Boston Portrait Photographer | Taylor's Editorial Shoot

Class of 2018 Senior Rep Victoria C introduced us to Taylor. Both of their moms are co-owners of Cupcake City, which by the way are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted, Twix and Sm’ores are among my favorites, though I’m not opposed to trying every single flavor.... Ok back to Taylor- what a riot this girl is!

She brought so much fun and laughter on set. She was not afraid to call it how it is when a pose felt awkward, and we love that! It brings out natural smiles and really represents a subject’s true personality in the photos. Taylor wanted her senior shoot to have an editorial aesthetic, and also to highlight her favorite shoes: Christian Louboutin heels.

Naturally, we headed over to the mill buildings for a grunge meets high fashion feel. We played around and laughed so hard as we were trying to capture some movement to show the bottom of her heels, We called this one her “fashion editorial spread” Having started out in a black slouchy sweater, we noticed as the photoshoot progressed her sweater seemed to be growing! Certain fabrics can stretch like crazy throughout a shoot, and Taylor’s sweater seemed intent on growing into a sweater dress.

Taylor dealt with it with grace, laughter, and eventually an outfit change. Outfit number two matched perfectly with a rusty basin that we found on the floor (maybe meant to catch drips from the leaky ceiling?). After propping it up, Taylor sat down and worked her unique background.

For our final shots, we noticed how beautifully the light was coming into the room, so we moved fast and captured some fun dramatic images. The results are some of our favorite shots of the day!

Boston Portrait Photographer | Rene's Edgy Mill Session

Having heard about our client’s Jayna’s experience with her senior shoot, Rene contacted us for her senior portraits. Rene was looking for a unique and edgy location for her senior portraits and we had just the spot: the mill buildings. When Rene walked into the studio, the first thing we noticed was how expertly done her makeup was.

One of Rene’s many passions is hair and makeup. She’s part of her school’s drama department and does the makeup for the whole cast. So naturally, Rene did her own makeup for her senior portraits. We could have sworn that she had gone to a salon to get it done, the girl has got skills!

Throughout the shoot, we couldn’t help but ask for her makeup tips and tricks. Rene’s mom came along for the shoot, and we could see her beaming over her daughter. We convinced to the two of them to get in for a mother/daughter photo and they snuggled close for a very special moment.

After getting shot after shot of Rene absolutely working the camera, we wrapped up the shoot with a fun laughing shot of Rene in front of the vintage windows of the mill. Her bubbly personality truly shined in front of that red door, which makes it one of our favorite shots from our session.

Boston Portrait Photographer | Welcome Our Class of 2018 Senior Reps!

It's that time of year again! One of my favorite things about fall is getting to work with the incoming high school seniors. This is not your typical senior portrait session, this is a once in a lifetime, "love the way I look and feel" lifestyle portrait experience, meant to capture YOUR unique personality. Every year, I put together a Senior Model team that represents the studio in each of their schools. The biggest perk of being part of this team is our group shoot! This shoot is everything I love - professional hair and makeup by Robert Jason Salon, themed, and fully styled (a.k.a. I get to shop to outfit 5 girls from head to toe). I look forward to putting this together every year to really show off what we can do, and also to create a super fun experience for the new Senior Rep team! Meet a few of them below:

Hey guys! My name is Victoria, and I’m a rising senior (that’s so weird to be typing) at Austin Prep. I’m so excited to be modeling for Emily this year and to be apart of working with so many amazing young women! Here’s a little bit about myself:I live in Reading, MA, a small town outside of Boston, with my parents, brother, and four dogs. Yes, I said four - there’s a picture for proof. I am also a pre-professional ballerina. I’m currently a trainee with the Northeast School of Ballet Conservatory, and train with them Monday-Saturday for five hours a day. So yes, I do get to leave school early. Ballet has been a passion of mine since I was little, a way for me to explore and push my boundaries both physically and creatively. Auditioning for and becoming a trainee of such a prestigious school with some of the best faculty in the world has truly allowed me to find myself becoming stronger and more aware of who I am and what I want as a person. I’m so blessed to be able to do what I do and to travel the world and share my greatest passion with people. Aside from ballet, I love to write. I’ve always considered myself to be a very creative person, always having a journal on hand to scribble my latest thoughts (a great deal of which are about the cute dogs I met that day). Once again, I am so excited to be able to meet and work with so many great people and share my creativity with them. I hope you all enjoy the blog posts to come. :)

Hey I'm Caroline! I am 17 years old and I live in North Andover, Massachusetts. I go to Central Catholic High School. For the past 14 years, I have been a dancer at Nancy Chippendales Dance Studios. With these years, I have had amazing experiences traveling around the world for example: dancing in Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Nevada, and even Germany! Although I do not wish to pursue a future career in dance I find it the perfect way to meet new people and stay active. One thing that I thoroughly enjoy to do in my free time is listening to music. I don't always look for new songs, but I constantly repeat music I have saved in my library because it brings back great memories. Another thing that I love is to spend time with my friends and make them laugh. When I was younger, I aspired to be an interior designer and was completely obsessed with HGTV, but now with my love for organization I am hoping to be a wedding or events planner. At this point, I really am not sure where I would like to go to college but I do know I want to major in business. I absolutely love to travel and see new places so I really hope my future career involves it so I can explore furthermore. I hope you enjoyed learning about me!

