elizabeth henry-hooker photography

The Sneaky Fiance

2013-03-22T18:14:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday I got a text message from my sister Siobhan's boyfriend, Dave. Our conversation went something like this:
Dave: Any chance you are available at some point tomorrow for a photo shoot?
Me: What kind of photo shoot?
Dave: The kind where I propose to your sister, and you take photos?

Turns out, I was available.

Dave and I have been plotting this event for months, and it was originally meant to take place on the waterfront some time in April. I helped Dave select a ring, gave him my parents' phone numbers, and waited.

But apparently a combination of the gorgeous snow storm and the ring burning a hole in his pocket was enough to kick things into high gear. So I texted Siobhan and said "What are you doing with your day off tomorrow? I would love to go take some photos of the snow down at Oakledge Park, would you like to come?" She did. Conveniently, Dave and my husband decided to join us.

We walked through the snow and gazed across the lake. We traipsed through the woods to get a better view of some amazing icicles on the rock cliffs. And then, while Nick and I hung back (so I could "get a better view"), Dave wrapped Siobhan in his arms and started his speech. I don't know exactly how he had it planned out, because Siobhan interrupted him to point out something she thought I would like to take a photo of. But Dave got back on track (with ring in hand) by saying "You also might want to get a picture of this."

And I did.
I got several.

I love my sister dearly, and I love my future brother-in-law.

Siobhan and Dave, I am so excited for you, and I can't wait to see you wed. I wish you so much happiness, love, and very long and healthy lives together.

xoxo,
E

Another January Gone

2013-02-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of February, and I can't believe we are a whole month into 2013 already. I started a new photo project at the beginning of the year, but I haven't shared very many of the photos on my blog, so I thought I would take this opportunity to do a sort of January review. The following are a few of my favorite "photos of the day" from the past month. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

0-60

2013-01-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

I just got my first iPhone, and I'm in love. I have been lusting after my friends fancy smart phones for years. Even my dads have had iPhones for a while now, and I just upgraded from a phone with actual number keys! You couldn't accomplish anything by touching the screen, and you had to hit buttons multiple times to get different letters! And now I have, not just an iPhone, but an iPhone 5! It's like I've gone from driving the back roads of Vermont in a beater, to cruising the German Autobahn in an Italian sports car.

I have also discovered Instagram, and I'm hooked. There is a lot of discussion among photographers about Instagram. There are many who feel it isn't "real" photography, and some who are concerned about fact that the terms include the agreement that Instagram can use the photos you post for anything they like. But I say, come on. We stopped complaining about Facebook making the same terms ages ago. And the camera in my phone has twice as many megapixels and is far more advanced than digital cameras from 10 years ago. I love that it allows and encourages me to photograph my life and surroundings at any moment, and making art everywhere I go feels pretty awesome.

A few years ago I did a photo a day project, and posted cell phone photos to my blog daily. I have said ever since that I would repeat the project when I got my first iPhone, so here goes. In approximately one week of owning this phone, I've already got 25 photos on my Instagram (eh2photo). I started my account on New Years day, and I'm going to post a photo somewhere-either on my blog, my Facebook, or my Instagram, every day this year. I'm sure there will be days when I won't want to-when I'm sick, or grumpy, or exhausted, and I'll grumble a bit when Nick reminds me to post a photo. But those are the days I will need it the most, because making something beautiful always makes me feel better.

Happy, healthy, creative 2013 to you all. I look forward to creating and sharing a year filled with beauty. Starting now.

The Most Important Holiday

2012-11-06T12:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, kids. It's here. The Most Important Holiday of the Year. It may not be the most fun, but it sure can be exciting. (I personally find it far more stressful than hosting Thanksgiving dinner.) This particular one only comes every four years, so I hope you are all planning on celebrating. Lets show our appreciation for the democratic process and the rights we are lucky enough to have in this country, and get out there and vote!

Kristin & Dan Are Expecting!

