Ice Cream Social

Alyssa Fortin Photography is have an Ice Cream Social at the new Nona's homemade in Scituate on Monday, May 1st and May 2nd from 10:00 - 2:00.  Each family will get a 30 minute time frame.    The cost is $50 per kid with a $100 max per family.   Some of the  images taken will end up on the walls of the Scituate and Hingham Nonas.  Pictures will be a regular cost starting at $55 for a 5 x 7.  Please fill out a contact form on my website if you are interested:  www.alyssafortinphotography.com.

call for models

My new studio is perfect for maternity shoots.  The natural light is amazing.  This is something new I am offering in addition to my usual newborn shoots. In fact, if you hire me for a newborn shoot I will also include a film maternity shoot to build a portfolio of these types of images. I'm looking for 3-4 pregnant women between 36 and 40 weeks so that I can capture some beautiful, elegant, classic maternity shots. I have some gorgeous fabrics and linens for draping, and naturally, there will be some skin shots. While these maternity images are a test shoot, mothers must be comfortable showing their belly. Call me and we can discuss details.  Please share this post with your pregnant friends.

Concept Shoot :: Favorite Things

One of my favorite pictures of my son is where he is hugging the blanket a relative gave him when he was born.  Ten years later, he still has this favorite blanket that has turned into a knotted up rag in his room.  Come to think of it, I still have my favorite teddy bear in my room.  We all have our favorite things that make us feel secure.  

Capture your little ones with their favorite thing.  This concept shoot is open to children 6 months to 8 years old who have a special lovey.  This lovely can be a favorite blanket, doll, stuffed animal or toy.  Let me know if your child has something not listed -- and no, animals and mom do not count! I will choose two mornings in August after discussing available dates with those interested. This is a film shoot that will take place in Hingham on my 130-year-old covered,Victorian, front porch and around my yard.  The cost is $50 per child for the sitting fee. Printed pictures are available at regular cost.

If you'd like your child to participate, please fill out the contact page on my website. You may also message me through my Facebook page. 

Sprinkler Concept Shoot

Sprinkler Concept Shoot:

I'm offering a vintage sprinkler concept shoot for 3- 4 families  Here are the requirements:

More than one child in the family.
Children should be 1 year - 10 years old (ideally 2- 8).
Parents must me okay for me to use images for advertising.
Cost will be $50 per roll of film.  Depending on the number of kids, I will shoot 1- 2 rolls per family.
Each family will get about  a 30 minute shoot.  I plan to group 2- 3 families together per day.
These shoots will take place July 8, 9 or 10th based on all of our schedules.

Please fill out the contact page on my website if you are interested.

Helping Kids Go To Summer Camp in Hingham

By Elizabeth Klein

Alyssa Fortin Photography, Weir River Farm and the Hingham Mothers' Club were excited to join together for a spring fundraiser benefiting the Weir River Farm Scholarship Fund. Using black and white film in her signature style, Alyssa captured over 30 young children enjoying spring time at Weir River Farm. Surrounded by the newborn chicks, bunnies and lambs at the Farm, the children had a wonderful time playing with the animals and these photos are sure to become family keepsakes.

“We are so excited to partner with Alyssa Fortin once again.  It just makes sense. Her dedication to children in the south shore is admirable and her black and white film photography is gorgeous.  We’re especially excited to be contributing to a scholarship fund helping young children in our community”, said HMC President Liz Klein.

Over the two days of photo shoots, over $1,000 was raised to help children from across the south shore attend the fun and educational day camps at Weir River Farm. 

The Weir River Farm is not only a great place to buy eggs, join a CSA or visit farm animals but it also offers many educational programs.  One of the Farm’s most popular programs is the summer camp “Farm Hands”.  This program has been taking place for a decade and over 300 children attend the camp throughout the summer.  “Every child should have the chance to collect eggs, grow their own food in the garden or just spend time learning about life from the perspective of a goat!” said Education and Interpretation Coordinator at Weir River Farm Meghan Connolly.

Alyssa Fortin Photography specializes in natural light, film photography with a focus on newborns, babies and children. Alyssa is based in Hingham, Massachusetts and works throughout the South Shore area of Boston, and Cape Cod. For more information please visit http://www.alyssafortinphotography.com or http://www.facebook.com/AlyssaFortinPhotography. 

 Weir River Farm is one of the last farms in Hingham with its own “family” of horses, pigs, cows, chickens, and sheep.  The Farm is located at Turkey Hill Lane,
Hingham.  For more information please visit http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/greater-boston/weir-river-farm or call 781.740.7233

Spring Fundraiser at the Farm

Alyssa Fortin Photography, Weir River Farm and the Hingham Mothers' Club are excited to join together for a spring fundraiser benefiting the Weir River Farm Scholarship Fund. Using black and white film in her signature style, Alyssa will capture pre-school age children enjoying spring time at Weir River Farm.  Surrounded by the newborn baby chicks, baby bunnies and baby lambs at the Farm, your children will have a wonderful time playing with the animals and these photos are sure to become family keepsakes.

