Ever since I launched my website and moved my blog URL, I have been feeling very lonely as if no one is visiting my blog any more and I know you are all out there so please feel free to say hi, almost feeling like Will Smith in the movie Legend, okay a bit too dramatic, for sure. Here are some more pictures of my little guys graduation. I had planned for us to go watch Toy Story 3 to celebrate this little guy moving on up. It was a crazy busy week and I did not get him balloons or anything else and felt well like a bad parent when I got to the room filled cafeteria and saw all the balloons but my siblings had come to the rescue with some gifts and there presence made Lucas feel very special. I must confess, my pictures came out yellowish, shaky, plain weird but I love them, you know why because it is my son, my eldest and it so made me appreciate that day, his life, how big he is getting and later when we watched the movie, wow how I cried just thinking that my little guys would one day go away and leave, so I cherished that day and our movie night, with scary baby in movie and all, life is so short and we are here as guests really and made me feel so thankful to God for giving Lucas to me, for taking care of Lucas and of us. Lord help me teach my little guys the right way to live and be and I want them to be so so happy. Lucas is not a shy cat, wonder who he took after, and was singing away blowing me kisses, smiling, waving, it was such a precious moment. Today we celebrated fathers day with hubster wearing his new Brazil Jersey and I must say life is good even in simple Sunday days like these.

now the beautiful wave and kiss to mommy

and thanks to Toy Story 3, to remind me that home videos are precious, that photos are a gift and then we need to capture it today so we can remember tomorrow.

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I had a packed filled week from doing my first ever photography exhibit to my little guy Lucas graduating from Pre-school. So here are some recaps.

1) The First Brazilian Photo Expo featuring the world of Make up was produces by Cleiva Allakani, a Brazilian make up artist who had this great idea of bringing Brazilian photographers in unity for 1 project, this is a big leap for the Brazilian Photography community in the USA who has a bad rep for being defensive, extremely competitive and jealous, so when Cleiva invited me to participate, I immediately jumped on for I knew this would be special. The event featured 10 photographers, 3 women and 7 men and with different themes, mine was on boudoir photography and weddings. They transformed the space to a cool looking gallery filled with hanging umbrellas, frames, lounge furniture and paper lanterns,lighting, a paparazzi corner and more. The guest speaker of the evening was Paulo Pacheco, the president of BRAPPAS, a Brazilian Photographer Association which I hope to learn even more of and participate. He came from Boston with his board of directors as well as Miss Brazil USA who was voted Ms. World Cup, yes we are that fanatic about the world cup. I had the pleasure of running into some old friends such as Bianca Poncio also known as Bibi Beauty, Nancy Roque from Party Light, Flavio Murillo from Divine Decor , Alex from Passion Desserts as well as meet some new photographers and some folks who I never knew who followed my photography journey. Here are some pixs of this fabulous event.

2) More on Lucas Graduation soon…

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GYM assessment tomorrow, think I can hide in spin class? for all of you who have lost weight on your own, I commend you, your strength, your self discipline, I Do not plan to use a trainer but never thought it would be so hard to choose wisely, to make healthy food decisions and to work out. Being home I have gained 20 pounds and it feels like 50 and I am on the road to be health again.

But now onto to some pictures, So here are a few more pictures of downtown Knoxville, TN as of  Jill’s beautiful family.

Jill, Shannon and I had camped out at Panera Bread and waited as Clark drove up with little Drew, what we did not expect was a storm,  so literally rained on our parade so Shannon graciously allowed us to use her Studio 317 which was way cool. here are some of my faves.

Little Drew first:

Now some of the beautiful family.

