JacPfef // blog

Bijou!

2012-01-26T11:57:00.002-05:00

After years of witnessing hundreds of couples saying their "I dos," I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than a little obsessed with weddings. "Uhh yeah, those. I work in the wedding industry..." I'd tell every guy that came over as they stared down at my giant stack of bridal magazines with their eyebrows raised.

But here's the thing about bridal magazines: they're expensive, they're mostly ads and they don't have nearly enough of the stuff I want to see. More creativity, please! More love stories! More!

So then I got to thinking, the idea of my next venture started forming and my excitement started building. And then I called Jen. I met Jen when she was working as the editor and head fashion woman at a wedding website, and she was the first (only) person I thought of to work on this with. We met for lunch at my favorite french restaurant in Cold Spring & spent the whole time forming my vague idea into something solid, classy, substantial and incredible. Bijou was born.

Our first issue will be launching soon, but in the mean time, I'd love for you to get a taste of Bijou over at our blog! Follow us & like us on facebook so you can stay up to date with all the fun we're having - and be sure to say hi :) In order to make this something really great, we need your feedback!

And if that isn't enough to convince you of how great this is going to be, maybe this will:

(photo via Getty images)

Swoon.

Stills

2012-01-20T16:37:00.001-05:00

Emily + Steve

Beacon, New York

Some stills from a little video project I'm working on.

the meeting process & one of the nicest e-mails. ever.

2012-01-12T12:45:00.000-05:00

Tiffany & Michael at their engagement session at Willowwood Arboretum in 2008

When someone contacts me about photographing their wedding, I invite them to the studio and go through my spiel, which covers everything that they could POSSIBLY need to know about my experience, approach and pricing. Then I have way too much fun asking about how they met and how he proposed (my favorite part about client meetings), which, naturally, leads to the topic of wedding plans (I'm a girl, a huge advocate for love and marriage, and I spend a great deal of time perusing wedding blogs and magazines. You know, for work...). Somehow, I'm lucky enough to attract these crazy stylish, creative, awesome people, so I usually spend a good deal of time getting really excited about those.

At the end of it all, the couple walks out with a packet of information so that they can reference back to it when they're making their decisions. Included in the packet is contact information for a few people who have been through the wedding process with me, because, honestly, if it were me looking for a photographer, that's who I'd want to hear from.

Yesterday, Tiffany forwarded me the e-mail she sent to a bride I recently met with and it made my day. There is nothing more rewarding to me than hearing someone say such nice things about their experience working with me.

Here's part of it:

"We used Jackie about 2 1/2 years ago for our wedding and absolutely LOVED her (we still love her). We couldn't have picked a more talented, personable or professional photographer for our wedding. We hit it off from the start, which I think is one of the most important things when booking vendors for your wedding. She takes direction immediately - meaning that if you don't like photos from a certain angle, or in a certain light, you only need to tell her once, and you won't have to worry about seeing anything you've specifically stated you don't like. She's also a lot of fun to work with. She makes everything feel so comfortable - you'll have a blast....

We live in Maryland now and have a 5 month old. We haven't had any professional pictures taken yet of the baby because we're waiting to arrange something with Jackie the next time we're in NY. Yes, we love her that much. :)

Tiffany"

PS. the feeling is completely mutual :)
xx

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

2011 in review

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

(the back of my holiday card)

2011 has been a trying year, to say the least, but when you have the greatest family & friends, a job you love, and the opportunities to see such incredible places, who can focus on the bad?

Thank you, to everyone who made 2011 a positive year!

Here's to 2012!

Boudoir January

2011-12-30T13:58:00.000-05:00

I hereby designate January as the month of Boudoir (so conveniently right before Valentine's Day!).

Contact me to set up a session - I'm offering special packages and prices!

jacpfef@gmail.com

What are you doing New Years Eve?

2011-12-30T13:54:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Jen for this!

With the exception of two years, I've been celebrating with the same friends since I began celebrating New Years. This year, we're getting all fancy (glitter, sequins - and don't even get me started on what the girls will be wearing!) and celebrating in NYC (in the warmth of various indoor venues, not in Times Square). I hope everyone else is celebrating with their favorite people, too!

Dania & Alex: Central Park

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I photographed Dania & Alex in Central Park back in September. I don't think I will ever forget this engagement session, mainly because all of us - including their pit bull rescues, Jaxson & Dana - ended up riding a pedicab about thirty blocks up the West Side to their place afterward. You might be wondering how we could possibly convince a man on a bike to let us all pile into his cart, but the credit goes to Alex. When we couldn't find a ride back, he muttered a few words in his native Russian and the man who would be our driver overheard him and started talking back to him. Turns out, our driver, originally from Ghana, just so happened to spend eight years living in Russia before moving to the US.

Ahh, the magic of New York City!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - VIP Tent

2011-12-29T16:36:00.002-05:00

'Tis the season... for me to go through all of my shoots from the year and post up the notable ones that I didn't have a chance to blog. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition built a house about twenty minutes away from me this summer and, thanks to SarahBeth Papagallo (last photo!) over at Cheers Entertaining I got to swing through during filming and snap a few pictures of the VIP tent near the construction site (Sarah also designed the Click Pictures Grand Opening Gala!). It was so fun to hang out, run the ClickBox and meet so many of the volunteers who were involved. Here are some pictures of Sarah's awesome tent design.

Construction on the Home Makeover house: Hearthstone Contracting

VIP tent decor: Cheers Entertaining

Food: Pamela's Traveling Feast

Entertainment: k104

the Korpai family & Little People of America

Valentine's Day is coming...

