Maine Family Photographer:: The Neys

Reminder: Family photos aren’t always about kids running around on a beach. They are also for those without human babies, for those with love for the larger fur babies.

Meet Adri and Damian and their sweet crew. Adri planned this photo shoot knowing they were on borrowed time with some of their larger, furry, family members. I’m so glad she did, and that we got this shoot done before another calendar year came to a close, as the following year had them saying goodbye to more than one of the amazing creatures we captured during our afternoon together.

Family photos can be with whomever is your “family.” A pack of animals, a community, a club, a group of friends. It can be people who live under the same roof, but are not connected by genetics or marriage. It can be people who live nowhere near each other but have always been there for each other. It can be whomever is important to you on this wild ride known as life.

And that’s a pretty cool thing.

Maine Family Photographer:: Shumway Family

Step into the time machine with me as I play catch up in blogland, and find myself feeling so ready for Fall to show its face around here. Another family photo shoot at another farm. I love beach sessions, but the quiet and the color and the beauty of farms is easily becoming a favorite place to gather with families.

Negotiations with Truman :)

The dynamic is different when it’s 3 teenage boys with a younger sister. And she definitely runs the show whenever I have captured this family! Her energy and silliness makes the boys smile, despite their efforts not to. It’s actually fun to see what she might do to make them crack.

This is also your reminder to get those family photos done before the teens 1) don’t want to 2) get super busy with jobs and other activities or 3) graduate and head off to the next life adventure. It’s hard to make time for family photos once they become teenagers, it’s even harder once they head off to college! But trust me, it will be so worth it.

Thank you, Shumways and Truman the dog for another fun round of photos!

Maine Family Photographer:: Weber Family

It’s September, and as recently mentioned I am suddenly trying to play catch up in blogland. So, hanging on to those beachy Summer evenings, while experiencing the first real stretch of heat all Summer, I am excited to finally share images from this session and this family.

Family photos can look different depending on where a family is in their journey. Chasing toddlers to navigating shifting moods of teenagers are all part of the process. Photos in the early days of family life, with one barely walking creates a different kind of images. Once the cute face adjusts to this stranger following them, pointing a camera at them, they start to perhaps smile and enjoy and take in this new environment, this new experience, looking to their parents for information or even validation. It’s fun and at times exhausting. All parties involved tend to leave a bit tired out. I love it!

It’s also a great way to get images with plenty of affection, honest smiles, and a heap of sweetness. Emmett delivered on all fronts. I mean, just look at that face!

It’s never lost on me what a privilege it is to be asked to capture a family, especially when it’s possibly their first family photo session. So, thank you, Amanda, Dan, & Emmett, for a fun and sweet evening, complete with sandy toes and and salt drenched clothes!

Maine Family Photographer:: Sawyer Family

Fall family photo time is almost upon us! It’s pretty much my favorite time of year. And since I have apparently forgotten to blog (or maybe HOW to blog..?) for a pretty decent stretch, I thought I should get it going again with this family from our time together at a local farm...

This crew is always so fun to have in front of my camera. Plus, they all have ridiculously good smiles. Well, I’m still working on getting the little one to smile as much as the others do. We’ll get there eventually!

We found the perfect spot that gave us shelter from the sun, had almost no other humans around, and was full of things to entertain a curious toddler. I love watching kids in nature, and seeing what will grab their attention. It’s what I’m always looking to capture, and maybe it helps remind me to also slow down and appreciate the outdoors more.

Thank you, Brent, Lisa, Poppy, and Sonny! Looking forward to the next round with all of you…

Maybe I’ll even get it on the blog before one of you starts Kindergarten :)

From The Archives:: James, Bowdoin College

Seriously how cute are they?

I know. It’s ridiculous. Then add that crazy California dessert light and a gorgeous vintage plane… safe to say that was one of the more fun events I have photographed. A year ++ before we knew we needed to worry about a thing known as Coronavirus, before our lives shifted in such crazy ways. I think most people I have spoken to have had a real mixed bag of feeling ok, anxious, tired, grumpy, calm, and most things in-between. And some have been able to really be ok with the introvert they always knew they were. Like for some, this time has been a bizarre gift they didn’t know they needed. It’s another piece I am loving about having people share a piece of their experience with me. And I know I can relate to enjoying the feeling that things are slower and sometimes that feels good and necessary. Uncertainty with a bit of a positive spin, perhaps.

