Krista Guenin, Author at Krista Photography Blog

Posted on March 15, 2012April 3, 2012 by Krista Guenin

Inspire 2012 is almost here!!

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!!!

Posted on January 2, 2012January 3, 2012 by Krista Guenin · 9 Comments

The end of a year

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

Posted on November 2, 2011February 17, 2014 by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

L & A’s Camden, Maine Wedding Details

A few of my favorite details from this gorgeous wedding earlier this summer…

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

Posted on September 20, 2011September 23, 2011 by Krista Guenin

Krista Photography Internships Available!

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!

Posted on June 23, 2011June 17, 2014 by Krista Guenin

Engagement Session FAQs: What to Wear?

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 :)

Posted on June 17, 2011April 2, 2014 by Krista Guenin

Nikki & Evan Go To Prom – Burlington, MA

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!

Posted on June 15, 2011June 10, 2011 by Krista Guenin

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

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!

Posted on June 13, 2011June 10, 2011 by Krista Guenin

Lulabelle Cupcakes

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!

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

Benchmark Awards Gala – Boston, MA

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!