My last blog post....

This will be my last post on this blog.....because my NEW BLOG is now LIVE!!
There isn't a ton on there yet but I'll be adding as much as I can as often is possible.

I can't wait for everyone to see it so QUICK...click on this link....

my NEW blog!!

Please bookmark the new address...www.staceykaneblog.com or sign up for the RSS feed.

And be sure to let me know what you think in the comments sections!

(This blog will remain here and can be accessed using the link on the new blog found under 'websites'.

Out of Studio - October 18 - October 22 - Orlando & Celebration, Florida

I am leaving on October 18th to shoot a series of family and children's sessions in Celebration and Orlando, Florida. I will be checking my messages as much as time allows but please understand that I may not be able to reply until my return on October 23rd.

I'm looking forward to meeting all of the great families that have scheduled sessions with me and will be sure to share the images with everyone on my blog as soon as possible!



Have a great weekend everyone!

my clients are the best!

...and are so sweet to take time out of their busy days to write me such nice notes....

Stacey. The photographs. Look. Incredible.

They are absolutely amazing! I am fielding emails and calls from everyone just dying over how fabulous they are. I simply cannot stop looking at them.

Ken and I feel so lucky to have found you. I have never seen anyone capture the beauty and the spirit of a wedding so perfectly. And we never thought we could look so good!???

Looking through them brought back the emotions we felt as you took each shot. Your photos have reminded us how very lucky we are to have found each other, lucky for the people we have in our lives, and how fortunate we were to have them all there for that incredible day. Silly me (?), but I never thought a photograph could portray such feeling.

We both agree you were the absolute best find, and we feel so fortunate to have had the pleasure of working with you.

It’s funny, at one point I wondered if I’d regret not hiring a videographer. After looking at the photographs, it confirmed for me that there was absolutely NO need.

We truly cannot thank you enough, and really look forward to doing our album over a few glasses of wine on a snowy day this winter.

Now I just need to go ahead and have a kid so we can get MORE Stacey Kane photography in our life!

Go Pats!

-K

Thanks for making me smile Kristin! Hope to see you and Ken again soon!

__________________________________________________________

Here's another one I received the other day....

Like??? No, not really....we LOVE! We were also totally blown away by how many there were, even with your warning. We actually had to take a snack break in the middle of looking at them on Friday afternoon. Two hours later, we were done; and then we looked at them again! It was SO worth the wait and we are happy to have the dilemma of choosing between too many great shots (there really is no such thing as TOO many) to make an album that won't be 18 inches thick, or make our coffee table splinter under the weight. We will definitely be calling you when we start a family and have babies to photograph. You truly captured the spirit of the day in the most non-forceful way possible. You blended in as one of our guests so that people didn't even realize that their picture was being taken, resulting in the best possible shots of everyone. It was like having a friend shoot our wedding....a friend with frickin' amazing photography skills!

You've actually ruined us for other photographers. At a friend's wedding a few weeks after ours, the photographer was near us and we kept ignoring him and carrying on conversation until he actually interrupted us to make us pose!!! All we could think of was how you would have taken a great picture of us ten times over in the time he was waiting for us to look at him!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing work and the priceless moments captured from our day. We've been singing your praises to everyone we know who is getting married, or could ever get married in their lifetime. We are so pleased and feel very fortunate to have such wonderful photographs from our wedding; not everyone is so lucky.

heather + adam 07.28.07 falmouth, maine

Wow...what a roller coaster of a day for weather!

When I arrived at Adam's parents' house in Falmouth it seemed as though an impending storm was going to pass around us. Everything was getting set up in their beautiful backyard for the ceremony and things looked promising. And then it hit...hard! Fortunately, their fabulous wedding coordinator Kate Parker and her staff had already moved everything into the tent when they saw the black clouds rolling in. Fast forward not much time and the sky cleared, the winds died down and the sun came out strong. So, Kate and her crew to the rescue again....they moved everything back out of the tent and set the ceremony up in the backyard again!! It was a very good move...the ceremony was beautiful!

One of the things that I will forever remember from Heather and Adam's wedding are their families. There isn't any question at all that the two of them are very, very loved. I have never witnessed a father-daughter dance as moving as Heather's and her dad's and the dance that Adam had with his grandmother (to Tina Turner's 'Simply the Best'!) was heartwarming. I'm not sure if they know this but they both had me choked up (another reason to add to my list of why I like to be BEHIND the camera!)

Take a peek at their slideshow to see for yourself....

