Last year, everyone lined up and was waiting for it to begin, and when it did, they all RAN in to check it all out!

The kids LOVE it!

The grown ups have been known to have some fun too…

And it’s always fun to see people walking away with things they really NEED!!

This year we’ve got about THREE TIMES MORE stuff to giveaway than we did last year!!!!  Check out more photos of what we’ve got in store on the Facebook invite here.

The Great Giveaway is TOMORROW, Saturday May 19th from 10am – 12pm at GENESIS church (16 Wheeling Ave, Woburn)

I hope you can stop by and check it out!!!  Be sure to say HI –  I’ll be the one walking around with a camera ;)

You can see more of the fun from last year’s Great Giveaway here.  And check out my post about the first Great Giveaway here.

Claire & Matan are just beautiful people.  They’re gorgeous, clearly, but they’re also really beautiful people from the inside out, where it really counts.  They’re lives are committed to helping people – him by working in foreign policy and her working in humanitarian aid.  They’ve travelled the world putting their education and skills to work to make other people’s lives better, and I think that’s pretty awesome!  It’s been so lovely working with them and getting to know them over the course of the last two years as they planned their wedding, shot their engagement session and the big day, and now we’ve designed their wedding album.  But being at their wedding and hearing their friends and family speak of them, that’s when you really see how wonderful, and how loved they really are.  I’m so so glad I have been able to be a part of their celebration and the beginning of their life together!

We shot their engagement session on rainy summer day in Rockport, but they absolutely made it work!

Their wedding at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge was the exact opposite – HOT and SUNNY!  But once again, they made it work and everything turned out great!!

Photo below by my fabulous second shooter, Allana Taranto

Quite possibly my favorite First Look ever!

Photo below by my wonderful Assistant, CoCo Boardman

A few sunny portraits along the River

Another great shot by Allana

Allana had the brilliant idea of putting them in this tree, and I LOVE how it turned out!!

A shot from my widelux in black & white film

Then it was back to the Hyatt for the festivities!

My favorite shot of Claire and her father!

Widelux film shot of the ceremony

Their vows were so lovely, even I was crying at this point!

Allana’s view

They literally danced their way out!!  Talk about excited :)

Loved this shot of Claire’s friend and her husband :)

Allana’s shots from the first dance, the Hora, and the toasts

LOVE this one Allana!!!!

Dance floor by CoCo

Their dance floor was definitely a BLAST!!

Claire & Matan!  Thank you so much for inviting me into this happy day in your lives, and for making all of the months of work leading up to and away from the day such a pleasure!!!

*To view more of my favorites from this wedding & engagement session, check out the album on Facebook!

What are we looking for?

• One or 2 people to work part-time.
• Background in photography, graphic design, marketing, administrative assisting, or other applicable skills
• Honest, detail-oriented, hard-working, creative, problem-solver who’s eager to learn – preferably someone fun :)
• Experience with some combination of Mac computers, Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, Social Media, Lightroom & Photoshop
• You’ll need a car to get to my home office in Woburn
• Someone who can start the sooner, the better!

What kinds of things could you be doing?

• Managing vendor relations
• Marketing & Social Media projects
• Submitting images for publication
• Updating & managing our website
• Wedding Album Design
• Administrative Tasks
• Client Communication
• Scheduling Assistants & Second Shooters
• Culling & Color Correcting
• Digital Asset Management
• IT Troubleshooting
• Assisting at weddings
• Various projects
• Cleaning the office for meetings :)

What will you get in return?

• Pay commensurate with experience and final job description
• Flexible Hours
• Fun, relaxed & productive work environment
• You’ll probably get to hear me singing to myself a lot, get to pet my cat a lot, and hopefully have a little fun while you’re here :)
• You’ll get to work with US!  Who wouldn’t want that?!  :)

If you’re interested, please send an email telling me a bit about yourself, why you’re interested in working for Krista Photography, what kind of roles you’re interested in taking on, a link to your work if you’re a photographer, and a resume to kg@kristaphoto.com!  Looking forward to hearing from you!!!

Two weeks ago, a young woman from my church, Alanna, and her unborn son, were killed in a tragic accident while on vacation with her husband in Florida.

Alanna was a joyful, sweet woman – the kind of person that no one could say a bad thing about – just genuinely loving and kind.  She always had a beautiful smile on her face.  I remember the few conversations I had with her being completely pleasant, and walking away feeling encouraged and more grateful for my life and work than I was before.  Our hearts have been so heavy within the GENESIS community, even for those of us who didn’t know Alanna very well. Her death affects us all because we are one Body. “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5.  And it’s that much harder for those who knew her well and for whom she was a big part of their lives.  More than anything, my heart aches for her husband Michael, and her family.  It’s an absolutely devastating loss.

