Abo Creative

June 25, 2011 - Ellen & John's Wedding

2011-06-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was such a great time! I had the privilege of photographing Ellen & John at their amazing beach wedding up in Chatham, Massachusetts! Being on the Cape, they could have not picked a better spot! It was just gorgeous and the sky opened up and the sun came out just in time for their wedding! Their hand written vows brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face. To top things off they had a Clam Bake where their guests enjoyed freshly cooked lobsters, clams, oysters and other crustaceans from Sam and the other fine folks at Clambakes Etc.

Here's a sneak peak, the rest of the photos will be up soon!

Enjoy!

09.25.10 Debbie & Josh Bub

2011-01-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Sorry for the late updates! Holidays tend to gum up the good ole blog updates!

For my first update, I have the awesome Debbie & Josh Bub, newly wed on September 25th, 2010. They were wed in the beautiful Lake Mohegan in Fairfield, CT. I didn't know what to expect from a state park, but boy was I impressed. It was just a beautiful park and served wonderfully as a venue to wed in! I had a great time throughout the day and went home with soar cheeks from smiling and laughing so much! A belated congratulations to Mr & Mrs. Bub! Best wishes to you both!

A walk in the park!

2010-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

I had the great pleasure of taking a walk today during my lunch break.

I love being outside and the fall weather makes it that much nicer! The leaves are turning, I had my hiking sandals on and my camera in hand...what could be better? I didn't really have anything in mind while shooting, just playing with my camera and doing what I love.

On my walk back to my car I noticed a small group of people up ahead of me on the trail. They were stopped and kind of circling around each other. My first thought was that someone was hurt! As I walked a little faster I noticed that they weren't hurt at all, in fact they were all smiling! It was a family of 4 and a photographer. The photographer seemed to be having such a great time trying to entertain the kids and get them to look at her camera. The baby noises, ohhs and ahhs, blowing raspberries...she was having such fun! Or at least it looked it to me! I said hi to everyone as I walked by (and yes, thought to myself...my lens is bigger..lol) and continued down the trail with a huge smile on my face.

I am a photographer and I LOVE IT!

I know I have said it in previous posts but I just can't help but share what an amazing feeling it is to be asked to share in people's lives. People ask us photographers to celebrate their love together, to witness devotion, capture pregnancies, be there when their infants are born, watch their children grow-up, party at their family reunions...all this through the lens of my camera and in the mind of my creativity. To my brides, grooms, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, grandmas and grandpas and everyone - Thank you! Thank you for allowing me to do what I absolutely love! :)

September 11, 2010 - Diane & Will's Engagement

2010-10-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Diane & Will are true love birds! :) What fun we had walking around Manchester, CT at Wickham Park and other areas! They are naturals in front of the lens and I can't wait until their wedding! Enjoy their engagement photos and sorry for the late post! :)

August 29th, 2010 - Debbie & Josh's Engagement

2010-09-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Debbie & Josh are one of the most amazing couples I've ever met. Josh is a non-stop barrel of laughs! So much so, my face hurt from smiling and laughing so much at days end! That is definitely a sign of a great day! We started out at their home in Manchester, went on to run around downtown Manchester and Wickham Park. I had a great time and here are a few of my favorites. It was really hard to narrow them down and decide which to post but I hope you enjoy them!! :) Till next time!

August 28th, 2010 - Cade Matthew Kiely

2010-09-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

So I asked little Mr. Cade if he would be my boyfriend but since he can't quite talk yet...I'm thinking it was a no...lol! What an adorable little man! He'll be up and walking around soon, I'm sure! Had a great time photographing Cade and his mom and dad! :) Can't wait to do it again soon! Here are a few of my favorites! :)

Photos Undiscovered!

2010-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Skimming through photos tonight I found these that I wanted to share with you! :) Enjoy these photos of the super sweet Lilly Otero & Isabelle Deniger! Lilly had just enough energy left to give me this last peek-a-boo before going to sleep. Little Miss Isabelle just loved having her photo taken! How cute is she? :)

Enjoy!

August 27th, 1010 - Chase Callahan LaPierre

2010-09-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours with Chase and his wonderful family on Friday the 27th. It was a lot of fun, I can't tell you how amazing this little man is! Talking, walking, playing with grout and even cutting the lawn! He is one amazing little boy! Thanks to Sheila and Paul for showing me their amazingly beautiful home and letting me photograph their Chase! :)

Here are some my favorites! Enjoy!

Sneak Preview!

