Monthly Archives: December 2007

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Annelena and John - ending the year on a high note!

December 31, 2007 – 5:54 pm

We just finished a great engagement session with Annelena and John. Their session turns out to be our very last session for 2007 and definitely let us finish the year on a high note! And as a great coincidence, Annelena and John will be our first wedding of 2008 in just a couple of months!

We met Annelena and her mom a few months ago, but didn’t actually get to meet John until just this past weekend. Although they will be getting married here in Boston, they actually live in New York. So when they made the trip back to Boston this week for a family wedding, they thought it would be a great time to get together with us as well! We had an amazing time with both of them and now we really can’t wait for the wedding! (And the great news is that we won’t have to wait too long for it!)

Because we got together later in the afternoon, we were able to do something a little bit different and had part of their session in the bright daytime sun and part of their session in the evening darkness. With all of the Christmas lights still up in Boston, it made for some great backdrops! So here comes a whole bunch of images that give you a glimpse into our afternoon!

We literally met in front of a hotel in downtown Boston and just walked around following the light. It was so much fun exploring streets and alleys that we had never used before!

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We found a school that had some very cool, bold colors outside and Annelena was completely loving this mural so we spent a lot of time around here with all the different things we had to play with!

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The other thing you should know is that Annelena has the most amazingly gorgeous eyes. I’m quite sure she’s thoroughly sick of hearing me tell her that every five seconds but I just couldn’t resist. Every time I’d see them, I’d fall in love all over again…

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And just as the sun was dipping below the horizon we walked past a gritty alley that was still wet from the showers we got early in the day. So perfect!

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A million thank yous to Annelena and John for having so much fun with us!! And this is just a prelude to the amazing day we’ll all have in just a few months at the wedding! We are just so excited and can’t wait to see you guys very soon!

By tiradophoto | Posted in main | Comments (0)

Red m&ms in my dressing room, please!

December 20, 2007 – 1:03 pm

So just when we thought we had enough excitement going on in our lives these days….

As many of you already know, we we honored to win the Best of Boston award this year for Best Photographer. That was probably one of the most exciting news we’ve had in our professional careers! And what a year it’s been since then! We’ve moved into our brand new studio in Peabody Square and we’re getting ready to launch all kinds of new features and products for the new year.

In the middle of all of this excitement, we received a phone call from the executive producer of a television show being launched in the spring. They are working in conjunction with Boston Magazine and want to feature a Best of Boston winner in each episode. Guess why they were calling us?? They asked if we’d be willing to sit down for an interview with them and that they’d also like to see us “in action” photographing a couple in our usual style. How incredibly exciting is that? Of course we agreed to it and once we had a date set, Rene and I began working nonstop to make sure the studio would be ready in time.

Not only that, but we needed to find a couple to photograph! We knew we wanted a couple that was fun, energetic, very cool and that wouldn’t mind being in front of two cameras (Rene’s and mine) as well ohhhhh an entire film crew as well. Well, we knew immediately that the perfect couple would be Colleen and Todd. You’ll remember them from their hot engagement session in downtown Boston this past summer which you can see here. So when we called them up to see if they were up for another session with us, and this time one that New England would get to see, they agreed practically before we even finished asking them! We were so unbelievably excited! Last Thursday was the big day and we all met here at the studio and had such an amazing time.

We also thought it would be fun to post some “behind the scenes” footage here on the blog so here goes!

The day started with the film crew interviewing both Rene and I about how we got started, our roles in the studio and how we work with our couples and families. When we originally agreed to the interview, silly me assumed we’d be interviewed together. But not a chance. And I have a feeling you’re really going to be able to tell how different our personalities are. I probably laughed and used my hands as if conducting an orchestra through the entire interview, while Rene was his usual calm, very cool and romantic self. We can’t wait to see the final result! So here is some behind the scenes footage. First this was Rene being interviewed by the film crew. They had him stand on a step ladder so they could place him in front of the giant prints hanging on one of the walls behind him…

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Next the film crew wanted to watch us have some fun with Colleen and Todd. We had never photographed a couple in our building (since we’ve just moved in). But we wanted to prove that you can really take gorgeous images anywhere. You don’t actually need to have a beautiful park or typical scenery to create great images. Our studio is an old mill that has been restored. The mill is part of an industrial complex - admittedly not that pretty at all. There’s not a tree to be found around here and actually, you’ll see more trucks and machinery than flowers and grass! But - the lighting here is phenomenal. And THAT is all we need! We started the shoot by using part of our studio that is flooded with some great natural light:

Rene doing a little directing…

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Trying to get a little height while the film crew is doing the exact opposite…

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Now you may remember that last Thursday was also the day we had our first real big snowstorm! And it started just as we were finishing our shoot, so you KNOW Rene and I couldn’t resist taking advantage of it. So off we all went outside to get some of these great shots:

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A huge, huge thank you to Colleen and Todd for coming out and having so much fun with us. And we haven’t even photographed their wedding yet!! We just can’t get enough of these guys and really want to thank you again for being up for anything with us!

