Brief look back at Guatemala

I was going through some old images from a 2011 trip to Guatemala.

Hampton surfing

Finally I'm getting out in the water with a camera! Today was the first day testing the new rig and I'm diggin it. Forecast called for decent swells but turns out when I arrived around 7 a.m. was the best time until everything died out around 10:30-11:00. Things picked back up a bit around 5:00 p.m., as did the chop. Spent 13 hours at the beach today, mainly fiddling around with the camera, waiting on the waves and planning out the next couple of days.

Visions from Fenway, coming soon...

This year, Fenway Park in Boston celebrated 100 years. I was fortunate enough to be allowed some time to spend photographing around the ball park. The pitch was to take a look at Fenway, not from a traditional approach of game action, players and fan reactions/moments as much as a visual wandering throughout the grounds in an attempt to share more of a feeling of the park. Here is a teaser photo for now as we begin the editing process. I'll post a link to the Concord Monitor's photo blog when it is published.

A Waning Industry

It was a story with boat loads of potential...get it...boat loads...fishing...get it?

As the sun rises in the Gulf of Maine, David Goethel, watches his nets drop into the water from his boat, Ellen Diane, to begin his 16-hour day catching mixed ground fish off the New Hampshire coast. Like many fishermen based out of Seabrook, Goethel began his career working the party boats at the age of 13. As his interest in fish grew, he decided to attend Boston University to figure out "what makes [fish] tick," he said. He graduated with a degree in biology. "I started with nothing," Goethel said.

Nowadays breaking in to the industry is much harder. "If you're a millionaire heir and you inherit money, then maybe, but you need your head checked." Each trip out is an investment, he said, "You can't pay off the [boat] loan for the amount of fish you are allowed to catch." "They want to make a living, they don't want to make a killing," Goethel said about the average fisherman in the area. "My goal is to make a living for my family and make a living for Paul," he said. Paul Kuncho, has worked on and off with Goethel over the past several years and has been in the industry for about 20 years. "I think it's in my blood," he said. "I can't see myself doing anything else."

When fishermen are not fighting the weather, they are fighting the government, Goethel said. This year David Goethel will complete his third and final term as a member of the New England Fisheries Council. While fishing the Gulf of Maine one morning, he recalled regulations first coming about in the early 1990s. "What we see on the water does not match what their assessment is telling us," he said, adding there is a micromanagement of the fisheries in the United States. "We've put a heck of a lot of people out of business," he said, continuing that regulations are causing just a handful of people to become wealthy while the vast amount will be out of business. "There's a finite number of fish out here," he said. With sustainable fishing as the goal, Goethel spoke of the "need to figure out how to divide up the pie."

The Blocks: Defaced

There have been a series of racist graffiti tags on the homes of refugees over the past months around Concord. Most recently, in the South End, the home to a family from Somalia was defaced. You can read the article by Concord Monitor's Maddie Hanna HERE and a follow-up story by Ray Duckler about a "Love Your Neighbor" campaign that has sprung up as a result of the graffiti. One of the victims, the mother of the house, was home. Although she did no want her name published, she was alright having her photo made outside the house. It was quick, I shot about 11 photos, but was happy she was willing to even do that considering what had happened.

New Hampshire fishing industry

I spent a day on a boat with David Gothel, a New Hampshire fisherman who is one of many dealing with an increasing number of regulations and a decreasing income.

Misty Mountain

Today I headed out to far west Vermont for a shoot. On the awesome drive winding through mountains, I came across this open area with a fantastic view. I decided to make a quick stop on my way home when I saw the fog rolling in. Made me think about how amazing it would be to pack a motorcycle, car, or RV and just cruise around the country for several months making pictures. There's so much here.