Alex and Kate, My Current Favorite for Spring Garden Portrait Session
I stood them in front of the skyline and set up my shot, just as a group of kids, one covered in some type of food, start running straight for her white dress!
Most of you who know me, or my business, know I am not a wedding photographer. It’s not that I hate shooting weddings, believe me, I love love as much as the next romantic. It’s that I hate shooting the WHOLE wedding. That sounds bad, but I cherish my weekends dearly, and while I love a good Saturday portrait session, I am not as interested in making a 12 hour day of it, only to end it by being stepped on by your drunk friends and family on the dance floor. Yup, that’s harsh, but that’s how it always ends up, as graceful as you’d like to think you all are.
What I love about weddings are the moments of LOVE- the walk down the isle, the exchange of vows, the portrait session, I SWOON over the portrait session of newlyweds! I am in love with all of this, which is why I shoot a few weddings a year where the couple really wants to focus on the portrait session.
Alex and Kate were the perfect match for me. PERFECT. They were having a small wedding with immediate family, and a sit-down dinner at the Four Seasons. They wanted their portrait session, just the two of them, to be a walk through the Public Garden. Swoon. They found me through our common interest- Baptiste Yoga, so obviously we hit it off right away, and I really wanted to do right by them.
Their ceremony was sweet and I captured some really great moments between them.
We arrived at the Boston Public Garden just as the sun was going down, and clearly the photo gods were smiling at me because the swan boat pond that had been ugly and empty the previous day, had just been filled.
I stood them in front of the skyline and set up my shot, just as a group of kids, one covered in some type of food, start running straight for her white dress! What the?! Mom? Hello? Someone grab your kid before he ruins Kate’s wedding dress or runs into the freshly filled pond please. Apparently everyone thought Kate was a movie star (and who could blame them for this assumption), and I wasn’t the only one trying to photograph her.
Once we did some paparazzi control and shook the crowd, the walk was a quiet time for them to enjoy each other, minus a few waves of "oohs and ahhs". While we stopped to pose for a few shots, there were so many fun and genuine moments I was lucky to be able to document for them. With twilight setting in, just a little off camera light (thanks to my wonderful assistant Gretchen), made them glow.
After our walk, we moved inside, because the Boston Four Seasons interior is GORGEOUS! That staircase... the vintage couch... I could have continued with this session for days. But we had let Alex and Kate return to their family, so we snapped a few candids before dinner, and called it a day. Perfect.
I truly had such a great time with them. And what made them even better as a couple? They nailed the art of compromise and our viewing session was a breeze! Alex and Kate you can call me anytime.
Let's Hear It For the Working Moms, A Style Makeover (In Honor of Mother's Day)
What is the best thing about a team of 8 creative, incredibly fun and highly motivated women? EVERYTHING. During a shoot for the May issue of Merrimack Valley Magazine, I had the privilege and honor of working with these 7 women who all bring something different to the table, and what we created was not only one of the most fun sets to be a part of, but the photos we produced are among my favorites of 2014.
It’s easy for moms to get caught in a sweatshirt and yoga pant, no makeup, air-dried hair in a ponytail rut. I’m not a mom, and it’s easy for me to get caught in that rut!
And this is how Susan’s article came about. Three moms from the Mother Connection were selected for the “Mom’s Makeover” article, not just to make them over for a few hours, but to spruce up their everyday style for work, and home. [See before and after]
Susan Kanoff, Style Editor for the magazine found us a great location at Lord and Taylor, and did what she does best- hand selected outfits that not only looked fantastic on these women, but gave them a glowing confidence that made me want to photograph them all day. Theresa Gallagher and Vanessa Minervini gave these women the perfect complimentary hair and makeup so the women didn’t look “super made over”, just naturally beautiful. Yolanda, graphic designer for MVM helped create a relaxed and inspired atmosphere on set and we couldn’t have brought everything together without every one of these ladies.
I think I can actually hear Beyonce’s “Run The World (Girls)” playing somewhere in the background right now.
You need the perfect gift for Mother's Day (photos are the new flowers)
Mother's Day is in less than two weeks. Flowers are out, memories are in. Mom is always the one to plan, organize, and drag everyone to have photos done. Beat her to the punch, and treat her to a photo session.
