New Website!

  Welcome to the all new Summer Street Photography website!!! We're delighted you stopped by, and we hope you take a moment to explore all of the new parts of our virtual home. It's still the same Matt and Kendra, but we've been working with some personal trainers of sorts to get our new site looking like a total and complete makeover. (psst....You'll want to read all the way to the end - there is a surprise down there as well! )

Let's start at the beginning. Meet Melissa and Jonathan, the master minds behind the Brooklyn based design firm, Makewell. They are getting married next June at her step-dad's farm in New Hampshire, and guess who gets to photograph it? Yep. That's us. Check out this too cute for words photo that Jonathan's brother took:

Photo by: Jordan Motzkin

Aren't they cute? When they contacted us this summer about shooting their wedding next June, I couldn't help but notice their work title line on the very bottom of their e-mails. Graphic designers you say? I clicked into their site. And fell in love.

And so it began. Our site was in need of something a little more cohesive and professional. A little more, 'design-savvy'. So We hired them. Well, actually, we hired each other. We started working on the new site in July, and now, almost four months later to the date, we have a new baby. A new, virtual baby that is. Melissa and Jonathan were amazing to work with.  We got to help with the fun stuff, but they really were the masterminds behind the entire site. We love that the website is now much more technically fluid and functional; incorporating our portfolio alongside our current work as well as has handmade details like Melissa's calligraphy in our new logo and other parts of the site.

In short, we couldn't be more happy. Read on for a few new features, and then go see them in action! (p.s. if you're my mom, remember these images below are just screen shots, and you'll have to go into the main site to see them in action).

Here's the home page. Happy.

Oh hi. It's us. Bet you didn't know Matt does Karate. Venn Diagram for the win!

Jessica's dress and Abena's perfume. Part of the Portfolio sections. See that little portfolio icon to the left of our logo? Let you mouse rest on that and a drop down menu of various portfolio goodies will appear for your choosing.

More portfolio. Claire. Pretty, pretty Claire.

The new blog! We'll still be posting all of our recent work here, so this part of the site will be constantly updated with our new work. See those cute little handwritten links on the side? All Melissa. If you click on categories, a little genie will show you the various post categories. Nice and tidy.

The thing we're the most excited about with our new blog is the 'See More' feature. We'll be posting a single image from our shoots, and then you can click 'See More' to see the rest of the shoot. If you want to 'See Less' you can, with a click of a button. Also, something that we really really wanted was the ability to expand and collapse the posts without leaving the main blog page. On most blogs, when you click 'See More' or 'Read More' you're redirected to a new tab or window, and then you need to hit the home button or the back button to go back where you were. Not here. You can expand and collapse as many posts as you like without leaving the page. Amazing. Totally amazing.

Our contact page. Pretty self explanatory. This is how we get most of our inquiries, so now we're comforted by the fact that there is a nice photo of Jay and Lauren in a field instead of just text. win win.

So fun huh? We are head over heels in love with this new little baby. To celebrate the new website's arrival we've decided to do a GIVEAWAY!

We will be giving away one photo shoot to a random lucky recipient! If you win, here's what's in it for you:

-A 1 Hour Photoshoot with Summer Street Photography

-You'll receive 50 edited images on a high resolution disk with a photo release to use the photos for personal use

-Can be used for an engagement, newborn, maternity, head shot, senior, pet or fashion photo session. If we are shooting your wedding in 2011 or 2012, you can also enter to win an additional hour of photography coverage on your wedding day. Don't want to be in front of the camera? Gift your sister a maternity session! Win an extra hour of photography for your friend! You can gift your prize as well as use it for yourself. Shoot must be in the Boston area - but we will also be in Minnesota and South Dakota this winter, so if you're out there, you're eligible as well. As always, if you live in France, just fly us out and we'll shoot all day for free.

-Here's how to Enter:

-Like Our Page on Facebook, or invite three friends to 'Like" Summer Street Photography on Facebook. Once one of the three people you invite follow through, you have your golden ticket. Then those people can enter the contest as well.

-Leave a Comment here telling us what your favorite part of the new site is

A winner will be drawn at random and announced next Friday November 18th - or when we reach 1000 likes, whichever comes first.

Now go explore the new site! And come back this afternoon, we'll be posting two more fun posts!

Leah + Amy = Engaged

From the moment we met Amy and Leah, we knew we wanted to shoot their wedding. Their love is radiant. They have the ease and grace of couples who have been together for well over fifty years. They just work together. We had a blast doing their engagement session a few weeks back at the Arnold Arboretum Park. Fall was really at it’s prime (none of that snow stuff had happened yet) and the sun smiled happily on the session. They were clearly naturals in front of the camera, making our job a piece of cake! We can’t wait to shoot their wedding next October at the Barn at Gibbet Hill – it’s going to be beautiful!

Ellie + Mike = Engaged

If our photo sessions were to win superlatives, Ellie and Mike’s Engagement Session would be ‘Most Pin-able’. Those of you who do Pinterest know exactly what I mean, and those of you who don’t? Let’s just say there is a LOT of goodness happening here and it’s cuter than a button! Ellie and Mike live out in Washington State and will be getting married next June in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We will be traveling to shoot their wedding and we just happened to catch them this fall while we were all visiting relatives in SoDak (as we affectionately call it) and were also able to pair up with their super talented Wedding Stylist and Day of Coordinator, Amy who whipped together the sweetest arrangement of Engagement Photo goodies. Seriously, we are in love with these two. They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. We had one small time frame during our time in SD that we were able to do this shoot, and God decided to bless us with a wind machine but Ellie and Mike (and Amy, hello flying props!) were troopers and WORKED it. Love this session. Just love it!

