Boston Event Photographer | Summer Color Run!

I know we are (kind of) into the swing of fall, but I have to look back on this Color Run that kicked off summer for these Pike School students. Monx Design always impresses me with their events, and what better way to celebrate the 5th grade class, than hosting a Color Fun Run?! These kids were a joy to photograph, as they were not afraid to get into the action! They ran, skipped, and leapt their way throughout the different obstacles. And boy were they fast!

Of course, these sassy kids never gave up an opportunity to strike a pose! In my book, the sillier the pose the better, and often leads to a fit of giggles and amazing photos.

But the best part of the Fun Run is getting MESSY, and wow did they go for it. When they were not running through the obstacles, they were throwing pigments on both their friends and themselves.

I will never forget seeing Norbert pull out the leaf blower, turning it on, and a cloud of color come billowing off the kids. The fun did not stop there. The DJs soon brought the whole house down with wacky games, limbo, and plenty of dancing! Finally, a special shoutout must be made for Monique and Norbert for putting on such a memorable event!

More info about Monique and her Monx Design House team

Boston Family Portrait Photographer | I Love My Clients!!!

I love love love when I get to photograph families every year. Being able to see and capture kids' personalities as they grow and develop is part of why I love what I do! And giving those moments to my clients to hold on forever to is the best. THE BEST. 

The Rainens are 3 of my favorite people. I met Kim at a coffee shop at an Andover networking event over a year ago. She said her husband David needed a headshot, so we exchanged info, and I took David's photo a few weeks later. That turned into Kim needing a headshot as well, which turned into family portraits of course! Avi was 8 months old at the time, the perfect age to document him starting to stand and take his first few steps.

Then we photographed his milestone first birthday with a cake smash (which by the way he wanted nothing to do with the actual smashing of the cake). Kim planned his birthday using bright bold primary colors, so we kept with that theme, and I loved how they turned out.

This year, I got to photograph Avi again for his 2nd birthday. I couldn't believe how he had grown into such a little boy. He loves tractors, trains, and BATMAN. When Kim and I were planning for his session, we knew we had to incorporate all of this into his session. When choosing a location, it only made sense to shoot at Smolak Farms, where his birthday party would be. I love Smolak for its versatility - apple orchards, tractors, open fields, and of course, animals.

The second best thing about my job is when I show clients their images. ::All the feels:: when I get to see their face light up (or even tear up) when seeing their video of these beautiful (and sometimes silly) moments that we captured together. Nothing is better than family.

Boston Portrait Photographer | Introducing The Class of 2017 Senior Models!

It’s senior portrait season! If you’re not familiar, I love photographing high school seniors, but not in the traditional way. No, I like to give my seniors an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience. So I put together my senior model team for the class of 2017. These girls are the face of my studio, and of course we have to give them an extraordinary experience, something to tell their friends about. I am so so excited to have a team of sweet, smart, and talented girls this year, so I want to let each of them introduce themselves.

Hair and makeup by Robert Jason Salon

Selma: Hi! My name is Selma and I'm going to be a senior at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield, MA. I'm very involved in my school and my community, which is something I really take pride in. I run indoor and outdoor track and field, I'm on the executive board as Secretary for Student Council, I'm a Peer Leader for the underclassmen, I actively take part in the American Cancer Society by being a part of the planning committee for their Relay for Life, I'm on the National Honors Society, and I'm co-chair of my school's prom fashion show. On top of all of this, I am one of two team captains at Nancy Chippendale's Dance Studio, where I've been dancing for the past 15 years, and I have a job. Some fun facts about me are that I'm a 5 time World Tap Dance Medalist (3 of them are golds), my favorite foods are hummus and pita chips or flatbread pizza, I am obsessed with coffee and dogs, I can't sleep with socks on, and if I could be any animal, I'd be a giraffe, because they're so cute and lanky, or a sea turtle, because they basically live forever

Maddie: Hi, I'm Maddie! I'm a senior and attend school at Austin Prep. I'm a dancer and the captain of my school's varsity cheer squad. I'm a huge travel bug and love to travel to new places, like my upcoming trip to Thailand. I am so excited to be apart of Emily's team this year and can't wait to make some amazing memories with all the girls for an unforgettable senior year :)

Hayley: Hi I'm Hayley! I'm 17, I live in Andover MA, and am a junior at Central Catholic High School. I'm very outgoing and love to talk. I've been dancing since I was three, it's one of my favorite things to do and has become a part of who I am. When I'm not dancing my favorite things to do are shop and go to the beach. 

