Merry Christmas

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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...

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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...