Home Sweet Home

I just wanted to quickly update my blog, because Stefan and I have been so busy moving into our new home and have not been online much at all. :)

I will tell you a bit about the home we bought;

... it is 2700 square ft, 2 story with an extra 2 rooms in the attic, it has a garage out back for parking, central heat and air, a very frightening basement ;). plenty of gardening space for flowers, (I hope to have time to plant soon) a huge kitchen with tons of cabinets, 3 bathrooms, a great room off the kitchen, 3 bedrooms, a view of the city from the office, a laundry room upstairs on the 2nd floor, a gorgeous dining room with a chandelier, and a huge front porch with canvas awnings. We are extremely happy to have our first home together.

I just now connected my computer even though we have moved in last Tuesday. :) It is a very busy time for us with the business and all... we have only had one day off, and it was today. We did some unpacking, grocery shopping, and other things all day... and now, wow, I can smell the delicious scents of Stefan's cooking from here in the office, and I cannot wait to sit down and eat a nice home-cooked meal, (especially when my beautiful husband cooks)!

Anyway, I will upload images soon. I did take some with my blackberry, but have not had time to do much with them. I will.

Time to go for now. I wish you all a beautiful week ahead. Sending hugs to each and every one of you.

Cher :)

Fiori in B&N

An image I shot and decided I adored in b/n. There is something so nostalgic within an image without color--a bit mysterious, definitely beautiful. :)

Welcome Spring

Spring is here and love is certainly in the air! May your "opening" of the season be absolutely beautiful!

In other news, our business is off to a wonderful start, we're moving in a week, (I am hoping to open a photography studio there), the cold winter has finally gone away, and each day, I love my husband more and more. What more could you ask for? ;)

-Cher :)

Rhode Island

Here is a quick image I took of a hawk in Rhode Island. He was perched on a pier that had half fallen into the sea. I did not want to spook the poor creature too much and the sun was right behind him... that made it a bit hard to get a truly wonderful shot.



(I haven't finished working on it and really want to make the photo top notch. I do not care for it too much at the moment, but just got the full version of Photoshop CS4 and need to make time to look around the program. As soon as I do, I will throw this image in and see what I can do!) :)

On another note, I have no time to write precious little "lovelings" about my Stefan, so I will just add that the first song that plays here in my blog is exactly how he is and what he means to me. I love him and am so fortunate to have him as my husband. In fact, I will tell him how much I am in love with him in a few minutes. :)

Ok, off to start my day! Cya! :)

p.s. sorry for the ultra-quick posting, where my words seem to be everywhere, but I am in a hurry this morning. Perhaps, I will edit it some later today. Eh, probably not! Haha! ;)

Un bacio grande

Wow, what an exhausting week so far! Being business owners, Stefan and I have been busy as bees (and happily so). After we stopped in and helped out our employees, we came home. Not long after, I was off to the hospital for a class to teach as Stefan was taking care of his magazine and such. I think our day ended at around 9:30pm.

I am up again and going to wake my sweetheart in a moment! Sadly, I just realized we are out of coffee. :o The funny thing is, I cannot even see straight yet. Well, not funny, but funny. ;)

Anyway, I wanted to say thank you to a website for featuring a photography album of mine:



I found this sweet symbol in my email this morning and am very honored. The album is under "Travel" and titled. "A Photo Journey". Thank you for all your wonderful support, photography is a great passion of mine.



I have more news to share, but must get in the shower and go grab coffee somewhere, so we can begin our day on 2 feet! I will write more in here as soon as I can.

Have a beautiful day,
Cher

p.s. I also wanted to thank the kind people that leave comments here in my blog or send me an email stating they were here. I will come visit you sometime this week. :)

It is you...

It is you... by ♥ Colpo di fulmine ♥
(Cher Ferroggiaro - du Bois).


(Dedicated to my husband, Stefan.)

He said, "If I should pass from this life before you, the last image I desire to take with me is your beautiful face smiling into my eyes. The last breath I shall want to enter me is yours. You are all that is me, my completion lies within you. My Sweet, I am nothing without you..."

A perfect exchange; my heart for his, where we became ideal, absolute
—merged tenderly to one.

This is an image I shot of the Point Reyes Lighthouse in northern, Ca. If you get a chance, Google the area--it is absolutely gorgeous. :)

In other news, thanks to the 3000 or more people who link to my blog here, whether it be on their website, or on a blog that they run--it makes me smile. I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. And I will be working on getting my 4th book to the publisher by this summer. As you know, it was going to be bilingual, but I have decided to do major edits and publish it in it's entirety, in English.

