Out of the Office: Maine to Montana for AKC adventures

Following our retreat last July in Charleston, South Carolina and our lucky Vegas get-together/slumber party for WPPI in March, the girls of Alpha Kappa Camera are reuniting this week in (wait for it)... MONTANA (Polson, MT to be more specific)!!!

Kyle spent the middle of his 20s in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and his stories of the vastness and freedom of the West have long lured me there. Though I can't wait to explore it with him one day, I am giddy for my Montana adventures with my AKC sisters and fellow women wedding photographers!

As a result of this trip, I'll be out of the office through Friday, when I am eagerly returning for the oh-so-joyous baby shower of a client turned dear friend (!!!yeah Ash and Greg!!!) If you reach out to me via email or note or phone, please know I will respond, though will be a bit slower than usual. Check back soon for complete coverage on the Samantha Warren Weddings blog of our trip (and why did we pick Montana anyway).

Summer 2010 Bucket List

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it." -Russell Baker

People just love summer.

I hate heat, which is why I live in Maine and why summer is my least favorite of all the seasons after winter and fall, in that order (there is really no spring in Maine, so it doesn't count). It's not to say I don't like this half-time of the year, but I love skiing and sweaters and soup and empty beaches and the smell of our woodstove more, and so my affection for summer is secondary to that of what I feel for the others.

But after a tough winter and with some fun plans already penned in for summer of 2010, I am resolving to make the most of this summer ahead. I got the idea of making a summer bucket list after being inspired by one on one of my favorite blogs, b*spoke. Say what I will about summer, but it's a season of possibilities thanks to its long days and lack of constricting coats. I like lists, and keep lots of them, mostly on Post-it notes. I often write down things I've already done that day, or simple tasks like "take a shower" just for the thrill of completion and crossing it off. When I make lists, things get done.

Here's what I hope will this summer (in addition to the to-do's that go without saying including making all of my wedding couples and their families insanely satisfied with their imagery, being good to family and friends, eating lots of fresh veggies from our new garden, tearing up Pine Point Beach with Alder and Nikon as often as possible, and leading my husband to side-splitting, snort-starting laughter at least four times a day):

-Have a date night with Kyle and the dogs at the drive-in movie theater at Pride's Corner
-Canoe the Scarborough Marsh (Completed on the summer solstice- here's proof)
-Travel to second shoot a wedding with one of my Alpha Kappa Camera girls and have one (or more) of my Alpha Kappa Camera girls come to Maine to second shoot a wedding with me (Cristi is coming in August!)
-Retreat to Montana for a week with my Alpha Kappa Camera sisters (scheduled for mid-July)
-Learn how to use our grill
-Write a procedures guide for my business (I told you, I really love lists)
-Have a fellow Maine wedding photographer come second shoot a wedding with me (Crossed this off the list technically in the spring, but it was Memorial Day weekend and a balmy one at that, so I'd say it still counts. Thanks to one of my betest and oh-so-talented friends, Amy Salerno, for coming with me to shoot Amy and John's Peaks Island wedding.)
-Help craft the class and then launch the new ICL Young Emerging Leaders Pilot Program that will prepare and place Maine's 20 and 30 somethings onto nonprofit boards in Maine
-Get over it, and start wearing shorts more often
-Start a club (maybe book or movie- who is in?)
-Host a backyard bbq- cause for celebration TBD
-Learn how to wear seersucker (and yes, Kyle, I know it's a fabric not a pattern)
-Book our fall or winter (we haven't decided which) trip to France for our fifth anniversary celebration
-Finish my Invisalign treatment (eight months down, three to go!)
-Play tennis
-Attend one bluegrass festival (and sadly, not this one at Saddleback, as I have two weddings in two states that weekend)
-Make homemade ice cream (Completed on the eve of summer, when I made strawberry ice cream with berries we just picked at Maxwells in Cape Elizabeth)
-Make homemade ice cream sandwiches
-Take Kyle on a whale watch on the Maine coast (and we'd actually like to see a whale, thank you very much)
-Spend the night with Meg Simone in Blanca (that's her Sporty)
-Go for a 50-mile bike ride
-Go to a Red Sox game
-Not get sunburned
-Take someone who hasn't been to Monhegan Island
-Learn how to kite board (I realize this will never happen but I wish it would)
-Get all my 2009 weddings up on the blog, finally (I know, pathetic, right!)
-Spend at least two nights every week dining at Chez Warren (that's our home and with our busy social schedules of late, two nights a week is a challenge for sure)
-Finally finish setting up my home office, and actually work in it rather than my current perch on the couch or kitchen table (hey, I like to stay close to the food)
-Find the perfect art for our living room walls on Etsy
-Consult a financial planner (any good recommendations?)
-Spend at least three nights camping at our favorite summer spot on Aziscohos Lake in the Rangeley Lakes Region (private beach, no cell service, firepit, an outhouse with tp and the most postcard perfect sunsets you've ever seen- what's not to love!)
-Get some really great images of Alder and Nikon and have them made into canvasses, like my friend Graham Yelton did here
-Spend at least one night camping somewhere we haven't stayed before
-Catch one fish that impresses even Kyle

What are your summer plans and what Maine must-do's am I missing?


