Ben DeFlorio Photography: Blog

Studio

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:11:27 GMT

I am one of those photographers who has always said that they don’t need a studio. However, now that I actually have a studio I’ll admit: it sure is nice to have one!

Whether it is a wedding, assignment, commercial work, or a portrait, most of my jobs are on location and will probably continue to be. But as my business has grown and evolved I increasingly have a need for a professional space; a place for the occasional meeting and a controlled environment for portraits and head shots. Fortunately, my friends at The Herald of Randolph had such a space available to create a studio.

A basement wouldn’t be my first choice for a studio location (short ceilings are less than ideal, and then there is the creepy factor). The Herald’s basement is unique with a 9’ ceiling in the studio area, as well as some decent natural light. That being said, the condition of the basement (which formerly housed a printing press) was far from inviting. But with some fresh paint, elbow grease, and new lighting gear, it didn’t take long to make it into a usable space - dare I say, even a nice space and not at all creepy. I’m looking forward to not only utilizing the space professionally, but also potentially as a collaborative space with other creatives (stay tuned on that).

Here are some of the before images (I took these almost as an after thought on my phone)…

Some of the progress along the way...

And the finished product...

I need to find some better subjects...

There are still a few items to finish up and some longer term projects for the basement, but it is fully operational and I’ll have an open house Friday, April 13th from 5-8pm and Saturday, April 14th from 10am-1pm (enter at the parking lot side door at the back of The Herald) if you want to check it out. I’ll have some snacks and beverages as well as a photo booth set up on Friday and as a bonus, The Three Bean is having a dinner Friday night from about 6-9pm with live music. If you can’t make it those days, but would like to see my studio send me a message and we can set something up.

Weddings 2017: The Emotions

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:34:58 GMT

I have a documentary style as a wedding photographer, but there are also a fair amount of scheduled moments in any wedding and those key moments are usually what make up portfolios and best of collections. I created a lot of images in those moments that I'm proud of and will make it into my portfolios (see some in my instagram feed too), but I thought I'd focus on those unscripted emotions that happen throughout the day - the ones that feels like there was little or no influence by my presence, or maybe I just caught them in a funny moment. So here they are, wedding emotions from 2017...

On Assignment (2017 Year In Review)

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 23:36:33 GMT

Assignment photography is not a core part of my business, but an area of that I enjoy covering. So when The Herald or Valley News calls with a job I try to say yes as often as possible. I shot contra dancing, a fair amount of sports - including a couple championship games, politics, manufacturing (for Seven Days), graduations, a parade, the Women's March, among others. Here are 50 of my favorites and be sure to check out the year in review images from our local news sources and their talented photographers.

Ben at GW Grace Best

Senior Portraits (2017)

Sat, 18 Nov 2017 02:46:15 GMT

Another Autumn has come and gone and with it I did a handful of senior portraits. As I've probably mentioned before I really enjoy doing individual portraits. It is simple in some ways, you've just got to get a good picture of one person, but complicated in others: if you don't capture their personality it can't be hidden like it might in group photo. I photographed eight seniors this year (so far) who picked some pretty cool locations and made my job easy. Take a look...

Tyler (photographed in Randolph)

Avery (photographed in Bethel and Barnard)

Kayla (Photographed in Randolph)

Ama (Photographed in Brookfield and Randolph)

Bailey (Photographed in Strafford and Tunbridge)

Colby (Photographed in Salisbury)

Allison (Photographed in Montpelier)

Hayley (Photographed in Pittsfield)

Travel: Colorado Rockies

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 05:29:35 GMT

Once a year my brother Josh and I do a "Brothers Weekend". With busy schedules coming up next year we snuck a second one in this year (see my blog from our trip to New Mexico from earlier this year). Looking to do some more hiking we picked Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.

We met up at the Denver airport Thursday night and drove to Breckenridge where we would be staying. Friday morning we headed to nearby Silverthorne to get a few supplies at the REI. With snow and ice on the ground down in the towns we were sure to run into more at higher elevations so we picked up a second set of poles and after convincingly getting steered clear of yak-traks (the salesman without hesitation said they were "total crap" for hiking), we each got a pair of microspikes to attach to our hiking boots and some advice on a first day hike. The hike suggestion of Ptarmigan Peak turned out to be a very good one. We wanted to be challenged while still having a chance to adjust to the altitude, but also have a nice payoff (in other words nice views). The hike was over 12 miles out and back and topped out at 12500 feet. The weather was mild and beautiful, but a scouring wind in the last exposed sections cooled things off significantly. Josh lives in New York City at an elevation of about 50', in Vermont I'm at just under 700', Denver (the mile-high city) is at 5280', Breckenridge is at 9600' - At 12500' we felt it, mostly with a dull thump in our brains and heavier breathing - I'll admit I got pretty tired. Looking up oxygen levels we were at about 13% content in the air vs. 20.9% at sea level so it was no wonder. We made it back to the parking lot just a bit after the sun dipped below the mountains and headed back to Breckenridge for a meal and dip in the outdoor hot tub. On Saturday after debating wether or not to try a 14er (14000' peak) we settled on hiking to Mohawk Lake. Taking the somewhat difficult to find Burro trail right out of Breckenridge we enjoyed another beautiful day getting to the Lower Mohawk Lake around mid-afternoon. The bigger draw and view is the upper lake, but we had been told by the other hikers we had passed that they had to turn back (the snow was too deep, icy, etc.). There were tracees of snow shoe tracks heading up the steep snowy trail, but it was clear no one had made it up on this day to that point. We were for once well prepared and by taking our time and with the aid of those microspikes we easily made it to the upper lake and enjoyed the views before heading back to Breckenridge to round out another dozen plus miles. Sunday was already the day to head home, but we snuck in a more casual hike (still up around 12500') by Hoosier Pass along the contiental divide before heading to Denver and a flight back to New York (where I caught the train Monday to Vermont).

