Krista Photography Blog

The end of a year

Krista Guenin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:19:35 +0000

Today I’m officially observing New Year’s Day! Every year, I normally spend New Year’s Day sleeping in (check), having a nice long quiet time of journaling and praying (check), work out a budget for the new year (um, pass, I don’t feel like it), going through my calendar for the last year (check), and reminiscing about all that’s happened (check). It’s been a challenging year for sure, especially the last few months of the year when life got doubly stressful, but as I look back I have a much better perspective and am able to truly thank God for this year!

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!)

: photo by RAW Photo Design

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

Lauren & Andy’s Wedding Details

Krista Guenin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:32:59 +0000

A few of my favorite details from Lauren & Andy’s wedding earlier this summer… Is this the start of me blogging again? let’s hope ;)

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

Krista Photography Internships Available!

Krista Guenin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:22:25 +0000

When I started out in photography almost 10 years ago, my first job was assisting at a big wedding studio in Chicago. I remember the very first task they gave me… shovel the sidewalk :) I started at the very bottom of the food chain. As months went by, I became the studio manager, and then began shooting as an Associate photographer for the company. A few years later, I moved out on my own and started at the bottom again in a new town, with a new studio. I have worked hard over the past 5 years to create a business that I love and that actually supports me. I don’t ever forget those first few months though, and the opportunity I was given to learn from someone successful and to see it all from the inside before I went off on my own.

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!

Lauren & Andy’s Wedding – Camden, Maine

Krista Guenin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:35:49 +0000

It’s been a busy summer, filled with lots of fun family time, beach days, and lots and lots of shoots! I’ve taken a little break from the blog, but figure I should start catching up!! So, we’ll start back at the beginning of the summer and go from there…

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.

Engagement Session FAQs: What to Wear?

Krista Guenin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:54:08 +0000

Well, I am officially in the middle of Engagement Session season! Spring and early summer are always full of engagement sessions, and rescheduling engagement sessions due to rain, while I tend to have more weddings in late summer and the Fall. I get a ton of questions every year around this time, so I figured I should continue with my Engagement Session FAQ series!

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 :)

Lauren & Andy’s Engagement Session – Boston Public Gardens

Krista Guenin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:30:21 +0000

My friend Lauren and I go way back. Well, not WAY back, but we’ve gone through a lot together in the last couple of years so it feels like I’ve known her a lot longer than I have. I met her at my sister’s house at Easter Dinner in 2008 – she was new to Boston and new to our church. We were really just acquaintances until about a year later when I happened to be there for a pretty big and difficult moment in her life. That’s when she and I really became friends. She joined my lifegroup, and we bonded over years of working as servers at Chili’s, and walks around Horn Pond. And wouldn’t you know it, about a year later (and a year ago), she met her best friend & the love of her life – Andy. I went out of town on vacation and came home to discover that she was in love! I guess you could say they knew right away!

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!

Nikki & Evan Go To Prom – Burlington, MA

Krista Guenin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:32:12 +0000

My friends Nikki & Evan went to prom a few weeks ago, and Evan had arranged to have come over to her house early to take some photos as a surprise. It was awesome seeing her face as I pulled up to the house (no pics of that, it’s not safe to shoot & drive, you know). They’re such good friends, and I thought it was just so sweet of him to do this for her!

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!

Zoe’s Bat Mitzvah Portraits – Larz Anderson Park, Brookline

Krista Guenin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:14:12 +0000

Last Fall, I had the opportunity to photograph Zoe’s Bat Mitzvah. The event was so fun, and we even shot some portraits the day before – but the weather that weekend was gross and we just didn’t get the bright sunny portraits we were hoping for. So, we picked a nice Spring day and tried again! This time we got sunshine…. cold winds, but sunshine! It’s hard to get the weather quite right in New England in the Spring ;) But I love how these turned out!

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!

Lulabelle Cupcakes

Krista Guenin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:30:49 +0000

One of my lovely brides, Lori, recently decided to start her own cupcake business – Lulabelle’s Cupcakes. I was super psyched when she asked me to take some photos for her – in large part because I knew that meant I’d get to EAT some CUPCAKES!! Yes!

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!

Benchmark Awards Gala – Boston, MA

Krista Guenin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:20:13 +0000

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph the 9th Annual Awards Gala for Benchmark Senior Living. Benchmark is a great company that really puts an emphasis on quality care for their residents, and rewards employees who go above and beyond to make that happen. Each year they hold an Awards Gala to honor those special employees – and it’s quite an event! It was so fun to witness a big company like that making their employees, from management to waitresses, feel appreciated and honored.

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!

Baby Jude at 4 Months – Year In The Life

Krista Guenin — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:11:05 +0000

If you thought Baby Jude was a cute little newborn, you’re going to love his 4 month portraits! He’s grown into such a sweet and happy baby!!!

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!

Jane & Jason’s Wedding Details

Krista Guenin — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:21:57 +0000

Jane & Jason’s lovely wedding had a ton of beautiful details! I just wanted to share a few with you…

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

Jane & Jason’s Spring Wedding – Cambridge MA

Krista Guenin — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:43:03 +0000

Jane & Jason‘s wedding was so lovely! It was a chilly Spring day, but the sun was shining and Jane & Jason couldn’t have been happier!

