Sean and Nicole's glowy engagement session in the Spring blossoms / Beverly, MA

Things have gotten off the rails over the past week because of the coronavirus. I’m a very task-oriented person and I take great joy in checking things off my to do list, so it can feel a little frustrated to be at a standstill at times. Yet, it is making me appreciate friends and family so so much. I’ve become much more intentional with taking time out of my day to Facetime my loved ones, and that feels good.

Speaking of loved ones, these little love birds below are very near and dear to my heart. Sean was in Shane’s and my wedding nearly 13 years ago, and since then they’ve chosen me to be their engagement, wedding, and newborn photographer. Their engagement session in Beverly, MA has been one of my favorites because I absolutely LOVE taking pictures of people in love in front of a backdrop of Spring blossoms! Browse some of my favorites from their engagement session, and be sure to leave them some love in the comments section below!

Location: Long Hill, Beverly Massachusetts

Romantic and Dramatic Coastal Bridal Session / Rockport, MA

Question: How many of you are happy with the bridal portraits from your wedding day? There can be a number of reasons why people are unhappy with their bridal portraits from their wedding day such as being short on time or having limited options for location. Sometimes couples are just too stressed on their wedding day to really feel comfortable in front of the camera. I was fortunate and my wedding photographer was amazing. Still, I would love to have another shot at my bridal portraits, get prettied up in my wedding dress again (maybe on an anniversary!), and make camera magic in a pretty location.

That’s exactly what Julliana and Rubmael decided to do after they weren’t completely happy with their pictures from their wedding day. Julliana is super talented with hair and makeup, and she did it herself. She even re-invented her bridal bouquet, making it herself out of light pink peonies.

We chose the perfect seaside location in Rockport, MA which was both dramatic and romantic. Scroll below to see how magic can be made when you combine a rocky coastal location with a glowy sunset. And leave me a note below to let me know if you’re team color or black and white! I had such a hard time choosing with some of the images in the gallery that I did both!

Location: Halibut Point, Rockport Massachusetts

Classic Rockport, MA surprise proposal and engagement | Erica & Maidel

Sitting at the end of the 2,250 foot breakwater at Eastern Point, I waited for the moment to arrive. Maidel and I had spent months planning her surprise engagement right next to the lighthouse in Gloucester, MA. I was nervous, and I wasn't even the one proposing!

Finally, the ladies arrived. Maidel and I agreed that I would approach them while they were setting up their tri-pod to offer to take their picture in order to throw Erica off the track and so she wouldn't wonder about the creepy girl lingering with a camera by herself.  As soon as that happened, Maidel went down on her knee and popped the question!  

What followed was a perfectly nautical two hour engagement session around downtown Rockport. We hit all the classic spots: Motif #1, Bearskin Neck, Roy Moore Lobster Co., and The Pewter Shop.  The evening couldn't have ended more perfectly with a dreamy sunset in Rockport harbor.  

Check out some of my favorites from Maidel & Erica's surprise proposal and engagement session!

And congrats to the happy couple who were married in December in Colorado and will be celebrating with friends and family in a beach-side ceremony in Hawaii!

Check out Maidel and Erica's engagement feature over on 2brides2be!

http://2brides2be.com/maidel-ericas-proposal-stories/

Shane & Kelsey | Northshore MA engagement

I have to say, I really love beach sessions. But after this fall season and all the amazing clients I've had and darling images we've created together (just you wait and see--they are ALL lined up on my blogging queue!), I think that I might love fall sessions just as much!  When you scroll through the images below, I'm sure you'll see why! That golden light! The rich jewel tones of the foliage!  That cozy, plaid, scarf outfit coordination! And the super-moon!

Kelsey and Shane contacted me after I photographed Kelsey's sister a couple years back.  They had recently gotten engaged and were excited to capture this exciting time. They even paid special homage to their Gram, who would have surely teased Shane for taking so long to pop the question! Ha!

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite images from Kelsey and Shane's engagement session. Leave them some love in the comments section below xo

Photographed in Essex, Massachusetts

Waiting on Bear | Golden Hour Beach Maternity Portraits Gloucester, MA

It's hard to believe that the little guy we were waiting on during this maternity session is already a year old now. Even though we chose a day in late April for Sarah's maternity portraits, we were met with a stunningly windy (chilly!) day on the beach, so much so that we threw around the idea of postponing. But baby Bear wasn't going to wait, and Momma and Dad didn't have many free days left before his arrival. So Sarah totally "mama-beared" the whole session and made it look like a warm day in August! 

