There will be 3 winners:
1) The image with the most votes wins. There are 3 ways to vote - the blog site, Facebook and Instagram. To vote, cast your vote using the poll below (scroll all the way down to the end of the post, past images) and ‘like’ your favorite image in the ‘Best of 2019′ album on Facebook. The blog poll will be shared on Instagram as well. The winner (an image with the most combined votes) will receive a 16×24 gallery or smaller wrapped canvas (valued at $400) of the winning image. If the winner already has purchased a wall piece of the image, they may substitute another image from their gallery.
2) The Runner up will receive a $200 gift certificate to be used towards a full length session in 2020.
3) 1 random voter will receive a FREE spring mini session package valued at $270! It can be YOU! See below on how to enter in a drawing for a mini session.
There are THREE ways to win a mini session. In order to increase your chances of winning you should do all of the following because each of the following will earn you an extra entry in the drawing:
On the Blog:
On Facebook:
On Instagram:
I will randomly select 1 lucky voter from across all three platforms and this lucky individual will receive a 2020 mini session!
Everyone is a winner because if you book a new Full Length session while the contest is running (by March 7) you will receive a free gift valued at $150 with your order! So if you are thinking about having a session with Stephanie Clement Photography anytime in 2020, NOW is a great time to book. Again, you can hold your session anytime in 2020!
Please note:
Now that all the details have been said, here are my favorite images of 2019! Check out the finalists, cast your vote (using radio buttons below all images, FB and Instagram) and leave a comment below for the free session drawing.
Image #1: Big Sister Reflections (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #2: Mom's Treasures (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #3: Soon to be Big Sis (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #4: Cousins (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #5: Ballerina (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image # 6: Teddy Sandwich (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #7: Family Time at the Meadow (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #8: Sisters at the Beach (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #9: Senior in the Lavender (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #10: Quinceanera (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #11: Reaching Out (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #12: Sisters, Friends (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #13: Turning One (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #14: Oops! (vote using radio buttons below all images)
Image #15: Her World (vote using radio buttons below all images)
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From the beach, to the city, to the gardens and meadows, your senior session can be catered to you!
There will be 4 winners:
1) The image with the most votes wins. There are 3 ways to vote - the blog site, Facebook and Instagram. To vote, cast your vote using the poll below (scroll all the way down to the end of the post, past images) and ‘like’ your favorite image in the ‘Best of 2018′ album on Facebook and on Instagram. The winner (an image with the most combined votes) will receive a 16×24 gallery or smaller wrapped canvas (valued at $400) of the winning image. If the winner already has purchased a wall piece of the image, they may substitute another image from their gallery.
2) The Runner up will receive a $200 gift certificate to be used towards a full length session in 2018.
3) 2 random voters will receive a FREE spring mini session package valued at $270! It can be YOU! See below on how to enter in a drawing for a mini session.
There are THREE ways to win a mini session. In order to increase your chances of winning you should do all of the following because each of the following will earn you an extra entry in the drawing:
On the Blog:
On Facebook:
On Instagram:
I will randomly select 2 lucky voters from across all three platforms and these lucky individuals will receive mini sessions!
Everyone is a winner because if you book a new Full Length session while the contest is running (by March 2) you will receive a free gift valued at $150 with your order! So if you are thinking about having a session with Stephanie Clement Photography anytime in 2019, NOW is a great time to book. Keep in mind you can hold your session anytime in 2019.
Please note:
Now that all the details have been said, here are my favorite images of 2018! Check out the finalists, cast your vote (using radio buttons below all images, FB and Instagram) and leave a comment below for the free session drawing.
Image #1: Sibling kisses
Image #2: Quiet moment
Image #3: Senior at the beach
Image #4: Spinning
Image #5: Patriots fan engagement
Image # 6: Little sister sandwich
Image #7: Extended family session
Image #8: Help!
Image #9: Jump!
Image #10: Kids' best friend
Image #11: Stylin' on the bridge
Image #12: Daddy's little princess
Image #13: Teens in Boston
Image #14: 4 girls at the beach
Image #15: Siblings at Public Garden
Image #16: Pair at the meadow
Image #17: Trapper hat family
Image #18: April showers
Image #19: Puppy love
Image #20: Crazy eye puppy
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This family contacted me asking if I could perform this service for them as part of my baby plan session offerings - they had a studio session series for their first son and was interested in the same for the newest member of the family. This little guy was such a treat to photograph for his 6 month milestone - so sweet and expressive! I hope you enjoy this series as much as I had creating these images for them. And I'm super excited to be photographing him for his 9 month and 1 year milestones as party of my Baby Plan offering. Contact me if you'd like to learn more about indoor studio sessions or Baby Plans!
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]]>This is my first year running this contest and I am humbled that we have had almost 800 votes across the blog poll, Facebook and Instagram! That is more interaction than I could have dreamed of!
So without further ado... here are the winners of the 1st Annual Stephanie Clement Photography Best Photo of 2017!!!
1. The Grand Prize Winner, who will receive a 16x24" canvas of the winning image (with a total of 248 votes!!!!), is Image # 9 "The Chase".
2. The Second Place Winner, who will win $200 towards a 2018 photo session, is Image # 8 "Magical Balloon".
3. And lastly, the 2 winners of the Mini Session package valued at $250 is.... Stephanie Koehan and Megan Cuff! Please email me ASAP at [email protected] to claim your prize!
Because I absolutely love each and every image that made it to the final round, I think they all deserve to be displayed in their respective homes. All finalists will receive a 30% discount off a 16"x24" canvas. Contact me by March 15th if you're interested.
]]>It's time to start a new annual tradition - Stephanie Clement Photography's "Best of the Year" Contest! I want to give back to those who make my business possible --- YOU!
Last year, I took thousands of photos and it was so hard to limit those to only 20. Now it is up to you and your family and friends to decide which image gets the title of "Best of the Year" and the prize that goes along with it!
There will be 4 winners:
1) The image with the most votes wins. There are 3 ways to vote - the blog site, Facebook and Instagram. To vote, cast your vote using the poll below (scroll all the way down to the end of the post, past images) and ‘like’ your favorite image in the ‘Best of 2017′ album on Facebook and on Instagram. The winner (an image with the most combined votes) will receive a 16×24 gallery wrapped canvas (valued at $400) of the winning image. If the winner already has purchased a wall piece of the image, they may substitute another image from their gallery.
2) The Runner up will receive a $200 gift certificate to be used towards a full length session in 2018.
3) 2 random voters will receive a FREE spring mini session package valued at $250! It can be YOU! See below on how to enter in a drawing for a mini session.
There are THREE ways to win a mini session. In order to increase your chances of winning you should do all of the following because each of the following will earn you an extra entry in the drawing:
On the Blog:
On Facebook:
On Instagram:
I will randomly select 2 lucky voters from across all three platforms and these lucky individuals will receive mini sessions!
Everyone is a winner because if you book a new Full Length session while the contest is running (by February 28) you will receive a free gift valued at $150 with your order! So if you are thinking about having a session with Stephanie Clement Photography anytime in 2018, NOW is a great time to book. Keep in mind you can hold your session anytime in 2018.
Please note:
Now that all the details have been said, here are my favorite images of 2017! Check out the finalists, cast your vote (using radio buttons below all images, FB and Instagram) and leave a comment below for the free session drawing.
