Expecting in the Fall

Last November, I met my friends Faith and Vic on a very chilly afternoon at Barkhamsted Reservoir for some maternity photos.

As always, Vic was ready with a goof to make Faith smile.

The dam itself was so windy that our options were limited, but luckily we found a beautiful sheltered spot down the road for more portraits. I love shots like these where I know we were standing in a dumpy parking area, but the photos make it look like a remote scenic vista.

And last but not least - cool pose.

If you liked these, just wait till you see the newborn photos! :)

Throwback: At The Lake House

I met Jess and Matt at the site of their future wedding ceremony - the family lake house, tucked in a scenic corner of eastern Connecticut. 

Seriously, I was excited when they texted me that they'd be a few minutes late, as it gave me an excuse to take the long way round and take in the fall foliage.

We also stopped by a neighbor's house, for a different view of the lake.

Then we drove down the road a ways to Buell's Orchard, who kindly let us wander around and take a few photos on the property.

And, of course, we had to grab a pumpkin picture, because it was late October.

Really a perfect day to be out in the New England country!

Too Warm For Christmas

I met friend and fellow UConn alum Sarah and her daughter Marie at a park (which will remain nameless, as I’m not actually sure we were allowed to be there…) to do some photos for their Christmas card.

Of course, the weather in Connecticut being what it is, despite picking a day in October, the weather felt more like July: warm and muggy. So it took a little imagination to get into the Christmas spirit.

None-the-less, the park was a beautiful backdrop for portraits, and Marie seemed to have a lot of fun wading into the lake.

Probably only one photo will make it to the Christmas card, but I sent the best 50 - you can never have too many pictures of a cute kid.

All this reminds me, Heather and I have to figure out what we’re doing for our card this year…

It's Been Forever!

It's no exaggeration to say I've been looking forward to Skoobah and Nate's wedding for years - not only have I known them since college, but she had me hold the date three years in advance. 

I knew their wedding would be something really special. Photographing their engagement photos and Skoobah's bridal shower only made me more excited to see what wonderful touches they put on their wedding day. They didn't disappoint.

The whole day was at Camp Bournedale in Massachusetts, and kicked off with prep photos in their cabin. It was pretty funny watching Skoobah's sister do her hair and makeup. Less cheery small talk and more, "Hey, quit moving your head!"

Skoobah and Nate had their first look by the water, and while he didn't cry, it's fair to say Nate was pretty excited with Skoobah's look. I think the neighbors across the lake heard him "whoop"!

Once Ring Security had done a sweep of the area, the ceremony kicked off with a view of the lake as a beautiful backdrop. Thunderstorms were looming, but held off just long enough - besides, everyone agreed dark, brooding clouds fit the theme.

In a first for me, the recessional was amphibious - they kissed and then sailed off into the distance after a push from the best man. (RIP his shoes...)

Just as the celebrations had moved inside for the reception, the storm clouds broke and poured torrential rain. The building even lost power twice during the cocktail hour, but not only did the crowd not care, they greeted each outage with a cheer, and an even bigger one when it clicked back on!

First dance, speeches, a delicious surf and turf dinner, and cake cutting got the formal celebrations out of the way, clearing the night for lots of dancing and visits to the photobooth.

Late that evening, the rain quit and the clouds parted just enough to give us a beautiful sunset sky. I stole Nate and Skoobah away for a few quick portraits...

...and one silhouette photo I knew I just had to get.

For their final song, they broke out... Well, I'll admit I didn't recognize it, but it brought the house down.

An amazing night befitting an amazing couple. And that scale-mail armor is one of the coolest wedding details I've ever seen. 

Love you guys! Congratulations!

By the Lake

Jess and Matt's wedding began with them getting ready at the family lake-houses on a beautiful, sunny day. They also had an almost-first-look, holding hands around a corner as they exchanged letters.

The ceremony was held by the lake, with the bride arriving via the family pontoon boat.

While many of the guests set off for the reception, we did posed photos. Jess and Matt were great to work with in that they were clearly way too happy to remember there was a camera around.

Their wedding party was a lot of fun too.

The reception was held at the Nathan Hall Inn at UConn's Storrs campus. A trip down memory lane for me - I set up a photo-booth for an event there years ago.

The reception kicked off with their first dance, followed by some speeches and dinner.

The rest of the night was a blast - with music by DJ Nicki Nell, an amazing Dj I've worked with before. 

It was a really fun night, and a wonderful wedding!

Congratulations, Jess and Matt!

Lovely Lake

For Danielle and Corrie's engagement, we decided to meet at Douglas State Forest in Douglas, MA as a convenient midway point. I arrived early to scope things out, and was very relieved to find it's a beautiful park with lots of great spots for photos. And despite it being the first really warm Saturday in spring it wasn't too crowded, either.

The water made for a beautiful backdrop and even allowed for some "studio-ish" images.

Without much walking we got some nice trail shots.

Then, Danielle and Corrie gamely clambered up one of the many big boulders along the lake-shore. It was perfect!

One more quick stop to take advantage of some May flowers...

...and we were done. I headed home to start editing, and Danielle and Corrie set off for a hike. 

Can't wait for the wedding this summer!