So please enjoy the next story in my From The Archives Project from my pal, Jamey…

This wedding of these people ❤️

James Tanzer

Occupation/Business: Museum Outreach Coordinator

1. What is one notable change in your life since Covid19 has changed how we are able to do things?

My job had to pivot completely. I went from being a front-facing museum employee to sitting at my dining room table trying to figure out ways to make our museum accessible, useful, and engaging entirely online. But I like the challenge, and being able to connect with the worldwide museum community to sort out our next steps as an industry has been really exciting, in a way!

2. What has been most challenging?

Not being able check on my senior citizen parents in person. As an only child, this has caused me the most worry. 

3. Have you found any silver linings you care to share? 

Oh my gosh, yes. I like having so many fewer things on my calendar—I have more time to do the things that actually need doing. For example, I’ve been able to focus on making my house feel like a home and not just the place I eat breakfast and sleep. Also, for fun, my wife and I have been exploring new places in Maine every weekend. We have been checking out old cemeteries and forest trails and historic places. We never really did that before: exploring in our own backyard, as it were. Also, because I have been working from home and my wife’s work has shut down temporarily, we have been able to spend more time together than we ever have before. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this time with her—usually we only get one day together a week. I’m so grateful for that. 

4. Are there any shifts you are hoping to stay in place as we move forward?

Yes! We have been doing actual meal planning and cooking at home six days a week these past two months. We’ve never really done that before and it saves a ton of money and stress. I definitely want to keep that up! Also exploring Maine on the weekends and getting outdoors in all kinds of weather has been fun and enlightening (not to mention inexpensive!). That’s another shift I’m hoping we can stick to.

5. What are you most looking forward to being able to do again?

Seeing our families, traveling, and thrifting. I miss finding treasures at Goodwill!

6. Anything else you want to share..?

It’s been easier than I thought it would be to adhere to social distancing guidelines. I always knew I was an introvert, but this has brought it into pretty sharp focus. I’ve learned a lot about myself.

****

Thank you, Jamey, for sharing your your Covid experience with me and for being such an important person in my life since those days we met while skating in circles in roller skates. Here’s to more fun, laughs, street corn, and mini adventures!

~ jb

{Maine Lifestyle Photographer}: Celebrating Day 21 of 21

Well. Here it is. Day 21. Day 21 of a challenge to blog for 21 days. Yikes/Wow/Yipppeeee!

Celebrate the things in life. Like getting your license. Or blogging for 21 days.

Real Talk: that wasn't easy. I’m trying to think about the pros and cons of this challenge. But it’s probably simple: Cons were 1) it was a lot of work, 2) there were so many days where I simply didn’t want to or had no idea what to blog about, and 3) for me it’s a CON when I start to feel like it’s too much MEmeMe HI look at ME. I’m a little weird about that.

But the PROS of course were I made the time, buckled in, created content, and I DID IT. Now there is actually more work out there and not just on hard drives. More stories shared. And for me, it’s worth it to get to share things that aren’t always about professional work.

Nephew.

Neighbors.

I have times when what I am photographing for people is not my story to tell, not really my thing to share first.. Head Shots for professionals starting a new job or rebuilding a brand (not my story to share before they do!), Images for an organization working on their website and needing to put the imagery out to the world when they are ready (so get the images for them, and let them share when things are ready for the world to know about them), and lately some work that is sensitive because it involves humans trying to get established after many hard months of uncertainty. So many things I don’t share on the blog, but maybe can eventually when the timing is right and whatever dust needs to settle does.

Dinner with friends/ celebrating birthdays.

But I liked sharing little snippets of life and small moments in photos. I’d like to think I will continue to feel free to do that. I’m also hoping that from now on when the calendar says BLOG, I will find the time to do it. If I’m smart, I’ll also be better about prepping for blog posts ahead of time. A thing that as a photographer should be part of our workflow. Being human is a funny tale in being imperfect. And I can tell you many, many tales!

Sawyer wants to show me his fort upstairs.

