Abbie Rufener Photography... candid.modern.photography

New blog!!!

2011-02-21T22:21:00.002-05:00

Please head over to: http://abbierufener.com/blog and check out my new blog!

From here on out this blog will not be updated so be sure to update your readers!

New niece!

2011-02-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

I have a new niece! And the first one on my side of the family.

A couple, very quick, shots of the new family right before her two week appointment

And me with my new little niece. I love her!!

Don't miss me too much little one! I'll be back this summer. :)

Love

2011-02-14T19:21:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad, thanks for the wonderful example of love through all these years.

The Christmas Attic

2011-01-12T20:26:00.007-05:00

I have been blessed to be working in conjunction with the most amazing Christmas boutique store there is. Have you ever walked into a boutique shop and just felt a sense of peace and happiness? Many times my daughter and I had ridden our bike past the Christmas Attic, located in the historic center of Alexandria, and wondered what it would be like to go in. And the first time we did, it was beyond our wildest imagination. It was a fairly warm/hot August day and I walked in only to be enveloped by the Christmas holiday. It was wonderful! From October-December both the top and bottom floors are filled with Christmas decor:

Pyramids

Nutcrackers
Snowmen
From January-September the second floor remains ALL Christmas decor while the bottom floor rotates in various holiday items depending on the time of year:

Valentine's Day
Halloween
Thanksgiving
And other holidays of course. I've only been with them since September so all holidays from March-September are missing. :) But just in case you are looking for something less festive and more as a simple gift for a friend or family member, they have plenty of cute, practical gifts as well!

Candles

Wine

Kitchen Towels

And more! I enjoy myself each and every time I go in to take pictures for the website and blog. Many of the store items can be bought online but if you're in the area and haven't checked out the Christmas Attic yet, do yourself a favor and head on over. You'll be met with such peace and tranquility when you walk in the door. You'll be glad you went.

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T21:06:00.009-05:00

I can hardly believe that it is 2011. In the past I have found January and February to be rather depressing. Christmas ends, the decorations get put away and things can tend to seem, well... empty. But this year felt different for some reason. I was excited for January to come, excited for what this new year holds.

My husband is leaving on Saturday for four months and I am in the midst of preparing myself to play the part of a single mom for the time he is gone. With his last semester of law school starting Monday he is trading DC for Nashville. But I am not too worried. I feel blessed to have a webcam that will help us stay in close contact, I have many wonderful friends and family members helping support me and I am excited to find new business clients and challenge myself while he is gone! (Not that I don't challenge myself when he's here, but you get the picture)

When 2010 was drawing to an end I reflected on what I had done with the 12 months I was given in that year. And I am happy with what I accomplished but am determined to challenge myself even more this year, to get out of my comfort zone, to make new friends, to travel. I have a myriad of goals. 2011 is going to be awesome.

To celebrate what has passed I put together a few of my favorite images from last year. Thank you to you, my clients, for trusting me to capture your family moments. Happy New Year to all!

New Year's Eve wedding

2011-01-02T21:00:00.006-05:00

Friday the 31st was an awesome day. Not only was it my birthday and I turned the big 3-0 (yikes!) but I got to spend the morning shooting with my dear friend who got married to her best friend. We woke up early to get some great light at Sunday Park in Richmond and then moved on to the VMFA downtown which had some of the most amazing backdrops and lighting.

I tried to keep the selection limited since my husband has teased me about my long posts but I hope you enjoy a few of my favorites from this wonderful day of celebration. Hope you both are enjoying your honeymoon!

Recipe Fail

2010-12-31T21:03:00.003-05:00

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

And... I failed because I took some beautiful pictures of my stollen and then accidentally deleted them. Um, who does that!?

The stollen was interesting and pretty yummy considering I don't care much for dried fruit in bread. It had a warm cinnamon flavor with nuts and chocolate (an extra I decided to throw in for extra yumminess). I will make this short. Reading about food without any images is rather lame. January will bring a new baking challenge and photos which I promise not to delete. Happy New Year everyone!

An after Christmas family session

2010-12-27T22:55:00.011-05:00

My first time shooting a large family group and I had such a great time! A wonderful family, gathered together for the Christmas holiday, enjoying one another's company and documenting this time in their lives through family photographs. I was warmly welcomed in, offered hot coffee, lent a screw driver for a camera piece and there was always someone concerned about whether I was warm enough. You would never guess by these pictures but temperatures were in the 30s with wind gusts up to 40mph. These guys were troopers!

There were so many pictures to choose from and with such a large number of family members I chose just a few of my favorites to share.

Thanks again for inviting me into your home to capture your time together! Happy New Year!

New little one...

2010-12-10T20:57:00.008-05:00

A new little one was welcomed into the world recently. Such a sweet little girl. Loved the swaddle, the heat and being held by Mom and Dad. :)

Semper Fi

2010-11-30T19:10:00.004-05:00

I spent an afternoon with my friend Koreana and her husband who is home from Marine boot camp in California. On opposite sides of the country for the last 3.5 months and with only two short phone calls time finally passed and they are back together! Yay! It was wonderful getting to know my Ben, a man I had heard so many good things about. I was honored to capture this moment between the two of them. Too many favorites to choose from, but choose I did. :) Welcome home Ben (for a little bit at least) and happy holidays to the both of you!

Love this one. You are so cute Koreana!

Another favorite. :)

Senior Picture time!-Arlington, VA

2010-11-15T09:01:00.004-05:00

I love my job so it should come as no surprise that I had a fun time at my Saturday session with Bethany. Bethany is a Senior in high school, preparing to graduate in 2011 and she contacted me to do some senior portraits amongst the gorgeous fall leaves. I have only done a handful of Senior sessions but after Saturday vowed to do more. I had such a fun time with Bethany, discovering her plans for after high school, catching up on the latest Glee episodes and walking around the beautiful Glen Carlyn park as we snapped away. I had the hardest time selecting which images to put up on the blog because they all turned out so beautiful! Bethany, you rocked it.