Image #1: Daddy's Little Girl
Image #2: The Whole Family
Image #3: Thumbs Up!
Image #4: Who's Walking Who
Image #5: Sweetness
Image #6: Daddy's Girls
Image #7: Make a Wish
Image #8: Magical Balloon
Image #9: The Chase
Image #10: Siblings in the Meadow
Image #11: Parents to Be
Image #12: Family Love
Image #13: Bundle of Joy
Image #14: Mommy Hugs
Image #15: Class of 2018
Image #16: Big Brothers
Image #17: Solstice Stones Fun
Image #18: Teen Portrait
Image #19: Sisters at Sunset
Image #20: Teddy Tea Time
Vote here!
Thank you!
]]>Looking back at 2017 melts my heart. I love spending time with you all - playing with your kids, getting to know new families and catching up and building friendships with the returning ones. Thank you all for trusting me with capturing your special moments!
Happy New Year!
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I am currently planning on a day of mini's on October 14th. Contact me to book yours!
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Once we got past the "are we there yet", "I'm thirsty" and "I need to go to the bathroom" stuff, we started with individual kid portraits on some rocks by the trees. With little ones who love to run and play, giving them something to sit on or lean against helps to keep them focused for a few minutes.
After I knew we had the individual portraits that mom wanted, we moved out to the beautiful lush green fields at the top of the hill for some family photos. We were all about the fun - we played some games, the kids and I had some special secrets we kept from mom and dad - making it fun keeps the kid engaged in what we're doing and allows us to capture some pure and natural family interactions.
Next we went back to photographing the kids together. First we made some dandelion wishes and lastly played on the solstice stones. They loved seeing the directions on the stones and telling time by standing on the top pillar. You can see in the one image that we're all pointing North :).
Interested in planning your family's session? Contact me for more information.
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Last year I posted a fun way to get a lot of images up on the wall in a small space using 5x5 square prints. Here's another little project I recently completed that I wanted to share.
We live in a national historic district house (aka lots of doorways from french doors, low light and wall space is sometimes at a premium). This little space between the main doorway into the kitchen has been an unused space that I've had my eye on but it's not a lot of real estate.
I recently thought it would be fun to showcase my 4 kids here - both my human kids and my "fur kids". To give it some visual interest I used both horizontal and vertical images. I also wanted to give them a little "pop!" so I printed them on metal which gives a bit more contrast and color and with it being in the kitchen makes it very easy for cleaning/less places for dust etc to settle. I also went wide - instead of a standard size I went wider to custom 8"x12" dimension which fit the space better and worked well with the images I chose.
All client sessions include an in person gallery review and ordering session. In these sessions, we work together to design beautiful pieces and displays custom to your home. I retain all client images indefinitely so I can also design displays using past images or infuse past with current images. Contact me to learn more!
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We started out doing a few photos with big brother and her family to get into the groove and then brought out a pastel rainbow of balloons attached to a fun basket. She had fun in the basket but enjoyed it even more when we turned it upside down :).
Then we moved to a blanket for a few portraits and some Dr. Seuss book time with big brother. He's so amazing with her and she absolutely adores him.
If you're interested in learning more about the Baby Plan package or would like to schedule your own family session, contact me.
]]>We did some basic portraits at the first location. These are perfect for the yearbook, printing for the home, family and friends, and to include in graduation announcements.
Next, we moved to the fields and had some fun! Jordan was up for anything and I knew that I wanted to include all the aspects of the environment. We started in the stands with the great lines of the bleachers, then moved to the goal post and finally wrapped up with a cool 50 yard line shot with him laying down resting on his helmet.
Mom loved all the images and really wanted a large wall piece that incorporated a selection of his football images so I worked with the family to create a collage of their favorite images which we printed large - 24x36. It looks great framed on their wall!
Even if your yearbook photos have been finalized and submitted, there's still time to schedule your own personalized senior session. Contact me for more information!
]]>To schedule your spring session, contact me.
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The first thing I do when I get home is download all the session images. My family knows they can't even talk to me - I always make a beeline to my computer and download all the RAW files (we'll talk about what RAW is later!). I've heard way too many horror stories of photographers who left the card in their camera only to find they accidentally delete them or have an issue. Once they're on my computer, I know they are safe as I have them there and I have 2 separate backups running every day to a hard drive and to a secure cloud service.
Next, is the "culling" process. I whittle out the less ideal images for a multitude of reasons - I look at composure, facial expressions, lighting - there are so many variables and if there are multiple family members in the images, I retain the best images for each person in a particular pose or moment.
After I have the reduced set of images, I do a first pass of editing in Lightroom. I have an idea in my head of what I want each image to become. I apply some basic adjustments such as exposure, highlights and shadows. The RAW term I used before? I shoot every image in RAW format as it captures all image data recorded by the sensor when you take a photo. Because no information is compressed with RAW I'm able to produce higher quality images, as well as correct problem images that would be unrecoverable if shot in the JPEG format. When your images are how I'd like them, then I open them in Photoshop.
In Photoshop, I have a basic process. First, I remove anything I don't want in the image - I don't want anything in the image that will distract the eye from what I want the focus to be. Some things I've removed - electric wires, trash in a park, a car, a leash on a dog, strands of hair in the wrong spot, a purse, an entire person, the list goes on and on! Second, if some "swaps" are needed, I apply those. Swaps are so important when there are large group photographs and definitely when there are sessions with littles! Littles are often on the go and are not going to want to stay in one spot with their family, so this is when head or expression swaps are so important. Someone's eyes are closed in an image where everyone and everything else is perfect? If I have a less ideal image where that person's eyes are open, then I swap it out. I want every image to have the best starting point for the rest of my magic. What don't I don't do? My policy is that if there's something that could have been done in advance, then that is not included as a basic service (you can ask me for additional retouch costs though!). Some of these include - touching up your roots, removing wrinkles - wrinkles from sitting in a car yes I do remove a few of those, wrinkles because your teenager didn't iron his shirt, that will be extra :).
Next, I crop each if necessary and then edit faces. I zoom right up close and remove extra hair that may be distracting, brighten eyes, sharpen eyelashes, take care of blemishes and yes, even smooth out a wrinkle or two. I don't like to over edit, but I do want everyone to look their best, so if a little woke up with a scratch on their face, a newborn has eczema or a teen has a pimple, I do take care of those in the most natural way possible.
Once that's all set, then I apply my artistic vision. I create a vision for each session and that varies based on location, lighting, etc. Based on the vision, I may have had to adjust for the brightness of the sky - do I need to pull back highlights or light out of the sky to pop the clouds, do I need to brighten the foreground/the individuals in the image to account for wanting to capture the definition in the sky. Some other thoughts going through my head - do I want to warm up the image, do I want to add more light to the center of the image or draw the eye to a particular section by brightening or darkening it, do I want more contrast, do I want to brighten or add vibrancy to the color in the image, do I want to add more blur or sharpening, there are so many decisions to be made and it helps to be really adept at Photoshop to make my vision come to life.
And that, my friends, at a very high level is how I take those captures of a moment in time and transform them into beautiful art for your home. This process takes time yes and hopefully you've come to appreciate a little why fine art photographers do charge a bit more than others, but it also takes a connection with each and every family member I photograph. As I edit your images, I'm taken back to our session or even prior sessions if it's a family I've photographed a few times over the years, and I'm smiling, I'm remembering the funny things we did or what we talked about. This is why I love what I do.
