Driftwood Inn

I went to Bailey Island yesterday to shoot Alexa and Scott's wedding. It's a small island off of Brunswick, Maine, one of the many islands on our coast that you can drive to over the roads.

The weather was perfect Maine coastal weather. A little drizzly, and a bit unpredictable. Alexa and Scott were totally happy about it. It made for beautiful photos during the ceremony, no harsh shadows, and we got some rugged coastline photos.

The Driftwood Inn, a small group of Cabins and Inns out on a gorgeous cove in Harpswell, is classic Maine in it's rustic glory. Real wood everywhere, and real antiques. It was perfect for this wedding with thirty guests! :) The intimate numbers made for a real community of people, everyone got a chance to chat with everyone else and get some dancing in too!

I have to give a shout out for the best blueberry pie and strawberry shortcake I have ever tasted! Yummmm.

Pinch Hitting in Worcester

This last Saturday I had the day off when I got word from my friend Jamie Wexler, an amazing Worcester Massachusetts wedding photographer, that he needed a hand. His wife was due to have their second baby and the due date was on Saturday. Jamie had a wedding to shoot and wanted to make sure he was covered in case he had to make a trip to the hospital to be with his wife while she delivered their son.

I was more than happy to lend a hand. I love shooting weddings with other photographers anyway, as it really gives me some new insights and I always walk away with a new trick or a pose to try.

Caroline and Justin were a great couple and were really fun to photograph! They also were big dessert hounds, so I am including the chocolate covered strawberries especially for them!

Whitefield, New Hampshire

April and RJ sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G.!

Yay, thank you so much! We had so much fun at your wedding!

The wedding was held entirely at the Mountain View Grand Resort, in Whitefield new Hampshire.The getting ready was done in the Spa and the rooms, the ceremony was held in the gardens, the formals were taken right on the grounds around the hotel and the reception was in the Crystal Ballroom. It was a romantic fantasy wedding!

We also set up a photo booth right in the corner of the reception and as usual, people got really silly with it! This has been a great way to get photos of all of your guests showing their true colors!

And Here is the phootbooth silliness!

Trek Across Maine

Last Friday I photographed the start of the three day Trek Across Maine. The event started at Sunday River and wound through Maine to Belfast. It is a massive fund raiser for the American Lung Association of Maine and they expected that they will have raised over 1.5 million dollars for the organization. Congratulations to the over 2000 riders and 500 volunteers!

The Bethel Inn - wedding

Karen and Vic were the greatest! The had planned for an outdoor wedding, but they got shut out with a crazy rainstorm. They moved the ceremony inside and then after their formals they snuck outside with me. We spent a few minutes taking photos on the golf course, and got some really fun shots, despite the rain.Vic had spent some time on the golf course earlier in the day, so I figured a few more minutes would be par for the course (I can't resist the bad puns)

These two were so inspiring, not letting a little rain get their spirits damp. Here's Karen pretending to be looking for Vic on the golf course!

I had a great time with you both! Thank you so much for including me on your wedding day!

Migi's Lodge Wedding

Last weekend kicked off the first New England wedding for me, here in Maine. I shot Megan and Nathaniel's wedding at Migi's Lodge in Casco, Maine. What a cool location! Very rustic and beautiful.

Megan and Nathaniel chose to see each other before the wedding. They did the "big reveal" in a quiet intimate setting and had a chance to gush over how beautiful each other looked the moment they first saw one another. Immediately before the ceremony, the two of them took a ride in a boat and cruised by the ceremony location, much to the surprise of their guests. It made for a very grand entrance.

They also got their formals out of the way beforehand; they went directly from the ceremony to the cocktail hour. Of course, we took the opportunity to do some posed photos with high school buddies and college friends. And a few shots of brothers and sisters of parents and a few more of the couple. It made for a relaxed and casual cocktail hour where the bride and groom got a change to do some mingling of their own.