Because in addition to sharing photo jobs, and the ongoing 365 project, there are thousands of life moments that may not get seen because they weren’t a thing for pay or they didn’t make the cut for a single photo on a certain day. But life unfolds in front of my camera on a daily basis (even if some of those days are WAAAAY less exciting than others). There is joy and laughter and uncertainty and fatigue and victory and good food and self consciousness and exploding confidence and quiet moments of thinking to capture and possibly share. It doesn’t always have to be for pay. It can be simply to document, and maybe to spread happiness and a little humanity.

Ice cream on a cold day with Molly and Kristina.

I have a project I am currently really proud to be part of. But I can’t share until they do. I want to promise to do so when the time is right. Because capturing people who love their people and love what they do is definitely a thing we could all use more of.

After School time with the niece and my mom.

There is a belief that people photograph what they are most afraid of losing. I photograph humanity. Even if it’s on a small scale of my family/neighborhood/community/friends/local business owners and non profit organizations. Maybe this challenge helped me see that a little clearer.

So my day 21 features a few photos that didn’t make the cut this year in the world of 365 photo project 2019, but that I want to be seen and shared. Little slices of life, that seem like not much at the time. But when seen with others, it’s a good reminder that these little human moments and exchangers are what end up being full of all the good.

And I’m up for that.

Pool buddy.

{Maine Family Photographer}: Evie's Birthday Fun

Hello Saturday! Here we are, 16 of 21 days of blogging…. with these fun friends celebrating a birthday together at the beach.

Sometimes as humans we don’t do everything with the intention we originally set out with. Sometimes life happens. Sometimes things take longer than you planned. Sometimes a restaurant you love announces it’s going to close and your friends want to go while we still can, so the task that kept getting put off throughout the day ends up being pushed aside. Because honestly, time with the people who matter is often worth more than a blog post. So, ooooops I missed yesterday! But also… totally worth it!

Which brings us to yesterday’s post that is now today’s. These Friends. This time in their lives celebrating a birthday, laughing, playing, and being together before things in their lives shift. Before different schools and different activities set them off into opposite directions. Glad Evie’s mom had the foresight to realize this is a time and an event that needs to be photographed. For them.

The snapshots of friendship, of a warm evening together, of a slice of time in their lives. This was a photo shoot that hit all the points for me. Snapshots of friends, then just document as they hang out, laugh, be silly, and go to an arcade. Freedom to capture what was happening as it unfolded. No emphasis on trying to make the kids look perfect, but instead just capturing who they are now.

Yes please!

Sisters xo.

Photos with friends but of course a few with Mom as well.

Sometimes after posing for a photo you just need to dance it out. Makes sense - there is a birthday to celebrate and there is still an arcade to get to and prizes to win and eventually cake to eat. I know it’s hard to contain all that excitement!

Sometimes a group photo turns into a mini mosh pit. I’m ok with that. :)

Thank you, Evie and friends for being so fun to follow around with my camera!

The next/ really the previous post contains the images from our time in the arcade. This was one heck of a birthday! Glad I got to be there with my cameras to document it.

{Maine Portrait Photographer}: Lifestyle Session for a Writer

I recently had the honor of spending time with Stephanie and photographing her for a second time. I photographed her a few years ago, then it was time for a new website and a shift in the look for her imagery so she contacted me again.

Stephanie Cotsirilos, writer | Portland, Maine.

If I had my way she would need to re-do her website every year because I like hanging out with her, and I like listening to her ideas and figuring out together how to get the images that will work for this next step in her life. Her background in theater, law, consulting, and writing make her a person of many talents and multiple experiences. And I love being around that.

She took her life and her talents from NYC to Maine, and now lives, creates, and writes here. This time we used her home in Portland with its amazing light and pockets of color to showcase her and varying looks depending on what she needs for different forums and marketing pieces. You can see more at her new site here

So, thank you once again, Stephanie for trusting me to capture who you are, and for the lively conversation while we make it all come together!

{Maine Lifestyle Photographer}: A 365 Outtake

It’s past 8 pm and I haven’t gotten to today’s blog post.

*GASP!*

The Niece and the Hubs getting ready to beat me at Hangman.