Another great Brothers Weekend and the Rockies are truly spectacular. Breckenridge is a cute ski town and a good jumping off point for hiking the Rockies although I'm sure you could stay in a bunch of places and find great hiking. An interesting fact I read is Colorado has over one thousand 10,000' peaks! Here in east a 4000' peak is a big deal! I would love to go back at some point to knock one of the 14ers out, but I think I might want to make it a longer trip to have more time to acclimate to the thin air.

Here are a few more pictures from the trip...

Travel: Land of Enchantment

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 02:37:37 GMT

My brother Josh and I are close and even though he lives in New York City and I live in Vermont we see each other often. Starting in 2013 we began a tradition we call Brother's Weekend. We pick a place we haven't been to or haven't had a chance to properly explore and head out for two or three days of brother time. Past trips include Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Savannah, Ottawa, and this year Santa Fe and the surrounding areas. The weekend's are about just the two of us spending time together and generally acting like we're 11 (give or take) and almost always involves covering a blister-inducing amount of ground (or in Savannah taking hotel bicycles further than one should). The Santa Fe area offered the most outdoor adventure options yet.

We flew into Albuquerque very late Thursday and after a night at an airport hotel we picked up the rental car and headed for Santa Fe. We took the long way, going along the side of the Sandia Mountains. After checking in to the hotel we demolished a fantastic meal of blue corn enchiladas at Casa Chimayo, had a little stroll through town, and decided to get a hike in before dark. Since it was already mid-afternoon we picked the Dale Ball trails at the edge of town. Heading up the south trail we reached Picacho Peak (8577') right around sunset. We may have lingered a little too long and had left our packs with flashlights in the car, but a trusty cell phone light got us down through the dark.

The next morning after a huge breakfast we headed out to Bandelier National Monument in the Los Alamos area. From the visitors center we explored ancient pueblo sites including the Alcove House which takes four ladders to get to. There was a modest number of visitors, but once we headed west on the Frijoles Canyon Trail we only saw four trail volunteers a short distance up the trail and two hikers a few more miles in for the rest of our time there. Bandelier was devastated by major fires in 2000 (Cerro Grande Fire) and more recently in 2011 (Las Conchas Fire) and subsequent flooding, but the land has bounced back some and was quite beautiful. The trail itself was not as easy to traverse as it may have once been and required a lot of scrambling over logs and boulders and generally picking your own path, but it was hard to get lost since it was in a canyon. After about five miles we headed up the sometimes slippery (with snow) Frijoles Rim Trail which was prairie lands. The entire loop was about 13 miles which had us hustling to get back to the visitor's center before dark. We made it just past sunset and got out before and gates were locked.

The Bandelier hike was truly blister inducing for my heels, but with a little minor surgery (a needle) and some bandaging up we headed to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument the next day. Near Cochiti, Tent Rocks didn't offer the peaceful solitude of Bandelier, but it did have an amazing slot canyon and wondrous volcanic rock formations. After Tent Rocks we headed back to Santa Fe and drove up the ski basin to over 10,000 feet for some long range views and finished up with another hike on the Dale Ball trails (this time the central section), again finishing after dark.

Our last day we explored the town a little more, visiting the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, the San Miguel Church which was built in 1610, and other sites before heading back to Albuquerque and our flight home. We certainly would have had no problem finding things to do and places to explore in the Santa Fe area had we been there longer. Excellent New Mexican food, lots of art galleries and museums, not too crowded, and an almost endless number of trails and natural wonders to explore. Also the place smells amazing - especially up in the mountains. New Mexico in our experience definitely lived up to the "Land of Enchantment" nickname and we'd be happy to come back someday.

Create 28

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 23:09:43 GMT

February is usually my least favorite month. I'm about ready for winter to be over, but spring is still a long ways away. It is often my slowest month business wise too and often I'll feel like I'm in a creative rut. To try and change that I decided this would be a great month to do a personal project. The idea was simple; do 28 creative portraits in the month based on the subjects ideas. I put the word out through social media and soon I had all the volunteers I needed and a few more too.

