IRIS Photography -- The Blog

Landon's One-Year Shoot in Elizabeth Park

Wow...I can't believe we are at the one-year mark for little Landon and his family, Stephen and Lindsay (from Sixpence Events .... great wedding planners!)   It seems like just yesterday, Lindsay and I were in the pool!  Thank you for doing the motherhood program with me (multiple shoots within the first year)...it was really rewarding to watch your family grow!  I have to put a small recap in!

The maternity shoot:

 

 

 

 Meeting Landon for the first time at 2 weeks:

 

Starting to smile and sit (while propped) at 4 months:

 

...and now at one year, learning to walk and as handsome as ever!

 

 

Trisha's Family Photography Session in Elizabeth Park

It was great getting to know Tricia's family better during our fall portrait shoot at Elizabeth Park.  I love that they put the following pic on their holiday card:

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for hiring us guys!

Gretchen's Fall Family Portrait Session in Elizabeth Park

We had so many great shoots in the fall with wonderful families!  Here are some of our favorites from Gretchen's family shoot in Elizabeth Park. 

We always try to get a decent semi-formal portrait:

...but I love the moments between the formal posing too!

 

 

Amanda and Michael's Family at Elizabeth Park

It's been a year since I've photographed Amanda and Michael's family and I can't believe how much the kids have grown ... wow!  I loved the light at their shoot ... we shot about an hour before sunset and when it gets low on the horizon it can be just beautiful!

 
 

 

 

Tamara's Family Shoot in Elizabeth Park

 It was very nice meeting Tamara's family to shoot their two lovely girls and their huge dog in Elizabeth Park.  Here are some of my favprites:

 

Jen and Tom's Family Shoot at Elizabeth Park

Well we just finished a frenzy of fall photos over the last month and a half!  I was so happy to be reunited with Jen and Tom, whose wedding we shot a few years back, to see how their family has grown!

Here are some faves:

 

  

Shelley's Family Portrait Session, Hartford, CT

What fun shooting Shelley's family at Elizabeth Park in Hartford which I love for the varied backgrounds in a small walking distance!   We shot in the early morning which was really nice for light and for awake kids...despite a long trip the previous day.

Leslie and Aaron's Maternity Shoot

What fun to shoot Leslie and Aaron during their first baby experience!  We have a lot of experience shooting together now after their engagement and wedding shoots, so I knew Leslie would be up for anything!  My husband always says pregnant women's faces look so beautiful so it's nice to be able to capture that for the, although I was pretty belly focused too!

 

 

Sally's Family Portrait Session on the Lake

What a great location to shoot Sally's family with her husband and two spitfire daughters!  I loved the dock and canoe and the pink fishing pole!  At one and four years old, their expressions change so fast and it makes for great pictures!

Thanks guys!

Kim and John's Family Portrait

What fun shooting Kim and John's family with Mayalin at 3 years old and CJ at almost 7 months!  We did a little bit inside and a little outside at their home:

Kim, thank you so much for contacting me...it was so nice meeting your family and I hope I will see you guys around! 

Max at 11 Months!

What fun to shoot little Max at 11 months old with his parents Julia and Mead!  We found so many great spots in and outside of their home!






Julia's mom, Parnell, joined us and I'm so glad she did!


She noticed Max trying to eat hostas and led us to this shot (and of course I also have some of him trying to eat them!):





Thank you guys!  What a beauty!

Leslie's Family Portrait

Leslie and her siblings decided to have some family portraits taken as they got together for Passover at their parent's home.  We mixed it up with a little traditional and a little untraditional.  Leslie, it was so nice meeting you and your extended family and very fun shooting all those cute grandkids- thank you!

Gloria's Generations Shoot

This was a really cool shoot for me - Gloria contacted me to shoot her with her mom and two daughters as her xmas present to them.  She was up for something a little different - we did a vintage kitchen theme as the love of cooking was one of the things that ties them together.  We also found some great light and backgrounds in her lovely
home out in the country in Eastford, CT:

Landon's Second Shoot at 4 Months!

All I can say is it so great to be shooting little Landon...as soon as I saw him this time at 4 months, I could see him as a future little boy - whereas shooting him at two weeks old ...he was so new!!!  Thanks Lindsay (of the wonderfully stylish, fun and nice pair at Sixpence for Your Shoe wedding planning) and Stephen for another great shoot!

1st fashion shoot...doc martin booties!

The Many Faces of Allie!

I think these pics speak for themselves on how fun and sweet and full of personality little four-year old Allison was to shoot!  This is also why I love to shoot in people's homes - in a little over an hour we had so many different backgrounds and lighting situations at our fingertips ... and it's really comfortable for babies and kids ... and great for them to look back on when they have the photos as grown-ups!

Amy and Thad...thank you for making me feel so welcome in your home!

