The Studio by the Sea

Makenna

2012-01-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

A new baby, what fun! Makenna is just lovely, arrived a few days after Christmas and is my great niece. Great Aunt. My goodness. Of course I couldn't wait to go to meet her, she'll be completely different next time I see her, I just hope she's not walking and talking!!!!

Wild Things

2012-01-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Wild Things, I think I love you... (how could one resist?) This year's offering from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the 6th annual exhibition, is Wild Things: A Safari of the Imagination. It is fabulous. Over 50 really amazing artists have been chosen to be part of this exhibit which is truly breathtaking. Every year I can't imagine the show being better, and somehow, every year I am blown away.I felt better about my collection of found objects that I just seem to keep collecting and never seem to do anything with (my husband often turns on Hoarders if I'm in the room as he feels I'm a very, very, fine line away from that!) after speaking with a couple of the artists who use found items. One offered to take all of my collection, site unseen! Thank God I didn't marry him, could you imagine? I've also found some new quotes to keep me inspired... "Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations". -Ralph Charell among them...The show is at Cotuit Center for the Arts, and runs today through February 10th. Go find zebras, and sparkling fish, and crazy faces, and Little Miss Muffet, and elephants and Cows jumping over the moon, and prepare to be delighted. Visit the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod for more information. "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild & precious life?" - Mary Oliver

Portraits by the Sea

2011-11-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

So you know what they say about the cobbler's children... Well, a photographer's child is certainly well photographed, pretty much not a moment is undocumented it's true! But usually I do much better when it comes to taking our Christmas card portrait. I almost didn't take one, but one of my fave clients told me I had to! Luckily, the weather has been absurdly beautiful around these parts lately. We were actually completely overdressed for the last weekend in November at the beach, but at that point, I had decided on the look I wanted! This is the back of my cards, I love the feeling of it. Of course, if you know me at all, you know the subject is well, my favorite, so it'd be hard for me not to like it!!!!

Grateful...

2011-11-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

I am grateful that I have a wonderful family (including a husband who loves to cook & made us artichoke ravioli for tomorrow!), a nice home (albeit a tad messy), and all of my blessings in life. Adriana had to list 50 for a class at school, well... she is grateful for her iPod it's true!

Thank you to my wonderful clients, who allow me the privilege of getting to do what I love as a career. I'm truly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours.

summer beach portraits

2011-10-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

I forget how busy it is in a photo studio in September and October, still a ways to go before it settles down, but at least there's space to breathe now!!

I photographed this family at Nauset Beach this summer, it was so gorgeous. One of those perfect summer nights, remember those? The light used to last for ages past sunset, sunset was really late, the nights were warm... how quickly it becomes shorter days, chilly nights, the beach grasses have changed to yellow and brown, but oh those fall skies! (When it's not cloudy or rainy of course!).

I'm booking a limited number of holiday sessions, call soon!!!

can you still take my senior portrait?...

2011-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well if I said it was crazy 'round these parts, it would definitely be the understatement of the year... between trying to meet senior deadlines (and still getting multiple calls every day, Barnstable's deadline is Wednesday! - 'is it too late to have my senior portrait taken?' of seniors who haven't even been photographed yet!) and keeping orders running smoothly, on top of running a Girl Scout troop and home... well, yeah... crazy doesn't even begin! But I've never neglected my blog this badly, so forgive me!

Here's a fun senior slideshow so you don't think I've totally forgotten about my blog!!

... and yes... I can still take your senior photo! Call or email the studio asap!!!

Dog portraits on the beach

2011-08-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

So here on Cape Cod, we don't just photograph high school seniors, families and children on the beach, we also photograph the beloved dogs of our clients. I adore dogs. I think if I were to live alone I'd be a crazy dog woman for sure!!! Probably have masses of them running around! Lucky I guess, that that's not the case!!!

Mugsi is an 11 year old Boxer, who came along for the family session the other night at West Dennis beach. She was so sweet and beautiful, happy to be on the beach, and happier to be with the family she obviously adores!

Pops by the Sea

2011-08-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the 26th Annual Pops by the Sea. It is a great event put on by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and sponsored by TD Bank.

This year was a little crazy, the weather was slightly unsettled, okay so maybe it poured once in a while, but during the show it actually rained very little. And what a show it was, in general I do tend to smile & laugh a lot more than the average bear, but man was I smiling a lot that day. The Farrelly brothers were fantastic, so funny, the way they interacted you could envision them as children growing up and see how close they are. They sword fighted w/the batons, pushed each other around, and did a heck of a lot of whistling which made for some silly photos I must say! The song they conducted was 'Colonel Bogie's March' from Bridge Over the River Kwai pretty amusing in and of itself! They were fabulous.
Siobhan Magnus did an incredible job with the national anthem, just beautiful, her & her singing... what a delight. John Sullivan was the perfect choice as honorary chair of the event. Kelli O'Hara and Jason Danieley were both amazing during their Cole Porter tribute, wonderful to watch, even better to listen to... Bob Bernhardt was such a nice man, so down to earth, he did a great job conducting the Pops in Keith Lockhart's absence. Add a song by special guest Larry David to round it all out! The entire day was just perfect (albeit a tad soggy, just a tad tho'). The only thing we were missing was the bagpipe playing from Lt. Cameron or it would have been one of the best Pops yet!!!
Don't miss it next year!!!

Family Portrait on Cold Storage Beach

2011-07-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love this family, I've been photographing them for years... I'm going to find some of their past images and make that my next post, because what fun it's been watching the girls growing up...
It was a funny night, seemed it might rain, but the light was beautiful, and it was quite still, so we decided to go ahead with the session, and what a night it was. We had one or two drops of rain fall on us, but nothing ever became of it, and we ended up with this great session. Those clouds at the end were so beautiful! What a perfect end to our annual session!

a family portrait during a Cape Cod vacation

2011-07-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Often I don't meet my clients until I arrive at the beach, we speak via the phone, or more often even, email, and then finally meet in person on the night of the session. Imagine my delight, when out stepped Charlee, and her parents, she was so beautiful, and such fun to photograph. She was friendly, and funny and just truly lovely, as were her mom & dad! We had such a great session taking photos at Dowses Beach, it was a little windy, but we were able to find some great spots. Just another in a long line of perfect Cape Cod nights!!!

beautiful flowers...

2011-07-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

I photographed a job for a client, and the next day got delivered the most beautiful bouquet of flowers as a thank you. It was such a treat. So I did what any photographer would do, I photographed them.

Thanks to The Bee & Blossom in Hyannis for their amazing work!!

a Cape Cod family portrait

2011-07-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

As a photographer on Cape Cod, some nights just couldn't be any better. I had this great family to photograph in Hyannisport, the light was gorgeous, just perfect, the no-see-ums were in hiding, the family was fun, it was just a delightful night. One of those ones where I truly love what I do.
...and then, just in case we weren't having enough fun, this baby duck, a Mallard we think, decided collectively, we were it's mother. It wouldn't leave us alone, was part of many of the group poses, hanging out between our feet, under my tripod, hysterical. So we kept moving it, way, way away from where we were, but it would come running back at top speed (& top speed was pretty darn quick!) to be with us. We'd move it, it would be back before we could scarcely blink. We'd move it, look down, and there he'd be! We included the sweet thing in some photos. What a funny little bird. I've never been imprinted on before!!!!

Although we tried to move him far enough to leave him there, we realized he would be in danger of our cars, and others cars if he followed us. So I got to take the duck home, he spent the night and we found a new home for him in the morning!!!! Boy did my daughter love our little house (okay actually garage) guest!!!

Summer Concert Series

2011-07-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

If you're visiting Hyannis, make sure you plan to go to one of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod's summer concerts. They're every Tuesday at 7:30pm at Aselton Park, and are sponsored by Citizen's Bank.

Tonight it's the Fred Clayton Blues band (blues, funk & soul),
7/19 Tripping Lily (original acoustic folk)
7/26 The Rip-it-Ups (rock n' roll)
8/2 Chandler Travis Trio (omnipop & alternative dixieland)
8/9 Stanley & Grimm (traditional Celtic tunes)

Isn't the Cape a great place?

a Cape Cod portrait

2011-07-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Adriana won't be playing the violin again next year, so like every other part of who she is, I thought she needed to be photographed with it before it was over. We went down to Gray's Beach and took some portraits on the boardwalk. There was a young girl there with her mom, she was probably 7 or so, she told Adriana that her violin playing was the most beautiful violin playing she'd ever heard! (Pretty good considering most of what Adriana was playing was Old MacDonald!!!!)