2011-12-29T16:00:00.003-05:00

January Specials, just in time for Valentine's Day!

e-mail me to book your session: jacpfef@gmail.com

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-28T12:44:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late with this, but the past few weeks have been a blur. I left for Mexico on the 17th and was home for about 24 hours before I packed up the pups and drove the 15 hours (20 with traffic and stops) to Georgia to spend Christmas with my parents, sisters, brother-in-law and my niece and nephew. It was such an incredible holiday that I'll never forget. I hope yours was filled with as much love and laughter as mine was!

Happy Birthday, Essie!

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

Love you lots, lady!

Svenja

Salisbury Mills, New York

Fall 2010

Zuma - Malibu, California

2011-11-30T20:44:00.001-05:00

I went to Zuma on one of my last evenings in California. It was a spur of the moment stop-off that, to be honest, wasn't my idea. I wasn't having many ideas over those last few days because my mind and my heart were roughly three thousand miles away. I had been rocked by some pretty serious news the afternoon prior and my last days in paradise were spent inside my own conflicted head, feeling helpless and unsure of what my next steps would be in this crippling situation.

It was overcast and late afternoon and it looked as though it was going to rain. Kaya wanted to stop and see how high the waves were so we pulled up to Zuma (which is oddly familiar to me, now). Zombie-like, I walked down the beach to fog and green water and dozens of surfers speckled dark against the waves. Dolphins were skipping through the surf -- dolphins!

And something about all of that -- the excitement of all of it, smacked against me so hard that I ran to the car, grabbed my camera and did. not. stop. clicking.

Seriously.

I could have stayed there on that foggy beach gasping at the height of the waves for hours.

At the start of this holiday season, I am so thankful to have dedicated years (nearly six! when did that happen?!) to honing a craft that allows me to transform these beautiful, fleeting moments in my life into something so tangible and solid that I'll be able to look back on it years from now and reassure myself:

It really was as beautiful as I remembered.

Candice & John - Los Angeles, California

2011-11-28T16:48:00.001-05:00

Candice & John

November 14, 2011

Abbott Kinney/Venice Beach

Los Angeles, California

Hunter

2011-11-26T19:05:00.001-05:00

My friends, Katrina & Kaya, came to visit a few weeks ago. In October. How is October already "a few weeks ago?" They live in Los Angeles and make regular appearances on my blog, here. One of the days they spent here, we drove up to Hunter Mountain and rode the ski lift up to the tippy-top where we lounged around (Kat & I), balanced rocks (Kaya), and enjoyed the view. I can't really remember if the sparklers pictures were from that night or another, probably because it's been SO LONG, but whatever, they're going in the same blog post. Doesn't my Jeep make a nice backdrop? That was me enjoying their visit too much and being too lazy to move it out of the way.

Vacation Photos via Instagram

2011-11-26T15:11:00.001-05:00

l-r, t-b: sunset on the PCH, stop sign in Brentwood, Katrina & red phone booth outside of McCabe's, one of so. many. pool tables., somewhere over the southwest, AMAZING pizza from Mozza, Dole whip float from the Magic Kingdom, Kaya and Madison, tea, Katrina & I after attending the Price is Right - I didn't win a boat (airs 12/21), Madison acted as a stand in for Rocco & Susie, airport essentials (peanut m&ms and 18,345 bottles of water not featured), Wizard pride in Disneyland!, a ridiculous pumpkin-pecan-brandy frozen dessert from Mozza, Mickey ferris wheel!, Villa Blanca (RHoBH) - we went, but no sign of Mrs. Vanderpump.

Notable sights that you may or may not see on this blog (or tumblr) (or facebook): two live shows by the Neighbors, burgers at Father's Office, seeing this movie at Third Street Promenade (which is actually where they filmed a scene or two - weird!), drinks at Bigfoot West and a 1920's themed place that I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of, an engagement session in Abbot Kinney and Venice, an impromptu photo shoot at Amoeba Records, seeing swarms of paparazzi who could have, possibly, been following Seal, attaining a really nice ~~couch~~ loveseat (or at least part of one) for Kat&Kaya's place, good food/drinks/serenading at Don Antonio's, a jam session at Neptune's Net, a little mini hike in Malibu... the list goes on and on.

You can follow me on Instagram, too. You know, if you want to.

My vacation was really awesome. As you can tell, I did a lot, and in true JacPfef form, managed to fit some work in there too (coming soon!). The last few days were a little rough after hearing some sad news from back home, but fortunately, my people in LA are very good at keeping a smile on my face. I was back for less than a week, shooting nearly every day and then had to race down to Georgia to be with my family for a few days.

Alas, I have returned. And I'm staying put!
For a few weeks at least ;)

Ninety Plus.

2011-11-16T00:51:00.001-05:00

Sylvia Opal Graddy

July 24, 1921 - November 14, 2011

To read more about my Grandma...

Granny & the Suze. July 27, 2011.

written July 27, 2011

My grandmother's name is Sylvia, but I didn't know that until I was eight years old. Her middle name is Opal and she hates it, but she's always been "Granny Opal" to me because of a joke with my Dad that backfired on her circa 1983. Despite my dad's family living nearly a thousand miles away in Jersey, she's a common name in their households. One time, one of my cousins went into a grocery store and asked a clerk where the "Granny Opal apples" were located.

Granny was raised on a farm in Arkansas with five brothers - two older, three younger: Nelson & Orville, then Floyd, Jim T, & Garland - or Preacher, as everyone knew him; Uncle Preacher, to me. She had an older sister named Gladys, too, who died when she was just a few years old. Grandma's brothers teased her incessantly; they told her she had chicken legs. She never thought much of herself because of it, but if you ask them, they did it because they thought she was the most beautiful girl they knew and they didn't want her to end up with a big head.

