Thanks for joining us for this months blog circle!!! Lots of fun in February, I can hardly believe that it's coming to an end and Spring is just around the corner! One more month, folks!! Then we plan on being outside MUCH more <3
But for now, here are some of my favorite moments in our home and a few of my favorite "non-people" images are included!
Head over to the beautiful and talented Stacey of Soul Threading following next! She always knocks my socks off... head there by clicking here <3
Ah, personal projects. They're all about growth, bettering yourself, reflecting, commitment, consistency... so on and so fourth.
I started my first Project 365 back in 2014. It was my first year of really using my camera. I mean using it in the way it was intended to be used, manual and raw. I sought out a new year and vowed to myself that I would shoot everyday to better myself and learn.
Being self-taught these are the types of projects that help you learn, like a get-your-hands-dirty-not-afraid-of-failing type of learn. There were so many fails in 2014 in my photography journey, and just around the corner there were great successes. I can reflect on my first year with the camera and see my growth, and that's amazing.
Beyond that... I have moments frozen in time of my little ones. As they were at ages 3 and 1. It's priceless really.
So I skipped 2015, focused on other aspects of my growth, really dug into the business side of things, and hit some amazing goals. It was my first year in print, I made pro at both Clickin' Moms and In Beauty & Chaos, partnered up with my amazing friend and started shooting weddings, and my own business took off. I am SO grateful.
The end of 2015 I was feeling nostalgic. I had just finished "busy season" and felt like I hadn't dug into personal work in so long. So.. project 365 (this year 366) seemed fitting.
Why start one? For all the reasons I just mentioned above. Start one for growth, start one for reflection, for commitment, start one to better yourself and your skill.
This is my month of January. Above all, I started this project again to document these guys. The reason I was given a nice camera Mother's Day 2013.... "to take pictures of my children".
When you decide to do something like this, it's important to have a goal or a "reward" at the end of it all. My reward will be a big fat album filled with 366+ images from our year together. I'll flip through the pages years from now and remember my boys as they were at ages 2 and 4 and a big of 3 and 5. How many people can have that?
So challenge yourself. Don't expect it to be easy... because it's not. Some days I don't even want to look at the camera, touch a memory card, or upload and export on the computer. But it just takes one shot a day. Don't strive for perfection. You're just not going to get it everyday. You'll have favorite shots and you'll have some shots that aren't your favorite. That's okay. I promise at the end of it you'll look back and love the collection as a whole.
Tips? Of course! Take a shot every morning before the day really kicks off... the light is beautiful, you have a fresh mind, and you'll have one image that will do if you don't pick up the camera for the rest of the day. If you can't upload it, that's fine! Pick a day maybe mid week and upload them in a batch. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, but also get in a habit. Then it just becomes second nature.
I label each of my images by day so at the end of it all I have a folder on my desktop and it will have all 366 images labeled by day. I'll stick them all on album stomp and BADDA BING! A year in a snap. And it will be SO AMAZING to look back at both your family and your growth for the year.
If you skipped January and are still thinking about doing this, it's not too late<3
Just pick up that camera and start today.
The reward is priceless.
This past week I traveled to Las Vegas for a quick vacation with my husband! I didn't end up using my DSLR but 4 of my images from this past week were taken with my iPhone6 and edited with VSCOcam app. I was happy to capture these shots on my phone and eliminate the pressure of breaking out the big camera on my time off.
It was a good week :)
January is coming to a close, can you eveeeen believe it?! That means only 2 more full months of winter are left and then Spring will be upon us! Not wishing time away, but I do love me some warmth. Thanks for joining us for our 17th edition of this blog circle! Be sure to follow the circle and head to Karen's blog post here to see what she's been up to this month! She also has an incredible workshop open at In Beauty and Chaos right now and if you're looking to better your skills when it comes to capturing imagery with purpose, that is the course for you! You can register here! Shoutout to Karen! <3
Here's our month in a blog!
