It was questionable there for a while whether or not we’d have a spring.  And the day this session was scheduled was forcasted to be LOVELY, and it was about 40 degrees and rainy.  So we rescheduled, and you know what I say about Session Karma.  Sessions happen exactly when they are meant to happen.  No exception here, we met at Elm Bank (one of my most favorite Metro-West shooting locations) and it was a simply beautiful, blueberry sky kind of day!  Elm Bank provides such a gorgeous backdrop… and plenty of places for busy little two year olds to explore.  Owen was a gem.  Sarah’s primary request, other than having some fun, was to capture a perfect family photo.  I am quite certain the first image in their gallery is that, but I also captured a few more, because really, I couldn’t say “Alrighty then, we are one and done!”

Sarah, Scott and Owen, thank you so much for a lovely session and a little bit of patience on a sneak peak!  Your gallery is out to you tonight!

Because when I turn clients into friends, then they refer me to friends, it’s like there are just more friends in my world.  So I hung out with these guys on a Saturday morning… and like I say “sometimes a Saturday morning with your family is a heck of a lot easier than a Saturday morning with mine.”  So easy, laid back and fun.  And the best part is, they are expecting number three (I love a 0, 2, 4 combo… nice and spaced, boy, girl,  and up for grabs!).  So I get to come back and see them again.  And when I do, I want to take some shots of their AWESOME wine wall, because they have really made some extraordinary, yet amazingly clean and simple, choices in their home renovations!  Kids were divine, parents were all you could hope for.  I am so excited to see their prints on their walls!

This is also the client that I tried to get in touch with while in Santa Ynez.  It went like this “Hi, it’s….static static… disconnect” about 4 times, then about 3 texts, then a repeat of the static three times, then an “I’ll call you from Santa Barbara” text, then another disconnect going through the pass, then a stop at Starbucks to try to connect, two more texts, then a call from a backyard in Southern California where I came :::::this close:::: to getting disconnected again.  I am SO fortunate my clients deal with me and my mishaps!

So it’s a large share, because I felt like I hadn’t shared an “in home” session in a while since I cut over my new site.  Enjoy!

Or “Meet me at the Bar.”  Or “Don’t I have Beautiful Friends?”  You can call this post whatever you like.

Jessica (and Stephanie) came up to the studio so we could shoot a little of Jessica as she is quickly becoming a coveted asset in the barre community.  Jessica teaches barsculpt at Charlestown Yoga – almost every weekday morning and one evening.  And when she teaches in the evening, sometimes we meet her at the barre.  And then we meet her at the bar.

Barre is a conditioning program that utilizes a full body work out, combining a bit of strength training, with some pilates, and some basic principles of barre ballet.  It emphasizes TEENY TINY isometric movements (up an inch, in an inch) with correctly aligned posture (known as a tuck), that lifts, tones and burns your legs and your backside as well as your entire body.  Because it focuses so much on your quadriceps and glutes, the largest muscles in your body, it’s burns calories as it strengthens your muscles.  Movements are so tight and refined that momentum plays no role and so all the work is actually done by working.

BarScult is Pilates Evolved. The unique combination of high-energy cardio, strengthening and stretching results in a long, lean flexible body. Whether you are an avid runner, Pilates or Yoga practitioner or just looking for a way to get in shape, BarSculpt is an effective and safe workout. Experience BarSculpt and see how you can Increase endurance, Strengthen your core, Tone your muscles, Lift your posterior, Stretch it all out and Build a Long, Lean, Flexible Body!

Not convinced?  This statement should do it for you: For the first time in 7 years, I will wear a bathing suit at the beach this summer. (I am a Pure Barre addict and I am shooting for 100 barre classes by July 1… if Charlestown was closer, I’d be a Jessica Diaz barre addict).

So want to be in the know about Jessica and her classes?  Make sure you like her page and follow all her news and announcements!

