Fun With Friends

With three new people in the studio, and one leaving, we decided it was time for a staff picture!

We used the self timer and Matt decided to be obstinate and stand up for this one:

Here's Dana showing off her remarkable acrobatic skills:

(always nice to have a studio manager with many talents)

Krista - affectionately known as "Green Kiki" to her niece and nephew - is leaving us. Get us a mop, because we're crying!!! Krista has been such a wonderful presence in our studio. She's provided inspiration, organization, instruction, advice both personal and professional, and lots of laughs, smiles & hugs. We're going to miss Krista, but she has in all honesty outgrown her job here. Krista's a fabulous photographer in her own right, and she is also dedicated to working in her ministry and mission photography. We can't wait to see what opportunities open up for her now that she's going solo!

Be sure to check out Krista's blog to read about her upcoming trip to Zimbabwe and other cool things!

Now on board as our new studio manager is Dana! All together now... Welcome Dana!

We knew Dana was our new studio manager from the moment she walked through the door. All of you are going to love her, we just know it!


We're super excited about our new studio intern program. Ami (on the left) and Sarah (on the right) are a wonderful addition to our team! Ami's been working on helping us to meet PR deadlines (like entering contests and remembering to submit favorite images to magazines for editorial use), and Sarah has been helping out with all sorts of errands in the studio. Both Sarah and Ami have chosen a personal photo project to work on under our advisement, and we're really looking forward to our monthly critiques with them!

They even got us to sit still for a couple of photos, but you can tell that Matt and I are not very comfortable on this side of the camera!!!

TAG - We're It!

Ha ha, this is so much fun! We've been tagged twice in the last two days... in the great online community of professional photographers, our friends are writing 8 little known facts about themselves on their blogs, then "tagging" 8 more photographers to do the same. The lovely and creative photographers Angela Anderson AND Amanda Harris both brought us into the loop by tagging us... so I'll write my 8 and then turn it over to Matt to write his 8 as well...

Enna said:

1) I spent my younger childhood years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, in a small town called Halfway (maybe some of you have heard of the town that renamed itself "Half.com" during the dot-com revolution...). We had a few pigs, chickens, goats, and sheep, but our real livelihood was from the newspaper that my mom founded. I helped my mom in the darkroom, and that was my first experience with photography. Since then I've gone through a long list of things i "want to be when I grow up" (archaeologist, poet, painter, doctor, judge - not a lawyer, just a judge :)...), but photographer was the very first one. The farm was affectionately - or dis-affectionately, depending on who you ask - known as "halfway house"... hmmm what does that tell you about my childhood... anyway, for breakfast I often carried a bowl of fresh milk out to the garden where I filled it with fresh raspberries, which I ate right there. We had a summer kitchen, which was an outdoor kitchen with no walls on two sides, and that was a lovely place for summer dinners and parties.

2) I love to read about food. I will happily read cookbooks, surf foodie websites and blogs, shop gourmet grocers, and read food magazines for hours on end. My cookbook collection drives Matt crazy because it takes up a lot of space but I don't actually use the cookbooks very often.

3) I really really really want to visit Iceland. I've planned a couple of trips there but both fell through (first for our honeymoon which got cancelled because I started a new job right after the wedding), and 2nd for an overland trek which I cancelled because we got pregnant with Ollie. One of my favorite movies is "Cold Fever" which - you guessed it - is set in Iceland. Okay, at this point I have to admit, I'm a total armchair traveler: I've planned lots of trips all over the world, including to Italy, Trinidad&Tobago, Nepal, Mali, France, Russia, Ecuador, Hungary and more... I can't wait till my boys are big enough to start taking them to some of these places.

4) ... I'm writing this next item because I was inspired by Davina Fear's tell-all tagging post: I delivered both of my sons naturally... need I say more? Ollie's labor was 34 hours, Will's was 2 hours. Don't know if this is related, but Ollie is MUCH more patient than Will.

5) I earned a "Basic" level license in the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Family, while I was a member of the Tea Ceremony Club at my high school in Japan. I think that means I can visit the private Urasenke House if I ever visit Japan again, though I've forgotten a lot of the ceremony...

6) I eat a bowl of cereal and take a really hot bath every night before bed. I can't sleep if I haven't done both of those things. They are usually accompanied by a book, magazine, or fiendish sudoku. I usually forget the bowl next to the tub and there it sits... that drives Matt TOTALLY crazy. Maybe Justin Marantz and Matt should start a support group.

7) chocolate. coffee. coffee. chocolate.

8) I love the smell of my boys, even when they're stinky: I will stick my nose in their hair or the backs of their necks, and kiss them over and over again.

9) I love the mountains. Matt laughs when I say this because we've hardly had time to venture out into the wilderness in the years we've been together, but I really do feel most at home when I have rock underfoot and breathe that fresh crisp low-oxygen air.


Matt said:
OK. Here it goes. I've been tagged.