Onto week three of this year and I am blogging the second week of this project! Still feeling the momentum and happy that I got in the frame in the second week! Hoping to do so every few weeks at least.
Here's week 2!
My first sweet newborn of 2016 couldn't have been more squishy and sweet. He was welcomed home with so much love and joy. He's got a big brother who is already so excited and willing to help momma with the feedings and snuggles. It really melted my heart<3
I am so excited to document more newborns this year and really bright light to all the love that surrounds them.
Welcome, baby Caleb. You are loved.
Week one of 2016 has come to a close! I am so excited and motivated, might I add, to keep the momentum this year and finish this project from start to finish. I'm organized, and ready to go! So here it is, week 1 of 52<3
Here is my unscripted December/Christmas collection <3
I have had such a wonderful holiday spending it with family and just taking it all in. I've put work aside and just allowed myself to recoup a bit after such a crazy year. I think you'll be able to tell in this post given the fact that my children are in their PJ's and/or shirtless in every. single. image.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
I am ending 2015 with the ones I love.
I wish you all the Happiest New Year of all! xo
Be sure to complete the circle and check out AnnMarie's favorite unscripted moments by clicking HERE!
Happy New Year! Cheers to a great 2016!
Somebody pinch me. 2015 has been filled with so many blessings. To have the opportunity to come into people's homes and document their love between their new baby and one another is such an honor.
With that honor and responsibility it is my job to grow and get better. It's my job to fine-tune my craft and really give clients my all.
To do that, I have to follow my heart... I have to capture what I truly believe in. I have to allow myself time to be inspired and not let myself overthink. It's so easy to get caught up in what the photographer next door is putting out, how a client will interpret and view an image, or what poses and props are trending on Pinterest and Facebook. And above all, it's easy to doubt yourself as an artist. I'm choosing to look past those things in 2016. Instead, I'm going to focus on what I love and what inspires me.
So what IS important to me? Realness. I've fully committed the "lifestyle" approach to my newborn sessions. I want to document everything from deep sleep and smiles to crying and diaper changing. I want the good with the bad, the happy with the sad and all that's in between.
I want to give my clients a series of images that will bring them back years from now.
And when they're brought back, I want them to remember how tiny their baby was in their arms, how their little head smelled and how their soft skin felt against their lips. I want them to remember the swaddle blankets and the mess in the background, the jumping toddlers and the pure chaos when a new baby is brought home. With the chaos comes the calm. I want to document that too. Our lives are not perfect. It's the imperfections that make us all who we are. It's the imperfections that make things real.
I want to capture that. I love the imperfections. I am going to keep shooting what inspires me.
Thank you for a beautiful year and thank you for being my inspiration. I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store.
When I received an email from this beautiful mama-to-be asking me to photograph her and her husband in the city to announce their exciting news, I almost squealed with excitement!
I met her at Starbucks where she was writing "mom" and "dad" on cups. We took off and strolled through the beautiful Boston neighborhoods together... and my day was made.
She had a vision. I hope I brought it to life for these first time parents-to-be<3
Owen. That hair! Ah, this sweet family expanded and brought their first baby into this world just last week. I love the feeling I get when walking into a house of new parents. It's quiet and you can just feel the joy exploding everywhere. I had the best time with these three and wish them all the blessings this world has to offer as they raise their sweet son, Owen.
Leighton. She's the third baby girl mom and dad have brought home. I had so much fun watching these sisters love on their new baby girl...
The difference between boys and girls is SO apparent when you bring a baby home. They were so excited to hold and cuddle her and were mommy's perfect little helpers. I enjoyed every minute of this lifestyle session <3
Here's a glimpse!
What's one of my all time favorite sessions? Lifestyle newborn of course...
I've deciided to step away from trying to pose fresh newbies and stick to capturing everything raw and real in their environment. After all, environmental images are some of my favorites and those moments, you can't beat it. I went into this session inspired and left even more inspired than when I walked in... that's a success. They were so beautiful, kind and so inviting. This family of four has a beautiful new addition to their family. Just another new chapter in their story together.