Nicoletta is ONE!  In full disclosure, Corey is a friend, and we barter.  It goes something like this “You are going to need pictures of her forever” [I also photographed her wedding] and then like “And you are going to need those roots done forever” [She makes my hair 22, not 42].  But the nice thing is that I can be like “Hey, I want to try something” and she’ll be like “Perfect, name the time.”  So cake smashes previously weren’t my “thing.” They seem sort of contrived and too planned and if you know me, I love spontaneity and challenge and change.  But I really wanted to see if I could capture some cash smash images without extensively planning scenarios, and still stay true to my style and brand.  So Corey sent me a few inspiration images, and gathered up the props she wanted, and I worked with Cakes for Occasions to create a simple, yet super cute, design.  They nailed it.  Corey nailed it.  Nicoletta nailed it.  Hooray!

So because I loved this so much, and it wasn’t a production, but with a little planning to make it perfection, I will now be shooting a limited number of Cake Smash sessions in my studio.  Please contact me for details, they are priced similar to my Studio Sessions with a few tweaks.

Thank you Corey for being your beautiful self, and for your daughter behaving to the nines, and for Janey, my assistant on this shoot, for not pitching a fit when she realized the cake was not for her.

Right.  Never. Miss. A. Moment.

When my dear friend Leslie passed away at the young age of 32, she requested that her headstone read “A Participant in Life, not an Observer.”  And by that, she meant she tackled her bucket list (hiking Tuckermans, a visit to southeast Asia, pasting temporary tats on half of Nantucket, and many, many more remarkable and not-so-remarkable activities).  Leslie, truly didn’t want to miss a moment.

As I became a photographer — really in my “learning” and early business years — I slowly came to realize that I had drastically reduced my “participation” in particular aspects of my life in my attempts to document every moment.  Every photographer, every photography forum, every blog and Facebook resource tells you “never miss a moment.” So for a time, not only was I not fully participating (so I could document with my camera), but I’d then miss MORE moments by ignoring the “right now” so that I could edit “what just happened.”  Nothing like ignoring imminent and immediate everyday needs of your children so that you can perfect — on your computer — the documentation of the “every day.”  Everyone would comment “You must have beautiful images of your children, every moment captured!”  My family (and honest friends) would think (or say) “Not with the camera again.”

I suppose as I was learning, I wanted to use every chance I had to try to perfect my craft.  And as I got better, I wanted the praise of “Oh you take the BEST pictures! You have a great eye.”  Nothing wrong with that last part, except sometimes I’d let it swerve me from my real course.  Was I documenting to document or documenting to validate something within myself (To distinguish myself? To show I had something more to offer? To prove that I could in fact become a photographer?)?  Whatever the case, I loved toting my camera, I loved that people looked to me to see what I captured, and I loved that I captured IT ALL.

As I moved from Corporate America to running my own business, photography became a job, one that I love, but also one that is about 20% shooting images (the rest is, you guessed it, RUNNING A BUSINESS).  And so to a degree, any form of photography (whether it be my clients or my kids) is sort of still work (even though it’s the best work I’ve ever experienced).  Did that jade me?  Maybe.  But more than that, I decided to actually listen to my husband (hear that Owen?).   During our family time, sure, he wanted great captures of our family, but he missed that rather than being along-side having fun, I’d be two steps behind changing a lens or trying to vie for perfect lighting.  He hated that I’d be chimping, or worrying about my gear, uploading/downloading and editing when we were supposed to be relaxing, or having fun, or collectively listening to each other.  He hated that I was MISSING ALL THE MOMENTS because I felt the need to “NEVER MISS A MOMENT.”  So slowly, I decided to leave the camera behind during certain events.  Yes, each year I really plan a full day with my gear at the beach… or some nights when something awesome like a great meal and the firepit and sparklers come out, I shoot the hell out of it.  But not every moment, not every event, not every “every day.”

And so today, at the school Walkathon, no less then 3 people asked “Where is your camera?”  And my answer “I’m good with my iPhone.”  And the reason being is that I really only need 1-2 shots of my boy.  I don’t need 100 shots of the entire school, and of kids I don’t know.

If I have my camera, I am worried  about water splashing on it or where I will put it down so that it’s safe from harm, and then when will I get around to uploading, and how much time do I need to allocate to editing.  And let’s be honest, if I am so busy photographing every “moment” that happens at the Walkathon, I am not high-fiving the kids, I am not running a lap with my boy, I am not pouring the water for the thirsty walkers.  And when I am at the park, I am not on the swing next to my daughter swinging it out like an 8 year old.  I am not shooting hoops with my son on the basketball court.  I am not coloring with the crayons on the driveway, or holding the hose and spraying with water.  Instead of participating, I am observing.

