South County Balloon Festival Part 3

At the South County Balloon Festival in Kingston, RI, I saw high wire feats, hot air balloons, and lots of interesting and unique carnival games, prizes, food, and displays. This entry features the little details I noticed along the way...

This was a reenactment group who camped in period tents and gave demonstrations.

These were some of the strangest prizes I've seen at a family-friendly carnival...

These were some of the best sausage with peppers and onions my husband said he'd ever had. He ate three meals at this stand and never once got indigestion... an amazing endorsement!

A decorative flag near the balloon field is whipped by the wind. It reminded me of something Julie Taymor might use in a movie.

Baby ducks at the petting zoo booth!

The West Kingston Fire Department was taking donations and selling food.

This was the largest cocktail umbrella I had ever seen...

Thanks for visiting and checking out my photographs from the balloon festival.

Many more photographic adventures and excursions are on the way!

South County Balloon Festival Part 2

I had never seen a Hot Air Balloon up close and in person before we attended the South County Balloon Festival in Kingston, RI over the weekend. A volunteer at the festival invited me to go out on the field while they were inflating the balloons. It was very exciting to get so close to the action! Here are some of the photographs I took while the balloon crews set up.

The "United Van Lines" Balloon in various stages of inflation:

The United Balloon had some trouble setting up in gusts of wind, but once the balloon was up, the other balloon owners decided to brave the winds as well...

At Dusk the balloons were lit up for a "Balloon Glow"

The glowing hot air balloons were an amazing sight! Check back tomorrow for more images from the South County Balloon Festival!

South County Balloon Festival Part 1

Over the weekend my husband and I drove down to the South County Balloon Festival in Kingston Rhode Island. It was a fantastic event with 12 hot air balloons, carnival food, rides, radio controlled planes, and high wire performances by The Flying Wallendas. The tricks and stunts performed by the Wallenda family were spectacularly impressive.

Aurelia Wallenda Swings

I took the following images on Saturday, then brought them with me to the festival on Sunday for the Wallendas to sign:

The Flying Wallendas perform the three man pyramid.

The Wallendas pose for the crowd after a successful act.

Aurelia Wallenda returns to solid ground.

Check back tomorrow for more images from The South County Balloon Festival!

Lilies!

Like most outings with my husband, a recent walk in Spohr Gardens in Woods Hole, MA, turned into a photoshoot. I should know better than to bring my camera along when we are just trying to go for a walk, but I never leave home without it! In any case, the light was beautiful, the lilies were in full bloom and, as usual, my husband was patient and supportive -- 3 of the most ideal conditions for nature photography. Here are some of the shots I snapped along the way...

"Liatris spicata"

"Lily I"

"Lily II"

"Lily III"

"Lily IV"

"Stone Walk"

Family Beach Portraits!

Last friday I had a really fun family beach portrait session on the beautiful beaches of Falmouth, MA. In the hour of shooting, this family of four showed so much energy and personality! We got some really fun shots... Check out the sneak preview:

I have several of these beach sessions coming up, and have some weekends still available.

Contact me if you want more info!

Leave some comments! I'd love to hear what you think!

Storms Brewing

One of my favorite experiences is to witness the moments before a really big storm -- when the darkness of the clouds in the sky completely conflicts with the amount of sunlight coloring the landscape. Here are some photographs I've captured in those shining moments -- the calm before the storm.

"New Hampshire Sunrise"

"Sunset Drive"

"Surf Drive Storm"

"The Approach"

"Illinois Wall of Clouds"

New Lens

Last weekend I took a trip with my husband up to Calumet Photographic in Boston to buy some flash accessories. While we were there, I decided to buy Canon's 50mm 1.8 lens. It is a really fun, lightweight lens -- very different than the lenses I already owned. I had previously read some reviews on this lens and photographers seem to be very happy about it. Now that I have shot with it for about a week, I can definitely see why everyone is so impressed.

This lens is all plastic, so its not the most durable, but I don't know too many photographers who aren't careful with their gear. Also, the auto focus is slow and loud, but for anyone who's willing to manually focus, the results are tack sharp. This is my first fixed focal length lens, and I've had a lot of fun playing around with it. Here are some of the shots I got with it this week:

"Cappuccino" -- this well foamed beverage was served to my husband at

Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza (one of our favorite restaurants in Cape Cod).

"Children Playing"

"Sake" -- a set of these mugs was a wedding gift from a friend

"Admiral" -- a page from one of my grandmother's old House Beautiful magazines...

I would recommend this lens to anyone who's been thinking about picking it up. Its fairly inexpensive (less than $100), and it offers high quality results.

Check back next week for images from some Family Portrait Sessions!