Felicity and Matt: An Engagement Session at Colt State Park
Colt State Park in Bristol, RI is the best of at least two worlds. Withing one hour, we were able to have an engagement session that took advantage of the fall foliage and the sunset over the coast. Throw in an awesome couple and you have a great day in the office.
Felicity and Matt have a special place in my heart. For starters, their engagement session had to be rescheduled multiple times due to crappy weather and other issues that were out of our hands. With a wedding at the start of the wedding season, they were also one of my first couples to be impacted by the pandemic. This is definitely a bummer but it’s one of those things where I know once Felicity and Matt’s wedding day arrives it’s going tot take on this added sense of celebration. People are gonna be ready to party.
Felicity and Matt picked Colt State Park in Bristol, RI for their engagement session. I had not shot at this place before but I was super curious- Felicity and Matt picked it because it delivered both foliage-filled areas as well as great coastal scenery. It totally delivered and I have suggested it a few times since then.
Our session was a great chance to get a feel for what it was like working with each other. This is why I ALWAYS suggest engagement sessions happen. Felicity and Matt had some photos that they liked which gave me guidance but they were totally cool with walking into the bushes or climbing on the rocks for me. They also had really cool Game of Thrones inspired shirts.
A few months ago the thought that wedding season might get so universally screwed up by something like this never crossed my mind. I’m sorry it has but all we can do is grab something and look forward to it. I am looking forward to Felicity and Matt’s wedding and will be investing in extra memory cards in case I go overboard in my photo count.
If your wedding has been impacted by the pandemic, I feel for you. The whole wedding industry feels for you. If you would like to chat about your photography needs then feel free to reach out!
A Backyard Wedding in Andover: Sharon and Bill
Backyard weddings are making a comeback- especially with event rules up in the air due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Gone are the days when backyard weddings always meant casual dress and coolers of six packs. I’ve been fortunate to photograph a number of awesome backyard weddings in New England and Sharon and Bill’s backyard wedding reception in Andover was definitely one of them.
Sharon and Bill know how to throw a party. I met them at their house in Andover, where they would be hosting their wedding reception, a day or so before their wedding with my wife, SiEun. SiEun would be shooting with me for their big day and I always feel a lot more comfortable taking photos if we can all meet up before hand. While we would be photographing a backyard wedding in Andover, it’s important to note that Sharon and Bill have one hell of a backyard. There were tents, facilities, linens, tables- the whole works.
I sometimes feel like backyard weddings get a little bit of a bad rap. I have photographed TONS of backyard weddings and they have never been anything but awesome. There’s an added level of comfort that comes with the familliarity but there’s always so much effort that goes into decorating and planning.
With the current health situation and large events being a no-go for who knows how long, I expect to see more backyard weddings. Whether those are really intimate ceremonies with only a few people or hybrid weddings with a formal ceremony at another location and the party coming back home doesn’t really matter to me- I love photographing these!
As I mentioned to Sharon and Bill, I also love real estate photography. One of my first thoughts while revisiting this wedding through their photos was, again, “wow, what a great livingroom!”
Check out some of my favorites!
If you are planning on a backyard, front yard, or vacant lot wedding I would love to hear from you!
Holly and Josh: A Rustic Engagement
It’s not often that I get to photograph an engagement session with horses on a working farm. I was able to do that for Holly and Josh’ engagement session on a foggy day in Oxford, MA.
As I was driving to meet Holly and Josh for their engagement session at Buffumville State Park in Oxford, MA, it started to get a little foggy. Within a few miles of driving from my house in Worcester it started to look like a horror movie and it looked like it was about to rain. I was getting a bit nervous for our session but I was happy to see that Holly and Josh were both game. I am super happy that they did because the gray weather really jacked up the colors and the vibe of this engagement session.
