Fun Family Session in Boston - Andover, MA and Boston Family Photographer

This session was rescheduled due to heavy rain, and then we had to change location because of a huge event happening at our original spot, but it all worked out so great -- it was meant to be! Turned out to be a beautiful sunny afternoon in Boston's Christopher Columbus park on the waterfront.

I met up with these two and their mom (the portraits were a surprise for dad!) near the carousel on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and then we did our photo session in the park. Their mom warned me that I might get some "goofy" faces from her son, but I worked hard to make sure he genuinely had fun and that and his sister had plenty of time to just be kids. These are two really great and fun kids and I loved working with them both!

She is such a sweet kid!

I bet him that he couldn't keep a straight face for ten seconds.

OK, I can't resist a couple of the outakes. This guy was a ham!

This one just cracks me up. 

Eleven Years Flown by - Andover, Boston, and North Shore MA Portrait Photographer

Eleven years ago on Earth Day -- April 22nd, 2001-- it was 85 degrees -- a gorgeous Spring day in Boston. At 1:30 in the afternoon, Grace arrived into the world, screaming her lungs out. She was two weeks overdue, and we could tell right then that she was going to be strong and feisty in addition to being just a little bit stubborn. But besides all that, she is a beautiful, smart, talented, mischievous and funny nature girl  -- with an infectious giggle that has stayed with her all these years.

Somehow she went from a 6 lb 13oz baby to a lovely 11 year old girl seemingly overnight. I remember every birthday in between then and now -- gone by so fast in the blur of time. It seems impossible but in June she will finish Elementary school and be off to Middle School in the Fall. I hate to even think about the fact that since those 11 years flew by the way they did, then next 11 will too and then she will be 22 years old and gone off on her own. OK. Must stop thinking about that now...I can't even go there...

Anyone who sees my posts on Facebook knows that I often post photos of Ellie, but rarely of Grace. She loathes my camera. If I can even get her to look at it, she's usually crossing her eyes or making some other goofy face. But she finally agreed to let me take some birthday photographs (I will admit there was a trip for FroYo involved). I really wanted to capture her personality and her loveliness and she let me do just that.

And here is that infectious laugh and giggles I was talking about...

A Mini Session With Ellie - Boston and Andover Family Portrait Photographer

With the burst of warm weather last week I had lots of people calling to book for Spring and Summer and I can't wait to start a steady stream of family shoots as the weather warms up for a longer stretch!

This weekend I'm looking forward to my first experience on this side of the camera at a wedding -- I'll be tagging along to assist the talented Krista Guenin of Krista Photography, and I can't wait. And on Sunday I have a shoot on the Cape with two of my favorite kids -- Katie and Will -- who are the children of my great friend Sherry.

Meanwhile though, I have been just itching to shoot, and the bleak February and March landscape has meant things have been quiet. So I was happy to oblige when Ellie decided that she would like to do a "photo shoot" the other night.

I was pretty surprised because my kids tend to run as fast as they can AWAY from the camera! But she insisted on putting on a fancy dress and jewelry so that we could go outside and make some pictures. Despite the fact that I was in the middle of making dinner, I happily went along with it. After all, the light was prime -- with the sun low in the sky and casting a golden glow on everything.

So here are a few of the photos I took... Now I just need to get Grace to agree to pose for a few, but I'm not holding my breath!

Newborn Session | Boston and Andover, MA Newborn Photographer

I was lucky enough to photograph this beautiful family in the Fall when they were anticipating the late January arrival of baby Molly. She joined her parents and twin brothers a month early, but she's a healthy and beautiful baby girl!

I spent a few hours with Molly and her family two weeks ago and captured some images of her first few days at home. Clearly she was excited to be photographed, because she did not sleep a wink despite her mom's efforts (she tried every trick in the book)! That's OK though, we were treated to some adorable expressions and got some sweet shots of Molly and her family. Enjoy!

Looking right at her dad here.

Love this moment with mom.

You'd never know Annmarie just had a baby -- so beautiful!

Apparently she wasn't a fan of this hat.

Wide awake and not going to sleep any time soon!

High five!

What Photographs Mean to Me -- Andover, MA Children and Family Portrait Photographer

I loved photographs long before I ever knew what shutter speed was or how to set aperture to make beautiful depth of field.  I value photography as a keeper of memories and something for my children and their children to have long into the future.

But there's something special about photographs that are more than snapshots -- images that not only capture a finite moment in time, but are beautiful to look at too. Those are the ones that go on the wall or in a frame so that we can look at them during a busy day and be reminded of something or someone or someplace that makes us smile. Or laugh. Or feel calm. Or loved.

These are the kind of photographs I want to provide for my clients. The kind they couldn't take themselves because they lack the skills or equipment or the ability to get their kids to sit still for a picture (what parent can get their own kids to sit still for a picture? -- not me!). And not the ones in front of some backdrop in the mall or studio that a hundred other families stood in front of. I want them to choose a place that is special, or beautiful, or fun, or just true to their life.

Mine is the typical "cobbler's children" story... I have a few good photos of my kids, that I've managed to get with the aid of threats or bribes. But certainly none of the four of us, happily smiling together, because I am the one who takes the pictures!

Then, on New Years Day, we decided to hop the boat to Martha's Vineyard for the day. We spend two weeks there during the summer, but we try to get over once every winter just to see the island when there are no crowds. Just the peace and quiet of that special place.

So we dragged the kids out of bed at 7 (after they had stayed up until Midnight) and headed to the boat. They were grumps. Mad that we made them get up early and go to the Island where the fudge shop and Flying Horses were closed for the Winter. But once we got there, they too seemed to feel that calm of the place. The girls didn't fight. They didn't complain about walking the beach.  We just had fun and visited some of our favorite places.

They loved Lucy Vincent Beach and its big rocks for climbing up and jumping off. I was taking their picture -- of course -- when a woman walked up and asked if we'd like a photograph of the four of us. You know how those pictures taken by strangers usually turn out -- not so good. But guess what -- she knew how to work my DSLR -- and in fact had the same camera as me. She took several shots -- some this way, some that way until she was satisfied. We thanked her and wished her a happy new year and she was off.

Guess what -- the picture is great! My kids are looking at the camera and smiling (!), we're in our favorite place on the planet and the ocean and the sky are behind us. And that picture makes me smile. It was a gift from that stranger and I wish I could tell her how much I love it.

I always understood the value of a good photograph, but I rarely have that feeling for myself. This is what I want to share with the families who book me to photograph them. I hope I can bring a smile to your face and give you a picture that is a memory keeper too. I know how important it is!

Happy New Year!

xo