Gallery: 23 Faves from 2023

As 2023 wraps up, it's time to look back at the past 12 months, and I've chosen to do so with a photo gallery. But before we delve into that, a heartfelt thank you for being a part of this journey. If we collaborated this year, your choice to work with me means the world. 2023 has been an extraordinary, record-breaking chapter for both me and the studio, and it wouldn't have been possible without you. So, a genuine thank you. Now, let's revisit some standout moments that made this year truly special.

Like many small business owners, navigating the intricacies of running a business was new to me, and by the end of 2022, I felt completely lost. Seeking help, I began working with Ed at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in January. Monthly meetings with Ed have been invaluable for refining ideas, tracking progress, and managing finances.At one of our first meetings, I explained that my lease was coming up and I wasn’t sure I wanted to renew it. I had been at that location in Rollinsford for two years and I was starting to question if staying there was what was best for me or for the business. It was his insight that assured me my instincts were correct. It was time to move. He put me in touch with the Rochester Economic Development Dept who helped me find the space and navigate the paperwork necessary. On March 1, I officially moved into my new location on Main Street in downtown Rochester, less than a mile from my home. I still meet with Ed once a month and have since added two mentors from SCORE who help with other aspects of the business. Having this help has made a massive difference in where the business was at the end of 2022 and where it is now.

2023 was my sixth season as a staff photographer at Lime Rock Park and throughout 2023 I made that familiar trip to the northwest corner of Connecticut 5 times. I covered 5 events totaling 16 days on-site. When I look back over the work I did this year at Lime Rock I can honestly say that it is probably the best work I’ve ever done. I’m not sure what the difference was, but my constant search for a story to tell led me to corners of the track I hadn’t been to in years. I was able to push myself out of my usual routine and find the great angles I’d been missing. It also doesn’t hurt that I adore working at LRP. The people are what I love most. Everyone from ownership to volunteer are fantastic to work with and I feel lucky to know them all.

A major goal I wanted to achieve this year was to take my off-camera lighting to another level. More specifically, I wanted the ability to pack up the studio lights to create dynamic portraiture anywhere. So, over the summer I invested in a state-of-the-art, wireless lighting system that allows me to do just that, and, as you’ll see later in the gallery, they immediately started paying dividends.

I could type out a short book about my year, but that isn’t why you’re here. The gallery that follows consists of 23 of my favorite photos from 2023. They are presented in chronological order and are each captioned to provide context. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy New Year! Here’s to all of our continued success in 2024!

Psychic Medium Josh Simonds

I have known Josh since high school. Back then he was just Josh. Now he is Psychic Medium and author Josh Simonds. He and his husband own Deep Earth Arts, a spiritual wellness center in Littleton, NH. When he reached out to capture his new business portrait I jumped at the chance. The fact that he would make the 2+ hour drive to work with me was flattering, to say the least. I love this photo of him. I think it captures his gentle giant nature so well, oh yeah, did I mention Josh is 6’7? I also included this photo here because it represents the end of the first chapter of Studio Two Seven Nine. Josh’s session was the last session I ever did at my Rollinsford studio.

The Obligatory Wheelie Shot

From the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park. Every year I manage to get a few LRP Wheelie shots. This is my favorite from this season.

Momentary Drama

Over the summer I decided that I needed a personal project to keep my creativity flowing and to do constructive work when I needed a break from the business of the studio. So, I started playing around with waterdrop photography. This particular one is currently hanging at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts as part of their Kaleidoscope exhibit.

Racing Along Salmon Creek

Remember above when I said that I think my work at Lime Rock this year is the best I’ve ever done? Well, this photo is a good example of why of I think that. I have been trying to figure out an angle to include Salmon Creek, which flows parallel to the Sam Posey Straight, in race action photos. It took a little bit of exploration in an area of the track I don’t usually spend much time in in order to find it, but I finally did!

The Pottery Paddock

I have been working through a book called The Photography Storytelling Workshop. I enjoy weaving narratives through my imagery so this book is right up my alley. The first lesson in the workshop was to create an environmental portrait. So, I reached out to my friend Ruth at the Pottery Paddock and asked her if I could photograph her while she worked. She agreed and I spent a couple of hours with her in her studio. This is not the final portrait I took that day, but it is my favorite photo of the day.

Ana

After I purchased my new light setup I put out a model call to get some practice with them before fully integrating them into my workflow. I did two of these sessions and both yielded a favorite from this year. The first one was Ana in her Spaulding Cheerleading uniform. The other was with the Watts brothers in their Farmington High School soccer uniform (below).

Matthew Watts

The Featured Collector

During Lime Rock’s Historic Festival 41 I was asked to pull together, arrange, and shoot the official photo of the featured collector with his collection. This photo took meticulous planning and a team of people executing the plan to make happen. I’ve done a number of the photos over the years. I like them all, but this one is my favorite by a long ways.

Summer Fun!

In September I was asked to shoot catalog photos of a line of beach coverups for Mutual Sales of Derry, NH. The setup was simple, the art direction was meticulous, and the models were fun fun fun.

Bear to be Different

I am a member of the Greater Rochester Camera Club and every month the club poses a photo challenge to the members. The challenge in October was food. I kicked this idea around gummy bears in my head for a couple of weeks and then it finally hit me to do a classic “break the pattern” photo. This photo is also currently hanging at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts as part of their Kaleidoscope exhibit.

FORE!

Also in September I was asked to cover the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at Oaks Country Club. It turned out to be a beautiful and fun day where I was encouraged to spread my creative wings. As I drove around on my golf cart, looking for interesting compositions, I couldn’t help but be thankful for how far the business had come in a relatively short time.

