leise jones photography

Boston Lamb Jam 2012

February 21, 2012 by Leise | Leave a comment

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!

Posted in Boston, Events, Food & Drink Tagged events, food, Lamb Jam |

Wedding Cakes!

February 9, 2012 by Leise | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in Weddings Tagged Dessert, events, small business owners, weddings |

A Guide to Print Sizes

January 25, 2012 by Leise | Leave a comment

I came across this image on Facebook yesterday and thought it was a great topic to share. Most people don’t know that not all prints are created equal and the image below is a great illustration of the concept.

In the old days of traditional portrait photography, photographers used large format cameras (the kind where they had to put a cloth over their head in order to see the image) and the film was 4 inches x 5 inches. Thus, the 8×10 was born. It was a perfect enlargement from a 4×5 piece of film. While lots of photographers still do use large format cameras today and shoot with 4×5 film, most of your portrait and wedding photographers are shooting with digital cameras. Our natural image size is 8×12.

If the image that comes out of the camera is 8″ on the short side and 12″ on the long side, the most complimentary prints are 4×6, 8×12, 16×24 or 20×30. At those sizes (see below), you will get the entire image on the page, with nothing cropped off. Unfortunately, the most popular print sizes remain 5×7 and 8×10 – both of which require cropping into the picture and losing some of the image. So when you’re ordering prints from your photographer, keep in mind that not all photos look great at 8×10 – you may lose too much of the photo.

Thanks to Rachael Myers Photography in Peoria, Illinois, for sharing this image and helping address some of the confusion around print sizes! The first image, on the top left, is what comes out of the camera. Perfect at 4×6, 8×12 and 16×24. But when you crop it to 8×10, you lose the tips of her toes and the image doesn’t work as well. Use this as a guide to get an idea if your photo will work at the size you want. And when in doubt, as your photographer! It’s our job to know these kinds of things

Posted in Portraits, Tips, Weddings Tagged Corporate Portraits, portraits, print sales, Tips, weddings |

Arts & Crafts: Homemade Spoon Rest

January 18, 2012 by Leise | 5 Comments

Okay, here it goes. One of my big pet peeves – and something so small and insignificant – is coffee stains on my kitchen counter. You know how sometimes people put the milk and sugar in their coffee, stir it around and then put the wet spoon on the countertop!? Ugh, makes me want to scream. Unfortunately it happens A LOT in my house, considering that we are big coffee drinkers and have a shortage of spoon rests. So this past weekend, we took it upon ourselves to make some new, homemade spoon rests. The bottoms of small flower pots make the perfect size spoon rest for a little teaspoon.

We had terracotta flower pots – like the teeny tiny ones for seedlings – and used the bottom trays.

We spray painted them bright colors and after they dried, we used Mod Podge to adhere some pretty paper to the inside of the tray. (If you cover the whole thing with Mod Podge, you get a clear, shiny coating.)

Voila! You have yourself a spoon rest. And I can rest assured that I won’t get those icky coffee stains on my counter anymore! Win-win situation!

Posted in DIY/Crafts Tagged Arts & Crafts, homemade |

North End Stories

January 11, 2012 by Leise | Leave a comment

This fall I began partnering with local entrepreneur and visionary Jeanne Dasaro on her project to document the stories of Boston’s North End. Appropriately named “North End Stories,” the project intends to use photos, videos and audio recordings to share the stories of Italian-Americans in the North End. I am so lucky to be collaborating with Jeanne on this project by making portraits of the people she is interviewing. I get to be part of her effort to preserve the history of this landmark Boston neighborhood AND I get to orchestrate fun photo shoots with really amazing people.

First, we photographed Nicki and Bobby, the guys who own Polcari’s Coffee, which has been a fixture on Salem Street since 1932! I posed them at the counter in the front of the store, surrounded by the amazing selection of dry goods and using mostly natural light. They have so much personality and the store is so interesting, I wanted to keep it simple!

Second, we photographed Peter and John at DiPaolo & Rossi Meat Market, which they opened in 1974 when they both emigrated to the U.S. from Italy. Neither of them were very comfortable in front of the camera, so I set up some soft lights and just clicked away while they worked. This is one of my favorite shots of Peter.

Last weekend, we did two more portraits – you can see them below – and have several more lined up. To read the latest stories and see the collection of photos that Jeanne has built, visit the project website. If you have any old photos of Boston’s North End, or if you have a story you want to share, be sure to contact her! And stay tuned for more photos and videos in the very near future.

Posted in Boston, Local News Assignments, Neighborhood, Portraits Tagged Boston, Corporate Portraits, personal work, portraits, small business owners |

Lindsay & Peter Got Married!

December 13, 2011 by Leise | Leave a comment

Wow, it’s been awhile since I posted anything new on my blog, and I am excited to share some photos from Lindsay and Peter’s wedding on December 3rd. It started with Lindsay, her bridesmaids and her parents getting ready for the day at a Charlestown hotel.

Then they got into their sleek black limo (and I into my Honda) and we drove to Peter’s home neighborhood of Dorchester, where the bride and groom enjoyed a beautiful mass at Saint Mark Church. I had never been to this church before – it is gorgeous! The whole service could not have gone more smoothly.