Thanks so much for a fun session! You've inspired me to seek out more Senior students because of the fun we had. Good luck with applications and enjoy your sneak peek. :)

One of my favorites. Bethany wanted a few with the family dog Coco. :)

Fall family session - Capitol building

2010-11-12T20:17:00.005-05:00

When I had emailed Megan about our session the other day, I told her she may need to bring gloves and a hat because... you know, November weather in DC...it might be chilly. I ate my words yesterday as we basked in the beautiful low 60 degree weather and shot amongst crunchy yellow and red leaves which seemed to glow in the sunlight. I think we commented 5 times at least on how lovely the weather was, how we couldn't have asked for a better day. Thanks for a wonderful session Matt and Megan! Here's your sneak peek. :)

Fall shoot with a soccer ball-

2010-11-08T13:41:00.005-05:00

I headed to Maryland Saturday to meet up with these guys whom I met and photographed last year. It's always fun shooting repeat clients and these three rocked it. The morning had started out windy but by the time I made it up to their home the wind had died down and though a tad cool (50 degrees or so) it was a beautiful fall evening. Their little boy was such a trooper too. Mom mentioned as we were walking to the park that he had woken up in the middle of the night with a fever. But you never would have guessed by his behavior: one of my best child models by far. :)

I had been wanting to work pretty exclusively with a lens that gets ignored in my bag quite frequently and left my "go-to" lens at home to force myself to use this little used lens. And I am so happy with the results. I of course was a bit worried that perhaps the images wouldn't look right, that I would be nervous or uneasy shooting but it didn't happen. These three were fantastic models and great friends. They're even coming over for dinner next Sunday. How great is that!

October 2010 Daring Baker's Challenge-Doughnuts

2010-10-31T14:26:00.004-04:00

Did you know that secretly I would love to be a revered chef? Though I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with my kitchen I am beginning to sway more towards the "love" side and am thoroughly enjoying my rediscovery of cooking. I joined a "club" per se known as The Daring Kitchen. This online site unites bakers and cooks throughout the world giving them a spot of common ground each month by challenging them to try something new. October was my first month as a new participant and I chose to stick with the baking side of preparation. While I like cooking just as well I become a tad more excited when anything with dough or batter is involved.

I have made doughnuts once before. It was two years ago and I was living in a small Virginia town with my family. It was fall, leaves were changing, the air was feeling cooler and I decided I wanted to make doughnuts. Well, they were a flop. They were quite bland and tasted greasy. This month's challenge had me hoping that I could master (or at least improve upon) the art of doughnut creation and consumption.

While we were allowed to use any recipe we could find one was provided to us but I felt that simplicity was key and stuck with this Alton Brown recipe from Food Network. A few things that I changed or discovered along the way:

-I used butter instead of shortening
-The dough was extremely sticky and almost pourable. After it raised (and it took almost 1.5 hours before I saw any real raising going on) it was a bit more like bread dough and less like cake batter.
-Do not fry for one minute each side. I burned most of mine. :( I would say go for 20 seconds each side.

And that's it! If I were to make them one more time I would probably add a tiny bit more of flour and fry them more quickly.

My taste tester had no qualms with the treats being a tad overcooked.

Maybe next time I will also do a complete glaze instead of just the tops.

I know, not the fanciest of pictures but it was late at night and I wasn't up for styling my food. :)

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

Fall session Jefferson Memorial

2010-10-25T15:15:00.006-04:00

Had the most energetic, beautiful evening this past weekend shooting this session. Two cute little boys:

And parents with the most lovely British accents.

What a treat to be shooting at one of DC's memorials with a bright fall sun and crisp autumn air. It was a great evening.

We had a fun time playing with Dad

And blowing bubbles

And giving kisses
Thank you Rob and Claire (and your cute boys!) for a great evening. Can't wait for you to see the rest! :)

Fall Session at the National Cathedral-Virginia Family Photographer

2010-10-17T19:38:00.007-04:00

Can I just say that I love my job!? I do and it's because of families like this one who make my job so much fun. I've said it before in many posts that one part I love about what I do is that I am able to meet so many wonderful people and let me tell you, Beth and her family fit the bill. We met up an hour or so before sunset at that National Cathedral. Originally we had planned on shooting on the mall but when Beth emailed me a few days previous and asked if we could move the location I was ecstatic when she said "National Cathedral". I'm a sucker for anything European or, in the Cathedral's case, anything that looks European. The grounds are always beautifully kept and there are so many different nooks and crannies to photograph in that you have background choices galore.

When I arrived it was windy to say the least. But the sky was a gorgeous blue and the building was breathtaking.

And then these cute little faces came around the corner and I knew I was in for a treat:

And with a handsome dad and beautiful mom who liked hiding out in make-shift tent forts, how could we go wrong?

We took shelter on the south side of the Cathedral because, no joke, the wind was blowing like crazy but about 20 minutes into the session the winds calmed and it was like any other fall evening.

My favorite of Sean and his little girl

And one of my faves of these two. She was captivated at first my the clicking sound of my camera and would stare at it mesmerized. But that only lasted a few minutes and then she was off crawling and giggling again.

I try to make my sessions fun, not painful. And sometimes I'm sure I look or sound goofy but if I can get an image like this, it's all worth it.