I asked to be challenged and everyone came with great ideas. Some simple, some complex - all a lot of fun to work on. I really got to put my thinking cap on this month and it went by really fast! Thank you to everyone who participated and those that helped along the way! Check out the pictures on Facebook for the stories behind them, but now to the pictures (some were presented in panel format on Facebook, but are presented as singles here)...

#1 Hillary Leicher

#2 Elliot Papp

#3 J.Lynn Cleveland

#4 Stephanie Rose

#5 Kelly Green

#6 Katie Vincent-Roller

#7 Scott Kerner

#8 Kate Cartwright

#9 Luz Ayala

#10 Josh Moore

#11 Mary White

#12 Cora Grandfield

#13 Zuzu Ashworth

#14 Patty Mcllvaine

#15 Kiev Rattee

#16 Naomi Johnson

#17 Matt McDonald & Sarah McCluskey

#18 Hannah Hawley

#19 Timmy MacDonnell

#20 Wally Caswell

#21 Brian Townsend

#22 Valerie Schoolcraft

#23 Anna Nasset

#24 Sarah Cloud

#25 Elizabeth Kruska

#26 Erica Sears

#27 Isiah Prosper

#28 Abigail Tonks

#29 Courtney Collins

#30 Laurel Lake

#31 Rachel Putney

And some extras and outtakes...

Year In Review: 2016

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 18:19:43 GMT

With over 150 jobs this year ranging from newspaper assignments, weddings, portraits, institutional, and commercial work, plus a handful of personal work the year was a bit of blur. Trying to narrow down over 25,000 delivered images wasn't an easy task and if I had to do it again I might come up with a completely different set. At any rate a big thank you to all the folks that hired me or found themselves in front of my lens this year. Have a look at some of what I saw in 2016...

January End April End June Start September Start September End December End A few more of my most photographed subject, my daughter Isabel...

March End July Start August End Happy New Year!

Senior Portraits (2016)

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:40:41 GMT

I like doing all kinds of portraits - families, couples, for commercial purposes, but I think my favorite is individual portraits. The thing is that outside of projects (some paid, some personal), I don't often get the chance to do an individual session. I think it is because it perhaps seems weird or vain to hire a photographer to take your picture for no particular reason, but I think it is nice thing to do for yourself (having your picture taken can be a real confidence booster). Fortunately there are senior portraits, a time of transition in a young persons life that calls for some individual portraits! An individual portrait session really allows time for both for the photographer and the subject to collaborate, work the light and compositions, be creative, and have some fun.

I've photographed seven high school seniors this autumn (with maybe a few more to come). Seven unique and pleasant personalities, seven opportunities to capture that in pictures. See below

Note: If I photograph any additional Seniors this year I'll update this blog

______________________________________________________________________________

Jacob (photographed in Bethel)

Taylor (photographed in Williamstown)

Caitlinn (photographed in Randolph)

Olivia (photographed in Barre)

Hunter (photographed in Strafford)

Haley (photographed in Randolph Center)

Ruby (photographed in Strafford)

Travel: Walking Philadelphia

Wed, 14 Sep 2016 01:20:08 GMT

Three plus days mainly on my own with almost no responsibility?! This is unfamiliar territory to me, well at least it has been awhile as a I have been scheduling my work around taking care of my daughter for the last five years and when I've traveled she usually comes along. This fall she started full-day kindergarten though and was ready for an extended stay with my parents and with my wife heading to Philadelphia for a four nights, five days work conference I tagged along to go where the wind took me. My only previous trip to Philadelphia was accompanied by a slushy snowstorm which curtailed much exploration so I had a lot of ground to cover. Street Photography is my favorite thing to do in a city, but my finding was that while Philadelphia is a pretty big city (1.5 million, 6 million metro) it just doesn't have the hustle and bustle that makes cities like New York and London great for street photography so while I did get a few street shots in it was more what I would categorize as travel photography. I walked until my feet hurt from blisters and then walked some more - over 36 miles, none to speak of on the last day in which we flew home. I took about 12 pictures per mile so my volume was pretty low. In addition to just walking the streets I made it by foot from the Society Hill neighborhood where the hotel was to the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art (think Rocky steps), the Eastern State Penitentiary, the University of Pennsylvania campus, Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, plenty of coffee shops, and even across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Camden, New Jersey (and right back). I did walk by Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, but I skipped those as I'd seen them previously. Did I mention it was about 94 degrees and humid each day?! Some mid-day naps, a dip in the pool, and an evening out to see a movie (Hell or High Water) saved me from completely melting. It was a fun trip, but nice to get back to Vermont where the temperatures and humidity where much more pleasant and of course to see my little girl. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

July & August 2016

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 14:47:20 GMT

July and August provided a diverse set of photographic opportunities including assignment coverage, family portraits, and weddings. Here a few images from the past two months.

