Jason visited again yesterday while his parents were out for their 4th wedding anniversary. He was begging me to take his picture.
It was either a truck or a dog...
Our neighbor Haley came over to play. She is one & very cute.
Blondies.
Meg, Jason, & Joe. Small fry is on the way :)
To view more photos, visit my Jason & friends album.
I went back to Newton North yesterday to take more photos, this time of the fields, etc. I heard that green fencing was going up around the perimeter of the site so I went right over before I wouldn't be able to get in at all. It's not that I really care about the Newton North construction, but I know how much people enjoy having before & after photos of things, and I think these will be nice to have some day.
Remember muster stations??
Original hydrant.
Hull Street.
Last week I headed to New York City, coincidentally, on my 20th birthday!
They rolled out the red carpet for me...
Me & Casey - For those of you who don't know, Casey is my photographer friend from Boston who I've worked with for 5-6 years now. She's a photographer, but also a GREAT teacher, and cook! She's taught me a lot of what I know... Anyways, she happened to be in NY last week so I went down and met up with her so we could finally go shooting in the Big Apple!
We started in Central Park...
A bridge in the park.
(Me) - Photo by Casey.
Meet Casey.
Photo by Casey.
The picture I took of myself...
Central Park artists... They were actually quite good. I'm definitely getting one done next time.
Park construction.
Photo by Casey.
Abandoned shoes.
Photo by Casey.
Photo by Casey. (If you haven't caught on yet, Casey took a few pictures of me, too... She knows I love them. Best birthday gift ever? Yeah I think so).
Windows of the St. Regis Hotel.
Washington Sq. Arch from the street.
Photo by Casey.
Photo by Casey.
Photo by Casey.
Photo by Casey. (I usually drink Dunkins...)
Photo by Casey.
I went to church @ St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Ave before leaving.
I also visited with my friend Tyler who just got a new apartment in the city. It has a really amazing view of Manhattan...
The same shot at night during a thunderstorm.
I almost feel dirty giving away my best kept NY secret... Oh, alright! It's called Burger Joint and it's hidden inside the Le Parker Meridien hotel on West 57th. It's actually been featured in numerous write ups for the best burgers in America. It's nothing fancy so leave your suit coat at home, and don't expect to walk right in and be seated. There is always a line, you order at the register, and your burger is handed to you wrapped in paper. It's an experience to say the least! You'll see what I'm talking about when you order "The Works". Bon Apetite!
Now I'm going to give a plug to my other favorite thing of the week. The bus I took from Boston-New York was called LimoLiner. It's a luxury bus service that runs only between these two cities. If you are used to the fung wah, or it's equivalents, then you'll absolutely die when you step onto a LimoLiner bus. They are new, clean, smell good, and are never crowded. They even staff attendants on board each trip who hand out magazines, pillows & blankets, and drinks & snacks. Did I mention that the driver spoke English?? And the best part - wireless internet and satellite tv. It's perfect for professionals looking to get some work done during the standard four hour trip. While flying is also very appealing, I can vouch that the shuttles take just about as long to get to New York when you account for the amount of time wasted at the airport, and cabbing from LaGuardia.
LimoLiner costs $79 each way.
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday via the internet! I enjoyed reading your comments on the ride home :)
Until next time...
This was one of the first weddings I've done without my female assistant, so I ventured into uncharted waters, aka, the bridal suite. "Ahhhhh!" (kidding!) Everyone was very nice, and we got some great action shots. Beads were flying left & right...
Don't you love siblings who don't fight!
And over at the Groom's room... Just a little CPR ;)
I noticed this N.H. vanity plate as the groom was walking towards the church. I LOVE it!
Dave's Mom lending a hand before the ceremony.
The girls taking their places. One of my favorite shots of the day...
Angela being given away at the alter.
The videographer on the balcony ;)
Receiving line outtakes.
My competition.
I was going for a little lens flare, and, I got a lot! I kinda like it though.
My favorite of Ang & Dave.
High-5-ing at the reception.
The absolute best dancer under the age of 10 I have EVER seen!
Cohasset, MA - Angela & David work at Mass General Hospital together, and, with my sister Carol! (thanks for the recommendation sis!) Angela is a nurse & David... well, he isn't a nurse! (but definitely is something medically related... sorry I forget your title!) When we first met to discuss the wedding, it was at the hospital. I could tell they were both really into what they do. At the wedding they even had a few tables of Mass General people... all of whom kept saying to me, "You're Carol's brother!" By the way, David used to be a wedding photographer himself. Cool, huh? Anyways, Cohasset was just as beautiful as I had heard, and I want to go back some day and shoot the town itself. First I have to finish editing these photos... which may take a while. I shot 100% digitally, and left with the equivallant of 36 rolls of exposed film. Yikes!