During one of many summer vacations I spent with her (I think I was eleven) she caught me with an at home hair frosting kit - the white goo caked in my hair. She went on for days talking about how handsome her daddy's hair was, so dark and lovely, and how I'd "ruined" mine by turning it "yellow." That woman loved her daddy.

She's been married three times - once to a man named Braden, who died in the war and twice to my PopPop. She had one baby: my mother. I recorded a conversation with her last year and I asked her to tell me about my mom. What was she like as a child? "Perfect," she said, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

She was in a car accident when she was in her twenties. It shattered her pelvis. This always came up when I was being really silly, because she would laugh and say "Oh stop! You'll make me pee my pants!" Apparently, a result of the injury.

PopPop was stationed in Paris when my mom was in the third grade and I always hear stories about Granny and mom exploring the city. When I was on my way to Ireland, for the first time, in 2005, Grandma told me she'd been. I asked her what it was like and she said, "I was just in the airport, but it seemed nice." In the hallway by her room, there's a big map of Europe with x's over all the places she's been. "Landed here in 1960" is written over Dublin.

My mom, my sisters and I lived with her in Hinesville, Georgia while my dad was stationed in Korea. She had four lots of land that took up a whole side of our block - one had the house and an in-ground pool, one was shaded by pear trees, one housed the garage, and one was open - our makeshift baseball field where my sister, Carrie, took a line drive to her eye. Granny bought us a trampoline against my mother's best wishes and my Dad built us a tree house and a see-saw in the garage lot. The fence was lined with bushes that I'd hollow out with gardening sheers and use as forts. I finished first and second grade there. I developed a deep love for Power Rangers, rescued hundreds of frogs from drowning in the pool, took in baby birds who had fallen from their nests and swam like a fish every day from April to October. We always had homemade pear preserves.

I learned to cook at her house. She taught me how to make scrambled eggs when I was seven and I woke up every morning and beat the eggs, set the stove and scrambled, all the while basking in my independent ability to cook. I don't even really like scrambled eggs, but I made them anyway, just because I could.

When I was in first grade, I went through this phase where I went to the nurse's office every day complaining of a stomach ache and begged to be sent home. After the first few days, my mom had had enough of the nonsense and refused to pick me up. Grandma was there, though, feeling sorry for me, driving me home, putting me to bed, turning on Punky Brewster and bringing me anything I wanted. "Would a candy bar make you feel better?" Why yes, Granny. Yes it, would.

She had the nastiest dog any of us had ever met. His name was Happy, ironically, and, while I desperately wanted to be friends with him, I knew not to get too close to him because he had a tendency to snap. My grandma felt sorry for him though, and blamed his vicious demeanor on the neighborhood bullies and their teasing . I have a scar above my top lip from where Happy bit me on Christmas Eve of '94. I had been sitting on the floor across the room and apparently, he didn't like that. I still remember my dad calling from Korea and hearing the news. At seven years old, I had no doubt in my mind that, had my dad been in the same time zone, that dog would have died. Think Liam Neeson in Taken - that's him, except my dad has more height and more guns. I think I even tried to downplay the whole thing out of sympathy for the dog.

One night, I woke up to Happy, crazed and barking, in the yard on the opposite side of my bedroom wall. He snarled and snapped at a opossum that had wandered into the hydrangea bushes. Granny was right behind him hollering and carrying on, smacking the hissing animal with a broom. That had to be a sight. I was really young and it was the first I'd ever heard of a opossum, aside from on Bambi - but with the noises carrying through my bedroom wall, there was no way I was associating whatever was out there with the cuddly creatures in the movie. I was scared. I asked my mom if opossums could eat through brick walls - a question that is so often repeated amongst my family members (yeah, whatever, I was cute). Anyway, the opossum wasn't as lucky as Happy was that Christmas. Dad arrived home on leave during the early hours of the morning and the opossum met his fate. There was a pitchfork involved. (Sorry, PETA - nobody messes with daddy's girls.)

Happy finally warmed up to me during his last years. He was really pitiful by then - what hair he had left was matted and gross and he had these crazy cataracts that made his eyes glow neon green. His vision was so bad he would walk right into the furniture - people too, sometimes. I was just ecstatic when he'd finally let me pet him.

My grandma really loved cats, too, and there were always a few around her house, even if, technically, they weren't hers. I'm not sure, but it might have had something to do with the magically replenishing dish of cat food on the front porch. The ones that were hers were always impressive - seriously, the most beautiful cats you've ever seen - and huge! She was constantly feeding them and petting them and feeling sorry for them. She called the boys "tom cats" and she called Athena, my very first pet, "Little Bit." Athena's still alive. She's currently curled up underneath Granny's bed.

My grandma mowed the lawn with a push mower until she moved to Statesboro in 2004 to be closer to her doctors. She wrote me handwritten letters until the day she couldn't hold a pen steady enough to write any more. She always, always has gum. One of my visits isn't complete until I "pick out something pretty" from either a store or her home - usually her jewelry chest. She makes the best pie crust; taught me how to, too. She's flirted and charmed every boyfriend I've had that she's met and still asks about them too. "How's JohnnyBoy?" she'll ask with a sparkle in her eye. "I don't know, Grandma," I'll say with an eye roll. She took a particular liking to my first boyfriend, her "Margarita Man." He was a bartender. "I always really liked him," she told me yesterday. "We always had a real good time." Out of all the boys my sisters and I have brought home to her, they've all loved her.

