Yesterday I was trying to decide where to go for today's photo walk. I was either going to go East bound or West bound. I made the decision to get West bound given all the foliage changes going on this time of year throughout the state. So, I hopped on RT 2 which follows the Mohawk Trail. If you search online you'll find that it's a popular scenic route to enjoy the fall foliage. I've driven that way in the past before, but not to look at foliage so I was curious how it was this time of year.

I picked up Rt 2. in Leominster and then kept heading west. I did make some stops here and there to places I'll definitely have to visit again, but I enjoyed the ride. It wasn't until I reached Greenfield that I realized Shelburne Falls wasn't too far away. So I made the decision to keep going on Rt 2 and make it my final destination before turning around. I had visited there in the past with my dad almost 4 years ago when we ventured out to Western MA to sight see a little. So, I was looking forward to visiting again. I highly recommend taking route 2 to get there versus the pike and then Rt 91. There is a lot more to see and not much traffic as you go through all the small towns along the way.

I headed out with my Fuji X-Pro2 and my 35mm 1.4 lens. I wanted to make it a point to get more use out of this focal length. It's not super wide which I figured I'd need to get some amazing photos, but all in all I think it worked out quite well. Being outside I was often able to back up more if I needed to.

Note to self: I need to do this trip again!
​Enjoy the photos!

I stopped at a couple parks in Orange. Lots of parks out that way, so I'll have to check out more on my next trip.

I really liked this water tower surrounded by the foliage. On the other side I grabbed some lunch and saw this other angle which I also really liked. Which do you prefer?

A little further down the road on Rt 2 I came across the French King Bridge in Erving MA. The view from there was amazing. Plenty of parking there to be able to hop out and walk on the bridge to enjoy the spectacular view. It is a must see location and I'd be interested to see it in the winter and possibly mid summer. 

Then I continued on and got to Shelburn Falls!!

Just really liked this car.

On my way back I stopped at the famous bridge again and took a photo of the view on the other side. Not as amazing, but still really nice.

I really enjoyed the trip and the Fuji 35mm f1.4 worked well for me. 
Looking forward to another photo walk maybe next week. Who knows where I'll end up.
​Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Now I know that there are official photo walks that cost money and follow a specific itinerary, but what I'm referring to only takes yourself a camera/lens and a sense of exploration.

A photo walk is when you head out for a few hours with the purpose of taking photos. These can be done on your own or with others. Generally you head out to practice an area of photography whether its photographing people, street photography, landscapes or just scenic areas. The goal is to put yourself in the locations with a creative eye and truly take in everything you see. Much like hunting or fishing you want to go home with a great catch. You aim to get a variety of well taken photos by just being in the moment. 

For me:

For me doing photo walks have always been to give myself a reason to shoot more often. There are times we have client work to do or editing or we just don't feel creative. You can get in a rut and not feel creative. It happens to all of us. So, I push myself to do photo walks at least once a month. Often times I will visit the same locations when I get new lenses I want to try out as I'm familiar with these locations. Other times I want to go back and get a different look with a different lens or maybe its a different season. 

Its almost like giving yourself a personal project. I'm heading out with this one lens and I'm going to try to get at least 10 good photos. Ok, I'm off.  But, other times I'm looking to explore and find new fun places to photograph. Venturing out like this will help you identify places with good lighting, colors and open spaces for future photo sessions or photo walks with others. 

So you'll probably see me wandering around doing photo walks and then posting them on here because I like to share. If you're not from the Massachusetts area maybe you'll get a little insight through some of my photos on what's around here.

- One of my goals is to attend a photo walk with some of the great photography educators out there. They can be pricey, but you can learn a ton from them. And I enjoy traveling.



Here are some recommendations for your next photo walk:

- Take one lens (a prime lens). This can be tricky for some as most of us are gear heads and love all of our lenses equally so why leave some at home? But, the idea is to have the lens get out of your way of taking photos. Less options will have you looking for the shot. You'll quickly notice what kind of shots might work versus the ones that won't. Instead of getting frustrated you teach yourself to get the best shot possible. You'll notice that when the next scene presents itself you're already prepared for what won't work and you'll start seeing what will. This is very freeing and a great way to view your photography differently for the day.

- Take less photos per setting. This one can be tricky and hard to do as no one will be there to count how many shots you're taking, but it is a great challenge to give yourself. Maybe at every spot limit yourself to 4 photos from that exact same position. This way you force yourself to move on to a different angle/look. One way to be able to help with this is to head out with a small memory card like a 8gb or 16gb. Can you do it?

- Get out of your comfort zone. For some their comfort zone is a 10 mile radius from their home while for others its closer to a 50 mile radius. Plan ahead and go beyond your normal radius. Research the areas where you are considering ahead of time so you know where you might be, but really get out there. If your inclination is to take landscape photos, visit a busy city or vice-versa. If you always shoot with a long lens, try a wide one for the day. Explore!

-  Bring another photographer or two along with you. At times these can be fun alone where you can fully concentrate, but other times its great to be able to chat and observe how others see the world. Ask how and why they are shooting something different to yours. Maybe they saw something you didn't see or you found a interesting angle of your own. Don't treat it as a competition, but as a learning photo walk.

This past week I did a photo session with a photography friend of mine Nikki and her family. I've known her for several years and we like to chat photography. Another interesting fact is that both of our son's share the same name. Alex!

So we headed into Worcester and met up at the Bancroft Tower for some photos. As the sun was setting we quickly headed over to Elm Park to get a few more.

Please enjoy!

All photos were taken with the Fuji 50mm F2 and the Fuji 35mm F 1.4

I've known Megan for maybe 5 years as a fellow photographer out of Central MA. I think we were in a photography group together on Facebook and just stayed in touch. I reached out to her this past week letting her know I was interested in meeting up to take some photos and she agreed. She's been in business much longer than I have and has amazing work. Check out her website: perspectives-photography.com

So the day was pretty cloudy and on the cooler side, but that didn't matter at all. Getting together with photography friends is always fun as we can geek out over equipment, talk about our businesses and of course take some photos.

Due to the pandemic the streets were particularly barren, but we did find some nice areas with interesting texture and buildings for backgrounds. 

Please note that I only had my 50mm lens with me so most of my photos are in that perspective.
​Enjoy!

Thanks for modeling for me Megan!!

All photos taken with the Fuji X-Pro2 and the 50mm F2.

This is another wedding that I recall very fondly. The venue was a relative's mansion by the water and it was stunning. The weather was really nice and bright that day. Marissa and Max were amazing with great energy and make it super easy to photograph their special day. This is another wedding I worked together with Deirdre Rakus Photography. I look forward to doing more weddings with her in the future.

We started the day with a couple photos of the venue outside before I headed in to meet up with Marissa and Max. They were both getting ready in different parts of the house. It really was amazing being so close to the water!

So I met up with the ladies first. They got the best view for sure.

Then I headed downstairs to check in on Max and the guys.

Then it was time to get that first look photo!

We then headed over to the beautiful venue area on the back side of the house and got ready for the ceremony to begin.

Then we got some photos close by before heading over the reception hall. Just fantastic weather!

Cocktail hour was already going on upstairs so I made my way up there. What a beautiful reception venue!

With cocktail hour over the reception hall was ready for everyone. The party was getting ready to begin!

What a fun day!!