Diana Camera Photos

Over the holidays, I bought a Diana camera - which is an old little plastic toy camera using medium format (120) film that gives a vignetted grainy look which I love.  They've just released a new version of it.  I've only taken one roll of film so far but I wanted to post a few pics from the Tampa DWF Photo Convention (the ones of me are taken by my great friend Elsa).  This might be fun to take on my upcoming Grand Canyon/LA trip and I hope to shoot some wedding portraits with it this spring/summer.

Hartford Airport at Sunrise:

Me in the Florida swampland:

Sweet Simon

I've been so lucky to photograph these wonderful little babies lately.  Spending some time with Marcy and Simon was so nice - this sweetheart was so alert and just lit up when his mom was near:

Lovely Amara

What an honor to be invited to shoot little Amara - it's so intimate to shoot a baby with her parents.  I always encourage parents to shoot in their own home...especially with infants...I think it's more comfortable for everyone including the baby and all the backgrounds and props have special meaning. 

Here's their little cutie:

NYC Trip - Portrait, Art and Workshop

I LOVE living this close to New York City.  It's amazing to be a two-hour drive from the city (I know the native New Yorkers are laughing at me).  I go in with my family several times a year and for work 2-3 times a year.  Anyway, last week I went in to do a portrait session, meet with a potential bridal client, attend a two-day commercial photography workshop and cocktail party, and see two of my dearest friends.

First, can I just rave about my friend and my University of Florida college roommate, Lisa Lindgren.    She's a great friend and a great artist  I bought a painting of hers about two years ago and it's  more than tripled in price!  That's how great she is!  She just spent 6 weeks in Iceland at an all-expenses paid artists' retreat where she had to be selected from a zillion applicants.  Check out her website:  www.lisalindgren.com.   See "drawings" for her new stuff (from Iceland).  Her work is currently in a show at the SevenGaits Gallery in Southbridge, MA.

I then had a lovely evening with my great friend Hilary (from Boston College) who is 1000% involved in the New York corporate life and lifestyle and has just kicked booty since B-school.  We had a great meal and then I got to experience my first Hanukkah candle lighting which as it was happening, I wished I had my camera in my hand.  It was very cool to share someone else's traditions (guess that's why I like weddings!)!

Below are a few shots of the beautiful Hilary:

I also only need to attend one of these New York workshops every once and a while to be reminded what a small world photography is - to have access to the amount of talent there was just amazing.  There was a portfolio review/cocktail party with photographers and art buyers Monday night.  It was great seeing what everyone else was showing.  I got totally motivated to redo my commercial logo and update my commercial site.  Here's the new logo...

Family Session - Jen and Dan's Family

What fun shooting Jen and Dan's family with a Christmas theme.  Here are some favorites:

Thanks Guys!

Baby Landon is Two Weeks Old!

Congratulations Lindsay and Stephen on the birth of little baby Landon!  I was totally transported back to that newborn stage with my guys when I saw Landon and got to photograph him for an hour!  He is such a little beauty and totally sweet!  See for yourself...

Family Session - Amanda and Michael's Family

I had a great time shooting Amanda and Michael's family at Elizabeth Park.  We shot at "the magic hour" (which is an hour before sunset) and I thought the color of the light blended perfectly with the park that seemed to have had a second round of roses all in bloom! 

I do get a lot of questions about what to wear for portraits and I would say Amanda's family is dressed perfectly if you want to get hints:

• Same level of dress (they chose a nice casual, but you could do all upscale, all downscale, etc. - just as long as you are all on the same level).
• No tiny prints - paisleys, small dots, etc. freak out the camera.  (LOVE large polka dots and large patterns though...)
• They match in color but they are not wearing identical outfits (which is a certain look that can be okay in a really large group (although I still prefer this way), but not okay as a couple or a family of 4 or 6--matching identically can look too much like a uniform in small groups).
• They've chosen a color theme (blue, khaki, grey) and they've really mixed the textures, patterns, etc.
• They haven't overdone the patterns - everyone can't wear an argyle top, but it looks great on just their daughter.

Anyway, these are some of my favorites:

 

Thanks guys!

 

Lindsay's Belly Shoot

I'm so excited to be a part of Lindsay's belly and upcoming baby shoots!   Lindsay, I hope after going into a swimming pool at 8 a.m. and being topless in your neighbor's yard that same afternoon that you will love these pictures...at the very least, you will have some great stories!   Thanks for being so up for it!

I had in my mind an almost all black and white shoot for the pool, but Lindsay's suit with the color of the water just popped, so I left a lot color!

We then went underwater with a cheap drugstore disposable camera - the pics are very grainy (can we say artsy instead?) and I love how they turned  out!  I just had CVS give me a Kodak CD of the images and I did nothing in Photoshop except turn some black and white and do a slight exposure tweak (same as a printer would do for anyone).

