Hello & welcome to the studio journal. This is the place to come and see what's new in our world of kids, photography & fun!      

Bookmark us, add us to your google reader, and come back often.

Please feel free to leave your comments too...we always love to hear from you and each month, we will give away a $150 gift certificate to Lena Hyde Photography or to Design Aglow for one random comment from a guest. 

All the best,  Lena  

This place reminds me of summer camp, full of kayaks, trails through the woods, and beautiful boathouses with piers for diving (into freezing water!). It is completely still and quiet and the air is so fresh and delicious. It stays light until nine o'clock when the air turns cold and the fireflies and bats come out. So different from Florida...

(with the point & shoot camera today) 

Today, we made the absolutely necessary pilgrimage to Stew Leonard's, MY favorite grocery store of all time. Part foodie heaven, part kid attraction, and part insanely busy high speed shopping cart derby, I think SL appeals to absolutely everyone. We bought a little of everything, from gorgeous homemade asiago bagels to ready-to-go summer gazpacho. The kids fell in love with the giant live lobsters crawling around and all of the interactive displays...it was a two hour adventure. I can only dream that one day we have something as fabulous as Stew Leonard's in my town...heck, I even would be happy with Trader Joe's!

It was a perfect Connecticut holiday....full of baseball, swimming, movies, great food, a lobster bake, making smores, sparklers, fireworks and LOTS of kids. Then, when the little ones finally went to bed (very late!) we enjoyed sitting on the deck enjoying the cool air with friends. My phone does not get any reception here, so I truly feel completely *away*. Wonderful!

Our annual summer adventure is finally here...so the blog will take a turn once again to my personal images. It is so funny how this feature is my most popular one with clients. Lately, everyone who comes into the studio asks 2 things: where will be be going this summer and will I be blogging it again? Well, we are visiting some special places the northeast this year and I will certainly be blogging it!  

Last year, we spent the summer in San Francisco and had an amazing two months. This year, we will be a bit more laid back, visiting several places, seeing friends, and I will be working a little bit too. We took the auto train up to Washington DC which was so much fun...and spent a little time with my good friend (and incredible photographer) Laura Novak in Wilimgton, Deleware. Laura suggested we check out the children's enchanted forest at the DuPont estate, which is pictured above.

Please feel free to leave your comments on the blog posts too...I am having a contest for all you wonderful readers. Each month, I will give away a $150 gift certificate to Lena Hyde Photography or to Design Aglow for one random comment from a guest.

We are booking up for fall! I know....it gets earlier and earlier each year, but if you would like a session for holiday, now is the time to reserve your date. (We anticipate all fall dates will be full by late August.)

Like last year, we are reserving standard and signature sessions for August through October. November and December dates are available for signature sessions only. Please see the website and our calendar for all the info and for cutoff dates for 2008. We look forward to seeing everyone again this year!

Please email us with your preferred dates, location, and all pertinent information. Thanks~

I am thrilled to announce that I will be co-teaching with my wonderful friend, Jesh De Rox one more time....at Image X, the photography event of the year...the workshop description is here.

ImageX is a unique program and includes the world's top wedding and portrait photographers...participants spend a full day with two of their favorites...so you can come and work with Jesh and I one day, then choose to spend another day with Jerry Ghionis, Chenin Boutwell, Gene Higa, Jeff and Julia Woods, John Michael Cooper, Laura Novak, Cherie Steinberg, Victor Seizmore, Julia Bailey, Jessica Claire, Audrey Woulard or Tamara Lackey.

The setting for this event is one of the most magical cities in the world, New Orleans. Registration includes three nights at a beautiful French Quarter hotel, breakfast each morning, an additional Monday night evening workshop with Jerry Ghionis, and a Mardi Gras party with all the photographers. Spaces are going quickly, so please check out imagexworkshop.com for more information and/or to reserve your spot.

Look at this stunning 11 x 14 linen coffee table book we just received from our binder today... I think I am in love! These books are perfect for showcasing an entire session and are custom designed and handmade for our clients in under a month. I think this is the ultimate keepsake.

Casey is the second son to a super sweet pro baseball family of ours...when they found out that dad was able to come home again, for just 24 hours, I made sure to be there to meet the newest member of the team. Can you imagine that many big leaguers start out this small?

Though not that little....Miss Allison is Christina's little sister and mom wanted photos of her at two months old (which is what we did last time and are hanging beautifully on their walls). This is normally a really hard age, but Allison is pretty laid back, as most second children are, which made me quite happy! I also got to play hide-and-seek and enjoy a little Dora the Explorer with Christina while Allison was considering a nap...

I *just* finished an intense and wonderful three day workshop with the amazing Jesh De Rox at the studio. I asked one of my favorite families to let me borrow their three kids for a photo shoot I was going to demo how I work with little ones. Their mom told me that dad just made the cut and was playing in the PGA US Open this week (in Calilfornia)....but, nevermind....they would come to model for me instead!!! Poor dad....but lucky me...now that is real client love, right? We will be cheering that lonely dad this weekend as we watch the tournament on TV.