History flies in Poughkeepsie, NY

The Collings Foundation’s aircraft. L/R: B-14J “Witchcraft”, B-25 Mitchell “Tondelayo”, B-17G “Nine-0-Nine”. Photo by Dan Villeneuve.

These days we are so deeply immersed in technology. Smart phones are practically attached to our hands, computer monitors replace daylight and we mindlessly let GPS guide us to new destinations when we do manage to get out of the house or office. But there’s one group that tours the country through most of the year with the Wings of Freedom Tour; The Collings Foundation.

Bones

Have you ever found yourself meandering through a crowd, watching people and how they interact with each other? I do that frequently with the hope that every so often, I’ll cross paths with at least one person who just blows me away with their positive energy. Someone who could inspire me and rekindle the fire of creativity. Last Thursday night, I was asked to photograph the 2011 Soupfest that was put on by the Cornerstone Foundation here in Rockville, CT. For those who aren’t aware, the Cornerstone Foundation has over the years “become a trusted grassroots, community-led, not-for-profit provider of social services that make downtown Rockville, Vernon, and surrounding communities better places to live.” Photographing events is something I periodically like to do as it gives me an excuse to hone my skills as a photographer, but also get to people watch. And tonight would offer some gems! This is my account of the one gem that shined the brightest for me…

Something new… Something fun: Why being open minded can be such a good thing

As many of you know, my photographic strengths are landscapes, nature shots and catching life unscripted. It’s what makes the world go round for me. There is great comfort in knowing what to expect and I can think out what my vision is. Recently, my comfort boundaries got blown to bits… in a very good way. 

A valued compliment…

My daughter

I had a wonderful older gentleman spend some time admiring my work at yesterday’s Farmers’ Market. It turns out that he is an oil painter and has painted for many years. As he and his family were looking at the Rock Maple Farm prints at the front of my booth, he looked up at my banner, pointed to this picture of Kelsa and said, “Have you ever seen a Rembrandt? This picture here reminds me of a Rembrandt. Very nice picture!” That totally made my day and more than I think he ever realized!

This is one of my absolute favorite photos of my daughter. It reminds me of how beautiful a person she is and continues to be as she grows up.

I had taken Kelsa to the Hammond Castle Museum back in September 2009. We were just coming down from the tower in a narrow stone stairway. There was a single dim (probably a 40 watt) incandescent light high above us. I had quickly adjusted my settings and called out to her (she was a few steps ahead of me on the way down). She turned around and I snapped this photo. I was extremely lucky with the settings as this was a hand-held shot and my D80 with the 50mm f/1.8 lens combo typically does not do well in this extreme low light scenario. It didn’t hit me until I got home and processed my photos from the day, that this particular capture was so special. For a long time, I thought it was my “Dad bias” that made me feel this was a wonderful photo. But comments like I received yesterday now make me realize that it’s not just me who appreciates this frozen moment in time!

Hearing that seasoned artist’s comments, truly makes me feel like I have accomplished a wonderful thing and did wonders to boosting my confidence as an artist. It just goes to show you that a few words of encouragement and compliment can have an extremely positive and powerful effect on your fellow artist! I can never thank that gentleman enough for expressing his thoughts and feelings to me yesterday!