Sorry that I have not been updating much, but Stefan and I have been very busy with projects and such.

On a closing note, nothing makes my heart smile more than falling asleep each night beside the one I love. :)

-Cher

Photo of the Day & Flickr's Explore

I am honored to have my image chosen as "Photo of the Day". If I can make one person smile through my work, I have made my heart smile.


My work on Flickr:



(84 images of mine chosen for Flickr's EXPLORE)

I am grateful. I so love Flickr and all my friends over there.

And I must say, I am extremely happy to see the thousands of followers keeping up on my latest projects. It is a great accomplishment, as well as honor, to have such a huge fan base through-out the years.

Thank you for all you do,
Cher

Featured Album

An album of mine was featured again and I am extremely honored:

"Hi Cherilyn,

Congratulations on having your album featured on our homepage!"

Looking Back - Las Vegas

An image Stefan took while he and I were there. We spent 90% of our time in that hotel and it will always be dear to my heart. :)









When we walked past the Bellagio one evening as the fountains began with their beautiful music. Stefan took my hand and began to dance with me right on the packed sidewalk. Even though I was a bit shy to dance, he was absolutely romantic. (He even sang to me that night.) :)





Memoirs kept deep within our hearts, will never fade away. :)

One foggy evening

*Published in Stirring Magazine

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. I remember taking this photo and how happy my heart felt to be beside one of my favorite bridges in the world. :)

And We Will Sing

An image I took beside a lake. You can see it here. :)


(After reading Pablo Neruda)

Dear one,

when did the moon in its absolute cease
the Autumn in your eye?

The luminescence that climbs from your heel
to your mane--the candela that strings the stars
along your spine? Are you not sea’s breast,
crushing language as I glide past
the span of your mouth?

(A true
lover admits to nothing,
but a fraction of thought
flanked by sand and stone.)

I want to sit with you in the early hours
of sea fog like swollen fruit raised--
a liquid ache for lichen-covered landscapes,
lost or far-off, soft-faced forms that lack
naught in grandeur, where

the sails of my translucent dress will circle
around you and rise, unbuttoning linen
like the fragility of skin on skin, pulled
close in clover and wine.

Oh Beautiful one, may I become the final steps
of your inundated palm--lulled by the contrast
of late night photography, until I have no
more breath.

May I join in its sweetness, seeking the poetry
of Neruda, deep in your distant shores.

Sea Glass

Some sea glass, pottery and other items I have collected along the seashore.

Intimate

There is something so sexy watching a man shave (well, watching Stefan shave). I adore it so much. :) Anyway, I took that image when he was not watching. (Poor guy just cannot escape my camera!) ;)

Ok, time to say what is new with me...

I put my Mojo back up. I have decided not to redo Facebook, because I have way too much going on to be able to keep up with it. I do miss everyone over there, though I will not join again. I kept my Pro account with Flickr and paid for another year, so you can expect more images from me very soon. :)

I am trying to establish portfolios for some models and meeting up with them within the next few weeks. Sam (pictured below) is from New York and we will be shooting together. I will also have a beautiful female model in which I will reveal at a later time.

Sam:





I am very excited and honored to be working with all the models I have been conversing with, and hope to create some great portfolios with the creativity of those models, and myself.

Stefan and I are doing very well and plan on moving within the next few months. I am incredibly happy to have him and grateful to be the one he gave his precious hand to. Stefan knows exactly how to be a man and is gentle at the same time. He is beautiful. :)

One thing I adore is how he wakes with such a smile on his face each morning. Annnnd, I so love pressing my face softly into the nape of his neck and breathing him in--the scent of his skin is so comforting to me. (I know, I know... I am such a romantic, but I like it!)

Sending my love to you all,
Cher

Photo of the Day

An image of mine won "Photo of the Day" again and I am very grateful.

Un bacio silenzioso tra gli alberi

Il silenzio di un bacio vale più di mille parole.

(An image I took one foggy day. See a larger version here.)

Ancora sete ho di te

Being an Italian brat, you might think I would have driven that boy crazy by now. No way! ;)

Stefan and I have been married for a while now and I could not be happier. I simply adore all that he is. And the way he makes love to me, holds my hand while we are walking, holds me close while watching a movie, cooks for me, smiles and/or anything else he does, leaves me breathless. He is beautiful and I am glad he is mine.

