Win a Custom Painted Harley-Davidson Bike! Central Vermont Harley-Davidson Give-away.

Wilkins Harley-Davidson of South Barre Vermont is giving away a pink bike!

How do you get in on this? You stop by their dealership on 663 South Barre Road, in Barre Vermont OR… better yet, grab a pint and $5 raffle ticket at The Knotty Shamrock in Northfield, Vermont… 100% of all donations/raffle ticket sales go to the Central Vermont Medical Center’s Cancer Unit.

When they invited me to photograph their pink bike… I was like a little kid! Was in love with her at first click!

Here are a few teasers:

If you need a little bit more of a nudge to spend a whole $5… here’s the complete collection from the “Pink Photo-shoot.” For those interested, the detail work was donated by Wicked Paintworks out of New Hampshire.

Vermont Family and Children Photography. Autumn Landscape.

Welcome to the BEST season for family and children portraits. It’s gorgeous out. So beautiful, that with every edit I am bursting at the seems with happiness. I sound ridiculous, I know, but despite the rain; it’s been PERFECT lighting for all my portraits sessions.

These are the best moments and why I LOVE MY JOB!!!

If that did not melt your heart…

Yesterday’s sessions took the cake. I met these two little angels…

What would happen next was unrehearsed and all them… being them…

Of course… what would a Vermont family shoot be without a few cows in the frame…

There are so many lovely moments, hard to pick out my favorites! However, my last family of the weekend… their shoot would have been rained out if not for their fun – positive – spontaneous attitudes! This is what you get when working with a family that won’t let a little rain get in the way…

Bridal Designs for the Radiant Bride!

“Be Radiant!”

That’s the feeling Tara Lynn of Tara Lynn Bridal wants her brides to have when they slip into one of her eco-conscious affordable designs. I’ve yet to try one of her gorgeous creations on (one day I hope.) I have had the joy of assisting on her last two photo-shoots!

Tara Lynn is both radiant and a complete joy to be around. Last Fall we were up in the Northeast Kingdom and it was beyond cold. I swear, it could have snowed that day! It took all my focus to manage the lights, and took zero “behind-the-scenes” shots.

This year we were on location at the beautiful Inn at Mountain View Farm in East Burke, Vermont. It felt like Summer and wow, breath-taking would be an understatement. Last year we had two models, three dresses and just as many locations. This year, four models, somewhere around 12-14 dresses, one location, but this one location had nearly 12-14 DIFFERENT settings to create everything from the “fairy-tale romance” to a “big city” feel.

It was a long day – but an amazing one and a much needed escape from the previous weeks. I also love assisting fellow photographers, which helps freshen up your perspective. In this case, I was supporting my own mentor Jay Ericson, whom I’ve been working with for well over a year now. I’m his primary photographer for Norwich University where he’s the Director of Communications and Integrative Marketing.

Due to his role we rarely get to work together like this, which I greatly miss. I almost always see a little more “umph” in my own images after assisting him on a shoot. Thankfully, he, the amazing clients that come into my life, and complete love of creating imagery – seems to do the trick!

On this day, my full attention was on light and keeping to our day’s theme, “Be Radiant!” So I did take some “behind-the-scenes” images, and would say I was both inspired by the people, my old mentor, and the day’s task to see the radiance in all of our scenes.

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Before. After. Next Year. With our Support New England Farms will Survive!

New England Farms, specifically Vermont Farms can and will survive the impact of Tropical Storm Irene if we rally to support them.

Kingsbury Market Garden Before Tropical Storm Irene 2011

Kingsbury Market Garden Damage to Squash Fields from Tropical Storm Irene 2011

Buy Vermont!

It’s that simple. Seriously. BUY VERMONT (or whatever state you live in.) There are farms that did survive the storm, as well as ones who did not have a 100% loss of produce as a result of fields being just out of reach to resulting flood waters. Buy. Buy. BUY!

The short and sweet = buy what you can first from Vermont farms and businesses. It makes a difference!

“I’m not just talking produce either! Cheese, meats, baked goods, yarns for textiles, milk and eggs… but wait, don’t forget to pick up some CARAMEL from Fat Toad Family Goat Farm!!! (I just ordered some = Excited!)”

Give What You Can!

The Vermont Community Foundation will be making grants to support farms of any size that have sustained losses. http://www.vermontcf.org/give-now/ or call 802-388-3355.

