Boston family photographer

Losing track of time

I’ve lost count of the number of photo sessions I’ve had with this family. I do know that the first time, T was pushed in the swing and A was just beginning to crawl. So here we are with some moments from the 2019 session that show just how much time has moved on. This is one of the loveliest families you can meet. Mom and Dad are always super relaxed about the shoot which is wonderful. I like to keep the meet ups as open ended as possible with some ideas of what I might like to try but with the view that it might not happen. T usually likes to be at home for the photos ( I like routine too, T!). However this year we went elsewhere for a different look and it worked out really well. I love the portraits that we got and I hope that, once again, the family will as well! Gallery will be emailed to you this weekend.

 

One Family Two Sessions

It’s been a while since I blogged but here is a family that I really enjoyed photographing. I first met Mom, Dad and son last Fall for a lovely outdoor session which is featured in another blog entry. It was great to revisit with them back in February at their home for a newborn family session with the arrival of their daughter. I combined portraits from both sessions here. I hope they are doing well and enjoying their summer.

Acton child photographer portrait

Acton family portrait

Newborn portrait with sibling

Newborn at home portrait

What goes into a digital session set

This was a lovely session held just before Halloween. Everything fell into place perfectly. Many sessions this past Fall have been rather weather challenged to put it mildly. This one was no exception. When we started the wind was gusting and the rain clouds were looming. Fortunately the dark clouds moved away and the breeze dropped. Dad even managed to arrive early from work and we got him into more family portraits than planned.

I am blogging this session now because I am wrapping up my work on the family’s order. The family had a hard time selecting prints because there were so many choices. (That happens a lot. It is always my aim to produce work that makes my clients spoiled for choice!) In the end the family opted for the session set of files. This is really a great choice.

Digital file session sets require a lot of work. Some clients may only want to own images to view on a computer screen but that’s not the product we sell. All our images whilst looking great on the computer are perfected for printing as portraits.

I am meticulous with all my orders but digital file sets are especially labor intensive due to the number of images that need to be prepared. It takes many hours of work to individually prepare the 20+ portraits. Sure, I could cut corners and save time by running automated Photoshop actions on the entire group of images. I don’t do that. I prepare each portrait as if it is going to be printed and framed as a 10×8. This includes various touch ups, drool removal on babies, stray hairs, background distractions to name a few. I also sharpen and then convert each file to black and white. Clients get both a color and black and white portrait for each image. I could run a black and white converter on all the images at once to save time but again I don’t do that. Each image is unique and one type of black and white conversion does not work for all portraits, the background may require different tones and faces require precisely the correct amount of contrast for best results. If a client opts to purchase a larger file to be printed for wall portraits another layer of preparation is required to ensure they look great when printed for wall display. In the end my clients are given file sets that can remain as files on the computer, as a special keepsake or can be used to make their own high quality print portraits, now or in the future. Call me old fashioned but for me and my photography, it still comes down to creating a beautiful printed portrait.

And so all that is left of this order is for the mini accordions to arrive back from the lab and it will be shipping out …

Girl with red flowers

Boston family photographer

Sisters portrait

Dad and daughter

A boy and his dog

There seem to have been quite a few dogs present on recent sessions and this is one of the nicest ones, he was such a pleasant mild-mannered chap! Of course the little boy loves him and gave him plenty of robust hugs, which he accepted most patiently. I thought these images turned out well, the color of the dog was well matched to the autumnal tones of the fields. We did this session in some preservation land in the Lincoln/Concord area, one I have not used too many times before but I really liked because of the nice grasses that make for lovely portrait backdrops. There were also some plants that had dandelion type seeds, something no typical young boy would be able to resist tossing in the air!

boy and his dog

boy and his dog

Boy and dandelion seeds

Children growing up

Anyone who has ever visited my portrait studio in Concord will probably recognize this first image that appeared on my blog several years ago – I have a giant gallery wrap of it on display and most comment on it and the detail that is visible when seen in person. I had the pleasure of photographing this family again for a Fall family portrait session and one of the joys of my job is that with my repeat clients I get to see the children grow and it brings me great satisfaction that I can play some part in documenting their lives. The last image is one of my favorite family portraits from the session and I was so pleased it was ordered as a large print with a digital mat as shown, it’s great to know such a lovely portrait is hanging on the wall of this family’s house!


Children by pond


Girl fall portrait


boy portrait


Family fall portrait

Remember November

At the start of the summer I posted this delightful image of a toddler and his best furry friend and promised some more of this session from last fall, well here they are. We seem to be on a roll with dogs being featured on the blog and here’s another one… this was another well behaved dog – I wonder where all the naughty ones are, I never seem to get them! This session was done last November which can be a great month for fall color and late afternoon golden sunshine and when I tend to have some more openings if you’re trying to schedule a session. In fact there is often more “fall color” in this month than the preceding ones, as the color is on the floor where I can include it in photos rather than up high in the trees!

Dog licking boy

Toddler in fall leaves

Boston fall colors photographer

Newborn at home (in Littleton!)

This session was unusual in a number of ways and made a pleasant change of routine. In these days of the internet and Google searches I find that most of my clients aren’t from my immediate surrounding towns. I get many clients from Boston and from towns throughout Massachusetts, and some from even further afield! These clients usually travel to my studio in West Concord above Nashoba Bakery or to one of the local parks I recommend. This family however was from my hometown in Littleton, which gave me the rare opportunity to do a newborn shoot indoors at their house.
Doing a portrait session in a house can be quite a tricky prospect, often the light is low and there is not much room to maneuver. The art of the photographer in these cases is too find the right combination of good light and uncluttered backgrounds that do not distract from the subject. In this case to add some variety a handheld flash was also used for some of the images to subtly add some extra light by ‘bouncing’ it off the walls of the room rather than pointed directly at the family to avoid any harsh shadows. This couple and their newborn made for perfect subjects, even the dog jumped in for a few shots. So it ended up being a great session and to top it all it was just a two minute drive around the corner back home again!

boston metrowest baby photographer

family baby and dog portrait

best boston baby photographer

Baby and mother

A 2 week old in the studio

2 week old baby portrait with parents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 week old baby storyboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was an early spring session in the studio, this family visited with a delightful two week old newborn. We managed to get some nice interaction shots whilst baby was awake and then some serene sleeping shots after a little feed. For a change the images showcased in this blog entry are a couple of the prints ordered from the session, as a typical example of what the finished portraits look like. Shown here is a 20×10″ storyboard which is one of the studio’s most popular products. It works well with newborn portraits where face, full body, and a details shot can all be combined into a single image. The other image is a very popular 14×11″ digital matte, here the actual inside image is 11×8″ with a white border. It is hard backed with a special coating which means it can be mounted directly in a frame with no protective glass required – no more annoying reflections detracting from the portrait! One of the most satisfying parts of portrait photography is knowing these lovely images will be hanging on a wall provoking memories for years to come.

More outdoor goodness

Another session from last year to remind us what we can look forward to as the weather warms up – outdoors in the grass and flowers! This baby just loved sitting and playing in the grass and had a terrific brother to play and cuddle with, both were such happy children.

Someone Older and Someone New

 

I am looking forward to seeing the portraits this family ordered when the images come  back from the lab later this week/early next week. I think they are going to be very special. Here are some of my picks from the session although it was very hard to decide what to post on the blog.  I photographed the eldest brother when he was just six months old. It was lovely to return to the house to see how grown up he is and to meet his brother for the first time. They were quite the pair and very fun to photograph!

 

 

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