Amy and Graeme!

Here is our first portrait that we shot for our troops overseas. Its Amy and her handsome son Graeme. His Dad, CPT James F. Martin is currently deployed in Iraq. Lovina thought the song really went well. If any of you know any family members of currently deployed troops, please let them know about our no charge portrait session. This really means alot to us. Thanks and you really should check out the slideshow.
TO SEE THIS SLIDESHOW, CLICK HERE.

Yasmin and Eric, May 26, 2007

So here are some images for Yasmin & Eric's wedding that took place on the Rutgers University campus on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in May. They were so much fun and Yasmin is one of those brides that you just can't stop taking pictures of! Congratulations you two!!











So here is the email we received from Yasmin and Eric today!
"The photos are just,.....amazing...you captured every moment of our day and some moments we didnt even know happened!
The looks on our faces when we are sharing our first dance, the laughing, the smiles, even the headlock I was giving Anthony before the garter toss - :) you got it all and in such beautiful fashion. There was never a doubt in our minds before about you but the proof is in the pudding - we could not have chosen two more talented (and FUN) and just...passionate...photographers. It's like your emotions and ours are captured in every photo.

(sigh) now how do I possibly find an album that fits 800 pictures! YIKES!

lol
PS - give Molly a HUGE SMOOCH from us - she's the greatest. We were saying how we hope we're like you guys when we have a baby...and I totally want my baby to have crazy hair. :)"

I think we are gonna put Yasmin on the payroll for that one!!!

The Knot Best of 2007!!!!!

So I picked up "The Knot Best of 2007" Magazine at the local Drug Fair here in RED BANK, and as I'm looking through, there it is in page 38 Oh. My. Gowd!!! I couldn't believe it. John Arcara Photography. We made it. Wow, I didn't realize how serious this is. The Knot Best of Weddings is a coast-to-coast guide to the entire country's top florists, venues, photographers, cakes, and everything in between. Whats really amazing about this is that The Knot really had nothing to do with it at all (well except for be associated with it, and the fact that it is their site that this is coming from) but that an independent company came in and polled brides. It was all the brides doing! Which to me is even bigger and better. There were something like 25,000 brides polled.
So Here's what it says,
"John Arcara is a second generation photographer who was "highly recommended without reservation." "He was truly a pleasure to work with." "Everyone who sees my photos say that they are the most beautiful they have ever seen."

Thank you soooooo much to all of you that mentioned us. It really is an honor for us to be your photographer , and then we get a recognition like this. This makes us so proud and we promise this year we will do all we can to live up to those expectations, and next year we will do even better for you. Thank you Thank You Thank You
God Bless.

Sample Wedding Films.

So I have here a couple of samples of wedding films that our own cinematographer extrordinaire did. Do you recognize the subjects! LOL!!! WOW don't we look well rested pre-Molly!

Ana & Mike April 28, 2007 Newark Club

Ana & Mike had a dream wedding on a beautiful Saturday in April. Ana's gown was custom made by her mom! She looked like a movie star in it! We went into Hoboken on the waterfront and Mike bought Ana ice cream from Mr Softee. Is there anything cooler than a Bride with an ice cream cone;) Their bridal party was alot of fun too. It was actually great shooting outdoors and not freezing our trigger fingers off!! As you can see from the pics John & I had an awesome time shooting this wedding. Congratulations Mike and Ana! You guys look beautiful.

Stacey & Joe @ The Shadowbrook

So you May Recognise Stacey & Joe from the blog here. We did their engagement portrait a few months back with their Shi-Tzu A.J. Well they were just as awsome at their wedding and I just love shooting at The Shadowbrook!

Carissa & Brandon at The Channel Club.

Another Great job by The Channel Club. The Staff here are the most wonderful people, they really help us love our job even more!

Jaclyn & Stephen's Engagement Session

So we had a BLAST walking around downtown Red Bank, photographing Jaclyn and Steve. I can wait to shoot their wedding in two weeks. As you can see they sure are a beautiful couple!

Our Poppo...

I cannot express to any of you, my feelings of deep and utter sorrow today. My Poppo past on Sunday, and it has been a heck of a week since. I LOVE the memories I have of him, whether its at my Parents house on Christmas Eve, or him bustin' chops with my Dad on Thanksgiving. I Miss him so much. I'm just so glad he was able to spend some time with Molly, and he painted her some beautiful little gifts. The things that I found out about him this week, I just wish I knew them earlier. I have so very many questions to ask him, and as the tears run down my face right now I feel the deep regret that I will never be able to. He was so honorable and gave so much to so many. I never knew. I thank God that I came from the family that he created, and I will do all that I can to try to be as stong and honorable and giving and fun and happy as I remember Poppo to always be. All I wish is that I make him and Gamma proud. If I am ever a quarter of the man he was I will consider myself lucky. I can't type any more right noe but below I have pasted a poem by my niece Taylor, who I am so proud of, for having the strength to read this at the Funeral. She is very strong. I have also pasted a short biography of Poppo as he is definatly a HERO, HERO, HERO!!!!!!!!!! He is my HERO.


