Monthly Archives: February 2012
The Power of Positive Thinking
I am going to stray from my usual blogging topic of…well…photography…and instead point you to a TED talk that I watched recently and that I really think is worth spreading around. For those of you not familiar with TED, these are short, online talks given by leaders in industries ranging from technology, design, entertainment, education, research and the like, all broadcast free online and available for the enrichment of our brains!
This TED talk by Shawn Achor, the CEO of Good Think, Inc. is called “The Happy Secret to Better Work.” To summarize, his research has found that the happier people are, the more successful they are in their work, businesses, and lives – NOT the other way around. Typically we think that if we work harder, we’ll be more successful, and then we’ll be happier. Shawn puts this idea on its head by explaining how happiness is actually a precursor to success, not a result of it.
You might think he is saying something that intellectually doesn’t make sense. How could you NOT be happier if you made more money, got a better job, or surpassed your sales goals? The reason, he explains, is because we are always raising the bar of what “success” means, and thus always struggling to reach it. For example, you’ll want to make MORE money, you’ll want an even BETTER job, you’ll raise your sales goals even HIGHER. And, therefore, success – and happiness – are always just out of reach.
Instead, he suggests, we should work to find happiness in our everyday and then success will come from that positive outlook. For example, if you wake up every morning and write down 3 things you are grateful for, then you’ll go through the day feeling more generous and appreciative. You’ll make new friends, solidify business relationships, please your clients. If every time you open your email program, you send one nice email to someone you know, you’ll start getting nice emails back. People will reach out to you, they’ll want to do business with you, they’ll refer to you to their colleagues and friends. In other words, the happiness and the kindness predicts the success.
According to Shawn Achor of Good Think, Inc., our success is created not by our reality, but by our perception of reality. In this down economy, when you turn on the news you see stories about war, unemployment, rising health care costs, crime and other unhappy things. That makes you feel unhappy; it makes you perceive your world negatively. How is one to feel successful with that kind of negativity brewing?
Shawn says the answer is not in working harder, spending less time with family, toiling away at the office, skipping vacations, and not sleeping. The answer is to embrace optimism and positive thinking – to find and create happiness around you so that your perception of reality is more positive. Positivity breeds success.
So why is a photographer blogging about positive thinking? Because in addition to being “just a photographer,” I am a small business person. And in my life, nothing has been so hard as being a small business owner trying to stay positive in a down economy. But luckily for me, a lot of things have happened in my life to contribute to my feeling happier. I won’t go into personal details, but suffice it to say that when I started feeling happier about my life, my relationships, and myself, business started improving. It really did! The last quarter of 2011 was my best quarter ever, and the only thing that changed is that I went into the fall feeling happier and more positive.
We all have our demons. True happiness is a process in and of itself. Shawn has a number of suggestions for how to approach each day with a little bit of positivity and I, for one, am going to try them. These last 6 months have proven to me that happiness does indeed breed success and this talk on TED is one more reason why I believe it.
Shawn’s talk is only 12 minutes long, so watch it when you can and let me know what you think!!
And now, just to be consistent, I’ll share an old photo with you that always makes me smile 
Boston Lamb Jam 2012
This Sunday, February 19, 2012, the American Lamb Board came to Boston for the 3rd year in a row to host the Lamb Jam! The Lamb Jam is a sold-out event that brings foodies from all over Boston to the Charles Hotel in Cambridge to celebrate (and sample) American lamb. I have photographed this event for 3 years in a row and while I am a vegetarian, as you may know, that doesn’t stop me from loving to photograph this event more and more every year. 18 chefs prepare lamb-based dishes and compete for the Best Dish in their category – Leg, Loin, Shank, or Shoulder – and Best Dish Overall. This year’s top winner was Chef Brian Alberg of the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA who wowed the crowd, and the judges, with his lamb and kale meatballs (see the photos below).
In addition to some of the best chefs in Massachusetts, the event features local wine and beer makers like the Blue Hills Brewery and specialty food shops like Harvard Sweet Boutique. There is indeed something for everyone at the Lamb Jam, even if you’re a vegetarian like me!
Wedding Cakes!
Recently, I thought it would be fun to go through the thousands of wedding photos I have from the past several years and pick out a few faves. I noticed, shockingly, that many of my favorites happen to be photos of the cakes! Yes, yes, yes, I have lots of favorite photos of couples kissing and holding hands, dancing on the dance floor, sweet smiles during the ceremony, laughter and happiness on everyone’s faces. But, ahh…the cakes…
I find that every wedding cake is unique to the couple, their venue, the season during which they’re getting married, and the baker’s style. Here are a handful of my favorite cakes with information about the person/people who made them. All of these cakes were made by local, small businesses, who we love to support. So if you’re looking for a cake vendor in the Boston area, now you’ve got lots of great suggestions. Enjoy!
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Katie and Bob were married at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, a full-service wedding venue who also provided them with their cake. Their wedding cake was somewhat simple and traditional, but topped with these beautiful frosting flowers! Of course, the colors matched the flowers that Katie and her bridesmaids were carrying. So lovely.
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Sarah and Paul got married right after Christmas a few years ago (you can see that their colors were, appropriately, red and green). They chose to have their cake complimented by these lovely handmade chocolate covered cherries! Their close friends, Karine Santos and the Fagundes Family, made these delicious chocolates, which were so sweetly displayed.
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Megan and Kyle were married at their home in Somerville one year ago this month (how time flies!). Their reception was at Precinct in Union Square and they had this unique-looking red velvet cake prepared for them by Hippie Chick Bakery in New Hampshire. Hippie Chick emphasizes using local and organic ingredients, which makes their cakes not only delicious, but good for the earth! They are also known far and wide for their ability to accommodate dietary restrictions, baking cakes that are vegan, gluten free, egg-free, etc.
I love the shape of this one – it reminds me of a castle – and it was surrounded by beautiful, deep-red roses. And it was delicious!
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This next cake was perfect for Kelly and Andrea’s October wedding in their backyard in Southampton, MA. It was made by Henion Bakery in Amherst, which produces a range of baked goods using local ingredients. This one was a devil’s food cake with a ganache layer, covered with real butter cream mocha frosting and decorated with marzipan leaves. It was a perfect fall cake and was a huge hit with all of the guests! 
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Sarah and Michael got married at the French Bistro Les Zygomates in Boston and the pastry chef at the restaurant made their beautiful cake. Real flowers are such a beautiful compliment to wedding cakes, and I love when cakes, like this one, are surrounded with floral arrangements.
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This cake was made for Tekla and Calvin by Montilio’s Baking Company in Brockton, MA. The intricate detail on this cake was incredible, and thought you can’t see it very well, the bakers put Tekla and Calvin’s initials on the right hand side of the cake (look carefully…).
I see lots of cakes that feature beautiful and bright colors – this one stood out to me for its lack of color, which feels elegant and clean.
And last but not least, Jess and Rich were married last spring at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station in Connecticut. Their cake was made by Kim’s Cottage Confections in Durham, CT. Kim has 20 years of experience as a baker and cake designer and says that you can bring her your “dream cake” and she’ll make it for you! What more could you want? Jess and Rich’s cake was so unique – I really love square cakes – and of course, Kim did an amazing job incorporating the exact color green that matched their linens and flowers.