Heather + Adam's wedding

Here's a glimpse at some of the gorgeous details that Kate designed for the wedding....

katie + charles 07.21.07 cape elizabeth, maine

I love Katie + Charles!
They are two of the happiest, sweetest and fun people I've ever met!

From the minute we all met I think we knew that we'd not only work well together...we'd most likely keep in touch in the future. I can't tell you how much I enjoy hearing from my brides and grooms!

Katie + Charles were married at the beautiful Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth. The sun came out just as the ceremony started and it was a wondeful day. There was a ton of smiles, laughter, dancing....happiness....and it was contagious. We even had a doe peek her nose out of the woods and cross our path while we were taking pictures on the walk down to the beach!

After the reception the three of us ran down to Ferry Beach in Scarborough to take some photos there. I can't remember if it was the sun going down or the beach flies that drove us out of there! Doesn't really matter....we had fun and got some great shots!

Here's a small collage of images from their wedding...

and here is a link to their slideshow with a few more.....

Katie + Charles wedding

abby + sam 07.14.07 squirrel island, maine

All Abby had to say was "I'm getting married on Squirrel Island" and I was sold on photographing her wedding! I'd never been there but knew that with a name like that it just had to be a great place to shoot. I was right! From the absence of cars to the fairy houses found all over the island...it was a magical place. Abby told me the story of the fairy houses while she was getting ready and I asked her to email it to me so I could share it on my blog. After hearing her tell the story it was obvious to me that there wasn't another place on earth that would mean as much to her. I could picture her childhood moments on the island with every story she told me. Here's a sampling of Abby and Sam's day along with the story of the fairy houses.



the story of the fairies on squirrel island

Dear Stacey,

Thank you so much for being there for our wedding! We are so excited to see the pics. You were so much more than just a photographer! You gave great advice and were a real support when I needed it! Squirrel Island is such a special place and we were so lucky to be able to have our wedding there. When I grew up I spent summer's there and over the years learned about the traditions. My grandparents still have a house there and I hope that Sam and I will be able to bring our kids when the time comes. The island is called Squirrel Island because the island is in the shape of a Squirrel. There are not actually any Squirrels on the island, except for the ones that have two legs, of course. There are only 100 summer houses on the island and they are inhabited by families that have been there for many generations. My grandfather went there as a boy and stayed in the house that he owns now. One man, Rob Hopkins, is the island manager. He was the man with the big newfoundland in the golf cart outside the chapel.
So many of the island traditions and stories have been passed down as each generation comes through. One legend is that there are fairies that inhabit the island. The kids on the island build houses for them. These fairy houses are made of natural materials found in the woods and the beach and they are built deep in the woods along side a trail called The Fairy Trail. The more houses that the kids build for them the more fairies there are to protect the kids. What do the kids need protection from? The boogie man....who lives on the boogie man trail. The boogie man does not come out much anymore because there are so many fairies now.
Now, the fairies do not like to be seen by people and neither does the boogie man. You can tell their presence though by things that they leave behind, often little treasures are left by the fairies and little messes are left by the boogie man. Also, sometimes when the mood is right, often when you are by yourself and the fog is rolling in at around dusk you can see little white things/movement in the air off in the distance. These are the fairies.

Although it may be silly, it is a story that I hope to tell my kids. Other islanders may know more about it although, some of it may have been handed down by my family. Either way, its fun!

Abby and Sam's wedding

I like to make brides cry....

It's the 'evil photographer' part of me but....it's true....I enjoy making my clients cry!

Here's an example of what I mean from a few emails written to me by Jen Gabel (the bride from the 07.07.07 wedding posted below) after sending her the 'sneak peek' highlights show:

Jen Isham wrote:

I saw your name in my inbox and freaked! I burst into tears as soon as it started! Stacey- THANK YOU- it's more than I could have ever dreamed for! You are beyond amazing! I need to go look at them again- and cry more!

Jen Isham wrote:

OK- you just didn't make me cry. My Dad is a mess at his office right now from crying, my sales team watched it with me half of them cried- Gabe is blown away. And my poor Matron on Honor who was too pregnant to be there, who had her baby 2 weeks ago- is just a blubbering mess! That made my entire month! We are going to Tennessee on Friday to visit Gabe's family, many of them who could not make it to the wedding. They will love to see this! I can't stop looking at them!

I was already feeling pretty good but it got even better. Shortly after the email about her dad crying Jen sent this to me....

Everyone, i mean everyone is raving about your work!

