One of my biggest personal goals for 2018 was to travel. Without the boys. Now, I love my family and all, but any time we go somewhere, it's not exactly a relaxing experience. So the next chance I got, I asked my sister if she wanted to go somewhere with me. Turns out, she's been thinking about going to Iceland but needed someone to drive (she lives in NYC and never bothered getting a driver's license). I wholeheartedly volunteered…

I photograph a lot of children. Babies, toddler, preschoolers.. and plenty of older kids/teenagers as well. My one main goal for a portrait session is to capture the person I'm photographing in a natural and relaxed way.. which can often be difficult for several reasons. For children, in particular, it's challenging to arrive in a new environment and feel at ease with essentially a total stranger…

But there are certain things I do which guarantees a real smile or a calm expression. Things YOU can do as well when you photograph your own children…

I used to get a little envious when I saw someone with a large professional camera on the street. By definition, I thought they were a better photographer because they had a fancier camera. It makes sense, right? The bigger and more expensive the camera, the better the photographs. Well, I know a little better now! Because getting a big fancy camera did NOT magically make me a better photographer…

The first year for a baby is so full of growth and development! It was one of my favorite times with my children because there is so much discovery and joy, on both sides. The one thing I missed, however, was having really simple, clean portraits of my children. I didn't have a Studio back then! And I was just starting on my photography journey. So I have lots of at-home photographs, and plenty of outdoor shots.. but nothing like what I provide to my clients now. Which, in many ways, is why I do it…

As some of you may already know, I love working with local small businesses. Recently, I had the opportunity to create lifestyle product imagery for METTA 10, a soon-to-be-launched collection of ethical and sustainable fashion and home decor. Not only are their products absolutely gorgeous and really high-quality, but the company was also founded by two local Westport women…

Newborn photography has certainly evolved over the past few years. It's become more of a "thing", which is great, because more parents are getting professional photographs of their baby.. and there are more options than ever, too. But parents can also be left feeling left out if they don't exactly love the two main styles of baby photography we're seeing nowadays…

This is the third year I've had my Greenwich CT Studio. It's one of my favorite places, mostly because I got to decorate the entire space myself. It's not a big area, but the three South-facing windows and white walls really light up the room. The one thing I've noticed over the years is that my Studio (and interior design style) is a bit simpler than a lot of other photographers. I, for one, can't stand clutter. I worry about safety.. and I hate spending frivolously, so everything I've purchased for the Studio over the years has been meticulously researched and planned for…

Here is the biggest mistake people make when purchasing frames for their photographs: they determine the size of the frame based on where they want that frame to live in their home. Sounds pretty logical, right? It is.. until you realize that you probably won’t be living in that house forever. People move (every 7-10 years on average), and they take their stuff with them. Which means that perfectly sized frame will soon have to fill a totally different spot…

Every day, I look for little extras I can include in my business to make my service just a little bit better. Now, I'm very selective about this because if I start throwing everything and the kitchen sink in for free, I will have to raise my prices to cover the additional cost. The things that are included with each session make the biggest impact on the final images. They are almost essential to the process, but a lot of the time photographers will either not take the time to do them, or won't include them for free…

Matching clothes is the easiest way to dress a family for a photography session.. which is why I tend to steer clear of that approach. It’s a lot harder to coordinate - to make sure each family member retains their unique style while also looking good as a unit. And that’s one of the biggest reasons why I do on-site styling for each and every one of my portrait sessions. My clients typically don’t have to worry about this stuff, but it still helps to know what I’m looking for (after all, everyone has to bring in options to being with!). So here are some guidelines and some tips based on my experience…

I print my own work. And I do it for two reasons. 1) The turnaround is much faster because I am not waiting on a vendor to do their part, and then for shipping of the final product. My timing from photo session to final presentation of printed photographs is right around 1 week. And 2) I can control every part of the process…

Here is the biggest problem I see… Often after we have our baby, we get stuck in the day to day minutia of keeping everyone fed and alive.. in turn forgetting about preserving those precious firsts in our baby's life. Things like crawling, sitting up, smiling.. even finding their feet! All of those little milestones come and go so quickly. And before we know it, we have a full-fledged toddler on our hands with no frame-worthy photographs of our baby's first year…

No matter how long I have been doing photography as a business, there are still a few things I do right before each and every session. Now, this is outside of the regular "get all the equipment ready" step, which usually happens way ahead of time. This post is all about that time between when I arrive at the Studio (about 1 hour before the session is scheduled to begin) and when I have to be ready to photograph my clients…

Most of the parents I work with want photographs of their children smiling. That's completely understandable! We all want to see (and remember) our kids happy and laughing. But sometimes by focusing so much on getting a smile in a photo, we forget about their non-smiling face. A calm peaceful look can be just as precious. An intense stare shows strength and character. And features that are at rest are just as important to remember as a toothy grin…

Jolie Gotique is a mobile fashion boutique based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Penny, the owner, is a local Greenwich resident with an amazing fashion style that she infuses into her business. Twice a year, Penny gathers a team of creative professionals to do a spring (and then a fall) photoshoot for her business. It takes a team (photographer, stylist, hair & makeup artist), and a new location each time to make this happen.

As a photographer, I meet Moms who are celebrating new milestones, all the time. They are having their first baby, starting a new chapter in their career, making the decision to stay home with their kids, celebrating a new decade, their marriage anniversary, or their children's Birthdays. It's amazing how fast time flies by. And often, we don't pause to truly celebrate those milestones.

With Mother's Day coming up, it's the perfect time to talk about some of the benefits of having a portrait session as a way to do just that...

It happens at every single family photoshoot. Often, parents ask me to capture that elusive photograph of their family together, looking at the camera. Or an image of all the kids together, smiling.. and looking at the camera. As you can imagine, the "looking at the camera" is the hard part...

One of the reasons my clients love their family photographs so much is because of the quality and presentation of the final product. In fact, all of the printing is done with museum quality materials and standards. And as with anything that you would like to last, you need to take special care to ensure they remain pristine for future generations.

Here are some guidelines on how to take care of your photographs...

I have a variety of clients. Some families I see every year and some I meet only once (more on that below). I also have clients who get family photographs every 3 or so years. There's no right or wrong way to do it.. and the decision is a highly personal one for each family. So how do you know which one is right for you?...

I'm a big fan of local small businesses. What a lot of people don't realize is that the people who start small businesses are literally pouring their hearts and souls into it. The courage and fortitude it takes is astounding. And the amount of work that goes into running one of the best new spots in Darien is immense to say the least.