Photo By: Harmony Motter
I first visited Harpswell, Maine when I was 20 years-old. My second trip was when I was 21 to Brunswick, Maine. Third visit was when I was 23 to Brunswick again. Fourth visit, I was 28 to Woolwich, Maine. I then moved to New Gloucester in December of 2006. I lived in southern Maine for 2 1/2 years. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It seems as if there is always something new to discover. This past week I vacationed on Peaks Island, Maine. The above photo was taken on a Saturday morning. The colors of the shells are always refreshing to me.
Photo By: Harmony Motter
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I recently returned from a trip to Peaks Island, Maine. Peaks Island is a neighborhood in the city of Portland, Maine. It is located in the Casco Bay and is roughly two miles long and one mile wide. Peaks Island is the most populated island in the Casco Bay, with a winter population of approximately 850. In the summer months, however, the population swells to 4,000 or 5,000. The island lies approximately three miles from the coast and is accessible by a short 15-20 minute ferry ride on the Casco Bay Lines that delivers you to the Maine State Pier in the Portland Old Port area....This photo was taken on June 17, 2010. It was a rainy day and my ferry was approaching Portland. Photo By: Harmony Motter
A terrific photographer from Oil City named Jerry Sowden had a nice idea a few years back, taking the lead from the Day in the life folks who made picture coffee table books a huge thing in the 80's and 90's, Jerry wanted to do a weekend in the life of Venango County and asked if I would be involved. I knew very little about Venengo County but thought it would be fun to be one of the photographers who just went out and looked for things and people to shoot--to look for stories. There is a little stretch of Venengo County that Route 27 winds down into between East Mead and Titusville that I had traveled on many times. I told Jerry I'd focus my efforts up there in that part of the county. He seemed happy about this because he didn't really have any other photographers who were interested in that area. So I set out with gas prices nearly $4 a gallon and went feature and story hunting. I decided to go to church and stopped in and asked if it would be ok if I witnessed and photographed this one church in Chapmanville. Well that was a goldmine that led to several other stories and leads and I followed up on the ones I could. I made this portrait of a World War 2 soldier who was a prisoner of war. I chatted with him for over an hour and made several pictures of him. I can't remember his name off hand and don't have my notes handy. I do know he passed away about a year ago. He gave me a clip of bullets, he was proud that he made his own bullets. I told him I didn't shoot, but he insisted I take them. I still don't know what to do with them, but they do look cool on my mantle. The project unfortunately never got funded and even though it turned into a week in the life of Venango County and I spent a second weekend exploring and meeting new people, it just seemed to have died. I did like this portrait though. Photograph by Richard Sayer
Anyone who has been reading this blog right along has read me going on and on about what I think portraiture is. The possibilities of a good portrait are endless if done with a few things in mind. Who is the person being photographed? What do they do, what have they done and what do they someday hope to do? Sort of funny things to think about when making someone's portrait. Most of the time people don't expect these sorts of questions, they go to a photographer because they like the lighting the photographer uses, or the props, backgrounds, locations etc... They like that the picture the photographer shows as examples are all very nice and everyone has a good expression etc.... All good reasons to go to a photographer. To me a portrait reveals a persons life, their character and the life they have lived---the great portraits reveal the dreams they have - this is not an easy task in a photo, but its what i strive for. Sometimes it takes a little work to get there on my part and my subjects, but when we get there, the portraits are portraits and not just facsimiles of the person. SayerMotter Photography ph
A little over a week ago we sent out a coupon for a free summer photo session with SayerMotter Photography and we've been getting a lot of individuals and families contacting us and we've booked 6 sessions already for the next week and a half--So we'll be busy--but good busy. The coupon is set to expire on July 4 and we're hoping to stay this 'good busy' all summer long. We're going to photograph 3 families all who saw the pictures of Aimee and Eric Reinagel that I've been taking now for a couple of years. The above family portrait is one of my favorites. Its the kind of interactions we at SayerMotter Photography hope to capture in a portrait. These are beyond just pictures of the family, they show something about how the family interacts and loves each other. If we can make a portrait that has emotion--thats what we want to have hanging on the walls, resting on mantles or shelves and pulled out of wallets to show friends. SayerMotter Photography by Richard Sayer. Send us an email, call us or send us a facebook message today(or tomorrow--but don't wait too long!) ...and heres another favorite from the most recent session This is a picture of two of my friends, Vinny and Josey. I see them many times during the year out and about. Seems they are at all the big functions. Vinny wanted to show me how high he could lift his older sister up during the Thurston Classic at Allegheny College. As they both played I egged them on a little and the next thing I knew was dad was telling them to calm down---I knew I was to blame for it all, but had fun taking their picture. Meadville tribune photograph by Richard Sayer. Oh by the way that odd creature is the balloon the Giant Purple People Eater balloon from Titusville, Florida. I also photographed the iside of this balloon and it was one of the featured pictures yesterday.
