SHYLA PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Abi.

Posted in fashion, model, portraits

Abi, the photographer [whose work I truly adore]

Abi, the mommy of the cutest child in the world

Abi, the one who is responsible for pooling together some of my new favorite people to room together for WPPI [all of which you have seen or will see shortly on this blog]

Abi, the loyal friend whose heart goes deeper than you can imagine, never fails to make me a drink I love, and whom I miss dearly… ANNNND

Abi, the hotness displayed below…

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Brooke.

Posted in fashion, model, portraits

Vegas Lovely number 2 : Brooke. My hair crush. My entertainment. And, if she were a song, she would be the “national anthem”
She was the WPPI roommate who did everyone’s hair and make-up for those nights out on the town, seduced us with her elevator dance moves, and truly made us all smile.

my FAVORITE shot Miss Hottness.

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Ciara.

Posted in fashion, model, portraits

Fresh off the strip from Vegas I present to you, Ciara.
Contrary to how that statement sounded, Ciara and I were roomies together in Vegas for WPPI 2012 (along with a few other ladies who you will see on here shortly). This sparkly little ball of sunshine is truly as sweet as she looks. And as hot. And as talented. And…and…and. Well, you get the point. My camera loved her…. but more importantly, *I* love her.

These next few were simply lounging around in the hotel room. Proof that you do not need a fancy location to capture some lovely moments.

Before we all headed home, we went out to a dry lake bed for a few more lovelies.

Well done, mammies, well done

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Joy + Robert

Posted in weddings

If there was ever a wedding that made me want to move back to California, it was this one. The light, the yummy SoCal light. *le sigh*. And then there is the lovely simplicity that made this wedding so swoon-worthy. Joy & Robert found the site where the ceremony was held at a forestry center. It is actually an outdoor classroom and I thought it was PERFECT. They built chuppah from downed trees collected after the SoCal wind storms a few weeks prior and truly enhanced the setting.

Joy and I were quad-mates in college and I must say, I have never ever seen her more happy. Robert, you truly ignite her namesake within her.

Grandmas always deposit excess amounts of lipstick…Joy was so excited to have her Grandma there, this woman survived the Holocaust and has had the joy of attending all her grand-babies weddings now. All guests were pinned with red felt hearts…Robert literally danced down the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife.

Robert, I love how tenderly you love Joy. This lovely cake-topper was handmade for them… How adorable is that?
Go forth and populate the world with HOT babies you two …. I call dibs on your first family photos! ;)

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Jackie + Pete

Posted in engagements

While in NYC a few weeks ago for a wedding, I met up with a 2012 couple to shoot their city engagement photos. These two met at St Andrews in Scotland… you know, the one of Prince William and Kate Middleton fame? I actually think there must be something in the water because these two resemble the royal couple. wink. With Pete hailing from Scotland, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him talk… his accent is so lovely. err… studly? That coupled with the bubbly kindergarten teacher that Jackie is made me fall madly in love with these two. I am so looking forward to their black-tie-kilted-barn-glorious-extravaganza!

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Elizabeth + Brian

Posted in weddings

Attempting to catch up on blogging all the summer weddings… I am blogging entirely out of order so if you are a bride awaiting your moment to shine, please forgive the order. It makes about as much sense as the street of downtown Boston. [wink]

Allow me to introduce you to the beautiful Elizabeth and her handsome husband Brian. These two lawyers were an eclectic mix of Jewish liveliness and Latin Spunk. Every moment of their celebration made you feel like you were at an on-going party…. With Elizabeth’s family hailing from the dominican republic, the latin love literally LIT UP the dance floor. It helped that the INCREDIBLE latin band kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning.

Having met at Harvard, Elizabeth and Brian wed in the Harvard Chapel and then partied hard at the downtown Harvard Club. ENJOY

seeing the Ketubah for the first time…

The wedding transportation made for awesome photo ops. I wasn’t kidding about the entire event being a party!