One of the things I really like about Holly and Josh was that they were really easy to talk to. This was the first time that we had met in person and there’s always that little bit of nervousness when you go straight from “hello,” to “ok, now go lean against that tree and kiss.” Both of them were super gregarious and full of ideas which really helps to keep things light, collaborative, an fun. Holly and Josh spend a lot of time with horses and they wanted to include them in their session. It was AWESOME getting to spend a little bit of time on the working farm where their horses live. This was the first time that I had a session involving horses. This was cool enough but I have a soft spot for rustic Americana and this couple really delivered on that.
Check out some of my favorite photos from Holly and Josh’ engagement session!
If you are looking for engagement photos on a farm (and can provide a farm) then I would love to hear from you!
A Family Portrait for a Cause
Every year I donate sessions to help charities and non-profits raise money. Last year I donated a family session to The Pittie Stop Rescue, a volunteer-run group dedicated to finding homes and raising awareness for a breed of dogs that often gets a bad rap. Check out this fall family session and learn more about an awesome group!
Family portraits are always a lot of fun. Because I try to keep things pretty relaxed and focus on genuine moments, my sessions are light and there are plenty of opportunities for people to, gasp, actually enjoy themselves while getting their photos taken. It is really rewarding for me when I get to show a mom or dad the photos from their session and then to see how pumped they are that we captured those memories. It is extra rewarding when those photos are for a good cause.
At some point last year I came into contact with The Pittie Stop Rescue. The Pittie Stop is a non-profit volunteer run, foster-based organization dedicated to correcting misconceptions and finding homes for the Pitt Bulls. As a general dog lover, I was happy to donate a family session towards a raffle to benefit the organization. Pitt Bulls get a bad rap and that’s not fair. Because of this, Pitt Bulls often struggle to be adopted. Organizations like The Pittie Stop are vital because without them championing the cause- a lot of Pitt Bulls would not have happy endings. Important links can be found below.
I was pumped when the session went to Liz, who is heavily involved in the group. Liz’ family and I spent a GORGEOUS fall afternoon at Moore State Park in Paxton. We had some fun, threw some leaves, and came away with some awesome photos that raised some money for a good cause.
You can learn more about The Pittie Stop Rescue by heading towards their main page or liking them on Facebook.
Non-profits and charities are important to the causes they support and the community in general. Each year I donate a number of sessions to non-profits. I also provide event photography with reduced or no fees to a variety of organizations and causes. If you think photography would benefit your cause, feel free to reach out!
A Lifestyle Family Session in Shrewsbury
I love shooting lifestyle family sessions. These sessions allow a family to be photographed in the environment that makes them feel the most comfortable- their home. Lifestyle sessions bring out natural smiles and real laughs over heavy posing and that awkward “I’m being photographed” feeling shrinks. Check out this lifestyle family session that I shot in Shrewsbury, MA.
A couple months ago I photographed a family lifestyle session in Shrewsbury, MA. It was one of those sessions that just flowed naturally because we were in an environment that encouraged that.
One of the things that I enjoy about photographing lifestyle sessions in my clients homes is that there is a higher level of involvement. Communication is really important in any type of photo session (and really in any job- not just photography) but lifestyle sessions work best when there is some idea about what your client wants to get out of their experience. This goes double for when I get to photograph at their house. I have a good sense of what light works best but ultimately the family knows their own house like the back of their hand. And, anyway, great light is important but photographing in rooms that have meaning is more important.
“We really spend a lot of time in the livingroom.”
“Sorry, this laundry room has this great window…”
Jeff was really involved. He had a really good sense of the type of photos that he wanted because he knew what he didn’t want. He and his wife did not want posed photos. We came away with these really fun slice-of-life photos that I think really captured who they are as a family. Now, it didn’t hurt that their mid-century modern house was studio-level gorgeous but this could have also happened in a small apartment. Lifestyle sessions are all about capturing genuine interactions and love, and that happens more readily in a place that’s comfortable- especially when there is a child involved. Ok, enough reading.
Check out some of my favorites from this lifestyle family session in Shrewsbury, MA!
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Pictures are worth a thousand words but check out what goes on behind the scenes during my sessions.