A Salute to Cynthia

Don't let Cynthia's calm demeanor in these photographs fool you. This woman doesn't sit still for a minute.  The Montclair native is a Lt. Colonel in the Army and I was lucky enough to catch her in the studio in between her recent overseas assignments and an upcoming move to Texas. She's lived in dozens of places and had plenty of adventures along the way - AND she just had a milestone birthday. What better way to mark this eventful time in her life, she thought, than to have some professional portraits done? And so here we have... a celebration of Cynthia.

Cynthia, like so many of us, was mainly concerned about how her weight would appear in the photographs. The camera adds ten pounds, as everyone says. But what they DON'T tell you is that a skilled photographer knows all kinds of tricks - with lighting, with posing, with clothing - to minimize features that their clients are uncomfortable with and play up their best assets. Cynthia has a great smile and beautiful skin, so the goal was to draw attention to her lovely face and create some high-drama portraits.

"I'd hoped to lose some weight beforehand, but hadn't quite gotten there by the time my session date came around. But the photographs turned out great! I was nervous posing at first, but Phil made me feel comfortable and made it fun. It felt like the day was dedicated just to me. By the end of the session I felt like I was on America's Next Top Model!" -Cynthia, El Paso, Texas

Nothing But Blue Skies

One of the greatest things about this job is the variety of people I get to interact with on a daily basis. Getting to meet and chat with people from every occupation and walk of life is truly a gift. Not to mention being a part of families' lives for the most exciting and emotional moments, from weddings to births, bar mitzvahs to graduations.

Megan and Lance are no exception. Lance is an engineer, and you may recognize Megan from her position as a CBS meteorologist. They recently welcomed little baby Lana into the world, and lucky me - I got to photograph their brand new family. They opted to capture Lana's first year of life in the Baby Collection - a series of three portrait sessions, as a newborn, at six months, and at one year old.

This was my favorite image from their newborn session. Here's what Megan had to say afterward...

"Lana was only a month old at the time, and I was concerned about how she would hold up through the session.  But I had nothing to worry about - you were wonderful, and moved quickly so that we got great results in a “newborn friendly” timeframe! My husband and I loved how comfortable we felt during the session.  Because we were so at ease, Lana felt comfortable too, and the pictures turned out great!  I was amazed that you got the best shots of her possible.  I couldn’t manage it at home with my camera, and all the time in the world! ”

The family recently returned for Lana's six month session. Both Megan and Lance just lit up every time they looked at their daughter - it would be hard to find a prouder set of parents! Thanks for another great session!