And here is SLIDESHOW***

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Jill and I met online and began randomly chatting one day after we both had applied to the same scholarship, we had one thing in common we both had been Childrens Ministry Directors but that was about it, never the less something magical happened, a friendship was quickly built and all of a sudden I was reporting daily to this southern belle. We laughed, we cried, we became what I like to call online BFF, no we really did with out even meeting each other face to face not until last month. I stayed with Shannon for the two weddings I went to photography in TN and Jill lives about 1 hour and a half and I had one day free between weddings so we said we would hang out and do girlie things. Jill arrived early Friday morning nad it was a bit like Christmas, meeting this very special friend for the very first time thanks to technology, our worlds collided and now here I was a bit anxious to meeting Jill. She arrived that Friday hot morning and when I opened the door there she was blond hair and big smile and a big hug awaiting me, I did not expect her how ever to be so tall well I am short so almost every one else is taller, but that is the funny thing about avatars huh, you kind of cant see people’s height. We drove down to Market Square in Downton Knoxville and we began the day with some starbucks frappucino and catching up on our random chats about life, photography, being a mother of boys, God, husbands and girl stuff. We then walked about town and met up with Shannon who took us to this great spot for lunch which had one of the best hummus, yum, it was so fun to hang out with these online friends. Jill and I did some store viewing and shopping then it was off to do some Bio pixs Jill needed for her very cool new blog site, I am so proud of her! Overall it was hot but  I sure do love the south, sweet tea and all. I also finally got to ask why it was Just  Jill photography and Jill said when she began dating her husband, on their first date he asked what her name was and she said Jill, and he said Just Jill? that must be a nick name and she said nope so then he began calling her just Jill. I also had a chance to do some fam pictures of her little cutie Drew which I will post later, but for now here are some pixs of my e-buddy Just Jill.

P.S Jill did some Bio shots of me too and you can see it here- http://justjill-photography.blogspot.com/2010/05/fabulous-feuza.html

which I loved but made be really realize how much gained I have gained being at home with the kiddos and now that I am out and about, I joined a gym so here is to better choices and healthier living.

Here are some of my faves so far.

Jill absolutely loves to laugh and preferred smiling much but I did love some of her more serious faces  and ones where she smiles with her eyes, it is all about the eyes ladies, watch Americas Next Top Model and you will know, but I also made her crack up a lot so got some great laughing shots.

Nikon Baby- Woo hoo! lolllll

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6 years ago on a Friday hot evening, after a delay to begin the ceremony I married Maxwel Bernardo Tomaz. I actually did not have a great wedding, it was a bad one, very bad, my pictures got ruined from the day, did not have many people to help me set up and I was very stressed, emotionally nervous and I ended up not enjoying my day what so ever, it was pretty, my mom worked hard on the center pieces, a few very specia people helped covered the cost and I was very blessed, but that day had an amazing significance that I would not know how much perhaps til now, as I celebrate my 6 year anniversary, I think of the victory it has been, through trials, I mean trials, I mean when I got married, I was pregnant, working for $10 an hour, 25 hours a week, Max was working construction in hot summer days and not getting paid, and we rented out a tiny room which legally was not a real room, and it fit one small desk, our twin bed, and a ceiling fan, we laugh now at those very hot summer days and 6 years later looking back I see how strong we are today, how much of  a beautiful family we have, amazing cute energetic boys, and Max is amazing, we are so different at times, I say he is a cowboy who married a beach girl which leaves us with nothing in common but we do have something in common, a passion for life, for making it, for being strong, for loving one another, for loving our kids and for seeking truth in life. Today is a triumphant day, many did not think we would make it since I got married pregnant and all but here we are still laughing, still enjoying life, still looking for joy in the little things and still dreaming so big as if the planes were shooting stars.

well I am back from TN and planning this surprise get away for him tomorrow in Philly, he does not really read my blog so no chance in him catching this before 1pm today, but lots of cool posts to come, I had an amazing time with Shannon Kelley, her brides and my budyy Jill. I was trying to find an old picture of us so we all can get some laughs but it is late, I am tired and must get some zz’s but I will leave ya with this song to celebrate . I am very thankful to God for this accomplishment in my life, my 6 year wedding anniversary.

and I ask if you have not visited this section of my website, you should so you get to see why I am so lucky.

http://www.feuzareis.com/#/feuzaloves/

p.s I had never had a long term relationship before Max, which makes it extra special.