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Published in Bangor Metro mag: Documenting Gulf Hagas

Last Labor Day, Kyle and I did just that. While much of the rest of the country BBQed and toasted the final day of wearing white and seersucker, we filled our water bottles, laced up our hiking boots and headed into the North Maine Woods so I could labor away on a photography and writing assignment for the summer guide of Bangor Metro magazine (which also publishes the highly helpful eye candy that is Real Maine Weddings magazine).

Hiking is hard enough (especially after photographing two Maine weddings the weekend before), but adding lugging gear and notepad and the responsibility to document all you see during the day resulted in more of a challenge than I expected. Of course, what really made it most difficult was that the place was so damn beautiful that I was easily distracted from the documentation I was there to do.

Gulf Hagas, located an hour or so northwest of Bangor, is often called the Grand Canyon of the East, and it is the totality of the forest it's located in – the Gulf Hagas Trail is in a tract encompassing 175,00 acres – and the falls – Screw Auger joins five others including The Jaws, Hammond Street Pitch, Buttermilk Falls, Billings Falls and Stair Falls – that draws visitors from great distances and ensures they'll be planning their return trip even before they leave, despite the remoteness and the moderate challenge of the hike. We were at the first falls for nearly an hour before we realized it, as the crashing water and the realization that it had burrowed through the bedrock persistently enough over the past ten thousands year to create this canyon (that at times is nearly 150 feet deep) was simply spellbinding.

As a photographer, what was most striking to me about Gulf Hagas was the quick contrasts between foot-pathway and waterway that make a visit such a worthy adventure for the senses, and a challenge to capture in camera. While sun streams through the proud pines trees that line the dry trail we walked in on, by the water's edge down at the fall's base, it was dark, dank and deafening. This dance between darkness and light pushed me throughout the day, and I'm honestly hopeful to one day return and put what I learned with this assignment --and the time I've had to reflect on it since-- to work. Another plus-side of this project- getting to better know the maven that is Melanie- the editor of the magazine, as well as Real Maine Weddings and Maine Ahead and just a fabulous firecracker of a friend.

Gulf Hagas is a classic case of what makes the state such a Cracker Jack box with fun surprise gifts around every corner, even for those who have lived here our whole lives (or in my case, for most of it). I invite you to read and see more of this special place in my story below, or by linking to the Bangor Metro Website here. You can also flip through and download the entire June issue of the magazine including the summer guide as a PDF here.

I was picked as one of the featured contributors to the issue, and they included the headshot of me taken by good friend and fellow AKC girl, Kara Purtell.


And, here's the story (bonus points if you can spot my hot husband)...





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Erin & Brent (& Leah) Eloped: Eastern Prom, Portland

Erin and Brent are two of the most selfless people I know.

They'd originally been planning a more - shall we say- exotic elopement, but when they decided earlier this year to adopt a black lab mix puppy who had been badly injured in a hit-and-run, they turned their focus and their finances to loving and caring for her. Instead of traveling several thousand miles east over the Atlantic, they headed south for a few hundred of them, spending a week visiting friends in the Washington DC area for a pre-elopement honeymoon and then returning to Maine to be married on Monday at Portland's City Hall.

In between the "are we there yet" and the "I do's", the three of us met on Portland's Eastern Prom for a photo session that would serve as their wedding announcement. Of course, the lovely Leah came along for a few minutes, and while she is understandably still a little skittish, she is growing up into just the sweetest girl there is, and I love how adorably expressive her face is. She patiently held it together for a few quick family shots...





Then it was time to photograph just Erin and Brent together. I've actually known both of them longer than they've known each other. Brent and I did our undergrad at the same school, and were in a journalism class together, and Erin and I were in the same Master's program and I also volunteer as a photographer for the American Red Cross of Southern Maine where she works in community development. It's such a small world here in Maine, but that doesn't take away from the "whoa- so cool!" factor when two of your friends find -and fall for- each other.

As I do with all my sessions, we started out with some more "traditional," camera-aware shots. It had been such a stunningly sunny day, but the clouds rolled in within minutes of starting the shoot, turning the skies to silver. Though the sun peeked out for a quick burst of bright a few times during our shoot, we never got that buttery golden light I schedule my sessions for if I can, or a seaside sunset, but we didn't mind.





Comfort before the camera came quickly, and I encourage the couple to turn their attention toward each other as I worked to capture their connection and closeness.







