gillette portrait arts

sky & chelsea

2009-05-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

sky behind this fun door at Artiques

chelsea

sky

three weeks ago, one of my best friends in the world came down to the shore - Heidi has been like my sister since I was 9 years old! I still remember when she came down to my mother's house, pregnant for the first time with Skylar - so it's kind of humbling that the "baby" is now 15 and drop dead gorgeous! Sky and her cousin Chelsea wandered Snow Hill with me as we found some fun places to shoot and had a great time - Lord I feel old!

the twins are here!!!

2009-05-09T12:13:00.001-07:00

happy momma!

she's already got keith wrapped around her little finger :)

look at those eyes!!!!

a few weeks ago, I blogged jenny's maternity session - well on april 18th, the twins evie and libby arrived! we had decided that it would be fun for me to come to the hospital and do some shots while they were there - which was great! then we got together over at jenny and keith's house to shoot in the backyard. photographing twins is so much fun! I'm ready for our next shoot

lora & mark

2009-05-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

I was trying to put off blogging because I'm expecting to change blog layouts shortly - but it's looking like it may not be for a week or so and I couldn't wait! Lora and Mark were married on April 25th a their bayfront condo in OC - it was one of the most intimate and emotional weddings I've ever had the pleasure of photographing - full of love, family and good friends!

more additions to the gordy clan!!

2009-03-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

if you follow my blog, you've sen the maternity photos of christina gordy and the newborn shots of baby julia. I've also posted some of big sis gracie. well now christina's sister-in-law jenny donoway is expecting. gillette portrait arts photographed jenny & keith's wedding a few years back and I've known the whole family for quite a long time. they are also incredible supporters of the palette. well, jenny & keith have wanted to become parents for a long time and finally late last summer we got the good news - not only were they pregnant, but with twins!!!! so jenny and I kept trying to figure out when would be a good time to shoot some maternity shots - with twins you have a window between where mom really starts to show and when mom can't really move comfortably anymore - so we got together a few weeks ago - they were my first in-studio session - very cool! now the plan is to get my butt to the hospital shortly after the girls are born to get some once in a lifetime shots - exciting!!

long time... no blog

2009-03-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Ugh - I have been a slacker. Granted, in the dead of winter, I don't shoot much. but still!! there has been a lot going on. First and best - I FINALLY got the new Gillette Portrait Arts studio open - lots of work using time I don't have, but it's done (well, not completely done, but enough to open the doors) One of my major goals since I started Gillette Portrait Arts has been a storefront studio. For obvious reasons, it's great because it defines my work and home space, but not many photographers have one, so I think it will bee a real benefit for me and my clients. Plus - it's pretty cool, if I do say so myself - I will post photos of it soon. For you locals, it's right next door to The Palette and I'm often there hanging out and editing - so stop by! In town, thing's are gearing up. We started 2009 off with The Snow Hill Winter Blues Jam - fun fun fun! There was amazing music and I was able to leave the Palette for a minute here and there to shoot. For those of you who can, you should join us next year - it was a great excuse to get out and about on a cold winter night. We're also at the end of Wedding Show season. I've done more this year than ever and am attempting to branch out - we've done 2 shows in the past 3 weeks over the bridge. 1 in Annapolis and 1 in Baltimore. However hectic it can be getting to shows and setting up, it's such a great tool to meet new clients face-to-face and it's resulted in a pretty full calendar - not only 2009, but into 2010 too - very exciting. I swear, I will be more diligent in keeping up this blog... really, I will

saturday morning with the girls!

2008-12-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

my friend chris welch had asked me about doing some photos while she and her family were at the palette for dinner. specifically, she wanted to get some shots when all of her nieces were in town - so we had a small window. unfortunately, it happened to fall on one of the coldest days so far this year. but we decided to go ahead, because we weren't sure when we might have another opportunity and let me tell you - these girls were TROOPERS! while editing, I was amazed how they looked so unaffected by the cold they appeared. hopefully the next time everyone is home, it will be summer and we'll have some time to really have some fun

the glovers at assateague

2008-12-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

liz and john got married almost 3 years ago in ocean city - I was fortunate enough to be their photographer as they had a beautiful christmas wedding. earlier this fall, liz had contacted me about doing some family portraits at the beach with the whole family. well... mother nature had other plans and we had to postpone week after week. when we finally had a decent saturday, only john and liz were able to make it, but they've had a new addition since the last time I saw them. their baby boy mason was a joy to work with - even as the wind blew! we went from oceanside to up in the dunes and he rolled with everything. hopefully in the spring, we'll be able to get the whole price family - but at assateague we had a great time!

kristie goes to seacrets!