For the last 2 weeks, I have been praying that God would use this for good.  I have said it again and again, but her death, this whole thing is just so completely horrible – it’s so horrible that there is no way that God will not use it for good.  God does not delight in tragedy, but in taking ashes and turning them into something beautiful.  And I believe with all my heart that God will use Alanna’s death to bring about something beautiful in the lives of those left behind.  I believe that He will reveal Himself to us, and to many.  I have already seen it, and I trust that it will only grow as time passes.

I think Alanna’s legacy is her faith in and love for Jesus, and that above everything else, she would want people to know that about her, to see that in her, and to seek the same.  On her Facebook page, in her “about me” section she wrote the lyrics to the song Legacy by Nichole Nordeman…

“I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy”

This is the legacy she leaves.  Her entire life, and even her death points us to God.  That’s what she wanted most, and I believe that’s what she’s done.  And I rejoice in knowing that she’s with Him now – at perfect peace, in perfect joy, and hearing “well done, my good and faithful servant.”

For me personally, I feel overwhelmed with all I’ve learned in these last few days.  I look at how she died in the midst of such joy – she’d said it was the happiest day of her life – and I realize that life is just too short for anything else.  Life is too short to spend it being angry, or frustrated.  Life is too short to waste our time on foolish things, on too many hours spent in front of a computer or a TV.  Life is too short not to tell the people you love that you love them – not to show them that you love them.  And most importantly, life is too short not to be lived in light of what we believe is most important.  Alanna’s entire life, her entire personality, everything about her pointed the people around her to Jesus, spoke to them of His love. Will they say the same of me when I die someday?  I hope so.  I hope that I could leave half the mark on the people around me that Alanna has left.  I look to her example, and am deeply challenged.  I pray that my life would be different from here on out – that her life and death would not impact me just these last few weeks, but for the rest of my life.

You truly never know what moment will be your last, don’t waste them.

p.s. I wish I knew who the photographer was who took her wedding photo, so I could give him/her proper credit.  I pulled this from Facebook, and she didn’t credit her photog.  A reminder to all of us photographers to watermark our images…  If you shot this photo, please let me know and I’ll edit the post!

]]> http://kristaphotoblog.com/2012/04/life-is-too-short/feed/ 0 http://kristaphotoblog.com/2012/03/inspire-2012-is-almost-here/ http://kristaphotoblog.com/2012/03/inspire-2012-is-almost-here/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:37:31 +0000 Krista Guenin http://kristaphotoblog.com/?p=1509 Inspire.

It started out as an idea… What if there was a conference that felt more like a community?  What if instead of flying around the country to hear people from California talk about running their businesses, we gathered photographers from right here in New England and asked them instead?  What if we did it ourselves?  These are the questions that Matt & Enna Grazier asked a few of us, as we all looked at them as if they were nuts.  Brilliant.  But nuts…  If it had been my idea, it probably would have stayed an idea, but the Grazier’s are people of action, and thank God for that!

What began as an idea, a question, grew into a real life conference we called Inspire Boston.  What was an incredible and inspiring two days in Concord with 100 photographers, grew to something more the next year… Inspire Boston 2011.  We added mentoring sessions, shooting workshops, and a vendor lounge and this time 125 people came from all over New England and beyond!

So, here we are, 3 years later, and it’s just 12 days until Inspire 2012 kicks off!  This year, we’ve changed the name from Inspire Boston to Inspire Photo Seminars – since it’s really not just about Boston anymore.  We’ve moved it to the Sturbridge Host so we could have a bit more space and be a little more centralized for our primarily MA/CT attendees.  We’ve got 18 Speaking Sessions, 8 Special Classes (shooting session, portfolio reviews, etc.), a special pre-conference all-day Pictage + ShootQ Bootcamp, an even bigger Vendor Lounge, a mid-conference party with KARAOKE (clearly that was my idea!), one-on-one and roundtable mentoring sessions with the speakers and sponsors, and a killer Wrap-Party at the end!  It is going to be a JAM-PACKED couple of days!!!

