Holiday Vacation Schedule

Is it just me, or did this year just fly by?!

As of Saturday December 19th, 2009, Anne Ruthmann Photography will officially be on holiday vacation until January 2nd, 2010 in order to take time to visit and celebrate with family and friends.  While on vacation, email and phone calls will be returned as soon as possible (taking into consideration that more time will be spent socializing rather than working), but other services will be limited based on what can be accomplished when working remotely.

If you'd like to give professional prints as gifts to family and friends with arrival before December 25th, you will need to place your order by December 18th, 2009 through Pictage.com and select overnight shipping.  I would also recommend that you have your photo gifts sent directly to the recipient so that it arrives to its destination easily without additional handling or packaging on your part.  Prints ordered through Pictage.com are always ready for gifting because they are packaged and shipped in elegant black gift boxes.

Please travel safely this year while you visit your family and friends and remember to cherish every little moment you get with them, you never know when it will be the last chance to celebrate together.  Life is far too short to live with regret for what we did not do or say, but it's also full of opportunities to forgive and let people know how much we love them, no matter what.

Hugs & peanut butter kiss cookies! - Anne

(Flying Emma photo taken during our Free Holiday Photo Booth, featuring the daughter of MKDPhotography.com)

Fashion Show Fundraiser | The Revolving Museum | Lowell, MA

One of my favorite art organizations in Lowell is The Revolving Museum, which provides opportunities for local high school students to engage in art projects that further their creativity, confidence, and skills to work collaboratively and independently in a dynamic and diverse working environment.  They recently relocated to the Western Ave Studios (right above my studio) in order to preserve the funding for their programming and improve the creative working space for the students.  To celebrate their grand re-opening in the new space, the students put on a FABULOUS Fashion Show Fundraiser!  I was so glad that I was able to attend and help support the museum and its future at Western Ave!  Of course I had to take some photos while I was there- click play to watch the music video below (for total awesomeness, pump up the volume!!)



For a look behind the scenes at The Revolving Museum's new working space at Western Ave >>CLICK HERE<< !

TOP TEN FREE HOLIDAY PHOTO BOOTH IDEAS!

10. Act out lyrics from a holiday song


9. Rock out your ugly holiday sweaters


8. Demonstrate how you've been naughty or nice this year


7. Reenact a scene from your favorite holiday movie


6. Show off your favorite indoor or outdoor winter activities with personal props


5. Create a holiday comic with handmade word bubbles


4. Demonstrate one of your many hidden talents


3. Show off your fashion savvy winter style


2. Get photographed with the items you'll be re-gifting this year so they won't be re-gifted to you next year


1. Surprise your significant other with an on-camera engagement proposal


If you're in the Boston or Lowell area the next two weekends, please come by for my FREE HOLIDAY PHOTO BOOTH!!
Saturday & Sunday
December 5-6 & 12-13, 12pm - 5pm
122 Western Ave, Studio 302
Lowell, MA 01854


(Check out the holiday card my husband and I made two years ago: 2007 Holiday Card)


Special photo thanks to my Holiday Photo Booth Assistants for 2009: Emily Ku & Lauren Peate, and to my lovely friends Ali & Rachel Hadiashar who I will miss dearly.

Happy 1st Anniversary WeddingBee Pro!!

Over a year ago, I was contacted by the delightful Bee Kim, founder of WeddingBee- where many brides blog about their journey through wedding planning all in one place! I thought the blog was the best thing since happy meals, so when she asked me to become the first photographer blogger on a new blog dedicated to wedding professionals, I didn't hesitate to say yes. Since today is the official 1 year anniversary of the WeddingBeePro launch, I thought I'd share a little about my journey of being a featured blogger.

I knew WeddingBee was big, but I didn't realize what kind of spotlight I'd be under when I joined WeddingBeePro - to me it was just another opportunity to help brides on a larger scale- but I quickly found that it elevated me to a status I wasn't quite ready to handle, especially after having the busiest year of my business on top of moving to a new city. I felt really guilty when I had to take an extended break from blogging and social media, just months after the Pro blog launched, in order to catch up on all the private parts of my life that had slipped through my hands over the last couple of years while my business was taking off like crazy. I had been trying to do everything myself, which I now realize is impossible if you actually want to be successful. However, I'm so grateful that taking time off allowed room for so many other wonderful photographers to become featured bloggers. WeddingBeePro has become a collection of some of the most talented, thoughtful, humble, and loving wedding professionals in the industry and I'm so glad that I get to be included in that bunch of people.

I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of a community of people who love and share love on a regular basis. It's inspiring and joyful to see people pour their hearts into their work. I almost considered walking away from it all this year after the stress of the prior year, but after taking time to find greater balance in my life, I'm happy to say that this really is the best career I could ever have. I get to utilize so many of my talents in different ways and then share everything I love with people who love it as much as I do. Now, before you think it's an idyllic life, let me remind you that there is a balance to everything and there are plenty of painful, stressful, and boring parts of this job as well, but when all is said and done, they make the reward that much sweeter.

I sincerely want to thank Bee Kim for creating a wonderful and thriving community of bloggers. I know she works incredibly hard with very little reward or recognition because so often she's just behind the scenes pulling the strings and connecting the dots. I know that there are a lot of other bloggers and wedding industry professionals out there who have probably considered giving up at one point in time because they felt like no one cared. So if you love what someone shares with the world, please let this be the day that you take a moment to let them know how much you appreciate them. Bloggers are a special breed of people who give, often without receiving much of anything in return, but are inspired and motivated by your appreciation for what they take the time to share. :-)

December Desktop Image - Art is Everywhere

Sometimes I'm looking for cool textures or unexpected art and sometimes they just hit me so hard in the face that I can't ignore them. For these pieces, I was actually doing a study on the space outside Western Ave Studios and testing the limitations of of the 135mm f/2.0 lens, which I don't use too often but absolutely love. When I do a study, I basically take an extended look at something and explore it in as many ways as possible through whatever photographic means I have available. It's a great way to challenge your creativity and to remind yourself how to look for that which is often overlooked. I'm pretty sure both of these were on the side of some train cars temporarily parked on the tracks next to the studio. I love the combination of textures and colors. I haven't decided which one will be my desktop background yet, maybe I'll have one for my laptop and one for the studio. ;-) Click on either image to instantly download a high resolution copy for your desktop.