It's A Girl!

The other day I had the most fun with Sarah and Will shooting their maternity session!  I'm still finishing up editing the session, but love the photos so much I had to share some quick favorites! Enjoy!

Check back later this week for more lovely maternity shots! Thanks again Sarah and Will - you guys are the best! Only a couple more weeks and we'll get to meet their beautiful baby girl!

-Jess

"Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same." - Emily Bronte

Up until June of last year I had the majority of my photographic experience in animal and pet portraits, children, families, events, dancers, etc.  In the beginning, I was a bit hesitant to get into the wedding business.  I had shot portraits and events before, but weddings seemed to pose lots of high pressure situations that I wasn't sure I was ready for.  But, man oh man, was I wrong! I got the chance to assist my friend, Caroline Alden (www.carolinealdenphoto.com) at my first wedding in the summer of 2009, and ever since then I've been hooked!  Wedding photography is like combining the best parts of portrait photography and event photography with the chance to be a part of the happiest, most exciting day of two peoples lives.

The wedding that Caroline and I shot together was absolutely beautiful!  Aparna and Thomas had been dating long distance between Denmark and Boston for five years, and this big day was the celebration of their wedding, but also marked the day before Aparna would join Thomas to live in Denmark.  The ceremony was intimate and held in Aparna's own backyard.  It followed traditional Indian customs, with some traditional Danish traditions mixed in.  The entire wedding party was dressed in Saris, there was exquisite henna tattoo work, and vibrant colors everywhere.  It was truly a beautiful experience seeing two different cultures come together and everyone being able to celebrate love together so harmoniously.  Here are some of my favorites from this wonderful day...

 

It all began at the bright and early 9am hair and make-up party !

 

 

 

Getting ready photos play a really special role in the wedding photographs. At first this seems silly, who wants to see me before I have all my make-up on and frantically getting ready?  But once you see all the photos together, you realize how organic a wedding album can be when you have the getting ready shots in the beginning and the party at the end framing the wonderful ceremony in the middle.  Also, we get to catch wonderful little moments of anticipation, joy and how the whole family is involved in the process.

 

 

 

Is that not the most beautiful henna work you've ever seen? This is just the beginning of the wonderful colors, textures and designs of the day!

One of many advantages of having two photographers at a wedding, is that you can have coverage of two different activities/locations that are happening at the same time.  As the bride and her mother were getting ready at the house, the groom-to-be, his family, and most of the wedding party was waiting patiently ontop of a hill about 4 blocks down the street. Since we had two photographers, Caroline was able to stay with the bride while I went up the hill to document (and thoroughly enjoy) this exciting tradition.  The large wedding party was accompanied by a drummer who played the entire four-block walk back to the house.  Although it took us a mere 8 minutes to walk to the top of the hill, it was about a 30-45 minute trek down the hill of continuous dancing that was led by the groom fully clothed in the traditional Indian sari carrying a beautiful white umbrella.  It was such an amazingly happy, celebratory "dance parade" of sorts, I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face as I was photographing (I may have taken moments to dance a bit as well).

As we reached the house, the groom was greeted by the bride's family and more wonderfully traditional Indian customs followed. 

 

I absolutely love the photo of Thomas and Aparna's parents walking together.  Such a genuine, wonderfully happy and peaceful moment of a family coming together.

 

 

 

 

 

 And now time for some dancing!

 

 

 

Nothin' Like Playing In The Fall Leaves!

Don't let those chilly autumn months fool you! September through November are wonderful times for outdoor photo shoots!  This is especially true in our wonderful New England area where we are spoiled with our fall leaves.  Last fall, I got lucky enough to play in the leaves near the Charles River with an old school-mate of mine, Nancy, and her adorable daughter, Alexia! She was even so cute as we were getting ready in the car, I couldn't resist taking a photo :)

Who says you need tshirts and shorts for great photos? Throw on those cute little sweaters or coats and matching knit hats, and you get snuggly, super cute autumn photos! I absolutely love hats, not only does it help keep everyone warm, but they add wonderful texture to the photo, and serve as cute props for the little ones to play with (i.e. peek-a-boo).

 

And of course, we save my absolute favorite for last... :)

 I hope you all enjoyed looking at these photos as much as I had taking them! And, don't forget, each season (even the chillier ones!) have they're own unique natural elements that allow outdoor photoshoots to be breathtaking any time of the year!

-Jess

Ashley

Being a competitive swimmer for a good 12 years or so, I had many jobs in the lifeguarding, swim lesson teaching and coaching areas.  At my most recent lifeguarding job at The Cambridge Family YMCA, Ashley was one of my fellow guards.  I learned she was a dancer and was lucky enough to get a chance to photograph her! Ash is crazy talented, didn't get mad at me when I had to ask her to do the same jump six times to get the timing perfect, and was so so fun to work with! Here are some of my personal favorites from the shoot...

 

 

 

Can't thank you enough Ashley!  We are hoping to do an awesome summer-time outdoor dance shoot with Miss Ashley, and hope to have those up soon! Can't Wait!!

-Jess

Cass & Kell

 I've had the pleasure of knowing Cassie and her brother Kell since 2004.  Cass and I went to Clark University together, and were both members of the Clark U Swimming & Diving Team.  She is definitely one my absolute best friends and I was more than excited when she asked if I would photograph her and her brother as a present for her mother's birthday!  Cass and Kell came into the shoot super super open minded, were totally happy to put up with my silly ideas, and we had an absolute blast!  It's shoots like this that make me realize I have the best job in the world! At the end of the day, I get to hang out with friends, play with kids, and creatively document fun.  I can't thank Cass and Kell enough for being awesome models, and even better friends!

 

As an only child, it's super fun for me to deal with siblings.  I love the contrast between the typical sister-brother bickering, and the deep deep connection that is only shared between two siblings (especially when they are so close in age).  It allows for real fun, silly, but realistic photos like the ones above. :) But, of course, we make sure we get those special lovely moments too...

 

This photo was one of their requests.  Cass told me their mother has a photo of them as little kids where they're faces are really close and they're giggling at eachother.  They wanted to recreate this pose as adults and frame it for her.  I think recreating poses from childhood memories or actual photographs is always a wonderful gift for a parent or grandparent.  It can definitely be a bit of a challenge, especially when you haven't seen the original, but from what I've heard we did a pretty great job matching poses, and look how sweet this is! 

And of course, there is nothing better to end a perfect shoot with than a rockin' sibling jump! Thanks again Cass and Kell, you guys are the best and hope to take more photos of you all soon! Someday soon, you will get to see our shoot with Cass and her favorite cat, Midnight. Until then, enjoy!

-Jess