NOFA-Vermont’s Farmer Emergency Fund assists organic farmers with grants and zero-interest loans http://nofavt.org/programs/farm-financial-resources/farmer-emergency-fund or call 802-434-4122.

The Vermont Farm Fund will be offering small, low interest loans to farmers, see: http://hardwickagriculture.org/donate.html or call 802-472-5840.

The Intervale Farmers Recovery Fund will assist farms in the Intervale http://www.intervale.org or call 802-660-0440.

 

Must Love Tomatoes. Cooking Past Tropical Storm Irene.

Hello From Vermont!

The amount of transformation which has occurred since the the hours of flooding that devastated so many communities, is impressive. It’s not like anything I’ve seen anywhere else in the world – if I go by the National news. The people of Vermont are hard-core!

I’m a New Yorker. NOT from the city, but from the Finger Lakes region, where we grew-up with farms in our backyard. I’m sure it’s why I’ve gravitated towards helping out my local Vermont farms since Irene’s flood waters devastated many in my area.

Once the fields are cleaned up and the efforts to restore their top-soil begins, which my understanding will be some time and extremely costly – many are going to be “in-the-hole” financially. Unlike Spring floods, which may bring nutrients into the soil just in time for planting, a late season flood to this magnitude does the opposite. It strips the land of the nutrient rich top-soil and replaces it with potentially toxic mud that requires by law, an extensive period of time before it can even be used again.

How Can We Help?

It’s tomato season! Whether it’s tomatoes or other seasonal produce, if it was harvested before the flood and/or fortunate to be above the high water mark, it’s ripe for the buying. Checking in with your local farmer or organic gardner and purchasing what is available is an easy way to get money into their pockets and help them move forward to preparing their fields for the next growing season.

Tomato Soup!

Right now in Central Vermont, we are overgrown with the most beautiful tomatoes. Whether it be sauce or soup, grab as many as you can and get cooking. Do you can? Great, get canning!! My work has not allowed me to dive into canning this season, though Suzanne from Kingsbury Market and Garden, where I bought a MASSIVE bag of tomatoes of every variety I’ve ever experienced, has teased me with a future lesson. I can hardly wait.

Made Fresh from Kingsbury Market Vermont Tomatoes 2011

The above “snap-shot” was my first EVER batch of garden fresh tomato soup. It was killer easy to make, and a welcomed rest from editing a collection of photos from earlier. Photography is my way of life, but secretly wonder what it would be like to be culinary wizard! For my first go…. YUM!!! I was proud of myself. Ooo… this is a creamy version made with local Vermont heavy cream!! Oh yah!

I have one more batch to go. My little mission is to buy the tomatoes to help the farm, but then, make the soup to feed our Norwich University students and or staff who are surely lacking in some home-cooking these days.

If I can do it, surely you can too!

Localicious and for a Good Cause = Buy Caramel!

So stewing up tomatoes isn’t really your thing, or you are a hungry meat-eater and veggies are not high on your list of ingrediants. Well, I don’t think I’ve met a single person who does not LOVE caramel. I urge you to save September 7th and make an internet date to buy the most yummy caramel from Fat Toad Farm.

Fat Toad Farm is a family run goat farm down the road from me in Brookfield, Vermont. They did sustain damage from the storm, however back to making their nationally recognized caramel. They are having a one day online fundraiser to help their local farmers who lost everything in the flooding. This is another way to help and receive something “sweet!”

Cooking up a Storm in Vermont!

Irene threw a wrench into may people’s lives in many ways. Everyone has their way to help rebuild and recover. Locally sourced cooking that could help farmers get by and feed our neighbors who’ve lost everything, including their pots and pans – feels good! Hope you will join me and get “stewing!”

Vermont Farms. Helping Hand. Volunteering.

Hello from soggy Vermont. You may have heard, but this little storm named “Irene” sort of snuck up and dumped a @#$% of water onto the Green Mountain state. It’s been an experience like none other in my life and though small scale compared to other natural disasters in the world, it’s still a disaster.

It’s also emotional.

Personally, I was lucky, living way up on a hill that did become bit of an island by Monday morning, it was just another rainy New England day. However, for those down the street, and I mean “down” as they were IN the Valley, a flood plane zone, that is all of a quarter to half mile from my own home… worlds turned upside down. Changed forever.

