Although I intend to use this blog to share the work that my team and I do, I just want to take a moment to personally thank my 2007 clients for their patience and understanding. It was a year that I couldn't have prepared for emotionally, but I was constantly reminded of what I love about filming weddings and why the footage we take is so important...
In August, we lost my mother in law, Carolee McNamara, to Lou Gherig's Disease, or ALS. She battled the disease for over 5 years and showed true courage and determination. Her illness prompted Brian and I to move from New York City to Rhode Island where I created Fresh Focus Productions. She was wife to Michael McNamara and mother to five children - all of us able to be by her side during her last days. Carolee was a math teacher at La Salle Academy here in Providence. I added a couple of photos from a Tree Planting Dedication Ceremony held in her honor this past Spring at the school.
At the time of her death, I was almost nine months pregnant. And just one month later, our daughter Audrey Carolee McNamara was born. No one could have prepared me for the transition into motherhood especially after loosing someone we were so close to. Audrey has definitely shaken me and Brian up! She barely sleeps and she loves to cry. My turnaround time for videos went from four months to six - and now that she is nine months old and smiling and crawling, I am just starting to get caught up!
I didn't shoot the birth of my daughter, but I do have my own wedding video and other footage of my mother in law to cherish forever. We will not only be able to enjoy watching it, but Audrey - who never got to meet her in person - will be able to see her grandmother dancing, talking, laughing and celebrating. When I'm feeling overwhelmed about my schedule, or when I just can't seem to edit fast enough, I take my own wedding video out and watch it. It always reminds me that it's not necessarily "perfect shots" that make it so special to me, or the "transitions and cuts"... it's the footage of the people who surrounded us and celebrated our union with us that make it so unique and precious.
I am so thrilled that my career allows me to capture the excitement and emotion of wedding celebrations on film. I feel honored to create memoirs for other families and hope that my attention to detail and commitment to each project is evident in the work that I share on this blog...
