2013 Senior Models!

Calling all 2013 Senior Models! We ONLY TAKE 2 students per school so don't wait to call!

... and as always HE listened!

We had an AMAZING family day out at Mingo Park! The weather was GREAT, it was a BEAUTIFUL day .... I prayed for nice weather and it worked!

Check out little Ty, his parents and their pup ... SO MUCH FUN! I purchased this awesome geen couch just for family day and drug it out to the park with Laura (no easy task!) in my husbands truck. I had to tie it down too LOL..... I could just see the brand new couch falling off the truck and landing on the way to Mingo somewhere! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! I want to thank ALL the families that came! (Including little Ty and his family!)

We have been SUPER busy at the studio and I for one am LOVING it! This week we had babies, families, seniors and pups! I LOVE how different everyday is for me here!!!

Much love y'all! ENJOY the fall..... it's so nice out!

Haven't had a family portrait done in a long time? Well what are you waiting for? It's not too late! We are REALLY looking forward to doing WINTER family portraits in January too! Let it SNOW! Be different! Have your family photographed outside in the snow! It's SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Maria

A photographers Prayer :)

Dear God,
Tomorrow I have 8 families to photograph in the park - as if you didn't already know! :) I am asking for no rain, no wind and not too cold or hot weather. I am asking that all goes as planned that parents smile and children behave (LOL) I am also asking that all dogs sit still enough for some great portraits and that the fall leaves haven't all fallen off the trees YET (with all the rain we have had) and that they are STILL plenty colorful. Oh! And I am asking for no mud! Laura and I are excited to photograph at Mingo tomorrow and appreciate your full cooperation ;)
Amen ;)
Love, Maria

Cirque de Soleil

Had the divine opportunity to photograph Cirque de Soleil last night at the Peterson Events Center for the local papers :)
It is amazing to watch these performers and to think of their dedication and talent.
If you haven't seen this show, I HIGHLY recommend it! Worth every cent! (And NO, I don't get paid to say that!) Just thought I'd share! Enjoy!

ANGELS...

When was the last time you went to work and created something so powerful, that contained so much love that It moved you? I had to wipe away my tears when I saw this image on my screen.... I spent a lot of time working it to look just so.... I would give anything to go back in time and create something like this of me and one or both of my babies.... but I am so humbled that I can create this for someone to have and cherish forever.

I love it when my clients come in and say.... "Maria I have seen your work and I love it. Just do whatever you want, I trust you." That is an open palette to me. Thank you to all my clients who love and trust me, it enables me to photograph the world as I see it, with all beauty - no flaws.... life is such a beautiful and powerful thing... and I for one, choose to only see that side of it.

A day to remember...Congratulations to Linda & Scott

I wrote down today's date and signed a form, Sep 7, 2011. What?! September? Where did summer go? I have had such a great summer and have had the opportunity to photograph so many wonderful events ... and have shared... nothing :( Shame on me.
Well.... here is something that is definitely worth sharing! I got to photograph the most beautiful wedding this weekend to one of the nicest couples I have ever worked with. (and no I am not just saying that) Congratulations to Linda and Scott!!! You deserve everything you have and each other... you are both amazing people and I want to thank you for the privilege of being part of your lives. I hope you have a GREAT honeymoon!
Congrats again!
Much Love,
Maria

Take the time to smell the flowers...

Yes, I know... It's a cliche. BUT... when was the last time you took the time to get a GREAT family portrait taken? Your children are getting older (and so are you!) so get it done and have fun with it! This family was SO MUCH FUN! Megan and I got up at 6am and were set up and ready to go at 7am. (Kids are happy in the morning and the lighting is soft and beautiful!) Here is a TINY preview of this morning . . . Stay tunned! THANK YOU to Laura (& family) for your patience and time. I know you could have picked any photographer to do your portraits, and I want you to know that I am HONORED that you picked me. I look forward to watching your family grow over the years. It is my favorite part of my career... the wonderful relationships that I get to build and cultivate. Life is grand :)


Here is an image of Megan and I waiting for our family to show up. I RAN with the timer on and barely made it! I am surprised I look normal back there behind the couch!


AND... here is the set up image all ready to go.... dragging this couch down to the railrod track was EVENTFUL! (to say the least) I'd also like to thank Megan for agreeing to help me so early in the morning! She rocks!

All my LOVE!

Maria

THANK YOU

Meet Wesley. This cutie is the son of my clients, both of which are in the Army. I fell in love with this image for so many reasons . . . I just LOVE it.
So... being that I have always been very patriotic (even though I was not born American) and that July 4th is coming up I thought I would stop and say THANK YOU to all of the soldiers out there that help keep my family and this country safe :)
May God Bless you all!
Maria

TEACHING, LEARNING & CREATING!!!!

