About Us

Marshfield, Massachusetts photographer Connie Drapeau Kennedy of The Welcome Gallery has long had a natural passion for creating customized family portraits, as well as other editorial, landscape & fine art photographs. But it wasn't until she began creating marketing photos for her Marshfield based company, Boost Enterprises, that she realized that not everyone grew up in a photo-crazed family. Her father was a very talented amateur; her maternal grandfather taught photography at Brooklyn Tech. Every wall in their home was adorned with family photos or artwork. It wasn't unusual to receive a tattered, lovingly worn, heirloom photo album or sturdy shoebox as a treasured Christmas gift.

The Welcome Gallery evolved from services that Connie and her husband, Alan, provided to area small businesses through Boost Enterprises. Drawing on a wide range of skills honed years earlier in the marketing department of one of America’s beloved brands, Connie melded her lifelong love of photography with a desire to show people and local businesses in their best light.  As she and Alan began partnering with their first clients, one consistent theme became evident:  People were appreciative of their photographs and wanted them for professional as well as personal use. In the population at large, camera technology was advancing but general photographic knowledge was not. Connie soon established The Welcome Gallery as an online place to share images of local people, events, and landscapes. Yet, a full-time photography business and studio were still far off dreams.

The digital camera revolution brought one question in to sharp focus: how to insure legacy photos for others—wonderful reunions, one time celebrations and the warmth of family, photos that would tell stories of the people, their loving relationships, and their accomplishments—to last for generations. That required the skills of a seasoned photographer.

Connie is a member of the Professional Photographers of America, a current board member of the Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts, the Professional Photographers of New England, a former board member of the American Society of Media Photographers New England, an artist member of the Cape Cod Art Association, the North River Arts Society and an active photographer on Boston's South Shore and eastern Massachusetts. She travels for editorial and personal assignments.

Her husband, writer Alan E. Kennedy, also has worked with Boost Enterprises producing comprehensive visual and written communications solutions for small to medium sized business, nonprofit organizations, and trade groups. 

Both are writers. Both photographers. One writes better; the other photographs better. They season their projects like salt and pepper. One is left handed, the other right. One a bit younger. The other a bit older. One more introverted at times, the other more extroverted, at times. One is shorter. One taller. One from the east coast. One from the west. One likes dogs and cats; the other likes cats and dogs. If you ask both for directions, they will agree on the destination, but never on the route. They play off each other well. 

With their skills, mutual laughter and innate curiosity, the pair naturally covers a range of possibilities in order to arrive at the best solution and process. The clients’ benefit from this resourceful approach is a guarantee of legacy portraits for enjoyment now, and by the generations to come. 

Alan’s favorite genre is the short story, though he has also published poetry, flash fiction, and newspaper articles. He was a photographer and editor of an in-house newspaper for a major Massachusetts corporation, and is a certified technical writer. He is also a freelance manuscript editor. Recently, he has edited several clients' memoirs. 

In addition to her active, ongoing education through professional associations, Connie trained at the Nikon House, and the New England Institute for Professional Photography (NEIPP). Connie also holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College, and earned her Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) designation by the Professional Photographers of America.