Alyssa: Hi, I'm Alyssa! Contrary to what you've seen in this video, I actually love dirt bike riding and playing video games as well!  My plans after high school are to pursue a career in the biomedical field and possibly become a medical examiner.  Some of my hobbies include working on my car, cooking/eating, my school's science team, and going to the gym. :)

Heyy my name is Shanna! I'm super excited to be a senior rep for the class of 2017! My favorite thing to do, that takes up almost all of my free time, is dance. My passion within dance is most definitely tap and I am constantly found moving my feet (including underneath my desk at school). I go to Central Catholic High School and my favorite subjects are math and science. My goal is to go to college in New York City so that I can study in that field, continue to dance, and truly experience the city that never sleeps. I cannot wait to see what I have to look forward to throughout my senior year! 

Hi! I'm Lindsay, I'm a senior at TMHS. I love drawing, music, and I'm really excited to be taking photography next year. I'm really into the arts!

You can watch our shoot in action in the video below!

There you have it, together these sweet girls make up my Class of 2017 Senior Reps. It’s going to be a good year :)

It's really too bad we had no fun at all on this shoot 

All of the gorgeous hair and makeup you see was done by the incredible team at Robert Jason Salon

Thinking about your session? Read my Top 5 Tips for a successful session here

As always, please contact me with questions, comments, concerns, or just to say hi

Boston Interior Photographer | Les Fleurs Interior

I have worked with both Sandra and Kerianne from Les Fluers, on two separate occasions, both for Merrimack Valley Home Magazine, and both to photograph each of their stunning interiors. You can see Sandra’s home feature here, and Kerianne’s winter wonderland loft here (I want a loft because of her now).

When we sat down to discuss photographing the interior of the store, I couldn’t wait to start. As I’ve mentioned before, the inside of Les Fleurs makes me feel like I am walking through a live Anthropologie Catalogue. The reclaimed wood, the burlap, the farmhouse textures, I love it.

We met beforehand to talk about how they wanted to use these images and whatwe wanted to display. On the day of the shoot, I have to say, they made my job really easy. Normally an interior photo shoot requires a good amount of rearranging furniture, switching around design elements, moving props in an out, but not on this one. Sandra keeps the inside of the store so fresh, that we really only had to make minor adjustments.

Cate was there to help with all the fine tuning, and no surprise, she was so easy to work with… the Fleurettes have the finest attention to detail. All in all, we came out after a half day, with some solid shots, and a few incredible fresh flower arrangements that were made on the spot by the Fleurettes in minutes.

Boston Fashion Photography | Valentine's Day "Red" Photo Shooting

January. Slow season. Time to update my website, create the yearly marketing plan… and most importantly, tap back into my creativity by planning beautiful, conceptual photo shoots with other creative people. The incredibly talented team for this one:

Fashion designer: Jack Robichaud, Jack Attackk Clothing

Hair and Makeup: Heather LoFaro

Model: Clara Duff

I’ve shot many of Jacki’s beautiful designs in the past, you can see some of them here. We came up with a “RED” concept for this shoot, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Not just red, but that beautiful wintery, deep wine color. Of course Jacki’s dress color was the exact match for the background that I had been dying to use since I got it a year ago, and it just moves and photographs so beautiful.

For hair and makeup, we wanted to create a lot of contrast and volume. We wanted the lips to match, and go for very dark accents with the rest of the makeup look. I was so torn for the hair, we knew we wanted volume, but up or down?! After going back and forth with Heather, she obviously nailed it.