The annual Thurston Classic hot-air ballooning event kicked off tonight with the night glow. Eight pilots inflated their balloons, kept them tethered and waited until it was dark enough so that when lit their burners, the balloons glowed. I've covered this many times now for the paper and sometimes I get a nice shot out of this. I still haven't gotten a better shot than Jim Stefanucci has from the glow. I was reminded of that today as I came back in to the office, happy enough with my pictures, but as I was walking up the stairs I looked over and there is his image from about 12 years ago hanging in a 16 x 20 frame. I knew what I had in my camera, and as I said, I was happy with what I got, but damn--that picture of Jim's is just something special! Meadville Tribune photos by Richard Sayer
I don't have a copy of Jim's picture handy, but I ran downstairs and snapped a picture of it hanging on the wall with four other of Jim's great shots. (There is a reflection of me in the glass wearing my ball cap!) Anyone in the area who checks out this featured picture of the day, a show of Jim's photographs and drawings will be on display at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Wellness Institute starting next week and running for a month. I remember my earliest days of photography. It was about light and shadows and angles. Trying to take a picture of something in a different way. It was looking at a lot of Kertescz photographs, and Paul Strand. It was finding long shadows and just enjoying light. I won't say it has changed all that much really for me over the years, but I seldom find myself taking photographs simply for the joy of it. There is always a purpose. Tonight after unsuccessfully getting into a building I was told had some band rehearsal going on, I walked past these tables outside the campus center and for no other reason but to do it, I stopped and took this picture. Photography is fun. Photograph by Richard Sayer
We recently developed the idea of giving free photo sessions, we understand the economy and people aren't thinking about spending money on getting photographs taken. Harmony and I both think that photography is so important in the documentation of our lives that we don't want people to miss this chance to document their lives now, here, this summer. We are starting this business from scratch and we too cut back, but the image making must find a way to go on. We're hoping by taking away some of the expense of getting a family portrait, a senior portrait, pictures of that new born baby, your engagement that people will take the time to have their pictures made. A free portrait session is a savings of over $50. We truly hope many people take advantage of this savings. Above are a few recent portraits I've done for clients. Shoot us an email, give us a call, message us on facebook, however you want to contact us please do so, We really want to take your picture. SayerMotter Photographs by Richard Sayer. Below is the coupon we posted on facebook. Its good if you book before July 4.
Awhile back I began to photograph Janae, we've done three session together in hopes of making pictures she can use for her modeling portfolio. Her friend Risa is also working on making a modeling portfolio. Yesterday was my first meeting with her. I had photographed Janae in this giant culvert pipe once before and we discussed how this would be a goo location to photograph someone wearing stripes. So that what we tried to do yesterday. This picture was sort of funny because they are sort defying gravity while posing. Janae is being held up by Risa who is doing everything she can to not slide down as they tried to pose on the side of the pipe, I wanted the stripes to go with the contours of the pipe for some photos since most of the time the horizontal stripes of their clothing went as a crisscross pattern to the vertical lines of the pipe. We photographers want angls and situations that sometimes impossible, but we managed to get this work out alright. After a few slips and a lot of laughs we got the pictures taken. Photograph by Richard Sayer
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