Sunday, I had the opportunity to drive up to Gloucester, MA, for the sunset family portrait session with Sally, Don, and Luke (with an appearance by Cooper, their 10 month old, 100 lb Labrador Retriever).

We began in the beautiful backyard of their waterfront home, walking down to the granite patio where the wrought iron furniture and the harbor behind provided the perfect backdrop.  With the tide out, we decided to wander down to the mud flats, using a cool old rowboat for our next scene.  Back up in the yard, Luke showed me how he made a wish in the fountain (he wished for Mickey), then we wrestled Cooper into a couple of photos before piling into our cars and bribing Luke with ice cream into a few more photos at Plum Cove Beach.  The beautiful sunset put the perfect ending to our session as Luke and family headed out for the promised ice cream!

This weekend I had the opportunity to drive up to Newburyport MA to meet precious 2 week old Kaitlyn.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Alissa and Ken at Ryder family weddings over the past couple of years, and it was a great privilege to be invited to capture the first Ryder grandchild!

When I arrived, little Kaitlyn was sleeping peacefully in her super swing.  I took a quick trip around the house to scout out the perfect locations to complement her cuteness, then we set out to see how many locations it would take to wake a sleeping baby (if you’ve ever wondered, it’s 3…just like a tootsie pop).  We started out in the nursery, using all of the details of her room as the backdrop.  Then we headed down to the living room, where the beautiful natural light, and my portable background, brought my professional studio right into their home.  By this time, Kaitlyn was a little hungry, so while she took a snack break, the grand-dog, Chardonnay, got a taste of what models have to go through (look for Chardy’s blog post later in the week).  Once her baby belly was full, Kaitlyn was ready to go again, and we finished out the session with cuddles in Mom and Dad’s bedroom.  This session is part one of a 5 part “Year in the Life” package, so check back in three months to see how Kaitlyn has grown!

Last weekend’s wedding in PA provided the perfect opportunity to catch up with the Quinlan family.  Those of you who have been to my gallery space, may recognize Melissa and Conor from the large gallery wrap on the wall (they’re the ones with the big lighthouse in the background).  Fast forward a few years later, and the Quinlan family has multiplied!

We started out at their beautiful home in Lewisburg, PA.  I was immediately welcomed by Melissa and Conor who escorted me to the playroom where Noah and Dylan were busy drawing pictures.  After a few minutes in the playroom, Noah wanted to show me some of his dance moves, so we moved into the kitchen where he had room to get down!  Then we moved into the piano room where the kids played me a sonata.  After all of that culture, we decided to head outside to the kids’ favorite duck feeding location.  So we piled in the car, and took a short drive to the farm down the road.  All of that duck chasing tired the kids out, so after a quick walk around the property we called it a morning.

This week I had a welcome blast from the past when I met Cory, Kim, and their new baby daughter Hazel at MIT for a family portrait session.  I met Kim and Cory almost 6 years ago, when I took their engagement portraits.  Fast forward to 2010, and they are married with a beautiful baby girl.

Since it’s winter, Cory suggested we meet at MIT, where they both worked years ago.  I met them inside 77 Comm Ave, and they proceeded to give me the insiders tour of MIT, regaling me with stories about the campus as we moved from location to location.  We started at the very cool chapel, where hanging metal pieces provided a really cool backdrop.  Then it was across to a well lit lobby, and a quick trip outside to brave the chill.  We looked in on the library that is under the famous dome, but decided we would have to be too quiet, and ducked quickly out. Next we headed over to the Stata Center.  Designed by Frank Gehry, the surreal lines, reflective surfaces, and colorful facades made a perfect background as we finished our session.

When Sandy contacted me to do a family portrait session, she told me, “I’m not interested in having a formal portrait done, or one of those popular “beach” pictures, or “pile of leaves” pictures.”  That was music to my ears!