Meet Baby Landon<3
Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by! I was sad to have missed the year anniversary post last month, but I just had too much going on! So this month I am super duper happy to get back into it and share some fall favorites! If you're coming here from Stacey's page, linked here, then I am sure you were left with some jaw dropping eye candy. She is one of my very favorites!
We have been soaking up the beautiful light and colors of the trees here in New England. It is definitely getting chilly but man is it turning out to be the most perfect fall season, and yes we even got a little snow! My boys had birthdays in September and October and I now have a 2 and 4 year old. Cannot even believe it. Let's get to it, here are some of my favorites!
Be sure to follow the circle and check out Diana's blog post next! She will leave you with some beautiful images, too... find her here :)
I couldn't be happier to be asked to photograph Kelly and Dylan's wedding earlier this year. When we set up the engagement session, Kelly had asked to do it over at the Crompton Collective on Green Street in Worcester, MA. Having done a wedding there before, I was totally excited to go back as it's really meant for lovers. I swear, you step behind the Crompton Collective and you feel like you're in a little part of NYC. It has so much character and brings such a romantic feeling to photographs.
Location is always key, we all know that, but so is the comfort and ease of the couple. Let me tell you that these two did everything I wanted and then more.
All I said was "don't look at me unless I ask you to" and the rest was magic. Totally into each other, totally in the moment and the result was this... the most beautiful engagement session.
Thanks for asking me to capture your love story. Gosh, it's a pleasure...
How do you blog a mini? Well I'm about to. This family was the essence of happy.
I've been striving for so long to just "capture moments" in family sessions. Not ask too much, and just let things unfold naturally. So many photographers that I admire emphasize the moments, and that's where I'd like to be. I'll keep climbing until I get there... Lord knows I've got a lot to learn. But this family right here was just effortless. They laughed, played, and cuddled and were totally IN the moment.
I wanted to blog this session to show you what being "in the moment" looks like. And how it makes the job so much easier for the photographer. All of my families I've worked with have been AMAZING. And I am thankful for each and every single one of them.
This family really nailed it. Thank you for making it fun and easy<3
Today I am sharing another sweet cake smash! Ohhhh, I fall in love with these sessions with each one I do! How could you not? Seeing a fresh 1 year old dive into a cake is simply the cutest! The best part about this one is we did it right on their families lakefront property, so this sweetheart rinsed off with a evening swim<3
We kept it really simple, stuck him in a vintage high chair and let him go to town. And the family shots afterwards... ah, I just love how they came out!
Self portraits. Ah, first of all they're so fun to edit. I get more expressive with them, and it taps into my creativity bank. Secondly, when you're behind the lens 95% of the time it's not a bad idea to document yourself so that your loved ones knew you existed when you're long gone. Kind of kidding but it's also kind of true. I'm saying going beyond pictures of yourself candidly blowing out birthday candles, or in a snap chat selfie... document who you are. Who you were. There are pictures of my grandmother & my mother, my aunts and so many other women close to me that I look upon and admire. I look back and swoon over their youth and beauty. It's special. So, I create that. Both for me and for my children. You should too. <3
We are approaching our first year anniversary of our blog circle!! So crazy!! Thank you for joining!! I hope that you've found me through AnnMarie's blog and you're following the circle! If not you can find her blog post here! I love her and her work:) Make sure to complete the circle and see where it all kicked off this month with Karen's blog post! She is quite amazing :) You can find her post here!
We are wrapping up the summer here in New England!! I'm sharing some of my very favorite unscripted moments. Hope you enjoy <3
I can't even explain how sweet and amazing this family is. They welcomed their sweet baby boy, Forest, into the world just 3 short weeks ago. He is beyond precious. His sweet big sister totally stole my heart, too. I told them I'm totally down to babysit, any day of the week. I'm putting it in writing. Maybe they'll take me up on it one day?
Enjoy all of the sweetness and congratulations to the new family of four. From experience, it's a really great number<3