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Saturday, November 12, 2011

Camera Cake : Cake Boss Style

Posted in personal

I channeled my inner Cake Boss yesterday. It is my brother’s birthday today and I got this crazy idea to make him a cake…. I have never done anything like this, and, in typical Shyla fashion, I think I can make something and end up spending WAY too much time and money in the quest. Luckily this only took me a few hours and was pretty inexpensive to create!

My bro Mark is a photographer as well so I thought I would pay homage to our careers!

Allow me to introduce the CAMERA CAKE…

Shaping the camera body and rolling out fondant…buttercream frosting helps the fondant stick…the first fondant attempt. Not perfect but it works. Add a little Twizzlers Pull-n-peel to make it an L-series lens adding a strap to hide the imperfections… The final productQuick iphone shot right before it got devoured.
I missed getting a shot with all the candles

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Katie + Anthony . Newport, RI

Posted in weddings

‘Twas an affair to remember.

Now, I know weddings aren’t about ME, but I must admit Katie had so many of my favorite things involved in her wedding… FEATHERS [in her hair, on her shoes, in the decor], My favorite favorite Boston make-up artist Tavi De La Rosa. [Tavi is a magician and when I show up to a wedding he is beautifying, I KNOW it'll be a good day], Plus, a floor to ceiling WHITE reception hall is a photographer’s dream. In addition, there were details to set many girl’s heart a flutter…. A Vera Wang stunner dress, Manolo Blahniks fit for a queen, and a swanky party at Belle Mer in Newport, RI. Then to top it all off, her handsome Anthony. Katie, I think your wedding was tied with a neat little fairy-tale bow.

I traditionally dont share a lot of details, but I couldn’t help myself this time… So, in unpredictable Shyla fashion, I posted WAY too many photos.

Oh well… ENJOY!

Beautiful Florals by Flowers by Semia

Waiting, waiting, waiting…

Right before the kiss…. my favorite!

details, details, and more details. Told you I couldn’t help myself.

The end. (Or I guess just the beginning)

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Allison + Turner

Posted in weddings

Allison and I met when I very first moved to Boston. She was the maid of honor in Eileen + Chris’s Martha’s Vineyard wedding, so I was quite honored to be invited to document her turn at the altar. The affair took place in NYC the day before Hurricane Irene. Weather couldn’t have been better…. not bad considering the post below is the wedding the very next day!

The beautiful fabulous and OH-SO-WONDERFUL Kelly Lorenz joined me on this wedding. Loved shooting alongside this talented friend. She literally bent over backwards for me…

Daddy and daughter prepare to stroll down the isle….The gorgeous St Ignatius Loyola Parish in NYC

My little ring-bearer friend was getting a little bored…

I love love love this image! The little girl’s reactions makes my heart smile. And wanna know the funny thing about this photo? In the culling process, I discovered that Kelly and I had nearly the exact same photo at the exact same time. Proof again how awesome she is.
The lovely Central Park Boat House was the perfect setting for Allison and Turner’s reception…

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Edwards Family.

Posted in kids, portraits

Jack & Abby. MY Jack & Abby. Yes, I do refer to them as such.

I met Jack when he was 3 months old and its been a love affair with his family ever since. From the addition of Abby ( I even remember what she was wearing on her very first Sunday at church) to overnight baby-sitting to family trips to Disneyland while I was in college, to having Scott and Aimee come visit when I moved to Boston, and now to middle school… I have seen them grow. (Much to my dismay and frequent thoughts of “slow down, please”)

And since I have been photographing them since they were wee little nuggets, it’s only fitting to share their most recent session from earlier today. ALL. Grown. Up. ***sigh**

Meet… MY Jack & Abby.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Weather or Not.

