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