Now that it is wedding season and senior portrait season I thought I would share an image I shot this weekend.

This is why I LOVE backlighting. It is perfect for brides and senior portraits. It gives that beautiful, soft, ethereal look without any extra gear. Exposure can be a little tricky and a reflector can be extremely handy but the results can be so much fun!  (Just remember to meter for the subject - not the background.)

May is a wonderful time of the year. Everywhere you look there is color. New leaves stretch and unfold into vivid, verdant splendor before settling into more mature shades of summer green. Voluptuous lilac and apple blossom scented breezes are welcomed in through open windows, ushering out stale, dusty winter air. Everything seems alive and new and although the season is just beginning, I already don't want it to end.

May is also a time of celebration. For high school seniors it is an especially significant time of the year. Emotion takes the driver's seat. It becomes difficult to differentiate tears of joy from tears of sadness as one era ends and another begins. For seniors, it is the beginning of the rest of their lives.

It is also an exciting time for the Juniors. Finally, three years of hard work are about to pay off as they rise to claim their seats as the kings and queens of the school. No longer in the shadow of the upperclassmen, it is their time to be the leaders and the role models.

I remember my May well. I remember the feeling of heartache, anxiety, and electric, nervous excitement as I walked through the center of the quad in my cap and gown. Looking back on that moment I now realize that the emotional turmoil I felt at the time was something rare and wonderful. I felt alive with every fiber of my being.

To all of the 2013 graduates out there, CONGRATULATIONS and best of luck! Enjoy this time of celebration and look forward to the endless possibilities ahead of you.

The beautiful weather today has inspired me to do some serious multitasking. I have been staining my new desk, cleaning my office, editing photos, cleaning, packing and sorting things all day. A few minutes ago I was trying to put the storm window in my office up and let the screen down when I noticed this little guy peeking out from the shade down below me. I grabbed my camera and went outside.

These are the little things that make me smile from my toes up. I have been running around like crazy all day but after spending 5 minutes with this beautiful spring ambassador, I feel calm, happy, and glad to be alive. Isn't nature amazing!

Today was a beautiful day. It was a day that truly felt like spring. The sun was shining, the grass finally starting to turn green, and beautiful daffodils dotted the roadsides along my morning commute.

Today was also exciting because it was portrait day! I pulled into the parking lot at our location of choice to meet a single file line of adorable children in matching dresses and sweaters ready to have their pictures taken. The family I worked with was awesome. They were sweet, kind, easy-going, and had lots of energy. We did some formal family photos and then had time to run around and play.

For anyone with young children thinking of scheduling a portrait session, think about setting aside a little time for candids. These often end up being the favorites. They are the true, honest moments of the day when I, as the photographer, get a little glimpse into the lives and emotions of the people I am photographing. 

Take a peek at these and I think you'll see what I mean.

 

Right now I am sitting on an Island called Blackbird Caye, part of the small, Central American country of Belize, listening to the wind howl outside my cabana. For the past two days I have been snorkeling the reef that surrounds the island and exploring the mangroves that form an incredibly important habitat inside the shelter of the reef.

I am here because my wonderful fiance surprised me with a plane ticket to accompany him on his business trip to scout locations and meet with local contacts for his upcoming student travel trip with National Geographic Student Expeditions.

Belize is an incredible little country. It has dense jungle, where large predators like the jaguar still exist and the ruins of ancient civilizations abound. It also has the second largest barrier reef in the world.

The diversity of species, both in the jungle and on the reef, is a sight to behold. Dozens of species of coral are home to hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates. Belize has done a relatively good job trying to protect some of its dwindling resources, but like any ocean nation, it is feeling the pressure of supply and demand. The tourist market is one that few people think of. Invertebrates like sea stars, sand dollars, and conch are harvested so that tourists can buy their shells as souvenirs to take home and put on the shelf to collect dust.

Now, here in Belize as well as oceans around the world, there is a new threat in town. Lionfish are taking over the reef. They are beautiful and exciting to see but they are voracious predators without a natural predator. 

Their sharp spines are covered with a potent and painful toxin that makes them a formidable opponent for any would-be predators. Without the threat of ever being eaten these beauties are multiplying quickly and pose a large threat to the other species on the reef.

Lionfish are native to Indonesia. For those of you familiar with a map, that is a very long way away from Belize. How on earth did they get to the Caribbean? Perhaps some youngsters rode into town in the ballast water of a ship. Perhaps a kind aquarium owner decided "Spike" was getting too big for the tank and was eating everyone else so rather than having sushi for dinner, they thought they would do the kind thing and release their pet into the wild to live a long and happy life.

