Stephanie and Mike haven’t been together very long; a fresh 5 months, but you wouldn’t know that looking at these images.  Young love is beautiful. Everything is fresh and new. You’re just getting to know each other.

The unique thing about Stephanie and Mike’s relationship is that in order for it to have been possible, it would have had to play out exactly the way that it happened.

MIKE AND STEPHANIE’S BEGINNING

Stephanie and Mike went on their first date on June 1st. However, if you ask Mike, he’d tell you that he met Stephanie at 4:30pm on Tuesday, January 22nd 2013. Actually he met about 80 people at a time that day and it was pure luck that she happened to be one of the people enrolled in his chemistry class.

Being Stephanie’s best friend, I got to hear her talk about “The Professor” for the entire semester while simultaneously having her admit to not speaking a single word to him the entire time.

“I was too shy to ask him questions and waited til the semester was over to ask him out!”  -Stephanie

(I would later find out that it turns out the attraction had been mutual)

When you first start dating someone you like, you start to gather the little things you admire about each other.

“I love how he makes me laugh and his adorable dimples when he smiles!” -Stephanie

“This will probably sound like a cop out, but I haven’t yet found anything about Stephanie that doesn’t amaze me. It’s true. The first thing I noticed about her though?  Her eyes. They captivate me. ”  -Mike

They love being in each other’s company, so long as they’re together, it’s enjoyable. When I asked what they liked to do together, Mike said, “We have a list!  Laughing, eating, and watching ‘How I Met Your Mother’ are all really high on that list.

SESSION PREP

For Mike and Stephanie’s session, they wanted a fun, candid look. They weren’t really going for anything other than “Stephanie and Mike.”  It was more about them having fun and being themselves rather than having it be a manipulation and having them look a certain way. Mike says jokingly, “I really just did was I was told.”

It’s funny because these two didn’t need very much direction. Their interaction was natural and my best friend and her new beau were lit up, smiling like no other.

They brought along 3 outfits and wore 2 of them. They worked together to coordinate their looks. (As is always the most visually appealing)  They brought variety without carting out the whole closet which was nice because they got to have options.

The props we all had talked about quite a bit. Stephanie had done some research of her own and had found several images that she admired on Pinterest. From those images, we built our own concepts. They really wanted to bring a Chemistry book because that is what had brought them together. Also, who doesn’t enjoy a great pun?  Not only did they meet in a Chemistry Class, but they came together because they have great chemistry!  *Duh-Dun-Tsk*

We brought along a vintage camera, Steph’s favorite flowers, and a pumpkin. (Which we later found out was appropriate because Michael calls Steph “Pumpkin”).

THE EXPERIENCE

How was your experience?

“It was a great experience. Stephanie and I laughed A LOT, goofed off, and had fun. We were ourselves which is exactly what we wanted. It was almost as if there just happened to be a camera there while we were enjoying each other’s company.” -Mike

“Merenda and Sean made us laugh and we were more at ease with being ourselves during the shoot.”
-Stephanie

One Piece of Advice for Others?

“Props, Outfits, and Have Fun!”
-Stephanie

“Have fun, be yourselves, and forget that there is a camera there. Listen to Merenda and you’ll end up with amazing photos, but the more you pay attention to each other and the less you pay attention to the camera, the better it will turn out!” -Mike

Were you nervous, anxious or fearful?

“I’ve never done a couples shoot before and I love to have pictures in my home!” -Stephanie

“I was worried about Merenda’s camera breaking when she aimed it at me. It’s a good thing that Steph is pretty enough for the both of us (and then some)” -Mike

Location?
“A great open area. I wanted shots of us together on a blanket.” -Stephanie

The sunset was beautiful. The laughs were genuine and I have never been so happy to see new feelings transform.

As for where they see themselves in five years?

Que Sera Sera…

]]> http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=102 0 http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=48 http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=48#comments Sun, 21 Jul 2013 03:20:23 +0000 http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=48

At the beginning of the month, I was approached by my Father to a.) Raise some money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation and b.) Raise awareness of Merenda G Photography on Facebook.  He offered to donate $1 for EVERY New ‘LIKE’ I received on my business page over the time span of a week.  I was inspired by this act of kindness and mid-campaign, promised to match his donation.  (That’s a total of $2 per like)  Thanks to so many wonderful individuals sharing posts and joining our Facebook event, in just one week, we gained 70 new ‘LIKES’ on the Merenda G Photography Facebook Page.

Cancer is unfortunately not uncommon and everyday we are more and more hopeful in the pursuit of finding a way to put its poison to rest.  It is very likely that every person or individual in this world knows, has come into contact with, or is associated with someone who currently has, or had conquered cancer.  In the past year, our family has lost two grandmothers to two different forms of cancer.  I have a best friend who’s mother has beat multiple forms of cancer several times, a great aunt who has conquered breast cancer, and for those of you who may not know, my Father, as well as myself have both experienced and overcome Melanoma (Skin Cancer).

