Matt Hartke…RI Singer/Songwriter

Matt Hartke is a Rhode Island singer/songwriter who’s talent is absolutely phenomenal!  I had the honor over the past weekend to photograph him in Narragansett, RI for a few hours and even got to listen to a few of his newly recorded songs (which were awesome!).  I highly recommend checking out his upcoming shows (listed on his website).

http://www.myspace.com/matthartke
http://www.trueanthem.com/matthartke

And he also has a Facebook page so look him up if you’re on there! =)  I couldn’t narrow down my faves from the session so I’m posted a bunch.  Matt, hope ya like them so far!:

 

Trish’s Family Session (Sneak Peek!)…

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of photographing Trish, her husband Dan and their 2 beautiful children, Joey and Abby. We started out at a local park to get some beautiful scenery captured in the photos and then came back to the studio for some more family portraits. We had a ton of fun! Joey was such a trip, so serious and who couldn’t love those cheeks?! And Abby is 3 and was “picture perfect”, would do practically anything you asked for her to do in front of the camera. I love it when children are hams in front of the camera! 😉

Here’s a sneak peek for Trish and her family:

Thank you, MCP Actions, Jodi Friedman and Lensbaby for Supporting MCP.

About 20 min ago, I found out that I was chosen as the winner of MCP Action’s Lensbaby Composer contest. Last week, Jodi held a contest on her blog (http://www.mcpactions.com) and hundreds of entries were written. We each had to write about “What Seeing In A New Way” meant to us. Each entry was different and some the same but all were great as they were meaningful to each and every one of us who wrote an entry.

Just to have on record and to look back on, I wanted to copy what I wrote for the contest:

“I truly believe that I have the best jobs in the world…being a mother and a professional photographer. As a photographer, you really know you’ve been blessed with the craft when you view the world as you would thru a viewfinder. But as a mother, you also begin to SEE things thru a different perspective, thru different eyes. Being able to combine the two is amazing. I’m mainly a wedding photographer and yes, while I am focusing on the main portraits to be taken, you have to see things that others normally wouldn’t. Out of the corner of your eye, a flower girl could be dancing, playing hide and seek with some friends or like a recent wedding of mine, playing with frogs. It’s all about finding the light that many people wouldn’t see…playing with shadows, angles. Or for example, an abandoned building….the typical person passing by would think it’s an eye sore. A photographer on the other hand, think it’s a gold mine for interesting and intricate photos. Seeing things in a new perspective is what will make you, as a photographer, stand out from all the other photographers around you.”

A lensbaby composer is a neat little lens that makes a HUGE difference in a photo with creativity and perspective. If you’d like to see a quick sample of what the lens does, read some of the other entries and also join MCP Actions fan page, check it out!

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/08/18/win-a-lensbaby/

**Thanks again, Jodi! I’m so excited!**

Jeana & Mike’s Wedding…

I felt like a kid the night before Jeana & Mike’s wedding….I was so excited!  Not only have I gotten to know the two of them over the past year and they are such a loving and FUN couple, but they were getting married at the place that I used to go horse-back riding down in East Greenwich called Clouds Hill Farm.  They still have horses but have now turned the house into a museum.  The grounds of this place is absolutely breath-taking!  And for those of you who haven’t booked a ceremony site, I would HIGHLY recommend Clouds Hill.

Jeana & Mike’s day flew by so fast, a TON of fun and a fantastic wedding party to work with as well!  Here are a bunch of my faves from their wedding day!  Jeana & Mike, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!  Please feel free to share this link with friends and family!

And I love this one of two of the bridesmaids peeking at Mike:

Two Sisters, Miss *K* & Miss *B*…

On Tuesday, I met with a mother and her two daughters who take ballet at a local dance studio.  Although I had envisioned a sunflower field, I was a little disappointed to find that their field was a little lacking. lol  But they did have another field full of blooming flowers which made for a beautiful backdrop.  These girls were such good sports for being in the sun on the hottest day of the year and for trying to balance on very uneven dirt! 😉  Thanks, ladies!  Here’s a quick peek at the two that I like from the session:

Miss *K*…A Lil’ Ballerina

Here is a lil’ montage of my first ballerina session.  Miss K is actually an Irish Step Dancer but we went to a local park to take some photos by a lovely field of black eyed-susies.  Miss K was a joy to photograph, not only is she absolutely adorable but she was the easiest lil’ girl I’ve photographed in quite some time! lol  Here’s a sneak peek:

Win A Lens Baby Composer!

Lensbaby is a sponser of MCP Actions and right now, they are having a contest to win a FREE Lens Baby Composer!  So photographers and photographer friends, check it out and enter!  Good luck to everyone! =D

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/08/18/win-a-lensbaby/#comment-17509 

Alisha & Andy’s Wedding…

St. Domenic’s Chapel on Providence College’s campus was the setting for Alisha & Andy’s wedding on August 1, 2009.  It was a beautiful, yet quaint chapel with beautiful ground for the portraits afterwards.  Andy & Alisha are a sweet couple and they were so easy-going the entire day.  Heck, I don’t think I saw one ounce of nervousness from either one of them! 😉 

After the formals, we made a quick stop at Bradley’s Cafe in Providence where Alisha & Andy first met.  Let me tell ya, we got some fun photos from there! 🙂

I wish Alisha & Andy the best as they begin their lives together as husband and wife.  Here are a few of my favorites from their gorgeous day:

And I had to throw this on here.  At the reception, they set up a HUGE variety of candy and goodies for all their guests.  It was so festive and fun!

And here are a few photos that my assistant took that I loved:

*Loved this expression of Alisha before the ceremony*

*And Jen found this on the wall inside the bar :)*

Recent Photo Contest…

I recently entered a few of my portraits to an online photography contest called “Star Shooter Contest” (www.starshooterblog.org).  Star Shooter is a non-profit organization that helps children learn the art of photography by providing them with equipment to learn the craft.  All the proceeds from entering went towards helping children.  With almost 200 entries from 33 states and 8 different countries, although I’m a little bummed (haha)  I didn’t get the Grand Prize (brand new camera), I am thrilled and honored to have been awarded with a honorable mention!  Here is my image, titled..

“Will You Dance With Me?”

Local RI photographer & his niece, an aspiring model…

So a local photographer (Jason Woodard from Cumberland, RI)  that I met thru Facebook, had mentioned to me that he was trying to get his portraits taken and I offered to take them for him. So we went to a local cemetary (yes, sounds morbid but it really was pretty). He also brought along his niece, Michaela, who is an aspiring model.

Michaela is such a sweetheart and soooo photogenic. Michaela, ANYTIME you want portraits done, feel free to let me know 😉 Or maybe I can tag along with Jason. HAHA Jason, it was great to finally meet you and hang out with you for a bit. Hopefully we can do it again sometime soon!

Here are a few of my faves: