A return to Boston for a very special family & senior portrait session

There’s something incredibly meaningful about working with a family more than once. I get to see them grow up and capture so many stages of life. When that family has a child who was a former student of mine, everything about our time together becomes even more special. Meet Karyn, Todd, Jenna, and Annabelle!

Jenna was a student in my first grade class back when I was a teacher at a bilingual school in Framingham. We’ve done family portrait sessions together many times over the years, and the last time was on the Cape in 2018. When they reached out a year ago about doing senior photos, I was honored that they wanted to document this special milestone with me as Jenna gets ready to finish up her last year in the Framingham Public Schools! They had been planning to make a trip out to Saratoga for portraits, but it just so happened that I would be in Boston for a prime weekend this fall, and we made it work!

We met up at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline, MA. This was one of my all-time favorite spots when I lived in Boston. It’s so beautiful during the fall, especially. The night we met was cloudy with a little bit of mist, so the park was very empty. It was nice to have it all to ourselves!!

Seeing Jenna again after all of these years was amazing. I loved getting to hear her talk about her plans for the future and what she’s thinking of studying in school. She’s come such a long way from that tiny little six year old with a backpack that was half the size of her, and she’s now a poised and multi-talented young woman. It really was so special to get to see them & capture these last family portraits before she heads off to college. This session truly reminded me that your children are never too old for family portraits - and perhaps they even become more meaningful the bigger your kids get.

Thank you for asking me to document this special time in your life, Jenna - and thank you to Karyn, Todd, and Annabelle for working with me. It was so good to see you all again!!

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A Playful Outdoor Fall Photo Session at Larz Anderson Park

This is what happens when you bring two brothers outside for a photo session on a chilly November day: Giggles, laughter, wrestling, running across the park to warm up, and SO.MUCH.FUN.  Nathan & Noah were an absolute blast to capture on camera, and I am so happy that we fit in a last-minute photo session for these boys in time for their family's holiday cards.

These two arrived to Larz Anderson Park ready to play, and the beauty of our laid-back sessions is that playing is always an option.  It's even encouraged!  I always aim to capture the real you -- your real smiles, your real laugh, and the real way that you elbow your brother in the ribs when you think no one's looking.   ;o)  After all, these are the moments their mom will remember in 20 years, and these are the ones I want her to treasure right now.

I love the smirk in this photo below!

This next photo was captured after the boys were jumping off the wall, and I'm pretty sure they were trying to fly.  Any mom of boys knows that this is just how your photo sessions go.  So, like any mom of boys, this mom was worried about what we did or didn't capture during our session together.  Of course, I told her that it's not all of the crazy moments that we capture -- though we do get a few of those, too!  It's the millisecond in between, and knowing right when to click that shutter button to capture the photo of her boys that she will have on the wall for the next 20 years.

This one right here.  That's the one.

Are you a parent living in Newton, Brookline, Brighton, JP, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Chestnut Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods?  Check out Macaroni Kid -- Newton-Brookline!  The boys' mother, Ali, runs this weekly e-newsletter and website bringing you a list of local family-friendly events.  There is so much amazing information for families on their website, including DIY projects, recipes, local events & festivals, shopping guides, crafts for your kids, and coupons for some special savings for your family!

Macaroni Kid is also on Facebook, so be sure to follow their page for daily updates for family fun!

Macaroni Kid featured Nicole Starr Photography earlier this fall after hearing about our photo sessions for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.  Check out the featured post here.

A Rustic & Magical Session | Boston Child Photographer

We did a family session for this sweet girl's family last spring -- mom and dad, her older brothers, grandma and grandpa, her aunt and uncle, and her little cousin.  It was such a fun session, and we captured so many gorgeous photos for a stunning wall gallery in their home.

But sometimes, you just want to focus on one child at a time.

When Maddie's mom learned about my Simply Baby sessions, and she was so excited to get together with her little girl for a short & sweet session focusing just on her little one.  We planned the perfect rustic session, and I was thrilled to be able to use the beautiful twine lanterns that Jeff and I decorated with above our wedding ceremony last June.

