We have been shooting a lot of food images lately, particularly with the Fresh & Honest Cookbook (which I will blog about again soon), so I wanted to get out and shoot some more lifestyle photography for my portfolio. I love shooting all kinds of imagery not just one particular subject because I feel like it keeps me fresh and open to new ideas and creative directions. Every time I go from one subject to another there is a newness to it which I feel always has me looking at everything just a little differently each time I go back to it.

I also wanted to get outside since fall is by far my favorite time of the year. There is a freshness to fall even though it is the end of a cycle. I love the crispness of the air. It always feels to me like nature is wiping her slate clean to get ready for something new. I like that idea, not to mention the colors, the perfect temperatures and the light!

So we set up a test in my backyard with a couple models I had been wanting to shoot with - Brad Van Dussen and Sarah Murphy both who are with Maggie Inc, here in Boston. Many thanks to Dale for the use of his truck and to Callista Wilson and Rachael Berkowitz for their great styling.

For me this image was always to be about the moment. You all know it, think of that date: the one where your heart was beating just that much faster when you figured out she (or he) liked you as much as you did her (or him). You had made sure the date would be perfect and it paid off.. It was the closeness of the moment, the excitement, the cautiousness so as to not ruin it, and that anticipation of what was going to happen... it was the beginning, and we all remember each time it happened.

Of course the last time that first time happened for me was 10 years and 3 kids ago. It was some moment, and now look what I have... an 8 year old son to follow me and take care of the props when I'm all done.