I am a commercial and fine art photographer based in northern Vermont. I specialize in high quality, client-specific photography for breweries, restaurants, resorts and general businesses, as well as travel photography.
Click here to read more about me.
I’ve updated and added a new Travel portfolio gallery with a wide range of photography that I’ve done in Italy, Greece, Germany and more. This slideshow is a little sample, but to check out all the pictures, pop over to the new Travel gallery. Thanks!
Germany, Greece, Italy, photography, site update, travel in Site, Travel What a year.
From devastating lows to amazing highs, this has been one of the most chaotic, manic 365 days I can remember—probably the most dramatic.
Normally, you’d want to just let go of the negative, but the downs were pretty life-changing. The biggest and most dominating …
The evening of February 26, 2010, we had a house fire. It destroyed a third of our home and set off a chain of events that will ripple for years to come. The following 6 months were—and still are—a complete blur. Hundreds of pictures tell the tale for us to remember, but even with them, it’s still a haze. No one was hurt, although we did lose our aquatic family members, who’s watery abode actually saved the house from even more damage.
A happy ending?
We were only displaced for a few months, we were blessed to have good friends and family, plus a little luck, and now it’s back better than ever.
Let’s get past the negative, though, shall we?
As mentioned, the highs were amazing. Doors opened in many directions. Trips to Charlotte, N.C., Washington, D.C., midcoast Maine, New Jersey, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Connecticut, New York City… and most notably, Italy.
The full story of that trip will come soon, as will a book or two of images.
All the trips were wonderful. Our trips along the East Coast were filled with so many great friends and family, old and new. It would be impossible to recognize all the great new people I met, who changed and touched my life, as it would be just as difficult to name-check all the old friends who supported us throughout the year. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention how important our families were this year. Without them, we wouldn’t certainly have not survived, let alone thrived. To them, we thank you; I thank you.
Professionally, it was a roller coaster year, too, but unlike the trauma of a house fire, the downs were almost exclusively a matter of excitement. Another amazing wedding experience, this time with my friends Matt and Tara …
Loads of family portraits …
I shot some music …
I built a great relationship with Hill Farmstead Brewery …
I closed the year with a snowy, high fashion concept shoot with my darling little girl …
Oh yeah, and there was that whole Photo of the Day business, over 300 pictures to enjoy …
If you’ve made it this far down the page, congratulation and thanks. Thanks for sticking it out. I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of 2010. Like I said, it was a blur. So, what will 2011 bring? Who knows. Best laid plans, and all that jazz, right?
There’s a possible return trip to Italy out there; there’s more travel hopefully; there’s more weddings and family portraits and senior portraits, probably; there’s a whole open world of light waiting to be captured. I guess I’ll get those batteries charged, the memory cards formatted and the eyes open.
Assume the worst, hope for the best, plan for anything.
Let’s go get 2011, shall we?
life, photography, portraits, travel, year in review in Photography One of the truisms about travel, especially abroad, is to expect anything, assume nothing. Be open to opportunities, don’t over-plan and enjoy each experience.
Taking those hopes to heart made this trip to Italy truly rewarding.
Internet was sporadic the first few days, and non-existant the last five; certainly, that marks the longest stretch in recent memory, and it was strangely freeing. Weather wasn’t optimal, but taking advantage of the soft light of overcast days and occasional rain also felt freeing and challenging, forcing me to look in different places, at different angles.
Our first few days were spent in Bologna, and we walked for two days around the city, wandering the back streets and main thoroughfares alike. The most fun places are the markets, filled with colorful products and food.
The second leg of our trip, and the most important, was spent near Lucca at Villa Cenami as guests of Lorenzo and Courtney, truly wonderful hosts with two adorable little boys, Ludi and Edward.
The area and region are simply stunning, as is the estate.
One of the reasons we came was to help with the olive harvest for the year.
The poor weather had done some damage to the crop, but we were eventually able to get out and work for a while.
We had the afternoon to enjoy nearby Lucca as well. While the rain came down, the city revealed itself as photogenic regardless of setting.
I also had the opportunity to photograph the baptism of our hosts’ youngest child, Edward, which was exciting and a real honor. It was a joyous day, filled with family and friends alike.
We can’t thank Courtney and Lorenzo enough, as well as Courtney’s dad, Jack, who was also there visiting and a great resource for many things.
We hope to return again and would encourage anyone else to seek out the estate as a home base for exploring the region.
Certainly many more photos are coming, and I hope to put together a few photographic books from this trip, including one on the olive harvest, another on graffiti and who knows what else might strike my fancy.
Remember when traveling, like in life, that more often than not, when a door is closed, another will undoubtedly appear.
As you may or may not noticed, yesterday was the first time in nearly 9 months that I’ve missed a Photo of the Day entry. Well, I’m on vacation for the next 10 days, so I’m taking a well-earned break. I will, however, be posting whenever possible while I’m traveling beginning Monday … to Italy!
For about 7 days, I’ll be traveling to Bologna for a few days, then down to Viareggio on the coast in Tuscany for a few days. This is definitely a photo road trip with my better half and a dear friend of ours. I need to recharge my creative batteries a bit. The recent trip to NYC was a great teaser for my brain and got the energy generation going.
I’ll try to post each day, when possible, but internet may be sporadic, depending on if our Tuscan hosts’ internet access has been restored (apparently rural Italy and rural Vermont have one thing in common: the occasional inconsiderate hunter who takes a pot shot at power/net lines).
If internet cooperates, I’ll post teaser shots for what I hope will be a possible coffee table photo book available for the holidays. We’ll see!
In the meantime, while I pack and gear up for the trip, feel free to enjoy the gallery of almost 300 Photo of the Day entries :)
My favourite thing is to go where I've never been.
- Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus, quotation, travel in PQotD