Family Time and Lifestyle Photography

This past weekend my family and I trekked on up to visit my sister-in-law and her family this weekend. Aside from spending time together, our two main goals were moving and maple consumption. It was maple open house weekend in Vermont (and I believe, here in New Hampshire as well) so we wanted to be sure to check out a few places, try some different samples, and pick up a few favorite maple products - oh, and of course, eat some maple creemees outside in freezing temperatures (the only way to do it). We also got to check out the new apartment-in-progress that the gang will be moving into very soon while they build their new home.

 After all the fun of getting a little bit of stuff over to the land and checking out some sugar shacks we spent the rest of the time enjoying what would be the last weekend we all spend together in the old house. It was the house that Amanda and Jesse purchased together while dating, the house in which he proposed, and the house in which their two children have grown. There are a lot of good memories, some of which I know of and some of which were pre-Michelle (Aaron and I met just under six years ago). Either way, I really felt it was important to document some moments from this weekend and make sure to snap a couple of shots of them all together outside their first home. 

I don't often get to do many lifestyle sessions for clients, but hopefully this will encourage some of you to take a leap and go for it! Let me assure you that if you have children and popcorn with any sort of seasoning, you WILL have a mess as well. There is just no way around it :) Apparently there is some video going around the internet where a woman eats a pepper that she believed to be a cherry (now, I can't wrap my brain around this one because she seems to be attempting to make an informative clip about eating healthy, she should know her stuff..... planned? I think maybe.....) either way, they thought it was hysterical. I LOVE my husband's laugh. Gabby, quite proud of her attire. As you might notice, poor Emma was not feeling so hot about halfway through the weekend. But the other kiddos seemed to be just fine ;) Now, natural lifestyle shots with these little ones is nearly impossible. They are stop-and-smilers. They are my go-to models when I need to practice some more traditional portraits but this weekend, I think we managed pretty well to get something a bit more different. Every now and then they decide to ignore me and just get down to kid business :) Before lunch we stepped outside real quick to get a couple of shots with the house, and of course, it became incredibly bright for the few minutes we were out there.... that kind of bright where the sun isn't exactly visible, but the clouds in front of it are very thin..... just bright enough to make us squint no matter what direction we were facing! We're going to miss our weekends hanging out there with them, but it will be so fun to watch their new home go from ground to grand! Cannot wait to see it all unfold!

Freed.

Lately I have been in a rut. Almost more than any other season, I love winter. I love the calm serene feeling I get during a snowstorm, the beautiful blanket of white that can hide almost anything, the quiet, the solitude we see in our area this time of year, and the magic of how the world around me can look completely different from one minute to the next. This winter however, I have become completely reclusive. I am not much of an outgoing person unless I have my camera to hide behind, but even that didn't bring me out a great deal. Last week I had a gentle warm reminder that winter (a season so near and dear to me) is almost over and I have done so little to enjoy it. No snowshoeing, no sledding, no little adventures, nothing. This rut has been not only creative, but also internal and personal. Today a dear friend stole my daughter away for an overnight visit with her daughter now that all of us are finally over all the colds we were sharing. After sitting around trying to figure out what I would do with all this time to myself (my husband worked some OT and is currently down at the CHAD Battle of the Badges hockey game with his father), I grabbed my bag and a Twix egg (why did they not think of those sooner? They are FANTASTIC) and ran out the door. I have a lot of trouble leaving my house unless it involves caffeine so I stopped real quick for a coffee and headed to one of my favorite portrait locations to see if I could dig up some inspiration. As soon as I arrived I was a little discouraged by the never ending layer of ice that covered the entire area. I was able to safely grab a few shots that I liked enough, but decided it just wasn't worth risking the safety of me or my gear and headed home. Feeling a little down still I warmed up for a minute and polished off the rest of the Twix eggs (which, I am paying for dearly now...... I had three left and they are not a light snack). Determined to get over myself, I headed out the back door and down to the brook. Craziness happened and the last photo I snapped has to be one of my absolute favorite nature shots I have ever taken. EVER. Feeling so much better..... The following are the shots back at home taken with a variety of lenses (50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.4, and lensbaby composer pro with edge 80 optic). These two here were done with the lensbaby..... tricky at first, but here and there I am getting it. The one on the left is my absolute favorite from today (and from the past several years...). I don't put much work on my walls, unless they are portraits of Emma or Aaron, but this is going up (and it will be the first canvas I order for myself, ever). I was worried since these were handheld shots at crazy low shutter speeds (as far as handheld shots go anyway....), but I squeezed that camera to my face so hard I'm pretty sure I have a rectangular imprint in my face.

NH Blog Circle | March: Silhouettes

Welcome to another round of the NH Photographer's Blog Circle. This month's theme is silhouettes and though I don't claim to be an expert or to even practice them regularly, I found a few in my files that I enjoy.

This first one you may have seen before, it is a popular shot from Jess and Mike's July 2012 wedding. Sunset in the exact spot where Mike proposed, such a romantic moment.




These next two are from another 2012 wedding. Amanda and Phil were married at the very beautiful Alvirne Memorial Chapel. I love stained glass windows. Just as much as I love the color and art in the glass itself, I truly love the shape of these beautiful works of art.




A more recent set, from an engagement session with Sarah and Jim (wedding to come this December!). Taken inside her grandmother's lake house.




This next one brings up a controversial hot topic, Plymouth's new ridge line. Times are changing and the world is changing around us so fast. I often wonder what it will look like when Emma grows up and what my grandparents who were so fond of the serenity and beauty of the area would think if they were here today. So much has changed since I was young.......


I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared this month, please be sure to follow the circle and head on over to see what the talented Kristen Reimold has in store for us....

Amanda and Phil | Southern New Hampshire Wedding Photography

Way back at the very first wedding I photographed I took a photo of a happy young engaged couple, Amanda and Phil. Weeks later after seeing some of the photos on Facebook Amanda contacted me about photographing her wedding. (I was so excited, though I made no mention of it at the wedding when I took their photo I was secretly hoping they might contact me....) Almost one year later I ventured down to Hudson to photograph their wonderful wedding (I even got to say hello to some familiar faces, the bride and groom from my first wedding as well as the best man who is Phil's father!). It was such a beautiful day. The ceremony took place at the really super cool Alvirne Memorial Chapel and then we headed over to Benson Park (Benson's Wild Animal Farm) to take some fun portrait shots. We had some killer light and found the most amazing tree (where some guy caught a fish just seconds before we asked if we could borrow the spot for a moment). All in all it was an amazing day and the reception was filled with great food, happiness, and dancing. Here are just a few favorites from the day....

Big Fat Bear

Just because I love this little guy, I had to post some photos of my super fat kitty friend. Weighing in at 18.5 lbs, Bear is a huggable mess of a kitty in a big beautiful package. Sadly, he's one of my best friend's in the world and I'm quite certain he only loves me because I'm the lady that puts the food in the bowl....