August 28, 2017

Nick + Kristen | Woodsy Belmont Summer Maternity Session | Boston and New England Portrait Photography

August 28, 2017/ Lorna Stell

Maternity sessions are always a treat! It’s heartwarming to see new soon-to-be parents on the verge of BIG changes—Exciting, scary, but ultimately a new phase of life that they wouldn’t trade for the world.

Kristen and Nick were the epitome of this! Ultimately, they seemed so ready for their new baby girl, and ready to take on any challenge that came their way, because they’re the ultimate team. It really was completely MY honor to be able to spend time with these two and document their love. They are so caring, supportive, hilarious, and never hesitate to compliment the heck out of each other! Let me tell you, you can never give too many compliments to your spouse (in my opinion anyway)!

These two live in Framingham, and wanted to have their session in the Greater Boston area in a location with lots of greenery. Locations with variety are like gold to me, and I managed to find this lovely spot with an open field, tons of ivy and trees, TWO stone staircases and a stone wall, and gorgeous spots to catch the sunset peeking through the trees! So much variety for nature lovers!

June 13, 2016

Classic + Modern Boston Public Garden, Beacon Hill, and Downtown Coffee Shop Sunrise Engagement Session | Jessica and Thomas

June 13, 2016/ Lorna Stell

When my alarm went off at 3:30am, I remember a brief period of my night-owl brain asking, “Why did I do this to myself?” After about 10 minutes passed and I could truthfully say I was awake, I remember my creative brain (who also loves people), asking, “How AWESOME is this going to be?!” I felt the tingle of nervous excitement as I confirmed with myself for the third time that yes, I did have everything I needed. This was the morning of my first ever sunrise engagement session with some soon-to-be newlyweds, and OH MAN was it worth it!

November 09, 2015

Charles River Esplanade Professional Portrait Photography | Andrea Schroll

November 09, 2015/ Lorna Stell

Let me first open this post by saying social media is really cool, but for reasons that have recently surprised me! It can be too easy to get sucked into aimlessly scrolling through Facebook's or Instagram's feeds (speaking for myself here!), but with intention, the power of social media can totally be put to greater use!

I discovered this firsthand recently when Andrea and I connected in a Facebook group. I had put out an "open call" to other entrepreneurs and small business owners, just looking to make some friendly connections with other people who share similar values in life and business. Andrea responded to my post online, and we ended up chatting over coffee for a couple hours soon after! It was so exciting to meet another woman at a similar place in her business, and get to talk about business and life in general with her! I didn't expect to book any photo sessions from a little Facebook post, but as we sat talking, Andrea told me she wanted new professional photography to use for her business. I couldn't wait to plan this session for her and bring fresh, personalized imagery to her brand!

October 26, 2015

Squantum Point Park Senior Portrait Session

October 26, 2015/ Lorna Stell

When I was first chatting with J's mother on the phone about scheduling his senior portrait session, I think I was told at least three times, "Oh, he's a very no-nonsense kind of guy." In this case, "no-nonsense" apparently means being an amazingly easy going portrait subject! J knows what he does and doesn't want ("Yeah, let's not shoot by the giant rusty piece of metal...") but was also down to try a bunch of my creative ideas. I have to say, this is the perfect combo when it comes to portrait sessions! This guy even sat on a big (possibly dirty) piece of driftwood in his khakis for me (and for the record, I offered my own blanket for him to sit on)! Our time at Squantum Point Park was everything I could have hoped for, and I think J and his mom and sister would agree!

August 24, 2015

Boston Summer Lifestyle + Professional Portrait Photography | Mary Casiello

August 24, 2015/ Lorna Stell

Today, I'll be honest, I'm pretty psyched to share this portrait session with you. Partly because my portrait subject, Mary, and I both love how the photos turned out, and partly because this day was a really awesome one.

It all started two months after Mary's Day In The Life session with her family, when she got in touch with me again to say she was looking to get some updated photography for her website, and for posters advertising her musical performances. Let's just say I was totally thrilled to hear that!

Mary was a TOTAL trooper on this hot and sweaty August morning! We enjoyed our time taking a stroll around Larz Anderson Park and stopping where the scenery and the light looked inviting, and it made a great opportunity to catch up too!

August 03, 2015

Moving House and Creating A Home | Boston Day In The Life / Professional Portrait Photography Testimonials

August 03, 2015/ Lorna Stell

Disclaimer: I try to keep my personal "Wholehearted" posts separate from my photography-specific posts, but today's post is a little blending of the two…because sometimes, personal life and work life blend a little, and I think that's ok. So here's what I've been up to:

Andy and I spent the entire week the last week of July piling boxes in our car and taking trips to our lovely new apartment, all while sweating our faces off! It was an exhausting week, but waking up to my favorite person in a space that it finally feels right to call "home" is so worth it. We couldn't have done it without the help of some awesome friends, and without the courage to help each other take the leap into a big life change!

Since my life for the past week has been consumed with moving house and I've barely had time to get any new photos together for a more visual post, I thought I would share some awesome testimonials I received after a couple recent photo sessions! Everyone loves a good, sincere compliment, but I think these testimonials are even more than that—they show what the actual experience of a photo session is like, and why the investment in yourself (and sometimes your family too) is so worth it.

In contrast to the first section of today's post, houses and apartments come and go, but your personal story, and your family's interwoven stories, really are forever. As people, our internal memories, thoughts and feelings can be fleeting, but the visual and physical keepsakes of photographs solidify our stories and create a very special, shareable experience.

July 20, 2015

Boston Lifestyle + Professional Portrait Photography | Kari O'Briant

July 20, 2015/ Lorna Stell

Happy Monday, friends! Have you ever heard of music therapy? If not, then you're in for a treat today!

Kari is a music therapist, and believe it or not, we met in college when we both went to Radford University in Virginia! After Kari and I had both graduated in our respective years, we both moved to Massachusetts unbeknownst to each other! We reunited up here not long after I arrived, and I'm so glad we've been able to keep in touch and have more fun times together!

One of those fun times includes the one where she emailed me and said she wanted new headshots, and I don't think I could have said yes any quicker! However, I didn't want these to be stale and boring, full of fake smiles and flat walls, so we decided to take a trip to Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain and play around (literally) with her guitar. You'll see lots of big smiles in Kari's photos, and that's because I kept asking her to tell me about her puppy, Reshi. Worked like a charm, and made us BOTH happy!

Visit the full post to learn more about music therapy, and to read a glowing review from Kari after she received her photos!

January 05, 2015

Melrose Family Photography | Ruby

January 05, 2015/ Lorna Stell

Meet Ruby. You might not know it from her photos, but you're looking at a spunky little lady! I had so much fun hanging out with Ruby and her mom at a pretty little park in Melrose during the peak of the autumn leaves changing.