I have been following a large number of families, photographically-speaking, for many, many years. I have seen children grow from adorable little babies into beautiful teenagers.

The family in this video is very dear to my heart. The many photo sessions we did over the past ten years captured the most beautiful moments between this child and her mother, her father and her grandmother … and of course her adorable canine companions. Several hundreds of these beautiful images were recently immortalized into three extraordinary Heirloom books from our Italian Heirloom books collection. You can view a handful of these timeless pictures in the following video:

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The gorgeous Heirloom books shown below are available for the Holidays.  They range in size  from 8″x12″ to 16×20″. Square sizes of 16″x16″ or 20″x20″ are also available. Many different covers, layout styles and paper styles are available.

These books are just one of the most fabulous Holiday present anyone could wish to receive. A moment in time, or a lifetime in timeless images  … Nothing could document it in a more exquisite and magnificent way. These books are truly priceless …

To view book samples and order your own gorgeous Heirloom books for the Holidays or for someone’s birthday, please contact us at:

studio@mariecatherinephoto.com

CUT OFF DATE FOR HEIRLOOM BOOKS HOLIDAY ORDERS: NOVEMBER 15TH

www.mariecatherinephoto.com

Photo shoots in French châteaux are among my absolute favorites.

This château had enchanting grounds, covered in very old trees, lending themselves perfectly for a beautiful evening stroll.

We decided to take out the beautiful antique furniture and make the champagne flow, to make for a fun moment in the warm summer breeze.

Just as we got comfortable and the Champagne was poured, raindrops started falling. We had to rush the furniture back inside ... just in the nick of time!

The gorgeous daughter of the châtelains was enjoying the evening breeze on a balcony ...

We lit the bougeoirs and took some pictures inside the château.

Then the clouds parted and a tender moment was captured.

The châtelain ...

The châtelaine ...

... and their daughter.

A Romeo and Juliette moment was recreated ...

... and we ended the session on a humoristic note!

until September 30th, 2011

Our Holiday cards have arrived and they’re beautiful. Featured here are William Arthur Holiday cards.

We also carry Vera Wang Holiday cards. These are the same as last year.

The other cards we carry are not available for online viewing at the present moment.

If you would like to view these cards or our other Holiday cards in person, please call us or email us to set up an appointment.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

T H E   L O V E S   O F   H I S   L I F E  …

To start the video, click on the arrow above.

A PHOTO SHOOT IN VENICE …

by Terri Kenworthy

“My family and I planned to meet Marie Catherine during our vacation to Northern Italy. My dream of a beautiful Venetian summer setting for our family photo shoot was dashed by one of the most torrential rainstorms Venice had seen in decades.

With Marie Catherine’s quick thinking and unending imagination, our family was lead on a photographic adventure inside our beautiful hotel. The result was photographs filled with warmth and grace.  After exhausting every possible location that could be considered for a family setting, Marie Catherine, with her camera ever ready for a moment sans rain, felt it was time to venture out into the puddle-laden streets.

To our surprise, San Marcos Square, usually cluttered with crowds, was empty due to the weather creating a clean and architectural backdrop rivaling those you would see in the likes of VOGUE.  As the weather continued to break, Marie Catherine miraculously orchestrated the most breathtaking photographics our family has ever taken.  Her ability to see and capture beauty in such a short time was nothing less than remarkable.  My dream, creating fun family photographs taken in the unforgettable streets of Italy, came true thanks to Marie Catherine’s quick thinking, creative talent and amazing eye.

What is so unique about Marie Catherine is not only her ability to capture beauty and grace, but her ability to roll with what ever comes her way with speed and professionalism. Grazie Mille Marie Catherine!”

To start the video, click on the right arrow at the center of the window. For the best viewing experience, you may click on the 4 arrows at the bottom right of the video.

BLACK & WHITE IS MAKING A COMEBACK … and it’s never looked more beautiful!

When I became a photographer in the nineties, shooting with a 35 mm Nikon F5, my favorite kind of film was black & white. I liked it with high ISOs, the more grain the better. I was absolutely absolutely enchanted with the way it conveyed what I was seeing: So timeless and forgiving, so artsy and poetic, so mysterious, powerful, gentle. My clients at the time wanted nothing else.  They were connoisseurs would have nothing to do with color photography. It was blasphemy for some, gauche for others, tacky for the rest. The only color photograph that would pass their front door was a picture that was black & white to start with, and then made color by a process called hand-tinting.

