Key Ways We Capture Genuine Emotion

Whether its your wedding day, portrait session, or milestone event, we strive to capture emotive images that tells the story. To accomplish this we have to make sure our clients are happy and comfortable to be able to capture their pure and natural emotions. Over the years we’ve gathered a lot of experienced and came up with a few ways we achieve this goal.

  1. We get to know our clients– We aren’t just a shoot and burn business. We are a professional full time photography company, so it’s important to us that we get to know who we are working with and that they get to know us. It’s a partnership. Some of the ways we accomplish this is through phone calls, meeting, in person sessions, questionairres, just to name a few. The more we interact with each other, the easier it is to relax and capture emotive images.
  2. Sometimes it’s good to be a wall flower– If someone doesn’t feel comfortabe you can’t capture their true and raw emotions. We approach our clients and their guests in a very gentle way. We act like wall flowers. We move around each event in a delicate way, never forcing someone to take a picture or make them feel uncomfortable. This way everyone can enjoy the event and we can capture their genuine smiles and laughs.
  3. We encourage you to enjoy yourselves and have fun– We use our humor to make our clients laugh and feel relaxed. This may seem like a given, though this extends much farther than you may think. Being able to make small talk with each other can relax the clients and help them feel comfortable during the session, which is very helpful with the comfortability of our clients.
  4. Directing the couple in a gentle way– This helps us pose our clients in a way that feels natural and comfortable for them. Posing makes or breaks an image. So while it is important for our clients to pose in a natural way, sometimes we may need to push them slightly out of their comfort zones, but in an inviting and comforting way. We try to ease our clients into posing by complimenting them or saying something comforting.
  5. We are prepared to capture spontaneous moments– Anything can happen during a session so we are ready to capture everything, which is the biggest reason why we usually have two photographers at our jobs. We encourage spontaneous moments by having the couple or the group look at each other and talk amongst themselves, which generally makes everyone laugh and smile.
  6. Use natural light to enhance the warmth and seritonin– It is said to be true that daylight and natural light releases more seritonin into our brain. So we try to incorporate as much natural lighting into our sessions as we can to help our clients feel happy and more secure. Fresh air and warmth is always fulfilling and makes our clients feel content.

An Elegant Winter Wedding At the Exeter Inn

Melanie & Steve got married in February winter wedding, the day after a big storms. It made for a great backdrop at their beautiful venue. I’m halfway through their gallery but couldn’t wait to share some images.

Here’s a sneak Peek of their day with another post soon to follow.

Why Your Photographer Loves What They Do

If you have ever wondered what spurs on a photographer’s passion, you are about to find out. Below are just some of the many reasons photographers wouldn’t change their job for anything in the world.

  1. Photography changes how you see things. You notice colors, textures, flowers, trees, people, shapes and light in a way most people never see them.
  2. You pay more attention to the beauty around you. Even the most mundane object can become beautiful when you photograph it in a creative way. Many photographers love their job because they develop a fascination with the world around them by viewing it through new eyes
  3. It’s an amazing creative outlet. You get the chance to put a little bit of who you are into each photo that you take. Anyone can click a camera’s buttons but not everyone can truly make a photo come to life
  4. It’s a challenge. Creating amazing photos that capture the magic of everyday life doesn’t come without hard work, dedication and imagination. There is always something new to explore and a new way to take the same photos. It’s a job that never gets boring
  5. You get to meet new people all the time. A photographer works with people from all walks of life. Getting to know someone new is a part of the process of bringing someone’s personality through in a photo. It also makes the job a lot more fun!
  6. The flexibility is great. Being a full time photographer means you get to work your own hours. This doesn’t mean it’s a laid back profession though. A photographer is always aiming to perfect their craft, taking on new challenges and helping their clients achieve the perfect pictures.

When you decide to pay for a professional photo session, know that you are hiring an individual who is passionate about what they do and is willing to go the extra mile to help you create beautiful photos that you can treasure forever.

Top 7 Photos With Your Bridesmaids That You Absolutely Need to Take

There are plenty of photos you have probably considered taking on your wedding day. From getting ready, the ceremony to pictures with your family and of course with the groom but what about the ladies that are helping you and have helped throughout the entire wedding planning process? While you know you’ll have some time to take group shots of the entire bridal party you’ll want to make sure you have these photos with your bridesmaids as you get ready on your big day.

1. Showcase The Back of Your Wedding Dress

The back of a wedding dress is hidden with beautiful details you’ll want to capture. You can pose with all of the bridesmaids to show off their dresses as well or have some great close ups of the bridesmaids helping button, zipper or lace up the back of your dress.

2. First Look With Your Bridesmaids

You have heard about the first look for the bride and groom but what about when the bridal party sees the bride for the first time? The bride’s first reveal to her bridal party can result in some emotional and memorable photo opportunities.