SPEECHLESS and CRYING!!!
Those pictures are beautiful- Jen you are beautiful!!!!
Did i say they were unbelievably amazing!!!
I love you friend and i hate that i had to miss it.

-Alicia
____________________________________________________________________________________
Awesome.... wow what a cool slide...
Its awful...I bet everyone who watches it cries....
-Gabe
_________________________________________________________________________
Soooo amazing!! I love the black and white of us girls, its great :)
Wow, I can't wait to see the rest!!!!
-Keri
____________________________________________________________________________

OMG BEST WEDDING PICTURES EVER!!!!!!!!! EVER EVER EVER!!!! Jen, they
are AWESOME. I'm going to have to watch that slideshow like a
gazillion times more. I can't believe it - your album is going to ROCK!
- Kelly

____________________________________________________________________________

How fun is that slideshow!? Love the Bon Jovi serenade, as well. Huge fan:)
- Misty
____________________________________________________________________________________

Jen! Oh my goodness. What a fantastic slide show. Your pictures were amazing. You should submit them to a magazine-seriously.
- Kate
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The weddding slideshow almost made me weep. ha
- Chris
_____________________________________________________________________________________

So cool to watch- captured moments perfectly. Beautiful.
- Kelli
_____________________________________________________________________________________

These pictures are absolutely unbelievable!!!
- Christy
_____________________________________________________________________________________

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!
-Kristin


Have I ever mentioned just how much I love what I do? :)

Thank YOU Jen....it was a pleasure working with you and Gabe! You made MY day!

jen + gabe 07.07.07 stockton springs, me

On July 5th of last year I received an email from a bride in Florida stating that she had just gotten engaged the day before and wanted to know if I was available to photograph her destination wedding at The Retreat at French's Point on 07.07.07. I emailed her back that I was indeed available and that I'd be happy to discuss her wedding plans with her in more detail. Well, I'm not sure she even read anything past the "I'm available" part....within just a couple of days I received her signed contract in the mail!

Apparently Jen had already researched plans for her wedding and was just waiting for Gabe to pop the question before she contacted me! Love her! Looked for what she wanted for her wedding, found it and went after it....a decision maker extraordinaire! I knew from the very beginning we'd get along great!

If ever there was a wedding that was meant for me to shoot and for me to shoot it this was it. It had all the elements that I love in a wedding....great details, fun special touches and a REALLY F-U-N crowd (wow! I've never seen so much energy dancing and singing to " Don't Stop Believin' "!!). It also had the very special feel that I find is quite strong in every destination wedding I shoot...the atmosphere was casual and relaxed with a focus on the relationships between friends and family. Basically, it was a group of people just happy to be together to celebrate a very special event. Yep...my favorite kind.

And to top it all off, the icing on the cake for me....Jen was once Cinderella at Walt Disney World!! For those of you that know me I'm sure you know I practically squealed with delight when I discovered this!! I mean c'mon....I SHOT CINDERELLA'S WEDDING!! Almost too much for a Disney nut like me to handle!!

Okay...enough jabbering from me...here's a link to the highlights slideshow of Jen and Gabe's wedding and a collage of some of the detail shots of the day (check out the shoes that Jen wore...aren't they fantastic!?)

kristin + ken 06.30.07 boothbay harbor, me

I'm very blessed to do be able to do a job that I love so much. Not only do I get to express myself creatively on a daily basis (and I'm talking about in ways OTHER than meeting the demands of my 3 kids!!), I often forge special frienships with my clients. Kristin and Ken are one of those couples.

It was a perfect union...theirs together and the one that I formed with them! I can't really say when it became obvious that we were so similar in so many ways and it really doesn't matter. We just knew we'd get along great....and we do!

I didn't even meet Kristin and Ken in person until the day of their wedding yet it seemed as though we'd known each other for a long time.

I could go on and on about our mutual obsession with sports (the Patriots and a certain quarterback!) and many other things, their wonderful senses of humor, etc... but I'll stop blathering on and just share some photos of their day with you! Here is a sampling of some of the images in a collage form (had to go back to that design, the large photos are just too...I don't know...big!!). At the end of this post you'll find a link to their slideshow. There are so many wonderful images of the day that the slideshow is a bit long but well worth watching.

The reception was held at the beautiful Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

The stunning flowers were done by Sandy of Bea & Company.

Music was provided by a favorite dj of mine, Ryan Parker.

And the invitations were done by the very talented Liz Libre of Linda and Harriet. (I photographed Liz's wedding at Kingsley Pines in Raymond, Maine last fall and was thrilled when Kristin chose a custom invitation done by Liz for her wedding. It was perfect for the event!)

