BOSTON CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER, BOSTON FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER, BOSTON NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

I think I start every day out thinking “today will be the day I blog some sessions… or at least something from my life.”  And then each day ends and I think “well, I stuck a few shots up on Facebook, hopefully that will suffice.”  Today started out no different, except that lo-and-behold, I am blogging.  It’s really a crying shame I can’t get my act in gear and do this more often.  I know clients appreciate it.  I know my other readers [read: my mom] enjoy it as well.  I just get to a point where I think “where on earth do I ever start…” and then you know my ADD, I end up in the kitchen painting the ceiling, or in the basement trying to dig clothes out of the cedar closet and I think “aren’t I supposed to be doing something else…?”

So here we are.

I really wanted to share some images from this session for a few reasons.  Primarily because I really did stalk Chris and Marci last year for this session.  I reconnected with Chris, and then “met” Marci, when I was having coffee [read: cocktails] with Mrs. Fellows and inevitably we had Facebook up and somehow we made the connection that she knew Marci and I knew Chris, and what are the chances, and don’t we now have a bunch of mutual friends up here on the North Shore?  So you know I love to photograph people I know, and conversely, you know I end up knowing all my clients through 10 different avenues.  And so it just begged the question “Why aren’t I photographing the Gallups?”

Chris and I went to college together and I’d say we ran in the same circles, which is really just one giant circle, a giant confused circle, a giant confused very fun circle.  Such was Hobart College.  I think we ran into each other a few times out in Boston… and now ALL these years later we both live on the North Shore.  It’s so awesome to see the people I knew 20 years ago living such great lives.  He married Marci who is downright FABULOUS in every sense of the word and they have 4 awesome kiddos.  And it’s just a really cool thing to come full circle and catch up again.  Even though we didn’t actually catch up because he was trying to prevent his children from jumping off Castle Rock and I was trying to photograph them doing just that… but I did kind of get to know Marci more and she’s a winner and I know I’ll be seeing more of her.

So landing the plane, one reason I wanted to share is that I know them, love them, cute family, all is good.  The other reason is that one night last year I happened to log on to Facebook and saw that they adopted Riley.  To me, that is the most beautiful and selfless and amazing thing someone can do for their family.  We have a few adoption stories that are quite close to our hearts and so when I find out that someone has chosen this option to complete their family, I immediately think “I need to capture their family complete for them.”  So we planned to do a session last year, but things got crazy with my schedule and their home renovation, and it slipped to this fall.  But we finally shot it, and I love it.  Their family is so full of energy, their boys are gorgeous [and funny and polite] and Riley just completes the puzzle. [Well, a dog actually completes the puzzle... so we'll have to see what happens with that!]. And so here they are, on my blog.

Thanks for a great Sunday.  I am happy we got this done and we did so before the first touchdown of the Pats game.  I hope to see you soon!

[As a special little treat, I am sharing their entire slideshow at the bottom. It was a fun session and very representative of my work -- a blend of lifestyle portraiture.... and since I haven't updated my portfolio on this site yet, it gives you an idea of what to expect at a session!]

Love this.  I must have said “OK, now NO ONE look at the camera!”

Love love love how Chris and Marci are pretty far apart but still totally connected looking at each other!

A picture of the Lighthouse at the Lighthouse!  What could be better?

What are the chances that within 24 hours I would photograph two families with adorable boys and both of the moms are from Texas?  Houston I think!  And both moms are awesome, and both dads are cool?  I am lucky.  Very lucky.

I am even more lucky because I have known Josh since before he was born.  Really.  No joke.  Our families are BFFs.  Really BFFs.  It doesn’t matter if we don’t see each other for months on end, we are still BFFs.  I can’t actually even put it into words the connection we have with this family.  When I was like 6 or 7 I was looking out the window at the neighbors getting ready to go to Prom and I apparently said “Josh Chaffin can take me to the prom.”  When I was reminded about that in later years (as I am actually reminded whenever I see Josh or my mother wants to embarrass me), it’s really really funny!!

I found a prom date other than Josh… and a few years later, Josh found Maisie who is a dream.  She is so kind, open, and brings an amazing spark to not only Josh’s life, but also to Peggy & Nate’s (after 39 years, I apparently have the green light to call Mrs Chaffin “Peggy”).  She is beautiful and has a lovely spirit.  Josh grew into a handsome, articulate and caring guy.  Together, they have Issac.  And he is beyond yummy.  I spent about 30 minutes with just Issac and I was IN.  LOVE.  Everything about this boy is the bomb.  It was so fun to see this family together, and to watch how careful and loving they are with their boy, and to see how much they love each other.

Thank you for an amazing morning.  You guys really are like my second family.  Can’t wait until you are living state-side again!

There is one image from this session that I think is Perfect. I’ve asked some other photographer friends their thoughts and this is what they came up with “Love the swinging hair,” “I love that she is both thin and strong at the same time,” “That one of her walking toward them is somehow both sexy & sweet. It’s like, it shows she’s still a gorgeous woman, but a mom, too, and that you can be both.” “I want to be her.” That pretty much summed up what I was thinking when I shot the image of her skipping down the beach [in a way more eloquent than I could have].

