Colin’s First Birthday Party–Sneak Peek

Jun 11
Colin’s First Birthday Party–Sneak Peek

I know it has been a little while since I posted anything. I have been quite busy on all kinds of shoots, and boy have they been fun! I will get back to regular posts soon.

Colin’s first birthday party was a great excuse to bring together families and friends from all over New England (and for Uncle Pat to show off his newly restored 1956 Ford Fairlane) grill out some yummy food, and cool off in the pool.
The folks I met at the party were so kind and happy, which made my work that much more enjoyable! Colin has a few friends and cousins right around the same age too, which meant that he was busy either being passed from grandma to cousin to uncle, or playing in the pool or sandbox. When there is that much activity at an event, it means people pay less attention to me, and more attention to having a great time, which leads to much more genuine and happy moments! I love it!
This is just a sneak peek of what is to come in the next couple weeks…










May 31
Watch This Baby Grow!

My wife reads the Young House Love blog daily, and sends me links to her favorites (of which there are many!). It is written by a couple who love DIY projects. As each project develops, they talk about what they are doing, and why they are doing it. It really is a great source of information and advice.

The other day, my wife saw this post and had to share. I am so glad she did! It was all about how this couple photographed their new baby girl every week over the course of her first year (see photo below). I really liked what they did, and how they used these photos. At her first birthday party, they printed a bunch of the photos and hung them up. I was really impressed, not only with their dedication at doing this every week, but more so because it was such a simple setup, just a plain white onesie, a yard of fabric, and a camera, all setup next to a window.

It all goes to show that you don’t need a fancy setup or a studio or big lights to capture the growth of your little one!

May 25
A Great Evening at the ICA

Monday night, I had the pleasure to visit the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston to photograph an event for clients and friends of Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate company. Thanks to the hard work of Jones Lang LaSalle employees and Jana and Christine from Altieri Events, the experience was a lot of fun for everyone.

As the evening progressed through the cocktail hour to the Q&A session with their special guests Bill Belichick and Roger Staubach (Mr. Staubach actually threw an autographed football to three lucky winners in the audience), the look of the ICA changed. The darkness of the night set in, allowing the accent lights to make the space feel vibrant and more and more exciting to photograph.

For a football fan, seeing (and yes, shaking the hand of) both Roger Staubach and Bill Belichick was just awesome, made even more exciting because I just learned Mr Staubach is a fellow native of Cincinnati, OH. For those of you that know me, you know how close Cincinnati is to my heart. On top of meeting him, having an excuse to go to the ICA was very welcome. While there, I learned that admission is free on Thursday nights from 5-9 pm (hint, hint).




May 23
The Photographer gets Photographed!

Yesterday, I had a second family shoot with two little boys, their mom, dad, and grandma. They are an energetic and fun bunch, and it was great to work with them again. As usual, I got out my camera and sat on the floor to start photographing the boys, the oldest of which was running around the house yelling: “Take my picture! Take my picture!” followed by “Can I see it?!”

The younger one had other plans, though. Within moments of me sitting cross legged on the floor, he ran right up to me, flopped on my lap, curled up, and got cozy. It was so awesome to feel like I made such a connection with him, and that he was so comfortable with me. He kept doing that throughout the day, then as the session was about over, his bigger brother joined in. They were crawling and climbing and giggling all over me! Their mother, caught up in the laughter, picked up my camera, which I could not use because I was tickling and wrangling her boys, took a few shots of us having fun. This is not the first time this has happened, and it feels so good when it does!!

Just figured I would share my joy. Happy Monday!

May 22
Celebrating Mister Rogers

Two days ago would have been Mister Rogers’ 83rd birthday.
For me, Mister Rogers has always been a source of inspiration, and his magical view of the world is one I try hard to share. As a way to honor him, I have collected ten of my favorite quotes of his below.

  1. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers-so many caring people in this world.”
  2. “As you continue to work on your understanding of yourself and others, you are really engaged in love.”
  3. “People whose work is self-expression of the most obvious kind-artists, writers, musicians, dancers-seem to be drawing heavily on play to do what they do. What they all have in common is the urge to take what is known and rearrange it in new combinations.”
  4. “Pretending doesn’t require expensive toys.”
  5. “The child in me is still…and sometimes not so still.”
  6. “On the occasions when I did something with a child’s block building that was more than I was asked to do, I quickly discovered how important it was to respect the architect within the child.”
  7. “Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many.”
  8. “Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.”
  9. “There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.”
  10. “I find out more and more every day how important it is for people to share their memories.”

I have two Mister Rogers shirts I like to wear, and it’s not surprising how many people smile and or comment when they see this one. He helped so many people feel special!


All Photos ©2013 Patrick Rogers Photography