A book could be written on this historical event, though my motivation behind this post is to shed light on one small area – the Vermont Farmer. If you follow my work, you know I’ve become close to those who operate the Kingsbury Market and Farm, situated along the Mad River Valley. Here’s a link to their reported losses from this event.

Here are some photos from today (9/1/2011) to help illustrate how much land they lost to the Mad River, their carrots are literally “hanging-in” there, and the depth of the erosion is at least, if not greater than 5-6 feet.:

I live up the road from these amazing people, and have donated time to help them secure professional images they may use to illustrate and/or report their losses, with the hope being, it helps them reclaim or secure future funding to ensure their existence.

If you are, or know, a Vermont Farm affected by the flood who could benefit from photographic documentation, I’d like to volunteer my time. I have a strong background from previous work in research, and familiar with what State and Federal agencies may require to process a claim, etc. having spent a number of years reporting scientific documentation to the FDA. Please let me help, fill out an inquiry and will do my best.

Corps of Cadets. Pre-Season Football. Rooks.

I’d like to know who hit the “fast forward” button and shoved us thru the last bit of summer… My life as a University Photographer officially kicked-off earlier this month when all the Norwich University Football players returned to campus for pre-season football practice and try-outs. Their first home game is September 10th… two and a half weeks… can you believe it?!?

My days of “farm-stand hopping” have been quickly replaced with student athlete portraits, campus stock photography and documenting the arrival of our Corps of Cadets class of 2015 – the latter actually being pretty exciting!

A year ago, when I photographed this event it poured the entire day! On Sunday, August 21st, it was relatively gorgeous out until the “Good-bye Ceremony.” Being dropped of at Norwich University as a “Rook” (incoming freshman who have joined the Corps,) is not like being dropped of at say, University of Vermont.

Come 1300H, everyone gathers in the Kreitzburg Ice Arena for a ceremony where there is bit of a formal presentation from speakers, basically a pep talk to the parents and students. Then, before you know it, the Rook families are given seven minutes to say good-bye.

It’s a pretty tearful affair! The reality of it all hits when they announce the “one minute” before all the Rooks must walk away from their families and loved ones and move to the front of the arena while all the families are asked to sit in the back, separated from their beloved Rook.

Then, the heartbreaking moment when they are marched out and the parents must remain in their seats!

They are marched up to the Upper Parade Ground (otherwise known as the UP around campus,) where it quickly gets very interesting…

Here’s a teaser…

I could write a short story on how it all goes down, but some things should be left unsaid for the 2016 incoming class of Rooks!

Family and loved ones, the images are available for purchase through the website!

Purple Sky. 5am. A Vermont Morning.

To know me is to know I do not LOVE being awake before the sun rises. I do enjoy waking up with the sun, letting it’s rays lure me out of dreamland… mmm…

This week… whether it be the alarm clock, or my mind spinning with all that has to be done… there were a couple of mornings where I even beat the chirping birds. Ooo… wish my kitchen possessed one of those fancy coffee makers that grinds and brews on a timer or some robotic sixth sense… begins brewing as I begin to wake… (I have a wild imagination!)

At any rate… I will admit that when the morning sky is cloudless with a hue like this at 5am, its beauty not only wakes me up, but even inspires lifting up the camera!

5am in Central Vermont | Summer 2011

It does not look like this every morning (sadly.) Imagine if it did, I’d quickly become a morning person again… was breathtaking!

Finally. The Weather Breaks in Vermont.

I love a rainy day. It almost forces one be a little more introspective. Keeps you tucked away somewhere, whether it be your home or studio. Occassionally, that could be a good thing! Chip away at a work or house project you’ve been putting off…

Me. I enjoy that for all of a couple hours…then I am bored. I’ve been going a little nutz these last few days…it’s be grey and flat.

But then it happened! The weather broke and with that comes scenes like this…

Problem is, when the sky gets all active and cool again, all I want to do is look up and take pictures. That house project… work… terribly hard to focus when this is going on out the window!

The word in “weather land” is we have a couple nice days ahead. We can’t really blow off work, but that house project isn’t going anywhere. Enjoy the day. Look up and get outside before Jack Frost moves back to town!

Everything Under the Sun.

Hello Sun!

The Summer Sun Warming the Green Mountains 2011

Solar House. Building for the Sun.