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!

Faith & Ryan’s Wedding Details

Krista Guenin — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:41:28 +0000

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

Faith & Ryan’s Wedding – Bedford MA

Krista Guenin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:39:56 +0000

My friends Faith & Ryan got married this winter, and I was so happy to capture the day! It’s always fun to be behind the scenes with a bride on her wedding day, but when it’s an old friend, it’s even better!

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!

Inspire Boston 2011

Krista Guenin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:21:11 +0000

You may or may not know that for the last 2 years, I’ve been part of a small group of photographers who have planned, organized, and put on a local wedding photography conference called Inspire Boston. The first year was awesome, and this year’s was even better! The whole conference is based around the concept of peer-to-peer mentoring and the idea that as we build relationships with one another and our community grows stronger – we’ll all become better photographers and business owners. It was an intimate conference of just 125 people, and we held it at Concord’s Colonial Inn which gave the whole thing a very cozy and New Englandy vibe. There were a handful of great (mostly local) instructors for presentations, shooting workshops, and mentoring sessions. We also scheduled in tons of free time so that even more learning, inspiration, and encouragement could happen in between the formal class times. And this year we added in Vendor Lounge so that people could connect with some of the industry and the area’s best vendors. All in all, it was pretty fabulous!

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.

Lieschen & Stephen’s Wedding – Black & White FILM

Krista Guenin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:15:21 +0000

I shot a few rolls of Black & White Film at Lieschen & Stephen‘s wintry wedding in Beacon Hill. Here are a few of my favorites!

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! :)

Lieschen & Stephen’s Winter Wedding – Beacon Hill

Krista Guenin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:35:52 +0000

I’ve known Lieschen for a few years now. She is both friend and chiropractor – invaluable on so many levels! I was excited for her last year when she met Stephen and fell in love – and was doubly excited when she called recently to ask me to shoot their wedding just a few weeks later!

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 at One Year – Reading MA

Krista Guenin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:11:02 +0000

A couple of years ago, I started offering Year-in-the-Life portrait packages to my clients. I think it’s so neat to capture all of the little changes that take place over the course of a year, especially all of the big changes that happen in a baby’s first year! It’s really fun to watch these little ones grow and develop their own little personalities. Though it’s always a bit sad when the time comes for the last session and I know I won’t be seeing them every few months!

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!

GO BULLDOGS!!!

Krista Guenin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:50:22 +0000

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.

Family Portraits – Concord MA

Krista Guenin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:30:06 +0000

Last Fall, I donated a portrait session to an auction to benefit Social Capital, Inc. here in Woburn. It was fun tracking the online bidding, and to see a couple of friends fighting over me ;) My dear friend Jennifer ended up winning, and I was super excited to get to meet her family and take some portraits for them!

We met up at the Old North Bridge in Concord on a cold wintery day…

They were so brave to take their coats off for a few! It’s funny how being freezing cold can make you smile bigger ;)

Jennifer :)

haha!

We had to get one of us too! Apparently we didn’t have any photos together! Most of my friends can probably say that actually… I should get in front of the camera more ;)

Jennifer – I love you, my friend! So glad we could get these photos before you moved away! I miss you & can’t wait to hear the latest updates from overseas… ;)

Inspire Boston 2011

Krista Guenin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:04:31 +0000

In November of 2009, my friends Matt & Enna Grazier gathered some friends and asked us to if we’d be interested in helping them put together a conference for local New England photographers. Sounded great to me, and just 3 short months later, Inspire Boston was underway! It was such an awesome time of learning and networking – everyone had a blast. Check out this great video that Richard Esposito put together for it:

In fact, it went so great that we decided to do it all again this year! Fast forward a few months, and here I am today, sitting in the Colonial Inn in Concord, bracing myself for the start of Inspire Boston 2011! This year we’ve made it a little longer, added some more shooting workshops, improved our mentoring sessions, and added a Vendor Lounge. I’m so pumped! Plus, this year I’m actually speaking at the conference…gulp! Enna Grazier and I are speaking on Creating a Sustainable Brand, and I’m both excited and also nervous :) It’s going to be a great couple of days though! Hopefully I’ll be able to share some photos and such later in the week!

Engagement Session FAQs – Do we really need an engagement session?

Krista Guenin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:58:08 +0000

I get a ton of questions from brides and grooms every day, so I thought it might be helpful to start answering some of them in a series of blog posts. First up, Engagement Sessions…

Do we really need an engagement session?

Um, YES! Wedding coverage with Krista Photography always includes an engagement session. It is SO helpful on the wedding day for us to have worked together before, that I practically make them mandatory :) It’s such a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better – for you to see how I work and for me to see what you guys are like in front of the camera. It’s really awkward for most people to be photographed, I know that. So, it’s great to get all of the awkwardness out of the way before the wedding. The first 15 minutes, it’s weird and you don’t quite know what to do. And then we keep going, we laugh through the strangeness, and we find that you become much more able to be yourselves and enjoy it. And then on the wedding day, you’re like a couple of pros who don’t have to worry about it at all!

