New England Family Portrait Photographer: The DeCarvalho Family at the Monastery – Cumberland, RI

Aaaaah! Fall portraits! Could it get any prettier?! Honestly – fall is the BEST. There are limitless opportunities to create unique backdrops with the most beautiful colors. And it’s the perfect time for family portraits with the holidays right around the corner!

I met the DeCarvalho family at the 6th Annual Shades of Pink Auction Fundraiser to benefit the Gloria Gemma Foundation for breast cancer research. I attended the fundraiser this year to support my friend Kaitlyn and her family, who are heavily involved in the foundation (her mom is a survivor! woohoo!). To support the cause, I donated a portrait photography package with a complimentary print to the silent auction. With a brand new 3-month old baby on her hip the whole afternoon, Hilda had her sights SET on winning the bid! Needless to say, her determination paid off and at the end of the event, we were making plans to get together the following weekend to capture their first portraits as a family. Hilda’s family is also very involved with Gloria Gemma, and her mother is a cancer survivor as well. (woohoo x 2!)

I tell ya, it was a really amazing thing to be surrounded by this group of people. Every person that attended was there because breast cancer has affected their lives in some way. Whether it was a personal battle, a family member, a friend, or they’ve just been touched by it in general. And now they just want to do their part to give back. I try to surround myself with positive people that do things with purpose. ALL of these people have purpose, and have their full heart into the support of the cause. The total amount they raised from this event was $10,000!! That’s rockstar status. Here’s a link to the album of photos from the fundraiser on Facebook : )

Fast forward to a week after the event, we jumped right on getting the photos done so we didn’t miss those fall colors! Emma was a happy little girl in the beginning, but through the whole shoot she ended up having to take two naps. I guess this smiling and looking cute business is hard work!! Carlos is a mechanic, and also restores antique cars as a hobby. When he asked to bring his antique VW beetle along as a prop, of course my response was “HECK yea!”. Hilda is an English teacher and a self-proclaimed “ultimate housewife” so she brought a bunch of old literature, baked some fresh pumpkin scones and pastries, and packed a picnic. It was perfect! A little bit of personality from both parents shined through the portraits we took.

Thank you Hilda, Carlos & little Emma for spending a lovely saturday morning with me! : )

Hope everyone has a fun weekend!