The Hank & Willie Annual Holiday Photo Fix

Photo and original card design courtesy of smugmug.com. Card available at smugmug.com. Cute dog not available, sadly.

Sigh. I take THOUSANDS of photos a year. Beautiful babies and blushing brides.  Captivating kids and their patient parents and pretty pets. Did I say THOUSANDS?

You’d think I could get ONE  keeper of my own offspring, but it happens pretty infrequently around here, unless you like superhero faces and bared teeth. (I do.)

So, as I do each year, I booked the date for my children’s annual portrait session with our favorite family photographer. I’m thrilled, because I get magical results without having to do the cajoling.

But all this reminds which reminds me that A) Christmas is a month away and B) it’s time for the annual Hank & Willie/Anna Sawin Photography photo fix. As my gift to you, I am happy to try a little Photoshop magic on your photo this year.

(See last year’s call for photos.  And the results.)

If you’ve got the photo you want to use, but it needs a little something extra before you create your card, send it my way. Head swapping is definitely not my speciality, but I’ll try one of those if the situation is dire enough, and am always happy to remove face crud, stray hairs, brighten and perk up, convert to black and white, etc.  If you send it to me no later than Dec. 1, I’ll be sure and get it back to you while you’re still looking for the four books of holiday stamps you bought last week.*

*Please tell me that doesn’t just happen to me?

xo,

Anna

The fine print

Send me your full-resolution photo at hankandwillieATgmail.com and make sure you put Anna Sawin Photography/Photo Help in the subject line. And, if you send me a photo, it is fair game to post the before and after on H&W, but I won’t use your name if you don’t want it published. If you have a blog, be sure to send me a link so I can share the love (and so I can see what else you are photographing these days!)

I don’t think I am going to get tons of photos, because many H & W readers are excellent photo editors already. However, if I get too many (like more than five) I will pick a few randomly to work on. I’ll send ‘em back to you in time to make a card, and I’ll post ‘em here to show everyone what I did! And hey–if you have a blog and Photoshop know how–why not post a photo fix of your own and post it in the comments? I love learning from other PS mavens, and I bet plenty of you have tricks to share.

Something as simple as breathing

Breathing—we do it all day and all night, and almost never think a thing about it, until we’re knocked out with a nuisance of a cold once or twice a year. And having giant healthy lungs, which most of us are blessed with, means that we never really give any thought to tiny premature baby lungs, the size of our thumbs, struggling to fill with air.

But then, this morning I read Julie’s post this morning and thought to myself, “Once again, she says it better than anyone.”  While we mothers of NICU warriors might have healthy children today, with just the faintest of scars to show for that time, we carry our own deep scars, etched on our hearts. Perhaps the only way to heal those is to do some small thing in hopes that another baby and another parent won’t have to live through the time we did.

And what seems crazy to me now is that I really didn’t know how sick he was.  It wasn’t until a doctor said, “This is really tough…but we think he’ll go home with you,” that I understood he still might not…

I breathed for Charlie that night, sitting by his bed, crying, eyeballs so swollen that it hurt to move them in my head, nostrils scrubbed raw by hospital paper towels.  Every gurgle of his CPAP happened, it seemed, because we willed it.  His breaths, when they resumed, were only because we worked for them when he couldn’t. Which isn’t true, of course.  The tickle of the feet and the rubbing of the belly helped, but it was the drip of caffeine, the caustic burst of antibiotic, and the transfusion that eventually brought him around.  It was the science: serendipity and inspiration tempered by years of research and refinement, the careful observation and adjustment, a dedication that awes me.  My deep gulps of air did nothing, practically speaking, for Charlie.  All they did was keep me upright, somehow, next to the isolette.

Like many preterm babies, when Charlie was born, his lungs were immature.  They lacked surfactant, a substance that keeps the lungs from closing and collapsing upon exhalation, and couldn’t stay open on their own.  The development of artificial surfactant therapy, funded by the March of Dimes in the 1980s, ushered in a tenfold decrease in the number of babies who die from RDS (respiratory distress syndrome).  Three doses of surfactant and five years later, Charlie’s not only alive but thriving, the only artifact of  his prematurity an occasional touch of asthma.

Julie, at A Little Pregnant

I could have written it, but she does it better, and I hope you’ll take a moment to read her entire post and take her up on her offer to donate for each story you share in the comments.

I can’t write it like Julie does, I but I join her today in her offer—in honor of our Henry, and Julie’s son Charlie and my beautiful niece and nephew Isabella and Andrew, born at 30 weeks, I will donate a dollar to the March of Dimes for every story you share about prematurity touching your life. One per reader, please.

