3 Simple ways to dress up your existing artwork

You've made the leap to printing photographs and acquiring artwork. You've seen the difference that framing makes and have become a believer! Yet, somehow it's not all coming together? We've assembled a few really simple, very applicable ways to take you from your next-level status to pro.

1. Hanging & displaying 

To start with the simplest fix, or perhaps the one that will reassure you that you're not too off path, let's start with hanging and displaying!

One of the quickest ways to dignify your artwork is by displaying it! Perhaps the trickiest part is deciding where you'll display your artwork. Will it hang in a living room with contemporary decor or a sunroom filled with wicker?  Is it going to be part of a gallery display, or will it be the focal piece of a professional office?

After selecting your location, you're well on your way! Make sure you've got your proper hanging tools (largely dependent on the size and weight of the piece). Lighter pieces will often only require hammer and nail - while larger pieces may require multiple nails, special hooks - and of coarse a pencil and tape measure. When in doubt reach out to a professional.

2. Color, style and consistency

Much before hanging and displaying come in to play, comes the task of selecting the perfect look for your artwork. This is largely founded, not surprisingly, on your own personal style! Slick plastic, metals and polished frames work well with contemporary styles; barn wood, deep grains and earth tones often compliment a more natural look.

Making frame and mat choices that coordinate with the art is paramount to complimenting, rather than competing. When selecting your mats and frames, look at your artwork, choose the element you'd like to call out, then match shades and styles to that element.

3. Matting 101

Speaking of mats, let's dig in a little, shall we? One or more mats offer depth to any framed piece; along with a bit of color and space to breathe.

Mat boards come in hundreds of colors, materials and textures. Well chosen mats enhance artwork by offering itself as a transition into a room's decor. The wider a mat, of this lovely breathing room which enables you to focus on the art itself much more easily.

If you decide to opt out of matting framed artwork, consider a wider frame. Narrow, mattless frames often look skimpy and are insufficient to the job of holding up a design. Since you won't have a mat as desired breathing room, you'll find a nice, wide frame creates a similar visual separation from its surroundings.

If you have any questions please feel free to pick our brains via email or in the comments section below! We also LOVE seeing framed artwork and what you're collecting so please share #bflbringsbeautyhome!

Inspired by the Moment: Second Pregnancy Maternity Photos

I don't know. 

For some reason during my first pregnancy the idea of maternity photos didn't bond well to me.

Maybe I didn't think I was important enough. Maybe I couldn't find the right photographer. Or maybe it was that I wasn't thinking far enough outside the box to have a concept or visual for them that excited me enough to make it happen.

Whatever the reason, they never happened. Not really anyway.

I did end up with a few "nice" iPhone/self-timer photos here and there throughout it - so I can prove that it's happened and I've done it (pregnancy that is). And I did compel my husband toward the very end, when the "now or never"  started clearing the horizon - to take a few, fairly unbeautiful photos - no fault of his own - the conditions were horrible - tiny bathroom, night time, tungsten lighting and a very tired pregnant me at the very end of the day.

So - perhaps needless to say - this time around I've realized the value of taking the time, effort and vulnerability to make some effort toward documenting and art-ing up this time of life. 

Past experience (explained above) plus my sweet little lamb of a two-year-old was what I needed to get over myself and give in.

As the day approached, I'd had some concept in my mind of what I wanted these photos to be. More "family" with a belly sure to get in here and there every once in a while. I wanted a lot of love, snuggles and beautiful, poetic smooshing between my husband, our son, and me.

I drew up some ideas to help translate all this to Alicia who would be taking the photos for us. She's great for wrapping her mind around whatever wild ideas I bring to her. I challenge you to challenge her!

Two days before the shoot, with a few ideas and sketches out in the open (I should mention here that the sketches were also helpful to share with my husband - you know - being married and on the same page is always a good thing), I sat on the couch with my son. We'd found some stickers and were keeping busy peeling and sticking them all over the place.

After a short while "all over the place" became "all over my belly" and I realized this was the perfect scenario for taking some unabashed "belly shots".

I wasn't 100% sure a recreation could actually happen because, well, have you ever met a two year old? But luckily the sticker-phenomenon was still fresh and genuine two days later (really, you never know!) and we made some of the most beautiful and true-to-us photos of this pregnancy and I couldn't be happier.

Remember what I said about challenging Alicia?

The One and Only Checklist You Need to Be 100% Prepared for Your Maternity Session

This is supposed to be fun! We think you will find it much more fun than you are anticipating. It will be like a trial for your newborn session. Our couples who have maternity sessions are PROS by their newborn and family sessions, and it shows!

