Boston + New England Wedding Photographer » engagement

Portsmouth, NH Engagement Session: Steph + Phil

Kate — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:21:31 +0000

Steph and Phil have been waiting a while for their photos, but I promised them it would be worth it. A couple of weeks back, I went to Kansas City for the Foundation Conference, and I came back so excited to shoot. I was ready to get in closer, get to know my subjects a little better, and to search for the real people behind the smiles. I wanted to produce better images, with more emotion, a better reflection of who my clients are as people, and who they are as couples. Phil and Steph were my Guinea-pigs. I still have a long way to travel on this road, but I’m so very happy with the direction I’m heading in …

We started out at Phil’s perfect and tiny house. It will become their home together after the wedding – Steph will be quitting her job in NYC and moving north to explore a new life.

Phil is a phenomenal landscape photographer (view his work here, and on his wonderful local flavor blog, here) and Steph has a degree in Photography (so, about three years more formal training than me!) It is an incredible honor photographing photographers, but it also makes me nervous as hell. Phil’s home is filled with beautiful old cameras, bright, colorful canvases and old black and white prints.

The majority of our session was spent exploring Portsmouth. First, some photos in front of the church they attend together:

Outside their favorite wine bar:

I had to take a couple of shots here – it’s the florist they’re using for their wedding (and the store front had great windows!)

I wanted to capture their childlike sense of fun …

Loved the bright colors here:

They make each other laugh a lot. Love it!

Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth features in many of Phil’s photographs (click here) … so we made a little stop there. I love how this came out! So much better bigger than on the preview screen of my camera! Also, they got engaged on a bridge (Brooklyn Bridge, in fact).

I loved the older part of town that we wandered through. The architecture was wonderful, as were the colors:

These guys needed no direction … I love how they interact with each other: so natural, and with so much warmth:

Thank you both for a glorious afternoon, and for unwittingly becoming my favorite ever photographic experiment. I hope you enjoy your teasers, and I can’t wait to continue the story at your wedding at Wentworth by the Sea next summer!

Newburyport and Salisbury Beach Engagement Session: Patty + Nate

Kate — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:26:51 +0000

Fall has been busy for me, and I’ve gotten a little behind with my blogging. It was almost three weeks ago that I met up with Patty and Nate for their engagement session, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to *finally* share their teasers with you! We all met up on a sunny afternoon in Newburyport, MA. Patty and Nate wanted a mixture of urban cool and outdoorsy beauty for their engagement photos, and although they’d never been up there before, they loved my idea of meeting in Newburyport, that quintessential New England seaside town.

It was only my third visit to the town, so I suggested that we meet in the park and explore the streets together, seeing what jumped out at us. The first spot I chose for the light:

I loved this painted wall in one of the little alleyways off the main drag. The light was pretty and that blue was heaven. Love this shot of Patty giggling!

These guys are total stylistas and brought along three different outfits for the session. I love that! You can never have too many cute wardrobe changes as far as I’m concerned. They also nailed the “complementary but not matchy-matchy” suggestion I have for portrait sessions.

There are so many gorgeous spots for photos in this town – it’s totally worth the trek from Boston, and as an added bonus you can stop by my favorite foody store Joppa Fine Foods while you’re there (thank you to Leah for introducing me to Joppa, and to NBPT in general). I’m liking this little series on the bench:

Our second location was Salisbury Beach, which, despite the lovely weather that afternoon, was almost entirely deserted. Happy days!

The sand dunes, the sea, the late afternoon sky … ahhh, heaven. Also, these guys are ridiculously cute and made my job SO easy.

As we headed back to Newburyport, I wanted to grab one last shot with the setting sun – the sky was amazing. If you like my Facebook Page, you’ll have already seen the misfire that I ended up loving – but this is what I was really going for. Thank you Nate and Patty for waiting so patiently for your teasers. I had such a wonderful afternoon with you both, and hope you love your teasers!