Shooting for the Herald of Randolph I covered the 4th of July fireworks and parade in Randolph, a 4-H dairy clinic at the Tunbridge Fair Grounds, Lieutenant governor candidate Kesha Ram's stop in Randolph, an abundance of blueberries at Sunshine Valley Berry Farm in Rochester, visitors at Moss Glen Falls in Granville, swimmers daring jumps in Gaysville, and Old Home Days in South Royalton. For the Valley News I covered the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl in Castleton where Vermont broke a long losing streak to destroy New Hampshire by 48 points!

I also photographed some family sessions in Norwich, Randolph, and Colchester where jumping was a popular idea - one I rarely suggest, but it always makes for a fun photo.

And I covered a couple weddings. One a Friday affair in Northfield and a rainy, but fun lake side wedding in Ludlow.

With the conclusion of summer also came the first day of kindergarten for my daughter!

Also early in July we made a family trip to London, but I've already covered that in this other blog post. Click This LINK for London.

On to a busy September!

Travel: Streets of London

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 05:22:07 GMT

With a population of over 8.5 million (13 million plus metro) London, England is delight for street photography, nearly on par with New York City. The constant flow of people on any given street most of the day meant that even though I was there on a family vacation, there was ample opportunity to capture some of the street scenes. There are a few cityscapes mixed in, but here is a sampling of six days of London street, much of it shot from the hip.

Here is the gallery view with a few extras: London

June 2016

Sat, 02 Jul 2016 13:48:06 GMT

I am often asked what I kind of a photographer I am - A photojournalist? Yes. A wedding photographer? Yup. Commercial photographer? Yeah. Portrait photographer? Definitely. Event photographer? Sure. Street photographer? When I can. You get the point. It is easiest and most accurate to just call myself a photographer because I could be photographing any number of things in a month and June was no different.

June included some news and sports coverage for the Herald of Randolph and The Valley News. Senator Patrick Leahy and Attorney General Loretta Lynch at the Women's Economic Opportunity Conference at VTC, A fun ad shoot for the Herald, Chelsea girls lacrosse semi-final, Woodstock Union High School graduation, Oxbow softball finals, and a protest in South Royalton.

I photographed Raq-On Studios student dance recital for the third year in a row. This bellydancing event held at Briggs Opera House this year is always fun and I always come away impressed with the artistry and how much the participants enjoy themselves and the confidence they exude. I also photographed a youth production of Anything Goes at Chandler Music Hall in Randolph and was equally impressed with this show - very entertaining and a very talented cast and crew.

I also photographed a few weddings and a pre-wedding shoot (for a wedding I couldn't attend) among other shoots.

I'm looking forward to the diverse photographic opportunities July is bringing...

Weddings 2015: My Favorites

Thu, 07 Jan 2016 04:50:30 GMT

This post is has been a long time in the making. I shot 11 weddings in 2015 resulting in nearly 10,000 finished images and that is a lot to go through to narrow down to one blog post. I narrowed it down to 600, then 300, then 200...you get the idea. Finally I gave up on making a very complete look at my wedding season (that'd be just too long) or a very concise look either (I struggle to edit my images down to just a tight selection) so I settled on just picking out some of my favorites instead resulting in 136, which is about 1% of the images I started with.

Portraits is one of my favorite things to do so I naturally gravitated to many of those, but one of my main goals is to capture authentic moments and emotions so I love a lively dance floor, tears that can't be held in, I like the joyful face of a child, the proud look of a parent, the beaming love between two people, and anything a little weird! My 2015 season was a great opportunity for me to witness and capture the humanity of the weddings of a lot of cool folks. I often get asked what kind of crazy wedding stories do I have and the truth is I just seem to end up shooting weddings with people who really do love each other and are there to have fun with their family and friends.

Locations for this year brought me throughout Vermont and into New Hampshire and included the Three Stallion Inn in my hometown of Randolph, The Alerin Barn in St. Johnsbury, The Norwich Inn and the Hanover Inn in the Upper Valley (same wedding), the Landgoes Farm in Tunbridge, the Moose Meadow Lodge in Waterbury, The 1824 House in Waitsfield, the Apple Hill Inn in Taftsville, Hewitt Hill Farm in Pomfret, the Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, The Wallingford Lodge in Wallingford, and a backyard wedding on the shores of Lake Fairlee in Post Mills. I shot several of these solo, but also teamed up with talented photographers Tim Calabro, Lucas deSousa, and Amy Donohue on weddings they had booked.

All in all it was a fun season of wedding photography and I'm looking for to the upcoming 2016 season. Oh yeah, and here are those favorites in no particular order:

Check out my 2014 wedding highlights here: 2014 Weddings

And my Wedding Portfolio here: Weddings

Follow me on Instagram here: defloriophoto

Senior Portraits (2015)

Sun, 06 Dec 2015 21:33:02 GMT

In this calendar year I've taken eight senior portraits and came away impressed by these young people (does saying young people make me sound old?). While this group is trying to figure out exactly what their next step will be, they seem to be ahead of the curve in knowing who they want to be and how they want to live their lives. It has been 19 years since I was a senior in high school (whoa) and in recent years the 'who I want to be' and 'how I want to live my life' have become much clearer, but having that mindset as a younger person would have been extremely valuable.

