Morgan & Paul

Ever meet a couple, and you immediately fall in love with the way they are together? The way they look at each other, dance together, talk to each other? That's how we felt about this wedding.

Morgan is a self proclaimed Princess, but she's one of the most sweet and kind brides we've had the pleasure of working with. She was cool and collected the entire day (even though we were battling rain) and she made our job incredibly easy.

So at the risk of stereotyping--- guys don't usually like photos. They just don't! Very rarely are grooms this happy to pose for photos, and even more rare, this energetic on the dance floor.

I swear his tuxedo was made for him, he looked like he wears suits every day.

The venue was perfect, the decor was elegant and belonged in Beauty and the Beast.

The Bridal Party and all of the guests were so fun, and the entire day was truly a fairy tale. 

We left your wedding with cheesy smiles on our faces, which stayed with me all through editing your gallery. I hope you love the moments we captured for you, and I can't wait to share many more with you in the future.

Sam & Josh

I met this couple at the very beginning of my photo career, at my first Mother's Day mini. Their then 2 week old babe is now growing into quite the little lady and I'm sure she's thrilled to see her momma and daddy so happily married.

It's hard to pin point my favorite part of a wedding, each bit of the day is so exciting and emotion filled. I do love when couples choose to capture prep, especially for the bride. It's such an incredible experience to be in the room while the bride gets all fancy, and anxiousness sets in as the minutes tick by. Her girls are always there to lend a hand, or provide calming words, a joke... anything to crack that tension.

What more can you ask for, than a happy couple, and a fun wedding party. Everyone was ready to party and dance!

Sam and Josh had an amazing display of cupcakes (made by the bride herself!) and a towering cake, which looked absolutely perfect. As if that weren't enough, they also had a candy bar! Of course, everything was purple and organized so sweetly (pun intended)

I can't say enough how happy we are for you both, and how honored we are that you shared your day with us. Here's to a long and joyful life together.

Confidence

Above all other forms of photography, Boudoir is most definitely the most terrifying. It creates an immense vulnerability and makes us face our favorite and least favorite parts of ourselves. It's also the most rewarding, for both the model and the photographer (at least for me it is) 

This past winter I dipped my toes into Boudoir and fell in love. The response I received from my girls was amazing. To hear/see that I helped them see their beauty and boost their confidence was truly the most fantastic feeling. 

Women in general have the shit end of the stick when it comes to body image. We are told from a young age that you must fit the norm in order to be beautiful. You have to be skinny, but not too skinny. Your hair must be long, your skin must be bronzed, you can't have any cellulite and if you don't have clear skin you're not worthy.  I call bullshit. 

Eff those standards. Eff the magazines, and eff the people who have ridiculed you for your appearance. 

In high school I was lucky to be of average size, but I had horrible skin. I have struggled with acne since I was 12. It's one of the most terrible things to deal with at any age, but as a teenager it literally feels like the end of the world. Beyond RX medication there isn't much you can do. You can't exercise it away, you can't cover it (though I tried) And you can't just ignore it. It was the source of my low self esteem for many years, and to this day I still suffer with self esteem issues because of my hormonal breakouts. 

Worse than the struggle of crappy skin is this idea that you must cover it, and how dare you leave your house without makeup?! Are you crazy?! Not to rag on my mom (because she's amazing) but she's the type of woman who refuses to go anywhere or see anyone without makeup on and hair styled. (with the exception of my dad and I of course) So from the time I was old enough to understand, I never saw my mom go anywhere without being done. Why? So from around age 12 until just a couple of years ago I refused to go anywhere without makeup on. 

When I met Logan, he told me I was stupid (in a sweet way) he told me my mom was stupid, that girls in general are stupid. He helped me get to a point where I could say "eff it" who the heck cares if I have a pimple? It's life, and I can go to the grocery store without makeup on. 

I now wear makeup only on special occasions (parties, or when we are shooting a wedding) When I WANT to feel glamorous and extra. But it's now MY choice. It's not a requirement for me. Of course I still break out from my out of control hormones, but I try my best not to freak out. It's just a pimple (or ten). 

I fluctuate in weight- like any woman. I gained about 13 pounds this past winter. I attribute that to finding vegan ice cream that I can actually eat (which is a feat with all of my food allergies) I went overboard (like 4 pints a week) and come spring I didn't fit into any of my summer clothes and the cellulite that I worked so hard to erase came back to my thighs (as did a couple of stretch marks). Breakdowns ensued, and there were a couple of rough days before I pulled myself together and got my diet/lifestyle back on track. 13 pounds shouldn't make me break down right? It's just a couple of pounds. But HOLY SHIT you would think the world had crashed down around me. Again, Logan helped me put things into perspective (isn't he awesome) 

I see little girls (8 years and younger) hyper aware of their appearances. I see them trying to hide their tummy's or not smiling a full smile because of a missing or crooked tooth. It makes me want to cry. My self esteem issues didn't start until around age 12. When did little girls start hating their bodies so young?! 