Included in this post are a couple "before and afters" of personal images I've taken in the past couple weeks so you can see the transformation.
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And local folks... stay tuned... Assuming we don't stay with these sub 20 degree temps, I'm going to offer a free/no cost to you photo meet up locally for us to get out there, get some fresh air, share some photography tips and have some fun (kids and your/their point&shoot/phone/instant cameras will be welcome!).
#1 - play in the snow
This is the easiest one with all the snow we get in New England! Last year was a bit of fluke for us and I'm already looking out the window at a blanket of white. Although I hope my kids want to make snowmen and snow forts with me forever, with them in their tween/teen years, I know that time is coming to an end soon. Document that! And don't ask them to pose all the time - capture them being them. Bright hats, scarves, mittens look so pretty against the blanket of white. And don't forget your furry friends!
#2 - take a walk
It's so easy to stay indoors but get out there! Not only is it a way to get exercise but it will clear out those stuffy noses in a jiffy :). Keep your eyes open for the beauty of your environment - wider scenes, the beauty of nature.
#3 - go on a fieldtrip
Take advantage of what's around you. My family loves to head into Boston and there is so much to offer. We love the museums but my kids also love to take the elevator up to the top of the Prudential building - it's an awesome view and you can see everything from the river/MIT to the airport to Fenway and more! There some fun interactive exhibits up there too. My kids love the citizenship quiz game. While you're experiencing these great things, don't ask your kids to pose, pretend you're a documentarian and just snap them exploring. I love to look for reflections so I can hop in the picture too. Or go on a factory tour - Taza in Somerville is a fun one!
#4 - play with flowers
Flowers can always brighten up our days - pamper yourself and buy some flowers next time you're at the store and have some fun with them!
#5 - get creative indoors
Document your time indoors! I find this to be the easiest as the kids don't always need to know you're taking their picture! Document your cooking and don't forget to get into the frame sometimes yourself!
#6 - take advantage of those small snippets of (relatively!) warm weather
Lastly, sometimes we luck out with warm weather! Last year we had very warm (60's) days in January and we took advantage and went to the beach! If your kids are like mine, they don't mind the cold ocean temps and will get their feet wet and if they do mind, just play in the sand, walk the beach looking for treasures and enjoy that warmth.
Stephanie Clement is a natural light family photography serving the Andovers and surrounding areas.
]]>So this is a quick "catching up" post - I hope you enjoy my photos of the week as much as I enjoyed creating them! I may have mentioned this before - I find this one much more challenging than the photo a day. Following a prompt with busy days that turn into busy weeks makes it hard for me to have the time to think creatively and express the prompt the way I want or more often WHERE I want... there are only so many hours in a day :).
Week 18: "Favorite Time of the Day" My favorite time of the day is sunset, I love to capture the beauty whereever I may be, I love to play with silhouettes. Can do the same thing at sunrise but having to get up at 4:30am in the morning isn't happening these days :).
Week 19: "Mom" Same evening trip as week 18's photo... We decided to take a drive out to Rockport, MA which is well known for it's "Motif #1", a red fisherman's shack you see in the background. We were exploring separately, me with my daughter, my husband with my son, and my daughter found this old rowboat overlooking the scene. She was a month away from turning 11, so definitely on the edge of becoming a tween, and she sat in that boat while I was taking photos of Motif #1 and then asked if I'd hop in - that she was embarking for a pirate's island. And in that moment I was so proud to be her mom and thrilled that she still has that imaginative play in her.
Week 20: "Up" We found ourselves at a really cool playground along the Charles River in Boston. My kids were climbing, so I laid down on my back on the ground and shot straight up.
Week 21: "Relax" My 13yo doesn't allow me to take his photo much any more, but a toad crossed our path while playing badminton together. He caught him and then he "relax"ed with the toad on his racket for a while.
Week 22: "Summer" Nothing says "summer" in New England much more than lobstah! Our airedale wanted in on the action!
Week 23: "Fun" Fun for me this week was pausing for 15 minutes after an evening session at a local garden to photography the pretty roses.
Week 24: "Dad" We spent our Father's day at the Harvard Art Museum and then at a favorite bbq spot in Somerville, MA.
Week 25: "Hot" Nothing much better than hanging out at a gorgeous park in VT at the end of a scorching day with the beautiful warm evening light watching your kids explore... in this case, my daughter on the swings.
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I mentioned that I wished I brought some flowers and she said she knew where she could find some. I'm so glad she did! We did try to be serious, but that lasted only a few moments. She had said her mom wanted her to try to be serious too ;).
After the serious part, we got back to some fun. Her dress was perfect for twirling.
Want to schedule your own spring "Just the Kids" session? They meant are to capture your children in a way that everyone be relaxed and have some fun - that's how we capture the best moments! Through our initial consultation we'll discuss your child/children favorite interests and design the session around that or we use that information to keep the session lots of fun. Locations can be a stream, the beach, a garden property, hiking trails or even your own house or backyard - and if you don't have any ideas, I have plenty we can choose from! We can do a relaxed, informal session or plan around activity like kite flying, fishing, playing with parachutes, bubbles or balloons, the possibilities are endless. And then our session isn't only fun, it's also a memory. If you' are interested in portraits, we'll do some of those too. Contact me to learn more.
]]>For Father's Day this year, make use of your images from your session and order a framed fine art print for the special Dad in your life! The special runs through May 31st to give plenty of time for delivery! Contact me to learn more!
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We designed an abbreviated session targeting exactly what they were looking for. Newborn sessions typically take up to 2 hours, even longer with twins, with most of the time spent feeding, changing and soothing :). But with a target in mind, we focus on that target and then anything else in the hour was icing on the cake! I'm so glad I was able to help them out. Such a sweet mom and dad and sweet twin boys.
Mom had two outfits and backdrops in mind - more neutral leveraging their nursery rug and then white/bright with their quilt. We started with the rug and right on queue - neither twin wanted to sleep at the same time so we went with it! one was bright eyed and even gave us a slight smile and the other after some soothing was out for the count. As they weren't swaddled, we ensured we got the "twenty toes" pic for their announcement. Tougher than it seems! Awake newborns without swaddling are all about the kick! Given they weren't both quieted down in this outfit we agreed we would move on and focus on the together poses swaddled with the white quilt.
The white wraps and animal themed quilt proved to be a great decision - the swaddling definitely helped sooth them. Sleepy boy continued to sleep and awake boy tried really hard to keep those eyes open. We got a couple shots with the two of them where it looks like he's whispering secrets into his brothers ear.
We found the basket was the only way they were truly happy. The nestled in feeling settled both of them. We took some of them both in the basket and then were able to get some sweet shots with their coordinating animal friends for their announcement.
I don't ordinarily recommend an abbreviated session like this for newborns, but if mom/dad can set priorities and be happy with about 5 similar poses and then everything else is icing on the cake, then I'm happy to oblige and make it work. The outfit switch for these guys was an aggressive goal but we made it :).
I highly recommend my "Welcome to our Family" sessions which are meant to be an experience - first of all we relax, we keep things natural, and then we spend most of our time capturing YOU interacting with the newest member(s) of your family and then I also spend time with the baby ensuring we capture every precious little morsel. Later when they're older and grown, these images will be a treasure and will bring you back to that moment when your little one entered the world. They are best scheduled when the baby is between 5 and 14 days old, but if you missed that time window any time is always a great time to photograph babies! I also help you with announcements and print/wall products. Contact me to learn more.