Alyssa Fortin Photography is offering film mini photo sessions on May 15th and 16th from 9:30 - 2:30.    Each session will last about 30 minutes.

The cost is $50 per child with a maximim of $100 per family.  Proceeds to benefit the Weir River Farm Scholarship Fund, helping children in need attend the Farm's summer camps. Prints will be available at regular price starting at $55 for a 5x7.

To sign up for this event, please contact the Hingham Mothers' Club at hinghammc@gmail.com.

If you have questions about this event, please contact Alyssa at 781-875-1400 or alyssa@alyssafortinphotography.com.

To see more of Alyssa's work visit her links below:

website  | facebook | pinterest

Old Website

I hope you will spend a few minutes on my old website before it comes down forever.  We have come a long way together.  I will miss Louie Armstrong's "Wonderful Life" song.  Many of these images have personal meaning to me and I haven't been able to remove them from the site for close to ten years.   There is an image of my son and his cousin both with their thumbs in there mouths and blankets in their hands that I know is from a time well past.  And this little boy on the homepage is probably in 2nd or 3rd grade by now.
Thanks for looking.http://alyssafortinphotography.com

Ice Cream Social

Alyssa Fortin Photography is working with the Hingham Mother's Club to have an Ice Cream Social at the new Nona's homemade in Scituate on Monday, May 14th from 9:30 - 1:30.  Each family will get a 30 minute time frame.  We have five slots still available.  The cost is $50 per kid with a $100 max per family.  All the profit from the sitting fee will go to charity.    Some of the  images taken that day will end up on the walls of the Scituate Nonas.  Pictures will be a regular cost starting at $55 for a 5 x 7.  Please e-mail me if you are interested in participating:  alyssafortin@comcast.net.

Photography Workshop

Learn how to take portraits from local

professional photographer, Alyssa Fortin

Have you ever wondered how to use the manual feature of your 35mm camera?  Do you feel like you’re not able to capture great photos of your kids?  Then join us on May 23rd for a fun and social workshop that will focus on children’s portrait photography using your own camera. You’ll learn basic art photography rules, what makes an interesting composition and how to use lighting to its best effect.  Attendees are also welcome to bring their own photos for a gentle critique.

We’ll be meeting at a downtown Hingham location and will walk as a group to various downtown locations to experiment with the techniques we learn.  Please bring your 35mm camera (no point and shoots!) and your camera’s manual.

Date: Wednesday, May 23^rd (to be rescheduled in case of rain)

Time: 9:30a-12:30p

Fee: $100/person

 Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/242556

There will be a maximum of 10 participants.

Alyssa Fortin is a natural light film photographer specializing in newborns, babies and children. She is known for her honest and respectful approach to portraiture. Her masterful use of black and white film and natural light along with her eye for composition makes her distinctive style of fine portraiture instantly recognized. View a sample of her work at www.alyssafortinphotography.com.

This workshop is sponsored by SheTalks, a forum for women on the South Shore to come together and explore topics like creativity, marriage, mindfulness, health, careers and ultimately, how to lead a richer, more fulfilled life. Learn more at www.shetalks.org.  Questions about this event? Email Alison@shetalks.org.

                        

You Like Me. You Really Like Me.

This photo simply makes me laugh.

I've recently joined Facebook and am awed by the quick interest and followers of my page. Alyssa Fortin Photography has over 100 FANS! As a thank you, and in an effort to gently encourage those who like me to tell their friends about AFP, I'm hosting a contest. Now through the end of October, each time you comment on one of my photos, post on my wall or tag yourself in one of my photos you will be entered in the contest. The winner (selected by random.org) receives a free mini session, that includes one (1) roll of film, for a photo shoot at a mutually agreeable South Shore location. Don't forget you have to "like" Alyssa Fortin Photography to participate. I'll announce the lucky winner on November 1, 2011.

Let the games begin!

The Idea Behind Concept Shoots

Now that the Weir River Farm shoots are over, I want to promote something different for the next few months: concept shoots.

The idea is a planned out shoot using particular props such as a boat or vintage car, at a particular location like Castle Hill, or an activity the children might be acting out. I have been doing these kinds of shoots for several years now with clients who I know are up for it. On my many outings prop hunting, I've come across fun items like antique dresses, an old sprinkler and a vintage baby doll crib that I would love to use in pictures. I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head right now. Little boys playing wildly in a sprinkler. Children and their horses. Kids all bundled up building a snowman or pictures after a snowfall.  Problem is, the chances of having your shoot scheduled for the day after a perfect storm are slim to none. Or at a regular shoot, if I used a sprinkler, the kids would be all wet and the shoot would be over.

 For this shoot, I found someone to loan us their vintage car.

I have presented the idea of the play ironing with a toy iron and ironing board to two clients recently as a part of their regular shoot and, both times, this was not what they were looking for.  I understand this from the clients perspective as well as the photographer's perspective. At the end of the day, those shoots are about you, your child. As an artist though, to keep growing and continue providing my clients with a certain level of skill, I'm finding I'm becoming increasingly passionate about concept shoots. That is why I think this idea will work better as just fun, extra shoots for people to enjoy. 

