2014 - IN REVIEW

For those of you still hanging around at the end, let's start with a high-five for being able to process all those images. We are well aware that this little annual tradition of our images in a yearly review format is entirely too big. Believe it or not, this is a highly edited version of some of our favorite images for the year. I suppose that's what happens when we shoot more than 50 weddings in a year, not to mention even more portrait sessions. There is just so much LIFE and LOVE that we get to witness! It's such an honor, guys. Now you get to read our little acceptance speech of gratitude. First of all, none of these photos would be possible without the beautiful clients we get to have in our Summer Street family. Their lives and love are our constant inspiration, and without that we'd just be taking photos of pretty things with no substance. Next up, our team of dedicated photographers. Of course Matt and I started this whole crazy business, but we've picked up Chuck and Abby along the way as our sensationally talented Associate Photographers, and much of what you see above is their talented work as well. Next up we have the privilege of working with some of the finest in the industry as our second shooters and assistants for some weddings; Ashley, Katie, Deb, Bella, Dan, Olivia, Ellie, Jean and Vina - your talent behind the lens is clearly phenomenal and we're honored to call you peers. We are hybrid shooters (film and digital) so we have to thank our talented film lab, Richard Photo Lab, for their expert work in the dark room. This year we hand-trained a new talented digital editor as well. With the influx of a new market in the Midwest, Matt and I needed back-end support to help us deliver beautiful, consistent images to our clients in a timely manner, and we knew bringing an in-house editor to help us would be just the thing. Laura is now part of our team and has been an integral part of our back-end this year and helps all our images become what you see on our site. Talk about a talented group!

We have captured love in many places this year. From sandy beaches to historic estates. Ornate houses of worship and cathedrals in the woods. Childhood homes and mountain tops. All across New England and the prairies of the Midwest, we've gotten to step back and capture lives full of love. We've been able to tell their stories through photos that they will cherish for years to come. We are completely honored to call this work, and we toast to you all for supporting us along the way. Here's to 2015!

*In the mood for more photos? Previous years in review: 2011, 2012 (part I, II, III), 2013*

Threads Dance Company

You know when you leave work feeling like you got to play the entire time, that it's a good thing, and that you're right where you need to be. Many of you know that I am also a dancer, so as you can imagine, photographing dance rates high on my creative endeavors. In fact, I'd go as far to say it's my favorite thing to photograph. I had a great time with Minneapolis based, Threads Dance Project a few weeks back in the studio and had to share some of my favorites here on the blog. Aren't they beautiful? I can't wait to check out their show at the Cowles Dance Center later this fall. Thanks for having me, Karen and your beautiful dancers. You guys are the best!

Favorite Photos from 2012 - Lifestyle

Gathering photos for our end of the year recap is not an easy task. It involves searching through each and every shoot, wedding and personal folder to gather some of our favorite images. When I first started, I had gathered over 700 images. Narrowing down from there was not an easy task, so rather than relentlessly selecting *just the right photos* I decided to adopt the mantra "done is better than perfect." So, you'll be getting not one, not two but THREE separate blog posts today categorized into three types: Lifestyle (see above), Engagement and Wedding. We'll post all three today - so get ready for a lot of photos! It's been an incredible year filled with photography, so we hope you enjoy a small recap of the hundreds of thousands of times we clicked our shutter this year. The above photos include many personal projects (from Paris to Guatemala to the Badlands of South Dakota) and also a few snippets from the senior, family, baby and head shot clients we get the honor of photographing each year. The majority of these photos were taken on film, which is our preferred method of taking personal photos since it forces you to slow down and think carefully before you take the photo - something you don't always get the luxury of on a wedding day. We hope these photos make you as happy as they make us!

Savannah

We met up with Savannah in August when we were shooting a midwest wedding. The nice thing about engagement sessions and senior photo sessions (compared to weddings) is that you can reschedule the shoot if the weather is less than ideal. In southern South Dakota, the thought of the slight chance of rain was not at all in our minds because of the hot, dry summer they had this year. I mean really hot. And really dry. We found a time amongst our busy schedules to shoot at 6:00am on a Saturday morning and what happens? It rains. Pours in fact. We met up bright and early, hoping to the rain to pass, but it didn't. Trying not to let the weather dampen our spirits too much, we found a different time that day and met up again later in the afternoon. I don't know about you, but we believe that everything happens for a reason. And boy were we happy to stumble upon the locations and light we did with Savannah! There is no way we would have had such luck if we had tried to do the shoot in the morning, so while we were tired and bummed that our first effort didn't go through, the way the session turned out was truly meant to be. Savannah is an extremely talented dancer and beautiful person inside and out, so she made the session a breeze. We're so happy we were able to capture her senior year and know she has a bright future in store. Enjoy your last year of high school, Savannah!