2012-10-30T17:02:00.000-06:00

My friends Kristin and Dan are expecting a baby in December, and I recently had the pleasure of photographing the happy couple out in Boulder, Colorado, where we all used to live. We went to a few of my favorite places, including downtown Boulder, and Chautauqua Park. It was a perfect day for photography, as the sky was a little bit overcast, but without the threat of rain. This was especially lucky, considering we were all in town for only 2 days, and Boulder tends to be overwhelmingly sunny.

I am sad that I will not be able to meet and photograph their daughter right when she is born, as Kristin and Dan live in Texas, and I am currently in Vermont. I hope I am able to visit when they are settled into family life, and perhaps share some photos of the new addition with you.

Feature Friday--Fairy House

2012-09-28T16:34:00.000-06:00

This week I want to share a piece of art I am working on. I don't know if it is complete, but I am enjoying the process. It began with a trip to the park when visiting Boulder with my husband earlier this week, and I am excited about some of the ideas that have come up since I've started working on it. I am hopeful that it will lead to a series of portraits. Anyone want to play with me?

Feature Friday--Farewell, Five Sisters

2012-09-21T12:36:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, my sister moved in with her boyfriend, which meant that I had to move out of her apartment, too. I've been staying with her over the past several months while my husband looks for work. Now, I will be staying at my mother-in-law's with a small collection of assorted relatives. It's a crowd, but there is a reasonable amount of space, and it's never boring. I still miss "my" neighborhood, but at least the house comes with a nice view.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Feature Friday--September Summer

2012-09-14T17:16:00.000-06:00

This week, as I help my sister pack up and move, I am realizing how the summer seems to have started slipping away. Half way through September, not quite fall, but we had our first few days of sweater weather already. (I love sweater weather. It is my favorite season. There is nothing quite as snuggly as slipping on an extra, not too heavy layer, but not having to trade in the flip flops just yet.) While looking through my "Summer 2012" folder and trying to decide if it is time to start a new one called "Fall, 2012", I found a pairing of photos that remind me of some of the great times I had over the last few months. As we begin this season of change, I wanted to share with you a few expressions of my summer. I hope you enjoyed yours, and may we all look forward to the season and changes to come.

Feature Friday-Marge Arrives in Style

2012-09-07T15:11:00.000-06:00

This year I had the opportunity to spend part of Labor Day weekend with my dads, enjoying dinner and wine on the screened in porch, and listening to the brook running through the backyard. One evening, my stepfather arranged for his mother to join us for a few hours. Even though she is currently living in hospice, and no one is quite clear how cognitive she is, she arrived in her wheelchair looking just as fabulous as ever. Marge has long been the most creative and elaborate accessorizer in the family, and it was a joy to see her looking like her old self.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend, however and wherever you celebrated.

Feature Friday--Light Bright

2012-08-31T11:13:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid, we went to the Champlain Valley Fair every year. My sister and I used to plan for it weeks in advance, as we usually entered some sort of competition. Art work, vegetables, flower arrangements, and bonsai trees were all among the items we toted to and from the fair. One year I won a second place ribbon for a drawing of a horse, and I believe my sister received a ribbon for a plant of some sort.

The last time I remember being at the fair was my first week of college, 11 years ago. I went with my boyfriend at the time to see Styx and REO Speedwagon perform, and skipped orientation/bonding time with my dorm mates. It rained half the night, and I remember a man on stage with a guitar (no idea which one) jumping in the puddles and making the water splash in time to the music.

Wednesday night, my mother, sister, and I (plus one husband and one boyfriend) went to the fair together for the first time in over a decade. I had forgotten how beautiful everything is at night when the lights come on all over the fairground. I was glad I had my camera with me, although the rest of the group, who were constantly waiting for/losing me in the crowd when I stopped every 15 feet to photograph something, may have been less so. I hope they can at least enjoy the results. Happy fair week/labor day weekend/last day of August!

