Out of the country!

Well, it's about 4 hours before I have to leave for the airport, and I still haven't packed for my trip to Haiti! But, such is life :) It'll all get done somehow, even if it means I don't sleep - at least I'll sleep on the plane that way. haha!

I'll be in Haiti until late Monday night, June 2nd. Please pray for a good safe trip. Pray that I would stay healthy, and that this picky eater would be able to eat whatever is put in front of her ;), and pray for some awesome photographs that HFCH will be able to use to increase their ministry in Port-au-Prince!! Thanks for taking this journey with me. I can't wait to come home and share some photos with all of you!

I will be without email & internet access until Monday (eek!), so if you don't hear back from me, that's why :) I'll do my best to respond to all emails when I get back to work next Tuesday.

and because posts without photos are lame... here's a shot from my very first missions trip to Mexico back in 2002...


Have a great week!!

Jessica & Albert's Engagement Session

I had a great engagement session the other day with Jessica & Albert. Jessica is one of those brides who loves photography. A bride who stalks wedding & photography blogs all day long, and who even has her own blog. You know, the dreamy type of bride who photographers just LOVE! So, I knew this would be a fun shoot :)

Jessica is a Harvard grad, and they're getting married at Harvard Memorial Church - so we decided to start on campus. These two are serious characters, and have a tendency to make crazy faces - so a lot of the photos turned out really fun and very relaxed.

Albert throwing the peace sign


I'm not sure if she's roaring at him, or just trying to bite his face - but he looks pretty intimidated


And it turns Albert has some serious ups - so we had to catch some action shots



We also caught a few (slightly) more serious shots



Oh, this one was a killer. They started cracking up about 2 seconds later, but I got it! ;)



After we played around campus for a while, we took a walk towards the Charles. And we found this awesome little deck...




On the bridge, watching the boats go by


We made Albert show off some more :)


Had to stop at Berry Line for some frozen yogurt!


And then, we hit the grand opening of the new Apple Store on Boylston! We were pretty excited to check it out, but were rather disappointed (though not surprised) to find a line around the corner and a 2-hour wait to get in! Boo hoo! At least we got to see it. We even brought our own apples to celebrate :)



On our way back to the T we walked by the Boston Marathon Finish Line. So we finished the shoot marathon-style.


Jessica & Albert, it was awesome hanging out with you guys - I had a blast! I can't wait for your wedding in a couple weeks. Woah! A couple weeks - that's coming up soon! ;)

Liana & James Engagement Session

A couple weekends ago, I photographed an engagement session for Liana & James. We were looking at the forecast all week long, and it kept saying RAIN. We were getting a little nervous, but the rain held off and we ended up having a great, though chilly, shoot!

Liana & James live in South Boston and we decided to just do the shoot within walking distance of their house. I love to shoot e-sessions in the places that they go all the time, doing the things they like to do - so I can capture what really makes them unique as a couple. These two are great together, and it was so fun getting to know them!



First stop, the beach






Then we happened upon a little plot of tulips


and then some blossoming trees




and then a great park




then we walked back towards their house


On the way back, we found a house with a Mickey Mouse Doorbell! I mean, have you ever seen THAT before? It was kinda funny...


Then we found ourselves locked out of the park across the street from their house...


So we shot in front of their place instead!


This one is my tribute to Anne Ruthman, who always seems to have her couples lay down in the grass :)


Liana & James - thanks for an awesome afternoon! It was so great hanging out with you guys. I can't wait for the wedding - we are going to have a BLAST! :)

My Best Friend's Wedding

You know how people always say "always a photographer, never a bridesmaid"? Or something like that... Well, not for me - at least not last weekend! Last week I traveled to Columbus, Ohio to take part in my best friend, Marietta's wedding! It was kinda strange being a bridesmaid, but it was definitely fun! It was so great spending a few days with Mar and catching up with old friends, and of course being there for one of the most exciting days of her life. She and Mike have been dating for about 10 years - so this was a huge celebration!!

Of course, I couldn't leave my camera behind all together, so here are some pics...



self portrait. me in all my bridesmaid glory :)

Marietta's dress was perfect!



Isn't she so pretty?!?! This is right around when I started bawling my eyes out!! What can I say? She's been my best friend since I was like 7 years old!


And, see, I wasn't the only one crying. This is Marietta's mom - who I just adore. In fact, I call her Mommy. Mar's dad passed away when we were in Middle School, so it was just an emotional day all around. I think seeing her baby girl in her wedding dress was about all Mommy could take...



I didn't get any photos of the ceremony. I was, um, busy... But here's the happy couple in the limo afterwards.


and during the portrait session



During portraits, we were right next to a bar. Well, Marietta isn't one to just let a bar pass by unused! So, she and her brother & sister and one of the other bridesmaids hopped in for a jager shot. That grosses me out, so I just took pictures :) I love her reaction though! (click on the image for a close-up)


She was REALLY enjoying being the bride :)


And I must say, I was part of one of the biggest bridal parties ever! There were 9 bridesmaids & 9 groomsmen, plus 2 junior bridesmaids, 3 ushers, 2 flower girls, and 3 ring bearers!!! It was totally crazy, but she's the kind of girl who just makes good friends and keeps them forever - so it just had to be done. I must say though, we were one of the best looking bridal parties ever ;) It had to be those awesome dresses. Check out the hotness!
Gorgeous details...


The first dance



Mar dancing with her Tito Vito (Tito means Uncle in the Phillipines)



And Mike, dancing with his Mom. You've gotta love a guy with a laugh like that!



Mar & Mommy at the end of the night


And the last shot of the night. Me w/ Mar's brother, cousin and childhood neighbors. I hadn't seen any of them in YEARS! It was so great to hang out and catch up with all of them :)


It was such a wonderful weekend! Thank you Marietta & Mike for asking me to be part of your wedding (and not asking me to work at it ;). I love you so much and wish you all the happiness in the world! Have a great time in St. Kitt's and call me when you get home!! xoxo