Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you all a safe and happy 4th of July!

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Congrats Bel and Masoud!

The 2021 wedding season has begun. Special thanks to Michele Hogan for the referral and to The Four Chimneys Inn for allowing us to find some shade on their beautiful property on a very warm May Day for the formals.

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!

 

 

The Little Things

I’m in the process of designing a Jiminy Peak wedding album for next month’s bridal fair and wanted to share this brilliant behind-the-scenes shot that my friend Toby Gelston took as I was setting up a group photo. It’s one of those candid magical in-between moments that happen, and often have the most impact. Stay tuned for the album link, and also check out Toby’s photo geekdom at: https://photorec.tv/

Old Sturbridge Village Wedding—Jeannie and Matt 1-31-15

Just over a year ago Jeannie and Matt held their wedding ceremony and reception at the Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. With their love of history it was a perfect setting, and although it was a brutally cold night outside, the warmth from the fires and the love from their family and friends kept the party going late into the night. Here are a few shots from their special day.

Let’s Rehearse

Whenever I have the opportunity, I really like to attend the rehearsal for a wedding. Not only is it a great way to familiarize with the venue, but it’s a great way for me to meet and get to know the family and wedding party a little before the actual wedding. I’ve shot several weddings at The Old First Church in Bennington, Vermont (arguably one of the most beautiful in the state, not to mention one of the oldest), but I still take rehearsal shots to help me get things dialed in and get focused for the next day. Here are the unfiltered pics taken at Erin and Kris’ wedding last fall. We had a fantastic time from start to finish and I was honored that they asked me to document their special day. To view the wedding album, click here.

Let them eat cake!

Shooting the cake is on every wedding photographer’s checklist. It’s always fun to see the amazing creativity involved with this traditional nuptial confection. These are a few of my favorites. And I don’t think I was able to taste a single one of these come to think of it. By the time the cake is cut, dancing is in full swing and I’m usually shooting the dance floor by then. Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy…

 

Cupcakes and Sunflowers

Surrounded by love, sunflowers, and a beautiful 150-year-old Vermont country church/school setting amongst fields and crops, this was literally the last (and possibly sweetest) image on my camera from yesterday’s shoot of a wonderful family’s 50th wedding anniversary and family reunion with all the children and grandchildren.

I often find myself saying “I love my job” to people, because I really do enjoy and am often honored and humbled by being entrusted to capture special moments in peoples lives—knowing that they will look at those photos for the rest of their lives.

The BBQ steaks with reduction sauce, chicken, and shrimp with all the fresh salads was terrific and would make any professional caterer proud, and to top it off were the cupcakes—and yes, I did get to have one of the chocolate Ganache frosted cupcakes for the ride home. I love my job.

Jennifer and Brad

When Jennifer and Brad asked me to shoot their wedding atop Mt. Greylock at Bascom Lodge, I was psyched. Of all the venues I shoot at, being on top of a mountain has a very special feel to it, and Mt. Greylock has spectacular views in all directions, and a cozy lodge feel to it that is unique. These are just a few of the “Sneak Peek” photos I sent to them as I was editing. Congrats Jennifer and Brad!

Kasey and Kevin’s album

I’m finishing up design and printing of the albums from last year’s weddings. I use AsukaBook, and they provide a free digital album for a year. Kasey ordered an extra book for her mom for Mother’s day, and Kevin gave his mom a 16 x 24 canvas wrap. I just love this album from start to finish, and it’s so much fun reliving the day—check it out: Kasey and Kevin’s album