I had so much fun with these girls at our group shoot, can we go back and do it again?! Big thanks to Robert Jason Salon for the incredible hair and makeup. You always bring the best out in my seniors, and more importantly, give them the perfect confidence boost.

Boston Phographer | Back Bay Watch Co Officially Launches!!!

Back Bay Watch Co lifestyle photo shoot

I am so so excited for the launch of this new Boston brand, Back Bay Watch Co!!! Why? Well partly because I had the honor of doing all the photography, but way more importantly because I BELIEVE in this company. I believe in the product, the integrity, and the proud owner, Mike Lembo. I personally watched Mike pour over every little detail of the watch, making sure the color, quality, and design was PERFECT.  Guys, how often to I dedicate a whole post to a specific brand or product? (answer: almost never). I love these watches. Here’s a bit about the company and quality:

Owned and operated by proud Bostonian, Michael Lembo, Back Bay Watch Company is a collection of Boston centric men’s and women’s watches that capitalize on the classic look and feel of the city.

Inspired by the well-known style of the historic Back Bay, with blocks of brownstones, recognizable gold domes, and cozy neighborhoods, each Back Bay watch is intended to represent the city’s staple features that will never go out of style. Named after the iconic streets of the Back Bay, the watches are perfect for those who share their passion for Beantown.

A watch enthusiast since an early age, Michael grew up in Waltham, MA, coincidentally named “The Watch City” for its long association with the watch industry. Michael designs each watch using elements of the favorites from his own collection. Created using top-notch materials like Japan movement, 316L stainless steel, and genuine leather, Back Bay watches can be dressed down while watching Sunday Night Football, add a touch of class for a business meeting, or be the finishing touch for a night on the town.

Mike, owner, and Karen

I can’t go on and on without mentioning Mike’s incredible girlfriend Karen, who works so hard behind the scenes and specifically on our lifestyle shoot in (where else) Back Bay! I loved this photo shoot for so many reasons (beautiful people don’t hurt), but mostly because these watches are SO Back Bay. They fit so perfectly against the brownstone colors and textures. Below are some of my favorite shots, and of course a few behind the scenes.

Behind the scenes with Karen

Behind the scenes with Mike

Fall style

I can talk talk talk, but we all know actions speak louder than words…  I wear my white pearl Berkeley everyday :)

Please click here to go check out their site that just launched today!

What do you think? Leave it in the comments below...

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 Portrait Photographer | 5 Tips for a Better Senior Portrait Session

Senior girls, this one’s for you! I know you are excited to book your senior portrait session, and you want everything to be perfect. Planning for a successful session starts with our consultation. The reason for this is to talk about your style, and ultimately what you want your session to look like. Here are my top 5 tips for having the perfect senior portrait experience.

1.     Bring your ideas to the table. If you want to incorporate your favorite activity, or something cool you saw on Pinterest, let me know! You never know what’s possible until we brainstorm. There are so many ways to incorporate your ideas into our photoshoot, don’t knock it until we talk it through. Themes can be a great way to make your shoot original, and sometimes renting a few props can make all the difference.

2.     Plan your outfit head to toe. Think about every aspect of your outfit – shoes and accessories play a big roll in tying the look together. If you know me already, you probably know how much I love to accessorize (when in doubt, add a hat!), and I can’t stress enough how important the styling is to finishing the look. I always encourage people to bring outfits to our initial consultation, since the clothing can inspire our location, and vice versa.

3.     Location. If you have seen my work, you know location is important. I LOVE location scouting, and I am always searching for interesting places to give my seniors a special experience. I am always open to your input and suggestions, but please keep in mind that I try to stay away from more mainstream places that are overused as a backdrop. Again, the more insight you give me as to what you want, the better your experience will be.

4.     Preparation. It sounds like we are pretty well prepared with our styling and location so far, but the best thing you can do is to finish preparing for your session the 24 hours leading up to it. HYDRATE the day before, if your skin is dehydrated, the camera will show it. Do your nails the day before, or at the very least, remove any old, chipped polish. If you are having your hair and makeup professionally done, make sure to show up with clean, dry hair, and a clean, makeup-free face. If you want your hair and makeup done a certain way, be prepared with a Pinterest board or visuals to show your hair and makeup artist to make sure you get the look you want.

