Northborough Exposure – Susan Ogar Photography

Shine Your Light Project: An Artist Portrait Project

Celebrating the People Who Make Our Community Brighter

I have always believed that everyone has a story.

And I believe that every person has something to offer the world. It might be a talent, a passion, a kind heart, a willingness to help, a creative mind, or simply the ability to make someone else smile.

That idea is at the heart of my Shine Your Light Artist Project, and I am so excited to share the project with my community this September at the Northborough Free Library.

What does it mean to Shine Your Light?

As a photographer, I have spent much of my life looking for light. Photography is ultimately about light and shadow, and I think life is much the same. We all experience both.

There are times when the shadows seem to grow longer. We may be dealing with worry, loss, caring for someone we love, uncertainty, or simply a difficult season of life. During darker periods in my own life, I discovered something important. I was at my best when I was making art. When I used the gift I had been given and shared it with others, I felt more alive; more like myself.

I started thinking about how each of us has something inside us that is uniquely ours. Something we can share.

Maybe it’s music. Maybe it’s dancing, gardening, teaching, creating, caring for others, building something, making people laugh, or helping someone who needs it.

The first step is recognizing that light is there. The second is having the courage to use it. And the third is understanding that when we share our light, we can make things brighter for someone else.

The people behind the portraits

The people I’ve photographed for this project have reminded me just how many different ways there are to shine.

Ben makes music and brings characters to life through musical theater. Lia turned her love of baking into a business. Johnny creates beautiful pieces of art from wood. Gary teaches others about native plants and pollinators and helps make our neighborhoods more beautiful. Chris helps people living with Parkinson’s find strength and confidence through movement. And that’s just a small part of the project…

Their gifts are all different. Their stories are all different. But together, they make something pretty wonderful happen. They make our community brighter.

I hope these portraits encourage us to look a little closer at the people around us and recognize what they bring to the world. And perhaps even more importantly, I hope they encourage each of us to look inward and recognize our own light.

Please come see the exhibit

I am thrilled that Shine Your Light will be on display throughout September 2026 at the Northborough Free Library.

Please join me for an Artist Reception on Wednesday, September 30, from 5:00–7:00 PM. I’d love to see the people who have supported this project, the families and friends of those featured, and anyone who would like to come see the portraits and read their stories.

Northborough Free Library
34 Main Street
Northborough, MA

I hope you’ll stop by. Take your time with the portraits. Read the stories. Think about the people in your own life who shine their light. And maybe think about your own.

We all have a light. We just have to recognize it, use it, and share it.

The collection will be on display at the Northborough Free Library in September 2026.

Learn more about the Artist’s Project: https://www.susanogarphotography.com/shine-your-light-project-introduction/

Shine Your Light Project-Gary

Passionate. Generous. Dedicated. Inspiring.

For the past two years, I’ve been planting native pollinator gardens through a Winter Sowing project that I learned from Gary. I’ve also learned that few people are as passionate about native plants and environmental stewardship as he is.

Gary believes that small actions can make a big difference. Through community projects, workshops, and countless volunteer hours, he teaches others how to collect seed, grow native plants, support pollinators, and create habitats that benefit local wildlife. His efforts help make Northborough and the surrounding communities better for everyone by reintroducing native plants into local ecosystems.

What I admire most about Gary is not just what he does, but how he does it. He is kind, humble, and completely unassuming. He generously shares his knowledge, encourages others to get involved, and never seeks recognition for the impact he makes.

Gary’s light shines through his dedication to nature, education, and community. The world needs more people like him.

This portrait is part of my limited-edition Shine Your Light Artist Project, celebrating the unique gifts, passions, and contributions of people in our community. My hope is that by sharing these stories, we inspire others to recognize their own light and the difference they can make in the lives of those around them.

The collection will be on display at the Northborough Free Library in September 2026.

Everyone has a Story. Let’s Tell Yours Together.

Learn more about the Artist’s Project: https://www.susanogarphotography.com/shine-your-light-project-introduction/

Honored for Outstanding Portraiture

I am honored and proud that my recent portrait, The Farmer, received the highest score for outstanding portraiture at the Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts (PPAM) Annual Convention.

The winning portrait, The Farmer, was taken in Northborough and is a black and white portrait of local farmer, Kerrie Yellick of Yellick’s Farm Stand. The portrait was taken as a personal project. I plan to share more about the people around town who make Northborough a special place.

I also received 3 Blue Ribbons for 3 Merit Images from PPAM.

Professional Photographers of Massachusetts (PPAM) is affiliated with the International Photographers Association and Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

PPA is a worldwide association which exists to assist its members in achieving their professional, artistic and fraternal goals; promote public awareness of the profession; and to advance the making of images in all of its disciplines as an art, a science and a visual recorder of history.

The Massachusetts state affiliate, PPAM is comprised of more than 200 photographers, suppliers and image makers.

Kerrie Yellick started the garden at her historic Hudson Street home four years ago. She describes it as a small family-owned and operated farm selling produce and cut flowers grown naturally without the use of pesticides or chemicals. To learn more about Yellick’s Farm, see our Northborough Exposure Blog post.

Northborough Exposure: The Farm Girl

Welcome to Northborough Exposure. This blog will introduce you to local, everyday people from Northborough. Your neighbors. My neighbors.

This edition of Northborough Exposure is about The Farm Girl. For several years I watched the garden on Hudson Street grow and expand as I drove my son to and from hockey practice and games. For those of you in hockey families, you know how much time we spend at the rink… I’d see this dark-haired, tanned woman toiling away in the garden from April to November. Each year new rows of crops added, a new mini greenhouse constructed, and more growth.

One day, as I drove past the iconic aqueduct and onto the later part of Hudson Street, there was a sign and an “open” flag flapping in the wind. Yellick Farm Stand was born. I was thrilled to check out the amazingly fresh veggies, but also anxious to meet the woman from the garden who I began to think of as The Farm Girl.

Now you get to meet The Farm Girl, Kerrie Tetreault-Yellick. Kerrie started the garden at her historic Hudson Street home four years ago. She describes it as a small family-owned and operated farm selling produce and cut flowers grown naturally without the use of pesticides or chemicals. Kerrie says her love of gardening was inspired by her grandmother Betty Tetreault and her passion for farming is rooted in 13 years of working on Berberian’s farm. Kerrie says, “working at Berbarians taught me to work hard but have fun playing in the dirt…”

Named for the families dairy farm that was once across the street, the farm stand happened by accident. After buying the house from her husband’s great grandparents, Kerrie expanded the garden and she says her husband was “tired of all the vegetables piling up on the counter…” Each time I stop, I get amazing produce, a genuine smile, good conversation and often an extra gift. On one stop, Kerrie gave me the useful advice to add flowers to my container gardens to attract bees. I did so and ta-da, my flowering cucumber plants where pollinated and began to bear fruit. On another visit, I was greeted lovingly by a sweet black and while cat who followed me throughout my visit. The best gift is the taste of fresh vegetables. Growing up I thought that I didn’t like tomatoes. It turned out that I’d never eaten a real tomato. A farm tomato. I suggest you go get some. And say Hi to the Farm Girl (and the bees, butterflies and cat) while you are there.

As a personal project, I hope to share more about the people around town who make Northborough a special place. I’m taking the blog over from my wonderful friend and fellow photographer, Joyce Maranto who started it last year.