I love finding little treasures tucked away in unexpected places, and one of my favorites is the Massachusetts Audubon Habitat in Belmont MA.  Turns out it is a favorite spot of Margaret and Andy as well (Margaret attended camp there as a kid), making it the perfect location for their engagement portrait session.

We began in the beautifully manicured gardens that surround the big house, using the blooming flowers and cool little pathways with their wrought iron gates as the background for the photos.  It was here that I first learned about Andy’s tree climbing prowess!  Soon it was time for an outfit change, and a little exploring inside the house, where we discovered a really cool old mural painted in the grand hallway.  But we were saving the best for last.  After a quick outfit change, we headed down to the old abandoned greenhouse, where we quickly found out why they are called ‘greenhouses’ !  A nice stroll through the evening woods cooled us down, though.

When I used to make the long morning commute into Boston every day, there was a radio station that would frequently play a little ditty that said “There’s just a lot to like about Lowell”.  After hanging out downtown for Lee Ann and Frank’s Engagement Portrait session, I have to agree wholeheartedly!

After a quick coffee at Brew’d Awakening, we headed down Market street, pausing to pose with the various cool remnants of the heyday of Lowell’s manufacturing days that have been carefully preserved and celebrated: a big sign painted on the bricks, a cool little art shop with an “Old World” courtyard, and a turn of the century steam train.  When we came across a cool little shady park populated with a few older Lowell residents feeding bread to their pet pigeons, I had a slightly evil idea…but don’t worry, no actual pigeons were harmed in the making of the photo, and the residents were delighted with the excitement.  And that was only the beginning of the mischief, as Lee Ann, Frank and I explored the old factory buildings down by the river, hopping a couple of fences, and having a lot of fun in the process!

As anyone who has walked the Freedom Trail in Boston knows, the end of the trail leads to a charming little neighborhood just north of Boston known as Charlestown.  Well if we’re being honest, anyone who has really walked the Freedom Trail is cursing life and looking to skip Bunker Hill and take the weight off their feet in one of Charlestown’s Irish Pubs!  But with its combination of gaslights, hidden parks, and colorful old buildings, it makes a perfect background for a romantic stroll.

And that’s exactly what I did with Christine and Patrick last weekend.  We met at the Foodmaster and immediately set out for the cool parts of town.  It wasn’t long before we found a building made of cool old stone surrounded by gaslights.  Then we twisted through a few back alleys, sneaking into a couple of backyards to take advantage of the colorful doors found throughout town.  Finally we marched up Bunker hill and back down again.  Take that, Freedom Trail!

Christian Science Park is like a little slice of Italy right in the middle of Boston!  It’s one of my favorite parts of the city, and it’s special to Tracey and Dave too…that’s where he popped the question, and she said yes!  So when they suggested it as the starting point for their engagement portrait tour around the Back Bay, I jumped at the chance!

We started out with a lap around the park, using the old world inspired buildings and the reflecting pool to frame the happy couple.  Then it was a short walk down to the Fenway, where the setting sun on the green grass and trees of the park filled the frame with warmth and color.  Since we were a short hop from their apartment, we made a quick stop for a couple of photos outside the front door, then headed up the road to Fenway Park.  On the way, we passed a neat old building with  a couple of significant numbers on the doorposts :).  Finally we made it to Yawkee Way, where a couple famous Red Sox superstars cheered the happy couple on!

Sometimes the weather forecasters lie!  Like when they predicted thunderstorms all afternoon yesterday.  I was even packing an emergency rain poncho in my back pocket.  Turns out Jillian and Ross had the mojo to keep the storms away for their South Boston engagement portrait session!

We met at Castle Island where we started the session with a lap around Fort Independence, taking advantage of the big stone walls and the oceanside setting to get everyone warmed up.  Once we finished our lap, the adventure really began as we took a whirlwind tour of South Boston.  Jillian and Ross currently live in Southie and wanted this session to capture some of their favorite parts of the city.  So we drove up the road a bit and wandered around a couple of really cool old industrial areas adjacent to the old Boston Edison Power Plant.  Then we headed up to Telegraph Hill, where Ross pulled off the perfect dip!  We finished up the session with a little local color on East Broadway.  It was so much fun touring South Boston with Jillian and Ross, and I can’t wait for their wedding in September!

