New England Metal + Hardcore Fest

Thanks to Vincent + Maggie, I got to shoot a plethora of heroes. And, I’m late posting about it, but not because I wanted to- it’s just been busy around here.

I’d love to go into extreme detail about every set, the moment I got punched in the head, and how wet it was on Saturday. But, I’ll save you the chatter- just know I had the most fun and suffered a minor concussion.

Saturday

Year of the Knife

Incendiary

Nails

Sunday

With Honor

Pain of Truth

Terror

Bane

Trying not to be dramatic here but this was easily one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you so much to NEMHF, Vincent + Maggie for this opportunity.

Summer 2024

Woah, summer went by in the blink of an eye.

Brimfield North, date unknown, on 35mm

I don’t even know where to begin or end. So here’s some of my favorite shots from the last few months.

Brenden practicing, date unknown, on 35mm

Hell Beach, 05.11.24

Hell Beach, 05.11.24 on 35mm

Impact Driver, 07.04.24

Closed Course, 07.07.24

Leslie on her wedding day, 07.11.24

Hell Beach, 08.23.24

Fun City Fan Club, 08.23.24

Cozy Throne, 08.28.24

Megan from Work, 08.30.24

Megan from Work, 08.30.24

This was the best summer ever and I’m so thankful to everyone I got to share it with.

Just an FYI, my partner Brenden & I started a video project! We’re filming local DIY shows on vintage camcorders and uploading to youtube. You can follow us on instagram @stabbycat.tv and check out our youtube channel for that awesome nostalgic vibe. Hope to see you at a show soon.

-Cat

Verde Salon Collab

Long time no see !!

Life is crazy and I’ve been super busy but I am trying to update the blog today!

So here’s some work I did with the team over at Verde Salon in Braintree, MA a couple months back that I just love (:

This was such an amazing experience (:

Thanks for looking <3

-Cat

Hell Beach @ The Shaskeen (part two)

Hell Beach came back to the shaskeen and I took some pictures!

Got to experiment with my new prism filter too (:

I’m so proud that my friends are so talented, and it’s always so fun to go to their shows. Sometimes I miss great shots because I’m having too much fun singing along.

Thank you to Hell Beach for having me!

No More Youth @ Ralph’s Rock Diner

My friends in No More Youth played a show at my favorite place!!! Wohoo!!!

NMY is a new band that put out a demo back at the end of June- you should check that out, and/or their single from November!

These friends have been working super hard playing shows and recording new stuff, it’s been a whirlwind trying to keep up !! They have a new single coming out soon, I’ve heard it and it rips!

This show was really fun and I’m always so happy to see my friends making music and sharing community. It’s crazy right? When you think about it, music is just like.. you make a piece of art and then you re create it in front of people a million times. Whoa.

Anyways if you’re a fan of heavy music you should check them out and throw them a follow on instagram and twitter @nomoreyouthma !!

Special thanks to my friend Dan for always welcoming me to take pics wherever they are!!

-Cat

The Acacia Strain @ Paradise Rock Club

Yes. It is true. I got to shoot the Acacia Strain !!

You may be wondering how I pulled that off- and really, I’m just lucky that a long time friend of mine is dating one of the members. Luck brought me here. And my dear friend Maggie. (Thank you so much, Maggie!!!)

But really, I had just expressed to my friends in a group chat that I had shot my first show, loved it, and wanted to do more and Maggie was like “girl if you want to shoot the Acacia Strain, that can happen.”

So, obviously I was all over that opportunity! And wow, what an incredible experience for my first time shooting a show that required a photo pass. They gave me a free ticket, the venue staff was super nice, and overall I felt very happy when I left that night.

I just wanted to extend my deepest gratitude to Maggie and the Acacia Strain for letting me do this/making this happen- I know that they have a very dedicated (and amazing) photographer on their staff, did not need these photos at all and just wanted to extend a helping hand to a learning photographer which is just so nice of them to do. So, thank you to all that were involved and I will always be available to shoot for you in the future.

Oh and side note, I’ve been listening to this band for over 10 years. So, this was just really cool for me personally. TAS are kings of metalcore and to be able to photograph them was truly an honor.

-Cat

Megan From Work @ Downtown Manchester

If I had to choose one word to describe this session it’d be ethereal.

