I’ve known Johnny Benjamin and Tony Conrad for years, and this is actually the second time I’ve photographed their family. But this one was definitely more fun and exciting. The day began with overcast skies, the threat of rain, and a howling Nor’easter. But we were determined, and we convened at a Chesapeake Bay beach in Norfolk. Just as we began the shoot, the sun popped in and out of the wind-driven clouds, making for some spectacular shots.
My neighbors wanted some great prenatal photos before their first child arrived in May, 2018. It was s tam day, but we slugged over to the Norfolk Botanical Botanical Gardens, the perfect flowery setting. Veronica was a real sport, but baby Emma isn’t. She arrived the next day–a few days early–apparently wanting to be part of the show.
I’ve known Chris for almost as long as I’ve lived in Hampton Roads, and when Thomas came on the scene, I knew….I just knew…what would soon follow. These two are crazy in love. After they became engaged and started planning their April nuptials at The Hermitage Museum in Norfolk, I also knew that I had to photograph my friends in that spectacular setting.
I’ll post these without comment, other than to say that these are all my creations.
I don’t mind if you borrow for your own license-free use, but for God’s sake, give me a link to my web site, umkay?
Here are two of my faves from a set I took at sunrise on the beach at the Atlantis beach access in Pine Knoll Shores, NC. You may recognize this spot from other sunrise/sunset photo posts, but each day is different. Plus, I just can’t help myself when it comes to the Crystal Coast sky and sea.
The lunar eclipse as photographed from my mother-in-law’s front yard in Lincoln, Nebraska, September 27, 2015. There’s so much more I can say about this photograph. Like how my mother-in-law, Joan, died two days before I took this photo, and how her children and husband and nieces and nephews and grandchildren were all standing in the front yard of her house with me when I took this.
Or how my own mother had died back in Norfolk less than a month earlier in hospice under almost exactly the same circumstances as Joan, and how she had died on the night of the previous month’s full moon. And how the day after I took this photo was my mother’s birthday.
But for now, let’s just let this photo stand as evidence that the universe has a plan greater than we know, and it’s all going to be ok.
Because that’s the only thing that will get us through life on this horrible, wicked planet.
Andrew and I help with this party every year, primarily because it benefits the LGBT Life Center, our local AIDS service organization. But it’s also great fun with our besties. This year, the theme centered around The Oscars, and I built a Step and Repeat so we could pretend we are famous movie stars. The participants became goofier as the night (and the drinks) wore on.
In what was strictly a winter survival move, I took Andrew to my favorite tropical paradise this past February: Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. We rented a cozy little villa on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and met up with two fantastic straight “girlfriends” who joined us on several adventures during the week. Here are some highlights:
My best friends, Gail and Elise, got married at their Shelter Island, NY, vacation home on a stunning late September day, and it was gorgeous! Plus, it was absolutely the most fun I have ever had at a wedding.
