Britt & Mike – mini eSession

I got an email from Britt earlier this summer. She was looking for a photographer for her wedding next May on the Cape, and she wanted to see if she could set up a time to meet with me and do their engagement session while they were in town. How can you not love a bride who’s ready to book her eSession before she’s even met you in person!?!

Britt & Mike live in D.C. but were coming to town for some wedding planning, and a visit with Britt’s family. They’re big baseball fans, and Britt loves those Red Sox, so we met up at Boston Beer Works by Fenway to talk wedding plans, look at albums, and get to know each other a bit before their eSession. We had a great time chatting and laughing (or gagging) over Britt’s fried pickles ;) It turns out we have a lot in common and it was more like hanging out with old friends than having a meeting with new clients. So, after we’d hung out for a while we decided to head outside to shoot for while before we got caught in the rain…

Mike loves the Orioles, Britt loves the Red Sox – somehow they’ve worked through it and still love each other :)




I love how much they make each other laugh


and how he’s all whole head taller than her!

and I love the views around Fenway!


We had to include a few shots with thier “baby,” Tessa :)



At this point we’d only been shooting for about 15 or 20 minutes and the drizzle was really dampening our spirits, and my camera equipment. So, we decided to hold off and finish our engagement session the next time they’re in town. It may not be until the holidays, but I’m looking forward to some snowy engagement photos of Mike & Britt later this year :)

Thanks again you guys for a fun, albeit short afternoon! I’m really excited to work with you and get to know over the next few months!! And I’m praying that you both passed the bar :)

The Flip Flop Regatta

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing a big fundraiser for The ALLY Foundation. The ALLY Foundation was established in memory of Alexandra Nicole Zapp, who was murdered by a repeat sex offender on July 18, 2002. The Foundation, founded and run by Ally’s mother and stepfather, has a mission to prevent opportunities for violent sex offenses, to educate the public and advocate for necessary changes in culture, attitude and policy. For the past six years, her friends and family have celebrated Ally’s life and raised money for her cause by combining some of the things she loved – sailing, celebrations, and flip flops. The result has been the Flip Flop Regatta.

I wasn’t able to actually photograph the race that weekend, but I did get to shoot the Mount Gay Rum Tent Parties on both Friday and Saturday nights. Both events were so fun, and I’m so blessed to have been a part of it!

Friday night’s party got off to a very, very wet start…


But the The Cocabanana Band was great and helped keep everyone’s spirits up, and feet moving!


The event chairs, John Ricci and Koryn Okey (formerly of Boston Weddings Magazine)


Ally’s mother Andrea, step-father Steven, and sister with a friend at the party on Friday night. Andrea and Steven were two of the nicest people I’ve ever met. It’s really amazing what they’ve done with this tragedy in their lives, and the hope they’ve been able to see through it all.


Me and Koryn at the end of the night :)


Saturday turned out to be a PERFECT day for sailing!! Not a drop of rain, and plenty of wind and sunshine.



After the race, everyone came back to the Tent Party for some more fun, as well as a silent auction. There were some amazing items up for bidding!


There was also some delicious food & drinks provided by PapaRazzi, Hot Tomatoes, and SoulFire.


Saturday night’s festivities included a brief address from ALLY Foundation founder, Andrea Cassanova. There was a lot of excitement about the event…


…and a lot of emotion. The regatta is a fun time and an exciting opportunity to raise money for a great organization. But for those who knew and loved Ally, it’s also a reminder of why they’re doing this in the first place.


One of the winning teams from Saturday’s race


And on to some fun from the dance floor!






I ran into my friend Tiffany, of Alternate Angles, that afternoon. She was having a blast!


The dance floor was rockin’ all night long – thanks to the awesome band that night, Infractions!


A final shot of Steven & Andrea


And the view from the pier on Saturday night… amazing!!


Thank you, Koryn and Andrea and Steven, for inviting me to be a part of this event! Thank you for making me feel so welcome and so appreciated. And a special thanks to the sponsors of the Flip Flop Regatta: Mount Gay Rum, Vineyard Vines, Sperry, Atlantis, US Sailing, CleanHarbors, Island Issue, SmartWater, Long’s, Fairmont Copley Plaza, and Papa Razzi. This was a great event, and they couldn’t have done it without your help!

