A visit to the town common Christmas tree is a fantastic way to get into the holiday spirit, so it was the perfect place to meet with Delaney and Shane for some portraits around town on a chilly afternoon in December.  We started out in the common, where Mom and Desmond (the family dog) joined us for a walk around the town center.  From there it was a short walk around to the back of one of the towns historic buildings where the old brick and cast iron fire escapes provided an excellent background. Next to the fire escape, we discovered a cool alley between the old building and an old church. Ducking through the alley, we found an amazing little courtyard that I’ve never seen before, despite living here for years. Speaking of living here for years, there’s an old hot dog stand just outside of town that I’ve always wanted to use as a photo location, and Delaney, Shane, and Desmond were willing to oblige!

With her instant smile, and sugary sweet personality, young Miss Abigail is definitely on Santa’s nice list.  And during her 6 month photo shoot, I got photographic proof!

I met her and her family at their home in Wakefield, MA, and she immediately got to work being cute.  After a couple of photos in the family room, we headed into her playroom to play with blocks.  She was excellent at knocking them down!  Then back into the family room, where she hung out under the Christmas tree - Mom and Dad’s best Christmas present.  Upstairs for a few photos in her bedroom, where she rocked the rocker, and into the bathroom for a few fun photos in the awesome window light.  But it was all leading up to the pink knit hat, and to fully realize the potential of the hat, we needed to go outside, taking advantage of the unseasonably warm day.  And since we were outside, we just had to check out the doghouse…

This weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with three-week old Sophia, and twenty-one-month old Maya, and their parents, at their lovely home in Natick, Ma. After being welcomed in, we headed right up to Mom and Dad’s room, where the perfect natural light fell on her newborn cuteness. Then it was off to her room, where she tried out a couple of different baskets, and a couple of different blankets between sips of milk from her bottle. Next we headed downstairs to hang out with big sis a bit in the family room. By this time, Sophia was ready for a break, so we let her swing a bit in her baby swing while we headed up to see Maya’s room. Maya was a gracious host, reading me a whole pile of my favorite books. Finally, we headed back to Mom and Dads room to jump on the bed a bit, joined by a now rested, Sophia.

A sunny fall Saturday and a happy family in the park…can my job get any easier! I met the Negron family at the Newton Center Park in West Newton, MA. We started out by wrangling everyone onto a blanket for a photo with the entire family, including Chester, the family dog. From that vantage point, I could see an interesting trail through woods. We romped in the woods for a while, enjoying the crunch of the fallen leaves. Then it was time to hit the playground, with Cecilia showing us her big girl moves hitting the fire truck playset with the slide, before heading over to her personal favorite: the swing!

A sudden winter storm came through this weekend leaving much of New England without power…but if there had been some way to hook up the power grid to Gabby’s radiant smile and year-old enthusiasm during our portrait session in Boston’s North End, the lights would have some on way sooner!  That smile was the first thing I saw on Sunday afternoon around the corners of her binky as she woke up from her nap.  As soon as she was dressed, she was ready to go, first heading downstairs to play ball with me, then upstairs for an outfit change (or three), then into her bedroom, then Mom and Dad’s, then onto her 4 legged “brother’s” bed.  Once she’d shown me around the whole house, we bundled  up and headed outside, playing our way down the sidewalk and pausing at a cool cobblestone street for some family photos.  The grass was looking greener on the other side of the street - literally - so we ended the session on the lawn of a marina, right by the water with sailboats and seagulls in the background.

I have a peculiar habit. No matter where I am, I am always looking at spots, and thinking how cool it would be to take photos of people there. No place is that more true than my home town of Grafton, Ma. So when I had the opportunity to photograph two sisters on my home turf, I was super excited to try out some of these locations that I have been staring at for years…and Tori and Taylor were happy to go along for the ride. To break the ice we started out on the town common, one of Grafton’s most photographed locations, then quickly made our way across the street to the beautiful, historic, town library, where the backside of the building provided a great spot for a few photos. Across the parking lot, was an awesome overgrown field for a second location, and the waning sun helped us to make the most of it. Then it was on to the train tracks, where the rusty hulks of a couple of abandoned freight cars were perfect for climbing on. Finally we headed across the street, where a couple of old buildings were the perfect spot to finish off the session. When it came to great locations, Grafton didn’t disappoint…and neither did my models!

Last week it was my pleasure to meet the newest member of the Hafter family, two-week old Henry.  I joined Henry and his proud parents at their super cool 1950’s modern style home in Worcester MA.  Henry was waiting for me in his woodland themed nursery where a flock of owls (alraeady his favorite animal) carefully watched over him.  After a quick “hello”, he donned his favorite owl onesie (with a little help from Mom), and got to work on the tough business of baby modeling.  A few photos with around the room led to a bit of nesting with his favorite owl friends before a cuddle with Mom.  Then we headed into the living room, where the large picture windows provided lovely natural light for Henry to show off his “thinking cap”.  All this hard work made Henry extra tired, so he decided it was time for a nap.  Henry will be appearing on this blog throughout his first year - so stay tuned for his three month session this winter!

A fun foray on a farm for family portraits in the fall!  And as cool as that last sentence was to write, it didn’t hold a candle to the fun I had with the Spolidoro family at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, MA.  We met at their beautiful home a few miles from the park, where everyone was frantically attempting to get dressed and ready while the family dog did her part to help by bringing everyone their shoes.  When we arrived at the farm the kids wasted no time showing me the way to the part with the animals…and the ice cream!  Then we headed down to the pond, where the whole family got into the action.  Across the road, we hit the woods for a bit, before climbing all over a big horse jump in the field.  Finally it was time to head back to the cars.  As we said our goodbye’s and settled our accounts, Caden pulled out a big wad of bills and let me know that he would hake care of the balance :).

The fall wind blows in cool, fresh air, the smell fallen leaves, and a ton of requests for baby portraits!  So last week I headed up to Kittery, ME, to hang out with Bri, Travis, and 5 month old Liam.  And like the unseasonably warm sun, Liam’s smile flashed brightly and often!

We started out at the family home in Kittery, where Liam was waiting for me at the table, happily playing with his taggie, while his Mom and Dad got ready for the photos.  After a few photos at the table, we headed upstairs.  First to Liam’s room, where his cheerful disposition was the perfect match to the cheerful sea creatures that were painted on the walls.  Then it was over to Mom and Dad’s room for a roll on the bed, and a quick adventure on the closet floor.  After a quick hop into the wise old owl hamper, we all marched downstairs to take a phone call before heading outside to the back yard.  Having toured the house, we jumped in our cars, and drove a few miles to Grandma’s house for some photos on the dock and in the seaside chairs.  We were all getting pretty tired at this point, but Liam had one more location in him, and we found that location back at the family house in a 1965 classic car that had been passed down for generations.

Last week may have brought the end of September, but no one told the Cape Cod weather that summer was over as I met 1 year old Cooper and his family at their beach house.  After a brief reunion, we wasted no time heading down to the beach together.  The family had access to an old yacht club with a private beach.  The porch of the yacht club was the perfect place to ease Cooper into the session providing great light, and a nice, fast surface to run on and explore.  Then it was down to the beach, where the early morning light cast a glow on the sea grass and the blue of the Atlantic Ocean.  We found a boat on the beach, and Cooper climbed in for a bit before we set up some family photos.  By this time, it was starting to get a little bright on the beach, and Cooper was getting a little hungry, so we headed back up to the house for a snack.  There the shaded yard provided a perfect atmosphere for a few more family photos, followed by Cooper’s exuberant exploration.