In addition to having a great mindset this group has invested their time into life shaping experiences; they've traveled extensively, learned languages, participate in a variety of sports, they sing, play instruments beautifully, participate in theatre, care for animals, they care for their family friends, and seem to have a pretty good time doing it. I've come to realize that when it comes to your time (and money), experiences and relationships are worth investing in, and I think these "kids" get it.

Okay, enough talk: here are some of my favorite pictures of the seniors. All Vermonters, mostly Randolph Union High School, but also Williamstown, Burr & Burton (Manchester), and Sharon Academy.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Ella (TSA - Ella actually graduated in 2015, but we took her pictures just a few days before graduation)

Abi (Randolph)

Kelsey (Randolph)

Anais (Randolph)

Peter (Williamstown)

Natalie (Burr & Burton)

Connor (Randolph)

Henry (Randolph)

Holiday Photography Buying Guide

Thu, 03 Dec 2015 18:21:58 GMT

Thinking about making a photography purchase for the holidays? Here are a few ideas for various budgets.

Under $25

Memory Cards - a photographer can never have enough memory, right? I like Sandisk and you can get a lot of storage for not a lot of money - click this LINK.
Card Carrier - with all those new memory cards it is nice to have something to keep them organized in your bag - click this LINK.
Rocket Blower - dust on your dslr sensor can be pretty frustrating, this simple device will keep your sensor clean - click this LINK.
Flashlight - A nice small LED flashlight that you can leave in your camera bag will make your life easier - Belmains has one for about $13 that fits the bill

$100 Range

Take a class - I'll be teaching another class starting in January at RTCC and I think Tim Calabro (from the Herald) will probably teach a class in the spring. I think it is $85 for six classes. Contact RTCC to find out more - click this LINK.
Take the photos you've taken or had taken and get some prints or make a book. Make those files into something tangible, you won't regret it.

$250 Range

Book a portrait session with one of your favorite photographers - there are many good ones in the area to choose from.
For those of you with DSLRs and still shooting with the kit lens, get a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Wether you are shooting Canon, Nikon, or something else there is always a very capable 50mm lens that will allow you to shoot in lower light, with a shallower depth-of-field, and force you to be more creative. There is no better value in lenses than this. Here is Canon's current offering (LINK) and Nikon's (LINK)
For those not interested in a DSLR, but you want something more advanced than an iPhone here is a pretty great deal that expires on the 5th for an advanced point n' shoot camera with a printer (you do have to do a mail-in-rebate to make it a good deal) - click this LINK.

$1000 Range

A great trip is one of the best things you can do for a photographer - go somewhere inspiring. New locations spark creativity.
As you become serious about photography you start to understand that spending at least a grand on a lens is hard to avoid if you want something really good, but Sigma has a great lineup of lenses that are well built, sharp, fun to shoot with, and come in much less then their Canon and Nikon counterparts - try their ART series, I personally have their 35 f/1.4 and love it - click this LINK.

$1500+

Full Frame - a nice big sensor is great for low-light sure is nice to have. Canon, Nikon, Sony's mirrorless options...you can't go too wrong. Here are a few options - click the LINK, LINK, LINK.

These are of course just the tip of the iceberg and there are all kinds of products or experiences that would be great for your family or the photographer in your life - make a comment below if you'd like any specific advice and I'll be happy to help.

PS - I have no affiliation (I don't make any money) with B&H or Amazon by providing the links above, but I do make purchases through those sources.

Home Grown in Central Vermont: Nicole Duch

Sat, 22 Aug 2015 03:24:06 GMT

I met Nicole Duch at her farm last August where we walked the potato fields and then followed up on a sunny February morning to get some pictures of the potatoes. It took me way too long to put this all together, but here is the interview and pictures. Thanks Nicole!

B (Ben): What’s your name?
N (Nicole): Nicole Duch.

B: What town do you live in?
N: East Calais, Vermont.

B: Are you a small farmer or an avid gardner?
N: Small farmer.
B: And the name of your farm?
N: Seedfolks Farm.
B: How did you decide on that name?
N: Every spring when you start the seeds that is really the start of your year and we thought it was a good way to capture the start of everything.

B: When and what got you into farming?
N: I went to Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont which has a small farm which has organic agriculture, homesteading, and farm classes. I worked on the college farm a little bit, but mostly I worked on other farms in the area. Meeting all the farmers, eating really good food, and being outside working - being tired at night - really got me hooked. I started writing a paper on community supported agriculture and I was hooked for real…forever and I knew I was going to be a farmer. I’ve been farming since then.
B: Tell me about your grandparents influence again.
N: When I was little in New Jersey my one Italian grandpa always grew tomatoes and basil in his garden and my other grandpa grew various vegetables. Some of earliest memories were picking carrots from the garden, rolling them in the grass, and eating them with a little bit of soil on them - my grandma standing on the back porch yelling to us that we better wash them and my grandpa telling her it was fine. God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt (laughs)! It felt a little bit naughty eating the carrot with soil on it - so it as pretty great! They usually had fresh tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and lots of things that we had for lunches and salads.