Feature Friday--Historical Wine Hike

2012-08-24T15:21:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, my husband and I finally got to break in one of our wedding gifts--a picnic set that is designed to transport and serve wine and cheese. We packed a picnic and drove to Waterbury, where we hiked a 3 mile loop containing a self-guided historical tour telling the stories of the pioneer families who settled and built farms on the land that is now Little River State Park. We saw their stone walls, barn foundations, and well holes, and walked the bumpy trails imagining what it would have been like to coax a horse up the hills towing a wagon. We read the names on the grave stones, and ran our hands along the remains of rusted farm equipment. I took photos of broken medicine bottles, dishes, and other miscellanea, and we enjoyed our picnic of wine, cheese, and summer sausage by the foundation of an old farm houses before hiking back toward the parking area. Near the end of the tour, we ran into a house from the 1800's that was still standing, and that is where I took this picture of my husband.

I took many lovely photos on our hike, but this picture is the one that stands out to me. It is unclear at first what is happening; it looks as though I took two photos and collaged them together, but in fact, it is just one. I was standing at the back of the house, looking through the window, and Nick was sitting on the front steps drinking his last few sips of wine. Because the lower panel of the door has been removed, I could see straight through the house, but the glass window I was shooting through caught my blurred reflection and the foliage behind me. It was a serendipitous moment, and I am pleased to have captured it to share with you. Happy Friday!

Feature Friday--Say Cheese

2012-08-17T13:42:00.000-06:00

I can't explain why, but I have always loved photographing people while they are photographing something else. One of the first photos I ever took of my husband (the weekend we met, 14 years ago) was a shot of him lying on the ground taking a photo of the Ottawa Parliament building. At every wedding I shoot, I end up with several photos of guests holding up phones or point and shoot cameras, pointed at the couple, or the bridesmaids, or an inebriated guest on the dance floor. The best thing about the digital view screen is that, depending on my angle, I can often get a shot of my subject and their subject at the same time. There's nothing like catching a shot of a bride taking a picture of her bridesmaids, while being laced into her wedding dress. I love that the recent advancements in digital technology allow so many people to have a camera as an integral part of their every day lives, and I look forward to introducing my future offspring to the joys of photography at a young age.

Feature Friday--Summer Nights, Candle Lights

2012-08-10T14:49:00.001-06:00

Last night, my sister and I sat out on the porch, surrounded by a few dozen candles. It was a mild summer evening, and we enjoyed the company, relaxation, and the warm, flickering glow of the flames. It was an awesome almost-end to the week, and brought back memories of our childhood, when we were so interested in the drawer full of candles in the kitchen that my mother finally relented and let us play with them (matches and all) if we followed the rules. Your hair must be pulled back, and there must be an aluminum foil lining on the table. We spent many hours at that table burning chunks of colored wax, sticking our fingers in the hot goo, and going through box after box of matches. When I got married, I actually vetoed a beautiful venue right away because they refused to allow real candles and tried to sell me on the idea of LED tea lights. (Approximately 15 candles on each table made up the majority of the decor for our wedding.) Last night was one of the last times my sister and I will enjoy on her porch. When the summer comes to a close, she will be moving out of her beloved apartment, and in with her boyfriend. I wish her all the best in her new place, where she will build new memories, but I will miss evenings like this one, and the memories that go with them.

Feature Friday-Heather & Adam

2012-08-03T17:24:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of being a second photographer for a wedding at Stratton Mountain Resort with Kirstin LaMonde of Kirstin LaMonde Photography and Two House Photo. Heather & Adam's wedding was a lovely evening affair, and even though it rained all day, it let up just in time for the post-ceremony photographs of the bride and groom. Stratton is a beautiful location, and the couple was lovely as well. It was, as always, an honor to be invited to share in and capture such a special event in two peoples' lives. Congratulations to Heather & Adam.

Feature Friday-Objets des Arts Chez mes Peres

2012-07-27T16:05:00.000-06:00

Last week, I started a new Friday blog post series called Feature Friday. Today, I'm sharing a few photos from a recent visit with my father.

