An incredible, post storm sunset view from our campsite in Waterbury, VT.
The friendliest cows munching away on the side of the road just outside Stowe, VT.
Two Potters
Sometimes it feels like the world is so small and that everyone in the creative world is connected and knows someone you know. I had one of these moments when I got asked to do an assignment for the New York Times sports section. Yes, the sports section....as you know, I work for the food section of the Times and never have I ever photographed anything sports related! They needed someone, extremely last minute, to drive out to Middletown, NY and photograph prints and letters from a scrapbook that Celeste Van Fleet had. Celeste's late husband once took a photograph that went viral (you can read about it here) and she kept a scrapbook about it with letters and photos. To make a long story short, the location that the photo was taken at (a private school) was down the road from where I went to photography school and I had stumbled across it while I was attending. It's such a small town that it was quite shocking for Celeste to know that I was familiar with the school and had been there. And it was quite shocking for me as well! While I was visiting with Celeste, her granddaughter, Becca Van Fleet, came up in conversation. Becca and her husband own the company Two Potters, whose work I had stumbled across once on the internet. I immediately emailed Becca to introduce myself and told her I was planning a trip up to Vermont and would love to photograph their work. We spent the day chatting, eating and Becca watched as I styled and shot...what more could you ask for? It was so much fun! And I'm really excited to share the photos. I think their work is just magnificently beautiful!
Sandwiches for the NY Times
I think one of my favorite assignments for the New York Times was photographing these 8 sandwich recipes for a big sandwich story they ran a few months ago. I love sandwiches...eating them and photographing them. I had one of these sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the 2 days it took me to shoot this. But no complaints here because these are all very gooooood! I especially loved the chicken salad, it was a good take on that classic and I really liked the addition of yogurt (it took away some of the mayo taste that I don't always go crazy over). And the club sandwich is to die for- if you can sink your teeth into that double decker!
Crunchy Calamari for The NY Times
A few months ago I had to make this fried calamari for the New York Times. Honestly, I had never made fried calamari myself before this and I thought, well who would make this at home instead of going out to order it? But it was actually super easy and if you're a big fan of the dish, it's not too much to tackle on your own. It does help if you have a deep-fryer but if not, I recommend using a big and deep cast iron skillet...just make sure you get that oil nice and hot and definitely take Florence Fabricant's advice and stand back because it will splatter!
Pottery by Kristin Nicholas
I love color. It simply makes my heart sing. And if you follow my work, I guarantee you've seen a theme of color shine through in many of my photos. I love working with Kristin because she shares that same love of color. I've photographed her home countless times for features and her book (Crafting A Colorful Home) and I always get so excited to spend time on her beautiful farm and play with all the color in her house. She recently started making her pottery again which really excites me! (I love everything she makes). So we spent some time photographing a few of her pieces when I came for a visit back in May. Look at her tremendous artistry...I can't decide if I want to eat off of her plates or hang them up on my wall!
You can purchase these beauties at Kristin's Etsy shop.
April Bloomfield Recipes for NY Times
Early in spring I photographed two recipes from April Bloomfield's new cookbook, A Girl and Her Greens, for the New York Times. I like that the recipes from this book are veggie based but not all are strictly vegetarian. For example, April uses anchovies to give her whole pot-roasted cauliflower (pictured below) a lift. She has a refreshing take on cooking with vegetables that I very much appreciate. And for the record, these boiled potatoes with butter and mint get top marks in my book!
To view the full article featured in the New York Times click here.
And the links for the recipes:
Boiled Potatoes with Butter and Mint
Whole Pot-Roasted Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Anchovies
Lucy Fagella's Home Tour
Artist's homes are always so unique and inspiring. I may be biased, as I'm an artist myself, but in all my years of shooting interiors I have always found creative people's homes to be the most interesting spaces to photograph. And another that follows suit is potter, Lucy Fagella's farmhouse in Western Mass.
It's charming, cozy, warm, bright, inviting...I could go on. Lucy and her partner, Terri redid the kitchen using wood and glass from an old barn that was torn down on the property when they moved in. They also renovated the barn attached to the home into Lucy's pottery studio. It once housed hay and tractor equipment and is now a beautiful space for Lucy to work in and teach her pottery classes. They have a large garden, a greenhouse and chickens that sustain them for the majority of the year.
Lucy was also kind enough to let me watch her work. I had never seen a potter throw before so I was slightly freaking out with excitement while I was watching her do her thing. Lucy is incredibly talented and I love her pottery. The green/blue hues she uses are so soothing..I drink my morning tea out of one of her mugs every morning and it makes my day!
To view more photos of Lucy's house and to read about the story behind, check out her feature we put together on Houzz.
