Such a sweet, funny, stylish, and gorgeous family. More to come!

Sophia, from this past weekend. Loved her blue romper, and thought it perfect for romping through the waves on Plum Island!

More beautiful Cameo models! At the beginning of the session, they turned to me and asked “can we take some trampoline photos?” Obviously my answer was a “yes!” :) How fun?

 Just a note on availability: April is currently booked (barring cancellations or moved shoots), and May is booking. I’ll be starting to shoot on limited weekdays starting May 18th.

 For photographers: a new actions and design site will be launching soon, with new action sets and some very fun (animated) design options for your website and blogs!  Check back for updates. :)

Until next time,

MG

 More to come!

xo, MG

…and that is literally just the beginning. I didn’t make it around to absolutely everyone, as I was instructing, but I made it to most of you to grab a few shots- more tomorrow. I have a couple gorgeous model shoots I have to blog as well, so this will be a busy posting week :)

Until Next Time,

MG

Until Next Time,

MG

In other news, I’ve been tagged! Excuse my lack of knowledge in this whole blog ‘tagging’ business, as my good photog friend Amanda actually had to GChat me to let me know I should DO something about her tagging me, haha. She’s a fellow photog out in Cali whom I adore for her always being online for me to bounce ideas off of, and to share recent work with! Check out her 5 interesting things- one of them is the fact that her hubby learned Portugeuse (having only spoken English) so that he could speak fluently with her family (she’s from Brazil). He learned a whole ‘nother language, people. I think he earns husband of the year award :)

So here goes, I have to come up with ’5 Interesting Things About Me’:

1) I eat my cereal with Orange Juice in it. Oh gosh, did I just admit that? I was made fun of at breakfast mercilessly by my college rowing team as, every day for breakfast, I would pour myself some Kashi ‘Heart To Heart’, and skip the milk, beelining straight for the orange juice dispenser. I still have my H to H with OJ, and don’t drink a drop of milk with anything. Even brownies.

2) I have a collection of National Geographics from the 1910′s and 20′s. Something about looking back at the ads for Ford family cars for under $1000 makes me very happy.

3) I have a thing for family albums and photographs. No really, stay with me on this one! I know it’s hard to believe that I actually like pictures. ;) But seriously- anyone’s house that I went to, and still do, my favorite thing is to look through their family albums and watch their home videos. I love making family connections, piecing together the history of a family by the moments that they have chosen to keep. Give me a family album of someone I don’t know and I’ll be entertained for hours. :)

4) I am one of the few people that I know that drives a minivan, with no kids to put in it (yet!). :) The mileage may drive me insane, but the room in the back for all of my props and equipment is priceless. The Honda Civics are miiiighty tempting to me right now though, as are these. Imagine me showing up to sessions in one of those! Ha!

5) My dream is to live on a farm, when all is said and done. A farm with acres upon acres of fields to photograph in, a farmhouse with a wraparound porch, and horses, cows, sheep, goats, and chickens that I can take care of while not photographing in my state-of-the-art natural light studio on one of my many acres. Gosh golly, a girl can dream.

And the second part of being ‘tagged’ is tagging back! Right? Maybe one of my interesting things should have been that I’m “tech-culturally challenged”, haha. I tag:
Heather- Fab photographer down in Maryland. She’s traveling up to Boston to help with the workshop, and I’m making her asking her nicely to take some new website headshots of me :)
Erika - My fabulous painting friend and new business partner. Clients can look forward to their images painted on canvases in her signature, whimsical style this season and beyond. I also love her blog- she JUST moved out to CO and got married, so wish her well over there! Oops- did I just give away some of her interesting things? ;)
Stacey – Besides being the master of black and white emotive images, this is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She’s from Florida, and I suppose one of her interesting things might be that she JUST had a baby girl! Head over there and wish her some congratulations!
Amy – Also one of the sweetest- and busiest- photographers I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I stalk her blog like none other, haha. It’s okay if you don’t have time to tag back, Amy :)
Kyung - Her style is so fresh, fun, and lovely. And I absolutely adore her branding. She’s coming out with a new photo album line, so stay tuned for that, fellow photogs!

Okay, and here are the rules of the tagging:
* Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
* Share 5 things about yourself that others might not know
* List 5 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs
* Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs

And a post is not a post without some images. More of Baby B:

Until Next Time,

MG

 (I just thought of those ‘interesting’ things I put up there, and realized they consisted of Orange Juice, National Geographic, Family Albums, Minivans, and Farms. Lord. I am absolutely the most interesting person you know.)