One summer, when I was about thirteen, her old friends, the Calhouns, visited. I think Calhoun was pretty high ranking in the Army, though I can't remember his rank. He had served with my PopPop years prior. I was sitting in the living room watching something - probably repeats of Boy Meets World on the Disney channel - with my sketch book stretched out across my lap and magazine clippings scattered around me, as they chattered away in the kitchen. Calhoun wandered over to the counter where Granny's medicine bottles were lined up and said, "by golly, Sylvia!" he said (a South Carolinian right out of a novel) "What in the heck do ya need all these pills for?" "Oh," she went on, "those are my birth control pills." My grandma, bless her - she doesn't miss a beat. I, of course, found this to be the most hilarious thing I'd ever heard in my entire thirteen years of existence and apparently so did Calhoun and his wife.

Summers with her were great. She bought me whatever I wanted at the grocery store and let me eat it all as frequently as I liked. Want six popsicles at a time? Grandma will let you have them! I watched so much TV my eyes just about fell out of my head and I stayed up and slept in as late as I liked. I never did chores. She was the tidiest person on the planet and she'd clean anything before you even had a chance to get it dirty. One summer, she let me set up a yard sale in her garage every Saturday. I sold everything - old odds and ends, pears from the trees - I even sold some of the furniture inside the house (with permission, of course).

She loves my giggle. She and my Grandpop (my dad's dad), had that in common, and despite nearly everyone else finding it annoying, I'll never be embarrassed by it because of them. Maybe that's why I love weird laughs so much.

My grandma has a thick southern accent and a bunch of old catchphrases to go along with it. When you ask her how she is, she says either "Oh, I'm as fine as a frog's hair" or "I'm as fit as a fiddle." She always tells us "don't take any wooden nickels" and ends conversations with "a bushel and a peck." She likes her hair permed and she hates to be without her lipstick. Last week, she nick-named my dog, Susie, "Pedro."

She always told me, "better to laugh than to cry." That's stuck with me.

She's stubborn and she's ornery and if you don't know what that word means, go look it up, because that's my grandma. The woman knows how to hold a grudge, too.

Sunday was her ninetieth birthday and on Monday I took her with me to pick up my sister, Carrie, from work and then to get ice cream. She must have started ninety plus sentences, very matter of factly, with "Well you know, I'm ninety plus, so..." to which I would reply "You're ninety plus a day! That makes you ninety plus?" And we'd laugh. It does, apparently.

She's not mowing any lawns any more and making pie crusts is a serious chore. It's tough for her to make it from her easy chair to the kitchen table with a walker. She's hard of hearing, has leukemia and her Parkinsons has caused some dementia, so if she tells you I'm pregnant with twins - trust that I'm not. She's got jokes though and despite being unable to hear someone two feet away from her, she can still make out my giggle from across the house. She needs help with a lot of things, and that's really hard for her. The other day, as we were getting her ready for bed, she said quietly "you won't like me anymore after this." That being said, you can add crazy to that list of things she is.

I've spent the past week here in Georgia visiting her and my mom. Whenever I give her a hand with things, I start talking about all those old stories we have that make us laugh (many of them way too embarrassing for this platform). I remind her about all the things she's done for me over the years - the cleaning, the popsicles, the downright spoiling - it's about time I get to pay her back for all of that.

I miss you most...

2011-11-16T00:38:00.001-05:00

On days like today.

Jax & Celina

Statesboro, Georgia

Los Angeles

2011-11-05T19:04:00.000-04:00

Los Angeles, California

November 5, 2011

Aimee & Kevin

2011-10-22T15:48:00.001-04:00

Aimee & Kevin for Click Pictures

Storm King Art Center

New Windsor, NY

September 18, 2011

Joey & Raquel

2011-10-20T02:03:00.002-04:00

Joey&Raquel

Click Pictures - Beacon, NY

September 19, 2011

Walk to Defeat ALS: Highlands/Poughkeepsie, New York

2011-10-17T12:18:00.001-04:00

The Hudson Valley's Walk to Defeat ALS was on Sunday and it was such a great experience. There was live music, food, and almost a thousand people - which is so incredible, considering that there were only sixty participants at the first walk just three years ago. I'm looking forward to helping that number grow even more over the coming years.

Thanks to the generous donations of friends, family, clients and colleagues (and one anonymous donor - thanks, anonymous!), our team contributed $1770 to the total $60,000 that was raised! According to this article on the event in the Poughkeepsie Journal, the money will be used "to fund a program to lend patients equipment that may not be covered through their health insurance."

I'm so grateful to everyone who donated, spread the word and/or sent kind words and sweet thoughts our way! I feel really lucky to know you all.

You can read more about Lou Gherig's disease and my family's experience with it here.
And here's a link to my mother's day post - our first encounter with ALS and one of the many reasons my mom rocks.

hello sunshine

2011-10-06T22:27:00.005-04:00

heading west.

If anyone in LA/SF is interested in booking a session from 11/2-11/13, shoot me an e-mail:

jacpfef@gmail.com

Here are some posts from my past California adventures.

FaceSpace!

2011-09-30T00:29:00.001-04:00

I think I may be the only person to actually like these new facebook changes. They've added some really cool stuff. For example, did you know you can subscribe to people's facebook pages now?

(Read: Go subscribe to my facebook page.)

I've been kind of a facebook lockdown type, but now when I'm editing, I throw my favorite images into albums so that people can see them as I work on them. I dig it, and judging by the feedback (47+ notifications this morning!), other people are too. I should also mention that I really, really like feedback.

In addition to photos, I also post interesting articles, videos, an occasional joke ("Now, I'm not saying she's a golddigger, but she did move west to California in 1849.") and music. A lot of music.

My point here is, you should go subscribe to my Facebook page. Or not, whatever. (But seriously, do it.)

