stacey kane/blog

Out of Studio - March 21-March 27

2007-03-20T22:43:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-03-20T19:14:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-18T19:55:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-03-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

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!

Mini Session Availability & Contest Results

2007-03-06T07:40:00.000-05:00

Just an update....

There are no more openings left for the March 8th mini sessions but there are a few spots open for the March 13th date!

Results for the photo contest below will be posted tomorrow! (Well, they will be IF I can actually choose from all the great entries and touching stories/comments!)

Stay warm today! 25 below wind chill??! Yikes!!

Cabo-The Whales

2007-02-12T15:54:00.000-05:00

The most spectacular and breathtaking part of our trip to Mexico would have to be the whales. We watched them every day from the beach of The Westin and then decided that a trip to Cabo just wouldn't be complete without a whale watching boat excursion. We went out with a group of about 10 people including photographers Caroline and Bill Johnson from Florida that we became friends with. The tour was through Ocean Riders. I cannot recommend them strongly enough. They were FANTASTIC!

(left to right...my husband Chris, me, Bill and Caroline)

The watercraft was a Zodiac and it was a blast! We saw quite a few whales and even had a baby whale swim under the boat! What an experience!

Here are some images from the whale watching excursion....

OK! OK! You win!!

2007-02-22T16:53:00.000-05:00

Mercy!! I give!

After receiving multiple emails asking me if I was going to do the 'mini sessions' in the studio again this year I've decided that I will. My arm can't withstand any more twisting!!

Sooo....here are the details....

I will be offering 2 Mini Session dates in March:

Thursday, March 8th
Tuesday, March 13th

Mini sessions are $75, for children only, and last approximately 20 minutes. Each session will include an online gallery that you can share with family and friends and a proofing appointment at the studio to go over your selection of images. Prints, matting and framining, custom note cards, art canvases, storyboards, etc....will be available to order a la carte at your proofing appointment.

Because of the limited availability of these mini sessions, they will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis.

Please email stacey@staceykane.com or call the studio 207.653.2356 to reserve your space.

my studio

2007-02-18T11:31:00.000-05:00

I am often asked about my studio by those who have never seen it in person. For those of you that are too far away to visit as well as those that just haven't had a chance to stop by, here's a virtual tour. This isn't the entire space...there is also a 2nd floor loft and a reception type area where I have my desk, etc... but you'll get the idea!

The studio is open by appointment only but if you ever drive by feel free to swing in and see if I'm there!

Studio address....134 Black Point Road, Scarborough, Maine 04074

the things we do for our kids....

2007-02-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

Our kids are hockey players. Or should I say 'hockey fanatics'?! They LOVE hockey. They'd live in their skates if it were possible.

So, this year my husband built a rink for them in our backyard. He did it from scratch....not from a kit...from scratch. And it's got it all: ice, boards, goals, nets around the rink so they aren't chasing pucks all the time...even lights so they can play at night! Seriously, it's really something!

The minute the kids get home from school and finish homework they are out there and they stay there until I force them to come in. They love it.

But....it's a very high maintenence project to say the least! My husband goes out every night and scrapes it down after they've skated and then sprays it with water to smooth it out again. He's like a human zamboni! He even bought a small, compact snowblower for when we get snow storms!

Here he is yet again, working on the rink for his kids. How blessed we are to have such a great husband and dad.

Favorite Image Contest

2007-02-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Enough of this hum drum weather! It's time to spark things up a bit!

You all know how I love to try new things and 'play' a little during this semi 'off' season. Well, this year I decided it would be fun to have a FAVORITE IMAGE CONTEST!

I want to hear about your favorite photo....the one that makes you smile, laugh and/or cry. One that you cherish. One that brings a memory back to life. The one that you hold nearest to your heart.

Here are the details....

~ If you can send me the image, please do so. If not, please describe it to me as best as you can.

~ Tell me what it is about the photo that makes it so special to you.

~ Tell me, in general, about the importance of photographs in your life.

Please send all entries to stacey@staceykane.com
Deadline: March 2, 2007
Winning Entry will be posted on the blog on March 7, 2007

The winning entry will receive a Complimentary Portrait Session with me, an online gallery of the images from the session, an online slideshow set to music and an 8x10 of their favorite image printed and framed.

Remember, as Henry David Thoreau said...."It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

Stacey

Introducing....Emma Beatrice McNamara

2007-02-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

Emma is the daughter of a woman that is very, very special to my family. Her name is Katie and she and her brother Tom are the Godparents of our youngest son, Brogan.

Katie and Tom's family is truly just another extension of ours in our eyes. They are wonderful people...the family that everyone hopes to have and to be. We love them dearly.

And now, without further ado....here she is! Isn't she gorgeous!!? Congratulations to Katie and Shaun....you done good!! :)

crashing back to reality...

