blissfully satisfied

NEW BLOG!

2008-11-24T12:11:00.001-05:00

Ladies & Gentleman,

I HAVE A NEW BLOG!! Please update your RSS reader, Google reader, whatever you use to follow blogs. My new blog will be at tarynrivera.blogspot.com.

Thanks!!

downtown holiday jacket and pant giveaway!

2008-11-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

aahh! i love this jacket & pant set from grosgrain. it looks like such a grown-up outfit. and she's giving one away!! just click on the link below.

downtown holiday jacket and pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

damien rice

2008-11-19T14:33:00.004-05:00

this is an old song. it came up on my iPod today and i hadn't heard it in quite some time. it's the blower's daughter by damien rice, from the movie soundtrack, closer. love it!

me + my little family

2008-11-19T14:14:00.004-05:00

the bad thing about always being behind the camera is that you never have any pictures of yourself, and even less of you and your family. fortunately, my awesome sister, keimi, was in town this weekend and took a few shots of us at the park.

phillip toledano

2008-11-16T18:01:00.002-05:00

i loved this slideshow by phillip toledano. it's very touching and worth watching.

pricing guide for photographers

2008-11-13T12:58:00.003-05:00

i found this great pricing guide for photographers here by stacy reeves. i thought this information would be very useful for those starting out that haven't quite figured out this whole pricing thing.

lela doll

2008-11-12T11:28:00.003-05:00

i'm a kid at heart. a very girlie kid. i love pink. i love dolls. i love playing dress up. i love all that girlie stuff.

and ... i love this doll. can i buy it and say it's for bella?

peanut butter

2008-11-11T13:16:00.004-05:00

these were taken the same day of the "i wish" post. after we were done playing for a while, she decided she wanted a little snack. bella loves, loves, loves peanut butter. she asks me for "bu-dda" all the time. here are a few messy photos.

now i lay me down to sleep

2008-11-10T21:12:00.002-05:00

you have to see this video regarding now i lay me down to me sleep, a non-profit organization that captures photographs for families expecting the loss of a child.

i couldn't help but cry while watching it.

sarah brightman in concert

2008-11-10T13:09:00.004-05:00

sarah brightman will be in concert this sunday here in tampa. (sigh) how i wish i could go. i will just settle with watching her on youtube for now.

i wish: part ii

2008-11-10T12:59:00.004-05:00

more reasons why i wish she would stay this small forever...

those eyes

her cute baby dimples

her funny faces

how much she loves her daddy & eating peanut butter!

bath time

i wish

2008-11-07T23:30:00.002-05:00

i wish she would stay this small forever.

lovely day

2008-11-07T16:56:00.004-05:00

taken with my camera phone today at the park.

"a"

2008-11-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

love this shot of "a" that i took this weekend.

"i"

2008-11-06T16:12:00.003-05:00

just a shot i took of "i" this weekend.

etsy, i adore thee

2008-11-06T10:41:00.004-05:00

i've recently been obsessing over etsy and have slapped myself on the wrist numerous times because i can't believe i didn't spend more time on this website before!

i had to buy this for bella.

now i'm looking through all of the handmade jewelry from ERMoriginals ...

now i want this ...

and this ...

and would happily settle for this ...

joey, my love

2008-11-05T09:35:00.006-05:00

i always remember being told that when i found someone special, to always pay attention to the way that he treated his mother, sisters, etc. that was one thing that i always loved about joey when we first met. he was always so loving towards his sisters and his mother. i remember talking to him super late on the phone one night. he was in the car driving to the store to pick up some nail polish remover for one of his sisters. who does that? guys like joey! he is the type of person that will give you the shirt off his back.

we met on october 29, 2000 and to this day he still treats me with as much love and respect as he did when we first met. i love you, joey!

these pictures were taken with our first ever point and shoot camera on our honeymoon in barbados in october 2004.

lisa + junior: just because

2008-11-04T09:08:00.004-05:00

here are a few that i took of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law over the weekend. these two are so in love, and it shows. i make fun of them all the time and say that they've been married for 30 years. i won't say how long they've been married, but let's say it's pretty close to that number. {don't kill me, lisa!}

keimi, you rock!