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about my neighborhood is that every July 4th, we have a parade around the block singing every patriotic song we can... It's such a fun and festive way to celebrate... Happy Fourth of July, Happy Fourth of July, Happy fourth, happy fourth of July, to you & you... & you & you... da da da... such a happy song! Enjoy the day!

Acadia vacation pix soon!

Doug the Quahog

2011-06-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of summer, and so begins the summer of 2011 - hope it's a great one! It was also Quahog Day here on the Cape, Doug the Quahog prognosticated about the upcoming summer... After being in a zen-like state all winter he was ready to talk. After arriving by Catboat, he told us (via the quahog whisperer) that we were going to have twelve weeks plus one day of beach weather this summer. Sounds good to me. Of course it is raining & nasty today... guess he meant starting tomorrow...

Now you know what we do when you're not here! Every day is a celebration on Cape Cod!

So it's been told, we're looking at a beautiful summer, isn't it time for you to visit and have your family portrait created?

Saturn

2011-06-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

It was really late by the time I walked the dog last night, and the entire time we were walking I was thinking how beautiful the stars were (well except for when I saw my first firefly of the year, 'oh look, a firefly, hooray!') and was enjoying them so much as soon as I got home I got out my telescope. So I was happily enjoying the stars, and watched the ISS go by which I also love, when Saturn came into view, so I had to go have a look. I literally had my breath taken away, it was the most beautiful I've ever seen, you could see the rings so clearly it was truly magnificent. So of course, I ran in to get Ray, he had a look & as soon as it was my turn again, there was a shooting star going right in front of Saturn! Saturn in all it's beauty and a shooting star, all through my telescope... what are the chances of that? oh man, what a perfect stargazing night!

I was hoping to try some astrophotography (which I've been failing at miserably so far I must add) tonight, but seems the clouds have rolled in so no Saturn tonight... maybe another day...

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

My hubby, Ray, is a great dad. Adriana's gift to him was a story she wrote about all of the special things they do together, it is really sweet!

Adriana & I wish him love and a happy day!

Happy Father's Day to all the rest of the dads out there too, hope your days are filled with love & happiness...

a photo from last winter's visit home...

Cape Cod Senior Pictures

2011-06-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Class of 2011!

One of the things I love about photographing high school seniors, besides the fact I get to photograph many of them on the beaches of beautiful Cape Cod, is that I get to share in a small moment of their lives. I share when they get accepted into their first choice school, when they have no idea what they want to do with the rest of their lives, when it's June and they still haven't made their final choice as to what school they're going to! They also share hopes, fears, dreams. It's truly a magical thing to be a senior photographer. I am so incredibly lucky. So thanks to all the seniors who chose to have me create their portraits, I wish you all the best as you begin your journey outside of high school. (this is only a small portion of this year's class, not all of them got around to returning their releases on time!!) This past year's seniors came from Barnstable High School, Sandwich High School, DY, Upstate New York, Minnesota, Cape Cod Academy, Falmouth Academy, Medfield, Milford, Bishop Guertin, Chatham, Algonquin, Georgetown, so many different schools, all over the country! How cool! I thought I'd share a couple of images from some of my seniors in this show, my daughter gave me a hard time, wait, is that one of the twins or triplets, or did they just change their outfit? Made me laugh.

The slideshow's on my studio facebook page, feel free to like it & us!

Class of 2012, we're booking now, summer dates are going fast, call soon!!!!

Senior Portraits on the Beach - Cape Cod

2011-06-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Caitlyn is graduating this weekend, the Class of 2011. She is this beautiful senior from DY who is just so talented in so many ways. She also happens to be the big sister of my daughter's best friend. I can't wait to see where life takes her, I know she'll find success in whatever she does...

We went to Mayflower Beach in Dennis the other night for her portraits, and it was so beautiful, perfect light, a quiet beach with fabulous sand patterns, just gorgeous. Congrats to Caitlyn, enjoy this next part of your journey!

Seniors... it's all about you...

2011-05-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

We're filling up our Class of 2012 calendar, booking into August for those must have beach pictures! Don't miss out. Call or email to schedule an appointment, all seniors booked before June 10th will be registered to win anything from wallets to i-tunes to who knows what else! (There is fine print, contact us for details...)

(one of our great gallery wraps - in metallic no less!)

Email today to get great senior portraits on gorgeous Cape Cod!

"you must really love taking photos"

2011-05-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

As I was photographing a pre-school this morning, one of the little girls said to me, "You must really love taking photos", "why's that?" I asked, "because you even have photos on your earrings!".

If you've ever read my blog, you know, I love photographing children! They're so the best!

I want to do a couple of 'faces of childhood' portraits, like my facebook page and tell me why your child's face would be a good choice for a chance to get a really fun portrait collage of your child.

Welcome Tatum

2011-05-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Newborns... so much joy in such a tiny little body!! Tatum is this beautiful little girl I was lucky enough to photograph, isn't that hair is amazing! ...and she is unbelievably alert... this tiny energizer bunny who had no need for sleep the entire time she visited me! It was such a pleasure to meet her, may her life be filled with laughter and joy...

Abby & Luke

2011-04-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

I adore Abby & Luke, they are both so sweet, and oh my gosh, could you get any cuter? Abby's curls stop people in their tracks, they are about the perfect little girl hair! And Luke's got the sweetest little face, he's going to get away with a lot!!!!

Their fabulous mom, Michelle says:
"We love Sarah! Sarah has been photographing my children since my second was born. My two year old loves her so much that she says "Only Sarah can take her picture!" Sarah is super laid back and the kids sense that about her, so the experience goes smoothly. She's amazing."

Enjoy your weekend, you know I love these family ones! Happy Easter!

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Do something good for the earth today... Maybe try to stop using plastic water bottles, or find a greener alternative for a green lawn, or simply pick up some of that trash that's littering our planet...

Chet & Layla

2011-04-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

I had such fun photographing Chet & Layla in their home, they got to share all of their cool things with me, they were comfortable and happy, it was great all around. When I left they told their mom I was their new bff!!! Hooray!!!

It's probably time to have your children photographed, isn't it? Maybe on a Cape Cod beach, or at your beach house, or... the possibilities are endless...

photographing pre-schools

2011-03-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

I love preschoolers, they are so funny. Sometimes they tell you silly stories, sometimes they tell you things you know they shouldn't, always they brighten your day!

Last week I photographed one of my preschools and was delighted by this young lad's game of peek-a-boo!

Schedule your child's portrait today!

Summer's on it's way...

2011-03-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Do you realize that some of us who live on Cape Cod do go clamming year round? We eat fresh oysters all winter (yum!)... Wednesday, that comes to an end, oyster season is over until next winter... a sad day... lucky Ray went today for me! This must mean summer is almost here...

Which means it's time to book your summer portrait on one of the gorgeous beaches on the Cape... can't wait to see you!

Give me a shout for more info...

Happy wearin' o' the green...

2011-03-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Corned beef & cabbage is one of the few reasons I'm not vegetarian, it is one of my favorite meals!!! The image is Colum Cille, this fantastic pipe band made up of teachers, students, police officers, etc. They are the best around for sure, go see them any chance you get!

Enjoy the day! May there be a little bag pipe music in it for you!!!

(isn't it time to have your portrait created with your bagpipes?)

A Christening Portrait - Cape Cod

2011-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Elsa is this amazingly beautiful baby, she has these gorgeous eyes, and is just cherubic. I loved photographing her! I was so excited for this session, in part because her mom was excited for it, and that makes my job even more fun. I haven't done very many christening portraits, most babies I know, or have photographed, get christened in every day wear. When Adriana got christened I made her gown and my mum made the matching cap, the cap was perfect, the gown, well lucky it was long and on a moving, squirming, baby!! No one could look that closely at it!

Elsa's gown was beautiful, perfect for her, and her calm, serious self was exactly what I would have chosen for the portrait. Love these.

And then, what? a blue tutu that matches my funky background, could I possibly be any happier?

My facebook post had one of the tutu images, & said something like, I so totally have the best job in the whole world!

Isn't it time to have your baby photographed?

Good morning sunshine...

2011-03-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

I was on the phone yesterday morning at the studio when I walked out to the front, & I was greeted by 'HI' in the sunshine... What a delight! So instead of 'Good morning, starshine, the earth says hello' it was 'good morning sunshine, the earth says... hi'!!!

