Nicole Rogers Photography » Community

{Reflections on Tradition and Cancer Awareness post}…

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:15:45 +0000

I haven’t been able to write about my writing class for September yet. I couldn’t go to it in July or August, so I was anxious to get back for this month. Like many classes before, we listen to a poem and then have around 3-5 minutes to write our own take of the theme. One of the themes for this last class was “….on ordinary days.” It was inspired by the poem “After School on Ordinary Days” by Maria Mazziotti Gillan. For my piece, I entitled it “Sunday Afternoons on Ordinary Days.”

Sunday afternoons on ordinary days…we pull up and park in front of my mom and dad’s house. We sometimes get there the same time as my younger sister as she parks her black Honda in front of the house. More often than not, my older sister and her husband pull up and park right behind us. They emerge from the car with perhaps an appetizer or dessert, with Abu the dog, in tow. It is a long time tradition…Sunday lunch at my parent’s.

My brother is already inside and my mother greets us with a radiant smile as she brushes her hands off on her apron to give us each a hug. She has been cooking since she’s been back from church, and my dad wants a hug too as he quickly tastes the homemade spaghetti sauce he has on the stove. The kitchen is filled with the aroma that brings back memories of my grandmother’s kitchen. My 99 year old Italian grandmother was who taught my father the gift for making authentic Italian food.

My sisters pour into the kitchen to help prepare whatever is left to help with. My mother needs help sauteing some broccoli, making a salad, and putting some dishes away. We hear loud footsteps from my two nephews and niece that just arrived with my oldest sister and husband. My mother scoops down to hug my four year old niece as she enthusiastically tells the details of her morning.

In the distance the television plays as the familiar sound of football fills in the air. The men start talking about their favorite teams and players, while predicting the games for the day. My mother asks one of us to set the table and to get drinks out on the counter. We all gather around the kitchen island as my father thanks the Lord for another day and for the food we are about to partake.

And there you have it…my ordinary Sunday afternoons. I really treasure those days because I know it won’t always be like that. I have had sort of a reflective day and I want to remind every woman, in honor or Breast Cancer Awareness next month, to get your mammograms and breast examined.

My mother just had her mammogram, and although there is nothing to be worried about, the doctors want to order her an MRI to be able to have a better look at an enlarged milk duct. Breast cancer runs in my family and both my great-grandmother and grandmother have had it. I am very thankful that my mom is proactive in getting her mammograms.

I also didn’t know this until I read this little girl’s CaringBridge site that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The parents of Ava (from the CaringBridge site) lost their 4 1/2 year old to stage 4 cancer. They are trying to raise money and are nowhere near their goal. If you so desire, you may donate here. I do not know this family, but have been touched by their story.

As every post is better with a picture, I have attached a couple of my family. The first one is of my siblings and I on Mother’s day in my sister’s kitchen. The second one is of my mom (the one in the middle) and her two sisters this past weekend. I just want to say how proud I am of my mom…she’s lost 30 + pounds! She is so beautiful, has always been beautiful, and I hope that I can be half the mother she is one day to my little boy.

{Running for Lee}…Charlotte, NC

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:48:39 +0000

It has been a joy getting to know and photograph baby Lee this past year. Lee is a very special one and a half year old little boy. Lee went through a series of genetic testing this summer and confirmed that he had Timothy’s Syndrome, a very rare heart condition. There have been only 28 cases of Timothy’s identified so far.

Lee’s parents are remarkable and are putting their hope in the Lord. Lee’s mother wrote on his Caring Bridge, even after testing and surgery, “Clearly he was telling us from the very beginning of this journey that he is pleased to be alive and present in this very moment – and he is teaching us to be equally pleased to remain present and to savor, enjoy and appreciate every single minute we have with him. He has already taught us some incredibly important lessons.”

Lee’s uncle is running a half-marathon ((San Jose Rock n’ Roll, Oct. 2nd) to benefit the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation (www.sads.org), in honor of little Lee. If you or your company would like to donate whatever you can, you may do so here. All my love and prayers Mary Ann, Christian and Lee.