And I know it seems like forever since I have updated here, but we have been extremely busy. I have not had much time to take new photographs either, but plan to soon. We did get a lot of winter images in December, but you know me--I like about 3 out of the 300 I take and find it hard to decide which ones to post. ;)



(An image I took while Stefan and I were out on a walk together.)

I hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday!

Shanghai

The city:

* Population: 18,670,000
* Shanghai was the most vibrant and cosmopolitan city in China.
* It's a sophisticated and fashionable cultural center.
* It's relatively young city full of energy and glamour.
* Shanghai is becoming the dominant destination in Asia for business and leisure.
* Shanghai is the commercial center of China.
* It is a multi-cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional Chinese features.

Shanghai - "Situated on the estuary of Yangtze River, Shanghai is the largest industrial city in China. Covering an area of 5,800 square kilometers and with a population of 18.7 million, it’s one of the most crowded urban areas of the world. Shanghai is a world attraction because it serves as the largest base of Chinese industrial technology, the important seaport and China’s largest commercial and financial center.



Previously known as the “Paris of the East” and now calls itself “the Pearl of the Orient”. Shanghai is the commercial center of China and has one of the most dynamic skylines in the world. It was the most vibrant and cosmopolitan city in China and today this international metropolis is undergoing an urban revival and regaining its status as a sophisticated and fashionable cultural center."


(The Bund - The Bund is the financial district of Shanghai. It’s made up of a number of older buildings constructed by foreigners between 1840 to 1930.)

Stefan and I are going to travel there. I feel the strong urge to bask in the city's smog, eat good food and simply enjoy the enormous city beside the sea (it is like San Francisco x'7).



(Above is an image of Chinese pizza.)

I have been reading a lot on Shanghai lately and I just know that it is somewhere I would love to visit. I would love to take my camera out and take photographs of all it has to offer. :)

Morning Stroll

(An image I shot while in Newport, Rhode Island.)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

A very special Happy Birthday to the one I love. May each day of your life be as beautiful as you are to me. I so love you!

p.s. I have a lot in store for this very special birthday boy. ;)

Past Winners - I am honored. :)

These three photographs of mine have won cash prizes and will always remain in my heart:

Insatiable USA101's Contest - $1000.00 1st place winner:



As Colors Unfold (Carmel-By-the-Sea) Category winner - $100.00:



As the Fog Rolled In $100.00 Category Winner:



If I can touch the heart of just one person with my poetry, in or outside of my career, or within a photograph that I have taken, I have accomplished what I have set out to do. I love it when people smile. :)

Have a beautiful week!

Cher

Photo of the Day and Photo of the week

PhotoArtz for models and photographers:







ViewBug (Cash Prize):





I am extremely honored to have had my photographs win at the these two wonderful websites.

Thank you,
Cher

(... a special "thank you" to my husband for being my biggest inspiration.) :)

Ferroggiaro - du Bois Galleries

Ferroggiaro - du Bois Galleries

My husband Stefan designed a beautiful website for my work. Please, if you have time, stop by and let me know what you think. :)

Thank you,
Cher

A Beautiful Heart

(Image taken while Stefan and I were out enjoying time together.)


"Cher,

Once in a lifetime something so majestic awes you, something so extraordinary it takes your breath away, this something renders you speechless, something like you comes into one's life, carries a heart in the breeze, across barren lands and salty seas into the sun.

You, yes you, my Sweet, my Cher, my breath... oh since I found you, I have discovered more about myself and the depths of soul in one month, than I knew about myself in all the days of this present existence.

I learn something wonderful about you and how we find the perfect way to love one another, each and every day. I am awe-struck as I stand in your light, unbridled passion untold, my heart is forever yours, from this life to the many others we will share.

I now know how awe-inspiring, joyful and wonderful love can be. You are truly the most sweetest and loving person I have had the honor to be in the presence of. When we spoke those words, "I do" and "I will" on that late evening August 30, I did not know how much more my heart could soar. I am lost in you, you are the honey on my tongue, the sweet of a kiss, the breath of life that fills me and makes me to live in a world of bliss.

I know that no matter what comes our way... together we will make it through and one hundred hundred years from now, our love will be discovered written on the tablets of time for all to read.

Kiss my breath with your heat, drip honey from your words, touch me in depths no person has ventured to reach, seek me in the sun, find me... together we will always shine.

I am so in love with you, immeasurably.

