A Holiday Proposal...

Is this a Hallmark movie? A proposal at the Christmas Tree Farm?

No, it’s better because it was Katie & TJ’s Proposal! Keep scrolling to see the magic from their wintery proposal!

Why do I love the story of Tj’s proposal to Katie so much? Well for starters, Katie is one of my best friends! But the plot thickens! I asked Katie and TJ if I could take their picture at the Tree Farm so that I had samples to use for this year’s Tree Farm Sessions. They said yes, and TJ being the sly dog he is, reached out to me a few weeks before the photoshoot to ask if I would be ok with him using that opportunity to propose to Katie. My literal response? (keep reading!)

“TJJJJJJJJ I’ve been WAITING for this day!!!” Because even though I never said anything to either of them, my secret hope was that when the big day did come, TJ would ask me to be the one to capture the moment! I was so excited for both of them and it was shockingly easy to keep this secret from Katie despite the fact that she… (keep reading!)

Had messaged me the week before and we were discussing outfits for the “photoshoot day” and even said something like “this would be a great opportunity for TJ to use this time to propose. But I bet her won’t be clever enough to do that”. I, of course, had to act like I had no clue that he DID in fact already ask and had it planned out and I responded with “maybe he’ll propose on Christmas!”. So TJ and I made a loose plan to talk about “the lighting” and I would get Katie to turn around for a pose. I had mistletoe with me and told her I had this idea for a pose where he will be behind her and holding up the mistletoe. She was very confused by my vision of this but thankfully stayed turned around so that TJ could get down on one knee. And when he was ready, I said “scrap it, this pose isn’t going to work” so that she turned around and said… well, she said the last thing you’d expect someone to say who is getting proposed to. Katie said….(keep reading!)

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Yep. Katie turned around to see the love of her life proposing to her and her initial reaction was to say “Jesus fucking Christ!” ahhh yes, classic Katie. The good news is she said this because she was genuinely surprised, or maybe shocked, that TJ was proposing! TJ responded with “would you like to marry me” and the best news of all is, despite her initial exclamation, Katie said YES! Once she had the ring on her finger she turned to me and said “did you know about this?” and my response was “duh, how do you think I got you to turn around?”. She then said to TJ “ wait, is this the team?”. I, not knowing what what means, asked “team?” and Katie said she had just asked TJ that week if he was working on a proposal for her (they are a modern couple, of course they talked about getting married, a proposal, the ring, etc in advance) and TJ said yep. But really, what more of a team did you need to put on a great surprise proposal with beautiful pics besides TJ and I? And yes, TJ picked a ring that was perfect for Katie, a very unique ring. A gold band with little stars across it! So, the moral of the story? (keep reading!)

Well, the moral of the story is TJ proposed to Katie, she said yes, I got to photograph it which was my hope, and they are getting married next year! I am so excited for them and obviously its not secret I am so stoked, and grateful, that I got to be the one to capture the moment! Congrats to Katie & TJ!

A photoshoot of a different breed

When Ally reached out asking if I could do a photoshoot with her and her cat out in the fall foliage nature, I was so excited! As a photographer, I love photographing out in nature (especially in the fall) and as a vegan I love working with animals! So I happily said yes. And here are the results!

Have you considered taking photos of you with your animals but worried “what if they don’t sit still?” Don’t worry! They are animals, I don’t expect them to sit perfectly still. For this photoshoot, we let her cat explore and wander most of the time and I photographed him as he enjoyed his surroundings. While we were able to get some posed shots, I set my expectations low when it comes to animal cooperation. Yet, I am happy to say, we got SO many great shots of her + her cat. They both did a great job. So don’t worry, we will work around making your animal comfortable, and great photos will follow!

And I know you’re probably wondering “well that is a cat. Would you photograph me and my dog? My lizard? my bird?” and the simple answer is “yes!”. As long as you feel comfortable with them being out in nature and not scurrying or flying off!

She was nervous her little guy would be too nervous, something she did to get his prepped was she took him to the location prior to the photoshoot to get a feel for the area. She also gave him a little CBD to put him at ease. And she also brought him some of his wet food to feel comforted. There are plenty of ways to make your fur babe feel comfortable during a photoshoot!

If you’re now itching to have photos of you and your pets taken, send me an inquiry bon my Contact Me page! Let’s talk about the details of your dream photoshoot with your fur babies!

A Grave Affair

Hey lovers of all things spooky! Want to see some fun cemetery photos from this year? If you are also a big fan of Halloween and/or cemeteries, these are the pictures for you! Take a peek!

Living in New England, and being a cemetery lover, and a photographer, this specialty photoshoot is one of my favorites to do each year! New England has no shortage of beautiful, old, historic cemeteries just waiting for you! As someone who enjoys visiting cemeteries and wandering around, I have a vast knowledge of fantastic graveyards in New England. Anyone else go hangout at cemeteries for peaceful walks?

Something that modern cemeteries and modern graves lack is the architectural style of the style from gravestones past. When moving here to New England 10+ years ago, I was instantly captivated by the styles of gravestones. (You probably won’t be shocked to know that my hometown of Los Angeles does not have historic graveyards like out here in New England). So much detail, thought, and care was given to gravestones “back-in-the-day”. And I think it is beautiful to give your final resting place a substantial and ornate place marker.