{Her hands…} Belmont, NC family photographer

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:26:56 +0000

She’s almost always outside unless it is cold or raining. My neighbors and I have all emerged from our houses since Spring has been knocking at our doors. The sunshine and warmth beckon us to them. When I saw Audie, my neighbor across the street, working in her yard this past weekend, I walked over (like I often do) to give her a long overdue hello. She does most of the talking, which I don’t mind. I’d rather listen to what she has to say. She has lived for 83 years and has far more work ethic and wisdom than I do. She worked manual labor in textile mills for 40 years. She started working at 15 years old, before she could even legally work, because they needed workers so bad. To this day, if the weather is nice, she is out working in her yard, mowing the law, planting and growing her garden, and caring for her neighbors.

Before I can even take my trash or recycling out the night before trash day, she has dragged it out to the street. And before I can get the chance to bring it back to my driveway, she has beaten me to the task. Those hands of hers are always moving, helping, working. I don’t foresee them stopping anytime soon.

Those hands have left me fresh garden veggies on my porch. Those hands have given me fresh peaches from the trees, those hands taught me how to plant flowers, those hands are always helping. Those hands belong to a woman that has seen her share of pain, death and heartache, but have never stopped loving or giving. What she has given me is priceless…a depiction of what a selfless, courageous, strong, and caring woman looks like. I hope I am half of the kind of woman she is if I live to be 83.

This was what Audie was working on when I walked up…taking weeds out of her garden.

{Contest time}…Charlotte, NC family photographer

admin — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:46:00 +0000

Contest time again! I have chosen 13 of my favorite images from 2010…please tell all your family and friends to vote. One vote per person please. You can comment on the blog or on facebook. The winner will receive an 11×14 wall art of the winning image and $50 print credit on your next order with me from a 2011 session. And the runner up will receive an 8×10 print of the image and $25 print credit on your next order with me from a 2011 session. Voting will begin today and will end at midnight on January 17th. I will announce the winners that week. Happy Voting!

{2010 Recap}…Charlotte, NC family photographer

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:52:43 +0000

Like every year, 2010 just flew by. I learned a lot, stretched, grew, failed, succeeded, hurt, loved, and grew some more. I am thankful for each and every experience and trial. I believe in the experiences we learn to love and appreciate life. Through the trials, well, we learn to trust and rely on the Lord and become better people.

I started my 2010 year off by going to a wonderful seminar by Justin and Mary Marantz. I am going this year as well and cannot wait!

In February, my husband graduated from CMPD police academy. I am not allowed to post pictures of him in uniform on the internet. I couldn’t have been more proud of him on that day. He was class president and gave a speech in front of the entire audience.

I also had the wonderful opportunity of being apart of a fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy. I had to get on the phone and ask people to “bail” me out of jail. It was fun and I think I ended up raising over $200.

In the Spring, I had the opportunity to photograph for Ruffle Butts and Little Cuddle Bugs. They were both very different experiences, one better than the other, but overall…learning experiences.

In the Spring, I also had the wonderful opportunity of going to a Brianna Graham workshop in Atlanta. I stayed with my beautiful and hospitable friend, Shannon.

At the end of May, I had the opportunity to go to Charleston for a weekend getaway. I love Charleston and could never get sick of going. Look at this amazing tree!

My sessions did not slow down in the beginning of summer, but we managed to get away to Carowinds for the day and act like kids.

As the heat grew stronger and hotter, my sessions were few, so I got to get away to the beach with some girlfriends…

At the end of summer, Tracy and I traveled to Chattanooga, TN, the city where we met, to have our 5 year anniversary pictures done by Rich Smith Photography. I loved them!

I was thankful when the Fall season was upon me. I had many new and repeat clients. In September I ran in my first 5 K. I was surprised and pleased when I had placed 3rd in my age group. I also completed it in under 30 minutes. This race was very near to me as a dear friend of mine, Tiffany Pate, died of cancer earlier in the year. I would like to do more races this year. They are a great challenge and for great causes.

As my season was underway, I had the wonderful opportunity to getaway on a Women’s retreat to the mountains near Asheville, NC. It was nice to get away, refocus, and spend some time with God.

At Thanksgiving, two out of my 3 sisters, my mom and dad, and myself got to go to Pennsylvania to see family. While we were there, we were able to spend some time with my Grandma Macaluso, who turned 98 this year! She is just now going into an assisted living facility. Every bit of that trip was worth it to see and spend time with her.

