We're excited to show you a few more engagement sessions before the big wave of weddings we've got lined up for you in the coming weeks. Truth be told, we've scheduled almost all of our remaining engagement sessions in April or May so that we can be in full wedding mode once June hits since our calender is quite steady from then until November. So while you've been getting a lot of engagement session goodness the last few weeks, it's about to turn into lots of white dresses (which no one can argue being a bad thing). For today we'll enjoy sweet Jessica and Andrew's classic Boston Engagement Session. We met up with these two at the Boston Public Library, headed down the Commonwealth Avenue Green way (and caught some cool light coming through the sprinklers!) and then ended in the Boston Public Garden. We probably saw three engagement sessions happening in the Garden while we were there, but there is a reason it's such a popular spot to take photos. It's gorgeous and every nook and cranny feels just a little bit different. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about Jessica and Andrew's life together and their plans to marry in Philadelphia next spring. They were clearly rocking out the camera since we couldn't find one photo they both didn't look smashing in. Congrats Jessica and Andrew!
Dawn + Robbie = Engaged
Dawn and Robbie met playing tennis. Robbie is a professional tennis instructor, and Dawn just happened to enroll in some lessons. Their meeting turned into a friendship which eventually turned into a budding romance and now they are preparing to tie the knot on the North Shore this October. We've been working with Dawn and Robbie since last fall, but since they live in NYC and we in Boston, their engagement session was the first time we officially met in person. We felt like we knew them since we had been chatting with them over e-mail for so long, but there really is no better connection than meeting in person. These two were twice as lovely as our expectations, (which were high anyway) and our time with them made us even more thrilled that we get to shoot their wedding. For their engagement session, they brought along their sweet chocolate lab, Miley, who was a person-magnet in Central Park. Everyone wanted to stop and pet Miley - but who could blame them with a sweet face like that? One of the best parts of photographing in the spring are the blooming trees. We felt like we'd hit the goldmine with an arbor of wisteria, and then our pick of any of the blooming cherry blossom trees in the park. Dawn and Robbie are perfect compliments - both to the serene setting central park provided as our backdrop - and to each other. We can't wait for their wedding in October!
Melissa + Jonathan = Engaged
There isn't a day that goes by that both Matt and I feel incredibly blessed and excited by our job as photographers. We've said it before, and we'll say it again; our clients are awesome. Not only do we get to experience a period of peoples lives that is full of love and excitement, be right by their side surrounded by the people they love most as they become a family...we also get to meet new friends. Melissa and Jonathan are no exception. You may remember that Melissa and Jonathan were the masterminds behind our new website, logo and branding. They are both Graphic Designers living in Brooklyn who are not only incredibly talented at what they do, they are also really splendid people. We've gotten to know them both professionally and personally throughout the last year and we're getting excited for their June wedding which will be at Melissa's father's Farm in New Hampshire. Jonathan proposed to Melissa at a bookstore in their neighborhood (as seen above) with an amazing project that he crafted by hand with a mini accordion booklet of their love story hidden inside an old expenses journal (also seen above). The old book was hidden in the shelves of the store and Jonathan helped guide Melissa to look at it, open it and read what Jonathan has written. Then he got on one knee and asked her to be his wife. How sweet is that? They are going to be incorporating the accordion style paper goods into their wedding, along with dozens of other personalized touches. We more than enjoyed our time photographing them around their neighborhood in Brooklyn and know that it's just a small taste of the goodness that is yet to come!
Annie + Kevin = Engaged
We couldn't think of a better photo session to share with you on a Monday than Annie and Kevin's New York City Engagement Session. These two. I tell you. Matt and I had the privilege of watching them perform last winter up in Lowell during part of their comedy tour, and they. are. hilarious. On top of that, they are some of the most down to earth, sweetest people you will ever know. In fact, It seems that we are not alone in our adoration for Annie and Kevin. We met up with them in the big apple a few weeks back where they work and live, and we decided to photograph around the famous toy store, FAO Schwartz, where they first met (she was a princess and he was a soldier...btw.). During the brief visit to FAO, Annie and Kevin bumped into a half a dozen people who they knew during their employment there so many years ago, and they made not one but THREE grown men cry at their presence. THREE. Everyone who knew them couldn't stop hugging and congratulating them on this exciting time in their lives (their wedding is next week after all). It was adorable. They are also even friends with the Muppets. Doesn't that compilation of images above crack you up? Because we can't stop laughing over here. Annie and Kevin, we can't wait for your wedding. You guys are awesome.