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I am not a pet photographer but when fell in love with these shots of Lulu’s babies as she calls them. How can you not fall in love with these faces, come one, doggies, parrots = so much fun. Different things are babies for people, for men, it might me a hobby, a passion, like my husband already marked down all the Brazil games for World Cup and is taking those days off, it might be cars, for women, it might be pets, it might be our kids, it might be shoes, but “babies” refers to someone or something one loves, one takes care of and cares about. For me, well I have two babies, Lucas and Josh and I think no matter how big they will get,much taller than me someday, they will always be my babies and I will remember things like first day of school, like Josh obsessed in playing with my hair, their cute smiles, their eyes lighting up with excitement, Lucas saying this is the best day ever all the time and Josh asking if mommy has gone on her trip already. Yes I am going away again and I am very happy about the opportunity of shooting with Knoxville’s best Shannon Kelley and meeting my online BFF Jill, I am feeling a bit guilty of being away from my babies for 4 days, being a mom, traveling, trying to live your passions, it is not an easy task, I just ask God to guide me daily and help me in bringing up my babies. Here are some pixs of Lulus Babies and mine, not so professional shots of my babies, but home heirlooms. I will be twitting from TN, just holla.

I am not much of a landscape photographer, usually love my photos to have people in them but in have been intrigued by nature lately, the bluest of skies, greenest of trees and fields sure make me happy, make me feel young and when I find such places right here in NJ well then that is even better. I had the pleasure of stopping Bayonet Farm very first wedding thanks to Ultimate Caterer of which I have been working on some marketing and social media projects with. ( BTW their white chocolate macadamia cookie is so good and should not eat so many of them). Here are few of my favorite shots of Bayonet Farm, hope this weekends weather is this nice. Have a great weekend everyone and let me know of any other NJ little treasures you have visited and that you think would be great unique wedding locations.

So this year I still wanted to second shoot some weddings because #1 it is so much fun, #2 I get to learn loads from peers, #3 there is no stress and I feel so laid back and think I even might get some better shots :-). I love second shooting for David Toth because he says very practical things like shoot into the light and shows how fun “foofing” which is bouncing flash off side walls, panels, statues, you name it, he does it to fill in extra light needed with out it giving that strong flash look. The other thing he teaches me is that he is a big photo journalist, so he shoots what actually happens, what is in the moment, he says as photographers we are there to stand in side lines and anticipate moments, we are not there to participate or frame moments, I am not 100% photo journalistic, I am more editorial style but for this past weekend, I kept that in mind while second shooting for him, what will be happening, what am I looking out for, will he hold her hand, will the priest crown her now, will they smile, are they crying, how are people reacting and I also observe Dave in action. As a wedding photographer, I feel I am there to witness this amazing love filled day and what better way to witness it with images which in turn become an album with their love story. In the spirit of second shooting, I have the honor to be shooting with Shannon Kelly in Knoxville, Tn next week for 2 weddings which  I am ecstatic about and I get to meet Jill Lewis who is like my best friend now and we have not met. Do you live in the area? want to meet up? want to shoot together? some free time on Friday and on Sunday before I come back to good ole New Jersey.

So in Spirit of Second Shooting and of being inspired by my friend Dave, my mentor and Co Leader of Fast Track NY Group: Here are some lighting shots and a little behind the scenes of some places.

First few shots are of this great venue in NJ for weddings called The Palace of Somerset, I went to do some shots for a Florist from Anel Creations in Freehold, NJ. Saw some very cool places in this venue to work of natural light reflectors which I am always looking for now.

Now a few from the wedding I second shot for Dave last month, this NJ wedding had such a great view to Manhattan Skyline located at the Palisadium in North Jersey.