With full disclosure, I didn't retouch any of the sunlight anywhere, but I did do a little virtual vacuuming!!!

Photographing boys...

2011-03-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

Photographing boys is a way different energy than photographing girls, it's fun and a little crazy... All studio portraits have a completely different dynamic than my Cape Cod beach portraits, but I love them both. And obviously, wouldn't want to be out on the beach yet, I'm ready, but not crazy!

Owen & Eamon are so sweet, they both brought something from home which of course, will probably be taken out of any final images, but I have to admit, I totally dig Buzz and think the cars are really sweet too! I have the orange one sitting on my desk which was accidentally left behind, and will of course, be returned, but everyday it makes me smile thinking of how adorable those two boys are... and what a fun session it was...

Isn't it time for your family portrait?

365 Art-full days...

2011-03-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

So my lovely sister, Marla and I are taking a journey... 365 days of creating... For me that may include photography as well as all of the other forms of creating I love so much, & will probably be a little heavy on the fibre arts, because I'm fairly addicted to those! Today was our first day, I posted the blog site under my blog list, feel free to go take a peek, and please, please comment. Give us love and encouragement as we start this journey together, pretty sure we're going to need it!

Photographing dogs

2011-02-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

I love photographing dogs as well as children and families, and it's funny, I like quiet expressions on my dogs too! Quiet expressions are still, calm faces, not crazy smiley, not sad or too serious, just somewhere in between. Eyes pop, and faces are at their most beautiful. I love this image of Lucy, it was snowing, and I thought it was appropriate to have a photo of her in the snow and was going to take her somewhere, but as she sat looking at me through our fence, I couldn't resist, and it turns out I adore this one...

I'd love to photograph your dog too, just give me a call!

a journey through portraits

2011-02-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

Jessica and Joe got married in 2005, we were lucky enough to get to share their beautiful day with them. Jessica was classic beauty, such a lovely bride, and sweet and fun. Joe was quiet and tall, and charming with a great smile. So much love. Fast forward to the summer of 2010 and this lovely couple now has the most adorable baby boy, Padraig, and the journey of family begins. I love being a part of families, especially when it's from the very beginning.

I was thrilled to photograph their family portrait on the same beach I photographed their wedding, what a treat! It's wonderful to document their journey through portraits that will help them to remember these special days in our lives... for always...

Maybe this should have been yesterday's post!!!! ♥

Isn't it time for your family portrait?

Ray was very sweet yesterday, bought gorgeous bright colourful flowers, made lobster for dinner, strawberry shortcake with homemade biscuits for dessert, I am a lucky girl!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-11T13:52:00.001-08:00

Celebrate love this Valentine's Day, all love. Being in love, being loved, loving your children, your parents, your dog, celebrate each other and who you are together. Happy Valentine's Day!

Enjoy!

Imaging 2011

2011-01-26T13:13:00.000-08:00

So I spent the better part of a week in San Antonio for the Professional Photographer's of America annual convention, om gosh, what a great time. San Antonio is such fun, with the riverwalk, Mexican influence in both the food and decor, and a few cowboys... Imaging was inspiring, educational, fun, everything it should be. I love being a photographer on the Cape, sometimes it takes a little journey for me to remember that! I didn't take a ton of images, it did rain most of the time we were there, and I was actually in classes all day!, but I still managed to take a few (hundred), here are some of my faves... The cave images at the beginning are from Natural Bridge Caverns just north of San Antonio, if you ever get the chance, definitely go there, such a cool place! Everything else is the Riverwalk and environs, including of course, the Alamo...

Next time, I'm so going to go try out a little western dancing in a dance hall though!!

So Big

2011-01-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

This year's art exhibit by the Art's Foundation of Cape Cod is 'So Big', and it is SO GOOD! Get there as quickly as you can, and enjoy this fabulous art created by these amazing local artists... You will be both entertained, and inspired. Be sure to leave a comment with your favorite pieces of art from the exhibit!

You'll find it at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, and it runs through February 12th, every day from 10am to 5pm. The exhibit is sponsored in part by Eastern Bank, and the David C. McGraw Foundation, Inc. Don't miss it.

photographing children

2011-01-06T12:25:00.001-08:00

I love photographing children, they truly amaze me... but here's the thing... the comment I heard a lot from this year's portrait of Adriana was, 'she looks so grown up'. Not sure I can handle my baby looking grown up! I have clients I've been photographing for years, and I love watching them grow & change, and of course I do with my own daughter as well, but I'm not even close to being ready to give up having a 'little girl'. Guess the time has come, like it or not. *deep sigh*

Lucky I guess, I certainly embrace my own inner child!!

quite the journey

2011-01-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

so I'm all about the journey, life itself is quite an amazing one, but I'm always restless, and anxious for a little wander... I seem to have created an existence that doesn't allow for much wandering, but the itch is always there, and I'm always trying to find a way to fit it in... today I get this email from the Smithsonian, (why I signed up for their travel adventures knowing it would break my heart with every email, I'm not entirely sure...) for the most amazing adventure. Around the world by private jet, truthfully, I could care less about the private jet, but it's to all these world heritage sites, Machu Picchu, Easter Island, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef, and on, and on, and on... *deep sigh* If anyone would like to sponsor my trip for a mere $63,000, I will keep the most amazing journal, and will fully document the trip with photos of every detail... plus I write pretty good thank you notes....
Go check it out here...

2011

2011-01-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

May 2011 be full of love, peace, happiness, prosperity, good health, joy, and lots and lots of laughter.

(& a lot of smiles too!)

Many good things are in store here at the Studio by the Sea for this year, fingers crossed I get them out of my head!!!! lol Stay tuned...

isn't it time for your family portrait?

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

I wish you and yours peace, love, joy, and happiness at Christmas and always. Enjoy your families during this beautiful season.

Ray & Adriana made this sweet snowman while I was at the studio the other day, on my way home, our neighborhood was decorated with lots of jolly fellows... I was going out to take photos the next day, but of course, it was too late, they'd all melted or been rained upon... next snow for sure!!! We've got some creative souls 'round these parts!!!

Merry Christmas.

Enjoy the Holidays!

2010-12-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

My gosh, I never go this long without blogging, if you know me at all, you know I have an awful lot to say!!! The holiday season has been so busy, all of these family portraits taken on the Cape all summer are being given to family and friends, and greeting cards hanging all over the world, how cool! Many senior portraits will go to grandparents, and all of them had to first make it out of my doors! They certainly took priority over blogging, but now I've got so many images I want to share I don't know where to begin!!!

I photographed Alex & Lis' wedding in 2002, (still high on my list of my fave couples!), and have seen their family as it's grown over the years, what a cool thing. I'm so lucky as a photographer to be able to watch families grow and change, and of course, who doesn't want to come back to Cape Cod for vacations? So I'm in the perfect location!!! I was planning on doing a little slideshow of their journey thus far, maybe sometime in the New Year... who knows? maybe.

Enjoy all the crazy festivities this week!

Family portraits

2010-11-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

I love the big extended family portraits, I think it is such a wonderful thing to do, and to have. I would love a portrait like this hanging in my home, of course with my family being on different continents, it was never really something that happened. Think that actually adds to my joy in creating them for other families, I know how they will be treasured.

Marlene & Jim have created this beautiful family that we photographed at Dowses beach this summer. They came from both coasts of the country, so there was a lot of traveling involved for the family to be together, but how lovely to have all of those you love with you all together. The kids were in the perfect beach portrait outfits I think! I adored them. Beautifully dressed, and tressed!! Well that, and they were all so darn cute, and such fun! It was a beautiful night, and the session was great fun. Just another in a long list of those nights I adore my job!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend - I'll post photos of my peacock costume, created for Boo at the Zoo soon. As the peacocks at the ZooQuarium kindly donated me some of their feathers, seemed appropriate I wear the costume there! Check out the ZooQuarium for more info.

This photo is one of my all time favorite Halloween photos, actually makes the list of just simple favorites... Not sure why, I just adore it.

The photo's not mine, it was taken by Bill Clarke who I worked with for many years, and bought the studio from almost 10 years ago (miss ya buddy). It's his girls, who have both graduated from college quite a few years back! Thought I'd share a little blast from the past for Halloween weekend.

Enjoy!

finally the puppies

2010-10-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

I photographed the puppies ages ago, photographed hundreds of portraits between now & then... guess life just gets away from me...