Following the service, the bride and groom, their families and friends traveled just a mile down the road to Venezia’s On the Waterfront, a lovely restaurant and banquet facility that is, as it says, right on Boston’s waterfront. Since it was dark (and cold) we only did a few photos on the deck and did most of the formal photos in the bridal suite upstairs. But the hall itself was gorgeous, the food was delicious and the couple and their friends danced the night away!

Posted in Boston, Weddings Tagged Boston, weddings |

Chive Events & Catering

November 22, 2011 by Leise | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I finally got the chance to photograph an event catered by Chive. I have heard so much about this small, women-owned company in the last few years, while their reputation for serving delicious, locally- grown food has spread. Two weeks ago, while photographing a conference for the Progressive Business Leaders Network, I got to be in the company of the women and men of Chive, taste their delicious food, photograph their simple, sustainable centerpieces and watch them at work.

The first thing that drew me to Chive when I first learned about them was that they are women-owned. I am always looking to connect with and support other women business-owners, especially as the number of women-owned businesses continues to grow. The second thing that draws me to them is their commitment to sustainability; in their words, a passion for “good food & quality ingredients from sustainable sources.” I photograph lots of events, weddings, parties and conferences and I have never heard a caterer utter those words before. Not only that, but Chive brings only compostable, reusable and/or recyclable materials to the events they cater (including forks, plates, napkins). In other words, they don’t just say they are committed to sustainability; they prove it at every one of their events. You can read all about their philosophy on their website and check out photos from past events.

I was honored to work with the women and men of Chive at the PBLN conference two weeks ago and I am delighted to share a handful of photos. I hope you’ll look further into Chive and consider them next time you are planning an event, looking for a caterer, and otherwise wanting to support a wonderful local business.

boston food event photography caterer event conference

Spinach and feta frittatas for breakfast

Sustainable Centerpieces

Compostable Forks!

Delicious Apple Muffins

The Refreshment Table

Writing out the lunch menu

Compostable plates and napkins, too!

Posted in Events, Food & Drink, Non-Profit Groups Tagged Activism, caterers, events, food, non-profit groups |

How to Photograph a Magician

October 30, 2011 by Leise | Leave a comment

This week I had a new kind of corporate portrait client. Kayla performs magic professionally – at corporate events and parties, for example – and needed some new, updated corporate portraits. So the question came to me: How do you photograph a magician? Or, more precisely, what does a magician’s photo need to communicate?

I looked at some other magician’s photos and found a lot of top hats with rabbits coming out of them and people making silly faces while holding a decks of cards. But I thought, does your picture need to communicate that you can physically do magic tricks and have all the appropriate props? Do prospective clients really need to see you wearing a sequin cape to know that you perform? Would seeing that you have cards and a top hat make people want to hire you to perform magic at their company’s Christmas party? Or are people hiring you based on your persona, your charisma and your appearance? After all, a magician’s website and promotional materials clearly state “I am a magician, hire me!” so the photos are more about personality. Kayla and I decided that the personality traits she wanted to communicate are young, energetic, funny, interesting, dynamic and feminine. So we mostly left the props out (although the throwing-cards-at-the-camera-shot is just too tempting) and made pictures that communicated Kayla’s amazing personality.

Posted in Boston, Portraits Tagged Boston, Corporate Portraits, magician, portraits |

Engagement Photos

October 25, 2011 by Leise | Leave a comment

A few weekends ago, I found a new favorite place for outdoor engagement photos and portraits: MacDonald Park in Medford, part of the Mystic River Reservation. It is right at the intersection of Routes 16 and 28, minutes from a ginormous shopping center that boasts Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, and it is full of possibilities for sweet, private moments. Jillian and Justin are getting married next June and live only minutes from this park, so I met them there for a one hour portrait session on Saturday morning. I was so surprised by what we found – I never would have thought that such a quiet, peaceful and beautiful place would be so close to Costco! Seriously, if you live north of the Charles River and are looking for a lovely spot for your family portrait, engagement photos or even wedding day pictures, check out MacDonald Park. As proof, here are some shots from my session with Jillian and Justin.

Posted in Boston, Portraits, Weddings Tagged Boston, Engagement Photos, portraits, weddings |

Pumpkin Risotto Recipe

October 20, 2011 by Leise | Leave a comment

One of my favorite things about fall is pumpkin-flavored food! At my house, we’re just starting our annual adventures into pumpkin-flavors. We began with a dash to Wilson Farm in Lexington where we stocked up on pumpkin-apple-cider everything. So far we’ve enjoyed roasted pumpkin hummus, pumpkin pie and pumpkin granola. But tonight it’s pumpkin risotto! I photographed (and ate) this amazing dish at a restaurant a week ago, and I managed to find a recipe that is pretty darn close in flavor, while not nearly as heavy on the salt and fat. Black beans make a nutritious, protein-rich addition.

Ingredients:

1 onion. diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cups arborio (risotto) rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup roasted and pureed pumpkin
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp dried basil
1 cup black beans, rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste

Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the rice and the garlic. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two until the rice just begins to brown. Add the wine and stir. When the mixture is boiling, begin adding the vegetable broth 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to mostly cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Posted in Food & Drink Tagged food, pumpkins, Recipes, restaurants, seasons |