Does it mean that I don’t photograph my kids?  Hell no, of course I do!  And I often lament “I have so few pictures of my own kids!”  But over the years I’ve learned that sometimes enough is enough. I love sharing images of my kids, but I love my iPhone and Instagram shares just as much as the ones taken with my “good camera.”  I get just as many “likes” on the quick snaps as I do on the edited ones.  And when I look at my friend’s images, I feel the same.  There are times each month when I bring out the big guns and really focusing on shooting my kids (that’s a bad analogy, sorry), but the rest of the time, I give it a rest.   Because after a while, the kids want me.  Not me with a camera.  They want to see my face, not my lens.  They want me to push them, not be standing under them creatively capturing them up in the air.  They want me to read them stories and watch them cartwheel rather than see me edit (and if you know me, you know that I cartwheel and hand spring right along with them).  They need me present in their life, participating, not always observing and documenting.

And so because of that, nothing makes me happier than MISSING the moment, because I am LIVING the moment.  And so to the 3-4 people I talked to today, thank you for pulling together out loud what’s been on my mind for a while.  And to my buddy Christofer, I have no images of your walk today – I am sure there are others that do – but I loved looking down and seeing your face as we ran a lap together, I am happy I didn’t miss that moment.

If you know me, you know that I firmly believe in Session Karma.  Sessions happen exactly when they are meant to, whether it be when they are scheduled from far out, or rescheduled due to weather.  And this one went like this “I didn’t schedule a newborn session, my baby is two weeks…” and I replied “I am going to California… I can do tomorrow…” and she replied “Great…” and then I got to her house, conveniently located to me and her baby slept in the most beautiful pocket of window light the entire time I was there.  Good things happen to good people!

And so while I’d like to keep this anonymous, I’d like to announce that I have yet another new client friend who I am excited to see more of as her baby grows!  Cheers!

Cutest Nursery EVER!  Restoration Hardware… adorable!

Shannon and her adorable family came to the studio for a visit… and I absolutely loved what we captured.  As I say time and again, while I love a curled up sleepy baby, I really love the natural lifestyle shots that evolve when the entire family can come hang out, and siblings can play, and everyone just sort of chills!  Shannon found me, and of course, recognized someone from my portfolio, and so when she arrived, it was more like seeing friends I hadn’t talked to in a long time.

Big brother Oliver was REALLY awesome for a two year old sibling.  I like to tell the stories of how when Christofer was 2.5, I walked in to find 6 month old Janey sitting with a galvanized tin bucket on her head and Christofer was banging it with a spoon.  I don’t know if that makes clients laugh or worry.  I digress.  Oliver already seems so amazingly adjusted and I think he is going to rock it out as a big brother!  And of course, Dad, well he gets to experience the joy of having his buddy… and his girl.  I know, I am obnoxiously biased, but do I love a boy and a girl two years apart!

So thank you for finding me, and allowing me to document your growing family.  It’s always humbling and an honor for me!

WHAT?????

I know, it’s an awful title, but you know me, if it’s in the head, it’s out the mouth.  I actually think maybe tomorrow is the day, for no other reason than I folded EIGHT loads of laundry and perhaps God is saying “Now, her work here is finally done.”  But no, obviously I don’t want my plane to crash, and usually there would not even be a question… but I think we all know what sort of week it’s been in Boston, and so nothing is off the table.  Plus, I used to be a big believer that if you said your worst fears out loud, they’d never happen.  Except now I know that’s not true, but they will happen, if they happen, whenever they damn well please and so you just sort of have to roll with it and live for the best.

I know the timing is such that I always bust out a letter to the kiddos when something horrific has happened.  I planned to do another one before I left, and it happens to also coincide with a tragedy (the last two letters were spontaneous, but occurred after Colorado and Newtown, so maybe not).  But honestly, this post isn’t anything about the Marathon.  There’s nothing I can even say about that.  We are unscathed.  I am not going to pretend to have associations with it other than Owen was right there, but missed… and it happened in our fair city.

But more like, here we are, it’s been a few months, what in the name of Sam Hill is going on with our life?  Not much and a lot of everything.

Janey still sleeps with me every night. Every.  Single.  Night.  It both pains me to wake up and get her and I love it more than anything in the world.  She is a soft round mess of snarls and hot and blankets and lovies and sometimes Barbies (that tramp!) and things that poke into me.  I spend a lot of the night falling off the bed… and she wakes up screaming mad most of the time.  And now that I think of it, this is remarkably similar to the last update I posted, so really, nothing is new.  My conservative, rip off the Band-Aid style of parenting succumbs to an overly excited version of co-sleeping attachment parenting and I am all good with it.

The chick is also registered for Kindergarten.  She is psyched.  She wants to do all of Christofer’s homework.  She pretends she can read, she loves to write.  People thinks she’s genius, but a lot of that has to do with the fact they also think she’s three… not almost five… so an almost reading, good speller three year old wows.. but really, she’s right on track, which is exactly where I want her to be.

She’s finally growing, out of 3T!  Big girl!  She is on track to have maybe her 4th haircut?  And we finally cut out her hair wrap that I think was pretty much starting to mold, but she loved it because her Big Cousin Kaela did it for her, and that’s all that really matters.  She misses her best friend Annie something fierce, and is really ticked off I’ll see her in California without her.  And she misses Gracie, she wants to show Gracie her new “American Girl Doll McKenna.”  I have to tell Gracie not to burst her bubble, it’s a $16.99 doll from TJMaxx that is in no way even close to the “real” McKenna.   Let’s not let this cat out of the bag please.

The boy is the boy… love of my life… forever my clone, mini-me, mind-melded best friend.  It’s vacation week and so we spent the ENTIRE day together today.  I loved every minute of it.  He is totally happy to just sit near me and do whatever he wants to be doing, whether it be Legos or some game on the iPad.  He likes his space, so we don’t have to talk, but he likes his proximity and so he’ll stay close by.

School is good for him.  He gets a daily report card with smiles, sad faces and somewhere in between.  He’s brutally honest and so when I ask “How was the day, Buddy?” he will vomit out the good, and the bad.  Again, in a mind-meld with me.  We are not all rainbows and unicorns, so I know we’ve had our fair share of shitastic frowns on the report card, but it’s amazing when he says “Mom, I had the BEST day of Kindgarten EVER.”  It’s just surreal to try to coach yourself through a day of listening, waiting for direction, paying attention, sitting still and not disturbing or interrupting others (not sure how to do it at almost 7 since doing it at 42 is still just as hard!).

He’s come so far with the big kids though.  He’s moved out of the little boy phase and holds his own with the big kids now.  It’s a relief.  You spend so much time worrying about your kid’s normalcy, and their ability to interact, and do you jump in and save, or let them figure it out on their own?  And I don’t suspect that will stop, ever, but it’s so good to see him being able to figure out tough situations, try to make the call, and really only ask for help when he really needs it.

And so here I am, a few glasses of Morgan Sauv Blanc deep, Janey upstairs screaming for me, and me ignoring her to finally blog something about her (the irony).  I am beyond excited to be heading to California to photograph Kristian & Derek’s wedding.  I miss my friend Jen, and I cannot wait to view her version of perfect, which is her California life.  I know it’s so hard for her right now, and her heart aches not be living in Santa Barbara.  And I know nothing will make her realize that we need her RIGHT HERE where we are… because our need is really quite selfish.  And so it is an honor to me that not only can I capture her family, as they are today, and Kristian & Derek as they make their life one, but to be with her in a place that makes her happy.  Because I think we all can say, resoundingly, loud “Hells YEAH” because if anyone deserves to be where they are happy, it is her.

So off to Logan, and a long flight, a pick up from my brother-husband, and to see my good friends.  Let’s hope, from the bottom of our hearts, that my plan does not crash tomorrow.  But if it does, you all know what to do….

XOXO

Today I had a great day. If you know me, you know I am kinda of funny, self-deprecating, snarky (but not mean-spirited).  But lately I’ve sort of also been vomiting love about life, which is sort of uncharacteristic as I am not really all about the rainbows and unicorns.  Things could ALWAYS be better in some respect, but honestly, life is good.  Family is healthy and safe, friends are always around, things are heading in the right direction for my work, I am catching up, and getting it done, and for the first time in a LONG time, I am getting smaller, and will get back to being Little (Owen’s nickname for me the year we started dating).  Driving home this morning (from a fun sleepover with a good friend to close out an even better evening), and staring at Boston made me realize how in love with our city I am, and that I miss it, but what would I do if I couldn’t stalk my friend’s driveways for their car and say “Oh, hey, hi, I have wine!”

