A Day on the Road and a Moment in Dixville Notch

Saturday I did something I really love to do. I drove 250 miles with absolutely no plan looking for what the world had to offer me. Randomly, I ended up in Dixville Notch, NH... home of the now closed Balsams Resort and the first place in the nation to vote in Presidential elections. It was still winter in the Notch with strong winds and heavy snow squalls, but there are always photos to be made!

Shifting Clouds Over the Carter-Moriah

This view is very familiar to me.  As a kid, we spent so much time in Shelburne, NH fishing, exploring the woods and visiting my Grandfathers camp in shadow of the Mahoosuc Range.  This photo was made almost directly in front of the famed Philbrook Farm Inn in Shelburne.  The view is looking south to the northern end of the Carter-Moriah Range.

Misty Morning Motivation

This morning, like most mornings,  I sat down with a cup of coffee at about 5:45 a.m. and watched the morning news streaming on my iPad.  Somewhere about halfway through that cup of coffee and after the weather report, I realized that this morning out little neighborhood on the Ossipee River and half a mile from Loon Lake was in the mist.  The last two nights have been cool and in a sure sign that summer is waning, the water is giving up it's heat and turning to mist.  Free of any other commitments, there were photographs to be made this morning!

I headed straight for Loon Lake with camera bag and tripod in hand.  On the way, I pre-visualized the shot of the little beach that I frequent with my kids.  The reeds and pickeral weed in the foreground.  Swim floats in the mid and the trees that line the shore of the cove beyond... and, of course, the mist.

It felt good to sit down with another cup of coffee to download images after my 20 minute photo adventure.  I edited the photographs while finishing that second cup.  Here's my favorite.

A Saturday of Shooting and Friends

Last Saturday I hosted a gathering of some photographer friends.  We met at my house and enjoyed catching up and a bite to eat.  Folks seemed remarkably content to hang out but eventually, the troops were restless and off we went.   The first stop was one of NH's best examples of a kettle bog and a National Natural Landmark called Heath Pond Bog in Freedom, NH.  The light was mezza mezza... it was mid-afternoon after all... and the bog was difficult to get too close too without getting ankle deep in it.  But we enjoyed a nice walk exploring and all snapped an image or two.  Right out of the car, someone found the remains of a red tailed hawk.  It wasn't objectively pretty, but I thought the contrast of the green and the brown, the growing and the dying was interesting.

We returned to my house to grab a drink and kill an hour waiting for late day light.  Our plan was to visit Foss Mountain in Eaton, NH for sunset.  It's a small peak that is as much blueberry barren as it is mountain, but it's a beautiful place with amazing views in all directions.   The awesome clouds that had been swirling about the valley all week hung around for the sunset and we were all treated to an amazing show.  We stayed out until it was dark, not wanting to miss a thing.

It was a great day with a great finish.  I really enjoy the way that photography allows me to focus (no pun intended) and let the outside world slip away.  I am in my element pursuing something that only I perceive, working out the technical problems of making the image and finding the unique elements that make a photo special.  It's completely absorbing for me and I'm in the moment.  As a result, I don't get together with fellow photographers near enough.  But,  I'm always so glad when I do.  I'm continually amazed how a group of people can arrive on a scene and see such different things and deploy different tools.  The shot below is an example... I was low to the ground with an 11-16mm lens while a friend was shooting at 200mm on a tripod at eye level.  Another was breaking out a flash while others were on completely different ends of the summit.  Group shoots never disappoint as a great experience of friendship and learning.   I look forward to the next one!

A big thank you to the good friends that gathered for the day!  Check out their work!
Jeff Sinon,  Justin Macomber, Kris Smith, Tracey Streeto and Melissa Greenawalt  .

