Personal Photo Project 2019: Celebrating Earl Avery | Boston Photographer

Okay, so I’m going to cheat a little bit here. In week three, I was so crazy busy that I didn’t have a chance to take any personal photos. But I did get to photograph an incredible event that was near and dear to my heart, and everything about it felt very personal, so I’m sharing it here.

For those of you who don’t know, in addition to family portraiture I also do commercial, editorial and personal branding photography under Joy LeDuc Studio.

As we move further into the year, it’s become clear to me that this is a growing part of my brand, and I love it!

Under this branch of my business, I do headshots, portraits, and creative/artistic work with businesses. I rarely do events, but when Bentley University asked me to photograph their MLK Luncheon, which would also be the retirement party for their ombudsman, I just had to say yes.

I worked at Bentley for three years and am fortunate that they ask me to come back to work on photography assignments for them. The MLK Luncheon is my favorite event, and the ombudsman, Earl Avery, has made such an impact on the community with regard to fairness and creating an environment of respect at Bentley over his decades long tenure.

While I don’t consider event photography to be my forte, I think that one of my strengths is capturing genuine emotion. This moment says so much to me about Earl, about how beloved he is, about his legacy and his strength.