If you're from Massachusetts, chances are you've heard that Newton North is getting a new school. The city has been thinking about this for years, and it's finally happening. The new school is set to be completed in 2009, and will be the most expensive high school ever built in MA, at $151 million dollars. The entire site will be dug up and re-done, including, North's giant Dickinson Stadium, which will be the first part to go. Demolition is set to start Wednesday, so I went over to get a few last photos of it.
The stadium is pretty unique in that it was built on a hill which rises to one side of adjacent Hull Street. You can actually start at the top and walk your way down to the fields. The new school's stadium will not be located here, and this feature unfortunately, will be no more.
Portions of the old stadium have been fenced off for a couple years now, due to erosion.
Like so.
Made for some good photos though.
Plant life.
Remnants from last week's graduation ceremony.
Not all of it is falling apart...
The announcers box.
Home of the Tigers.
The view.
This wall has been repainted with the senior class year so many times over the years. Well, probably 77 times to be exact, since 1930...
Took a silhouette of myself as I was leaving. My JFK profile, we can call it.
My brother & his wife are off to Miami for her brother's wedding, and Tater Tot is staying with us for the weekend! You know... the kid from Larry King? lol, I'll stop now. Anyways, I haven't really ever had a whole day to photograph him, so today we had fun playing and taking pictures. I thought I would post some of my favorites so you can see how big hes getting!
Pancakes and strawberries for breakfast! By the way, this kid woke up at SIX THIRTY TODAY!
Me & Jason.
Carol (my sister) & Jason playing with bubbles on the porch.
Our neighborhood is near a truck yard, and Jason LOVES trucks. He made this face & yelled out to EACH ONE that passed.
He INSISTED on driving his fire truck on the grass. Apparently the smooth driveway wasn't enough of a challenge?
My father & Jason.
My favorite.
He noticed my camera and came to investigate.
Bath time!
...Never too young to teach a child about oral hygiene :)
More tomorrow! --Mike & fam.
I have been in much need of a new (well, my first) photography LOGO! Or, at least something to stamp on my photos! Here is what I came up with just now, as seen used with a few of my photos. I haven't yet figured out how to use it on a vertical photo... that's later!
Please let me know what you think, thanks!
Uncle Richard & Aunt Janet in Vegas, 2007
Fenway Park hot dog stand
John & Caroline, Jr. Prom, 2007
If you know me... then you probably know how Crazy I am about my CAMRY! (For those of you who saw my facebook albums & thought I had a Land Rover, now you know) lol. Anyways, I really try my hardest to keep my car as clean as it can possibly be. While my bedroom may beg to differ, my car thanks me daily. I bought it (used) on valentines day of 2006 (as a present to myself), and it was a real find having such low mileage for it's age (under 5k per year). I've since added a few bells & whistles like gps, Sirius, and most recently, a backup camera. Don't get me wrong, I know it's not a Lexus, but it never gives me crap, and I can always find my way to a wedding on time. 
Monday, it received it's first coat of wax :) I took the car to "Crystal Car Care" in Waltham, MA. I had heard that the guy there is the Best in the Biz, & I can't argue with that. He only takes one car per day, and actually spent five hours on my car alone! My rugs look brand new, and, I can see myself reflected in the hood! For summer, I recommend you treat yourself (and your car) to one too.
I am thrilled to introduce you to my first ever, brand new, squeaky clean, and voted #1 - blog on the internet! I am a 20 year old photographer... well, 20 years old next week! (And thats on the 22nd, In case... you were wondering... lol). I'm from a city called Newton, Mass, which is 10 minutes West of Boston, and also happens to be the "Readers Digest" voted safest city in the country, (not kidding!)
In 2000, I started playing around with a camera, and never stopped. I was big into sharing my photos online throughout high school, as I was one of the first kids (that I know) to have a fully functional website built for himself. It was www.MichaelBlanchard.com, and yes, it was a big hit! However, it wasn't built to the magnitude that I require, and I took it down after a couple years hoping to replace it quickly with something bigger and better. We all know how that turned out! Hopefully, (fingers crossed), I can get it completed this summer for us all to enjoy. Until then, we BLOG!
My intention with this blog is simple. To get you HOOKED! (And I will try my best!) I have been inspired to start this blog by my good friend Casey McCormick who recently started getting into blogging, and has encouraged others to start as well. Casey is a photographer who also taught me everything I know about Wedding Photography. If you would like some help getting your own blog up and running, she is the person to talk to! (Not me!) Check out her business blog at - Entrepreneur Blogging.
I've also fallen in love with a little photography blog called BOBBI & MIKE! (from Indiana). Words can't describe. Just check it out. Bobbi & Mike.
I hope you will check back, and often! Enjoy, and don't forget to comment..!
--Michael Blanchard
