to be fair to carnies...

Summer is coming to a close which means the Champlain Valley Fair is rolling into town. I used to go to this fair to ride the rides and eat the junk food but each time I walked out covered in dust and powdered sugar from whatever greasy, fatty-fried concoction I devoured, I'd always say to myself: "Never again." Three minutes at the fairgrounds makes me filthy. But, here I am, back at the fair walking the grounds by myself and the scene is calm and quiet. The crowds haven't poured in yet, the rides are still being duct-taped together and there is a great ghost town vibe going on in this dust bowl kiddie ride wonderland. Oh, and one more thing, the carnies are here and they are pouring in by the dozens. And I love them.

My love affair with carnies began years ago. I've always been amused by the transient and in awe of their ability to live on the road with the same pack of people for months and months at a time. Fair season is a rough road to haul but they live for it and they love it. I focused my lens on some carny folk yesterday as the Free Press needed some fair preview photos for this weekend's edition. I just love the sun-beaten leathered faces of the carny guys in contrast to the bright, sometimes shiny colors of the rides. I love the blending of accents as they work together to bolt a wheelie car back together for Friday's opening night. I love the crass comeraderie that bonds these guys together as they continue maybe one of the world's most repetitive jobs setting up and tearing down rides that have circled the nation for that past forty years. These guys are a slice of history, but I always wonder if someday my carny photos will look as fantastic as the photos we see of the old Depression-era carnivals that we all love so much. My photos look so shiny, new and fresh - I can't wait to see how they age.

sun.

Finally a few days of sun! I figured after posting about the recent flooding we've had I should come back with some nice, sunny shots from that last few trips to North Beach here in Burlington as I was looking for standalone shots for The Free Press page B1. I always feel a bit creepy and incredibly nerdy when I'm shuffling around the beach with my photo/fanny pack, two cameras, and way too much clothing. I try to move gracefully but my Crocs fill with sand and water, my equipment is heavy and the sand is HOT. Ever tried kneeling in hot sand photographing wild children splashing and throwing mud everywhere? Atleast the cold water spraying from their toys is instant relief from the burning magma your squatting on. I exaggerate.

I found all these cute kids hanging out in the sun this past week and they were all a bunch of hams. I think kids are taught in school that when they see a camera they must stop everything, freeze, pose and smile. Maybe those Picture Day photographers from LifeTouch have them trained, like little cooperative armies of cheeky grins with a single assignment: look precious. It's very difficult finding a candid moment with these kids, so I just tell them to forget I'm there and pretend they never saw me and it works almost instantly. Before I know it I'm being trampled or something is being thrown at me. Apparently children lose all sense of manners when they assume they are all "alone." I can't win.

Enjoy the photos and control your jealousy - yes, these kids were having an awesome time.

the flood

We've had a crazy summer with heavy rains nearly every day and thunderstorms scattered throughout the week. It's driving all of us nuts and making our summer plans difficult to make it just seems it's always raining and we don't know why. But, I can't complain too much as all of this rain waters my garden so I don't have to bother with it, keeps the temperatures nice and cool and the big one, we haven't seen flooding my in neck of the woods. Last week I was yanked out of a meeting to race down to Hancock, Vt. to photograph the flash floods that were sweeping through the region. In a matter of two hours, several feet of water raged through this small country town taking boats, cars, houses and debris with it while destroying their central roadways (see photo above). I had missed the high flood waters, but the rivers were still swollen and over their natural banks so I ditched my car, donned my new Crocs and started talking to people.

I was fortunate enough to meet Larry. This guy was a character. His entire slate rock basement was flooded after the flash flood busted through his foundation. His yard used to be a nice, green pasture along the banks of the White River, now it was a flooded mess full of debris, broken trees and kayaks from the summer camp just up the road. Instead of lamenting his losses he was excited about the landscaping opportunities. "Look at all these great rocks the storm brought me!" and he was excited for all the firewood he now had for this winter. A true optimist.

