Gloucester, MA may be my new favorite town on the North Shore; it was a dream location for Leigh and Glen’s Adventure Session. We started off at Cape Ann Brewing which was perfect for this adorable couple that loves exploring local craft breweries. (For those of you who are counting, this was my second Adventure Session this season that started out at a brewery- I hope to see this trend continue!)

After a tasty flight of beer and a quick session in front of some colorful lobster traps (Glen was even wearing a lobster shirt!!!), we took a jaunt around town and then journeyed out to a lighthouse.

And….woah. The light at sunset out on the jetty was incredible, and I can’t get over how amazing and romantic these two were.

I can’t wait for their wedding next June!

Salty Raven is once again seaside! We moved to Salem, MA in March of this year, and I’ve been itching to explore the North Shore with a couple ever since. When Mark and Victoria mentioned that they love good craft beer, rocky shorelines, and arcades, I knew Salem would be a perfect fit for an epic Adventure Session. We had a blast, and I’m so excited to photograph their wedding in New Bedford next month!

We started at Notch brewery, and if all my Adventure Sessions could start with delicious session beer, I would be a happy camper!

By far, my favorite lifestyle newborn photo sessions involve older siblings. Kids are wildly unpredictable, and I just love that about them! Baby O’s older sisters were so excited to welcome me into their home. They flitted about showing me their rooms, how well their mattresses bounced, their baby dolls and books, and the star of the day: their new baby brother. This little baby is so very loved by his family!

It was a pleasure spending the morning with this sweet family and catching authentic moments that I hope will be treasured always!

There are so many things I loved about this recent family session on the Wellesley College Campus:

* little hands getting stuck in a raisin box (because who doesn’t remember the struggle of getting the last stuck ones out?)

* the many faces of an infant that is just learning to sit up (thank you, parents, for allowing me to continue photographing him as his little face crumpled up!)

* the way little kids always manage to find giant sticks twice their body length

….and the sweet moments caught between siblings as their relationship deepens. Always those.

According to the time stamps on their ceremony photos, one minute and 58 seconds is the time it takes to be officially married in New York City Hall from when you enter the chapel until the first kiss! But Shayla and Paul’s intimate destination wedding in NYC was way more than just the ceremony.

As a wedding photographer with a documentary/storytelling approach, I was giddy over the waiting room aspect of their City Hall wedding. Anticipation built as they waited for their number- C693- to be called, traveled through the various stations, and waited outside the chapel for their turn with the officiant.

And then there was Manhattan! And family portraits under flowering trees, famous Grimaldi’s pizza under the Brooklyn Bridge, vows exchanged in a secluded corner of Battery Park, and countless sweet glances and gentle exchanges between the couple. Thank you, Shayla and Paul; it was an honor photographing your beautiful wedding day, and I wish you all the best for the exciting adventures to come!

Who can endure driving through hours of stop-and-go traffic while an infant screams at the top of her lungs and still remain kind, cool, and generous? A real keeper, that’s who!

The backstory: in 2009, I photographed the wedding of a college friend in New England, and Sarah was a bridesmaid in the wedding. My then 3 month old daughter was too young to leave at home with Dad (we lived in New Mexico at the time), so she and a friend/baby wrangler came along for the adventure.

Sarah had just begun dating Jenny, and they were adorable together! I clearly remember them stealing glances of each other over the breakfast table at the inn where we all stayed. After the wedding weekend was over, Jenny offered me a ride to the airport, and what a ride it was! My daughter’s hair-splitting screams were relentless, but Jenny and Sarah were nothing but kind to me.

Fast forward 3ish years, and I received the kind of e-mail that makes a photographer dance around the house with giddiness: “Ever since Sara and Devin’s wedding I’ve been waiting to send you an email like this! Jenny and I just looked over your website again and we loved what we saw.” Seriously, getting inquiries from guests of past weddings I’ve photographed is the best, and I was thrilled that it worked out for me to be their photographer (and fly out to Oakland sans kiddos this time!).

For Sarah and Jenny’s engagement session we visited two fantastic locations in Oakland that they enjoy often as a couple: Oakland’s Lake Merritt, and a nearby cozy spice shop, Oaktown Spice Shop. Notice how they still, years later, like to steal glances of each other!

Sleepy Baby R was a delight to photograph! His mom is an avid knitter, and the little owl hat and cocoon were so adorable. Baby’s older brother was equally fun; I often spend as much time photographing older siblings as I do newborns because the early days of a sibling growing into the big brother or sister role are momentous as well. I think my own daughter grew a foot overnight when I first saw her next to my son! Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, and I look forward to catching the little guy awake come spring!