Some things to consider before booking your maternity session, would be to browse different avenues for inspiration and get a good feel for what you like and what you'd like your maternity photos to look like.  You can peruse Pinterest for ideas, research different photographer's blogs and portfolios, or even sketch ideas you have in your own head! 

After you book with your photographer, whether it’s us or someone else, you’ll need to start thinking about when you want your maternity session to be done. Most couples prefer to have their maternity portraits done around 36 weeks. This timeframe ensures you'll be looking wonderfully "due" but also eliminate the possibility that you'll miss the window of opportunity FOR maternity photos. You also have to take your photographer’s availability into consideration. We only book 2 sessions per week and we only shoot portrait sessions on weekdays. This will vary with every photographer and every season.

1. Outfits : Most women have two outfits (at least two different looks) per session.  The outfits you choose will depend on what type of look you're going for.  Do you want to be in a formal dress on the beach?  Do you want more of a silhouette look in the comfort of your own home?  Do you want to highlight a particular part of your personality? With family in the photos with you, the BEST advice we can give about outfit selection is to COORDINATE rather than matching (with your husband or your family).  Think color palette when picking outfits. What "coordinates" for one family, may not be what "coordinates" for another - this is just one more way your style is unique and shown through your portraits.

What colors look best on you and your fiancé and what colors go well with the decor of your home?  It's nice to think about that, so when it comes time to hang them on your wall, it compliments the rest of your aesthetic. Rules of thumb: stay away from really tiny patterns (they won’t show up in your images); avoid t-shirts with writing on them (unless it is intentional).  Layered pieces are great as they add or subtract to change a look.  In the end, what matters most is that you look like YOU and feel comfortable!  

2. Preparing your Family: You know your husband better than anyone else, so only you can help prepare him for this shoot. If your husband is completely unaware of this style of photography, he is going to think it’s really strange when we tell him to get really close to you and squeeze together as close as possible!  He may only be expecting a few pictures smiling at the camera, showing off the baby bump, and that’s it! So it’s your job to explain to him why you love this style of photography and help him know what to expect!  If you have older children that are going to be in the photographs as well, it is best that we work around them and how their feeling, rather than forcing them into situations that they will not be happy in.

3. Relax & Trust Your Photographer : As you’re preparing for your maternity session, remember that your photographer doesn’t expect you to be a pro at this. We work with normal, everyday, wonderful women & families ALL the time. We hardly ever work with models! We notice that with most of our couples it takes a good 20 minutes to warm up at the beginning of their shoot. So, relax and don’t be nervous. You’re going to be great at this! Trust your photographer, allow them to be creative and you’ll have an amazing shoot. We guarantee you will leave thinking "Man, that was actually way more fun than I thought it would be!"

4. Be on Time: This is really important. What most couples don’t realize is that natural light photographers are 100% dependent on the sun and if their couples show up late, they will lose that amount of time during their session due to the lack of light. We totally realize that things happen beyond our control, like massive amounts of traffic and accidents. Whenever possible, be on time so that you don’t lose any of your shooting time and pretty sunlight.

5. Location and Time: The best time to shoot any portraits is normally 1-2 hours after sunrise and 1-2 hours before sunset. This rule of thumb can be applied to any time of the year. When it comes to picking the location for your portraits, we love shooting maternity sessions in locations that mean something to our clients! We understand that this isn’t always possible, but we like to throw it out there. Like your outfits, selecting a location is yet another opportunity to express the style and tastes you hold as an individual/family.

6. Hair, Makeup: Some women opt to have their hair and makeup done right before their maternity session so that they are looking and feeling their best.  We highly recommend this!  If you want to do your own makeup, make sure you apply your eye makeup a little heavier than normal for your pictures. 

7. Outcome: Last but not least, think about what you want the outcome of your photographs to look like and how you're going to apply them to your life! What will you do with them? Do you want to have a few prints to give or frame? A nicely framed photograph for your bedroom?  A display of photographs in your baby's nursery? A custom photobook to give your husband?  

These are all really great options, so it's nice to have an idea of which direction you're going to head in before your photoshoot arrives so that you and your photographer can plan accordingly.

It's supposed to be fun. Don't worry if you don't feel like a pro; we're here to hold your hand and guide you along. Just follow these 7 pointers and you will be enjoying fantastic maternity photos in no time!

Motherhood: The joys, challenges, and microwaved coffee.

I don't remember what movie/tv show I'm pulling this from (7 months pregnant and the fog has settled), but the guy says [about fatherhood] "Think of every trite thing you've ever heard - they're all true".