One of my favorite cemeteries actually isn’t in New England but rather its in Richmond, VA. Ever been to the Hollywood cemetery right on the James River in Richmond, VA? Talk about an expansive and beautiful cemetery dripping in history (minus the confederate soldiers burial section, you can skip that part)! I also recently got to visit Sleepy Hallow Cemetery so check that off the bucket list! I’d love to know some of your favorite cemeteries to visit, walk around, appreciate the history, soak up spooky vibes, etc.

Having photo FOMO yet? Don’t worry, I’d love to do a cemetery photoshoot with you too! Just send me an email!

Follow me for more photo adventures on IG: @whitemuckphoto

Jen Lee's Bakery

Have you heard of Jen Lee’s Bakery? Have you visited one of her bakeries? She has a location in Worcester and Boston. If you’re vegan, gluten free, or any of the Top 10 Allergen Free, then you have to try Jen Lee’s! And honestly if you’re not vegan or GF you have to try it so you can finally stop saying things like “vegan food/gf food is so gross!” because she literally makes some of the best baked goods I’ve ever had! Her bakeries are Top 10 Allergy Free and totally safe for those of you who have allergies. Jen’s baked goods are some of my favorites out there but even more so, Jen is one of my favorite people! She is a Small Biz Bad Bitch and works harder than most people on this planet!

Those of you who have been with me for years, know I am vegan. Those of you just joining, probably just learned this! People STILL think being vegan means eating steamed tofu and grass. Which is a hilarious misconception. We have all the wonderful foods life has to offer, sans the animal abuse. If you’ve ever had crappy vegan food, try something else, that person was probably just a bad cook/baker haha. Jen’s baked goods are definitely worth giving a try whether or not you’re vegan!

Next time you’re in Boston, stop by Boston Public Market and grab some baked goods! Or if you’re closer to Worcester, check out her bakery there!

You can follow Jen Lee’s Bakery on Instagram at @msjenniferlee

And if you’re looking for someone to do your professional headshots or product photography that can actually capture who you + your business are, I’m your gal! Send me an email and lets get planning your next photoshoot!

Supporting Women in Boston

It’s summer! Let’s spend as much time outside as we can. And if you’re looking for something fun to do on the weekends, check out Boston Women’s Market. This market runs most weekends in the summer and pops up in various spots around Boston.

This market features a group of all female vendors. Art, clothing, candles, skin care, jewelry and more!

You can find Boston Women’s Market online and see upcoming events at https://www.bostonwomensmarket.com/ or find them on Instagram at @bostonwomensmarket

Summer is almost here!

Oh summer, how we've desperately miss you! Time for hanging out at the lake, beach, park, wherever, as long as it's outside and the sun is shining! I can't wait to not be bundled up and shivering. So tell me, what locations are you dreaming about having your next photoshoot at?

Not that I don't love beach shoots, but I honestly love shoots dripping in plant life even more. Being surrounded by this much greenery just feels like a hug from nature.

I am excited that I have a bridal shoot coming up at a garden. I think it's going to be a beautiful backdrop! The lush greens and pops of color from the flowers are bound to make for a lovely scene.

If you're looking for a portrait, couples, engagement, elopement photographer, reach out and say hi! You can send me an email via my contact form and let me know what vision you have for your next photoshoot! 😍

Controversial? Maybe. But this is why I won't Photoshop.

The one thing I won't do for my clients?

is Photoshop their body. I absolutely don't want to be responsible for making people feel a certain way about their body by the way of altering it to make it fit a specific idea.

As a millennial, our media was flooded by unhealthy body standards and I don't want someone to feel better temporarily but worse in the long run by altering their body in photos to look a certain way. I take the approach of celebrating the client and their body exact as they are in this stage of their life. Making them feel good about exactly how they currently look.

I've had clients be upset that I won't Photoshop out their “fat” or make their faces look like it has sharper angles. I don't know that I can explain it better than I have tried to here already but I am not comfortable altering a clients body. For photographers who do feel comfortable with it, then those clients would be a better fit for those type of photographers. For me, I'm here to highlight all the greatness that exists within my clients. In fact I feel so strongly about this, that there is a section in my contract that explicitly states I will not Photoshop a client’s body. This allows the client to know ahead of time this is not a service I offer. It also helps protect me if a client is upset that during the editing process I don't Photoshop their body to look a certain way.

So what are your thoughts on this? Agree? Disagree?

Here's how I randomly rediscovered these decade old photos...

Ok picture this, a few weeks ago, I'm sitting on the couch, editing photos when I check my email and I have the strangest email that tells me I got a comment on one my original photography website’s blog posts. I was so confused because I thought “blog post?!”. So I clicked on it and it took me to…

A blog post with photos I did with a friend I made when I first moved out to New England (when I was living in Salem, MA). I totally forgot about these photos. Which is crazy because I really did love them. Now don't get me wrong, if I took these photos today (ten years later)….

I feel like they would definitely be better but for being photos I took ten years ago when my style was a bit different, I still love them. I am so glad some random person found my old website and commented on my blog so that I could rediscover these photos! And yes, those photos absolutely…

are what inspired me to create a blog here on White Muck. So that maybe ten years from now I'll be reminded of these posts and take another happy walk down memory lane!