What a year 2014 has been!! I have been agonizing over choosing my favorite 14 images of 2014. So many photos I took this year are special to me because of the stories behind them…so I hope you are ready…this is a long post!
At first I tried to only pick client images that aligned specifically with my business of capturing babies, children and families. But what I kept coming back to were the images that really marked my growth as a photographer this year. The images I created when I went outside my comfort zone ended up being some of my absolute favorites. It can be really scary to put yourself out there by doing something different, but it really is the only way to grow and become better.
This year, I was fortunate to successfully launch the custom school portrait division of my photography business as well as take on some very special and unique projects. I also photographed over 40 families throughout the year!! Thank you to all of my dear clients and friends for your support!
In no particular order, here are my favorite 14 images from the year!
1. I photographed 8 families during fall mini-sessions this year, which equates to literally hundreds of images snapped. This is, without a doubt, my favorite from the season. Even better, is that this family is a returning client and I’ve been able to watch their son grow from year to year. New England foliage at it’s finest with a fabulous family. This image just makes me happy.
2. Last year my family moved to a new town. It was a big adjustment for everyone, new house, new school, new friends, and new routines. I think I was more nervous than my kids to make new friends. But on the very first day of school, I happened to run into a woman I had not seen since college 15 years ago who just happens to live a couple of streets over from my new house. She reconnected me with another old college friend, Ginger Bunn, who is the owner of BEVY, ( formely Ginger Lane Goods ).
Ginger is a phenomenally kind person with a huge heart and amazing talent for design. Bevy is an organization that brings people together through the creation and purchase of handmade goods. I was beyond flattered when Ginger asked me to photograph the spring line for her business. Fashion photography is not something I had ever tried before and I will admit I was super nervous. I wanted so much to take amazing images for such such a worthwhile mission. I prepared my butt off for the shoot and am so proud of how the images turned out. This is one of my favorites from the day although it was a seriously tough choice. I had so many runner ups! Be sure to check out Ginger’s site. She is fantastic!
3. Ahhh… I have spent so much time staring at this image. It reminds me so much of how I felt about my first child when he was just a baby. I was completely overwhelmed by how much I loved him and loved being a mom. I had no idea it would be so all consuming.
I look at this image and I can feel this mama’s love for her baby boy. I can feel his soft skin in my hands. I love that I froze this moment in time forever for this family.
4. Two of the most beautiful souls I have ever met and photographed. Every time I see them it’s such a treat. Their love is something special and it always feels so natural to be there with them, just capturing it all. Thank you for encouraging me, Sarah!
5. This image, to me, is the epitome of a capturing a family in their home, as they really are. Nothing special, just hanging out on their bed with the love of their lives. Loved meeting this super sweet couple and their adorable little girl. This image is pure joy. 
6. Early in 2014 I was commissioned by a local public relations firm to create artwork for their new office space. The goal was unique — to capture the essence and details of their very first office space (where the company was born) in a meaningful and artistic way. The final products were to be hung in their new space as a reminder of where their story began.
Capturing all the details of an old, historic building in downtown Boston was a welcome challenge and total change of pace from working with fast moving toddlers and teeny tiny babies! Walking into the building that day I had no idea what I would images I would make. Being pushed creatively like this was scary and exhilarating. Here is one of my favorites from the day. The famous Boston Custom House clock tower, as viewed through the CEO’s original office window. I am so proud that this image is the main focal point of the conference room in their new office!
7. I don’t photograph weddings. Really, I don’t. Well, unless you are the niece of a good friend and your wedding is super small and casual, and you just happen to be an amazingly kind and beautiful person. OK, then maybe I can make an exception.
If I’m being honest though, weddings freak me out! It is an immense amount of pressure to be responsible for capturing such a special, once in a lifetime event. But, it is also when life’s truly best moments happen. Everyone is so excited and emotional and there is so much love between family members just waiting to be captured.
It was an honor to be asked to document this couple’s most important day. I am in LOVE with this image of mother and daughter taken moments before the wedding ceremony. It reminds me that even if I’m scared, I should say “Yes” to opportunities that come my way. I will treasure this one forever.
8. I don’t think a favorite image compilation post from me is complete without a silhouette photo! I love dramatic and unique family shots like this (psst they look amazing printed huge on your wall!) This is one of my favorite places to capture silhouettes and I love when a family is up for it. This way just a stunning summer evening with a fantastic family of four.
9. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this gorgeous lady three times now. And I’m excited that she is part of a personal project I’m working on in my spare time ( haha what spare time!?!) Seriously, I’m beyond excited to be doing something that is just for me, that allows me the freedom to experiment and remind myself of all the reasons I feel in love with photography in the first place. More to come on this project in 2015!!
10. One evening back in 2010, I was sitting on my couch with my computer on my lap casually surfing around the internet when I noticed a comment on an image in my flickr feed. It was from a woman I had recently met. She noted that a couple of images I had posted of my son were ‘gorgeous’. I was so flattered because this acquaintance just happens to be a fantastic photographer. Looking back on it now, I realize that this very moment was truly a turning point in my life.
This comment set off a chain of events that sparked an insatiable desire in me to learn more about photography. Over the last five years I have spent countless hours studying and practicing this craft. I have had experiences I never dreamed possible due to my love (borderline obsession) with photography. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Olivia Gatti of Click Click Love for igniting this fire and continuing to inspire me over the years. I am thankful to say we are so much more than acquaintances now!!
It was an unbelievable honor to meet up with her this year, watch her work, and to have the chance to capture this image. Here is Olivia, with her cameras, out in nature. I can’t think of a more appropriate photo of this girl. She is beautiful inside and out and I am so damn lucky to know her.
11. Early in 2014 I launched a new custom school portrait division of my business. The idea was originally born out of a class project for my son’s school back in 2012. It has been such a fun and exciting new adventure working with small schools, getting to know all these little people and, in turn, meeting so many new families. I was so nervous to take the leap into school photography, but am so thankful that I decided to do it!! Here is one of my favorites from earlier this year.
12. This past fall, and actually last fall, too, I was determined to get up to Colby Farm in Newbury, MA to have a photo session during their peak sunflower season. But both years, life got in the way, and I was just not able to make it up for the very few days that the flowers are blooming. I was beyond disappointed.
However, I had a photo session with this beautiful family during this time and just happened to stumble on a field of black eyed susans. Maybe not as big as sunflowers, but certainly just as nice. I love how this one turned out and reminds me it’s OK to make lemons out of lemonade sometimes. I think this lemonade turned out just perfectly.
13. Every now and then I have a client that I just click with the second I walk in the door. That’s how it was with Lauren & Dan. They are two of the nicest, most down to earth people you will ever meet. I felt right at home hanging out and chatting with them. I love this image because it reminds me how much I love meeting new families and hearing their stories. And I love the simplicity of Lauren nursing her baby boy on her bed. It’s the kind of image every nursing mama should have.
14. And last but certainly not least: the most adorable little girl and dog duo on the planet. Need I say more? Seriously one of my favorite pictures ever taken. If you have a dog, please, please include him or her in your session! It’s not a family portrait without the family dog!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite images from the year. They truly tell the story of my growth in 2014. If you want to see previous years’ ‘best of’ compilation posts, you can click HERE!