Today was made great by a few things, but primarily because I shot a session I love.  When I shoot well, everything that I do is reinforced, and I feel so good about my business.  I have once again secured some clients that I LOVE, and I am afraid I will not let them go very easily!  And their baby was a doll.  Need I add I adored him? [I am trying to monitor my excessive use of the word "adore."]  Fourteen months young, in an AWESOME mood, and oh-so-very cute.  Jackie was in studio shooting with me, and I can’t wait to see what she captured as she’s progressing through her photography program.

This is exactly what you can expect with a Studio Session with me.  Relaxed.  A little bit lifestyle, but also a slight emphasis on smiling and looking at the camera, a few little outfit changes, and generally a good time.  For a minute I wondered maybe if I should be serving Mimosas or Bloodies at these sessions – is that wrong?  I am sure, yes, ok, forget I mentioned it!

I find I use that word all the time, perhaps too much… but it really sums up about how I feel about so many of my clients!   I specifically feel this way, and so much more about this family.  The first year I really opened up my business, Janice took a chance on me.  Our initial conversation felt much more stressful than a job interview, but not because she was anything less than lovely… it was just one of my first experiences pitching myself as a photographer to someone who had a great deal of experience hiring people to shoot her family Christmas card.  Her card is serious business.  Over the past four years, she has moved from client to friend and her family is so familiar to me — I can gush over Ellie on Instagram, and handle myself pretty well with her smart-talking, someday-will-be-a-Governor-or-CEO sons.  And Jay is great, and Janice and Jay together are great.

We are now so seasoned working together that starting in August, we throw 3 dates on the table, then we juggle travel and work and sports and weather.  This year, I am happy to say, we nailed it.  I will tell you that photographers who undervalue or scoff at “everyone look at the camera and smile” has got NOTHING on this family.  They do it so well.  Not only that, each of their stunning family portraits are printed and displayed all over their house and artfully framed as gifts.  So much hype goes into huge wall portraits, but I’ll tell you, seeing how lovely Janice displays each and every one of my desk prints makes me realize there is supremely beautiful style in the traditional – prints for the desks, shelves and tables, but art for the walls.  The first time I head her say ‘I am going to be doing some framing’ I had no idea what it meant.  Now I know she scours the globe, where ever she is traveling, and collects the most exquisite collection of frames.  Sometimes she has an image in mind, other times she just lays out her frames, and her prints, and just finds the most perfect pairings.

So now does it make sense when I say adore?  Good.

Here’s a glimpse of their fall session (and when I say glimpse, it really is just that, it was a huge gallery).

Still trying to re-post past sessions to the blog while I have a bit of down time… and these three were my timeline cover for a good two months, so their faces should be VERY familiar.  I also have a tendency to fall back on prior sessions I’ve shot for them whenever I need a perfect face!  I can’t believe I’ve now photographed her kids four times!  They never disappoint.  I adore their mom, she is exceptionally beautiful and photogenic, but I let her off the hook on this session.  I’ll get her next time.  She also is the person responsible for getting me hooked on Pure Barre… I can’t get enough, yet I still can’t manage to get nearly as fit and trim as Sarah!  It’s a good… a big one!

I always feel SO grateful when my clients refer their friends to me.  I am so critical of everything I do, so to think “wow, they thought enough to speak kindly of me…” It sort of blows my mind.  So these two sessions were mini sessions referred to me by this amazing mom.

We shot out at Elm Bank, which is deliriously gorgeous in the fall.  It was a perfect day, the light was insane, and everyone was wonderfully cooperative.  The lines and the textures of the old house at Elm Bank are exquisite… for sure this will be a new entry in my “Where to Shoot” Guide!

I started out with these two little men, who were delightful, full of energy (but I bet you already guessed that), and very funny.

Next, I met up with this family, and while the dad had to battle SERIOUS traffic, his presence made the session complete and I am thankful he was able to join. I adore shooting (and shopping) in Wellelsey, but I’ll be honest, no matter what time of day or where I come from, it takes me 45 minutes to travel across!