So I have been travelng quite a bit.... and I love it! I have been attending seminars and teaching them too.... it is so much fun to get out an create just because you can :)


Last week I was in Cape May, NJ at MARS - a week long seminar for photographers. MARS holds a challenge day where all attending photographers go out and photograph (there were about 100 of us) .... the portrait can fall in any category... and you only have a small time frame in which to photograph, edit and submit images. So.... I went out with a fellow photographer friend and met some commercial fisherman out at a dock in Cape May. After talking to them and begging them to pose for me, Rory did :) THANK YOU RORY! I am PROUD to say that I won the Cape May challenge this year! Of course I did go back to the dock and found Rory again . . . I wanted to personally thank him and get an image with him :) So much fun! AND for those guys at the dock that hounded Rory while he was being photographed... shame on you all! (although your comments over the loudspeaker had me cracking up!!! - LOL)

Well.... got lots going on here at the studio so I better go! Hope everyone is having a GREAT month . . now if it would just stop raining ... ?!?



Maria

Karey and Michael's Wedding

Check out this beautiful wedding I photographed on May 7th:) Karey and Michael looked gorgeous and everyone had a great time!!!

Maria

Business Hours

Studio M's normal business hours are:

Monday and Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm
Wednesday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm

We do have later hours, since we practically live here! :-) Just give us a call and we'll let you know when we are here!

We are closed:
Thursday May 5th and Friday May 6th for a confrence!

YAY me ;-) Life is grand!

Had a GREAT week so far ... won the Shiever award on Sunday.... what a HUGE honor :) (Toot toot!!!) Had an amazing time at the convention and came back on Wednesday ... photographed a few A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E babies and a gorgeous Canon Mac Senior today! Life is good :-) Below are two images of me.... One that we took in the studio today and the other was taken by my friend Keith at the awards banquet in State College, PA ... the night I won the award ;-) Hope everyone has an AMAZING weekend! Maria :-)

Fantastically Furry Event :)

Our Fantastically Furry event was AWESOME! So much fun! Check out some of the fun images we were able to create! Just love dogs! Thanks to everyone that came!!!
Maria :)

Madsion & Prom Fashion show

Studio M will be at Bella Sera with Carrie Ann's Bridal on Sunday for a Prom Fashion Show! Check out some of the dresses Carrie Ann's Bridal has to offer! Thanks Madison for modeling the dresses for me! Hope you can make it to the fashion show! Bring your friends!
Maria

GOOD LUCK? I don't think so...

Recently I was told by "someone" that I am LUCKY.

Lucky to love what I do, lucky to have what I have.

It got me to thinking though....Do people in general not know, that LUCK is opportunity created? I wasn't always a photographer... in fact at one point in my life, I remember thinking to myself, " I cannot do this job, live this life or be here at this very moment for one more day" - it's difficult to be somewhere in your life you don't want to be. It affects everything.... the kind of person you are, how good of a mother you are, your marriage.... It affects your "everything" - and if you let it, It can destroy you. I suppose that's why there are so many bitter people in the world. I personaly stay away from all negative people, as much as I can.... negativity breeds just that. A really great friend of mine is one of the most positive people I know... now, just to make it clear, she doesn't have everything - just like you and I, she has been through "life" - it's highs and lows .... so why is she SO positive? Well, the answer is easy. Positivity makes it easier to get through the day (even when it's not such a great day) and it also makes others around you positive! Now... it also REALLY annoys people that you are SO positive.... and they may even say to you, " Why are YOU so happy?" (I've had that happen to me) and the answer is, "Why aren't YOU?" Soo........ getting back to my point, GOOD LUCK, it is opportunity created! My studio, my photography and everything I have is a product of something I created, that I love, that I cared for. It is a product of my time that I made ... and I am very proud of it. I had an opportunity, a "dream" and I took it and went for it.

Recently, I tried to help a friend start something that required some investing and she said, "What IF I fail?" - OK.... so if you are going to do something .... then make a commitment, and if you make a commitment and you are TRULY serious about it then Failure is NOT an option. Right? Question is, are you commited?

I have NO IDEA why I'm blogging about this because It's not in any shape form or way related to photography or Studio M.... but I thought it was worth throwing out into the world... that comment made me think about so many things ... how I started, how things grew, how wonderful and difficult it was.... hard work pays off... in many more significant ways than you may think. I guess I am writing all this because I feel that one moment, one thought or idea, one sentence can change someone's life so deeply. If you are close to me, you know that, I have a wonderful family and that I am close to all of them except for my brother. I don't know why that is. I don't know what happened at some point in my life that distanced me from him... I can't pinpoint it to one thing... perhaps just a series of events.... all I know is, there is love there but that's it.... nothing else. I am not proud of that, nor does it make me happy. In fact, if I knew how to change it, I would. Maybe it can't be changed... who knows.... but even though my brother and I don't have it together, he said ONE THING in one sentence in one moment that changed my life so deeply that it will never be undone. It planted a seed in my head that changed how I thought about something ... when I was playing with photography MANY MANY MANY years ago (before studio M was even in existence!) he said, "Why don't you become a photographer?" (he knew how much I loved photography) and I said, "I can't... I don't have a degree in photography" and he said, "You don't need one..." - and there it was :) - since then fast forward many many years... yes I have degrees, certifications and merits under my belt and plan to continue to do so.... but that one sentence, one moment.... it changed my life. That was beginning of the "now" - so I am lucky that I believed in myself enough (and had a supportive family) that I created the opportunity to be where I am :) - wow.... that was a lot of intense things to say!

