Just in time for holiday gifts for grandma and Christmas cards, it’s my first ever Holiday Mini Session Event!   There are two dates and locations to choose from: This Saturday, November 12th at Mellon Park, and Saturday, November 19th at my studio.  Don’t wait–call me today to reserve your spot!

And now it’s time to announce the winner of the $100 Anthropologie gift card…Rosalie Boyle, come on down!!!  I’ll be in contact with you shortly to discuss the delivery of your prize.  And to everyone who participated in my Fan-a-thon week giveaway – thank you so much!  Anyone who participated can book a session now until the end of 2011 and receive 10% off their entire session!  If you are expecting, now is the time to contact me about booking your session so we can plan ahead.  If you’ve been meaning to have portraits taken of your children, don’t wait–they change so fast.  For more information, click here.

EDIT: Contest is now over.

It’s Fan-a-thon week at Red Lotus Photography!  The prize: A $100 gift card to Anthropologie!  Who doesn’t love Anthropologie?  I seriously swoon over every item in that store.  I have a set of fire-glazed coasters and a sugar bowl in my studio from there, and I get compliments on them all the time.  So, would you like a shot at winning a hundred clams to spend on your heart’s desire?  Then read on, and pass it on!!

Please note: The contest winner is the person who likes me and refers the most people to like my Facebook page.  Those people must post on my wall and say that they were referred by you in order for it to count towards your tally!  You are in charge of counting up your referrals at the end of the contest; I think the easiest way would be for them to tag you when they post.  If there is a better way, please let me know!

The Fine Print: **This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook as read in the updated guideline rules. By entering you are providing information to Red Lotus Photography and not to Facebook.** Discount Code ‘FANATHON2011′ is only good for 2011, so book your session before the year is up!

Ready to get started?  Go to my Fan Page!  Like Me!  Share with all your friends!

Grandma Tu…the grandmother I never had the chance to know.  Grandma Tu lived her life on the other side of the world – in Vietnam, where my mom is from.  I always hoped that one day I would be able to travel there to meet her…but life happens, and making a trip of that magnitude always seemed to be on my grand list of things to do “someday”.  Sadly, I received the news recently that she passed away, and “someday” has become “never”.

I feel a great sense of loss, even though I never knew her.  But my sadness is not just for me; the worst part is the sadness that I feel for my mom.  Thirty-some years ago, my Vietnamese mother and my American father, who was serving in the Army,  fell in love and married.  She then left her mother, all of her family, and the only home she ever knew, to start a new life with my dad in the United States.  I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for her.  She knew how to speak English, but I am sure that there were many times that she wished she could talk to someone from her country, just to hear the familiar sound of her native tongue.

Twenty years passed before my mom had the opportunity to fly back to Vietnam and see her family again.  Twenty years.  I feel bad when a whole month goes by and I don’t see my family.  I can’t imagine how hard it would be to go 20 years.  I was in college at the time, and I remember the big news that my mom was going to make the 8,000 mile trip with her brother, who was now living in Maine.  You read that right; the trip was a little more than eight thousand miles.  It was not an easy one.  Vaccines, passports, tickets, layovers, hours of flight time, hours of driving – not to mention the jetlag, heat and humidity, and the food she was no longer used to.  My poor mom got sick on the airplane, and remained sick the whole time she was visiting there.

I wish I could have been there to see what a fantastic reunion it must have been.  Tears of joy and sadness in abundance at the same time.  Later my mom told me that, remarkably, Grandma Tu looked exactly the same as she did on the day she left. My mom describes her as a sweet woman, who, like my husband’s grandmother, was widowed at a young age, and left to raise ten children on her own.  She had a hard life, but she had an unshakable faith in God.  Mom recounted how sweet it was to hear her mother trying to say our names, the names of her American grandchildren, as she looked at our pictures, and that she wanted my mom to “tell them that I love them”.

