Waltham Show Seminar: Storytelling Children and Family Photography with Paula Swift

Paula Ferazzi Swift, M. Photog. Cr. CPP owner of Paula Swift Photography a Boston area portrait photographer, spent 10 years chasing fires and covering various news and sports assignments all over Central Massachusetts as a photojournalist at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.(’95-’05) in Wrocester, Mass.

In 2004, Paula started a photography business where she could utilize her photojournalistic skills to photograph the relationship children shared in front of her cameras in a natural way. Capturing fleeting moments during a session; when a child thinks no one is watching, the hugs a parent shares with a shy child, or even a toddler running away from the camera giggling.

Paula will talk about briefly about her experience as a photojournalist and how she implements those skills in capturing beautiful, timeless and storytelling portraits of children in today’s competitive photography world. She will share images and the story behind how she captured them technically and emotionally.

Information that Paula will share during her program will include…
• How to capture those unexpected moments
• How to get shy children to warm up to you
• How to keep children involved in their photography session
• Use of props to keep the session looking natural
• How to incorporate pets
• How to capture children on the go
• How to let children be themselves during a session
• Learn how to sit back and watch a moment happen
• Favorite gear to used at sessions

About Paula:

Paula Swift, M.Photog, Cr., CPP started her portrait photography business in Framingham, MA in 2004 and then moved into a new studio in Sudbury, MA in December 2013. Paula is the recent Past President of the Professional Photographers Assocation of Masschusetts – PPAM (2021-2023), a PPA Councilor and PPA Approved Juror.

Paula was a staff photographer at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass from 1995-2005. Three of Paula’s images were part of a Pulitzer nomination and finalist entry in 2000 in feature photography for the photography staff’s coverage of the deadly Worcester warehouse fire that took the lives of six firefighters in 1999. Her photography has appeared in the Boston Globe, New York Times, LA Times, Esquire, People, Time, Newsweek and internationally via the Associated Press wire service

Her portrait photography has won her two Kodak Gallery Awards, a Hallmark Award, Photographic Degree of Excellence by PPAM, Loan and General Collections at IPC. ­­ In 2024, , Paula was recognized as Platinum Medalist,  a Silver Medalist in 2022  and in 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020 a Bronze Medalist for her photography at the Professional Photographers of America International Photographic Competition.

In May 2017, Paula’s book Storytelling Portrait Photography: How to Document the Lives of Children and Families published. The book offers ideas for creating a strong and lasting client connection, eliciting memorable moments, finding storytelling locations, inspiring natural action and reactions, and capturing the inter-relationships between siblings and between children and their parents.

Paula was born in Newport News, Virgina and grew up Longmeadow, Mass where she first learned to develop film in her parents’ basement with her big sister Gina who is a LA Times photographer.  She attended Fitchburg State University where she received her Bachelors of Science in Communications Media – Photography in 1995. Paula lives in Framingham, Mass. with her husband Chris and their three sons.