Boston Esplanade and Beacon Hill Engagement Session: Melissa + Taylor

Kate — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:34:30 +0000

OK folks, grab a drink and sit yourselves down; this is going to be a long, long post. On Saturday I met up with Melissa and Taylor for their Boston engagement session. They made a mighty trek from West Lebabnon, NH, so I spent a little longer with them than usual, and took a silly number of photos. These guys are ridiculously cute (look at them! Ridiculous!) and chose some gorgeous spots for their session. We started off at the esplanade where they spent some serious time hanging out and drinking in the sunshine when Taylor lived in Boston. The first spot, the cute bridge, is where Taylor stopped to stretch on his runs … I think it’s much more suited to snuggling than stretching though.

After a brief warm-up we were ready to hit a few pretty patches along the esplanade:

Time for some close-ups on a little bridge next to the Charles:

I love this bridge – crusty deliciousness!

There are two things you should know about Taylor and Melissa (aside from their being ridiculously cute): they volunteer a ton (mostly humanitarian aid), and they do crazy moves mid-air:

We ended the session in the back streets of pretty Beacon Hill. I kinda get a kick out of photographing in places where I’m not supposed to, so we started off in Louisburg Square …

… then headed over a block to Acorn Street.

A few last photos on West Cedar Street and we were spent! Thank you both for a beautiful afternoon – I am soooo excited for your wedding at Wentworth by the Sea in July!

Beacon Hill + Public Garden Engagement: Liz + Jim

Kate — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:56:59 +0000

Two weekends ago, I met up with Liz and Jim for their engagement session. They were referred to me by another photographer (thanks Channing!) and he told me, “they’re the nicest couple you’ll ever meet” – he wasn’t wrong. These guys are total sweethearts, super fun to be around, and sooo into each other. They met at the school where they both work, Jim as assistant principal and Liz as an English teacher. Too cute! If any of their students find this post I hope they leave a little comment for them.

We met up in Beacon Hill for our session on the most gorgeous late November day. It was bright and unseasonably warm, perfect weather for strolling around my favorite part of town. We started off in the back streets of the Hill, stopping by Acorn St and Louisburg Square. The architecture there is so awesome – and we managed not to get shooed away by the residents (Beacon Hill is notorious for being photographer unfriendly). After that we headed over to the Public Gardens and Boston Common. It was a bit of a challenge avoiding all the tourists and locals, but I think we did a pretty good job.

Thank you Liz and Jim for being so much fun to work with – I can’t wait for your wedding in the summer!

Liz + Jim on Beacon Hill during their engagement session

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Woodworkers in Love

Kate — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:17:44 +0000

I had an engagement session this morning …at the hobby shop at MIT. It was both ridiculous and awesome. The teasers will be along in a couple of weeks …

Woodworkers fall in love too ... engagement pics at MIT's hobby shop.

Central Park and Upper West Side Engagement Session: Bailey + Joe

Kate — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:23:04 +0000

Two weeks ago I went to New York and fell in love. Can you believe that my first time in NYC was just five hours long? And for an engagement session? It was perfect, though (if maybe a little short). I jumped on the Bolt Bus in the morning (which I highly recommend, by the way) and arrived at Bailey and Joe’s apartment on the Upper West Side just in time for a very yummy Thai lunch. After a quick munch we got ready for our tour of Central Park and the Upper West Side, and to my delight they started our session as any sensible couple would, with a quick shot.

Central Park was bustling but utterly gorgeous and filled with beautiful light. I loved that there were still flowers in bloom, and I am pretty sure that Joe and Bailey now refer to me as the crazy dog lady after watching me yelp and wriggle with excitement every time a cute canine walked past. They may also think I am a bit batty about light, but most of us photographers are … so nothing too unusual there. After exploring some of the park, we headed back into the streets and got a few shots in Bailey and Joe’s beautiful neighborhood. Then it was time for a hot chocolate at a darling French cafe and I grabbed a super tasty prosciutto sandwich from the next door salumeria for the bus ride home. Thank you guys for a wonderful afternoon, and for making sure I was so well fed and watered throughout. I can’t wait for my next visit!

