outfit. So here are a few of my fav’s of little Bianca and little Juan and I must  say siblings are forever friends so if you had a fight with your sister or brother, just look at these two and remember when you were kids and you played, laughed, giggled, whined and had such a good time.Give them a call, ask them what is up? send them an email, a text, an FB message, there are no excuses! which I must do as well, call my brother Diego who I pray for and miss. Enjoy some fav’s  and soon more pixs of this session along with a slide show.

Dear Blog,

It feels like it has been so long that we have chatted, sorry for the lack of quality time together, it has been getting busy like wedding season has just started for me. So here is the scoop on latest.

• First and foremost  I am way over due in blogging about the wonderful Teixeira family, I had the pleasure of a Beach Photo shoot,
• Secondly I will be one of the hosts for Dane Sander’s Road Show coming to NY this October. More info and a contest coming on that. Us East Coasters always complain that all the workshops and awesome photographers are in the West Coast well now they are coming to us so get on it before it fills up. Fast Track your photography career today! This is really big and Dane knows all about the kind of experiance we need to give clients so they refer us again and again.
• Thirdly I was a second Shooter for Wale from Wale Photos for  a great Nigeria Wedding last week, so many pictures to edit and post.
• In Addition, did a great Beach Session today of Brazilian mom blogger Marcia Gomes, so nice to meet fellow blogger and twitter friends. I have been feeling so more connected to FB and twitter Friends then my close ones, so weird but there is a connection in this virtual road and for you blog reader thanks so much for stopping by and hope you have enjoyed my updates.
• Moreso- did such a cute Ballerina birthday last Sunday and it was like a mini fairy tale which included, Ballerina, Woods, Bubbles and Pony Rides.
• And here is one more, have a wedding tomorrow in Long Branch or shall I say today and it will be the first wedding that I will be working with my husband so excited about that. God is so good, will have many blog posts to come!.  and to add a little pizzaz here are some personal photos of me and my family on a nice beach party.

 My son Lucas who is 4

My son Joshua who is 2

Google Alert is a tool that lets you know when that name of a person or business is coming up in google searches. So if you are a new business create a google alert for your self. This is exactly what I earlier this year when  I created one for my mom’s business. I was helping her by leading a P.R campaign and we wanted to know if people were  talking about us, who what and where. So I decided to create an alert with my name cause after all only me and a girl in Malaysia (not kidding, found her on myspace) with this name now. Ok so maybe two other people in Brazil that a friend of a friend has told me about. What is in a name? My name has caused me some problems in life. At a young age I was not a fan of it then I loved it. I loved being unique, there was only me and my grandma with that name. No it is not a common Brazilian name. I have been told that the F and Z combination is Arabic, who knows, my grandma Feuza was born in 1929 and at that time in Brazil, they would misspell names or even make up some. For example my grandfather was born on the day of kings so they name him Jose Dos Reis, means of kings and that is where I got my last name from. Back to google, since starting my business, I wanted to learn more about branding, Search Engine stuff which I am hoping to get the scoop through Tofurios! They are great, you must check them out and sign up for their newsletters, lots of free info for photographers. Today was the day. Not the first day my name came up in a google alert but the first time it came up because I was mentioned in one of my favorite Photographer’s blog that I follow, The Grays!  I would blush if I was a blusher, but since  I am a crier, tears starting springing up in my eyes, no sprinkler or anything but it was a sign. A sign after a doubtful day, fearful, sad and non productive day full of not such great news, a sign  that I am ambitious and I will move forward even  if against strong currents and strong winds. I feel so blessed for all the wonderful photographers out there sharing their hearts, lives and talent. I hope one day to to share cause I really love to help others and  I believe others can succeed as well.  I posted about the incredible coffee talk I had with the Grays on my last day in Nashville in a previous post. Their passion for teaching is so strong and contagious, I know they will soar even higher like strong Eagles. And for all of you top notch photographers who actually care-THANK YOU! And every post deserves a picture. Here are some self Portrait Fails. Enjoy