Kristin and Ken's highlights slideshow

Enjoy!

jessica + michael 06.23.07 westford, ma

Jessica and Michael were referred to me by a bride (Kristin) that discovered me on the Knot AFTER her own wedding! She has been a guest at two weddings that I've done now and was a 'knottie friend' of another! It amazes me how things work sometimes!

Jessica and Michael had a great day for their wedding and I enjoyed the time I spent with them, their friends and families. Here is a small sampling of their day...



And of course, a link to their slideshow...

jessica + michael's slideshow

110 degrees, 5 kids, turtle pee and duck poop

Sounds appealing huh?!

Well...here's the story behind the headline.....

While I was in Memphis for Natalie + Billy's wedding I had the opportunity to photograph the Johnson grandchildren. It was about 110 degrees...in the shade!...and HUMID! We went to this wonderful park/botanical garden and let the kids loose. Of COURSE among the more interesting things to them were the duck poop (there were SO many ducks and geese running around leaving little presents everywhere!) and when they came across a turtle. They looked at it for a bit and when the turtle realized he had a bunch of little eyes staring at him I think it spooked him a little. He took off (as much as a turtle can 'take off'!) and left a trail of nervousness behind him. Hilarious....if you are an active and curious little boy!

There were many many images from this session that tell the story of our time together so much better than I can in words.... take a peek at the slideshow...

Memphis Kids slideshow


Oh...and I almost forgot about the disagreement over who was going to push the stroller.....


This was my type of session! I just love it when a client 'gets it'...when they want the true moments of childhood and they let me do what I think I do best....capturing kids the way they are at that moment in time. Not posed, not forced....simply who they are. Because I do believe it when I say that "someday the ordinary moments of today will seem anything but".

billy + natalie 06.09.07 memphis, tn

(Hard to believe that this is where I last left off...yikes! SO bad of me!)

I traveled to Memphis, TN for the wedding of Natalie and Billy on June 9th. I originally met Natalie when she was a bridesmaid in Amanda & Stanley's wedding in January of 2006 in Laguna Beach, CA and was thrilled when she contacted me to photograph her wedding in their hometown.

Despite incredibly hot weather (well...at least it was incredibly hot to me!!) their
wedding was gorgeous. The ceremony itself took place in one of the largest churches I've ever seen in my life. Seriously...I think it occupied a few blocks! The reception was at a beautiful location called the Dixon Gallery & Gardens that had stunning botanical gardens and a wonderful carriage house.

It was so much fun to visit with this group again. I had a blast with them in CA at Amanda and Stanley's wedding and the same held true at Natalie and Billy's. Now I just have to figure out a reason to visit them again and just hang out with them! They are a FUN group!

Here are some images from the day along with a link to a slideshow of highlights if you want to see more!

Natalie and Billy - highlights slideshow

Time to play catch up!

In spite of my best intentions of keeping my blog up to date, I know you have all noticed that I am failing miserably at it! Today I'm going to at least begin playing catch up....

I probably won't be able to keep them in sequential order but at least there will be new material for you to view!

I have a LOT to blog about so hang on!

***VERY IMPORTANT***

My blackberry was stolen while I was in Vegas shooting a wedding this past weekend.

Although I'm not thrilled with losing the phone itself, I'm more upset by the fact that I no longer have the emails, contact info, voice messages, etc... My replacement phone will be here tomorrow but, until then, if you try to reach me at 207.653.2356 you will receive a 'no longer in service' message. The number to call me at for the next 48 hours will be 207.885.0001.

Also, if you have left me any messages...email or voicemail....recently and have not received a return call or email PLEASE contact me again. Between traveling and this I may have either not received your message at all or it may have been in my 'reply to' folder that I no longer have.

I apologize for this inconvenience and will let you know when it's resolved and everything is back to normal!

I'll also get cracking at updating my blog! I'm pitifully behind on it!

Thank you for your understanding and patience with me over the next few days. I really appreciate it.

it's a 'good thing' !

This truly has been a month to remember. Not only have all the cool things listed below happened, one of my photos was published in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings! A 'good thing' indeed!





The image is from a fabulous wedding I shot last summer. Liz and John were married at Kingsley Pines...a beautiful, beautiful camp located on Panther Pond in Raymond, Maine. The setting couldn't have been more perfect for this couple. The have large families (LOTS of nieces and nephews running around!) and they love the outdoors.