It was a fabulous weekend, and I’m so glad I could contribute to such a great cause! If you’d like to learn more about The ALLY Foundation, or make a contribution, please click here!

If you’d like to see more of the photos, click here.

Lindsey’s Headshots

First of all, can I just tell you that I heard birds chirping outside my window this morning?!?! I mean, if that’s not a sign that Spring is coming, I don’t know what is!!

In other news, I had an awesome shoot on Tuesday with my dear friend, Lindsey. Lindsey leads worship at Genesis and has the most amazing voice! She’s getting her Masters at the New England Conservatory and has her big recital coming up soon (but not too soon, right Linz?). Besides all of that talent, she’s an all around wonderful person and a joy to be near. It was so fun to hang out with her down at school and take some photos. Check her out…

I mean, could she be any prettier??


Workin’ it


and then hysterically laughing



Gorgeous!


Then we camped out on this doorstep for a while and she let her inner-supermodel come out for a bit.






Linz, it was awesome hanging out with you! You’re gorgeous darling! I can’t wait for your recital :)

World AIDS Day

In light of my recent trip to Zimbabwe, I was excited to hear about an event going on this weekend here in Boston, and around the US – World AIDS Day. Check it out below and I hope you can make it!

6000 children are orphaned each day by AIDS… so our goal is to raise 6000 dollars, and get 6000 petitions signed.


World AIDS Day
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
10:00am-3:00pm (open event)
Government Center, Boston, MA

Live music/performances from local bands supporting the cause, as well as some traditional performances by cultures impacted by the AIDS pandemic. A speaker will be there for a very informal briefing on how the AIDS pandemic has affected life today. Sign petitions at our booth to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). There’ll be boxes to give small donations, even change, and what not. There will also be a table with a Worldvision rep in case anyone feels compelled to sponsor a child. Chalk will be provided so you can chalk up Government Center with huge messages and notes to tell the world that the city of Boston cares. An aerial photo will be taken at the end of the day.

World AIDS Day is sponsored by World Vision. For more information on World AIDS Day events near you, go here.

The joy of business travel…

I LOVE to travel. It’s so amazing to me how we can fly all over the world in a matter of hours. It’s just so cool!

But, sometimes, it’s such a pain! Tonight, I flew from Boston Logan to Chicago O’Hare. First, I can barely get into the airport by myself because I’m carrying so much gear and stuff – 4 bags in all, 2 of them on wheels. Thank God that my brother-in-law, Michael, was able to give me a ride or I’m sure this story would’ve begun with some crazy cab anecdote. Anyway, so I make it into the airport and walk up to the kiosk to check a couple of bags. I checked-in online, thinking I’d save a little time, right? No. I stood at the kiosk for 10 minutes after I’d finished my part, waiting for someone to check my bags. When they finally came to ask if I needed help, it turns out my luggage tags didn’t print. So, they figured that out, and it looks like they’ve got my bags and I’m all set. Great. Security goes off without a hitch (I’ve heard that they’re sending dSLRs through the x-ray separately now, but not at Logan, yet). So, I head directly to the gate they told me to go to. There’s no one there. I think, maybe I’m early? So I sit down, plug in the laptop and surf some blogs. Finally, a lady comes and tells me that my gate has been changed. Ah-ha! I guess that’s what I get for not checking. By the time I get to my gate, they’re starting to board, I get on with no problems. Sleep through the whole flight :) Wake up, land at 5:30pm, struggle to get my wheeling carry-on into a bathroom stall, and out again, and head down to baggage claim. The bag with my clothes comes out right away – excellent! But, I continue to wait for my tripod bag. And, I wait, and I wait. Finally everyone else has left, the conveyor belt has stopped, and my tripod has still not arrived. So, I go to the United desk and ask a friendly customer service rep. He tells me to try the conveyor belt for oddly-shaped luggage. Ok. No luck, it’s not there. So, I go back to the desk. He tells me that I’m not supposed to talk to him, and takes me to a different desk. I fill out the paper work to have my tripod sent to me if it ever shows up (they tell me it’s been scanned coming off the plane in Chicago, so I don’t know if it’s been lost or stolen or what). And I head to the rental car agency. As I walk outside, I see that I just missed the Hertz bus, so I wait for another. In the time it takes Hertz to send another bus, every other company has had 2 – 6 buses pass me by. Deep breath. The Hertz bus finally comes, and gets filled to overflowing on the way to the pick-up. Somehow, I managed to get off the bus ahead of everyone else, and into the queue to get my car, find the car with no problem and head off into some good-ole Chicago traffic. By the time I get to Lincoln Park to my friend’s apartment and find a parking spot, it’s 8:30pm.

