messenger of peace and love...{ny-long island newborn photographer}

"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men."

~unknown~

Introducing sweet Mr.T! What can I say...he is absolutely perfect in every way! He is truly a messenger of peace and love and it radiates through out this beautiful family's home. I can not help but smile looking at this precious little miracle. Congratulations to a wonderful couple! Thank you for asking me to share in such a priceless time in your life...I am honored! ♥

a quiet moment...

I just wanted to take a step back and share something with you today. I know I am not alone when I say that I find my self not having enough time to do all the things I have to do, not to mention all the things I want to do. Some days I wake up a ball of stress just thinking of all the things I have to get done and where I am going to rush to at any given moment. From school to homework, soccer practice and dance for my girls....the list goes on. Every family has something similar and some days it is so hard to slow down and enjoy the little moments as we are rushing our children from place to place and trying to keep up with our every day responsibilities.

This morning my girls were listening to music in their room and playing a card game on the floor. I did stop and smile as I got myself ready...just to hear their giggles. However, that quickly changed as time didn't slow down and mom had to hurry them to brush their teeth, finish getting dressed and get their library books ready to go. Off to school we went, then I was off to a shoot with a wonderful family and my husband off to his busy day as well. A new day has started!

My session was amazing...refreshing and full of laughter. To have a job where you get to go outdoors, run around, laugh and be carefree and remember what it is like to be a child again is such a blessing. Not to mention all the wonderful families I get to spend time with! On my drive home I thought to myself...why do I have to feel so crazy...I do not remember my parents feeling rushed to get us here and there. Maybe they did, but I never knew. I do not want my children to look back and think, "wow, mom was always so rushed and busy...". I want them to know how much I loved them being where they are and that its ok to slow down and enjoy the smallest moments out of the day. That they do matter...more then others actually. Then I saw it. Right there sitting on one of our pumpkins as I walked up to our front door. A perfectly calm Praying Mantis. I took out my camera, laid on our front porch to get in close (my neighbors probably think I am crazy! lol) and took a few pictures. She didn't move until the end...it looked right at me for a moment and then back down again at the ground.

I knew there was some kind of "belief" or old wives tale about Praying Mantis and good luck, so I looked it up and this is what I found. "The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we've flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we've created. An appearance from the mantis is a message to be still, go within, meditate, get quite and reach a place of calm."

Being a spiritual person who thinks so many things in our world have special connections beyond our understanding... I took this as a sign, coincidence or not. I needed this Praying Mantis this week...and there she was reminding me once again to slow down. I wanted to share a little bit of peace into your day and hope it helps you remember the dishes will be there tomorrow, the laundry too....and use this moment to go run outside with your kids, sing a song and dance all crazy. Those are the moments that matter the most!

(Or if you are like my husband always keeping me on my toes...you will think of my Praying Mantis and remind me that the females eat the males heads after they mate...instead of appreciating the moment for peace...but at least you will have a good laugh and that always works too! :) )

Enjoy your day!

sweet laughter {ny - long island family photographer}

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

Saw this quote and it fit perfectly for this fun session. I adore this family, truly. They have such a positive energy that radiates within them and they just glow when they are together. Mom and Dad are so fun...so in love and just perfect. I swear you would think they are newly weds and I think that is beautiful! Their handsome boys...hysterical. I did not stop laughing once...really! I love that and I love that my job led me to meeting them. What an honor to be chosen to capture these special moments with them every year! Thank you R Family. ;)

much ♥
Amanda

Happy 1st Birthday! { ny - long island baby/child photographer

Twice as much to love, two blessings from above. ~Author Unknown

I will keep this short and sweet as I know mom and dad are eagerly waiting...but, I can not even believe that these two beautiful girls just turned one! I first met them when they were just brand new babies....my have they grown! Thank you so much for asking me to photograph such a big day! Miss. M and Miss. F are too precious. I hope you enjoyed their special birthday celebration and I wish you all peace, love and many happy moments to cherish as the girls reach many new milestones down this beautiful journey called life! More really soon...

And the Winners are....

Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support everyone showed for every single one of the wonderful and beautiful children entered in the contest! I truly wish that I could have all 23 as my Spokes Models! They should all feel so proud because they are AMAZING and so many of the votes were so CLOSE! So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart!

The Winners of the diMonda Photography 2011 Spokes Model Contest are as follows:

Newborn-18 months: Number 5 Mr. M
2-4 Year old: Number 12 Miss. O
5-6 Year old: Number 19 Miss. S
7-10 Year old: Number 22 Miss. E

Congratulations to all the winners!! I will be emailing the parents soon with details!! I am so excited for each and everyone of you and can not wait to meet with you! ;)

For all the children who did not make it this time but were so lovely to enter and offer their help in supporting diMonda Photography I am giving you each a $25 credit to use towards any session or product. Thank you again!

The Voter Winner chosen randomly to win the $150 Gift Certificate towards any session or products is: Scott Zavack


Thank you!!!!!!

a moving sea... {ny - long island child/family photographer}

"But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls." ~ Kahlil Gibran

This is one of my favorite quotes, from one of my favorite books. And when I look through these pictures from last weekend and another one of my wonderful clients....it seems to fit perfectly. They have such a lovely family and they just glow... in so many ways. Being able to capture a piece of their togetherness was breathtaking and so refreshing! Thank you C family for believing in me and asking me to capture a piece of your souls to freeze in time. I am honored. It never stops amazing me to see how much change a year can bring...