...and damn, it is so true.

Wrapping your mind around being a parent is ongoing I think. It's been that way for me. 

Smacks me in the forehead every couple weeks.

Confronts me.

Challenges and delights me.

The amazing, amazing mystery-slash-science-slash-miracle that is the creation process of human life takes my mind for a spin each and every time I approach thinking about it.

Which is pretty often.

Pregnancy has me scouring the internet hungry for any and every documentary/ science film I can find that will clue me in on what in the WORLD is going on within the universe of my body right now.

Life teaches us a lot in a couple years - if we're open to it.

This round of baby-building, I find myself more aware - and sensitive - to the incredible privilege that the activity is.

Heart ache ensues instantly thinking of those for which and with which we've sobbed - for the short life of babies en utero and those whose lives were just too short, short, shortly lived.

Each moment is so wildly precious.

It's the tv-time granted, special (turned daily) treats, and giving in. The moments that trick me into feeling guilty. But they are precious.

The 6-berry smoothie scientifically poured over the upholstered chair that shouldn't have been there in the first place; setting up fort in the not-clean fireplace; microwaving my coffee back to drinkable again. The moments that make me want to scream. Precious.

Play-all-day-clean-the-kitchen-prep-dinner-make-dinner-clean-kitchen-again-pj/toothbrush-wrestle-4-book-bedtime-6-song-outro bedtime routine (all while pregnant); never-went-fully-to-sleep and up-at-six and ready to go! The moments that make me beyond exhausted... yes. Precious.

Oooh, the struggle for balance. The circling questions: am I working too much? Am I working enough? Is my kid getting enough of me? Too much of me? Is the house clean? Does it matter? Is the laundry done? Probably not.  is my husband getting enough of me? My list goes on as I'm sure yours does too.

I hope this Mother's Day you find a quite microwave-minute to meditate on the joys, meanings, consequences and beyonds of motherhood.

Yes. Gosh, yes. It is a constant learning experience. A constant balance act.

But you know what? you are doing enough and you are doing an amazing job. There's no better mom for you babies than you.

But look at me - young mother for sure. 

And I haven't even reached the thought-threshold of being mothered.

All my own mother has done over the years - even just the stuff I can relate to - never mind the 27+ years experience she has beyond me that I'll only one day be able to commiserate and celebrate along side her with.

But that is the truth and beauty of motherhood.

Give.

Give and give.

Enjoying and finding the beauty of giving.

The gift of selflessness (ever, ever growing).

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The most amazing special to date has been sent out to inboxes everywhere! But only to those on our list. 

I won't go into detail. We'll send the offer out once more next week, so if you aren't on our list yet, now is the time to join.

(You don't have to be a mom to enjoy this one!)

Which Client-Style Are You?

It's no secret, I'm a loyal Starbucksian.

Beyond the irresistible sugar/caffeine high via their perfectly designed, ever-evolving packaging, is the fact that I can order some completely-personalized item from them without the bat of the eye. Iced, grande, half-caff, caramel macchiato, half the vanilla, extra caramel.

I love shopping. But more specifically, I love shopping where I not only feel appreciated, but also catered to. Where my experience is allowed to be personalized - and where that personalization is welcomed with wide-open arms.

A lot of stores are simply off my list because the policies override the customer needs. That doesn't feel very neighborhoody to me. And that neighborhoody/ everybody-knows-your-name atmosphere is everything.

We've found that of all our favorite clients, really no two are exactly alike. Some come to us only wanting to show up looking and feeling their best; while others come to pre-consultations eager to share Pin Boards, bios and outfit choices. We love you all.

Which client-style are you?

The Visionary

Often times you are a fellow artist or craft enthusiast. Filled with strong ideas and tastes. Armed with sketches, stories or Pin Boards, but always knowing exactly what you're looking for in your photographs, and have an exact idea in mind of what you'd like the end product to look - and feel - like.

The Giver

Like the name suggests, you have a gift-list and we're probably on it! Viewing & Ordering appointments are your heaven and also where your check list is accomplished line by line. One is not enough and the photographs are always for the whole community, not just your immediate household.  You know how to seize the opportunity of using your photographs for just about everything (holidays, birthdays, wedding thank-you's and now that you're thinking about it... Mother's and Father's Day)!

The Minimalist

Whittle down 200 photographs to just one? Not a problem for The Minimalist. If you're a Minimalist Client you are on the hunt for that one perfect photograph to frame and you frame it large. You know that the next session will fill in any temporal gap in your home gallery and the wait does not bother you. The anticipation of the next perfect purchase only adds to the fun of it all.