As for the rest of the session, it was lovely. I met Holly at a workshop and I think we totally clicked so I was super psyched to shoot her session! I was equally psyched to meet her husband because he works at Adobe and you know how I love my Brands. I figured two cool people would make an awesome kid, and I was right! Their son is a gorgeous little boy filled with a lot of expression, determination and a little bit of spunk!

I had a great time! I am so glad everyone hung in there through the sun and the heat and we got it DONE!

We are all so excited to meet this baby.  I can’t even put into words how much we love these guys and how happy we are that they will be parents in just a few short [and they will be short!] weeks!  I’ve been thinking about this maternity session for a while, knowing how beautiful Lisa is, and what a great area they live in, with easy access to the beach.  I was a little nervous since everywhere I looked on the weather map, it said rain… but Mother Nature really got it together for Sunday and pulled out a winner.

I have so much more to say about this, but I can’t because I have a 20 month cyclone destroying my office… too sick for school, too well for home and into Sharpies & Post-its.  And I have to pack us up for our trip tomorrow.  And do about 10,000 things.  Like post nursery contest updates, and all that jazz.

So these can pretty much speak for themselves.  Love.

Is your baby between 6-12 months old (ideally sitting!)?
Do you have a super cool nursery?
Would you be interested in winning a free session and mini-print package?

[contest information will be pinned to the sidebar until the contest is complete!  check there for details and updates!]

If you answered yes to all three of these questions, we would love to see pictures.  What’s in it for you?  A chance to win a free photography session featuring your baby and your nursery!  We would like to see between 1-4 photographs of your space.  At least one photograph must include your baby in the nursery itself.  We are looking for creative use of light, color and design elements.  Images must be taken by you or someone in your family (as in “please don’t submit images taken by another professional photographer.”)

All submissions must be received by midnight, March 5, 2010.

Entries will be judged by a panel of photographers who will narrow down the selection to 5 nurseries.  The finalists will be posted on the Kristina Young Photography Blog and the winner will be chosen via a public voting poll.  Voting will occur between March 10 – March 17, 2010. There are specific rules around voting that will be clarified during the voting round of the contest.

Winners will be announced on March 19, 2010. There will be 2nd & 3rd place prizes also awarded — gift certificates to Kenzie Kids (Wellesley & Dedham) & The Flat of the Hill (Beacon Hill)!. Winner must schedule session so it takes place between March 27 – May 8, 2010. Winners must sign a release to allow participating photographers to display images on blog, website, Facebook Business Page and any other print or web materials as deemed appropriate.

To enter, complete the following submission form: http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/nursery-contest-submission

—————————————————————————

Don’t live in Boston? Have friends across the country? Check out these photographers who have nursery contests running in other cities! Their contest, terms and conditions may vary, so please make sure you read the details with care.

Birmingham, AL: Stephanie Fisher Photography
Northwest Alabama: Jennifer Weddington Photography
Denver, CO: Laura Werner of Vibrant Life Photography
Connecticut: Crista Acosta Photography
Central Indiana: Kristi Hibbetts Photography
Metro New Orleans, LA: Amy Drouet Photography
Frederick, MD & Washington DC/Baltimore metro: Shey Marin Photography
Northern VA & Washington DC: Amber Scruggs of Little Moon Photography
Mississippi Gulf Coast and Pearl River County: Emotional Imagery by Brandi Head Photography
Central New Jersey: Kim Schmidt Photography
Northern New Jersey: Christie Adams Photography
Cincinnati, OH and Northern Kentucky Area: Jessica Wright of Memories That R Precious
Columbus, OH: Andrea Roberts Photography
Philadelphia and Main Line, PA: Bernadette Uzcategui Photography
Pittsburgh, PA: Seedlings Photography
Rhode Island and South Shore of Boston: Amy Ro Photography
Houston, TX: Kerri Mathis Photography
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma, WA (and surrounding areas): Susan Berman of Whimsical Photo Design
Spokane, WA: Jaidean Baker Photography

—————————————————————————

The Fine Print.

This is our contest, we make the rules.  We have researched many different ways of voting and there are pros and cons and hanging chads in just about every method out there.  This is how we have decided to run our contest, if it’s not a fit for you, we respectfully accept your decision to decline participation.  We also know there are ways to work around the system, so we will actively monitor IP addresses and research anything that appears to be fishy.  We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that appears to be suspicious.

All participants must agree to sign a model release allowing images to be displayed on participating blogs.  Winning participants must sign a release allowing images taken by participating photographers to be displayed on web site, blog, Facebook and print advertising sources.  Participants must also agree to standard Terms & Conditions of participating photographers.

Winning participants will receive a complimentary session focusing on nursery, baby and/or family as outlined by participating photographer.  Additional items may also be included.  Regular session terms and conditions apply.

We require an electronically marked consent that you are entering this contest voluntarily and that participating photographer is not promising any winnings or other compensation for participation.