2008-12-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

kristie was on hand to document the wedding of Allyson and Nick. She was blessed with a beautiful day and a fun couple to work with. If you're having your wedding at seacrets, it's a guaranteed good time! Allyson made a grand entrance aboard a boat coming in to dock and as they married bayside, kristie snapped away. after the wedding kristie recounted to me the joy and the fun of the day - her photographs definitely tell that story!

caitlin & keith on the chesapeake

2008-12-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

caitlin and keith were married november 1st at the chesapeake bay beach club. you wouldn't have known it was november - it was a crazy beautiful and warm day! kristie and I got there early and were able to wander around and check things out. everything was stunning - from the flower arrangements to the cake. once caitlin and her bridesmaids got there, she dressed and we were out to bayfront. along the way we met up with the videographers - a husband and wife team with a company called MVZ productions - they were by far the easiest and best videographers I've worked with. check them out at http://www.mvzproductions.com/ if you're in the need for videography. anyway - so the wedding was on the upper deck. we did family shots up there and then went down to the beach for caitlin and keith. we got there just as the sun was setting - yay! and then off to the reception which I have to say was the most fun I've had at a reception in years. I knew a ton of the guests, plus they had a great band. The highlights for me were when caitlin's mom, ginnie grabbed the mike and belted out "knock on wood" - and when caitlin and her father bobby had a spontaneous dance off on the floor. it was amazing!!

katie & bart's beautiful day

2008-11-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

I've known katie since I opened the restaurant as she is an inspector for the environmental health department. so when she mentioned to me that she was getting married, I skipped next door and grabbed her an information folder. I was so stoked that she decided to use me for her wedding photography - we had a great time. she and her bridal party got ready at the adagio condos in ocean city - gorgeous place. and then the wedding was at the sunset room which is located bayside and is becoming one of my favorite places to shoot. after I left katie, I went over to sunset and met up with bart. he and his groomsmen had on black and white converse sneakers, which I loved and they were just having a great time with the day. the ceremony went off without a hitch and then we headed to the ocean for photos - the weather was a bit chilly, but everyone was a trooper. once back at the sunset room, we had the coolest sunset ever! absolutely stunning!

missy & seth at lighthouse sound

2008-11-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

this was such a great wedding - perfect weather, amazing couple - great party! I met missy through her cousins, gilly & sarah (who were also her attendants) I grew up with Sarah & Gilly as I spent every summer down here amd we have remained friends for years - and missy was just like them - cool, down-to-earth & fun! as I met the three of them at the lighthouse I loved what the girls had on - but missy's dress!!! definitely in my top 5 dresses of all time - loved it! after the ceremony - missy, seth and I went down to this little bridge at the end of the golf course and had a great shoot. like I said, the weather was perfect and they were so easy to work with, I barely had to say a word

katie & john in snow hill

2008-11-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

katie and john got married last month in and around snow hill. the wedding was at makemie church - which is a gorgeous church here in town. katie's choices for both herself and her bridesmaid were so pretty and fun - it's the first blue wedding dress I've shot and the girls had these silver berets that just popped in the sun. for the portraits we went down by johnson's landing - such a perfect backdrop. the reception was held at a family friend's house overlooking the bay and had one of the best bands ever!!!

kristin & neil at the sands

2008-11-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

bright color and happy smiles dominated kristin and neil's wedding day. It got started in a highly romantic way as kristin was getting ready at the salon... neil's best man hand delivered a bouquet of roses every 20 minutes signifying each year they had been together - 7 bouquets total, each with a note from neil corresponding with each year. and from there the joy and love continued on the sunny beaches outside the golden sands. after the fun we had during their engagement shoot I knew the wedding would be a blast and I wasn't disappointed!

caitlin & keith engagement session

2008-10-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

caitlin and keith are getting married this saturday at the chesapeake bay beach club and we decided to do a session for a signature board photo. the location of the shoot was at keith's parents house - outside of st. michaels. this particular location was extra special because it is where keith proposed - at sunrise no less! on this day however, the sky was more than ominous and it was already beginning to sprinkle. the three of us ran out to the dock and took one of the speediest sessions i've ever done. but when you have a couple who are so crazy happy and looking forward to their big day, every shot seems to be a good one. if this session was any indication - saturday is going to be a blast!!

nikki & dave's delightfully damp day!