The Tactician

Sure, you could use this item for that, but why stop there?! As a Tactician, you are looking for multiple uses for your photographs and even the items that you order. You are creative and resourceful and enjoy dreaming up endless possibilities.  

One such client has ordered numerous photographs from her engagement session and is cleverly using them as wedding decor! Post-reception they'll double as thank-you-gifts to select family and friends... and of coarse keep a few for herself ;)

The Traditionalist

You honor tradition and value the tried-and-true. You see the wisdom in comfort and invite it into your home.  You frame just enough from your session and in traditional/classic frames that allow the moments to shine; saving room - and time - for the next milestone.

The Eclectic

Old ideas out. New ideas in. Open to experimenting and wanting nothing you've seen before. Though we work with renowned master framers, your tastes generally collide and triumph their advice in your quest of communicating your own strong sense of style and anthropology...but trust us, we delight in your strong, and often unusual decisions!  

The Experientialist

From start to finish, you don't want to miss a beat. You love to fully understand and involve yourself in each step of the experience. You're along for the process and enjoy the photography as much as all it took to create it.  You are more than willing to partake in a pre-consultation before your shoot, fully enjoy the viewing and ordering process, take us up on our expertise of framing and matting, and happily invite us to come into your home to install your beautiful new additions with precision!

Whichever category - or categories - you find yourself fitting into, be there boldly. We implore you! Like your favorite local spot, we insist there is not only room for your style, but cause for it to be celebrated and catered to.

Your individuality keeps us on our toes, challenged and sharp! It's the beautiful element that keeps us growing creatively... an organic cycle of individuality nurturing individuality.

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Win Now!

We'd love to have the opportunity to create something completely unique for you! Be sure to enter for a chance to win $300 to our studio by following the instructions on our Facebook or Instagram page. Just look for this post once you get there:

Find this post on our Facebook page (or Instagram) for full information on entering to win $300 to Bluefly Lens! Good luck. We can't wait to work with you in the future!

Intimate relationships, intimate photographs: A Family Session at Wachusett Audubon

Can we just talk, for a moment, about how wonderful confidence and self-assurance are?

Wonderful to radiate and wonderful to be in the presence of.

Every time I'm called up by Beatrice to photograph her and her family I'm beyond thrilled. She's what I'd call a client crush.  

We're super lucky Alicia and I. Our little black book is filled with clients like her that bring that je n'sais pas to the table every. time.

It's our joy to brainstorm as artists, as photographers and as a team with clients - it's the whole pre-consultation-y portion of our magic process. And it thrills my soul when far more appears at the shoot than what we sketched out before hand. It never gets old.

Chemistry, at least in non-scientific terms, can't be faked. It's what it is and it can be nothing else.

If you want artwork of your family that shows a close-knit, beautiful, unpoken-yet-seen love (and obviously you do), it needs to actually exist. Sure, I guess if Pinterest-perusers come across a seemingly happy-go-lucky family that actually isn't, they may never know the difference; but your family artwork (photographs) aren't for other people. They're for you.

When Alicia & I are given the gift of photographing beautiful relationships - family's that are close - I love to bring them physically close.

Common catch phrases have become "Smush! Smush!" and "hug till it's ugly" - inevitably a hug like that never is [ugly]. It's always deeply, emotionally beautiful and moving.

This refocus from "smile for the camera" to "hug till your face hurts" - in the context of relationships that matter - brings forth the chemistry and drowns out any sense of performance.

These tend to be the shots.

And in a context of hiring-for-services this is a feat we rejoice in as artists, as photographers and with clients.

Let's start creating your family artwork:

Love is in the Details: Newborn Session

I finally got to sit in on another photoshoot with N+A and it was CUTER THAN CUTE!  This time the subject was Mila Rose’s newborn pictures.  She was kind enough to let her parents, Athena and Justin, jump in a couple pics but there was no mistake who the star of the show was.  

From the bows, to the rose prints to the bum-ruffles, the best part of this photoshoot was the outfits and accessories!  Let me just ask here and now, why doesn’t anyone put bum-ruffles on adult leggings?  I can’t think of anything cuter or more flattering to any toosh.  I need some.

A lot of the outfits were actually Mila’s but I know from my boo’s photoshoot the girls bring a lot of their own stuff.  I love that photo locations are sort of dictated by the outfit of the moment.  For instance, mom wanted special photos of just her and Mila and she had the perfect rose swaddle that was used (how fitting since her name is Mila Rose)!   They used a guest bedroom that had beautiful rose patterned pillows to accentuate the swaddle.  The bum-ruffles maybe wouldn’t have gone as perfectly with the bedding as the rose print did.  Thankfully, Nina and Alicia also have an eye for switching things up when necessary.  Taking pillows from another room, swapping out a throw blanket for another or adding accessories like teddy bears can create a ton of different looks for a picture.

