New Work: Early Fall in NH

I typically don't like shooting landscape photography, because it's hard to find an unusual focal point and the resultant pix usually end up looking just like everyone else's (and not in a good way). What I do really like, however, are reflections and sappy movies like "The Notebook" and "What Dreams May Come." I also have a soft spot for pictures containing details I didn't notice at the time I shot them. (See last photo on page.) Below are some images I shot while my husband and I enjoyed an impromptu drive up Route 132 in Sanbornton and Bristol, New Hampshire earlier today.

Above: This reflection reminded me of a woven tapestry.

Above: Can't you just see Noah rowing Allie around in a little boat up here?

Above: Something a little more representational: reeds in the water.

Above: This reflection looks almost "smocked" (or alternatively, like squished-up paint).

Above: More reflections. Did I tell you I also love white birch trees?

Above: I was surprised this image (shot at 1/4 sec.) came out, because I didn't have a tripod with me and instead was leaning the camera against a railing.

Above: The fetus-shaped leaf at the bottom of this image fascinates me.

New Work: Springfield, VT Steampunk Festival

This personal project was particularly difficult to shoot because it rained for half the weekend, many of the activities were held a cement hall, and I was in full costume the whole time. (See last photo.) The resultant pictures were very underwhelming straight from the camera. Fortunately, Photoshop and selective use of an online tutorial on making photos look vintage saved the day. Below are a few of my favorite images:

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Here's a selfie of the photographer and her husband/assistant on the way to the event, without any Photoshop wizardry. (Yes, the dreadlocks are fake. Yes, they're heavy. Yes, they gave me a headache after 14 hours of wear.)

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TAKE-AWAY POINTS: Accept that some shoots simply won't come out the way you hoped. Edit ruthlessly BEFORE you Photoshop. Teach yourself new techniques. Be willing to experiment. And finally, don't spend so much time trying to document the perfect moment that you forget to have fun and enjoy the experience.

New Work: Hopkinton (NH) State Fair

The Hopkinton State Fair is a Labor Day Weekend classic up here in the Granite State. This year, the four-day event celebrates its 100th anniversary. My day at the fairgrounds in Contoocook involved carnival rides, lots of "so bad, it's good" food, new friends, 4H displays, and of course some picture-taking.

When I photograph an event, I always take a photo of the sign. This helps me remember and identify at a later date where the rest of the images in the same folder were taken:

Below are some of my favorite images so far:

I've also been playing around with composition recently. The following two images are very atypical for me, but it's the type of work I'm seeing more and more on photo blogs and photography magazines:

(The Spiderman picture is my favorite image from the whole day. I love how tough the young subject is trying to act. I also think the background photo of the little girl with the ladybug face paint looks a lot like a young "Dayanara Diaz" from "Orange is the New Black.")

How are you spending your long weekend?