And thank you to longtime Hank & Willie readers who have so kindly donated to the March of Dimes at my urging in the past.

And as I have said before,

if you’ve known a preemie,

if your child was a preemie,

if you were a preemie,

if you’re grateful that you didn’t have a preemie,

if you might someday have a preemie,

if you’d like to honor the medical professionals that cared for Henry or a preemie in your life,

or if you just think my Henry is a tough guy,

you even can make your own donation here.

I bet I can even find a few more embarrassing photos of myself to post if the March of Dimes gets some H & W donations this year!

Thank you.

Katryne + Kevin: Married in Rhode Island

There is hardly anything better than a fall wedding in New England, unless it is a small, intimate fall wedding in New England.

Katryne and Kevin hosted the loveliest event on October 23, and every detail echoed them, from Katryne’s signature hot pink accents everywhere (even on the guests), the black and white rocks they’ve been gathering during their courtship, the hiliarious and irrevent family and friend photos used for seating arrangements,  the game tables, the decidedly understated cake (She’s not much for frosting and he’s not much for cake. I KNOW. I think we can still be friends.) and the elegant dinner party feel they chose for their wedding.

I was so thrilled when they opted for a “first look” before the wedding—it always gives the day a more relaxed feel, and with the short days of fall, it allowed us some time for delicious photos before the ceremony. They started their day at the Providence Biltmore Hotel, a grand setting for their first look, and then the rest of the afternoon and evening was at the always stunning Roger Williams Park Casino.

To hear what this creative, original pair chose for their first dance and to see more from their beautiful day, enjoy their slide show!

Happy love, K and K!

xo, Anna

Beautiful girls

Mothers of boys, have you SPENT any time with girls recently? I’ve been hanging out with a number of lovely girls of late, and I have to say, I had no idea they were like this. Despite a tired sub-two-year-old young lady, I think we had a winning shot about, oh, 20 seconds after we started. They are so calm and lovely and accommodating and they look you in the eye and they don’t really climb around, and they don’t run away from you. Thank you, ladies, it was a pleasure to have another date in the park with you.

 

Photographing boys? It’s all about strategy—your strategy vs. theirs, how fast can you run, how quickly can you focus and isn’t-that-a-great-shot-of-his-blurry-ear.

Sigh.

Got some blurry ears (my boys) coming up for you next–stay tuned for Halloween!

 

Wedding Row Open House TODAY

Brides, friends—I’ll be photographing this lovely event today at the Red Barn in Clinton, CT from 1-4 p.m. for some of the local wedding industry’s most creative minds and talents.  You are cordially invited to attend as well. Hope to see you there!

Scenes from Halloween (and a 50 mm 1.2)

A trip to the apple orchard this morning and a midday snack (mysteriously delivered to our doorstep by one of our favorite ghouls) made for great subject material while I was experimenting with the Canon 50 mm 1.2 today–the most delicious of all lenses. Yum.

This lens is NUTS. Almost as delicious as the candy I will be eating later.

Thanks to Auntie Melissa for the wardrobe styling and Aunt Diana for the yummy witch hat cookies, complete with an M & M core—have you ever seen such a great idea?

And Halloween is just beginning, more to come! Dragon wings still under construction, and our own Curious George is climbing the walls, as usual!

Everything’s rosy

How can you not love this many red roses, especially on a rainy day?

This gray wedding day by the sea in Stonington, CT turned out to be lovely and bright in all the right ways. We didn’t even need the umbrellas.

Happy love, Vikki & Tim, and thanks for a great day!

Me and Stanley (Cup)

Well, imagine my delight this evening when I opened up my email to find a video clip of me, hard at work, at the Stanley Cup party in Newport, RI this summer. It was sent by the talented and charming Mike Cyr of Buzz Media Company, who was shooting alongside us that hot steamy day in August.

Did I mention it was hot? Like the kind of hot that makes eggs fry on the pavement? I remind you of that because it is the (poorly justified) reason for the short, airy dress I am wearing, and in (much chagrined) hindsight, I realize if there was even one person there who did not see my underwear that day, I’d like them to step forward and be counted. SIGH.

But, I probably kept cooler than most of people there, and for that I was grateful. It was a great summer party (planned by Sarah True of True Event) set to energizing steel drum music, with lots of fun people in a gorgeous location, and you can see, even in this teeny clip, how Mike captures the essence of the day.

If you want the meaningful moments of your life captured in film or video,  you’ll surely want to connect with Buzz Media Company. (And if you enjoy a view of life that is lovely and amazing, check out the delicious style sensibilities of Mike’s wife Erica, who writes the yummy Buzz Blog!)