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Maddie is a funny little girl.  She loves laughing, pretty dresses, twirling, and of course, the Frozen song.  (I'm pretty sure "Let it go" played on repeat in my back pocket for most of her session.)  This little sweetheart was a little shy at first, but the moment her mom stepped away she opened right up and showed me the most playful and spirited personality.  I absolutely adored our session together, and I love the whimsical photos that we captured!

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I love the energy in this photo!  What a fun capture!

We walked to the "enchanted forest" and played hide & seek among the tall oak trees.

My favorite photo is this one here, hand on the hip, a breeze in her hair, and a little sass in her expression.  I love it!

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To complete the magical set up, I set up a pretty little lace teepee for part of Maddie's shoot.  These backlit photos of her inside are so beautiful, and they show her expressive and playful spirit!  I love her little profile shot in the last one.

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Check out another magical toddler session here -- with glitter, crowns, and sparkly dresses!

A Whimsical Pink & Teal Birthday

Look who's turning one! I had such a fabulous time planning Anna's cake smash with her mom.  Some families come to me and say, "I'm not the creative type.  I trust you.  I'm sure you'll come up with an amazing set."  Other families come to me in the planning stages and tell me a few ideas, we share inspiration photos, bounce ideas off of each other, and then I finish the final details in planning their session!

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Anna's mom knew that she wanted to do a cake smash birthday session outdoors, which I was very excited about.  She wanted something girly, soft, and whimsical for her daughter.  She loved inspiration photos that I sent her with pinks and teals, and fell in love with these tissue paper balls upon first glance.  That plus the perfect location (Larz Anderson Park in Brookline) with the most incredible light sparkling through the trees in the distance meant that we had the set up for a STUNNING cake smash!

I love seeing the cute little outfits that parents find on Etsy for the children's sessions.  This ruffled and lacy teal diaper cover was no exception, and it was just perfect with those pearl beads!

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Anna was so full of personality and I loved capturing her at this age.  The first birthday is such a milestone, and your little baby is growing into quite the little person!  Those rolls on the legs, her excited new clapping skills, and those teeth poking through are just a few of the things you'll want to remember about this age.

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While a little dainty at first, Anna quickly got all into her cake and was loving every single frosting-covered bite!  Her big brother Mikey wasn't one to just sit on the sidelines and watch his sister enjoy that whole cake to herself, so he jumped in.  These next photos weave together perfectly to tell such a comical story of Anna realizing that Mikey loved her birthday cake...

And just like that, Anna is all done!

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See the rest of this family's beautiful session at Larz Anderson Park by clicking here.

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Did you love this cake smash?

Check out another sparkly cake smash session here.

Is your baby turning 1 soon?  Let's chat and plan their birthday session!  

Email me by clicking on the >>CONTACT<< tab above.

A Sunlit Family Session | Boston Family Photographer

Every time I go to Larz Anderson Park, I fall in love with a new hidden little area of their gorgeous, expansive park.  It truly is the perfect little place for photo shoots because no two sessions will ever be the same!  This time when I met the S family at the park, I was determined not to replicate any photos or locations I had used previously with another recent family session.  Looking at what we captured together with mom, dad, Mikey, and Anna, I'd say it was a success!

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I absolutely adore this photo of everyone cuddling together beneath a backlit tree.  When we do family sessions, the children are the priority and we keep it playful, fun, and light.  During our time together, Mikey and I talked about superheroes and ran through the trees where he found this perfect little spot for his family.  Tickles, laughter, and natural smiles.  What a fun session!

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During our ordering appointment, mom and dad both fell in love with this photo of their little loves on my vintage quilt!  This is one of my favorite props, a flea market score at the Brimfield Antique Fair last summer.  It comes with me to nearly every summertime session for that fun pop of color, cuddly, and vintage.

This 16x20 canvas is now bringing smiles and cheer to the entryway of their home.  Imagine down the stairs and seeing this every morning?  That's sure to start your day off right!

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Another thing that I love about regular family sessions is capturing your children's milestones!  Anna is just learning to take her first (assisted) steps, and now her family will forever be able to remember that when she is running around at full-speed in just a few short months.

Love their photos?  Check out the rest of their session with Anna's beautiful cake smash photos here in this post!