Month: October 2010

Scarecrows of the Port 2010

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Happy Halloween to all!  Today we’re featuring my favorite Scarecrow of the Port situated atop Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Cafe (one of my favorite spots in Portsmouth for a great meal). Each year businesses around the city are invited to get creative and put up a scarecrow in October to get a bit festive once the fall has rolled around.  I thought this one was great…sitting at the light at Middle/Congress Street last month it caught my eye…it took me a while to realize it was probably for Halloween.  I love how the dude is fishing and caught Jumpin’ Jay’s fish sign…while his buddy is getting chomped by a monster fish.

On a more somber note, I thought I’d share with everyone a video I quickly put together recently after learning my Grandmother’s beloved family home in Connecticut would be sold.  I shot this footage earlier this year during June while my family was all gathered in West Hartford.  It’s a bit eerie and appropriately spooky for a Halloween post.  Shot on my Canon 5d Mark II and a few wide angle lenses.  I hope you enjoy.

At The Red Door

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One of Portsmouth’s hidden night spots is The Red Door.  Many of you know what I’m talking about – and others probably have no idea (just as I didn’t back in the day).  The Red Door gets it namesake very simply from its entrance – a red door on State Street, right next to Dos Amigos.  When I’ve ventured up, it’s always been an interesting night – usually including a fancy cocktail of some sort and/or a beer.  I’m not ashamed to say that one of my favorites is the espresso martini (as a coffee addict it’s right up my alley).  The place has a definitively laid back feel and lounge style seating with its comfy couches. They have both live music and DJs hosting depending on the night of the week – stop up sometime to check it out.

Waterfront Reflections

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I’ve always been drawn to the waterfront.  Today features two different bodies of water in New England…the image above was taken from the Oyster River and looks out towards Little Bay (the body of water leading into the much discussed and troubled Great Bay).  The image below was snapped moments after the sun retreated behind a private pond in remote northern Maine. Very different scenes with immense beauty (in my mind at least).

Dusk on Pleasant Street

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There’s something about a vertical streetscape shot that just does it for me.  The tall frame seems to fit nicely on the layout of the website, so I thought it would be appropriate to follow up on the straight on shot of Brazo on Pleasant Street from last week with a vertical one.  I love the little alcoves that welcome people into the building, and they make for an interesting flow through the frame.  In the next couple days I’ll be mixing it up with some shots from the archives as I plot out my next evening venture.

Market Street Fog

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With the changing temperatures this week came some thick fog on Tuesday evening.  I snapped this shot on Market Street next to 100 Market as I was enjoying the foggy streetscape and the lamps marking the sidewalks when a car presented itself.  I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the year, when daylight is fleeting and the opportunities to shoot sunset are basically gone for months.  It’s a nice challenge to force myself out of the house…and it’s always nice when there’s some nice atmospheric conditions like warm weather and fog to make it a more enjoyable evening.

Thanks for visiting…stay tuned for an exciting announcement before the end of the week!

At Wagon Hill | Durham, NH

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Driving along Route 4 in Durham, NH you’re likely to see one of the town’s landmarks….a wagon situated atop the hill of the appropriately named Wagon Hill Farm.  I’ve always loved the decidedly New England feel to the landscape and wanted to see what I could capture with the Zeiss 50mm Hasselblad lens.  It creates rich textures and soft silky backgrounds….neither of which are too exaggerated here, but I’ll feature more shots that came out well from the quick visit.

Autumn Visitors | Cynthia Pioneer

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Along with the fall comes cooler weather, falling leaves and a need for sand and salt.  Recently the Cynthia Pioneer returned to the Granite State Minerals terminal in downtown Portsmouth to unload some materials for the imminent inclement weather. While I’m not quite ready for snowstorms and ice, I’m enjoying the cool mornings and the increase in river traffic.  I’m sure I’m not the only one – time to get the skis ready for the season (or book the plane tickets to Florida if you’re not a winter person…).

Chronicles of the Martingale Wharf

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In today’s post we’ll feature two recent shots of the Martingale Wharf, the long awaited construction project currently underway on Bow Street on Portsmouth’s waterfront.  The building is finally getting its skin, with bricks being installed on the Bow Street facade…along with new windows and more inside that I can’t really see.  The good news is that we might actually have a streetscape on Bow St. like we used to in days gone by….a win for both locals and tourists.  I really dig the shot above – it feels very natural and realistic all at the same time.  Taken with the Zeiss Hasselblad 100mm….it seems to call out textures and lighting on objects that just seem to fall flat with other lenses (or maybe I’m just a bit crazy).  Below, the front of the building gets its new brick skin…

Halloween in Portsmouth

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Portsmouth is a cool place during October.  In addition to the New Hampshire Film Festival, Portsmouth also hosts Scarecrows of the Port (awesome scarecrows posted around downtown…my favorite is above Jumpin’ Jay’s this year…and will be featured next week)….including the little guy seen here hanging from the clock at 49 Market Street (donated by Summerwind Jewelers).  This shot was taken with my Carl Zeiss 100mm Hasselblad lens, with some beautiful clarity on the clock…falling off in the background to a nice soft view of the Athenaeum building and the North Church.

In addition to today’s photo – you MUST head over to my Flickr gallery HERE in order to check out more shots from the 10th Annual New Hampshire Film Festival.