I love Sarah's classic maternity style! Her blush pink dress was so dreamy in the setting light at Good Harbor.    And I pretty much squealed when I saw the flower crown that she brought with her!  

Enjoy Sarah and Joe's maternity session and leave them some love down below by clicking the heart icon!

xo

Concord, MA engagement session | Kelly and Tony

When Kelly first contacted me to photograph her and her fiance's wedding, it felt like we had already known each other for months. THAT'S how friendly she is.  And when I met her fiance, Tony, it was cemented that they were the sweetest couple ever. 

Their love affair (why does that sound so scandalous!) began when they met each other out on the town one night in Worcester, MA.  Now, they can't wait to celebrate the love they have for each other just a few months from now in Newport, RI!  

As the happy couple lives in Worcester and I am located on the North shore, we met each other halfway in lovely Concord, Massachusetts at the Old North Bridge.  It was my first time exploring the area, and hopefully not the last time my travels will take me there!  We had lots of fun making photographic magic in fields of wild flowers, on old historic bridges, atop rustic wooden fences, and among gorgeously manicured gardens. I'm so excited to be photographing Kelly and Tony's Newport wedding this May!  

Enjoy some of my favorites from their engagement portrait session from earlier this fall, and don't forget to leave them some love in the comment section below!

Top of the Hub Reception Brunch Boston MA | Darren & Sam

Hi friends!

I'm back with another post highlighting a super-sweet wedding reception brunch that I photographed over the summer at the Top of the Hub in Boston.  Darren and Samantha had a small out-of-state family ceremony the weekend before, but it was just as important for them to celebrate their nuptials with all of their Boston friends!  

The thing that struck me the most about Darren and Sam's reception was the genuine affection that was a near-tangible element filling the room.  Not just the love that Darren and Sam had for each other, but the affection that Darren and Sam had for their friends and that their friends showed in return.  

So here we are--friends begin to arrive to the Prudential Center and are greeting with warm smiles and stunning views of Boston.

Congratulations, Darren and Sam!

Feel free to leave some love in the comments section below.

Wedding Reception Brunch held at the Top of the Hub, Prudential Center, Boston Massachusetts

Makeup by Ashley Christine

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakeupByAshleyChristine

Website: http://www.makeupbyachristine.com/

Rockport, MA Nautical Engagement Session | Jacob and Lindsay

Jacob and Lindsay's engagement session from the beginning of the summer was easily one of my favorite portrait sessions to date.  I knew it was going to be magic the second Lindsay and I met up to chat about her session to go over her ideas, and she pulled out her Pinterest board and DIY nautical props.  Honestly. Magic!  

We stayed in Rockport for the majority of our session, even spending some time in the exact spot Lindsay's parents got engaged many years back.  Later we hit the beach for a little picnic under the Ultra Mega Moon. (Isn't that the scientific name for it?)

Intimate Wedding at Lake Quannapowitt, Wakefield MA | Beckee & Robbie

Sometimes things just fall into place.  When I was first asked to capture Beckee and Robbie's wedding at the lake in Wakefield, I had already been booked for a wedding on the Northshore that day.  Beckee and her family are good friends of mine, and I've known them for quite some time, so, naturally, I was pretty bummed. 

Fast forward a few hours later, and I receive a call from my bride telling me that her wedding would be postponed due to a family emergency.  When Beckee found out that I would be available to photograph her wedding, she was ecstatic!  (Like, really, I think she used that word.)

We quickly swapped bridal shot ideas and some Pinterest pics and got pretty jazzed up about the whole thing. Fast forward a few days, and it's the day of the wedding!  

Beckee and Robbie were united in marriage in front of their family and close friends at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Massachusetts.  Beckee made a gorgeous bride.  As a hairstylist and makeup artist for over twenty years, she is really on top of her game. (Check out her beauty blog!) I don't think you need my words to tell you she looked stunning--I mean, just look at the pictures.  She even made her bouquet all by herself--like, what??

Beckee's three sons escorted her down the "aisle" where Robbie was waiting with his "best man," his lovely young daughter.  Beckee's father, Jack, gave the wedding talk, and even managed  to keep a dry eye the entire time. 

Afterward the family gathered together for one giant family photo.  Can you believe that this is just immediate family? (And that one more has been added to the bunch since then--welcome, baby Brock!)  The Beaudoin family is seriously one good-looking group of folks. 

The festivities were just beginning, and a backyard celebration complete with champagne and cake lasted into the night.

Congratulations, Beckee and Robbie!  

Don't forget to leave me your love in the comments section below! I love to hear from all of you!