And sometimes, if you've just celebrated your first birthday, there may be cupcakes involved. Thank you Curbside Cupcakes for our yummy treats. Sorry Beth that I stole yours. :(

All in all, we had a nice, relaxing time:

We had some hide and seek time:

And even some time for a little of this:

But when you look this good, my job is easy:

Beth, Sean, I loved spending the evening with you all! I am so glad you found me on google (thank you google!) and called me up so that we could capture how awesome your family is. I hope you enjoyed your sneak peek! :)

Jenny

2010-10-05T17:35:00.005-04:00

I used to live in the DC are five years ago and I knew Jenny then. We didn't do much together but we knew who the other one was. When I moved back I saw her one Sunday in church, we struck up a conversation and have become fast friends. We both love running (though I'm still trying to heal a heel issue that just won't go away), we share the same travel bug and love of photography, plus, I find her line of work fascinating (you'll have to ask her... :)

We went around Crystal City the Friday before I took off to Washington state and happily laughed and snapped pictures along the way. Here's a sneak peek!

(Side note, I'm editing on my laptop... colors/tones/lighting, etc. might be a tad off. That's just my little disclaimer) :)

By far this is one of my faves from the session....

It's all in the details...

2010-09-29T14:56:00.004-04:00

I know that is sometimes a cliche statement but it's true. The details truly make the difference. Here are a few more I wanted to share with you.

Dream wedding

2010-09-26T20:20:00.009-04:00

I was at the most amazing wedding yesterday. Even better, I got to second shoot the wedding with the wonderful Andrea Shirey. Have you ever been to a wedding that just blew you away? The setting, the people, the details, the food, drinks, celebration and overall feeling of it... just wonderful? A wedding where you leave and think to yourself, what an amazing evening...

Granted, I was the second photographer and not a guest. I couldn't go out and bust a move on the dance floor (like I wanted to) nor could I chow down on the most delicious looking cake ever (vanilla, chocolate and poppy seed flavors were the three to chose from!). But I did cry (even though I tried to keep it under wraps), and I did get to pal around with the awesome groom and his groomsmen/best man. And when I got so hot and dizzy that I thought I was going to faint I did give in and take a second to chug a ginger ale to get my blood sugar back up. So I got to enjoy some of the festivities. :) Either way, the night was filled with amazing people celebrating a beautiful wedding in a breathtaking location. What a fabulous night. Let me see if I can help you feel a little of what I felt.

Hello blue shoes! We'll see you again as you wrap up our evening.

The wedding was help on the ground of Kenswick Vineyards near Charlottesville. A beautiful, peaceful location in the Virginia countryside.

The beautiful bride (right) with one of her bridesmaids (a friend from college).

In with the men, the groom unwrapped a gift from his bride. (Seriously, these guys give the most awesome gifts ever!)

Up until this week we've been enjoying beautiful fall temperatures. And then all of a sudden it got unbearably hot. Temps were in the low 90s and this pool was looking mighty tempting.

But these guys were such troopers, sweating it out in the heat with hardly a complaint.

The pastor leading the groom and his men in for the start of the ceremony.

The first time seeing his bride. I love capturing these moments!

The details were everywhere: mason jars with flowers on the chairs, beautiful programs, flowers wrapped around the archway, a string quartet...

"I now pronounce you man and wife"

Being announced as husband and wife. I'm getting teary-eyed remembering it.

And of course, the first dance.

Good night blue shoes, you served yourselves well.

Family Pictures

2010-09-11T22:47:00.005-04:00

I mentioned in a post a while back that I needed to schedule family pictures for my own family. And I did! And I felt what a lot of you probably feel. I worried about what we were going to wear, where we should shoot them. And then I worried about the weather (which wound up being gorgeous) and worried about whether we would be late (we weren't). I worried that Ella would be a terror (she wasn't... although she was quite active). I got knots in my stomach waiting for Shelby to arrive because of my nervousness. In case you haven't caught on yet, I'm kind of a worrier. And, I kind of need to work on that. But that's a whole different blog post.

Let me offer a few hints to help you not worry as much as I did. For clothes, pick out what your husband is going to wear first (this is easiest), then you, the wife, then your kids. Don't feel that you need to all wear the same color, just make sure that they go together. As for the location, where do you love to go? If you could visit one or two certain places outdoors for some rest and relaxation, where would you visit? Then, don't worry about the weather. You can't control it. If need be, the session can be rescheduled. As for your kids, relax. Kids will sense if you're stressed. Go with the flow, let them do what they want (more or less). The photographer will help guide you through your session and try to help with your kids as much as possible. And finally, relax, relax, relax. Your session will be fun! You'll feel like a model! You'll feel beautiful and important and in the end, you'll have some of the most beautiful images of your family you've ever seen.

I knew of Shelby because we both sometimes frequent a photography forum so I contacted her to see if she would be interested in photographing my little family, and in return, me photographing hers. And she agreed! So on Labor Day we met up on the mall for a couple mini-sessions and here are some of my favorites that she took of us. Thank you Shelby. These are more precious to us than anything.

And one of my favorite images from my time with Shelby and her beautiful family:

Update on goals

2010-09-07T14:18:00.005-04:00

How bad is it that I'm behind on posting about my 101 goals in 1001 days? Like, way behind. My attempt is to keep these short and sweet so that I can acknowledge what I've done but not write a long (and possibly boring) novel about everything.

Goal #28: 2nd shoot a wedding with 2 different photographers
Last October I helped second shoot my first wedding ever with Jennifer Creed. I was nervous of course, a wedding is such a big day filled with moments that you never want to forget. Then just last month I was lucky enough to shoot with Andrea Shirey, a photographer I have admired for a couple years now. Again, nerves like you wouldn't believe. So what did I learn? Nerves happen. Get over it and shoot. :)

Goal #46: Get a massage
Like this is really that hard right? Well, when your husband is a law student and you're paying what we do in tuition and living, a massage isn't always high up on the list of things to purchase. But last January I had the worst kink in my neck and it kept going on for days. I finally went in, got a massage and almost like a miracle I was cured. So what did I learn? Massages rock, splurge every now and then if you're on a tight budget. It is sooo worth it.