My dads' house has always been one of the most interesting places to explore, and they are always bringing home different and unusual items to add to their eclectic collection. You never know when, for example, you might need an extra life-sized, hand-sculpted, clay head. (Perhaps I shouldn't mention that I once owned a similar head, and re-gifted it at a white elephant swap one Christmas...it was the highlight of the party.)

Come peruse their collection with me.

Feature Friday: Chelsea's Shoes

2012-07-20T09:35:00.001-06:00

I have been looking for ways to make my blog both more interesting and more consistent, and I have finally come up with a few ideas for regular posts. I am going to start today with Feature Friday. This will be a place for me to post a photo I have been working on that may or may not be for a client or a specific job. Some will be my fine art work, and some may just be a fun photo that I took recently and want to share with you. They may be accompanied by a whole article, or just a caption or one sentence about the work. I hope this will become something you can enjoy and look forward to every week.

For my first feature, I am sharing a photograph from a recent wedding of the bride’s shoes paired with the couple’s wedding rings. I love adding texture and depth to a photograph, and I took the opportunity to do this here, creating contrast to the satin shoes and the smooth metal of the groom’s ring.

Happy Friday!

Here's to 99

2012-06-04T10:01:00.000-06:00

A little while back, when I was at my dads' for the weekend, we decided to visit my grandmother and take her for a drive. Memere will be 99 this month, a week after I turn 29. The last few years have been rocky for her, but she is still hanging on. My dad is good about visiting her often and taking her out, when she is up for it, to drive through the mountains. On this particular trip, he asked me to snap a few photos of their hands, as he drove with his left and his mother held onto his right with both of hers. It was awkward shooting over her shoulder from the backseat with my little point and shoot, but I managed to get a few nice photos. In honor of her approaching birthday, I decided to share my favorite here. Here's to another year of a long and well-lived life.

Chelsea & Eric's Engagement

2012-05-11T18:31:00.000-06:00

A week from this evening, my friend Chelsea will be standing across from her groom, exchanging vows. Chelsea and Eric have been a couple longer than the 4 years I have known them, and they make a lovely pair. I am so excited for them, and I can't wait to capture their wedding day, and the details they have put so much time and energy into planning. Today I am happy to share the engagement photos we took yesterday at a gorgeous lake behind Lakeview High School. I hope the last week of planning goes smoothly for Chelsea and Eric, and I look forward to sharing their wedding photos soon!

251 Club, Episode 1

2012-04-20T08:44:00.000-06:00

While driving back from visiting our dads the other weekend, my sister and I decided we are going to join the 251 club. To be eligible for club membership, we must make a concerted effort to visit each of the 251 towns in the state of Vermont.

It came up as we drove the familiar route between Pittsford and Burlington, because we realized that, even though we have driven through these towns on Route 7 a hundred times, there are few in which we have stopped for any reason, even to fill a gas tank. So, we began our Project 251 as we drove through the town of Ferrisburgh. Every time I have driven through the town on recent trips, I have enjoyed seeing two spots, separated by only one lot, hosting signs advertising buildings which no longer exist. It’s entertaining to see the lots, almost side by side, with the empty spaces behind them, where the road house and inn used to be. By stopping to photograph this pair, we marked Ferrisburgh on our maps as the first stop in E&S’s Project 251. Follow our updates throughout the year as we tour around the beautiful state of Vermont, with fresh eyes.

Easter Memories

2012-04-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've always been curious about the ways my friends and their families differ in their easter egg hunt/easter basket traditions.

When I was a kid, my family never used the common, plastic eggs that are usually filled with various candies. Instead, my sister and I searched the house for small chocolate eggs in beautiful, shiny, foil wrappings. Our baskets contained old-fashioned, cardboard eggs, the size of ostrich eggs, filled with jelly beans (the licorice ones were my favorite), and sometimes, if we were lucky, a My Little Pony.

