Posted on by Krista Guenin · 3 Comments

McGarry Family Chiropractic – Winchester, MA

A couple years ago, I started seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis. I’d been having some pretty regular shoulder and neck pain for a few years, and decided it was time to do something about it. Turns out, carrying heavy camera equipment on my back and holding a camera to my face and a flash over my head for hours at a time, is not so good for my spine. Like many people, I was really skeptical of chiropractic even though lots of photographers had told me it had really helped them. Dr. Lieschen McGarry had become a friend through church, and so I figured I’d give it a try since she was someone I felt really comfortable with and could trust. She explained to me that when your spine is out of line (subluxation), it can disrupt the nerves sending signals to your whole body, which can lead not just to pain but to all sorts of health issues. She also showed me how when your spine is out of line for an extended period of time, it can cause structural damage as well (subluxation degeneration). Looking at my x-ray was a little scary (apparently I have the spine of a 40-year old), so I started going for adjustments on a regular basis, and still do. And it’s really helped!

So, when Lieschen told me she was working on a new website for the office and needed some photographs, I was thrilled to work with her on them!

We started out with some headshots…

McGarry Family Chiropractic

Gorgeous, and talented – gotta love it!

McGarry Family Chiropractic

This is Maggie, one of the office assistants

McGarry Family Chiropractic

And Jessica

McGarry Family Chiropractic

They’re a great team!

McGarry Family Chiropractic

This is the view from the adjustment room – that’s lovely downtown Winchester

McGarry Family Chiropractic

Dr. McGarry explaining Subluxation Degeneration to a patient

McGarry Family Chiropractic

Two of the adorable babies she treats

McGarry Family Chiropractic

A big part of Dr. McGarry’s practice, is working with families and children. A lot of people freak out at the idea of adjusting children, but she’s incredibly gentle. We photographed her adjusting some babies and kids, so people could see what that looks like.

McGarry Family Chiropractic

McGarry Family Chiropractic

McGarry Family Chiropractic

McGarry Family Chiropractic

See, smiling faces :)

McGarry Family Chiropractic

McGarry Family Chiropractic

Thanks Lieschen for such a fun and different shoot! And thank you especially for all the care you’ve given me over the last couple years! I don’t know how I’d make it through a wedding season without you :)

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 5 Comments

Susan’s Maternity Photos – Indianapolis, IN

Those of you who know me, know that I’m completely in love with (um, addicted to?) Facebook. Well, this is one of the reasons. I have found so many old friends in the last few months that I’d completely lost touch with years ago, that it just blows my mind! It is so fun to connect with them again and see what they’re up to, and better yet, get to actually see them live and in person again! Susan is one of those friends. We were roommates my senior year at Butler, and we lost touch sometime after I moved to Chicago. We recently found each other on Facebook and I was surprised and excited to see that she’s married the love of her life, and was pregnant with her THIRD child! woah! So, when I was in Indianapolis last, we got together for a maternity portrait session, and about 6 hours of much-needed catch-up time! It was wonderful!!

Now on to the part you all really care about, the photos ;)

Sue was always beautiful, but there’s something about being pregnant that makes a woman radiant!


*favorite*


I love the belly!!


Haha! I must be hilarious ;) Actually, no, she’s the hilarious one… I think she’s laughing at her own impression of a model here.


Using a little of that natural light

See what I mean? Gorgeous!!




Susan’s 2 little boys wanted in on the fun, and desperately wanted to see what Mommy was looking at out the window…


So, we thought we’d add them into the shoot! This is Sam, he’s adorable.


And this is Jack, he’s rather hilarious.



and also adorable.


You can tell these boys love their Mommy!

Sue – it was SO fabulous to see you and meet your lovely family! I’m glad we got to spend some time together and catch up after all these years. It’s so great to know that we’ll be able to stay in touch pretty much forever now, thanks to modern technology ;) Congratulations on the birth of baby Lily! I can’t wait to meet her next time I’m home!!! LOVE YOU!!

Oh, and for those of you on Facebook – you can become a Fan of Krista Photography here. If we actually know each other – add me as a friend already! If we’ve never met, introduce yourself and maybe we’ll become friends :) I won’t add anyone I don’t know since I actually use FB to post family photos and such, but I am always happy to make new friends in real life!!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

Portraits for Mimi


That’s my Mom – or Mimi as her grandkids call her. She’s pretty great. She owns her own business and has worked her butt off for as long as I can remember (except those 2 years when I was a kid and we lived in the Bahamas – when she played Bridge and sat by the pool with me all day, but whatever ;). The older I get, the more I realize that I am so much like her – or is it that I’m just becoming more like her? Either way, it’s both a little scary and comforting at the same time :)

My Mom needed some new photos of herself and her employees for work – and hopefully for a website someday… Mom works in the glamorous world of nursing home consulting, and that market hasn’t really gotten too techy just yet ;) Since she’s the most wonderful Mom, she hired her daughter to take the photos. And since she’s the most wonderful boss, she offered all of her employees the opportunity to get some family portraits done as well! So, when I was in Indianapolis earlier this summer, we headed down to Greenwood (the town I was born in) to spend some time with the women of Herrin Associates, and their families…

First up, my Mom, Shelia. She doesn’t really like having her picture taken (kinda like me), but has started getting used to it over the past 6 or 7 years. Do you think I look like her?



