Buggin' Out

Meagan Maifeld's senior portrait session had a theme: never enough bug spray! I couldn't believe the intensity of the mosquito's that swarmed us! We traveled to a fog laden farmhouse, a covered bridge, and an old rusty building to come up with her outdoor portraits. Meagan said she put off her session until it was almost to late because she "hates having her photos taken" but I can't see why, she did great! Next week we are going to do her studio shots and I can't wait to see her rock those too, and this time with no bugs!

Guitar Hero

Paul Garrido recently had his senior portrait session. We traveled early in the morning to Grafton Notch State Park for some outdoor shots. It was fun trying to navigate the canyon to get down inside for some of the pictures. I almost fell in the water tons of times carrying the equipment, but I managed to not fall completely in. After we were done in Newery we came back to the studio. Paul's indoor portraits were fun because he brought his guitar and we used it as a prop. This has definitely been a great year for props! (Many seniors have brought something with them.) Some of Paul's studio portraits look like they could be advertisements for the clothing he was wearing.

As summer winds down...

Abby and Anthony enjoyed some fishing tonight at Howard Pond during a beautiful sunset. This summer has gone by so fast! I can't remember another summer that was so rainy, it really kept us from doing many of the things we had planned. Numerous senior portrait sessions were extended to two days because of rainouts which really made it difficult to go on any trips. We did however get some berry picking in as a family; strawberries in early summer and more recently blueberries. One of the most interesting things we were able to do was to visit the DEW Animal Kingdom. Being that close to some of the world's exotic animals was thrilling. School starts next week, Anthony is going to Kindergarten! When I was in Iraq I had missed Abby's first day of school so I am excited to get the chance to be there with Anthony.

Back to the Barn

Ian Touchette of Mountain Valley had his senior session on a damp, early morning last week. We went up to Coos Canyon and then went to his family's newly acquired house and barn, a house that had been in the family for years. Ian's older sister kept him in line and joined him for a few of the photos.

An American Boy

Mike Noyes is doing his part to make sure the residents of Dixfield know they are safe. He spends some of his time training to become a firefighter, learning the skills that could someday save the lives of many people. Mike is also considering joining the military, another example of his selfless service.

Our fist attempt of a session was limited to studio shots because of (surprise) it was raining! Although it seemed like another rainy day the second time around the clouds held off just enough. We spent some time in the Dixfield Volunteer Fire Station and then walked down the street to various places in town. Mike is a great kid and was a pleasure to work for!

Hole in One

Tristian "Ricco" Franchetti of Dirigo recently had his session. Ricco is an avid golfer so we spent the beginning of our rain cloud filled evening at the golf course. There was only one golfer on the course at the time and he was leaving as we started so we had the whole place to ourselves. We then went to another outdoor location before going back to the studio. Ricco photographs really well so it was easy to successfully shot some striking images.

Step on a crack; break your photographer's back!

Bethany and I had quite an exerience while exploring an old barn during her senior session...we fell through the floor to the cellar below!! I landed on my back (ouch) and Bethany landed on my arm. We wound up with a few scratches and bruises but nothing too bad. Before this happened we were horseing around, literally, with Bethany's horse for a few shots. We finished up with a few more outdoor poses before the rain came in. A few days later we continued her session in the studio, bruises and all!

Next Top Model?

There are some people that dread having their photos taken, and others that love their time in front of a camera. Krista Cote of Mountain Valley is the later. In fact she dreams of some day being able to get paid to do it full time! She showed up to my studio with tons of ideas, lots of energy, and enough spunk to fill a swimming pool. Krista selected the "Beach Bum" package and after a first attempt rain delay we managed to pick out a gorgeous day to spend on the Maine coast. Here are some photos from both sessions, with some fun ones thrown in.

More to come...

I want to share with the world one of the photos that came from Krista Cote's studio session. Something about the expression caught my eye as I was going through the images. We are heading to the coast tomorrow to finish her "Beach Bum" session and I cannot wait to see what we come up with!

Some Bunny's Photos

Sarah Hoff of Mountain Valley brought along a unique prop...her bunny! I wasn't sure what she had with her when out of the car came a small cat cage, it was kind of like a magician pulling the rabbit from the hat. We tromped around downtown Rumford on a hot, humid (but dry) day. I really like the ones we took under the tree on River Street. I think Sarah rocked those photos!

Outdoor Sessions

Sometimes when the rain stops I can go outside and take photos! Recently I grabbed these portraits of Sarah and Caitlin.

Sarah went to Pine Point and Old Orchard Beach for her session. It was a beautiful day, only a tiny bit of rain...

Caitlin traveled the vicinity of Frye Stretch. The one in the field was unique and I put and artistic touch to it. It is fun to do portraits that are out of the ordinary sometimes. I usually try to give my seniors a few different looks...even if I know they probably wont wind up in the yearbook.