People often ask us, somewhat jokingly, if we only photograph gorgeous people. We certainly don’t limit our client base to head-turners, but for whatever reason, all of our clients do seem to be incredibly beautiful, both inside and out! Maybe it’s our name ~ Bello, which means beautiful in Spanish and Italian ~ that somehow draws them to us. Whatever it is, we’re certainly grateful to our bello clients who inspire us and definitely make us look good! The three sisters we photographed last week are no exception…

Earlier this year, we held our first-ever photography contest. We asked you, our faithful blog readers, to submit some fun and creative photos of plastic bags found in places they shouldn’t be. We admit, it’s not easy to take fun or creative photos of plastic bags, but we got some great images, and more importantly got people thinking about limiting their use of plastic bags. The idea for the contest evolved from our own personal annoyance about all of the plastic bags we saw blowing around the beach, along the highway, stuck in trees, etc.

Since we started thinking about all of this, we definitely have cut back on our use of plastic bags. We bought a bunch of reusable canvas bags for our grocery shopping and we try to reuse any leftover plastic bags we still have.

Another great outcome from the contest was that we got to meet Shaleen and her sisters, Alisha & Melissa, and their mom, Kathy. Shaleen was the winner of our photo contest and her prize was a free portrait session with us. We’re so glad Shaleen won! She & her sisters are such sweethearts and were totally up for anything when it came to letting our creativity run free. They also happen to be drop-dead gorgeous. I think we were really the winners of the contest….look how good they make us look!!! Bellisimo…

Shaleen~

Alisha~

And Melissa~

Sisterly love…

After warming up….and it didn’t take long with these 3 beauties, we headed to an old cemetery for some moody shots. The caretakers thought we were crazy! But, seriously, how cool is this shot?

Next, we jotted over to a nearby boatyard that had this killer red corrugated steel building (you know how we love our corrugated steel…and if it’s colored…yeaaaahhaaaa!). The best part about this session was that most of the photos look like nothing like what you’d expect to find on Cape Cod and we love that! And these girls….crazy beautiful! And even better, they’re not JUST pretty faces, they’re also incredibly bright! Shaleen is finishing up her senior year studying early childhood education; Alisha will start medical school in the fall; and Melissa is studying international relations, with a focus on human rights. They’re the total package!

Just across the parking lot from the red building was this killer dilapidated old storage shed. Can you say, “Score!!!” And how about that flare? Yup, we love that too! Do these 3 look like an ad for Abercrombie & Fitch or what?

Mom, Kathy, jumped in for a few shots. We can see why these three are such sweethearts! The love they all share is so evident and really nice to be around! The world could do with more people like them!

A little girlie giggle!

And how about this shot? They are just breathtaking! And no, we didn’t get them naked in the parking lot…just a little off the shoulder trick. But, it works, right?

A Cape Cod portrait session just wouldn’t seem complete without a visit to the beach…Charlie’s Angels’ style…

The light at sunset here on the Cape is so amazing. And the girls picked just the right colors to set it all off.

And we ended with a couple more shots of all of the ladies…

A great big thank you to Shaleen for taking the time to photograph plastic bags and send them to us for our contest. And kudos to you for rallying your friends and family to vote! You Rock!!! And a big warm, heart-felt thank you to Shaleen, Alisha, Melissa and Kathy for making the drive down to the Cape for our session together. We had such an amazing afternoon with all of you. You inspired and reminded us why we love what we do!!! We hope these photos remind you how special your relationships are with each other. I have two sisters myself and can’t imagine my life without them. There is no other relationship quite like the bond of sisterhood. Hold tightly to each other always!!! We love you guys! xoxo Chris & Andy

We had the nicest time the other day with Meaghan & Sean. Our engagement session began at Meaghan & Sean’s gorgeous new home in Scituate. We had planned to head over to the Boston Golf Club, where Sean is the resident golf pro, but it was one of those perfect summer afternoons and the course was a little too crowded…or so Sean said. We’re thinking he just didn’t want the guys at the club to see him smoochin’ up to his honey with the Bello paparazzi following their every move.

So, plan B began with a few shots on their back deck, then we headed into Scituate Center and the nearby lighthouse. It was a perfect day, ending with a really lovely dinner at Sean & Meaghan’s favorite restaurant, Riva. If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit! The food was Mmmmmm good, the atmosphere totally relaxing and the company couldn’t have been better!

Here are a few of our favorite shots from the day…

Getting up close and personal…

Here’s as little collage from a sweet moment they shared….Love it!!!

They didn’t necessarily love this pizza place or have any real connection to it, but we thought it was a cool sign! And who doesn’t love pizza?

Just a stone’s throw from the pizza place was this great little field and a tiny brook. The funny thing is it was right off a main street and you probably wouldn’t give it a second look, but it made for a great backdrop for some sweet portraits of the happy couple!

Love the sun flare in this one. And the fact that Meaghan is just cracking up!

Across the street from Riva was this really cute liquor store. I can’t say I’ve ever described a liquor store that way before, but this one had adorable tables out front, flower boxes and really nice elegant looking window displays. Definitely not your typical corner “packy.”

If we’ve ever taken your photo before you know we love beat up old buildings. I can’t say why we love them exactly. I think it’s just the idea of putting two beautiful people, dressed really nicely, in front of something dilapidated and the juxtaposition created by having such opposites in one scene that we’re drawn to. That and I just like cool old stuff. So, there was this closed-up, run-down looking building on Main Street and we snapped a few photos there…of course! Here’s one of my favorites. I love the way Meaghan is looking at Sean and the security you can feel they find in each other just by the way they move together. We love these guys!!!! They are just such warm, loving, totally down to Earth people.

And to wrap up the session, we ended with a few shots by the lighthouse at sunset.

