Freed.

Lately I have been in a rut. Almost more than any other season, I love winter. I love the calm serene feeling I get during a snowstorm, the beautiful blanket of white that can hide almost anything, the quiet, the solitude we see in our area this time of year, and the magic of how the world around me can look completely different from one minute to the next. This winter however, I have become completely reclusive. I am not much of an outgoing person unless I have my camera to hide behind, but even that didn't bring me out a great deal. Last week I had a gentle warm reminder that winter (a season so near and dear to me) is almost over and I have done so little to enjoy it. No snowshoeing, no sledding, no little adventures, nothing. This rut has been not only creative, but also internal and personal. Today a dear friend stole my daughter away for an overnight visit with her daughter now that all of us are finally over all the colds we were sharing. After sitting around trying to figure out what I would do with all this time to myself (my husband worked some OT and is currently down at the CHAD Battle of the Badges hockey game with his father), I grabbed my bag and a Twix egg (why did they not think of those sooner? They are FANTASTIC) and ran out the door. I have a lot of trouble leaving my house unless it involves caffeine so I stopped real quick for a coffee and headed to one of my favorite portrait locations to see if I could dig up some inspiration. As soon as I arrived I was a little discouraged by the never ending layer of ice that covered the entire area. I was able to safely grab a few shots that I liked enough, but decided it just wasn't worth risking the safety of me or my gear and headed home. Feeling a little down still I warmed up for a minute and polished off the rest of the Twix eggs (which, I am paying for dearly now...... I had three left and they are not a light snack). Determined to get over myself, I headed out the back door and down to the brook. Craziness happened and the last photo I snapped has to be one of my absolute favorite nature shots I have ever taken. EVER. Feeling so much better..... The following are the shots back at home taken with a variety of lenses (50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.4, and lensbaby composer pro with edge 80 optic). These two here were done with the lensbaby..... tricky at first, but here and there I am getting it. The one on the left is my absolute favorite from today (and from the past several years...). I don't put much work on my walls, unless they are portraits of Emma or Aaron, but this is going up (and it will be the first canvas I order for myself, ever). I was worried since these were handheld shots at crazy low shutter speeds (as far as handheld shots go anyway....), but I squeezed that camera to my face so hard I'm pretty sure I have a rectangular imprint in my face.

Amanda and Phil | Southern New Hampshire Wedding Photography

Way back at the very first wedding I photographed I took a photo of a happy young engaged couple, Amanda and Phil. Weeks later after seeing some of the photos on Facebook Amanda contacted me about photographing her wedding. (I was so excited, though I made no mention of it at the wedding when I took their photo I was secretly hoping they might contact me....) Almost one year later I ventured down to Hudson to photograph their wonderful wedding (I even got to say hello to some familiar faces, the bride and groom from my first wedding as well as the best man who is Phil's father!). It was such a beautiful day. The ceremony took place at the really super cool Alvirne Memorial Chapel and then we headed over to Benson Park (Benson's Wild Animal Farm) to take some fun portrait shots. We had some killer light and found the most amazing tree (where some guy caught a fish just seconds before we asked if we could borrow the spot for a moment). All in all it was an amazing day and the reception was filled with great food, happiness, and dancing. Here are just a few favorites from the day....

The First and Last Heath Hurrah for the Summer of 2012

I have a feeling many of you can relate to the idea of this summer having not gone as planned. So many unexpected things came up this year and all of them were incredible time hogs. My husband was fortunate enough to be able to take on some overtime shifts this year (which we typically don't pass up and being that we would LOVE to have a little more room to stretch out for those few moments when all three of us are home at the same time, the more we can try and save the better....). I found myself being far busier than expected at all of my little jobs and of course, with my own business. Unfortunately as a result Emma often found herself overcome with boredom. Thankfully, I have a very dear friend that has provided Emma with a little bit of summertime blues relief (thanks Lori!). 

After feeling the wrath of life as adults Aaron and I decided to make sure we took at least one day to hang out as a full family of three away from home. No pagers, no phone calls, no emails. I had a fantastic day planned out to the minute (literally, Aaron particularly loved my "coffee/gas/etc - 20 min" note on my itinerary - he actually laughed out loud and sat down on the couch still laughing with his hand to his forehead that was shaking back and forth in that "I can't believe this is my life" motion). 