Erin + Steve = Engaged
We had the privilege of meeting Erin and Steve in Portsmouth, NH a few weeks back for their engagement session. They will be getting married in the south this November and wanted a photo session to capture a glimpse of their lives in New England and wished to take advantage of the beautiful backdrop in Rye Beach and Portsmouth. Steve spent summers on Rye Beach with his family, so of course you know that we always love when couples incorporate their personal histories into their photos. When we arrived to shoot around the incredible Heritage Houses on Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, Erin mentioned that they were really nervous and had never done anything like this before. We assured them that we don't usually work with models, and that feeling nervous was totally normal. Little did we know just how incredibly photogenic these two are. I mean seriously, go back to the top and look through these photos again. Don't they look smashing?! We loved their little touches of having a beach picnic with Prosecco and their rad sunglasses. So much fun. They were troopers through the beach photos because although the light is gooey and lush, behind those cameras are coats, hats and mittens. It was freezing, so Erin and Steve also win the 'keeping their cool' award for looking so care free and warm in the chilly temps. Congrats, Erin and Steve, we know you will have an amazing wedding and we wish you all the best!
Sneak Peek: NYC
Happy Monday! Or if you're in Boston, Happy Marathon/Patriots Day! While Boston is buzzing with warm weather and the excitement of the big run, we're busy working on some images from our trip to NYC last weekend. One of the reasons we love living in New England is the close proximity of so many exciting destinations including New York City. We have a handful of clients who live in the big apple or even further south in Philadelphia who will be having weddings in the Boston area this year. We're always looking for a good excuse to travel, so we headed down to New York for the weekend last weekend to do some portrait sessions. There will be lots more photos from these sessions in the coming weeks, so keep in mind that this is just a little taste of the sessions we did while we were there.
On Friday we met up with Annie and Kevin who will be getting married in May.
Little story about this last image: Annie and Kevin met while working at FAO Schwartz, so we started our session taking photos around the store. We have more to share about this fun portion of the shoot when we blog their entire session, but we couldn't resist sharing this shot from the Angry Birds section of the store. Makes us laugh every time.
Next we met up with Dawn, Robbie and their adorable lab, Miley in Central Park!
Don't you just love this last pair? It has my heart a-flutter.
Then it was over to Brooklyn to meet up with the amazing Melissa and Jonathan who designed our website! 
They are the cutest.
A fun shot I got during their session in Brooklyn while the sun was setting over Manhatten
And finally we got to meet up with the super talented, Tzo Ai from Ang Weddings and Events. After tea and her generous gifting of some tasty macarons (which seems to be an excellent recurring event) we snapped a few headshots of her in the flat iron district.
There you have it! A small taste of Summer Street's weekend in the big apple. Watch for all of their individual blog posts in the coming weeks, there's a lot more where this came from!
Moriah + Ned = Engaged
Boston in the fall is gorgeous. Tourists flock, locals savor and the trees show off their brightest shades. Boston in the spring? Boston in the spring is a little secret that only locals know. For three weeks each spring, the cherry blossoms and magnolia trees bloom as if it's going out of style. There is nothing more romantic or hopeful than the sight of flowering trees against the aged streets of Boston. We couldn't have picked a better day to capture Moriah and Ned's Engagement Session. They live in Beacon Hill and wanted a relaxed engagement session showcasing their neighborhood. We're suckers for local history, and both Moriah and Ned knew a lot about the history of Beacon Hill - which we thoroughly enjoyed. We also couldn't help but notice how well these two worked together. We especially loved Ned's ability to get Moriah to laugh. If that isn't the sign of a successful future marriage we don't' know what is!
Leandra + James = Married
When we met with Leandra and James last fall as they were planning their red and black March wedding, we loved hearing their plans to create an event that captured their personalities. James plays the lead guitar in a Rockabilly Band and Leandra's favorite color is red, to which James added that it took a lot of encouragement to Leandra not to paint their entire house crimson. Even further than their mutual love of good music and bold colors, it was clear to us that Leandra and James belonged together. They finished each other's sentences and looked at one another as though their hearts were on their sleeve.
When we arrived to photograph the ladies getting ready at the hotel, the energy was buzzing and all of Leandra's sisters and nieces were putting the finishing touches on their ruby lips. There were lots of bodies in the small hotel room but Leandra was as cool as a cucumber. We later made our way over to Bittersweet Farms where the barn-like reception hall had been turned into an fun and funky party filled with little details like Mad Limbs on the tables and an incredible vampire bride and groom cake topper that Leandra made (Leandra is a girl after my own heart as she DIY'd nearly EVERYTHING at her wedding). Also waiting at the venue was a sweet and slightly nervous James. Once Leandra walked down the aisle the world seemed to melt away and everyone was enraptured by Leandra and James' sweet demeanor with one another.
The party got off to an energetic start after they walked down the aisle as husband and wife, and we took advantage of the setting sun for family photos and portraits of the newlyweds around the grounds of Bittersweet Farms (we can't pick a favorite photo of the two of them from their portraits!) Later on they cut their cake (which a friend made for them) and boogied down to music from The Memphis Rockabilly Band, which definitely one of the coolest wedding bands we've ever seen!
