Wow I can’t believe that February is here already and already I’m running four days behind schedule on this. The photo in the month of February is from Step Falls in Bethel. This is such a great location and I’ve been here a couple of times. This particular location is special to me because it’s where I did my first maternity shoot that I actually enjoyed doing it and was proud of the outcome. Honestly, I have so much respect for photographers who specialize in maternity. There is no higher honor than to capture the beauty of a young first-time mother. It was also a great start to a new friendship for me. I used to say I would never do maternity shoots, what do I know about pregnancy being a dedicated stepmom but never having given birth? But this shoot broke down my ego and taught me how special pregnancy can be. Now I welcome maternity shoots!
When I did that shoot I knew I wanted to come back to get a landscape. There’s something special about this place. This photo was taken after sunset right before dark on a long exposure. Josh and I had planned an evening getaway at the Bethel Inn, compliments of the incredible generosity of my boss. We didn’t have much time. It was a “head out at 4pm and leave at 6am” kind of deal. When you work as we do, you got to take time when you can get it.
When we got there we decided to do a quick little walk out to this spot, grab a few photos and go. I just wanted to scope out the spot for the next morning. Because it was such a long shutter speed and kind of a cloudy day, to begin with, I feel like we were able to really pull out some vibrancy in the colors of the leaves and water.
I’ll never forget this night. We didn’t get a wink of sleep, but we did walk the golf course and do a little moon gazing in the pitch dark. I was “wicked” creeped out though and convinced there were lurking bears in the darkness of the forest and it being cold enough to see my breath, to Josh’s dismay, we headed back to the Inn where we spent the rest of the evening watching documentaries about the Universe on the discovery channel. The not-so-distant sound of a low-battery smoke detector going off ALL night made for a sleepless night, but a lasting memory. #Offseasonblues. The food and drinks were superb there and we are looking forward to our next adventure getaway… which might be a long time to come.
The sister photo to this is hanging right now at the Local Hubb in Greenwood right off route 26 on the way to the Sunday River. If you’re local or planning a trip to the mountain, I hope you’ll swing by and check it out. Also, an oat milk latte made by the beautiful Laina is highly recommended.
Thanks for reading. Love you all so much and thank you for your support.