Happy 4th of July everyone!  In addition to the food, fun, festivities & fireworks, we are thankful and celebrating our freedoms which so many have fought & died for and that we are well aware that others less fortunate in this world still do today. 

One of our favorite 4th of July photos at one of our favorite places in the US, Cape May, New Jersey…

And one of our sweetest…

Happy Independence Day!

- Grace

Central PA Portrait & Wedding Photographer |  Cape May Photographer | Grace Lightner Photography

(This post was originally intended to be a short and sweet Happy New Year greeting and a brief look back on 2010, but as the words typed out, they formed into something more. So my apologizes for the wordiness as I know my readers are more accustomed to viewing images rather than reading stories.  And I do realize only a small handful will make it past a couple of paragraphs, but I suppose I felt a need to complete this more to unburden my thoughts and pay a small tribute to the Memory of a lovely Woman.)

Happy New Year!!! We’d like to radiate beams of positivity, happiness & success to one and all for an amazing 2011!

We were just touched and overjoyed by each and every one of the Christmas and Holiday cards we received from our Clients & Friends this past Holiday Season. Thank you so much! And of course we simply adored seeing our images on several of them! And yes we do normally send out special Holiday cards but this past season time and good manners desperately escaped us. We pinky promise to do twice as good for 2011.

2010 was quite a year for our Studio, our growth was much more than we had anticipated. The Holiday Season really took us by surprise and for those who have been witness to my frantic worrying of “Aaack!!! My head is spinning!!!”, thank you for your ears, pep talks and consoling words. Despite our worries, our deadlines were met, and many were returned with beautiful words of inspiration and gratitude from our wonderful Clients (which often brought tears of joy to my eyes). As busy as we were, I would often tell myself how deeply fortunate it was to be able to even utter those words. We are just so thankful to our Clients, Family, Friends and Supporters for inspiring us and perpetuating our ability to create beautiful, fresh, intimate imagery for others who love the same. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much!!!

It wasn’t until Christmas Eve in the evening (after the beautiful Wedding of the amazing Mr. & Mrs. Hockley and a Family & Senior Portrait Session with the eternally fun Nace Family) that I finally got to wind down and enjoy spending the Holiday’s with my Family. And it has been a wonderfully gloriously lazy past week here doing so. My amazing husband Scott took care of everything and I mean EVERYTHING from the end of October on. The cooking, the cleaning, laundry, taking care of and playing with Leilani, ALL the Christmas shopping, decorating for the Holidays, being a wonderful Dad to our Daughter and an amazingly supportive and loving Husband to me. I am so lucky to be married to such a rare gem of a man and am most thankful to him for keeping our world in balance, me sane and the Holidays joyous. As I look and plan ahead with anticipation into 2011 I know that one of the things I will make sure I do is to ensure that I don’t allow the joyous Holiday Season to slip by with me being absent from it. Which will mean I will be on the hunt for a couple of exceptional people to help out part time in the office and be a part of the team in 2011!

If you have been wondering where the Blog posts are, don’t worry, they are coming back soon! I have sooo many delicious new photos to post!!! The end of December was a flurry of meeting last minute deadlines, tying up loose ends, 2 December Weddings, Central Penn Parent’s Mom’s Makeover coverage and then getting those images turned around in a jiffy to make the January issue of Central Penn Parent Magazine! And wouldn’t you know it, right in the middle of the Holiday maelstrom I get hit with the flu AND then socked at the same time with strep throat! So after Christmas I enjoyed a lot of putzing around, getting out of the house, socializing, resting, spending time with my Family, playing with Leilani & her new toys, visiting Family, eating yummy things, kissing Scott… It was wonderful…

But before I bid my last farewell to 2010 and dive into 2011 there is 1 story that I wanted to share which was particularly poignant and which I find myself reflecting on every day. And if you are particularly sensitive to sad stories, I encourage you to stop reading here. Although if you are one to seek out a silver lining in things then by all means read on as this may make you appreciate life and the ones you love a little better…

As a Portrait & Wedding Photographer I feel very fortunate to be commissioned to document milestones & celebrations in people’s lives. Feel good moments, smiles, laughter, love, kisses and drool. But there are times when what I create becomes enormously more complex than that. And a person or situation comes along that causes me to stop in my tracks and completely changes how I look at life and how I look at what I do.