We met on a blustery morning at the Steven’s Estate in North Andover, MA.  Though I’ve photographed a wedding there a couple of years ago, there was something spooky about the place in the morning, when no one else was around.  It was the perfect location to get a little creative with the family portraits.  We began in front of the carriage house, taking advantage of a cool overgrown fence, then we moved on to a neat old bench in a wooded clearing.  With a couple of the normal settings out of the way, we went behind one of the main buildings to find a graveyard of old benches, followed by a cool jungle of high sticks, and a picnic table behind the old garage, with its bright green paint and broken out windows.  After putting the kids through all of that hard work, it was fitting to end the session with a big leaf fight!

This weekend found me up in Rockport reuniting with Jennifer and Devon, whose wedding I photographed last year, and meeting the newest members of their family - identical twins Amélie and Lucia!

It was an unseasonably warm fall day when I arrived at the family home in Rockport, MA. The twins were enjoying a last few moments of sleep so we crept up the stairs for a few photos of the sleeping angels. With all of us in the room, it didn’t take long for them to awake with smiles for all. Then we got them dressed, and wandered around inside and outside the house, Amélie and Lucia already showing their natural modeling abilities! After all of that hard work they enjoyed a bottle and a cuddle with Mom and Dad.

I met the Wallace family in Aruba earlier this year at Kelli and Chris’ wedding.  Sally is a photographer and they have a little boy named Luke, so we had a lot to talk about when we shared a table at the rehearsal dinner! Fast forward a few months, and I had the privilege of photographing the Wallace family this past weekend on a beautiful private beach near their home in Gloucester, MA.

We met at their historic home, less than a mile away from the beach, and loaded everyone up.  Then it was a short hop down to the park.  To get to the beach, we had to take a beautiful hike through a wooded path with big granite boulders on either side.  Upon cresting the hill, the ocean was laid out before us, with a quaint New England lighthouse framing the scene.  Then Luke was off like a shot, exuding the joy that only a 2 year old at the beach can.  We managed to wrangle him in for some fun family photos, enjoying the lovely sunset over the beach as we climbed rocks and waded though the surf.

On Monday, I had the opportunity to meet Emilia - an angel with beautiful curly locks, and the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen!  I also had the opportunity to catch up with Emilia’s Mom, Shelly, an old friend that I’d reconnected with on Facebook.  I love Facebook!

We met at Emilia’s home in Arlington, MA.  After quick introductions, we haded into Emilia’s play room, where she had a great time playing with a few of her favorite toys.  Then we headed outside to play a bit in the sandbox, walk around the yard a bit, and ride her bike.  After all of that work, it was time for a banana break!  Finally we headed up to Emilia’s bedroom, where Grandma had painted a beautiful garden scene on the wall, and Emilia had a good time looking out the window.  After all this fun, Emilia was tired, and she fell asleep in Grandma’s lap.

As a wedding photographer it’s a rare privilege to be a part of the beginning of so many new families.  Even cooler than that, is the privilege of being a continuing part of the family as it grows!  I photographed Anna and Todd’s wedding back in 2005, so I was super excited when Anna contacted me a few weeks ago to photograph the newest addition to their family - 5 month old Tyler!  We wandered all around the house photographing him as he awoke from his nap, rolled around on Mom and Dad’s bed, had some tummy time, read some stories, and had a bath…even taking a few photos in a trash can.  It was a very busy morning for Tyler, and a very fun shoot!

One of the most rewarding parts of being a portrait photographer is having chance to chronicle the growth of a family from year to year.   Having kids myself, it’s sometimes hard to see how much they change when you are with them every day.  But when you have a family that you see once a year, it is amazing to see the growth that a year brings.

So I was excited to meet Julie, Christine, Paige, and Ryan for their annual portrait shoot this Wednesday morning at Castle Island in South Boston.  I have been photographing the Devereaux family for several years now, and it just becomes more fun every year.  We began the morning on the playground, then moved our way up to the fort.  The doors were open, so we had to take a peek inside.  Then we did a lap around the fort, stopping at the halfway point for a PB&J break (it’s a big fort after all).  Then back to the playground, where we built up our energy for a final walk down the beach…we even got a couple shots of the Moms.  It was a perfect morning at the castle!