Goal #52: Do a "Shoot for a cause" where I devote an entire day shooting mini sessions for a cause
After the January earthquake in Haiti I decided that I wanted to donate to the Red Cross but wanted to make a bigger dent than just what I could give. And so I came up with the idea of doing 20 minute mini sessions for $50 and having each family donate directly to a charity in the name of the Haiti earthquake victims. And then I decided to donate 75% of whatever products each family purchased. I tallied up the money and together these families and I helped raise over $600 which was donated to charity. Lesson learned? It feels wonderful to give to others. Can't wait to do it again!

Goal #58: Volunteer at a Senior Center one time
I volunteered at a Senior Center for two months when we lived in Nashville. I started with this goal in mind-to go just once but kept going back. I would play the piano during the lunch hour while the Seniors ate. Lesson learned? Eventually it became tricky trying to find someone to watch my daughter while I went and I decided to wait to do something similar until E gets older.

And just so that you can enjoy this post a little more, a picture of my little girl taken last month. She is so cute.

Album spreads

2010-08-26T14:00:00.008-04:00

I've been working on creating some album spreads in an effort to create a sample album to show prospective clients and businesses.

Sneak Peek

2010-08-23T21:11:00.006-04:00

I feel so lucky to have assisted at a wedding this past weekend in Richmond. One of my favorite photographers asked me if I would second shoot the wedding and I happily agreed. I'll be honest, I was extremely nervous, constantly worrying that none of my images were turning out as well as I hoped for, etc. Weddings can be so stressful! Yet on the flip side, they are so wonderful. The love, emotion and spirit that is felt at a wedding can't be traded for anything. I'm so happy to have had this chance to second shoot another wedding and look forward to shooting again next month. Until then, enjoy a few of my favorite images.

Liz

2010-08-19T21:58:00.003-04:00

"Why do I feel like I'm in a swamp?" Liz asked tonight during our shoot.

"Uh, because we are," I replied.

But you never would guess it from the images.

Thank you DC weather for not being terribly unbearable but if you could cut down on the humidity just a tad, we would really appreciate it.

Enjoy!

100 posts later and I'm still behind

2010-08-16T21:57:00.007-04:00

A few posts back I mentioned that I had been in upstate New York for 10 days. And I was, but the pictures I'm about to share are from a trip I made last October during the peak of the changing of colors. My aunt, daughter and I visited the beautiful little town of Skaneateles: a quaint village on the Finger Lakes with beautiful cottages, houses, shops and window-fronts. Its beauty, combined with the vibrant fall leaves, made for a beautiful fall afternoon. I love fall and am looking forward to the cooler temperatures and crispness that the season brings. Until then, enjoy some pictures from last year.

August session offers

2010-08-03T22:46:00.009-04:00

When was the last time you had a family portrait session? Is the latest portrait on your wall from years ago? Are your children in school but your family portrait says otherwise? Are you wanting portraits taken for your holiday cards? Are you expecting a new baby before the end of the year?

Starting today, any client booking a session to take place before the 1st of December will have the choice to receive 50 complimentary holiday cards ($100 value) with their session OR $75 off a session (normally $150--see my website for more details). This offer will only be available until August 31st so contact me at: abbie (at) abbierufener (dot) com or the phone number to the right.

Baby J -DC Newborn Photographer

2010-08-02T22:25:00.006-04:00

Why I don't focus primarily on newborns is a mystery too me. Not only are they so adorable and little but they sleep for most of the session. Could I ask for anything more relaxing? Thank you Ruth and Abraham for allowing me to capture these images of your precious little one. Enjoy your sneak peek!

The green baby cocoon is courtesy of my friend Marissa Young. Please contact me if you would like to get in touch with her.

I love me some moo...

2010-07-26T14:53:00.005-04:00

moo.com Go check them out. They are the amazing company who printed my business cards which I just ran downstairs and grabbed 30 minutes ago. What I loved is the array of images I was able to use! So colorful and fun. Just what I want for my business.

Here they are in all their colorful glory

This is how they arrived

And here is the inside

Love them! Not only are they reasonably priced, they are awesome. Go check them out. :)

A run on the turkey-DC Family Photographer

2010-07-19T14:36:00.005-04:00

I woke up early this past Saturday and headed north on George Washington Parkway to Turkey Run, a park/trailhead along the Potomac to photograph a family I have known for a year now. You may remember John and Kate from this post and this one when their son was younger. They had originally booked one session but when it began to rain at the end I offered to finish shooting at another time.

In July when they were passing by Lexington where my family and I were living at the time we invited them for 4th of July dinner. My daughter took to them immediately and I felt that a friendship was formed.

Now here I am, back in the DC area and we've already hung out a couple times, at a park, at dinner, it's been great having friends. And that is what I had always hoped for when I started this business: to make lasting relationships with the families I shoot, to photograph their family as they grow. I'm so grateful for wonderful friends like John and Kate and for being able to get out shooting again! Despite the cold that their little boy had I'm pleased with what we were able to get. Hope you guys are too.

the perfect time...

2010-07-13T13:42:00.004-04:00

Is there such a thing as 'the perfect time'? If you're anything like me, your down time is spent contemplating some day in the (hopefully not distant) future when you'll have more money and more time to do what you've always wanted to do, that you'll weigh less than you do right now, that your kids will be better behaved and that you'll be more organized.

I began thinking about this idea of 'the perfect time' while perusing the blog of a photographer in Australia who just had her family's portraits taken by one of my favorite photographers: Blue Lily. She posed the question: what is stopping you from having your family's portraits taken? Do you want to lose weight? Do you not have time? Is money an issue?