Thanks Dave for always telling me to shoot into the light and create yummy pictures, to be ready for the moments, and to relax.

I know Jersey is a happening scene in the reality tv show lately with Jersey Housewives, the Jersey Shore and now Jerseylicious but NYC always pulls me right back in. There is such livelihood in NYC and one of my favorite areas that I go to a lot is Soho, oh I could live there in a heart beat. The cool thing is that I can go back home and relax in Jersey but there is so much inspiration from the City especially for a wedding photographer such as myself. My brand involves the urban and beach scene and you can not get more urban inspiration than NY. Last Saturday, I went on a NYC adventure with my boys, Lucas and Joshua. They actually always think we are going to NY every time I get on the turnpike but I surprised them with their first train ride. It was so cool to see their reactions to the whistles, noises, doors, mass people, Joshua held on tight and said he was scared, Lucas curiously kept peeking out the window in wonder and they so wanted to see the conductor collect our tickets thanks to watching the Polar Express. We headed to Macy’s to see the product launch of  Elyissia Wassungs products, 2 chixs with chocolate, the sexy fun chocolate company I love to shoot and eat as well as attend the fabulous Flower Show at Macys. It is a photographers delight but boys rather go to Toysrus so I was not able to stay there much. NYC was beautiful, tall architectural lines against the sun rays and the spring flowers and trees and people joyously walking up and down. We did a fare of walking our selves, I say around 22 blocks total for the day and before we headed back to the train station, we had 3 hot dogs, we only missed Max. We also over all had a great Easter Weekend with lots of Egg hunting and fun fun stuff.

So blog was left a lone for a bit as I worked on some glitches with the name move and my website launch and this is just I am happy its over 80 degree weather pre summer post. A very special blog post is coming up, one of my favorites so stay tuned. Here are a few shots of our adventure.

p.sI finally got an iphone and hooray for iphone pictures!

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The Flower Show consists of real Flower, full gardens inside the Macys’s store in NYC and features celebrity florists like Preston Bailey and Jorge Cazzorla

they look scared in the following one but good thing they have each other

Now onto outside for some fun, play and trying out new shots…

The Following shots are over exposed, yup I know, but I still love these shots cause my kids are in them

of course they had to come up with some sort of game of their own, actually this was Josh’s idea.

Overall fun fun day

So have been missing my blog and excited about the launch and I so grateful to all of you who waited and supported me in this challenge. It was hard, rough but I had a deadline to meet and needed the meat and bones of my photography website to be revealed, there are always things to tweak and pictures to add but it was a good feeling to over all be accomplished. I finally now understand show it sites and it is everything it says it is, and it does what it says it does, it gives you freedom, freedom to be your self and I am so thankful for Sarah Barlow who introduced me to show it sites and I am ever thankful to Charlene Vaz who designed the main background and idea for my website and of course my slamin new business card, she has been working via different time zones and countries to help me out and I can be a handful and I am very thankful for her patience, tips and design. a hug thank you to Kimberly Salem, the FEO NY Leader for being the first one to show me hands on what Show it was all about and I sure bothered her loads. I also need to thank Tony for always helping me out last minute with the very technical computer stuff, and my Fast Track community for supporting and encouraging this launch, Iaan and Erin who did some hands on work as I bothered them last minute and many more folks who offered to help, give feedback and just stand with me.Boys were acting up as if they knew I had a big deadline, I am just glad it is finally up there! I encourage you to finish you site or try show it fast for free to feel free.

Thanks for everyone’s online support, comments, congrats and views, I SO appreciate each and everyone of you, thank you for being a friend! Thank you God for your  so ever loving strength and for my families’ patience.

If you want to learn about me, I suggest you visit the Feuza Loves section.

More changes coming soon on blog and my proofing site so I ask for you continued support and patience.

please take note now my blog is www.feuzareis.com/blog and my website is www.feuzareis.com

Many more pixs coming soon.