Hello and welcome! I have recently relocated to Portland, Maine from Rochester, Minnesota and serve the wedding and portrait photography needs of Maine, Minnesota and beyond. This is the place to check out my most recent work and to get a glimpse into my life. Feel free to take a look around, I'd love to connect with you!

Emily Griffith

06.27.12 | babies & kids, blog, families

The Larson Family

I photographed this adorable family a couple years ago and it was so good to see them again with an additional family member!  And I think it’s pretty sweet how this dad is totally outnumbered by all his beautiful ladies!  We also were celebrated the youngest one’s first birthday and she totally went for it with her cake.  It was pretty great!


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05.25.12 | blog, families, guests

Brandon, Heather, Max + Milo

HOW TO TAKE THE “PERFECT” FAMILY PHOTO

What started as a fun hobby taking pictures turned into a full time profession of making photographs.  Over the years, I have spent a lot of time contemplating why I do what I do and how to make the transition from taking photos to making photographs.  Ultimately, I want to make artistically and technically beautiful photos but I also feel a responsibility to document the connections between people, to create images that communicate the crazy, chaotic and yet beautiful life to new parents now and to their grown children later.  So how do I make that happen?  Certainly, it is my job to facilitate an environment that makes my subjects feel comfortable, to provide suggestions for clothing, location, time of day, poses, etc, etc. Of course I need to know my equipment, I need to recognize good light and I need to be able to shoot fast (specifically with those speedy little 2 year olds…)  Perhaps most important of all is to be open and aware of emotions and the nuances of relationships.  But I also rely on my subjects for a variety of things and  there’s no better way to share that perspective than through the eyes of one of my favorite subjects….plus she’s way better with words that I am!

Thank you, Heather Ritenour-Sampson for sharing your beautiful perspective:

A few weeks ago, Emily came over and took pictures of me, my husband and our two boys. At the end of the shoot, we literally looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said “well, we can always shoot again another day.” The shoot was “less than perfect.” Not because of the talent of the photographer (obviously), but more due to the willingness of the children to “smile pretty” for the camera. We were under a time crunch and light was fading, along with the boys’ temperaments. Big brother wanted to do nothing more than make toothless growly faces, while hanging upside down on the swing. Little brother wanted to run, slide, and stay as far away from big (annoying, poking, needling) brother as possible. Meanwhile Dad (just home from work), and Mom (with kids all day) tried to rope in the cattle, line up the troops, you get the picture. Then Emily sent these pictures of the shoot, with the idea that we share our collaborative tips on how to take the “perfect” family photo. Because whatever happened in that hour worked, despite how we thought things went (see photos).

So here it goes:

1. Get over getting a perfect family photo. The best pictures don’t come from orchestrating perfectly matched outfits, or because the background is breathtaking, or because everyone in the picture is in palpable harmony. The obsession with getting a perfect photo leads to stress, which leads to not smiling, or fake smiles, which definitely don’t make for lovely photographs.

2.  Stay in the moment. Breathe. Smile. Enjoy. Acknowledge that the camera is there, of course, but try not to consider it an intrusion. Think of the presence that you give that little round capturer of light and shadow, as a gift. Let the camera decide what to do with your presence. Just stay present, stay in the moment, with your family. Not everyone needs to be looking at the camera for it to be a great picture. If everyone is looking at the camera, it will catch it. But let go of directing the shoot. Stick together, try different things, but do what works in the moment, not what you think SHOULD happen, or what it SHOULD look like.

3. Go with the flow. Be flexible. Welcome humor. If one of your kids (or kid, or dog, or partner) is acting a little nuts, let them get over it on their own. Give them a little space. The minute they feel pressure from you to change their behavior, especially in front of a lovely doe-eyed lady like Emily, and especially if they are boys (as the mother of only boys, I like to fantasize that photo shoots with families of only daughters work like a dream), they are going to go in the OPPOSITE direction of what you intend. So if one kid makes a crabby face, join them, and maybe the family photo of everyone with crabby faces turns out the cutest, who knows!