It was a perfect day!!! We’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to Meaghan & Sean for being so much fun, for trusting us so completely…even when we asked you to hike down into the swampy brook…and for just being such an absolute pleasure to be around! And, of course, thank you for dinner! We could have sat there for a few more hours just talking the night away!!! You guys are awesome and we can’t wait to be there with you later this summer when you say, “I do!!” Big hugs and lots of love, Chris & Andy xoxo

Finally, after about 5 weeks, the cacophony of the cicadas has finally subsided. We have endured many days where the air hung thick with the loud raucous mating calls of these strange looking red eyed bugs, whose life cycle seems almost pointless. Check out our earlier post to see what I mean! Now, life, and the sweet sound of summer, is finally back to normal! We can once again drive around town with the windows rolled down and hang out in the backyard without packing a tennis racket for protection. Oh, and Chris no longer squeals and runs for cover as she legs it for the car!

It seems the cicadas have had their fun, laid their eggs, and have recycled themselves back into the circle of life. Peace is restored!

Its amazing to watch them emerge from the nymph stage

What are you looking at?

However, it doesn’t work out for all of them. Imagine this, you spend 17 years underground in total darkness just waiting waiting for this 5 week period that your whole life depends upon, where you crawl out of the ground intent on singing, flying around like a hovercraft, singing happily, mating (of course) and then lay eggs, only to stumble at the first hurdle and your wings won’t grow and you become ant bait! Now that’s a bummer!

And these nymph shells are still hanging around over a month later!

But when it does work out. Bow-chica-bow-wow! More cicadas in 17 years.

Until then …

There is an essay I found several years ago that I have taped to the wall in our office. It’s a good reminder to live in the present. It ends with this thought for the day…

“Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. And, dance like no one is watching.”

I couldn’t help but think of this when I saw this awesome video by Matt Harding, a CT native who not only dances like no one is watching, but then asks the world to join him! What an inspiration!

We don’t know Matt, but we love him!!! He at least appears to be the kind of person we aspire to be and someone we would love to sit and talk with for hours. He epitomizes the idea that it’s okay to color outside of the lines, to follow your own unique path (no matter where it leads) and to live and love without boundaries or fear. He is evidence that if you do those things, you will surely find your bliss! And maybe, in the process, you might even help change the world! Go Matt Go!!!! You rock!!!

In 2005, Matt’s dancing captured the world’s attention and the sponsorship of Stride Gum. The idea for this video was first hatched in 2003, when he created a website to keep his family & friends abreast of his travel ventures. “A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt an idea. They were standing around taking pictures in Hanoi, and his friend said ‘Hey, why don’t you stand over there and do that dance. I’ll record it.’ He was referring to a particular dance Matt does. It’s actually the only dance Matt does. He does it badly. Anyway, this turned out to be a very good idea.”

A couple of years later, someone found the video online and passed it to someone else, who passed it to someone else, and so on. Thanks to the generous (and very smart) folks at Stride Gum, there have been two subsequent trips since that first video went viral. This is his latest. If you’d like to learn more about this inspirational guy go to his website www.wherethehellismatt.com.

Hey Matt, if you & Melissa ever tie the knot….we want in!!!! Please give us a call! We just know that you two would have no trouble loving with your hearts WIDE OPEN and we’d be honored to be there recording that for you! Not to mention your first dance!!! Yeeeeehaaawww!

Our nephew, Calvin, turned three last week. It’s hard to believe, since it feels like just yesterday that we were there with my sister, Kim, and brother-in-law, Eric, as Cal made his way into this world. It has been such a joy watching Cal become his own sweet little person. He warms my heart and fills my life with such joy. Sometimes when we are talking, I just get lost in his eyes. He’s only 3, but I swear he is an old soul and I have no doubt, the world is a better place because he’s in it!

Here he is at his birthday party. Happy Birthday Bubba! Auntie & Uncle love you to bits!!!!

Cal gets a little help from mommy as he takes a whack at his Buzz Lightyear pinata (look at the concentration)

Horsing around with Uncle Andy…(this photo is courtesy of my dad….nice one pappa!!)

Pile on Pappa in the rented bouncy house. Poor Cal thought it was his to keep and was apparently pretty upset the next morning when he went outside and discovered someone had taken his Bouncy House away. Awww…..

Baby sister Sadie wonders what all the commotion is about…

I love this shot of 3 generations of Ferullos. Sadie & I have a little chat while my dad looks on. I imagine he’s thinking it wasn’t that long ago that his girls were that size.

Cal & Sadie’s new cousin, Michael, hangs out with his favorite Auntie Chris. Does life get any better than this, really?

Second cousin Sebbie was not quite as keen to have his picture taken….but we stole this quick shot while he was devouring a cookie. Check out those eyes!!!! He looks just like his mommy! Gorgeous!

Cal’s best friend, Maggie, puts on a cheeky grin, while Cal tries to claim back his seat in the playhouse. Maggie is the toughest, sweetest little cupcake ever. Poor thing had a shiner on her eye after falling down earlier in the day. Being the little miss independent that she is, she was completely unphased by her injury. I love this little munchkin! She’s going to be president one day!

Happy Birthday to you…..

A little help from his friend…

And here are just a few from a few days later, on Cal’s actual birthday. He decided to wear his Super Calvin outfit to celebrate the occasion! Who could blame him! Birthday are meant to be celebrated super style!

Look Auntie…I’m flying…

It was Cal’s b-day, but I couldn’t resist capturing a few shots of Sadie’s tubby time with mommy. I just love the way the light is pouring through the window in these. Is she gorgeous or what? It’s been a long road, but she’s doing so good now!

Mommy you’re funny…

And my personal favorite to wrap it up…