2010-08-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello! I've been busy and I'm so excited to share with you all the photos I took this past weekend! It was fun running around with little Mr. Chase LaPierre and little Mr. Cade Kiely. Sunday, I spend a full day traveling around with Debbie and Josh in their seasonably warm engagement session! :) Here is a teaser, can't wait to share the rest with you! Will talk soon! In the mean time feel free to leave comments! :)

Chase LaPierre:

Cade Kiely:

Debbie & Josh's Engagement Session:

Amanda & Joe's Wedding Slideshow

2010-07-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy! :) More coming soon!

05.22.2010 Amanda & Joe's Engagement Session

2010-06-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 5/22, I joined Mandy, Joe and Jasper for a hike at Sutton State Forest. They had told me about a wonderful spot that they thought would be great to have their engagments photos done and they were totally right! It was a great location, a secluded pond area that had great trails around it and was just beautiful! I was overjoyed that Jasper came a long with us on this hike/photo session as I had never done a session with a pup before and was reeling and dealing to try the challenge. Attached are a few of my favorites!

Catching Up - Doing what I love!

2010-06-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hello! These last couple months I have been having SO MUCH fun taking photos of weddings and engagements, going to photography seminars with world renown photographers and just learning so much! Yet while all that has been going on I was slacking with my Blog updates so I hope to make a few updates today! Thanks to my wonderful brother, and second shooter, Mark for the photos! xoxo

While all the fun is/was going on and I am knee deep involved in weddings, engagements, portraits and baby sessions, I am able to take a moment to step back and reflect that I am sharing these moments of peoples lives that are forever. It really touches me to a point I don't really know how to explain it and I just really want to express how much I love doing what I do and I only hope to grow and get even better from here on out!

Thank you for reading! Enjoy the updates!!

All the Best,
~Amy

Katie & Mathew Daigle's Photo Slideshow

2010-06-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

04.24.10 Katie and Mathew Daigle

2010-04-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Daigle who were married this past Saturday in Thompson, CT!

I had a wonderful time shooting their wedding and am so grateful they chose me to be their photographer! They couldn't have chosen a nicer venue, at Lord Thompson Manor the staff were so kind and very helpful! A special Thank you to Jacklyn, Ted, Lou Ann and the many others at the Manor who were amazing! :) The attention to detail that Lord Thompson Manor paid to their wedding was really incredible and much appreciated. Jim and Bob, the DJ's from Romantic Entertainment, rocked the night away with an excellent playlist and upbeat energy to really get the party going!

I had a very difficult time narrowing this post to 5 photos, but please enjoy! Comments welcome of course! :)
~Amy

04.11.10 - Katie and Mathew Engagement Session

2010-04-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of Katie and Mathew's Engagement Session. It was so much fun and both Katie and Matt were great sports! Hoping up on walls and frolicking over brooks, it was great!

I had a very hard time narrowing this teaser down on just my favorites! So here are just 5 of my absolute favorites, and as always, comments welcome!

~Amy

03.25.10 - AMA Mark of Excellence 2010 Awards Ceremony

2010-04-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello! Amy here, I've been so busy, it's wonderful! I'm having a ball! :) I had the wonderful pleasure of doing my first Event a few weeks ago. I've been working hard and placed them all up on Pictage.

Click to view link.

Carie Fielding, President of the American Marketing Association - Connecticut Chapter, contacted me in need of a photographer. I worked with Carie to consider what kind of photos she was looking for and ran through the whole Award Ceremony. It was quite nice and there was a lot of talent in the room! The keynote speaker was Benjamin Karsh - Chief Marketing Officer of Cigna Corporation. Not to mention it was at the beautiful Hartford Club in downtown Hartford.

Below are a few of my favorites.

The Tam Tam Tour & CPPA

2010-01-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night I had the excellent pleasure of joining the CPPA (Connecticut Professional Photographers Association) at a visit from the Tam Tam Tour!

I really didn't know what to expect when I got the invite from Marietta St. Onge, the VP of Programs and Promotions for CPPA via Facebook. The seminar was called Wedded Bliss - how to run a smooth wedding photography business from capture and beyond. Tammy Wolfe and Tamar London, of London Wolfe Photography, were our speakers and both were amazingly talented and had just a great sense of humor.

I was aware of a lot of the things Tammy and Tamar were speaking about but I learned many new things and developed some ideas off of the things they showed us. It was really great! I'm all fired up now and can't wait to shoot my first solo wedding in April! I really enjoy being second photographer too, but I can't wait to be creative and capture my own ideas!

