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 Lifestyle Photographer}: Summerfest

If there’s one thing my niece is used to, it’s me following her around with my camera. I have been doing a photo a day project since the first day of 2018, and a photo a week project in 2017. So, that’s a lot of months of me always showing up and having my camera. And often turning it towards her.

I recently went to SummerFest, so of course the camera came out. I never thought about it much before, but at this outdoor celebration of Summer it occurred to me that perhaps at times it might look like she has her own personal photographer following her everywhere.

But how can you not want to photograph this face or that balloon hat?

So, here are a handful of photos taken with the new Nikon Z6 as I followed my niece around while still learning what this new camera can do…

Darts!

We said hi to our pals Hello Newman.

So after glitter tattoos, darts, a train ride, pony ride, saying HI to Hello Newman, kettle corn and fried Oreos, we found some hula hoopers and took turns with their extra hoop. Which was ridiculously fun and also a great test for the new camera and to see what I can get it to do.

Pretty much a perfect Summer night.

And I have to say, the niece has got some serious hula hoop skills!

{Maine Lifestyle Photographer}: Another slice of Life

It’s 10:39pm on day 14 of 21 days of blogging. It rained a lot today, and today’s photo shoot needed to be rescheduled. The Niece came over and played games and laughed with the broken hubs. The Neph and I went out tonight (somewhat spontaneously) for tacos. So, it was perhaps a slightly imperfect but very good day. I’m tired and ready for bed, and this photo grabbed me as a photo to use for today’s blog post.

The niece has this hooded blanket thing that says Princess across the top and the back. She throws it on her when she comes home and is done with her day. I so feel that right now.

If they made this in my size I would likely have one as well, and throw it on after a productive day. But maybe with a different word across it.

And with that I need to be done with the day and head off to get ready for whatever tomorrow is going to bring….

{365} Photo Project: May

May. Month 5 of photographing life every day. The month where we all seem to come alive in Maine. I love seeing and hearing neighborhoods with kids getting outside and playing. Bikes come out, sidewalk chalk gets used, people start gathering outside to chat, eat, and laugh. This May was a wet one here in Maine, but my camera and I managed to capture combinations of chilly damp days and the happy relief of getting some sun in our eyes. And, as is always my goal this time of year, I made sure to get by and IN the water.

Eating, hanging out, capturing events, seeing live music, recitals, birthdays, walks to raise money for important causes, traces of shifting seasons, laughing, and even trying indoor climbing for the first time… all got to be part of what made May a pretty busy and great month. Thankful for this project to remind me of the good that continues to happen month after month…

5/1. Thunder and the Niece at the 2nd annual Red Storm Strikes Out Cancer Walk in Scarborough.

5/2. This was a delicious and fun meal.

5/3.

5/4. One of my faves from the month. I love people’s different body language and gestures.

5/5. For years the Neph has been holding an annual bake sale to raise money for The Maine Cancer Foundation. This year he raised money for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and for their walk where he was being honored as one of their heroes of the year. Pretty cool kid, right?

5/6. Hi Spring!

5/7. Another rainy day, another photo shoot. Kallie from Portside Real Estate at the end of her photo session before we both jumped into our cars and out of the rain.

5/8. These two. Laughing and reading books after school.

5/9. The Niece turned a whole year older this day. Happy 7th birthday, Button!

5/10. Recital Dress Rehearsal. Waiting to go back stage.

5/11. Family birthday party for this one.

5/12. Mother’s Day. We went out for ice cream with my mom. This one stayed home in her cozy hoodie robe thing.

5/13.

5/14. Someone got a dollhouse for her birthday…

5/15. Small Business Awards. Lots of Mainers doing some great things!

5/16. Only one of these is for me.

5/17. The Ghost of Paul Revere and the Perry Brothers playing at the Zachau Construction celebration for 50 years in business | Brick South, Thompson’s Point, Portland, Maine.

5/18. About to walk for Crohn’s & Colitis. This image cracks me up because every face seems to lead you to another face doing another thing…

5/19. My high school pal and I tried this thing and it was only sort of scary and I’m only sort of bad at it. And we laughed about how it’s on land where people maybe partied when we were in school. Maybe.

5/20. Hooligans.

5/21. City Hall | Portland, Maine.

5/22. Bikes, books, unicorn castle time, and heart shades for this one on this day.

5/23.

5/24. My friend’s kid, Maggie is one of the coolest people I know. She plays guitar and violin. IN A GIRL BAND.

Maine Academy of Modern Music event | Bayside Bowl | Portland, Maine.

5/25. On this day I met Willard! Then went in the water while my friends floated in a giant unicorn.

5/26. MOVIE time with these two.

5/27. Neighborhood artist.

5/28. Prepping for this year’s Port Fringe. Keep your eyes peeled for the schedule and be sure to go see Seance on a Tuesday afternoon!

5/29. The other Beetle.

5/30. Met this handsome guy on a shoot.

5/31. On a rooftop. Or a boat. Almost doesn’t matter because it’s eat and drink outside season!

Ok, May that was busy and fun and now I’m ready for more sunny days by the water!

{Community} A Walk to Make a Difference: Red Storm Strikes Out Cancer Raises Money For the Maine Cancer Foundation

On a dreary day, people walked to help raise money for a cause. I went to support my brother, and stayed just for the photos of Thunder.

Spoiler: it’s my nephew in that mascot costume.

Red Storm Strikes Out Cancer has been walking and fundraising or the last 7 years (or maybe 8? 10?). I’m trying to dig for the info, and may need to clarify later - but either way for what seems like roughly the last decade of our lives my brother has created and organized a team at his school to participate in and raise money for Mary’s Walk and the Maine Cancer Foundation. Starting last year they moved the walk to the school, while still donating all the money to the Maine Cancer Foundation.

I missed last year’s walk, but my cameras and I were able to get there this year.

How could I miss it? Besides being for a great cause, my nephew was the school mascot and that made my camera’s day. But also, it was great to see all these young people taking time after school to be part of this and make a difference.

This makes me laugh every time.

Thunder (the Neph) and my brother (creator of Red Storm Strikes Out Cancer and two time cancer survivor).

Ray from Maine Cancer Foundation came to the walk, and made a great speech reminding everyone how they are making a difference.

The niece thanked everyone for supporting her dad and so that made some people cry. Maybe.

Waiting for everyone to finish the walk..

Here they come! The niece and Neph … I mean THUNDER are ready to greet all the walkers.

So, once again a community of people came together and proved that we can all make a difference. An idea can grow into an event and people will show support and donate their time and money in the name of helping each other /a cause / a neighbor/friend/teacher who needs a little extra boost or is trying to help others.

The odd positive spin of having cancer impact your own family so much. Which isn’t the worst thing that could happen.

xo ~ jb