A Thousand Words Photography

New Blog...follow link

Hello everyone.....

I just published a post on our new and improved blog (follow link).

***In the future, all of our website links will point you to the new blog (as soon as we get everything set up....)

www.photographybysamanthacover.com/blog

Update on my mom...

At the beginning of the week, I was so optimistic about my mom's prognosis.  She had stopped bleeding and was taken off of the ventilator, but it seems that her liver suffered tremendous damage during the multiple surgeries and massive blood loss/transfusions.  Her liver cannot process all of the toxins in her body and she her mental state is that of total confusion.  She recognizes me one minute, but the next one, she asks who I am......it is heartbreaking.  Someone that I normally talk to 5 times a day and see at least 4-5 times a week has moments where she doesn't know who I am.  I sit and I hold her hand and I wait for those couple of minutes a day where she tells me that she loves me and that she is getting better......but we don't know if she is.  I don't know, she doesn't know, even the doctors don't know.  They are saying that only time will tell if her liver will be able to filter the toxins in her body that are causing the confustion.  Every day, Brian brings Jett up so that she can see him and that is the only time that she smiles.....it is also the only time that I smile.  She is severely jaundiced due to her elevated bilirubin, and again, the doctors do not know if she will be able to get rid of it because of her severely damaged liver.....at the level that she is currently at, the doctors are not sure how long she will survive. 

I must have told her that I love her 1000 times the past few weeks, but it still doesn't seem like enough.  Thank you all so much for caring and being so wonderful through this terrible time for our family.

No matter your current relationship with your mom, whether you are lucky enough to consider her one of your best friends or if you are not as close as you would like to be, I beg you to spend as much time with her as possible.  Make a date for a girls night.....see a movie, take her to lunch.....and tell her you love her.  Cherish each moment... 

 

Nikki & Jeremy are married!

For updates on my mom, please see post below....

Nikki and Jeremy's wedding was one that we were looking forward to ever since their amazing engagement photo shoot around Chicago (link to Engagement Session)

Nikki's dress was simply stunning.....by far one of my favorite dresses ever! So romantic and yummy!

 

After Nikki was dressed her Dad wanted a moment with her alone.....luckily, the door was open about an inch, which was all I needed to capture him crying as he talked to her......so precious!

 

Nikki and Jeremy saw eachother before the ceremony.  I cannot express enough how beneficial this is for photos....look at the emotion in the following photos, do you really think that they lost ANY of the excitement by seeing eachother before?  If anything, I think the emotional value was heightened.

Sexy portrait time....

 

I wanted to set up a mock photobooth for "the girls"....I luv the results!

p.s.  Isn't the girl in the middle row on the left gorgeous?! ;-)  (I am shooting her wedding this summer!)

Isn't the third groomsmen from the left a hunk?  (I shot his wedding 2 years ago ;-)   

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G ring!!!!  seriously!

Normally, I wouldn't post a procession photo like this because it is pretty standard (any photographer worth a CF card should shoot it).....but look at that smile!!!  She is floating on air!  (at most Jewish weddings, the bride walks half way down the aisle and meets her parents)

Here is the moment that she met her dad:

Temple Israel looked spectacular (any brides who are on the fence about whether or not they should get lighting for their reception.....here is the answer.....DO IT!!!!)

Jeremy getting down with his bad self!

They had a great crowd on the dance floor all night.....at some points it was hard to get close to the action (so we got above it!)

I know I always say that we had so much fun at every wedding......but we really do!  Any at Nikki and Jeremy's wedding we knew so many people (past clients, future clients, bridesmaids and groomsmen of past weddings, siblings of clients etc...)

Nikki and Jeremy, we really did have so much fun with you guys!  You are a gorgeous couple....Jeremy keep being affectionate, Nikki keep laughing :-)

Heartbroken...