Another wonderful thing about the evening was I was surrounded by talent! I only wish that I was able to meet and chat with everyone! Right off the bat Jennifer Fireck introduced herself to me, out of Glastonbury, I feel like she is my next door neighbor. Kim Bova also wicked talented and really just a nice person! After the photography contest and judging I was introduced to Dan Roggi, who was very informative on the different points they judge photos on and what they look for. He's located right out of Vernon which is where I currently work. The whole board from CPPA was really friendly and welcoming! Marietta St Onge, gave me a huge hug for coming, Bruce Hutchinson helped me via email with registration, Sally who works with getting Sponsorships and asking for money was also really great!

It was a great evening and I'm super excited about seeing everyone again for the Conference in a few weeks!

2010 Calendar Photography

2009-11-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the annual ReminderNews Calendar, Photography by me! :) Enjoy and if you'd like a calendar just drop me a message, I'd be happy to send one to you.

Best of Aruba - The Rest :)

2009-10-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

These are in no particular order.

Can't wait to hear some feedback!

Best of Aruba - Day One Part 2

2009-10-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Best of Aruba - Day One

2009-10-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Visiting Aruba a few weeks ago was the perfect opportunity to shoot. So, here's what I came up with from just day one. Feedback welcome! More to come!

Shiney New Camera!

2009-10-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long! But I plan on having lots of posts and updates in the next few days to catch you up with what I've been up to! :)

First up? I finally got one of my new camera's. A little pocket camera with a big bang. I love the 14.7 mega pixels and a lot of the manual functions. Still learning about it but I will have some shots from it in the next few posts!

PUG Meeting with Denis Reggie

2009-04-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! I had the lucky fortune to attend a workshop by Denis Reggie. Who is, if you don't already know an AMAZING Photographer and practically gave birth to the photojournalism style of wedding photography. Check out his work: www.denisreggie.net

It took place Wednesday night at the Wesleyan Hills Barns, a lovely rustic reception place. The group of photographers: PUG or Pictage Users Group all gather monthly and now that I've attended a meeting I am an official PUG member, I'm excited. I really gathered a lot out of the seminar and can't wait to shoot my next event!

It was also nice seeing Steve Depino and a big Thanks to my friend Tina Parsadanov for giving me the heads up and invite to this great workshop!

Dead Camera

2009-03-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to report that my pocket camera, which I've kept on my at all times for the past 4 years is dead :( It was a great little camera and I captured some great shots with it.

Sorry to replace you so soon little camera, but my new Canon 990 is on it's way, followed by my Mark II, heh...

Feedback

2009-03-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Throughout my experience I've gotten a number of compliments for my work, design services and/or photography. I feel compelled to share them on my blog.

"Thank You Amy, It is a true testament to you that you too were willing to invest to attend the conference. Over the years, I have learned much from other people in our field. I rate it as a valuable resource and have lifelong friends and mentors from these conferences. I saw that you were always communicating with other people from other papers and it impressed me. I'm so happy that you found the experience worthwhile."
- Doug Fabian
Advertising Sales Manager, ReminderNews

"Thanks for the quick response Amy. That was terrific."
- Jerry Skolnick
AMAZINK PROMOTIONS

"Your totally awesome!!!"
- Joseph Casavecchia
Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"That looks great! Thank You so Much!"
- Anne & Kathy
Owners, Le Bel Esprit Spa

"Thank You! I love It!! You did such a great job!"
- Kara Stanley
Owner, Dance Academy of Somers

"I Love it, Thanks for all you do!"
- George Cunningham
General Manager, ReminderNews

"..I want to thank all of you for being a part of the ReminderNews. It is a pleasure to work with such a great bunch of people."
- Ken Hovland
Owner, ReminderNews

"It has been a fun year in many ways - re-designing the paper with you was in many ways a real blast. Thanks, Ken"
- Ken Hovland
Owner, ReminderNews

"Hey Amy! I'm really going to miss working with you!! I hope our paths cross again, you were honestly the best person I've ever worked with at the Reminder!!"
- Mandy Fischer
Marketing Director, Connecticut Crossroads Realty

"...it has been a true joy to work and play with each and every one of you. The true strength of the Reminder has never been the product, it has always been and always will be the great bunch of people who work here."
- Bruce John
Top Sales Representative, (Formerly) ReminderNews

"Thanks so much Amy - I think it looks really great ...I think your work/efforts will truly make the difference...For both them and myself... thanks very much."
- Libby Lord
Top 5 Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"You are Awesome!"
- Libby Lord
Top 5 Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"Thank You Amy, we love them all!"
- Sharran Selig
Owner, Bill Selig Jewelers

