Chebeague Island Maine Engagement Portraits

When Brian called me from DC he explained that his fiance has had a family home on Chebeagaue Island here in Maine for the last 3 generations. The island is home to her. She grew up spending the summers there and they would be getting married on the island as well. They wanted me to come out and take engagement portraits.

I have to say it was a pretty magical place for me. I took the ferry over from Cousins Island in Yarmouth. It was an amazing day. The clouds were dramatic and you could feel summer coming. (Yes, I haven't had a chance to blog these so I am a bit late!) The island has that feel that most islands in Maine do. It calls back to more simple times. Uncomplicated and quiet. There are still flyers for local suppers and concerts, but it feels small and quaint in a way that a bigger city just can't compete with. You wave to everyone as you drive by them. You know everyone. You can see who is adding to the camp. Who is getting married. The new babies born that have grown a bit more every summer. I sort of love that. It's nice to know these places still exist. Where you can just relax and wander around. Leave your door unlocked and take your dogs everywhere.

I can't wait until the wedding next year. I know there will be more of the same. Lots of beauty, quiet, and close family embraced by coastal beauty that only Maine can offer. People come from afar to relax in a way that only Maine has

. I feel so lucky to get to see it all that time. I will also try and channel this when I am under several feet of snow and ice this winter too. (:

Fall Mini Sessions at Flaherty Farm in Scarborough Maine

Call today! Spots are already filling up for this one day only event. It will be held at Flaherty's Farm in Scarborough Maine on Saturday September 12th. You get a 25 minute session, 2 gift prints (5x7) and a mobile app as well as 10% off all custom art work. All for $129. 

There will also be special packages available for just these sessions with a combination of products....including custom made Holiday cards! Get a jump on your gifts for the Holidays with beautiful family or children's portraits. 

Call me at 207-318-0467 or my studio manager Lisa at 207-650-3920 to secure your spot and get all the details! 

See you soon! - Jen 

Mother daughter portraits at Ft. Williams, Cape Elizabeth Maine

When Tiffany called we had a conversation so that I could get to know her a bit. I wanted to know why she wanted portraits of she and her daughter right now. What was special in her life. And, of course, what she wanted for products for her home. 

I found out that Tiffany isn't from Maine, she is from Atlanta, Georgia and really wanted to capture the beauty of Maine. It is so different then where she is from! I also learned about her daughter Jordan and how she was born way too early. How Jordan came into the world at a whopping one pound! She was in the hospital for three months, but you would never know it today. Tiffany thinks of Jordan has her miracle and I can see why. All parents think our children are the most amazing wonder of the world so I can't even imagine what it must have been like for Tiffany when Jordan was born. What a scary time that must have been for Tiffany. Her connection with Jordan was a joy to watch and capture. 

 She choose Ft. Williams in Cape Elizabeth since there are several spots there that she really loves to spend time at. I agree that is a perfect Maine backdrop for portraits. There is the grassy open lawn with the dappled light and a rocky beach that Maine is so known for. The evening was perfect the night that we chose to go out together. 

If you are thinking about portraits make sure you take the action and just call. What matters on a day to day basis are these times. The moments spent just hanging out with our family or children. We spend so much time at work or rushing from one appointment to the next that soon years have gone by. I am always so joyous at being able to savor these memories for my clients. So that they can always look back and remember them fondly. 

I am starting this post with the portrait of her finished wooden keepsake box. These boxes are selling like hotcakes. They have an image printed into the top of the wooden lid and are truly one of a kind. They hold 15 mounted art prints with room left over for you to add your own printed memories. They are beautiful as gifts or to keep to give to your children when they are all grown up. I am making one for my own daughter since she just requested one she loves them so much!

In life and love - Jen 

Healing the scars

This post was written by my client and dear friend Sue. She is amazing. Truly. I asked her to tell her story in her own words since I knew it would more powerful coming from her. I feel like in sharing her story it might help others see that none of us are alone in whatever healing process we might be in. Whatever your story is someone else probably has one as well. I think it's important to be reminded of that. So here are her words....

