Erika + Jacob: part I

In May, I went to Houston, Texas to photograph a friend's wedding.  The entire wedding day was held at the University of Saint Thomas.  Now I lived for five years in Houston, and most of it was spent on this campus, but I hadn't photographed there professionally.  The campus was designed by famed architect Philip Johnson and is noted for its strong, simple lines and Chapel of St. Basil (more coming on that).

Here a few photographs made while Erika and Jacob were preparing for their wedding day.

an easy ride

We visited the Hooksett Farmer's Market a few weeks ago, and I made a some photos while visiting vendors and watching the kids.

This photo is a scan from a negative out of a Canon P rangefinder.  The camera is fully manual (focus, exposure, no meter), and I'm overall pleased with the results.  I'll be posting more from this camera soon.

a Lost moment

I brought my two older children to Double Midnight Comics last weekend for the store's 8th anniversary. While they checked things out, I wandered around.  The little guy below was testing his knowledge of the Lost cast (part of Jason Casey's work) with his dad.  It's rare that the various elements of a photograph come together so well.

Billy

The Pond

Last fall, I had the opportunity to work with my friend Dan Hannon on his first directing project, The Pond (which he also wrote).  It was filmed in NH, with talent and production teams coming from all over.  Seeing a movie production from the inside was a great experience.  Despite being a smaller (20 min) movie, the amount of planning and work was impressive.  I was on site for just one day, but I met and worked closely with many involved, including two of the leads, Alicia Witt and Todd Rotondi.

I won't mention any plot elements here, but my task was to create a set of photographs of the couple, including some wedding portraits and candids, vacation photos, and a random bar shot.  (The last photo includes Dan in the background.)  Alas, the scenes in which these would be used were cut--although the final scene shows one photo (not posted here).

The movie is debuting at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and Film Market.  I received my copy last week, and it's very impressive. Congratulations to all those who worked on making this a reality, and good luck at the festival.

theatre kapow: reception portraits

I've been very grateful for my continued relationship with theatre kapow, a NH-based theatre company who just completed their second season.  I was editing some work for them and found these from a post-show reception of Alone, which was adapted from Poe's works for the stage by Brian Kennedy (first photo).  Nearly the entire ensemble is shown below.  (The baby wasn't in the show--that's Anna, who wasn't yet 2 months old at the time, being held by tkapow's Carey Cahoon.)

a party

I've never been an outgoing person.  Even as a young child, I remember observing others rather than doing whatever myself (it wasn't as pathetic as it sounds--at least I don't think).  This isn't a trait I've fought, and so it continues today.  Now, though, I have a camera in my hands, so when my friend and fellow photographer Tanya hosted a small party recently, I made a series of photographs.

Of course, a smaller camera helps, too. While I use an SLR for my professional work, carrying one around for everyday use (and especially going anywhere with my children) was becoming too difficult.  So last fall I invested in an Epson RD-1, which is a digital rangefinder (manual focus and exposure), and it hasn't left my side since.  It's quite inconspicuous, allowing me to make photographs quickly and unobtrusively.

Greg

wedding portfolio, updated

My wedding portfolio has now been fully updated. While it's common to add or a delete a few throughout the year, this was a major overhaul, highlighting much of my work from 2009. Thank you to all of the brides and grooms who asked me to witness and make art on their wedding day.

The photographs found there are the product of a documentary technique to photography. As much as I enjoy the wedding celebration, I never consider myself a guest but rather an observer with a camera. While always inclined to that approach, in 2009 it became a conscious goal and better integrated throughout the wedding day. I hope the portfolio reflects that.

back to blogging

I've written this post dozens of times in my head over the past few months. My last post was just a couple weeks prior to a new arrival, in the midst of the year's busiest time for weddings (fall for me), and the beginning of a new school year. Needless to say, through the end of 2009 was one the busiest times of my life, and 2010 so far as been finishing projects from 2009 and simply recovering.

I've not been photographically idle--the opposite, in fact, to the point that I have little time to post new work. Among other things, I've spent significant time on assignments for Parable Magazine and developing some new studio projects. I hope to begin (again) sharing some highlights of recent and new work as I settle in to a more regular schedule.

To those who have been inquiring about my blog, thanks for your patience and continued support. To new readers, thanks for being here.