I’ll be speaking at Inspire this year on Facebook Marketing Strategies.  If you follow my blog, you’ve probably liked my Facebook page as well (and if not, what’s stopping you?!).  And if you follow both, you’ve probably noticed that I post on Facebook WAY more often than on here.  Facebook just makes it so EASY for me!  It has dramatically changed and grown my business over the last 3 years.  Last year my weddings doubled from the year before, and this year I’m almost entirely booked up for the year already!  I give most of that credit to how I share images and communicate via Facebook – but I guess I’ll give a little of the credit to my photographs too, yeah? ;)  I’ve been super excited to share my Facebook strategies and theories with the Inspire community, and wouldn’t you know it, Facebook went and changed everything about their business pages three weeks before the conference!  So, I’m reworking my talk and trying to learn as much about all the changes as possible, and now I’m even more excited :)  I mean, what better time to talk about how to set up and use a Facebook page than right when everything about them has changed and everyone’s wondering what to do?!  OK, so I’m excited and also a little overwhelmed, but I do think it’s an exciting time to be sharing about this and I’m hoping that it will be really beneficial to everyone to comes to my talk!

If you’re a photographer, and you aren’t signed up for Inspire yet, what are you waiting for?! It’s going to be FUN!  You’re going to meet a TON of awesome local photographers who may just become your nearest and dearest friends (I’ve gone on vacation with ladies I met at Inspire, and don’t get me started on how much I love the Planning Team).  You’re going to LEARN something new!  You’re going to leave feeling INSPIRED and EMPOWERED to make some great changes in your business and maybe even in your life.  It’s not too late to sign up and come be a part of it all!!  I’ve got a $50 off discount code that is good for the first 3 people who use it!  Go HERE and use the code KRISTAPHOTO2012 to get $50 off your registration!  I hope you can come!!!

Here’s a little peek at my 2011 in no particular order…

Shot 14 fabulous weddings from January through December in Boston, on the Cape, and in Connecticut

Took voice lessons for the first time

Renovated my home office

Fell in love with my new neph-dog, Buckeye

Brought on CoCo as a paid office assistant

FINALLY bough an iPhone!!!!

Lead a LIFEgroup of fabulous women for a few months

Got published in The Knot Boston, twice!

Said goodbye to too many dear friends as they moved away

Joyfully welcomed back a few friends as they returned home

Spoke at the Boston PUG on Facebook Marketing, and with Enna Grazier at Inspire 2011 on Branding

Shot 12 Engagement Sessions in Boston, on the Cape, and in New York

Donated over $4800 to various non-profits as part of our GIVE program!!  So cool!

Sang lots of karaoke (sometimes while shooting weddings ;)

Helped organize and pull off the 2nd Inspire Photo Conference, and began planning the 3rd (it’s going to be sweet, you photogs should come!)

Shot 10 Family Portrait Sessions in Boston, Indianapolis & Chicago

Holiday Portrait Party!

sang on the Worship Team at GENESIS on a lot of Sunday mornings

Shot 5 Corporate photo sessions

Bought a new iMac to add to my collection

Discovered the Colin Firth version of Pride & Prejudice and held a British mini-series marathon that caused some random British accents to pop into conversations for a month or so

Travelled to Dallas for my cousin’s wedding, a photo conference, and a visit with a friend – whirlwind weekend for sure!

Watched Butler lose the NCAA Finals for the 2nd year in a row.  wah wah :(

Scratched the surface of understanding the word GRACE and what God’s love is really like

Spent a long weekend at Loon Mountain with some of my favorite photog ladies

Lots of visits from Mom & Dad (aka Mimi & Papa)

Discovered & fell in love with The Civil Wars, Pinterest, and truffle oil tater tots

The Great Giveaway!

8 friends got married, 3 more got engaged, and 6 had babies, adopt or get pregnant!

Spent as much time at the beach as I possibly could

2 weeks in Indianapolis, and the annual Guenin Family Vacation

Cried over the end of the Harry Potter series

Said goodbye as too many friends moved away, rejoiced as a couple of friends returned home

Watched my sister’s kids get far too big

Hunkered down for Hurricane Irene

Threw some fun parties

Cookie Face Race!

Dexter.  Psych.  Pushing Daisies.  Mad Men.  My So Called Life.  The joy of Hulu & Netflix…

Turned 34.  yep.

Finished reading through the entire Bible for the second time (it only took me 5 1/2 years…)

Did NOT have anyone move into or out of my house!!  A first for the last many years – so thankful for my awesome roommate!

Laughed a lot, cried a lot, went to the chiropractor a lot, ate too much pizza, drank too much Coke, sat at my computer a lot a lot a lot…

All in all, that’s a pretty great year!  I have more to be thankful for than I remembered yesterday – so that’s pretty awesome :)

Here’s to a great 2012!!

xoxo

Krista

Loved this chair – it was perfect for shooting some details!

I tied this bow myself!  And yes, it came undone as she walked down the aisle.  Let this be a lesson to all of you brides:  make sure there is someone else there, besides your photographer, to help you get dressed!  haha!