And remember, when you watch this video, IT WAS REALLY, REALLY HOT OUT! And yes, that is a cameo by the lovely Steph Stevens of Steph Stevens Photo at the end there, for those that are paying attention.

VIDEO CLIP: Anna and the Stanley Cup

In other news, if you’re in the Pittsburgh area and watching the Liberty Sports Network this month, you’ll see some of my photos of the Stanley Cup event on a TV special they are producing on Penguins player Mark Eaton and his day with the Stanley Cup. Let me know if you see it air!

Beach boys

These cute brothers started out high and dry on a grassy lawn at this beautiful stone lighthouse, but as soon as we headed across the street to the beach, well, you can probably guess how dry they stayed.

Good thing they wear nearly the same sizes as my crew at home, so they could proceed with the Reward Dinner Out after a very successful and enjoyable photo session at the point.

Sigh. The lashes.

Dad is headed out on a six-month deployment this fall. So glad they got this beautiful day together before then.

Mom getting her share of the love.

Thanks for a beautiful fall evening at the beach, guys!

Now with twice the thigh rolls

This dynamic duo represents another part of the informal list-serv of moms of multiples that sprang up when my sister was expecting twins this past spring.

I seem to know a number of moms of multiples, and with them came reams of good advice. In fact, so good I’m going to post the nuggets of good advice one of these days, because it should belong to the vast interwebs, not just to this hardy group of moms. I’m slowly making my way through this group, but still have a few more to photograph–Jackson & Wyatt, Alexander & Thomas and Declan, Rowan & Aidan, I’m talking to you!

But today? Just feast your eyes on this staggering amount of deliciousness, and never mind the sage advice and twin talk.

Without further blather….Joseph and Nicholas, six months old.

Thanks for a great visit, E & J! Your boys are BEAUTIFUL!

Katy + Frank: Married in Mystic

It’s a wet, dark morning here on the Connecticut coastline, and am feeling kind of guilty about posting these images of oh, just one of the most glorious days of late summer EVER. Especially since I have a wedding today, and things are definitely looking a little damp. But, that’s what red umbrellas are for, right?

The wedding was the ninth family wedding held in the past 60 years at this lovely seaside family home, and they’ve clearly got it down–hard to imagine a crowd that knows how to enjoy a wedding more. Katy and Frank filled the day with delicious details, from starfish ornaments and red buckets, and the cutest monograms.

They had gorgeous flowers, ridiculously cute flower girls and a fantastic photobooth with amazing guest participation, but the best thing about the day was the LOVE—at the risk of sounding entirely sappy, these two had a tremendous clan of family, wedding party, friends and guests surrounding them with an absolute blanket of joy, and even those of us just there for the day could see it and feel it.

And while anyone who has been to a wedding can tell a story about a bride,  I can top you all—there was a slight concern about the arrival of the cake (which showed up without a hitch and was gorgeous). But for that brief period of time when Katy was faced with the possibility of no cake at all, she simply said, “Oh well–we’ll go to Dunkin Donuts and order 150 donuts!”  THAT is a bride with perspective.

As you can imagine, it was a pleasure to spend the day with someone like that, and Katy and Frank, we wish you a lifetime of love and happiness–thanks for including us in your beautiful day!

The gorgeous veil Katy is wearing has been in her family for 150 years, and passed down to bride after bride. They do tradition well in this family, don’t they!

Starfish—the perfect motif for a seaside wedding.

There’s a whole host of captions just begging to be written here.

I’ll cut to the chase—this group knows what to do with a photobooth, that’s for sure! Amazing photobooth props courtesy of Katy’s mom.

2010 couples, take note. I won’t MAKE you wear a chicken on your head in your photobooth, but it’s something to consider!

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Want more? Check out Katy and Frank’s slideshow!

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And special thanks to my amazing team of shooting associates, Steph and Maria, especially for posing with me below. You look mahvelous!

Falling for fall

Fall seems to have arrived, what with the crisp, clear mornings, cool nights and glorious, warm sunny days. I usually have some bittersweet longing for summer right about now, but this year these September days have been so darn seductive with their fruit-laden orchard branches, perfect beach days and deserted beach towns that I can hardly remember my romance with summer. Call me fickle, but I’m ready for an apple pie.

River, all suited up for fall. If you asked him he’d probably say he wants pie, too.

And in a completely unrelated topic (except that these were taken on a glorious September day and one at the beach, even) this is a private sneak peek just for River’s grandmother Donna. Oh, and the rest of you, too. More to come this week, family of River and other friends!

River and mom hanging at the beach.

Hope you all are enjoying this glorious start to fall, too.