We started out the session with Jack – hoping to get some good ones before he lost interest…he had some great expressions for me and my camera. Check them out:

We did manage to get a nice and neutral expression on a couple as well.

Jack’s dad is a tall guy…I think Jack has inherited that gene as well…he’s very tall for his age. I love this one…

Jen said it had been awhile since she and Tom had photos taken together…I think she said their wedding photos were the last professional images they had done.

The dogs were too energetic to bring into the studio, so we found a nice spot outside. Even in November, it was still warm enough for no jackets! Unusual for New England…

Magic is the black one…Moxie is the brown one…both were so sweet and just wanted to play. We managed to get them to sit still for just a moment and snap a picture

Thank you so much, Jen, Tom, Jack, Magic & Moxie! We hope you’ll come back again soon…

They came into the studio on Saturday morning and we got to work. I told Emma that, aside from doing some tests with lighting and backdrops, I wanted to work on getting fun expressions from my subjects. That was no problem for this nine-year-old! I think this task becomes more of a problem as we get older…we forget how to just PLAY. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

We started out on a white backdrop, which is something I’ve been wanting to brush up on. I really like it for kids – keeps it fresh and light.

I kept telling her mom that she could be an actress…she’s got great expressions and a very vivid imagination. She has also watched her fair share of Tyra and “America’s Next Top Model Search”. Mom said she was quoting lines from the show at the age of four! She was having trouble with the concept of “smizing”, but no problem looking sad. I think this photo came right after I told her “your mom just gave you a trip to Disneyland…but you don’t get to go until two years from now”.

We changed the white t-shirt for a black one…a little older looking, but it’s a great contrast with her skin and hair.

Love the one on the left below…

OK, these last two sets are my favorites. Playing with a little side lighting and removing the backdrop light (in order to get a grey background), Emma gives us a military salute (to honor her dad) and the Pledge of Allegiance pose. Or was that the Queen of England pose? They looked a lot alike.

Saved my favorite for last…who is Emma’s celebrity look-alike? I’m thinking one of the Olsen twins from their younger days…especially in the image on the right!

Thank you so much, Emma and Sarah, for coming in to the studio to “play” – I had a blast! I’ll be sure to call on you again!

This was one of our “Studio Day Sessions” at Love Grows Photography Studio & Gallery. We started off in one of Charlotte’s favorite t-shirts to show off her beautiful belly. Isn’t she going to be a gorgeous new mom?

Charlotte’s husband is a U.S. Marine and was serving in Afghanistan at the time these were taken. He has since returned safely to the United States and will be home for their sweet girl’s arrival. She wanted to incorporate a part of him in the shoot, so she brought one of his dog tags.

A little cliche, but kind of a nice sentiment just the same…and she has beautiful hands and a pretty wedding ring, so why not?

I discovered during a wardrobe change that Charlotte also has a colorful tattoo and thought it would make an interesting image (and no, they aren’t naming the baby Lily!).

Thank you, Charlotte, for coming in to capture this incredible moment in your life. I can’t wait to meet your husband and baby girl in a few weeks!

I turned the big 4-0 last year. Years ago, I thought it would be a traumatic or earth-shattering event, but really, it was OK. It came and went with a little fanfare thanks to some close friends and family. But it wasn’t the cosmic blast I expected. After all, it’s just another day – one that happens to mark the occasion of our birth and add another hash mark to the aging scoreboard. And really, at this point in my life, I should still be feeling pretty young and chipper. And I am, most of the time…until I have to walk up more than three flights of stairs, chase my energetic dog around the yard, or shoot a nine hour wedding on New Year’s Eve toting around cameras and lenses, constantly walking/moving/bending/standing to get “the” shot, and only sitting down for less than five minutes to inhale a meal before the bride and groom cut the cake.

The first couple of tasks wear me out pretty quick (and make me angry that I’m worn out by such simple bursts of effort). But that last one turned me into a pathetic, exhausted and dehydrated mess two days ago. After the event was over, I went to bed, slept terrible, woke up feeling like a freight train had not only run me over but dragged me down the tracks and wondered how the hell I would EVER do it again.

A little dramatic? Maybe. Exactly how I felt? Yes, perhaps even worse.

