The Places You'll Go!- Miss A

Adorable shoes right? So is the little girl who wore them and you are about to meet her. 

Just as I was finishing my session with Mr. P(http://kristinesoares.blogspot.com/2012/05/places-youll-go-mr-p.html), Miss A and her family showed up. The two kids are in the same playgroup, so everyone got to chat for a little bit while I went to set up for our first shots. As soon as I caught sight of Miss A with her beautiful pleated dress and these shoes, I was smitten. And she even had accessories(an adorable hat from her grandmother I believe?) and a wardrobe change. I was so excited to get to photograph this little girl.

It seemed to be the theme for the day that the little girls would take some time to get use to me. Miss A has the "what are you doing?" face down pretty well. But she still manages to look so darn cute doing it!

This one just cracks me up. Again, so serious but sooooo cute!

She started to loosen up a little bit, especially when her Daddy kept making her giggle. 

Just take a look at these eyes, breathtaking right?

Then I asked Miss A if she wanted to play with the big red ball. And boy did she! She didn't just throw it or kick it. She body slammed into the ball! She had such a blast and we all did too just watching her.

My "theme" for this mini-session marathon was based on Dr. Seuss. So I thought it would be fitting to bring along some of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. Miss A was very happy to sit down and take a look.

And we thought since she was sitting so nicely...we'd sneak in the hat!

It was time for a quick outfit change and we had a few more minutes of jumping on the ball.

It's true that time does fly when you are having fun, because I was surprised when our session was over. It felt like I could have played..uh hmm..worked a little longer. Thank you to Miss A for letting me see that beautiful smile of yours and her parents for letting me capture it. 

I'll leave you with one final image, again one of my faves from the day. 

The Places You'll Go!- Mr. P

The third session I had in "The Places You'll Go!" marathon was with Mr. P. The session was held on one of the most humid days of the year so far and I was already hot from both the heat and running around after kids(check out Miss E, Mr. B and Miss S in previous posts). I was waiting for my next session to arrive, when I spot a jogging stroller coming towards me. There was Mr. P's mom power walking away, without even breaking a sweat. Puts me to shame!

I had met Mr. P and his mom at a Mommy and Me type yoga class, when my son was around 6 months old. We found out that our boys were only a week apart. And later it turned out that they would be in the same playgroup. I was very excited to see Mr. P, because I am loving this age where everything is a discovery and being on a farm, there is tons to explore!

And the first exploration was my camera. He wasn't quite sure to make of me, so he would charge at me and then stop and just stare. It was hilarious. It was like a choreographed dance. He charged, I backed up and then he'd stop for one second and started back up again.

The he noticed the hill that he could run down. Although, he was a little cautious. He looked at his  mom for reassurance and then at me.

Big Man

During the session I noticed some similarities between our boys. For one thing, they are both at that independent stage where they want to do everything own their own. And one example of that, holding the bottle of bubbles. 

Time for animals!

I see you...

Two more similarities between Mr. P and my son. They see farm equipment and think it's their "job" to help. And picking up rocks/sticks could be one of their favorite activities.

As we were finishing up, my next session had arrived. It was another playgroup buddy(Miss A in which you will see in the next post), so Mr. P got to socialize a little bit before leaving. I had so much fun with this little guy and his mom. I'd love to get our boys together more, because I think they'd have a blast!

Leaving you with my favorite shot of the day of Mr. P

The Places You'll Go!- Mr. B and Miss S

My second session for the day (click here if you missed the first session http://kristinesoares.blogspot.com/2012/05/places-youll-go-miss-e.html) was with the adorable brother and sister team of Mr. B and Miss S One reason I was particularly excited about this session was because I was meeting up with an old friend and coworker. Their mother and I worked together at daycare (often times in the same room) for years. And the last time we had seen each other was when Mr. B was a baby and we bumped into each other at a mall. And even though time has passed, she is the same sweet, down to Earth person I remember so many years ago. And just as I had suspected, her and her husband have raised their children beautifully.

When they were walking up to me, Mr. B politely called me by name(and kept doing so for the remainder of the time) and I was hooked. I was touched by the respect and politeness that this 5 year old boy has. And then came Miss S, with her big beautiful eyes and little blonde ponytail. How could photographing these two possibly be "work"?

We started off with trying to get some "formals" of the two of them. I made sure I had my trusty friends, the stuffed animals, to shake off any shyness that sometimes happens in the beginning of photoshoots. Luckily for me, Mr. B was going to help try to get Miss S to smile.

First it started off with a little headlock.

And then you can tell someone was getting a little antsy.

We took a break and Mr B spotted the big red ball I brought.

The Many Poses of Mr. B!

And one very sweet face.

Miss S got a hold of the ball, but wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do with it.

One of my favorite shots of her all day.

We took a walk to see the animals and again Mr. B showed what a good big brother he is. Sometimes we just need a little guidance.

We came across the roaming goat(it was out all day) and these two shared a inside joke with me just with facial expressions.