Sometimes my mom will tell stories from her childhood, which, in light of my grandmother’s passing, has really made me feel a sense of urgency to record these stories on video.  Once, she told me how her mother sent her out to weed the garden…unfortunately, my mom couldn’t tell the weeds from the vegetable plants, so by the time Momma Tu figured this out, there was quite a bit of damage to the crop!  Then there was the time when Momma Tu had plans to shave everyone’s heads, boys and girls alike, leaving only a patch of long hair at the top of the head; you could pull the hair up to keep cool and clean, and let it down to protect your scalp when you were in the sun.  “I ran away and hid from her,” recalled my mom with a smile.  When Momma Tu finally found her, my mom cried and begged her not to shave her head.  Momma Tu just laughed, and let her go, hair intact.

After a month-long reunion with her Vietnamese family, it was time for my mom to return to her American family.  And that was the last time she ever saw her mother’s face.  The last time she held her hand or hugged her.  The very. last. time.

That was more than 15 years ago.  If there was any silver lining, it was that at least she was able to talk to her on the phone once in a while.  But now that Grandma Tu is gone, mom will never hear her voice again.   She can’t even be there for the funeral.  It’s so heartbreaking.

Sometimes life gets so busy that we can only see the tasks that are right in front of us; there are some things that we always plan to do, “someday” or “as soon as I get a spare moment”.  This photo is one of the few images that our family has of Grandma Tu; up until my dad scanned it and sent it to me, my sister, and my brother, the only copy was at my parents’ house.  We actually only have a single tiny little photo of my Vietnamese grandfather; if something were to happen to this photo, it could never be replaced.   There are many family photos that are either at my parents’ house or mine (lent to me when I was going through my scrapbooking phase), and we only have one copy of each photo; they were taken, of course, before the age of digital cameras.  As a photographer, one of my cardinal rules is to back up photos in multiple locations in case of a terrible event like the house burning down.  I can’t believe that so much time has passed and none of us have made the attempt to scan all these photos.  It seems like such a monumental task when I think about it, especially since many of the photos can’t even be removed from their album pages now.  But I can’t make any more excuses, and I can’t wait for “someday”.  Grandma Tu taught me that.

I love you, Grandma Tu.

Folks, when I first met Thera and Brian, I was so excited to photograph their wedding.  A nicer couple there could not be!  And then I found out that Thera was going to have a vintage travel theme to her wedding, I was over the moon.  I mean, they even brought props along for the photo shoot after the ceremony – props!  They brought a cute little vintage suitcase and a vintage camera – how cool is that??  It’s amazing how two small items can change the whole look of your photos.  It’s all in the details.  So, in the immortal words sung by Julie Andrews, let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start.

We began the day at Thera’s family home in Sarver, PA.

Thera and Brian held their ceremony at St. Joseph Church in Cabot, PA.

Look at these cuties!

Thera and Brian’s reception was held at the lovely Longue Vue Club in Verona, PA.

Image by Jenny.

Awesome detail – Thera and Brian made their guests’ table cards look like post cards, complete with a personal note to each guest.

Travel is not just a wedding theme for Thera and Brian; it is a passion they both share.  I love how each table number was given a destination that they had been to, and had a little story to go with it.

What a cute idea for a card receptacle!

Image by Jenny.

First dance.

Thera’s father gave a speech that brought people to both tears and laughter.

While I took this image, Jenny took the next one after it…

The City Heat band did a fabulous job of getting everyone dancing.

Is that an ice cream sundae bar at this wedding?  Why yes, yes it is.  Sweeet.  Image on the left by Jenny.

Photo booth? Yeah baby, yeah!

Thera and Brian, thanks so much for letting us be a part of your day – we had a blast!

Hugs,

Sandy :o)

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Ceremony:St. Joseph Church

Reception Venue: Longue Vue Club

Florist: Allison McGeary Floral and Event Design

Cake: Oakmont Bakery

Videographer: Videosaic (side note: do you know what you don’t see a lot of in my pictures?  Bob Steranko from Videosaic.  That’s because he is a joy to work with! )

Photo Booth: Pittsburgh Photo Booth

I had so much fun with Ashley, Scott, and their awesome bridal party!  We began the day at the Hampton Inn on Smallman Street, across from the Heinz History Center where their reception was being held.