Megan is a fantastic person whom I met less than a year ago yet I feel like I have known for much longer. Some people just make you feel seen, and Megan is one of those people.

When they reached out to me to do promos for their solo project, Megan From Work, I was so flattered and couldn’t wait, because as I learned from doing Hell Beach promos, they know how to model.

While I know how to bring out the model in pretty much anyone- or, in some cases, trick it out of them- when someone shows up ready to serve, it gives me a little more flexibility to experiment.

So, we set out in downtown Manchester with three looks, a camera, and a vision.

Thanks for working with me, Megan! You are such a gem.

The Truth is Out There @ The Dark Woods

Remember the magical witchy photos at the secret beach?

I was so excited when Ambre reached back out to do an alien themed session.

We decided to do them at the haunted house I work at, the Dark Woods. (It’s in Milford, NH! Check it out!)

The little radioactive scene we have was just perfect for it. And Ambre had a vision for these photos and it was just so fun to bring it to life.

She crash landed on a mysterious planet and had some peebers and cigarettes while she waited to get rescued. Little alien girly. So fun!!

Thanks for working with me again, Ambre! Adore you. (:

Ally’s Maternity Session in Hollis

Oops! All of the sudden it’s 2024!

The end of the year was such a whirlwind! I’ve got a lot to catch up on. First order of business: my bestie was PREGNANT. And now she has a BABY.

Ally + Nate have been such supportive friends to me for years- Ally and I met years ago as coworkers and just clicked in a way that is so rare for me. It’s funny because we have such different interests- I love rock, she listens to country. She loves ranch dressing- I would rather die than eat it on anything. But for some reason we just have a connection that has never faded.

When Ally decided to start trying for a baby I was over the moon for her. Over time I saw her and Nate blossom into two people that were just meant to be parents. The way Nate stands over camp fires with a stick really just drove it home for me. So after a long journey of ups and downs, when Ally was finally pregnant I cried with joy and begged to take the maternity photos.

Now it’s been a couple months since I did these, and they now have their perfect little boy, Julian- and I even got to meet him already. He’s perfect and silly and sweet just like these two.

Congratulations Ally + Nate on your beautiful family. Love you both to the moon and back.

Lovewell @ Downtown Manchester

So I got to see this band Lovewell at the Hell Beach show I posted a couple months ago, and they really tickled my dopamine receptors during their set- I absolutely love dreamy gazey stuff like what they do. We got to chatting between sets and they were just the nicest people- super funny and down to earth.

I offered to do a free promo session for them because sometimes when I really like a band I want to give back to them with an act of service.

If you don’t already know, I offer free show photography for any band who likes my work that wants me to photograph them, within 20 miles of Manchester. I do low price promos, and packages for promos at a show, and I also do recording documentary photography. If you’re a musician interested in any of those things, shoot me an email!! I love music so much and I LOVE to give back to musicians any way I can- I offer payment plans, I do bartering, I want all musicians to be able to get whatever pictures they need!

Anyways, without further ado, here are some of my favorite shots of my new friends in Lovewell - they just released a split with Sparing (yes, it’s on Spotify) so go give them a listen!!!

-Cat

Mercedes @ Wagon Hill

Hi! It’s been a minute!

It’s been a busy summer and there are a handful of shoots I really need to get on this blog. But in the meantime, I just finished these, and I really wanted to post them right away because Mercedes is one of my besties and I’m just so excited.

Location might be familiar: It’s where I did Marissa and Edna’s photos last month (:

Mercedes just wanted to do some fun lifestyle portraits and I had to oblige. These are amazing- she’s a great model. I know I say that about everyone but if you could sit in on one of my shoots you’d see that I don’t usually have to give a lot of direction. On that subject- I enjoy giving direction! I have poses in my head that I want to bring to life! But when your subject is just doing awesome stuff that all goes out the window and you just have to press the button. It’s always fun either way.

Now I’m going to shut up and let these speak for themselves.

-Cat

Marissa + Edna Forever

Fun story!!!

Marissa + Edna got married last summer! Congratulations to the happy couple (:

They decided for their anniversary they wanted to dress up in their wedding clothes and do some new portraits !!!

It was so fun. I adore these two. So laid back, super nice, unbelievably thankful to me (as if I’m not the one with the fun job).