Photographing lab puppies is such a fun job, they are just like 18 month olds, wild & crazy and every one is doing something different and going a different direction. If you know me, you know I laugh a fair amount of the time (quite loudly usually, and sometimes uncontrollably!), but oh my gosh do I laugh when the puppies are here! They are about the cutest things ever, makes me a little broody for a puppy & then those sharp little teeth & weeing everywhere remind me I'm probably good with the beautiful 4 year old, Lucy!

This litter was really funny, they were all different shapes and sizes, from teensy tiny to fairly robust & chunky, glad I didn't have to choose one of them, they all had endearing qualities! The breeder, Kim, has such good bloodlines in her dogs, they're all AKC pups, wicked healthy, no wonder they're all gone before I even get to meet them! By the time we're done with the session, they're all tuckered out, and can hardly keep their eyes open, sleeping puppies (especially the one who insisted on sleeping on top of his sibling! are so the best!)

How I adore the puppies!

Noelle

2010-10-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Noelle is a lovely senior from Barnstable High who had her portrait taken at one of my favorite places, Dowses Beach, how much do I love her photos? She's got the most amazing eyes - they are just crazy beautiful! The night was perfect, everything a Cape Cod night should be, calm, bright, clear, not like tonight for sure!!! Tonight's a 'think we need to reschedule night!'

Her session was really fun, she just was so relaxed and gorgeous, what more could you ask for?

Ali

2010-09-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ali is this beautiful senior from New York who had her senior portraits taken at West Dennis beach this summer... It was this crazy windy night, but it worked with our schedules and so we went with it. I'm so glad we did!!

I love these photos she chose, I think she looks so amazing, simply beautiful, like she's jumped right out of a magazine ad... Her eyes are fabulous, and where they're taken after the sun has set, the colours are so muted... Some of my faves this year!!!

the Cape

2010-09-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Cape is such a magical place, there are so many stories being told here... I love capturing some of them through my family portraits... Kathy told me about popping her children in her little dinghy and pulling them through the bay while she was clamming, now of course, it's her grandchildren in the boat! I told her how we used to pop Adriana in a little blow-up ring and her & the clam bucket would float side by side! Only on the Cape!

Labor Day kind of snuck up on me, I'm still photographing at the beach every day for another month or so... the nights are starting to get a tad cooler, and the beaches are a bit less busy when I arrive, but it's all still gorgeous...

winding down...

2010-08-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

My goodness the summer is flying by... I've been out photographing every day, guess those photos will be coming along as I find more breathing room in my schedule... I'm having a glorious summer, photographing babies, toddlers, seniors, families, such fun! I've been to so many great beaches, lots of private ones of course, but Mayflower, Nauset Light, Corporation, West Dennis and my fave Dowses have been visited in the last few weeks... The sunset last night was truly spectacular, I enjoyed it from First Encounter Beach in No. Eastham on my way home from Nauset Light beach...

Make sure you visit Four Seas Ice cream in Centerville before the summer ends... some of the best ice cream on Cape Cod!! I love seeing the people waiting as I drive by, just seems such a perfect part of a Cape Cod summer evening...

the puppies are coming!

2010-08-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

The puppies are coming! (probably) my favorite portrait sessions of all time are the puppies... they are wild and crazy and loud and silly and laugh out loud-y, just these amazing sessions that are true joy...

Kim & her family have been breeding labs for years, they are the best dogs, truly fabulous... I should know... I've got one...

Lucy just turned four, this is her first portrait taken by me, and one I took for our Christmas cards last year... which puppy do you think is Lucy in the group portrait? (follow me @Studiobysea for more puppy updates).

more pups to come while I'm waiting for the pups!! but if you can't wait...

the Governor

2010-08-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Adriana had a fairly exciting week, on Sunday she met Rachael Ray, on Thursday she met the Governor... not bad for a 9 almost 10 year old... not bad for her mom who also got to meet them, and add them to her list of cool people photographed! Governor Patrick was lovely, he had missed a flag ceremony by local Boy/Girl Scouts in his honor at the Jefferson Jackson dinner because it was the same night as the big water main break in Boston. When he knew he'd be back in town he rescheduled the photo op with the Scouts.

During his speech that night, he said his main motivation was gratitude, and he wanted every resident to have the same opportunities he was given... I think the world would be a way better place if more of our motivation was gratitude...

Mayflower

2010-08-05T11:39:00.001-07:00

Hannah was a lovely senior I photographed at Mayflower Beach... when we arrived, she was a little concerned because it wasn't sunny, I assured her the light was beautiful... think she was still a little hesitant, but she was cool and game to give it a try... minutes into the session we were both having such a great time it became the non-issue that it was... She was gorgeous, and so great to photograph, we were able to get all of these great shots that bright sun wouldn't have allowed... just another perfect night photographing high school seniors on Cape Cod...

I so have the best job in the world!!! More seniors here...

Pops by the Sea

2010-08-04T07:34:00.001-07:00

The 25th Pops by the Sea was by all accounts a huge success... The AFCC creates this spectacular event (with the help of TD Bank and their other sponsors) which just seems to get better every year, and every year you can't imagine it being possible...

So I found out Rachael Ray and I have something in common, we both think Adriana is gorgeous!! I took their photo together, and afterwards Adriana walked around saying, "Rachael Ray thinks I'm gorgeous!" It was really sweet!

The Boston Pops are amazing, it is just such a delightful way to spend the day on Cape Cod... start planning for next year, the first Sunday in August is a good one to mark as busy on your calendars!

Hannah

2010-07-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hannah was this beautiful senior I photographed at Dowses Beach on one of those picture perfect Cape Cod evenings... it was such a fun session, she was fun and funny, enthusiastic and gorgeous... the portrait session was awesome! Seniors are such fun to photograph... she's going to have this really fun Cape portrait in her yearbook on the other side of the country!!!

(check out some of these other gorgeous senior girls I've photographed)

Cousins

2010-07-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

You gotta love cousins, they're the perfect relative! They're fun, near your age, they'll be at every family event... what could be better? Here's a really fun, kind of crazy, portrait session I photographed at Kalmus beach in Hyannis the other evening...

The kids were great... what's better than playing on the seawall? One of the boys even told me a fish tale while we were out there, 'we went fishing out here, I caught a fish, it was thiiiiiissssss big' to which his brother replied, 'no it wasn't!' I had to laugh. I love a good fish tale... didn't realize the stories started so young!

View some more images from this session...

Abby and Luke part 2

2010-07-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

What a great time we had photographing Michelle & Jeff and their beautiful family... what a super way to celebrate your anniversary (Hope it was fabulous, congratulations to you both!). Michelle's excitement over the session and her children is such a fantastic thing, it is such a delight taking portraits for her, she brings such enthusiasm to everything, it makes it even more fun for me.

The night was gorgeous, the light beautiful, the kids were fab, it was one of those perfect evenings to photograph a family on the beach... Cape Cod has a lot of those... (well for a couple of months anyway!)

Abby is an amazing girl, she's funny, knows exactly what she wants, just as cute as can be, and oh, those curls! Who wouldn't love them!! Luke is gorgeous, adores his big sister (who could blame him?), growing by the second. Such a lovely family.

Thanks for letting me share such a fun evening. Check out some more images from this delightful session!

Abby & Luke

2010-07-13T11:37:00.001-07:00

These are my first images of Abby and her brand new baby brother Luke taken a few months back in the studio... it was kind of a crazy session, the baby was getting used to being alive, the toddler was getting used to having a baby brother, it was exhausting yet still fun... but these images make it so worth it. What a beautiful bond. What beautiful kids. I love photographing children!

Last night I got to see them again, when I photographed their family at Dowses Beach. It was a beautiful evening, gorgeous light, the kids were wonderful. Abby just keeps getting cuter and cuter, and Luke has changed so much since I saw him last. It was one of those lovely Cape Cod summer evenings...

I'll get those photos up soon!

Take a peek for a sample family session

Claire

2010-07-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

Claire is this lovely, very talented young lady I had the joy of photographing recently. She plays the harp so beautifully, and also is an amazing Irish step dancer... such talent...

After photographing her in my studio, I also got to see her perform at a local Celtic concert, it was very cool. It's so nice to get a peek into the lives of all these people I photograph. As I've said about a gazillion times, I'm so lucky to be a photographer on Cape Cod...

I think celebrating the talents of your children is a wonderful thing to capture in a photograph, I adore the portraits of Adriana playing the piano. I took them at the beginning of her journey into playing, we'll see where that goes... I get such joy listening to her play, so for me, it's a perfect portrait of who she is at this moment in her life... 'course if you know me at all, I get joy out of just about everything with my daughter, I think she's kinda fabulous it's true!!!