Next up was Beth :)


and Beth’s husband and 4 grandchildren


The kids weren’t too excited about the whole thing, but they put up with me, and we managed to get some great shots of them!



I love these…





And then there’s Kathy! Kathy’s family wasn’t able to come for photos, so we just stuck to business…

…at least mostly. I got her laughing quite a bit when I was asking her about whether or not my Mom’s a good boss :)

And last but not least was Nancy. Nancy has worked for my Mom for like 20 years, and is such a great lady!


She brought a bunch of her family with her and we got a ton of portraits of them – starting with her son and his adorable daughter…




Then we shot Nancy and her husband with their grandson, Garrett.


Then it was just Nancy & Ernie. They’re pretty cute!


While we waited for Nancy’s daughter to get off work, my Mom & I took Garrett across the street for some ice cream from this little walk-up place, called Mrs. Curl. It’s so small-town Indiana, I love it! (I loved the ice cream too!)



Last up was Brittany and Garrett.


He’s a cutie!


I swear I’m good with kids! Really! I think Garrett was just squinting, not snarling!


Brittany arrived just as the sun dropped down to the perfect spot, so we got some beautiful, warm light to play with…


And I’m fairly certain that this was Garrett’s favorite part (next to the ice cream, of course).


It was such a fun afternoon! Thanks Mom for letting me take your picture :) And for being such a great role model for this business-owning daughter of yours. I’m amazed by all that you’ve done, and all that you’re doing – and I’m super proud of you! I love you so much!!! S.W.A.K. ;)

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 5 Comments

HFC – The School

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I went to Haiti to document the work of Hope For The Children of Haiti. Their Mission is this: Hope for the Children of Haiti is called by God to give Haitian children, particularly orphans, the opportunity to become well rounded adults who are self sufficient in Christ. One of the keys to fulfilling this mission is giving these children a quality education. And so HFC has started a school that teaches not only the orphans who are part of the Pension, but many other local children as well. Here are some images from my time at the school…

When we first arrived at the school that morning, the kids were in the middle of recess, and were playing all over the place. And MAN do the they love the camera!!! I was instantly mobbed! Since I’m supposed to be documenting life at the school, I was getting a little frustrated because this was not a day in the life of the school – this was mob the photographer day :) But, come on, look at how cute they are! Who can stay frustrated for long?



Of course, not all the kids were interested…


Finally, recess was over and everyone went back to class.
This teacher was totally embarrassed that I was taking his picture (in fact, they all were), so I had to crouch outside the door and try to be incognito. Not too easy with my 80-200mm f/2.8 lens on, but it worked somehow :)


The girls taking rigorous notes on the Haitian Revolution


And one of the boys listening attentively


The little ones couldn’t concentrate that hard. Nor could they see very well. We happened to show up the week the generator died, and there was no power at all during the day. Many of the classrooms, like this one, didn’t have any windows and were almost pitch black. But, school continues…




These poor teachers! Every time I walked by the classroom, the kids went nuts trying to get me to take their picture. Kids were coming out into the hallway, getting out of their seats, and totally freaking out. It was a little funny, but the disciplinarian in me wanted to tell them to go sit back down and listen to their teachers! :)


A teacher going over homework in the light from the hallway since her classroom is windowless.


I love this shot of a teacher going through a book in class. There’s something about the way she’s holding the book and the pages that is just beautiful to me.


Lots of answering questions on the chalk board


even when there’s no light to read your work…



Thankfully, the generator has since been fixed the kids have light to read by again! Lack of power in Port-au-Prince and the cost of running a generator is one of the MANY reasons that HFC needs your support!! If you can, please think or pray about supporting this important ministry, so these kids can get a good education and grow up to be self-sufficient adults that make an impact on the future of Haiti!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

HFC – Life at the Pension

Here’s a little peak at life at the Pension (that’s what they call an orphanage in Haiti)…

They have two main buildings. The main building is the school, girls’ dorm, and space for another adoption agency. The other building is across the street – it’s the boys’ dorm, and it’s called Woodworth’s House (I can’t remember who Woodworth was and why they named the house after him…). Here’s a view of the boys’ house, from the main building. It was laundry day :)


I found this hanging on the wall in the girls’ room. It was incredibly humbling to think of how much this passage must mean to the girl who tacked it on her wall, and how much I have to learn about it’s meaning…


A regular ritual of braiding each other’s hair.


