As the saying goes…better late than never! Here we are in the middle of February and I’m just getting my client superlatives up from last year! I debated skipping the whole thing as it’s quite the time-consuming endeavor, but I’ve done it for the past three years and just couldn’t break my streak. Before you start scrolling though, please know that if you aren’t on here, it’s not because I loved your session any less! It’s just that I’m not not nearly creative enough to think of something for *EVERY* session…
Sweetest Siblings
I know with certainty that these weren’t the only sweet siblings to grace my lens this year, but these were a couple that jumped out at a me as I (very quickly) scanned my 2022 galleries for contenders. They’re precious, aren’t they?
And for more glimpses into what a family newborn session with siblings might look like, check out this slideshow :).
Best Grumpy Faces
Much like the last category, I’m pretty sure I have many other images that are deserving of this coveted title, but these two first came to mind when I came up this award, ha.
Greatest Grandparents Award
With few exceptions, I don’t really offer full extended family sessions anymore. It is just too much chaos and stress even for this self-proclaimed child-wrangling photographer/teacher/boy mom. HOWEVER, I do adore including grandparents in sessions and they are always welcome to join us for newborn photos or for my longer Premium session option. The images below were from two sessions I had this past summer that I absolutely loved. I know these two boys will treasure their photos someday <3.
And the image below is an extra special one because this family has been with me from my very first year and their nana hasn’t missed a single session. And want to know a little secret? I somehow don’t think I even know her first name. I’ve just grown to call her nana, which reminds me of my own nana who I would have loved to have a photo with like this <3.
Most Dramatic Dresses
Okay, I’m using the word dramatic loosely here because these aren’t like, 12-foot train dramatic, or layers of tulle dramatic, but they all have a unique feature that gives them a bit of a dramatic flair and I just loved them! The burgundy lace dress looked absolutely stunning in the city and is quite possibly the best Amazon score of all time! I loved the unique style of the white dress and that it blew in the wind despite not being full-length, and that low back on the rust dress was smokinnnnn’!
Quietest Session
This is a new category for me this year and it’s something I’d be happy to give out a lot more in the future hahahhahah. This mama decided that for baby #2’s maternity session, she was going to ride solo. Now before you gasp, know that big sis was very much included in our newborn session months later and that her mother just wanted to enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet with her growing babe <3. I loved that she did this, and think more moms should carve out alone time for photos, or for whatever else may bring them some calm ;).
Most Awesome Overcast Session
This session was for very good friends of mine and when I initially saw the cloudy forecast, I was feeling a smidge bummed that I wouldn’t be able to give them photos with an epic sky or warm golden light. But THENNNN I remembered that overcast, particularly in the fall with all of the foliage, is absolutely stunning and really makes those autumnal colors pop. The whole gallery was bursting with deep, rich tones and it’s an all-time favorite of mine for sure!
Most Panic-Inducing Session
While we’re on the topic of good friends, here’s another one of mine :). This one is one of my best friends from college, and while that made me *slightly* less panicked on the day of her session, I would be lying if I said that I kept my calm when we showed up to our planned location in Cambridge and discovered they were all set up for the Walk for Alzheimers which was scheduled to take place the next day. White tents covered nearly all of the green spaces, along with 999 billion lawn signs. Holy heart attack. I actually tried to convince her that we should just jump in our cars and head over to the Boston Public Garden, which really tells you just how panicked I was because I would NEVER shoot at the BPG on a Saturday in October if given the choice. I’ll never forget her looking over at me and saying, “Why are you so nervous about this? It’s just me.” LOL. Soooo we forged on, strategically angling ourselves to avoid the many background distractions, and eventually made our way to the back of the park where we discovered there weren’t any tents, ha. I ended up getting several portfolio-worthy images from the session, including the one below, but if I never have to contend with a giant organized event again, I’ll be a happy person.
Most Terrifying Toss
I guess I’m in the business of self-induced heart attacks because I also nearly had a couple while watching these dads throw their kids up in the air (particularly the first one hahah). The rational part of my brain knew they were (literally and figuratively) in good hands, but I couldn’t help but gasp as I watched them fly high. Sure makes for great photos though, huh?
Most Perfect Pup
I always meet so many perfect pups but I have to give a shoutout to Miss Avery here, who has come so far from one of our first sessions together many years ago HA. I had to include that image too because it’s just too good, and my clients are amazing and used it on the back of their holiday card that year!
Most Go-With-the-Flow Parents
As you may have concluded from the previous two awards, I’m lucky to have extremely laidback clients. I don’t think I could do this job otherwise! The families who come to me are just the best, and I was fortunate to add these two new laidback crews to my line-up this year! The first one was awesome because their son was mainly interested in standing in the tall grass and ripping it all up. They didn’t fight it or move him to shorter grass or anything of the sort. Instead, they got right down on the ground and enjoyed the grass with him, haaaa! The second family fully embraced the chaos that is photos with three children. The parents let them choose their outfits AND told me they’d even be okay with some crying and/or tantrum photos. Have I won the client jackpot or what?