RJ

2011-09-29T23:41:00.001-04:00

Benjamin

2011-09-28T23:15:00.001-04:00

Benjamin & Me.

I photographed Benjamin's parents when they got married in June of 2009.

I work with the best people and they make the cutest babies.

Sarah & Paul

2011-09-28T21:54:00.003-04:00

Sarah+Paul

August 13, 2011

Location: Sleepy Hollow Country Club

More by Matt Versweyveld

for Click Pictures

Walk to Defeat ALS: October 16, 2011 in Poughkeepsie

2011-09-28T15:25:00.000-04:00

My mom and I a few months before her diagnosis.

It began in her left foot. Her toes refused to lift toward the sky when she told them to. Her doctor speculated that it was residual effects from a medication she was on and prescribed physical therapy. As months passed and the symptoms worsened, he decided to take a closer look. They tested for an array of diseases and disorders. She went through CAT scans, biopsies, neurological exams, a spinal tap. We're testing to rule things out, he said. Then, a diagnosis -- the gravity of which, a woman who had devoted years of her life to medicine, was painfully aware of.

"Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis." (the ALS Association)

There is no known cause to this disease and there is no cure. At present, there is only one treatment - a drug that has been found to improve survival only to a modest extent.

Since my mom was diagnosed with ALS this past spring, I've been doing a lot of hoping. I hope that my mom will be provided with the best medical equipment available as the disease progresses and I hope that the incredible doctors and scientists who specialize in ALS will make great strides that will improve her prognosis and I hope that more people start taking an interest in defeating this disease.

On October 16th at the Hudson Valley's Walk to Defeat ALS event, I'll be walking to raise money for the ALS Association in honor of the woman who taught me how to walk, and your support would mean the world to me.

Walk. Donate. Spread the word.

"Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.

This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease though support is bringing researchers closer to an answer. In the mean time it costs an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today." (the ALS Association)

A mother's day post about my first encounter with ALS and why my mom rocks.

My page on the ALS Association - more information or to make a donation.

Mom

2011-09-16T12:40:00.001-04:00

My Mom.

somewhere in Georgia.

date/photographer: unknown.

Happy Birthday, Mama.

I love you!

Felicia: Part II

2011-09-07T13:32:00.002-04:00

This is only the beginning.

Model: Felicia Ciombor

Location: Click Pictures, Beacon

Make Up: JacPfef

August 26, 2011

Mom & Dad

2011-09-06T18:06:00.004-04:00

My sister sent me these old photos of my mom & dad hiking in Bertchesgaden National Park in Germany.

Don't they look so stylish?

I especially love that my mom is climbing mountains in platforms.

Felicia: Part I

2011-08-27T00:29:00.001-04:00

Model: Felicia Ciombor
Makeup: Jackie Pfeffer

Location: Click Pictures

Beacon, New York

August 26, 2011

Tunes

2011-08-11T19:34:00.001-04:00

Lykke Li - Little Bit from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

I haven't updated my editing soundtrack in a while

& I've pretty much played everything I have out,

but I downloaded Youth Novels, by Lykke Li, yesterday and it's been on loop in the studio.

Anything special yous are listening to, these days?

xxJ

Tuesday

2011-08-09T15:58:00.001-04:00

Lamb's Hill

August 9, 2011

Beacon, New York

Ashley

2011-08-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

Ashley

August 8, 2011

Click Pictures - Beacon, NY

Kristin + Mike

2011-07-30T15:40:00.002-04:00

Kristin + Mike

Somers, New York

for Click Pictures

Sweet Caroline

2011-07-26T11:19:00.002-04:00

Caroline

July 26, 2011

Statesboro, Georgia

Susie

2011-07-23T11:50:00.000-04:00

Susie & Sylvia

July 21, 2011

Statesboro, Georgia

Kristin & Mike

2011-07-08T20:50:00.001-04:00

Normally, I'd wait for the full series, but I like this a lot.

Kristin & Mike for Click Pictures.

Somers, New York

Deirdre

2011-07-01T15:52:00.001-04:00

Deirdre

June 25, 2011

Neptune, New Jersey

for www.Click-Pictures.com

Welcome Home

2011-06-20T15:25:00.001-04:00

Location: Newburgh, New York

Tommy's home from Iraq!

Welcome back, buddy! I'm so glad you're home.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

Dad & his girls, circa 1993.
In case you're curious, I'm the one with the sweet bowl haircut cheesing real hard on the right.

Thank you for knowing everything there is to know about American history, and for doing kung fu in the kitchen with me, and for messing my hair up in virtually every photo we take, and for letting me skip school to go see the first few Harry Potter movies, and for giving me my first black and white camera, and for all the things you've done for me over the years - big and small, and for being the best.
You really are my BFFL.
Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Hipstamatic

2011-06-02T17:22:00.000-04:00

I'm sure if you have an iPhone or Facebook, you've heard of the Hipstamatic photo app. As a fan of toy cameras like the Holga, Diana and FujiInstax - I love it. I've decided to do something a little different and share some of my Hipstamatic photos, because I think they came out really cool - and hey, why not?

So yes, this is me sharing my week via cell phone pictures on my professional photography blog. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Jax!

2011-05-31T10:39:00.000-04:00

Jax & I at Fred's in Old Town

San Diego, California

June 2010

I'm so grateful for photos like this one when we're worlds apart from one another. I'm even more grateful that I get to see he & his sister in just a few short weeks!

(and you will too if you swing by our opening).

Happy Birthday, Jax!

The Story of Stars and Stripes: Honor Flight

2011-05-29T14:17:00.001-04:00

This is so well made and it's just a trailer. I can't wait to see the final product.