Regina + Arnaud = Expecting
We've got a busy day full of editing today, but we couldn't resist sharing the last photo session from our time in Paris a few weeks back with Regina, Arnaud, their adorable pup Oliver and the sweetest baby bump south of the Eiffel Tower. Their baby girl is due to come into the world any day now, and we couldn't be more excited for them. We enjoyed hearing about their lives in France and missing our own dogs as their adorable fur-baby Oliver ran around chasing squirrels. They've got a lot of big changes in the horizon of course with the baby, but they also showed us a new apartment they would be moving into, as pictured above. Special thanks to Erica from Haven in Paris for introducing us to Regina and her family. If you're looking for a special place to stay in Paris, Haven in Paris has some amazing vacation rentals that we've got bookmarked for our next trip. Félicitations Regina et Arnaud!
Florence
We've got one more Parisian photo session to share with you, but first we thought we'd take you to a different part of Europe. A few weeks back we showed you photos from our honeymoon in Paris, and today we are back to show you a few shots of the city of Florence. After we were in Paris for a few days we stayed in Tuscany for a week, and while we thought we might spend more time in Florence, the weather was so warm that we could only manage one day exploring this ancient city. One of our favorite things in Florence was the Mercato Centrale, where all kinds of wonderful and delicious food is sold. We're still savoring the truffles that we bought there!
Hermionie + Mathieu in Paris
We're rushing around the office a bit today as we prep to go shoot a wedding this afternoon (whohoo!) but we couldn't resist sharing a few more photos from our trip to Paris. This session is near and dear to our hearts since it took place in our most favorite little neighborhood of Paris; Montmartre! One of my best friends lived in Paris for a year when I was in college, and after visiting her and getting to know the ins and outs of Montmartre, I've made it a priority to always stay there when I visit Paris. It's becoming a contagious habit! There is an old world charm in Montmartre, and every little nook and cranny feels like a storybook. We can't get enough of it, so when deciding on a location for local photographer Hermionie and her beau Matthew's photo session - Montmartre was our first choice. Hermionie is a photographer in Paris and does photo tours for visitors, teaching them how to use their cameras to capture environment shots around Paris, and also takes portraits of couples and families while they are visiting Paris - how cool is that?! We had a blast chatting about the photography scene in Paris and taking photos of her with her boyfriend, Matthew. If you could have a photoshoot with your love in any place in the world, where would it be?
Rachel + Jilali = Engaged
Where do we even begin with this one? Rachel is an American living in Paris (...jealous...) where she got a job after law school and met the love of her life, Jilali, who is French. They worked together, became friends, and fell in love. They are getting married in September in Paris and will be moving to London for work after the wedding. While we're not shooting their wedding, we were able to meet up with them while we were in Paris to capture a glimpse of their lives in together - in the city the met, fell in love and got engaged. We met up with them in the Tuileries Garden (where Rachel gifted me with the best present ever). The Tuileries are right in front of the Louve, which made a beautiful backdrop. We then made our way to the Pont des Arts, which is a foot bridge over the Seine River which has hundreds of love locks on it. Couples come from all over the world bringing a padlock along to lock on the bridge together and then throw the key into the water below. Rachel had an adorable lock custom made with their names and wedding date on it. (Collective awwww...). After we photographed them throwing their key into the water we jumped down along the Siene for a few shots of the two of them, and then grabbed a taxi to get some photos of in front of the Eiffel Tower as the sun was setting. We had an amazing time photographing these two and hearing all about their love story. Félicitations Rachel et Jilali!
Six One Seven Dance Collective Underwater
We thought you might enjoy taking a peek at a personal project of sorts...not that looking at couples in love ever gets old. Kendra has a Dance Company in Boston called Six One Seven Dance Collective and they are preparing for a show in June. We decided it might be fun to do a non-traditional photoshoot for their upcoming show, as well as cross off a personal photography goal of ours: shooting underwater. Special thanks to the pros at LensProToGo out in Concord for mentally preparing us to trust the underwater camera housing that we rented from them especially for the shoot. (that thing looked like a submarine!) Since Kendra also dances in the company, I (Matt) was the primary photographer for this shoot. For any photographers looking to attempt this in the future; be sure to bring along ankle weights, good goggles and a lighting rig to shine into the water. We did this in an indoor YMCA community pool, so there was very little natural light. Also be sure to check out Kendra's company and come to their show in June!