]]>Their mission:
"Spectrum Inspired is an organization that connects families touched by Autism to professional photographers who have a true passion for celebrating every child’s unique spirit."
Why was a driven to join this talented group of professionals? My own family has been touched with autism, I have friends whose families have been touched by autism and I have photographed children with autism. So I have walked the path. I understand firsthand that it's not always easy to capture the innocence and spirit of these children and that professional photography is not often able to be a family's priority. I understand firsthand the unpredictability and I understand the struggles that may arise. I understand firsthand why many families fear having a third party have a peek into their lives. But I also understand that these children are very special to us, they have unique expressions and emotions just like any other child, their families want to concrete those memories in photographs, and that these children deserve to be seen.
The organization understands the financial burden often placed on these families, so there is also a scholarship fund available. Visit their website to learn more and complete the application process. Please share if you know a family who might be interested.
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The prompts this month were:
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I love when pets join us on our sessions! Typically a dog or two, sometimes a kitten and even once a cockatoo!
This little girl brought her "brother" along to her spring garden session. He is such a sweet, old soul. Including him was very meaningful as he was getting along in his years and unfortunately I was sad to learn that later he had passed away. I'm so glad I could photograph these siblings and concrete these cherished moments for them in photographs.
He joined us in the garden for a bit and then we had some fun. Miss A is a beautiful, spunky spirit!
Want to schedule your own spring "Just the Kids" session? They meant are to capture your children in a way that everyone be relaxed and have some fun - that's how we capture the best moments! Through our initial consultation we'll discuss your child/children favorite interests and design the session around that or we use that information to keep the session lots of fun. Locations can be a stream, the beach, a garden property, hiking trails or even your own house or backyard - and if you don't have any ideas, I have plenty we can choose from! We can do a relaxed, informal session or plan around activity like kite flying, fishing, playing with parachutes, bubbles or balloons, the possibilities are endless. And then our session isn't only fun, it's also a memory. If you' are interested in portraits, we'll do some of those too. Contact me to learn more.
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My family just returned from a fabulously relaxing time away in Mexico. When packing for the trip, I definitely wanted to bring my "big girl camera" and lenses as we were staying at a beautiful resort with it's own nature preserve complete with coral reef (highly recommend Club Med Cancun!) and had some fun cultural excursions planned. But I also knew my kids didn't want to be constantly under the microscope either and I didn't want to lug my equipment around. So for most of the trip I simply used my iPhone 6s. Phones can take awesome quality photos these days - they wouldn't do well for large prints, but for supplementary memory documentation for an album I plan on making, it certainly does the trick! And beyond the phone, there are some great apps out there to give better control of the capture and post editing. I'll share my favorites here, what I love about each and my workflow. I do edit every photo I plan on utilizing. Once you've practiced a bit, it really doesn't take a lot of time.
The apps I use the most are: Camera+, VSCO, Retouch and Tadaa. I also sometimes utilize Mextures and PicTapGo. Mextures gives some great effects for lighting, black and white emulsions and landscape enhancers. PicTapGo I use for quick shares with family and friends or posting images to Facebook. I find this one degrades the image quality quite a bit so I use it for images I don't plan on printing but that I do want to enhance a bit - crop, sharpen, brighten, etc. Not all of these are available for android, but there are similar ones out there. The links I provide below are all for idevices.
So here goes my workflow.
Capturing the image. I most always use Camera+. It does have a small cost of $2.99 but it does give you better control by allowing you to easily touch the screen for point of focus and point of exposure. You get 2 icons to move around your screen. By assigning the point of focus, you get the control of where you want the focus to be rather than the camera which is great for all sorts of uses but particularly good when you're photographing people. Assigning the exposure ensures it compensates for for light properly. There are great bonus controls like Macro and Burst.
Editing the image. Here is where I follow a workflow and may end up using 1 - 3 apps on my phone to finalize an image.
Posting the image. I have a personal facebook account which is very straightforward. If you love photography, I highly suggest instagram. There are a lot of great individuals to follow and it's fun to see what others are doing and even connect with local businesses. I have both a business page and personal page. I keep my business page primarily for posting sneak peeks for some of my sessions and promotions. My personal page I use mostly for my Project 366 (this is a leap year) - a photo a day, every day.
This sounds like a lot, I know. And usually I go right to step 3 which takes just a minute once you've practiced and found what you like to use. But it does make a difference and can make your images shine! Feel free to comment, message or email me if you have any questions or if you'd like some guidance on getting started!
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Week 9 - Self Portrait - It's a bit ironic but I don't like being in pictures! This week pushed me to get in the frame. I had a lot of fun with this one. My daughter and I went to this favorite spot in a nearby mill town. She posed, I applied the settings as I wished, then we switched spots and she clicked for me. Took a few dozen to get a sharp enough image but I think we made a pretty good team!
Week 10 - Rule of Thirds - A few thirds in this image : the horizon, her left foot which is the focal point, her shadow which is also a leading line to her.
Week 11 - Green - This was the hard one. Green was a prompt for St. Patrick's Day week but I just wasn't finding any inspiration. This artichoke was part of our Easter dinner.
Week 12 - Favorite - A few favorites here... my favorite girl, in one of my favorite places to photograph, with one of my favorite photography techniques, the silhouette.
Week 13 - Your Choice - Loved how this old ship hull framed the church, street light and buildings in Salem, MA.
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Fast forward to this February when Miss A entered the world and I was invited to photograph Miss A and her family. I love home lifestyle sessions, particularly with newborns and their families. This is where families spend their time, create their memories, spend their time and I feel honored every time to be welcomed into their homes to capture those precious moments. And with Big Brother and Big Sister being young themselves, this allows them to be super comfortable and in their own space.
We don't need a lot of room for these sessions. Many clients think that they could never have a photographer come to their house - it's too small, it's too dark, they don't have time to clean. That is all ok! I have 2 kids of my own and I've been there and continue to be there. Almost always I can find a nice bright spot and worst case I have some artificial light to help. For this session we started in their kitchen/small play space where there was a nice large sliding glass door to the back yard. It created some very pretty light to take some photos with Miss A in the basket solo, with her parents and siblings.
Next, we moved to the master bedroom. Bed photos are so much fun for everyone! Usually there's some nice bright light and it's where kids love to snuggle up for a story with their parents so older siblings always have a blast. In these images we have baby girl as the focus with her family surrounding her with lots of joy and love.
"Welcome to our Family" sessions are meant to be an experience - first of all we relax, we keep things natural, and then we spend most of our time capturing YOU interacting with the newest member(s) of your family and then I also spend time with the baby ensuring we capture every precious little morsel. Later when they're older and grown, these images will be a treasure and will bring you back to that moment when your little one entered the world. They are best scheduled when the baby is between 5 and 14 days old, but if you missed that time window any time is always a great time to photograph babies! I also help you with announcements and print/wall products. Contact me to learn more.
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But how many of those images have you printed? And of those you printed, how many are on display in your home?
Let's discuss the printing concern first.