2008-10-31T09:11:00.003-04:00

i love this photo taken by my sister, keimi, with her canon powershot.

tiziano ferro - sere nere

2008-10-29T17:07:00.006-04:00

i know i mentioned earlier that i wanted to go to paris and listen to yael naim in a cafe. well, now i want to go to italy and drive through the countryside in a tiny rented smart car with the windows down while listening to "sere nere" by tiziano ferro.

i can dream, can't i?

dear bella

2008-10-29T16:04:00.002-04:00

i like you a lot.

you are my favorite person in the world, even though you always ignore me.

bragging about numbers

2008-10-22T14:19:00.004-04:00

image from flickr.com

i hate it when people brag. especially about material things. sometimes it bothers me when people brag about their kids. it's probably out of jealousy. it's a possibility that they are bragging about something my kid can't do yet. well ... i'm putting that aside today and i am bragging, bragging, bragging about my baby girl. bella knows how to count from 1 to 10. not just in english people, but in spanish as well. i would say that's pretty neat, considering she's 20 months.

ok.

i'm done bragging.

my miracle

2008-10-20T13:30:00.001-04:00

"a daughter is a miracle that never ceases to be miraculous ... full of beauty and forever beautiful ... loving and caring and truly amazing."

~ deanna beisser ~

yael naim - paris

2008-10-14T12:29:00.003-04:00

one day ...

one day i want to sit in a cafe in paris while listening to the song "paris" by yael naim.

some day ...

click here to read the english translation.

bella's first trip to disney

2008-10-13T13:46:00.005-04:00

we took bella to walt disney world for the first time a few weeks ago. i think she had a good time, but i think the rest of the family had more fun than she did. we all enjoyed her reactions to the disney characters. it was priceless!

bella and her cousin, gabriel

rhinos seen on our safari at animal kingdom

bella's first lollipop

minnie's house (i'd like to live here, please)

bella loved all of the fish in the aquarium

down the escalator we go!

bella was a little afraid of mickey mouse up close, but she loved yelling out "mickey!" from far away.

bubbles are so much fun!

more angie

2008-10-13T10:55:00.005-04:00

here are a few more from angie's session. thank you for being such an amazing model!!

you can view more of her pictures here.

angie

2008-10-12T18:48:00.002-04:00

here's a sneak peak of my session with angie this weekend. she was awesome to work with!

happy anniversary

2008-10-09T16:07:00.005-04:00

four years ago today i married the man of my dreams, the love of my life, my best friend.

happy anniversary, joey! you have made these past four years the best ones of my life. i love you.

photos taken by yeira zink. go check out her website and her blog!

little parts

2008-10-03T12:30:00.004-04:00

i love ...

little elbows with dimples

little hands

little feet

dirty faces

funny faces

but most of all ... i love you!

hazel eyes

2008-10-03T12:29:00.000-04:00

anthony + his hollywoods

2008-09-29T20:34:00.001-04:00

this one is for you, anthony!

becky + anthony engagement session

2008-09-29T20:21:00.004-04:00

i love that anthony proposed to becky with her mother's engagement ring.

baby girl

2008-09-28T23:00:00.000-04:00

"a baby girl...one of the most beautiful miracles in life, one of the greatest joys we can ever know, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in your world today."

~ author unknown ~

becky + anthony: sneak peak

2008-09-28T21:43:00.003-04:00

more to come ...

i love this one of becky whispering sweet nothings into anthony's ear.

more of mirei

2008-09-17T22:07:00.006-04:00

she's honey

2008-09-17T22:07:00.001-04:00

"she's honey and the bees don't know it."

i adore you

2008-09-17T12:26:00.001-04:00

busch garden

2008-09-17T12:18:00.003-04:00

all of these were taken with my point & shoot camera.

smile with your eyes, mirei

2008-09-14T23:02:00.003-04:00

below are some portraits i took of my sister, mirei. what can i say? beauty just runs in our family. no. seriously. did you think i was kidding? hehe! enjoy!

natural light

2008-09-13T12:32:00.005-04:00

this is what you get with a bootleg backdrop and some natural light pouring in from two windows.

joey took these pictures of me. i like it a lot.

what's the "wordle" on the street?

2008-09-13T12:03:00.000-04:00

i've seen this on just about every blog i visit. i thought i had escaped it until i visited the blog, reflecting by the hill. so i decided to cave in and create one myself.

here it is.

my wordle.

click thumbnail to see larger image.

motion

2008-09-11T16:50:00.002-04:00

"growth, in some curious way, i suspect,

depends on being always in motion just a little bit,

one way or another."

