Still blogging from late last season. I generally suggest outdoor sesion for toddlers. The 18 month to 3 year age is a very busy time and children this age love to be on the move. I photographed this lovely boy when he was just 4 months.  Now on the march at 18 months he gave me quite the workout. I brought along an antique firetruck for this little guy to ride on . Not that he needed wheels to be speedy! He came along with a very dapper hat. In in all the props made for some perfect portraits!

 Started this Fall session with light rain and heavy clouds and I even wondered for the first half hour whether I would get any good light to do my work.  Then out of nowhere we got a sunset and I got a family portrait which I can easily say is one of my absolute favorites ever. This family was perfect company so fun and easy going. Still playing catch up with my blogging. I am posting this session online today with snow on the ground outside my window. Makes me feel all warm just looking at all these Fall colors!

Continuing the theme of favorite portrait for the year, the top image from this shoot is a special pick for me. I just love the light in it which just happened to show itself right at the end of the session. I also like the feel of the composition. We had some lovely images from this family session.

 My Fall season blog postings would not be complete without a portrait of these children. This is my fifth Fall session with these kids but this time around two is now three with the arrival of the youngest sister. At just over 4 months posing can be quite a challenge. A big thanks to the eldest two siblings for being very patient and happy to try a few different positions for this portrait. This portrait is a bit of a change from my usual style but it happens to be a real favorite of mine.

 With the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having here in Massachusetts we went to the beach near Newburyport this last weekend and were lucky enough to have it to ourselves. Big empty expanses such as this uncrowded beach are fun to walk on and also to photograph, they can be used to create images with lots of ‘negative space’, which help to tell a story in itself and to emphasize a subject that only makes up a small part of the image. When shooting portraits we don’t often get the chance to compose in this way so this made a refreshing change!

 Mike and I held this session the evening before record October snow here in MA. It was a perfect Fall evening with milky colored sky that often shows up before snow and which produced the best light for photos and did a great job of bringing out the Fall color. We often think of the briliant maple reds and strong yellows as THE Fall colors here in New England. I have to admit though, they are not my choice for environmental portraits. I think the burnished browns and fading orange and bronzes are really the way to go.

We photographed these girls in the Summer. So this Fall session came not too long after the previous shoot. I was a little concerned the girls may not be too interested in spending time with us again so soon after but how wrong was I? They were great ( and Mom too) and every portrait from the session is a keeper!

 We constantly look forward. What are we doing at the weekend? How many weeks to Christmas? Is it band tomorrow? My daughter asks me every night when I give her a bedtime kiss, ” Mummy what are we doing tomorrow?”.

If instead we look back, is there some hope that time will stand still, even just for a few minutes.

We took a family walk at the beach this past weekend. I was constantly at the back of my crew trying to catch up. Out of sheer frustration I called out to my son. He stopped and looked back. I saw at that moment that he is  no longer my little boy. I love what he is growing into but feel the loss of what he’s leaving behind.

If we take time to look back will time stand still, even just for a few moments? 

This was a really great high school senior session from the Fall. We had nice weather and even fitted in a few clothing changes which made for some nice variety.  I have just completed my print preparation work from this session and all portrait files are with my pro lab for print. We have much work to do following a shoot. Here’s a break down in it’s most simple terms.

1) Load images to computer. Four/five star best images. Approximately three sorts to narrow down to the best ones for editing.

2) Do photoshop work, black and white portraits and cropping.

3) Work on example portraits showing recommended touch ups ( if any). We keep this very natural.

4) Plan sample storyboard designs for clients to view. We select images that we think look great in a storyboard or collage and design it to show the client. Everyone loves this.  My clients usually ask for additional designs. We worked on a 9 image collage from this shoot and it looks great.

5) Load a proof viewing gallery to the server for client to view and help the client with their choices.

6) Prepare images for printing in the size selected. This may involve recropping, touch ups, removal of distracting background objects, noise reduction and selective sharpening for the print size.

7) Blog some selected portraits from the session.

8) Portraits then go into print production at a pro lab.

 9) FINALLY once we are satisfied with the print quality portraits are ready to be collected or shipped. That’s our favorite part. We get intakes of breath, hugs, tears and email messages from clients telling us how much they love their portraits. We know all the work is worth it.

 This was a fun maternity session.  It was a real family affair, Mom, Dad, baby to be and ( not to be upstaged) a very delightful dog.  We had spectacular sundown light but it was a bit on the chilly side so well done to Mom for being very flexible with her outfits regardless of the temperaures. I am excited for the newborn shootthat is coming soon! 

 This lovely little girl visited me in studio about 4 months ago. She was back for her 8/9 month session and we made use of the great weather outdoors. She came dressed to impress in a family heirloom dress. It made for some beautiful portraits.