Joe Naimoli and a young Sean Connery

I had the pleasure of meeting Joe Naimoli this past Fall when I photographed the cast of Total Drama and I was very happy when he contacted me a few months ago to see if I could help him bring his idea to life.

Joe Naimoli is an actor and comedian who like me resides in Staten Island.  He is also the host for the Staten Island Yankees. He can be seen this Friday night, March 13th, at the St.George theater and is also performing May 2nd at the Middletown Arts Center in Middletown, NJ alongside legendary comedian Bob Nelson. 

Joe wanted to "recreate" the image of a young Sean Connery relaxing on a couch.  I must admit I wasn't familiar with it but when he showed it to me I thought it would be a fun challenge. 

Google "Sean Connery couch" and a screen full of Sean Connery's photo relaxing on a couch appear.  I tried to search for information on who took the original image but I was not successful.  If anyone out there has more info on this image, I would love to hear from you.

As a photographer, clients often reference images to use as inspiration for their own photo shoots, however this was the first time I was asked to actually recreated one as much as possible.  Take a look at the final product. I am happy with how it turned out. It is not identical to the original, and I wouldn't want it to be but it was fun figuring out lighting, posing, camera angle, lens, etc.

It was a fun collaborative effort and I'm glad Joe found me for this project. 

xoxo,
Jess

Julianna's 1st Birthday Party - A Winter ONE-derland

Sweet little Julianna celebrated her very first birthday in great style the last weekend of 2014. Her parents handcrafted the amazing decorations themselves with great love and care. They did an amazing job!

Mommy Rachel and daddy Mike call Julianna, their Snowflake Princess and the party decor was definitely up to royal standards!

Julianna's parents took great care to think of every detail and each center piece was something unique and special.  I think one of my favorites was the snowman's igloo.

However, the dessert table was also filled with deliciously crafted winter themed treats like frozen pretzels and lollipops.

Something that also impressed me is the care that they took to personalize everything for their little princess.

The winter wonderland princess party was held at the Chandelier in Bayonne, New Jersey in the company of their friends and family.

Once the festivities started and baby blew out her candles, it was so sweet to watch as daddy and daughter had the first dance of the night.

Thank you for allowing me to witness and share such a special occasion! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Julianna!