With their wedding quickly approaching, Linda and Ryan decided that it would be fun to have some photos of them in their home town of Worcester.  So we got together for a quick engagement portrait session.  We started out at the Union Station, one of my favorite places to take photos.  From there we wandered downtown, my goal being to reach Federal Square, where I knew the little park out front would provide a great backdrop.  Along the way, however, we were sidetracked by an old railroad building, an abandoned car dealership with cool blue walls and broken out windows, and a great little doorway where Linda and Ryan were brave enough to sidestep the doggie poo(at least we hope it came from a dog) and strike a romantic pose.  We finally made it to Federal Square, where the backdrop was just as perfect as I thought it would be.  Then we headed back behind the train station to a warehouse district before settling down at the Kenmore Diner for a coke, and a run through the timeline of their wedding day.  Stay tuned for photos next week of them in decidedly more formal attire!

Last weekend I had the privilege of meeting up with Hilary and Joe for their engagement session at Lars Anderson Park in Brookline, MA.  Lars Anderson is one of my favorite locations for Engagement Portraits, with its rolling green hills, beautiful view of the Boston skyline, really scummy pond, and tons of little nooks and crannies to tuck people into for their photos.  And it was a childhood haunt of Hilary.

Since it was a beautiful day, and lots of people were enjoying the park, we ducked away to a more secluded area to start the photos.  After a few shots on a grassy hill, we headed up to the skating rink, then down around the car museum, where a beat-up old junker (for sale if anyone is interested) caught our eye.  Then we tucked unto a grimy garag-ey corner where the light was awesome, and the scaffolding provided some nice framing.  After that we’d had enough of the grit, and headed into a field of buttercups.  Then it was a trip around the scummy pond and back up to the top of the hill, stopping at a creepy, mostly dead tree along the way.  Hilary and Joe kept things fun the whole time, and I can’t wait for their wedding later this year!

On Sunday, I had the chance to meet up with Paula and Jeremy in Boston for their engagement portrait session. With rain in the forecast, we wanted a location where we could shoot outside, but duck inside should the heavens open. As it happened, we got a little too brave, but I’m getting ahead of myself!

We met in front of Back Bay Station, and walked right to Copley Square. After a few photos in the square, it quickly became evident that, being Memorial Day Weekend, we were going to have a big audience in all of the normal haunts. So we packed up our things, and headed out in search of a quiet corner of the city. As it happens, we found the perfect spot - a quiet little street (ok, an alley) right next to the Christian Science center. It was just what we needed to create beautiful photos.  But it was a little farther off from the covered places we originally chose the city for…as we found out on the walk back, when the clouds couldn’t hold it any longer and let loose on us! Paula and Jeremy never lost their smiles, though…even when dripping wet!

Since their wedding is planned for the lovely Caribbean destination of Aruba in a few weeks, Kelli and Chris wanted to get a few photos around their home town of Charlestown, MA. I love Charlestown, and have been looking for a change to shoot some photos there, so we met in front of the Coldstone Creamery on Sunday afternoon.

From there it was a walk around the Navy Yard that Charlestown is famous for. We began at an old abandoned warehouse, where we hopped the fence on the back side to take advantage of the cool urban decaying backdrop. Then it was on to the Navy Yard itself, where we climbed on the cranes and played with the mops (or are they “swabs” in a Navy Yard?). Next we wandered down to the park on Terry Ring, where we found a great city backdrop. Having our fill of all things naval, we then headed back in the direction of our cars, pausing to have some fun in a highway overpass and at a small neighborhood park that featured a funhouse mirror. It was a blast!

Boston is such a fun place for engagement portraits, because, no matter how often I have been, I can always find new little nooks and crannies that form unique backdrops for a romantic portrait session. And Saturday’s session with Beth and Greg was no exception! With rain threatening throughout the afternoon, we kept looking up in expectation of a soaking. But it held off just long enough for us to get what we wanted.

And what we wanted was to capture the urban feel around the Copley Square area of Boston. We started out at Back Bay Station, circling around to the parking garage and taking the elevator to the top, where we had the place all to ourselves, and a great view of the Pru to boot! From there it was a lap around the Hancock tower, taking advantage of all of the mirrors they were nice enough to put there for us. The it was on to the Boston Public Library, where we checked out the courtyard, but got the best light in the foyer. Since we were so close, it was only natural that we shoul next march on to the Christian Science Center park. Finally, to include some iron and bricks in the photos, we jumped a couple of streets over, and crashed a random Back Bay stranger’s front porch. It was a great time!