 :)

You begin this way:
this is your hand,
this is your eye,
this is a fish, blue and flat
on the paper, almost
the shape of an eye
This is your mouth, this is an O
or a moon, whichever
you like.  This is yellow.

Outside the window
is the rain, green
because it is summer, and beyond that
the trees and then the world,
which is round and has only
the colors of these nine crayons.

Once you have learned these words
you will learn that there are more
words than you can ever learn.
The word hand floats above your hand
like a small cloud over a lake.
The word hand anchors
your hand to this table
your hand is a warm stone
I hold between two words.

This is your hand, these are my hands, this is the world,
which is round but not flat and has more colors
than we can see.
It begins, it has an end,
this is what you will
come back to, this is your hand.

-Margaret Atwood, “You Begin This Way”

I love that poem. Its heartbreaking simplicity carries such a profound message- that the world is so big to hold such a tiny, precious, loved life. It illustrates a parents’ job so eloquently: this is my hand, this is your hand, this is the world, this is my hand again and always. This is why we capture it.

And man, that sweet, beautiful poem made me tear up when I first read it. So, to keep things upbeat over here, here’s a song that, well,  Makes Me Happy. :)

Until Next Time,

MG

Saturday, September 27th (raindate Sept. 28th): Mini beach sessions at Plum Island Point, Newburyport MA

Saturday, October 11th (raindate October 12th): Mini Sessions at Atkinson Park, Newburyport, MA

Saturday, October 18th (raindate October 19th): Mini Sessions at Atkinson Park, Newburyport MA

The beach sessions will be at the lighthouse end of Plum Island, and will be held on the beach (I added this extra weekend date because I really want to give you the opportunity to get beach portraits in before the summer leaves for good!). Weather permitting, we should catch the last warmth of early Fall for these. Park sessions are in one of the most beautiful parks in Newburyport- with gardens, paths, bridges, fountains, and a variety of places to relax. More dates will be added with popular locations should these fill.

You may have some questions on these elusive ‘Mini Sessions’!:

What is a Mini Session?

A mini session is a regular photo session, but is a half hour long, which is just enough time to get those great family/kids shots in for your Christmas Cards and gifts. No hassle, no stress, just a half hour, and you’re done! These are perfect if you need updated family portraits and family gifts. Mini sessions will be scheduled in the mornings and afternoons of the above dates.

What do I get with a Mini Session?

Your mini session includes at least ten edited final photos, and a CD of these for printing as gifts and wall art. It also includes a pack of 50 Holiday Cards, of which you’ll get to choose from our exclusive designs. Holiday Card designs will be a mix of traditional and chic to accommodate every taste and style.

What kind of shots will I get?

I will shoot in my signature style, but I will work to supply you with a mix of traditional family photos, individuals of your kids, and some fun shots as well. Perfect for the grandparents AND your friends!

When should I have my order for cards/products in by?:

All orders, to be received by Christmas, should be in by November 1st. All orders placed after this date will not be guaranteed to be in by Christmas.

What if I want a full, regular session?

Of course, full sessions are still offered year-round, and can be scheduled on any weekend days other than these dates. A regular full session is 2 hours long, with at least 40 images presented. Full sessions include travel to homes, which may be a more convenient option if you would like a more extended update of your family photos.

Can I buy prints and products?

Prints and products will be on-sale year round as well, and are available for mini session bookings. I will be offering special holiday products (albums, gift albums, and frames) starting September 15th. I have a surprise product line up my sleeve as well, and here’s a hint: painted canvases and jewlery. Okay, here’s another hint: Erika Jones (now go Google! :) ).

Please email me for pricing. Booking is on a first-come, first serve basis. Please use the form on this blog, the form on my website, or simply email contact@mariahgale.com. These slots will fill fast, as this is the most popular time of year for family portraits (who can resist having all of their cards, portraits, and holiday gifts done in one fun, hassle-free half hour?). These sessions will be a blast- I can’t wait to see my repeat clients again, as well as new bookings!

And since no post is complete without pictures, here are a couple from my recent meetup with a fellow photographer who traveled out here from California with her little guy:

We shot in Boston Common, and this red wagon was conveniently…not ours, haha. A fellow toddler let us borrow it to shoot in. Such an altruistic little guy- couldn’t have gotten these shots without it. ;)

I have to add this one, because it shows off his gorgeous eyelashes. We were looking for planes, a rare still moment:

Thanks for hanging out, Helene!

(I just added this yummy striped background. I’m not sure how it looks to you guys on smaller monitors…mine’s 24″…so let me know if it looks alright or not!)

Until Next Time,

MG