Small Business Shout out of the week: Oceanside Animal Hospital: Professional Photographer Plymouth South Shore

I have been trying to support and sing the praises of local businesses around me every week and this week is no exception.  This week I want to tell you about another great place, Oceanside Animal Hospital. Oceanside Animal Hospital is located in Sandwich, Massachusetts at the corner of Tupper Road and Route 6A. They are a new full service animal hospital and retail boutique.  This is where I take my dog, Charlie and my sister takes her dog Max.

The level of care and compassion at Oceanside is the best that I have ever had.  I feel comfortable and confident that my pets are always getting the best care.  I can tell you as a pet owner that I have definitely not always felt that way.  In fact, I have had a handful of really bad experiences with other places.

Oceanside treats their patients and owners like family.  They are warm and caring and their level of care and attention to their patients is fantastic.  If you are looking for a vet, this is the only place I will go.  Oceanside can be reached at Phone (508) 744-3838 Email info@oceansideanimal.com and website http://www.oceansideanimal.com

Professional Photographer Plymouth South Shore: TBT: My Dad #ThrowbackThursday

So anyone who knows me knows that I have a very tight family.  My father is one of the closest people to me.  I could always count on him to be there for me to help in any way and he was always present.  One of my favorite memories growing up was sitting with my father at night and having him read to us.  Not only did that help to instill a love of reading that is strong to this day but it also gave me something special to remember when he spent much of his time commuting to and from Boston each day. Tomorrow my father will be retiring and moving on to another chapter in his life.  It's amazing how quickly time passes.  So today I want to wish my father well and celebrate the man that he is and how lucky I am to have him for my Dad!

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Small Business of the Week: Martha's

So I am working on getting the word out there about some local businesses that I really appreciate having around.  Local Business is so important to me.  It keeps our communities thriving!  Another thing that is really important to me is the environment and the local food movement.  I believe that this is so important that I choose to put my money where my mouth is and spend more to support the local farmers and other local vendors in the area who also support this movement.  With all the environmental toxins, all the health hazards and environmental repercussions of mass produced meat and pesticides, we need to think about what we are putting in our bodies for food and what we are putting on our bodies the clean, moisturizes, etc... The list goes on.  

What I want to highlight is a local chef that has been doing it right from the very beginning and providing the community with amazing food to boot.

Martha Stone of Martha's in Benny's plaza in Plymouth has been providing fresh, local delicious food to the community for quite sometime and never ceases to amaze me with what she can cook up.  Martha can do more with a hot plate than most people could do with a state of the art kitchen!  If you haven't had a chance to try her cooking you will not be disappointed.  I have been sampling her delectable dishes since she had Martha's Galley and I was still in high school.  I won't call either of us out by saying how long ago that was.

Martha's is located in Benny's Plaza on Court St in Plymouth MA.

Read more about her and her business her!  Nice Job Martha!

[embed]http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20131206/News/312069798[/embed]

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Photo Tip of the week: Taking better family photos!

So now that it is getting nicer out and summer is coming more of us are thinking about taking vacations and getting out and about.  In addition to wanting to have loads of fun on your trip, you probably want to capture some moments that remind you of the great time that you had. Here are some things that I find helpful.

1. If you are driving bring a tripod.  You want a picture of the WHOLE family.

2. When you set people up look for a location with a bench or some rocks, something that will make it easier to stagger people.  Photos are so much more interesting that way.

3. Stay away from bold prints.  If one person is wearing a brig floral caftan, that will certainly be the focus of the picture!

4.  If you have kids, take pictures in the morning.  That is usually their best time and the time they are most willing to listen to direction.  Also I am not above bribery (carry a little treat with you, a couple M&M's go a long way!

5. Mid afternoon is the best time to capture great lighting.  It's called the golden hour and you have great light if you think you can get you family to pose then.

6. Save noontime for lunch not pictures!  There is usually a hazy film on your images when the sun is right over head.  I try to avoid taking pictures at this time if I can help it!

If all of this seems like a lot, consider calling a photographer located where you are staying and having them meet you for an afternoon.  Family Photo Shoots are affordable and you won't regret having some great images to cherish!  Happy Shooting!

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Small Business Shout out of the Week: Smilin' Mike's Dojo of Champions

So by now if you read my posts you can see that I am sort of making it my thing to give a shout out to all the great businesses in town that I frequent.  Nothing is better than a personal recommendation to grow your business. So I am making it part of my mission to let people know of all the deserving businesses that I know.  We all definitely need to support local business.  It is great to have the convenience of shopping online, I know I do it a lot as well, but if we want to see our communities thrive we also have to support the places that we live and work. I met Mike from Smilin' Mike's Dojo of Champions before he started his newest Dojo location in Plymouth.  He was teaching in Randolph and a few other places and he was a stay at home dad.  Since I am growing my business the same way, I can tell you that it is not easy to spend all of your "down" time make a business work, but Mike has done it with finesse.  He has such a great way with people and his business is taking off like a rocket.  I can't think of someone that deserves it more.  I have seen Mike in action with kids and he is fantastic, so involved and engaging.  Once Lucy is old enough for Karate instruction she is definitely going here!