For those of you wondering where the donations will be going, we have two family members who are active participants in Sports Endurance Events.  Both are cousins of ours!  Today, I made the 1st half of my contribution on behalf of our cousin Lisa (Lulu Bella) who is a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training.  She has participated in several events and is bettering her life by helping the lives of others!  She has helped to raise thousands of dollars during her fundraising. Here is the link to her Fundraising page:  Lulu Bella’s Fundraising Page.  The other member who we both will be making a donation for will be our cousin Karen, who’s page I’m told will be up and running soon.  More information to come! =)

I also, would like to applaud my friend Chelsea who has been actively participating in Sports Endurance Events as well.  She recently just trained and participated in the Nike Woman’s Half Marathon in Washington DC.  They raised over $108k for cancer research.

There are many forms of Cancer, and causes like these get us one step closer to finding the cure and providing hope to those who are fighting the fight or those who are supporting someone close to them.  Thank You.  Thank you for your support.  Also, a BIG THANK YOU to any of you who give to the cause or are involved in actively participating in order to fight for the cause.  These individuals are an inspiration.  Thank you to them for Everything they are and Everything they do.

Last, but certainly not least, A BIG THANK YOU to my Dad Len for sparking Clicks Against Cancer and for Supporting Merenda G Photography.

HERE’S TO FINDING A CURE!

Together, We Can Make a Difference.

]]> http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=48 0 http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=43 http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=43#comments Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:10:22 +0000 http://gordon58938.cmdwebsites.com/blog/?p=43 It seems not too long ago that I remember living out the remaining months, weeks, days of my Senior year in High School eagerly awaiting Graduation.  It’s a time in our lives; a coming of age moving toward a journey toward something new-the beginning of adulthood.  It truly is bitter sweet and I don’t think we realize how fast time flies until we’re five or six years down the road looking back and reflecting on this time of our lives.

I recently had the pleasure of taking part in stopping this moment in time to preserve memories to reflect back on in one young man’s life.  Along with my assistant for the evening Stephanie Astle, we took a trip down to the old Folsom Power House to meet with Jonas and his mother.  It was a beautifully lit evening and the night resulted with a variety of nice shots.  Jonas was a character-shy, but very easy going and pleasure to be around.  Like an old soul, Jonas was quite the serious one, but his face lit up when we got to laughing and smiling.  We were able to tap into his athletic side and got creative with some baseball shots and thankfully, he wasn’t shy about moving around (and) climbing up, on, and around things.  Quite the sport!

Overall, I was glad to have met Jonas during this time changing moment in his life and to help create in memories that hopefully, he and his family can look back on for years to come.  I look forward to hearing what life has in store for him and where it takes him!

Tonight I just wrapped up my latest maternity shoot with a beautiful, beautiful couple.  I was happy to be able to collaborate on this shoot with Behind Lisa’s Lens Photography to capture these 2 (soon to be 3)  Courtney and Drew truly are one of the cutest couples I have had the opportunity to work with.  Their interactions with each other were so natural and their love for each other was so completely evident in their gaze.  They are so very excited to be Welcoming a baby girl to their little family named Addison, who I am so very excited to meet.  Spending time with this couple and capturing this special moment in their lives was truly a wonderful experience, and it’s been a pleasure working with them on this beautiful shoot.  Here are some of my personal favorites from the shoot:

Here’s to the New Year…And Baby Bumps =)

In January, I had the privilege of capturing my good friend from High School Sandra Amsbaugh’s beautiful Mommy-To-Be Glow.  I’ve known Sandra since Freshmen year in High School and I loved being able to get together again (it had truly been too long) and capture this beautiful milestone in her and her husband Chris’ lives together.  Sandra brought her mom and very good friend Lauren Skees who I also went to High School with.  It was like a mini reunion and it was such a fun time.  With the help of my creative assistant Stephanie, I was able to walk away with gorgeous image after gorgeous image from this session.  Lauren and Sandra brought so many amazing props to this shoot that we never were short of creative ways to frame Sandra’s beautiful baby bump.  Toward the end of the shoot, Lisa Throgmorton with Behind Lisa’s Lens Photography came to second shoot and photographed some beautiful additions to our collection! Her artistry continues to inspire me daily. I was so incredibly happy with how this shoot turned out and with how many creative personalities were brought to this shoot!  I can’t wait to meet Miss Madyson Amsbaugh.

Below are some of my personal favorites =)

Hello Everyone,

  Welcome to the Official Merenda G Photography Blog Site!  Here I plan to share and reflect on the experiences I share with my client in Capturing memories they can reflect on for years and years to come.  I’ll also feature some highlights (and some of my personal favorite) images from my shoots.  Here’s to new experiences, new friendships, and to preserving invaluable memories….

With that, I’d just like to share some of my favorite Photography Quotes (Compliments of Pinterest)