When it came time for the meat birds to be butchered at Fat Rooster Farm in Royalton, Vt., apprentice Whitney Taylor had trouble parting with one of the chickens because she had become attached it. This picture didn’t originally make it into the book I was working on in 2008, but I like the photo’s tenderness when I look at it now. (Poopie Poo was spared that day and lived a full life on the farm.)
On October 10, 2010 (yes, it was 10-10-10!), I photographed an excellent wedding ceremony and celebration at the Hermitage Inn in West Dover, Vt. It was an enjoyable time because Lauren and Yves, their friends and family were so welcoming. The Hermitage is great place to work — I have been there several times to photograph weddings.
Last weekend, I photographed a screening of the Life of Pi at the Playhouse Theatre in Randolph for Nicola Smith’s Valley News story. Built in 1919, the theater has been through the transition from silent to sound and from black and white to color. Now, owners Dave and Tammy Tomaszewski are looking to raise $100,000 to transition to digital because film movies will no longer be available sometime this year.
From top: Film leader for the movie Life of Pi is strung from its tray to a 1950s projector at the Playhouse Theatre in Randolph. A film arrives on several reels before Dave Tomaszewski splices it together; Rose Dice of Randolph looks at posters of movie stars while waiting for her matinee ticket. To raise money to buy a digital projector, the owners are forming a cooperative and running a Kickstarter campaign. “I have to join the co-op,” Dice said. “I have to support the life of this theater.” Dave Tomaszewski feeds the film into the projector he and his wife use at the theater. They have been told movies will no longer be available on film sometime this year.
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This afternoon, I met Katie Beth and Greg at the Strafford Town House to do their engagement portrait. The building’s beautiful light and iconic structure are perfect for portraits. I’m looking forward to being Katie Beth and Greg’s photographer at their St. Louis wedding this summer!
While traveling out West a few years ago, my family and I stopped in St. Louis for the afternoon to tour around. We (of course) checked out the Gateway Arch, but also discovered the Museum of Westward Expansion located underneath! I’m headed back to St. Louis in June to photograph a wedding and am looking forward to exploring more.
When Jane and Graham were married in 2010, they invited everyone to the home they built along the Connecticut River in Thetford, Vt. Jane and her father — and the rest of the wedding party — entered the ceremony by canoe! It’s fun to photograph personal touches at weddings.
Looking for newspaper features (photographers call them stand-alones, editors like to say wild art) is a challenge that can be frustrating when it doesn’t work out, or incredibly rewarding when it does. When I found Harris Griffiths working on his truck from a pit in West Claremont, N.H., in 1990, his pet geese became the photo’s special touch. And I loved his quote: “They’re awful pesky,” he said. “They carry off my tools.”
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While preparing for her wedding ceremony on the town green, Morgan checks her flowers in the storage area of a general store in Canterbury, N.H., in October 2010. I enjoy looking at the contrast between her beautiful dress and the store’s mundane surroundings. That’s why it’s one of my Archival Quality favorites.
While the snow flies outside, I’m reminded of the blessing of the snowmobiles event I photographed for the Valley News at the summit of Mount Sunapee, N.H., in 1996. Episcopal priest Alice Roberts gave each rider a blessing as they rode through. I love pictures that are a twist on the expected. I still remember the speedy ride back down on a snow machine!
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Marion and Greg were married on a brilliant summer day at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The strong light made for a high contrast picture of Marion and her bridesmaids walking outside the church, which is why it’s one of my Archival Quality favorites.