4. Don’t make any assumptions. Don’t make assumptions about what your kids/partner/dog will or won’t do in front of a camera, or what does/doesn’t look good. They will surprise you. You will surprise yourself. Let the photographer and the camera take care of the angles. Come into the shoot with an open mind. Give each person in the shoot space to try something fun, new, different, sassy, wild, quiet, calm, or strange (within the assumed realm of decent human appropriateness, of course)! Release your inner critic!

5. Trust your photographer (especially if it’s Emily). The minute that you start doubting whether or not the photographer is going to get a great picture, whether or not the background is right, whether or not they know what they are doing, the less “in the moment” you are, and the harder it is for said photographer to capture you and your beautiful family in an authentic, honest, beautiful moment.

6. Remember you ARE beautiful! There is nothing more needed than you showing up. Sure, polish up a bit, but don’t overdo it. Be yourself… Because Emily doesn’t take ugly pictures, or take pictures of ugly people. All she needs is a moment, a camera, and YOU!



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05.17.12 | blog, families

Beckett is 6 months old!

Beckett is 6 months old and he is so so so cute!  (Well, he is actually a liiiittle older than 6 months…we had to reschedule 3 times due to rain but I’m so glad we held off for a nice day!)  His newborn session seems like yesterday and his mom and dad just celebrated their two year wedding anniversary!  I love watching families grow!


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05.14.12 | blog, families, maternity

The Boschee Family

Happy Mother’s Day…especially to this momma of 1 soon to be 2 adorable kiddos!  Aren’t these guys ridiculously cute?  

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04.26.12 | babies & kids, blog, families

The Burgess Family

It has been an absolute joy to get to know this family over the last couple years.  First, Jaxson’s one year session and then Lincoln’s newborn3 month, and 6 month sessions.  I really have loved it!  Lincoln is now 9 months old…next up: one year photos in July!



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04.10.12 | blog, families

Sarah + Jack

Sarah is the mother of three lovely kiddos but this shoot was just about her and her youngest, Jack.  Our goal was simple…get images that capture the connection between a mother and her son, that communicate love and capture life right now.  And in the midst of wrestling, snuggling, playing in the dirt, racing matchbox cars, and giggling, we froze a few moments on a beautiful spring day.  And years from now, these moments become memories…

I couldn’t help take a few of just Sarah at the end…isn’t she gorgeous?  She is also a beautifully talented photographer…check out her work here.


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03.13.12 | blog, families

The Crady Family

I’m officially in love with Colorado.  Beautiful scenery, great weather and fun people!  I met up with the Crady Family at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for a few photos.  Here’s what we got:

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03.06.12 | blog, families

The Roy Family

I did another awesome family shoot while I was in Colorado, this time no skis were involved.  Relief.  There’s something I love about these photos besides the fact that they are all so adorable together…no coats in February!  I could definitely get used to that!



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02.27.12 | blog, families

The Van Straaten Family in Colorado

The Van Straaten’s live in Rochester but have a special place in their hearts for Colorado.  They also have a special place in their hearts for skiing.  For years we have talked about getting skiing photos of them so when we got the opportunity, we went for it.  The only problem was, skiing pictures involve me wearing skis while holding a camera.  As you can tell by this photo, it was….interesting.  (Take note of the random comment from the PSIA ski instructor dude…)  I’m not joking when I say Johan and Alexa (6 and 3) are 100 times better on skis than I am.  Seriously.  However, after I got over the sheer terror of being on a mountain with all my camera stuff and gained control of my feet took my skis off, all was well.  Here’s what we got.  P.S.  Colorado is B-E-A-utiful.  P.P.S.  We were at Arapahoe Basin in Dillon, CO.


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01.25.12 | babies & kids, blog, families

The Mohr Family

Claire is a new big sister to sweet, little Sam so I met up with them to take some photos of the new babe as well as what life looks like now as a family of four!  I photographed Claire last year at this time and though it’s a typical thing to say, I’m gonna say it anyway…Kids grow SO fast and life FLIES by.  Last year, Claire was a year old, barely walking or talking.  This year she is running, talking, jumping, and is a big sister.  Years and years from now, I hope these photos bring back vivid memories of this time in your lives.  In the meantime, enjoy today for today!


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