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Ahren & Laura – Adirondack Engagement Photographer

Ann Marie — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:57:43 +0000

Ahren and Laura are the most beautiful couple! Laura is the editor and publisher of the soon-to-launch Adirondack Weddings Magazine. She first contacted me looking for images of a wedding I had recently shot and later asked me to photograph her wedding this coming weekend! I couldn’t have been more honored. We scheduled an engagement session to start off their wedding festivities and this spring’s rainy, cold weather kept hampering our plans. Just before hubby and I left for Key Largo we finally had the perfect weekend! Ahren’s family owns the Dolly Family Lodge, an Adirondack Great Camp in Elizabethtown, and we had a splendid afternoon there shooting this engagement session….Happy viewing!

Happy Easter

Ann Marie — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 10:58:26 +0000

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter weekend and hoping you have much time to spend with friends and family! For your viewing pleasure I grabbed this shot early this morning on my way out the door to make the trip ‘over the river and through the woods’ to my parent’s house. YES, those are rather large SNOW flakes. Thankfully, it’s not sticking around, but it has been snowing every other day or so all week!

Welcome to the new blog-site!

Ann Marie — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 02:43:19 +0000

This new blog site has been in the works for some time now, and there are still several sections yet to be published, such as the portfolio, about section, and something new for all you barkeater’s out there! I hope you love the new look – I do! Small tweaks will be happening over the next few weeks. I look forward to your feedback – AMS

Adirondack Wedding Photographer – Mountain House Wedding

Ann Marie — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:29:28 +0000

Back in October Matt and Valerie were married at the Mountain House in Keene Valley, NY. I had been excited about their wedding since we first met last year, but when the day came I headed off to shoot with a heavy heart. I knew my mother-in-law was going to pass away at some point that day, and most likely when I was gone. I didn’t want to leave my husband. We had sat by her side for over a week, and her body counldn’t last much longer. But I know how important my client’s wedding day is to them, and what a large part I play in that, so off I went. I am so blessed to have been able to capture these images for Matt and Valerie. Although I wasn’t myself that day and my thoughts often drifted to my husband, I didn’t let them know what was going on. Instead I focused on capturing their joy, their families gathering in celebration and their love for one another. This was my first time shooting a wedding at the Mountan House, but hopefully not the last. The scenery is beautiful thanks to the awe inspiring view of the high peaks… This house is the perfect spot for a couple who is in love with the Adirondacks and one another – even the dress shots I captured perfectly embody the Adirondack spirit! Matt is a photographer himself, and shooting for another photographer is always a nerve wracking experience. Each photographer see things differently and you so want your clients to be happy with your work. The process of losing of my mother-in-law had taken an emotional toll on me and I was far from feeling 100%, which made the day that much more nerve wracking. I love the shots I captured, and I hope Matt and Val will too!

Holiday Mini Sessions * Adirondack Portrait Photographer

Ann Marie — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:21:16 +0000

This year, due to an extremely busy schedule, I will only be offering 10 mini sessions for holiday pictures. A mini session is for families or couples who are just wanting photos for Christmas cards and gifts or need an updated family portrait for themselves.

So here are the details on the mini sessions:

The shoot: We will have approximately 20 minutes together as I photograph your child, family or furry friend.

Cost: Holiday Mini-Sessions are priced at $150. This includes the shooting time, photographer selection of the five best images, all time to fully hand edit those images to perfection, 4X6 and 5X7 prints of each image, and the FULL RESOLUTION digital negatives so you can make your own prints. In addition, for your convenience, I will upload your images to minted.com and send you a link so you can easily order your holiday cards.

Your Images: The images from your session will be posted in your online gallery 5 days days after our session. Your prints and high resolution digital negatives will be sent to you at that time.

What to wear: To give us the full 20 minutes to spend with your family, please plan on one outfit for your photos. Dress in something that reflects you and your family’s style. You can wear something dressy, holiday inspired or casual, whichever suits your taste!

If you’re interested in booking a session, please email me to find out which session times are still available. These sessions are going to go fast (I’ve already had more inquiries than I have available sessions) and will be reserved on a first come, first served basis. This will be your only opportunity for a shoot with Ann Marie Somma this year so don’t wait! For more information or to schedule your session please email me at annmarie@amsphotographer.com or contact me at (518) 644-5003.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How does a mini session differ from a regular portrait session?

Mini sessions are 20 minute sessions at a predetermined location, are offered on a limited number of specific dates throughout the year, and result in approximately five images. Regular portrait sessions are 1-2 hours, at any location of the client’s choice, are offered at any time throughout the year and result in approximately 100 images.