2008-10-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post - I blogged about my friends jenni & tim. we did a maternity shoot with their son rogan and we've been friends since their wedding 4 years ago. well jenni's brother dave married his longtime love nikki last month. the wedding was held at poplar hill mansion and initially the weather wasn't too promising. the rain would shift from heavy to light without a patch of blue to be seen. then I remembered that I could get radar on my blackberry (lovin' my blackberry!!!!) and hopes were raised as it appeared that we might get a break at ceremony time - and we did - just in time!! it was an emotional time for nikki - not only getting married, but her father had to stay in florida to recover from recent surgery (he heard the whole ceremony via cell phone which was great) but the whole day ended up being beautiful and so much fun. tim gave the best toast I think I've ever heard and rogan was a trooper!

caitlin's big day arrives

2008-10-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post, I had my cousin caitlin's bridal session - well her wedding went off without a hitch. Perfect weather, perfect flowers - perfect shoes!! Her mother Laura knows how to throw a bash. In addition to it being a fun wedding - it was great to see family members I don't see that often - even if they are only in the next town! But Caitlin & her husband Jamie had the day they wanted and planned for and now I know that they're excited to start their lives together. CONGRATULATIONS!!! xoxo

love & laughter in spite of a hurricane

2008-10-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

as I drove to easton for casey & jason's wedding, I looked at the sky and thought "here we go..." hurricane hannah was coming ashore. when I got to the house, I didn't see much of casey - she was in her room making the final decisions that had to be made, as much as she didn't want to. they had planned the wedding at the easton club where the ceremony and the photos were to take place - which is an outdoor venue. the reception was at the krystal q hall and she made the tough call to move everything to the reception site. Lori, her event planner came to the house as casey was getting her makeup done to ensure that everyone had been notified of the change - but once we got the the krystal q and saw how beautiful everything looked - spirits lifted. Actually, as soon as she made the final call - casey was a lot more put together than a lot of brides would have been - laughing and having a great time with her friends and family - and when it was time for the ceremony and she saw jason - all the rain in the world couldn't have dampened their smiles.

crossing the bridge for karen

2008-10-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged - september and october have been wedding madness - I'm grateful to be busy, but it's been crazy. In August, I went to shoot my cousin Karen's wedding. Karen is a cousin from the Gillette side of my family - down here on the shore there are Gladding's (Mom's side)everywhere, so I always relish time that I can spend with Dad's family. Plus I also got to see and spend time with My aunt Karen and cousins Jeannie & Lorie who are the coolest women ever... Back to the Bride!! Before this wedding planning, it had been years since I had seen Karen. I remember years ago when we had a Gillette women reunion up in PA and Karen was a little girl! Well, she's met this amazing guy named Kevin and the wedding was one of the most romantic that I have ever witnessed. Karen even serenaded her groom with guitar help from brother Cameron (also grown up - Damn! I am getting old) But the whole weekend was great and just what I needed

miss julia is ready for her close up!

2008-09-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

in an earlier post I had photos of my friend christina's maternity shoot on assateague - well here's julia when she is 5 days old. she was one chilled out baby during the shoot - we moved her around and she didn't bat an eye or cry once! Oh! some exciting news!! our baby and maternity photography is being featured at Barefoot Baby Boutique in Princess Anne. Barefoot Baby is such a neat place located in the Independance Hall building downtown. They have a great selection for mom's, infants & kids. Check them out at www.barefootbabyboutique.com

rachel's senior portraits

2008-08-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

this was a fun shoot - Rachel's mom, Colleen called me after picking up a flyer for the new studio and they live right here in town. there are beautiful grounds at the house - so Rachel wanted to do her session there and it was a great idea - there was so much to choose from as far as background and texture.