This has been the worst week of my life.  My mom, who is my best friend in the world is gravely ill.  Last Monday she complained of feeling sick and after vomitting numerous times, I convinced her to go to the ER to get checked out.  I met her and my dad at the U of M ER and thought she had a bug or at the worst, the flu.  After being seen by the doctors, she was told that her hernia had to be operated on.  Ordinarily, a hernia operation is a some what common procedure, however my mom has liver disease (go figure, someone who NEVER drank alcohol develops liver disease).  All of my brothers and I waited at the hospital with my dad while they performed the emergency surgery.  They told us that she had a 50% chance of surviving the surgery and recovery.  Hours later, they came out and told us that they thought the operation went well.  When we saw her, she seemed good, so we went home to get a couple of hours of sleep.  After getting 4 hours of sleep at home, I went back to the trama ICU unit (which is the highest level of care available in any hospital) and was met with news that she was experiencing internal bleeding and that they had to operate again.  That was Tuesday.....since then, she has had 3 other surgeries and is currently on a breathing tube.  The doctors cannot determine where the bleeding is coming from, so she has had to receive over 30 units of blood so far to try to stabilize her blood pressure, which continues to dip dangerously low.  I hold her hand for hours at a time and talk to her and all she can do is barely nod....but I think that just knowing that I am there has to help....I can't even imagine how scared she must be.  The last time I counted, there were 13 bags hanging on her IV stands.

Anyone who knows me knows that my mom is my best friend.  She was the Matron of Honor in our wedding and she means the world to me.  We vacation together (she just came with us to Vegas for the convention) and I usually do not go for more than a day without seeing here.  Since Monday, I have left the hospital 2 times.  Once the first morning when we thought everything was ok, and today, so I could pick up my laptop (and to get a little fresh air).  I have not slept more than 10 hours total this entire week.....the waiting rooms are not to condusive to sleeping.....not to mention that I am utterly and completely heartbroken.

Please, please, please keep her in your prayers and thoughts.  I will try to keep everyone updated as news changes.  Obviously, phone calls and emails will not be answered until things settle down a bit.  Brian is doing his best, but he is also watching Jett (not to mention that I really need his shoulder to cry on right now).  Thank you all so much for your support during this horrible time.

Update:  Thank you all so very much for all of your posts, emails and phone calls.  I cannot express how truly grateful I am to know that so many people are wishing her well.  I have been spending just about every free moment at the hospital and while she is still in the ICU and is still on a breathing tube, her bleeding has subsided (after over 50 units of red blood and countless units of plasma and platelets....)  The road to recovery is going to be a long one, and while the doctors have said she is not out of the woods yet, I would rather stay positive and hope that is rubs off on her.  Again, thank you all so much for being so patient and reminding me that I am so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life!

Vegas, Baby!!!

Hello, gorgeous blog readers!  I am posting this from Las Vegas where we are attending the annual WPPI convention.  With so much opportunity to learn and network, there is hardly any time for fun!  We have classes from 8:30am-10:30am, 4:30-6:30pm and 7:30-10-30pm and on top of that, we get to go to the enormous trade show from 12-4 each day to find wonderful new products to offer you and enhance our photography and your experience!)  We are proud and commited to always staying fresh and on top of our game, so we really do look forward to this amazing convention each year.

We will be returning on Saturday, March 22, so if you email or leave a voicemail between now and then, it may take a little while longer than usual to get back to you.

On a funny note, anyone who knows me knows that I am hopelessly, head-over-heels-in-love with our son, Jett.  I have been getting a lot of flack from friends because I couldn't leave Jett at home with babysitters while we were in Vegas.....no, instead we chose to pay for my parents airfare and hotel so that they could watch Jett in Vegas.  Because we were going to be in Sin City, I decided that Brian and I should at least have a night out on the town since being in the business that we are in, we have very little time to go out on dates (to restaurants/bars that do not involve kids menus!)  We bought new outfits, dropped Jett off at my parents hotel (where he would spend the night ;-) and we headed to Tao , a ridiculously chic restaurant/club that had everything from a wall of fire to a 2 story Buddha statue to naked girls whose job was to sit in rose petal baths (seriously, THAT has to be the coolest job ever!)  We ate yummy sushi, had lychee martini's and then headed to MGM to gamble a bit (this was our night, after all!).....believe it or not, we were back in our hotel room by 1am!!!!  This mommy missed her little boy more than she could have thought!  Seriously, he was just down the strip, but I am always with him, so even a few hours away felt like an eternity.  I also realized that as much fun as clubs were when I was in my early 20's, when you become a mommy watching Diego or Dora can be much more fulfilling.