In another newborn shoot I was at, the dad was laughing when he got home in the middle of the session.  He said he always know when Alicia has been in the house because their house is redecorated and the my bedding is changed.  That day, Alicia had switched their bedding from a paisley print to white with pops of teal in accent pillows and throw blankets.  It would have been a little busy for pictures so thankfully N+A to the rescue to switch things up.

WriteTo the contrary, N+A are also huge fans of plain, plain, plain.  Sometimes the best pictures lack the fancy stuff!  The baby is captivating enough so why not leave her as she is?  Pictures in just a diaper, or even a daring birthday suit, are so timeless and beautiful.  One of my favorite looks was the black and whites of Mila and her dad.  It’s amazing to see how dainty she is in his big hands (not to mention Justin is taller than the average man so the scale between him and Mila showed how tiny she is). 

Last and most importantly, mom wanted a great family photo of the three of them.  She wanted something that looked natural.  When she was viewing the photos at the viewing & ordering appointment the one she loved the most, was one that she said portrayed the three of them in a position that she said they are in quite often when it’s just the three of them; laying on their bed, admiring their sweet baby girl that they can’t get enough of!  The home is absolutely beautiful, with TONS of beautiful open walls.  We just can’t wait to see where they put these photographs!

How do you choose the right photographer for you?

If you're like me, you probably haven't worked with a ton of photographers in your life. 

My first experience with photography was when my mom would dress my sister and I as twins (even though we are close to two years apart) and then hire a photographer to come to the house and make our family portraits. 

I don't remember much about the photographers, but I do remember being less than thrilled when family-portrait-time came around.

In high school I had braces all 4 years.  Let’s just say, I definitely didn't peak until my 20s. 

When senior picture time was upon me, I went with the school recommended photographer because, hey, why not?  I didn't know a good photographer from a bad one - and, although we weren't forced to use the suggested company, everyone else was doing it. 

He had me pose in the exact same places as every other girl in my class. 

There was no consultation, asking me for my vision.  There was hardly any communication at all, actually. Though, I do remember him letting me know he could "only work with what he was given".  Well, I’m still unsure of what that means, but I feel like it was intended to offend me.

Fast forward to my engagement pictures.

Nina and Alicia had not teamed up yet, and in fact, Nina was still living in Chicago.  We scheduled the photoshoot for a time we would both be in Worcester, Massachusetts, around Thanksgiving. 

My husband was in the Air Force at the time, so we wanted pictures with his uniform on.  We were going for an old-time-sort-of look, but I wasn't exactly sure what that meant to me. 

Nina ended up finding this gorgeous old church and a gigantic American flag mural for locations. 

Believe me when I tell you, these were hands down the first pictures ever taken of me that I whole heartedly LOVED. 

The work she put in, finding the perfect backdrops, meant so much to me.  The photos were so much more meaningful and unbelievably custom. They were everything. 

Since then, I have never had a need to find another photographer.

I can almost hear your thoughts as you're reading this, cursing me for being biased because Nina and Alicia are old friends. But you're wrong.  I am for sure lucky that I knew these girls, but trust me when I say they treat ALL their clients like they are old friends. 

Their meetings and photoshoots seems more like girlfriend brunch sessions with cameras (coffees and assorted breakfast treats often included). 

One client told me the girls sent him beard cream because they saw it and thought of him. First of all, yes, beard cream, and second of all….no, I don't know any other photographers who would do something like that. But then again, why shouldn't they?

Why shouldn't a photographer send a card or a gift to a client during the stressful time of wedding planning? Why shouldn't a photographer treat you like a best friend? This person is sharing some of life’s most intimate moments with you, so they sure as heck better treat you like a friend! 

Aside from obvious things like reputation and availability, there are a few other things you might want to consider when choosing a photographer. 

Finding someone who does a pre-consultation is a huge opportunity to express the vision you have.  Finding someone who’s style you like is pretty obvious too, but what defines style? 

Photography reflects the eye, the perception, and the creativity of the photographer. Their style will be defined in the angles they choose, their compositions, their edits, the rules they follow or choose to creatively break, and the mood and tone they convey with their sessions with you.  

So to conclude, find a photographer you vibe with. Find a photographer who listens to your vision and then takes it to the next level. Find a photographer who sends you beard cream.