Ashley and Scott had the distinction of riding in the only Rolls Royce limo in the state.  Nice!

Ashley, Scott, and I think at least half of the bridal party are graduates of Duquesne University, so naturally we had to stop there for photos!

Can I say that I just love, love, love the fact that Ashley and her bridesmaids actually suggested this pose?  I’ve always wanted to do this, and now I can check it off my list!  On a side note, I really like the color that Ashley chose for her bridesmaid dresses – such a pretty shade of blue, and not a color I’ve seen in a while.

Normally I am a stickler for sharpness in all my photos…but this one is what I would call “perfectly imperfect”.  I almost tossed it, but something kept drawing me back to it.  There’s a little bit of motion blur going on…and I like it.  I like the feel it gives to the image.  What do you think?

So romantic.

I’ve shot a wedding at the Heinz History Center before, but on the first floor.  The room on the second floor has a whole different look and feel.  The giant wall of windows and access to the terrace is awesome.

Ashley and Scott had a photo booth by Red Eye Photo Booths.  The props were so funny!

First dance.

Kelly and I had to have our turn in the photo booth of course!

Ashley and Scott, I had the best time with you guys!  Thanks so much, and congratulations to you both!!

Hugs,

Sandy

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Ceremony: St. Mary of the Mount

Reception: Heinz History Center

Florist: Gida’s Flowers

Cake: Colaizzi Brothers

Catering: Common Plea Catering

Entertainment:  DJ Chuck Webb

Cocktail Hour Music: Guitarist Rich Barry

The weather that day was hot-hot-hot; but Shannon and Ted are such cool people that they barely noticed!  (Sorry for the corny pun – couldn’t help myself.)  We started the Couple Session at the Cathedral of Learning, where Shannon and Ted both attended classes at the same time, yet never actually met while going to Pitt!

Love those hydrangeas they have growing all around the cathedral.

If you’ve gone to school at Pitt, at some point you have to get your picture taken with the panther!

I don’t know why, but this one is my favorite.  I love their expressions, the feeling of closeness and happiness.

Shannon and Ted, thanks for such a cool session – I can’t wait for the wedding in September!

Jen and Jeff had a lovely intimate wedding ceremony at Phipps Conservatory’s outdoor garden, surrounded by their close friends and family. I liked Jen and Jeff the minute I met them – they’ve got a great sense of humor that make them a lot of fun to be around!

Jen’s dress was so pretty; the lace, the shape…I especially liked the sash and brooch that accented the waist.

Jen secretly gave the officiant a surprise vow to include when it was Jeff’s turn – they had everyone in stitches!

There was an extra guest at the ceremony…

Love this one.

Jen and Jeff timed their pictures perfectly – look at that yummy, hazy lighting.

The glass sculptures and gargoyles on display were amazing; these two images by Kelly.

Love those wedding candy buffets!

The cake by Prantl’s Bakery was seriously good.

I always like hearing those zingers during the toast. :)

You know, I like to think I’m pretty good at staying in the shadows so that I don’t get in my second shooter’s shots, but every so often we’ll get a gem like this one.  I’m like a blurry image of Bigfoot loping in the background.  Thanks, Kelly.  I’ll be photoshopping myself out now.

Ooo, look at that moon.  So romantic!

Jen and Jeff, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding day!  I had a blast!

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Florist: Donati & Sons

Entertainment: Stasko Digital

Bakery: Prantl’s

Catering: Sodexo – Jeff Spirer – 412-310-7914

Hair/Makeup: HotHeads Salon

Happy Monday, dear Reader!  As I sit at my computer editing photos like a fiend, I thought I would do a quick post and share a bit of what is going on in my world.  I’m taking a cue from my good friend Amanda Wilson and doing a Weekend Update post!  (C’mon, Amanda, you knew I was going to steal that one! :D)

Last week was a busy one; my brother was home from Maine, so we drove up to Butler a few times to see him.  It was so nice to see him again; he only comes home once a year now.  We also went to a family reunion, where got to see some relatives that I have lost touch with and meet others I didn’t even know I was related to!