(Claire's brother is also very talented, you can find out his instrument of choice here... sure you can guess which one he is!)

Stay cool in this crazy hot week we're having, who knew it got this hot on the Cape in July?

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this beautiful holiday weekend! We couldn't ask for better weather... I, for one, am thrilled for such an amazing weekend to photograph a couple of family portraits on the beach here on gorgeous Cape Cod... and for beautiful weather for the in between times to enjoy being with my family and the summer friends who are all down this week... what fun!

Love this photo of Adriana, such joy in her expression... I said we needed to update it, she was psyched because to a 9.5 year old that means only one thing, 'I get a new outfit? COOL!'

Have fun. Be safe. Happy 4th of July.

Isn't it time for your family portrait?

Yeah for Rachael Ray!

2010-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

The AFCC just announced that Rachael Ray will be the Guest Conductor for this year's TD Bank Pops by the Sea. How pysched am I? I love Rachael Ray, think she's adorably cute, very talented, and she's going to be such a fun conductor! I can picture it already. Too much fun, can't wait!

I've got to photograph so many fabulous people through the Pops, Maya Angelou being one of my faves, just to be in the same room as her was fairly amazing, my mum loved my telling her I made Maya laugh with my 'cha cha cha'... Ed Asner, Jack Klugman, Angie Dickinson, Henry Winkler, Norman Lear, Ray Romano, William Shatner, of course Ted Kennedy... we did the list the other night, I can't believe how many uber cool people I've photographed...

As if the Pops themselves, and Rachael weren't enough... oh, and then there's Idina Menzel, she'll be joining the Pops this year, how cool is that? and Chris Cooper performing The Dream Lives on: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers, can't imagine it could be any better...

So if you haven't got your tickets yet, what are you waiting for? Rachael Ray's coming to town... visit the Arts Foundation for more info. and tickets...

See you there. I'll be the one with the camera...

Summer's here!

2010-06-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hooray for summer, fireflies, warm breezes, birks, sand between your toes, collecting shells, the Cape Cod Baseball league, the Duck Boat (quack) so many fabulous things....

Love this photo, such a cute boy, photographed the family on the beach in Dennis, this lad had his own view of the world! Gotta be tricky to be the younger brother of twins!! Boys are so the best! How classic to have this memory as part of your family portrait session! I know if he was mine, I'd love to have this hanging on my wall! I think that's the best part of taking a family portrait, it's relaxed and fun, so when something silly happens, as it's bound to!, we can just go with it!

Take a peek at some of our other portraits on our site, I'm going to be changing some more still... it's so hard for me to let some of them go! Who knows which will still be there...

Class of 2011

2010-06-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Class of 2011, it's your turn! We're scheduling senior portraits on the beach, at the garden, in all kinds of cool places for July and August... Looking like it's going to be a busy summer, I'm looking forward to it!

Seniors it's time to share with the world who you are... a musician, an artist, an athlete, a dreamer, a scholar, a combination of these? who is it that you want the world to see? Let's explore your vision together...

Check out senior pages here!

Class of 2010

2010-06-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Class of 2010! May all of your paths lead to happiness... Here are a few of the seniors I photographed this past year... Let me know who should make it on my website this year (leave a comment with the photo description or first name ONLY please!) ...or email or facebook me...

Class of 2011 the time is now to sign up for your senior portraits. I've still got a couple of free June sessions open for Cape Cod seniors, come have fun, wear whatever you want, and then you can come back later in the summer for your senior session for the yearbook on the beach or wherever you want... Give me a shout for more details...

West Kennet Longbarrow

2010-06-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

While we were across the pond, we, of course, went in search of some stones... Avebury is one of my favorite places in the world, so it was such fun to be there with my family... We'd tromped around the circles and henges, everyone was tired, but we decided to take the small trek up to West Kennet Longbarrow as the sun was going down... I wanted to take a group portrait, but when I looked up at my lovely family on top of the barrow, I couldn't resist the 'strike a pose' portrait! They good naturedly humored me, and then came & saw the image, and I think were all happy they played along!

Pictured are my beautiful mum, my lovely sister, her sweet husband, my gorgeous niece, my amazing daughter, and my fab hubby. What fun!

Memorial Day...

2010-05-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well the official start of the summer season is the weekend, yikes! Where does the time go?

In the spirit of the weekend, I'd like to thank all of those who have served our country, and think with gratitude of those who lost their lives doing so...

I am anxious to be on the beaches taking family photographs- capturing memories of your family as they are today, and creating senior portraits that help share with the world who they are at this moment in time with a glimpse of the the person they are becoming...

It's exciting to watch the changes at the beach, there's this great part of my morning Lucy walk where the beach roses (Rosa Rugosa) are in bloom, and oh my gosh do they smell fabulous! I must look a fool as I'm drawing in their scent into my being as I walk by, such a lovely start to the day! The beach grass is looking green and full and ready to be photographed too! And then there's the crazy horseshoe crabs, seems this must be their favorite time of year because they are everywhere! I've honestly never seen it like this before, creating baby horseshoe crabs everywhere you look, or flying solo enjoying having the water to themselves before our visitors arrive. My friend Bob said he saw the most enormous one he'd ever seen at the Salt Pond Visitor center yesterday, simply huge! How cool!

So the time has come to book that family portrait you've been waiting for, my season is starting to fill up.

I'm looking forward to the summer of 2010 on Cape Cod.

(The portrait is the really fun family I photographed last summer on Great Island - on yet another of those perfect Cape Cod evenings)

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-07T13:00:00.001-07:00

Ray & I have been married 11 years this weekend, together for 22! How did that happen? Our wedding invitations said that my parents were pleased to announce (finally) that we were getting married! I couldn't resist adding that 'finally', I'd waited 11 years! I think it was well deserved. Glad to finally have made the milestone to match it at least!!! I love you, Ray, xx. Happy Anniversary.

I wish all of you moms a wonderful day on Sunday, enjoy your children, enjoy a little pampering (I hope!). I think motherhood is about the best journey ever, I love watching Adriana grow and change. Every step is so amazing to me. Watching her blossom into such a lovely soul is really the best. She brings me such joy. I am truly blessed to have such a fabulous daughter. I love being her mom.

First Communion

2010-05-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

It's First Communion time, congratulations to all you taking this important step in your lives... I have some great packages and options available for First Communion portraits, a very special time to remember with a beautiful portrait.

Call the studio for details, 508.775.2552.

I'll look forward to seeing many of you taking your First Communion this weekend!

Thanks, Siobhan

2010-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Siobhan Magnus, through her beautiful voice, was able to bring together a community... It's been a lovely thing to watch. Everywhere you drove across the Cape, there were banners and signs and buttons in support of Siobhan (including a sign in my window, and buttons on both my daughter & I). There has been such a sense of community while she has been a part of American Idol, which I think is much needed round these parts. Everywhere you went, people were talking about her (my Brownies talk about her constantly and think she's a superstar, which of course, she will be!) and lauding her talent.

So thanks, Siobhan, for sharing a little of yourself with the world, and letting the Cape come together in such a positive way. We're super proud of you!!! Can't wait to see what great things are in store for you...

watching whales

2010-04-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the National Marine Life Center had a whale watch out of Plymouth, so my lovely sister and niece, Adriana & I decided to go. What a great time. It was chilly, but sunny, and relatively calm for one of the first whale watches of the season. We saw 4 whales, the first was a fin whale - very cool, then two humpback whales together that kept going on deep dives, and therefore showing us their gorgeous tails... and then as we were ready to head back to shore, we came across this gorgeous humpback who was putting on quite the show - breaching, head breaching, tail breaching, flipper slapping, waving (okay, maybe that's not exactly what the scientists call it) having a grand old time in the waters off the Cape... was even so kind as to make sure we got the Pilgrim Monument as the backdrop of our shots! ...what a day...

Happy Earth Day...

2010-04-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

So although I'm very political, and very opinionated *insert wry smile here*, I try to stay very mellow on my blog... but today's Earth day and I have something I need to share.

Everywhere I walk throughout my neighborhood, and everywhere I drive across the Cape, I see hundreds of little yellow signs that tell me to keep me, my dog and my child off the grass.

There are 100 million pounds of pesticides used every year on lawns.