Then the new millennium barged in with the birth of digital photography. Maybe it was already a toddler when I discovered it, but to me it was a newborn. It it was not a pretty one. It had no grace, no charm, and I considered it like an impostor. It was therefore with great reluctance, that I considered making the switch from my beloved, and ô so faithful F5, to these new sacrilegious cameras that did not even accept my sensitive and gorgeous black & white grainy film! I would now have to settle for a soulless digital, mostly color, paper. Nothing artsy about that. So I waited, and waited, and waited until digital Fine Art papers started coming out. An then, lo and behold, I fell in love! Yes, with paper! Not very romantic, but I’m French … I already know romance. I then underwent THE SWITCH, which most of you who have been with me for many years, probably remember with a pinch of nostalgia. The question of the day became: “Will you have your pictures analog or digital, and should I wrap that in paper or plastic?”

It was all for a very good cause, as is often the case with everything old and new. The old has a lot of charm, but the new has a lot more convenience.  Printing fiber based paper when I was in school was a bit of a rodeo experience, as it is a temperamental paper and let me tell you, it’s got issues. So, even though I gave up printing when I graduated, I am told that digital Fine Art paper is much friendlier and quite a bit more beautiful.

Which brings me to today. If you notice in the news or even commercials, black & white is – again – making a strong comeback. While color relies on its play of catchy colors and its ability to appeal to you visually, black & white photography relies more on its ability to communicate with you, to convey feelings, to awe, to move the heart.

In view of this, we will soon be announcing this Spring, a new photo session package called the “Black & White Experience”. Not all clothing or background photograph the same in color or in black & white. The “Black & White Experience” is a photo session entirely tailored to black & white photography, where both clothing and backgrounds are chosen to produce strikingly beautiful black and white Fine Art prints.

For information, please email us at studio@mariecatherinephoto.com

"I had a dream last night that God asked me to take over for him. I told him I'd think about it".

Upon being told we were going to have a sixth child: "Okay, let's just get this over now! How many kids can I expect around here?"

"If I wasn't a girl, I definitely would not be a boy!"

While being tucked in at night: "Mommy, I love you so much, I'm going to bury you outside my window when you die".

After being caught peeking at Christmas presents under the tree: "I didn't see too much, my eyes are too little!"

After losing at a board game to her brothers: "You cheaters! I'm supposed to win, it's in the instructions!"

At the doctor's office for immunizations: "You said it was going to be a SHOT, not a NEEDLE!"

After seeing all her birthday presents on the table: "I KNEW I was everyone's favorite!"

"Sometimes I love my sister like crazy, sometimes, she drives me crazy!"

To a woman in the park: "I have four brothers, but I am the boss!"

When I'm in Los Angeles, it seems like I do a lot more shoots at the beach or a beautiful park than indoors. In Europe, it ends up being half and half, mainly because everything is so gorgeous there, whether indoors or outdoors, it all lends itself to fabulous photography.

However, I also love to photograph families in their beautiful homes, especially this time of year, leading to Thanksgiving, Christmas ...

A cozier atmosphere ...

This client's house reminded me of the many gorgeous Parisian apartments of my French past life, and so it was a real treat for me to capture that kind of beauty ...

... and immortalize it with a few bold treatments.

The bare simplicity of black & white to capture a beautiful feeling ...

Vivid colors to capture the richness and beauty of the background ...

Shadow accents for a more artsy feeling ...

Yes, little Mister. I can take a clue ...

The shoot is over!!!

"I love the love you love me with, mama!"

While you were sleeping, Mommy, I told you "I love you and thank you for making me be born ..."

Sophie is in the dentist chair. He just administered the anesthetic and is talking to her parents waiting for the drug to take effect. Sophie,outraged, declares to the dumbfounded dentist: "You're talking, you're not working".

Sophie tells her mom: "When you don't know something, ask Daddy, otherwise, THINK!"

Playing chess with her dad: "I don't care if you win and you don't care if I win, we know it's a game".

"It's better to be nice than to be mean. I like that better. Mean people, when they fall in love, they become nice".

"Can we put the paper back on my presents so I have lots to open again?

Talking to her dad on the phone (he's out of town for a couple of days): "I give you two big kisses, Daddy, one for today, one for tomorrow!"

"I don't want you to die Mommy. Even when you die, I don't want you to die, O.K.?

Sophie who notices that when the sun is out the moon is gone: "The sun hides the moon and the moon hides the stars ..."

"Mommy, how come grown-ups cry without making any noise?"