Courtney & Glenn | Malden, MA maternity and family portrait photography

Winter photography isn't easy for a portrait photographer.  It's cold. (Red, runny noses anyone?).  The lighting stinks. (Sun sets at 4.) And there is an ever present threat of the weather going ahead and ruining a scheduled shoot. (Especially in New England.)  Not surprisingly, most portrait photographers slow down during the winter time.  But do you know who waits for no one?  Babies!  You can never be sure when those little things will pop out.

So when Courtney asked me to take her maternity photos, I was excited at the opportunity, and eager to get started.  Her due date was about 2 1/2 weeks away during this shoot!

It had just snowed a couple of days prior, so we got to take advantage of a snow-covered landscape.  Expecting mommas run hot, apparently, but it was also unseasonably warm that day!

Drake popped in for some fun too!  I photographed Courtney during her first pregnancy with Drake, too, so that made this maternity shoot even more special for me!

We took advantage of the light for as long as we could, but did I mention that this was the day before the SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR?? Um yea.  Light was fleeting.  Time to get creative.  

I brought my flash along with me for this shoot, anticipating that lighting would be working against us.  For this shot, I bounced the flash off the snow. Instant reflector! Score!

Shortly after, we went back to their place to take a few more pictures of the family together.  I wanted to focus on relationships and interactions here, so I went for a "lifestyle" portrait feel.  All this basically means is that I let Court and Glenn interact naturally with each other and with Drake while I was busy perched on top of the couch snapping away. I think you can really feel the love in these pictures.  Oh the heat!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this maternity and lifestyle portrait photography shoot. Leave your comments below!

Auburn, NH Anniversary Portrait | Mom and Dad!

Back in early November before the snow started to fall, I went up to my parent's house on a Sunday.  My Mom, who is a real estate agent for Keller Williams in Bedford, NH, needed new head shots done for her website and "For Sale" signs.  I happily obliged as I had never taken "business professional" head shots before, and, well, why not?  It's the least I could do for me mum!

So after we got that out of the way, my Mom and I dragged my Dad outside to take some pictures of the two of them.  I'm sure you could imagine his "ecstatic face".  Just kidding, he wasn't ecstatic at all.  But he played along because he's a good Dad and he loves his wife and daughter very much!

My parents have been married for 38 years! Come on, Internet, give them a round of applause!  38 years!

Sure, my Mom still makes my Dad late all the time, and SURE my Dad always throws away my Mom's stuff when she's not looking...but THAT'S the face of true love right there.  It doesn't get much better than that.

 Their backyard is pretty much my favorite.  If I lived there I would force all my clients to stand in my backyard for winter shoots so we could get that "snow covered pine trees" look.  Alas I do not.

I LOVE this last picture.  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post this one already. I just think my parents are super adorable.

I guess this is what you would call a mini-session because the entire shot lasted less than ten minutes.  In the end, their gallery has about 9 portraits to choose from.  

So what do you think of this couples "anniversary" session?

 Leave me your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions below!

Essex, MA Anniversary Portrait Session | Austin and Kim

The fall season has been busy with portrait sessions, so I've been madly editing.  Of course, the most gratifying part is getting to show you guys! 

Last month, my good friend Kim and I set up a time to take anniversary pictures of her and her husband Austin.  They were married a little over a year ago, and like myself, never got around to getting engagement pictures done.  That's why I love the idea of milestone anniversary portraits!  It's like a second chance for those of us who missed the boat because of wedding madness the first time around.  Plus, it's so nice to have these pictures to chronicle years of marriage--especially the milestones like 1, 5, 10, etc.  

So we started off our session in Ipswich. Unbeknownst to us, we trespassed on a gigantic "private" soccer field.  Oh well.

What could I say?  The light was perfect, so I couldn't help myself...trespassing laws be damned.

It didn't take long for the session to get goofy.  Classic Uncle Austin.

Oh, and I love this one.  I don't really have much to say about it, aside from the fact that I could have really used a step stool, considering my debilitating height.  But I still really like how it came out...like it should be on a fancy blog somewhere.

I love fall photography; don't you?

After we were booted out of the area, we moved along into beautiful, rural Essex, Massachusetts.

 I assured Austin that should he contact Lyme disease from being in that field, he would have some really lovely pictures of his last days of good health. And we headed toward home.  Except I lied, and took him into Annisquam instead.  Whoops.  What a good sport.

There's this really cool footbridge taking you into Annisquam village.  

And the foliage was super pretty.  

Happily ever after.  The end!