Memory Art Photography

2009 Senior Season

My first session back from maternity leave was a great one!  Meet my two Class of 2009 senior representatives.  I love shooting rep sessions because I get to play and do some fun shots just for me.  L. was a sport (literally) about working with me to get the perfect cheer shot, and E. was a trooper w/her trash the dress attitude by wading in the stream (yes, we do have some shots where she is knee deep in the water).

I'm also kicking off the new fall season with a brand new website at http://teyaphoto.com!

Please give it a look to see new session types and details and bunches of new gallery images.  I'd love to hear what you think and will give the first two new clients who book an on-location session through the website contact form a complimentary digital file from your session (use it on your holiday cards or facebook or to send to friends!).

Eight Days Old

I think I will advise all my newborn clients from now on that eight days is definitely the sweet spot!  My new little girl slept well for us, and, I feel like it might have been the best time to take pictures of me with the baby too: my skin hadn't yet broken out, and my baby belly had shrunk enough where I wouldn't have looked like I was still pregnant.

Here are my two girls:

and one of Corinna alone:

and Ainsley, being a goofball in Corinna's basket:

the new Teyaphoto baby!

I know many of you have been waiting for news, so I wanted to post that our new daughter, Corinna, was born this weekend.  Thank you for all the well wishes!

Aside from a few loose ends (thank you for your patience!), I will be taking the summer off to spend with my husband and two daughters.  I'm taking bookings for the July and later during this time.  I look forward to seeing you all again soon and will update the blog with our summer happenings and Corinna's "official" newborn photos.

Here are some pictures from the hospital:

Waiting for Baby

I am now very close to my due date, and have defied my doctors by not delivering two weeks ago.  Although I have some very patient clients who have told me to take my time, I might as well proof my last few sessions before going on leave. :)

I couldn't resist working on this little darling's one year portraits!  She was such a sweetheart in the studio even though mom and I disturbed her nap to put her in crazy outfits and hats and take her portrait!

Some Wedding Press

In the midst of the Portraits for Progress madness I was interviewed for Worcester Living Magazine about the Trash the Dress concept and a large photo shoot I helped to organize last summer. 

Trash the dress is a form of wedding photography where brides and grooms can take some time with their photographer after the wedding to concentrate on getting fabulous magazine-style images.  The dress (or tux) doesn't have to be literally "trashed," but the session is about having fun in a relaxed, low pressure environment free from the stresses of the actual wedding day.  Many of my Trash the Dress bookings are six months or more after the actual wedding, giving clients another chance to create stunning images in their gowns in a different setting or different season than the one in which they were married. 

I very much enjoy doing these sessions and working with couples, and hope that the article encourages more couples to have a little fun with their portraits.

The May/June issue of Worcester Living will be out at many local retailers next week, and you can view a copy of the article text here:

Trashed in Taffeta

and an image of one of the spreads here:
Image of Trash the Dress Article

(please think kind thoughts when you see my own picture in the magazine - I was eight months pregnant at the time!)

2008 Portraits for Progress Beneficiary

Last year's donation to Susan G. Komen's Massachusetts affiliate was well received, but this year, I wanted to donate to a smaller breast cancer-related charity where the funds we raised would really make a difference in changing women's lives for the better.

This year's recipient is the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, a therapeutic center supporting women in their recovery from breast cancer.  Co-founder and Executive Director, Betsy Tyson-Smith (pictured here in the Garden with Lana Roman), sent along a little information to share with you about The Healing Garden.

"The Virginia Thurston Healing Garden provides a healing environment with a range of complementary therapies, psychosocial support, and educational programs, and is unique in its inclusion of access to over eight-acres of gardens for its clients; we consider the Healing Garden as providing a new paradigm for healing and living well with breast cancer.

Our belief is that breast cancer is a condition that may recur or spread even when treatment ends. The person – and the family - still must confront and live well with that truth. The Healing Garden’s goals are to enable women to find the support they need, to understand and make informed choices that contribute to their health, to learn to manage their stress and improve their quality of life, and to regain control of their health – both during and after treatment. The Healing Garden provides this community of support for as long as needed."

I encourage all readers to share this wonderful place and organization with any loved ones you know who are currently battling breast cancer or are breast cancer survivors.  Thank you for helping me support The Healing Garden in their therapeutic, social and community goals!

Portraits for Progress Spokesgirls

You may recognize these gorgeous faces from this year's event promotional materials.

Jamie & Georgie plan to come back every year for the event and I can't wait to see how G. grows!  Jamie gave me permission to share an interview she recently gave regarding the event:

What inspired you to attend [Portraits for Progress]?

My daughter Georgie, is named after my best friend Amy York--Georgie's middle name is Ames, which is what we called Amy.  Amy died in October of 2000 from breast cancer.  She was only 43.  I thought that having a photograph of Georgie and I together for this event was a special way of honoring Amy and celebrating Georgie's arrival.

Was there anything about Teya, your personal shoot, and/or Portraits for Progress itself that inspired or surprised you?

Well, I am very inspired by Teya's skill level -- I think her photographs are absolutely beautiful.  It was a bonus to meet her and discover this incredibly calm, warm, patient woman.

I have to add that Teya was pretty terrific with me before the shoot.  I had mentioned in one of my emails that I was very sad that Georgie would never get to meet her namesake.  Teya's response meant a great deal to me-I actually saved it- and it says a lot about how wonderful she is.  See below.

Thanks for writing. I'm so sorry about your friend - I'm sure your daughter will grow up feeling special and connected to her through her name, even if they never got to meet. 

Would you recommend Portraits for Progress to other women? If so, why?

Without a doubt! There is really no reason not to do it ---- you pay nothing to get extraordinary photos from an amazing artist and you are contributing to the fight against cancer.  The real question is, why wouldn't everyone do it? I am planning on sending out the information to as many people as I can this year.

I am absolutely honored and humbled by Jamie's words, and inspired by their story and personalities to continue to create beautiful mother/daughter images of them and the other women and girls who attend the event.

 

More PforP Group Images

Just wanted to share a few more groups of lovely ladies!  I'm also working on updating the Portraits for Progress™ website w/more information on the events in other states and copies of the press we received this year.  Stay tuned - I'll share some more favorites from these charity mini-sessions later in the week.

Portraits for Progress Saturday Shares

I am exhausted but happy!  We raised over $1500 so far for breast cancer-related charity.  I met lots of great women, and had a great time while working towards supporting this worthy cause.  I need a little time to recover before proofing all the images, but couldn't resist sharing a few. Thanks to all who participated!

Girls' Night Out

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table at last night's GNO!  It was so much fun to reconnect with past clients and Junior League friends and to talk about photography, babies and all manner of things with fabulous women I hope to see again soon.

I'd like to extend the event booking special for the next month to anyone who came to visit me last night and picked up a magnet or a notepad.  Just email me at teya@teyaphoto.com and we will schedule your session.

There were lots of great vendors at the event, but I wanted to highlight a few.  A client of mine is now working for Fashion Flips, a local company making reversible accessories.  I especially loved the headbands and will have to purchase a few for my daughter and her crazy curls!

Towards the end of the evening, dragging from 35-week-pregnant low blood sugar, my friend Christina bought me a little treat: the most delicious brownie ever from Yummy Mummy Brownies. I believe it was this one, go ahead and drool :)