"Looks fabulous..I did not proofread, but saw nothing I could not live with. Great job!"
- Jack Faski
Owner/Broker, Skyview Realty

"For what it's worth- I think it looks impressive!"
- Chi LaBossiere
Chi Creative Consulting LLC

"Thanks! You're the best - I love it!"
- Amy Hartenstein
Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"THANKS! They all look fabulous!"
- Kristy Hodge
Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"You are wonderful! :)"
- Libby Lord
Top 5 Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"Amy, Looks Great!!!!!!!!!!!! It gives our add a fresh new look, Good Job. Thanks again for a great job."
- Bob Tofolowsky
Owner, Mr. T's Powerwash

"Excellent, You have a good way with bs!"
- Bob Tofolowsky
Owner, Mr. T's Powerwash

"Amy - Looks good (as always) Thanks a lot!"
- Kathleen Joppru
Realtor, Prudential Connecticut Realty

"Love, love, love it!"
- Jennifer Swedes
Swedes Jewelry

"You are a wonderful person! Thank you, Thank you!"
- Libby Lord
Top 5 Sales Representative, ReminderNews

"ReminderNews received unprecedented recognition for a great job on the Tolland Chamber of Commerce's Annual Report at the chamber's Annual Meeting this morning.
We were the first member recognized during the presentation, and I also received a tremendous number of compliments from board members and members-at-large before the meeting on both the overall look as well as the excellent number of advertisers.
Special thanks to Amy Abo for the colorful cover design and pagination."
- Greg Barden
Advertising Sales Manager, ReminderNews

Postcard Finished Today

2009-03-12T10:28:00.001-07:00

Client: Mount Ida College: The Gallery

Postcard Design & Layout

Graphic Work from 2008

2009-03-12T09:45:00.001-07:00

These may be all mixed up, but here is a sampling of my Newspaper Clients from 2008.

Water Closet - Ad Design

Swedes (October 2008) - Ad Design

Swedes (June 2008) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (April) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (April) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (April) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (May) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (June) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (September) - Ad Design

Revay's Garden & Gift Shop (November) - Ad Design

Lewin's Bridal (April) - Ad Design

JT's Fly Shop (April) - Ad Design

Jonathan Pasco's Restaurant (April) - Ad Design

Jonathan Pasco's Restaurant (May) - Ad Design

Gingseng Spa (December) - Ad Design

Family Pizza (April) - Ad Design

Dance Kraze (April) - Ad Design

Chimney Guy (September) - Ad Design

Chilli's Restaurant (April) - Ad Design

Bill Selig Jewelers (June) - Ad Design

Bill Selig Jewelers (November) - Ad Design

Bolton Motors (April) - Ad Design

Two Projects Finished Today

2009-02-19T08:26:00.001-08:00

Just finished working on some freelance work and thought I'd post it to let you know what I've been up to!

This project was for the MSOC (Manchester Symphony Orchestra and Choral) in which I designed the Poster promoting their upcoming concert along with the Cover to their program book.

Poster:

Program Cover:

This next project is for Mount Ida College: The Gallery for their upcoming show. There were a lot of guidelines on this design, so I was very limited in what I could come up with.

Magazine Ad Size #1:

Magazine Ad Size #2:

These are only the beginning of this project, I have the Postcard to design next which I'm sure I will start working on shortly.

Baby Karla

2009-02-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure this image speaks for itself!
More to come!

2 Recent Shots

2009-02-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

These were taken before my brother's wedding this past weekend, 2.7.09. It was a great wedding! More photos to follow!

Few days late

2009-01-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

Here's the flashback photograph of myself, taken by my dad who use to be a wedding photographer himself! :)

September 1984

First Post of 2009!

2009-01-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

Hello!

So sorry for not updating in such a long time, with the holidays, birthdays, and New Years, it's been busy.

Hope your holidays were fun, I took some fun shots around that I will post at a later date.

New Years was terrible for me, heading into work I hit a patch of snow covered ice and lost control of my car. Being a 1996, the insurance company declared it a total loss. It's been very hard, if you know me, you know how well I take care of my things and how much I cared for my car. My car - Bonaparte - was the best. So long story short, I have been car searching, which bums me out that I have even less time to enjoy the beauty of winter, with my camera.