I remember this past November when Laura Keaveny walked into my studio.  Physically a tiny woman but the way she walked in and carried herself, you knew instantly she was strong, classy & confident and this made her seem larger than life. Her hair was long, dark as night and luxuriously full of bouncy waves. She told me she quite often curled her hair with hot rollers, which I was quite impressed with (because I can never seem to figure them out), but she insisted it was super easy to do which for a moment made me want to try to do it again just 1 more time. And highlighting Laura’s petite & fit frame, a beautifully round perfectly swollen belly which held a much loved and precious little bundle of boy. As we went through her outfits to pick out what she would wear, she showed me a cute pair of skinny black pants that she said her husband had just bought for her. (Cool I thought, someone else who has a husband who can confidently buy clothes for their wife!) I expressed my excitement and praise at how incredibly gorgeous she looked and she must have felt gorgeous too because she was simply radiant in front of the camera. She mentioned over the phone that her and her husband enjoyed listening to Modern Jazz. Fortunately there is a station on XM that is called just that, Modern Jazz. I had it tuned in and I asked if this was her kind of Jazz. This surprised her into a chuckle as she must have thought I just had great musical taste . Laura was amazing, it was a brief mini Expectation Session so we kept it very simple, but she was so at ease, got into the moment and took such great direction that we breezed through a generous handful of shots before we wrapped up. I enjoyed photographing her immensely, she was fun, great conversation and I could tell she enjoyed being photographed. It couldn’t have gone any smoother. I was very excited for the moment she would get to see how amazing her shots turned out. About 3 weeks later & after I had sent out the proofs I get an e-mail from Laura that she needed some extra time. I am thinking, oh boy, I bet she loves too many of them! And then a week later an e-mail from another Client and also friend of Laura’s letting me know that the baby arrived early, there were complications and they were still in the hospital. In the meantime her friend knew which portraits Laura wanted to get for her Husband and the Baby’s room for Christmas and took care of ordering them for her. Then a week afterwards I get a call from Laura’s Husband and this is when I stop in my tracks and the world slows down to a crawl. He tells me Laura suffered a bleed in the brain the night after she delivered their son and has not woke up since. I can’t believe my ears. The baby will eventually be able to come home but there is a good chance Laura may not. “Laura really wanted to put the gallery wrap in the baby’s nursery…” Oh my gosh… “I don’t know what to say, this is terrible I am so sorry Glenn…” I am left speechless, I am filled with the desire to do something to help fix this, to take away some of his grief…

On December 21, 2010, Laura Keaveny a wife & best friend of 15 years to her Husband Glenn and Mother an infant boy passed away. As I read what his e-mail is explaining, I looked towards my own husband Scott, “I can’t believe this, this is so unfair… What will her Husband do? What can we do?”.

For much of my life growing up, I used to be a pessimist or as I liked to call it a “realist”. But for many years now I have grown comfortable wearing the shoes of an optimist. I make every effort to try and look for the good in the bad, and find a silver lining at whatever cost.

I think about Laura, their son and especially her Husband, who I have never met, every single day. And I often contemplate what it must be like to go through a day in his shoes. Most of all I wish and hope with such intensity that he will have the great strength, patience and support to get through this. I know Laura would expect nothing less.