Happy Memorial Day!

Emily

2011-05-26T14:53:00.004-04:00

Untitled

2011-05-25T20:56:00.000-04:00

Celina

2011-05-24T14:02:00.001-04:00

My niece's third birthday was on May 2nd, and since she was way over on the left Coast while I was here in New York, I immersed myself in the video footage I took of she and my nephew while we were in Vegas back in February. This video is the product of that afternoon of missing her. She's a pretty incredible kid.

Random

2011-05-24T02:16:00.000-04:00

Faith

2011-05-20T16:00:00.000-04:00

Model: Faith Broderick

Location: SoHo, Manhattan

2007

Chelle - Statesboro, Georgia

2011-05-16T20:19:00.001-04:00

Boudoir 2009.

Model: Chelle

Location: Georgia

Holes - Hamburg, Germany

2011-05-13T18:57:00.004-04:00

Hamburg, Germany

May 2010

Monochrome - Hamburg, Germany

2011-05-09T10:20:00.000-04:00

cycles, Svenja, Shäfer, Schnauzer

Hamburg, Germany

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T18:28:00.006-04:00

Especially to mine. I really lucked out in that department.

Love you, Mom!

Location: Berchtesgaden, Germany
Photo credit: my dad

I try to keep the posts on here predominantly visual (a picture's worth a thousand words or something), but in honor of mother's day I'm switching things up and sharing a story about my own incredible mom.

...

When I was in middle school, I had a friend named Clay. Prior to our first meeting, I remember my mom maneuvering our family's black suburban around those windy upstate New York roads. She told me that I'd meet Clay, that he loved the beach and that he used to make his living as an automechanic. She told me that he lived alone, having divorced his wife years prior and that he had a son older than me that he didn't see too much. She told me he'd need a lot of help with things when we were there. She told me not to be nervous or afraid when I met him and then she told me about his disease.

Clay had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gherig's disease. ALS is one of three types of motor neuron disease, affecting both the upper and lower motor neurons. Basically, his neurons - those little transmitters in your brain that signal your muscles to move - were slowly deteriorating. Without receiving the signal to move, his muscles were atrophying and he was growing weaker. His condition had gradually gotten worse until he could no longer take care of himself and a hospice nurse had to be called in: enter my mom.

I knew very little about my mom's job at that time. Yes, I knew that she was a nurse, that she worked in home healthcare and I knew that the people she cared for were nearing the end of their lives. Aside from funny little daily details that she shared at the dinner table, I didn't understand what her job really entailed. Clay was the first and only patient she ever took me to visit.

His apartment was small. It boasted a little kitchenette to the right of the entrance and a living area just big enough for a bed, a recliner and a television. The dark, wood-faced walls reflected little light from the three windows on the right side. Clay sat in his recliner, two other men kicked back on the bed facing the television. His two friends were loud and their laughter ricocheted off the ceiling, filling the room.

"Hiya, Debbie!" They said as my mom placed her bag on the counter of the kitchenette. She smiled as she greeted them by name, and she turned to Clay and told him she brought a visitor.

"This is my Jackie. She's my baby." She always introduces me like that, and it always makes me smile. It also receives similar reactions from whomever she introduces me to, mainly due to the fact that my mom is five foot four, and I am just shy of five-eleven.

The visiting men responded with a chorus of greetings and praise and, "well, Deb, she looks just like you!" Clay smiled and said a quiet but friendly "hi there."

The men left after a few minutes and my mom went about her work. As she moved him and medicated him and chattered away, I sat on a small chair nearby. "Jackie, tell Clay about school." She said. So I told him. Clay listened quietly with a half smile on his face and friendly eyes as I detailed my school days. When I ran out of school talk, I continued on about my pets at home and my sisters and anything else that came to mind. I just kept talking. Clay made quiet sounds of acknowledgment and his eyes smiled back at me. After about an hour, it was time for us to leave.

"It was nice to meet you, Jackie," he said slowly, and then to my mom, "Debbie, you've got a beautiful girl there. Right pretty smile."

My mom took me back to visit Clay on occasion. She said it brightened his days. Sometimes I'd sit and chat away and other times I'd quietly listen to his friends talking about some crazy story or another from the past. Once, I perused the greeting card store next door and found the most beautiful card for my sister - one she still carries with her to this day.

One afternoon, as I spun from side to side atop one of Clay's kitchen stools, something caught my eye. "Mom, what's that bucket of sand over there for?" Mom looked excited as she dragged it out from behind the television to the foot of Clay's chair.

"What do you say, Clay? Want to go to the beach?" She said with a sparkle in her eye. Clay looked so pleased as she took his socks and shoes off and placed his feet into the sand. She looked back at me. "Cool, huh?"

Clay smiled and slowly looked up at me, "Your mom sure is somethin' else."

After that, I started to notice other touches of my mom's thoughtful creativity spreading throughout Clay's apartment - a beach towel draped over his chair, a palm tree behind his TV. She found a bunch of car calendars in a box in his closet and spent one afternoon covering one of the dark wooden walls with the bright pictures of his favorite cars. The effect of my mom's work was apparent in Clay, and even in his friends. They all lit up whenever she walked in. Their gratitude was so apparent - it was inspiring.

The deterioration of his neurons eventually affected his ability to swallow and then later impaired his respiratory functions until he passed away just a few months after I met him. I cried for him when my mom told me and I wondered how she stayed so optimistic with all of her patients - how she never ceased to go above and beyond, knowing what was just around the corner.

