I second shot another wedding this past weekend and am SUPER excited to start sorting through all of the images! I’ll be sharing my favorites soon!
In the meantime, here are some images from a past second shooting gig, again with the fabulous Rachel Hadiashar of MERGEweddings.com. This was Aimee and Adam’s wedding in Connecticut last fall.
It’s been somewhat of an emotionally stressful week for me. It all began with a crummy mood last Friday which seemed to only get worse. The rain had been nonstop too, so I’m sure that was not helping (and it definitely was doing nothing for my hair!). However, I’ve been coming across little signs these past few days that make me think that maybe life is on my side, and that it’s singing into my ear, “Come on, get happy!” in its attempts to raise my spirits.
The signs:
*I passed by the Boston Common on Saturday afternoon and stumbled upon this and was unexpectedly reminded that life is good (okay, I suppose it doesn’t get any more obvious than that!). It’s hard to be upset when you see the community come together to promote the spreading of good vibes. I even snagged a silicone wristband that’s imprinted with the words “How will you use your optimism today?” and have been wearing it since as a reminder for myself to think positively. And, what do you know, it’s working!
*Earlier this week I had the opportunity to view a screening of My Sister’s Keeper (adapted from the book by Jodi Picoult), a pretty realistic depiction of pediatric cancer and the impact it can have on a family. I work in a pediatric division of a cancer hospital but, being on the research end of it, I don’t really have face time with patients and only see them in passing. The film gave me a glimpse of what the patients and families here might go through on a daily basis. Definitely not a pick-me-up of course, but it did highlight the fact that, really, I have SO much to be thankful for–not just my physical health, but also the people I am honored to call family and friends, the roof I have over my head, the freedom I have to pursue my interests, and the list goes on. So it was a much-needed dose of perspective.
*Wednesday night I attended a positive psychology talk by Harvard lecturer Tal Ben-Shahar (you’ve probably come across his book on happiness) that reminded me that we all have the tools inside us to reduce stress, live healthier, and just be happier. While I already practice a lot of the things that were recommended, it was good to get a little nudge to be more mindful about them and to help myself when I know I need it, instead of spending too much time dwelling on the bad. Positive psychology seems a bit like common sense, but it’s just merging empirical research with the accessible ideas in the self-help books we see everywhere these days. Maybe it’s the psychology major in me (or the Oprah-lover in me ;), but I’m all for it!
Something else that was reinforced at the talk, and that brought things back full circle to the message on my wristband, was that if you appreciate the good, the good appreciates. So, if any of you out there have been feeling crummy as of late, take some time to breathe and re-evaluate what you’re focusing your energy on and make any appropriate changes. Life’s too short to be focusing on the bad or causing yourself undue stress. There’s so much to be grateful for, to smile about, and to celebrate.
And I will end with this: a photo of my nephew, B. Here is one little guy I am so thankful for, always smiling about, and definitely celebrating–especially in a couple of weeks, when he turns 1 year old! :)
Anh and Huy both grew up in Vietnam but met in the UK (in a stairwell, of all places!) while Huy was at Oxford and Anh was studying abroad from the US. They discovered they had mutual friends, started seeing other, and then parted ways with the promise that they would make it work despite the distance. Soon Huy moved to the States, but they were still living hundreds of miles apart, Huy in Boston and Anh in DC. Eventually, Anh moved up here as well, and finally they were both in the same city, even attending the same graduate school (MIT).
I love their story, as it spans several countries and cities, but I also love the serendipitous encounter they had in the stairwell. With things like that I often wonder if it really is mere chance or if it’s something closer to kismet. My ears always perk when I hear any semblance of a coincidence (“What are the chances??” or “It’s a sign!!” is typically my immediate reaction). So imagine my surprise when, in getting to know Anh, we learned that we went to college right down the road from each other! She attended Swarthmore while I was at Haverford, both tiny liberal arts colleges in the suburbs of Philadelphia. What are the chances?? ;) Our alma maters have a close relationship so we had visited each other’s campuses many times, and we may have even crossed paths once before our first meeting. Fun to think about.
Anh and Huy found out about me from my previous engagement couple, Yen and An, so they decided to take from their example and start the shoot around the Public Gardens. We then took a stroll through the nice neighborhoods in Back Bay. Here are some of my favorites!
Thanks, Anh and Huy, for a great shoot! I know you’ll have a fabulous celebration in Vietnam next month, hopefully with some lobster on the menu! ;)
OPEN POSTI’m in the process of editing this session but thought I’d give a little preview since I came across this one that I love of Anh and Huy strolling through the Public Gardens!
More to come, soon!
OPEN POSTYen contacted me recently about getting some pre-wedding images of her and An in Boston before they officially tied the knot in Vietnam at the end of June. She was envisioning a Beacon Hill backdrop, which I was very excited about. I’d passed it on many occasions but had never stopped to photograph there, and, really, my mouth was watering just thinking about the red brick alleys and flower pots lining the shuttered windows! Beacon Hill is gorgeous, and there are always fun details around every corner, so I was praying I could do it justice.
I like this little series. And I love that they wanted to have some fun during the session despite their formal attire. :) We did many, many jumping shots that day!
Yen and An did a little tour of Beacon Hill before our shoot to scope out the area. The one thing they knew they wanted photos of was this yummy yellow house, which I’m so glad they found!
We then headed over to the Public Gardens to capture these last few images.
Thank you so much again, Yen and An, for this amazing session and for letting me explore Beacon Hill with you!
OPEN POST