My friend Beth called and asked if I could do an extended family portrait as a surprise for her mom while her brother and his family were in town. We met super early the day after 4th of July and while the sun was strong, it certainly didn't stop the smiles. I think it made the "run in the water" pics more appealing :)
Last year, Kate Taylor from Polar Square Designs came up with an awesome concept- let's give back to first responders. I loved the concept but was late to the party on getting involved so I said "2017 is the year!" I got in touch with Kate the second she put out a call and next thing you know, over 16 photographers were out there photographing 150 families for no cost. It was SO awesome. Here's a bunch from different families. I had a blast and hope the families themselves did too!
Try to not smile when you see these two together. It's impossible. Bray is just about the coolest kid you'll ever meet and "Zo Zo" is the definition of toddler chic! The two of them together are so much fun. I always revel in how laid back mom is-- she goes with the flow and I think that's why the kid's portraits are always fun. She doesn't say more to them then we are going to have a good time taking photos. Easy peasy!
This is the second time I have traveled to the F family's home to take photos of them in a more relaxed newborn session way. I like newborn sessions in home because I think it gives them a different feel- especially when siblings are involved. They can happily play with their toys while I photograph little bro! Here's some of my favorites from this session.
What a cool mama! Tara makes it seem like having three kids is the easiest thing in the world. If you follow her Instagram @taracceleste you will see them jet setting around RI going to folk festivals, food trucks, quilt museums, donut shops and a lot of libraries. Tara's husband, Matt, is the owner of my favorite photography studio (other than this one, of course!) Blueflash caters to the simple, romantic and modern bride. You will never see two shots the same with that crew. Matt and his team go out of their way to create unforgettable portraiture. I was lucky enough to be a guest at a wedding he photographed this weekend and we were viewing the portraits at the wedding. The bride and groom couldn't believe that during dinner, they were already seeing their ceremony and formal shots. A-mazing. But enough already...kick back and enjoy their cute family photos! PS- Tara made her dress.
This little guy was one of my first studio newborn sessions, so it was great to have him back in the studio with his mom's crafty cake making skills. I happened to mention a tin tub would be a fun end to the session and lo and behold, they happened to have one that was very important to their family. Family heirloom and artifacts make a session that much more meaningful! Love it!
This family- love, love, LOVE them! Cooper is my little guy's best bud and Alicia is my work best friend! We have more laughs throughout the day. I feel really lucky to enjoy my "day job" and still get to have a photography business on the weekend. All of my clients are flexible in helping me make this work. Alicia is really creative and we scouted locations and thought about it for a long time. On a whim, I said, let's go to Foster! So she and Wayne drove around and found some cool spots. However, our favorite setting of the day was a dead end dirt road. I took one of my favorite mother/son shots there. I always look forward to photographing the same families over and over because they just grow more comfortable with the process. We walked away with tons of shots this time around- here are a few faves!
How can you not appreciate a family with a sense of humor that dabs at the end of their session? I am truly behind on posting, as this was four months ago, but I loved the goofy nature of this session. So easy, so laid back, so MUCH FUN! Thanks, Kate, for always having my back and helping me plan photo sessions with nothing but a description like "I like chalk. Can we do a chalk backdrop?"
I never post weddings to my website...mostly because my main job and passion is photographing children but every now and then I am asked by a friend or friend of a friend to photograph a wedding and I am so honored to do so. Suzi is a very close friend of mine (her sister is one of my partners in crime, Kate Caito) and she wanted me to photograph her wedding but still be a guest so I thought about how to make that happen. Then I thought of the wonderful Dawn Temple and asked her if she would like to embark on this journey with me! I was able to photograph Suzi getting ready, her first look and some formals and then I did a quick outfit change and became a guest! It was the best of both worlds. I love you, Suzi and Matt! Now, Suzi, go finish reading your book so we can meet for sushi and have book club!
Scarlett and Raleigh came in to do a quick little Valentine's Day session and Scarlett showed Raleigh the ropes. He wasn't a fan of my studio lights so Scarlett did a great job giving him toys to play with so he would be more interested in that than me :) Great job, Scarlett! Now taking applications for assistants... hahah!
One night in, probably January of last year, I had this idea to do some outdoor photo sessions with a camp fire. Creating this set with young kids around is not something I take lightly so I had a team of people who helped get this together and helped supervise (big shout out to my husband who, despite the chilly temps, worked up a sweat keeping that fire going. Also big thanks to the Boy Scouts, not only for the camping spot, but for teaching Eagle Scout Bryan how to keep that camp fire stoked LOL). This set was probably the most fun my team (Kate, Alicia and I) have had because it was fun to get the props, fun to make the props, and fun to logistically figure out how to redirect the entire day's sessions around 300 campers (a small unexpected twist). Overall, the day was perfect and although I won't likely replicate the exact scene again, it will be a favorite for quite some time.
I wanted to offer something a little bit different this year so I went with a more urban setting for my Rhode Island holiday mini sessions. Normally I have a more rural farm setting but I know from personal experience with my own engagement photos, how much the city adds to a photos. The skyline, the buildings, the colors-- they make for a beautiful palette. Each family had their own style and I just really enjoyed seeing their personalities shine through.
Click the arrows to scroll through several families and their portraits! There's quite a few- hard to narrow down such fun family photos!
