Do you take this USB—to have and to hold?

As a photographer with roots in the chemical-age of film and prints, it has been an adjustment to transition to the current cloud-culture of clients that now require photos be sent digitally so they can be viewed and shared on their phones (don’t get me started on company firewalls that block photo gallery sites).

Over the years I have seen the spectrum of file and photo delivery evolve almost on a yearly basis, while camera sensors continue to grow in shear pixels while at the same time as personal computers slowly phase out disc-drives.  We are all familiar with the trend of read/write CD’s from 700 mega-bit, to DVD’s that fit 4.7 GB; and the brief Blue Ray disc (with 25 GB per-side) plateau for storage on an magnetic disc (think Beta VHS player’s from the 80’s that also went the way of the dodo—I won’t get into optical discs, but they never really took off either, and died shortly after DVD’s became the standard) Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the life-changing 100MB Iomega Zip-drive discs that many graphic designers and print-production folks fondly remember.
Today, many new PC’s and laptops don’t even have built-in disc drives—so what is a digital photographer in 2018 to do?

Yes, many hosting sites, as well as commercial delivery sites, such as Dropbox.com and WeTransfer.com have offered free delivery for digital files for years, which is fine for nuts-and-bolts get-it-to-the-printer-asap kinda jobs.  I have personally relied heavily on Zenfolio.com to host literally hundreds of thousands of high-res photo files so that customers can download and order prints—and that has been fine for the last 10 years or so.

But for something as special as wedding photos, how do we as photographers deliver some of the most precious moments to people? I have a drawer-full of back-up copies of CD’s that I have imprinted inkjet labels with carefully selected photos that I have mailed to couples (not knowing at the time, but suspecting that discs are going the way of the digital dodo).

USB drives in 8GB and 16GB and beyond, have now become the physical storage standard archival choice for shear digital capacity—as nano-technology becomes a reality—for what we capture as modern photographers.

So how do you package and present a special day into one small, yet immensely large digitally important package? I recently ordered a USB via Miller’s Lab (a professional photographer’s resource) to print this couple’s favorite photo onto an acrylic block attached to their wedding photos USB. This does not replace custom-designed albums and prints, as well as a host of other print products—but for now (as of today anyway) this is a pretty cool and, well just pretty way of delivering a special day indeed.

BTW, congrats Nikki and Shawn!

p.s. as a father of two amazing boys and a wife that I can’t imagine living on this crazy planet without, I often make pains to print my most favorite digital images of my family (we call them fridge-pics). I would encourage strongly that everyone reading this to print (yes print!) your favorite family photos. Not saying that an atmospheric electromagnetic burst is going to happen tomorrow (Although, it seems likely with the current administration more and more each day), however lightning happens all the time, so back up your photos on paper!

 

 

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Battenkill Wholesome Foods

I just finished up some fresh shots for the folks at Battenkill Wholesome Foods. They make some really tasty brittle bars, crunch, as well as cookies. The newest to the line of products is a very yummy cereal in either Coconut/Apricot or Apple/Raisin. I am always munching away when I do these shoots, and it was all I could do to not eat the apple sauce/brittle muffin recipe while it was on set. Here are a few shots using a mix of natural and strobe lighting. Look for these products in local Bennington area stores as well as their website—http://battenkillbrittle.com

Nikki and Sean 3-2-18

This morning’s snow made for a beautiful backdrop actually. Congrats Nikki and Sean!

Eric Rickstad

I have been wanting to share a few pics from a portrait session from last summer with my talented friend and author, Eric Rickstad. His chilling crime novels are on national best-selling lists and have been translated into other languages. His Canaan, Vermont protagonists are brought to life in vivid detail and his character development and plot twists had me hooked and wanting to read more.

After shooting a family portrait session for Eric and his wife Meredith a couple years ago, I offered to update his bio pic for his novels. He took me up on the offer, and earlier last summer we did a session while dodging scattered showers and chasing the late afternoon sunlight on the nearby streams, fields, and a covered bridge (what better backdrop for a Vermont novelist). Here are a few of my favorites from that day and hopefully one will get used for a print run in the future.

Eric has published four novels (Reap, The Silent Girls, Lie in Wait, The Names of Dead Girls, and his fifth book—What Remains of Her, will be coming out in July). You can check out his books in your local bookstore, and of course on Amazon here.

 

 

Motion Stills-Behind the Scenes

I often get photographed up on ladders during the shoots at the Bennington Rescue Squad. And this time Morgan Oldham used an animated .gif format app that was pretty cool. Also, one of the final shots from their recruitment campaign. I’ll be sharing a bunch more soon.

Menu Shoot at Gringo Jacks—Manchester, Vermont

I wanted to share a few mouth-watering shots from the Gringo Jack’s shoot. Jack and his crew pulled out all the stops, and I have to say if you have never tried Gringo Jack’s do yourself a favor and go!

Congrats Natasha and Rich!

A beautiful fall backdrop at the Prospect Ski Area in Woodford, Vermont yesterday for Natasha and Rich’s wedding. Congrats!

At Barbara Ackerman’s Studio

I have been photographing Barbara Ackerman’s artwork for a few years now, and until recently I hadn’t seen her process in person. Her work and technique is truly unique, and the colors and forms she creates are fascinating. We did a session the other day at her home studio as she prepares for her upcoming show —Personal Geography at the Burgdorff Gallery, Southern Vermont College. Opening reception is October 13th @ 4:00-6:00 pm. 

Klara’s on set

I often take photos of my sets to record how they were arranged in case I need to repeat the look later, I even capture the power settings on the back of the light heads and keep them in a folder (sticky notes can get lost). This was one of the shots in the studio from the Klara’s Gourmet Cookies shoot to show their new packaging. The Coconut Macaroons are one of my favorites BTW, yum. You can check out all of their products here: https://klarasgourmet.com

 

Château De Chausse Tasting

I am always excited to shoot wine events in New York City, and this recent seminar and tasting was a lot of fun. My friends at Cornerstone Communications asked me to come down and cover the US release of Château De Chausse wines—a vineyard in France recently purchased by Charles S. Cohen. The venue was held at 979 3rd Ave., also owned by Mr. Cohen in the restaurant Upper Story by Chef Charlie Palmer. The view on the 14th floor patio of the 59th Street Bridge was pretty amazing, and the invited guests and media were treated to a tasting seminar by winemakers Laurence Berlemont and Franck Bailleul, then some more Chausse wines as well as passed hors d’oeuvres from Chef Palmer’s kitchen.

Winemaker, Laurence Berlemont

Goat Cheese Soufflés

Duck Rillettes, Gastrique, Crostini

Ratatouille Tartlets, Goat Cheese Mousse