Thank you both so much for working with me and being amazing in front of the camera.

Happy Anniversary ♥️

Witchy Photos @ Secret Beach

A friend of mine who had moved up to Maine years ago booked me and said she wanted to do some witchy photos on the beach with some nudity if we could get away with it… And I was all in.

We booked the shoot a month or so in advance and I figured, late June, it’d be sunny and hot- but what actually happened was truly an aligning of the stars for the best photos I think I’ve ever taken.

It had rained in Portland all morning but cleared up a couple hours before we were scheduled to start. During the drive up, as I got closer I saw more and more fog and prayed my little heart out that we would have some nice fog at the beach to set the scene.

And oh man, did we ever.

Truly an incredible model, I gave Ambre almost no direction as she just kept moving and doing different things. All I had to do was just get in position and shoot. It felt great, it was fun, Ambre looked amazing, the setting was perfect, and every time I looked at an image to check my light hadn’t changed, I was blown away by how pretty the images looked.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Thank you, Ambre for working with me and being a truly incredible model.

-Cat

Family Holiday Session @ Home

Taylor and Luke are just the best.

They booked me for holiday photos in 2021, their maternity session last summer (coming soon) and of course for holiday again in 2022, their first with their little gummy bear, Asher!

And OMG, what a sweetheart he is. I adore his little smiley face.

Photographing this little family is always so fun because they (seemingly) love to be in front of the camera. I don’t give them much direction- they just go with the flow and I’m free to experiment. It feels like we’re just hanging out. I always leave their sessions with a smile on my face because I know they hit it out of the park.

And if you like sweet treats, check out Taylor’s small business- Tasty Treats by Tay!!! (@tastytreatsbytayy_ on instagram) I’ve tried them and they’re the real deal! I asked her to trade me treats for a photo session OF the treats, because I’ve always wanted to try food photography. I’ve got a sweet tooth in the worst way, and she did not disappoint.

Thanks for working with me time and time again, you guys. You’re the absolute best.

-Cat

Hell Beach @ The Shaskeen

My friends in Hell Beach asked me to shoot their second show- and it was my first time shooting a show on digital.

I was a little scared- I don’t know why. I have only shot a couple shows prior, and all of those times were on film- so I’m not exactly sure what I was afraid of, considering I could at least see the images while I was shooting and make adjustments if need be.

I’ve got a major crush on this guy. Lucky for me, we’re engaged. (:

Anyways, listen to Hell Beach if you’re a fan of red hot rock and roll. If you’re local, come out to a show! This one was super fun, and once they got going and I realized the images were going to be just fine, my nerves went away and I just had fun listening to them and singing along. If you ever make it, keep an eye out for me and be sure to say hello if you see me dancing like a fool and singing my heart out to “Diana”.

-Cat

Maternity Session @ the Cranberry Bog

Oh, man. My best friend was pregnant with her second baby, a son. Little Luke. I was so excited.

Stacy and I met in college, 10 years ago. 10 years of shared successes, failures, and being supportive to each other through it all. It feels like it all happened so quickly- one minute we were laughing in her dorm room, then 5 seconds later I was standing at the alter during her wedding, and then an instant after that, I was looking up locations to shoot her maternity photos at.

And isn’t she just stunning? I have no words.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds on their new son. All my love.

-Cat

Welcome

What better way to start a blog than to do a deep dive about myself, peppered with some photos I love?

I’m 29 years old, a huge lover of Halloween, and have been photographing clients for 5 years! From my first session I loved every second of it, and couldn’t wait to do more.

With all of the scariness that comes with starting a business, I’ve been in a pretty deep denial of the fact that I am and have been running a business for a while, and the imposter syndrome? Almost kept me from pursuing it further each and every time I did a photo session. I’d look at the raw photos and think to myself I wasn’t a real photographer. Until I came across the best shots in the session, unedited but still beautiful- and then I’d think to myself… “maybe I am a photographer.”

Even to this day the imposter syndrome gets at me, because I don’t have a formal degree, much of my work comes from experimentation, and most of all- I don’t have a formal studio.

But still, I have work. And for those that work with me regardless of these things, I am so thankful.

Cheers to a new blog, and that one day this post will be buried amidst other blog posts of many clients and sessions yet to come.

-Cat