Maybe next year I'll be to the point that I "need" a break from being a Mommy, but for now I would rather spend a night in with my 2 boys (Jett and Brian).....keep the sushi, pass the chocolate chip cookies!

Kim & Jason's Downtown Wedding

Kim & Jason were married at the breathtaking Blessed Sacrement Cathedral in downtown Detroit and celebrated with a couple hundred of their family and friends at the fabulous Detroit Athletic Club (DAC).

Since the wedding was around the holidays (I know, I know....this is long overdue ;-), I tried to incorporate some Christmas into the details.

In case the white dress doesn't tip you off that she is the bride, the tank top will.

This reminds me of a portrait from the 1800's....very classic.

LOVE the lighting in this one:

 

Since Jason is a big fan of casinos, he somehow managed to gain access to their training facility in Greektown.  Definately not your typical groomsmen photos...I love them!

 

 

Brian had fun creating a unique ring shot using the dice and chips.

It really was a lovely winter day (for being a winter day in Michigan ;-)

THIS is the shot that I have dreamt of taking at Blessed Sacrement (and Brian shot it!)  A birdseye view of Kim and her Dad approaching the loooooooooooong aisle (and how cool is a checkerboard aisle??) 

Kim has has such a contagious smile.....how can you not smile when looking at this image?  She is thrilled to be getting married (or getting that ring ;-)

Aww....

So cute.......and so gosh darn happy!  Congrats!!!

I really really like this image.  The color, the lights, the lines....love it!

The DAC is truly a spectacular venue.  It is so beautiful with it's ornate celiings, leaded glass windows and oil painting (many of which are on loan from the Detroit Institute of Arts)

One of my favorite cake shots ever.  Not only because of the huge chandelier hanging above, but because of the movement of the people enjoying the cocktail reception in the background.

I love how in the moment they are.  My biggest pet peeve in wedding photography is when I see photos of a couple looking at the camera during their first dance.......don't do it.  Enjoy the moment.   

The Jerry Ross Band provided the evenings entertainment and kept the dance floor busting all night.

Kim and Jason, you had a gorgeous wedding!  Thanks for being so fun to work with! 

Valerie & Shawn are married!

I am on a posting frenzy today!  I know Valerie is waiting by the computer to see these (really, she emails me constantly ;-)........ahh, it's a good thing that I like her!

Valerie and Shawn had a romantic Christmas wedding.  Thankfully, they chose to see eachother before the ceremony, so we were able to get some great shots of them together.  Honestly, there are so many reasons to see eachother beforehand.....most importantly being to get your money's worth in photos!

I happened upon this little guy in the bedroom and he was begging to hold the rings ;-)

The dashing groom, Shawn:

I love this image (great job, Brian!)

The look on this poor dog's face says it all about the drama of a wedding day!

Just a moment captured as Valerie was getting ready.  I love that you can see her mom's reflection in the mirror.

Valerie wins the title of sexiest bride of the year (for reasons only she (and Shawn) will know ;-)  But, on to the photos that I CAN show on this blog...she knows how to work it for the camera!

Valerie and Shawn really wanted photos with their dog.  If you look closely, you will see that the dog had other plans (like taking off with Valerie's veil!)

Quite possibly, 2 of my favorite images of the year:

I have a GINORMOUS framed print of this in our gallery:

This reminds me of an ad.......for a sexy perfume or something.  It was taken in the car on the way to the ceremony (I sat in the front with the driver and shot them in the back)

The ceremony was at the beautiful Sacred Heart Academy.

Valerie dancing with her father:

Another one of my faves.....

I know you have been anxiously awaiting this blog post, so I hope you agree that they were worth the wait :-)  You guys were so much fun to photograph....I am looking forward to the Trash the Dress session!