~ norman mailer ~

ambassador limo

2008-09-10T10:31:00.001-04:00

these are from a photo session i did for ambassador limousine last week.

many faces

2008-09-07T18:22:00.006-04:00

jasmine star - wedding photographer extraordinaire

2008-09-07T17:34:00.000-04:00

i've recently come across jasmine star's old blog. i'm talking about the blog before she became a superstar wedding photographer. it's very inspirational reading about everything she's gone thru to get to where she is today.

oh, and you must definitely make time to browse thru her new blog. the images are UH-MAY-ZEENG! you won't be disappointed.

now, go away. go check it out, meng!

mmm, mmm, mcdonald's

2008-09-06T20:10:00.003-04:00

hi. my name is taryn, and i am an addict.

yes, i am addicted to all things mcdonald's.

and now ...

my daughter is addicted to mcdonald's milkshakes. we might have to go to a.a. meetings together.

taken with my husband's camera phone

don't you hate it ...

2008-08-29T12:15:00.003-04:00

when people post pictures of their kids ... everyday? i do. i just can't help it though. every single picture looks the same, but every expression is different ... and i love her for that.

i love this one. even if it's blurry.

monumento al jibaro puertorriqueno - part ii

2008-08-28T16:40:00.002-04:00

i posted some pix of this statue in puerto rico a while back. well, here are a few more that i took of the statue from different angles. i just love the blue sky.

jewelry for sale

2008-08-28T16:35:00.002-04:00

my cousin, yadhira, is selling beautiful rings. i added a slideshow of pictures of what she currently has in stock. if you're interested in purchasing any rings, please e-mail her at yadhira.santiago@gmail.com.

lollipop, lollipop

2008-08-27T20:00:00.003-04:00

"anyone who uses the phrase 'easy as taking candy from a baby' has never tried taking candy from a baby."

~unknown~

this is probably the only time i don't want a kiss from you.

18 months

2008-08-23T23:54:00.003-04:00

i can't believe my baby bella is 18 months already.

she's no longer my tiny baby.

look at how big my finger looks compared to her face.

maternity pix

2008-08-23T23:41:00.005-04:00

my good friend, yeira, took my maternity pictures with our point 'n shoot camera. i thought they were the best pictures in the world, and i cried when i first saw them. i still think they're the greatest pictures because it reminds me of a very happy moment in my life.

however, she recently did a maternity shoot and i'm totally in love with the pictures she took.

you can view more of her recent maternity/family session here.

now, go. go away. go check out her blog!

amen to that...

2008-08-23T23:24:00.004-04:00

i was just reading this post and came across this one paragraph that made a light bulb go off ...

"[...] there is a tendency for us to think that other people have it figured out, that their marriages are better than ours, that they are happier, that they're having more sex, that they don't get depressed ... when the big secret is that we're all struggling. we are all suffering from one thing or another (parents or not). we are all questioning if we're okay, if we're the only ones. we are all wondering what is wrong with us that we don't have what they have?"

can i get an amen?

seriously though, it just makes me realize that my life is not as bad as i believe it is sometimes.

random puerto rico pictures

2008-08-19T19:13:00.007-04:00

just a few random pictures from puerto rico that i never got around to posting on my blog.

don't ask me what the creature is in the following picture. all i know is that it has to be the largest creature i've ever seen in my life. eew!

a little close up ... ok, maybe a little too close up.

ah, yes. much better.

and last, but not least, our favorite person in the world.

sick baby

2008-08-19T19:10:00.001-04:00

mom, i'm sick. get that dang camera out of my face already!

100th post!

2008-08-17T18:02:00.002-04:00

this is my 100th post! yippy!

below are a few pictures i took of bella last night. she was eyeballing joey's chocolate ice cream bar since he took it out of the freezer, and once she got a taste of it, it was hard to get her away. she loved it! she is a little sick and was having a bad hair day, but the ice cream made her feel much better.

yo gabba gabba!