I love how playful Erin and Brent are with each other, as it's been my own experience in nearly five years of marriage that a little laughter can make whatever comes to you in your marriage all the more manageable.






















You'd never know that some local kids picnicking with their families were throwing rocks into the water next to us in the next few images. At least we hope that was their intent, or else they were just throwing rocks right at us. You'd also never guess that all of these images in this post (except for the ones with Leah) were taken within a few hundred feet of each other. By using different angles (shooting up at the couple with the sky behind them, or down on them and the rocks), I'm able to capture a variety of backdrops and thus create a variety of looks in the images.











And as it was getting a bit chilly on the bay, we headed to the field of wildflowers between the road and the water for a few final images.








Congratulations, Erin and Brent. I'm so happy to see you both so happy (and Leah, too), and we cannot wait to celebrate grillside with you soon!

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(Advance) Amy & John: Peaks Island, Maine Wedding

Their wedding is one I've been looking forward to ever since Amy and John announced their engagement following The Preakness one year ago. And it's one I was so eager/excited/elated for, that I couldn't even sleep the night before it.

Amy and then John came into our lives as fellow Moxie Mangler dodgeballers and fast became a familiar staple in our social circle. And so when I documented their late May wedding day on Peaks Island recently, the joy I felt wasn't just for my job, but for my two friends who had finally found each other, and who I get to witness making each other laugh long after the Casco Bay Ferry returned us all to port in Portland.

Check back here on the Samantha Warren Weddings blog for complete coverage, as there are so many images from this wedding I cannot wait to share with you, from the details of Amy's dress (which she and her mom made together) to the couple hauling up traps onto the Lucky Catch (the lobster boat that brought them to the island) to a dance floor that never stopped pulsing to my two friends, so, so, so happy. And also make sure to sign up here to be notified when Amy and John's Peaks Island wedding gallery images are released on Pictage.

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It's in the (it) bag

You know that girlfriend of yours- the one who is so terrifically talented, carefree and chic, hot and humble that even if your husband admitted to a mini-crush on her, you wouldn't actually mind because, heck, you've kind of got one on her too!

Well, I'm actually blessed to have a bevy of fabulous friends who are just that, and the Maile Wilson must be counted among those ranks! Kyle and I first met Maile (along with the captivating and oh-so-cool Kate Mefford - yeah, she's also one of those girlfriends) when I attended the Digital Wedding Forum Convention in Florida several winters ago. When she's not shooting Eva Longoria and Tony Parker's Christmas card or Brooke Burke's nursery for the latest celeb weekly, this down-to-earth Texan is being a friend to many, a mom to three, a wife to one, and creating real images under the name of Relish Photography (don't you just love that name!) that have women around San Antonio seeing themselves as the sexy, smart and soulful people they truly are.

And as if all that isn't enough, Maile just added designer to her resume. Handbag designer, to be exact. Marrying her love of shooting and style, Maile's launched Epiphanie Bags, a functional yet flattering line of camera bags disguised as purses. Really, really cute purses (that hold your camera body, a few extra lenses, memory cards, flashes, batteries and any other accessories you need at your side when shooting).

Popular Photography magazine called them the "it" bag, saying - and I quote- "A toney bag you'd never guess held a camera. We've seen good-looking camera bags before, but none as attractive as Epiphanie's line of gear-toters--- dead ringers for the latest department store finds. The bags ($165, www.epiphaniebags.com) have space for a DSLR, lenses, and accessories... For photographers who want a hot bag that holds a DSLR, event shooters who need to dress like a guest, or fashionistas who wouldn't be caught dead in ripstop nylon, this is the It Bag."

Ever generous, Maile recently sent me one of my choice as a gift - I picked the "Belle" bag (see below)- and I have to say, I was as grateful as I was impressed. In the words of our mutual friend Kate, "Anyone who uses a camera can benefit from these bags. Heck, even if you don’t, it’s still a cute purse!"

Those who know me well know that while I'll wear Hanes and drugstore mascara, when it comes to my handbags I don't mess around. The clerks at the closest Cole Haan actually know me by name. So when I tell you these bags are nice, believe me. And then go get one. I debuted mine on our recent Vermont vacation, and actually found myself slinging Belle over my shoulder, even when it didn't have my camera inside. Here's proof (pic by Kyle):


And here's a look at the lineup.

Beautiful Belle (which I have)...


Gorge Ginger (Check out the inside of these bags, and how everything all fits in just right. You can configure the compartments anyway you'd like as the soft padded panels have velcro on them- you'll also notice the inside is a contrasting color from the rest of the bag, so your items really pop and can be easily located. Brill!)...


The Lovely Lola, in black...


And also in racy red...


More styles and colors are expected so stay tuned to www.epiphaniebags.com for the latest. Congratulations (and thank you) Maile! I hope to visit Texas soon to thank you! And yes, I know Kyle will want to come ;)


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