It was the straw that broke this girl’s back and made me realize I had to make a change. To be fair, my husband (and mother – of course, what are mother’s for?) have been telling me for some time that I’ve grown too stagnate and need to get back on the bike, back to the gym, back to some kind of exercise. And they were right. But until I came to the same conclusion, it just wasn’t happening. I’m not a Taurean in name only, you know…

So, what’s a girl to do? What perfect timing – it’s the new year! I’ll make some resolutions! Of course!

Ummm, in a word, no.

Resolutions seem to have a way of lasting for a few weeks and then making their way to the attic in our brains with all the other items that only come out once a year. No, I don’t need resolutions that last a short amount of time, I need RESOLVE. Every. Single. Day.

I looked it up – just to make sure I was doing the right thing – and here is what I found. Resolve is a noun which means decision or determination. Its synonyms include courage, design, fixed purpose, steadfastness, and will.

Looks like I’m on the right track.

Now, for those of you who know me pretty well, I can assume that by now you are probably throwing something at your computer screen, or laughing, or cursing at me under your breath because I’m not what you would call fat or overweight by most standards. And you’re right. I’m pretty darn lucky in that regard. However, I AM pretty darn unhappy with how I look and feel most days. Therefore, drastic times call for drastic measures.

I am one of those people who step on the scale every now and then only to jump back in horror whenever the number comes up. I’ve spent some money over the past few years buying the next size up and telling myself it was only temporary and I’d get back in my favorite jeans or sleeveless shirt eventually. Guess what? Eventually hasn’t shown up yet.

The first step in my RESOLVE project was to take a few measurements of myself this morning and WRITE THEM DOWN. ON PAPER. In black and white. Numbers that will be displayed on my refrigerator door. On my bathroom mirror. On my iPhone. On a post-it note my wallet. ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN. Anywhere I can think that it will make a difference to me EVERY DAY and maintain my RESOLVE.

And that’s just the beginning. I also vow to include RESOLVE in other areas of my life…which I’ll discuss in future posts, should you care to tune in.

Want to join me? Shoot me an email and we’ll RESOLVE together.

LET’S DO IT.

Celebrity look-alike? A little Sophia Loren (especially in the image above), and maybe a little Julia Roberts…at least the hair and eye color?

Catherine is also a budding photographer and with the help of her advisor, she has designed her own ELO (extended learning opportunity) at school so she can learn more about it. All on top of a heavy senior year course load – pretty ambitious!

We found this great spot that had so many different textures and colors – I was in heaven…and who says redheads can’t wear pink?

Last two images – the one on the right was the last image of the day and it’s my absolute FAVORITE from this session…maybe even of this year!

Thank you to Catherine (and her patient mom) for allowing me to try all my crazy ideas! I hope you have a fantastic senior year (and I hope you get that camera you were telling me about)!

It has been a very busy fall and early winter for me…I can’t believe I haven’t blogged any sessions since opening Love Grows Photography Studio!

Therefore, I’m spending some time catching up and will be featuring high school senior portrait sessions from this fall…first up is Bailey! I had a hard time with her name because my dog’s name is Bailey and I couldn’t quite get used to a human being with the same moniker. So, I kept calling her Brittany…she got used to it…eventually! Thank you, Bailey, for being so understanding!

Bailey is also interested in art and photography and has spent some time learning about both traditional and digital photography at her school. I loved her unique style, and she had the most beautiful skin and eyes…

I always try to figure out what celebrity people most look like. For Bailey, I’m getting Audrey Hepburn meets Gwen Stefani…

We did some studio shots as well. Loving the brick background – just one of the things that attracted me to our studio space!

She looked even prettier with her hair down…and I LOVE the gradation of color! This was Mom’s fave…and a large print of this gorgeous image is now hanging on her wall at home.

The afternoon light was amazing…the one on the left is my fave…

Thank you, Brittany Bailey for choosing me to take your senior portraits! I wish you great success after graduation from high school in 2012!

Back in the spring, I started doing some preliminary research on studio spaces. I just wanted a space to meet with potential clients as well as shoot with studio lighting (especially in the winter). The space didn’t have to be big or fancy (or expensive) – just enough to take “the next step”. So, I hopped on craigslist and started browsing the commercial rental ads. There were a few possibilities, but many of them were way over my budget.

