Winter in Warren

 

I had such a great time in Warren, Vermont, with John and Paige! Click the awesome family picture if you’d like to see the slide show.

 

This is my signature sunrise shot. It is so beautiful there at the Clay Brook Resort at Sugarbush.

 

This is one of my all-time favorite pet shots!

 

We were specifically working toward capturing their favorite places in Vermont, so the background in this shot is intentionally in focus. We wanted to be able to see the covered bridge and the church on the other side of the Mad River.

 

Paige and John and their children love this mountain and now I see why!

 

I’ve been photographing this family for a few years now. I love that I get to watch the kids grow up through my lens.

 

We were shooting pictures for their family Christmas card design, which I’ll post in a few days, so be on the lookout for that! It’s one of my faves for sure!

 

The kids are actually wonderful skiers but we didn’t do any skiing that weekend, just a lot of sliding.

 

I love winter pictures! Her hat really brings out her eyes, doesn’t it?

 

Her hat brings out her eyes too!

 

Your job is to imagine his beautiful smile underneath his helmet strap. I’m sure it’s there!

 

I LOVE that helmet!

 

This is a GREAT mountain for sliding!

 

The lodge is great too. Here, in the owner’s lounge, we were having fun playing hide and seek.

 

The kids enjoy coming down to the lounge for lots of fun things, like putting together puzzles.

 

I love this shot. This was taken under the covered bridge I mentioned before.

 

This one is back at the Mad River. These pictures were taken in early December. I bet the river is frozen by now.

 

The kids were having a great time breaking off slivers of ice and throwing them in the water. I remember hoping their dog wasn’t planning to play a game of fetch.

 

I love shots that show the relative size of hands, especially if the hands are not posing, but just doing what they normally do, like dad guiding his son on a computer game.

 

Documenting vacation homes is one of my favorite assignments, especially if it’s a place where the family often goes. I look for ways to capture the family enjoying their time together, but making sure to show subtle details of the location in my shots.

 

While I adore the picture of the kids playing on the beautiful four-poster bed, one of the things I loved about the resort was the black and white framed photographs. Each one was signed and numbered by the artist. That’s my kind of place! I loved taking in the artistry of Vermont. I think I could easily spend a year doing nothing but traveling the state documenting the unique qualities of the area.

 

I was wearing about 14 layers when I took this shot. They say the water was warm. I did not test it personally.

 

It’s probably one of those things where you’re totally fine if you just stay under the water. My problem would be the ears, the hair, the top of the head. Oh forget it. I’ll keep my coat and hat on, thank you very much!

 

The fun thing about having all weekend to shoot is that getting different looks in different outfits is much more relaxing. You still have to think of ways to convince the 5-year-old to smile for the camera though. Aha! “Show me your karate move!” Click. “Show me another!” Click. (Phew.)

 

This one was taken outside their favorite restaurant, American Flatbread Pizza. The pizza was the best pizza I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a LOT of pizza!

 

Bradley and Gregory came too. They were great photo assistants! They were SO EXCITED to be on the snow-covered mountain in December! But they thought the room needed winter decorations, so they kept an ice-filled glass on the mantel for a little festive sparkle.

 

Bradley and I went on a late afternoon hike up the mountain.

 

By the time we got back, it was nearly dark. That’s Bradley sitting in the snow waiting for me. I was a bit slow coming down with all my camera gear strapped on.

 

While we were hiking, we came across an old junkyard tucked in between the ski trails. I love this picture. It makes me think of my dad. He was kind of an old relic, and proud of it!    

Thanks, John and Paige, for the wonderful weekend. Bradley, Gregory and I will never forget it!