One bride wrote me after their engagement shoot to say:

“We had *so* much fun shooting with you … and on our drive back today we were talking about how it actually kind of felt like a (v. non-traditional) date! We’ve been kind of bogged down with work and wedding planning stuff … so it was a really refreshing and much-welcomed break. I can’t wait for the wedding!!”

Another great benefit to the engagement sessions is that you get to see what YOU will look like in my photos. So many people come in after seeing all these gorgeous people on my blog and say things like “oh, well we’re not that photogenic” or “hopefully you’ll be able to get some nice photos of us” and all sorts of crazy things like that! What they don’t realize, what you don’t realize, is that every couple on my blog is a real couple. I don’t do a lot of work with models, I work with real people. Real people have flaws. Real people feel weird with someone photographing their every move, sticking a camera in their face, and following them all over the place – in public no less! It’s not about having someone gorgeous to photograph, it’s about finding out what makes each couple beautiful and bringing that out! So, the engagement session really seems to encourage most brides. When the photos come out, they see how great they look in them, and they can finally really picture what their wedding photos will look like. And I think that makes brides even that much more excited for the wedding!

It also is a great opportunity for feedback. Most women are insecure or uncomfortable with something about themselves – be it their nose, chin, neck, arms, that one freckle, whatever! I only keep the photos of you that I think are awesome, and that I think you look beautiful in – but not every bride agrees with me on when they look beautiful. (In the same way I don’t think my friends are always right about what photos on facebook are “great’ of me ;) It’s helpful for me to know what you like and what you don’t like so I can make adjustments at the wedding!

I had a bride call me once after the engagement session, very upset because while she thought the photos were beautiful, she didn’t like how she looked in them. I happened to catch her in profile quite a bit (this happens when you’re looking at your fiance a lot, I must warn you), and she was self-conscious about her chin. The LAST thing I want is a bride calling me crying about her wedding photos! So, it was great to get the feedback after the engagement session. At the wedding I was able to focus on catching her from different angles, and helped her to pose in ways that were more flattering and accentuated what she liked over what she didn’t like. And she was way happier with the wedding photos than she would have been if we’d never done an engagement session!

Plus, I think it’s great for you to have some really awesome photos of the two of you in your natural environment. You’ll get some fabulous natural photos on your wedding day, of course, but that’s a fancy version of the two of you. This is the “real” thing! It’s nice to be able to show your engagement photos to your kids one day and say – this is what we were like before we were married, this is what our life was like. I love that!

So, all that to say, YES, you really do need an engagement session! They’re super fun, and helpful, so what have you got to lose?!

Baby Soren’s First Family Portraits – Lansing MI

Krista Guenin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:31:25 +0000

Elizabeth & Ryan’s was one of my favorite weddings I’ve ever shot (you’ll notice it’s still a Featured Post), and I was so excited for them when I heard they’d had a baby! Baby Soren came this past fall, and just before the holidays I traveled to Michigan to photograph him with his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Four generations! It was such a special weekend for their family, and I am so glad I was able to document this moment in their lives!

This is what I really love about my job – having the opportunity to photograph people’s lives, and being a part of all sorts of special moments over the years – it’s such a blessing! And getting to play with adorable babies is definitely a bonus ;)

Sleepy Soren

He looks so happy here – but the truth is, he’s crying ;)

Just as happy as on their wedding day!

Now he’s waking up!

Soren and his Great Grandmother

We took some snowy family photos between visits to the grandparents

Soren & his Great Grandfather

Soren & his Grandparents

I love this one!

Getting sleepy again… it comes full circle

Elizabeth’s Grandfather was fairly ill when we visited (not that you could tell from looking at this handsome, cheerful man!). It was incredibly moving to be part of this family portrait session knowing that they might not have another chance to all be together again. Tears were definitely shed. But it was an absolute honor to be there for them. This is the one shot I wanted the entire day, and it’s the last one I took. I just love it.

[edit] I literally just found out that this lovely man passed away yesterday. I am SO thankful that we were able to do this portrait session when we did. What a blessing that he was able to meet his great-grandchild, and how awesome that their family has these photos. This is the most beautiful thing about my job.

Elizabeth & Ryan (and Barbara) – thank you again for allowing me to be there to photograph your wonderful family! It means so much to me to be trusted and appreciated so much by all of you! It’s truly a blessing :)

Danielle & Jon Engagement Session – Borderland State Park

Krista Guenin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:03:45 +0000

Since I’ve been so slack on blogging lately, I’m going to try posting a few shoots with fewer words… Words take me much longer to write ;) On that note, here are a few favorites from my engagement session with Danielle & Jon down at Borderland State Park!

We actually started at Jon’s family home nearby before going to the park…

Oh wow, look how pretty Autumn was…

I love how they make each other laugh :)

trees!

Danielle & Jon – thanks again for a fun afternoon, long ago though it may be! I’m super glad I had the chance to hang out and get to know you both a bit!!