Summertime News

September 3, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

It’s been another eventful summer while doing photography for the Valley News. As photo editor at the paper, I feel fortunate to be out of the office with my camera while others are on vacation. Here’s a few of my favorites from the past couple of months:

From top, Upper Valley Nighthawks pitcher Joe DeRosa checks the sign before going into his windup in the fourth inning of their game with the Mountaineers in Hartford, Vt.; Valerie Pallotta, of Colchester, Vt., gives Lt. Col. Dave Leonard a hug goodbye after her speech at a mental health conference at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt. Her son, Josh, died in 2014 while battling PTSD and brain injuries after serving in Afghanistan as part of the Vermont National Guard. Leonard is director of the Vermont Guard’s Family Program; New Hampshire punter Zach O’Brien of Stevens High School yells for the team’s 11th player to get on to the field in the first quarter of play in the annual all-star Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl in Castleton, Vt.; Kevin Barry, of Barnard, Vt., right, playfully challenges Lindley Brainard, of Bethel, to a duel with their cordless drills while working on one of four trout murals by artist Mary Lacy, of Burlington, Vt., on a retaining wall in Bethel. Lacy and the volunteer crew are finishing the installation on the retaining wall, built in 1940. “It’s no longer the ugliest wall in Vermont,” Barry said; Hartford senior goalkeeper Hannah Cooney runs a drill where she begins defense of the net from her stomach during pre-season practice in White River Junction; Bill Shambo Sr., right, tells Travis Wright that Kibby Equipment Inc. will be closing at the end of September after Shambo and his family ran the White River Junction business for 60 years. Wright, who works for the State of New Hampshire Department of Transportation garage in Enfield, N.H., had picked up a part for a salt spreader. “They’ve always been good,” Wright said of the business.

Courtney & Geoff

September 3, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

I recently photographed Courtney and Geoff’s small wedding near the shores of Lake Fairlee in Fairlee, Vt. They had special touches, including piñatas in the likeness of each other! Follow this link to see more on my Facebook page.

For the Book

August 13, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

Author Meg Little Reilly recently asked me to come by her Vermont home to do portraits for her upcoming book. It is a follow-up to her first novel, the well-received We Are Unprepared. I enjoyed meeting Meg and hearing about her adventures in book publishing! Follow this link to see more in the Galleries section of my web site.

Darlene & Dave

August 11, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

At the end of July, Darlene and Dave celebrated their marriage with their children, other family and friends at Simon Pearce in Quechee, Vt. It was touching to see the tight bond between all of them! Follow this link to see more on my Facebook page.

Together Again

July 28, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

Last weekend Jen invited me to photograph her family during their visit to the Upper Valley and Barnard, Vt. Jen and her siblings gathered from across the country to celebrate their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. What a treat! Follow this link to see more (and to order prints and downloads) in the Galleries section of my web site.

Fair Competition

July 28, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

While the Bradford Fair in Bradford, Vt., was in full swing, I spent the day for the Valley News photographing a group of 4-H teamsters with their working steers in the first of three qualifying events to go to the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, Mass. Their attention to detail and intensity of the competition was very impressive! Follow this link to see the story and more photographs.

From top, Krystin Skoda, 17, of Randolph, Vt., applies hoof polish to Mike, an eight-month-old Holstein steer, while preparing for the working steer 4-H show at the Bradford Fair in Bradford, Vt.; Megan Taylor, 10, of East Randolph, Vt., encourages her Holstein steers Salt and Pepper to back a cart into a determined space in the competition. It was Taylor’s first time showing her one-year-old steers at a fair and she was competing for the experience; From left, Steve and Terri Chamberlin, of Pomfret, Vt., and Deb Skoda, of Randolph, prepare paperwork for the competition. Terri Chamberlin and her father have been running the Green Mountain Teamsters working steer 4-H club since 1990; Joey Ferris, 11, of Northfield, Vt., is tested on his knowledge of working steers by judge Dan Fantoni, of Fairfax, Vt., during the Junior Division fitting and showing portion of the show. Ferris has been involved with working steers for three years; As Fantoni watches, Skoda encourages her young Holstein steer team of John and Mike to pull the stone boat; Analiese Morvan, 18, of Northfield, Vt., takes shelter from the sun in the shadow cast by her Dutch Belt steer team of Jim and Joe while waiting for results from the stone boat obstacle course. Morvan competed at “The Big E” last year as Vermont’s sole teamster.

Hello, Vermont!

July 27, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

Last weekend I met with Maddie and her parents in Burlington, Vt., to do senior portraits on Lake Champlain and downtown. Maddie will be moving to the city next year to attend the University of Vermont — so exciting! Follow this link to see more (and to order prints and downloads) in the Galleries section of my web site.

Becka & Jason

July 26, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

In mid-July I photographed Becka and Jason’s wedding at the Barnard Inn in Barnard, Vt. They have been together for 23 years and have two children, making their celebration even more special — I was honored to be a part of it! Click here to see more photos on my Facebook page.

More Funnery

July 23, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

My daughter returned this summer to the Chelsea Funnery Shakespeare Program, where a couple of dozen teenagers learn and perform one of The Bard’s plays in a short two weeks. This year, they did Hamlet and it was truly incredible! Follow this link to see more in the Galleries section of my web site (print and download purchases will benefit the Funnery Scholarship Fund). Here’s a few of my favorites:

California Dreamin’

July 9, 2017 by Geoff Hansen

I just returned from a vacation with my wife, daughter and her friend in California, where we started in Los Angeles and ended up in San Francisco. It was a memorable trip and we had a great time! Here are a few of my favorite photos:

From top, a young visitor carries an umbrella for shade while walking on the main courtyard of the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood. The museum opened in 1974 to house the art collection of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty; Friends pose for a portrait at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Designed by architect Richard Meier, the $1.3 billion museum opened in Dec. 1997 and hosts an estimated 1.3 million visitors annually; Visitors look at a jellyfish exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey. Founded in 1984, the aquarium is on the site of a former sardine cannery and has an estimated two million visitors every year; A tourist looks out into San Francisco Bay during a boat tour in San Francisco. The San Francisco Bay Area is the second largest urban area in the American West with about 8 million residents; A visitor checks his cell phone under a room filled with projected video colors and music at the exhibit THE SUMMER OF LOVE EXPERIENCE: ART, FASHION AND ROCK & ROLL at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The show showcases the music, fashion and art of an era celebrating its 50th anniversary.