I wanted to add even more depth and overall volume to the look by adding a headpiece. I stopped at AC Moore on my way to the studio, and created this deep red foral headpiece while Heather worked her magic, and she was able to incorporate it into the hair seamlessly.

It was our first time working with Clara, and her ability to go from sweet and silly to pro model in a snap was impressive. Those eyes! She was an absolute doll to work with, and I think (I hope) we will all be working together again soon.

Jacki is always great at doing the behind the scenes shots. There's us in action below!! We're so glamorous aren't we? :P

Of course, we had to play a little at the end, so we took the hair down, switched up the dress and lighting, and just played for the last few shots. We thought about smearing all her makeup just to get weird, but she was going out to dinner, so we left her face alone :)

Want this, or a similar look? Contact me to plan your own concept shoot.

Jack Attackk Clothing

Hair and Makeup by Heather

Clara Duff Model

Boston Interior Photography | Les Fleurs Winter Wonderland Loft

I am a little late on this blog post, but better late than never! I think it is fitting for a pretty snow day anyway...

Merrimack Valley Home Magazine sent interior designer Linda Holt and I to this gorgeous Lawrence loft to photograph our Winter 2015 cover. The loft belonged to Les Fleurs' Event Director, Kerianne, and I literally gasped when we walked in. It was a winter wonderland… and not an in your face red and green Christmas overload… a beautiful wintery, editorial spread waiting to happen. It was everything I could have asked for in winter home décor.

She had greens and winter-whites with subtle flashes of gold and silver everywhere. Every last detail was considered, especially the small finishing touches that made it personal and inviting, such as the books on the table, and the reindeer name tags at every place setting.

Linda and I had a blast photographing the mill building converted into a loft, with the high ceilings and industrial windows (perfect window lighting). Kerianne’s details made it feel special and welcoming too, which is why I think the French press coffee setup that she put out made the cover.

The table setup was out of this world, and we really didn’t need to touch a thing to photograph it. I want these florals in my home all winter long!

You can see the full story in the Winter issue of Merrimack Valley Home Magazine, and you can find more information on Les Fleurs here.

Thanks for reading!

Questions or comments? Leave a comment below, or Contact me, I love emails

Boston Portrait Photographer | Merrimack Valley Senior Rep Team, Class of 2016

Introducing the Class of 2016 Senior Rep Team, Emily O’Brien Photography’s first ever high school senior model program. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter group of girls. They are A BLAST to have in front of my camera, and they pull off “fashion editorial” quite well. These girls will be representing my studio in each of their high schools.

Watch the video below to see how much fun we had on our glamorous group photo shoot:

Hannah of Andover High, Marissa of North Andover High, Kaila of Beverly High, Emily B of Lynn Classical,  and Emily M and Francesca from Central Catholic in Lawrence

What is a senior rep program? It’s extremely important for me to have a voice and a presence in local high schools, and the best way to do that is through the students themselves! So in exchange for spreading the good word around their school, these wonderful ladies receive the VIP red carpet treatment. Our major perk is the group photo shoot. This shoot is styled, and hair and makeup is provided by Robert Jason Salon. I have a fabulous partnership with Robert, and his talented team provides hair and makeup for most of my senior girl portrait sessions. Other bonuses of being a senior rep include digital images, contests, bonuses, EOP tanks, and lots of fun little events and shoots throughout the year.

The Robert Jason Salon team did an amazing job with hair and makeup, and making the girls feel comfortable in their own skin.

We warmed up by photographing each girl individually in the studio.

Then we moved outside for fun group photos and more individuals. It was WINDY. My assistant was holding one light as the other blew over, so we quickly squashed the whole idea of a lighting setup. The girls were such good sports trekking around in their heels, and looking relaxed while practically being blown away.

All in all it was a great day and I can't wait for our next shoot together. Look out for photos from our South End/Bay Bay, Boston shoot.

