My customers new friends who invited me into their lives and allowed me the privilege to capture their families special memories. I am so hopeful the photographs we created will remain family treasures for generations.
Kind people....enough said.
Really good friends, who sincerely care about me. You know the ones that will help you move a refrigerator or pellet stove.
Older, wiser generations willing to share the history of their lives.
Politicians who make humane decent decisions that John Adams would be proud of.
My family, all of them, the in-laws and out-laws, they are all so very special in their individual ways.
I am so very thankful for my son Noah. He studies hard, does his chores, plays beautiful music, makes good decisions, has a passion for life and is kind to others.
And of course Misti. She is my love and my friend. We dream together. She tolerates me.
Recently I had the pleasure of photographing Technical Sergeant Daniel Goddard of the 101st Air Refueling Wing who was selected by the Air National Guard as the Region 5 Rookie Recruiter of the year. Many of the recruiters Sergeant Goddard competed against were assigned to densely populated areas like Boston, New York and Atlantic City. Lots of people, translates to lots of applicants to recruit. Not so much here in Maine, but with some good ole fashion hard work and MAINEiac spirit, he pulled it off. I am also going to tell you he is no rookie, especially in the area of getting young people excited about joining the Air National Guard. This year he has rolled up his sleeves and recruited 30 new MAINEiacs exceeding his "management" goal by 178%, amazing. The photograph we created will be part of a package sent to the Air National Guard Headquarters where he will compete with 5 other recruiters throughout the United States. I am told he has an extremely good chance of being selected as the Top Air National Guard Rookie of the Year. I hope this photo serves him well. Still not sure the word "rookie" applies; how about another word like "dedicated", "top-notch" or "professional", yup thats more like it.
I have always heard the term "Big Sky Country" and believed it was tied to specific state. So I did a quick google search and sure enough our good friend Wikipedia tells us:
"Montana has several nicknames, none official,[4] including: "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently, "The Last Best Place"
I am not sure Mr. Wikipedia has ever been to Alaska, just saying.....
Your sitting in the backyard taking photos of your children when all of sudden a magical moment appears, that cute little smile you love, you push the camera shutter button with great excitement, thinking: "yes I got it", until you see the camera's LCD, draaaats, out of focus..... again.
A blurry picture can be caused by a variety of reasons such as shaky hands or a moving object, One of the quick ways to combat this problem is to increase your shutter speed as this will help freeze the action. Many cameras have an automatic high shutter speed mode, this is the one that has the symbol of the runner on the dial.
Another trick is to ensure your camera has locked into a focus point at the same depth of field as your subject. This works really well in extreme movement situations where you can anticipate where your subject will be.
For example, earlier this spring at one of Noah's track meets I hung at the high jump and practiced this approach. Basically I turned the lens autofocus off and then determined where the subject was going to be. Using the lens manual focus ring I focused to where I expected my subject to be. It takes a little bit of practice but is worth the effort as it can pay big dividends when shoot a moving object.
About 3 weeks ago I spent a good part of the day cleaning our pellet stove and replacing all of the gaskets and filters. You could call this a modern day approach to getting ready for winter. It was about 3:00 when I finished and I noticed that it had stopped raining out so I decided to reward myself by spending a little quality time with Selma by taking a quick jaunt to Bar Harbor.
Those of you who have lived here in Maine will find it of no surprise when I tell you that the closer I got to the coast the fogger it got. There was also a mist, not the heaving stuff just the more of nuisance stuff that you have to wipe off your face shield every 10-15 seconds.
By the way did I tell you my goal for the day was to take Selma to the top of Caddilac Mountain so we could take her picture in a scenic location. As we approached the beginning of the park, the strangest vision entered the corner of my eye. I quite honestly was not sure I had truly seen what I just saw. I pulled Selma over and looked back and sure enough, there was a gentleman playing bag pipes in the fog and mist overlooking Hulls Cove. This combination created an amazingly ethereal photo opportunity. I grabbed my camera and told Selma to stay put while I went over to meet David Weeda who was a wonderful conversationalist and was completely comfortable with me taking a few photos while continued playing. Oh man I love the sounds of bag pipes....
If you ever get a chance to swing down to Hulls Cove on Saturday afternoon's there is a good chance you will have a chance to hear and meet David who by the way runs a beautiful bed and breakfast at Williams Pond Lodge.
Oh yes, one last thing, I almost forget, Selma and I did make it to the mountain and I did take her picture, isn't she pretty?
She is German you know and by the way Selma in German translates to "God-Protection".