The answer is simple. My mom is the most generous, selfless person I have ever encountered. She is amazingly empathetic. My mom is the type of person that will set aside her own inevitable grief in order to brighten the last few months of a person's life. She's the type of person who takes dark drab walls and fills them with color. And, after a long work day of fulfilling the demands of nursing, when the last thing most people want to do before going home and collapsing on the couch is to stop at the supermarket to pick up the ingredients for their kids' favorite home-cooked meal, she's the type of person to do that, and on top of that, she thinks to grab a bag of sand and a palm tree - on her dollar - knowing it will bring a smile to a man who doesn't have much to smile about anymore.

Random

2011-05-04T12:42:00.001-04:00

Some random photos. Some recent, some not. That last one makes me laugh a lot.

Happy Wednesday!

Thank you: Betsi, Michael, Svenja,

Emily, random deer in my backyard,

Grandma, Katie, Ben, Cara, Donte

& Dante.

Happy Birthday, Celina!

2011-05-02T14:18:00.001-04:00

These are screenshots of a video interview I did with my niece, Celina, back in February. Hard to believe she's only been in this world for three years - I can't imagine life without her. Happy Birthday, Bean!

Here are some photos of Celina over the years.

the Pips

2011-04-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

Katie & Ben

2011-04-25T13:03:00.000-04:00

I love Katie & Ben (understatement). I can't wait for their wedding in August, but I'm just really excited for their next visit from Paris so that we can hang out again.

Here are my favorites - more to come on the Click. blog!

tumblr

2011-04-13T14:38:00.000-04:00

I started a tumblr for all those pictures I take that don't quite fit into posts here. It also updates itself so even if I'm buried under heaps and heaps of work for the next three weeks, you can still see a few new pictures (like these) every day. You know, if you want to.

Betsi & Michael

2011-04-10T18:32:00.001-04:00

Betsi Ewing & Michael Scott

Location: Click, Beacon, New York

Betsi & Michael

2011-04-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

Betsi Ewing & Michael Scott

Location: Click, Beacon, NY

Concrete Jungle

2011-04-04T14:09:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, I double as a hair stylist.

Also, a comedian.

Model/Makeup: Jennifer Confield

Dress: Victoria's Secret

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Jasiu

2011-04-04T11:37:00.003-04:00

Jas took a break from working on his latest still-life series and glam, high-fashion photo shoots

to come upstate and hang with us at the studio

during yesterday's shoot.

Genius, this one is.

Check out his work: www.JohnCiombor.com.

Tracks

2011-04-04T11:06:00.003-04:00

Model/Makeup/Styling: Jennifer Confield

Skirt: Victoria's Secret
Shoes: Michael Kors

Coming Soon...

2011-04-03T22:58:00.001-04:00

untitled

2011-03-28T13:35:00.003-04:00

"I like my folk music like I like my inexpensive modern furniture - Swedish."

2011-03-16T08:57:00.000-04:00

Mackenzie

2011-03-02T00:31:00.001-05:00

Oh, Mackenzie.

Thank you for making my last week of work exceptionally delightful with your adorable facial expressions and hats.

Please come play with me and my camera again!

Shark! - Las Vegas, Nevada

2011-02-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

The jellyfish were a crowd favorite at the Shark Reef @ Mandalay Bay.

Magic Hour - San Diego, California

2011-02-15T12:12:00.000-05:00

Munchkins - San Diego, California

2011-02-15T11:53:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend in San Diego. Upon my arrival, I enjoyed a slice with my favorite people under the age of five and taught them how to eat pizza the right way (the New York way). Now they're old pros.

Really adorable four- and two-year-old pros.

This was my greeting/workout that day...

photo taken by my sister, Carrie.

the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) - San Francisco, CA

2011-02-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Since I'll be spending roughly forty-five minutes at San Francisco International today, it seemed only appropriate to share some of my favorite photos from the last time I was in the city. I was walking through the Mission looking for a breakfast place a friend told me about (here) when I turned down Clarion Alley. I had walked from my hotel (here) which was a few miles away and, having opted to wear a newer pair of shoes, my feet were killing me, but I couldn't tear myself away from the CAMP until I examined each piece. It's hard to believe so much vibrance lies in just a block-long stretch of downtown alley.

More information:
wikipedia
facebook
megan wilson article

Jax & Celina - San Diego, California

2011-02-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

I am very, very excited to see these two faces tomorrow.

Matthew

2011-02-09T00:04:00.002-05:00

Just so you know,

your mom loves you more than she loves milk, albacore tuna and chicken nuggets

and your dad loves you more than he loves the Yankees.

Trust me, kid, that's a whole heck of a lot.

Big Sur

2011-02-07T17:12:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure if it was the fresh air, staggering views, or lack of cell service that sold it to me, but I think I'd be perfectly content living in a tent beneath the Bixby Bridge.

These are from a trip I took last September, where I did not stay in a tent under the Bixby Bridge, but in a rustic cabin at Big Sur Lodge. I'd be pretty content living there too, I think.

Jess & Bob

2011-02-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

more at Click.

Sunday

2011-01-30T20:21:00.003-05:00

Meghan & Chauncey

2011-01-26T01:43:00.001-05:00

I love this wedding.

Like, L.O.V.E.

the red lipstick, Meg's dress, the vintage suitcase,

the photo booth & the post cards that all the guests wrote on,

the sweetest, most emotional ceremony I've ever seen,

and Meghan & Chauncey, whom I hope to see more of in the future.

these pictures too.

and the eight bazillion other photos I took that day.

ahhh! so fun!

SFF20: August 7th, 2010

2011-01-18T20:57:00.002-05:00

SFF20: 08.07.10 from Jacqueline Pfeffer on Vimeo.

My first attempt at video.

