Style... On the Cover

For this month's Merrimack Valley Magazine, I was part of a small army of creatives that were assigned to produce the magazine's fall fashion cover and cover stories. It was a fun day, with stylists, hair and makeup artists, creatives from the magazine, as well as photographer Meghan Moore and myself all working together with our two models to create something beautiful, interesting and hopefully informative. I'll show my cover shot here, but to see the rest of the spread, you will have to check out the magazine. Here though, are some of my favorites, both posed and unposed from that day at historic Coburn Hall, at the UMass Lowell campus in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Local Farming Lives

I really want you to go out and get this month's Merrimack Valley Magazine! It should arrive on news stands around September 16th. I do have the fall fashion cover story, but I will talk about that in another blog. I want to talk about my local farming photo essay today though. I am really happy that I was able to pull this long-term story-in-pictures off! Working on it most of the Spring and early Summer, I got to visit a number of agricultural enterprises around the valley and meet with some really dedicated people, each of whom was more than happy to spend time giving me guided tours of their operations. I really do get to see aspects of some things that most people don't get to see or sometimes, even know about. Hopefully, this article will give you a taste for what is growing all around us. And speaking of taste, there is an accompanying article in which Carolyn Grieco, of Carolyn's Farm Kitchen, cooks up some of the dishes recommended by the farmers, just to be captured in my photos.

So please check out the magazine for the rest of the photos, the extended captions by Emilie-Noelle Provost, as well as the accompanying article with lots of recipes and food shots.

Farmer Dave checks the progress of his crop

Farmer Dave's blueberry crop

Mann Orchard crates await the harvest

Lydia and Francey, of Mill City Grows, discuss their city community garden in Lowell

Jeanmerli of Groundwork Lawrence taking care of the weeds

Groundwork Lawrence... I love these!

The beautiful landscape of the Cider Hill Farm

Karen of Cider Hill Farm shows me what's growing

I first met Karen and Glenn in the spring, shooting another assignment. Like all of the others that I visited, they were more than generous with their time and enthusiasm.

Busy as...

Merrimack Valley Apiaries

And let's not forget the final product! 

Audiobooks, knitting and Shutesbury

Many of us who live near Boston think of places like Amherst as western Massachusetts. I don't know…I thought Worcester was. Actually, Shutesbury, which is very close to Amherst, is in central Massachusetts. It is surprisingly rural, but also surprisingly close to the city. On a beautiful, very warm (no, I won't start up that discussion again) June day, I visited knitting designer Gudrun Johnston and her family to do a photo shoot for AudioFile Magazine, which I love. The magazine sounds like it would be about audio gear, and something in my long, lost memory tells me that it once was, but its charter today really concerns audio books. The slowness of life reading, listening and the mellowness of people with whom the articles are concerned appeals to me.

Gudrun, who has a really interesting profession, and is a celebrity in her niche, is married to David Anthony Durham, who is a novelist and a celebrity in his own right. I would encourage you to check out the magazine, which is fairly easy to find in B&N and similar venues. The piece on Gudrun is short, but the photo is awesome[;-)], and there are lots of other great articles. 

Food Truck Revolution

Many summers ago, when I worked in an office in Kendall Square in Cambridge, one of the better lunch options was always the Falafel trucks that parked around MIT. It seems that now, food trucks are ubiquitous, and great.  Photographer Kevin Harkins and I recently were assigned to photograph several of these moveable feasts for the Merrimack Valley Magazine. The truck that I was able to see and step into, Chicken on the Road, originates from Billerica, MA, and is all about chicken. Big, bright and clean, check out their FB page and track them down and catch lunch!

Joyeuse fête nationale

Today is a day that, while very special to several million people very close to New England, goes almost totally unnoticed just a couple hundred miles away. Originally based on the religious feast of John the Baptist, June 24th has evolved to become la fête nationale in Québec, or the equivalent of our 4th of July. Why a 'national' holiday in a province, you might ask. Well that's a complicated question, as are most things surrounding language and culture just north of here.

