Lynn & George's Farm at Raven Brook Engagement Session

Lynn and George booked me for their intimate Berkshires wedding and decided that they wanted to do an engagement session as well (which I ALWAYS recommend to my wedding clients - especially those who say they aren’t comfortable in front of a camera). Lynn and I discussed some good options for Massachusetts engagement session locations, and she decided that she wanted to do their session at The Farm at Raven Brook, a Christmas tree farm in Halifax, MA. The staff at the farm was incredibly accommodating. The owner even gave me a tour of the grounds before Lynn and George arrived so that I could scout out some good locations for photos.

As a Massachusetts engagement photographer, I know that March can be one of the toughest months for natural beauty in New England. Lynn & George hoped for a snow-covered scene, but 2023 turned out not to be the snowy winter we hoped for. Evergreen trees turned out to be the solution! The rows of green trees made for a great backdrop for March in Massachusetts when most of the world looks brown and dead. Lynn and George roamed through the rows and rows of evergreens, the sun-kissed meadows, and the quaint pond on the grounds of The Farm at Raven Brook with me.

Check out some of my favorite images from their Massachusetts engagement session below!

What is Wedding Photojournalism?

What makes me a “wedding photojournalist” and what is the difference between wedding photojournalism and any other type of wedding photography?

Photojournalism is a form of journalism which tells a story through photography. When you take a trained photojournalist like myself, and place her into the world of wedding photography, you end up with wedding photojournalism. I use my skills as a professional photojournalist and my years of experience documenting story and capturing real moments to tell the story of your wedding day in an authentic, captivating, beautiful way.

Why consider a wedding photojournalist?

Capturing the authentic story of your wedding day is important to you. You want a photographer that will capture the raw and real moments and emotion while still leaving you with beautiful, fine art quality photos. As a documentary wedding photographer or a wedding photojournalist, this is where I come in.

Photojournalism allows you to act naturally throughout your wedding day. On a day that’s already a bit hectic, it’s nice to have someone there who lays low and is not always jumping in to guide and pose you. A photojournalist is more inclined to capture sincere reactions because you won’t be thinking about them being around, interrupting the natural moments constantly. This approach is more likely to result in touching photos that elicit emotion.

Click the image above to see more of my award winning images from the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA).

How do I know if a photographer is a photojournalist?

When you look through the photographer’s portfolio, you should see natural laughter or other intense emotional scenes (tears, hugs and goofy faces for example).

A photojournalist will look for unique angles and vantage points to create photos that make you feel like you were there in the moment.  For example, I will often get down on the floor to be eye to eye with a child or I’ll jump in the middle of the dance floor during the reception.

If in their portfolio you see many photos of people looking directly into the lens or the portfolio consist of mostly detail shots (for example, of the rings, the flowers, etc.) they are most likely not a photojournalist.

Wedding photojournalists are first and foremost storytellers. They should tell the story of your wedding day in a way that will make you re-experience the feelings you felt on the day. You should see truth and real love in your photos the way that it really happened. Photojournalistic or documentary wedding photographers like me will tell the real story of your wedding day. We will not find the tidy, perfectly staged room with the most gorgeous light to prop you in front of for your getting ready photos. That would not be telling YOUR story. It would be telling MY understanding of what a wedding should look like. It’s also just recreating a worn-out, overdone wedding photography look that will leave you with wedding photos that look like everyone else’s.

What if I want portraits in addition to candid photos?

Just because I’m a wedding photojournalist who thrives in capturing candids does not mean that I shoot exclusively candid photos. Portraits are important too and I will always build in some time during your wedding day for both couple portraits and any other posed portraits you’d like with family and friends. Portraits are a normal and expected part of a wedding day and I would never suggest skipping them completely.

You’ll find that this is the only time throughout the day that I’ll give any explicit direction. Not everybody is a natural in front of the camera (myself included!) so I understand the need to have some direction while taking these pictures. Your mind will be in a million places throughout your wedding day and so it’s nice to have someone there with wedding experience to occasionally give a little guidance and direction.

As a wedding photojournalist, I want your wedding photos to feel alive. I want to piece together the story of your wedding day from the quiet getting ready moments through to the wild dance floor.

To help me to tell your story in the most complete way, my process involves getting to know you before the wedding a bit more than other photographers might ordinarily. Whenever you need to talk through anything for the wedding day, I’m available for a phone call or on Zoom.  That way, I can build more and more information leading me to how I will want to approach your specific day. When we are about 2 months out from your date, you’ll get a questionnaire from me that will dive into the finer details of your wedding-day schedule and your family and friends that will be a part of it.

With wedding photojournalism, it’s not just about epic emotions. Sometimes it’s about the subtle bits of information included in an image’s composition that take it from an appealing or interesting photo to a meaningful, emotional capture.

When talking with Paige before her wedding, she told me that her wedding dress was the same exact gown that her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother all wore before her. I love being given details like this before the wedding because it allows me to use that knowledge to capture photos and craft compositions that I may have overlooked otherwise.

All of this allows me to better tell your unique story.

Wedding Photojournalism may or may not be for you and there is nothing wrong with that!  Hopefully this all helps to clarify what true documentary wedding photography looks like and what it is all about. 

