Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds: Wanted To Be A Farmer All Year Round

Pete and Jen are two of the coolest people ever. I photographed them this past fall for the Boston Homegrown project and they were so patient with all my questions. We shared a mutual enthusiasm for what we were each doing and it made my time at their farm so wonderful! Pete and Jen run the aptly named Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds in Concord. Don't be fooled by the name though; they also have pigs and rabbits on their farm.

If you've been following along with my Boston Homegrown project, you know that I've been photographing chefs/restaurants that focus on locally sourced ingredients for their dishes. I've had the honor to photograph the farmers/suppliers as well, which has meant fisherman, veggie farmers, and animal farmers. That being said, I knew when I went to visit Pete & Jen that the animals I would meet were going to end up as food. As someone who shops most often at the grocery store, there's always a disconnect between the food I buy and where it comes from. This project is definitely changing that for me, but that's a different topic altogether. Going into this shoot, I wasn't sure if visiting this farm was going to turn me into a vegetarian. Let me be clear on this point: it did the opposite! It was eye-opening to see how well these animals were treated and how much Pete and Jen loved them and loved what they do. The idea that I could benefit from that made me feel a lot better about eating meat (to be specific, meat that can be traced back to a farm, etc). Honestly, it was a revelation.

Here's the thing, price is a deterrent. I get that, the farmers get that. We live in a world of convenience - making a trip to a farm for your veggies/meat is not as easy as going to the chain grocery stores. I am also a slave to this lifestyle, but I'm trying to break free. People like Pete & Jen who take the time out to educate are the people helping me to change my habits, and thus, my lifestyle. When I asked them about price, Pete said something to me that I have been repeating for the past eight months. He said, "The question shouldn't be why our chicken is more expensive, but why is theirs so cheap?" Uhm, hello? It was the simplest thing, but I hadn't ever thought of it. Spending a couple of hours on the farm with them, I saw just a fraction of the amount of physical labor that went into caring for these animals. I saw them feed the chickens, play with the pigs, and cuddle the rabbits. Why is this not the norm? If all this work goes into caring for healthy animals that then provide us with healthy meat, what on earth is happening to the chicken that only costs $8? Think about it.

Enough of that - here are some photos from my trip to Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds:

Bunnies.


Nutmeg.


Friendly piggies. The pigs were like 230 lb puppies! They would come up to me and nuzzle at my knees and try to chew my shoelaces and they'd follow you around. It was so much fun hanging out with them!


Wolfgang. This guy is definitely the BMOC (Big Man on Campus).


Pete and Jen with the egg laying chickens! One of the things that I learned was that the layers are entirely different chickens from the meat chickens. Now I get to pass that information on to you!


I can't thank Pete & Jen enough for spending their time with me and teaching me all about what they do. I encourage everyone to look into their farm. They have a mini-store in Concord where you can purchase eggs and all kinds of meat, too. I can't say enough wonderful things about my experience with Pete and Jen!

My and Tony, New Hampshire Engagement Session: Now The Parking Lot is Empty

We ventured out on the early side of the day, but My & Tony assured me they were morning people! The same can't be said for the rest of Hampton Beach, NH! We pretty much had the entire area to ourselves for the majority of their engagement session. Of course, since it was so early, not much was open. That could have also been because it was a little too early in the season, too. We got to play on the beach and explore the main street. I loved all the great backgrounds we found for their photos!

On the beach!




Sometimes it's fun to shoot through things, like trash cans!


Color, color, color! Also, Funarama?? Does it get any better than that?


Love!






This was already written in the parking lot when we walked by! Perfect!




Hanging out with my brides & grooms is always so much fun! I love getting to know them in person. Always a good idea! So what if it means you take a break in the middle of your session to talk about The Amazing Race?! My & Tony, I can't wait for your wedding next month!

Boston Food Photograhy: I'll Meet You Anytime You Want

As part of the Boston Homegrown project I'm working on, I had the pleasure of photographing Chef Chuck Draghi of Erbaluce, an amazing Italian restaurant located in Boston's Bay Village, tucked behind the theater district. Chef Draghi was pretty phenomenal and so much fun to work with! He prepared two dishes for me to photograph. One was an awesome salad that involved taleggio cheese and japanese mushrooms scorched with a blow torch. I could have eaten two of that salad! It was so delicious. The photos in today's post, however, come from the second dish which introduced me to my new favorite vegetable - romanesco broccoli.


To me it just seemed so magically serpentine and beautiful! It looked like something you would find at the bottom of the ocean and not on your dinner plate.

This is the finished dish:






Everything about this dish was delicious! The only thing that kept me from devouring all of it is that Chef Draghi told me that this serving was family-sized. Since I had already eaten the entire salad, I didn't want to appear too gluttonous! I can't wait to get back to Erbaluce to try more dishes off the menu! The wonderful thing about getting to meet all these chefs is that I feel more adventurous when ordering. So many restaurants to eat at, so little time!

Boston Newborn Photography: Feed Them On Your Dreams

You met Baby H a couple of weeks ago when I posted photos from her mini-session in the hospital. These photos are from her first official photo session! Newborn photos are so much fun for me. Since I do a lot of my family sessions, and engagement sessions, on location, they are one of the only opportunities I have to hang out at my clients' homes. I love seeing the baby's room and incorporating it into the sessions - all the little details the parents work so hard to choose I get to see and photograph.

Baby H is surrounded by color in her room! What an inspiring room to grow up in!

(she's not feeling so inspired now, but she pulls it together, don't worry)

In Daddy's arms. She was wearing a giant tutu-like skirt and her teeny feet just peeked out the bottom.


I'm convinced that Baby H and I have a real bond. We're connecting.


I love baby close-ups!


Who me? There were plenty of adorable photos of Baby H tucked in her dresser drawer, but I just loved her expression in this one!


With Mom & Dad. I heard this somewhere and, I know it's cheesy, but one of the best things parents can do for their children is to love each other and this mom & dad will have no problem doing that! They have so much fun together and are so in love with their new baby!




Thank you, Baby H, for being such a great supermodel! I will be back to visit soon!