Wedding: Cyprian Keyes June 19, 2010

Lisa and Shawn were married June 19 at Cyprian Keyes in Boylston, MA. Here are a few photos from the day!

Wedding: Princeton MA Saturday July 24 2010

These photos are from a wedding on Saturday morning, held at the Prince of Peace Church in Princeton MA. I was the second photographer.

Wedding: Harding Allen Estate July 23 2010

I am often the second photographer for weddings...this weekend I shot as an assistant Friday night (Harding Allen Estate in Barre), and Saturday morning (Prince of Peace Church, Princeton) and then a wedding of my own on Saturday afternoon/evening in Barre (at a private home). 3 weddings in 30 hours! I'd rather not repeat this schedule anytime soon. Weddings are hard work...never mind equipment issues, batteries, etc, but your own energy can get drained fairly quickly when you are on the go that much. Weddings are SO important! You can't stop looking or anticipating for a second, you've got to be ON all the time.

Here's a preview from Friday's wedding at the Harding Allen Estate. It was raining, so the ceremony was held in the reception hall instead of the gardens.

I refuse to trek across Asia with all my cameras...but what to leave behind?

The upcoming trip to Asia has me in a bit of a spot. I am headed to Thailand, Hong Kong, India, and maybe Beijing. For the first time, I need to bring the "real" camera equipment with me, as I will be shooting for jobs, not just personal projects. I have to assume that I will be traveling alone (what else is new?) and therefore need to consider all kinds of situations.

From past experience, I have learned that the more stuff you bring, the harder it is to A) get into bathroom stalls...B) get onto trains without abandoning half of your stuff (even for a minute) on the platform...and C) get around in general and not feel overwhelmed. Oh, and you want to buy things overseas to bring home? Good luck with carrying all of THAT stuff, too!

So I am rearranging my camera bags to do a few trial runs. Maybe I will head to NYC, or Canada, or somewhere, anywhere really, that requires using public transportation and includes your typical travel aggravation. (Except, of course, that this is not quite the same...add language barriers and customs formalities to the real trip and you have it all.)
The photo above doesn't even start to cover the stuff I have. When I go to a wedding, I bring 3 bags with me. This provides me with immediate access to the primary stuff, secondary stuff, and a third bag with extras or backup equipment. I need to cull 3 bags worth into ONE backpack. Granted, it is a backpack designed for camera equipment (which is good) but it only holds do much, ya know?

I also need to bring the following:

* The holga cameras and all related paraphernalia. (Because if I am going to all these places I am STILL going to insist on my own projects getting done, too) This means: at least 50 rolls of film, changing bag, black tape, tins for exposed film, tripod, and cable release.

* The laptop...and the power cable, my trackball mouse, the CF card reader, an electrical converter plug, and the cable for my digital wallet.

* Clothes and toiletries. Oh, yeah, I have to get dressed and be presentable every day.

* Maps and travel books.

I keep asking Tim to come with me, at least to Thailand. He keeps giving me vague answers, which leads me to believe that it won't happen. So, I am going to operate on the assumption that I will be alone and need to bring as little as possible...without leaving important/necessary things at home. Sigh.

Peachtree Road Race July 4 2010

Last year, I flew down to Atlanta to cheer on my friend Penny (and her family) when they ran the Peachtree Road R (10k). She asked me to run...I laughed. I had never run, ever! I was always on my bike, but never running. As I watched 55,000 people run by me, I started to think a little more about it. After the trip, I bought new sneakers and went on a few tentative walk/runs. Nothing major. And over time, I discovered that not only was it kinda fun, but it didn't hurt. I thought runners always had issues with feet, knees, etc. "It's hard on your body!" you always hear folks say. Well...it's been a year now, no injuries so far.

Something that amazes me is the fact that only 5 years ago, I was in pain just walking. I had bunions on both feet, and although the right foot was much worse, the left was starting to give me trouble too. Pushing in a clutch hurt. Going for a walk hurt. I was only 35! So I took matters into my own hand and went to a foot doctor. He did surgery on both feet, one year apart, and since then I have clearly been able to do pretty much anything...without pain.

Awhile ago I noticed that the right foot had this funny, hard lump on it...right about where the screws from the surgery were. At first they didn't hurt, but it got a little more prominent, and then I started accidentally hitting it on things at THAT hurt. So I went back to the doctor....he confirmed that I did indeed have a migrating screw. On June 30th, I had surgery to take that screw out. Today is July 4th. I just ran that race.

Yesterday at a wedding, I had to change my bandaging 4 times because I was seeping blood from the surgery site. During the ceremony, I found myself wondering why my foot felt wet...and looked down at my sandals to see that I had blood dripping between my toes, everywhere. I was glad I was wearing long black pants. That kinda covered it up.

So the wedding was over by 4...and the plan was to drive directly from the wedding to Logan Airport, fly to Atlanta (8:00), rent a car (11:30), drive an hour to Penny's (1am), and get up at 5am to go to the race (an hours drive away). I was groaning to myself "WHY did I think I could do this? I should have stayed home with an ice bag and my pain meds!"

At the beginning of the course, I set off walking, figuring I'd limp my way down the road and meet up with them at the end (or call to be picked up somewhere). I had a backpack with me (food, camera, wallet, water, etc), stopped at Starbucks, got a coffee and scone, walked a little more. And then I realized my foot felt pretty good. I tightened the straps on the backpack and tentatively started a slow run. Not bad! In fact, it was pretty good!

In the end, I walked the first 2.5 miles and ran the rest. 10k is a 6.2 mile course. And my stitches are fine. My foot is NOT swollen. And strangest of all, NO bleeding. Yesterday was a disaster...just ask Tim! Today? Nothing. I am so proud that I ran this race. I realize many folks will be inclined to lecture me, but damn it, I did it and I am ok. And I had a great time! :)

Wedding: Tuckerman Hall June 26 2010