Mexico Sneak Peek

A quick sneak peek from this this weekend's wedding in Mexico. I got home around 3am this morning and I have a few ladies harassing me on Facebook to get some images posted... haha. So my friends, heres a little snack to whet the appetite :)

out of office reply

Came home from Chi-town and now it's out the door again....
I'll be off the map for the next few days shooting the wedding of these two fabulous people.

Let's hope the Mexico sun will do more than *kiss* my skin... I'm hoping for a full-on make out session. Don't worry though, I practice safe relations with the sun. I've got my 70 SPF protection packed and ready to go.

I haven't even taken one picture yet and I am already excited to share....

Lindsay | artist

I flew out to Chicago last week for a few shoots... one with Miss Lindsay Sullivan.
An artist looking to update her website with some shots of her doing her thang.
What was supposed to be an editorial/headshot shoot turned into a bit of a fashion shoot as well. I guess thats what you get when you go in with an open mind.... but if you know me, you know that that turned out to be my favorite part! ;)


Lindsay's high rise downtown Chicago apartment bldg was the setting for our time together... The view was incredible and I loved being surrounded by canvas upon canvas of color! She studied for years in Italy and brought back a bilingual badge of awesomeness as well as an affinity for the bright colors of the Italian countryside.

so, my friends, meet Lindsay....

Kelly + Dave | south casco, maine

Ah, New England weddings.... The beauty of the natural environment lends its majesty as a backdrop to some fabulous weddings. A few weeks back I had the pleasure of being a part of Kelly and Dave's day at Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake.
The day started off really awesome because I got to see the newlyweded photogs Emilie and J for breakfast before driving up to the camp. Em and J not only provided a hearty breakfast to start the day, but also bug spray which ended up being VERY necessary. Thanks you two crazy lovebirds! ;)
Next it was up to the lake where we ended up being super early so I learned to play shuffleboard for the first time. It's quite the workout - let. me. tell. you............. ok, so maybe not really but it IS actually fun. I'm sure I won, btw, and I am officially prepared to retire someday with my training.

fun times.

Anyway, I almost forgot to tell you that Kelly broke her foot a few weeks before the ceremony but that didn't stop her from walking down the aisle and dancing the night away in her plastic boot. Truly a trooper.... truly the most 'roll with the punches bride.... I loved it.

check it out.

[Click here for their fabulous slideshow]

broken foot = flat shoes ;)

Kelly and her attendants rode to the ceremony spot on a boat

the ceremony site from the boat.

And lastly, a great big thanks to :e: for rockstarring this wedding with me...

Matt of the Cusson

Hi hi hi! [just imagine I said that with a really toothy grin, big hug and kiss on the cheek, ok?]
So I am in a ridiculously good mood today and it's really quite awesome, although I cannot tell you why yet because then I'd have to kill you and wouldn't have any blog readers left...not a good idea on my part.
BUT, I do have a lot of blog posts up my sleeve so that's some good news! Let's start with Matt of the Cusson. Otherwise known as THE Matt Cusson (you know, the guy who currently plays keys for Brian McKnight?) ;)
A little while back I joined Eric Laurits and Christina Elfar (stylist to the stars.... well, she will be soon anyway) to go all triple-threat on Mr. Matt for his own upcoming CD.

We shot in the Laurits Cottage up in Maine and magically transformed the garage into a studio of awesomeness. That place was a treasure trove of fun 'vintage-y' props the Laurits fam had collected over 30 years of marriage... SCORE for us! Although there were a few props I suggested using to which Eric replied... "uh, thats only 5 years old".
Oh. oops. [insert halo here]

Anyway... I was really only there to help out and rock the cool sidekick car but I did jump into the driver seat a few times and got some fun images.

Thanks Matt for sharing your talent and bringing a belly full of laughs... even if you DO drink wine out of a straw, I still think you're fantabulous.

OBA...FWA...WTF?!

A short while back I attended the Photoshop Show here in Boston and worked the booth for my dear friend Paul from Lens Pro to Go, during our vendor cocktail hour I had the pleasure of meeting Lew and Bob from Artistic Photo Canvas. We had a great conversation that ended up with me loving not only the boutique owners but also what the company stands for. I believe in singing the praises of vendors who take care of their clients and build their business on integrity versus popularity or cutting corners so I thought I would share :)
Here are a few of the things I learned and why I've chosen to make them a part of the family of products I offer.
1. Most Canvas companies use these crazy things called OBA's and FWA's....
yeah WTF?!
haha... they are whitening agents added to most canvas material making them cheaper to purchase wholesale as well as brighter/whiter whites upon printing. But what is not often told to the consumer, is that the agents (like bleach on clothing) yellow your whites over time. Think of it as using pesticides on your veggies... it makes things cheaper for mass consumption but not the same health or quality as organically grown veggies. I feel this is important to consider when choosing products that are designed to archive memories (or put in your bodies for that matter) ;)
2. The sealant "chemicals" used by APC are non-toxic water based which means their employees do not have to wear masks at risk of breathing toxic fumes. It also means it is better on the environment, folks!
3. They have excellent customer service and are just plain awesome.