Pop Pop with the Doggies Poem
By: Great Granddaughter Taylor

The firemen in your heart said it was time to retire,
The canvas you painted on said you were done,
The birds in the bird houses sang one last song,
We all hoped they were wrong.
Then, you made it to the eighteenth hole,
To give it one more roll.
We don't think of you as losing a friend,
We think of you as gaining memories.
For you saw us grow up from the beginning to now
You remembered a lot, somehow.
You wanted to get to every game,
And just see us dribble down the court.
We remember when you gave us laugher
Or just rang to say hello
We remember when you held us tight.
Always remembering to say goodnight.
No one, but us have the memories you shared
We'll never forget them
We'll never forget you.
Thank-you and good-night!!

KENNETH A. THOMPSON, 90, of Port Monmouth, MIDDLETOWN, passed away Sunday morning, April 15, peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.

Kenneth was born in Brooklyn, the son of the late William and Jessie Ackerman Thompson. He moved to East Orange as a child and lived there until moving to Port Monmouth 57 years ago. He was a quality control supervisor at Shaw Insulator, Irvington, for 25 years then at Indiana General, Keasby, for 25 years. He retired in 1981. He then became the part-time custodian at the Middletown Elks for 15 years. He was a 54-year member of Port Monmouth Fire Company and a 55-year member of Port Monmouth First Aid Squad. He was the past president and captain of both companies. He was also a first aid instructor for many years and a liaison between the first aid squad and the Boy Scouts for 25 years. He was also a 23-year member of Middletown Elks Lodge 2179. He was drafted by the Newark Bears baseball team, but due to family obligations he had to turn the position down. After retiring, he spent his spare time working in his garden and painting birdhouses. If you came to visit, you could not leave without a birdhouse or one of his famous tomatoes.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Jane Cumiskey Thompson; and their five daughters, Carol Luft of Conroe, Texas, Arliene Zaborney of Port Monmouth, Barbara Startari of Woodstown, Denise Arcara of Middletown, and Elizabeth Thompson of Woodstown. Kenneth is also survived by two sisters, Violet Sohlgren of Florida, and Margie Connover of North Carolina; 16 grandchildren; and 24 and a half great-grandchildren.


Every Christmas my Dad would get all of us the same sweater to wear. Here is this past Christmas Eve photo with our bright red Sweaters. I happen to also be wearing mine today.

A Thank You

This is something my Mom wrote to thank all of you for the heartfelt consideration you gave to Poppo.

It was quite a week and I want to take this time to thank everyone for there prayers, cards , flowers, food and friendship. My father was a great man and anyone who attended his wake or funeral could not help but be aware of that. There he was lying there in full Firemen dress Blues, adorned with all his medals of valor. The funeral home was always packed with people who knew and loved him. His passing was sad but, at 90 it was inevitable he had a great life, it was just unfortunate that he had to suffer so badly the last six weeks of his life.He was always giving and helping others. His funeral was a funeral fit for a King. His Coffin was carried to it's final resting place inside the Port Monmouth First Aide Ambulance which he was a member of for 55 years and served as Captain as well as President. His flowers were carried by the Port Monmouth Fire Trucks which he had been a member of for 56 years and served as Captain and President as well. His funeral procession was long, one could not see the end of the cars lined up,. if you were caught at a light as the funeral procession drove by, you would have thought wow, this person was very important and he was. First we drove past the Middletown Elks club of which he was a member for more then 25 years, from there the procession drove past his house in Port Monmouth where me and my five sisters grew up. Everyone knew our house as it was the only house on the block with a red fire hydrant in the middle of lawn and of course his beautifully painted birdhouses and wood butterfly's and flowers that he painted himself .If you came to my Dads house for a visit you could not leave without him giving you one of his famous birdhouses.Next we drove up to the Port Monmouth Fire House, as the ambulance carrying his body reached the fire house you could here the whistles blow for him, talk about a lump in the throat. Then as the car that I drove in got closer I could see in the front of the fire house, there on the driveway in front of the fire trucks was a chair holding my fathers fire coat and hat and in front of the chair was his fire boots and next to them were two firemen in full dress uniform saluting my Dad as his coffin drove by. As you can imagine that was a total breakdown, for I could no longer hold back the tears. Now we travel further down the road and we approach the Port Monmouth First Aide where once again the whistles blow for my Dad and again as we get closer I can see in front of the first aide a chair bearing my fathers first aide coat and hat and his boots in front of chair .I have still not yet stopped crying from seeing this at the firehouse, so my tears are now running down even more.But how proud I am at this time, of my father and what a great send off he had. He always said he loved a parade and this time he was Grand Marshall of his own parade.
Thank You one and all for all your thoughts and prayers of this wonderful, giving, thoughtful,fun, husband ,father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, friend and neighbor, he will be missed by all but never forgotten.
Thank You
Denise (Thompson ) Arcara

Allison & Mike March 10, 2006

So obviously Allison didn't wear Manolos. She broke her leg at her batchlorette party, so she had to wear a cast on her leg. Soooo funny! she was a real trooper though, we got some great images. Check out the shoe shot below that Josh our second photographer took.