I just want to share a couple of facts with you. A child that lives in a household that uses pesticides on their lawn faces an almost 7 times greater risk of leukemia, a dog in that house faces an almost double chance of lymphoma. Of the 36 common lawn pesticides, 14 are detected in groundwater, 6 have the potential to leach, 11 are toxic to birds, 21 are toxic to fish & aquatic organisms and 12 are toxic to bees. My house is the one all the birds hang out at, no wonder really!

One of the scariest to me, is a study done by the EPA which found 23 pesticides in dust and air inside homes, many of which had never even used pesticides on their yards! Another study found 26 different chemicals in the dust and 19 in the air in Cape Cod homes. So although I don't, would never, can't conceive of, using pesticides on my lawn, I bet if we tested the air in my home they would find these toxins because most of my neighbors (who live here 2 months out of the year) do.

I think we should focus more on a green earth than a green lawn.

Do something good for the planet today.

Ryan & his buddy Maxx

2010-04-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

so Ryan's 3. How cute is he? and his buddy Maxx... what a beauty! We had so many giggles this session... of course, not everyone will wear, well truth be told - just about anything, on their head! I think we both looked divine wearing parts of my photo equipment on our heads! Maxx didn't get to wear anything, maybe that's why he's giving me that 'what, where's my silver helmet?'...

They just grow so darn quickly, it's a funny business, not only am I watching my daughter grow at the speed of light, but all of these clients who somehow every time they come back have aged a a few months or a year or even two! yikes.

I love photographing kids. I love their laughter. I love their smiles. I love their silliness. It keeps me young. Thanks for sharing their gorgeous little faces with me!

sharing

2010-04-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

I've had a fun couple of weeks, I spoke for Cape Cod Art Association's Camera Club on portraiture - it was such a blast! They were a great group, and the feedback was all positive, so I thought that was good! Of course, I had to keep reminding myself to not talk too fast, and to stay focused (neither of which I'm very good at!). In a couple of weeks, I get to see what they did with the information they learned, and judge their 'portrait' competition. I can't wait! I love photography, love looking at other's work, love faces, so it can only be good! Sure I'll get inspired by looking at all of the different portraits I'll see.

Then there was the Art Foundation's Creative Collaborative, where I was on a panel of successful artists. We all shared tips and ideas with the crowd of over 200, it was also pretty cool. Afterwards I caught up with a friend I knew back in the days of field hockey & yearbooks (mine!) in CT., so that was a bonus. There are some super creative people 'round these parts. I got to meet Salley Mavor, she's so rock star! She creates these amazing 'wee folk', it was awesome to meet her in person after adoring her work so...

I'm trying to meet my goal of not running around like a crazy soul this year, we'll see how that works out for me! Might mean I'll actually post photos once in a while! Or maybe that senior slideshow... hmmm... For now, I'm enjoying my tiny tour of the speaking circuit!!

nesting

2010-04-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

I decided as it was spring and we'd been learning about wildlife, I'd make bird's nests with my Brownie troop. After a lot of searching, I came up with no good ideas, so I decided to have them create nests using covered wire, twine, wool, twigs, moss, and varying little bits of thread & fabric I had around... The nests the girls made were beautiful, they were all so different, but the common theme was all of them wanted the nests to be comfortable, how lovely!

I had a date with some of my wonderful friends, and decided to share my project with them, what a treat that was. They all embraced the idea, and again each nest was completely unique to the person who made it, and again comfort was a common element.

How amazing it is that birds are able to create their nests using only their beaks! Truly a miracle.

Speaking of miracles, I'd like to wish you all a lovely Easter. Enjoy!

(my husband asked if he should be worried that I'm nesting!!!)

a mini Mina post

2010-03-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I'm running around like a crazy woman, it's March. I can't seem to get it together these days, my creative brain is going crazy wanting to do nothing but wear slippers and create books and jewelry, the images are filling my head, and then there's rugs to braid (my winter goal) and all of those things... real life is not leaving me enough time - think I need to get up earlier!

So I finally met Mina, my dear friends Mouse & Dave's babe, what a sweetie... adorable... Of course I was planning on taking all of these amazing portraits, but it was cold or she was sleeping or eating or it was dark... you know how life sometimes gets in the way of our plans... This is a sweet family moment, on a chilly day in Brighton. Seems forever ago now, miss them so.

Here's a mini peek at Mina. Look at those eyes - wow! Too cute! More soon...

1000 greatest places in Massachusetts

2010-03-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

The office of tourism is having a contest for the 1000 top places in Massachusetts, Historic, Cultural, Natural and doesn't quite fit into one of those categories... Got me to thinking how many great places we have here in this state, how many are on the Cape... the National Seashore should certainly make the list, as should the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Heritage Plantation, Sandy Neck, Provincetown (the whole town should just be one entity...),so many places come to mind... it's amazing how many very cool places we have right here...

Voting is only open until April 1st, so pick your favorite spot in Mass. and share it. Vote here!

(My Brownies have Peace flags that we started a couple of years back, and added to at tonight's meeting, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, and the one that adorns my flag made today. "We must be the change we wish to see in the world" - Gandhi)

Earth Hour

2010-03-08T15:09:00.001-08:00

The passage of time is a fairly freaky thing, I've got to admit! So here we are, getting ready to promote Earth Hour again... unbelievable.

March 27th is the day, 8:30pm. The Studio will be dark. My home will be dark. My dear friend Joe's house will be dark. Join us. Make a statement. Love our planet.

Climate change is happening all around us and its pace is accelerating. From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, climate change is already impacting life on Earth.

On Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. local time, The Studio by the Sea will be taking part in what promises to be an amazing and inspiring event in the fight against climate change: Earth Hour. Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour asks individuals, businesses, government leaders and others to turn out all non-essential lighting for one hour as a bold statement of collective concern about climate change.

Earth Hour is the largest event of its kind in the world. In 2009, nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries turned out their lights, as well as international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower and Great Pyramids, and the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv.

We’d like to encourage you to join us in this important effort. Participation is free and easy:

1. Sign up at EarthHour.org
Show your support, find out what Earth Hour events are happening near you and get tips on organizing fun events in your community.
2. Spread the Word
Invite your friends and family to join the movement, become a fan on Facebook and post a link to EarthHour.org on your profile page.
3. Turn off the Lights
Turn off your non-essential lighting at 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 27.
To get a better sense of the magnitude of the effort, please take a moment to watch WWF’s video about Earth Hour: www.myearthhour.org/news/media.

Our company has long believed in operating our business responsibly. In the weeks leading up to Earth Hour, we will take an even closer look at actions we can take throughout the organization to operate more efficiently, waste less and reduce our environmental footprint—not only in our own business, but throughout our supply chain.

Please join us as we turn out and take action!

Creative Collaborative

2010-03-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

March 25th is my beautiful sisters birthday. It's also the Arts Foundation's annual Creative Collaborative conference. We've got a great day scheduled, panels with artists who are successfully running a business (I'm on that panel, feel quite good about that, I've got to admit!), achieving your goals of getting published, getting in a gallery, or booking a gig - whatever your medium, reaching the media (who doesn't need that), a panel with our local legislators, as well as some very cool success stories along the way... ending with awards and some really cool entertainment... and as at every Arts Foundation event, really good food!!
For more info. or to register, please visit the Art's Foundation for more info.

Hope to see you there!

vacation

2010-02-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

Off for a couple of weeks - ah vacation... other people go skiing or lovely warm climes... me, we go to England... just as cold... wetter... damper... oh well!

So I wish you all love for Valentines (one of my three Valentines in the photo, Lucy, the one I won't be sharing the day with...), happy school vacation week, enjoy...

Year-end slideshows when I'm back...

(oh how I love Lucy! isn't she gorgeous? I think everyone should have beautiful portraits of their dogs!!)

3 already?

2010-02-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

John is 3. Unbelievable.

Our session started a little rocky, he was adamant he did not want his photo taken this time, and wouldn't even enter my studio... but I did what you have to do when you're photographing children, I was patient & calm, sometimes alternating with silly & kooky, dancing, singing, all sorts of crazy things, and kept throwing out ideas until he decided it just might be fun to play with me for a while... and play we did, for ages, I couldn't go anywhere near my camera, which was okay, we were having fun. Eventually, I earned his trust, and we had this amazing session. I had such a hard time editing them, I loved them all!

This is my favorite. He is so beautiful. All boy. Just delightful.

First Things First

2010-01-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

This year's exhibit by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod is called First Things First, and it is fantastic... Over 55 established Cape artists are showing (okay, so it's true, I'm one of them) at the Cotuit Center for the Arts now through Feb. 6th. The gallery is open Mon. to Sat. from 10am to 5pm.