rogan, jenni & tim

2008-08-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

here's another example of a full circle professional relationship that's become a treasured friendship. Jenni hired me to be her wedding photographer at my first wedding show ever - she and Tim got married almost exactly a year before roland & I did. She was also one of the few people my about my age that had lost a parent to cancer - so talking to her about mom was really helpful. she and tim became regulars at the restaurant when we introduced tapas night - her whole family has been really supportive of the palette and one night her uncle came in and told me that she and tim were expecting - Yay!! we did a maternity shoot in her late pregnancy as well as some shots of their dogs bogey and kona. I went to see jenni in the hospital after their son rogan was born and he's already made several trips to the restaurant. A couple of weeks ago I went to their house to do some baby shots - we were also going to try to do some family photos, but rogan had reached his limit, so we'll try that later!

the gordys at the beach

2008-08-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

baby julia gordy was born 2 days ago... it was just several days after I joined her parents - bobby & christina - her sister gracie - and her grandparents bill and pam on assateague to do a family maternity shoot. I've known bill & pam forever - but really didn't get to know the whole family until we opened the restaurant. they are some of our most consistant regulars and have really supported the palette. kala photographed bobby's sister jenny wedding a couple of years ago and I've just really enjoyed getting to know them all and becoming close friends with the family. I delivered the proofs to christina in the hospital last night and was able to hold julia - too cute!! look soon for some infant shots of julia - we're getting together this week for a session.

dog days of summer

2008-08-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

every august here in snow hill we have a dogs days weekend. everything in town is all about dogs - which of course, I love. this year I had my camera at the ready to capture some of the going's on as well as some local dogs. booker and sampson were in the parade of course and book had a great time as he was loved on by all of the kids.

caitlin's bridal session

2008-08-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

caitlin has many roles in my life. first and foremost she is my cousin... well second cousin - or third, twice removed... I'm not sure how all of that works. my mother and her grandfather were first cousins - so whatever that makes us... anyway - for years we were family who knew of each other but didn't really know each other. That was until I opened The Palette and she became my pastry chef. Very long story of how that came to be, but I'm grateful that it did. Her fiance Jamie actually first saw Caitlin while she was on a morning tv show talking about the valentine's day desserts that she was going to be doing for the restaurant - and the rest is history. They are getting married in september and she asked me a while back if we could do bridal photographs. we started at bishop's stock and had fun with different ideas in the gallery. then we went to pocomoke out to this beautiful propoerty where her mother had grown up. I love the dress - it's so her - and the shoes!!! but we had a great time and I'm looking forward to the wedding day

kristin & neil

2008-07-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

kristin and neil are a couple that are getting married in october. they signed up for a previous promotion and received an engagement session and a signature board for their reception. we had a really nice day and went to several location around snow hill. I saw the warehouse location when coming home from pocomoke one day and really loved the way worked with the outfits that neil and kristin brought with them. as much fun as we had doing this session - the wedding should be great!

hannah in the hydrangeas

2008-07-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

hannah is the daughter of my friends stef & jeff alexander. this is a good example of why I love what I do - stef & jeff got married right before roland and I did and I photographed their wedding - they got married under this beatutiful arbor that jeff had made and I kept commenting on it as we were shooting the portraits. jeff asked me if I had gotten anything "borrowed" for my wedding yet - I said no and he said well how about the arbor? he and stef were great enough to bring it down to snow hill from cambridge and roland and I were married under it that weekend. then last year stef emailed me to tell me that they were expecting and would I shoot some pregnancy photos - of course! and now my first portraits of their beautiful daughter hannah. see I only met stef & jeff because they were looking for a wedding photographer and now we have become friends - they honor me by letting me document the most important events and people in their lives and I just think it's so cool that my camera and I are along for the ride!

you were warned!

2008-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

a while back I had mentioned that my husband and I were getting a puppy and I said that once we got him home that I would be taking photos like crazy. well he's been home for about 2 weeks and I'm true to my word. his name is booker and he's a bernese mountain dog - look at his paws! he's going to be a big boy. our older dog sampson is loving having someone to play with (after the first two days of "what is this?!?!?!) you'll be sure to be seeing a lot of booker and sammy in the near future!

kala goes to easton!