B: What do you enjoy about farming?
N: Being outside, even in the various weather, working with my body, growing plants. I like seeing the whole timeline of events. I like starting the seeds, I like watering them, planting them, weeding, harvesting, selling (laughs)! I’ve worked on some farms that understandably want you to have one or two jobs because it makes sense, it is more efficient that way, but for me I like to be involved in all aspects of it. Who wouldn’t want to be!
B: I think there is always more satisfaction when you start something and finish it - when you are just a cog in a machine of producing something you don’t (always) get that at the end of the day.
N: Right, and you don’t (necessarily) understand your part in the whole system. So running a small farm for me I get to see the whole cycle of things which I love.

B: Tell about the food you have picked.
N: Potatoes! First I chose lettuce, but I switched to potatoes. I chose lettuce (originally) because I love how lettuce fields look, they are very beautiful! It is really satisfying - it is easy to start lettuce seeds, it is easy to transplant it, looks beautiful, you don’t harvest the entire lettuce so there is always some organic matter retuning and even if some of the lettuce doesn’t look great they (can) just feed the soil and when we moved to our farm last spring (2013) lettuce was one of the only things that grew really great here so it was a symbol of hope that this could be a vegetable farm. But then I was hilling my potatoes Sunday and the plants looked so beautiful and I was thinking of all the ways I would eat the potatoes in the winter time all the different ways I would cook them and all the delicious meals that would I would have with those potatoes. There is a lot of nutrition in a pound of potatoes - I love growing greens and I love growing tomatoes, but potatoes really feed people. So that is why I chose potatoes and because potatoes store almost indefinitely so you can store them in a root cellar so you don’t need a refrigerator or walk in cooler. You can harvest potatoes and leave them out in a barn for a month - it just has to be a constant temperature and dark. So potatoes are pretty sustainable…maybe…is there anything that is truly sustainable? You can save them and plant them again.

B: How do you like to eat potatoes - what are some of your favorite recipes?
N: Well I love roasted potatoes - olive oil, maybe rosemary, garlic cloves - that's probably my favorite way, sea salt and I like to mix up the colors, but also baked potatoes with really good butter, mashed potatoes with good milk and butter and garlic - you have to add the garlic. Soups and stews - you could potatoes in anything, fry them - home fries, potato pancakes...
B: This is starting to sound really good! (laughs)
N: You can do oven fries, deep fries (I don't do that - I don't have the capability I guess). New potatoes I like boiled with butter or baked (and) mashed down with butter and sea salt. You never really get sick of potatoes - I don't, maybe others do! (laughs)
B: It is one of those foods that you can mix with other flavors...
N: Yeah, different herbs, spices, vegetables - what about a twice baked potato! Bake the potato, take it out, cut them in half, scoop the centers out, mix it with butter and cheese, put it back in and bake it, even some broccoli - that would be delicious, that is delicious!
B: That would be delicious tonight! (laughs)
N: You have got to have some time (and) that is why I like dreaming of all these things because roasting takes a lot of time and it is hot right now and (in the winter) I have time to prepare things. Even a crock pot with a really low simmering soup, starting it in the morning and then having it for lunch and dinner. And having a really big soup so you have it for a few days.
B: Soup usually tastes better the second day...
N: Yeah.

B: Anything else you'd like to say about potatoes or farming?
N: Well everybody gets their potatoes in so early - April people are planting potatoes - I like to wait and plant mine when it warms up a bit because I feel there isn't as much bug pressure or even disease pressure. They are solanaceous crops so they are really a warm season crops and when they are in an environment that they are meant to be in, that they like, they are not going to be as stressed so they aren't going to get as many pests or diseases. So the past few years I have started my potatoes almost mid-June, but I bet they will be healthier longer and the potatoes will still size up - they are happy. I like to keep my root crops in the ground until it gets really cold - even after a few light frosts because they tend to sweeten up and there are some varieties of potatoes, and you should definitely know this, that sweeten in storage, so growing those is really awesome and delicious. You squirrel those away until you've eaten most of the rest of your potatoes - finally one day, you are like you know what it is time for those Red Maria's and they are SO good. The sweetest potatoes you'll ever eat.
B: You might call them sweet potatoes! (kidding)
N: Almost! Sweet potatoes are a hot crop too!
B: What are the varieties that you have planted?
N: This year we have All Blue, they have blue skin and are blue all the way through. We have Corolla which is yellow skin and yellow center. I really like Golden and the taste is really good too. Different potatoes are good for different things so we tend to grow a wide variety - although we don't have as wide a variety as in the past. We don't have any fingerlings which is a little bit sad. Last year we grew this beautiful Magic Molly - purple and dark purple in the center - a brand new potato (Cornell breed it in a lab - BUT NOT GMO!), but it was a young potato so it didn't have many disease problems, that was really beautiful. Banana fingerling, but we don't have fingerlings - roasted fingerlings really good. If you are being really dramatic you can make mashed potatoes out of fingerlings and that's really good.
B: Mashed fingers!