And then dancing, dancing and more dancing. These guys danced me into the ground! Loads of fun. I was dancing right along with them and had a fantastic time.

Thank you again Megan and Nathaniel!!!!

Dominican Republic Wedding Album

I am very eager to get to a summer of shooting New England weddings: very eager.

But I had a great time shooting in the Caribbean at the end of last month. I wanted to share a sample album I am having made. I couldn't resist the blues in the water and the crazy scenery.

I have one last wedding from that week to post. And will then return to photos of Maine and New England and life in Bethel.

This wedding was on the beach, the only one we shot where the ceremony was actually on the sand. It was really beautiful, but it was a huge challenge to shoot the ceremony and not get a goofy tourist in a Speedo in the background of every shot.

The reception was on a boat, and we cruised up and down the coastline. The groom took over the music on his iPod, and dancing, drinking and fun ensued.

If you are thinking of getting married in a hot spot, the Dominican Republic is totally worth a look. If you twisted my arm, I might even go with you. :)

Shoot With Beckstead

I am getting really backed up with blogging, so things are going to go a little out of order in the next week or so. I still have great images and an album from the Dominican Republic, but first I have some cool very recent images to show off.

I had the great great opportunity to go to a workshop with David Beckstead down in Boston, Massachusetts this week. My friend Alicia Williams of Cordele Photography in Chelmsford Mass was hosting the workshop out of her home. We totally invaded her place for two solid days.

One of my favorite things to do, besides taking workshops, is to model for them. I get an entirely different perspective of how to pose people and how it feels to have your space invaded and how all the little nuances feel on the other end of the camera.

We spent the first part of the day shooting a wonderful model, Heather, who was kind enough to meet us at Union Station in Worcester. The last part of the day we went outside and everyone shot photos of me. You are going to see those another day!

The first image is David Beckstead in teaching mode. He often shoots without looking though his camera. I love this technique, you get a lot of surprises and images you wouldn't ordinarily get if you weren't so fluid. This image makes me laugh because he's not even looking anywhere near where he's shooting! I don't think he shoots quite this loose at weddings, but you never know.

The rest of the images are my favorite images I shot of our lovely model, Heather.

All you photographers out there, if you ever get a chance to Shoot With Beckstead, take advantage!

Dominican Republic Weddings!

Hi everyone; I'm home!

I just got home from a fantastic week in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. It was so much fun. I was sad to leave one of the last weeks of skiing here in Maine, but not that sad. Snorkeling in the ocean was a fantastic remedy. :)

My friend Robyn Louise Mumford invited me along with her to help shoot three weddings and a bridal shoot. We were very busy in the six days we were down there.

I'm going through the photos now, and plan on blogging each wedding one at a time. Some of the weddings will have certain similarities, as they are all down on the beach, so I hope you don't get sick of looking at the sand. (I know I didn't)

Here's the first wedding (actually not the first wedding we shot, but the first wedding I finished editing)

Celebration Barn Performer - South Paris Maine

I photographed Amanda Huotari recently of the Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris (Maine). She plays the part of a woman who has a group of friends over for the evening. As the evening progresses things get a little out of control and then WAYYYYY out of control. I can't wait to see the entire performance!

The Celebration Barn is one of my best memories of growing up in Oxford Hills, Maine. Tony Monatanaro, world famous mime, founded the Barn in 1972. He and his wife, Pam had a pack of kids and I became very close friends with the family and snuggled right in with the crowd.

Check out the Barn schedule. There are performers coming up to our own little corner of Maine that play on Broadway and around the world. We are so lucky to have them here!

PhotoShop Workshop on Cape Cod

I just got home from a week-long intensive Photoshop class on Cap Cod at the New England Institute for Professional Photography. The class I took was with the amazing Kevin Kubota. I learned some new workflow software and got some great new Photoshop touch-up tricks and techniques.