That’s a total of 7 1/2 hours door to door for a 2 1/2 hour flight. But, it’s still better than the 15 hours it would have taken to drive – and thanks to Tivo, I was still able to watch the whole premiere of The Office. All in all, that’s not bad :)

Gabriella’s Bat Mitzvah

I shot Gabriella’s Bat-Mitzvah a few weeks ago at the Hilton Logan in Boston.
It was such a great time! Check it out…
Gabriella with her parents and brothers


The crowd was totally excited and danced the whole afternoon. It was high-energy and lots of fun!




I think some of the adults may have even been having more fun than the kids!



All in all, it was a great day. Congratulations Gabriella!!

Your slideshow and the rest of the pictures will be up online by the end of the week!

Going Solo!

Back in February of 2002, I lost my HR job in Chicago, and I was wondering what to do with my life. Someone asked me one of the most important questions of my life… What would you do if money didn’t matter? For me, the answer was easy – travel and take pictures. So, I decided to find a job in photography and see what would happen. And the rest, as they say, is history…

Flash forward 5 1/2 years. I now live in Boston (well, Woburn actually) and I’m preparing to leave my part-time studio job and take on my own photography business full-time!!!!!!! I can’t believe it! It’s been such a blessing to see how the Lord has provided for me over the years, especially since I moved out here last year.

I still can’t believe how much I’ve learned and grown in 5 years. This, of course, is all thanks to the many amazing photographers who have graciously taught me along the way… Steven E. Gross gave me a chance and the opportunity to learn the hard way – by actually doing it. My 5+ years working with Steven at Real Life Weddings has truly made me the photographer I am today. And the wonderful Matt & Enna Grazier who I’ve worked with for the last year have been such an encouragement and inspiration! Since working with them I can see such a change in myself – my work has improved, my passion has increased, and my confidence is up! Without them, I don’t know if I’d even feel ready for all of this. Every photographer I’ve worked with has taught me something and I’m so thankful to each one – Robert Mirani, Stephen Serio (aka Serpico), Mark Tomaras, Alternate Angles, Tsar Fedorsky, and many more. Thank you for all of your encouragement and help over the years!

I’m so excited for this new chapter in my life and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Maria & Paul’s Wedding

I shot Paul & Maria’s wedding at the Hyatt Harborside a few weeks ago, and it was such a blast! First of all, I just love Paul & Maria – they are so much fun! Plus, it was a Greek wedding, which always adds a little excitement. Much of Maria’s family came over from Greece for the wedding and half the time I didn’t know what anyone was saying. But, I could tell they were having a great time :)
Maria was gorgeous, and totally enjoyed being the star of the show – her inner diva came out and she really hammed it up in front of the camera for me. It was wonderful to see her and Paul enjoying themselves and their friends & family and really getting the most out of the day. It was such a treat to be part of such an awesome event! Thanks for everything you guys!!

Here are a few of my favorite shots…






Thanks again Paul & Maria!!

Maria & Paul’s Engagement Pics!


Last week I joined Maria & Paul at the Cottage Park Yacht Club in Winthrop, MA for their engagement session. I met Maria last summer and hadn’t met Paul yet, so I was pretty excited to get together with them!


We had a great time shooting around the club! They both talked of being camera shy, but they did a great job and I think they were pretty comfy with it by the end. We hung out for a bit afterwards while they were waiting for some good friends to join them. I’m so glad I was able to stay and hang out – it was really fun chatting with them about travel and neices & nephews – you know, the important stuff! I think the wedding is going to be a blast, and I can’t wait till June 24th.


I love how the photos turned out – I hope you guys do too!