N: Wait! Let me tell you - potatoes, at least on this scale, potatoes take up a lot of space and are sort of inefficient on a small scale, we have a small cultivating tractor and we have to take off the cultivating equipment and put on the discs - then we have to switch the cultivating stuff back on. Small farmers don't really make money on potatoes, but they are so nourishing and they are so important to the farmers diet and you want to feed your community. In the winter you want to feed people - you can't just feed people in the summer (laughs). So buy potatoes from small farmers so they'll grow more - if there is demand they'll want to grow more.

You can find Nicole and Seedfolks Farm at the Capital City Farmers Market in Montpelier and find out more at the links below.

www.facebook.com/seedfolksfarmvt
www.seedfolksfarm.com
https://instagram.com/outoftheswirled

Travel: 42 Hours In Maine

Thu, 20 Aug 2015 22:02:54 GMT

A long summer vacation wasn't in the cards this year, but a quick trip to Maine before the chill of September hits was. Keeping things simple we headed to the Portland area (that we know and enjoy) and were treated with beautiful weather and light. The first evening we visited what I read was "the most photographed lighthouse in the world", Portland Head Light in Fort Williams Park on Cape Elizabeth. I am sometimes a little hesitant to visit popular photo destinations because often they have been photographed in every conceivable way, but I was there as a tourist spending time with my family and just to take casual pictures. I'm really glad we went because it was a beautiful spot to spend a beautiful evening. The lighthouse was certainly photo worthy and the park itself was full of lovely paths, wild flowers, and views - not too crowded either. As evidence by the Maine license plates it was a place the locales enjoy too.
We stopped for some ice cream afterwards. My daughter Isabel decided that my cone was really her cone... The next day was a day at the beach - Scarborough Beach. We had been there before a few times - great sand, fun waves, and the water was warm (for Maine). I took a few pictures at the beginning and then wrapped my camera up in a bag. As you probably know sand gets everywhere so its better just to put that camera away if you want to have fun. Isabel made a major breakthrough with her fear of the ocean and played in the small waves and after almost six hours of fun we went back to our hotel for naps. We wrapped up the trip with an evening in Portland, I didn't take many pictures...

Travel: Arizona

Sat, 25 Apr 2015 20:14:28 GMT

With Spring taking its time to develop in Vermont a vacation to Arizona was a welcome change. This was a fun family vacation where relaxing and having a great time was the first priority, but I of course had plenty of opportunity to take pictures too and the natural wonders did not disappoint. Here are some images from Montazuma's Castle, Sedona, Slide Rock, Walnut Canyon, and of course - The Grand Canyon. My recommendation to anyone visiting these places is to get up early because while the sites are amazing at anytime of day the early morning light makes it that much better. Evening light is great too. If you are up to it physically get down into the Grand Canyon too - having it both rise above you and drop off well below you adds to the grandness.

Home Grown in Centeral Vermont: Chip Allen Natvig

Mon, 06 Apr 2015 01:21:32 GMT

Chip Allen Natvig owns and operates Pebble Brook Farm in West Brookfield. The desire to be a farmer developed early in his life and he is living the dream: producing a wide variety of organic produce for local restaurants, breweries, grocers, and individuals. I met him in his squash field late last August and we did a follow up interview a few weeks later.

