Jeff Newcomer had been a physician practicing in New Hampshire and Vermont for over 30 years. Over that time, as a member of the Conservation Commission in his home of Chesterfield New Hampshire, he has used his photography to promote the protection and appreciation of the town's wild lands. In recent years he has been transitioning his focus from medicine to photography, writing and teaching. Jeff enjoys photographing throughout New England, but has concentrated on the Monadnock Region and southern Vermont and has had a long term artistic relationship with Mount Monadnock. He is a featured artist in a number of local galleries and his work is often seen in regional print, web publications and in business installations throughout the country. For years Jeff has published a calendar celebrating the beauty of The New England country-side in all seasons. All of the proceeds from his New England Reflections Calendar have gone to support the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at the Cheshire Medical Center.
Jeff has a strong commitment to sharing his excitement about the special beauty of our region and publishes a blog about photography in New England.
Spring is progressing and I have been getting out trying to
capture the beauty before it disappears. For me, the season really
comes to an end when the fresh, multi-toned green of the early foliage settles
into the rather monotonous deep greens of summer. Surely, the bright spring
flowers continue to explode, but once the variety of colors in the trees and
scrubs begin to fade, I’m ready to move on to summer.
Guilford Vermont
Overall, it has been a good spring. After a prolonged late winter “stick season”, the buds
slowly began to pop. As always, I love the variety of greens that
decorate the hills and roadsides. I call it our second “autumn”
season of color and in many ways it is more interesting and longer lasting –
with the added benefit of no leaves to rake after it is all over.
Pleasant valley Farm Rockingham Vt
First there is the Flowing Water
Partridge Brook Chesterfield New Hampshire
Chesterfield NH
Of course, early spring isn’t only about the waves of
color. The second major attraction is the flowing water. Even
without much melting snowpack the streams and waterfalls have been bursting
with this years spring rains. Waterfall photography is often an
early spring gift even before the greens begin to grow.
Chesterfield Gorge
This year, I enjoyed a fun early waterfall exploration with
a short workshop for a group from the Monadnock Garden Club. I had
planned to visit a number of waterfalls around Chesterfield area over a morning
in early May. I first brought the group to Chesterfield
Gorge. The Gorge has a wonderful variety of dramatic drops and
babbling cascades and it turned out that location provided more than enough to
keep the folks busy for the entire morning. The group came with a
wide range of experience and equipment, from sophisticated digital SLR’s to
iPhones. I was happy that everyone had a tripod, but some barely
qualified for that designation. There certainly were many
opportunities for diplomatic instruction and the brisk flow of the stream
provided all we needed to capture lovely images.
Saxon River Falls
Brockway Mills Falls Chester Vt
The waterfall photography has been great all spring and I
have been out a number of times to catch the action. I love it when
I discover new waterfalls. This year, my friend Lucky introduced me
to a couple of dramatic falls around the Bellows Falls, Saxon River area in
Vermont. It is exciting that, no matter how long I wander about the
roads of my corner of New England, I still can find fresh areas of beauty and
wonder.
Partridge Brook Chesterfield NH
There are various ways that shutter speed can render
the appearance of flowing water. Rapid exposures freeze the
splash capturing the turbulent energy of the water, but I continue to be
enamored with the soft dreamy appearance created by long
exposures. Previously, I have discussed my view of the optimal shutter speed, but it depends on the rate of flow, the distance to the falls as
well as your own taste. My goal is to get a soft look without losing
all the detail in the water. There is no one “perfect” shutter speed,
a bit of experimentation is usually required.
Partridge Brook Dam Spofford NH
Nearby, my local falls were all brimming with
action. Partridge Brook, which flows behind my house on its way to
the Connecticut River, provided many interesting cascades as it ran through the
old mill dam and down alongside the road toward Westmoreland. The
Gulf Road, in the southwest corner of Chesterfield, has a number of falls which
are dependent on the fresh run-off, but when the rain is strong, the falls can
be dramatic.
Gulf Road Falls Chesterfield
Jelly Mill Falls Dummerston Vt
I also got across to Vermont for one of my favorite falling
water spots in Dummerston, where Stickney Brook drops through the Jelly Mill
Falls, with a series of lovely cascades to the West River.
Spring Green
Roads End Farm Chesterfield NH
As spring progresses, my attention is increasingly drawn to
the evolving color of the bursting greenery. It was great to have an
excuse to explore around my familiar locations in both New Hampshire and
Vermont.
Each day, I found different shades of color as the
season progressed. I could also vary the colors by simply heading
north or south, or by changing my altitude. The greens are settling out down
here in far southern New Hampshire, but just last week I was able to catch some
beautiful hillside greens on a misty afternoon farther north in Charlestown
along the Connecticut River.
Twin Peaks Charlestown NH
Every year, I am amazed at how quickly the leaves explode on
the trees. They must know how short a season they have to store
energy for the long winter. It is sad to see the multitude of shades
of green settle out, but I do have a pile of images to work through, and I can
sit back and enjoy the relaxing shade until the blast of autumn color shakes me
from my summer lethargy.
Last
week I awoke one morning to discover that overnight a dusting of snow had left
a coating of white on the ground and trees. It wasn’t much, but as I
looked out of the window, I was aware of two important things. First, the
“storm” had resulted in a lovely frosting of the bare November branches.
Secondly, the temperature was 38 degrees, meaning that all that beautiful snow
would soon be falling from the trees.
I
have previously discussed the importance of capturing winter storms while the
snow is still sticking to the branches. We call this the “winter wonderland”
time. The snow-covered landscape is always beautiful, but the magic of winter
scenes is always best captured with the fresh frosting.
On
Tuesday morning, with the temperature above freezing, I knew that the snow
would soon be falling from the branches. It wasn’t the most beautiful
storm, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to contrast winter
wonderland with the ordinary bare branch aftermath.
I
knew that I didn’t have much time, so I headed out toward Westmoreland among
the pastures that lie below Spofford Village. The snow was already
dropping, but I was able to capture a bit of the “wonderland” along Partridge
Brook. Further downstream, I used an old pasture bridge and snow bound
farm equipment as foregrounds. One of my favorite barns was also nearby.
I wanted to return to the locations later in the day, so I stomped rough
markers in to the snow and then headed home for breakfast.
Before and After
I
was back just a couple of hours later. The winter wonderland was gone,
and I set about grabbing my comparison images. My views weren’t perfectly
matched, but I think the point was made. It is amazing how just a few
hours can change the feel of a scene.
After the Drop
Location Location Location
On Hurricane Road
Not
only time, but location can affect what we see. After all, this IS New
England, and the variable conditions is one thing that make makes our
photography so dynamic. After capturing my “Un-Wonderland” images, I
headed in to Keene by way of Hurricane Road. This road travels over a
hill and with the elevation returned the winter wonderland coating. The
snow was coming off the trees in large clumps, but I was still able to catch a
touch more magic before descending to the nearly snowless Keene Central Square.
Falling Clumps, Hurricane Road, Keene New Hampshire
Waiting for Snow, Keene's Central Square
This
is what I love about New England. If you know what to look for, in just a few
hours or a few miles, you can experience a wide variety of landscapes and
weather. Our “wait a minute” weather is just one of the special treasures
of New England photography.