The day before the wedding was spent enjoying a number of lakeside, summer activities...swimming, tubing, tennis, relaxing....just having a great time together. (I photographed a good portion of that day and loved it there so much that I enrolled my two oldest children in a three week summer camp this year! They started last Sunday!)

Here is a link to Liz and John's wedding slideshow.

Oh....and if you are looking for unique wedding invitations, programs, etc... like those seen in the slideshow be sure to visit Liz's website Linda and Harriett!

pam and frank

Pam and Frank were married on June 2, 2007 in York Harbor, Maine. We managed to win the race with the rain...it started coming down just as we finished with the portraits!

A fun fact about this wedding...this was my first wedding with a groom that is a triplet! I got a big kick out of a framed photo they had on disply of Frank and his brothers as toddlers in sailor suits!



Here is a link to Pam and Frank's slideshow.

Reception: York Harbor Inn
Band: Chris Waller Band
Wedding Coordinator: Melissa Mack 603•770•0625

what a great day!

My kids are thrilled....today was the last day of school! They found out their teachers for next year and are all happy with who they have (major accomplishment...usually one is in tears when they get off the bus for the summer because they aren't in the same class as a friend or they've heard that the teacher 'yells alot' or any number of things)!

I'm thrilled...my kids got great report cards, I'm looking forward to a summer filled with fun weddings, lake time with the kids and......

Photos from two of my weddings were published in the Real Weddings Special Issue of PEOPLE MAGAZINE that hit the stands today! How cool is that!?

They even have a photo from one of the weddings featured on the People website



As if that isn't exciting enough for one day, I also found out that one of the couples is being interviewed on the CBS Early Morning Show next Tuesday! WOW!!

If you'd like to view highlights slideshows from the two weddings featured, here are the links....

Meghan and Lauren's slideshow

Sarah and Ian's slideshow

Be sure to pick up a copy of the People special wedding issue soon! (you simply HAVE to see the wedding dress made out of donut holes and the wedding party with THIRTY-EIGHT bridesmaids! Yikes!)

Published...Across the Pond!

The UK has a great wedding magazine titled "50 Beautiful Weddings". Packed full of real-life inspiration, this new publication features 50 real weddings each month.

A few months ago the editor of the magazine contacted me after viewing my website and asked me to send her photos from some of the weddings I shot last year. The wedding of Elise and Ned on July 8, 2006 in Vermont is featured in the current issue. Here is a link to a .pdf file of the spread...

Elise and Ned...50 Beautiful Weddings

If you'd like to view more of Elise and Ned's wedding, here is a link to a slideshow of highlights.

Maine Switch

The Maine Switch is a weekly publication dedicated to providing information about the people, places, events and happenings in the Greater Portland area. Fashion advice, home improvement ideas, events, etc...it's a great resource for everyone. You can pick up a copy at a number of locations including Hannaford, Borders, etc...

I was honored to be interviewed for the Success Stories segment in the May 22nd issue (I know I know, I'm a bit behind on my blogging!!). Here it is....

better behavior this time!

There is actually a funny little personal story that I have to share about Kate and Jamie's wedding. Although Kate and Jamie currently call CA their home, Kate grew up in the same town that I did and graduated from the same high school (yeah...alright....quite a few years BEHIND me!). When we first met we started talking about different people we knew, etc.... Well, she mentioned the name of one of her bridesmaids and it was a girl I grew up down the street from and...ahem...BABYSAT for! Now, that's not the funny part....the funny part was when I arrived at the hotel for getting ready photos. Sarah was one of only 2 children that I ever babysat that I actually had to call the parents to come home for! As I was telling this story I mentioned the name of the other child and Sarah pointed behind my back. Yep....Erin was in the wedding too! The only two that EVER gave me trouble and there they were...BOTH in the wedding party! I warned them that they had to behave better than they did back when they were younger!

Here is a photo of Sarah and Erin....they've grown up so much and look just like their moms! Aren't they beautiful!? (and yes...they were MUCH better behaved this time around!)

kate and jamie

Blueberries were the theme for the Boothbay Harbor wedding of Kate Bernstein and Jamie Clark at Spruce Point Inn on May 27th. Kate and Jamie are two people that are truly meant to be with one another and the day was filled with emotion. I really don't think there was a dry eye at the ceremony!

The bridal party was composed of long time friends and family and the closeness between them all was wonderful to witness. I have no doubt they will remain in close contact with one another no matter what distances, etc...arise in their futures. I predict that they will all be there for each other's children's weddings as well!