But that’s what happens on a full day when you didn’t prep ahead of time. Or it’s just a reminder to get some things done early. I’ll try to remember that in the future.

No promises, though. :)

Today the niece and I sent some fun mail to some people who may not know it’s coming. We made things and wrote cards together, then headed to the post office with hopes of making some people smile. Yesterday the ankle injured hubs got his cast off, and is moving on to a boot with crutches, and then eventually walking again.

So, it’s been a productive few days.

I came home, sat down to blog, scrolled through some images, and chose this photo of these two. Seemed like the right fit after today’s goodness.

And now I’m going to crash because I feel that kind of tired where words are not coming easy…

{Maine Event Photographer}: Good Faces

I think I may have recently met my new favorite person to photograph…..

Yes, that fun face on the left. I kept photographing these kids at a recent event at Wolfe Neck Farm in Freeport and I couldn’t get enough of her expressions. I’m not sure of her name (but I can easily find out), and I don’t know if I will get the chance to photograph her again, but if I can find a way to get her in front of my camera again I will be bursting with excitement. But play it cool on the outside. OF course.

This is a thing when photographing people and events. Capture what is happening, start to see the faces that keep grabbing your attention. It’s a process, like editing, where you look at the overall total and then start taking it down to smaller chunks and moments that will tell the story of the event or this group of people. And then moments like this one happen, so your camera gets ready in hopes of capturing more. Then, in this case, you find yourself laughing while editing and maybe having too many photos to narrow down because there were just so many good faces.

Kids are great this way. That honesty of making whatever face they want in any given moment.

Power Engineers… photos are coming your way today. It was so fun to spend a Summer afternoon with you all!

{Maine Family Photographer}: King Family

It’s that time of year! Time to get outside, get your toes in the sand or grass or water and call up your favorite photographer to get your family photos done. Maine beaches/forts/trails/ are waiting!

Meet the King Family. Years ago I photographed Ben & Michelle here before they were married, back when they thought maybe it would just be the two of them. Then a few years later I photographed their wedding (and then said goodbye to the wedding industry, but I swear it has nothing to do with them!). Then we finally got to head back to our favorite fort and beach with a few extra fun humans with us.

So, again we laughed and played and ran around and captured who they are at this time in their lives.

This blog post is the perfect example of why I needed to give myself the challenge of blogging for 21 days - I started this post in June! So, I guess I’ll get around to finishing and publishing it now.

Thank you, Kings! You are ridiculously fun to photograph. I’m looking forward to doing this with all of you as the years go by, and then trying to get your kids to recreate some of these photos when they are teenagers. My hope is they will be super into it.

:D

Personal: My {2018} 365 Photo Project

In 2018 I decided to take part in a 365 photo project with a few other photographers in my area. The challenge is to make a photo EVERY DAY for the entire year. In 2017 I had done a photo a week project, and loved how the project made me bring my camera out more often. It’s easy as photographers to silp into only bringing the gear out for paid shoots, and maybe the occasional family gathering. I needed a reminder of how much I love to photograph every day life.

So a photo a week turned into a photo a day. And now that the year is done and the images are edited and the slideshow has been made, I can see that this was no small task. A year stretching out on the horizon seems like an exciting oportunity and a daunting task at the same time. 365 chances to make a photo! But also holy cow 365 days of making photos!! I had to break it down for myself, so it would not feel overwhelming.

First, I had to develop the habit. I did a 21 day habit building exercise, where i wrote every day about this habit and then put the lesson to work. The mindset here is the belief that it takes 21 days for something to become a habit.

Second, I decided to take things one month at a time, but also one DAY at a time. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I was hitting the end of my first month, and then struggled with feeling like I ended the month with an image I wasn’t happy with. This happened a few times if I’m being honest — I would feel great about another month under my belt, but then finish with an image that wasn’t that strong.

{reality check: THAT’S OK}

SO, Third, I reminded myself that YES there are 365 opportunities but some days will be better than others. Some days we are just better at some things, some days we are making sure we get to the end of the day. Learning to be forgiving and let some days feel maybe mediocre, and remind myself that part of this project was about honesty and a splash of perseverance. And the less exciting/inspiring/focused days are like resting spots between the days where there is fun, food, conversation, love, and adventure. So, take them all.

