As a Boston wedding photographer I’ve shot over 25 weddings this year all around New England, and it’s been so fun looking back through the past twelve months, picking out some of my very favorite images. I love the portrait part of the day, and I encourage my couples to allow at least thirty minutes for some creative portraits, either at their venue or in the surrounding landscape, be it in the countryside, on the beach, or in an architecturally interesting city location.

Great portraits go hand in hand with a first look; often times there simply isn’t enough time between the ceremony and reception for us to be able to create much more than the standard “hold hands and smile at the camera” portraits – however if we plan on the couple seeing each other for the first time before the wedding (known in the industry as a “first look”) we can ensure that there’s plenty of time to create really awesome images. The first look is also a great time for me as a photographer; I can stand back a little way and capture beautiful, natural moments between the couple as they enjoy some alone time. It’s also really fun watching how different people react; often there are tears, but sometimes there are excited gasps and even big belly laughs. Anyway, here are some of my favorite first look moments and portraits from the last twelve months’ weddings: