Great Olan Mills Photos from the 70's

Is that a dead animal carcass behind her?


The library background would be more believable if it didn't slope downward.


The plantation looks more realistic with the addition of this column. Right?


My husband sent me this link that was the "list of the day"on a website. It features some hilarious photos taken at an Olan Mills studio in the 70's.

Remember the old wagon wheel, or library backgrounds? Or maybe you know someone who had the famous Dorothy Hamill haircut,a Billy Ray Cyrus mullet, or the long hair with "wings". Click on this link for more chuckles.

http://listoftheday.blogspot.com/2007/09/great-olan-mills-photos.html

On some I laughed so hard, not at them, but with them. Partly because I got my start working for Olan Mills in the early days of my career (1986). I remember being trained to use those props you see above. I have come a long way since then, thank goodness.

Let me know what you think. Do you have any funny, quirky family photos from the past with you wearing some outfit or hairstyle that was the hippest, coolest thing at the time??? I know I do. If you show it to me, you will get $50 off a future session. But don't worry, I won't post it. :)

The Stark Wedding

A gorgeous bride, a loving couple, a wonderful spring day, at my favorite church and my favorite wedding venue-The Coonamessett Inn, and even with my favorite DJ-Danny Walsh. It just doesn't get any better than this! This is the kind of day I just LOVE my job. Thanks Sara & Tom, and to your families, for allowing me to capture your magical day. I consider it an honor... Enjoy this little video while waiting for the rest of the photos to come online in a day or two.

Restore Old Photos 6/08

I have a special place in my heart for old antique photos. I feel a connection to the photographers of yesteryear, and find it endearing that they were photographing families, newlyweds, babies, and everything photographers of the digital revolution do today. I find it fascinating to look at their backgrounds, and studio props, the names & locations of the studios, and most of all their subjects. I love to hear from my clients what they know of their ancestor and who they were.
I collect them now, and often buy them when I am at flea markets and antique stores. They are not my ancestors, but they all become my family now that I have become their caretaker. Not surprising then that I LOVE to restore old photographs. I go in and correct cracks or damage, and can make a new print (or prints) for you in any size, while still preserving the original. Do you have a loved one that you would like to have "restored"?? If so, email me for a quote at MrsTsPhoto@aol.com. If you mention you saw this in the blog, I will give you one extra 5x7 as my gift!!

First Communion - June 08

It's that magical time of year again when many special ceremonies such as first communions, graduations, Bar& Bat Mitzvahs, and Mother's Day and Father's Day, create a reason to get together with our families.
It provides a great opportunity of course for photos too. Here are three little cuties that I did First Communion Portraits for in the past week. If you know of anyone who is going to be celebrating a special event or occasion, we offer gift certificates for sessions or prints. If you mention this blog you will get 10 free photo thank you cards printed on watercolor paper.

This last pretty girl, Shea, has been photographed by me before and was featured with her older sister Brianne in my art show last summer.
They are both avid dancers in ballet, and so the portrait painted of the two of them reflected their love to
dance, and for each other. It has an artistic influence of Matisse's well-known joyful painting, The Dance. I love that!

Spring is Here! 5/08

Spring is here, and on the Cape it is usually brief. So lets enjoy it before the Cicadas arrive! What's a Cicada? Well it is my understanding that they are a beetle or locust-type bug that
when fully grown ends up being the size of an adult human's big toe! I guess they come every 17 years, and stay for about 3 weeks. I wasn't here on Cape Cod the last time they were here, but I have heard some wild stories. I have many friends who
are not opening their pools for another month or so until they pass. We have seen some of their casings stuck to our cars, so they are almost here in Sandwich. I'll post a photo soon once they are all here. Wonder how that will affect outdoor weddings???

Bad Videographers!!!

Okay, SERIOUSLY???