Mother's Day is in less than two weeks. Flowers are out, memories are in. Mom is always the one to plan, organize, and drag everyone to have photos done. Beat her to the punch, and treat her to a photo session.
If you are a mom, give to yourself, it's easy with a mini-session. Done in 30 minutes, and you have beautiful images of you at your best- with your family. Flowers die, give yourself memories you will love forever.
Mother's Day weekend only…
(Still) Boston Strong
I can’t believe it’s been a year. We are just a week away from the 2014 Boston Marathon, a historic race that has been changed forever. Last year was my sister’s first time running the Boston Marathon. Her first attempt at running 26.2 miles, and she was doing it for the Dana-Farber Cancer team in honor of our cousin, Mike. Inspiring. 13 of my family members, including her kids, were excitedly waiting to cheer her on as she passed us.
She was stopped just a half mile from the finish, and less than a quarter mile from all of us.
I’ll never shake the image of people running down the nearby alley, as if we were in a Godzilla movie. The panic in my nephews’ eyes. What happened? We heard it, we felt it, we saw the reaction, but really, WHAT HAPPENED?? Why aren’t our cell phones working? We have to stay together.
I had my camera, but I could never be a photojournalist because I couldn’t manage to take a single photo of what was happening around us, except for these two.
We were lucky, EXTREMELY lucky. We found my sister, we were together, we were safe.
I really don’t need to reiterate how devastating and horrible the aftermath was for the victims, onlookers, first responders, and the entire city of Boston.
It’s always hard to find positivity in such an event, but the way this city transformed was incredible. Everyone knows Bostonians aren’t known for being super friendly. The fundraising, the memorials, the support for the families, for one another, was tremendous. The general “you can scare us, but you won’t break us” attitude shined across the city. These inspirational victims speaking out about overcoming their injuries, triumphing over these tragic and haunting memories, still brings tears to my eyes.
My sister was running for Dana-Farber last year in honor of our cousin Mike, who was undergoing surgeries and treatment for his cancer. Living proof of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, this year he will be crossing the finish line with Steph. They are both running in honor of Mike’s dad, and my godfather, Jake, who was recently diagnosed.
Steph was also honored to be a part of singer/songwriter Michelle Lewis’s music video for “Run, Run, Run” inspired by the Boston Marathon runners. Please watch if you haven't already!
You can see or donate to Steph's Dana-Farber page HERE
The survivors and their families need to know we are still with them. See their stories or donate to the One Fund HERE
A Woman and her Pup
When I received a call from a woman about having a photo shoot with her dog, I’m not going to lie, I flinched as if a ball just came whizzing towards my face. I’ve had family portrait sessions with dogs before, and while I love dogs, it can be like adding in extra toddlers.
Sylvia came walking into my studio dressed in pink with her pup, Sofia, in her purse and enough poise for the both of them. Her photos would be a gift for her partner, and she knew EXACTLY what she wanted out of them.
We hit it off instantly and based on her personality I wasn’t surprised by how much fun she had in front of the camera… or how much fun I had photographing her.
She took my direction with such ease and confidence, and we were able to form a great connection, and create some fantastic images. So often both photographers and subjects forget that it there has to be some form of collaboration, some connection to really create great images.
In the end we were both really happy with the outcome, and I feel lucky I was able to meet and work with such an empowering woman. Sylvia owns Shaperella in downtown Andover, MA. Go visit her and you’ll fall in love with her, and probably with yourself too.
The Photography, Portrait, Architecture, and Everything-Else-I-love Blog
New blog for the new website. Out with the old, in with the new. You may have noticed my main galleries focus on architecture and portraiture. What?! They are completely different! Yes, they are, and I love them each very much for different reasons. And I’ve found that if you work your butt off, I mean really put in your weekend hours here, you can, in fact, succeed in more than one area.
In my personal work (wait, I do personal work that I don’t get paid for?! Yes that’s what keeps me sane), I am always looking for ways to combine these two loves of mine- people and spaces. I recently started a project I’ve wanted to do for years, I mean YEARS, and I am lucky enough to have found beautiful and willing dancers who are also excited about the project. I’ll expand on this much more as the project is underway, but I wanted to share a few images from our first shoot, at the Boston Public Library with the amazingly talented dancer, Lynn Guerra.