As fate would have it, none of that worked out. Some of us woke up late, others were fretting about the weather (I may have a small issue with being stuck in the woods during thunderstorms - thank you Mt. Moosilauke). We did not leave the house at 0800 sharp. Lunches, snacks, and waters were not packed and since I run both hot and cold all the time I was having some attire anxiety (you can bet that is a very real thing that I suffer from regularly - I often pack extra clothes for even the most mundane trips). Somewhere around 0840 the three of us piled into the truck. Our little family complete: one quiet tired dad, a frustrated mother, and a rather sullen nine year old girl. If that doesn't sound like an awesome cohesion of individuals ready for a fun-filled day together I don't know what does. 

We arrived at the parking lot for Cannon Mountain sometime after 0930 and after a much needed trip to the restroom (remember, we had a coffee break scheduled in there.....) we boarded the first available tram car up. We were fortunate enough to catch Ketchup, Emma's personal favorite (and probably Aaron's as well...). Seven minutes and twenty seconds later we arrived at the top, bombarded with a fast moving misty fog. Now, given the weather conditions and temperature at the bottom I was expecting to be far colder at the top. I had my fleece and rain coat on which seemed appropriate down in the parking lot and immediately ripped them off. We walked the short rim trail and despite our lack of a view Aaron really enjoyed being up there (Emma and I are both veterans of Cannon Mountain and have been lucky enough to visit on some very clear days). I have to admit, it was a really cool feeling to not be able to see anything beyond the trees directly in front of you. 

Upon arriving at the base again we decided to head into the gift shop, my dear husband being the last to exit, of course. I enjoyed watching a little elderly lady trouble him for some sizing help with a shirt she was purchasing for someone of a very similar size. Too cute. Meanwhile Emma and I sat outside and waited patiently (well, not so much, I can't stand people who dawdle in stores and Emma can't stand not being in them herself) for his return. For the first time ever I was dragged over to the ski museum (which was neat, but I am more for being in the woods). I have to admit, it was really neat to see Bode Miller's Olympic medals too. Again however, Aaron lingered and Emma and left quickly to sit outside and watch the tram cars. 

We took off to head to Crawford notch a little later than originally planned and decided to stop for food along the way. We were skeptical of finding anything decent in Twin Mountain (which looks a little like a small third world country as you drive through....) but came across Catalano's Pizzeria just in time to order..... we were followed by an enormous crowd. The pizza was delicious, hot, and flopped when you picked it up (which I love). It was definitely loaded with pepperoni and covered in grease, but family outings often involve a few risk taking adventures. 

We finished the day out by heading through Crawford Notch where we welcomed the downpours while driving and were happy they parted in time for us to stop at the Willey-House site for a bit. Aaron took a hold of the adventure reigns and instead of stopping in North Conway for a snack before driving the Kanc, we took a short cut straight from Bartlett to the highway. We enjoyed stopping and seeing many Monarch butterflies along the way even though the views were taken over by some much needed precipitation. Back in Lincoln we decided to hit up the mini-golf course. There were no photos of our time there as I was far too busy concentrating on my fantistically awful short game.

Jess and Mike: Married 7.14.12 | Newington, NH Wedding Photography

When I first met Jess and Mike I knew they would have an awesome, relaxed, beautiful, and outstandingly fun wedding. Well, I just love it when I am right. Everything about the day went so well for them, it was a beautiful day with lots of love, tasty food, and amazing music. I am very certain that everyone who shared this day could feel the endless supply of love surrounding this couple. Not only are Jess and Mike amazing people full of care, love, and sincerity, but they are surrounded by so many people who share those very attributes. I simply cannot say enough positive things about them. I enjoyed every minute of the day from spending time with the girls before hand and listening through beautiful vows to walking a trail with the bride and groom to get some portraits at their proposal site. Thank you Mike and Jess for allowing me to spend the day photographing your wedding and capturing all of the essence of the day. I truly hope to see you both in the future and am thankful to Heather for having sent me your way!