Miss S started to warm up to me just as we were starting to wrap things up.

And sadly, the session ended and I had to say goodbye(for now!). I got a hi-five from Miss S and a huge hug from Mr. B. And as they drove off, Mr. B shouted out the car window, "Bye Kristine!". And then my heart melted into a puddle. Thank you guys for being such a great family to work with and I hope to see you again very soon!

I will leave you with one final shot. It is another one of my favorites from their session. Just simple and happy.

The Places You'll Go!- Miss E

I decided to hold my first ever mini-session(1/2 session) marathon this past Saturday. I wanted parents to have a chance to work with me, get a feel for my style and to also get some great shots of their children. I would really call this a half marathon since it was a little over 3 hours of shooting, but I needed to test the waters first to make sure I could handle it. Let me just say that it was probably one of the best experiences of my life.

I was a daycare teacher for over 6 years(infants/toddlers mainly) and my love for children has always been present. I approach photographing children more as a mother/friend than a photographer. I like to choose locations that allow the kids to be themselves, parks and playgrounds and such. I let them be free and play while I grab some candids and then make it fun for them when it's time to relax for some "formals". I make sure to get down to their level and talk to them, because it's very important they feel comfortable with me. Almost always you will catch me running with them, climbing with them and even risk getting covered with bugs by crawling on the grass with them(I Do Not like bugs!) just so they know that I'm not just some strange lady with a camera in their face.  And often times, I have a couple of things up my sleeve to really make it a fun experience.

For the marathon, I chose to hold it at Spencer-Pierce Farm(http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/spencer-peirce-little-farm/spencer-peirce-little-farm). It has open fields and farm animals, so I knew it would be a perfect choice. The theme was loosely based on Dr. Seuss. I brought along a basket of goodies to act as "props", including a big red bouncy ball; bubbles;stuffed animals and Dr. Seuss books. All of them were hits with the kids. The day went by so quick and it was so much fun that I didn't want it to end!

My first session of the day was with Miss E. She was a little shy at first, so that's when I brought out my "friends", the stuffed animals. I have yet to meet a little girl who does not like stuffed animals!

We played peek-a-boo behind trees!

Can you tell me how old you are?

We then moved onto seeing the animals and Miss E even got to feed them some grass!

Now it's time for bubbles!

We needed a little hair fix with help from mom.

We went back to being silly.

Then it was time to settle down, our session was almost over(boo!)

I did not want to see this little girl leave. She and her parents were so much fun to have around. I hope I get to work with them again in the future. Now on a scale of one to ten...how happy to you think Miss E is?

20? Yeah, that's what I guessed too. Thank you to Miss E and her parents for participating in this day with me. What a great way to start off this adventure!

Stacey & Jordan

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I had the chance to go to Plum Island Beach and meet a couple who clearly know how to make a relationship last. They have been together for 16 years(married 8 this summer), are raising 3 beautiful children and running a successful business, Port Living Co. (http://portlivingco.com/) together. 


As with all my couples, I like to ask a few questions before we meet, to help me get to know them better. I also thinks it helps me to write their story as accurately as I can. I asked Stacey what she felt makes a relationship work/last. I loved her answer so much, I need to paraphrase it, it's "the ability to understand where your partner is coming from and trying to accept their viewpoint".  Well said.


Here we are, heading down to the rocks for some "formals". I couldn't help but notice that Jordan was looking(and walking) like JFK from this angle. I decided to snap away and then transform this into a "vintage" photo. 

Sometimes it can take awhile for a couple to warm up to the idea that a camera is following them around everywhere. So, I just let them be for a little bit and talk to each other privately. This is when I notice the little details, like doing  a little "ballet" in the sand or cute hand holding. It makes me think of two teenagers with butterflies just getting to know each other. And to have that same effect on each other after 16 years is lovely.

Here, we take the chance to get my version of a "formal" shot. 

And what's this? Another little model wanted to join the shoot!

I love a good black and white beach picture.

Stacey and Jordan met on Halloween. The two were in Salem at the time with their friends. Jordan was a bouncer for a bar called Roosevelt's(which they say was haunted). Stacey was introduced to Jordan and he was dressed....in drag. According to Stacey, he does not make for a very attractive woman, but she was still smitten. I can tell, that she still is. 

There are little posing tricks photographers have and I'm not sure if they are meant to be serious or just to see how the couple will react to the ridiculous requests. I like to think it's the latter.  I had Jordan "smell" Stacey's hair. I think the two of them thought I was nuts, but their reactions made for great shots!

A chance for a little quiet time. 

As we were finishing our session, I let these two walk off, unaware that I was still shooting. I caught Stacey being a little playful. I wasn't quick enough to catch it the first time, so jokingly I asked her to do it again. She was more than happy too!

Thank you Stacey and Jordan for the chance to work with you and for sharing your wisdom on love(and small business ownership!).  

To dedicate these two, check out my Soundtrack page for their wedding song.