5.     Have fun!!! I know this sounds incredibly cliché, and pretty obvious, but if you take no other advice I offer, please take this. The best sessions are the ones where we can laugh together, be silly, and let our creativity fly. If there’s something you want to try, speak up! My favorite photos (and usually yours too), are the ones that let your personality shine. So please, if all else fails, don’t take yourself too seriously, enjoy the experience, and trust me to capture the best of you.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I always love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment below or reach out to me with questions or comments!

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 Photographer | Fashion Editoral Senior Portraits

What a great senior season! For those of you who don’t know, this is just my second year of launching my high school senior portrait sessions. This is not your traditional senior portrait, no, this is a full on modeling experience. They are fashion magazine inspired, styled to fit each individual, and as much about the experience as it is about the end result.

My senior ladies totally ROCKED it this year, and I couldn’t have asked for better models. They stepped it up with fashion, style, and PERSONALITY. Thanks to Robert Jason Salon for their commitment to creating some of these beautiful, natural looks. I’ll let the video below speak for itself, but a huge THANK YOU to you beauties for making my job so much fun. So much love to you all Class of 2016

Thanks for watching! If you like the video, please share with family and friends through email or social media.

Click here for more information on this style of senior portrait sessions

Click here to see the full senior gallery

Click here to send me a question or just to say hello!!

I'm really looking forward to meeting the Class of 2017, make sure you stay connected to receive all the updates and information!

Boston Portrait Photographer Promo Video by Daniel Byers

Many of you have seen my fashion editorial style senior portraits. This market is so new to me, but the feedback from seniors so far has been so incredible, I knew I needed to get the word out about these sessions quickly. That led me to starting my first Senior Rep program for the Class of 2016. Aside from that, I needed to step it up and really show the EXPERIENCE these girls have when they shoot with me. I need a promo video, a legit, professional, bad-a$$ promo video, done by a professional video artist. Enter Daniel Byers, video artist extraordinaire. When you are done watching our video, go to his website immediately, www.skyshipfilms.com and be amazed by some of the work that he’s done. I actually almost couldn’t believe that he agreed to work on my video, after seeing the rest of his work.

We met, and talked about my process, and how to convey what shooting with me was like from a client perspective. I told him how hair and makeup was a big factor to not only the end result, but also to the whole experience. I also needed to express how important styling and accessorizing is to planning a session, showing how everything comes together is huge! Finally, creating a relationship and interacting with my subject is going to make or break the whole experience. Communication and allowing my subject to be vulnerable with me is the only way we’re going to get what we need from our session.

I knew I wanted Hayley to be our model for this video. She is easy to work with, has the sweetest personality, and takes direction very well. 

We were all lucky to work with Heather Lofaro, hair and makeup artist with incredible talent

Watch the video below for yourself!

When it came to shooting, Daniel was a pro. He had a clear vision of what we were going for and planned out the shots he wanted. I’m always intrigued by the creative process, so I enjoyed every minute of it. Hayley was also a champ… it was one of those icy April days that still feels like winter.

All in all, I am beyond happy that we made this video… now I can’t wait to do another!!!

See some of the final shots made while creating the video below.

See more images from past shoots with Hayley here

See more of Daniel's work here

Contact Daniel about creating your own promo video

Hair and makeup by Heather Lofaro

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

Boston Photographer | Modeling Portfolio for Hayley

Hello! After a long winter hibernation, blogging is back :) and I'm starting with one of my favorite girls from the fall....

Hayley came to me because she was interested in modeling. She contacted me, asked all the right questions, and booked an appointment for a consultation. For a 15 year old, I couldn’t have been more impressed with her professionalism right off the bat. (I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she grows up to be an incredibly successful business woman). When I met Hayley and her mom, I saw how excited and serious Hayley was to dive into this new adventure and see if she had what it takes to model. We went through styling and location options (more on styling here), and planned everything out for her first shoot. She loved the idea of shooting in the mill buildings around my studio, so that’s where our main focus was going to be.

The day of the shoot, Haley and her mom showed up at the studio, after stopping at Robert Jason Salon for hair and makeup, well prepared and with positive energy. We started shooting and Haley was a dream to work with. She had never modeled professionally before, but she took my direction with such ease and confidence, I would have guessed she had been doing it for years.

The shoot went so well, we lost track of time, and were really racing against the light to fit our last few shots in. For the end of the shoot, we really wanted to get a few sunset shots on a pretty farm road in Andover, 15 minutes from the studio. It was already dark out, but Haley and her mom were up for giving it a try, so we headed over there as the darkness was dropping in quickly, and got our last shots in.

When Haley and her mom came back to the studio for our viewing session, they were blown away with the results. I was so happy to show her how truly BEAUTIFUL she is.