Communities Coming Together

Yesterday a really special event was held in Madison, NH at King Pine Purity Spring Resort.  The Boston Marathon Memorial Run/Walk was organized by the White Mountain Milers as a tribute and fund raiser for people impacted by the bombings at this year's Boston Marathon.  A couple of hundred people turned out to navigate the 2.62 Km course (get it... like 26.2 miles in a marathon).  There were runners, walkers, baby joggers, kids, folks on crutches and dogs.  Over $6,000 was raised by registration feeds, bumper sticker sales and tickets to many many donated raffle prizes... all to be donated to the One Fund.

A community came together to mourn, celebrate and help.  Generosity and good feelings were everywhere and communities were united in the process... co-workers, runners, compassionate souls, the towns surrounding the Mt. Washington Valley,  people from across New England and ultimately, our Country.  It was an inspiring morning and lots of fun.  It makes you wonder why a couple of hundred community members don't get together more on a more beautiful Saturday mornings.

 The happy winner of a Joe Viger Photography framed print!

Mountain Runner Portrait Project #11: Bob Tims

Mountain Runner Portrait Project #11: Bob Tims
2012 Mt Washington Road Race

Bob Tims doesn't have a running resume like many of the athletes in the Mountain Runner Portrait Project. He is a friend who lives in a small town in Maine and runs on his lunch hour. Bob likes cool music, is a good Dad and keeps bees in his spare time. I always enjoy seeing him and his family at the local pub.

A friend who had run the Mt Washington Road Race last year, encouraged him to try for a spot in the race's bib lottery. Bob got in and his friend didn't. He carried on solo to run the eight miles with a relentless 12% grade and 4650 feet of vertical gain, finishing in about 2 hours.

One of the reasons I love to photograph mountain races and started the MRPP was because the elite runners do things that are simply amazing to me. Bob's race is equally inspiring.

See all the images from the Mountain Runner Portrait Project here

Hometown by iPhone

I had occasion to spend several days in my hometown recently. I hadn't done that in a long time. It's funny how quickly it all became so comfortable and familiar again. It was a busy time and I never broke out my DSLR, but I did shoot frequently with my iPhone. Climb aboard for an iPhone tour of Northern New Hampshire.











Berlin,NH
iPhone 4s, SnapSeed

Chocorua Barn

Chocorua, NH

Happy 4th of July and an Indelible Ridge Line

A long time ago, I was wandering around the Portland Museum of Art (Maine, not Oregon) when I found my self in an upstairs gallery with what seemed like hundreds of works of art. I walked in to a large gallery space and, at first, I was stuck in the middle not knowing what to focus on.   Pieces hung on the wall three and four high. As my eye scanned the walls, I was drawn to a smallish painting hung about six feet off the ground and surrounded by many others.

It kills me that I can't remember the artist, but the title is significant... "View of Moriah from Gorham". To clarify, that's the Carter-Moriah Range as seen from Gorham, NH. The view was from what is today the Gorham Common. As a kid, my Uncle lived and owned businesses a block from there. I've spent a lot of time on Gorham Common and hiking the surrounding ridges. The shape of the ridge line is burned in to my mind and was the some sort of mental template that helped me unconsciously sort out all of those pieces of art.

The Gorham Common always was...and still is... 4th of July central for folks north of the notches with a carnival, parade and fireworks. Through no particular plan and even though we live an hour south, Gorham has become the place I take my kids to celebrate the 4th as well. This year, we were a day early and missed the parade, but the carnival was in full swing.

 When I look at these photos, there are lots of layers of meaning to them for me: photography-geekdom-artsy mumbo jumbo, a tribute to the 4th of July and small town America, sweet childhood memories and memorial to those not with us anymore.  And, of course, gratitude that I get to do this with my kids and a lot of love. I hope you enjoy the images near as much as I did making them.

Evening Cow Pasture

Chocorua, NH

This was one of those U-Turn photographs. I drove past this scene heading home last evening and did the hectic turn around to go back to it. Ten minutes prior I had been standing in the Chocorua Lake making images of sunset water reflections.

