Gallery: 20 Faves from 2020

2020. What can you say. Worst year ever? No. Probably not. I mean, the last time there was a global pandemic (1918) we also had World War 1 and half the country still didn’t have running water. Worst year of my life? Probably not. I nearly died on an operating table a week after I turned 21 and then had almost 6 months of recovery while living alone.

So, with 2020 put into some amount of perspective I present to you 20 of my favorite images from 2020.

Olive in Hilton Park

Back in June Jill, Olive, and I hopped in the Honda and took a drive over to Hilton Park for a picnic. The lockdown was in full effect and we just needed to get out of the house. After lunch, we had an impromptu little shoot in the tall grass. Tall to little Olive that is.

October 13, 2020

Every year, on October 13, I photograph the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth for Moore Fight Moore Strong, a breast cancer awareness non-profit located here in New Hampshire. October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness day, and it is the one night of the year the bridge is lit in the official colors of MBC awareness: pink, green and, teal. In true 2020 fashion, it rained this year. It rained a lot and it rained hard. So, with my gear all wrapped up, I walked around Portsmouth in the rain, tripod thrown over my shoulder, looking for an interesting image that told the story. This was it.

The Fog of a Lime Rock Morning

Anyone who knows Lime Rock knows that its location, carved out of a valley between mountains in the Berkshires, is a favorite place for the fog to accumulate early in the morning. Getting that fog shot is a cherished chase for regular Lime Rock photographers. On this particular morning during Historic Festival 38, the fog was brilliant. This final image is made of 16 captures stitched together.

The Ultimate Driving Machine

The legendary BMW 850 CSI is one of my all-time dream cars. So, when I was offered the opportunity to photograph this car for an auction listing I was definitely excited. I immediately knew I wanted to do a light painted shot. Thankfully the owner agreed to stay a bit later and wait for the sun to go down. For the techies out there this image is made up of 10 captures and was lit with only an Ice Light.

Straight Up

The stunt flying display during the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival.

The Moment of Launch

In September I hosted a motorsport photography workshop at New England Dragway for Greater Rochester Camera Club. I had 5 “students” and I made arrangements for them to have media style access for the day. Helping someone realize what they are able to create with a camera and then watching them do it is one of my favorite things about the profession I chose. Personally, I didn’t shoot a ton that day, but I did get a few good ones.

Miata Swarm

My Dad and I always joked that a Miata race sounds like the buzzing of bees. This is a vantage point I had always wanted to get a race start from and I finally got to do it in 2020. This image is taken through the roof hatch of the spectator bridge overlooking the Sam Posey Straight. On the left is the starter stand with the green flag waving and down the middle a swarm of buzzing Miatas crossing the line.

Ryan - Class of 2021

From Ryan’s high school senior portrait session on the trails around Castle in the Clouds.

Throwback Gallery: Ferrari F40

Welcome to my first Throwback Gallery. This is where I will occasionally look back at my career from before this website and blog existed. First up is a bucket-list shoot. I hope you enjoy it.

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It’s not every day you get the opportunity to photograph a car that many people consider the greatest sports car ever conceived, the legendary Ferrari F40. But, on a beautiful October day in 2016, I got to do exactly that.

The day started with the following text exchange with my friend Doran.

Me: “Hey, man, what are you doing today? Can you help me with a shoot? I need a driver.”

Doran: “Sorry, I can’t do it today. I have a family gathering at my sister’s place.”

Me: “Does it matter if the subject is an F40?”

Doran: “What time? I’ll be there?”

We met up with Nick, the F40’s owner, at the Laconia airport where the car was being stored in one of the hangers with the rest of his impressive collection. In addition to the F40 he had, amongst other things, an Aston Martin DB5, a 427 Cobra, Colin Chapman’s Lotus Elite and a Jaguar E-Type tucked away. He has since moved his collection to a permanent location up the road known as the Vintage Racing Stable. Look it up. It’s pretty cool.

While the F40 warmed up I did some static photos and then, on Nick’s suggestion, we took the car to a retired runway for car-to-car motion shots. It was almost a spiritual experience hanging out the back of a Range Rover being chased by a Ferrari F40. I remember having the realization that this was probably a once in a lifetime experience. Take it all in.

We went up and down the runway a few times taking photos until Doran really did have to get back to his family. As we wrapped up the shoot Nick asked us if we’d like a dream to come true: “you guys want a ride?” I think we just turned to each other like a scene in a buddy film and, slack-jawed, just nodded, “yes, please.”

As a kid, I had a poster of an F40 on my wall and had a 1/18 diecast on the shelf. I didn’t get to see one in person until I was in my 20’s. Growing up in Northern Vermont is not exactly the ideal supercar spotting location. So, to me, the Ferrari F40 was a unicorn. It existed only in the pages of magazines. I never thought I’d get to photograph one let alone get to ride in one. And now, here I was, blasting down a runway in the passenger seat. Nick was only able to get to third gear before we ran out of runway and had to turn around. 115 mph in an F40. All I can say is that this was a visceral experience that barely scraped the surface of what this car is capable of.

This is a day that I will never forget. What follows is a small collection of the photos from this shoot. Enjoy!

Earlier that month I’d built the LEGO F40. Maybe a little cheeky, but I loved the idea of putting the LEGO with the real thing.

As we were wrapping up back at the hanger I noticed the beginnings of a nice sunset coming in. I talked Nick into setting up one last shot which may just be the shot of the day.