This is where being a fan of my Facebook page will come in handy.

What I plan to offer through Facebook is a particular concept. I'll post some details of the shoot with the ages and number of children I am looking for. Then interested clients can respond. These shoots will last about 30 minutes and I will most likely only take one roll of film. Your cost is only $50 per roll - just to make sure I cover my costs. But what you will get out of it are fun creative images. The prints will be available at my standard rate starting at $55 for a 5x7 print.

My first concept shoot for fall will be Make Believe Mommy. I am looking for 2-4 little girls between the ages of 3 and 5 years old to participate in a shoot one day next week (exact date to be determined). If you miss out on one of these shoots, not to worry. I hope to offer these types of opportunities in between regular bookings, so please stay tuned to my Facebook page.

Below you can see some of my favorite shots from past concept shoots.

Some ideas can be more simple than others. For this shot, the idea was just two young boys without shirts and hanging on each other, looking directly at me.

Another example of a past concept shoot is this image of four girls in dresses made from vintage linens with two puppies in an antique crib in a field.  We set it up and I took a full roll of this concept to achieve the "perfect" shot.

 At this shoot we brought a canoe over to World's End as a prop.

I love photographing horses. I think this is a particularly beautiful image.

This shot included a long, vintage cream skirt in a wheat field with an antique, beat-up armchair.

Why I Prefer Film Photography

People are usually surprised when I tell them that I still use a 35mm film SLR as my main work camera.  I went to a conference about 8 years ago by a very well known children's portrait photographer who is passionate about film.  Before I went, I told myself I was either going to come home and buy a digital camera or commit to using my film camera as my medium.  After that weekend, I knew film photography was right for me.  As an artist, it is the medium necessary to achieve the outcome that inspires me. My passion in my work comes from the results that film photography produces.  To me photography is about creating the best product I can - not about the highest profit margin. 

When clients really want some color images I will shoot with both digital for color and film for black and white.  I find I approach both cameras a little differently.  There isn't the cost factor in the back of my mind while shoot with my digital camera.  I know I can just shoot away and delete any unwanted images.  Although this sound enticing, it actually works as a disadvantage.  I find that I might not take the necessary time to compose the shot and might not carefully wait for that perfect shot with digital.  I can just over shoot and assume that there are some good ones.  With film I tell myself with each shot, to slow down, to take my time, to make sure it is the right, perfect shot.  When I am shooting both film and digital for clients, I shoot away with the digital; then when I pick up the film camera I hear me telling myself, and the subject, make it count.  

After I make sure I have captured the perfect expressions of your children, I have the images processed and printed by a highly skilled craftsmen who has more than forty years of printing experience in the same print-making process as one hundred years ago. Film is individually hand-processed and treated to the highest archival standards.  Negatives are custom printed in a dark room. The result is a much richer image with more tonal depth and detail than anything created by a digital file. The final print has a timeless quality to it and, with proper care, looks the same as the images we see in art museums or our grandmother's attic. Even if your children's portraits don't end up on a museum wall, aren't they worth it? Your perfect child. The perfect shot. It's the perfect moment captured in time. 


Prints made from film last forever.

Nona's Ice Cream

Such a great shoot. It makes me proud to live in a perfect little town like Hingham with Nona's homemade only two blocks away for my house. This little boy doesn't like messes and was just as clean coming out of the shoot as going into it. His sister, on the other hand, couldn't get enough! My favorite shot is of the inside of Nona's with the little boy getting his ice cream - the chalk board in the background is classic. 

Modern American Family

I was traveling to meet this modern American family and scout their lovely home as a possible location for the shoot. But just a short distance from their house I tripped upon this cool, old industrial building and it inspired me to schedule the shoot there.  I had to tell her that her beautifully renovated home was not the vision I saw for her shoot! Sometimes things that are a little different are the most beautiful things. This family was really fun to work with and were naturals in front of the camera.  

AFP on FB

Thank you for visiting Alyssa Fortin Photography THE BLOG. This is the best place to see a more in-depth look at my most recent work. Throughout the month I will post my thoughts on timely shoots and share some of my favorite images.

I realize, however, more and more people are on Facebook, so I recently joined and added Alyssa Fortin Photography. There, I will post more favorite photos, a brief update or two, links to THE BLOG, but also special offers that are only available to my Facebook friends.

If you are on Facebook, I hope you will take the time to "Like" my business page, Alyssa Fortin Photography. And if you see an image of your child, do "tag" the photo as your own. I am proud of my work and hope you will want to share my page with your friends and family.

Boats in New England

People call me all the time asking for pictures at a local beach and I try to give them more than just the beach. Being on the South Shore and having access to boats adds an interesting component and another layer to the portrait. I've had the privilege to capture some of my client's on their personal boats.  I love the personal aspect to include an activity that is a special part of their lives.  These are some of my favorite "beach" pictures using boats.