How do I reserve a session?

Sessions are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. Please email me to check availability and reserve your date! Full payment is due at the time of booking to hold your spot.

What if it rains or the weather is bad on the day of the mini session?

If the weather is bad, we will reschedule for a date as soon as possible after the session date.

What about the custom holiday cards I love so much?

I will not be offering custom holiday cards this year. I know how much you love them, but this year I don’t have the time needed to produce custom cards for each client. However, I am working on some amazing holiday cards for next year that embody our Adirondack lives! I promise they won’t disappoint!

Book your session today!

{A limited number of sessions may be able to be scheduled on December 4th and 5th}

* First Snow *

Ann Marie — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:23:50 +0000

If you woke after 7am, you missed it-but us early risers caught every moment of it’s wonder!

Hannah, our Malamute, loved it the most!

Adirondack Engagement Photographer * David and Nicolena

Ann Marie — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:53:55 +0000

Nicolena, Dave and I met very early in the morning at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid for their engagement shoot. I am extreemly certain that they are not used to getting up that early, but I really wanted to take advantage of the sunrise over the lake and for them to experience it. Anyone who has spent any time in Lake Placid knows what I am talking about. The water is beautiful in the morning, the sky is red and there is usually a layer of light fog hanging in the air. I watched the weather religiously and knowing that sun was in the forecast headed out the door at 4:30 a.m. to meet them in the high peaks. We started shooting before sunrise and the result was some moody, amazing images…

We headed off to starbucks for a coffee to wait for the sun, which took it’s sweet time to arrive, but was more than worth the wait! These images are some of my favorite engagement session images yet!

As the sun rose higher we headed up the hill to shoot on the grounds of the Inn – check out the view of Mirror Lake and the High Peaks…

Last few of Nicolena and Dave…

There were so many images I loved from this session that it was hard to narrow it down to just a few. I’m going to post a few more of them on facebook and I can’t wait for Nicolena and Dave to see the rest.

Endurance

Ann Marie — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:00:14 +0000

Two weeks ago my mother-in-law, Joan, passed away after a long and courageous battle with ovarian cancer (read her obituary here). Two months before our wedding, four years ago, Rob and I received a call at 5am from her – she had been having pains in her stomach and was in the emergency room. We immediately drove to the hospital and by the time we arrived she had learned that she had a tumor. That was the first of many calls we would receive from her at in the middle of the night. Over the next 4 years she endured every option the doctors provided to prolong her life, no matter how ill they made her. And when the cancer or the treatment made her so ill she needed to be hospitalized she frequently waited until 5am to call us to bring her to the ER, allowing us to get a good night’s sleep. Her passing was not a surprise to any of us, and we have had over four years to adjust to the reality that she would not be with us soon, nevertheless her final days came upon us quickly and the loss has left a gaping hole in our hearts. The past few years, and this past summer especially, have been extreemly difficult for us. Knowing that your time with a loved one is limited it is difficult to find a balance between all of the various aspects of your life, and spending time with that one person. My husband’s father passed away some years ago and knowing he would soon lose his mother as well was truly life changing. Joan’s cancer was diagnosed as stage four and her life expectancy was short. We are truly blessed to have received so many years with her, something we did not expect, and we are very thankful for that gift. My productiving has suffered this last month and I am very grateful to my wonderful clients for their patience. Joan loved her family immensly and enjoyed nothing more than spending time with them. We were all able to be with her during every moment of her last days and to surround her with love and to care for her in her home – where she felt the most comfortable. These next few months will be a time of adjustment for us, as she has been such a large part of our daily lives, but images such as these keep her love and memory alive in our hearts and remind us of all she has taught us…

These first few images are from our wedding, four years ago – just a few months after Joan was diagnosed – she was scared, self conscious of her wig and not feeling well – but what I remember most was how happy she was for us…these were taken by our photographer, Rae Barnes..

I especially love this first image, taken just as Joan and Rob began the mother-son dance…

I also love these old images of her we found…

These last two were taken last Thanksgiving…

I love that last image the most – the way that she is looking at my husband. Out of all the images we have of her this one may be my favorite. It perfectly depicts her love for him, how grateful she was for him, and how safe he made her feel.

The studio is back open and I have lots of new images to share starting tomorrow. See you then-

Adirondack Wedding Photographer * Kyle + Sara

Ann Marie — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:14:18 +0000

I mentioned a few posts ago that referral business was the second greatest compliment a photographer can receive and it seems that nearly 100% of my business these days if from referrals! Do you remember Bentley and Sara from last year?

