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Monday, August 31, 2009

Astors' Beechwood Mansion




Astors' Beechwood Mansion
580 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840


Phone: 401/846-3772

Fax: 401/849-6998

Some weddings we've photographed at Astor's:
Lisi and Wes
Bethany and Ryan
Lindsey and Robert

Bethany and Ryan


Bethany and Ryan are going to be married on the 17th of October, 2009 and the nuptials will be celebrated at the Astors' in Newport, Rhode Island.

Ryan proposed to Bethany on a field in Vermont during a hayride ... how romantic is that? You can read the whole proposal story on the blog we did on their wedding.

In planning their Engagement Session, we began considering the idea of reenacting the proposal scene but after talking with them and really getting to know them, I learned that they are truly beach people. They love being there and it only made sense to photograph them in their element. So we headed out for a fun day at the beach! At there beachhouse in Narragansett, Rhode Island was the setting and boy am I glad I went with their hearts. They were very much at home there and were able to just be themselves and their love shows through in every image!



Bethany and Ryan's Custom Guest Book:

Outside Front and Back Cover

(LEFT) page 1 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 2 (RIGHT)



(LEFT) page 3 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 4 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 5 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 6(RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 7 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 8 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 9 (RIGHT)


(LEFT) page 10 (RIGHT)


Update: Bethany and Ryan are now married!

Lesley and Stephen


I met Lesley and Stephen at a bridal show and they were married on August 23, 2009 at OceanCliff.

I love it when couples contribute to their session by having fun and making it their own! Lesley and Stephen totally got into their Engagement Session ... they brought all kinds of props to help make their portraits unique. A couple of items in their bag of tricks were a hula hoop and an umbrella, which turned out to be rather useful, as it actually began raining during their session, we made it work with a little help from our umbrella friends!!!

Their session took us all over the place! We made some portraits at Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island and then we decided to hit the streets of Newport and make good use of the surrounding beauty.


When I'm preparing for a session, I find lots of inspiration throught the media. The photograph below was inspired by the music video for Wicked Games by Chris Isaak:







View a slideshow from Lesley and Stephen's Engagement Session here:


Lesley and Stephen's Custom Guest Book:

Front and Back Outside Covers

Inside Front Cover

(LEFT) page 1 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 2 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 3 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 4 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 5 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 6 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 7 (RIGHT)

(LEFT) page 8 (RIGHT)

Inside Back Cover

Update: Lesley and Stephen are now happily married!

Kristen and Corey

I had two Engagement Sessions booked in Brooklyn during a single trip. I couldn't resist using the beautiful architecture of the famous landmark, the Brooklyn Bridge, in both sessions. These sessions could not be rescheduled and, of course, it down-poured the entire day! haha However, both couples were amazing and super-duper-troopers!

We also found a pretty little park tucked away right near the Bridge that made a lovely setting for Kristen and Corey's story.


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Retouching & Enhancements



The Scoop on Retouching and Enhancements

They are one and the same, very important for your finished product! Most people do not realize that there is more to photography than turning on the camera and snapping the picture. A talented photographer is a true artist who will not only capture the special moments of your day, but will also have an arsenal of tools to use to enhance your images. Enhancements include artistic touches as well as improving skin tone, brightening teeth and removing blemishes as well as the photographer’s own unique style with black and white and fine art print.




Added guest on far left.







Removed right hand, flyaway hair, enhanced color saturation & cropped image.





ATTN: Brides!!! LaBella Expo 2009

Mark your calendar now for the 2009 La Bella Bride Bridal Expos! The first one will be taking place on September 20th at the Biltmore Hotel. If you would like complimentary tickets for the Expo, please contact us at the studio and will be happy to provide them to you.


We are attending the Expo, so look for our display area and say hello!
We will also be participating in their January 10, 2010 Expo.