Here is Kristi and Alex’s wedding, another that I second shot last summer for Rachel of MERGEweddings.  Just a taste of the many awesome things that can take place on the dance floor during a reception. :)

I could get a sense of how bubbly Tara was, and how excited she was to marry John, just through our first couple of e-mail exchanges.  She had sent me some photos of them, looking happy and smiley at various events together, and her e-mails were littered with exclamation marks.  I thought it might be too cute to be true, but upon meeting them it was as if the exclamation marks came to life.  They were all laughs during our engagement session in Castle Island and were so amazing to work with. 

Tara and John are having family and friends from all over (John is originally from Ireland!) for their wedding this November and I just know it is going to be a fun-filled, love-filled celebration.

Tara had these fabulous green heels on:

These last few are probably my favorites from the session.  

Thanks so much again, Tara and John, for being your beautiful and silly selves.  Makes my job so much easier. ;)

 My one year anniversary of living in Boston is quickly approaching, and this means that it’s also almost one year since the first wedding I had the opportunity to second shoot.  It’s amazing to think that it’s already been that long since I first contacted the awesome Rachel of MERGEweddings about the possibility of assisting her at a wedding.  I remember receiveing an e-mail from her the morning that I moved up to Boston and having my first wedding gig with her just a few days later!

I learned so much from Rachel that day and was grateful for the behind-the-scenes experience at Bokyung and James’ wedding at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport, RI.  It was my first time second shooting and it was at a gorgeous location, on an even more gorgeous day.  How did I get so lucky?  Throughout the wedding I would stop and ask myself, How did I get here?  Is this really happening??  It felt surreal, to be privileged to witness and help document such an important day in two people’s lives, but I also realized that someone had finally taken a chance on me, as a photographer.  It was the foot in the door that before then I had only dreamt about.  And while I’ve since been given many more photographic opportunities than I could have ever hoped for at that time, I still find myself asking, How did I get so lucky? with as much disbelief, and as much gratitude, as I did a year ago. 

A Snuggle Tour.  Perhaps that’s how I should advertise my engagement shoots from now on, as this was how Anna, a soon-to-be-bride, described our session.  And she’s right, since our shoot at the Arnold Arboretum last month was just that: exploring the grounds and finding pretty places for her and Bruno to snuggle–and sit, stand (or handstand, as the case was), and be their coupley selves–while I tagged along and snapped away at my shutter. 

Tagging along turned out to be such a treat.  Anna and Bruno’s love is quiet and unassuming, which made it incredibly easy to catch tender moments between them.  Here are some of my favorites.

So so sweet!

Bruno does capoeira and said some moves are on the itinerary for their wedding in July.  Here are some of the handstands that he couldn’t get out of doing for the camera.  One thing I also really love about these shots is that you can see their outfits, each uniquely their own but also coordinated very nicely–Anna with her purple dress and cute green flats, and Bruno with his printed button-down and hat.

And one last image from the end of the shoot, where they hung out in the cattails.  Thanks for a lovely session, Anna and Bruno!

I only met Lorenna and Justin once, but they already hold a very special place in my heart.  They were the first people–outside of friends and family–that I did a portrait session for.  Ever.  Prior to that I had only second shot weddings/events and did casual portraits for family and friends, so doing an engagement shoot for people I had never met was something entirely new to me.  Thanks to them, I had the opportunity to try something different and, in the process, I learned that I really do just LOVE shooting couples in love–whether it’s on their wedding day or any other day!

Lorenna and Justin met in their graduate program at MIT, so what better place to do an engagement shoot than along the Cambridge side of the Charles and in and around MIT campus!  I am no stranger to this part of Cambridge, as I live only a 10 minute walk from there and absolutely love going for runs along the river, so this was a fun shoot for me too.  The session was filled with a lot of laughs and sweet, knowing glances. They are SO cute with each other!  Oh, and they’re not too bad on the eyes either. ;)

When I was e-mailing back and forth with Lorenna about locations for the session, she mentioned that she and Justin wanted to get some shots of them in their lab coats and in lab to send back to their families who don’t get to see that side of their lives.  I hope these images provide the glimpse that they were looking for!

This next image is one of my favorites.  We were shooting on the floor of this hallway and I asked if they had a proposal story to share.  The hall was quiet, and, while leaning against the walls and looking on at each other, they recounted the night that it happened.  I felt lucky to be a part of a very special and intimate moment.

And finally, what’s an MIT shoot without some images at the Stata Center or at Killian Court?

Thanks so much again, Lorenna and Justin, for letting me document your love!