Yeesh - steady cam, por favor!

facebook.

2011-01-17T22:25:00.000-05:00

I have a new Facebook page

because i can't alter the old one - something about having too many fans...

I'm certainly not about to complain about that.

w.o.a.h.

thank you, all 478 of you.

I hope to see you all over at my new spot on the 'book.

You can keep up with my latest adventures by hitting the ol' "Like" button.

Desiree

2011-01-17T21:30:00.001-05:00

Bonfire

2011-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

I was cold today, so I went through pictures from our last Oktoberfest's bonfire.

Carrie

2011-01-09T13:40:00.001-05:00

Years ago, I did a trash-the-dress session at one of my favorite hiking spots in the Hudson Valley.

Two photographers, one former bride, two wedding dresses, pounds of camera equipment, one assistant (my lovely sister, Carrie), and a huge bunch of happy red and yellow balloons hiked and waded up a slippery series of waterfalls.

It was a really, really fun shoot and we got some awesome shots.

Still, my favorites have to be of my cute sister, Carrie, playing balloon tamer.

xx

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Alicia & Justin

2010-12-30T18:28:00.001-05:00

I just posted a few images from Alicia & Justin's wedding over here.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T23:38:00.001-05:00

From Statesboro, Georgia.

Catalina

2010-12-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

I love New York.

It's my favorite out of all of the places I've been.

It's where my loyalty lies.

I am, indeed, a tried and true New Yorker to the core.

I love the mountains, the trees, the seasons -

I love the people - the sarcasm, the pace at which we speak, the way they say "coffee" and "dog."

I even love the dirty streets of Manhattan - rat infested subways and all.

New York is the place that feels like home.

But sometimes...

on days like today, when the cold drifts in and the frost covers my windshield,

(when it feels like this!)

and even my dogs don't want to play outside (they're big babies)

I start dreaming of far off places with sand and sun.

Photos from Catalina make me feel a little warmer.

Hope they do the same for you.

Jess

2010-12-06T23:30:00.000-05:00

It is my firm belief that every girl should have at least one candidly glamorous, black & white.

photo for Click.
xx

the Bean

2010-12-05T15:38:00.001-05:00

This is my niece, Celina.

Celina & I live on opposite ends of the country, so we spend a very limited amount of time together.

I am happy to report that during our short visits, she has picked up a few very important lessons from her Aunt, including (but not limited to):

Silly faces make for much more interesting photos.

Straws & chopsticks double as walrus tusks.

I'm also convinced that she's been sneaking in episodes of America's Next Top Model between Wow Wow Wubbzy, because this girl has perfected the art of smeyesing.

St. Nikolai (Nikolaikirche) - Hamburg, Germany

2010-11-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

Did you know that St. Nicholas, in Hamburg, was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876?

I didn't either.

When I was in Germany last May, I was wandering through Hamburg when I saw it's charred steeple jutting up through steel framed streets lined with glass curtain walls.

I dropped a few euro to the old man in the ticket booth and rode the elevator to the top.

It. Was. Windy.

(but beautiful)

You can see all of Hamburg from up there.

Mohonk Mountain House

2010-11-30T02:18:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago, I shot a portrait session at Mohonk Mountain House & decided that it qualifies for my list of most beautiful places.

Read all about it here.

Click.: Lisa & Pete

2010-11-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

Click here for more pictures from Lisa&Pete's awesome wedding day

Click.

2010-11-04T13:24:00.000-04:00

In addition to shooting a record number of incredible weddings this year,

I've also been collaborating with super talented photographer, Matt Versweyveld,

to launch a brand new multi-photographer studio (yay!).

Check out our new website & blog for all of our latest work and news,

'like' us on Facebook.

And take advantage of our November promotion!

Flashbacks.

2010-11-02T23:02:00.001-04:00

There are some pretty big things happening behind the scenes over here -

and with all of the craziness, I've been doing a lot of reflection.

My first days as a photographer began in South Eastern Georgia shortly after my sweet nephew was born.

I give Jax a lot of credit for where I am today;

he's acted as model & muse throughout my career's progression

& his gorgeous little sister, Celina, has since joined him.

Tonight, I happened upon these photos of him -

it was one of the first lifestyle shoots I ever did.

Looking at these pictures still takes me back to the afternoons I used to spend with him -

the way he scooted his tiny little body around the coffee table

and how he slapped his hands against the surface when I scrunched my nose at him.

Remembering those subtleties is why I love my work so much.

I love the idea of taking people back to their favorite moments through photographs.

Big news coming tomorrow.

Jill - Westport, Connecticut

2010-10-24T02:55:00.001-04:00

Untitled

2010-10-21T02:54:00.003-04:00

S. - Hudson Valley, New York

2010-10-18T23:10:00.000-04:00

Ukulele - Las Vegas, Nevada

2010-10-12T00:14:00.003-04:00

Cafe Habana - Malibu, California

2010-09-21T00:18:00.003-04:00

left-right, top-bottom: sangria, margarita, mexican style corn, guac - all of which I highly recommend.

Cafe Habana has long topped my list of New York favorites,

so I had to swing by their new restaurant in Malibu while I was in town.

The look is very different, but the food, drink & cool factor are all right there.

I'm not the only one who thinks so, either.

When I was there in June with friends, we asked a fellow patron to take our photo.

While he was clicking away, we suddenly realized who he was.

Wonder if he loves the Mexican style corn & sangria as much as I do?

below: katrina took a huge bite of chili powder, hence the facial expressions.

Mama the Great

2010-09-16T00:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, intelligent, rockstar Mom!

Richard James & his awesome parents

2010-09-15T12:42:00.002-04:00