Christine + Jay = Engaged

When Christine and Jay wanted to have a Boston flair in their Engagement Photos we immediately started brainstorming and thought it would be fun to shoot in Charlestown and the North End - which are not always the first areas people think of for an engagement shoot - but both areas are SO completely Boston. For those of you who have walked the Freedom Trail, you may know that the distance between the North End and Bunker Hill is not too far, but it certainly involves a good 20 minutes and a varied trail of pavement, cobblestone and a steel bridge. So when Christine rocked the walk from Charlestown to the North End and back in heels, I was impressed. As it turns out, there is more than just tough feet to be admired about these two. They compliment each other so perfectly that they already have the ease of seeming like they've been married for years. No trip to the North End is complete without a Cannoli, so we were quite happy to see that Jay and Christine agreed with our philosophy. We can't wait for their 2012 wedding at the Seaport, it's going to be a blast!

Liz + Jimmy = Engaged

We met up with Liz and Jimmy at Marina Bay in Quincy last week to capture the last moments of their engagement before their wedding next weekend. We had a great time getting to know them a bit more and hear about their final planning details coming into line, as well as utilizing the varied landscape the area had to offer. A boardwalk, ship deck, park, gazebo, monument and twinkle lights in a one block radius? YES please! You may as well get comfy soaking in their cuteness because there is more Liz and Jimmy to come on the blog as their wedding quickly approaches.

Michelle + Dave = Engaged

The last few months have been such a fun and busy blur that we realized that we haven't even blogged Michelle and Dave's engagement session from our shoot in July. Although it is really fun to see the weather change even from then until now..everything looks so lush and green! Michelle and Dave are getting married next weekend in California, and we had the distinct pleasure of shooting an engagement session for them here in Boston since they are currently living and working here. They are super laid back and adventurous. In fact, they met while skydiving! We loved getting to know these two and wish them the best next weekend as they exchange vows on the beach.

Lauren + Jay = Engaged

We have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of getting to know Lauren and Jay. They are the type of people that everyone wants to have as friends. Fun, outgoing, relaxed and easy to talk with. They also have a mutual love of music, which we got to see in action since Jay brought along his guitar to their session and Lauren sang with him (insert collective 'awww'). Early in their relationship, they would bring along musical rhythm shakers (or 'eggs') and take photos of themselves with their shaker in place of the others absence, so it was only natural that they bring along their shakers to our shoot. (We're hoping they incorporate them into their wedding somehow too....cake topper anyone?). We had a lovely time capturing them in historic downtown Concord and the Old North Bridge. The sun was at its best, and clearly, Lauren and Jay are naturals in front of the camera. We can't wait until their December wedding at the Barn at Gibbet Hill - it's going to be gorgeous!

Jen + Ed = Engaged

9/10/11 is an extremely popular date to get married this year. As our calender for the fall continued to fill up, it seemed that every Saturday except 9/10/11 was filling. We found it quite odd, since we knew almost every photographer friend who had been booked for a year in advanced for this date. We waited, and as August approached, we thought perhaps it would be a day off. Then Jen e-mailed me. She was in a panic because everyone was already booked for her wedding on 9/10/11. After a few e-mails and a phone conversation, I knew that we were meant to be. As any bride can attest, the last month of wedding planning can be extremely overwhelming. Jen and Ed were willing to schedule their engagement session just one week after signing a contract with us. I love that about them. They could have chosen not to have an engagement session since their wedding is so quickly approaching, but they agreed with our philosophy that an engagement session is like a dry run of your wedding day. It gives everyone a chance to get to know each other better before the wedding, and thus - results in a more relaxed wedding day and photos. When we met Jen and Ed, it was quickly obvious that they are made for each other. They make each other laugh and one would guess that they've been together for years when you see them interact. We are excited to shoot their wedding THIS WEEKEND on the ocean in Nahant, on the epic 9/10/11.

Lora + Will = Engaged

Lora and Will are champs. When we met them at the beginning of their engagement session, it was raining. No wait, it was POURING. We told them that we could wait a few minutes to see if it might clear up and if it didn't we could always reschedule the shoot, so we waited. When it was showing no signs of letting up, we thought we may as well have a little fun and do some shooting in the rain, in addition to the shoot we'd reschedule. Fearlessly they agreed, and we started shooting photos in the rain. Will rolled up his pants and Lora embraced the 'wet hair look' and they danced in the rain. Literally. And wouldn't you know, that all of the sudden the rain started to lift and the most beautiful sunshine came out behind the clouds. Since they remained looking marvelous even after getting drenched, we embraced the opportunity to continue shooting in the sunshine. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these two, and wish them nothing but the best as they prepare for their wedding this fall out west!

Kristin + Brian = Engaged

The moment we met Kristin and Brian, we could tell they were absolutely perfect for one another. They are both outgoing and collected....giggly yet grounded...and head over heels in love with each other. As they prepare for their wedding next June at the Turner Hill Estate we thought it would be fun to capture their engagement in Kennebunk, Maine, where Kristin's family has been spending summers for years. With Maine being one of our most favorite places in the world, we were all about photographing these two on the rocky shoreline, the cool mist of the beach and of course the signature New England Dunes. When we casually suggested bringing along some Scrabble Letters to spell 'LOVE' to incorporate into their session...they were all in, since it was one of their favorite games to play. After the session we took up the best Maine has to offer by devouring some lobster rolls (one of our favorite hobbies) and enjoying spending time together.