One of the most difficult parts of the trip for me was visiting the babies from the adoption agency. It’s comforting to know that almost all of them will get adopted, most by American or European families. But, seeing their life as it is now… was heartbreaking.


These babies sit in their cribs all day. all. day. There’s a woman in the corner of the room “watching” them, but mostly sitting around. These kids are sitting in wet diapers, stimulating themselves by banging their heads on the mattress, and some seem to have given up and just lay there. The teenage girls from HFC like to play mommy and come get some of the babies a couple times a day – but they don’t take all of them, just the ones they like. I got a few out of their crib and played with them, but I couldn’t take them all out, and it killed me. If you’re even thinking of adopting a child – please consider adopting a child from Haiti or another 3rd-world country. This is the alternative until a family comes along to care for them…


Some of the toddlers from the same agency. It cracks me up that a 3-year-old is braiding the younger one’s hair! Most 3-year-olds can’t tie their shoelaces, how are they gonna braid hair?!


This is one of the little ones from the agency. She followed me around all over the Pension. She wouldn’t let go of my leg, or stop touching my camera, and was just always there. She’s pretty cute, huh? I had to try really hard not to bring her with me…


One of the fabulous cooks at the girls’ dorm. I’m not exactly sure what she’s making there, but I do know that I had to eat it. If you know me at all – you know I’m very picky. A bowl full of mush is not my idea of dinner. But, it’s all they had, and they shared it with me. And I ate it, gratefully.


The view from the dorm. This is practically all these kids see of their community. They live in a really bad neighborhood – very dangerous and violent. They are fiercely protected, and therefore don’t get to play out in the streets or spend time with neighbors. But, they are safe…


This is what teenagers look like at Sunday School… a little bored, and trying not to get in trouble for talking :)


Dinner at the boys’ dorm


The boys’ house-mother


One of the beautiful things about the kids at HFC is that they really are a family. A gigantic family of 60 kids, but a family nonetheless! I love this picture of Wislandy, the youngest girl with her arm around one of her big brothers. It just tells you so much about these kids.


Next up, a look at the school at HFC!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

Evan & Kelly’s Wedding!!

Wow! It’s been WAY too long since I posted anything on this blog of mine! I’m sure you were all checking back each day wondering what the heck had happened to me. I hope you weren’t too worried ;) I have so much to blog about, but I definitely wanted to get this wedding up before anything else!!

Evan & Kelly got married a few weeks ago, on a beautiful sunny day in Cambridge. I started the day with Kelly at the Harvard Faculty Club where she was getting ready. It’s such a cool old building, and I was definitely excited to shoot there for the first time! One of the first things I got to see was the room they were staying in at the Club. It had the coolest window, and I just had to shoot the dress in front of it!


Then it was back downstairs to spend some more time with Kelly and her family. Kelly was a little anxious and definitely wanted to get the show on the road! She just couldn’t wait to get down that aisle and marry Evan, which is the best reason to be anxious before your wedding!



The ceremony was held just a block away at Harvard Memorial Church. The ceremony was so nice, and Evan & Kelly just looked so happy!


After the ceremony, we walked back to the Faculty Club, and made a few stops along the way for some casual portraits.



Are they cute, or what?



Back at the reception, the guests were mingling and enjoying the day, while I was eying the cake… Don’t you just want to pluck off those little flowers and eat ’em?!


Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way… My assistant, Melissa, totally busted this kid trying to snag a bite!

The first dance as husband & wife…


All day long, you couldn’t get the adorable kids off of the dance floor. Not even during the father-daughter dance!


After a bit of dancing, Evan & Kelly were toasted by their loved ones. The toasts were awesome…lots of tears are the proof!

I love this series! It totally makes me cry because you can just see how close Kelly & her sister are, and how much they love one another. Sisters are awesome!


The Best Man got a few more laughs than tears…


But Kelly’s Dad really takes the cake. I have looked at these images at least 5-6 times now throughout my editing, and I have cried EVERY TIME!! He’s a total crack-up, so I was expecting a really knee-slapping kind of a toast. But, then he starts talking about how when he was a kid he loved the movie Peter Pan (the live-action one w/ Mary Martin – which is a totally great version, btw). And then he goes into this long description of the part where TinkerBell almost dies – and he actually starts crying just talking about it. Which makes all of us cry, of course. I can’t exactly remember how he worked it all out, but in the end he had us all clapping for Evan & Kelly the way kids over the generations have clapped for Tink. I’m telling you, it was the best Dad toast, ever!


Did I mention the adorable kids?



The happy couple enjoying the last dance of the day!