We're living in a world where technology is advancing faster than it ever has before. 10 years ago or even 5 years ago, did we know how iPhones, iPads and android devices would transform how we communicate and interact with each other? Our images are stored on all these devices, on our computers. Many of these devices break, they are lost and so are our precious images of our families. And then there are those of us who diligently back up our files and studies have shown that even then we have to be aware of "software rot". Software rot is data that becomes unusable as the hardware and software required to access it disappears. Anyone who's tried to access old word processor documents, get data off a floppy disk, or an old VHS or cassette tape knows how annoying it can be. When we don't print, we leave ourselves susceptible to having those captured milestones and moments being lost forever. The safest way to ensure we don't fall victim to our images being unreadable is simply to print them. And better yet, store those prints in a safe, environmentally controlled place.
Next, the display of those prints.
The photographs of your family belong on the walls and tables of your home. And beyond being a great way to decorate your home, there are other benefits as well!
Psychologists have studied the effect of having family photographs displayed in the home and found that those children with photographs displayed in the home grew up with greater confidence and sense of belonging than those who didn’t. They had stronger feelings of value and a better understanding of where they came from.
And it's not just our children who benefit. When I'm having a rough day (we all have them -- sad news, children are fighting like cats and dogs, long work days), seeing the photographs of my kids and family are a sure way to boost my spirits and put a smile on my face. It won't solve your problems for sure, but every time I pass the wall where I hang both my childrens' 6th month milestone pictures, it gives me a little boost and forces me to pause and be thankful for the people that I have in my life.
Lastly these framed prints, these wall hangings, the keepsake albums... those are what our future generations will treasure. I love to go through my grandparents' photo albums. Not only does it capture the memories, it connects us to the past, to our heritage. Just picture your children or your childrens' children stumbling across an old box of prints or an old album. Now if it were a DVD or a flash drive, would they bother to load it up on a computer or would they even be able to due to quickly changing technology?
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I love this location, it offers so much beauty all four seasons. This particular afternoon was just perfect - the autumn leaves had all fallen, but what was left behind was a lovely blend of golden and brown tones which played off the afternoon sun.
"The Whole Family" sessions are to capture your family in a way that everyone be relaxed and have some fun - that's how we capture the best moments! Through our initial consultation we'll discuss what your family likes to do together or where you like to spend time and we plan your session around that. Locations can be the beach, a garden property, hiking trails or even your own house or backyard - and if you don't have any ideas, I have plenty we can choose from! We can do a relaxed, informal session or plan around activity like kite flying, fishing, playing with parachutes, apple picking, the possibilities are endless. And then our session isn't only fun, it's also a family memory. If you' are interested in portraits, we'll do some of those too. Contact me to learn more.
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I plan my winter sessions very loosely - we have lucked out with temps in the Boston area, but even for the sessions where bundling up fits in with the style, we want to keep temps at a certain level with low wind and little to no precipitation. So with Jennessa, we did the same. We targeted a week and put a plan A and plan B on the calendar and sure enough, we got hit with a snowstorm and ended up with "plan B" and I'm so glad we did. The afternoon winter light was just perfect and added a beautiful boost to her images.
Looking for an updated, fresh looking headshot? Contact me to learn more.
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I'm excited to do the Project 52 with fellow photography friends this year not only for the continued comradery but I'm going to try my best to use the weekly prompt. I find it so much easier to "shoot what you feel" rather than being limited to a single prompt. It forces creativity. Photographers will sometimes do similar by setting other limits - only a single lens, a single subject, etc.
The first 4 weeks' themes were:
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"The Whole Family" sessions are to capture your family in a way that everyone be relaxed and have some fun - that's how we capture the best moments! Through our initial consultation we'll discuss what your family likes to do together or where you like to spend time and we plan your session around that. Locations can be the beach, a garden property, hiking trails or even your own house or backyard - and if you don't have any ideas, I have plenty we can choose from! We can do a relaxed, informal session or plan around activity like kite flying, fishing, playing with parachutes, apple picking, the possibilities are endless. And then our session isn't only fun, it's also a family memory. If you' are interested in portraits, we'll do some of those too. Contact me to learn more.
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When you're a photographer and a best friend who lives a few states away adopts twins, you pack up your gear and road trip! Of course I loved catching up with mom and dad and their furchild (cute photo of him acknowledging that the twins have rocked his world below), but I'll admit the photography session for the little prince and princess was the pinnacle and of course we already have some of their milestone sessions already planned out :). "Auntie Steph" couldn't help but splurge on the cute little frog prince and princess knit hats.
My "Welcome to our Family" sessions are meant to be an experience - first of all we relax, we keep things natural, and then we spend most of our time capturing YOU interacting with the newest member(s) of your family and then I also spend time with the baby ensuring we capture every precious little morsel. Later when they're older and grown, these images will be a treasure and will bring you back to that moment when your little one entered the world. They are best scheduled when the baby is between 5 and 14 days old, but if you missed that time window any time is always a great time to photograph babies! I also help you with announcements and print/wall products. Contact me to learn more.
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Week of November 29:
This week was the start of the Christmas season for me - Grandma was visiting for Thanksgiving, I took the pups' photos in their hats and Holly the Elf came back from the north pole.
Week of December 6:
I began the week with a celebration of the end of my busy season with a Boston Holiday Lights photo walk. It was great to get down there with fellow photographers! I tried a self portrait in an ornament, my son had his first concert with his band (he's singing Pink Floyd in this image) and a few other fun shots.
Week of December 13:
I dedicated this week to favorite ornaments... from the top... This montage is a reminder of our first pups before babies - our Scottie Chester and our Airedale Kayley, the next one is a reminder of our wonderful trip to Ireland, the next montage is for our current Airedales - our breeder gave us the two handmade stockings last year, the glass tree is part of a wedding gift, Hershey's Cocoa is dedicated to where I grew up in PA, we got the next one on our honeymoon in Hawaii + my grandmother always played this song at Christmastime and lastly, this Santa is from a cute little French shop in town and was in my stocking a few years back.
Week of December 20:
Christmas week! More elf shenanigans, a naughty kitty on the table, cookie decorating, an xmas portrait of the kids and one of our Airedales refusing to leave the room as my daughter played with her new robot.
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Week starting 11/8:
Week starting 11/15:
This was a fun a week!
Week starting 11/22:
Winding down from a weekend of tree farm mini sessions (12!) and Thanksgiving with family leads to either end of day or family shots :). So thankful for all the wonderful people in my life.
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Week starting October 18
I tried embracing autumn this week - the colors were starting to fade and there were more leaves on the ground than in the trees.
Week starting October 25
Halloween week!
Week starting November 1
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*** Book before the end of October and receive a promo code for $20 off cards, prints or canvases! (no obligation to purchase, you get a full print release for your images!) ***
I'm so excited to be offering mini sessions for the holiday season at a local tree farm! I'll have a few cute props/styling for your family to choose from or bring your own! Think cozy blankets, tree decorating, hot cocoa! First come, first serve!
The details:
- $125 for a 30 minute session - 5 edited digital images, full print release. They will be provided in an online gallery for downloading.
- November 15, 21 and 22 between 9-11am and 2 - 4pm.
- Payment is required at time of booking. Reschedules only for rain.
I will comment on my facebook post as time slots are taken. Contact me for more details or to request a time slot! Looking forward to documenting memories with your family!
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
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Week starting 9/6:
Week starting 9/13:
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For 2 weeks ago, I got a new toy midweek - a pinhole lens. Pinhole photography is a very early form and consists of a very small hole for which you need to have extended shutter speeds. There's no opportunity to set focal points. I was able to play a little bit towards the end of the week.
This past week has a little bit of everything.
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Sunday - I lasted all of 2 minutes to take a photo of my son fishing, the mosquitos! but he was determined to catch something!
Monday - My daughter wanted math lessons.
Tuesday - This is a "hairy woodpecker" who started frequenting our feeder.
Wednesday - Went pond exploring and found this cool toad.
Thursday - My daughter with her piggy.
Friday - My fisheye rental lens came and my main guy Sherlock was willing to help me play around with it.
Saturday - Mother/son date day at a local amusement park. Took this iphone selfie on the sky ride.
Have a great week!
Just
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Sunday: Way down low, our almost 2 year old airedale across the yard.
Monday: Down low on the floor, our kitty :).
Tuesday: Up high, this is the chapel at Phillips Academy.
Wednesday: Down low of the water lilies.
Thursday: Shot through the trees.
Friday: Used the stone wall as a tripod and used leading lines.
Saturday: Laid on my stomach and waited as the pups played. This is my favorite, I feel like I'm eavesdropping on a conversation.
Have a great week!
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First up is the week of June 21st which kicked off with Father's Day.
Page down below the photos for this past week's postings!
This week started in PA and ended back at home.
Have a great week!
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Sunday - Happy birthday to my daughter! went in at an angle here to create interest and catch the pretty light from the candles on her face.
Monday - It was a very long day including trying to put this new loft bed together. She was hanging out there for the first time, she is looking pretty tired herself :). This makes it seem as if we're peeking in on her.
Tuesday - Rainy day, not much inspiration but then our female airedale was caught in the act going after my garden. I'm shooting this from the base of the steps up to a little porch area which creates more interest.
Wednesday - I don't have a macro lens but it's on my very long list :). This is a garden bed which has lots of foxgloves, I love them so much and some years they really proliferate and others they don't.
Thursday - This was the day of casting for my son's broken arm. I was ready to take a long wide-angled photo of him with his cast watching TV and our younger airedale laid down in between - photo bomb! But it's cute and it works!
Friday - Wonderful time at a nighttime photography class in Newburyport. I was able to practice some long exposure photography.
Saturday - Photo shoots in Public Garden and since we were there early, I was able to grab this shot without people. Love the mix of the old with the new here.
Have a great week!
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Sunday - Much to their display, I coordinated their clothes before church and we headed to a local garden afterwards to take some photos for a Father's day gift. My family I think is my toughest customer, there was some head swapping here :).
Monday - Gorgeous night for some boating.
Tuesday - Some fun in the yard with our pups.
Wednesday - Hot day, we made some impromptu ice milk!
Thursday - My son wanted to visit the gardens again from Sunday. Here he is "tadpoling". Loved the reflection at dusk.
Friday - My daughter and her pony before her lesson. I love the hazy light.
Saturday - Blue Man Group in Boston as a birthday celebration for my daughter, awesome show!
Have a great week!
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Sunday - My youngest and the two pups supporting each other in the storm.
Monday - Took a drive to Phillips Academy in town and tried some out of focus photography. The raindrop effect on my car window reminds me of a watercolor that got caught in the rain.
Tuesday - Uninspired day 3 of rain this week. Took a walk around my yard and I loved the tones of this plant in the pot.
Wednesday - My oldest had a band concert so I picked up some Italian pastries for a treat.
Thursday - The previous night's photo of my son the bassoonist, he couldn't hide in the back this time :).
Friday - I ended up doing two this day. First was our cat enjoying an open window with one of our Airedales behind. The windows are rarely open so they both enjoyed this olfactory treat. It was also my husband's birthday and we made him his favorite - Lemon Meringue Pie.
Saturday - Beautiful day in Boston and we came across this lovely playground at the Fens. The kids had a blast on this spiral which you could stand inside and spin super fast.
Have a great week!
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Sunday - The American Flag flying in Lawrence, MA and taken during my class. The sun was right behind the blue and I thought it produced a cool effect.
Monday - My son does a lot of experimenting. This time it involved concentrating hydrogen peroxide on my stove.
Tuesday - Final elementary band concert of the year. Instead of doing yet another typical photo, I played with a magnifying glass effect.
Wednesday - The kids were playing tag with a scooter and a bubble gun, how fun is that?
Thursday - I went to a favorite spot and these poppies were so gorgeous!
Friday - My son bought himself a new instrument, an electric bass.
Saturday - Back to my final day of urban photography. I was drawn to this fern which was able to take hold in this old brick wall.
Have a great week!
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Sunday - Day trip up to Maine, this photo is taken along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit. The boys were rock climbing below.
Monday - More horseback riding photos, I love to take pictures while she rides.
Tuesday - Our 20 month old Airedale is a speedy girl, here she is playing with her tennis ball.
Wednesday - I was given "3 clicks" this night to take of my son, he is not loving being in front of the camera these days (I took 5!).
Thursday - Our 12 month old Airedale smelled something good!
Friday - I took the same Airedale for a walk on a property I will be shooting at tomorrow to scope out the current color/flowering plants. He's so handsome.
Saturday - Had fun today with an Urban Photography class in a neighboring old mill town. This is detail in an old bridge with a bridge, river and mill buildings in the background. Sort of like a picture within a picture :).
Have a great week!
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Sunday - The boys were away over the weekend and were returning in the afternoon so the girls headed to Boston. It was a gorgeous day and included brunch at Max Brenner's where my daughter always enjoys the popsicle fondue, yum!
Monday - This photo is from the night before, we packed up a quick picnic dinner once the boys had returned and hit the beach. The sunset was gorgeous and it was fun to capture their silhouette.
Tuesday - Horsing around with the horses during my daughter's riding lesson.
Wednesday - Our youngest puppy turned 1!
Thursday - Greek salad for lunch!
Friday - Tradition is to go to American Girl for lunch when Grandma visits. My daughter had ordered hot chocolate and "someone" was trying to steal some whipped cream.
Saturday - This photo my son took :). 3 generations - my daughter, myself and my mother.
Have a great week!
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Sunday - A friend moved to Cape Cod a few years ago and had an open offer to come down for a photography day. She was a lovely host and we saw so much! This is a shot of 3 clammers on their way back in with their haul.
Monday - Only 2 of oodles of tulip bulbs planted maybe 5 years back still bloom. These are them!
Tuesday - May the Fourth be with you. My son was up for some nighttime photography for Star Wars Day.
Wednesday - My daughter on her after lesson trail ride.
Thursday - My son and husband went out of town for the weekend, returning Mother's Day afternoon, so my son gave me a present early. He picked this out himself. It says "I love you to the moon and back".
Friday - Girls weekend! We hung out at the movies Friday afternoon to see Disney's Monkey Kingdom. She loves the DisneyNature movies so it was two thumbs up!
Saturday - We also went plant shopping so had some work to do getting these plants installed.
Have a great week!
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Sunday - Photo from the previous evening. We were headed back from Burlington to St. Albans and the sun was setting. My family wasn't too thrilled we me stopping in the middle of Route 7 when I saw the sun shining through the clouds and these cows close to the road, but I'm glad I did. Check out the stare from that bull!
Monday - I love watching our pups play. Today I practiced fast motion photography with these two. They have so much fun together.
Tuesday - The barn my daughter rides at has some free range donkeys. This guy just kept munching away.
