Helps to have a cute kid who doesn’t (usually) mind sitting in once and while as a model. Here’s Issy with another of Mike Millard’s gorgeous Froggys. Been shooting with Mike and Co. for years now, and it’s always a good time. To see more of these beautiful works of art, check out the Froggy site.
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…
Joanna, pre-ceremony, at the Inn at Shelburne Farms, VT
The lovely Joanna, pictured above, married her sweetheart Freeman at the sumptuous Inn at Shelburne Farms this past Saturday, and our team was honored to have been asked to photograph the celebration. Can’t say enough about the magnificent location on the shores of Lake Champlain, expert coordination by Andrea, fabulous menu, wonderful guests from around the country and Kenya. One of those “pinch me” deals where everything is falling in place without a trace of undue stress. Still editing the take. We shot more than lots, and have a large percentage of keepers, just the way we like it. Love digital, but since we shoot more liberally than we ever did with film, it means more editing. It’s all good, and it’s been a boon in many ways. Loved the above shot so much that I wanted to post it right away. Will add a few more soon. Back at the Equinox on the 4th. More to follow…. HP
In the Coach Barn at the Inn at Shelburne Farms.
With the girls.
Put Ryan in the belfry for a bird's eye view.
One final shot... and the end of a wonderful day.
Kristina with another Froggy Bottom H-12 masterpiece.
Spent another lovely day shooting with our good friends – guitarsmiths, songwriters, singers… not much they don’t do, really – Mike Millard and his wife Kristina Stykos of Froggy Bottom Guitars. This only two days after having seen Springsteen in Boston. (Slightly off-topic rant: what’s with the “no cameras” policy at the Garden? Selective enforcement, very anti-Bruce.)
Kristina – that’s her clutching a new Froggy in the above photo – is rumored to have a new record in the works, as a follow up for her critically acclaimed Fading Light. She’s also working at recording local bands in her area, principally with an acoustic/roots bent, so give her a shout and she if she can’t help your band up the ante. Check it out at Pepper Box Studios.
Anyway, getting closer to moving into high gear for wedding season. Will also be adding to our sports shooting this year with coveage of at least a couple of motocross races and some bike racing and triathalon coverage, so stay tuned for more on that. As for available dates for the ’09 season, we still have a few Saturdays, and more Sundays, so do inquire. BTW, if you’re looking to save big dollars, and can pull it off with travel issues for guests, most venues offer steep discounts for Sunday weddings. Just a thought, but why not check it out?
Back soon – HP
Fred Homer doing his best Willie Nelson, VT style.
OK, so Big Disclosure upfront: the guys at Froggy Bottom Guitars are among a very small handful of folks that are, as my teenage daughter might say, my very best friends. That they are among a perhaps smaller handful still of truly world class acoustic guitar builders is pure coincidence.
Mike Millard, Andy Mueller, and Eric Goodenough build about 100 or so instruments a year, most personalized in terms of design and construction for serious, or certainly-intend-to-be-serious, guitarists. No less than Will Ackerman, of Windham Hill fame, now of Imaginary Road Studio, has called Mike “the finest guitarmaker in the world.”
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of shooting for FBG now for over a decade, and it’s the perfect symbiosis of work, creativity, and flat-out fun. A guitar is finished, we come up with a loose concept, like Fred on the bridge in the image above, get together and shoot. That VT is such an easy place to find great locations certainly helps, but I have to say that the sheer beauty of the instruments, each a masterpiece in its own right, makes the work easy. There’s lots more to say at some point about these guys, their guitars, and my good fortune at having had a long and meaningful relationship with them. That we produce a memorable image once in a while is, at this point, just gravy. Peace. MTC… HP