So our engagement session with Ben & Katie in Crawford Notch (in the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains) last month taught us a couple of things… 1. Even if it’s warm and sunny where you are, chances are it’s going to be cold and breezy in the mountains, and 2. Ben & Katie are super cool and laid back and we can’t wait for their Mount Washington Hotel wedding next month! Even though it was cold to the point of being uncomfortable, these two rocked it like pros and we actually had a great time with them despite the slightly adverse conditions. We thought we were able to capture a fresh perspective on the ever-popular railroad-themed shoot, tho’ we did stop short of tying anyone to the tracks!

During the spring-autumn wedding season most couples are praying for clear weather. We’re happy to say last season we had a perfect record! Of course, with New England winter in full swing, one learns the art of embracing whatcha’ get. And this particular winter has been a force to be reckoned with. Which brings us to Thomas and Denaie :) The day of their engagement session, we were expecting a storm of some kind, though we wouldn’t realize what we were in for until later that day! Everyone was willing and sufficiently bundled (except for Kerry, who forgot his boots) so, we set out for the magical Nestlenook Farm. A beautiful resort, complete with Victorian architecture, ice skating pond, charming, fireplace-equipped warming huts, horse-drawn sleighs and oh yes, reindeer! It’s a happy place.

We, of course, did get our snow. Halfway through our session, it started coming down like crazy! It was beautiful. And Thomas and Denaie, even whilst getting precipitated upon, were enthusiastic and fun and great to be around. Thomas even cleaned our car off for us before we left! We are fond of them and hope they remember the day as happily as we do. Hopefully these photos will bring them good memories for a long time.

On Friday we posted Part I of Chris & Kristin’s gorgeous wedding at the Omni Resorts’ Mt. Washington Hotel in beautiful Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. We can’t say enough about how much we have enjoyed working with these two vibrant and beautiful people! A grand location, a stunning couple and wonderful personalities add up to can’t-miss photography! We begin with Chris’ friends/bandmates tuning up for their processional accompaniment, followed by a beautiful outdoor (in November!) ceremony and brilliant details at the reception in the Presidential Ballroom….

Light snow started falling just as the ceremony began…so beautiful!

Kristin’s brother was the officiant, which made for a very special and clearly humorous ceremony.

Pretty fantastic guestbook idea! Guests used these vintage typewriters and telegrams to write their wishes for the bride and groom.

Best Man and Maid of Honor decided to trade speeches….resulting in some awkward references to memories of sleep-overs with the Bride!

The End <3     

Jamieson and Erin were married at the Darby Field Inn in Albany, New Hampshire. The Inn is nestled in the southern reaches of the Mount Washington Valley and it was the perfect setting for their slightly off-beat wedding. Being in front of a camera wasn’t exactly Jamieson’s idea of a great time, but he was an old pro by the end of the day! Both Erin and Jamieson weren’t concerned with all the traditional stuff, they just wanted to have a relaxed day hangin’ out with the people that loved them. They got exactly what they wanted, and really, we think that’s exactly the way it should be. A couple days later, they were headed off to Ireland for their honeymoon. Congrats guys, we enjoyed hangin’ out and capuring your day!

We were quite impressed with Jamieson’s calligraphic skills… he penned all the place cards!

Here’s a link to the last time took photos at the Darby Field Inn.

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of photographing the union of Dennis and Krista at Whitney’s Inn in Jackson, New Hampshire. We loved the relaxed and welcoming spirit of the day, and D&K had planned a beautiful wedding that fit their personalities perfectly. One of the great things about what we get to do is witnessing family bonds…that added dimension of love. Dennis and Krista are clearly products of prodigious love and we got to be a part of it for a day. Way to go guys! Hope your happiness grows so big that you have to tie it up in the backyard to keep it from crushing entire towns!!

Um, wow. Well done Mr. and Mrs. Hanson!

I believe the following picture (of Dennis and his brother) is the antidote to sibling rivalry.

We rented the 24mm tilt-shift lens for the first time. So much fun…we may have to add one to the arsenal!

Lovin’ the swingset that day!

So there was a bit of a Beatles theme woven into the festivities, which we were very happy about, but the coolest “weave” was Dennis & Krista’s first dance. They chose Something, but not the recorded version. A friend played it on the guitar and guests were given a lyrics sheet so all could sing along…who knew everyone in attendance was a lead singer?! Such a neat idea!

We agree!

