The second wedding I photographed over Memorial Day weekend was Liz and Brad’s at the Hermitage Inn in West Dover, Vt. Bride, groom and their sweet son were joined by an energetic gathering of friends and family! More photos can be seen on my Facebook page.
My wife, daughter and I recently returned from a month’s vacation — we headed West with our minivan and 1988 pop-up camper. On the trip, we visited my family in three states, followed the Lewis and Clark Trail to the Oregon coast, saw the great redwoods in Northern California and finished up in San Francisco. In all, we drove 7,500 miles over 21 states and two Canadian provinces. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat (maybe not tomorrow)!
From top: Our daughter explores a recreation of Fort Manuel in Kenel, S.D. It was where Sakakawea lived after working as a guide on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Missouri River and the West; Sitting Bull’s burial site in Fort Yates, N.D., is surrounded by sandbags as the rising Missouri River goes over its banks. Uniforms hang in the entryway to a recreation of the Custer House at Fort Abraham Lincoln in Mandan, N.D. The post is where the Custer’s 7th Cavalry was stationed before leaving for Little Big Horn; Hot dogs roast on a campfire started with one match by my uncle during our visit in White Bird, Idaho; A young visitor enters the Camera Obscura overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco — built in 1946, the eight-inch lens at the top of the building is fixed at f8; A Golden Gate Ferry worker reads his newspaper as a container ship passes the Larkspur Ferry in San Francisco Bay; As his two dogs rest, a street performer tunes his guitar near Union Square in San Francisco; Our daughter lets the waves of the Pacific Ocean wash over her at Gold Bluffs Beach at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park near Orick, Calif.
Last weekend, I was up past my bedtime to photograph four bands at a punk/metal show in Claremont, N.H., for Jon Silman’s Valley News story. It was loud, energetic and a lot of fun to photograph. I also discovered wearing earplugs does wonders for hearing the music!
From top: Mongrel vocalist Jessica Sierra of Fitchburg, Mass., plays to a small but enthusiastic crowd at the Silver Fern Grille & Bar in Claremont; Midnight Saints lead singer Chris Burnie of Rutland, Vt., gives a song his all during the four-band show; With the band’s set list tacked to a dart board in the bar, Pretty Corpses lead singer and guitarist Ian Tolliver of Claremont launches the punk band on another song. Tolliver organized the night’s event.
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Towards the end of my newspaper work day, I swung by Colburn Park in Lebanon, N.H., to do Anne and Gianluca’s engagement photograph. I’m going to be at their wedding ceremony at the Echo Lake Inn in Tyson, Vt., in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to it!
The other day in Windsor, Vt., I photographed boxer Chris Gilbert in a training session for a Valley News story about his upcoming fight in the Golden Gloves National Tournament of Champions. In a short amount of time, I could tell Gilbert is determined to compete (and win) on the big stage!
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It was one of those days: last Saturday, I photographed an engagement portrait in the afternoon, later in the day went to a 50th birthday “prom” party and finally crossed the street to photograph the River City Rebels (below) and a couple of other bands for the Valley News. It’s what I love about being a photographer; being a part of all walks of life, in just a few hours.
Jordan Vorachak, center, and his sister Courtney, who are both from Plymouth, N.H., took up an invitation from River City Rebels lead singer Dan O’Day (at left) for everyone to sing “Small Town Pride” from the band’s 2001 album, “Playing To Live, Living To Play,” at a five-band performance at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction Saturday night.
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Last weekend, my neighbors had a party to celebrate Peggy’s 50th birthday. Those invited to “Peggy’s Prom” were required to dress the part, wearing prom dresses and tuxedos to the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, Vt. I did the prom portraits and a few candids — there was even a chaperone in attendance! It was a great idea, as friends and family came from across the country. More photos can be seen on my Facebook page.
I recently discovered one of my photographs placed 17th in the Wedding Photojournalists Association’s quarterly contest. It is a picture I did at a wedding reception in Hanover, N.H., last October. As a Polish tradition, the bride’s relatives enthusiastically sang while the couple had to hold their kiss for the song’s duration. I’m happy the picture was recognized amongst such excellent competition. Follow this link to see the photo and others that placed in the contest.
Taped to my computer monitor at the Valley News is the first panel of a Dilbert cartoon, shown above. While I enjoy my work as photo editor, there are days that I miss telling stories with my camera. But since September, I’m doing one shift a month at the newspaper as a photographer. I’ve also filled in while others are on vacation. Here’s a few of my favorites from 2010:
From above: Moored at Shaker Village Sailing Club in Enfield, N.H., Phil MacVicar, of Enfield, prepares Rain Maker, his Day Sailer class boat, for an excursion on Mascoma Lake last July; Volunteer Lori Lounsbury, right, of Lebanon, N.H., assists Robert Smith, of White River Junction, Vt., as he picks out food from the Upper Valley Haven’s food shelf in November. Smith said the food was for a Thanksgiving dinner for himself and three others; Cecilia Vicuna-Keady, seen here with Pablo, a green wing macaw who is one of her family’s pet birds, moved to the United States in 1988 and to the Upper Valley in 2004. Part of the Changing Face of the Upper Valley series; Dust catches the light as Royals catcher Shanna Duffy catches the ball in South Royalton, Vt., in June; Democrat Walter Hastings, of South Royalton, answers a voter’s question during a forum held with fellow candidate Sarah Buxton organized by the Tunbridge Democratic Caucus at the Tunbridge Town Hall in July; Swimming at the ledges at True’s Brook in Plainfield, N.H., for the first time in August, Will Blinkhorn, 8, of Hanover, N.H., pretends to surf while balancing on a log with his sister Caitlin Blinkhorn, 11; Jim Douthart, of Bradford, Vt., fills out paperwork after a shift as a passenger representative for Green Mountain Railroad’s White River Flyer in September; Mascoma’s players, including goalie Colleen Kelty, in helmet, and Taylor Nugent (5) celebrate their win over Mascenic in October.
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I photographed my last wedding of the season last weekend, which was a heartfelt ceremony at Rollins Chapel in Hanover, N.H., with a reception afterwards at the Hanover Inn. More photos can be seen on my Facebook page.
