Category: Behind The Scenes

The Places You'll Go

9/7/2016

This doesn't look like Virginia.

That's what I told myself at every bend of the New River this past June. I was on another photo shoot with Sam Dean in Pembroke. This time we were shooting for two days and camping overnight on the river- my first time in a tent since my long-forgotten Girl Scout days. I was ready to pee in the woods. I was ready to get my shoes wet (not with pee). I was ready for the sweat and too much sun. I was ready to not sleep at all. I wasn't ready for the train that would roll through the neighboring meadow at 5 am on day two. It's a hell of a wake-up call, but it got the camp stirring.

Before I get ahead of myself...

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." -Dr. Seuss

This quote was running through my head both days of the adventure. Here I am. Going. Learning. Camping. Castle Rock (above middle) had been on my radar for a few years, and my attempts to research the formation were relatively fruitless. There wasn't much to learn via Google, so I was super excited to be experiencing it in person.

The rock tower lies on one of the five oldest rivers in the world as it flows through the little town of Pembroke, population 1,128. It's here that Tangent Outfitters provides full service outfitting for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting and mountain biking. They'll even be your guides. With southern charm and accents to boot!

Several portions of the river near Pembroke were lined with cliffs like the one you see above. The river was silent and the morning fog made their unveiling surreal. The moment above is one of my favorites. We were on a jungle safari in Virginia, minus the flesh-eating fish and bugs as big as your hand.

Below are some behind-the-scenes moments. On the left, Sam shoots slo-mo video of the models on day one. I can't tell you how nervous the bend in that jib arm made me. Do you see the camera held up by a string over the water? Shout out to Parkway Brewing Co's Get Bent Mountain IPA in the middle. And on the left, Ron The Bike Guy improvises with a reflector on Whose Line Is It Anyway.

I'd also like to give a shout out to The Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston. I'd eaten at the farm-to-table restaurant on a previous trip and fell in love. Imagine how excited I was to learn they were catering dinner and breakfast for us while camping. On day two they made THE BEST grits I've ever had in my life. In a cast iron skillet. Over a fire. I thought I had been living a food-fulfilled life before that moment, but I stand delectably corrected.

The adventure came and went, 12 million photos were snapped, no one drowned (for the most part), and we all got sun. If I were Dr. Seuss I'd make up an awesome ending with mountains and water and paddles and rhyme it with "fun." Instead:

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!"

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I Cuddled at Caromont

3/4/2016

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When Caromont Farms put out a call for volunteers to snuggle their baby goats this past January, they never expected to go viral. That's partially where I come in...

It was another 4 AM wake-up call this past Tuesday. On the road at 5. At the farm by quarter 'til 7.

I received a friendly greeting and tour just in time for a mountain-delayed sunrise. The next sixty minutes were a golden hour rush and flood of endearment. I was CRAWLING with baby goats. Literally. Baby goats nursing on my fingers. Baby goats nipping at my clothes. Baby goats suckling on my hair. Baby goats climbing into my lap. Baby goat noses all up in my camera. Baby goats licking the lens hood. Baby goats stumbling. Baby goats bleating. Some of them were even wearing hand-knit sweaters!

OK. Pump the breaks. Let me bring you up to speed on these kids.

Caromont Farms is a family farm located in the heart of Virginia's Piedmont region. They raise and milk goats with which they produce fresh, hand-made cheeses. They also partner with Silky Cow Farm in nearby North Garden to produce a few cow's milk styles, but that's not part of this story. This story is about cuddling!

It's our human need for physical contact and the joy of snuggling (especially with cute, fluffy babies) that brought me to this farm. You win, baby goats. All the way from Australia, you won the internet that day in January, and so my visit was prompted. Yes, people as far away as Australia volunteered to travel half way around the world to snuggle with these kids. The response they received for their request was so huge, their waiting list had a waiting list. And, unfortunately, there will be some goat-less snugglers this season... but not me! *maniacal laugh*

Check out a few of these precious video moments:

This experience was amazing. Therapeutic, even. Cuddling baby goats was exactly what I needed! Only now I want some goats of my own (and chickens, and otters, and a skunk, a fox, rats, pigs, all the cats and a dog).

You won't be able to get your cuddle on at Caromont anymore this season, but keep your eye on next year. They start giving farm tours in June, so you can still feast your eyes, ears and nose on the sights, sounds and smells of the farm. And get your taste buds on some local chevre.

P.S. They should be opening their online store soon, so all those folks in Australia can taste the fruits of our snuggling.

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The Best View in RVA

1/11/2016

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It's likely no surprise to Richmondfolk that I'd consider the view from the Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge the best in all of the city (aside from the rooftop of the John Marshall Hotel... or so I've been told). If you live in RVA, you've seen the skyline from the bridge countless times- maybe even with a PBR in your hand or a few stashed in your backpack on your way to the river. Until I directed a kayak shoot at both sunrise and sunset in August of last year, said view had somewhat lost its splendor for me. It had become the for-the-millionth-time perspective and the same photograph everyone's taken.

