The Assignment — “Make sure I know you are in Woodstock and Vermont”

by | Feb 26, 2023 | Uncategorized

I recently was on a Photo Adventure through the Hunt’s Photo Education group with  Don Toothaker for a “Winter in Vermont.”  I found myself once again out and about with a group of eight intrepid Hunt’s Adventure attendees with the weather down to minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit or less and at times with a wind chill factor that lowered the temperature even more. But because we prepared ourselves like “Ralphie” from Jean Shepard’s movie the “Christmas Story,” the photography flowed and we shared a lot of fun together in the field, at dinner each night, and during our image reviews.

These images are part of my “assignment” given to me to make sure that Don and everyone else knew that I was in Woodstock and Vermont.    As a result, I got a lot of walking around town for a couple of hours, as well as I enjoyed the views and the people of the area.  Woodstock to me is a wonderful New England town with just about everything people need in the way of living all year round.   This past week on Boston’s “Chronicle” show (WCVB Channel 5), the show stopped in for a piece on Woodstock, including a short discussion about its local paper —  the “Vermont Standard” — and its owner, which has been published regularly since 1898.  It’s one of Woodstock’s major ways of keeping up with the local news.

                                  

One of the major stopping places is a local, large General Store, owned and operated by members of the F.H. Gillingham & Sons family, which has been opened since 1886 and has just about all you need.  There are also shops of all sorts, including a great bookstore and galleries, along with hidden restaurants for the locals and tourists.  Woodstock has three covered bridges in its area alone including the Middle Bridge downtown, and there are many more throughout Vermont to explore. Pretty amazing.

Hope you enjoy a visit one day — it’s only about 2 ½ hrs from the Boston area and even shorter depending on where you live in New England.  Have fun and get out to preserve your own memories, wherever you go!

                      

 

 

Eyes at the Paddock

Eyes at the Paddock

by | May 4, 2022 | Uncategorized

 

 

One of my earliest blogs on this site talked about connections through the eyes, whether human or animal, and how immediate and emotional a connection can be. Photography is a tremendous conveyor of emotion, attitude, wonderment, and even love, depending on how you see someone or something through your own eyes. It doesn’t matter what equipment you use — your most important phone, your point and shoot, or a mirrorless camera. The connection you make with your subject that draws you in to capture its essence is oftentimes best reflected in the popular quote/verse and its derivatives – “The Eyes are the Windows to Your Soul.”  

Recently, I reconnected with those windows by capturing a variety of eyes at an Equestrian Center in Maine. The opportunity arose as a result of another Hunt’s Photo & Video educational photography walk with Don Toothaker and some fellow photographer friends. We spent the afternoon with quite a few special horses that included an Andalusian, three Gyspy horses, a Palomino, a Pinto as well as a Leucistic one, a Quarter horse, and one Thoroughbred/Stallion that just knew he was the most beautiful one in the paddock.

So from my eyes to yours — enjoy some of the memories I preserved at the event and please share them with your friends.