I had one friend whose family hid the kids’ entire easter baskets, which I always thought seemed silly (how easy it must be to find an entire basket!), until I was present one year at the festivities, and realized how difficult it can be if your parents are dedicated and tricky.

And my friend Margaret’s mom hid candy-filled plastic eggs around the house for her three daughters, with the exception of one egg, which contained a single penny. The lucky girl who found the penny was awarded the large chocolate bunny from the communal easter basket.

Friday night, I had the pleasure of dying easter eggs with Margaret and her daughter for the first time. It has been years since I’ve dyed an egg, and it was a joy to watch my “niece” discover the process of mixing colors and learning how the dye color gets brighter with time.

Saturday night, after the kid was in bed, I got to help Margaret hide the plastic eggs full of M&Ms around the living room.

I’ll be spending Easter with my family, so I won’t be able to see her daughter's eyes when she finds the eggs, but I’m sure her mom will take pictures. And I won’t forget the look on her face Friday night, when she lay in bed and said her “best time of day was dying eggs with Auntie Liz”. Happy Easter, everyone. I hope you are building your own lovely memories and traditions.

Keurig, 1, Elizabeth, 0. Again.

2012-03-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

I, like more than half the adults in America, love to drink coffee. I love fancy coffee with long names and frothy toppings, and I love regular coffee, with cream or milk and sugar, and sometimes even black coffee. I started drinking coffee out of styrofoam cups after church on Sundays when I was about 8, and when I was even younger and my parents bought instant coffee, I used to put small amounts of the grounds on my tongue and let them dissolve in my mouth. I was devastated when I moved to Colorado 7 years ago and realized they don’t have Dunkin’ Donuts out there.

The problem for me is, I can’t make coffee. It’s not that I don’t understand the process--it’s fairly straight forward, from what I hear. For our wedding, we received 3 different types of coffee makers, to add to the one we already had. That means we have an electric drip brewer, a caffettiera, a French press, and a cappuccino maker. You’d think I would be able to make satisfactory cup with at least one of these systems.

But you’d be wrong. I have an amazing talent for ruining coffee. I can make it into sludge, I can make lightly tinted water, and I can make a coffee pot explode grounds all over the kitchen. But I can’t make a decent cup of coffee.

Not even, as it turns out, in a (supposedly fool-proof) Keurig machine. This morning marks the third time it has taken more than 2 tries for me to successfully produce a cup of drinkable coffee from this thing. I have so far managed to forget the cup that holds the coffee cartridge, which causes hot water and grounds to seep from several various parts of the machine. I have tried packing my own grounds into the appropriate mini filter, and packed it so tight no water can get through, resulting in an accidental, espresso-esque coffee-sludge. And this morning, I tried that method again, without the over-packing, and it resulted in this mess.

It’s a good thing there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts down the street.

Groundhog Day

2012-02-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to Pennsylvania to visit our good friends Matt and Kelly, and celebrate Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. (This, I’d like to point out, was not an activity that was ever on my “To Do” list, but I rarely turn down an opportunity to do something new and random, even if I have to drive across several states to get there.) We started off our GH Day celebration by watching the 1993 movie, which, it turns out can be turned into a drinking game, and playing Guitar Hero. In an (almost) unanimous vote, it had been decided that no sleep was better than a 2 hour nap. Our friends live in State College, so we had to hit the road at 2:45 in order to get there in time to find parking and stake out a good spot from which to view the Groundhog and the Inner Circle (also known as Men In Fancy Coats and Top Hats).