Here are a few details of the wedding that was perfectly orchestrated by one of my favorite wedding planners ever....Kate Parker of Kate Parker Weddings. Seriously....if you are looking for someone to oversee all of the details and scheduling of your wedding, Kate is the one to call! Not only is she a stickler for details and organization....she makes GORGEOUS floral arrangements and decorative elements! Here are a few details to show you what I mean....



Kate's husband, Ryan Parker provided the music that kept the dance floor crowded the entire evening.

Here's a link to a slideshow of highlights from Kate and Jamie's wedding. Enjoy!

Erica and Justin

It seems like forever ago when Justin first contacted me about shooting Erica and his wedding in beautiful Manchester, VT!

The wedding was held at The Equinox Resort and it was perfect. The weather wasn't so perfect (it rained all day) but the Equinox provided many wonderful settings for photos.

There were also some unique and fun touches to the day. A few examples:

Erica's matron of honor made the cake and it was fabulous. It was a replica of Erica's wedding dress.

They had an old fashioned photo booth that provided lots of fun and laughter. Everyone took a turn in the booth and came out with 2 sheets of photos...one for the guest book and one to take home.

At the end of the evening, guests were treated to a late night snack of grilled cheese sandwiches...a favorite of Justin's!

Here's a small glimpse of the day....



To see more, here is the slideshow from the wedding.

Erica and Justin....best wishes for a lifetime full of laughter and adventures together! (And have a great time in the Canouan Islands! (I'm so jealous!!!)

And so it begins....

The wedding season is now in full force!

Let's see how well I can keep up with blogging about all the weddings I'm shooting this season!

The weekend of May 12th, I had the pleasure of second shooting for the fabulous Dane Sanders To put it simply, Dane is just a great guy. Devoted husband and dad, incredibly talented and generous...yep, Dane is someone that people naturally gravitate towards.

We had a wonderful time with Melissa and Jean and their friends and family. I'm grateful to have met them and been welcomed into their group. I immediately felt as though I was among old friends.

Here is a link to Dane's Blog where he posted a quick slideshow that he put together for Melissa & Jean.

what an honor

Wow. I'm speechless(for those of you that know me this is NOT a natural state for me!)

WPJA chose me as the featured photographer for the month of May on their WedPix site. It is an honor to be a member of such a distinguished and professional organization. To be recognized by them as the featured photographer of the month? Very humbling indeed.



To read the article in it's entirety please visit....

Featured Photographer - Stacey Kane

Father and Son

I had a fantastic time with this dad and his son last Sunday morning. Brad and Parry were so much fun and most definitely my type of clients! Brad wanted to capture not just portraits of he and his son together, but the spirit and emotion of their relationship. Yep....he 'gets it'!







To see the 'sneak peek' slideshow that I did for them please click on this link...
Brad & Parry

More of Baby Alex

As promised....Mom and Dad gave me the okay so here are some more images of Alex!

A few of the sleeping cherub....





And the pages of a coffee table book about Alex....

Must be a growing spurt....

....it's been awhile since my little guy has conked out in the middle of the day like this! I only wish his mouth was wide open so you could see his missing front teeth! You can bet I'll be blogging about that as soon as I take some pics!

baby blues

I could hardly BELIEVE the eyes on these boys when I arrived at their house to do a session with them. Evan and his mom met me at the door and I think my jaw hit the step. Now, I've seen big beautiful blues before but his took my breath away! Evan's older brother Joshua was sleeping so I had a few minutes to play with him first.

When Joshua woke up and arrived in the living room he wasn't all that sure about me. After a field trip to his bedroom where I was introduced to 'melmo' (kidspeak for Elmo! This melted my heart...my daughter used to call Elmo the exact same thing!), Oscar the Grouch, Barney and a host of other characters he decided I wasn't so bad after all. The true defining moment was when The Lion King was about to be popped into the dvd player. For those of you that don't know...I am a HUGE Disney fan (more on that later!). I launched into singing the opening track from the movie and, after the initial shock that I actually knew the tribal song, Joshua burst out laughing. It was official....we were friends!

Here are some images from my session with these beautiful boys!

Baby Sign Language for....enough already!

I photographed Heather and Matt's wedding in July 2005. We've kept in touch and I was delighted when Matt's mom contacted me to order a Baby's First Year package so I could photograph their baby for them!

Alex was born on March 22, 2007 and I traveled to Nashua, NH on April 11th to photograph him. It was wonderful to see Heather again (unfortunately Matt had to go back to work that week) and meet Alex. Well, as you can tell from the image here, I was more excited to meet him than he was to meet me!!