2007-02-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

From 80 degrees and sunny in Mexico to this at home....

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST THURSDAY.

SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 8 TO 12 INCHES ALONG THE COAST AND 16 TO 24 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL MIX WITH THE SNOW AT TIMES NEAR THE COAST. A THUNDERSTORM IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL GUST TO 40 MPH AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST AND IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THE HEAVY SNOWFALL COMBINED WITH BLOWING SNOW WILL RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FROM LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE LATE EVENING HOURS. THIS WILL CAUSE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.

POWER OUTAGES MAY ALSO OCCUR DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW ON POWER LINES AND TREE LIMBS.

ahhhh.....guess I'll just keep day dreaming of that beach chair!

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2007-02-12T16:36:00.000-05:00

Wow....what a GORGEOUS place!

I just returned from a fabulous week in sunny and warm Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The weather was perfect (of course, the fact that it was sub-zero here at home the entire time we were away made it even MORE perfect!), the resort where we stayed was beautiful and the people were wonderful.

I have to give a shout out with a BIG THANKS to Nana & Bumpa who captained the ship and crew of three (Devan 11, Braeden 9 and Brogan 6) while we were away. The kids had a blast and I hope Nana & Bumpa are now getting some well deserved R&R!

Here's a peek of some sights around Cabo....

I would HIGHLY recommend Cabo for a destination wedding or honeymoon. I even know a wedding photojournalist that would be more than happy to make the trip to document your wedding there!! :)

Out of Studio - February 3-February 12

2007-02-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

I will be out of the studio beginning February 3rd and will be returning on February 12th.

I will try to monitor my email and voice mail messages while I am away but am not sure that I will have adequate reception. If not before, I will reply to all messages upon my return from Mexico.

STACEY

Out of Studio-Destination Wedding-Jan. 2nd-Jan. 7th

2007-01-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

I will be leaving for a destination wedding at the Villa Montana resort in Isabella, Puerto Rico on Monday, January 2nd. I will be returning on Monday, January 8th. Due to the inconsistent (at best!) cell/internet service on the island, all emails and voice messages during that time will be answered upon my return.

Thank you for your understanding and patience while I give my full attention to Leslie & Shaun during their celebrations!

Holy Magazine Spreads Superman!

2007-01-01T09:24:00.000-05:00

Yep...Superman!

I photographed Sam & Rachel's wedding (Sam Huntington plays Jimmy Olsen in the 2006 movie Superman Returns) last August. (Remember the photo that landed in US Weekly? See the blog entry PINCH ME below...)

Well.....check this out!! The wedding is featured in the latest edition of InStyle Weddings!!!

Be sure to pick up a copy for yourself!

bittersweet

2006-07-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, I was traveling a lot in June. With 3 young children I think that can be a good thing and a bad thing simultaneously. A bad thing because it's always difficult to be apart from your kids but a good thing because I really do believe that, in small doses, absence can make the heart grow fonder.

It's hard to be away from them but I think it does make them appreciate me more and I know it makes me appreciate them more. They seem to be a lot more agreeable with me and with each other upon my return and my patience gets renewed.

Knowing this it's easy to understand why, when I opened my suitcase up in Puerto Rico and found this note from my 9 year old son, it brought a big smile to my face as well as a few tears....

Happy New Year! My 1st Official Resolution!

2006-12-31T21:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one that's been contemplating my resolutions for the new year. Unfortunately, I seem to have a pile of them!

One that I am very determined to work on concerns this blog. I REALLY want to keep this updated MUCH more often than I did in 2006. I think blogging is great and I want to keep everyone in the loop. I know that there are quite a few of you that check in on this blog from time to time and I hate to disappoint you by not adding new items.

So....there it is.....my first official spoken out loud resolution....

**UPDATE BLOG WEEKLY**

Feel free to prod me with emails as necessary!!

Happy New Year everyone!

Modem Schmodem...IMPORTANT

2006-11-06T15:31:00.000-05:00

I left for a wedding at The Atlantis http://www.atlantis.com on October 25th. While we were enjoying beautiful, sunny 89 degree weather, here at home was getting blasted by high winds and driving rain. I thought I had dodged the bad weather....until I arrived home yesterday to find that the storm had fried my internet modem! No telephone...no internet...nothing. Definitely explains why I wasn't able to remotely access my work computer while I was away!

Now, the big problem is this.....when the new modem was installed by cable, they somehow managed to erase ALL of my voice mail messages from while I was away (10/25-11/5). I believe that my email was also affected.

So, if you left me a voice mail message OR sent me an email between October 25th and today, PLEASE contact me again and I will promptly reply!!

Thanks!

PINCH ME !!!