Well, when you have done weddings for twenty years you have pretty much seen & dealt with everything. Mostly it is a joy and an honor every time I go. I LOVE weddings, and often feel very close to my couples, and their families, and they often become lifelong clients. However, occasionally I have to work with someone who is so counter to the unobtrusive way that I work, that it is really frustrating.
I had a case at this wedding, where there was a video team, that were shooting constantly from literally 2-3 feet from their face the whole time, therefore blocking the view of all the guests, parents, and any of my shots as well. No matter where I stood or turned, there were always these two guys flanking the bride & groom at every moment. Take a look at this and see if you agree with me. Needless to say these are not videographers that are members of PPOCC.org group, whom I do recommend. I have blocked the faces out of the very lovely bride and groom to protect the innocent. But I really do not understand why these "professional" videographers would need to be this close, and "in your face". Do you? Can't be flattering.

Well anyway, finally I decided to amuse myself by photographing them in the photos too. There are more, but you get the idea. Okay, thanks for listening to my rant. I feel better now....

Dog Paintings May 08

Did you know that in addition to photographic portraits, I can also paint them? Did you also know that your loved ones portraits don't just have to be of the human variety, but of your other cherished member of the family?? Here is a recent portrait I did of my friend Casey's two dogs.
There are some other dog portraits here too, while I am at it....


If you have a pet that you would love to have a portrait of, call Mrs. T today at (508)539-8134 to set up your session. You will get $15 off your session, and a free doggy treat for your friend if you mention that you saw this in the blog.

Make Your Own CD/Album Cover 5/08

One of my photographer girlfriends had this on her blog, and it was so much fun I had to share it with you. What you do is create your own album cover, but it is all done randomly. You go to one site for the image, one site for the album name, and one site for the artist's name. You end up with your pretend cd cover for your fake band. Its weird that these Egyptians sculptures showed up to me out of all the millions of possibilities, since I visit them often at the Museum of Fine Arts. Weird huh? I liked doing it so much, I had the other two members of the family do one too. Here is mine on the right.

Here is how you can do it:
(Warning! Its fun & addictive!)

The name of your band will be showing up after using this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Your album name will be the last four words from the last quote on that side here http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The third picture here will be your album cover: http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Put them all together to create your cover, and send it to me and I will post it, or you can email it to me at MrsTsPhoto@aol.com. Enjoy!

Here is my daughter Ana's cover, followed by my husband a/k/a Mr. T:

Cape Cod Scenics May 08

A couple of years ago I did the cover photo of Cape Cod Life Magazine, and also did the cover of the Yellow Pages of Cape Cod. Just recently I was asked to have one of my photos on the cover of the next Sandwich Community School Brochure Book that is coming out for the fall. It is an image of a swan in Shawme Pond, overlooking downtown Sandwich. Even though I am mainly a portrait photographer, I occasionally take some scenics for fun. We are so blessed to live on Cape Cod, the beauty is hard to ignore. So while I was looking through the folder of images, I thought I would share a few with you...
If you are interested, we sell packs of Cape Cod Scenic Notecards. They are
beautiful, and make great gifts too. If you mention that you saw it in the Blog we will give you an extra 5 in your packet!

I Love New York in the Springtime! April 08

In April, I had an awesome photo shoot with a fun engaged couple in New York's Central Park. It was a perfect spring day, and we had a great session. Great job Christine & Darcy- you were fabulous and I can't wait for the wedding!


I brought my husband and daughter with me to the City, and we stayed a few days. We saw the Statue of Liberty from the Circle Line Ferry. We visited The Cloisters, a monastery turned into a museum with fabulous Medieval Art work, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We ate in Little Italy. We watched one of my husband's favorite music students, Frankie Cogliano, play jazz in a coffee house in SoHo. We visited Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Of course, the part my daughter remembers most is the 5-story M&M Store (thats right- 5 floors of m&m products), the American Girl Doll store and luncheon, & the giant Toys-R-Us. Take a look at our New York slide show below to see Mrs. T's view of NYC!!!