I look at my husband & daughter and appreciate them so much more. I think about my family and how they mean so much to me. I think about those that are so much less fortunate than myself or are on a long road of emotional or physical recovery. I think about how I can use my skills to help those in need. And as I think about all of these things I know that this Year will be different than last. This year will be dedicated to forming stronger relationships with Clients that will translate creatively in their portraits, giving back more of myself to the community, putting more passion into my art and setting aside more time to love, appreciate and frolic with my Family.

As I prepared some of the images for Glenn to use for the viewing, I think about how one day Glenn will show these photos to their son and when he is old enough, explain to him how proud and excited Laura was to be his Mother and in her beautifully round perfectly swollen belly held a much loved and precious little bundle of boy and that little boy is him. A silver lining that will grow more precious and brilliant with each passing day.

This summer has been very busy for us here and we are so thankful for that and the awesome Clients that we have grown to adore and welcome into our “Family” of beautiful faces we get to enjoy admiring with each passing week.

The next week will be designated to my wonderful Family who have put up with my crazy schedule to celebrate the last bit of summer before the little one heads off to school and to get in a breather before the Holiday Season starts (yes it is starting already!!!).  So although I will be around, I’ll officially be off the clock for the next 7 days but will be returning e-mails, phone calls and will probably sneaking in a few hours of editing here & there ;) 

So I was asked about deadlines on booking portraits in time for the Holiday Gift Giving Season.  (Thanks Erin for the reminder!)

Some dates to remember:

• Now through the Holidays is a busy time for Portrait & Wedding Photographers, if you are planning to get portraits done it is important to get them booked early or you may risk not being able to book at all.
• Always dreamed of beautiful outdoor portraits with autumn colors?  Mid to late October is generally when the leaves are either starting to change or in full color mode.  Availability is very limited during this time so if autumn colors for your family, engagement, senior or children’s portraits are something you have your heart set on then call now to reserve an appointment before they are all gone.
• November 15.  For portraits in hand in time for gift giving during the Holidays I’d recommend booking Regular Sessions by no later than this date.  Half & mini sessions have an extra week of leeway but for regular sessions anything later you may risk not getting your prints in time.

We hope you enjoy the last throes of summer!  Grab those kids and enjoy them while you can before they head back off to school.  We will be back to blogging more in about a week and a half with some more lovely eye candy for your viewing pleasure!

And here is a farewell shot in honor of our Summer of 2010 which we kicked off in Cape May on the 4th.  Couldn’t have asked for a better view of the fireworks =)

Hugs!

Grace

Central PA Modern Portrait & Wedding Photographer | Grace Lightner Photography

(If you are interested in purchasing any of the prints shown here, please contact us.)

The Preservation Society of Newport County owns and cares for this beautiful mansion named The Breakers for the waves that break into the cliff it is built on.  The Breakers is renown for being the most opulent mansion in Newport’s History.  The public can take tours here and it is so worth touring.  Even if you snub your nose at over-the -top wealth in it’s showiest form, the art, detail and work going into every square inch of this architectural masterpiece is undeniably mind boggling and awe inspiring.  And as impressive as the exterior of this mansion is, it is really quite modest compared to the decadence that lies inside.  Unfortunately no interior photos were allowed which burst my bubble.  However I respected that, they sell books inside that have beautiful photos of the stunning interior and maybe the rule was set in place so that those sales were not harmed.  That and their fear of the millions of fabric fading flashes of light that would over time take it’s toll.  I can only imagine a fortune must be had to keep such a piece of art restored to it’s full glory.

If you look closely you can see the tiny grooves that texture & shape the rock walls.

Front views of the Mansion.  The front entrance is boarded up, unsure if that is temporary or permanent.  It does seem that great effort was taken to reduce the amount of fabric fading sunlight that enters.

Side view of the Mansion which faces a modest garden.

Rear view of the mansion which faces the water.  The rich blue sky was created with a circular polarizing filter on the camera lens.

 And a shot by my Scott of us girls.

And a small history lesson (I really hated History in school but I love it now!  Especially from this era.).

The Breakers as it is now is actually the 2nd mansion built, the 1st which was made of wood burned down due to a fire.  No expense was spared to make sure the new Breakers was fireproof and instead of wood, the building was made of stone.  Cornelius Vanderbilt II (a wealthy industrialist) hired Architect Richard Morris Hunt to create this grand 70 room summer home for his family.  (Imagine this just being your SUMMER home?)  It was designed to resemble an Italian Seaside Palace with Beaux Arts & Victorian elements and decorated in French & Italian styles.  The rooms were actually designed and assembled in Europe then shipped here to be reassembled in the mansion.  High society modular homes right?  =)

If you ever visit with me, I will gladly show you the photo book we picked up that showcases the rooms inside.

For More on The Breakers.

Newport Rhode Island Travel Photographer – Harrisburg Photographer – Grace Lightner Photography

(If you are interested in purchasing any of the prints shown here, please contact us.)

Here is the 2nd installment of our Newport Rhode Island Photo Tour.  I am donning the hat of the unofficial “Visit Rhode Island” Liason.

A classic sailboat docked at Bowen’s Wharf is a common site here.  Sailing is definitely a huge part of Newport’s identity.  You see sailboats and referencing to sailing at every turn.  We even got a chance to watch the local sailing school in action with teeny tiny sailboats (so cute!).

We stayed at the Newport Beach Hotel & Suites which was AWESOME!  (Scott always plans the most awesome trips with stays at really nice hotels & suites).  And one of the best features of this beautiful hotel was their rooftop deck with firepit and hot tub!  We didn’t use the hot tub but we did use the deck and fireplace every night!  Our room had direct access to the rooftop and we were often the only ones there so I would plug the ipod radio up outside and blast our playlist while we hung out.  We made smores, danced, colored, had drinks, got silly, and relaxed while watching the sun sets and loving every minute of our family time together.

Rooftop views of the sunset over Newport Pond…

This is The Marble House.  Arguably Newport’s 2nd most extravagant mansion right behind The Breakers.  Although I imagine both would be strong runners to the title of Amerca’s most extravagant mansions.  This was the 2nd and last mansion we toured.  Both were built in the late 1800′s during the ”Gilded Age”.  Both are now owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County which has done such a spectacular job in preserving and restoring these dazzling and priceless diamonds from ruin and then allowing the public to enjoy them too.  Again no interior photography was allowed (bummer).  But the rooms and furnishings were opulent & breathtaking to say the least, the exterior of the mansion looks very drab and boring in comparison.  Way too rich for my blood but the setting is perfect for a gal to imagine herself as Cinderella.

A little history on The Marble House.  It was a gift from William K Vanderbilt to his wife Alva who was at the time a leader in the Woman’s Suffrage movement.  Alva soon divorced her husband and remarried a Belmont but kept the house even though she did not live in it.  Architect Richard Morris Hunt who also designed The Breakers was commissioned to create The Marble House and although smaller, I think personally the interiors are even more grand.  The mansion back in 1888 cost $11 million to build. 

More on The Marble House.

The Japanese Tea House is also a part of the The Marble House and was built for the original owner Alva Vanderbilt.  During the summer you can apparently have tea here.

A view of Narragansett Bay, off in the distance you can see The Claiborne Pell Bridge aka Newport Bridge.  I was able to cut some of the reflections of the water out with a polarizing filter.

Several of these images were taken with a super wide angle lens which had a lens hood on it.  Adding a vignette post processing I know is a common tactic many photographers use (often times way over used in odd or unflattering ways).  However vignettes do occur naturally when shooting frames usually at the widest zoom and capturing part of the lens hood.

Newport Rhode Island Travel Photographer – Harrisburg Photographer – Grace Lightner Photography

(If you are interested in purchasing any of the prints shown here, please contact us.)