Larry took me through his basement so I could photograph the damage. My first step onto his cellar stairs was a cold, thick squishy one. Oh man. The flood had mixed with his dirt floor basement and left six inches of thick mud on the steps (see photo below). My first thought was that people pay hundreds for a mud bath, I wasn't quite understanding the appeal. After leaving the basement, Larry hosed off my feet and legs so we could continue on. My next step wasted those efforts as all the sand on his property was loose and swollen with water and my foot sunk. The sand was now up to my knee swallowing my Croc! After fishing my Croc out of the goo I was a bit more careful where I tread. What a mess.


After saying good bye to Larry I found myself trekking up towards a summer camp that had suffered considerable damage. The skies were beautiful blue as I snapped away at the flooded cars, destroyed swimming holes and cabins, missing kayaks and an uprooted basketball court. But, of course, that didn't last long. Here I was a few miles away from my car, my brand new rain jacket in the trunk and the skies opened up. I ran to the nearest building and the camp's director was kind enough to give me some trash bags to wear and to wrap around my gear (see photo below). So, soggy, tired and filthy I made my way back to my car so I could get the hell out of there. No need to be there when the next flash flood decides to start. Long day but I had a ton of fun. I got to be outside talking with people and literally, getting my feet wet...beats sitting at a desk all day I say.


So, of course, I've put together an audio slideshow of flood reactions and photos of the damage. Click here to watch and enjoy!

these ain't for the kids...

NEW Audio Slideshow! Click here!


I love my job. Most days I love my job because of all the new places and people I get to experience, the hands on nature of my daily routine and the ability to constantly exercise my creativity. Today, well, was no different but was certainly much cooler than some. When I was assigned Joel's tricycle story this morning I didn't think much of it. I like working with Joel, he's always up for a fun time while on assignment, but this time we really got a taste of the action. I'll paint a picture. We met a pack of bikers, er, trikers at Bob's Gun Shop up in Milton where these guys were going to lead us to their "chop shop" to show off their custom-built, hot rod-styled trike bikes. Instead of following them in my trusty Hyundai or Joel's Subaru, we hopped onto the trike outfitted with a rear bench seat and went for a completely wild and awesome ride down the dirt roads to their home and workshop. I tried my best to keep the camera still and in-focus as we raced around Milton's back roads, wind whipping our faces and my hair now completely entangled in my helmet. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I strapped into the trike equipped with full racing seats, but I had an idea these guys liked to have fun when they trike ride as my driver's helmet read: "If it's got a kick stand or tits, I know how to ride it." Milton's eloquence makes me smile every time I visit. Perfect.

I haven't listened to the audio I collected, but if anything else is audible over the incredible racket the 400 HP V8 Corvette engine produced, you'll hear my giggles as we peeled through every turn and then accelerated through a small tunnel just before the house. I couldn't stop laughing, I was having such an awesome time. Joel suggested a follow-up in a few months when the current project bike is closer to completion, I only hope our visit is before the first snowfall because I think I might be brave enough to ask for a test drive.

I'll post an audio slideshow once produced so check back at the end of the week for that!

Sharing an American Pastime

Earlier this week I shot a multimedia project involving two dozen Japanese high school students who are here in Vermont to attend the Northern VT All-Star Football Camp in South Burlington. Pretty crazy! None of the students spoke a lick of English and whenever I went to photograph them they would hold their hands up making #1 or peace signs which isn't my taste since I like capturing candid moments, but it helped put some smiles on their faces. Speaking with the students' translators, I learned that the students have fallen in love with Vermont's Green Mountains and rolling valleys since they are so used to the densely populated city of Osaka. The Vermont boys and the Japanese students were really working together by day three of the camp and were finding ways to communicate plays and strategies. I thought the camp was a great idea, especially since it's just a week before the Olympics in Beijing - sports really can bring cultures together since they share a common language. Click on the link below to watch the audio slideshow!

Japanese Football

ammo-st amusing afternoon

So, a few weeks ago I learned how to shoot my first gun. Yes, that's right I am now Yosemite Sam with guns blaring, holsters slapping. I'm a chaw-packing true Vermonter with dead-on aim.