This last week had my eyes burning. The sun, it’s energy; both subjects to much of my work. It’s also a photographer’s favorite source of light or their nemisis. It’s a love-hate relationship!

I’d like to start this post sharing images from an ongoing assignment. It’s a project that makes me smile and so proud of those who are apart of it.  A  regular client of mine is Norwich University and this lovely school is home to an Art + Architecture department. The students in this program have been working on a design-build project for an event called the DOE Solar Decathlon.

I could post A LOT of photos, however this past week I was given a walk through which drew my attention to very specific elements showing how dynamic the mind is in it’s intention. These students came up with subtle details that are a play on art, the beauty in what is natural, with a play on time and weather. Not sure any of this will make sense at first, but stick with me!

Opposites Attract.

A Corner with a Purpose.

An Intentional Accident.

These students have been working and learning all Summer long under the sun constructing a home that will be powered by it’s rays, super-crazy energy efficient (more in a later post,) with design elements meant to work with the natural world around it’s structure. The want the wood to show the signs of weather and for metals to rust. They painted pieces certain colors in their anticipation of what it could look like years from now after the sun’s rays and Mother Nature leave their mark. Beautiful.

The students, many who are learning the carpentry as they go, since the budget for this project is funded by a grant, and does not afford professionals, take incredible pride in what they designed. Physically, with their own hands placing each board and hammering in every nail…themselves. Not sure about you all, but I would hire anyone of them!

I’ll share more later! I have to learn about the Solar Decathlon and how my photography can help share their story. It’s these projects which make me glow brighter than the Summer sun!

Natural Diffuser. Cloud. Portraits. Best Lens for the Job.

Next on the list was a portrait session, also for Norwich, and a situation where the sun can either work with or against you, and clouds have the power to be the most inexpensive diffusers for perfect lighting. Clouds are almost ALWAYS my friends on-the-job.

Ooo… get so excited when an early afternoon portrait session results into exactly what we needed (in this case a standard head-shot for a brochure bio.) I shoot many, if not all of my outdoor portraits with the 70-200mm at the lowest ISO that allows an f-stop at 5.6 or higher with the speed no less than a 60th of a second, though occasionally 1/50s if my subject is steady. Why the zoom? To create that lovely background. It’s all in depth of field, distance of the subject from the background AND photographer.

Before I dive into the next bit, you don’t NEED a 70-200mm to achieve the above effect. A quality prime lens like the 50mm, 85mm, and/or 135mm can also achieve the above effect if you place yourself and subject accordingly.  Just starting out, or on a budget – I suggest the 135mm/f2.0. I’ve used that lens for everything from portraits to horribly lit gyms and late night basketball games. It’s sharp, fast, and a wee bit cheaper than the 70-200mm (upwards to $1,300 cheaper!)

Running for More. 100 on 100. College Buddies.

I’m going to end on a warm fuzzy. This week I photographed almost everything under the sun and even snuck in a little sports photography that was paired with a reunion with a very good friend from college! There are ZERO words to express how exciting this was. What are the chances a friend I’ve not see in nearly ten years would be running right through Warren!?!

100 for 100 Vermont Relay Road Race 2011

She was! This relay race that began up towards Stowe and ended at Okemo Ski Resort had a leg that broke from VT100 and traveled the length of Waitsfield-Warren Common Road, down into the town of Warren, before it reconnected with VT100. I was able to catch her on a few different occassions. Got in as many sweaty hugs as possible before she and her team had to carry on. Was AWESOME!

Thankfully, much of her run was in the shade! It was pretty warm under those hot rays! Hid out under a tree to shoot the above image at ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/400s on a Canon 7D w/ my trusty 70-200mm (fyi – if you can’t afford to have many pieces of glass, I can not recommend this one enough, however, I got my start in sports with the 135mm/f2.0… camera equipment for thought!) In this last image I wanted her to be the focal point (i.e. sharp) with the informative bits (i.e. the event sign) on the soft side.

Embrace the Day!

The week/weekend remained local. The work was fresh. The fruits of the season are changing and the days are quickly cutting themselves shorter and shorter. Summer is short up here in Central Vermont! Soon my local markets will be sporting fresh apples and squash… embrace the days of Summer! Get out and enjoy the sun! I have a few more weeks to get lost in the weekend’s events before my role as sports and college lifestyle photographer kicks in. I am going to enjoy every second and keep shooting everything under the sun!