Don't worry thou, I will bounce back and should have a flashback photo for you later today! ;)

Thanks for your patience!
~Ames

Weekend Outting

2008-12-16T08:36:00.001-08:00

Went hiking this weekend and grabbed a couple of shots. Enjoy! :)

I have to say, this is my favorite shot of the lot. :) I love the depth!

Comments welcome! Please let me know what you think! I want to hear from you!

Older Design Work

2008-12-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

This is work from the end of 2006, newer works coming soon!

IFPA Award Ad - Ad Design, IFPA Award Recipient

IFPA Award Ad - Ad Design, IFPA Award Recipient

Full Stage Auto Body - Logo Design, Ad Design

Vincent Pharmacy - Original Artwork

Tribeca Cafe - Ad Design

Revay's Garden and Gift Shop - Ad Design

Le Bel Esprit Spa - Ad Design

GoodFellas II Restaurant - Ad Design

GoodFellas II Restaurant - Ad Design

Gold's Gym - Ad Design

Copper Travels - Ad Design

Bill Selig Jewelers - Ad Design

Schaller Acura - Ad Design

Love: Interpreted - A Women's Photography Show

2008-12-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending my friend Tina Parsadaov's Photography Show. It was great! It wasn't only great to see her, but to mingle with countless photographers was a lot of fun and only heightened my determination to make the move toward full time Photography. I also had the pleasure of briefly meeting the also talented Val McCormick! I only wished I was able to stay longer in time to meet and hopefully chat with some of the other talent that was there including; Jacklyn Greenberg, Jo Kaplan Lee, Mary Marantz, Jane Shauck, Krystal Prue, Carla Ten Eyck and Nikki Nicole Ronaldi. Tina also pointed out that Steve DePino was there too, who I'm incredible excited is photographing my brother's wedding this coming February!

The Show is running from December 5th to January 3rd at Artspace Middletown (650 Main Street) It's wicked easy to get to and worth checking out!

I can't wait to get more of my wedding shots up here! Please check back often and I will post them as soon as I get them from Carrie!

Earth Landscape

2008-11-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

Check out my brother (and clients) new webpage:

www.earthlandscapes.com

and catch up with all the news on his blog, located HERE.

Also view his ad I designed for Connecticut Home & Garden's Magazine.

July 4th, 2008 - Fraser Wedding

2008-11-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

Wedding Shoot in Manchester and Old Saybrook Point, CT.

Calendar Photography

2008-11-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

So here is a sampling of my work that has been published in the ReminderNews annual calendar.

Enjoy!

First Blog and 4th Photography Outting

2008-11-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

Blogging, what a wonderful world it is. This is my blog about my design work and photography experiences that I am currently working on or worked on.

First a little about me, I am a professional Graphic Designer/Artist. I work full time at a local community newpaper and on the side and whatever free time I have I work my freelance company and also picked up a job as an assistant Photographer with Carrie Draghi Photography out of South Glastonbury, CT. I met her while attending and semi-working at my friends wedding at Old Saybrook Point Inn. Semi-working meaning I was her violinist in the church ceremony as well as taking as many photos as I could. It was a lot of fun and I got bit by the Photographer bug! So meeting Carrie and working in the background as I saw her organize shots and have lots of fun with Ashley and Brian, I felt compelled to contact her about a possible internship. Yes, to get experience, I was willing to work my butt off for free. Upon meeting up with her, she simply states I will not let you work for free. So, she offers me an excellent paid internship opportunity.
Needless to say it has been wonderful, I've already learned a lot and this past weekend, I worked with Carrie with the lovely Julia and Bill and their wedding. Their families were wonderful and it was really rewarding. I simiply love doing weddings, for the most part so far it's been a lot of work, but SO much fun!

With my freelance company I more market myself towards clients looking for print work. I have done a couple websites but print Graphic Design is my strong suit right now. I am learning more and more about web design and photography daily to strengthen my weak points. In the near future I'll be posting some of my previous work as well as current projects and photography.

Award Winning Graphic Designer for hire! This is the part of my blog that I let you know I am always looking for new things! As stated I am a humble award winning Graphic Designer that is confident that I can create an identity for your company. I also am confident that I can design whatever it is your looking for. I love working with people to fully understand what kind of message you are trying to convey as well as getting the real feel of what you are looking for.

Over the next few days I will be updating this blog as well as adding photos and screen shots of current projects.

Thanks for reading and if you need to contact me my email is amyabo [at] gmail [dot] com or amy [at] amyabo [dot] com, my phone number is 860.670.0859, please leave a message if I am not able to answer and I will promptly return your calls.

Thanks again!
~amy abo