Most Wonderful Wall
Give me a bold accent wall at an indoor session and I’m a happy person. Throw in a SUPER cute baby and a sweet pup and I’m the happiestttt person.
Most Epic Sky
I really have no words other than this night was UNREAL. In one direction we had stunningly beautiful light mixed with a colorful, textured sky, and in the other direction it looked like Mother Nature was about to unleash absolute havoc on us within seconds.
I also had one other notable sky this year, though it may not have been *quite* as dramatic. This particular shade of blue really made the moon pop for us, and coincidentally, my client had told me earlier in the night that she wanted to capture the moon if at all possible because her daughter was in a moon-loving phase!
Best Black and Whites
Okay, obviously the word “best” is entirely subjective, but there’s just something about these two black-and-white images that I really love.
Bucket List Session!
2022 was the year that I got to check off something on my photography bucket list, and that was to photograph a family in a canoe! I don’t really know why I wanted to do this so badly, but I did, and my photog friend Jackie helped make it happen! Thanks, J!
Smiliest Newborns
It’s not uncommon to catch some baby smiles at newborn sessions for slightly older newborns (6 weekers or so), but it’s definitely more rare to snag them earlier than that! These two babes had me smiling ear to ear with their sweetness, and the baby girl in photo #2 had actually been sleeping for her entire session and woke up at the very end just to give us a few gummy grins <3.
All Around Sweetest Session
Sweet is a word that is perhaps overused by us photographer folk. Or maybe it’s just me in this blog post. Regardless, this session was really rewarding for me and it was one of those times where I left feeling like I was doing exactly what I should be doing in this little life of mine- merging my skill set as both a teacher and a photographer and creating something special for such a deserving family. They filled my cup right up and I look forward to seeing them again this year!
Brother of the Year!
That last family was sent to me by the beloved clients seen below, so it’s no surprise that I loved them just as much. Unfortunately, being a beloved client doesn’t guarantee you nice weather for your session (but I wish it did!), and they probably had the worst weather of all of my 2022 sessions, ughhh. Remember back during that first weekend of October when we got the remnants of hurricane Ian up here and it was SUPERRRR windy? Yea, well I had two sessions scheduled and since it was dry, we went for it. We survived and have a pretty adorable gallery to show for it, but this little guy’s younger sisters were not always happy. He never once complained though and did everything in his power to keep them smiling and engaged, and for that, I am very grateful ;). Thank you, H! You are the best!!
Super Trooper
There was another rock star kiddo this year and it was this big kid, who came to his session in a boot and on crutches!!! That was a first for me and I was pretty worried about how the session would go, but it was A-okay thanks to yet another family with a laid-back attitude!
Hottest Session(s) of the Year
Summer 2023 was one for the books in terms of heat and how DRY it was. Man, we desperately needed rain. Despite all of the hot days, I mostly got lucky and didn’t have many excessively hot sessions. Excepttttt for this one night when I had two families scheduled back-t0-back and it was still 90 degrees well into the evening hours. We all brought ice (the family below actually brought a small cooler on wheels hahaha), and we didn’t melt! I even lived to write this blog post a million months later.
Most Eventful Session
Eep, this is a story I probably won’t ever forget, but it’s a nice little reminder that all’s well that ends well, as this session did. If you follow me on Instagram, you might recall me sharing a story about a big brother who tripped and hit his chin on the corner of the coffee table and sliced it open. Yikes. It was a bloody mess, but dad got it bandaged up and the show went on (and they eventually went to the ER).
Most Magnificent March Session
Can us New Englanders all just agree that March sucks? I mean really, it’s the freaking worst. It’s possible it won’t be quite as terrible this year because we’re having a freakishly mild winter, but generally speaking and in pre-climate crisis times, March sucked. BUT, this outdoor March session was sooooo good that it made me want to take back everything I’ve ever said about this formerly hellish month and cut it a little break. I think my subjects also helped though. Just sayin’.
Cutest Curly Duos
As photographers, very random things sometimes make us inexplicably excited to take pictures. Freckles. Beautiful red hair. A small child in overalls. Me? I’m a sucker for curls. I just love them and think these mother/kiddo curly duos are the cutest.
Terrific Tiny Teeth!
I actually lied. There’s one more thing I just can’t get enough of, and it’s those bottom baby chompers! Seriously, is there anythinggggg cuter than the two bottom teeth when they first come in?! I think not, and this little lady was happy to show them off with all of her amazing smiles during our session!
Alright, folks. If you’ve stayed with me until now, I thank you and commend you! This blog post was approximately a mile long and it’s time to wrap things up here. I had a lot of fun re-living so many of your sessions though, and I look forward to a whole new set of client superlatives in 2023!! Until next time :).
