When I used to shoot weddings.....

During my career as a photographer I’ve taken 1000’s of photos of products, people, pets, and events but what shaped me most as a photographer were weddings. Weddings require people skills plus ALL the technical skills. With all the preparation and details involved plus the pace of the day where there’s a lot of “hurry up and wait” then suddenly moments happen in an instant, shooting weddings can be exhilarating, hilarious, heart-wrenching and sometimes the happiest moments you experience as a photographer. Often my face was sore after smiling so much behind the camera. Sometimes I had to take a moment to wipe tears away. Yes, I’m pretty sentimental. The weddings I shot all have special places in my heart: the people I met, the moments we shared, the fact that they let me into a beautiful and incredibly meaningful day in their lives just means so much to me. Though I finished shooting weddings some years ago, here are some of my favorite shots I had the pleasure and luck to capture. Enjoy!

Pet and House Wall Art!

You have a beautiful pet and a beautiful house. You love them both. Why not combine them with some of your most treasured possessions, pick the color scheme that best suits your wall space, and let Mary create a one of a kind piece of art for you? Well, you can!

Contact Mary today to set up a planning and photography session!

Photo project that may help with your holiday shopping!

I’ve been enjoying helping my friends, Terri and Jeff with professional photos for their new business, Monji Gifts. Being a new business and this being a new business relationship, Terri, Jeff, and I got to know each other better during the process of getting the best photos for their website. They got to know my workstyle and I got to know exactly what they wanted to present to the public. There was some clarification needed and some “going back to the drawing board” moments but we settled on a good work flow where everyone gets what they want and we’re all happy with the end result. We’ve all learned a lot along the way.

Terri and Jeff have worked tirelessly to develop relationships with many other local small business owners to source all the quality products for their unique gift boxes. They’ve dedicated many weekends at vendor fairs and events selling and gettting the word out about their new business. As you can see, the boxes are gorgeous. What you may not see is the excellent quality of each item and how delicious they are!

Want to make someone’s holiday extra special, show you care, and save time on shopping, wrapping, and mailing? Try Monji Gifts!

Please see my photos of Terri and Jeff’s beautiful gift boxes at https://monjigifts.com/ . Here are some of my photos of the Monji seasonal boxes:

Gourmet Hot Chocolate Box

Sleigh Ride Box

Happy Holidays Box

Photo art of YOUR favorite things, created just for YOU! (The anatomy of a composite)

I’ve had an idea for awhile… to create whimsical, colorful wall art for my clients incorporating the things they love most: their pets, their house, and items that mean something to them. Here’s an example of my concept, taken apart so you can see how I create the artistic photo, otherwise know as a composite.

First I start by taking a photo of the house:

Then I photograph the pet:

I also photograph some of the client’s favorite items plus other things that match a color scheme:

Once I have all the photos for the composite, I begin putting them together using Photoshop:

I add the pet, plus more items and details:

I’m in the process of ordering a large version of this to display in my home. Can’t wait to hang it!

In this particular instance, and since it was about my family, I took the concept a bit further and created a holiday card.

I took individual family photos:

Then I added each family member where I thought they would fit best. Of course I took the photos with an idea in mind of where they would be placed in the composite. I added shadowing so the fantastical/unreal photo would have a realistic quality:

And since I used our photo for a holiday card, I added text:

If you would like your own unique, personally created wall art to hang in your home, let me know!

Happy New Year!!

Certified!! ...again!!

I’m thrilled to announce that, after completing an intensive program which required a written examination and an image evaluation measuring my artistic and technical competence, I have earned the Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) designation from Professional Photographers of America (PPA)!! PPA currently recognizes fewer than 2,500 CPPs. This is in addition to the professional certificate I earned back in 2008 after completing an 18 month training program in digital photography from The Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Waltham, MA.

Me and my photogenic pup, Reggie Mack.