I wonder if the residents of San Francisco or New Yorkers feel this same way about the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

I'm also no stranger to watching the sun rise from Belle Isle. There's a history of nights spent exploring and roasting marshmallows over a fire inside the abandoned factory on the south side. It's a wild experience to be in the middle of the city and feel so secluded and utterly lost in nature. We danced and drank and scrambled the rocks, and when the sun rose over the skyline we realized we were once again civilized and back on Earth. Sadly, appreciation had been lost to repetition.

But it was on that August morning somewhere between two-way radio commands and the buzzing of a Podracer-esque drone that I recalled how amazing this view had been the first time I crossed the pedestrian bridge in 2005: With the bold silhouette of the skyline doubling itself in the James, I was overcome by the early summer scene as an epic convergence and clash between nature and man. And just then, remembering my experience from ten years earlier, the sun peeked between two buildings and winked at me. She winked at me! And I flushed.

I can't say that was a life-changing moment or day. But I can say that I found a renewed appreciation on that pedestrian bridge. A little more appreciation everyday. That's the goal.

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To Be Continued...

10/20/2015

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In August I found myself at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, just around the corner from my childhood stomping grounds. It’s atop Hogback Mountain on some 200 acres of rolling hills with a centrally located pond that reflects a beautiful mountain sunset.

They had just opened an impressive new tasting room with a cozy fireplace nook, banquet hall, dining-available tank room with adjoined underground barrel hallway and three stories of outdoor porches with stone and wood accents everywhere (queue the wedding bells). Yeah, it’s dreamy. It’s a to-be couple’s wonderland and the setting for so many beautiful photos.

I was on set that day with photographer Jeff Mauritzen, a super talented commercial and editorial photographer based in Washington, D.C., and videographer Rich Berrnett, an equally down-to-earth guy with a great sense of humor. I love attending these work-for-hire shoots and observing the process through which each photographer works the assignment: different styles, different crews, models, wardrobe, craft services, etc. I learn a heck of a lot and enjoy taking behind-the-scenes photos.

I especially love this shot of the crew. Here is Rich with a makeshift towel and bungee cord sun protectant with Jeff snapping long shots of models off frame left, both lost in concentration. This affords the perfect opportunity to comment on the importance of photographers mastering their use of surrounding materials and lighting situations. We’ve all got a little MacGyver in us: bouncing flashes here, improvising lighting there, temporary tripods, pinning clothes, cheating the camera, sandbags, gaffer tape, piles of apple boxes, cardboard. Did you know a banana peel is great for shining shoes? We're not ashamed if it gets the job done, and, in this case, Rich really needed a hat.

A few more production shots throughout the day show the crew filming models at the main tasting bar (left), the big sunset finale on the western third story porch (center) and Jeff directing models (right).

I even got a chance to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day, but was so exhausted I didn't take note of what I was drinking. For this reason, along with the gorgeous property and incredible hospitality of the staff and owners, I vow to return on my own time to enjoy a day of tasting and, hopefully, another beautiful sunset. To be continued...

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Playing A Pirate

6/17/2015

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On a cold morning in March, 2012, I was rattling in my boots amongst the dark, constructed wharf of Philadelphia. The sun hadn't come up, and I was shivering in somewhat silent solidarity with a rep of the Virginia Film Office. Catherine was her name. She had a tremendous love for and knowledge of film. Our breath rolled out in thick puffs as we shared our favorite movies. We had Miyazaki in common, I remember.

Twenty minutes roll by and the sunrise is finally in our favor. We sprang into action! Or rather, I began losing myself in the surrounding back-lot while she monitored.

I climb aboard a sailing ship that was built for HBO's John Adams miniseries back in 2007 and proceed to walk, crouch and climb around the deck with the camera held up to my face. I wasn't only a photographer that morning, I was a pirate whose ship sailed the open plains in search of land-locked marinas and abandoned cities whose motto was "leave no trace" and "photo or it didn't happen." When you truly get caught up in a scene like this, the world fades away as you search for the perfect angle and composition, as many an artist can attest. Sometimes I find my body in awkward or unperceived positions as the world begins to fill back in around me upon capturing the desired frame, and this time I found myself laying on the deck of the ship. The VFO rep snapped this photo of me caught up in the occasion. You can see my breath condensing in the cold. #JustPirateThings

Known simply as the State Farm, this 3,000 acre historic backlot is 30 minutes outside Richmond and features a period farm first created for John Adams, battlefields and trenches dug out for Lincoln, a jail and plenty of pristine landscapes. Also filmed on location have been AMC's TURN and Randall Wallace's Point Of Honor.

Constructed alongside the sailing ship was a paddle wheeler, the reproduced exterior of the River Queen used in Spielberg's 2012 Lincoln.

I had never set foot on a backlot before and gained a new appreciation of the facade structures that morning with their exposed posterior beams and unfinished interiors. The best part was having the run of the place and, of course, catching the simultaneous, half-frozen golden hour (oh, and playing a pirate).

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The Places You'll Go

I Cuddled at Caromont

The Best View in RVA

To Be Continued...

Playing A Pirate

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