Scott & Ashley were married on July 31st, 2010, at the the historic and magnificent Omni Mount Washington Resort & Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. This was our first time shooting a wedding there—in the shadow of it’s namesake—and we had been looking forward to it since meeting Scott & Ashley. This grand hotel, as well as the happy couple, did not disappoint! Ashley was chauffeured to the ceremony with her Mum and Dad by horse and carriage, and joined by Scott for the return trip. The love was certainly radiating and as always, we felt hugely privileged to be a part of it.  Besides the incredible atmosphere, the majestic backdrop of Mt. Washington and the hand-carved ice luge paying homage to the fallen Old Man on the Mountain, we particularly enjoyed the light show put on courtesy of the White Mountains and Mr. Sun as well as one of our top five favorite best man speeches, courtesy of “Extra Matt.”  ;)  Scott and Ashley, thank you for an incredible day and we wish you all the best and most beautiful things. Enjoy!

Fantastic job by Dutch Bloemen Winkel on flowers…so beautiful!

Have you ever beheld such loveliness? Wow.

The White Mountains’ showing that they too are deserving of Ansel Adams’ “Range of light” moniker. We’re guessing Ansel would’ve been runnin’ for his view camera on this evening…

We’d also like to thank Meg from Meg Simone Wedding Films. The consummate professional, she’s a pleasure to work with and we highly recommend her for creating beautiful wedding films.

Meet Chris and Kristin. We like them very much…you will too! We can’t wait to photograph their wedding day at the Mt. Washington Hotel this fall! Their engagement session was particularly memorable for reasons to follow…

Reason #1. We started our morning at Cathedral Ledge in North Conway with the gorgeous White Mountains so kindly arranged as our backdrop! “I…am always glad to touch the living rock again and dip my hand in the high mountain air.” – John Muir

Reason #2. Quite evident in the picture below…wow!

Reason #3. They were good sports and willing to do terrifying things like stand in the middle of the road for us! Shortly after this photo, Chris chivalrously removed Kristin from the path of oncoming cars. :)

Reason #4. Refer to Reason #2

Reason #5. Kerry, for convincing the sky to do this for him.

And finally, (AKA Reason #6.) We were able to get these shots before we were very politely asked to leave our favorite train station. Apparently, that day was Thomas the Train day and without tickets, we weren’t invited. :( I will say that the man who asked us to leave was very nice and we appreciated his gentle manner.

Thank you guys for such a fun day!

THE END

<edit>…not quite: view their wedding photos!

We are very excited to announce the launch of our brand new portraiture Website: http://portraits.birchblaze.com! Over the winter months, Taylor and I have been busy planning how best to serve our extended stomping grounds—places like the Mount Washington Valley, Lakes Region and Seacoast areas of New Hampshire, as well as Southern Maine—with our brand of natural, lifestyle portraiture. What is “Lifestyle” portraiture? Here’s our take on it, Quoting from the Q&A Page on our new Birch Blaze Portraits Website: “We believe that a portrait should be more than just a picture of a person (or people). It should give you a very real feeling about who that person is, capturing the essence of their personality. More and more, the trend in photography has veered away from traditional studio, posed portraiture. Traditional studio portraiture can have a stiff, unnatural feel to it, lacking that “realness.” Lifestyle portraiture focuses on capturing that realness.” Tay and I have always had a passion for expressing ourselves creatively, and in particular, through the lens of a camera. We believe in what we do, and are very thankful that we can now make our living doing it. Even though some degree of natural artistic ability definitely comes into play, we have also worked very hard to ensure that we are using professional, state-of-the-art equipment and are up on all the latest technical methodologies so that our finished product matches our own creative vision and real life. Read more about our philosophy and process below this screensnap of the new Site…

   Our view of being photographers is not, “We do photography,” but rather, “We are artists.” The last thing we want to do is sound like snobs, but with the invention of digital photography and processing, it has become very easy for almost anyone to buy a digital camera, download a copy of Photoshop and call themselves a photographer. Now, there are endless discussions online about when and for what reason you can call yourself a “photographer,” but ultimately, a person’s photography speaks for itself. We encourage anyone who feels a passion for photography, or even someone who just wants to take better photos to absolutely go for it. Give it your all. We would never deny anyone’s right to pursue their passion, their dream. For us personally, we set our own bar very high. Not only because we present ourselves as professional photographers, and people invest trust and dollars in us for that reason, but also because we pursue excellence in every image that we produce. It’s a matter of artistic integrity.

How Does it Work?