If you’re looking for a wedding photojournalist for your Boston or New England wedding, I’d love to chat! You can contact me here.

Maddie & Gyasi's Blenheim Hill Farm Wedding

It’s always a huge honor when a friend asks me to photograph their wedding, so when my old SU friend Gyasi reached out to me about his wedding to his fiancée Maddie, I was thrilled. Gyasi and I met while attending school at Syracuse University. He was a few years ahead of me but let’s just say he was A PRESENCE in the a cappella community and was super kind and welcoming to me as a shy newbie. I knew that his fiancée must be a really special, fun person to keep up with Gyasi, and I was definitely right. I video chatted with the two of them to officially meet Maddie and chat about their vision and I was so excited to find that 1. Maddie was super sweet and the two of them together seemed to be a perfect match and 2.

Their vision for their wedding photography matched my documentary wedding photography style exactly.

Maddie & Gyasi live together in New York City. The pair met in typical millennial fashion, on the apps. Coffee Meets Bagel was the one that brought them together. It was Maddie’s FIRST EVER date on said app (how’s that for luck?). 4.5 hours and a good number of margaritas later, their first date was over but their story had just begun (I’m sorry for the schmaltz, I know).

Fast forward to October of 2021, when Gyasi surprised Maddie by asking her to marry him! She said yes - and luckily he did too when she asked him in return (true feminism is thriving in this marriage, people!).

As a New England wedding photographer, I typically don’t venture outside of those bounds for weddings, but for these two I made an exception. We started with an engagement session in Manhattan in January 2022 where we explored Grand Central Terminal and Fort Tryon Park. Then, about 9 months later in October, Maddie and Gyasi had their wedding at Blenheim Hill Farm in Jefferson, New York. The venue was gorgeous, especially in its vibrant autumn colors. They were able to stay on location at a house on the venue and we had a wide array of beautiful scenery and foliage to choose from when it came to first look and portrait scenery.

Maddie and Gyasi had a low key morning on the property.

This quiet moments while getting ready before the day really begins are some of my favorite to be present for as a documentary wedding photographer. I tend to capture an array of emotion; from giddy, excited energy to calmer, quiet meditative moments and I have the time and space to get creative.

Maddie got ready at the farmhouse with her mom, her bridesmaid Hannah and bridesman, Adam, and Gyasi had his best man Chris with him in the barn. Gyasi and Maddie had a first look out on a bridge by the pond and we took some portraits along the water where the foliage was most vibrant. We also had to get some photos of Maddie tossing the frisbee in her dress (she’s an avid ultimate frisbee player).

Both Gyasi and Maddie are Jewish, so I documented them signing their Ketubah with their cantor, their families, and some friends and then got in place for their ceremony. The ceremony took place on the lawn in front of the pond. Their autumnal florals were done by Rose Red and Lavender and their Chuppah was made from Maddie’s mom’s wedding dress (love a meaningful touch). The ceremony had some traditional Jewish themes, and ended with the African wedding tradition of jumping the broom immediately followed by the Jewish tradition of smashing the glass. So fun!

After their ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the patio, then headed into the barn for the reception festivities. The festivities were filled with fun, candid moments for me to capture - dances, toasts, a song performed by Gyasi and friends to Maddie, and one of the best dance floors I’ve seen (partially due to who Maddie and Gyasi and their guests are and partially due to the amazing band, The Metropolitan Players).

Here's a few of my favorites from Maddie & Gyasi’s wedding day. Enjoy!

Vendors

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Blenheim Hill Farm

Photographer: Kayla Rice Photography

Second Photographer: A Voce Behind the Lens

Videographer: Magic Flute Videos

Band: The Metropolitan Players

Officiant: Hayley Poserow

Hair: Twisted Sister Salon, Candace Rudd

Makeup: Sarah Salvioli

Photobooth: Wanderbus Photo Booth

Florist: Rose Red & Lavender

Dessert: Donuts, Walkill View Farm Market; Truffles, Twisted Truffles

Planner: The Wedding Plan & Company, Christie Napurano

Lifestyle School Photos: A Modern Approach to School Portraits

Lifestyle school photos are a fun, modernized approach to school picture day.

What memories do you have of picture day as a child? Are they fun, happy memories? More likely, you dreaded the experience of stiff, unnatural poses, bright lights, and a rushed, apathetic photographer. Your family likely ended up being shown one photo as your one option with the only alternative being the re-take. The photo you ended up with probably had a less-than-genuine smile and stiff, unnatural posture (possibly with a cool laser backdrop, let’s give them that).* Your family probably displayed the photo on the wall/fridge/wallet/mantel because they love you and there wasn’t a better option. It’s 2025 folks, and I’m offering a better option.

*See my own slouchy, hair spray hardened look with a dead-eyed “please just end this” smile above for reference of what should be a relic of the past.

I want you to have beautiful, frame-worthy, fine-art quality portraits of your child with charisma and personality. With my lifestyle school portrait sessions, I spend the time I have with your child dancing, laughing, playing, and moving to best capture their unique character. I give each child the time and attention they deserve so they can let their true spirit shine. I very rarely do any posing besides “let’s see how high you can jump!” or “can you spin around and make your dress twirl?”. There are no unnatural poses, no bright lights in their face, and certainly no apathy on my end.