It is true that custom photography is a luxury but it is worth it! And I echo Alinta and promise you that the memories captured will be worth so much more than the money you pay for them. My desire has always been to offer candid, beautiful, moving, personal moments without-as my canvas company recently stated- overcharging. I hope that you won't continue to wait, to put it off any longer. Children grow up so fast, situations change and I know that there will never be 'the perfect time' for photography or anything else for that matter. Stop waiting, start doing.

A recent photo from our trip up North. I will be taking my own advice and booking a session soon. :)

Back "home" finally!

2010-07-06T20:57:00.003-04:00

Has it really been weeks since I posted? Our trip to upstate New York was fabulous. Lots of talking, staying up late, watching Law & Order, reading, relaxing... what more could you ask for. I'm so happy to be home, in our new home now in Arlington. And I want to start taking pictures!! Can't wait to get the word around that I'm ready to shoot! I hope everyone is having a fantastic, if not, very hot week.

Short Hiatus

2010-06-12T22:22:00.003-04:00

While we are in the middle of moving from Nashville to DC and all of the fun travels we have planned in between, the blog may get slightly neglected. I will try to post some images from my travels to upstate NY next week and for the 10 days we will be there.

And while I am away, if you know of anyone in the DC area who is pregnant and due anywhere from the middle of July until September or so and who would like to receive a complimentary newborn session let me know. I am looking for 2-3 newborn "models" to work with. Families will receive a complimentary newborn session and one 5x7 as well as the option of purchasing collections or prints at 15% off. ($200+ value)

Sites and Sounds: Ballston Farmers Market

2010-06-03T21:33:00.006-04:00

I saw a sign last week about a farmer's market near the Ballston Metro Station. Thankfully, since that's all the info I knew of, the market has a blog and twitter page and I found out that the market is open every Thursday from 3pm-7pm. Ahh... I'm telling you, heaven is found in local farmer's markets. E and I enjoyed some fresh blueberries, picked just this morning from a farm about an hours drive from DC. Couldn't be any better than that!

#92 Purchase a set of templates or two from Design Aglow

2010-06-03T13:34:00.004-04:00

I haven't blogged any completed goals for awhile regarding my 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. #92 was completed a couple of months ago when I decided to purchase a couple of templates from a company who designs some of the most beautiful templates for photographers, Design Aglow.

I love their templates so much because they have a sense of timelessness and simplicity which exude beauty. As a company they strive to help photographers create beautiful pieces to sell and take the hassle out of designing them ourselves.

I laughed to myself when I was reading back over my goals, seeing which ones I have accomplished and which ones I haven't yet. It seems like such a small thing, purchasing templates, and it is, but the results of using a template to create an artpiece for a client is gorgeous.

To see the templates I purchased click here and here. And I've already used them! Yay! Unfortunately I wasn't able to take any pictures of the final product as I wanted to keep them wrapped in their protective bubble wrap and plastic. But here are the designs I sent to my lab:

This was a 20x20 mounted print for my mom for Mother's Day. It turned out lovely. I collaborated with my siblings and their spouses to include pictures of all of us from the past couple of years.

The image below was inspired by the templates I purchased but I tweaked it a bit to get it to our liking. This was a 30x30 inch gallery wrapped canvas. The black border wrapped around the wooden frame and was only visible from the sides. It contains images from a clients session I did in April and was gorgeous. Can I just say that it was nice and big! Just the way I like them.

Washington DC- DC Family Photographer

2010-05-31T20:55:00.006-04:00

I am sure it's normal to be moving around so much while you're young. You know, college age, moving apartments, getting internships, etc. But I don't really 'classify' myself as part of that age group anymore. I mean, I'm almost thirty, I'm married and I have a toddler. So when we packed up and moved to Washington DC last week, with only one week's notice, I felt a tad faint at heart.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Washington DC. I lived here after I got my undergraduate degree, worked for the awesome Marriott Hotel chain and couldn't wait to return someday. And now someday is today. I have moved 7 times in the last 5 years and that's only cities. If you count apartments that first number goes up to 9. I told my husband, I am ready to settle down for longer than a year.

We will be in Washington DC for at least one year, I am hoping many and I can't wait to start marketing, networking and getting out there, meeting families and taking pictures!

Until then, (and while my computer is still in a box for the next few weeks) here is a shot of my husband holding my daughter taken from one of my favorite places right outside DC, near Reagan National Airport; Gravelly Point.

Blake + Danielle and Co.-DC Family Photographer

2010-05-17T23:53:00.006-04:00

It may sound so trite and repetitive when I blog about how much I enjoy what I do-how I love getting to know the families I have sessions with-how at the end of the session I feel like I have made new friends-how cute their children are; I really feel so blessed to do what I do!

While I'm certain my use of hyphens in the last sentence is totally incorrect... as well as the semi-colon, let's look beyond that. :) It took a few tries for Danielle and I to schedule a session, with me leaving town next week (more on that later), the crazy rainy weather, Blake's work schedule, canceled appointments, etc., the stars aligned and early this morning we decided to try for this evening. With gray clouds and the sound of thunder at times this afternoon I seriously was willing the clouds to contain themselves and move on. And they did, that is, until I drove home and then it literally poured buckets. Side note: have you ever been in a storm, driving, where you can see the rain coming... say... 100 feet in front of you? Almost as if the rain were an actual sheet. Ya, that was tonight.

Thank you clouds and thank you rain for holding off until 15 minutes after I left this wonderful family. Enjoy your sneak peek guys!

Little Cosmo. Cute little dog, family member and alma mater mascot namee. :)

Gorgeous light, gorgeous location, gorgeous family. Couldn't have asked for more.

While we were looking for fish I made sure Danielle had a grip on my foot so that I didn't plop myself into the pond.