Dinner was at this wonderful restaurant called Primo.  They grow their own vegetables and everything is local, and the food is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!  I don’t normally like fancy food, but this was SO GOOD!  YUMMMM!!

Here are some of the awesome vendors who made this wedding wonderful:

Ceremony Location:  Vesper Hill Children’s Chapel

Dinner Location:  Primo Restaurant

Hair:  Just Friends Hair Design

Rings:  Blue Nile

Dress:  David’s Bridal – Galina line

Shoes:  David’s Bridal

Hair accessory:  Etsy – LittleWhiteDresser

Flowers:  Hoboken Gardens

Groom’s Suit:  Michael Kors

Over the years, I’ve tried to pay that same opportunity forward.  I’ve brought on interns the last few seasons, and it’s been great!  I get some much-needed help, and they have hopefully had the chance to learn things they couldn’t have learned in school.  This past year, I got a new intern, CoCo, who actually interned at the studio in Chicago just after I moved to Boston, and then moved to Boston herself.  She’s so awesome though, that I had to take her on as a paid assistant/photo editor.  And man, she’s been SUCH a help to me!!!  But here we are, reaching the peak of wedding season (in Boston at least), and we need some more help!  So, we’re hoping to find a new intern to add to the team!! If you’re interested, check out the details below to see if you’d be a good fit!!

What are we looking for?

• Photography, graphic-design, or marketing student, or someone just starting out in the photography business
• honest, detail-oriented, hard-working, creative, problem-solver who’s eager to learn – preferably someone fun :)
• experience with Mac computers, Microsoft Word, Lightroom & Photoshop
• you’ll need a car to get to my home office in Woburn
• 6-8 hours/week
• Commitment through the end of the year, starting ASAP!

What kinds of things will you be doing?

• contact management/data entry
• shipping packages
• scanning film
• culling/editing shoots
• burning discs
• office organization/filing
• research projects
• social media tasks
• designing print materials
• running errands
• various projects (i.e. setting us up with ShootQ)
• shoveling the sidewalk ;)

What will you get in return?

• Opportunity to learn how to run a wedding photography business from a seasoned professional
• Intern Day each quarter where we’ll spend the day focusing only on what you want to learn, and giving you portfolio feedback – lunch included
• This is unpaid, but I’ll buy or make you lunch each week :)
• Opportunity to assist at weddings and portrait sessions (PAID)
• You’ll probably get to hear me singing to myself a lot, get to pet my cat a lot, and hopefully have a little fun while you’re here :)

If you’re interested, please send an email telling me a bit about yourself, why you’re interested in the internship, a link to your work, and a resume to kg@kristaphoto.com!

I was so incredibly honored to photograph Lauren & Andy‘s intimate wedding up in Camden, Maine on Memorial Day Weekend! They only invited their immediate families, their pastor and his wife (um, my brother-in-law and sister :) – so I felt more like part of the day than at any wedding I’ve ever shot!

We started off the day at Just Friends Hair Design

Then we went to the rental house to get finish getting ready. Lauren was so cute with her make-up instructions :) She did a fabulous job!

Kyla & Michael (my sis & bro-in-law) – they’re so cute :)

Time to go get married!

The ceremony was held at the Vesper Hill Children’s Chapel. Andy was excitedly waiting for Lauren to arrive.

so happy!

Love it :)

Such a pretty place for a wedding!

Yay!

That would be my brother telling me to wait while he shows me how it’s done… :)

My sister :)

Then we had to shoo everyone away so we could take a few portraits around the garden and the chapel

Two of my favorites:

We knew it might rain that day, so Lauren found a pretty umbrella. It never actually did rain, but we couldn’t let that umbrella go to waste!

haha, work it, Lauren!

We met everyone back at Primo for cocktails and a delicious dinner! I was loving the tile on their bathroom entrance… we had to stop for a quick portrait!

Such a lovely evening!

Lauren & Andy – thank you again, so much, for inviting me to be part of your day!!  I’m so happy for you both!!!!!  Love you :)

To view more of my favorites from this wedding, check out the album on Facebook.

Up next:  What do I wear for my Engagement Session?!

Tip #1:  BE COMFORTABLE!