Fore more info about senior portrait sessions click here

Contact me to book your senior session

Robert Jason Salon in Andover for your hair and makeup experience

Boston Portrait Photographer | Fashion Inspired Senior Session with Jackie

Jackie contacted me for her senior portraits because she saw her friend Hayley's photos, and wanted a similar experience. She wanted the fashion inspired model shoot that I had recently started offering to high school seniors. What 17 year old girl doesn’t want to be a model for a day? She didn’t necessarily want these photos for the yearbook (I think the deadline had already passed), she wanted this experience to have it and keep it forever, she wanted to feel beautiful.

She brought in really great outfits for her consultation, she loves fashion and shoes, so she did a wonderful putting together a complete outfit for each look. She brought bright colors, pink, and turquoise, mixed with simple whites and blacks. She brought mini skirts and oversized sweaters with leggings. She also loved the idea of shooting in the old mill buildings (am I sensing a signature location style since opening in Lawrence or what?)

We were expecting a snowstorm the day of the shoot, which is no big surprise looking back at the winter we've had, but it was the first snowfall of the season. We changed our timing a bit, but I said “maybe we could get some snowy portraits, if you’re up for it!” She loved that and mom was a good sport... especially when we were actually in the trenches and we were getting hit with the heavy, wet, miserable snow.

I couldn't wait to show Jackie and her mom the photos at our Viewing appointment. Dad was joining us as well and I can't lie, I always get a little more nervous when dad comes too (I think it's often harder for them to see their little girl as an almost-grown, beautiful woman), but he loved them and encouraged Jackie throughout the ordering process. They went with a 10x10 album, which was perfect for Jackie's session, since we were able to incorporate so many different looks.

I love Jackie's look so much, I had to order a big print of her for the studio sample wall as well.

Read more about these fashion editorial inspired senior sessions here

Update: Jackie just graduated from Brooks School in North Andover and will be entering the Miss Teen USA pageant this year. I am thrilled to be one of her sponsors!

Jackie's program ad for the Miss Teen pageant

Merrimack Valley Home Issue | What Went Into Capturing the Beautiful Interiors, Plus 3 Bonus Photos

I love photographing beautiful interior design. “This issue may be the cover, so keep that in mind when shooting.” This was exciting to hear going into my second home photo shoot for Merrimack Valley Magazine. I was already thrilled to be working on this shoot with Beth Daigle and Linda Holt, so when I arrived and saw the interior of the home we had the privilege of photographing, I died a little inside [in a good way]. There was something very traditional about the decor, but simplified with use of color and modern elements.

Not many people know that Linda used to be a photographer, but it was a real treat to have her eye for design AND photography on this one. You may be thinking there is a chance that two photographers working behind one camera could be a competitive disaster… and in some instances I’m sure that would be the case. Linda and I were on the same page from the beginning and it was immediately a strong partnership working toward the same goal, noticing similar details, and playing off each other’s suggestions. It especially doesn’t hurt to have an extra set of eyes looking out for and understanding how the natural light will photograph.

We spent most of the day dancing around our “cover” shot because the light wasn’t just right, but when it was… ohhh it was.

I think we were also lucky that Sandy, the homeowner was such a gracious host to us. Now because Linda, Beth and I were on a tear, scrutinizing every detail, this meant lots of tweaking and furniture rearranging. Sandy’s furniture is beautiful… and heavy, very heavy. She didn’t mind us moving it around to get a good shot, so of course we decided to move the heaviest piece of furniture in the house {the solid wood coffee table}. Sandy’s husband came home toward the end, and being the gentleman that he is, moved the furniture back into place for us after… lucky us.

Here are some shots that didn't make the issue. If you haven't already, pick up a copy of the issue to read the full article by Alyson Aiello.

The white cabinetry against the dark wood gave an old country feel with an updated twist

Marble back splash to match the marble floor, against dark wood made quite an impact next to the pristine white whirlpool tub.

Color details add to the soothing environment

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