(Ben) Your name?
(Chip) Chip Allen Natvig

The town you live in?
West Brookfield

Are you a small farmer or an avid gardener?
A small farmer - Pebble Brook Farm When and what got you into farming?
My grandfather (my dad’s dad) back in Pennsylvania when I was growing up had a big greenhouse in his backyard and I remember as a little kid going out there with him all the time and I remember the smell of it. I loved being inside the greenhouse and helping him. The planting, transplanting, harvesting and watching them grow, the humidity ... everything about it at a very early age got implanted in my head and heart. So then, growing up when I was old enough to have a job, I started working on organic farms (well, at least organic practice farms). And even before that I would go into dairy barns across the way from my house and muck stalls when the farmers were sleeping just to be around farms. We came to Vermont every summer so it was kind of me getting close to Vermont in a weird way. I’d skateboard over, muck some stalls, and go home (laughter). So I’ve always wanted to learn how to farm and, after managing Dog River Farm in Berlin, I acquired some land in Northfield Falls and got started. What aspects do you enjoy most about farming?
Many things. No one day is the same. It is the kind of job where every single day is different and I am outside. It gives me great satisfaction and peace of mind that people are eating the things I grew and worked so hard to do. Knowing that [the food I produce] is out there all around Central Vermont and Cape Cod, that they’re eating my stuff, its pretty cool. And of course the smell of the greenhouse. Sarah (Chip’s wife) can vouch for this. Every single morning I go out to the greenhouse, drink my coffee in my pajamas and look at things that having been growing overnight. I just look and smell.
That’s pretty cool how you have this strong connection to back when you were a young child…
It took me a while to realize why I was so into farming. I’ve always loved it [but] my lifestyle [prior] to having a farm was very much into action sports. I skateboard, snowboard, I worked for red bull, and photograph extreme sports, but farming is my…ahhhhhhhh (the sound of peaceful satisfaction). Now [farming] has become my career [along with] photography. Winter is my busy season as a photographer and my down time from the farm. Tell me about the food that you have picked for this project?
Squash. Oh, man - I go down to the field every single day to try to harvest squash. I have six different varieties: winter squash, pumpkin, blue hubbard, delicata, red curry, acorn, buttercup, butternut - seven varieties. Every day I go down and harvest more so they are put into storage to cure so when I get an order I can pack it up and go. You should see my barn now: bins of squash [and] my truck bed was full. I was driving slow coming back to the farm saying 'Oh man!' Today I did a lot of blue hubbard and delicata. The menu tonight [at The Black Krim] (a restaurant run by Chip’s wife Sarah Natvig) has red curry and blue hubbard. How and when do you harvest squash?
I started two weeks ago (late August). When the squash is ripened, let’s take acorn for example, they get dark, which doesn’t necessarily mean they are ripe; you gently pick it up so the stem doesn’t snap and check the bottom color. If it is orange that means it is ripe or close. Same with the delicata: the yellow will go from greenish to tan and that’s ripe. You just have to watch the colors or if the stem snaps easily. The bigger squash don’t snap and you have to cut the stem with a knife. How do you like to eat squash?
Many, many ways! Delicata is one of my favorites because it is super sweet. Just cut it in half long-ways, place it on a cookie sheet, and let the sugars do their thing. You can add maple syrup or butter afterwards, but you really don’t need to because it is so sweet. After you pick them you are supposed to let them cure in a warm area for at least a week. I usually put them in the greenhouse or let them sit in the sun out in the yard. [This] brings the sugars down, once the squash is off the plant the starches start converting to sugar, and the hotter it is, the more it speeds [the process] up. [Also as] soups or cut into cubes and roasted. Take an acorn, make it into a bowl, put stuff in the bowl and you have an edible bowl. Anything else?
(Chip's farm started in Northfields Falls on an old dairy farm that had been unused for several years before they bought a house and transitioned it to West Brookfield). Transitioning the farm over took some time and was tough to do, and [during] a year where I wasn’t selling anything and income was really low. But now each year is getting better and better; it is nice to have a home base in Randolph (West Brookfield is connected to the greater Randolph community) and the whole area is great spot to be.
Was there are lot of work with your soils (after moving)?
So much! Oh man! The new field I just acquired with the squashes is my best soil, not a rock and virtually weed free. All the other fields I’ve ever had have been rock, on a hill, full of clay; constantly rotating crops, adding soil amendments, and sometimes rotating chickens, turkeys, and pigs [which] have helped. Now I have some great fields, five of them. Ten acres total. The new field with the squash - everything is going to be there next year and the [other vegetables] will be taking one, two, or even three years off and I’ll add more organic matter to the soil. That’s it! Find out more about Chip and Pebble Brook Farm at his Facebook page link below. You can now sign up for his certified organic CSA. I’ll add a link when he has his website up.

Pebble Brook Farm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pebblebrook.farmstaff

Find more about this project HERE.

Year In Review: People

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 18:58:14 GMT

To my surprise, I am above all a people photographer. This year I took pictures of people in many different settings including weddings, news & magazine assignments, commercial jobs (I'm not ready to share many of these, but they will work in to my portfolios in the new year), on the street, and in people's homes and neighborhoods. Here are some from sessions, some from a personal project I am still working on, and a few of my own family and friends. Have a Happy New Year!

From my Home Grown in Central Vermont Project (which I hope to have some new posts on soon)...

And a few of my family and friends...

2014 In Review: Weddings

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 15:54:36 GMT

I shot four weddings as the primary (one co-primary) shooter and second shooter for a couple more this year. I wouldn't call myself a wedding photographer, but rather a photographer who shoots weddings - but each year I seem to do a few more and I actually enjoy it quite a bit. There is some pressure when you are photographing a one-time event and a couple are putting their trust in you to not screw it up, but you also have several hours to take photographs on a day filled with emotions, everyone is looking their best, and people tend to relax quite a bit over the course of the day (especially after cocktail hour). Here are some images from this year...

2014 In Review: On Assignment

Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:24:38 GMT

A couple dozen newspaper and magazine assignments this year. This kind of work is usually pretty interesting and challenging because you get assigned to do a wide variety of things - like portraits, news worthy events, sports, etc. and then you have to try to tell the story in just a few images - plus get names and important information while you're at it. It is good exercise for a photographer.

Kelly Green Creamee Bill, Sharon, and Michelle Campbell Lab Tech Laurel Bicknell