Tis The Season for Newborns!

I had the opportunity to photograph another newborn last week; another baby R and another boy. He was just a sweet 13 days old. Here are a few favorites from the session:

Family Session in Epping, NH

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful family at their gorgeous home in Epping, NH. D, P & their little girl, F were very welcoming and so sweet. We were also not without some familiar faces! I had photographed D's sister (L) and her family just a few weeks prior. We definitely had some fun when it came to big family shots of both D & L's families with their sister, K. This family was up for anything, which makes my job so much easier and so much more fun!

What was also sort of unique about this session was that this family actually had a little GIRL! If you take a look back through my blog of all my sessions, the only girls are my nieces! Everyone who hires me seems to have boys (not that I'm complaining at ALL! LOVE boys!), but girls are so fun and the dress that F was wearing was just so darn CUTE!

Here are some of my favorites from the session:

Little Baby, R

Little baby, R was only my second newborn that I have photographed. It was not any easier than the first. Newborns are probably (in my humble opinion) the most dfificult people to photograph. When photographing a newborn, ideally you want them in a nice, deep sleep so that they are moldable, however, newborns do have a mind of their own and don't always want to be so cooperative! The best time to photograph a newborn is within the first 10 days (or two weeks if you have to push it) of their little life. They are the most sleepy and moldable, and most of the baby acne has yet to kick in. Baby R was a teeny tiny 6 days old when I got to photograph him! Perfection!

He was adorable! Our session lasted over 4 hours (maybe closer to 5), which is a tad long for newborn sessions, but definitely not unheard of. We adults have to do everything in their time (brings back fond (and not so fond) memories of when my own son was a newborn)! All in all, I think we got some great shots and poses. I have yet to get "THE pose", which I know all of my photographer friends know about which pose I am speaking, but rest assured, when I finally DO get "the pose" I will definitely be blogging about it!


and one of Tinkerbel:

Emily & Mike

This session was cake for many reasons! First, because it was my sister and her boyfriend, I felt much less awkward about bossing them around and telling them what to do. I still get nervous before a session with people I've never met before (does that EVER really go away?), but not this time. It was just a nice, relaxing photo session in a beautiful location-- my new go-to location equipped with everything from a beautiful willow trees, a nice walking path, bridge over water, rustic looking picnic table, and even train tracks! It's a photographer's dream! Here are some photos of Emily and Mike:

M & L Families

A fellow September 08 Mama hired me to capture some photos of her, her husband, and their little boy, Z as well as of her close friend & daughter. What was unique about this shoot is that my own little boy, Eliot, was also invited. Eliot & Z are just two days apart and it was so fun to see the two of them interact. It was also surprising (although, maybe it shouldn't have been) that they were pretty much the exact same height and weight. Eliot had an absolute blast and every time that he saw me editing any of the photos of Z, he would point and smile!

I tried a new location for this shoot; Walden Pond in Concord, MA. Not only was there a $5 entrance fee that I wasn't expecting, but I was hoping to find a nice, large, parkish area to shoot and instead, all we found were trails with splotchy light. Eventually, we came to the pond itself, which acted as one giant reflector and the pond, in relation to where the sun was at that time, created lots of blow outs- not the best lighting scenario, but I made the best of what I had!

A Memorial Event

Recently, I was asked to be a part of a very special event. It was the the third year anniversary of a very brave soldier's death during active duty in Iraq. I was hired to capture memories and moments of the family's time together during this very significant and very personal event.

It was a rainy and dreary day. In my hour's drive to West Boylston, MA (the Soldier's hometown), I encountered torrential downpours and hail. Since it was raining, the family decided to hold their event inside a friend's home rather than in the cemetery, where it is usually held. Upon arriving in West Boylston, I first met the family who hired me. S & S and their little boy, Z who is just two days younger than my little boy, Eliot. S is also in the Army. He was in a vehicle with Kyle, our fallen American hero, and another fellow soldier who lost his life when an improvised explosive device detonated right near them. S lost both his legs in that tragic explosion, but more significantly, he lost two fellow soldiers. Friends. Brothers. I could see the heavy heart that S was carrying on this day as he knelt down in front of his late brother's grave stone while holding his little boy. It was heart wrenching. I honestly felt humbled to be in his presence. And of course, I never know what to say or how to react adequately in such sensitive situations.



We left the cemetery and continued to the home where the gathering was now being held. After just a short while, the rain let up and S, Kyle's mother, made the announcement that we were going to be moving back to the cemetery while the rain was at bay. They had purchased dozens of red, white and blue balloons to be used during a balloon release where Kyle's family and friends release balloons up into the sky, an act of sharing communal grief and sending emotional messages to the universe, to God, or whatever it is those family and friend's feel connected to and of course, for the kids, they believe they are going to Heaven.

We returned to the cemetery and I continued to watch and capture moments of grief, remembrance, and love as more and more of Kyle's friends and family arrived. At last, it was time for the Balloon release. Each person got a balloon. Green Day's Time of Your Life played on the radio and the dozens of balloons were slowly released up into the sky. As Kyle's friends and family watched the balloons float higher and higher, I saw more and more tears, hugs, and raw emotion. I kept it together at the time, but later that day, after I got home to my own family, I let out my own tears.

How often we take so much for granted. I wish it wouldn't take events like this to put life into perspective for me and I'm sure for others as well.

A special thanks to S&S, Kyle's Mom, Wife and Daughter, for letting me be a part of this special heart wrenching and heart warming experience. I hope that these photos will be cherished keepsakes that only keep you closer to Kyle and to each other.

The C Family

I had a session last Friday night and the weather was beautiful! Aside from the traffic, I love Friday night photo sessions-- they're the perfect way to start the weekend. This family was so welcoming and easy going. Baby M was absolutely adorable-- and even though it wasn't his best time of day, he did so well. Of course, K, the dog, made everything more fun too :) Here are a few of my favorites...