As for the actual video segment, we hear that it will be ready in just a couple of weeks, so we’ll be sure to post the final result right here!

By tiradophoto | Posted in main | Comments (2)

Colleen and Jay - an elegant evening in the city

December 14, 2007 – 6:46 pm

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I have to say… if Rene and I were to do it all again and if we were to have our wedding in the city, Colleen and Jay probably planned their wedding exactly as we would have. What an amazing day from beginning to end! There’s no better way to express it than with a sampling of some of our favorite images. So here goes!

I started the day with Colleen and her family and bridesmaids at a beautiful penthouse that was owned by Jay’s brother and wife. The views were just stunning and it was truly the perfect way to begin getting ready for the wedding. The thing about getting ready in a penthouse is that you’re typically high above the other buildings around you. For a photographer, that translates into GORGEOUS lighting. The sun also happened to be setting at that time and so I was literally bouncing around with excitement. And in between my bounces I was able to take these…

I love details…like the perfume Colleen wore that day:

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And speaking of… here is the absolutely stunning Colleen herself:

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Meanwhile, Rene was just a few blocks away from with us with Jay and all of his groomsmen getting ready. Although he did find someone who was a little less than enthused about all of the commotion:

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And since we were all so close to the church, the guys decided skip the transportation and walk the few blocks instead:

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Not only was the entire day amazing, but we’re also completely jealous of their honeymoon location, too! They’re currently enjoying an extended trip to South Africa! We’re just so excited to hear all about it when they come back home! Have a great time, guys!

Some of the other vendors that Colleen and Jay used were:

Coordinator: Trends and Traditions - Jenny and her staff are just phenomenal. We’ve worked with them before and we can’t say enough about the incredible amount of work they put into every wedding. They truly made this into the perfect evening for Colleen and Jay!

Florist: Jennifer Cahill, The Tangled Web. We’ve loved Jennifer’s work for years and actually use her ourselves whenever we need a florist! Her talent is just amazing - and she’s the sweetest person to work with, too!!

Band: Kahootz. What can we say? We have been the biggest fan of Kahootz for years. We always joke around with them that we’re their groupies. They’re truly an incredible band and keep the reception going all evening long. The energy these guys have is amazing and their talent is what makes them our favorite band!

By tiradophoto | Posted in main | Comments (0)

Vanessa and Mike’s winter celebration

December 14, 2007 – 4:54 pm

Vanessa and Mike planned a gorgeous wedding last weekend at the Topsfield Commons on the north shore. They decided to have both their ceremony and their reception at the Commons and it turned into such an amazing evening! The day began when Vanessa arrived at the Topsfield Commons to finish getting ready and soon after Mike and his groomsmen arrived as well. And since Vanessa and Mike had decided that they wanted to see each other privately before the ceremony, they asked Rene and I to help make it all happen for them. When everything was finally in place, Vanessa and I just needed to wait patiently for Mike and Rene to enter the bridal suite. I have to tell you… those last few minutes while we were waiting was just torture! But when the door finally opened, it was all completely worth it! And here was that very real moment:

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Afterwards, we were able to have some fun with Vanessa and Mike and with their own portraits. We took most of them right in the bridal suite because it had everything we needed: beautiful lighting and most of all a gorgeous happy couple!

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Rene also just couldn’t resist playing with Vanessa’s beautiful long veil:

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One of our favorite images was taken later on in the evening. Mike and his groomsmen all had cigars and the original plan was to just take a photo with them but not light them until the very end of the evening. But no one could resist and Rene and the guys headed outside (in the freezing cold!) and the result is a great shot of the guys showing off all of their personalities!

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It was such an amazing evening from the moment Vanessa slipped into her wedding dress to the very last song when everyone suddenly crowded to the center of the dance floor for a giant group hug around Vanessa and Mike. We are just so happy that we were able to be a part of it with them!

I also wanted to make a note of the impeccable timing that these two have. They actually delayed their honeymoon to Mexico for one week… which means that as the rest of us are digging out from this giant snowstorm, Vanessa and Mike are enjoying their favorite beverage next to the aqua blue water in Mexico! We hope you’re having an amazing time!!

By tiradophoto | Posted in main | Comments (0)