1. I don't like sitting in front of a computer. It's a funny thing considering that I make my living and art with digital technology. The truth is, Enna does 99.9% of our blogging:) I do write sometimes. I was trained as a darkroom guy, I miss the darkroom, and can't wait to buy a barn and build a darkroom. When that happens you may never hear from me again, JK. I like to edit on the computer, but I don't like investing the time into learning all the new software that comes out. I'd much rather be outside. So I hope you all understand why I don't blog much, and post on other people's blogs much. I do read blogs sometimes. I like checking in with Justin and Mary. Their wedding is going to rock! Can't wait.

2. Nothing makes me happier than being a dad. Having children is hands down the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I love being woken by them jumping on our bed. I love it when they spill milk, scream in public, and draw on the walls. I love it when they laugh, give bear hugs, and learn new things.

3. Mattion is my nickname, Matthew is my birth name. When I was about 6 or 7 years old I watched the movie Papillon with my siblings. The next day my older brother was in charge as the parents were gone. I became a bit unruly, and he tried to lock me in a room. I say tried. My successful escapes earned me the nickname Mattion, a play on Papillon, created by my sisters who were not much older than me. Because of my sisters age at the time, Mattion is not correctly spelt. The correct spelling should be Mattillon, or so I am told. In high school I would sign all my art given to family with the name Mattion. As I became an adult it stuck, and when I became a professional photographer I decided to keep using it for two reasons. One, to remind me that life should be fun and doesn't have to always have correct spelling, and Two, to show thanks to my family for always supporting me no matter what.

4. I never ever went to any school events that occurred after school hours. Not one game, dance, rally, or anything. Except my Junior prom. I didn't even go to my senior prom. I hated school as a kid. Instead I went to rock concerts, and skied :) No regrets. I had a blast.

5. I often dream of outrageous snowboarding stunts. The most common is a long jump. I'm a freestyle rider, so I like to go fast, make long carves, and jump low and far. I use to do tricks, but after a cracked vertebrae in my neck, a broken collar bone, torn ligaments and cartilage in my ankle, a slight concussion and other small injuries, I've decided to take it easy on the slopes. I haven't been riding much since we have had kids, so I make up for that with these outrageous dreams.

6. There are many reasons why we choose to marry someone. Besides the fact that I think Enna is beautiful, smart and caring, I know I can trust her more than any other person I have ever met. I tell her everything, and have since day one. Our trust was instant. Once I realized this I knew I had to marry her. Now it's time for a confession. Enna, the reason I forgot to get the event cards for a certain event was because I snuck out of the office to see the movie Transformers. I love you honey:)

7. I don't like to read fiction. I read National Geographic and true adventure stories. I often dream of having some great adventure in life that will be worthy of a book. Is that a near death wish? I hope not. I'm just fascinated reading about the strength people find in themselves, both mentally and physically, to beat the odds and survive. John Shackleton is one of my heroes, along with Rocky and Yoda.

8. I have a life list. My life list is a list of things that I want to do before I'm gone. Some examples: Own a nice sport fishing boat, surf Hawaii's north shore, see the Northern Lights in Iceland, go to Tokyo, gives toasts at my boys weddings, and be a grandfather. There is more, but I think that's enough. Many I have done, such as being married to an amazing person and having a family. But I need to share the reason for which I have created such a list. I lost three of my best friends to suicide. One happened during the last weeks of school during my sophomore year in high school. The second happened three years after high school, and the third was a drug overdose, which I choose to call a suicide. The first two were the toughest because they both went out of their way to say goodbye to me. I had no idea that they were saying goodbye, but as I look back it's clear to me that they were. When my third friend died it was a wake up call to me. A wake up in the sense that I realized that I was 25 years old and did not have a vision of how I wanted to live my life. It made me step back and look at who I was, and ask myself what I wanted to be. I literally dropped everything and took action to create a better life. I left my home town, enrolled in a college, was a great student and had a blast. I even participated in extra curricular activities, met my wife, found my passion (photography) and here I am. My life list is nothing more than things I wish my friends could have experienced.

Peace,
Mattion


Enna's addendum: I knew Matt would pour his heart out into this... that's why I married him! Love you Matt! He should be the one blogging for us!



TAG, you're it:
Tabitha & Larry Sherrell (and their adorable son Eldon)
Krista Guenin
Christine and Andy of Bello Photo
Shawn Reeder
Hot Pepper and her Haut Husband Mitch (whose blog is definitely due for a new post)
Sean and Cathy Cayton

You all better join in now! :)

Recommended Reading: HP

Oh, sad I am... the series is finally over. I read the last page on Thursday and I'm still mourning the end of some good summer reading (granted, each book only lasted a few days at most). So if you have any books to recommend to follow HP, let me know...