We achieved this smile by "letting" him scare me. Isn't it so cute how 2 year olds think it's just soooo funny to scare people. My daughter loves doing this too.

I love the connection in this shot. Just look at Danielle's eyes and you know she's in love.

I LOVE this picture!! Literally as I was walking to my car to return home, these two came skating down the driveway. I got two frames. This is one of them. Love it!!

Talking about books...

2010-05-12T18:51:00.002-04:00

on my friend's blog today! Do you remember the books you loved as a child? Every Wednesday my good friend Danielle hosts people's remembrances of their favorite childhood books on her blog. Today spotlights me and a few of my favorite books. Go check it out!

Cardinal Sins

2010-04-23T00:26:00.003-04:00

I spent six years studying art history in college (two degrees just in case the thought that it took me six years to get a Bachelor's degree crossed your mind). One genre that I found intriguing and beautiful art was Northern Renaissance art. When I think of artists from this time period I think of Van Eyck, Bosch, van der Weyden, and Memling to name a few. During the six years of studying, I spent time in France, Belgium, and Italy at various times. While in Italy the lovely ice cream company, Magnum, came out with "limited edition" ice cream bars based on the seven deadly sins. They reminded me of a Bosch painting of the same title.

I have been thinking of the seven deadly or cardinal sins for a while and in an effort to expand my creativity (which comes and goes... did I just admit that? LOL) I decided to do my own depiction of these cardinal sins. I wanted to shoot in black and white so that color was a non-issue and I was surprised at how much different (and enjoyable) it was not shooting in color. With my friend's help we shot down four of the seven 'peccati' last weekend. Stay tuned for the remaining three in the next few weeks. :)

Superbia

Fornicatio

Avaritia

Gula

Percy Warner Shoot-DC Family Photographer

2010-04-20T16:38:00.007-04:00

Spring has finally arrived and I could not be happier! I was lucky to be able to meet up with two families I had been scheduled to shoot last... November! As luck would have it, I was extremely sick for days right around the time we were to meet up last Fall. By that time, trying to reschedule would have meant a chilly, leaveless shoot and so we decided to aim for spring time. The stars aligned... as well as all three of our schedules and on Saturday we were able to meet up. The girls were an absolute delight to work and play with. And when the shoot was over and I got a hug good-bye from one of the girls, my heart melted and I wished I could have stayed longer.

Enjoy your sneak peek guys!

And one of the girls together (I got some cute ones of the two of them!)

We got it!-DC Family Photographer

2010-04-17T22:24:00.006-04:00

Erin, we got it!! :)

I had an awesome Saturday afternoon with you all! Fabulous, fabulous daughters you have.

Friday

2010-04-16T23:46:00.002-04:00

One image from today's shoot.

New toy

2010-04-11T23:36:00.004-04:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with this family. It was nice to do a third session with them, get to know them on a more personal level and of course, shoot the new addition to the family. The color of the plane just glistened and the paint job was soft to the touch. It was a great way to spend my Saturday afternoon, talking with the father and getting to know him and his kids better. I did though forget to wear sunscreen which wasn't the brightest thing I could have done. LOL. Here are a few from the afternoon.

Married!-DC Family Photographer

2010-04-05T21:21:00.012-04:00

I am lucky to have gorgeous friends who love having their portrait taken. :) Steven and Amanda met up with me on a beautiful Friday afternoon to take pictures of just the two of them. You may remember their cute little boy from here and here. We decided for Friday to do a shoot with just them. For those of you married just a couple of years or those married many years, you understand how a marriage often changes when children come into the family and sometimes, I think, it's nice to remember the two of you... to date... to spend time with one another. And so we did. And here are the results. Enjoy!

Haiti Charity Part 2-DC Family Photographer

2010-03-28T16:02:00.008-04:00

I had two families who did their charity donation shoot a few weeks after the original date. The day could not have been more beautiful with a clear blue sky, temperatures in the upper 60s and a light wind. We headed to Percy-Warner Park but to an area I had never been to before which one of the families suggested. Not only was it wonderful to be outside yesterday enjoying the beautiful day, it was even more wonderful to be shooting again and realizing that spring is finally here (with a few cloudy, rainy days intermittent... such as today)! Spring is a beautiful time to get your family or child's portraits done. Beautiful blossoms, green lush grass, warm days (but not humid!). I would love to hear from you if you are interested in scheduling a portrait session. Until then, enjoy a few photos from yesterday.

Remember this little girl from here?

Love this one.

And can you believe how big this little girl is getting?

And here is another familiar face from not too long ago. Seriously can't believe how much he has grown up.

OMG. This one's a keeper.

I can't rave enough about how I love seeing families interact with one another. This picture supports my love for candid photographs.

L has the most GORGEOUS eyes. So pristine blue.

Thank you all for such awesome sessions and for supporting a great cause, I know that your donation will help those in Haiti who need it most.

A few more from Saturday

2010-02-28T23:11:00.007-05:00

Just a few more images to post from Saturday's mini-sessions. I'll be posting a few more in a couple of weeks!!

My first time working with twins and it was so fun!

Love this one!

And this one too...

Gorgeous! See, winter can be a great time for pictures! :)

Too funny... definitely the ham in the family

Thank you to all the wonderful families who donated their sessions to various charities to help the earthquake victims in Haiti! I loved working with all of you!

Nashville Family Photographer-Haiti Charity Sneak Peek

2010-02-27T22:30:00.007-05:00

I can't describe the amazing time I had today shooting the numerous families who helped raise relief money for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake last month by donating their session fee. It was an absolute joy to be around these amazing moms, dads and kids. Here is a sneak peek for those whose permission I have received thus far. (Note: I edited these this evening on my laptop since I'm away from home. Hopefully everything looks good. :) )

Haiti Shoot tomorrow!