Not only was their wedding one of my favorites, but it was also featured in Well Wed magazine and is a featured wedding on their website! A dream come true for Sara - wedding coordinator extraordinaire. Every detail of their day was beautifully planned and hand crafted by Sara herself and when she called me about her brother Kyle’s wedding to his fiance – another Sara, I was thrilled! I knew it was a wedding I had to photograph and the location was perfect for me – Fern Lake in Ausable Forks.

Family camp’s on hidden lakes are one of the best venue’s for an Adirondack wedding and Kyle and Sara were married at Kyle’s family camp - Serendipity.

Despite the dark, rainy weather the location was just beautiful!

Sara was an amazingly georgeous bride… I have no idea how I get such good looking clients! Spa’s are not common here, in the remote mountains, and Sara was lucky enough to have talented friends and family to help her with her hair and make-up…Just beautiful.

The tradition of dressing the bride is one of my favorite moments of the day…Sara’s mom helped her into her dress…

and Kyle’s mom couldn’t hold back the tears when she saw Sara step out of the bedroom in her dress…

Sara was glowing- and I loved her bouquet – wrapped in the most perfect piece of birch bark I had ever seen!

The groom was looking rather handsome as well-

Kyle and Sara opted for a ‘first look’, which I love because it gives my couples the opportunity to spend every moment of their wedding day from the ceremony on with their guests – no stepping away for formal portraits. Your day goes by is such a flurry that it’s a shame to miss even a moment of the festivities. Kyle chose a spot at the end of the boat house’s covered porch, overlooking the lake – away from the sight of family and friends - to share a few private moments with Sara.

One final adjustments before seeing his bride for the first time…

And here comes the bride…

Several of these next shots are similar, but I just couldn’t narrow down my favorite’s…these first few moments together are so full of emotion.

Kyle and Sara asked for this shot for the cover of their album…Love it.

This may be one of my favorite ring shots to date – although I feel like I say that in nearly every post

Off to the ceremony…

The rain didn’t hold off for long and started as the ceremony began, but Kyle and Sara smiled through it…Philapino wedding tradition states that if it rains during the wedding ceremony it means prosperity and happiness for the newlyweds…

Kyle also provided his bride with 13 coins, or arras, as a sign of his dedication to his wife’s well-being and the welfare of their future children.

The rain stopped just long enough for us to grab a few lakeside portraits of the the newlywed’s after the ceremony…

Adirondack chairs are usually a focal point of weddings in this area in some way or another, but people generally don’t look good being photographed in them…I’ve tried tons of variations, but none I like as much as this next image…

I am fond of this moment as well…

I have so many photographs from this wedding to post, and I can’t wait to post all of Sara Bovin’s amazing details – but I wanted to share these pictures of Kyle and Sara first.

Kyle and Sara – thank you dearly for having me there to document your wedding day and for treating me like family. I can’t wait to share all of your amazing photographs with you!

Adirondack Engagement Photographer * Client Thank You

Ann Marie — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:14:31 +0000

Yesturday morning I woke up at 4am to head up to the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid for a 6:30 sunrise engagement session with Nicolena and Dave. They had wanted their engagement session to take place in the mountains and I suggested that they head to Bolton Landing or Lake Placid for a weekend getaway. This morning I woke to the following email from them -

“Hi there,

We just wanted to take a moment tonight to thank you so much for the wonderful session. We can’t wait until the wedding day and we loved, loved, loved all of your ideas today. You helped make this weekend getaway so special!

We’re so excited to put our guest book together with these pictures and pick the save the dates out!

We hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend and a lovely time at your brothers wedding!

Talk to you soon!

Nicolena and David”

I work hard creating amazing images for my clients and am very grateful for their thankfulness. When I recommended a sunrise session toNicolena and Dave I was certain that they were not used being ready by 6:30am – but I was also certain that they would love the sunrise over Mirror Lake – and everyone needs to see the sunrise every once in a while. It’s almost a magical time of day - so beautiful and serene that you almost feel that you are watching something only meant for a special few. Turns out the staff of the Mirror Lake Inn greeted them with a chilled bottle of champagne on their arrival at 11pm and they were so enchanted with their amazing room that they stayed up most of the night sitting on the balcony watching the moonlight bounce off the lake and toasting one another…They went to bed around 4 and got up at 5. They enjoyed their weekend so much that they have decided to return each year on their anniversary – a speacial gift to themselves. Love it. I also love the images we captured that morning…here’s a sneek peak…