Posted in weddings

For all you non-east coasters, you may recall the hurricane warning we were under about a month ago. I’m talkin’ evacuate-the-Jersey-Shore-type hurricane… so you know it was on the news. Hurricane Irene 2011. Advisories to board up windows, stock up on canned goods and batteries, the works… Hey, even STARBUCKS was closed due to “inclimate weather”. Call me crazy, but It’s the kind of storm you get excited for, only, if you lived here in MA, you were disappointed. It was over hyped, over media-ized and a big let down. So much drama. I guess that’s why most hurricanes are named after women.

Anyway, on August 27, 2011, it was Wedding vs. the Hurricane. Tessa vs. Irene. And, despite the torrential downpour, the show still went on…. OUTSIDE. I must say it presented me with quite the challenge. But thanks to a plastic garment bag, that once housed a bridesmaid dress, and gaff tape, I made quite the contraption to encase my camera in. Then, poor Erica, had to anticipate my every move and spend the entire ceremony following me around with an umbrella. Needless to say, the wedding won… and so did Tessa.

The wedding was held on Hamo’s family farm in Shirley, MA. 200+ acres of lush green goodness. Your heart sang just being amidst all the tress and fields.

Tessa & Hamo, you two were surrounded by your favorite people who are reflections of you… to put it frankly, awesome is magnetically attracted to awesome. That in itself is what made your day so magical… you were/are surrounded by a magnetic and truly wonderful community of friends and family who have proved to be there for you….Weather or Not.

Of course no bride thinks a hurricane is ideal for their outdoor wedding, but it truly made the day so special. Additionally, when the story was recanted to a few friends, they were so moved and chose to write a song inspired by the day. That song, ‘Weather or Not’ written by Rachel Taylor & Jim Trick and sung/played by Rachel Taylor, is the music for the slideshow. If you have 3 minutes, give it a listen… the words make me smile.

Click Here to view the slideshow and hear the song written especially for this celebration.

check out all that rain!

Thank you Erica for being my umbrella, Thank you Rachel and Jim for being a wonderful addition to my life personally and melodically. You two bring so much musical joy into my world. And thank you Tessa and Hamo (and family) for inviting me into your day.

Cheers

5 comments

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Pumpkin Spice…and EVERYTHING nice.

Posted in Tips & Tricks

It’s that time of year again… the time when everything yummy is in season and thanks to the cooler temps, we have baggy sweaters to hide the effects to our waistline. Like many of you, I am pretty focused on eating as naturally as possible, but, unfortunately, I also love things that aren’t so “natural”…

insert Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte –stage left

…so, in an attempt to slow the growth of my waistline, avoid the clogging of my arteries, and maintain my overall health and well being, I have begun to get creative by recreating some of my favorite treats in a manner than is more health-concious (not just calorie friendly). This first experiment began when I decided to research the nutritional value of a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL)

A Grande PSL weighs in at 380 CALORIES, 13g FAT, 51g CARBS and a whoppin’ 49g SUGAR!

That was enough to make me have a non-literal heart attack and so I did a little research, mixed a few recipes, and substituted a few things of my own until I came up with… wait for it… the SHYbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (clever, I know.)

So, if you are like me and *NEED* this fall treat as apart of your seasonal fare and are health conscious or trying to fit in that wedding dress, here is a trimmed up but – I think – equally as yummy recipe.

What you’ll need:

2 cups Almond Milk (you can use Vanilla Almond Milk if you like it a bit sweeter like I do! just note its like 40 more calories per serving)
2 Tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-2 shots of Espresso ( I do not own a coffee machine so I walked to the coffee shop next door and ordered 2 shots in a cup)

Instructions :

Combine milk, pumpkin, sugar in saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming

Remove from heat and add pumpkin pie spice & vanilla… whisk together and pour into cup(s). Add espresso on top and enjoy!

The nutritional info for this altered yummy-ness is as follows:

112 CALORIES, 3g FAT, 15g CARBS, 17g SUGAR

Cheers to treating your body (and your tastebuds) well… xo!

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