Take a look at my Boston lifestyle school photos portfolio to see what happens when I give children the space and time to be themselves.

If your school has been stuck in the dark ages of school photography and you think it may be time to shake things up, check out the “School” section of my website to learn more about lifestyle school photos and reach out to me! Teachers, school staff, and PTA members; I’d love to chat about how I can make school picture day as easy and stress-free as possible for you and your students.

I love to give back to my community and support our local Boston schools. I do this with the schools I work with in multiple ways including complimentary class photos, staff headshots, and a 10% donation of all profits to the school, PTA/PTO, or a charity of your choice. Read more about what lifestyle school photos with Kayla Rice Photography looks like here.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

Newport Engagement Photo Session | Emma and Harry

NEWPORT ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SESSION AT BRENTON POINT STATE PARK

What’s better than photographing your best friend’s love and happiness? Photographing your best friend’s love and happiness in a stunning setting like Brenton Point State Park in Newport, Rhode Island.

Emma is one of my oldest friends. She and I became best friends in elementary school and have stayed close ever since. She and her fiancé Harry got engaged back in June and when she asked me to take some Newport engagement photos for them, I couldn’t have been more excited (although I did make sure that she knew I would be celebrating with her as a guest on her wedding day and not as her photographer) 😉. Both Emma and Harry have connections to Newport and are currently living close to the area, so Emma already had a location in mind when I asked where she wanted to do her Newport engagement photos; Brenton Point State Park.

I’ve visited Newport with Emma enough times to know Brenton Point pretty well, but I don’t think I’d ever been there at sunset. What a spot. It is on my list of top engagement locations that I’ve shot at for sure. It was a beautiful golden sunset and some of these photos look like I photoshopped in a perfect backdrop…sailboat idling by in the lower third…but I swear, it was really that perfect.

Here’s a little glimpse into Emma and Harry’s Newport engagement photos at Brenton Point State Park.

Why have your Newport engagement session at Brenton Point State Park?

Brenton Point is one of the best Newport engagement session locations for a reason. For a Newport engagement session, you truly can’t get more beautiful than sunset on the jetties of Brenton Point State Park. The pink and orange sky with the sailboats and rocks make it nearly impossible to take a bad photo. Even on a perfect evening with a fair number of people out enjoying the sunset, it’s a large enough area that you can find a private nook to claim as your own - and with the ocean behind you, it’s easy to avoid other people in your shots. Only a 15 minute scenic drive from downtown Newport, it’s an easy decision.

For any couples looking to find some outfit ideas for their Newport engagement session,

you can read my blog post about it or gather inspiration from Emma and Harry. Emma embraced her preppy, Newport style with her colorful, coral patterned dress and Harry balanced out the bold design with a coordinating, solid colored linen shirt and shorts. Not too matchy-matchy, but perfectly coordinated to make them fit together beautifully.

Emma and Harry made it easy and this session made me want to suggest Brenton Point State Park for all of my couples looking to do Newport engagement photos. I’m looking forward to ripping it up on the dance floor with these two in next July! Congratulations, Emma and Harry!

Boston Engagement Session at the Boston Public Garden | Lia & Ryan

BOSTON ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS AT THE BOSTON PUBLIC GARDEN

Lia and Ryan won an engagement session with me back in February and were excited to take a trip up to Boston to explore the city and take some iconic Boston engagement photos.

The couple lives in New Jersey so they made their session into a weekend visit. This was Ryan’s first time in Boston, so we discussed the finer things like '“where on the north shore does one stop for the best roast beef sandwich?”. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time wandering through the public garden and discovering all of the landmarks along our way.

For any couples looking to find some outfit ideas for their Boston engagement session, you can read my blog post about it or gather inspiration from Lia and Ryan. They coordinated their outfits beautifully with warm golds and blues which played nicely both together and with their warm summer sunset surroundings.

Here’s a little glimpse into Lia and Ryan’s Boston engagement photos at the Boston Public Garden.

Why the Boston Public Garden?

The golden hour light reflecting off of the pond mixed with the branches of the willow trees surrounding the water made for a gorgeous backdrop for Lia and Ryan. The Boston Public Garden is one of the best Boston engagement session locations for a reason. There is so much to explore in a relatively small space - from natural beauty to city streets all within a few steps. The trees, pond, bridge and flower installations make for a gorgeous natural landscape and if you want to mix in some city vibes, just walk outside the garden gates and over to the bustling Newbury street area.

A fun, unexpected element that we came upon during our session was these installments of tropical flowers and palm trees within the Boston Public Garden. I’m always looking for new, unique things like this to add some interesting flavors to my Boston engagement photo sessions and this absolutely fit the bill. When they made the trip to Boston, Lia and Ryan probably didn’t expect to end up with engagement photos that looked like they were on a Hawaiian vacation, but that’s what they got (along with lots of more typical “Boston” backdrops, of course)!

Congratulations, Lia & Ryan!