A Year of Families, Small Businesses and Love (2018 Retrospective) | Greater Boston Photographer

This was a year that I’ll never forget for so many reasons. The biggest one is that I was able to make photography my full-time job, and with that huge and positive change came so many new relationships, opportunities, and adventures!

When I look back on this year, I’m filled with gratitude for the kindness and support of the people in my community here in Greater Boston. As I began thinking about this post, I was surprised by how much I’ve been able to pack into each season.

So many of the families, business owners, and individuals in these photos have become friends, and I can’t imagine life without them!

Spring

Back in May, my friend Michelle of Kind Goods invited me to set up outside of her shop during Maynard’s Art Walk. One thing I didn’t fully grasp before becoming a full-time small business owner is how integrated I would become in our town. This was such a perfect opportunity to meet our neighbors, and as a result, to make new friends.

I also got to photograph several local businesses in the spring, including Kind Goods, Hair in Harmony, and Community Yoga at the Barn. Each of the three boss ladies who own these businesses have become such great motivators, sources of inspiration, and friends to me.

Here’s Michelle in Kind Goods, where you can find me at least once a week spending lots of time plotting magical business moves with this beautiful shopkeeper:

And here are a few photos from the spring/summer photo shoot for Maynard’s best hair salon, Hair in Harmony! As I write this at the very beginning of winter, I’m already pining away for this sweet springtime light.

And here is the first of several photo sessions I did with my gorgeous friend and yoga teacher Kristen, who owns her studio in Sudbury! I was also lucky enough to photograph her family, the fitness studio that she teaches for, and she was one of my very first boudoir models for Lovejoy Portraits. Photographing someone this many times creates an unbreakable bond.

My springtime mini sessions were so dreamy. We had to reschedule because of the rain, but it was so worth it to be under those blossoming trees!

And before I left Bentley, my sweet intern Jaclyn graduated, and so did my friend Claire’s son! So, of course, graduation photos were a must. I also photographed Bentley’s commencement.

I forgot about how rainy it was! Check out these awesome ponchos:

Summer

When I look back on this summer, a lot of what I remember are weddings—because I hadn’t intended on doing any at the beginning of the year! They just happened to find me, and I’m so happy they did.

The weddings that I shot were unconventional and tons of fun. The first was a tiny, casual one held in a park in Cambridge on a steamy June day.

The roses were in bloom and the bride and groom were so, so happy.

Then, in July, I flew to Fort Worth to photograph my friend Lisa’s wedding! Lisa and I grew up together in Hawaii, and it was such an honor to capture this day for her.

This wedding was out-of-the-box in so many ways, which I loved. The ceremony was very small and held about two hours outside of Fort Worth, in the groom’s father’s church.

After the ceremony, lunch, and another two hour drive back to the city, I dragged bride and groom out for some portraits at sunset. This is the happiest and most radiant I’ve ever seen Lisa look. I’m so happy to have these photos of her. And, of course, we had to get some photos of Lisa and Vincent’s dog, Bobo.

I loved how the details were such a combination of Lisa’s homes: Hawaii and Texas. The flowers were so inspired by Hawaii…

But the heels were SO Texas!

The reception was held a few days later at the high school where Lisa teaches. There was a traditional Chinese dragon dance, photo booth, and an ice cream sandwich truck!

Can you tell that I loved photographing this multi-day wedding? And I loved Fort Worth, even though it was over 100 degrees every day! But most of all, I loved spending this week with these families. By the time I left, I felt like they were my own.

I also photographed an incredible personal training studio called Vos Fitness in Boston. I came home super inspired to get in shape!

And, of course, my first love: families. Just looking back at these makes me feel warmer.

fall

This fall was a total whirlwind, and I felt lucky to have a calendar that was very, very full of photo shoots!

In addition, my photos of the artist Monica Lee-Henell were featured in the magazine In Her Studio, which hit newsstands in November! It was such a fun shoot to work on with my dear friend, and my rescue dog Louie even inserted himself into a few of the photos that were published.

I also had the good fortune of working with several individuals and companies to capture their headshots and personal branding images. This is a growing part of my business, and I absolutely love learning about each person’s background and personality in order to create photos that are professional but also unique to them.

And, of course, fall was such an incredible ride that I look back and all I feel is gratitude for the families who allowed me to capture such beautiful moments of love between them. Do you see anyone you know in the video below? You’ll also spy a couple of photos from the wedding that I shot at Arlington Town Hall, which was such a wonderful, happy event.

And last but definitely not least, I opened a small studio in Stow, MA! It’s a cozy space with beautiful light, and I’m excited to make more use of it this winter.

Now I’m looking ahead to 2019 and all that it will hold. My dream has always been to build my own business, and with each photo session I’m able to continue to do what I love—creating beautiful photos that tell stories and reflect real emotions.

Thank you to each and every person who has let me tell a small part of their story. I hope I’ll see you again in the new year!