It was great seeing so much of my family in one week; my daughter and her two cousins had a jolly old time romping through the woods, picking flowers from my mom’s garden and splashing around with the garden hose.  There is something about walking through my parents’ woods that is so rejuvenating to my spirits.  I had many adventures in these woods with my dog when I was growing up.  These three pics were taken with my little PowerShot point and shoot camera.

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My little nephew is growing like a weed and is cute as a button.  I’m no expert at compressing video for upload, so bear with the quality of this video clip.  I was playing peekaboo with him through his toy mailbox, and just had to record this with my PowerShot, which also does video, and share it with you.  Hope it makes you smile!

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We must have done that a hundred times before he got tired of it. My voice was hoarse!

I shot a fabulous wedding this weekend in Cabot, PA, followed by a reception at the LongueVue Golf Club; we couldn’t have asked for better weather or a nicer couple.  I’ll try to get some pics posted soon.

And finally in other news, Oscar is growing up.  Allow me to explain…

My daughter has a stuffed octopus named Oscar, who has endured many a dress-up session, most famously the diaper-wearing phase.  Yes, that’s right; my daughter dressed her toy octopus in a diaper and pretended that it was her baby.  She has never taken a liking to baby dolls like other little girls do; all of her babies are of the aquatic kind.  Last night Little Miss decided that it was time that Oscar started wearing big-girl panties to bed.  Isn’t he a vision?

And that’s it for the first installment of my Weekend Update.  Have a great week, dear Reader!

I love how sweet they are together.  The way he looks at her, like he is the luckiest man in the world…how considerate and loving they are towards each other.  No doubt about it, these two are in love!  Both from New York, Alea and Michael actually grew up in my hometown of Butler, PA!  They’ve pretty much known each other forever, starting out as neighbors since they were kids, then becoming friends, and finally husband and wife.

The day began with some getting ready photos at the Westin Convention Center Hotel downtown.  Alea’s makeup was beautifully applied by Julie Marckisotto of Pittsburgh Makeup.

-We had an amazing view from Alea’s hotel room at the Westin.

Michael had an equally inspiring view from  his room.

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Great image on the right by Paige.

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Alea finished getting ready at the Carnegie Museum Founders Room.

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It’s good to have friends!

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I took this image…

…while Paige took this one.

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Loved the button details on Alea’s bouquet; flowers by Hepatica Florist.

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Alea, you are stunning.

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Eileen Twigger, the events coordinator at Carnegie, informed me that I have the distinction of being the last photographer to capture a wedding on the Grand Staircase; she went further to explain that when they would have more than one wedding taking place at the museum at the same time, the noise from people talking afterward would carry from the staircase area, disturbing the other wedding in progress.  How lucky am I to be the last one to photograph a wedding in such an amazing spot?

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First neighbors, now family.  Love it.

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The Hall of Architecture really is something to see.

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The hall of architecture was quite dark by the time we went there for photos.  The awesome dramatic look of these two images would not have been possible without my trusty off-camera lighting.  Love this one behind the velvet rope–shhhh! ;)

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The reception was held in the Music Hall Foyer.  So many ornate details.

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Pretty cake by Parkhurst Dining Services, who also did the catering.

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First dance.

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See what I mean about the way he looks at her?  So romantic.

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DJ Jeremy Ganss did a fab job of keeping the party going all night.  He is a great DJ to work with – very professional, with an understated way of keeping the events of the evening running smoothly and the party rolling without being overbearing.

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The lime sorbet we had before dinner was to die for, and those pretty little cookies were awesome.  Yummm!

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Alea and Michael, it was an honor to be a part of your day.  I wish you both all the best that life has to offer!

Hugs,

Sandy