I blame TV. I blame magazines. And above all, I blame the women in their lives. To all you mommas reading this, do your daughter(s) a favor.... don't put yourself down in front of her. Don't nag at your extra roll on your belly, or your double chin, or your weird hair line. Don't show her that you have severe insecurities about your body, because all that is doing is showing her is that you don't love yourself, so why should she love herself? It gives those little girls a reason to start picking at themselves, at an age when they should be blissfully unaware of their appearance. Life is hard enough for a girl, make home a safe place for them to feel self love and appreciation. 

When I have a session (any type of session) and the first thing a woman says is "I don't want to look fat" it breaks my heart. Especially when it's coming from a fit/skinny woman. You know, the type we all look at and envy. Who made you feel so poorly about yourself? Was it a past relationship (been there) was it the nasty girls in High School (been there too) Why is it so heavily ingrained to hate ourselves? No matter how great we really look? My goal at every session is help women see how beautiful they are, exactly the way that they are, no editing required. 

So what do I want you to take away from this ranting? Learn to love yourself, flaws and all. Try your best to focus on those amazing parts of you, instead of the parts that make you cringe. See yourself the way your family sees you, how your kids see you and how your puppy sees you. You are Beautiful, extra weight, crappy skin, stretch marks and all. 

Photo of me with my babes, because no matter how terrible I feel about myself- they love the shit out of me unconditionally. 

Mommy & Me Tea

I'd like to take a minute to thank this amazing woman for taking time out of her birthday to come in for this session. 

A couple of months ago I had the idea to have a stylized Mother's day session this year, (last year involved no props and was super fun! but I wanted to get creative this year) 

I thought hard about who I wanted for my promo ad, and kept coming back to Bree and her adorable children. They just fit my vision for this session so perfectly (especially Grady, with his old fashioned style)

When I asked, she was immediately on board, and so excited! The day of the session they dealt with cold windy weather (you just have to love Upstate New York), with nothing but smiles and cooperation. I was cold in a jacket and gloves- so just imagine how they felt.

Bree is quite honestly one of the best moms I know. She isn't perfect (no one is) and I'm sure she has days that overwhelm the crap out of her... but she is raising her children to be the most understanding, accepting, creative and free spirited kids I've ever met. In the face of a very cruel world she is teaching love, kindness and keeping them humble along the way. I admire her, and if I ever have children I envision tackling it the way she has. Keep up the good work <3 

Here's a little look at their session, and what you can expect if you sign up for your own Mommy & Me Tea Party. (hopefully with a little more green on the trees)

 Calypso Creations Photography services Upstate New York, with outdoor and in studio portrait sessions, Newborn, wedding, boudoir, seniors and more. calyspocreationsphoto.com

Studio

In January we got ourselves organized enough to start my studio. (building a house is exhausting and the work is never done so it took a little longer than planned to get to this stage of our house work) We converted one bay of our garage into a 350 sq ft studio just for me :) How exciting right? 

I say we, it was really all my husband, I just picked out colors, flooring and furniture. Just like the rest of the house ;) 

My husband is seriously the best! I complain about him a lot (I mean, who doesn't complain about their significant other?) but he really does do anything and everything I ask, no matter how complicated it might be, or how tired he is. Thanks Cup <3

And shout out to the couple of friends/family memers who helped at various stages of both the house and studio construction.

So January was full of saw dust and late nights, and in the beginning of February I had my first clients in my new studio with their little newly born son. Awww! I know.

So now I have a ton of decorating to do, and even more organizing. But you know what? It's mine! I have a place to work with my tiny little newborn clients, to have cake smashes, and to photograph families in the freezing Upstate New York winters. 

So my life revolves around coffee.. okay, I'm exaggerating, but seriously! I need at least 2 cups a day to function properly. But I also love tea of all kinds, so I've provided my clients with a little nook where they can find coffee, tea, hot cocoa, water and juice boxes for the littles. I also have jelly beans (because sometimes bribes are necessary) 

Take a seat on my comfy couch. Read a magazine, scroll through your phone, or just take a much needed rest (hello sleep deprivation-- am I right?) 

 I have a plethora of props, headbands, hats, outfits wraps, furs and felt stuffies (which I make myself)

Prepping for newborns is always fun! I love to customize each session to match your color scheme or theme. 

I can't wait to have you in :)