2008-07-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

on may 31st, kala went to easton to shoot the wedding of jen lyons and ryan carrion. they all had to endure mother nature as the weather went from sunny to torrential downpour. I was at the initial meeting with kala when she met with jen and I knew she'd make a beautiful bride, but I hadn't met ryan and they are such a cute couple!

I'M A SLACKER!!

2008-06-18T07:34:00.001-07:00

I strive to be one of those photographers who blog at least weekly after weddings or other events - but I don't think it's going to happen!!! This is Laura and Carl's wedding which was almost a month ago. It was one of the most enjoyable weddings I've ever shot - The family and wedding party was at The Palette for the rehearsal dinner and also came up to the bar for an after party post-reception. And then on Sunday morning they joined us again for a go-away brunch. The best part for me was shooting the wedding. I love Laura's parents, Jena and David - and spending the day with Laura was just really cool. She was so easy and natural to work with - as well as stunning! Riverhouse was dressed up prettier than I've ever seen it and taking Laura and Carl down on to Green Street was a lot of fun. My friend/assitant Kristie was also along for the ride and ended up getting some great moments too. I just want to thank the Harvey's for including me in such a wonderful event!

prom in snow hill

2008-05-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was the snow hill prom. all the kids gathered on the back lawn of riverhouse and these two sassy ladies amanda and taylor work at the restaurant. aren't they gorgeous?

new addition to the family!

2008-05-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

after we lost our beloved dog jake on new years eve, it took me and my huband a while before we could even consider another dog. 15 years with jake left a huge hole in our heart. but after some time.. and some pity parties from our youngest dog sampson.. we stuck out on the search.

after quite a long journey we found a bernese mountain dog breeder right around the corner in delmar. the breeders are these amazing sisters julia and elizabeth who have been so great through the whole process. we first met keebler(the mom) before she had the puppies, and then again 2 weeks after the litter was delivered. this is our puppy, he's the largest male in the litter. so far we have thought of a few names - my favorite being booker, but everything thinks I'm saying booger - not good. we've also thought of boone, dillon & frisco. thoughts anyone? but we're beyond stoked to get him home - june 10th. stay tuned for a disgusting amount of puppy photos!

laura and carl

2008-04-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Laura is my friend Gena's daughter who's getting married in about 3 weeks. They asked me if I would shoot the wedding along with catering several wedding events at the Palette. I was thrilled with all of the requests and went out to their beautiful home last weekend to tie up all of the loose ends. Although Laura and her fiance Carl hadn't chosen to do an engagement session, while I was there and they had these cool old barns on the propoerty - we figured why not? I'm looking so forward to the wedding!

paint snow hill

2008-04-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was paint snow hill - it's a plein air painting event that attracts artists from all over the east coast. The event is sponsored and planned by bishop's stock fine art and fine craft gallery. my friend ann coates is the owner and 5 years ago when the event started, she asked me if I would wander around town and capture the artists in action. well this year was the biggest yet and I had a great time "stalking" all of the artists in and around snow hill.

at the podium

2008-04-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

about 3 months ago members of the ocean pines camera club came to eat at the restaurant and asked me to come speak at one of their meetings. I said sure, but didn't really think anything would come of it until about a month ago when a member emailed me to confirm. well last night was their meeting and I was terrified! public speaking is... shall we say a small phobia of mine, but it was so cool. it surprised me how I can forget why I love photography so much - what turned me on to it to begin with. by sharing my story and the things I've learned along the way, I rediscover why photography is such a huge part of my life and how it has been for over 20 years. I'd like to thank the camera club for helping me to creatively kickstart myself and realize how lucky I am that I get to take photos everyday.

spring has sprung!

2008-03-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

spring is one of my favorite times of years - everything starts blooming, the air is fresh and clean; it's a time of renewal. I've spent the winter attemptimg to get gillette portrait arts up and running on the technical front. First task being the setup of a new website which I'm thrilled with. We've also switched some thing's around in how we are marketing and different product we're using. So like spring - we're renewing our approach, our products and our commitment to our clients. As far as this blog, I'm new to the whole concept - so any experienced bloggers out there who can assist me with helpful hints or ideas feel free to let me know