Wear something you can breathe in, walk around, sit down, or jump around in.  No matter what we end up doing for your engagement session, I can promise you we’ll be walking around.  I wouldn’t put it past me to sit or lay you on the ground or on some random steps.  If you want to do something active, dressing comfortably is doubly important.  So, comfortable clothes and comfortable (or at least bearable) shoes are key!  Nothing too tight, or itchy, or anything that will make you any more uncomfortable than having a camera in your face already does ;)

Tip #2:  YOU’VE GOT TO LOVE IT

Wear something you love – something you know makes you look good!  Every girl has that outfit that they totally love, they wear it all the time because it just makes them look and feel fabulous.  That’s the one you want to wear!  The outfit that makes you feel totally confident.  No buttons are going to be popping open, you’re not going to tell me after the pictures come out that those jeans make you look fat, none of that!  Look at yourself in the mirror and look for things that might drive you nuts in a photo later… if it drives you nuts, pick something else!  If you’re super fair, avoid white.  If you’ve got red hair, maybe skip red.  If you need some tips watch a few episodes of What Not To Wear – or better yet, ask your fiance what he thinks makes you looks awesome!  I’ve had too many brides pick out an outfit in a hurry and tell me later that they hate what they were wearing, which makes the photos way less fun, believe me.  So, choose something that makes you feel GOOD!!

Tip #3:  DRESS FOR THE OCCASION

No matter where we go, or what we end up doing, you should dress for the occasion!  If you’re going downtown for some fun, urban shots – maybe dress up a bit.  If you’re going for a hike in the woods… maybe skip the silk dress and the heels, and opt for jeans.  If it’s November and snowing, you should plan on wearing your coat, so pick one you like.  If it’s going to be 100 degrees and sunny, keep that in mind.  If we’re going to be doing something messy, don’t wear anything toooo nice…  You get the idea.

Tip #4:  REMEMBER, THERE’S SOMEONE ELSE WITH YOU

You want to make sure you look good, but you also want to be sure you look good together, right?  You should try to neither clash, nor be too matchy matchy.  Patterns and colors are GREAT!  Just make sure they look good side by side.  And, you should aim to be at about the same level of dressyness or casualness.  If he’s in jeans and a wifebeater and you’re in a hot dress and heels… you may have bigger issues than your photos ;) – either way, the photos will definitely look weird.  Now, if you two are polar opposites on a lot of levels, including fashion, it could be fun to do some photos that mark the contrast.  But most of them should be somewhere in the middle, finding your common ground and focusing on that.

Tip #5:  GENTLEMEN

Gentlemen, let me encourage you with a few tips just for the guys…

• I know most of you aren’t really into the whole engagement session thing in the first place.  I promise, it’s going to be fun though!!!  Even if you’re not super excited, put a little effort into it anyway.  It’ll make your bride happy, and it will pay off in the end when you’ve got some awesome photos of the two of you.  A little effort goes a long way and when I’ve tagged all these pics of you on facebook, you’ll be glad you made the effort to look your best :)
• Ask your fiance what she thinks looks great on you – and wear it!
• Wear clothes that fit!  I’m begging you guys…  enough with the saggy pants!  Wear your least saggy pants, and a shirt is neither skin tight nor 4 sizes too big.  I mean, if your girl is wearing the saggy pants too, then go for it.  But if she’s dressing it up a bit, non-saggy pants will really kick your outfit up a notch ;)
• Your shoes matter.  There’s a pretty good chance I’m going to get your shoes in the photos… there may even be photos OF your shoes.  So, keep the shoes in mind and don’t try pairing up Air Jordans with slacks, ok?
• Get a haircut.  And maybe even shave?  You want to look like YOU, so don’t do anything crazy like grow a mustache that week ;)
• Follow Tips 1-4 as well
• HAVE FUN!!!!

You know I love you guys!  Just trying to help you out :)

Tip #6:  LADIES

Ladies, here are a few tips just for you too…

• Hair…  wear it however you like it best!  You want to look like YOU, so I don’t recommend going too fancy.  Your engagement session day is not the best day for a test run for your wedding hair.  We’ll get pictures of that hair-do, plenty!  We want the engagement photos to look a little more natural than that.  Consider getting a blow-out at your salon if you want it to look extra nice.  Just keep in mind what we’ll be doing together, and what the weather’s going to be like.  I’ve got super curly hair, and if you’re like me, you do not want to try straightening your hair before a shoot on a super humid day!
• Make-up… again, go fairly natural.  That is, natural for you.  If you like a lot of make-up, then go for it!  Go all out!  If you’re the girl who never wears make-up… maybe consider having it done or at least putting a little on yourself.  A little cover-up, lipstick & mascara can go a really long way to make your features pop in photos!
• You might want to do your nails – at least file them and make sure there’s no chipped paint on them (toes and fingers).  Cleaning your ring might be a good touch as well.  I focus a lot on hands…
• Don’t bring your purse with you!  You won’t need your purse, or your cell phone, or anything like that while we’re shooting – and if you do, we can always go back to the car for them.  I shoot a lot while we’re walking, so if you’ve got a ton of stuff, it’s going to be in the pictures (or I’m going to end up carrying it along with all my gear ;)