We hit the road, and, after stopping for gas, coffee, and donuts, arrived in Punxsutawney in time to get a spot in the crowd at Gobbler’s Knob, and watch the fireworks (complete with Star Wars sound track). I never knew Groundhog Day meant fireworks, and I’ve never seen a pyrotechnic display at 6:00 in the morning, but it was a pleasant surprise, and I now believe that fireworks should always be accompanied by John Williams’s music. When the show was over, we watched various groups of children preform dance routines in brightly colored tee-shirts, and finally, around 7:20, the Men In Fancy Coats and Top Hats, (also known as the Inner Circle), traipsed up the aisle and onto the stage to do business with a certain groundhog named Phil. There were perhaps 5 minutes of official proceedings, before one of the groundhog handlers reached into the stump where Phil was residing, and held the large rodent up for the crowd to see. After a short conversation in “Groundhogese” (I did not make that up, someone else can take credit for that), it was announced that Phil had, indeed seen his shadow. According to the tradition, which was started by the Germans a few centuries back, this means we will have 6 more weeks of winter. This year, I don’t think too many people will complain, considering the mild weather we’ve had so far. I’ve heard there are some around these parts who would like to go skiing before spring arrives for real.

With the ceremony was finished, we traipsed back through town in the morning fog, along with thousands of other visitors. After locating our car in the lot at the appropriately named Groundhog Plaza, we hit the road, and most of us slept all the way back to State College.

I don’t think I will be rushing back to Punxsutawney next February, but I’m glad I took the opportunity when it was presented. Embarking on a road trip, staying up all night with friends, witnessing an unusual historical tradition first hand...whether or not it is an experience I ever repeat, it was not one I will soon forget.

P.s. I’d like to thank my husband for holding me on his shoulders so I could get better photos, and for driving the rest of us home while we slept. You’re great. :)

Aimee & Jon’s Happily Ever After

2011-09-06T16:27:00.000-06:00

Two weekends ago, I had the great pleasure of being both a bridesmaid and the photographer at my best friend’s wedding. I’ve known Aimee for 23 years, and I love her like a sister. Over the years, we have spent countless days together, playing board games, splashing in the pool, working on school projects...we went to summer camp together when we were kids, and were roommates our freshman year of college. It was such an honor to stand up beside her on the last Saturday of August and watch her exchange vows with one of the sweetest men I have ever met.

Aimee and Jon’s wedding was beautiful. The weather was perfect (especially lucky, considering that Hurricane Irene hit the state hard the following day), the setting was charming, and the bride was gorgeous. Aimee and Jon know a lot of talented people, and as a result the wedding was not only beautiful but also full of personality, and obviously created with a lot of love. Friends were involved in the creation of floral arrangements, the cake baking, dj-ing, tent decoration, application of make-up and hair styling, and photography. Aimee’s mother has a nice large back yard with a pond that created a lovely backdrop for the ceremony, and after the dancing died down and the music stopped, a bonfire was lit for the guests to relax around. The day was a joy to be a part of, and I am so happy for Aimee and Jon. I hope they enjoy many, many years of happiness together. Best wishes and love to both.

Thanks to Margaret of Margaret Michael Photography for being my second shooter.

Summer Reading

2011-07-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading Summer Sisters for the eighth time. It has been one of my favorites for nearly fifteen years, and is the only non-children's book I have read with such regularity. The first time I read it I was 15, and I read it every summer for the next seven years. I am on my fourth copy because I love it so much that I am constantly lending it out and forgetting to whom I loaned it. It is a great story about the power of friendship, the importance of the decisions we make throughout our lives, and the way we impact the lives of others. I wasn't expecting anything different this time through, but after the 7 years that passed since my last reading, I found myself not only seeing the girls' perspective, but identifying more with the adult figures in the story. That was an interesting shift in my experience of the book, and it makes me wonder how it will change for me again in another seven years. I am sure some things will remain the same, though--I will only be able to read it during the summer, and I will still cry at the end.

Monday Morning Coffee

2011-07-11T12:00:00.001-06:00

This is my favorite coffee mug in the world. It used to be my dad's, and I'm not sure how I ended up with it, but I'm glad I did. It makes me happy every time I drink out of it, so it's especially good for Monday mornings when it takes a little extra kick-start to get going. Happy Monday!