Our Advent Calendar

My 4 year old is learning to write numbers so I decided to create our own personalized "25 Days of Christmas" but you can do this for any age and for 12 days instead of 25. After he writes each number on a separate piece of paper, he can turn over the matching day-number on the calendar every morning. Under each number is a special treat or something special to do relating to the holiday season.  
    
The first day started with 'The Snowman' by Raymond Briggs that Santa left, "Under your pillow you should look. Santa left you a special book." The second day was to pick out a xmas tree. I won't bore you with the entire 25 but a couple more are things like "Donate toys to other little boys." "It's xmas eve, leave out carrots. For the reindeer silly, not for parrots." "For the birds make, a nutty suet cake." "In your coat pocket is a treat. Enjoy something sweet." And "Cookies you will bake. A smile you will make." The gift found in their stockings that morning were chef hats and after baking cookies we brought them to a local elderly home. 
   
Now I'm well aware these aren't genius rhymes people. It's for my 4 year old, who really thinks that Santa's in cahoots with Frosty and Rudolph and they're all leaving him special messages every morning. He's not going to believe in magic for very long so I'm playing into now while I can.
    

NEW PROMO: tattle tales

To get a great shot of a child, you have to become that child. 
    

New Work

Recent work for Boston Parents Paper, now on newsstands. Right now, you're wishing you could jump like this!  
   
More information and pics.

New Work

As a photographer, it's pretty helpful to have a past life as an Art Director. Some local publications were kind enough to offer Cradles to Crayons free ad space this holiday season so I helped them fill those spaces with a cute picture, a quick line, and a little design work. 
  
These ads will run in Boston Business Journal, Boston Parents Paper, on billboards and in Old Navy stores across the state. If you're able to make a donation, please visit cradlestocrayons.org. 
   

Little Brother

What are little brothers for if not for holding your bus while you pee on the neighbor's bushes? 
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've missed my garden. I've been so busy the past couple months that I've neglected her. And still she offers up amazing beets, carrots, sage, rosemary, thyme, squash and potatoes for our table this Thanksgiving. So yup, I'm thankful for my garden. But mostly to my compost. There you have it. I'm thankful for dirt. I mean that, sincerely.
   
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!   
  

2¢

Make sure the models you're shooting or are about to shoot have had a nap because being photographed is hard work. Especially when you're two. 
   
(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. enjoy!)
   

Yellow Morning in Boston

I was having so much fun with my two sons this morning before school — I didn't even care that I stepped in dog poop and then five minutes later fell into a pond. "Mommy all wet and smelly" made their day. Usually they're the ones all wet and smelly. 
  

TWO BIRDS: The End Result

18 amazing kids + 12 parents + 1 pair of pink smelly socks + 8 balloons + 1 moose + fake snow + 5 wardrobe stylists + 4 make up artists + 5 crew + 1 photographer = $2150 raised for Cradles to Crayons. Not bad for a day's work! That's nine shoots in less than seven hours. Let's just say there was a lot of coffee, hugging, kissing and dancing going on. Happy Holidays everyone!  


Follow this link for more photos.

I Love Boston!

And I love working in Boston because some of the most talented and generous people live here. Stylists and hair-makeup artists from Team, Ennis and zero2sixty are offering up their Saturday for the Two Birds Cradles to Crayons fundraiser on Nov 5th. How I suckered them in to doing this, I'll never know. But I'm honored to have them on board!

   

This is a steal — you get photos taken by a professional kids photographer, ten digital files to keep, hair + makeup and wardrobe styling done by Boston's top stylists all under an amazing lighting setup donated by Levines in a beautiful Boston studio... easily a $750 deal for a $200 donation. The warm tickley feeling you'll get in your belly donating to this great cause is worth 200 bucks alone. 

   

Bidding ends today at 9PM. http://tinyurl.com/C2Ckimlowe