So I am finally getting around to going through our photos from our Newport, RI trip last May.  There were so many beautiful things about this town and although I can offer only a pinch of some of the visual, there was so much more.  The pride this town has in it’s history & it’s art & it’s ties to the ocean is seen everywhere and so inspirational.  As you interact more and more you feel a distinct air of wholesomeness & friendliness that resonates in the delightful personalities of the locals.  And although this town generates quite a large bit of tourism, it feels so far from touristy.  This is a gem that is worth a visit.  Thanks honey for finding it and all your planning you did to take us there. 

Newport, I love you and I cannot wait to come back year after year after year to explore all of your lovely layers…

On the drive up we passed by these unused overpasses that nature reclaimed back into it’s arms, before NYC, maybe in NJ.  Reminds me of the documentary Life After People. 

Leilani letting the breeze into our beautiful room at Newport Beach Hotel & Suites.  We booked in the off season and got an amazing room for a fraction of the cost.  It was AWESOME!

A view of the beginning of Easton Beach.  What the photo does not reveal is that this particular part of the beach is rather stinky due to the decaying organic matter in the seaweed below.

Starting our stroll along the beautiful Cliff Walk which is famous for it’s views of not only the bay, ocean & cliffs but also of some of the famous historial mansions and houses that border the walk.

Tall hedges & fences keep the public from venturing or peeping in on some of the private residences that also are along Cliff Walk.  If you did not know any better you would wrongfully assume all the really magnificent historic looking homes are accessible to the public.  You will find many gated & fenced properties all over Newport which specifies their private status right at the gates.

My sweethearts, Leilani & Scott walking down the famed Forty Steps which “During Newport’s Golden Age, the Forty Steps were a gathering place for the servants and workers from the nearby mansions.”

View at the bottom of The Forty Steps.

View at the bottom of The Forty Steps.

This is one of the first spectactular pieces of historic architecture you can easily see and simply walk right up to from Cliff Walk (no fence!).  I at first assumed it was The Breakers but after walking all around it was suprised to find that this was owned and used by The Salve Regina University.  The impressive structure is called Ochre Court and had we not had our jogging stroller in tow, we could probably have walked right in. 

Giant trees like this oak are very common.  Some showcasing branches that are as thick as large mature trees.  Many had heavy chains installed that were used to hold up some of the larger branches.   There were a lot of “WOW” moments just in tree size appreciation during the trip.

The Breakers by far one of the most opulent creations from the Gilded Age.  We did tour the mansion (which is rather hard to do with a 3 year old) but it was mind blowing!  It is incomprehensible how something like this was created.  Unfortunately no interior photography was allowed but every square inch of the inside of the mansion is lavished with detail and extravagance.  You just cannot help but to awe at the art that surrounds you and imagine in wonder at the amount of time, effort, and money that must have went into creating each spectacular room.

Gates like this is typical for most of the larger properties.

So are Gatehouses which sometimes are impressive all on their own.  This huge gothic light is from the Gatehouse for McAuley Hall.

More to come soon…

Newport, RI Photographer – Grace Lightner Photography

If you are wondering why the sudden drop off in Blog posts and FB chatter, I am still getting caught up from our recent week long family trip out to Newport, RI (which has secured it’s place as my favorite road trip vacation destination!).  We are still in catch up mode but we will be posting more lovely inspiration again very soon!

In the meantime here is a little bit of lovely inspiration.  A lovely sunset panorama of Newport Harbor.  If you have never been, consider it.  It is only about 6-7 hours away (just stay off of 95 through NYC) and there are a ton of things to do for all ages.  It is gorgeous, historical and so friendly!  And the historical houses & mansions are WOW! 

Have a beautiful weekend!

Grace

Central PA’s Refreshingly Modern Portrait & Wedding Photographer – Grace Lightner Photography

Some photos of our Little Lady from this Spring.

Ready for a sunny & sandy vacation!