2010-02-26T16:16:00.001-05:00

Just as a reminder, the charity photo shoot is tomorrow and I am so excited! We have had some great families sign up and I'm excited to be doing a lot of shooting. Thank you to everyone who signed up and if you are interested at the last moment please shoot me an email! Images to come in the next few days!

Celebrate!

2010-02-15T13:41:00.010-05:00

It's great working with repeat clients and this particular birthday party was a long time coming. I shot Josh's birthday party last August when we first moved to Nashville and was lucky enough to shoot Hayley's birthday party on Saturday. The celebration was originally sheduled a few weeks ago but when we received a snowy, icy mess of a storm it was canceled and rescheduled.

It was a fantastic cowboy themed party complete with roping bulls, pinatas, banjo players, pin the tail on the donkey and more. Cheryl of Better than a Butler did a fantastic job organizing and executing the event.

Before the party, Hayley had a basketball game she was cheering at so I went to take a few pictures.

Hayley and her cheer squad
Cutest little girls ever!

Content after the team won the game

The balloon artist, I would dare say, was the hit of the party

Cupcakes from Gigi's Cupcakes (delicious!)

Delicious punch and food

The brilliant idea of having a drink bar that included hot chocolate and candies to melt inside the hot cocoa. I loved it! Drank way too much chocolate though.

There were two banjo/guitar players there who kept us entertained. They were kind enough to let everyone play with their instruments.

Pinata time!

And a mad dash for the candy

Hayley got some help from Dad blowing out her candles

And everyone went home with party favors: candy and treats inside a hot pink cowboy boot.

I'm so happy I was able to be a part of another birthday party with this family. The party was so much fun and relaxing. Thank you and Happy Birthday Hayley!!

Snowday

2010-01-30T21:54:00.005-05:00

We had a real snowday today! I say "real" because we had a couple of snow days a few weeks ago but it was the weakest "storm" I have ever seen. :) No offense to people from Tennessee but 1 inch of snow is not a storm in my book nor is it a reason to shut down schools for two days. Last night and today was different though. While we only wound up receiving about 4 inches of snow it iced throughout the night leaving a slick 1/4 of an inch thick layer of ice on top of everything making for very slick roads.

We remained close to home today and church has already been canceled for tomorrow which means more time being inside but we'll enjoy the time together.

Ella and I decided to explore our winter snowscape this morning and here are a few pictures of that little adventure. Ella would finally get comfortable walking only to fall down again. By the end of our excursion she was wanting to be held. Good times.

This is the view from outside our apartment

Ella getting ahead of me and not realizing it

My child never wants to look at the camera. Sigh...

Photos for Haiti

2010-01-19T23:18:00.012-05:00

Have you been wanting to help the people of Haiti somehow no matter how big or small? I have and I feel like I've been brainstorming ever since I first heard about the devastation. And I have finally come up with an idea.

On February 27th my goal is to do up to thirteen, 20 minute mini-sessions. For those interested in a session I ask that you donate $50 or more (please feel free to be generous!) to the charity of your choice (this will count as your session fee). Then you will choose a time below when you would like to do your session and finally, you will email me to confirm that the time slot is still available. I kindly ask to see a receipt or email confirmation (with confidential information blacked out) stating that you donated before the session takes place. Each session will include either one 8x10 print or one digital image. For any additional images that are purchased I will donate 75% of the proceeds to the American Red Cross.

For additional information please see my website: http://abbierufener.com and click on the link "HAITI".

The times are listed below:

Saturday, February 27th

8:30

~~9:00~~

~~9:30~~

~~10:00~~

~~10:30~~

~~11:00~~

11:30

Lunch from 12:00-1:00

~~1:00~~

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

~~3:30~~

Goal #100-Take a business class or some course on new businesses

2010-01-17T21:13:00.002-05:00

I am really excited that I did this. I had been wanting to take a business class ever since I started last April because let's face it, my course of study in undergrad and graduate school did not teach me much about how to run a business.

As luck would have it one of the largest photography associations (PPA-Professional Photographers of America) decided to hold their annual Imaging USA meeting in Nashville of all places. They offered numerous classes before the actual conference, most of which were business related and I decided to do a 2 day course to hopefully get me up to speed on what I need to be doing. It was taught by the amazing Carol Andrews and Ann Monteith, both of whom have been in the business for years and really know their stuff. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to attend and find the information that I learned invaluable. This year is going to bring about a lot of great, refreshing and new changes so be on the lookout!

One of my favorite images

2010-01-17T00:04:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that I'm in love with Europe, France in particular. Immediately after my husband and I married we went to Europe for two weeks so that I could do research on my Master's thesis. The research took us to France where we stayed in Paris for one week and allowed me to show my husband one of my favorite cities. This trip resulted (among many things) in some fantastic images. The one below is of the chateau, Vaux-le-Vicomte. My thesis researched the surrounding gardens and we were lucky to spend a day wandering around, taking in everything around us. Enjoy!

Newly born

2010-01-15T22:55:00.004-05:00

Had the chance to photograph cute little G, the newest addition to Chris and Scarlet's little family. So much fun and such beautiful subjects to work with. The light (and weather come to think of it) was beautiful and allowed us to shoot with plenty of available light indoors. Here's a little sneak peek. Hope you enjoy!

My life

2010-01-14T19:58:00.006-05:00

Being a mother is hard. But when I see that my daughter has done something like this, it makes my day:

She has obviously learned that babies (such as herself) like raisins.