Our friend and neighbor, Joe, invited us along to his friend's sand pit to test our aim with an afternoon of skeet shooting. Joe's friend, Flinn, is THE ultimate outdoorsman. All men must bow before his manliness. He IS the Outdoors Channel on TV, he is National Geographic, he is a redneck, an athlete. He is the magic that hides within a man's beard. Flinn brought the gear, gave us some lessons and don't worry (Mom) he made sure everybody was safe. I was extremely determined to smash those skeet since I've been bragging that I'm sure I'd be a good shot because of my steady photographer's hand and precision aim. What I didn't take into account was that the crosshairs of a gun are a tad bit different than the 12 focus points in my camera's viewfinder. I hit nothing but am sure practice will make perfect, I'm just not sure when I'll ever be able to practice - seeing as how I refuse to have guns or ammo anywhere near my house.

Jason getting ready to fire the .45 caliber handgun.

Jason after shooting the .45 caliber handgun. It's that loud.

Hiking the Long Trail

Tom and I hiked a portion of the Long Trail with our friends Morgan and Andy this weekend. We started out at the Lincoln Gap, hiked a 2 mile ascent just shy of Mt. Abraham's summit and set up camp for the night. We lucked out with gorgeous, mild weather and pretty blue skies so our 10 mile hike through the Monroe Ridgeline Trail on Saturday was nothing less than perfect. We stopped occasionally for food, water pumping, photos and of course, the views, but we kept a pretty solid pace and hiked from 9am to 6pm leaving us completely exhausted when we reached our destination, the Appalachian Gap. The descent was tiring and all of our feet and joints were feeling the 12 miles we left behind us but we kept ourselves motivated knowing that we were planning for a nice, cold brew at The Alchemist in Waterbury to soothe our muscles.

Oh! And we were surprised by a moose and her two babies during our descent. We were all a little freaked out but when two other hikers plodded on by without disturbing them we figured we'd be okay. Crazy how such a massive creature pops out of nowhere!

After "showering" in a gas station bathroom and changing out of our wet, muddy clothes we downed gallons of water (since the water supply on the ridgeline was so scarce) and headed to the Alchemist. French fries, stouts and wings greeted us at the bar and we capped off a perfect overnight hike. Enjoy the photos below and click the link to see the full slideshow!

Long Trail - Monroe Skyline Hike

Beans n' weenies for dinner!

Mmmmm oatmeal.

Delicious.

perfect vermont weekend

I had a great weekend a couple weeks ago when one of my college roomates, Kat, came to visit from NYC. She really wanted to go hiking with Tom, Bear and I so we decided Camel's Hump would be a good trek. It may have been more than she bargained for but the view at the top makes the labor worth it. I'm glad the weather held out for us since the rain and thunderstorms rolled in as we snacked on creemees as we drove back home. The dark clouds made for some great pictures though. Thanks again for visiting us, Kat! We had the greatest weekend and miss you tons! And to all the rest of you girls in New York, this invitation is for you. :)

explosions in the sky

Happy (belated) 4th of July! We spent our fourth on the boat again this year and although the weather looked ominous, the skies cleared, the sun set, and the wind calmed for a fantastic night out on Lake Champlain. With our bellies full of wine and cheese and later steaks and potatoes, we were dialed in and ready for a pyrotechnic display. Burlington did not disappoint. The Fourth of July is by far my favorite holiday. Good food and drinks with friends and family only to be topped off with a fireworks display followed by the cheers of thousands crammed onto Burlington harbor as the finale explodes one explosion after another. These are my favorite shots from that night. Enjoy! And, as Tom would proudly shout: Happy Birthday America.

Speaking of Tom, my goofy boy captured in a somewhat serious moment.

Finally a picture of me! Tom snapped this one after we pointed out how
beautifully the sunset was illuminating our faces.

Odd wide angle shot, thanks Tom.

Gorgeous sunset.


The colors quickly changed in just minutes.

I love the colors reflection on the water.