Her adorable monkeyish way of explaining things to me.  She has gotten very cute at that =)

Love her,

Central PA & Harrisburg Area’s Proud Mom & Children’s Photographer – Grace Lightner Photography

(If you are interested in purchasing any of the prints shown here, please contact us.)

Some more photos taken at Cape May on our brief stay in March.

All that was needed was to ask this little girl to give her Dad a raspberry, she most enthusiactically obliged.

Not a whole lot was open in the off season but the ice cream & fudge store was!  Ice cream can be enjoyed on a cold blustery day, but did you know high winds can melt ice cream faster than no wind at all? 

We revisited The Star Inn which was the 1st place we tried out when we first went to Cape May in 2007.  We were drawn to the fresh and modern beachy decor, suite set up and cozy little back yard.  Oh what a few years can do to a place.  The mattress was terribly sunk in the middle and the furniture & carpet had seen much better days but the great memories were still there.  Note to all hoteliers, please use great mattresses, nothing can be worse than a nice room with a terrible mattress…

Love Sunset Beach, known for it’s gorgeous sunsets, concrete ship, Cape May Diamonds & the fun beach stores with curious things to look at.  The beach is made up primarily of small smooth stones or “diamonds” and upon closer inspection there is also a treasure trove of life & death scattered through out the washed up debris.  The most exciting is to find the alien looking spider crabs which at first look dead but are mostly alive, just slow…  Living & skeleton varieties of other crabs and sealife also are everywhere, the waves mixed with rocks I imagine can be quite brutal at times.

This very charming & beachy memorial to American Pride or something unknown was on display at the end of Cape May Beach.  I imagine by the time we revisit it again in the summer the prized shells will have been picked clean by shell collectors.  Scott did run way wayyyy down the beach as Leilani and I shouted that we were freezing out butts off in the wind, when he came back he had 3 giant shells like the ones decorating the fence here.  One of the shells was entirely intact.  A Great find!  That is definitely something we wouldn’t be able to get had we not stopped by in the off season.

Cape May, we will see you again this summer!   

If you ever need to try a new beach destination, we couldn’t recommend Cape May more.  It is gorgeous, clean and delicious!  And for the most part feels like you are stepping back in time when things were more wholesome, classy, respectable, polite and family oriented.  Love this place…

Cape May, NJ Addict & Harrisburg Area & Central PA’s Modern Portrait & Wedding Photographer - Grace Lightner Photography

(If you are interested in purchasing any of the prints shown here, please contact us.)

Cape May, NJ is a place that we have grown very fond of for the past 3 years.  We take our family vacation out there in the summers.  What is there to love?  The beautiful beaches which are kept clean and spacious enough to not ever feel crowded, the charming old Victorian buildings full of history and gorgeous gingerbread work, the newer grand beach houses that make you sigh &  you wish you were making rock star money, the amazing culinary selection and the pleasant people.  We just love it there!

So we decided to head there for a short get away towards the end of March.  It was a risky move as we knew it would be cold but we were getting a few days of nice weather by then so we were hopeful.  It was most certainly the off season, most of our favorite restaurants were closed and despite the great weather we had the week before, our trip coincided with a stretch of cold and blistering winds.  And then when we found it was going to rain we cut our losses and left a day early. 

We spent less than 24 hours in Cape May but it was better than nothing.  We needed a couple of beach days even if they happened to be bittery cold and windy =)  I got a chance to shoot a little and hang out with my babes which made me happy!

This crab was alive but so cold it was just not interested in doing much scurrying.

Seashells, seashells on the seashore.  In the off season there TONS of shells everywhere, and not just shell pieces but big honkin beautifully intact whole pieces.  Leilani could care less about the cold all she wanted to do was collect shells, she preferred the broken variety.

I love the presence and architecture of this church, I always take a photograph of it if I am walking by with my camera, it is just gorgeous.  It is the Our Lady of The Star Sea Catholic Church and is built in a Medieval revival style with Roman & Gothic styles of architecture mixed together beautifully.