#24- Eat at Cafe Rio

2010-01-12T15:14:00.005-05:00

While this completion of a goal is not photography related, my purpose for including it was to help me get back to Utah and the delicious yummyness that is Cafe Rio. At the time I made these 101 goals I did not know when I would be in Utah next. Luckily, my brother's wedding was in Salt Lake City and thus I was able to eat at Cafe Rio three times in December. :) For those of you who have never been to this restaurant you must go!!! Plan a trip to Park City to ski in the winter or to hike and bike in the summer if you must. Once you go I promise it will be the only restaurant you will want to eat at.

Cafe Rio has three basic menu items to choose from: Enchiladas, Salads and Burritos. There are a few sides here and there but these are the big three. You walk in (and usually have to wait in line because so many people share similar love affairs with the restaurant) and once to the front of the line you are at a glass plexi-glass wall similar to Subway where you can see them putting together your meal. You tell the person what you want, the type of beans and whether you're going to have meat or not. Slowly you walk down the line and tell the various employees what you would like to have: sauces, lettuce, salsa, dressings, guacamole, lime, tortilla chips, etc.

I always get a veggie salad with shredded lettuce, pico, guac, sour cream, tortilla chips on top and their famous creamy tomatillo dressing.

For those in the DC region I read an article about two weeks ago that said that Cafe Rio will be in Washington DC by the end of 2010. You can be sure that I will be making a trip up to the Nation's Capital to visit. :)

Time for reflection

2010-01-11T15:41:00.008-05:00

As we are all aware the beginning of January is a time for reflection about the upcoming year and what each one of us wants to accomplish. I am actually one who gets very excited about the new year and about creating goals that can realistically be accomplished. I'm a BIG list person. I have post its all over the place and love being able to cross something off of my google calendar.

Ten years ago in 1999 I was barely 19 (my birthday is the 31st of December) and my family and I spent New Year's Eve with close family friends. At their home we created "time capsules" to be opened ten years later. We put in a picture of ourself, any magazine or newspaper clippings we wanted to include and any other "important" items we felt necessary to put in. I am slightly embarrassed to say that when I opened the box up there were NUMEROUS pictures of Celine Dion as well as pictures of my then on/off (more off) boyfriend and something you might call a love letter from him stashed inside.

Oh gosh... as I read through the things I had written about where I was in 1999 I realized that luckily many things had changed. But I also came to the conclusion that a lot of things about me had not changed. And that worried me. I went for a run on snow packed roads the next day and struggled to get a good solid grip in the snow. While running I thought about what I would write and put in a time capsule to be opened in 2020. And I wondered if I would still have the same "unchanged" characteristics that have carried through since 1999.

You may remember my 101 goals to do in 1001 days. Well, I'm making progress! I realized this past week that these goals I made for myself last year may just be what I need to help overcome the unwanted characteristics that I've been carying around for ten+ years now. Do any of you feel this way? Is there any characteristic that strongly sticks out to you which you would like to change?

I am going to be sharing with you some of the goals I have been able to accomplish in the coming days. So to everyone reading, Happy New Year (ten days late) and best wishes with your goals!

This is an image from New Year's Day 2010. It had stormed the previous day and when we awoke the sun was peeking through the clouds and there was of all crazy things, a rainbow. :)

Goal #94- Shoot my brother's wedding

2009-12-20T21:53:00.006-05:00

When I was choosing the 101 goals to do in 1001 days my brother was not married but I was hoping he would be before March of 2012 :). Well, Dale was married this past Saturday to a wonderful girl named Leisa in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple of the LDS Church. I was so excited (and slightly nervous!!) to photograph their wedding. And despite the 20 degree weather and 15 mph wind chill it was a beautiful day. I edited the images below on a laptop so I hope that the colors aren't too far off. Thank you Dale and Leisa for allowing me to capture this special day for you! Enjoy Spain!

I was lucky to arrive at the Temple as the sun was coming up.

These two were so happy the entire day!

We came around this side and the wind literally just sucked the breath out of us.

Love how this one turned out!

So beautiful and so happy!

The smartest thing Leisa did was choose to wear snow boots instead of regular shoes.

Gorgeous!

Thanks for being such a good sport Leisa and taking your cape off for this one! :)

LOVE you both so much!! Welcome to the family Leisa!

The winner.....

2009-12-06T22:47:00.002-05:00

Is letter "F"! Coming in second was letter "O" (votes are still coming in but sadly they stopped counting after 8 pm Central time) and third was letter "L". Congratulations to Coleen and her family. I know she did a MASSIVE blitz on facebook to get the votes. The families of letter "O" and letter "L" will also win an 8x10 of their choice so please contact me!

Contest just in time for the holidays!

2009-12-02T20:42:00.013-05:00

****Contest is closed*****

I wanted to do a contest for those families who helped make this first year in business so great! Each one hired and trusted me enough to capture their family dynamics and for that I am grateful. I have grown so much this year and I hope to continue to grow into 2010 and beyond.

To say thank you to my families I have chosen my favorite images from family sessions and included them in this post for you all to vote on in the comments section. The contest starts now and will end Sunday December 6th at 8pm Central time. Each person may vote once so pick your favorite! The winning image will receive a $100 print credit (digital images and holiday cards excluded). So get voting and spread the word so that your image can win! :)

**Please leave your name along with your comment. :) Thanks!!**

1 (this one is a number b/c it was a late addition)

Thank you once again to my wonderful families. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Fall Session-Virginia Family Photographer

2009-11-24T14:33:00.008-05:00

I was lucky to shoot a session with Heather and Andy last week at their home and on Vanderbilt Campus. I loved that they came prepared with three outfits to dress up in and the colors they picked were so vibrant! Awesome job guys. :) Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!!

Andy can totally make Heather laugh. I loved it. You could tell how much she loved him just by how she looked at him.

More laughs. I love this one.

Sassy.

Hello beautiful eyes!

Christmas card maybe? :)

I hope you both enjoyed your session! Your pictures will be coming shortly.