Now, there is ONE THING that makes me feel very lucky and very special that I can give the world that most people can't say the same.... People remember their moments & lives through my eyes, my feelings and emotions. Even when I am gone, my artwork will continue to bring smiles, laughs and maybe even tears to loved ones. That makes me feel LUCKY and loved :)

Creating images like this make me feel lucky, loved & important. When I take images like this my eyes often water up and I hold back my emotions during my sessions and I pat myself on the back and say "great job Maria" - this child will remember the beginning of her life like this. AND THAT makes me feel lucky :)

What did you do at work today?

Well.... don't be jealous! LOL

Everyday at the studio it feels like Christmas! Our favorite guy is our UPS guy Bill, because when he comes, we have to fight over who opens the box first! Today a shipment we have been waiting for came! Seniors watch out!!!! We ordered several new backdrops for seniors and AWESOME adjustable dresses! These dresses actually fit almost every size and they are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! I am so excited about senior season I can barely take it! So.... what did I do at work today???? Well, all kinds of wonderful things but between appointments Megan and I played! So here's a new backdrop and two dresses that came in! In case you don't know me, well, I'm the red head and Megan, well, she's my awesome studio manager!

So what did you do today? I had a WHOLE LOT OF FUN!!!! At the age of 36 "dress up" is still such fun! Who would have known!

Maria

Great weekend :)

Spent some time with some photographer friends this weekend.... we photographed for fun :)
BEAUTIFUL weekend.... although it was a tad bit cold. REALLY looking forward to spring :) Hoping everyone had a GREAT weekend!

GOOOOOOO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!

SOOOOO EXCITED ABOUT THE SUPERBOWL.... thought this was pretty cool!

The very non perfect day.... with a perfect moment.

Well, I had named this email "THE PERFECT DAY" followed by a bunch of text about just how wonderful everything was today. BLAH! I deleted it all. It just wasn't true. Today was a particularly hard day. I don't have that many to be honest. I am a very positive person. I know you know what I'm talking about! I know I'm not the only person that has these types of days... There is nothing in the world (in my personal opinion) than feeling hurt and betrayed. Anger is a piece of cake. Anger you get over. Hurt? Not so much. Then add more to that. Not the best day. So I hugged my husband and glanced at my kids, drank a glass of wine.... and then my friend/employee/graphic artist Megan sends me this via email.....

AND...

It's funny how this TINY MOMENT I captured in someone's life today changed my whole outlook and how I felt in again, another tiny moment...

Thank you Megan for always knowing what I need without speaking words, and thank you to Sasha and her mom for trusting me to be the one to capture this. This reminded me of just how lucky I am (irregardless of all the other obvious reasons!)

Tomorrow I turn 36. Happy Birthday to me :) Life is grand :)

Maria

Happy New Year!!!! 2011 is going to ROCK!!!

Well... HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are some reasons I am SO THANKFUL for all I have! Life is awesome and 2011 is gonna be even better! First of all, wanted to let everyone know that the studio will be closed Thursdays and Fridays ONLY in the month on January. We are making some changes, and getting ready for an AWESOME 2011!!! We have new backdrops planned and sets we are designing! YAHOO!

So here is a little bit of my break in a nutshell! My sister and parents came up for the holidays! SO MUCH FUN!

Here is my sister Julie and I.... we REALLY LOOK ALIKE right? I know.... we sound alike too! I guess genetics doesn't lie. I am 7 years older than Julie - but wiser too LOL - maybe not!

Dinner at Melting Pot! YUMMM!

Then my friend Jant and I. Janet is one of the best friends I have ever had. The thing I love MOST about Janet is her positivity. The glass is ALWAYS half if not the whole way FULL. Need a smile? Call Janet!

My husbands side of the family REUNION that we have every year before xmas. This was obviously after we opened all the gifts :)

Day we got our xmas tree. Every year we go to Candle light tree farm and cut one down. In this image is my mom, dad, husband Sean, kids Dylan(10) & Christina(8) and me :)
Xmas morning..... they got each an Ipod touch. I don't know HOW Santa does it. He's awesome!

May God Bless each and every one of you with the wealth of LOVE. It's like the Beatles sang, "All you need is love"

Looking forward to an AMAZING 2011 - Thank You, each and every one of you, for letting me be a part of your lives!!! Goodnight!

Maria