Engagement Session in New York City's Central Park

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Wellesley + Boston Back Bay Engagement Session: Hang + Hai

Kate — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:51:17 +0000

The second part of my session with Hang and Hai took place over two days. We started out at Wellesley College for some neat shots with the beautiful architecture and pretty fall colors there, but had to stop short as it quickly got bitterly cold and quite dark. We met again last Friday for some final shots in Back Bay, around the Christian Science Center. I was sad that the reflection pool was empty (boo!) but I loved all the other little spots that we found. And that light … well, combined with Hang’s dancer moves and Hai’s cool charm, it was perfect. Enjoy your second round of teasers, guys, and as always your comments are very welcome!

Engagement Session with Hai + Hang in Boston's Back Bay

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New York City Engagement Session Sneak Peek: Bailey + Joe

Kate — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:31:44 +0000

I’m on a mission to return to more frequent blogging … I’m beginning to get caught up after the craziness of moving. Finally! Anyway, this little cutey caught my eye as I was downloading Bailey and Joe’s photos from our New York City shoot at the weekend … so I had to share. I love this quiet moment on one of Central Park’s busiest bridges. So sweet. More coming soon, but I have another couple to blog first.

Engagement Session in Central Park in New York

Fenway Park + Boston Public Garden Engagement Session: Kaitlin + Aldo

Kate — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:33:33 +0000

It was two whole weeks ago, but I am still bursting with excitement about this: I got to shoot at Fenway Park! Yeah!! My fab engagement couple Kaitlin and Aldo managed to get us in to the ball park on a sunny Tuesday afternoon and it was totally and utterly awesome. We pretty much had free run of the place for a good 30 minutes or so, and after getting over my shell shock I had a ball (pun intended, ha!) We started out on the outfield, just in front of the Green Monster (which was very cool apart from the crazy light) then headed into the Red Sox dugout for some cute pics on the benches, then jumped on top of it for my favorite shots of the afternoon. After that we wound our way through the old wooden seats (love the light back there) and ended up high on the terraces. We took a final few photos from the infield grandstand then headed back to the real world. I’m glad we stopped by Gate B on the way out – the wide angle shots there were very cool.

Our second stop was another Boston favorite: the beautiful Public Garden. It’s a great spot for anyone to take photos, but it holds special meaning for these cuties, as it’s where Aldo proposed to Kaitlin. Love! I particularly like the shots in that amazing light on the little bridge (especially the one of Kaitlin laughing – she was highly amused by me playing paparazzi in the bushes). Thank you, thank you, thank you, guys, for making this happen – and for being so much fun to boot. Can’t wait for your Vermont wedding in June!

Kaitlin + Aldo on the Red Sox dugout at Fenway Park during their engagement session

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Wellesley Engagement Session: Jess + Chris

Kate — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:30:41 +0000

Two Saturdays ago, I had my very first New England engagement session with the lovely Jessica and Chris. They were up visiting from NYC for Jess’s dad’s birthday, and we seized the opportunity to get some gorgeous fall photos in and around Wellesley, MA. After meeting the family and wolfing down some amazing carrot cake (thank you, Jess’s mom!) we headed out to Elm Bank where this cute couple are getting married next July. It’s a beautiful place, with a river, bridges, beautiful plants, cool old buildings and the sweetest hill covered with majestic trees. We started out in the gardens, grabbing every chance we were offered for pretty light (the sun was quite patchy that day), then headed up to the little hill (love the shot of them running – catapulting! – down the hill!) and then down to the bridge over the Charles River. After exhausting Elm Bank we took a few final photos on the running path near Jess’ home – the color in the leaves was amazing there, and it was the perfect spot for these enthusiastic runners. Thank you both for a lovely afternoon – and I can’t wait to follow up with some city shots in New York!

Engagement Session in Wellesley, MA

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