Category Archives: Liz

Engagement Photos: Ninja Style

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Liz here.  I was actually involved in the business of engagements long before I became Mom and Dad’s (yes, that would be Marisa and Douglas) faithful minion.   One of my (and my husbands) earliest photography jobs was an engagement shoot.  I don’t mean the posed, smiling “we just got engaged, look at my ring” photos…that would have been too easy!  Our challenge was to literally stalk a couple on their journey through central park taking photos without the fiancée-to-be knowing.

 This involved a lot of sneaking around, pretending to look casual, and of course, hiding in the bushes.  After shooting/stalking them in the lower end of Central Park (Tavern on the Green, Bethesda Fountain, etc), we had to hop in a taxi behind theirs and head uptown to the Conservatory Garden for the actual proposal.  I can’t deny it was fun to rush into the taxi and dramatically yell, “follow that cab!”

 Upon arrival, we split up to catch different angles of the proposal.  There was an awkward moment when fiancée-to-be caught a glimpse of me trying to casually lounge on a bench.  What?  No, that wasn’t me skulking around you in a completely different area of town less than 30 minutes ago, what are you talking about?  I did get a weird look from her, but luckily it passed quickly.

Onto the proposal!  There I was, at a perfect angle as the gentleman got down on one knee.  Of course a giant family group had to pick that moment to pass right next to me and yell, “OH MY GOD IS HE PROPOSING???” and burst into ear-shattering cheers. I managed to click the shutter a few times before diving down into the bushes, scratching my arms on the way down.  Lousy thorns!

Overall that day was a lot of fun despite the blisters, sunburn, and scratches.  Sadly, I no longer have the images from that day.  It was exciting immortalize such a special time in a couple’s life on film.   I also learned that the CIA would probably not be recruiting me any time soon…

Have you ever witnessed a public proposal?

Once Upon a Time: Liz & Igor

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It was obscenely early on Thanksgiving morning at O’Hare International Airport and I was headed home to New York.  I couldn’t possibly have looked worse.  I had just pulled two all-nighters for school, was wearing a mans sweater which reached my knees, and black jeans that had really seen better days.  How was my hair?  In an unceremonious wad on the top of my head.  It was not an ideal situation for meeting ones true love, but hey!  It worked!

            My fellow passengers and I sat crammed like sardines waiting for the plane to take off, but for some reason, we weren’t moving.  Finally, the reason for the hold up came bursting through the door in the form of a frazzled looking young man who avoided our dagger stares like a champ as he bustled down the aisle and stopped at the seat across from me.

            I couldn’t help but smirk as he banged his head on the overhead bins before untangling himself from his bags and finally sitting down.  He caught my smirk and started to give me a dirty look before seeing the humor in the situation and smiling back.  The first words he said to me were “this sucks.”  I couldn’t help but laugh and agree.

            We chatted the whole flight and it turned out that he was a Navy man.  He asked for my number and I obliged because the combination of a sailor and an art student was too funny to resist.  I wrote “that chick from the plane” underneath my name and he chuckled.  I responded with, “well I don’t know how many numbers you’ve gotten today…you ARE a sailor after all.”  He turned red and denied any such thing, but for the record:  I was the fourth number he had gotten that day!  Player…

 

            We started dating immediately after Thanksgiving break and got married a year and a half later. This past May, we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? I’ll save the “oh crap we need to elope right now because he’s getting deployed to Japan for two years” story for another post.

Until next time,

Liz

Romantic Sparkle: Machalka

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Greetings Romantics,

Liz here.  I’m excited to introduce you to Malchalka, a gorgeous new line from France we’re carrying.  If you know us, you know we love micro-pave, so we were delighted when Maureen from Malchalka strolled in armed with necklaces, bracelets, and rings in white, rose, and yellow gold…and even some black diamond pieces!

Leave it to the French to get sexy right.  These pieces are delicate and dainty, the jewelry version of lingerie.  What I really like about this line is that they manage to stay classic and simple with plenty of unique style.  Check out the asymmetrical diamonds on the necklace…wouldn’t this look hot with your favorite top?

If someone wants to romance me with some of the white gold earrings :::insert saucy glance at husband::: I certainly wouldn’t object 😉

Until next time…

Romantic Occasion: Engagement Photos

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Hi, Romantics – Liz here.  When it comes to engagement portraits, Kate and William had it right.  Of course, we all can’t book Mario Testino, but there are a few things to keep in mind for yours:

1. Keep your outfits simple, and somewhat coordinated.  This is not a good time to break out the orange and purple Hawaiian shirt while the other wears blue and white nautical stripes!  I’d recommend black, white, and solid colors, with basic lines.  Ruffles and busy collars will detract from your overall look!  Remember, this is about you two (and, ahem, your ring).

2. When it comes to makeup, I’d recommend going with a professional makeup artist.  They know how to compensate for things like flashes and outdoor lighting.  If you want to do it yourself, put on a bit more than you normally would, once again keeping colors simple.  Bright orange bleeding outside your lip line?  No!

3. Posing!  I know it can feel awkward, but have some fun with it!  No need to be a contortionist at this point.  Practice in the mirror beforehand to see which way to turn your head.  Or, practice with the phone on your camera (gotta love technology).  Tip:  don’t tilt your head too far back or the camera will shoot straight up your nose… not pretty on anyone!  Keep your shoulders straight.  A good way to show off your new ring is to gently hug your new fiancée and rest your hand softly on their arm.

4. If you want to shoot your portrait outside, don’t do it between 10am and to 2pm.  The sun will be overhead, creating raccoon shadows on your eyes.  Cloudy days can sometimes be a good thing, be cause the clouds naturally diffuse the light.

5. Browse images online and send ones you love to the photographer so you can be on the same page before the shoot.  Communicate well!

6. Have fun and don’t stress.  If a photo is bad, it will get deleted and never see the light of day, so don’t worry about it.  Move on and get your money shot!

Until next time…

Romantic Sparkle: What is Micro Pave?

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Good afternoon Romantics… Liz here.

What IS this micro pave stuff anyway?  You hear us go on and on about it on our website and Facebook page :::cough, shameless plug, cough::: so I’m here to clear it up for you!

Pave [pav-ey; Fr. pa-vey] is the art of moving metal around stones. (think, “paved” with diamonds!) Micro pave is creating a surface of diamonds – like traditional pave – but set under a microscope for absolute precision.   Simply put, micro pave is the tiny diamonds that go around the big diamond (or gemstone) as pictured here. Our designer, Douglas Elliott‘s skull ring is entirely covered in micro pave, including under the eye sockets!

Why do we take such pride in ours?  Our micro pave settings are made completely by hand, not from a mold.  Our platinum is hand rolled, and holes are hand drilled for each tiny diamond. It’s very labor intensive work that few can do well.  Come visit us and we’ll break out the magnifiers to show you…ours is flawless!

I’m personally smitten with micro pave around colored stones, like this pear shaped emerald.  Marisa doesn’t know it yet but someday she will buy me an emerald cut green sapphire in a micro pave setting 😉

Until next time…