When I returned from my trip over Thanksgiving, I hit the ground running as I concluded my year…wrapping up sessions, client orders, Christmas get togethers, family gatherings, one more trip to Alabama to see Tracy’s family…and bam! The year is over just like that! I feel like I haven’t caught up from the holidays. I look forward to what this year has in store. I want to live each day for the Lord, allowing Him to use me for His glory. I can’t thank you enough, my faithful clients, for allowing me to document what is near and dear to your hearts. So, what’s next? I will announce a contest soon. I also have the most adorable newborn session to share. See you soon!

{Giving Thanks}…Charlotte, NC Family photographer

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:09:57 +0000

This will be my last post before the Thanksgiving holiday, so I thought I would take a moment to wish everyone out there in blog world a HAPPY Thanksgiving! Carlyn and I will be out of the office 11/24-11/28. We will have some access to e-mail, so feel free to e-mail us with orders, questions, or concerns.

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I am most thankful for. I am so thankful for the family I have been blessed with. I know some people, when they grow up, lose touch with parents and siblings. That is so foreign to me. My sisters and brother are my best friendsand my parents are my mentors. All of us are in the area now and we go over to my parent’s house EVERY Sunday for lunch and fellowship. When Tracy first came into the family, he called us all “The Brady Bunch.” Haha! I guess I will take that as a compliment. Speaking of Tracy, I am SO thankful for my loving, strong, dedicated, hard working, husband. I am so beyond proud of him and each year I seriously fall more in love with him. I am thankful for the church I am now apart of. I have never felt really connected or that I belonged to a church, but I have found that in Exodus. I am also for the community group that I am apart of where I have met and been blessed with real friendships. I am thankful for my little house and the simplicity it has. I will never forget our first home, all 1,100 square feet of it. This may sound weird, but I am thankful for trials. I am currently going through one right now and I am constantly reminded and humbled by God’s faithfulness. He is my Rock and salvation and I could not get through the day without Him. I am also amazed and thankful for the people that come in my life week after week allowing me to do this job. I love getting to know families and documenting what is real and precious in their lives. So, THANK YOU, my very special clients. Every post is not complete without some pictures, so here is the “L” family and all their loveliness….

{A Fall Evening}…Belmont, NC family photographer

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:40:51 +0000

I know I am posting quite a bit lately! It was a busy weekend! We had some beautiful, crisp Fall weather this weekend. This is the first time I have photographed the “F” family. They were full of personality and adventure! We found some beautiful colored plants in a field and it went perfectly with their outfits. Thanks for hanging out with me last night guys! I hope you enjoy your slideshow here!

{Accordion Books and mini albums}…Charlotte, NC photographer

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:38:51 +0000

I just got some press printed products back from my lab yesterday of mine and my husband’s anniversary session. I am excited to now offer custom cover Accordion books. I also wanted to showcase another design of the accordion mini albums.

Here are our Accordion books complete with a photo from your session for the cover…

(All images were done by Rich Smith Photography).

{Accordion books close with a magnet, open up to 5 images in the front, 3 in the back, and 1 for the cover, the paper is a durable card stock with a beautiful pearl or linen finish. It is a great gift to give or a unique momentum to keep. E-mail me for more details}.

Accordion mini’s….

Here are a couple complete with images from a baby session I did at the beginning of the year…

{Accordion Mini’s come in sets of three, so they are perfect for keeping one, and giving the other two as gifts. This particular design holds nine photos, closes with a magnet, has durable card stock paper with a pearl or linen finish. E-mail me for other designs and information}.

Spread the Love Workshop!

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:59:14 +0000

I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to attend the Spread the Love Workshop put on by Justin and Mary Marantz of Justin & Mary Photography. It was nothing short of inspiring, challenging, and exactly what I needed to start this New Year. If you are a photographer or have your own business, this is a Life Workshop and I HIGHLY recommend it. One of my favorite things that Mary said was “There will always be a reason not to chase your dreams” and “The Enemy of Doing is Procrastination” and “…A little big more” – by John C. Maxwell.

The dynamic duo…Justin and Mary.

Another quote Mary gave yesterday, and by far my favorite was this:

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say: I used everything you gave me.”

-Erna Bombeck