The first day we photographed a local couple who are engaged to be married this summer. They dolled up in wedding clothing and pranced around with us, letting a mob of photographers direct over hill and dale. The resort where the institute was held is the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster. Our "bride" was swimming around in her dress, which was miles too big for her, but it fit her slightly zany personality. Our dapper groom was clearly in love with his bride and they seemed to be having a great time.

A big thank you to Kevin Kubota and his tireless assistant Amber for being patient and knowledgeable with our class. I've linked to his Secret Italy Tour in case anyone wants to get me an early Christmas present. (just kidding!) If you are an avid photographer/traveler, this trip looks like an absolutely lifetime opportunity.

Here's some of the photos I shot and processed from my workshop this week. I usually pump up the saturation in my photos more than this, but for some reason, the cold afternoon we were shooting on the Cape seemed more appropriate desaturated and black and white. I hope you enjoy them!

Rings Rings Rings!

I wanted to pull out some ring shots from last year. I think these are all shots I haven't blogged yet!

I love to get shots of the rings during a wedding. I often will get the rings as the bride and groom are just sitting down to eat dinner and I go off in a corner and set up a little scene. I'm not fond of people chewing food photos, so this gives me a chance to get some good shots of the rings.

Sometimes I do the flowers and the rings, sometimes I get a little nuttier!

Olympia Snowe Meets the Snow woman

Senator Olympia Snowe came to Bethel, Maine yesterday to check out the Worlds largest snow-woman named in her honor. She said she was getting lots of teasing from her colleges on Capital Hill and bemoaned (jokingly) that the first monument named after her was going to be gone by summer.

You can read a little more about her visit in the Lewiston Sun-Journal.

Lewiston Sun Journal

Guess what, Ma! I'm in the newspaper! The Lewiston Sun Journal published news of my contest win, and ran a goofy photo of me. :) Yes I gave it to them, but it's goofy all same.

Go check it out!

Photojournalism Award!

I am so pleased to once again be honored by the Wedding Photojournalism Association (WPJA) in their International Photography competition.

The contest this time was very competitive; photographs taken throughout 2007 all around the world were eligible. Several of my Maine Wedding Photographer friends also placed in the contest. David Murray from Kennebunkport was named one of the top ten wedding photojournalists in the world!

Here's my entry and the judges comments.

Check out the site to see all of the other winning photographs!

The Worlds Largest Snow woman

Bethel Maine has built the worlds largest snowman, or snow woman in this case. Here are some photos of her in her completed glory! I had so much fun shooting these photos and really loved how involved all the volunteers were in making this project happen.

Bethel has more than weddings to offer! Maybe the world's largest snowman and snowwoman will get married!

Olympia Snow-woman

The worlds largest snow-woman has been built in my town of Bethel, Maine. She was dedicated today at a ceremony in which a representative from Senator's Snowe's office read a letter thanking the town for honoring her.

Here are some photos I have taken along the way of here progress. Here is a link to the official World's largest Snowwoman website!

Bangor Metro Magazine Cover

I just heard from the magazine Bangor Metro and on their cover they have used a photo I shot last summer on a Puffin watching trip with some friends. This issue is a great one to pick up, it has an environmental theme. Great articles from the hard core science of the greenhouse effects to lifestyle articles about straw bale houses.

I am honored to be on the cover of this great Maine magazine and in this issue in particular!

I am so excited to have one of my photos of the cover of this magazine! You can check out their website here. And can also download a copy of the magazine yourself!

Snodeo!!!

I went up to Rangeley to shoot the Snodeo yesterday. What fun! I was so intrigued by the snowmobile hanging from a crane. A lot of the activities centered around the Radar runs, a competition to see which Snowmobile could reach the fastest speed.

New Album company

I started working with a new album company and have just gotten my first sample book from them. It is so scrumptious, I have been showing everyone! Even the cat loves to look at it!

So here's some photos of the cover, the spine and a few of the spreads, I'd love to hear what you think of them!