2008-08-14T21:05:00.003-04:00

warning! yo gabba gabba will turn your child into a zombie. maybe that's not such a bad thing.

mommy + bella

2008-08-14T21:01:00.001-04:00

i love these pictures that my husband took of us this weekend.

bella's funny faces

2008-08-07T13:35:00.000-04:00

i very rarely use flash. in fact, i try to avoid using it completely. but for these pictures i left it on, only to get these funny faces from bella. as you can tell from her hand in her mouth, she's teething.

my daddy

2008-08-07T12:48:00.000-04:00

ponce, pr

2008-08-07T12:40:00.003-04:00

me + my bella

2008-08-03T17:10:00.003-04:00

i love these pictures that my sis, keimi, took of bella and me.

my gorgeous sister, keimi.

monumento al jibaro puertorriqueno

2008-07-25T12:12:00.002-04:00

jason mraz

2008-07-24T13:04:00.001-04:00

jason mraz, i think i love you. well ... i think i really love this song entitled "i'm yours".

i love you

2008-07-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

i hope you feel better.

comerio, pr

2008-07-22T13:06:00.001-04:00

i miss this view behind my in-law's house.

why can't we have mountains in florida?

san juan, pr

2008-07-16T12:06:00.003-04:00

i have to give credit to joey for these next photos. my husband has a good eye.

we're back from puerto rico!

2008-07-15T12:28:00.003-04:00

we had such an incredible time in puerto rico. i have many photos to share. here are a few from "el festival de las flores" (festival of flowers) that we went to in aibonito, puerto rico.

and of course i have to add a few of my baby girl...

and we're off...

2008-06-24T18:55:00.004-04:00

i've been lost. busy packing and getting ready for our trip to puerto rico. i'm signing off, for 2 weeks. no internet, no laptop, nothing. just vacationing + relaxing. i like the idea of that. when i return ... there will be tons (and i do mean tons) of pictures from puerto rico. over and out.

here's bella playing with her new toy: a card board box.

i love you, bella

2008-06-17T13:01:00.004-04:00

she's only 16 months, but it feels like she's growing up so fast.

sandra

2008-06-14T14:18:00.003-04:00

here are a few of my faves from sandra's session yesterday. we were going for the classic pin-up + old hollywood look. i think we achieved it. she was the perfect model.

thanks sandra for spending time in front of my camera!

sneak peak: sandra

2008-06-14T01:05:00.001-04:00

yes people. this is my sister-in-law, sandra. she is fierce. more to come!

for the ladies

2008-06-11T13:10:00.001-04:00

i don't know why i've never stumbled across this website before. this is so girlie. i love it. polyvore.com let's you mix and match clothes. look at the set that i created. perfect for summertime.

elle moss photography

2008-06-10T22:26:00.004-04:00

i love these images by elle moss.

thank goodness...

2008-06-10T22:18:00.001-04:00

she's finally asleep!

key to mon amour necklace

2008-06-10T22:09:00.003-04:00

this necklace from modish handmade goods is lovely. momma like. momma want.

pilo pilo mini cushion ring

2008-06-10T12:07:00.002-04:00

this is a fabulous idea! i think i need one of these for work.

at the park

2008-06-07T00:01:00.003-04:00

today was a scorcher! we went to the park and spent only 20 minutes there because it was so hot and humid. yuck! bella didn't seem to mind.

she loves to climb steps now.

i took this one so we could look back in about 10 or 15 years and say to ourselves, "what were we thinking?" hey! it saves on gas!!

this one is my favorite.

more of our trip up north

2008-06-04T14:06:00.003-04:00

i was browsing thru the photos i took while we were up north about 2 weeks ago. i thought i'd post a few more favorites.

i have to give my sister, keimi, credit for taking this picture. i love the burst of sunlight.

these two were also taken by keimi. i love how my daughter could care less that i was threatening to "get her".

her jeans are already too tight.

puerto rico

2008-06-04T13:42:00.005-04:00

i can't wait to go to puerto rico!

a few places i'm looking forward to visiting:

el yunque national rainforest

image from elyunque.com

old san juan

image from sogonow.com

bioluminescent bay

image from biobay.com

google reader

2008-06-03T17:40:00.002-04:00

for those of you that are blog stalkers like myself, i highly recommend using google reader. i currently have about 40 subscriptions, and it grows every day as i find more and more fascinating blogs. you should try it. give it a whirl. it won't hurt. just go to www.google.com/reader/.