Wednesday - Walk to school day at my daughter's school.
Thursday - I just love that my son decided to spend some of his savings on this inflatable boat. He likes to go out with his dad and the canoe is too heavy/unwieldy for him still so this is perfect.
Friday/Saturday - My daughter's First Communion is coming up in a couple weeks. Friday I photographed the invitation with her dress and headband. Saturday I did a mini session with her at a local park.
Have a good week!
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Sunday - The day sort of got away from me. At the end of the day, the kids wanted to play tennis, it was getting dark but it was warm out so we went and the sky was gorgeous! Can't see much of the kids in this photo but it was amazing to sit back and watch the kids play with that amazing backdrop.
Monday - Can you believe NEITHER of my kids realized what Patriots Day is and why it's the start of April Vacation? My son had an appointment in Lexington so we took a short detour to visit the Battle Green at Lexington Common. It's the location of the first shots fired in the American Revolutionary War. This is new information for us - it's also one of 8 locations in the country where the American Flag is permitted to fly 24x7. Other locations may, but it must follow proper lighting protocol.
Tuesday - We changed our foundation borders and had grass planted where spring bulbs once sprouted. This lone flower was left and caught my eye.
Wednesday - No inspiration, I took a walk outside and nothing. Coming back into the house I saw my reflection in the door. And then in editing I wanted to do something a little different. If you enlarge, look closely, I put my reflection inside the camera lens area as well so it's a reflection of a reflection of sorts.
Thursday - Ahhhhh, VT. We LOVE VT! This farm property was on the way to our house on Lake Champlain in St. Albans. This tiny little hut was in the middle of the fields and we all kept guessing what it was used for, it really drew us in.
Friday - My handsome boy, Sherlock! It was super windy which helped with that cute ear "wave".
Saturday - The property owner lent me his 400mm lens to play with. I got some eagle shots on Thursday, but they weren't very grand due to me not bringing a zoom lens. No eagles on Saturday although we all tried to find them! I practice a lot with some gulls, herons and these geese. The mountains were gorgeous along this point, always having this purplish gray color, the scenery isn't enhanced at all, this is nature's raw beauty.
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As for the other days this week:
Sunday - We spent time with my kids' nanny from years back who now has children of her own. My son loves spending time with them and I caught a special moment in an archway of a local "castle".
Monday - Prepping sugar cookies for a New England airedale gathering tomorrow. Froze them for when I had more time to be creative. :)
Tuesday - Finally! Crocus blooms in the yard!
Wednesday - Resiliency project by Old South Church. I love the "T" sign in the background.
Thursday - "Cheated" and used a photo from Wednesday. I walked to the ducklings in Public Garden to see if they would be donning a wardrobe. Sure enough, Momma Duck had the whole familyi in their spring bonnets.
Friday - After work I decided to decorate the airedale cookies, I think they turned out pretty well!
Saturday - Went to a wine tasting with a dear friend and these caught my eye. Our local liquor store had a remodel and now has a high focus on craft beers. I have always loved looking at the labels, they're so creative.
Have a great week!
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Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this journey so far!
So for this week -
Have a great week!
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Sunday: We visited the MIT Museum which is a hidden gem in Cambridge. Afterwards we grabbed a snack at Flour and walked to the Charles. I knew I wanted to take a photo of the skyline, I did quite a few and then realized the iron fencing would make a great frame of the Pru.
Monday: Feeling like spring, I had bought some hydrangeas. Hydrangeas always make me reflect on the Easter season.
Tuesday: I have these doggie bunny ears and knew I could entice Eden to pose for me. Borrowed my daughter's bunny to complete the image.
Wednesday: Lots of April Fool's pranks in our house this day, but the best one of all was a surprise trip into Boston. Not until we parked and walked outside did the kids realize what we might be there for - the Big Apple Circus!
Thursday: Sherlock's turn for a photo shoot. He's only 10 months and not as cooperative. I took a lot of great portraits of him with this basket (the ears wouldn't have stayed on), but after we were done and before I had a chance to clean up the basket and eggs, he just sort of crashed next to everything. That's where I got this cute paw shot as if he fell asleep waiting for the bunny or is in a chocolate coma.
Friday: Road trip to Rhode Island for the day for the zoo and the beach. I loved this old pair of kangaroos - they're 19 years old, the grandma and grandpa of the bunch.
Saturday: Finally got to decorate our eggs this afternoon.
Have a great Easter and a great week!
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Sunday - I had purchased these lovely tulips the previous week. They looked pretty in my kitchen window light.
Monday - I typically always have sourdough starter on hand. I made a new recipe which will be my new "go to" bread recipe. My husband had found this old potholder over the weekend. My grandmother had made it many years ago. Great pop of color.
Tuesday - Finally we had some good days to get the sap flowing in our maple trees!
Wednesday - I have been wanting to capture the gaze between my daughter and our youngest Airedale for weeks. Before school they were spending time together and I had to quickly grab my camera.
Thursday - It was a very foggy day. I had to deliver some images a couple towns away at dusk and I knew this bridge was nearby. I used a very slow shutter to capture the lighting like this.
Friday - I had to work in Boston this day and was uninspired in the 20 minute break I took outside. On the way home I stopped at a cemetery with a lovely old stone bridge and tried doing some shots of my reflection. It was gray and dreary, definitely need to try this again when it's brighter out.
Saturday - We stopped at the MSPCA while out running errands and spent some time in the barn. This horse drew me in, she's old, she's thin and I couldn't help but stop and watch her for a while.
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Day 1 - He currently loves the top of the Prudential Center in Boston. He loves to be up high, to look at the city, to enjoy the exhibits they have there. We combined it with a trip to Max Brenner (fabulous chocolate themed restaurant) for lunch.
Day 2 - He switched from alto sax to bassoon a few months ago. It's a complicated instrument in every way from assembly to playing it. And it's huge!
Day 3 - This is his second year tapping our maple trees. He loves to cook, he loves to create, and maple syrup is just another way to do just that. It is so yummy, so much better than purchased.
Day 4 - He has a pet tarantula - more specifically, a Mexican Red Rumped Tarantula named Pepe'. He wants to be an entomologist one day so every year he treks to Cornell for "Insectapalooza" where this (not so) little guy came from.
Day 5 - He also takes Russian, he has such a knack for languages. He also is fantastic at acting. His Russian class taped a play at the local high school this week. He played the part of a teacher.
Day 6 - He wanted to chase a sunset one night. We were a little late, but was I was able to catch a silhouette of him.
Day 7 - His favorite restaurant these days is a conveyor belt style sushi spot. You sit at your booth and tons of different types go by you and you just take what you'd like and pay at the end. Every plate is color coded for price. His sister enjoyed PB&J sushi instead :).
I'm still not sure what this next week will bring, perhaps I'll do a week on me!
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The week started out at the Mass Audubon Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary for their maple tours. My kids love doing tours and my daughter loves the wildlife sanctuary as if you bring some seed, the chickadees and if you're lucky a titmouse will land on your hand! This first photo is of her patiently waiting for everyone to get their maple sample for us to all to do a toast.
My daughter also is a bit of a hoarder - she won't admit it though - of stuffed animals. We do have a purge rule now (everyone one coming in, one goes) but she has a LOT. We pulled them all together and loaded up her bed. She looks so cute in the middle of the colorful display!