I thought I would take the national day to talk about the special article in this month's Merrimack Valley Magazine written by my friend Emilie Provost, "La Survivance". It's "a look at the future of franco-american culture in the Merrimack valley". I was honored to actually be interviewed by Emilie for the article, along with several others including Paul Marion of UMass Lowell. I also had the pleasure to spend a couple of hours visiting with Roger Lacerte, who runs a French language bookstore in Manchester, NH. Incredibly passionate about maintaining québécois culture in New England, visiting with him made me think quite a bit about my father and my other relatives from that generation and the previous one, for whom Québec was much more fresh in their day to day lives.

I hope you check the article out and possibly visit the other world that is a few hours from here.

Roger Lacerte

In the vault, where Roger keeps his rare book collection

From Lowell himself,  and knowing that I had come to the store from Lowell, Roger made a point of showing me a French translation of Jack Kerouac's "Docteur Sax"

A Joyful Priority

Back in March, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Davidson and his son Matt. Doing a feature for Experience Life Magazine, whose philosophy is that "being healthy is a revolutionary act", I spent a Sunday morning at the courts with this father and son tennis duo. The article features Andrew and two others for whom activity has become a way of life and a "joyful priority". I think from some of the shots that we came up with that morning that you'll see that we all had a lot of fun!

You can read the article here: http://experiencelife.com/article/hooked-on-fitness/

Some of Us Are From Here. Some From Far Away.

I met Derek and Lydia a little over a year ago. I recall the event we all attended, but I don't recall exactly how he and I started to talk about UTEC (United Teen Equality Center), where he was the Director of Workforce Development, and an idea that I had for a photography and film project. The conversation began and the idea grew into a project that lasted throughout the summer. I had an amazing experience meeting and photographing the young people and staff at UTEC, the culmination of which coincided with the Grand Opening of the renovated youth center. I was extremely privileged to have my work shown at the opening.

So what does all that have to do with Derek? Beginning with our brief conversation, the idea began to take hold in each of our minds. Pursuing a personal project over several months can be quite a commitment and at times can be really discouraging. Some days it seems pointless, or the goal seems so far off that giving up would be so easy. An advocate within an organization in which you are trying to work is essential. Derek was the ideal advocate. I never felt like an outsider or awkward to be there. Derek paved the way, made the introductions and prodded and encouraged me to follow-through, to show up and to create.

Now Derek has moved on to become the Lowell Site Director of The International Institute of New England, and most recently, he has announced his candidacy for Lowell City Council. I know that he will bring the same passion and commitment that he has brought to his previous endeavors. 

This installment of the Big Door series and the Basic black and white series features Derek, but his partner Lydia dropped in for the shoot as well. Lydia is an amazing person in her own right, so I will be featuring her in front of the big green doors very soon. Stay tuned! 

People have asked me what this project is all about. It's not terribly profound. I have been looking for local people who are interesting to know, and to see, and to tell a little about them here on this blog, in words and pictures. Mostly pictures. I enjoy the process and realizing results that satisfy me, and I still have a long list of people that I want to invite as this thing proceeds.

​Derek Mitchell

UUWorld - Kay Montgomery

Recently, I was asked to photograph Kay Montgomery, who will be retiring this June from her role as Executive Vice President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, which she has held for the past 28 years. Her retirement coincides with the moving of its headquarters from its spot immediately adjacent to the Massachusetts State House to a renovated building on Boston's waterfront.

​UUWorld Magazine - Summer 2103

Kay Montgomery - Executive Vice President of the Unitarian Universalist Association

I'm Not Really a Magician

At one point, Princess said "You're a magician!". I was flattered at first, but then I realized that the soft box grid that I was pulling out of my kit was velcroed to everything else in the bag and I was pulling the entire contents out. So not so magical after all.

My subject for today, Princess, performs magic with words though. She is really quite a talented poet. I sometimes will ask performers who I am photographing to do what they do in front of the camera. It often creates some very special moments. I was blown away by Princess. A college student, her verse is mature, intense and compact. Her recitation was really quite moving. Her photos speak for themselves. Thank you Princess!

James Knows Community Building

I met James Ostis a couple of years ago, in Lowell, at a Tweetup. At first soft-spoken, James' demeanor belies his drive to change things for the better. Formerly a legislative aid in the Office of Massachusetts State Representative Colleen M. Garry, he is currently project manager for the Lowell Heritage Partnership.

​In speaking with him last night before we started making photographs, I was struck by his passion and enthusiasm. I hope he enjoys his photos. I know I enjoyed making them!

​James Ostis