Tip #7:  WHAT TO BRING (and leave in the car)

• A change of clothes, if you want to go for another look later in the shoot
• A blanket if you don’t want to get your butt dirty if we need to sit in the grass or something
• Bug spray & sunscreen or a scarf & gloves, depending on the time of year
• A ponytail holder… you never know when you’ll want to pull your hair back.  Right, guys?  ;)
• Props… if you want.  A lot of folks are doing themed engagement sessions these days.  I’m totally up for that, if you are.  We can think up some stuff ahead of time.
• Your sense of humor!  Engagement Sessions are totally strange for most people, so be prepared to laugh and enjoy a little awkward quality time with your fiance ;)

Ok, those are my tips!  I hope this helps!!!  No matter what you wear, we’re going to get some great photos of you!  These are just my suggestions for getting the best photos we can :)

I was totally thrilled to shoot their wedding – and I’ll tell you all about that soon enough.  But first, we have to start with their engagement session!  We met up downtown in the Public Gardens and spent the evening wandering around, hanging out, and laughing… a lot  :)

Meet Lauren & Andy…

they’re cute

Haha, I love the cute little tourist off to the side!

I wasn’t kidding about the laughing…  Andy seriously cracks Lauren up!  I love it :)

Tulips!!

To wrap up the shoot, we had to go get some ice cream!  Andy’s kind of addicted to ice cream, so it seemed fitting to go to Ben & Jerry’s!  I didn’t get too many shots of that though because I was stuffing my face with Health Bar Crunch!!!

Lauren & Andy – I love you guys!  Almost finished with the wedding pics & can’t wait to share those with you too!  xoxo

To view more of my favorites from this shoot, check out the album on Facebook!

To view more of my favorites from this shoot, check out the album on Facebook!

Nikki & Evan

The official “Prom Pose”

They had lots of friends around to get in on the fun!

I had a bit of competition…

We all went over to the Town Common where all the kids come before prom for photos… it was a zoo!

A few of my favorite details from the night

A few final portraits before they headed off for the night

love these two!

And I had to jump in there for a shot :)

On their way!

Nikki & Evan – I hope you guys had a blast!  Love you guys!  :)

To view more of my favorites from this shoot, please check out the album on Facebook!

The adorable Zoe

Sisters… Annika, Zoe & Sivan

The whole fam

Jody, Paul, Zoe, Annika & Sivan – thanks for braving the cold and making the session for fun!  I hope you all love the photos!

To view more of my favorites from this session, please check out the album on Facebook!

I love that her cupcake papers fit my branding :)

Yum!

Lori’s specialty… red velvet…mmmmmmmmmmm

you know I took that bite!

Lori – you’re amazing!  Thank you for the deliciousness!

If you’d like to see more of my favorite cupcake photos, check out the album on Facebook.  While you’re at it, check out Lulabelle’s Cupcakes too!

This year’s event was held at The State Room, which has one of the best views in Boston!

Some of the residents got to come to the Gala as well.  The cute little old men are always my favorite people to photograph :)

Dinner overlooking the city

The awards ceremony

To view more of my favorites from this event, check out the album on Facebook!

Jude & Daddy

Jude & Mommy

haha!  Love that face!

uh oh…  well, he can’t be happy allllll the time!

Mommy knew just what he needed.  Moms are good like that :)

all better!

“mmmmmm, foot!”

what a big boy!

Ah!!!  SO happy!

Getting sleepy…

What a lovely family!!

David & Lindsey – I love you guys and I love your sweet baby boy!!  Thank you for letting me document this fun time in your lives!  xoxo

To view more of my favorites of Baby Jude – check out the album on Facebook!

Ah, the birdcage veil ♥

More multitasking for me… I’m pretty good with bobby pins!

The girls.  I love how they all had different bouquets!

Blossoms on the altar

The reception

We just had to get in the photo booth!!  This is me with my fabulous second shooter, Jules Ko :)

Here’s a shout out to some of the awesome vendors who made this wedding so fun!

Ceremony Location:   Highrock Church
Rings:  Brilliant Earth (LOVE this!  They sell only conflict-free diamonds!)
Reception Location, Catering, Cake:  The Charles Hotel
Band:  Night Rhythm
Photo Booth:  Photo Fun Box
Limo:  Russo Limo
Wedding dress:  Vera Wang dress from VOWS
Graphic design:  friend of the Bride & Groom, Wendy Wu
Floral design:  friend of the Bride & Groom, Lyh-Rhem Lam

I met up with Jane at the salon where she was getting her hair & make-up done – and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor when they busted out this birdcage veil!  LOVE it!!