Throwing my tripod on my shoulder, I ran across Route 16 in the headlights of Friday night vacationer traffic. One of my wet flip flops was momentarily stranded in the middle of the highway. Photography can be dangerous business. It was nearly dark when I got set and fired the shutter for an exposure over a second long.

Pine Barrens

I've driven by The Nature Conservancy's Ossipee Pine Barrens property hundreds of times. I've hiked, biked and snowshoe'd on the property. Somehow, I had never tried to make a serious photograph there. Driving home from Little League I realized tonight was the night. It was an amazing sunset with fantastic clouds. The light rain never picked up, so I kept on making pictures in perfect photo zen.


Ossipee Pine Barrens
Freedom, NH

After the rain...

There is this.

Kilkenny Range from Cates Hill
Berlin, NH

Cloud Watching

Yesterday, the sun finally broke through days of clouds and rain.  I didn't have a clear plan of attack, but I knew I couldn't pass up such a beautiful evening and had to make some photos.  And so, off I went.  I headed north towards Mt. Washington, but part way there I had an inspired thought and turned left up the steep dirt road to Iron Mountain.

I think if I could live anywhere, one of the places I would consider is the small, wood frame farm house that sits in an open field near the top of Iron Mountain.  The field is at about 2,000 feet in elevation and has an amazing view looking north into Pinkham Notch with the Wildcat peaks/Carter Range on the right and Mount Washington and the Southern Presidentials on the left.

When I walked up into the field, the wind was blowing pretty hard but the 30 mph gusts somehow felt good. The wind was going to limit opportunities for photography, but it had been a busy week involving too much time in planes, hotels and rooms with no windows, so I headed out anyway.  More than anything, I just wanted to sit in that field and drink in the view of my beloved Pinkham Notch. I pulled up my hood, took a seat and watched the clouds while I made this time lapse so you could take in the view too.

Home for the Holidays

Last week I took a drive north of the notches to Stark, NH, a small village in Northern New Hampshire on the edge of the Nash Stream Wilderness. The Upper Ammonoosuc River flows through town and is spanned by the Stark Covered Bridge. The bridge and Stark Union Church are both part of the National Register of Historic Places. At the opposite end of the bridge, The Stark Village Inn bookends the scene. Even the most jaded among us can tune in to the Holiday spirit with the right inspiration. If you're stuck in neutral with the holidays, maybe this helps. Stark is a beautiful and peaceful place and sets the right tone for the season. Barely 20 miles from where I grew up, it felt like I was home for the holidays.





Check out the Stark Village Inn. Support local business in Northern NH and enjoy hiking the Percy Peaks, the Kilkenny Range or the Cohas Trail as well as swimming in my favorite childhood spot at Christine Lake. The Stark Village Inn doesn't have a website, but here's their Facebook page...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stark-Village-Inn/449012015401

The Obligatory Foliage Post

Fall was a little elusive for me this year with a dull start to the foliage, unseasonably warm weather, rain and a constant time crunch.   Last Saturday was an attempt to change all that and while conditions weren't perfect, here are a few images made during the day's wandering.  Bring on the snow!


Lary Brook
Shelburne, NH



Lary Brook
Shelburne, NH


Lary Brook
Shelburne, NH


Lary Brook
Shelburne, NH


Forrest Brook, Madison Cascade
Madison, NH

Sandwich as Seattle

Last weekend I got out with a friend to make some early fall pictures.  For the non-New Englanders in the crowd, it was raining buckets.  We decided to meet in Sandwich, NH... a super quaint village with easy access to several wilderness areas.  Good photos were few and far between, but the day wasn't a total bust.  I made one image that I like.  In the constant rain, I also did a thorough test on the weather sealing of my camera gear and validated that buying the expensive stuff is well worth it.  Best of all, I enjoyed fine dinner and spirits as well as equally tasty conversation at the mighty Corner House Pub.  After all, choosing to meet in Sandwich wasn't all about photography.



Cow Cave
Sandwich Notch, NH