3. Having Fun

As you are getting ready everyone’s nerves are a little on edge because everyone wants to look their best. There will be moments when you just need to let loose to relax a little and having a little dance party, jumping on the bed or just being silly are moments that can make for great photo opportunities.

4. Matching Robes or Shirts

Most brides will have getting ready attire for their bridesmaids and you’ll want to capture everyone in their cute and thoughtful pre-wedding wear.

5. Bouquets and Bridesmaids Dresses

Bouquets won’t last a lifetime but the pictures you have of them will. The bridesmaids and bride bouquet photos are ones that you will definitely want to have. There are many ways you can showcase the bouquets as well as the bridesmaid’s dresses. From lining everyone up and holding their bouquets out to the camera or hiding their faces to forming a circle around the bride; this is another shot that you can get creative with

6. The Shoe Shot

You can’t forget about the shoes and what about those pedicures? You’ll want to get a group shot that showcases everyone’s shoes.

7. Celebrating Shot

You’re getting married! There is bound to be a bottle or two of champagne being opened in the bride’s honor. Take a minute to pause as you toast away your single life with your bridesmaids for a picture-perfect shot.

Wedding Photography Style Explained

When it comes to choosing your wedding photographer before you even begin searching you will want to know just how you want your wedding to be photographed. Each photographer will specialize in a specific style so knowing what style you prefer can make finding a photographer a little easier. Most wedding photography will fall into one of these 5 styles.

  • Classic

When you choose a classic photography style the results are images that stand the test of time. These are the traditional black and white images, carefully posed and meticulously planned out. Most often the photographer specializes in capturing ordinary moments in a beautiful and elegant way. This style tends to be a bit more formal but can always be given a modern twist.

  • Artistic

If you want something that is more personal for you then an artistic style may be your ideal choice. Artistic images will capture unique, special moments and tend to utilize a lot more of the space around the couple instead of just capturing the couple full frame and up close. If you are open and willing to having a bit of fun with your photographer, you will be amazed by the results.

  • Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a type of photojournalism photography with a bit of a twist. Most images will appear to be candid, and most often they are. This style is a mix of candid, natural shots and images with some direction and staging provided to get the perfect shot.

  • Dramatic

While all styles will use different types of lighting, dramatic images make it a key component. This style will showcase a variety of different lighting techniques that the photographer has mastered to create truly breathtaking portraits.

  • Documentary

If you are not into the traditional posing or styling of shots, then a documentary wedding photographer is probably one you will want to consider. The documentary style focuses on candid and spontaneous images that truly capture the entire essence of you wedding day.

Erica & Lydia’s Wedding

Erica & Lydia are a laidback & sincere couple, who genuinely care about each other and everyone around them. They work within the Boston area to help education, advocate, and support people within their community.

They reached out to me a few days before their wedding in need of a photographer since the one they had planned to used backed out last minute. I was excited that not only was this a Boston wedding but I was available on their day to work with them. Usually I have months to a year in which I help my clients plan and prepare for their special day. Since we only had a few days, I made sure to get as much information as possible to help capture their day as true to them as I could.

Like most wedding days, when I arrived things were running a little behind. No problem, I used the time to capture getting ready images, detail shots, and some canids. If I have time I also photograph the location & what makes it unique. For Erica & Lydia, once they were ready we walked the location together picking a few spots that they really liked. Through our prior conversations, I knew Lydia is a car person, so we had to make sure we captured an image or two with her car before we headed to their wedding venue.

Their venue Club Cafe was a unique venue that I hope I can photograph again. There was a nightclub, banquet restaurant, a few bars, & a stage for their performers. It was closed to the public so we were able to take images throughout the venue. Even though it was in the middle of winter my glowing brides had no problems baring the frigid weather for their beautiful images.

Wedding Vendors:
Getting ready venue: Cambridge House Inn @ Porter Square
Wedding Venue & Catering: Club Cafe
Flowers: My Bloommate

Intimate Weddings, Timelines, & The Details

For all my weddings, before your event, we discuss your timeline and what you would like to capture. Each wedding is unique to each client, so not one is photographed exactly the same. This is especially important for small weddings, since usually I’m only there for a few hours. Those hours go by faster than you may think. Having a timeline and going over image expectations and what you would like for your gallery is invaluable. For some clients, the details aren’t as important as the people there celebrating with them. Or they prefer more candid images than posed. With limited time, we work together making sure we are on the same page, so I can capture your event as it unfolds naturally and with the style you are looking for.

A few weeks before Christmas, I photographed Linda & George’s wedding at The Delamar in Connecticut. It’s a beautiful luxury hotel that’s a great venue option for small weddings. When we talked about the wedding, Linda pointed out how important it was to have images of her children and George’s children. They also liked more candid with some posed of her family. They weren’t looking for the typical getting ready, bridal party, lay flat details shot etc. Knowing this ahead of time, I was able to capture images true to what they were looking for.