I had a great time sharing my top secret photo spot with another Boston photographer this week. Ashley O’Dell is super terrific and wonderful and we laughed a lot as we checked out the old bear cage from 1912 that is still hanging out there in the woods next to a hiking trail. Talk about hip urban decay! And I have none other than Diana and Micah, who I get to see this Sunday at the wedding, who took me out there for their engagement session last year.

We dubbed the theme of the day ‘retro’ and we brought our little analog cameras and did portraits of one another with holgas, and she had this rangefinder camera that looks like an accordion and according to an aunt does actually still work. As you can see, Ashley does retro and wonderful very, very well (proof!).

My contribution to the theme was to wear this fabulous cape. It’s one of those outer coats that’s not heavy enough to keep you warm, and not so light as to be pure vanity. So, it’s basically applicable for a total of three days out of every year. We’re in the middle of those three days right now, luckily.

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I’m headed to an apple orchard in Stow MA on Monday, October 20 and looking for a young girl who I have not yet photographed between age 5 and 14 for a test shoot in the apple orchard. This session may be used as headshots or just fun portraits with the beautiful trees. A parent would be required to be present at the shoot, and sign a model release. Time is negotiable based on your school schedule, but my preference would be for a 3:00 session.

Please spread the word if you know someone who might be interested.
Email rachel@mergeweddings.com for more info or to sign up!

Casting Call details

Who: girl, age 5-14 years - must be accompanied by parent (who will not be in shoot)
Logistics: Monday, October 20 at Carver Hill Orchard (address below)

Session fee: $250 (waived due to my specific request for test shoot)
Model release: parental release required
Included: online proof gallery from photo shoot, 8×10″ fine art print of your choice from the session
Photographer: Rachel Hadiashar

Carver Hill Orchard
Brookside Ave
Stow, MA  01775
(978) 897-6117
www.carverhill.com

Posted in clients, portraits, travel schedule 3 Comments »

another fun outtake from Amanda’s senior session.

I kind of wish we could put this one in the yearbook. ha!

Posted in clients, photos, portraits 1 Comment »

Saturday, November 1 is mergeweddings client appreciation day! So if you hired me to shoot your wedding in 2007 or 2008, I’ll be doing a series of complimentary mini family portraits in Boston.

Who? wedding clients of decenturbanweddings/mergeweddings (2007/2008) and their children/pets
What? Family portraits; 20-30 minutes each
Location? Larz Anderson Park or Franklin Park
Fee? Complimentary session, but with a $50 session reservation fee that becomes a print credit you can use for cards or prints.
Why? Celebrate the last days of autumn, have an excuse to spend some time outside at the park with your spouse, get a head start on your holiday cards!

(a personal favorite from a family session in 2007)

I am taking December off, so November is the final chance to do a portrait session. I love that this time off at the holiday season forces me not to procrastinate or otherwise put off sessions and ordering cards…

If you hired me for another type of portrait session (boudoir, engagement, or headshots) any additional spots will open up at the mini-session $225 rate. Email to get on that waiting list (rachel@mergeweddings.com)

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I had a portrait request from my friend Rebekah, a modern opera singer who chooses to perform pieces like Pierrot Lunaire for fun. If you know what that is, you know what I mean. Becki chose a couple of really stunning images to use for her publicity and personal work. And yes, her eyes are really that blue. The images are only slightly edited for exposure.

Posted in clients, portraits 1 Comment »

I wanted to let you know that I absolutely LOVE the photos that you put up in my bridals gallery.  I love my wedding photos, but realized after the fact that somehow none were taken of just me or just my husband, and I was really bummed to not have that.  The bridals that you took are absolutely stunning and I’m so grateful to have them to add to my [wedding] photos.  (Looking back, I wish I had thought to find a way to have you at our wedding, along with our photographers)  You just have a way of catching the life, beauty and silliness inside of people and using it to make them even more beautiful on the outside (if that makes any sense?)  Thank you for all of the work that you’ve done, from boudoirs to bridals for myself (and for my husband… he’s equally as grateful)…

-M

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Amanda is my ONE senior this year. She’s hilarious and we had a great time having adventures around her house. This outtake was her lying on a tennis court next to the playground where we did some of the photos. (I was laughing so hard about how silly we were being, I didn’t notice my hair falling down into the frame!)

Amanda, your photos are ready for viewing! Email me to find out where to see them.

Posted in clients, portraits 1 Comment »

This image has proven popular with the ladies since I posted it on facebook, so I thought Phil deserved his own post.

This is Phil, the brother of the bride. The image was one of the last of the day; the only light comes from the headlights of a car. This is not spontaneous; I definitely told him what to do, but the attitude was all his.

Posted in clients, portraits, wedding 9 Comments »

Oh man, that was a fun wedding!  Leanna and Willie arranged for me to meet them and their entire bridal party the day before the wedding for a casual photo shoot in the Redhook area of Brooklyn/NYC. It was a great idea!

[ more photos here and here ]

Posted in clients, destination, portraits, wedding No Comments »

A couple of weeks ago I met up with Lisa and Kaelyn for a relaxed portrait session near their new home in the Cambridge MA area. We had a tea party, did some art, chased squirrels in the park, and I even got a charming array of stickers placed on various body parts.

[ more here ]

Every fall I do a limited number of family portrait sessions in October and November before the Christmas rush hits, taking advantage of milder weather and New England’s amazing autumn. I limit the number of sessions for practical and philosophical reasons — I’m not into quantity, and my style doesn’t fit everyone’s needs because I don’t take traditional ‘christmas card shots,’ choosing to focus instead on candid and lovely interactions with the kids.

Since I’ll be out of state for most of December and probably taking the entire month off, if you’d like to schedule any type of portrait session please contact me before October 15.

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