I am back blogging from this fall, but during the Fall, when I don’t post sessions because I’d hate to ruin the surprise of a holiday card.  However, as I catch up on last bits of old orders, and ship out specialty items, I am loving showing some of the products that come out of sessions!

This session resulted in beautiful tri-fold holiday cards and a customization of my Session Collection to include a DVD of images + an 8X10 Gift/Coffee Table Album.  The trifolds start with ‘Tis the Season on the front, show the family as you open the cover, open up to a full spread of images, and complete the card with George on the back!  They were printed on a beautiful felt press paper that made the cover feel like a suede.

I adore these albums… the leather covers are stunning, and the images are printed on a gorgeous finish paper and adhered to 1/8″ thick heavy black core pages.  Please excuse the quality of the images below, in full disclosure, I shot them with my iPhone.And finally, some of my favorite session images!  I adore this family.  Mom is so incredibly thoughtful… it makes me feel so loved when my clients check in when they hear I have a sick kid or some other catastrophe, just to make sure I am not in need.  And she is a rock star nutrition coach as well.  I also adore their home!  With a view like this, you can only imagine the interior.  It is the perfect blend of traditional meets modern, gorgeous fabrics and textures with an abundance of clean lines.  Sigh.

What should I wear?  Where should we shoot?  Should I do a session now or wait until the summer?

I am asked these questions all the time from clients… understandably so.  Unless you are a repeat client and know the drill, I am almost worried if I don’t hear them!

Planning for your photography session can be overwhelming.  There are a lot of things to think about and a lot of factors that influence the end result.  While I try to remain very fluid and flexible with respect to timing and location, and generally how I structure the session, it’s helpful if you think through some goals, and them communicate them to me so that we are on the same page and I can deliver the type of images you have always dreamed of having for your home.  Let’s be honest, this is an investment… and you do not want to end up with results that either you can’t work with (“Why did I wear THAT?”) or that don’t make sense to you (“I have no idea what we will do with these!”).

Before you can nail down those planning elements, take a step back and think about what you want to DO with your images.  It’s helpful to have some general goals for your session so that as you view your gallery, and prepare to order, you already have an idea of what you need.  Do you plan to:

• give gift prints
• create an album
• share the prints on line and use in your personal photobooks and slideshows
• display images on your walls, and if so, to what size… will they be framed or canvases… a specific location?

Once you’ve thought through those items, start thinking about your family, your style, and the decor of your house.

• What type of family are you (preppy, sporty, formal, casual, modern)?
• Which rooms are you most likely to display your images (hallway, bedroom, family room)?
• What is the style, decor and color of that area (traditional, bold, modern, country)?

From this, you can begin to come up with an overall style and theme for your session and we can begin to easily answer the final questions:

• when (time of year),
• where (beach, city, park, meadow, home),
• what time (time of day)
• what to wear (casual, formal, traditional, preppy, urban)

Generally, “What to Wear” is a conversation in itself, but I strongly encourage an outfit change for at least the kids, because that allows for some diversity and variety within your gallery and you can accomplish multiple goals (formal holiday card and gift prints + fun wall mounts for a playroom).

On your Session Confirmation Form, I’ll ask you to describe your dream images.  And although we might have already talked through the bullet points above, it’s really helpful to me if you can summarize your thoughts.  And please, add in anything else you’d love to see — candids, vibrant colors, classic BW images, everyone looking at the camera and smiling (for your mother-in-law, of course).

I am more than happy to talk through all the options with you, and many clients have sent me pictures of their homes (specific walls spaces) and of their outfit ideas. The extra time it requires to plan, including perhaps purchasing a few key accessories (darling hats for bright snow shots, a funky quilt for the beach) will far outweigh the outcome of an unplanned session.

The goal for this session was to capture their family, as they are today, having fun in their home and neighborhood. They were packing up to move to a new home, and preparing to welcome a third, so literally everything would be changing for them. Their outfits are casual, coordinating, and not distracting but with great color. We shot within their home, on their treasured roof deck, and in their wonderful historic Boston neighborhood! They solidified their images with a classic, navy, blended linen, matted print session album, 5 of their “must haves” in digital format and a BW Fine Art Gallery Wrapped family wall portrait.