It has been a while since I shot my last maternity session and I was missing it. After all when I started, I was doing mostly that. I wax excited, a bit anxious since I had had been shooting all weekend, a bit tired and concerned about the usual stuff right before shoot. I got contacted from a childhood friend of mine a few months back that she wanted to buy a gift certificate for a maternity session for this great couple. I added the couple on orkut, that is where all the Brazilians hang out online, they are just now getting into Face Book and Aline, the mother to be told me she would wait when her belly was showing  more so we finally scheduled for last Monday. My friend had told me how awesome this couple was but they really surpassed awesomeness, try mixing the absolute hottest couple I ever shot with a dose of genuine kind loving spirit and a tad of fairy tale story and a spoonful of the nicest folks ever!  This couple came here from Brazil just 6 months ago when Diego, daddy to be was offered an opportunity to teach Brazilian Jujitsu here in the States. Aline a dentist in Brazil came to study and get further certification in her studies and little did they know, she was already pregnant when they arrived. They soon found out and it has been a rough road, they just got here and to run after pre-natal care, doctor appointments and giving up the study Aline wanted to do has been difficult but God has helped them. So an Angel I can say had this great idea of giving this well deserved couple this session and I feel so blessed to have met him. Diego this big guy is a teddy bear, shy, sweet and such a gentlemen, he would not let me carry anything and Aline with her blue ocean eyes was sweet as an apple and was so giddy when I told her I had a few things lined up for them. Since he is into sports and has to be healthy, I came up with a crazy idea of a picnic where he would be eating fruits and she would have a cup cake, a cute cupcake, well no last minute cup cakes to be found, I settled for donuts. Here are a few of my favorites for part 1 of our session. Thank you Miss Angel for sending me this couple. I love them and I love you, you know who you are. SEE SLIDESHOW HERE***

In case you were wondering, Aline did take the Donuts home for Baby Kyara and her to enjoy!.  Just wait til you see the props they brought for our indoor shoot! so cool..

            This post will be in English and a little side note in Portuguese. A good of ours from our church Deise, had to go to Brazil last year to be with her husband. It was a tough and sad goodbye, we all loved Deise, I mean she was there when I started dating my husband and I remembered our talks about finding that Mr. Godly right man and she did, she found Marcos or as we call him Marquinho and unfortunately they had to go back to Brazil. They are now expecting Benjamin and although we are far we want to participate in their new phase.
            Deise’s mom is the go to person for everything plus at our church. I have never met such a giving and generous heart, if angles lived here on earth, she would be one of them. She has been there for all the brides, all the mom to bes and all the babies born. She practically can be almost a mid-wife, she comes to your house, cleans, picks up your laundry, gives the baby his/her first bath and that is her live. For me, that is what a real ministry is about, she lives it. I am so thankful for Sandra because when I had to plan my wedding in three weeks,now remember, I was pregnant, unemployed and lived in a very tiny room,almost closet size and I relied on all the help I can get.Sister Sandra, as we called her, delayed paying her mortgage payment in order to pay for the food for the wedding. I do not think I can in words explain her generosity. She puts others first 100% of the time which sometimes is annoying because she needs some lovin and tlc back. She she had helped everyone, I mean everyone, driving miles and miles to meet every new baby from our church ministry, I came up with the idea of having a virtual baby shower where Sandra and Her husband would represent Deise and Marcos and we would do the baby shower here in the US as Deise would watch via skype and all the games are done with her parents in their place and then all gifts would be shipped. There was no way we could let this pass, it is our time to give back and I am so forever grateful to Sister Sandra for her love and dedication as well as Deise and Paul for sharing their mom to be a mom for all, for not minding their mom to be such an angel to all of us. I love this family dearly and since it is a virtual Baby Shower, we have a virtual Invitation and a picture of Deise’s Parents, I am going to have a blast in decorating them as we play our crazy Brazilian Shower games, let me just say it involves lipstick. Please click on invitation below. Para todos voces que ja foram abencoados pela irma Sandra e sua familia, agora e hora de retribuir todo esse amor, carinho e dedicacao. A Deise nao esta aqui mas irma Sandra estara representando ela nesse Baby Shower e depois mandara os presents por caixas de navio. Contamos com a presenca de voces, estaremos entregando os convites esse fim de semana. Nao registramos mas estamos colocando sugestoes para o presente e quem puder ajudar com contribuicao monetaria para o frete, fica avontade Estaremos logo postando o endereco da Rosangela. Obrigada e desculpa os erros de Portuguese Favor Clicar no convite abaixo.

Make a Smilebox invite

Picture not taken by me- From Deise’s Album

Sandra and Geraldo- Deise’ Parents

Praying at our Annual Woman’s Retreat- She is such a woman of God.

Sandra with her son Paulo Vitor, Deise’s little Bro