"This is a post months overdue. Why has it taken me soo long to write this? I suppose it’s because nobody wants to write about those scars that cut deep to the bone, even if writing and talking about those scars helps the scabs heal. My photo session with Jen was about helping the scars heal. The scars of sexual abuse tend to wax and wane as time passes on. You have good days, weeks, months, even years….and then out of the blue something reminds you of an innocence lost. Of a freedom taken away from you. For me the camera represented that “something out of the blue”. It was part of my abuser’s arsenal in stealing a child’s innocence. The one thing that should have not made me recoil in fear, look down or turn away became just that for me. Over the years, I tried to fight that fear, I tried to embrace the visual beauty of what the camera produced. Memories. Stories. A lifeline to sweet moments past. But I couldn’t. And it saddened by husband. And other family members. But most of all, me. How could I bury the ugliness the camera represented to me? How could I embrace it wholly? And then I watched my daughter who has battled more demons than any child should, light up in front of the camera. For her, it represented something magical. In Ethiopia, it was probably the first time she ever saw a photo of herself, through the camera screen. It was my time to do the same.

I knew Jen from her time at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. I knew her way with people and images. I knew her role as her mother came first and photographer second. I knew she could hear my story, my fears and turn them into something safe and beautiful. And she could do this with my daughter by my side. One of my sacred familial touchpoints. I will not lie and say that photo shoot was easy for me. It was so hard. And yet the photos of my smile, my body turned into my daughter, those are real and soft, genuine and represent such a moment of ease. I look at my photo shoot once a week. I am reminded that I am not a hostage to the camera anymore….or to my abuser. I can now live in the light of the camera flash and enjoy my story.

Thank you Jen. I love you." - Sue 

Mother & Daughter Connection

What I see in mother daughter relationships is a connection unlike any other. Then again I think all relationships are their own unique connection. I don't think this one is any more special than another, but I think that all the connections we have as humans are so very important, vital to our ability to thrive and be happy. I have a daughter and I know that nothing will ever compare to the love I have for her. And I am sure other people feel the same about their children be they boys or girls. 

I believe that our happiness is tied to our relationships with people. I have always thought that how we treat others and the level of depth in our relationships often shows how happy we are. Working with people to capture these connections with each other is something I really value. It drives my work. 

I understand the importance of these relationships through the lack of one to my own mother. I am not saying this to garner empathy, but rather to say that I have spent much time thinking about it and seeing how it has shaped my life. I know that I appreciate the people in my life that much more because I grew up without a connection to my own mother. I seek to capture the importance of this love for others and for the future generations of the family that I am working with. I watch how laughter and love shapes our daily lives and gives us something to fall back on when we are stressed or frustrated with the things that life throws at us. The foundation of our lives is our family. Whether that family be by blood or by choice. 

I was adopted by a family 15 years ago and they have given me the same love they give to each other. That post is coming up next. In the meantime here are some of my favorites of this mother and daughter (and some fun portraits we did individually as well). Stephanie is one my stylists for glamour make over sessions. She is an amazingly strong and kind woman that I have grown to love. Her daughter is a reflection of this strength and beauty. I am so glad that I got to capture them together. I am working on some big canvases to hang in the dining room of Stephanie's home. To remind her, on maybe a day when she is feeling down, what joy she has in her life. Because really one of the best things about being alive is the joy and love we share with each other. 

In life and love  - Jen

Baby Ethan and his grown ups.

There is something very special about getting the chance to capture a family before a member leaves on deployment. I was so thrilled to get to meet this family, hang out, watch them interact, and give them some beautiful portraits of when baby Ethan was still so small. Dad will be back at the end of the summer and we hope to catch up again then for more portraits when Ethan will look totally different already! I have been watching him grow through Facebook portraits that mom has been posting. He is super adorable and such a happy little guy. Such is the joy of having a baby! I loved too that they brought in their first family member, their dog. She was so very shy, but she did a great job and was so glad she got to be included. 

Here are a few favorites from the day together. 

In life and love - Jen