Oh well, at least his mom and dad like me!



There are some really great images from this session but Heather and Matt are planning on sending out announcements very soon and I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone. As soon as they've gone out and I have the go ahead from Heather I promise to post more!

LOTS of catching up to do!

I have a lot to blog about! Hopefully I'll get it all up today.

Stay tuned....

Alison & Chip Harraseeket Inn 03.31.07

I knew within five minutes of meeting Alison and Chip that I'd have fun with them. I mean really....how great is a couple that hosts a 'black tie or carhartt' wedding!!?

They did not disappoint me! Not only were they a pleasure to work with, their friends and family were fantastic as well.

Here are a few images from their wedding at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine...
















LOVED this little dude with the cellphone camera!!



To view a slideshow of some highlights please visit www.staceykane.com/alisonandchip

A Family Book

I am so excited about the new hardcover coffee table books I will be offering my portrait clients this year! They are perfect for families, children, special events, seniors...oh so many things!

Here are some 2 page spreads from a layout that I recently finished....



















Love these!!

We have the BEST BUS DRIVER!

We LOVE our kids' bus driver!

Mike is truly the best! He is such a fun guy and the kids adore him. He wears a different silly hat each day, he decorates the bus inside and out for different occasions, he has contests....he's just fantastic!

Yesterday, he surprised us once again with his sweetness and generosity.

There we all were, standing outside waiting for Mike to come pick up the 3rd-5th grade kids for school. We'd all been dealing with no power, no heat, no showers....no school the day before....ugh! Mike drove up and hid his face from us expecting us to tease him about no school the day before. We told him that no school had been the least of our issues....we were still without electricity!

The kids got on the bus and went off to school.

Half an hour later we were all back at the bus stop, this time with the K-2nd grade kids. Mike pulled up again to pick up this group, opened the bus doors, and held up a Box o' Joe from Dunkin' Donuts for us! He had stopped in between bus runs, pulled into the little parking lot of DD with his great big yellow bus and picked up coffee for us! He even had a bag of cups, lids, stirrers, all 3 types of sweetner and cream! What a great guy!



We have the BEST BUS DRIVER!!

Thanks Mike! We luv ya!

It may be pretty....

....but wow can it be destructive!

Thursday morning we woke up to about a foot of the cold, wet, white stuff.....and NO POWER! We believe that we lost power sometime between 2 am and 3 am. By 8 pm we were still without and packed our bags to go to my brother in law's home. We came back at around 6:30 or so and still no electricity.

It finally came back on somewhere around 10:30 am on Friday.

It may have lasted 30 or so hours but it only took about 3 for me to realize that I would NOT have survived in a little house on the prairie!!!

Out of Studio - March 21-March 27

I will be out of the studio from Wednesday, March 21st through March 27th shooting some portrait sessions in Florida.

Please feel free to send an email message to me at stacey@staceykane.com or leave me a voice mail message at 207.653.2356. I will return all correspondence upon my return.

I travel frequently for weddings and portrait sessions. If you are interested in having me travel to your location for a session with your family and/or children, please let me know. Requests for out of state locations are considered if there are enough sessions scheduled to justify travel (3 or more sessions).

If you are planning a destination wedding I would be happy to customize a coverage for your event. Please contact me for more details!

Have a great week/weekend!!

Another visit with Griffin!

Griffin first visited me at the studio last year (see post waayyy down below!). At that time, he was definitely more interested in trains than he was in being photographed!

He showed up at this session armed with two of his favorite trains...Thomas and a red one (shame on me....I can't remember the red one's name! I actually think it may just be 'red train' but that seems to easy!). Although his passion for trains hasn't changed, he did seem to like me a lot better this time around!

We had a great time at his mini session! I can't wait for our next visit!

WPJA Winter 2006 Competition

Thought I'd share some exciting news with all of you. The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) recently announced the results of the Winter 2006 competition and I was fortunate enough to place 3 images in the top 20...one took 2nd place!

For those of you that are not familiar with WPJA, it is "a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography."

I am honored to be a part of this group and am thrilled to have had the following 3 images place. It is the only competition that I ever enter because of the respect I have for the organization, the photographers that are members and the panel of judges that they put together for each contest.

There is another division of the WPJA called The Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association [AG]WPJA. This is "a group of international wedding photojournalists, who capture unscripted wedding moments as they happen, and excel in the art of post-production image processing. The [AG]WPJA is a division within the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA); one which specifically promotes Fine Art Wedding Photojournalism"

I am proud to say that I also placed 2 images in the AGWPJA competition...both in the detail category.

Here are the winning images....








For more information on WPJA and AGWPJA and to view the incredible work of my very talented colleagues please visit www.wpja.com and www.agwpja.com .

The results are in!

Sorry for not posting these last night. The Time Warner server must have been experiencing some 'hiccups' and the service kept going in and out. I finally gave up and went to bed!

This was a tough task for me. The submissions were great! It was fun to see your images but reading your reasons why the image was important to you and why photos in general are an important part of your life was wonderful. The way your connection to the photograph was expressed in words was a very important part of how I determined the winner.

So....here they are!

The Winning Entry will receive a photo session with me, an online gallery of the images from the session, an online slideshow of select images from the session and a matted and framed 8x10 of their choice.

WINNING ENTRY-FAVORITE IMAGE CONTEST



There are so many photographs that are invaluable to me- pictures of my family, pictures from my childhood, my dog (she's like my child), and especially those from my wedding day- it is hard to think of one that is my absolute favorite- like, if my house was on fire, which picture would I grab? An impossible question to answer! Instead I am submitting a picture that, for some reason, has just stuck with me since my childhood. The picture is, I believe of my great-grandmother Betty and two of my great-uncles, Spalding and Grant. It was taken where they all lived in Hawaii and is probably from about 1925.

There's an inscription on the back that reads, "...after spending the day with Mrs. Crowles. You see, our bathing suits are not big enough to reach. We call these 'bare backs' of Hawaii." I don't know who wrote it, who they wrote it to, or who Mrs. Crowles was. I don't even know which of the women is my great-grandmother, or which of the kids are my uncles. No one is facing the camera- there's just a slight side glance from one of the kids- which makes me wonder what their faces look like, what are they looking at, are they happy? It seem like this would have been a fairly insignificant moment in my family's history- one my great grandmother would probably think is strange for me to love- but I am attached to it because it makes me wonder about the people in it.

Photographs have always been an important part of my life, in no small part because I grew up in Alaska, far away from most of my family. Part of the way I got to know people in my family was seeing them through old photographs. You may not have been there or known the person at the time, but you can become a witness to history and have a personal face-to-face encounter with someone, even if they are miles away, or decades away in time- when you see them sometimes in a picture.

Submitted by:

Robyn Schnaible
South Portland

Congratulations to Robyn! Please contact me to schedule your session!

Because there were so many great entries I decided to also award a few 'honorable mentions'. These individuals will receive a $100 gift certificate from me that can be used towards a session fee or prints.



This shot is of Erik and my Uncle Nick. This picture was taken in my brother's backyard in Yarmouth, Maine. When I took this picture I was feeling what I feel every time I look at it...like my mom is watching. My mother passed away about 9 years ago...long before I met Erik. It breaks my heart that the two most important people in my life were never able to meet, never able to take a walk, or share a hug or a laugh. It makes it all a little incomplete. My uncle, my mom's brother, more than anyone, shares her spirit; he has that same twinkle in his eye that she had in hers and looks at me the way she used to. I am so thankful that I still have my uncle here to give Erik an idea of what she was like; so warm, so protective, so loving.
So I guess this picture feels like there are three people in it...people who mean the world to me!

Effie Eraklis



It really is my favorite and it makes me smile every time I see it. Jack is now 2 ½ and this picture is when he was 5 months. The look on his face was precious. It wasn’t really a smile, although he was happy. It was almost skeptical-that one eyebrow higher than the other. Also, his personality as an infant was sort of skeptical. I will never forget how his hair used to stick up on top. It also reminds me of my other son Nolan who is now almost 5. His hair stuck straight up at the same age. And those few hay like strands that yield to the sides….so cute. Everyone who sees this picture always stops in their tracks and admires it. It’s just one of those looks that is one in a million I think. Also, his size compared to my hand always reminds me that yes, he was that small once………

Ellen Matthews



This picture brings me back to the day we spent playing with my grandson, building a fort. We all had a Great time. The crisp day and the snow is a great background that brought out the bright colors of his eyes and his rosy red cheeks. I also see the innocence in his starry blue eyes one that I will never forget as he grows older.

The snowman is now gone but the pictures bring it back like it was yesterday. Living in Maine ,I believe every kid is a winter kid and we should catch that image more & more to show off on our shelves. I would love to have portraits of my grand kids in all four seasons hanging on my living room walls.

Diane Green

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone that entered! This was harder than I thought it would be but definitely a lot of fun. Keep checking the blog....you never know when I may have another contest!