Ice Carving in Bridgton

I went to the Maine State Ice Sculpting Championship (Apprentice and Collegiate levels) in Bridgton on Monday afternoon. It is hosted by the Maine Snow And Ice Sculpting Foundation. The contest was over by the time I got there, but there was a small clinic and the public was invited to try their hand. It was really amazing, the ice cubes were over two hundred pounds each. The winner carved out an elaborate ice sculpture of a winged dragon.Check out their website, there are a few more championships happening this year!

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve I had the awesome opportunity to photograph this fantastic couple up at the Glen House at Sunday River in Newry Maine. They rented out the house for a week, invited fifteen of their close friends and family to join them and they honeymooned, vacationed with their friends and got married all in one big week.

I had so much fun, and felt so close to everyone by the end of the night.

Maine Wedding Association Bridal Show

I had a fantastic time at the bridal show in Portland last week. I was so busy meeting brides to-be both Saturday evening and Sunday all day that the only time I had to take photos was in the very early morning before the show opened.

A big big Thank-you to both Delina and Jen who came and helped me greet brides, one each day. Delina and Jen were both married this past season I had the great delight to have been their wedding photographer. They were so wonderful to come and talk about their experiences to couples.

Here's a photo of my booth before the people swarmed in!

I also had the honor of being featured in the Real Maine Weddings magazine in the Trends section for a Sunday River wedding where the men were all wearing kilts. The bride was from Scotland, and the groom wore the kilt!



The magazine is being distributed at news stands and is being given away at all of the Maine Wedding Association bridal shows this year.

Maine Wedding Association Bridal Show

This weekend the Maine Wedding Association is holding its 18th Annual Portland Bridal Show at the Holiday Inn By the Bay (88 Spring Street) It is going to be a fantastic time. On Saturday from 6-9 Grooms are allowed in free. The show is open from 11-4 on Sunday.

It's pretty hectic, but please make sure you stop in and visit me if you come. I should be located right on the main floor where you enter the building. I am going to have a bride whose wedding I photographed last summer at the booth with me helping me to greet visitors. Here is your chance to ask a real live bride what she thought of my service!

I know this is a crazy time and a lot of you are busy planning your weddings. This show is a good place to get ideas and meet vendors.

I hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all! My friend Mandy and I went and played at Sunday River during their Santa Sunday celebration and got some cool shots of her in a wedding gown to use for my Christmas card. We had a load of fun!

Wedding Photojournalist Photo Contest

I belong to the Wedding Photojournalist Association, a worldwide group of photographers who shoot primarily in a photojournalist style. Every quarter, the association holds photography contests and this past quarter I won thirteenth place in the transportation category. This is a huge honor to have my work recognized among such amazing talent. Here is the photo that caught the judges eye:









If you would like to see the rest of the contest entries, click here.

Spectacular Event Center

This crowd was ready to party!

The wedding and reception was at the Spectacular Event Center in Bangor, Maine. Wedding and reception all in one location left lots of time for "getting down!" The bride has the most amazing voice and she sang for the groom, as a bit of a surprise.

This was quite a rowdy wedding, and everyone was having a spectacular time!

Camp Ketcha!

Wow, this crowd had so much energy! The dancing and merry-making was so fantastic. The couple made me and my assistant feel like we were family. The reception was at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough, Maine.

Kilts at Sunday River

I had another opportunity to shoot a Scottish wedding here in Bethel. The ceremony was at the Congregational Church in Bethel and the reception was up at Sunday River in Newry.

This crew really knew how to kick up a storm on the dance floor!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Hi there, not only is it Halloween today, but Sunday River opened for it's first day of the season! It was so fantastic! The snow warmed up and it was just like spring skiing. They did this as a little treat for the skiers who just could not wait any longer; the lifts will open for the season on November 9th.

All Souls Chapel and Omni Camp

This wedding was a couple of weeks ago back at the All Soul's Chapel in Poland Springs, Maine. The reception was right around the corner at the Omni Camp. The bride ans groom live in Washington DC, but the bride grew up in the area. It's always nice to have friends come home again!