When Sally mentioned she had a train conductor's outfit for her 14 month old son Tiago, the only place I was thinking of bringing him was to a set of train tracks. But really, what kind of photographer puts a child on train tracks, right?  Steph and I spent hours trying to find tracks that had character and were NO longer in use, luckily we stumble upon this location! 

Tiago wore this conductors outfit to his train themed 1st birthday party, so it made complete sense that we kept that theme going and incorporated it into his 1 year old pictures.  I am thrilled that we decided to do this, it is one of my favorite child/family shoots to date.  

It took us a while to get Tiago comfortable enough to sit for us, until EUREKA...!  Frodo came along to put him at ease!

But we had a surprise for Tiago!  A REAL train!  His eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning when we let him actually sit on it.  Of course safety is our first priority when photographing little ones, so we had Dad sit behind Tiago and hold him while he decided to peer around to see the caboose.

One of the reasons that I love what I do, is that I have the opportunity to meet awesome people and their families.  So when I get the opportunity to photograph the whole family I jump on it in a second!

Oh no...We forgot Frodo!!

Can't wait for our next photo session with the Medeiros'!

Meeting new potential clients is like going on a first date , you never know if you're going to click.  Within the first 15 minutes of speaking with Jamie & Joe I knew that we were a great match!  Jamie & I immediately began to plan their engagement session by the water.  As we pulled up to our location the island suddenly was surrounded by clouds which added the drama to these photographs.

Funny story...

As we were setting up the smoke shot in the upper right hand corner above, an Asian woman (I assume she was a tourist), ran over to us and said "Is that a hot spring over there?"  Laughter erupted, where have you ever seen a hot spring in New England?  I love when random things like that happen on location, it lightens the mood.

While setting up for one of my planned photographs, I thought of doing something on this staircase. Its always a little weird for me the photographer and my couples when people (outsiders) start watching what you're doing, and sometimes it ruins the moment or really makes it. Whatever was going on, it definitely worked in that image. I think that happens a lot, when your loved one goes in for a kiss and she or he may just be playing hard to get, or they know exactly what to do to make you feel like there is nothing else going on in the world besides that moment.

It's such an awesome feeling to be the photographer behind the camera of two people that are clearly in love.  Who needs an elaborate location when you can just use a brick wall?

This location drew me in the minute that I laid eyes on it.  Between the symmetry of the trees and the gorgeous stone mansion in the background, this is one of my favorite locations to date!

It was so much fun to work with this beautiful couple, I can't wait for the awesome photos that lie ahead on Jamie & Joe's wedding day!

Throughout life you meet a lot of people, some will leave an impression on you and others will not. Raquel and Samantha have definitely left an impression on me and everyone around them.  Raquel has been a very close friend of ours for about 6 years now, but it feels as though we have known her forever!  She is one of the most inspiring women that I have come into contact with throughout my life and here is their story.

Many times today you hear of the teen mother who dropped out of high school and never made anything of herself, Raquel is the complete opposite.  As a teen mom she thought the most important thing that she could do for herself and her daughter was get a good education.  She finished her high school career then went on to do the impossible and obtain a 5 year degree in Pharmacy.  She did this while working full time and ensuring that her daughter had a normal, family oriented up-bringing.  By accomplishing this she has been able to give her daughter more than she ever thought possible.  Sam has grown up to be another strong, hard-working female with aspirations that are larger than life.  She is the VP and co-founder of HOOD Clothing Inc. and a full time ER nurse with many adventures on her bucket list.

So for Mother's Day this year I thought, "I want to show everyone the amazing relationship between these two women, I want everyone to be amazed by their story, beauty and confidence." We had a make-up artist and hair stylist come in for the day to pamper these ladies, and here is the result. (Samantha-left & Raquel-right) 

In my eyes, this is what a "photograph" is meant to represent.  It shows the relationship between two people, the love and compassion, as well as their differences; without saying a single word.  Every mother and daughter can relate in some way.  It is a photo that I will cherish for many years to come as I'm sure Raquel and Sam do.

 "A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart." - Unknown

I really wish that I could divulge the story behind the next few photos, but unfortunately Raquel would probably kick my a**!  Regardless, I love the playfulness that I was able to capture.

A special thanks to: 

Makeup: Jill Raposo

Assistant: Yas and Steph