And what good is telling you about all this fabulous stuff without showing you a picture?!

I ftp'd the file to them and had my canvas in hand within a week. This sucker is huge too... (4 ft wide) It was the inspiration for the entire room and printed so beautifully.

Thanks Lew, Bob, & APC Crew :)

Chebeague Island | The way life should be

Today is the first day in nearly three weeks where I haven't had guests. First my bro came out... then my parents... then the day my bro left, my BFF and her BF came from Santa Barbara. Its been a whirlwind of playing tour guide to a myriad of west coasters. (all of which I am trying to convince to move out here because it's just... well.... awesome)

Anyway, now onto the funness of the weekend... I trekked on up to Chebeague Island to play with some fabulous friends. There is something truly magical about that island... (something like the LOST plot). 5 miles long and 2 miles wide... all time stops, no one wears seat belts or owns a car newer than 1985, and you wake up to crows cawing or wild turkeys gobbling in your front yard... a 15 minute boat ride from the Maine land yet you feel miles away. The Maine state motto is: " The way life should be". There is so much in that statement that they got right. Life should be slower, savored, and filled with country music (if you've driven through Maine for any length of time you know that there are 5 times as many country stations as anything else).

Between BBQing, polish horseshoes, bonfires, the boys going scalloping and complaining that the water was so cold they lost "inches", checking each other for ticks, acoustic serenades on the porch and late night star gazing on the dock, life was truly perfect. There is something so romantic about nature and savoring creation.

LIfe truly is good.

Now for pictures!

You have to park at a remote lot off the 295 in Maine and shuttle to Cousins Island to catch a ferry to Chebeague Island.

I actually have a wedding here on Chebeague Island next year... I am stoked!

The crew got there before me because I was shooting a wedding on Saturday but the first thing I noticed about the cabin was its collection of beer cozy's. I was highly entertained and I didn't even get them ALL.

B scarfing down the most amazing Macaroni n Cheese I've ever tasted.... don't worry, I got the recipe!

trying to figure out why this shot loads so small... but whatever.. That's Kara :)

There seems to be a recurring "beer theme" in these photos. haha! I guess that's the Maine way of life?

We went down to the docks to jump... but the water was FREEZING so I pulled the "photographer card" and peer pressured the boys to jump in instead. ;) B and Folds

My fav shot of the weekend...

Sunset from the porch. I thought the colors looked better through my sunglasses so I gave the camera a little "rose colored filter"

I only wish I had shots of the amazing star-show to share... I also got to experience a part of the island that had phosphorescence bioluminescence. (Microscopic organisms that emit sparkling luminescence in short flashes when you run your hand through the water) Its like something out of a Harry Potter story or something... waving your wand and sparks of light flash forward. Photographing that proved to be practically impossible...

A HUGE thank you to the Emery Family for allowing a crew of twenty-something y/o crazies to inhabit your place for the weekend!!

My Morning Caffeine.

I am hands down a sunrise girl...

Of course sunsets radiate their own beauty, but a sunRISE truly captures my heart. There is something inside me that jumps at the opportunity to greet the majesty of the day. Nothing energizes me more...it's my morning caffeine and my daily crescendo.

I shot these a while back up in New Hampshire......
Have I mentioned lately how much I love New England? ;)

Boudoir | KT

One of the fun things I get to do with my brides are boudoir sessions. I have shot quite a few lately but due to the 'surprise' factor, I've had to keep them off the blog but this session I can share a few of the PG ones :)

It's sessions like these that make me fall more and more in love with people. When a woman sheds everything and exposes her vulnerability to be captured...documented...encapsulated... it's such a beautiful thing. When I was 18 and a freshman in college, I thought I was going to be a graphic designer and took a figure drawing class as a part of my art requirement. Leading a fairly sheltered life growing up, I remember being embarrassed feeling like a public display of nudity (translate: vulnerability) was unacceptable but through that semester I learned to embrace, celebrate, and find the beauty in the vulnerability and what an amazing creation the human form is. Ever since then I have been fascinated by the beauty of the human body. I believe every woman should experience a session like this at least once in their life.

Anyway, Miss KT came up to beautiful Marblehead and we shot a few at the apartment before heading to the woods... That's right, we hiked a few trails into the woods for some "fun fun"... At one point I saw a dog walker coming down the trail and grabbed a sheet frantically tossing it across the marsh. The passer-by was quite confused and threw a few wry glances at a naked woman standing in the woods wrapped in a sheet. haha.

Bronte | senior photos

Meet Bronte... The lacrosse extraordinaire.

Bronte will forever be known as my most dedicated client. She came straight from the hospital to our session complete with hospital bracelet and concussion (I told you she was a lacrosse extraordinaire). Some chick smacked her in the head which not only scored her a hospital visit but a swollen lobe and 10 days rest, but a nice shot in the paper right as she was smacked.

She was a trooper indeed :)

So we found this sweet field of reeds off the freeway and pulled off to go shoot. Next thing you know, we got in trouble with the police. Oh what an adventure...