2006-08-28T19:09:00.000-05:00

Seriously....pinch me! Who would have ever guessed that someday I'd have a photo published in US Weekly!!? That's right....right there on page 41 in this week's edition (8/29) of US Weekly is a photo from a wedding that I recently photographed. And right beside it in itty bitty print is my name! The lady at the grocery store thinks I'm a tabloid junkie.....I bought all 8 of the copies in the check out aisle I was in!

Sam and Rachel are truly one of the sweetest couples I have ever had the pleasure of working with. And really, could they be more adorable? Their personalities and obvious love and affection for each other made my job a piece of cake.

And I have to admit, it was pretty cool to photograph the wedding of the Daily Planet's very own Jimmy Olsen! Sam played the news reporter/photographer in the recent Superman Returns movie. I took my kids to see it and they loved it. Funny thing is, they seem to have claimed Sam as their very own hero! ( I think it may have something to do with the fact that Sam and Rachel sent me home from the wedding with bags of candy for them!)

The wedding itself was truly spectacular and the location was a dream to photograph. The details were abundant and fabulous....thanks to Kate Parker of Kate Parker Weddings http://www.kateparkerweddings.com . Kate is a wonderful wedding planner as well as a talented and creative floral designer. A great combo! Working with a great planner is soooo
nice. It can make such a difference in the wedding and how it flows.

Another amazing individual that played a big role in the details of the wedding was Karen Bartolomei from Grapevine Weddings.... http://www.grapevineweddings.com. Karen did all of the paper products and wow...were there a LOT of creative paper products at the wedding....invitations, placecards, signs, programs, water bottle labels, maps, booklets, etc, etc..... If you are looking for invitations and accessories to set the tone and atmosphere for your wedding I would highly suggest giving Karen a call!

More to come....check back later!

Christmas Deadline

2006-08-28T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give you all a heads up on Christmas deadlines this year. In order to make the deadline, your session has to take place prior to October 20th and all orders must be placed by November 30th.

My calendar is filling up very quickly so please be sure to contact me as soon as possible if you would like to schedule a time for a session. My next available opening isn't until the beginning of October and there are only about a half dozen time slots left.

11 days, 7800 miles, 3 weddings

2006-07-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

The first week and a half in June was, to put it mildly, a complete and total whirlwind!

I began the month in Puerto Rico shooting Melanie & Larry's June 3rd wedding in Isabella at the beautiful Villa Montana resort.

The next day I hopped on the plane and flew home to prepare for the June 10th wedding of Amy & Jeff in Kennebunkport.

I got home that evening, secured all of the images from Amy & Jeff's wedding, recharged all my equipment and packed up for my 6 am flight out of Portland for a the June 14th wedding of Jessica & Trevor. I had the pleasure of photographing that wedding in Poipu on the absolutely breathtaking island of Kauai, Hawaii.

Phew! It was an amazing time! Now I'm in my frantic editing mode trying to get caught up (wishful thinking....I shoot much faster than I can edit!) I will be posting more photos and stories soon about each wedding individually. They were all great weddings and I enjoyed my time with all of them. (As it happens with many of my weddings, I hadn't met any of these couples until the actual weddings!)

My apologies!

2006-07-16T21:15:00.000-05:00

I have been terrible at keeping up with this blog thing! It isn't that I don't have anything to share with all of you...it's that I have too much!

I'm going to do my best to catch the blog up with everything that's been going on lately so please be sure to check in periodically this week. I have a lot to tell you about!

I'm really not sure how to put things into order on this thing so please bear with me if I jump around a bit. I may not have everything in the right sequence but at least the info will be here!

Thanks for your patience (and for all of you that have gently 'nudged' me about updating this! I appreciate it!

District Champs!

2006-07-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

Please indulge me a moment while a do a little "mom bragging"!

My 10 year old daughter Devan had the honor and pleasure of being chosen to play on the Scarborough 2006 U-10 Girl's All Star Team. They had a tremendous post season and went undefeated to win the District Championship yesterday.

We are incredibly proud of this very talented group of girls!

Here is a quick slideshow from one of the games...

Scarborough All Stars 2006

(My daughter Devan is #13)

Ahhhh.....Miami in April.....

2006-04-26T17:57:00.000-05:00

.....what could be better!?

The morning I left for Kat & Thor's wedding in Miami I stepped into snow outside my door! Stepping into sand that afternoon was MUCH more appealing.

Kat & Thor had fabulous weather and a beautiful setting for their April 8th wedding. Add in their crazy friends and....well.....let's say it was one big, incredibly fun PARTY!

To view a "sneak peek" slideshow of Kat & Thor's wedding, please visit www.staceykaneweddings.com/katandthor

Next destination wedding..... Melanie & Larry, June 2 & 3, Puerto Rico !