Mrs. T's Music Video of NYC:





Christine & Darcy's Engagement Session in Central Park:

New England Institute of Professional Photography 4/08

I had the pleasure to be the Model Coordinator for New England Institute of Photography 2008 Session, which was held at Ocean Edge in Brewster. Many of the professional photographers in the region close down their studios, and go for a week to study with some of the top pros in the country. Since you spend over 40 hours with the instructors, it is equivalent to a college course, and people work towards gaining merits for their Masters of Photography degrees. It is also a great time to network, and share ideas with other folks in the field. The models came from clients and friends, and were even advertised for in Craigs List. If you are interested in being a model next year, let me know. If you are interested in attending the school, go to www.NEIPP.com . I have made it for over twenty years, and wouldn't miss it.

On the last evening, there is a banquet dinner and the theme was The Great Gatsby. They hired a sixteen-piece big band, who happened to be Stage Door Canteen. My husband is the co-leader
of the band, and a jazz-guitarist. They had the place jumpin' & jivin'. They were such a hit, they have already hired them for next year.

American Girl Doll Fashion Show & Tea

If you have a daughter between the ages of 3 and 12 then she probably has at least one American Girl Doll. They have dolls for different times in history, along with the books about their lives, and the clothing and items from that time period. Some are from the Revolutionary War period, one is from the Prairie/old west, one is from the turn-of-the century, etc. Boy did I feel old when they recently created one, "Julie", who is from The 70's. Well, anyway, there was recently a Fashion Show and Tea held at a hotel in Boston, for Mothers, Daughters, and their dolls of course. It was great fun. I went with another photographer mom and her daughter (Sarah Thornington & Adriana). We had lots of fun! We also spent the night in town at a fabulous hotel that was chi-chi and extra fancy for the girls. It had leopard rugs and robes, and fur blankets, and best of all it was attached to the Cambridge Galleria Mall. The hotel is very european contemporary in design, The Hotel Marlowe, and I recommend it highly!

World's Largest Snow Woman 2/08

We went up to Mt. Abrahm in Maine to ski over a February weekend.
We saw the World's Largest Snow Woman, which was made as a tourist attraction in Bethel, Maine. Indeed, it was HUGE!!! It stood about 10-12 stories tall, was made with 13,000,000 lbs. of snow (!!), has 5-foot wreaths as eyes, real skis for eyelashes, 5 foot tractor tire buttons, and christmas trees for arms!! You really don't get a sense of the scale, until you stand beside it.
It was really great! Last year they had the largest Snow Man, so this year it was the Woman. If
you get a chance, drop by and see it. Its free, and its something you won't forget....

Mrs. T Wins State Photography Awards

At the recent convention of Professional Photographers of Massachusetts, I won three ribbons for three prints. I entered my favorite images that I also painted in my art show last year.

First one is called "Emily's Pastime" starring Emily Healy. The second one is of my daughter, Anastasia, and it is titled "Dream Girl". The third one is of Lauren Anderson, called "Glamour Girl". They were all a big hit at the convention, and all of the girls are stunning and just as beautiful inside too. Thanks girls!

Women's Winter Weekend 1/08

Okay, so if you have not gone away for the weekend with your girlfriends yet, you've GOT to do it!
What a blast! A group of women photographers from the Cape went away together to New Hampshire, near Loon Mountain. I didn't ski, but we did go Snowshoeing on a trail. It was so peaceful and hushed in the woods. Not a sound could be heard except the crunch, crunch of our snowshoes in the snow. Some of the group caught sight of a baby moose.
We also cooked all the meals together, played games, laughed til we cried, and we watched the movie "Waitress". Made us hungry for pies, and we made a date to get together and make one together in the future.....

































I recorded the beautiful sight and sound of a trickling mountain stream on my camera.
Here it is. Just like a soothing bedtime cd:

Medical Portraits 1/08

"Creating Life at a Fertility Clinic"


Those of you who know me from weddings or other portraits, may not realize that I also do photography for a medical magazine called MD News Magazine. There are three issues, one for Boston, The North Shore, and Southeastern Massachusetts. I do several sessions a month, and photograph whatever cutting edge medical breakthroughs, new techniques, and the area hospitals and top doctors and surgeons in the country or the world! It is a great honor to go in to their operating rooms, and photograph them in their real environment. Here is what I look like when I get suited up in scrubs to go in to the OR- not too glamorous- but it is fun.

Here are a few recent images.