It is amazing how much you can learn about someone if you just slow down and take a few minutes to listen. On a recent warm sunny day I took a stroll thru downtown Bangor and met this man playing beautifully while sitting on one of the sidewalk benches.
At his feet he had opened his guitar case and placed a small hand written sign
"raising money for charity". I took a few dollars out of my pocket and gently lowered them into his collection. He briefly stopped playing for a moment to say "thank you". I nonchalantly hung around until he finished singing and then politely asked if I could sit next to him and talk for a minute.
He shared with me that his Dad taught him how to play guitar when he was just a little boy. I also learned that he was is a United States Marine who served in Vietnam. He also talked about how he lived alone in an apartment close by. Over the next 20 minutes Terry and I talked about all kinds of stuff. I learned that Terry's life has not always been easy and my instincts nudge me to believing that at times it has been quite difficult. However, he had a very contagious human spirit of optimism, hope and joy. He was so appreciative of all the good people that are part of his life. As I began to leave, I asked him if I could take his picture and he graciously agreed.
I am so glad that I took a few minutes to slow down and chat with this wonderful decent man. If you are ever downtown and see Terry make sure you stop to say hello, I know I will. dg
I find that even when Winter has a firm grasp and refuses to play nice, our good friend mother nature always finds a way to tell us that old man winter will be soon packing his bags. And sure enough one of these signs appeared on Saturday afternoon. It came in the form of kayakers in the Kenduskeag River. These two young men, both students at Maine Maritime were a joy to chat with. Can you believe this is their 3rd time out this season, wow! While the afternoon sun was quite warm, the river looked and had to be cold, it was. However, both of these young man were actually sweating as it takes a tremendous amount of energy to keep these kayaks pointed in the right direction. This is definitely something I want to try..........in August.
In portrait photography, aperture and depth of field are your best buddies. With their help you can do magic in the form of "bokeh". The term bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ) which means to "blur" or "haze" and is pronounced "bouquet".
Basically, bokeh is achieved when your subject is in focus and everything else it out of focus. In photography this is referred to as having a shallow depth of field and is best done using a telephoto lens with an extremely large aperture. Ideally an aperture of 3.5 or higher is necessary to achieve true bokeh. Unfortunately, to get a lens with a high aperture this high you need to spend some "moola" pronouned "moo-la".
Check out some examples which were I shot using what many feel is Canon's best all around lens,
the EF 70-200L IS lens which was set at f2.8.
The wall behind Noah is completely out of focus.
Behind Courtney is a Maple Tree in full Fall bloom.
That is a downtown building behind Noah.
Behind Emily is a combination of shrubs and grey sky.
I have had always had a deep admiration for Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), not sure why I just like them. How could you not like a little bird that is described as being "cute". Lets face it, with a little round head, puffy feathers, and a very undersized body they are adorable. Not to mention, their curiosity about everything, including humans.
I also like them because their tough and they can adapt, you know, like us Mainers. When most other birds have moved south, their still here, making the best of winter, just like you and I. While we complain about winter, they rejoice. Just this morning at 14 degrees below zero while walking to my car, I heard my friend the chickadee encouraging me to make the best of the day.
Their familiar sound (chick-a-dee-dee) is one of the most complex vocalizations in the entire animal kingdom.
To embrace winter, I spent a few hours outside at the Fields Pond Bird Sanctuary taking pictures of my little friends. And you know what?, I became even more appreciative and curious of these cute little birds. So I came home got on the computer and learned that:
They grow 30% more fur in the winter time.
To stay warm in the winter, their little hearts beat at a rate 2000 beats per minute during the day and at night it lowers to 500 beats per minute.
Even when temperatures are far below zero, chickadees always sleep in their own individual cavities they made in soft wood trees.
They have amazing cognitive powers and can remember where they hide food for up to 28 days. Plus they can manage over 1000 food hiding places at a time. Think of this skill, the next time you cannot find your car keys.
For you romantics out there, know that these little cuties are monogamous, yup they find a mate and stick with them for life. Their faithful little creatures. This quality is rare among birds, extremely rare among humans.
They are described as a saucy, active bird.. I like that
As a borne, raised, and life long resident of Maine, I am proud to have the chickadee as my friend. With all the changes our new Governor is making, I hope he does not choose to change our State Bird.
While Maine winters are tough, these little friends make it just a little easier, of course a touch of chardonnay from time to time never hurts either, ayuh.
There are times when the star of the show is the photograph. You know, the picture that speaks a thousand words. One of the most famous examples of this is the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Very little background or supporting information needed to tell this story, the photo tells all. There are also times when the photograph is not the star of the show. In these situations the photo takes on a secondary journalistic role, to assist in telling the story. Because, the story is much more important, this is one of those times.
Recently my cousin Jodi asked if I would be willing to take some photographs of her son Tyler who was involved in a fund raising event.
Tyler Fadrigon
You see, Jodi's son Tyler and the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha were sponsoring a "Pike Cycle for Life" event for fellow brother Taylor Trudeau. While attending college at UNH, Taylor passed away in August 2008 after a year long battle with Leukemia. In his mourning, the brothers of Gamma Mu and Taylor's mother Leslie created the Pike Cycle for Life and the Taylor Trudeau Cycle for Life fund raisers to honor his memory.
"The mission of the Cycle for Life is to raise awareness for Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Melanoma. Our goal is to fund research to find a cure"
I had the chance to meet Taylor Trudeau's father John who travelled from Florida to help with the event. What do you say when first meeting a man who lost his son at such an early age. It, was a very humbling experience.
Those of you who have children know and have felt the indescribable love and constant worries for your child's well being and can only imagine what John and Leslie Trudeau have experienced.
In meeting John I found a kind, soft spoken man who was a joy to talk to.
Tyler Fadrigon and John Trudeau
During our conversation, he shared with me that one of the joys he has experienced with these events is the interaction with the young adults of the fraternities.
"They are available all hours of the day and night, I will get emails that come in the middle of the night".
All afternoon, I watched these young adults show up, pay their donation, pedal, laugh and bring new hope, it was great!!!
I was so impressed with their decency and genuine concern for supporting John and this Cycle of Life Event.
There are currently 24 chapters nationwide. All the monies raised are donated directly to research. The mission of the Gamma Mu Chapter is to have all chapters nationwide join the Cycle for Life Event.
Green is my favorite color, you may like blue, that's okay were different. I am tall, I mean shorter than you. I suspect there are many differences amongst us, which is good, no it is great!! I embrace our differences and love the fact that we all bring something different to this world. Imagine if we were all the same, boring........remember Star Trek and The Borg: "resistance is futile, you will be assimilated, we are one".
As a wedding photographer I encourage couples to be creative, have fun, think out of the box, and most importantly to celebrate their uniqueness.
Here are few examples, that may get your creative juices flowing.....
Send the president of the United States an invitation, you may bet a nice letter back which could be shared with your wedding guests:
Include an "About the Wedding Party" section in your programs or on the reception tables for your guests to learn more about the members of your bridal party. Not everyone will know that you and your Maid of Honor have been best friends since preschool.
Pick a special ceremony start time, like 5:17 -- the exact time he/she proposed to you.
Write a letter to your mom and dad, or friend or anyone special in your lives and have it waiting for them at their seat during the ceremony. It could be about anything: a thank you, how you hope your marriage turns out like theirs, your gratitude everything they have done for you, etc. They will be so touched and honored that you took the time to arrange for this and you'll have them in tears before you begin to walk down the aisle!
Instead of having a traditional wedding guest book, have your guests write advice or draw pictures and well wishes on pieces of paper scattered on each table. Crayons could be fun. You can then take those pieces of paper and make your own scrapbook out of them. This way you actually have nice messages or drawings from your guests rather than just their name signed in a book.
Decorate the aisle with meaningful objects, such as dozens of seashells from around your grandparents' beach house
Take a picture of where you went on your first date and place that where everyone can see.
Location, location, location...
David and Alyssa were having a small intimate wedding and chose to exchange their vows at the Vesper Hill Children's Chapel in Camden, Maine.
This is a unique location that friends and family will always reflect on with fond memories. While having an outdoor wedding can be a gamble, it can well be worth the risk. Mother Nature was pleased with David and Alyssa and she delivered a sunny, warm, beautiful summer day.
Music is a huge part of Rob and Amie's life, so music played a very special part of their wedding. They gave everyone a music CD with all of their special unique wedding songs. One of my favorites was Peter Gabriel's "Book of Love".
Writing with Light, yup way cool!!
I dragged Jessica and her bridesmaids out of the party just as it was gearing up, never a smart move for a wedding photographer. The conversation went something like this:
"Do you want to try something cool?"
"Where are we going", she asked.
"Oh how about the middle of the field",
"Did you say, the middle of the field, but its dark?"
"Exactly, it will be great!",
"Okay, were game".
This photo can be a little challenging to pull off as we all were literally standing in the dark using an 8-10 second exposure. On the 8th attempt we nailed it and Jessica and her bridesmaids will have a photo they will always remember.