Mike has been teaching since 1997 and if what I see is any indication he's going to go a lot farther.  If you are interested take a look at his business.  His website is http://www.randolphkarate.com and his contact info is: dojoofchampions@yahoo.com or 781-963-9600.  Smilin' Mike's Dojo of Champions is located at  739 State Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360.

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Shout out to Local Business: Second Nature Social Skills

FYI, I like this business so much we are doing a Cameras and Cocktails Fundraiser with them on June 19, 2014 at 7pm.  Ask me for more details on that too! I went to Notre Dame Academy in Hingham. I love the fact that so many of the women I went to school with are doing great things with their lives and in their communities. Amy Gordon is a great example of that. She started Second Nature Social Skills on a shoestring budget with no office to speak of. She had an idea that would make a difference in the lives of those around her. I am so happy to say that it has taken off and she is making great things happen along with her team.

I love the way Amy talks about her own business on her website so I am going to put her words here to explain exactly what she does:

Imagine how much easier life would be for people if they had specifically designed navigational tools showing them how to get to through the next social challenge: at school, at work, in life, with their peers.

If they had someone that could just tell them what the answers were in social situations as they learn in school?

Second Nature Social Skills aims to make this possible by using a highly visual, direct and explicit teaching approach in making the abstract and "hidden" rules concrete. This makes way to increase social mindfulness for you and your family.

Our approach is always customized to you and family. Everyone is unique and our teaching is individualized for you and your family learning needs. Second Nature Social Skills embraces this because we understand how you need to learn. We provide individualized social life maps so you and your family can confidently navigate your own journey.

Amy specializes in Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disorders and Anxiety. She is highly skilled and involved in her community. I cannot think of a better person to talk about for this week. Keep up the good work Amy! I love what you are doing!

You can check out her business at http://www.secondnaturesocialskills.com or contact her and her team at 508.747.2663 or info@secondnaturesocialskills.com.

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: A little Jazz..A little Photography...a little talk about taking candid photos!

So as the daughter of a jazz musician, I occasionally get to have fun taking photos of my mother and her fellow musicians out at their gigs.  I thought it might be fun to use some of their pictures to talk about how to take better candid shots.  So obviously when you are photographing a band, or a group of kids on stage (the list goes on...)  You can't change what they are doing and you can't change the limited number of angles that you have.  I have a couple tips on doing the best you can with a difficult shooting situation.

The first tip, when I go on any photo shoot, I set my camera settings ahead of time.  The benefit to this is that I am relatively confident that I am not going to miss any of the action.  If you are in the same room for the whole time (barring being closer and farther from changing light sources like windows) you can usually make sure you are happy ahead of time and just focus on composition.

The second tip is don't be afraid to move around the room.  Get as close as you can without disturbing others around you.  Not a lot of good pictures are had by just sitting in your seat and watching the show.

Change your perspective if you can.  Stand on a chair. Lay on the ground. If you are taking pictures of a dance group, try taking pictures of just their cute little feet all in a row.  Don't be scared to play around.  

Make one subject your focal point, take a picture of the singer and blur the band.  Take a picture of the guitarist when he or she is playing their solo.  Try to catch each person in their element.

Happy Shooting!

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Small Business Highlight of the week: Tiny Boxes Boutique

One of my favorite places to frequent in Downtown Plymouth is Tiny Boxes Boutique.  Their jewelry and accessories are so stylish and fun.  You can always find something unique in any price range.  Also, Karen and her staff are super helpful and great to talk to. Many times I go in with no idea of what I want to get for someone.  I ask for suggestions, give a price point and I leave with something that my friends and family think is fabulous.  If you haven't been in here you need to drop everything and go shop immediately.

Since we are nearing mother's day rapidly and I know there is a lot of shopping left to do, it is a really timely suggestion!

Selection  includes silver jewelry, semi precious stones, fresh-water pearls, shells, beautiful real butterfly wing jewelry, recycled water and wine bottle pieces, hand blown crushed recycled glass, handmade fair trade items, crystals, mood beads, drusy jewelry,... Everything you could want.

Tiny Boxes is located at 31 Main St, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360. Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiny-Boxes-Boutique/101048299939784 or on the web at http://www.tinyboxesboutique.com.

Just a glimpse inside from one of Karen's own pictures!