At first I had a small struggle realizing the other photographers doing this had children and adorable fur babies. A constant plethora of photographic subjects. I work from home a lot, have no kids, no pets, and a better half who doesn’t like the attention of a camera. I loved the work I was seeing from others, partly because there was so much energy and honesty. They were capturing these amazing chunks of their everyday life, and the messier the better. I buckled in for a long winter of figuring out how to work around the lack of subject matter in my living space.

But I also knew my option was to work with what I had or go looking for something. As a winter hibernator, I was actually glad for this project and the times it made me bundle up and head out the door. Drive until you find something, head to the beach until your fingers hurt from holding the camera, go visit your family or meet your friends for nachos, even if you already ate. Chase light and life and see what happens. And on the days where that doesn’t happen, slow down and look at things around you and figure out how to photograph it.

I had many moments throughout the year where I was so glad I was doing this project. Glad to the point of feeling incredibly grateful. Grateful for the push, the support, the drive, and for the people in my life and the things we share. I brought my camera to a rally against gun violence. I saw friends and strangers stand together to have their voices heard. I watched people feel the emotion of this time and felt the weight of the moment as I witnessed some of it unfold through my viewfinder. When I loaded the images something looked strange in some of the frames, and I grew concerned I had done something to my gear. But I was in the middle of photographing life every day, so let’s keep going. The something became more of a problem and when I brought me camera to get cleaned I was told there was a hair sharing space in my camera. I looked back through my photo a day project and realized I brought my camera to the hair salon the day before the march. The price of bringing your camera everywhere!

Some days I took over 200 photos, some days 2. One day I looked at my phone will watching Saturday Night Live and saw a post from my photo pals, which made me jolt up in panic that it was 11:42 pm and I had yet to take a photo! I scrambled to get my camera and figure out what to photograph in my dark house. Behold, the refrigerator door! Because when you open it, there is light. Anddddd then I was wide awake for awhile.

I photographed my friends having as much Summer fun as we could in the short time we get it here in Maine. The laughter, the food, the floats, the drinks, the singing. I listened to my friends talk about their struggles with life and family and such, and had moments of wishing the relatives who criticize these friends could see what I see. Photos unfolding in front of me telling the stories of friendship. There are times when this project was humbling that way.

And, of course, the multiple times I got to be with my niece and nephew with the camera. I really like them (super obvious, I know) and actually want to hang out with them often, but we all have lives. This project had me making more efforts to visit and do things with them. Summer evenings in the unicorn castle, excuses to get ice cream, or just show up and play. I would get my photo (and sometimes end up with too many to edit) and would get to hang with them. Works for everyone! Plus, the amount of photos I had at the end of the year to give my family members… it was actually somewhat overwhelming. I printed off close to 300 prints to give to my family both to thank them for supporting my through this, but so they could see how a year in our lives looked. PLUS, the importance of printing your photos! That’s another topic for another blog post. Or several posts.

So, 2018 is a wrap. I’m so glad I got to capture as much of it as I did. Since I didn’t feel like stopping on 12/31/2018, I have continued on with a repeat project for 2019!

Thank you for following along!

Here’s to more real moments for all of us in 2019! xo ~ jb

Family Photos: Zephyr's Family

Years ago I met and worked with Tricia, selling lip balms for a small company, and sharing life stories over daily lunches. Since then she has moved out of Maine, and now has this group of people to call family. And luckily I got to hang out with all three of them at the beach this Fall…

Zephyr, Tricia, and Merrill.

We met at the beach on a somewhat dreary day, but you know a little bit of rain looming in the air does not have to damper a child’s excitement to see the ocean.

I love watching kids get excited when the water hits their feet. As an adult I still love that feeling! Toes in the sand and cold water around my feet never gets old. Z definitely loved getting not just her feet but her legs in the ocean water.

Those curls!

Let’s also take a moment to give it up for Zephyr’s mom who made that adorable top she’s wearing. Perfect for a beach session, and looks great in color or black & white!

Thank you, Tricia, Merrill, and Zephyr for a fun(ny) family photo sesh!

Final goofy photo on the way back to the car. Adults with a little steam left, Z is now running on empty. I appreciate this honesty :)