The art includes many mediums and styles, it is just really cool. And you shouldn't miss it. One of my faves is Sam Barber's dancers made from branches, paint & glitter, Sam is better known for his impressionist paintings, so it's a treat to see some of his other work... another is this fantastic multi media face that includes all sorts of things including rope & an old pair of pants!!! Then there's that metal mask type sculpture, with sort of dreadlocked hair from found items... all so very creative...

Adriana was asked at the opening which her favorite piece was, to which she replied, "the one of me..." Of course!!!

(photo by me of the beautiful exhibit...)

Aguadilla

2010-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

oh Aguadilla, how I wish we were there... About 6 years ago my sister & her family and mine rented a villa in Rincon in Puerto Rico for a week... while 'villa' may have been stretching it, the trip was outstanding (except for my nephew's run in with a Man-o-war, but that's a story for another day...) The weather was divine, the setting perfect, and of course having a week with my sister and everyone was fantastic...

So Marla & I took the girls to this tiny beach in Aguadilla for the day (they had a treehouse made in an enormous Banyan tree in the park next to it - so cool...) Shortly after we arrived, Adriana (who was 3 at the time) came over to us with something in her hand, it turned out to be a piece of pottery washed smooth by the sea... Marla & I both being artists, started our search, and it turned out that it was literally take a scoop of sand, scoop out treasure in the form of 'cristal', or seaglass... We were giddy with excitement, 'oh darn, another perfect blue piece'... It was absurd how fantastic it was... of course we had a 3 & 6 year old, who didn't think it was as much fun as we did, so our quest ended much sooner than we'd like! We did what any true seaglass hunters would do, we talked our hubbies into the fact we had to go back, & so we did... Just the 2 of us, purely to collect seaglass! What a fun time we had then too, seaglass, Margaritas & my sister, too good!!

As soon as I got home (years ago now), I started this frame with some of the finds from both of the trips and got as far as gluing down the bottom layer & then put it aside... My art room runs a very fine line to looking like it should be condemned as I tend to save, well everything really, you just never know when you might need something! But New Year's day I decided to make a dent, and this partially created frame appeared... Decided it was time to finally finish the darn thing! so I did. The photo is of Adriana on our first trip in this great little outfit we got her there... there was this beautiful window light, and the kitchen was painted bright yellow, but the bedroom off it was that bright green... begging for a photo series... love photographing children in natural light... also love that chubby baby belly sticking out! Of course, she hated her belly button showing! She wore her outfit with these hysterical shoes, her squeaky shoes, only in Puerto Rico can you buy yellow plastic sandals with a tomato & other fruits with happy little smiling faces on them, that squeak!!!!

Think it is time for another seaglass hunting trip...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

I wish you all peace for the coming year, and a year full of love & happiness...

So here's something you may not know about me... I'm a Jets fan, have been my whole life... when I was a kid, my step-father's company had season tickets (we're talking Shea stadium) 50 yard line 3 rows in - those were the days! Of course they always lost then too... we moved with them to the Meadowlands, but by then I was getting ready to leave home & my step-dad had a different job so those tickets were gone too, and the Jets, they just kept losing...

Well, anyone who's a Pats fan knows what it's like to be a Jets fan, except now you've had a decade of forgetting... yesterday's game gave me great hope for the future of the team I adore. At the end of the first half, the announcers were talking about how the Jets would be making the play-offs, and I have to admit, I still thought there was a lot of game left & it certainly wouldn't be the first time they blew it... & wished they'd stop being so confident... but then it was the 4th quarter, and there was still no score on the Bengals side... 37 to zip... woo hoo!

I don't even care what happens next week, rookie QB, rookie Coach, but I'm feeling good about next season!!! (Okay, I actually do care about next week too, it's just so great to have a positive feeling about the future of the team... maybe 30 years was long enough to wait for another great season... fingers crossed!)

J - E - T - S Jets! Jets! Jets!

The Sound of Music

2009-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

At Adriana's recital the other day, she played a medley of songs from the Sound of Music. You'll hear, The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things, & So Long Farewell... She was given the final medley on the Friday before her recital on Sunday, I think she did brilliantly... (but then I'm rather biased!)
After seeing an amazing production of Annie at the Harwich Junior Theatre (don't miss it, there are still more shows) she's back to wanting to play 'Maybe', which I'm good with... I hope she always enjoys the musicals!
Enjoy!

a great gift idea!

2009-12-15T07:41:00.001-08:00

Searching for that last minute gift? How about a gift certificate for a portrait that will be treasured forever? Gift Certificates are available in any amount, and from now until December 21st, your gift gives more, every Gift Certificate purchased this week will get you double the amount you spend! That's right, buy a $50. GC, give a $100. to your recipient! The Gift Card will be for the total amount, so your lucky recipient won't know...

For every Gift Card over $100. (value of $200. with this promotion!), I'll also make a donation in your name to the World Wildlife Fund to save our precious planet!

(The photo is from a really fun session at the Hyannis Harbour this summer, Laura, Marcia, David & Kim are such fun, been photographing them forever... They're all graduated now, so fingers crossed they keep agreeing to having the portrait made for the Christmas cards! It's a tradition for Marcia to give me a hard time, I'd miss it if it didn't happen!)

a full moon

2009-12-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

The sky is beautiful tonight, even with a full moon, which addds to it's beauty of course! Just makes it a bit harder to see everything else... My photo attachment arrived, along with some high powered new lenses, so I may not spend a night inside all winter!!! or ever again...

I could see Jupiter so clearly, and 3 of it's 4 moons, one is coming around the corner nearly as I write this, but it's time for dinner, so I'll have to miss it's trip!!! Maybe next time...

My first photo - the moon is cooler in it's phases than when it's full, you can see all of the craters and details better, but still is pretty amazing... *deep sigh* Love my telescope!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I love this time of year, you get to enjoy just being with your families without any of the craziness. We're going to my sister's, I'm so looking forward to being together for a few days... As a child, we always went to friend's houses for the holiday as we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving (us all being from England), which was fun. I always went to my best friend, Judy's, house and remember her uncle snoring on the couch after the meal every year! This is better, my daughter gets to be with her cousins, we've got baby Dade for his second Thanksgiving, and I get to be with my mum & my sister & everyone, it's much more special... just less snoring (well maybe!!)

So enjoy.

The photos are of one of my favorite families to photograph, I've been photographing Emily since she was a baby, her brother, John, too, so it's such fun to watch them growing up... what a cool job I've got! Cold Storage beach is a fantastic beach in Dennis, and that night, although a little cool & windy, had spectacular light, a perfect night for a family beach portrait...

the moon

2009-11-21T16:48:00.001-08:00

so I've been sick for the better part of a month, and I'm starting to get downright grumpy, but Friday, oh it was a good day... I felt miserable, but... Melaine, a dear friend, who is so funny & sweet & kind, came in right at the end of the day when I was leaving to go home to bed, and gave me a bag for my b-day... A Johnny Depp Rolling Stone cover shot - oh he is so beautiful. She said it was on the clearance rack, and she said, 'oh no Johnny, this is not where you belong, let me bring you home' (even my husband laughed at that one!)...

So I stumble into the house and go right to bed (after showing off my fab new bag of course...) I re-enter reality an hour or so later, and find that my birthday present from my hubby has also arrived, seems a week after your b-day is a good day for presents!! I got the most amazing, fantastic, really, really, crazy cool telescope!!! It has this way cool auto alignment thing, and even will tell you the viewing highlights for the night, every night of the year!!! Are you kidding? So last night it was crystal clear, and we looked at all of these stars & constellations, it was amazing. Ray & Adriana both saw a few Leonids, I only saw the flashes that lit the sky... (but of course, I had been out at 3:30am on Tuesday morning and watched them for more than an hour, so I can't complain, I did catch the highlights!!) Spent ages examing the sky... Ray was bummed as the moon set right as the sky was dark enough to view last night... so tonight we went & looked at the moon - wait until I get the photo attachment - I will probably never post another photo of a shoot again!!! You could see all of the craters on the moon, it has been so banged up, it's amazing. It was so bright it was almost glowing... The clouds kept obscuring our view, and then it would clear and I can't even tell you how fantastic it was, absolutely brilliant!!!! I may just have to give up my day job so I can stay up all night and stargaze....

and once again...