Before the afternoon ended, there was one shot that I HAD to get. I’d been dreaming of it since we visited the Faculty Club during Evan & Kelly’s engagement shoot. The club just has the best staircase, you see…



Evan & Kelly, it was such a wonderful day! You are surrounded by love, and it was an amazing thing to witness. Thank you for trusting me to be a part of your wedding. And thanks for sticking it out to the very end to get my dream shot :) I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you both over the past year – and I look forward to working together to design the perfect album to tell the story of your day! I hope you LOVE the photos!!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 4 Comments

Mimi & Papa’s Last Visit

Back when my nephew Tristan was sick, my Mom & Dad decided to come out to Boston for a few days to help my sister. By the time they got there, Tristan was feeling much better. They ended up spending most of their time here disinfecting every inch of the house. It was a fun surprise visit for the kids though – and for me too!

This is my Dad with baby Caeden. Caeden’s at that SUPER CUTE phase where he likes to make funny faces and watch everyone laugh. Here are 2 of his favorites…


My poor Mom was here less than 2 days before the plague hit her as well. We thought about calling the Center for Disease Control because this crazy bug infected everyone who came in the house (even just last week it got someone new who visited!) – but it was probably just the flu :)

[insert photo of my mom looking sick and miserable – but, um, she won’t like that so you’ll just have to pretend]

My sister wanted to start making some fun new memories for the kids while my parents were in town, to make up for the sad memories from the hospital. So, first we had a fun bath time blowing bubbles!

That’s me blowing bubbles for the babies! (photo courtesy of my wonderful sister, Kyla)


Do you think they liked it???




While Kyla & I were blowing bubbles at bath time, our Dad was making an enormous fort in the kids’ bedroom. Here they are, waiting for the big surprise…


The fort was huge, with mattresses on the floor for Tristan, Reilly & my Dad (well, he wasn’t about to sleep in the same room with his sick wife!) Dad even set up a little TV & DVD player. They laid on their mattresses, watched Stuart Little 3, and ate Lucky Charms until it was time to go to sleep. It was pretty cute!


Even with Mom getting sick, it was still a fun visit! Poor Dad got sick the day after they returned to Indianapolis. But, everyone’s better now – 2 straight weeks of fever & puke-free kids!!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

Tristan is HOME!

Yesterday my little nephew, Tristan looked like this…


But this morning he woke up feeling so much better that the doctors let him come HOME!! And now he looks like this!!! Do you see that? It’s a smile!!


It was so great to see him come home! His brother & sister were SO happy to see him – and my sister and I were practically in tears. It was great! He’s still getting better, he’s not back to normal quite yet – but he’s HOME. Thank you God!!! And thanks to all of you who prayed for him.

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

Update on Tristan

Here’s the latest update on my nephew, Tristan…

There was no improvement today in his condition. I think when I said in the last post that the Potassium made a “HUGE” difference, I overstated. It did seem to make a difference – I mean, the fact that he smiled and laughed for the first time in days was very encouraging. But, he woke up this morning pretty much the same as the day before. It didn’t help that he had to have another blood draw today, and they had to try twice to get it. It was a rather traumatic experience for everyone, and it left him pretty cranky and grumpy. This afternoon, around the same time as yesterday, he woke up and perked up a bit – laughed and smiled at his mommy’s drawings, walked and ate a little bit. The doctors & nurses say that the antibiotics may just take another day or so to kick in, and they plan to keep him at the hospital until they do and until he’s walking, eating, and acting relatively normal. So, we expect that he’ll be there until at least Wednesday.

Please continue to pray that he’d keep getting better, and that he wouldn’t be too miserable that he can’t come home yet. Pray for Kyla & Michael that they wouldn’t be too sad about that too. And pray for Reilly & Caeden who are definitely missing their big brother. And praise God that Tristan’s Mimi (my Mom) will be coming into town on Wednesday to help!

I probably won’t post an update tomorrow, unless there’s news. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support – Kyla & Michael (and I) are so grateful!

Posted on by Krista Guenin

Update on Tristan

Thank you to all who have been praying for Tristan and helping out our family today! It’s been a long couple of days, but things are starting to get better. Tristan had a CT scan today which showed nothing unusual, except a sinus infection (he also has 2 ear infections). Just to be safe, they also did a spinal tap which thankfully came back negative. They’ve now got him on antibiotics. Right before I came by the hospital tonight, they gave him a Potassium drip, which made a HUGE difference. He perked up a little bit, smiled for the first time in days, cracked a joke, and even laughed. It was such a blessing to see him getting a little better! So, we’re praying that he’ll wake up in the morning feeling better, and that maybe the doctor will let him go home tomorrow. Please pray that that would be the case.

Thank you again for your prayers, phone calls, messages, and love! You are all wonderful!