SMS Winter Ball 2010

February 2nd, 2010

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And so with the height of winter comes the annual SMS Winter Ball, held this past weekend in the beautifully decorated gym at the Stratton Mountain School.  This year we put a little twist in our photographic coverage of the event and set up a portable studio in what normally serves as the high tech golf simulator.  Hey, Penn’s got nothing on us with his Worlds In A Small Room!  Fun shots, and an approach we’ve used a few times for those mid-winter “gee-it-really-is-pitch-black-out-at-5:00-on-New Year’s Eve” wedding shoots. Lots of fun, particularly as the night wears on, if you know what I mean.

Guests at the Winter Ball had the usual terrific time, with both silent and live auctions - including such items as a complete Olympics package, a day of boarding with SMS alum and Olympic silver medalist Lyndsey Jacobellis, and a day of skiing with VT native and former Olympian Billy Kidd, who still rips it up out as director of skiing at Steamboat, CO., highlighting a fun night of great food, dancing, and catching up with old friends.

BTW,  SMS is proud to count  37 current or former Olympians, including nordic standouts Kris Freeman and Andy Newell, among its long list of accomplished alums.  Impressive.  MTK… Herve

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And one more, just for fun…

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From the Taj via Thailand… and a word about the “vibe”

December 13th, 2009

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There’s something to be said for the rapport that builds when things really click (sorry) at a wedding. More often than not, our clients “meet” us first through the website, contact us via email, and we take it from there.  It’s pretty rare these days that we’re able to physically meet in advance of a shoot.

One client recently told me that she had decided on working with Jessica Smith at the Equinox by punching in “mountains, foliage, pond, lake, and weddings” into Google.  She quickly narrowed the search to a place in Colorado, and the Equinox, in nearby Manchester, VT.  No offense to our friends in Colorado, but VT has the foliage thing down pat, and so family and friends came from Texas, Minnesota, and California to VT for the destination wedding of their dreams.  Seriously, there’s a  lot of trust involved here, and it’s a trust we certainly  don’t take lightly.

And so this “vibe” thing is really a marker of a match, or not.  If you’re scoping out potential photogs - or cake makers, or wedding planners, or…. -  and you’re not feeling dialed in, as in “I think this could work well,” you might want to try someone else.  Which is why, I think, come wedding day, we click so well with our clients.  This in spite of the fact that, for the most part, we haven’t met until wedding day.

Such was, and is, the case with Jo and Free, whose wedding we shot back in July at the magnificent Shelburne Farms on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain.  They’re on a honeymoon to end all honeymoons, aka an extended around-the-world trip, and have been kind enough to stay in touch.  We’re currently working on a custom wedding book for them, which will be printed by Kevin Kubota’s Asuka Book, and they are somewhere in Thailand.  Quite a nice feeling to find the above post card in the mailbox yesterday.  Good to know that yet another couple trusted their sense of the “vibe” and it worked out for everyone.  BTW, be sure to check out Jo and Free’s blog.

And so the scan at the top is the post card I got yesterday from Jo and Free, sort of a Taj via Thailand.  All’s well!

Happiest of holidays to all!  MTK…. Herve & Crew

Just For Fun

November 11th, 2009

Got together with a number of colleagues to compare notes, have a couple of fun days at Sugarbush, and shoot a few pix.  Always nice to see what others are up to in a friendly, non-competitive environment.

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Jennifer & Wolfgang

November 4th, 2009

Long Trail grad Jennifer and her honey Wolfgang started their new lives as a married couple with a beautiful ceremony at the 1811 House at the Equinox in Manchester, VT.  Family and friends from around the country, Austria and Germany converged on Manchester for the ceremony, and a fun reception at the Ponds Pavilion.

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Kim & Tim

October 17th, 2009

Had a wonderful day with Kim and Tim at Kurn Hattin, St. Michael’s Church in Brattleboro, VT and Keene, NH Country Club.  Great fall day, nice light, and quite a party.

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Sarah & Todd

October 3rd, 2009

One of those neat West comes East stories.  Sarah and Todd - along with their families and wedding entourage - headed east from L.A. to Manchester, VT on a drizzly weekend.  For many, it was their first trip to VT.  Fall foliage was just about perfect, and the damp weather, instead of putting a crimp in the fun, had the opposite effect.  Wonderful folks, and of course, fantastic setting, food, and service from our friends at the Equinox.

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Andria & James

September 27th, 2009

A drizzly day in the shadows of Mt. Equinox didn’t dampen any spirits at Andria and James’ wedding at the Pond Pavilion at the Equinox Resort.  Andria, in sales for major automotive finish supplier, and James, a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot now managing a large-scale wind farm operation out west, plugged the search terms “pond, foliage, mountains” into Google and voila, the Equinox popped up among the top choices.  We sing the praises of the place quite a bit here on our blog, but it is not without ample justification.  And no, we don’t get a cut for mentioning them.  We simply enjoy working with real pros who know the hospitality business inside and out.

So, James and Andria made their choice to come from TX to VT, families and friends in tow.  And we’re glad they did!

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Cute kid at the game… courtesy the 70-200 2.8 Nikkor

September 16th, 2009

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OK, it’s pretty rare that I gab about gear… as in never.  That said, gotta love the 70-200 2.8 VR Nikkor.  Gorgeous.

Froggy Bottom creates another masterpiece: The Tom Humphreys Guitar

September 14th, 2009

So by now most of you know that I’ve shot just about all the pix for my friends at Froggy Bottom Guitars for about the past 12 years or so.  You might be excused if you thought it get a little rote after a while, but you’d be wrong.  Each and every guitar that comes out of the shop is a genuine masterpiece, but unlike many examples of fine art that are designed only to be admired, we get to play Froggys.  So not only do we have something visually stunning, we get the added pleasure of sonic excellence.  As one Grammy Award winning guitarist asked recently after playing a guitar built for one lucky player: “Does she know what she has here?”

Which brings us around to the latest example of guitarmaking excellence: the Tom Humphreys Guitar.  Tom was a well respected and innovative guitar maker who died unexpectedly at the age of 59.  And so, in a style not at all atypical, the Froggy crew built a one-off masterpiece with the intention of donating the proceeds from its sale to Tom’s wife and children.  For more, check out the Froggy Bottom site.  Read Tom’s obit in the NY Times here. And here’s the Humphrey…

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Katie & Scott at the Equinox

September 6th, 2009

Katie and Scott joined a group of 40 or so family and friends at the Pond Pavilion at the Equinox Resort in the shadow of Mt. Equinox in Manchester, VT.  First class; what we’ve come to expect from our friends at the Equinox, where the location is really spectacular, the service without fault, and the food always off the charts good.  And no, they’re not paying me to say this!

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More to come… as always!  Thanks for stopping in.  -HP