Then we headed over to Highrock to finish getting ready.  I sat in wait at the bottom of the stairs for Jane’s friend to walk by with the dress and loved how it turned out!

Getting ready in the Sunday School room :)

Once Jane & Jason were ready, we cleared out the sanctuary so they could have a private moment for their First Look.  Well, you know, a private moment with me, my assistant CoCo, and my second shooter Jules ;)  CoCo captured this shot of Jason waiting for his bride

and Jules caught Jane’s reaction to seeing him waiting for her.  I love the look on her face!!

Seeing a couple praying together is always one of the most touching moments on a wedding day for me

After the First Look, we took a few portraits in the church.  Highrock is so bright and full of sunlight – it worked out perfectly!

Trying to find new ways of entertaining myself when shooting bridal party portraits ;)

Then it was time for the ceremony!  People often think that the First Look would ruin the moment of coming down the aisle, but look how excited they are!

Loving CoCo’s view from the balcony!!

Jason & his grandma are so cute!

The BEAUTIFUL bride!!

We took a few photos out by the Charles River on our way to our hotel, but man it was cold & windy!  I liked watching Jason trying to keep her warm on the way back to the limo :)

So, we took a few more portraits inside the The Charles Hotel instead!

The Bridal Party

One last shot before the veil was removed…. sigh.

Haha!  Jules caught this great moment of Jason & Jane busting into the reception – football style!

I was totally excited for their first dance because they’d warned me that they were going to do the scene from Glee when Quinn & Sam perform Lucky!  They even recorded themselves singing and danced to their own song!  It was totally adorable – and they are quite wonderful singers as it turns out.

And on the rarest of occasions, he dipped her at the end right in front of me!  Half the time it feels like they dip facing the wrong way, but this was just perfect :)

After that, it was a super fun dance party all afternoon!

Jane & Jason – thanks so much for trusting us with your wedding memories!  It was so fun to be a part of your day and to see how happy you two are!  I hope it just gets better and better as the years go by :)

To view more of my favorites from this wedding, check out the album on Facebook!

A few of my favorite details from Faith & Ryan‘s winter wedding.  Hard to believe it’s already Spring now – but this sunny day and those flowering trees everywhere are the proof!  :)

The next 2 were shot by my lovely assistant, CoCo Boardman

Sometimes you have to multi-task when you photograph weddings!

Loved all the detail in her dress – it was so pretty!

Another great shot by CoCo

blue shoes :)

Ceremony:  Vineyard Church Cambridge, MA

Reception and Catering: Doubletree Hotel Bedford, MA

Hair:   Fringe Salon Salem, MA

Makeup:  Liz Snyder Somerville, MA

Cake:   Montillo’s Bakery Quincy, MA

Cake Topper:  Willow Tree

Flowers:  Wildflower Malden, MA

Dress:  Bride’N'Belle Medford, MA

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal Danvers, MA

Rings: Elyse Jewelers Reading, MA

Photography:  Krista Photography

Photo Assistant: CoCo Boardman

We started the day with Faith while she was getting ready in her suite at the Bedford Doubletree Hotel.  Faith looked so beautiful!!  I love this shot, the shape of her arms, and the light through her veil.  so pretty!

The First Look – one of my favorite parts of the day!

It’s always a great opportunity to get some portraits taken before everything gets crazy

Then we headed to the Vineyard Cambridge to get ready for the ceremony!

Faith & her Dad

Always love a ceremony that involves some laughter!

SO excited!!

Loved this shot my assistant CoCo captured!

then it was back to the Doubletree for the reception!  I loved the look on Faith’s face during their first dance :)

a great toast is always a good thing!

And so is a LOT of dancing!

Faith & Ryan – thank you again for inviting me to capture your wedding!!  I love you guys and am so very happy for you both!  xoxo

To view more of my favorites from this wedding, please check out the album on Facebook!

Between preparing for my presentation and organizing all the logistics – I didn’t take too many photos for those three days!  But here are a few of my favorites from the last day of the conference…

My fabulous assistant, CoCo Boardman shot a few images during & after my presentation with Enna Grazier.  Our presentation was on Creating a Sustainable Brand.  It went really well, which was exciting, and also a huge relief!

It was especially cool talking with people after the presentation, hearing their feedback – but also watching people talking and brainstorming together.  People seemed really inspired to figure out who they really are, and what they want their business to be.  Love it!

Later that night we had a Wrap Party at LensProToGo complete with pizza, raffle prizes and a very fun ring light to play with :)  I loved this shot CoCo got of me!