Got Your Back

I was asked by my friends at Moore Fight Moore Strong to cover the Granite State #LightUpMBC Fun Run in Manchester where, in a day filled with touching moments, I witnessed one of the most impactful moments I've seen in a long time.

In this scene, the man on the left was reading a letter to the crowd that his sister had written. Unfortunately, his sister had very recently lost her battle with metastatic breast cancer and he was struggling to get through it. You can't really blame him. The weight of the moment was palpable. There were tears everywhere in the crowd. Then, seemingly from nowhere, the gentleman on the right walked over and placed his hand on the first man's back. A simple gesture to remind him that he wasn't alone and that everyone there had his back.

Now, I don't know if these two men knew each other already and I don't think it matters. This simple act reminded me that the smallest gestures often have a huge impact when we strive to support and lift up instead of tear down. When we leave our selfish natures behind and offer someone unconditional love in a moment of need we, all of us, are better for it. I hope these men get to see this photo and I hope they know that they made an impact on this day. Even if they didn't mean to.

The Neurodivergent Doom Loop - A Self Portrait

This composite was created for a show at New Hampshire Art Association titled mindFUL. It represents what a person with undiagnosed ADHD is dealing with at any given moment. I have had tons of really positive feedback on this piece. In November I had a client in for a headshot who is a therapist specializing in working with neurodivergent teens. When I showed her this she became emotional and asked if she could buy it to hang in her office. I explained that I didn’t make it to sell it, but if she thought it would help her help others she could take it with her. So now it hangs in her office.

If you’d like to read more about how and why I made it check out https://studiotwosevennine.com/blog/2023/11/16/the-neurodivergent-doom-loop-a-self-portrait

Uncle Fester

2023 marked my sixth year shooting tech photos for Rochester Opera House. This photo of actor Chris Bradley as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family Musical is probably my favorite ROH photo of the year.

A Boy and His Truck

One of my biggest goals for 2023 was to start producing dynamic high school senior portraits outside of the studio. This one of Marquis with his pickup is precisely what I had in mind. It’s dramatic, impactful and celebrates him as he is today.

Captain Underpants in a 5K

In October I was asked to second shoot with my good friend Matty Vigeant at the Rhett’s Roost Super Hero 5K on Ogunquit Beach. I love working with Matty and anytime I get the opportunity to join forces with him I jump at it. Having a photo of Captain Underpants running down the road is just icing on the cake.

The Future Guardsman

When I book a high school senior I always have them fill out a short questionnaire about who they are and their plans after graduation. Zeke told me that he intends to join the NH Army National Guard and that his interests lie in heavy equipment and military vehicles. At first, I was a little lost about a location for his session. This couldn't be just another high school senior session out in a field with flowers and foliage. This had to be EPIC!

So, I contacted the National Guard recruitment office here in Rochester who, after a little back and forth, were gracious enough to allow us access to shoot his senior session on the back lot with the vehicles kept there. We had access to work with all kinds of things and the moment I saw this row of camo Humvees I knew I wanted this photo for him.

Headshot Day

On October 25 I hosted my first Headshot Day here at the studio. I partnered with Tease Salon to provide hair and makeup touch ups before and during the session. It was a great success.

Kendall was our last appointment of the day and I'm featuring her because she was also my very first headshot client when I opened the studio more than 2 years ago.

The Moonshot

Creating photos like this is why I love working with seniors.

My last senior session of the year was with Wesley and sometimes elements come together just right to make amazing images possible.
Wesley is a year round baseball player which, in New Hampshire, is the definition of commitment. This was my second session with Wesley. Last year he was one of the first student athletes I worked with in the studio.

We worked for around 2.5 hours outside Spaulding High School, in Hanson Pines, and on the SHS baseball diamond.

Kindergarten Teacher by Day, Rock Star by Night

Damian is a man of many talents. He is a gigging musician who has played at most of the well-known venues in the area. He was recently hired as a guitar instructor at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center. He has a side gig repairing and adjusting guitars, offers private guitar lessons, and, at his day job, is a Kindergarten teacher. He is very impressive.

He and I spent a couple of hours together and what started as a simple headshot session turned into a creative portrait session by the end. He was a really good sport to hang out as long as he did and humored me as my creative flow took over the session.

Miniature Details

I recently started working with Alexander Griffin to photograph. his hand-painted miniatures. His attention to detail is absolutely fantastic. Being able to work with fellow creatives who do cool things is at least partly why I love what I do!

I mean, seriously, look at how cool this guy looks!

Olive's Annual Portrait

Every year I bring my daughter into the studio for an annual portrait This year my goal with this portrait was to use this opportunity to try something new and to also use it to demonstrate growth in my work. More importantly, though, I wanted it to tell the story of Olive’s year. This box idea is what I came up with. Each box represents something special to Olive or a milestone she reached in 2023.

Top row: Olive sleeping cuddled up with the mermaid tail blanket my wife knitted for her. Olive playing her guitar representing her love of all things music. Olive digging in her backpack celebrating her starting full-day pre-k.

Middle row: Olive surrounded by art supplies and art she’s made. She’s a creative just like her dad. Olive in her Christmas elf dress cuddling with her Christmas Minnie stuffy. Olive building LEGO, which has become her favorite pastime.

Bottom row: Olive in her dance recital costume putting on her ballet slippers. Olive dressed in her Doc McStuffins getup. Of all her interests, Doc is the one that seems to have the most staying power. Olive wearing her Halloween costume. She went as Rainbow Cat.

The Plante Men

A couple of days after Christmas I had a family portrait session with the Plantes. We had a lot of fun goofing off in the studio trying different things. This one of Tracy (in the chair) and his two sons, Jared and Josh, just makes my day. I wanted to do something celebrating a father and his sons in a way that invoked an old gangster movie poster. All they needed was the pinstripe suits and some wing tips and this would have been perfect.