About three and a half years ago I was in Belize for two weeks. I dove 2 to 3 times a day. I never saw a Lionfish. Now, only 3 years later, I saw 3 in the first 5 minutes of my first snorkel. Our guide out here at the Oceanic Society brings a spear with him every time we get in the water. He spears whatever Lionfish we find and bring them back for the researcher to dissect. She measures the size and weight, collects the stomach contents and takes a DNA sample. We hope that studying these animals may eventually lead to a solution.

We humans need to be careful. Every action has a reaction, and unfortunately, they are not always positive.

When it comes to the ocean and to nature in general, the best thing we can do is educate ourselves. The more we know, the easier it is to do the right thing. Education is power!

Molly&Kenyon-Engagement Molly&Kenyon-Engagement Molly Wood is a kindred spirt. Life has taken her down many different paths. She is a chef, a nurse, a firefighter, and overall, a wonderful person. She is determined and dedicated and is the type of person who will be there no matter what. She has a strong sense of family and a powerful drive to be the best at whatever she does.

I have known Molly Wood for the majority of my life. She and her brother were like an second set of siblings. Molly and my brother were inseparable. Summers days were spent in the pool and summer evenings were spent playing kick the can. I have countless fond memories of Molly, her brother, and her wonderful parents.

A few days ago Molly told me that her boyfriend Kenyon Lord proposed to her on Easter. I was ecstatic. Molly is the type of person who truly deserves happiness and someone wonderful to share her life with. 

As of yesterday I had never met the fiancé in question. It took about 30 seconds with Molly and Kenyon to realize that they are perfect together. They are a fun, outgoing couple who love to laugh. They were infinitely patient in the cold while I moved them from one cold stone seat to another, trying to find the perfect angle and trying to capture the perfect moment.

One of the greatest things to find in a client is that they don't take themselves too seriously. Engagement sessions should be fun and yesterday was perfect. 

We shot at one of my favorite local spots. I honestly chose MME Sherri's Forest because it is a super cool outdoor location and it is heavily wooded, which I hoped would help curb the bright sunshine during our noontime session. When I found out that Kenyon is a bit of a history buff it seemed even more perfect.

I can't wait to photograph this perfect pair at their wedding next summer!
 

Congratulations Molly and Kenyon! 

It's that time of the year again. New Englanders everywhere have been patiently waiting, enduring the last few snow storms, but itching to get outside and DO. Those of us born here with maple sap running through our veins are anxious to get outside and get our hands dirty.

I feel like I have been in a state of hibernation, just waiting for something to happen. Waiting to be able to go outside. Not many people want to have their family portrait taken in a snowbank. However, if there is one thing New Englanders are good at, it is embracing the winter. We get out there and hike, ski, skate, and even fish. We love the snow. In the fall we can't wait for the snow, but come March, we start to dream of warmer weather, farmer's tans, swimming holes, and watermelon.

When I venture outside and start to hear birds chirping and smell the sweet, earthy scent that accompanies the melting of snow and the segue into mud season, I also find myself anxious for the beginning of portrait season.

I love outdoor sessions. I love finding a place that tells a story and then introducing a beautiful or intriguing person to the environment to make it even more interesting.

Spring is an incredible time for outdoor portraits. The return of buds and blossoms create painterly backgrounds, reminiscent of Parish or Monet. Unfortunately Nature's perfect backgrounds are ephemeral and fade to green in just a few short weeks. It is a classic 'hurry up and wait' situation. You never know when mother nature is going to give the word to her budding and flowering minions but when she does, I am ready to start snapping the shutter!

When I was young I used to stand and stare at the wall of pictures my grandmother had in her house. 

It was amazing to look at photographs of ancestors, many whom I had never even met, and imagine what their life was like at the time the photo was taken.      

It was amazing to see my grandparents, great grandparents, and even great, great grandparents in their youth. 

Many of the faces on that wall existed before my time and many of them were only known to me as the older generation of our family.It was amazing to see them in their prime; proud and handsome, beautiful and radiant; a form of them that I had never known. 

Somewhere along the line this made an impression on me.               

I realized the importance of not only passing down family history but also leaving a visual record for future generations.

The images we take serve many purposes.      

They serve as a daily reminder of what it means to be a family, the love we felt on our wedding day, and the joy we felt when children entered our lives. 

Eventually they will become part of our legacy.

Many things in life are fleeting but a photograph is a record; a reminder of a time, a place, a feeling.