They're Gonna Put Me in the Movies

"Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star
Might win an Oscar you can never tell
The movies gonna make me a big star
'Cause I can play the part so well"
- "Act Naturally," The Beatles


In honor of tonight's Oscar telecast, here's the one and only photo of me walking down the red carpet.

Not bad, right? I could totally mingle with the stars. Now if only I had been discovered...

These Little Town Blues Are Melting Away

While I was in New York City, I shot some headshots. I also ate kangaroo and foie gras, but that's a story for another time. Melissa is the only woman in Slightly Known People but she is also an awesome personal trainer. Hopefully when the weather is better, we'll get to do some work shots for her. The day we had to work with was pretty rainy but we still managed to work outside - we just needed to be quick!




The Oscars are this Sunday. Thank goodness the strike was settled in time for the ceremony! I don't know what I would have done if I had gone to see all those movies and they didn't have a show. I have only two movies left to see: "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford" and "American Gangster." Both are now on DVD, so that's my big plan for today. Not necessarily to watch both of them, but to rent them. It's all so very exciting!

These Vagabond Shoes Are Longing To Stray

I braved the torrential downpours this week and drove myself down to New York City for the pleasure of shooting Slightly Known People. I've mentioned them in my blog before and I will most likely mention them again. The members of this sketch comedy group are all totally charismatic and hilarious. Every once in a while they bless the Boston area with a performance so keep your eyes open. Or, if you're in the NYC area, definitely check them out!






I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day and long weekend!

Finally You Have Found Something Perfect

Kat and Steven are getting married this fall and we decided to brave the unpredictable New England weather to get some engagement photos. We actually really lucked out - it was a gorgeous February day. I had so much fun working with them and am really excited to shoot their wedding!






In Hollywood news, it seems that the WGA strike might be ending. Hopefully we should know by Wednesday. If the rumors are true, that means they might be able to salvage some of the remaining season. In the short term, it means that the Oscars will go on as planned, the actors won't strike, and I'll get to enjoy the ceremony!

If There's A Bustle In Your Hedgerow

As many of my blog readers know, I have a little sister. "Little" refers to the fact that she's much younger, not that she's in any way smaller. She's definitely got the height I missed out on. Well, last night my sister had her very first high school semi-formal. Generally, Tessa is a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, but man, does she clean up nice! My cousin Jessica came over and did her hair and make-up (clearly those are not my talents - I just took some photos) so it was quite the to-do over at the Belanger house last night. Parents, cousins, siblings, friends...

Here are some before-and-after photos. For those of you who knew Tess when she was little and haven't seen her in a while, brace yourselves! Here she is getting her hair done:



And here's the gorgeous final product:



And yes, she was mortified that I stood there and took a million photos of her. And that my dad took photos. And my cousin. But what can we say? Our little girl is growing up!

Just as a little flashback, I remember my freshman semi. I had no date (so Tess is already way ahead of me), but I went with some friends. My dress was white eyelet lace and it had puffy cap sleeves. My hair was long and frizzy/curly. It had previously been straight, so the curls coming in were a little out of control and I had no idea what to do with them. After the dance, my two friends (Celeste and Clare) and I went to the movies to see "Encino Man." In our dresses, because we were just that cool.

Building Castles in the Sky

I don't even know where to start this morning. I've been sick since Sunday, trapped inside the apartment (except when I need to bring my Netflix to the mailbox), and I was starting to go a little crazy. The photos in this post are from an engagement shoot I did a few weeks back for Rachel McPherson, a super-cool Boston-based wedding photographer. Hers was (and is) one of the blogs I check (stalk) daily because I love her work and when I read she was looking for associate photographers, I jumped at the chance to speak with her. With photography, there are always new things to learn. That's why I love having so many photographer friends - they really challenge you to exercise your creativity. I thought shooting with someone whose work I already admired was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. So, Rachel led me to Camille and Matt and shooting their engagement session. I guess you could say it was my first assignment.

I met up with Camille and Matt at Hi-Lo Foods in Jamaica Plain on one of the coldest days in January. It was supposed to be about eight degrees that day - I think we lucked out and it got up to about twenty. They were such troopers, playing outside in the cold with me. These are only a few of my favorite shots.





I had so much fun working with Matt and Camille and am thrilled with the photos we got! There were so many to choose from, which is always a good sign. I wasn't able to post them earlier because Rachel wanted them to see them beforehand. Now that everyone's gotten a look, here they are. Rachel posted them on her blog as well and gave me a little shout-out to boot. So, you should go check it out!

I have another engagement session I'm in the process of editing, which is exciting. And next week I'm driving down to NYC to shoot some photos for Slightly Known People, a fabulously funny sketch comedy group. Keep checking back for new photos!

Movie update: Due to the sickness, I have yet to see There Will Be Blood. No one wants a sniffly coughing person sitting near them in the theater. However, I did watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age yesterday. It was pretty good and the film itself was gorgeous with its colors and costumes. Cate Blanchett is an amazing actress but it's doubtful she'll take home the Best Actress Award. That will go to Julie Christie for Away From Her. If the previous awards shows predict anything, Cate Blanchett will most likely get the Best Supporting Actress award. I guess we'll see in just two and a half weeks!