   We have adopted a process already in use by many premier photography studios around the world. It’s very simple, really. If you like our art and would like to commission us to photograph you and/or your family, get in touch and we’ll schedule a pre-consultation at your home. During this time, we’ll get to know each other, something that’s vital to capturing relaxed, natural images during the actual portrait session. We’ll answer questions and discuss what your expectations and goals are, as well as which of our products will best suit your decor, wall space and overall style. Of course we’ll also schedule your session and discuss location, wardrobe and any other questions or concerns you may have.

   Next, the photo shoot. We’ll meet you at our predetermined location, which might be your home, a park, playgound, grassy field, woodland trail, the beach or an urban landscape—places that hold special meaning for you and your family or simply compliment your unique personality. Sessions will typically last about 2 hours, but could be shorter or longer depending on which session you have chosen. Newborns and young children’s sessions will usually run longer. We’ll spend the first few minutes or more scouting out the location, getting our gear dialed in and shooting a few warm-ups to get us all in the groove. After that, we’ll take lots of shots of the interactions that highlight the special relationships and moments that make you and your family unique and beautiful. We’ll likely do some comfortable poses and perhaps some more traditional ones. We’re also always up for fun and unique ideas and we hope you are too, but whatever you’re comfortable with. For family portraits, it’s fun to plan an activity that you can all enjoy together; baking cookies, playing in the back yard, taking a walk, etc.

   The fun continues… after your portrait session we’ll schedule your viewing/ordering session. We’ll come to your home and you’ll get to enjoy your images in a larger-than-life slideshow set to music! Then, in the same format, you get to choose which images you’ll have made into prints, storyboard collages and gallery canvas wraps for your wall. There are lots of great new products that will showcase the beautiful art we’ve created together, complimenting and enhancing your home decor at the same time. During your viewing session we’ll guide you through what’s available and how it will best work with the images you’ve chosen and fit your home. You’ll receive your portrait art 2 to 4 weeks after placing your order.

   It’s important to us that people notice our deep commitment to producing photographic art that holds beauty far beyond any other artwork you could display in your home. How so? Because it’s art created from the most precious people in your life, your family. We want to thank you for taking the time to read through this information and we think you’ll enjoy viewing our new Website and our galleries. We’d love to hear from you and apply our creative process to you and your family’s history. We are centrally located between the White Mountains, Seacoast and Lakes Region of New Hampshire. We regularly visit and photograph in the communities of Wolfeboro, North Conway, Jackson, Meredith, Laconia, Gilford, Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth, Newington, Rye and Hampton, New Hampshire as well as Southern Maine. Visit our “Hello” Page and we’ll get started!

Ok, folks, I know, I know… yes, it’s been a while…So sorry about that, really. It might have something to do with the major remodeling project we have going at our house right now (as in, completely ripping out our floor, right down to the dirt!). But anyway, we have still been shooting and this post is proof! Rhonda Demone is a photographer from Nova Scotia who contacted us a few months ago and booked a shoot to coincide with her Family’s vacation in North Conway. We got together with Rhonda, Brian and the kids last week for the shoot and had a blast! The kids were awesome and thanks to mom being a photog, were used to being in front of the camera. We had a great time and want to thank the Demone’s for choosing Birch Blaze! Here are some of our favorites from the session…

Here’s one of those shots that was kind of like an inbetween shot, but with this treatment I think it takes on a very poetic feel:

What a beautiful and fun family! We had a great time and hopefully, one of these days we’ll drive up to Nova Scotia and say hi. Thanks again Rhonda, Brian and kids, and your image disc is on its way!

This is our last series of photos we did this past spring for the Valley Originals, a group of independent restaurants and inns in the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire. It just so happens that the Mt. Washington Valley of NH actually runs into the State of Maine as well, including the town of Fryeburg, Maine. Fryeburg is one of our favorite towns in our area because it hosts the Fryeburg Fair every October. It’s Maine’s largest fair and yet it has that classic country fair feel. There’s nothing quite like a gorgeous New England autumn day, with the blazing fall foliage and the smell of hand-cut fries and funnel cakes in the air. The Oxford House Inn is right down the street. It definitely has that main street USA feel, but the view out the back is of farm fields surrounded by the White Mountains. What a setting! This would be a great spot for a small wedding. The Oxford House is now run by Jonathan and Natalie, Jonathan an experienced chef, and Natalie keeping the Inn running smoothly. Together, they continue to add and personalize the Inn’s rich history. It’s pretty cool, ’cause apparently, The Newhart show years ago turned Jonathan’s young mind on to the idea of owning and Inn like the one on that show…for which, coincidentally, the opening sequences were filmed in Sandwich, NH, also not too far from us. Cue the pics…

Look for a post on my crazy class trip to Boothbay Harbor, coming soon!  –K&Tay