Until one day, when I found a posting by another photographer who was looking for the same thing I was – a space to share with another photographer or wedding coordinator in order to both collaborate and share expenses. I emailed her right away, and within 2 days we met and were seeking out possibilities in the Portsmouth area. We had one space we really liked in a great location, but we just could not make it work financially unless we found a third person. After talking with a few other potential “space-mates”, and looking at many more spaces, we hit a wall.

Luckily, we both liked each other enough to want to make it work even if we couldn’t find space in Portsmouth, so we decided to explore other towns with less expensive options. Back to craigslist we went, and found a listing in the town of Newmarket – a great little community between Durham and Exeter – and it looked very promising. The price was right, the location was wonderful and there seemed to be a rebirth and renewal happening in the area with the renovation of the mills in town. So, after a few weeks of discussion (amongst ourselves, our spouses, and the property manager), we signed the lease…but now we had to wait two months before the space would be available.

As anxious as we were to get up and running, we soon found that the two months prior to moving in would be extremely valuable time in which to do more research, shop for items to furnish the space and put other thoughts and plans down on paper. We decided that we will continue to operate as our own businesses, but we still wanted to identify the space with one name. Amy had a piece of artwork that spurred a concept, and so we decided on “Love Grows Photography Studio & Gallery”.  We’ve also been trolling craigslist and furniture stores for bargains and working on business plans.

So that’s what we’ve been doing…until this week! We now have the keys to our new space and even got to go in and start painting a day early which is great, because we’ve got a LOT of painting to do – our offer for pizza and beer in exchange for some painting help still stands! Don’t be shy!

I’m so thankful to have met Amy (and her husband, Larry, who is also a band and fine art photographer) and be able to share this part of my journey with her. It’s been a fun summer and now I can’t wait to get the studio up and running! We will be having an Open House at some point in the next month to kick-off the new space. We will also have a website for the space up and running soon…our logo isn’t quite ready yet…but we’re working on it.

Here’s a few photos of the space “before” – while the former tenants were still there – and we’ll be posting new photos of the “after” in the next few weeks! It’s going to look a lot different…

If you’re still reading this, thank you – you’re a trooper! It’s going to be a great adventure and I’m very excited (in case you can’t tell)! Amy and I hope you will stop by and check out our new digs – stay tuned for the Open House date, or contact me for hours and directions!

Anyway, as I’m anxiously marking the days off on the calendar, I’m proud to announce another milestone in my photography career – having one of my images published in a local wedding magazine!

Last month, I was contacted by Tracy Hines of Tracy Hines Studio. She and I had collaborated on a bridal shoot last spring featuring a gorgeous model, Alyssa, and we created some lovely images to use in our portfolios. Tracy was recently interviewed by the publication New Hampshire Magazine’s Bride on the latest trends in wedding hair & make-up styles and needed some images to show along with the short article. I was more than happy to do a final edit on an image showing Alyssa with her hair worn down in loose waves with a simple veil (a la Kate Middleton) and send it off to her the next day.

Last night, Tracy posted on my Facebook page that the magazine had hit the newsstands! I managed to contain my excitement until 3 p.m. when I could run to Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy for myself…and I just had to share with you all!

Here is the cover – our beautiful Miss NH, Regan Hartley, photographed by Philbrick Photography – what a gorgeous image!

And here is my image on page 53:

If you are in need of hair and make-up services (whether you’re a soon-to-be bride or not), check out Tracy Hines Studio in Brentwood. She does beautiful work!

And if you look in the crease of the magazine, you’ll find my photo credit – it was a little surreal seeing it in print, but I’m getting used to it:

Here is the image that they used, along with a couple others that were in the running:

There you have it! Thanks again to Tracy for getting us published, New Hampshire Magazine’s Bride for featuring our work, and to Alyssa who was a wonderful (and very patient) model for us that very cold day in March.

Two more weeks until the next big thing…stay tuned!

Sarah brought her new little girl, Lily Belle, to my house for a newborn shoot last week. She has an older brother and sister who are still getting used to the idea of this new person sharing their space, but I’m sure it won’t be long before they are smitten with her. Sarah & Rob, I don’t know how you do it – but you are three for three in the beautiful baby category!

Here are a few of my favorites from the session…

It’s fun to watch them sleep…how they change positions so frequently…

And the expressions they make as they wake up…

There are those little pink fingers and toes…

And…last but not least…my favorite

Thank you, Sarah and Lily, for spending a few hours with me and my camera! Lily Belle is amazing and I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful new addition to your family!