The year we moved into our house, we planted a veggie garden with high hopes of feasting on fresh veggies from June to October.  And we have been feasting – but that’s only because of two fantastic local farmers markets that are open every weekend.  Our first year we got a few tomatoes, some green beans and a small clump of basil.  Every year gets a little better as we try our best in this crazy New England weather to keep the plants not too dry and not too wet and well-nourished.  It’s a lot harder than it looks!  This is our fourth year and I am proud to announce that in addition to a slew of tomatoes, 1 strawberry (yes, just one!), jalapenos, peppers and sugar snap peas we have my favorite – eggplant!  I think my thumb just may be turning a little-bit green after all.

There’s nothing better than a day at the beach!

As a mom, I know that as important as it is to capture your kids at every age, it’s equaly as important to make sure your family dollars are spent wisely.  I also know that there are lots of places to get your child’s photograph taken.  You can go to a studio to get the yearly portrait, or hire a photojournatlist to get some candid shots in your backyard (FYI – out-of-focus, poorly exposed images on an angle are NOT photojournalism!  But more on that in another post.).  My clients come back year after year because their experience with JLM Studio is different, and their expectations for the final images (even with the most rambunctious children!) are exceeded.  I have photographed in clients homes, yards, beaches and favorite spots for years and have the experience to provide you with both formal images for the family album, and photojournalistic images that show your kid’s silly, wacky, and even moody side!

The good news is, you don’t have to sacrifice one style for the other when choosing how to have your families photographs taken.  The image below looks like a studio image, and big brother and sister also have formal photographs from this session.  But these were taken in their home, where everyone was relaxed.  The best part was, after we were done we got to have some fun and take some silly photos, too!

Caiden has lots and lots of candid photos, so in this studio session we were looking for something a little more formal.  Like all little boys, this was not an easy task, but with the help of a few favorite toys (and a lollipop!) we ended up with these favorites…

Well we are about 1/2 way through a very busy summer and I am really enjoying all of my 2010 clients!  JLM Studio is completely booked for the 2010 season and is not accepting any more weddings before 1/1/11.  If you have a 2011 wedding and would like to see more work or check availability, please give me a call at 617-372-0500.  As in past years, all weddings booked for 2011 before September 1, 2010 will be able to take advantage of the 2010 creative fee.

It’s too bad that this vendor is a bit too far away to deliver one of her fantastic cakes to most of my couples.  She did a fantastic job!  Lisa from The Chocolate Swirl in NY brought her talants to her sister-in-laws wedding a few weeks ago.  Check out her beach cake in the photos below!  And I can honestly say that this is one of the best tasting wedding cakes I have had.  It’s not easy to make a cake that is super delicious and beautiful to look at!

I can’t wait to follow more of her work – check her out online at http://thechocolateswirl.com/blog/ .   Don’t miss her posts about the custom cookies – YUM!

July has been a very busy month at JLM Studio!  Lots of shooting with old clients and new, from Boston to Cape Cod and Rhode Island.  I have updated lots of posts for this month and last, as I am catching up on some great sessions and weddings that were edited over a month ago.  Keep scrolling down to see what JLM Studio has been up to!

Heather and Scott were married on Cape Cod on a beach in Truro, with a reception at a private residence in Provincetown.  We had a chance to take some photos at Race Point Beach in Provincetown before the ceremony, which is beautiful not only because of the beaches but the grasses and buildings on the property.

Heather and Scott were so much fun to work with and even took it in stride when their feet started to get very wet during the “I Do’s” because of a small mix-up in tidal charts!  Yes, it was supposed to be going out, but who could plan it better to have the waves lapping at your toes during your wedding ceremony?  Their reception was equally as fun and romantic, with guests enjoying the view from their reception deck to sand dunes.

Happy Birthday to little Lynzi!  She visited me in the studio for some birthday photos and we ended up outside playing in the grass on a beautiful day.  I am not one to use cheezy props and I often encourage clients to bring in meaningful items that a child has at home.  In this case, Lynzi’s obsession was with the dandilion seeds that were growing all over the place.  It worked great!  You will see them in many of the photos, as she used them as her “flowers”.  Getting a 2-year-old to stay where the light is best isn’t easy, and I have to give props to auntie and grandma who did a great job doing just that while making sure that Lynzi’s “flowers” were never fully empty!

Mike and Kate are getting married this October.  I was so disappointed that their date was not available, so I don’t get to join them on their wedding day, but we took the opportunity this week to take some unique engagement photos.  The three of us spent over an hour at a local carnival after sunset.  I love the lights, glow, and energy of a carnival and it was so much fun to spend time with Mike and Kate!  After dark romantic images are a sort of singature item of mine at each wedding (I call them the “always kiss me goodnight” shots), and I really enjoyed getting to do an entire after dark engagement session.