Your Man,

Stefan"

What wonderful words to wake to.... I had to place them here, so they remain alive in the one place I come to release my innermost thoughts. :)

I am so in love with my husband. Happy Saturday!

Happiness is,...

(Image is one I took on the Monterey Wharf in Monterey, California.)

... simplicity: living life with open arms, a hug from behind, the sunlight softly coming in through the window, the ability to be yourself, taking a drive on a quiet road, the sounds of a church bell in the distance, the sound of a train whistle in the distance, a fresh breeze coming into the window, early evening, a wonderful relationship between husband and wife, individuality, helping others,...

a good conversation, the sea, laughing at yourself, running through sprinklers, volunteering, the sound of an instrument playing softly, sailing, a walk in the rain, family, amore, holding hands, his smile, sharing an umbrella...

road trips, a simple flower, getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day, a good book, ...

a walk in the woods or along the beach, the rain, a good cup of cappuccino, nature, making a snowman, friendship, and peace.

-Cher

Friday thoughts

(Image is one I took while in a restaurant in Philadelphia.)

S. Rothe' Du Bois wrote on your Wall...‏
From: Facebook (wallmaster+m25eggrr@facebookmail.com)
Sent: Tue 8/26/08 2:34 AM
To: Cherilyn Ferroggiaro (cherilyn1120@hotmail.com)

S. Rothe' wrote on your Wall:

"By the time most of you read this Cher will be my wife and I love her eternally."

I just came across that in my "See-Saw" folder. It gave me such a big smile. I read it to Stefan and he smiled as well. From the looks of things, we are going to have a wonderful year and many more. I am indeed grateful for my blessings.

I have since deleted my facebook, Ipernity, Wordpress, Model Mayham, and some other web sites. I did so for many reasons, most of all, I just do not have the time for everything. I have kept my most favorite places like Flickr and Myspace, so I can stay in contact with most of you and continue to share my work as well as, follow yours. :)

In other news,... here is an image I took beside the sea.



As you know, the ocean is a great love of mine and I so wished to become an oceanographer prior to going into the medical field. Nonetheless, it has remained wedged within my heart. :)

Have a beautiful Friday,
Cher

After the movie,...

Tesoro mio,

Lying beside you as we watch a movie is a pastime I adore, and when you are close to me, my heart smiles in every color possible. When I place my head on your back and run fingers through your soft hair, I think of how much I am in love with you. When each strand of fresh-scented hair falls sweetly through my fingertips, I only want you closer, (sometimes you cannot get close enough and I wish you could pour yourself all over me, because I am so in love with all that you are).

And when I move away for a moment, you reach for me with love in your eyes. You are so beautiful.

It is you, my love. It will always be only you.




Being married to you is something I never imagined this time last year, and if I knew then what I know now, I would have ceased all just to be with you. Nonetheless, you were (and still are), my very best friend, and that is a gift beyond measure in itself.



Sometimes, all it takes is for me to glance over at you and see you smile and I am weak in the knees.
You could never know how much I love you. In fact, it is almost impossible for anyone to ever fathom such utter adulation, because only few and far between have ever experienced what true love really is. I say this and mean, you may see a deeper love within my eyes or with each warm touch I render, but I could never begin to elucidate just how deep my love for you really is.



-Cher

During our lives we believe we may have fallen in love a couple times here or there, but do we really? Was it love? I say, no. To truly feel utter love one must be willing to sacrifice everything and anything for the other. One must be able to do a few changes, to be able to carry the other in need, as that one would do for them. In order to really, really love,...



... one must believe.

There are many factors in a great relationship: respect, integrity, sacrifice, independence, tenderness, and authenticity, being there for one another, and knowing when to be a good listener without uttering, "I told you so". I trust you must stand beside that person whether they stand or fall. You must be willing to give them your hand and help them to their feet if they do in fact, fall, and brush them off with a heartfelt smile. There is such a great inner feeling in the awareness of knowing someone is there for you no matter what. That is what Stefan and I share.



Stefan and I spend a lot of time together and within each moment, I love him more and more. Most importantly, I believe in him. My confidence in him and all he does is something I treasure, because I know that no matter what happens, we will be a team. That is a gift that no amount of money could ever take away. There is no way to assess what that, (and what "he") means to my very heart.

I have only one more thing to add tonight... it is his smile that brings me the utmost delight--the very sweet curve of his lips that can bring a smile to my own lips.




And as I write these words, all I can do is smile. I so love him.

I wish you all the happiness we two share this year. I wish you all the best. Goodnight.