Summer Street Photography Wedding Albums
It's been a little quiet around here lately and if you've been following our Facebook page, you may have seen a few sneak peeks from some photo shoots that we did while we were traveling in Paris last week. Being a wedding photographer means that we often work and live on different hours than traditional jobs. We work almost every weekend during wedding season and can pick up and leave work whenever we'd like since we work at home, which means odd hours and some times with too much to do and others with not enough to do (although we wish there was more time like that!). While students and teachers get summer vacations, we're at our busiest shooting weddings on weekends and editing like machines during the week. This also means that our vacation schedule is slightly different than most, so we took advantage of some inexpensive airfare last week and jetted off to our favorite destination, Paris! We had an amazing time walking around the city, eating great food and taking in the culture. We worked a little while we were gone as well, which we're excited to show you in the coming weeks. But for now, we're back at work and excited to show you another one of our off-season projects - new sample albums! I'll start by saying that I am a very picky shopper. Put me in a store with no price tags and I'll automatically choose the most expensive item. I have a keen eye for handmade, high quality products (call it a blessing or call it a curse to the wallet!) which is why it's taken us so long to find the right album companies to incorporate into our business. We wanted something that looked and felt really nice. We wanted something that could stand the test of time in design and quality. We wanted something that highlighted the images and showcased them in a beautiful way. We wanted a visual journal that would become an heirloom in our client's lives.
We found three little beauties that we're very excited to offer this year. First off, we'll show you the Standard Album. It's an 8x8 inch layflat album, which means that the pages lay 180 degrees when it is opened. There are dozens of leather cover choices, but for our sample we decided to pick the odd duckling cover choice, a subtle, floral brown velvet.
You can see the binding has folded pages, meaning there is no break between them. This allows you to print a large composite image across two pages if you wish.
The Standard album is a popular choice for Parent Albums since it is smaller, lighter and cost effective.
The next album we're offering is what we call our Portrait Album. It's 10x10 and is a layflat album, similar to our Standard Album. Again, this means the pages open to 180 degrees when opened. You get to choose your own photo for the cover, and your own text as well (if you want it). It's heavier than our Standard album but you can easily handle it with one hand. The pages are slightly thicker than the Standard.
Nice thick pages! We love this album.
Here's an example of one image printed on the seam. In the above photo, we're holding two pages at a V angle so you can see where the seam is. In the photo below, the book is laid flat.
Where's the seam!? It disappeared.
We do all of the album designing and ordering. We try to keep the designs clean and aesthetically pleasing. It's always good to incorporate detail images into albums so you can get a three dimensional perspective of the wedding. You might not print out and hang a photo of your donuts display in your house, but it adds so much to an album.
The front and back of the book start and end with black end paper.
And finally we introduce our Leather Album! This is the creme de la creme of wedding albums at 12x12 inches an almost nine pounds! It is also a layflat album, but it has split pages so the crease between the pages will never ever wear out. You can customize text imprinting on the front and on the spine if you wish. You can put a matte image plate on the front cover (in many different areas). There are dozens of top grain, premium and vegan leather options available. I literally said, 'ooooooh!' when I held this album for the first time. It is PREMIUM.
Warning, you might need to do some bicep curls before handling this album. It's 50 thick pages of album goodness.
And look! A little secret branding mark from us on the inside cover so you'll subtle remember who took your photographs 50 years from now.
Yep, it was so big when open (24 inches across in fact) that our wide angle lens couldn't fit it all in.
Gorgeous binding I tell you. Gorgeous.
Look at those thick pages!
Close up of the spine imprinting, which we choose the couple's name for this album. A Wedding Date might also be sweet.
On the left and below, one large ceremony image spread across two pages. On the right, a close up of the image plate on the cover. Keep in mind that we used a lens that would focus on the corner of this so the image is a little blurry on purpose. In real life it's very clear.
And there you have it! Our three new additions to Summer Street. We're very excited to be offering such exquisite products and hope many of our clients take advantage of them. For those of you who need a little convincing that an album is a good idea, think back 15 years ago when you inserted a floppy disk into a computer to look at documents. You'd be hard pressed to find a floppy disk in any modern computer today. We do our best to keep up with the latest technology (like delivering our wedding images on adorable custom USB drives that are more sturdy than a disk) but as we all know technology moves faster than the speed of light these days, so having a tangible book of your photos is without a doubt the best way to preserve the memory of your wedding day.
Connect with us if you'd like more information about prices, number of pages, cover options or to set up a time to come see our samples in person. Happy First Day of Spring!
The F Family
When Laura contacted us just a few days after giving birth to capture her newborn's photos, we were impressed. I don't know about you, but most mothers of brand new babies that I know rarely have time to take a shower, let alone invite two perfect strangers into their home to photograph their 12 month old and their 12-day old. Yes you read that right, a 12 month old and a newborn. Irish Twins, as they say. When we arrived to photograph her sweet boys, the house was calm and bright. Perfectly bright in fact. Little baby C was an absolute dream to photograph as he quietly laid on the bed with no fuss. We later got to meet his one year older than him brother, little H, who was a ball of energy in the best way possible. We've enjoyed every moment of getting to know this lovely family, and can't wait to photograph them as their little ones grow.