Saturday, October 15, 2011

Rattlesnake Cliffs

Last Sunday (10/9) we went to Moosalamoo State Park again for our hike, and did the Rattlesnake Cliffs Trail. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike. The view at the top of the trail was so amasing. The foliage wasn't quite yet at its peak, but it was still pretty nice.

These two photos are actually from Middlebury.





The bridge leading to the Rattlesnake Cliff Trail. I love the yellow!



The colours in the forest were sooo beautiful. Combined with the morning light it made an ethereal glow. Just fantastic.











At one point during on the trail you could see a sneak peek of the view to come.









The view from the cliffs. That is Lake Dunmore, and I'm not sure what town is beyond that - if it's Brandon or Middlebury or some other town.




Very faintly you could see the mountains in the distance. I'm not sure what direction we were facing, but if it was west, then those are most likely the Adirondacks of NY.





I loved the light on this plant.




Love love the light in this photo.



It's amasing how much of a difference 4-5 days makes during foliage season. These mountains were full of reds, oranges, and yellows only a few days later, instead of the small smattering here.




I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed the light and shadow going on in the morning. So beautiful!


While I was off taking pictures, my Rip Van Winkle here rested under a shady tree.




Monday, October 10, 2011

Senior Portraits: Charissa

Two weeks ago I went to the Adirondacks, in NY to take Charissa's senior pictures. I was concerned about the weather, as ALL forecasts were terribly pessimistic, but we went ahead with the session, and I am so glad we did! It started raining early, early in the morning and rained until 7 or 8 am, and then the sun came out just in time for the start of our session, around 1:00.

I have known Charissa since she was a little girl, so it was such a blast for me to see her all grown up and take her pictures. I had so much fun! Charissa loves the woods, softball, horses, and is going on to become a pastry chef after graduation, so we incorporated those things into her photographs.

We started off at a softball field to get some shots.








I love this picture (below) - poor Charissa had to hold the bat like a direct extension of her arm in order to get the shot! 







When I look at the pictures below, I think "Queen of the Field," or "This is my Turf." I love the attitude and presence about it.




Speaking of attitude, I LOVE the picture below! So fierce. A perfect game face. A perfect stance. "Bring it."



We took a couple pictures in the dugout. What a beautiful smile Charissa has!







We went up to Ridin' Hy, which is a local ranch. They have horses, a little ski hill, a lake, and cabins to stay in. We tried to take some pictures with the horses there, but they wouldn't cooperate, so we used the natural beauty of the area and got our horse pictures elsewhere.


I love these pictures with the parasol and the lake and mist rising of the mountains in the background. The post-storm environment was quite beautiful.





I love this one (below). Just beautiful - Charissa, the water, the mountains, the mist...



The picture below I think was my favourite. Definitely top 3 anyway. I don't think I could take a bad picture of Charissa if I tried. She is so beautiful and I loved capturing all of her different smiles.


We went to the Schultzes, where Charissa had worked, I believe, and we took some pictures of her with one of the horses there. I cannot recall his name right now, but he was absolutely gorgeous, and he was one of the nicest horses I've ever met. Not that I've met a lot of horses, but he was a lot calmer and less skittish than previous horses I've met.













The light on that day was really fun to play around with.


What a gorgeous smile!



My token artsy shots (below). Never can I resist the artsy shots.


I love this one!











Our last stop was a kitchen to get some baking shots.







Good luck, Charissa! I had such a great time taking your photos!


To see more of Charissa's senior portraits, click here and  here.