Nancy's Rick Rack Cuffs: Riddler and Joker

ISO 200 f/10 1/100th of a second  85mm Lens  under studio lighting conditions

Posts in the snow

West Townshend, Vermont

ISO 200 f 3.5 1/125th of a second 85mm lens

My iPhone 6 Project: Snowflakes in the pines

West Townshend, Vermont

My iPhone 6 Project: Icin'

Dummerston, Vermont

My iPhone 6 Project: Split Rail

Lincoln, Vermont

Friday I was traveling in Northwestern Vermont, and just after sunset I came across this site; on one side of the road this seemingly endless split rail fence, and on the other side the sun dropping below the horizon, giving off its last glow of the day.  

My iPhone 6 Project: Sunset Sea of Snow

Lincoln, Vermont 

My iPhone 6 Project: Ice in the hedge

West Townshend, Vermont

Portrait: Five little kids are they

     ISO 200 35mm lens  1/100th of a second f/10 studio lighting conditions; All shot as RAW images

What is the easiest way to photograph 5 children all under 10 for a group portrait,  without pulling your hair out?

Quick answer: Don't do it!  Hire someone.  ;-)

This is what I spent my New Years Day 2015 working on. 

Anyone who has tried to take a group portrait of kids together in a formal setting will know that even on the best day it isn't easy.  Either they are arguing about something, fighting with one another or no one wants to cooperate, and you can't reason with them, they're kids!  However, if you can get them alone they tend to be really interested in what is going on and want to help. 

So what I decided to do was to take individual portraits of each child shot against a white backdrop, making sure that I used the same lens, and settings, to take each shot.  The tripod was set at the same level.  I changed their seating position on the chair to get the right angles when processing later.  

Once all the images were taken, I cut the white backdrop out so that when I added the colored background it would look like they were all together when the picture was taken.   Essentially this is a collage of 5 independent images, imposed on top of a sixth photograph (which was taken 4 days before).

Six images taken on two separate days in different places stitched together to form a single portrait. It was a fun project and I got pretty good results for my first time attempting it.

My iPhone 6 Project: Winter Lake

Lee, Massachusetts

Today's travels brought me to South Western Massachusetts, in the Berkshires to this small lake along Route 20.  As you can see it was right at dusk. 

Nancy's Rick Rack Joker Cuff

 ISO 200 1/125th of a second  f/10  90mm Macro lens under studio lighting conditions

My iPhone Project: Roots and Rocks

Hancock, New Hampshire

My iPhone Project: Winter Wonderland

Groton, Vermont 

In September 2012 I began "My iPhone Project" which has consisted of a series of Photographs taken only with my iPhone 4 smart phone.  The idea for the project stemmed from a photography exhibit that I attended at the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, NH.   

For the past 2+ years I have added to this album from that phone camera.   Today's photograph is the last that I have taken with that iPhone 4.  It has been retired in favor of an iPhone 6.  I will continue the iPhone 6 project documenting the things that interest me as I travel around New England and New York.

Nancy's custom earrings

ISO 200  f/10  1/125th of a second  90mm macro lens

studio lighting condition

Is it Spring yet

It is the day after Thanksgiving 2014, it snowed all day Wednesday and a lot of people- including myself- posted photographs of said snow some of which were creative, some just documentary. 

I'm a life long Vermonter, so snow and ice are all part of living here - but after the magic of the first snowfall has passed, it's just cold.  

Don't get me wrong, if I was in a warm climate I'd complain as well!

My idea of winter is as follows: it can snow from about Thanksgiving until January 15th then temperatures should warm up to 65 or 70 and stay that way until the next fall.  

Now, I have suggested this plan to mother nature for the last oh! 20 years or so,  and we've all seen what kind of pull I've had with her.  She just giggles at me and then it rains.  

So onto the photographs!  We have a tree in our front yard with this great long void in the center.  I have no idea how deep it goes but in recent years squirells have taken to nesting in it.  I've seen as many a 6 at a time running up and down the center of the trunk, chasing each other and playing.   A little taste of spring at the beginning of winter.  ;-)

My iPhone Project: Midnight Shadows

Townshend, Vermont