2009-11-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

I'm reminded I'm not Martha... *deep sigh* In the new issue of Martha Stewart Living she has needle felted animals, well I love needle felting. My sweet sister, Marla, and I took a class and learned to felt sheep. Kind of funny making sheep from sheep... came home made a penguin, kinda sweet... started to make a goat, but his legs need to be a giraffe, so I've got some bits, a goat head, giraffe legs, and there they sat waiting for winter for me to take them out to play...

but then along came bronchitis, and Martha's mag, and I just assumed my polar bear would be way cuter than her, admittedly wicked cute, polar bear. She even cheated, pipe cleaners, what? Well, guess maybe I should have used the pipe cleaners!

Took my polar bear a long time to stop being a rat, think he's still got a little rat relative in his past, and one paw's slightly red from a really good stab to the finger... but I'm going with he's kinda cute. That, and the fact, it's true I ain't no Martha... oh well... at least I've never been to jail...

Cranberry season

2009-11-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

so as I'm sure you can tell, my days are not long enough to have enough time to fit everything in... which makes my blog super boring, sorry!!

Well, in the midst of all of the insanity which is a photo studio in the fall, I took a few hours off last week to go with Adriana's class on a field trip to a cranberry bog. What fun!

They had flooded the bogs and were using some funky machines to beat the cranberries off the vines, the kids loved it. As did the adults! We're so lucky to have such a cool place to visit right around the corner (well, every corner really, there are loads of bogs round these parts).

I never walk Lucy on the bogs while they're harvesting, can never be sure she'll use her good dog manners! So it was fun to see it all in action.

I've got so many portraits to share, like the 4 generation family portrait I did on the beach on Sunday, or maybe my last senior of the season (phew!!) in a couple of days we'll see what happens...

First Things First

2009-10-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

The press release for the upcoming Arts Foundation exhibit, not to be missed! Mark your calendars now - Sarah

Arts Foundation of Cape Cod presents major art exhibit
FIRST THINGS FIRST
An Interactive Art Exhibit of over 50 Established Cape Cod Artists

October 19, Centerville, MA - The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod will present a free, major regional art exhibit, FIRST THINGS FIRST, at the Cotuit Center for the Arts from January 9 to February 6, 2010. This free exhibit is the fourth annual regional exhibit presented by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and will feature over 50 established Cape Cod artists.

Keeping younger patrons in mind, art work will be displayed at a height of 4 feet throughout the exhibit -- right at children’s eye level. In addition, a mini-art library will be made available to visitors, and a series of child-friendly events will be scheduled over the course of the month. School groups will be welcomed to the exhibit for free for the duration of the show, and will be given docent-led tours and art instruction customized to the age level of the children.

FIRST THINGS FIRST is presented thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, and support from the Donald C. McGraw Foundation and Cape Cod Melody Tent. “We are honored to join with the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod to present this exceptional and engaging exhibit for the enjoyment of Cape students and families,” said Rana Murphy, Vice President of Eastern Bank. “The arts are an integral part of the education process and an essential element of every child’s complete education.”

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours have been extended to accommodate the high demand anticipated for the show, based on advance bookings for school visits and the popularity of previously presented exhibits, Self Portrait Cape Cod, When We Were Younger and ROYGBIV.

For more information about the exhibit, the artists being featured, and opportunities for school groups to visit the exhibit at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, please call the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod at 508-362-0066.

About the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the designated local arts agency for Barnstable County, was founded in 1988. The mission of the AFCC is to:
• Support, promote, and celebrate the arts and culture of Cape Cod
• Create a strong, stable and diverse arts and culture industry
• Contribute to the quality of life and economic vitality of the region

About the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation is to contribute, in a meaningful way, to the health and vitality of the various Greater Boston communities. This is done through financial support for selected nonprofit organizations operating within these communities. The Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation is based in Lynn, Massachusetts. For more information visit www.easternbank.com.

Max & Killian

2009-09-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

I love photographing senior portraits on the beach, it's a great job I've got... but sometimes... it's even better than normal...

Max brought Killian to Sandy Neck the other night, and it was one of those perfect Cape Cod evenings (which we didn't see enough of this year, sadly). Max was great, Killian was great, the tide was perfect, the light was gorgeous, the bugs decided to leave us alone, it was truly fantastic. One of those nights when I realized I must have the best job in the world!!!

get your kicks...

2009-09-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Seems like a million years ago we got our kicks on Route 66! It's a great season so far, insanely busy, which everyone assures me is good!! Trying to keep up with it all makes things like my blog get ignored...

As my posts will be scarce for the next month or so, figured I'd put some of my own pix up...

goodbye Senator

2009-08-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today is a sad day for the Cape, and for Massachusetts, along with the rest of the country & the world. Senator Ted Kennedy was a great man. He did great things. He used his power and strength for us, to make our lives better. We are grateful.

Thank you, Senator.

I offer my sympathies to his family, and wish them peace.

a family portrait for Natalie

2009-08-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

How good it is when we can be surrounded by the love of our family...

My wish for today is peace to you all...

summer

2009-08-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've been photographing some really fabulous seniors this week (this summer really), having such fun... I love the fact they all end the session by telling me how much fun it was! For me too... I'm so busy I can't keep up with my own self, which is a great thing all things considered... it's such a special job I have...

I don't twitter, way too much else on my plate, but the other day I went to go check it out (how sad, I've never even done that!!) and I searched 'senior portraits'. Seems there are a huge number of seniors out there tweeting about just such the thing, it makes me remember what an important thing I'm doing, and how cool that these families entrust me with all of their photos of their children to celebrate this milestone in their lives... thanks for that... at yesterday's viewing session, we were talking about prints we'd order of all 3 children (once I've photographed the third child in the Class of '12!)

I'll put some pix on my facebook Studio page next week, go become a fan!!

(On a personal note, I need a glorious day tomorrow afternoon for a very special portrait I'm taking, please send happy thoughts and prayers for wonderful weather my way!!!!)

wait for me!

2009-08-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

At the end of a great family portrait session at Mayflower beach the other evening, we took some playful photos with the kids and some boats... what a perfect evening it was...

The portrait was for a 40th anniversary gift, what could be better than getting all of the kids and their kids together on a gorgeous Cape Cod evening for a portrait. Diana (the recipient) said she'd been wanting to do this forever, and now she has a portrait she'll cherish...

While we were there, one of the boys found a sand dollar on the beach (already dead). I told him how jealous I was, always wanted to find one, but I refuse to dig them up while they're still alive, without hesitation, he gave it to me as a gift. How cool is that?

Perseid

2009-08-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Last night was great, after an afternoon of photographing seniors at the garden, followed by a couple of senior portraits at the beach, Adriana & I bundled up under a blanket with a big pillow and watched the meteor shower... It was early, only 10:30pm, but we still saw a number of shooting stars, including one that traveled the entire length of the sky... one of my favorite things to do is stargazing, and add shooting stars and I'm a happy camper... I tucked Adriana into her real bed, and went back out with my camera, unfortunately the bugs and my droopy eyelids got the better of me (tough to see shooting stars with your eyes closed I learned!!!) Being the insomniac I am, I just assumed I'd wake up in the middle of the night and go out for another round of gazing, but no, seems I slept right through until morning - figures! There's two more nights, tonight seems a bust, but maybe the clouds will dissipate before the wee hours...

So no Perseids made their way on to my digital files, but the sky was gorgeous, and the time with my daughter really special...

Andrew & Lisa

2009-08-08T10:45:00.001-07:00

Hooray for Andrew & Lisa! What an absolutely beautiful day, you guys are so the best... and oh those shoes!!!!

I know you'll have a happy life together, you're just so perfect for each other. God bless you both. Be happy. Laugh a lot. Share your true selves. Much happiness and love to you both. Thanks for letting me be a part of such a fabulous day...

Strokes of Genius

2009-08-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

Don't miss Strokes of Genius mini-golf on Main Street, Hyannis, it's only open for 1 more week...

What a great idea, and such fun! We went last weekend and had a blast... we got to choose our favorite holes, between the 4 of us, we had 3 different faves... Different artists/sponsors designed each hole, there's everything from the giant sea monster to the beaches of the Cape to the Hyannis Mets. There were even some members of the Hyannis Mets baseball team there helping out & a rogue pirate (who doesn't love a rogue pirate?) It is definitely not to be missed while your visiting (or living) on Cape Cod.

Go after your family portrait session on the beach, or before you have your senior portrait created, the course is open from 11am to 9pm, but only until August 9th. All monies raised go to the Barnstable Education Foundation, you'll get way more than your $5. worth.