We came back in the afternoon post hair and make-up done by West Hartford's Naomi Martinez:

Lindsay, thank you for picking me to do your shoot given you know so many photographers!  Lindsay is my favorite wedding planner and part of the great twosome at Sixpence for Your Shoe.  I had a great time working with you and I look forward to meeting and shooting your new arrival soon!

 

Martha's Vineyard and Stock Photography

We just spent a week in July out on Martha's Vineyard ... our favorite vacation place in the Northeast and thought I'd do a post with some of the photos.   

We rented a house in Aquinnah (formerly Gayhead) which is great with young kids. 

This will definitely be remembered as the summer of Jude eating sand...and here he is with a shell in his mouth!

Sebbie on the oldest carousel in the U.S., The Flying Horses in Oak Bluffs:

Soaking up the artsy streets of Edgartown:

Early morning beachcombing (since our children wake up at 5:30 on vacation!!!)...I loved this shot...Sebbie looks just like my Dad in it!

We stumbled onto the finals of the 17th Annual Monster Shark Fishing Tournament in Oak Bluffs.  (Side fact:  "Jaws" was filmed on the Vineyard.)  If you are not too squeamish, you can see the guy holding the shark's tail in the boat, and the shark head near the motor.

Jude's only been walking for about a month, so this is the first pic I have of them running together as brothers!

I know I'm a mess in this picture that Mike took, but I really love it - it just has some intimacy in it that I like:

Sebbie is totally naked in this shot as he decided to take off all his clothes on the crowded Oak Bluffs beach - they actually do have a nude beach on the island...but we weren't there...

Carly Simon's next door neighbor (who we met on the beach) took this photo of us.  We kept having Carly sightings as she drove her red convertible Mercedes "up  island".  She is part-owner in a cool store called Midnight Farm which is in Vineyard Haven- it's part Anthopology, part a home furnishings store.

Besides wedding and portrait photography, I also have a passion for editorial (magazine) and stock photography.  So I definitely wanted to capture some stock shots for my stock agency, www.alamy.com and to submit some to some magazines/papers.   I went out early one morning and expected to take pretty shots of the boats and flowers but here's what I was actually drawn to...do you think anyone will ever buy a set of cards with my pictures on them?  :)

We had my birthday (the big 39 - ouch!) at the sunset in Menemsha.  It's tradition that every night people gather on the beach to watch the sunset.  It was fantastic and such a great way to celebrate!

These are my favorite two stock shots and I took them that night- I can't wait to print them on metallic photo paper (photo geek, I know).  I love all things Americana and this is a totally vintage Texaco station right in Menemsha and the light was just amazing right before sunset.  Carly Simon filmed a concert here for HBO in 1987:

I wanted to just say a few things about stock too, for amateur photographers that are interested.  Stock, if you don't know, is when you shoot whatever you want, submit it to an agency that has agreed to rep your photos and then they sell them on your behalf to magazines, ad agencies, book publishers, etc.  Editors will use stock when they know there's a picture out there already because it's a lot less expensive to buy an existing picture than to pay a photographer to go out and shoot it.  For instance, there are a zillion pictures of an apple.  No one is going to pay a photographer to go out an shoot a generic picture of a n apple.

Anyway, if you are an amateur and want to try to sell your pictures, "microstock" agencies like istockphoto.com will rep your photos and sell them for you.  Microstock is known for selling pics cheap for $1-$10/piece and you get a portion, but you can sell more volume than with a regular agency and you don't have to have a professional camera or gigantic files. 

Or, if you have the equipment, software and quality, you can apply to the big agencies like alamy.com, gettyimages.com, corbis.com,  jupiterimages.com, etc. and get your photos rep'd where they can sell from $50-$20,000/use...but I believe the average sale is about $300-400 for an image...so don't quit your day job yet! 

Travel and concepts are big sellers.  Concepts are photos illustrating an idea like "working from home", "traveling with children", etc.  But you never know what will sell...I was just telling a bride that I'll be shooting in a few weeks that of all the people shots I took on my last trip to Portugal, what has sold ... a portrait of a goat!!!  It's sold three times!!!  And last month I sold a picture of a tray of chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles!   

Tying this back to the Vineyard pictures... I think the following kind of regular picture will actually be the best seller of all the stock photos I took on this trip...it's our dog, Rupert, wiped out at the end of our trip on the ferry home.  It will sell because it represents multiple concepts (travelling with pets, being road weary, etc.)...picture or no picture...Rup, it was great having you with us!  It felt like what a summer vacation should be!

Nicola Shoot in the UK

In March we went to visit my family in England.  My Dad has just recently moved to the country and there was some incredible landscape - thanks to my sister Nicola, who is also a photographer, for being up for a portrait session!  Yes, she is in a bog (with wellies) and yes, those are real wild ponies, and it was her idea to climb the tree!