She is also a huge Minecraft fan. She and her brother love to play together, they're so creative with what they've built. They've tried to teach me and it hasn't gone well. I have her pictured in b&w in a pretty light stream in Zack's room while they're playing together.
My daughter also had her first band concert this week, she's pictured in the 2nd row playing the flute. She also takes piano and drum set lessons, she's so musical! Snare wasn't her thing so I am teaching her the flute for now and she's doing great.
She also loves horses and takes riding lessons. She's pictured here on her pony doing her 2 point.
Friday I asked my daughter what else she'd like me to capture this week and she said her rock collection. She loves rocks! She loves to go to museums and even has a rock identification board game.
Lastly, we didn't get to do a trip we planned due to a rainy day so we ended her week by tracing her on paper (we couldn't believe how tall she really is!), coloring her with her favorite outfit completely with horse print leggings and she wrote a "concrete" poem around the whole thing with her favorite things. She's so proud of it and it's now hanging in her room.
Up next...... my son's week!
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I hadn't planned on this week being "dog week", but it started out that way Sunday and Monday and then I decided I'd just go for it.
Sherlock is a bouncy puppy so his were more caught in the moment. Eden is a bit older and so I took advantage of her excellent "stay" command to do some fun things - wearing a St. Patrick's Day "hat" and dressing her up with flowers. We need every bit of feeling of spring on the horizon in these parts as we can get!
I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed taking them.
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This week as a bit all over the place. Starting from the top left...
Looking forward to the start of spring this month!
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People are drained, you walk around after a snow and you can just feel that drain in the neighborhood as we clean up. There is no where to put it and we've even had to shovel snow to make room for more snow.
I love snow but even I have found myself sick of it. So I challenged myself this week to shoot a "snow picture" every day - try to find the positive in it all. This week's photos include:
Here's to another week, hopefully one filled with gentle melting.
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We started the week Sunday with snow (of course) and a tour of Taza Chocolate in Somerville - a must do! Monday was another snow day, kids home from school, but due to orthodontic appointments we had to head into town. This allowed me to stand in the middle of Main Street and take a shot. Not too many times I'll get that chance again.
With another snow day on Tuesday, my daughter decided to see what it's like to jump rope in snow - it's HARD with boots on!
Wednesday, I received surprise flowers from my son. All on his own he used his teen account debit card to order his mom some flowers - what a great heart he has! Thursday, my daughter wrapped up her homemade valentines for her class. They turned out so cute - animal envelopes stuffed with goodies, complete with ears made from various duct tapes.
My son had a planned surgery Friday (promised not to photograph his face) and then more snow Saturday. I have always loved the clock tower at Phillips Academy and it looked so pretty with the vast snow covered landscape in front of it.
As I write it's snowing - again - and this time another 12+ inches. Kids and dogs don't mind! Happy Valentine's Day!
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We started with the Pats in the Superbowl (and we won!), Zack made us some of his "famous" french onion dip complete with onions he caramelizes himself.
Inside shots rounded out with Abby's socks (we LOVE fun socks in this house!) and her owl nesting doll set.
Outside, Abby is helping to dig us out, Sherlock is in our sidewalk "tunnel" and frozen branches produce pretty bokeh in the late afternoon sun.
Enjoy your week!
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Shot inside a bit - the bright colors of a greek salad, the detail of Mr. Cuddle's ear in the sunshine and Eden wearing her "cone of shame" as she recovers from her spay.
The storm was lots of fun for Sherlock - poor Eden was on bed rest. The photo below is of him taking a break from hopping through the 2+ feet of snow. The snowdrifts at sunset were beautiful to capture as well.
It was Patriot's Day at school - Go Pats!
Lastly, as the kids and I were walking to our local sledding hill I noticed my reflection in my son's glasses. With some angling, I was able to capture a fun shot of both kids!
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We've been trying to do a light hike at least once a weekend, I was able to capture the kids having a moment through the trees and the "baby" and I also hiked up a small hill where the sunrise was still gorgeous.
I am so thrilled I noticed our reflections in the exterior wall of the Institute of Contemporary Art. I've ordered this family "portrait" in metal and cannot wait to see how it turns out!
I work for Putnam Investments and driving into the parking lot Wednesday I couldn't help but notice the gorgeous morning sky. Putnam sponsors the Patriots so these banners are everywhere. I think it turned out gorgeous and just about a week before the Super Bowl!
I had my first attempt at long exposure photography with a gorgeous old mill building near the kids' music facility. We showed up early, I have always loved this spot so set my camera to 30 second exposure to see what happened (while also laying on my belly and using a curb as a tripod - mental note that I really need a tripod!). So happy with the results!
My baby girl got spayed so the still life is in her honor on Friday. And finally lastly I took the little guy out for some energy release and he was soaring, ears were flying, through the snow at our local park. Didn't make much of a difference though, he was rearing to go all day! The contrast of him running down the hill with the freshly falling snow still clinging to the trees created a perfect picture.
Have a great week!
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I loved that this week I was able to capture the kids doing something they love - Abby creating via her robot design homework and Zack reading in "his chair". And I love I was able to capture the kids musically - they're both extremely musical. Zack was in his first band concert on the alto sax, great grin once he forgot I was taking his picture! And Abby recently started the flute and is doing fantastic.
The other days lent for some creativity - my tea on a very chilly day, lunch date with hubby and Dumbledore the bearded dragon.
Here's looking to what is hopefully a less hectic week with more time to think about this fun project!
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So what did we do since it was cold, kids were back to school and I was back to work? The coldest days the people stayed cozy inside but that didn't bother the pups at all, even at zero degrees they wanted to romp around out back nearly nonstop.
Over the weekend I groomed Eden (and took a photo of her snoozing on Zack's yogibo during a break), I played with my new Olloclip iphone lens attachment from Mike and Sherlock was a very willing participant with his smiles while begging for a tummy rub and we even got an inch or two of snow where Sherlock and Eden acted like the puppies they are. The light that afternoon was a gorgeous golden color, so happy I was able to capture it.
Abby obliged my photography the other 3 days. I snapped a photo while she was drawing a picture for a friend, just loved the reflection in the table. She jumped for joy in some fun boots to have a dusting of snow on the ground It warmed up a little bit today so we all went back to the Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary where Abby spent a lot of time handfeeding the birds again while Zack was on a mission to ensure he walked on every island on the property. We were there late afternoon and the afternoon was so pretty heading into the woods.
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An archive of our daily lives - Needing to find a moment each and every day will give us an archive of our year in a way I would have never captured before. It won't be of just vacations or special outings. For practicality, it will have breakfasts, quiet moments, the good and the not-so-good.
Improved perspective - I will push myself to look at things differently. For example, if my daughter is drawing, what is the most interesting way to capture that moment.
Gain exposure to new techniques - Being in a large group of photographers - some professional, some just as a hobby - will expose me to new styles of photography, new styles of editing, new tools, new locations, new equipment.
Be part of a greater "thing" - In the end, all those other benefits are fantastic, but there is something to be said of the comradery of being in a group of motivating women all focused on the same goal, all cheering and supporting you along the way.
And in the end, I'm hoping to finish. I'll try to be flexible - use an iphone, make up a day if necessary.
Here are my photos from the first calendar week in January - January 1, 2 and 3. Hope you enjoy following this journey as much as I enjoy taking it.
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