smile with your eyes

2008-06-03T17:28:00.001-04:00

i think i've created a monster. here's a really grainy picture taken over the weekend. my sister took her camera out, and this is the pose my baby girl gave her. for those of you that watch america's next top model, tyra banks always says to smile with your eyes. i think bella has achieved that look. you go girl!

i love my pink bucket

2008-06-03T17:24:00.003-04:00

quality time

2008-06-01T19:31:00.002-04:00

there's nothing i love more than spending quality time with my baby sis. i love that we look like twins, which means i can still pass for a 21-year-old. {giggle} i'm certainly going to miss her when she goes back up north.

lovely song

2008-06-01T18:54:00.000-04:00

a dream by priscilla ahn

mommy, i love you

2008-05-29T11:50:00.005-04:00

top 10 reasons why i love my mom

:01: she's taught me to be a better mom
:02: she makes the best lasagna
:03: turning the stove on classifies it as "cooking"
:04: she is proud of everything i've accomplished, even though i'm never happy with myself
:05: she loves to dance
:06: she has a contagious laugh
:07: she thinks i'm beautiful even though everyone says i "look like a mom now"
:08: she still babies me, despite the fact that i'm 27
:09: she loves to hold my hand
:10: she loves me no matter what

mark tucker

2008-05-29T11:41:00.003-04:00

i love, love, love these photos by photographer, mark tucker.

dancing with your inner child

2008-05-28T12:41:00.001-04:00

superhero

2008-05-28T10:04:00.003-04:00

does anyone want to volunteer to buy me one of these?

momma like.

more from our trip

2008-05-28T04:12:00.000-04:00

as promised here are a few more pictures from our trip up north this past weekend.

i'm back

2008-05-27T09:14:00.003-04:00

i had a nice long weekend. bella and i went up north to visit her grandparents and her auntie. surprisingly we had beautiful weather. here are a few pix from our trip.

for once i'm in front of the camera!

i love these pictures of my sister, keimi.

i'll post more later!!

i heart youtube

2008-05-21T09:38:00.005-04:00

you can find some pretty amusing videos on youtube. i can't help but to chuckle out loud at this one.

stolen from natalie norton's blog.

oh, and i know i've been lacking in the photo department. i promise to post some this weekend. please try and contain yourself. i don't want any of you to become overwhelmed with joy.

monday, monday

2008-05-19T15:23:00.004-04:00

so i've been sick since sunday. i have no clue what's wrong with me. i've got flu-symptoms, but no sore throat, no congestion -- nothing. just a fever and chills.

weird.

it's monday. i'm at home alone. my baby is at her grandma's house because i'm too weak to take care of her myself.

i thought to myself: "self, maybe i should try to put this brush thru my hair and look some what decent when hubs gets home..."

"[...] or maybe not."

i love...

2008-05-14T18:20:00.006-04:00

everything about you!

i even love the multitude of stuffed animals you own.

i love, love, love your little size 3 tennis shoes.

oh, and i love you too.
especially for having dinner ready when i got home this afternoon. you rock!

just to clarify...

2008-05-14T13:58:00.004-04:00

great response to a great question i found on the cava times blog.

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

(This article has been very well received by the photography community, and is now referred to by many Photography websites across the country)

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

check out this flickr stream

2008-05-14T11:29:00.003-04:00

did you know that the library of congress has their own flickr stream?

my baby

2008-05-13T18:20:00.001-04:00

practice makes perfect, right? i love taking pictures of this face.

self portrait

2008-05-12T17:09:00.000-04:00

the "l" family baby

2008-05-11T10:01:00.001-04:00

is this not the cutest face?

the "l" family

2008-05-10T13:16:00.004-04:00

ahh...the "l" family. we had so much fun at the park yesterday. i especially loved the part when i was attacked by a creature that bit my arm and all of the pesky mosquitos following me around. overall...i must say we got some pretty great shot of them doing what families do best -- have fun! here are a few of my faves.

i love the look on baby's face here. he looks sooo happy to be sitting there, don't you agree?

take a look at this face...

i think this was the turning point - when the kids got candy!

i love, love, love the little burst of light from the sun right at the top of this picture.

only this kid can have drool on his lip and still look good.

thanks "l" family for allowing me to spend the afternoon with you! i had a blast with you guys!