Boys of Summer

Oh my goodness we have so much catching up to do with our blog! We just returned from an amazing family reunion in North Conway, New Hampshire, and we'll share pictures of that soon, but first... Our last few posts highlighted some of this summer's engagement sessions, and now we want to share some of our favorite portrait sessions from the summer!

I just fell in love with these boys when I photographed them. They had just returned from a big family trip to Germany, so they all had a little jet lag. Because of the tiredness - or perhaps just because they're boys! - they were a bit difficult to get together for their "posed" family portrait, but we really had a blast with all of the other pictures, and I kind of like how silly the group pictures turned out... especially with a little tickling help from dad!

King and Queen of Frisbee

Frisbee anyone?

Joanne and Josh were so much fun to photograph. We met at the Larz Anderson park hill for their engagement session. We timed it so we could make nice photos of them playing in the sun with their frisbee as well as some dramatic sunset images. They took me by surprise when they broke out the frisbee, but it was very cool to see them show off their moves! We can't wait to photograph their wedding, which is right around the corner!!!

Every Third Year

is the Dole Family reunion... for those of you not in the know, Enna's originally a Dole. And next week is our family reunion!

There are three things that most Doles can't live without: chocolate, red wine, and mountain air. So for our family reunions we try to find a place where we can enjoy all of those things in copious amounts. We've had reunions at Point Reyes, Chaco Canyon, the Eaglecap Wilderness, Mammoth, a near-abandoned gold mining town in the Sierras called Sheep Ranch, and Lake Tahoe, to name a few...

This year, the East Coast cousins are hosting the reunion in North Conway, New Hampshire... we know, it's not going to be exactly "rugged", but the older folks are getting older, and the younger folks have babies, so we're going for a few more creature comforts this year.

Enna's grandparents, Helen & Al Dole

(Enna Grazier is named after Al's mom... G.G. Enna Dole started a lasting tradition of taking her kids on backcountry trips for a few weeks at a time in the Sierra Nevada, and that habit became a family tradition... )

We'll be gone for a whole week!!! Krista and Dana will be here to hold down the fort ~ but some of our emails and calls will have to wait for us to return. So please know that we'll be back in the office on Tuesday August 21 and will be catching up on emails and stuff at that time.

Mount Washington here we come!!!

Meridith & Jeff: Summer Love

What gorgeous skies we had for Meridith and Jeff's engagement session - these two practically glowed in the warm summer light. When Meridith and Jeff told me they wanted to do their engagement shoot at Plum Island, and that they like to kayak, I asked them to bring the kayaks along. So we loaded the SUV and set out for a beautiful sunset shoot. Rain clouds were in the distance, the soft sand was warm, and Meridith and Jeff were awesome to photograph. As the sun set we loaded the truck and headed for dinner. We were making our way off the island when I noticed the scene above. Meridith and Jeff quickly jumped out and I snapped a series of shots as they faced the setting sun. This photograph looks like a painting, and there is almost no post-production editing work done to it. Even more amazing was that as we turned around to get in the truck, we saw a huge rainbow stretching over us!

Listen here Mother Nature: you have a lot to live up to on the wedding day!!!

Christina & John

Christina and John are such a playful couple!

During our engagement shoot they really loved using different environments, so much so that they went into the fountain at the Christian Science Center in downtown Boston!

Let's hope there is a fountain nearby during their wedding formals;)

Check out their slide show to see more photos.

~Matt

Nothing But Blue Skies...

for Adena and Andrew - we got a gorgeous sky for their engagement photos, and I'm counting on the same for their wedding day, which is scheduled on the day of the year that usually has the most gorgeous autumn leaves.

These two are total sweethearts and we can't wait to photograph their wedding day!

I'd Like to Buy the World a...

If you haven't tried Virgil's Root Beer I am afraid you are REALLY missing out! It reminds me of the homemade root beer of my childhood, and also of the big jug of root beer that my friend Jen and I bought from an Amish family's farm stand in the Pennsylvania Dutch country years ago.

Virgil's is made from all natural ingredients and flavors (though some of these flavors such as Pimento Berry Oil and Sweet Birch may not be very familiar). It's creamy and smooth, not too sweet, not bitter, not overly effervescent... good chilled, but also not chilled.

Matt has the boys at the beach today and I'm sitting here editing and drinking a nice chilled bottle... it's going to be hard not to open another one but I don't want to get a sugar headache!

Yum yum - go out and find some before summer's over!!!

Sarah & Dan

These two were so much fun at their engagement shoot! I took them to the old fort on Georges Island in the Boston Harbor - taking the ferry is always fun because it really feels like we're getting a mini-vacation from the city.

Here is the slide show from their engagement session - just click on the little shopping icon if you want to register to view their wedding photos when they're ready.

Enjoy!

Susan & Brian

Susan and Brian are such a cute couple!

Here is their slide show.


:)

Boston PUG meeting coming up!

It's that time again! The next Pictage PUG meeting is on Tuesday, August 7 at 7 pm... RSVP here!



We hope to see you there!!!