Tabitha looks like she’s singing a sad song…  I love her :)

that’s tougher than it looks, eh Larry?

dude, CoCo’s mean!

aw, Paul & Krystal :)

Here’s a shot of the whole crowd at the Wrap Party (courtesy of Raw Photo Design)

And the “Dream Team” who planned & organized the event:  CoCo, me, Mark Higgins, Krystal & Paul McNerney, Carla Ten Eyk, Candice Coppola, Diana Chouinard, Matt & Enna Grazier (the masterminds behind the whole thing), and Richard Esposito.  What a blessing it’s been to work with these lovely people!!

After the wrap party, came the best part, really – the AFTER PARTY!  A bunch of us went back to the Inn for a concert by Jimmy Mazzy & Friends – the most fabulous little old jazz band in the world.  Oh, they were soooo fun!!!  And they play every Wednesday night at the Colonial Inn, if you ever want to check them out!!

Gid.  He’s my favorite!

The Incredible Mr. Jimmy Mazzy!

I had to show Gid how to use his camera on his phone, but once he figured it out, he couldn’t put it down!

see, he’s just delightful :)

Thanks again to everyone who participated in Inspire Boston 2011!!!!  I had a great time, and am already excited for next year!  We’ve already begun planning for 2012 so stay tuned for details coming in the next few months!!

If you’d like to view more of my images from Inspire Boston, check out the album on Facebook.

shot with Tri-X 400/120 with my Holga

beautiful suite, with a fabulous view!  Shot with Tri-X 400/35mm with my Widelux Panoramic

Getting Ready

Love this one in the courtyard!

Can you spot Lieschen & Stephen in this one?

Ah!  Adorable!    Shot on Tri-X 400/35mm with my Nikon F100 and 50mm f/1.4 lens

Sweet toast

I love black & white film!!  If you love black & white film too, I offer wedding coverage with me shooting in all film and second shooters shooting digital.  Let me know if you’re interested!  :)

The day started at the Liberty Hotel down in Boston.  This painting made such a cool backdrop for her dress!

Lieschen & her Mom

yeah, she’s pretty gorgeous

Lieschen’s little nieces were there while she was getting ready – total entertainment for everyone!

FAVORITE!

After she was ready, Stephen came to the suite for the First Look

Everyone had a toast to celebrate

the handsome groom

Then it was down to the courtyard for some portraits.  We lucked out and had a really lovely day to go outside!  Though, snuggling did make it even warmer :)

Lieschen & Stephen

The wedding was shortly after the holidays, and The Liberty Hotel still had Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling.  It was the coolest way I’d ever seen a hotel decorate for the holidays!

Then we headed down Charles Street to The Hungry I for their intimate ceremony & reception

Surrounded by their immediate families, the got married in front of the fire place in a candle-lit ceremony

It was perhaps both the darkest and the smallest ceremony I’ve ever photographed!  It was lovely though!!

After the ceremony, everyone headed upstairs for a nice dinner, some toasts, and lots of laughter!

One of the nieces was a little bored at that point, and kept wanting me to play with her… so, you know, I HAD to ;)

The other niece seemed to be having a good time ;)

mmmm, meringue cake!

rings in roses

Love this shot of Lieschen & Stephen chatting with his uncle!

And just for fun, I had to get one with the bride!

Lieschen & Stephen – thanks again for allowing me to be part of your wedding!  I’m excited for you, and for all the lies ahead!  ;)

To view more of my favorites, please check out the album on Facebook!

Baby Delia’s Year-in-the-Life began in the Fall of 2009 with maternity photos for mommy-to-be, Eileen.

And then there were newborn photos!

Our 6 month portraits were a little tricky due to a cold…

So we tried again at 8 months

And now we come to the end of the “year”… she was actually about 13 months when we finally were able to shoot this time, but you get the idea ;)

It was so nice to see her laughing and smiling so much!

Reading some books with Daddy!

don’t forget the family pets!  Gotta love the cat in the crib ;)

snack time!

Haha, kids never want to get dressed to go outside!

LOVE that face!!

so sweet!

Eileen, Delia & Fabio

Eileen, Fabio & Delia – thank you so much for sharing this year with me!  It’s been so fun to get to know you all over the last many months and to see your family, and Delia, grow!

To view more of my favorites from this portrait session, check out the album on Facebook!

Just for the record…  I graduated from Butler University, and I will be rooting for the BULLDOGS to win the NCAA Basketball championship tonight!  I think that you should too.  :)

**/edit/**

I’m so sad they lost last night, but I think this article is just awesome!  I was not impressed with their playing last night, but I am beyond impressed with how they handled it.