shumskis.photography

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Felchville, VT
shumskis.photography

Based in east-central Vermont, I eagerly shoot around my home state and beyond.

I enjoy capturing a wide variety of subject matter, which I hope to collect the finest examples of on this page and the website.

05/13/2022

We've had a string of very warm, sunny days lately. I was supposed to shoot a softball game for the paper, but that got canceled, so I used the afternoon to take a drive up a road I pass every day on my way to work but had never explored. As so often happens in Vermont, it turned out there are some fabulous properties with killer views there! I wish there was a better sky, but at least now I know about this area. Spring has jumped into high gear to make the mountains green once again.

The only negative was that I returned home and found a tick crawling on my shorts. I was really surprised because I had not walked through any high grass or bushes; in fact, I intentionally stayed on the freshly cut grass areas. I have been on hikes without picking up any ticks, but nowadays you never know. Other than that, it was a pleasant afternoon! :)

06/28/2021

I have had a hectic few days! I've been working on a newspaper article since Thursday, then on Friday I received an urgent request by the editor to attend a memorial service because the first photographer bailed. Plus, I've been at my day job every day. It's exhausting, stressful, and I've doubted whether I could get everything done on time.

Thankfully, I did. I submitted the memorial service photos yesterday and the article with the other batch of photos at noon today.

Sometimes, I wonder if the energy and stress are truly worth it. I always come around to feeling like I am contributing positively to my community through my work. This is about more than writing a blurb or taking some cute photos. I thrive on believing that I am enriching others with the things I create.

Case in point, with the memorial service, I went in knowing little about the man being honored. However, while I was there, I learned quite a bit about him by observing the way he moved people. His name was Chuck, and he was a football coach and driver's ed teacher who was beloved by hundreds of people in town. At the end of the service, one of his grandsons was tossing a football. His mom asked if he'd like to have his photo taken with Pop, and he said yes. She put him in a chair as he held his football in one hand then placed his other hand on a portrait of his grandfather.

When my editor saw the photos, she said, "You knocked it out of the park! I know this will be super helpful to Tom, and the photos were really amazing. Great job!"

She started in the job last week, so I think she's impressed so far. That is the kind of payment that goes beyond money and more than makes up for the sleep deprivation I put up with to crank stuff out. Now I can rest. 🙂

04/14/2021

Here's a little something to brighten your midweek. I was out photographing "spring things" in Woodstock yesterday for a VT Standard piece. These two friends, Elsie and Ella, happened to be out with their dads and they stopped to play with each other. Elsie had this rubber ball, so her dad encouraged her to kick or throw it to Ella. Instead, she picked it up, walked over to Ella, and handed it to her. I don't know, maybe it's me, but witnessing a moment of kindness like that makes me feel slightly more hopeful for our future. 🙂

10/04/2020

It seems it has been a long time - nearly 10 months - since I've posted here! Golly, it doesn't feel so long because I have been shooting regularly, but most of it is freelance work instead of for myself.

Autumn is the most incredible time of year in New England, however, which always motivates me to get out there. One of the traditions I've developed in the past few years has been to do a sunrise hike on Mt. Cardigan during peak foliage.

This year, things were strange because we had a long drought during summer. That caused the leaves to turn much earlier than normal and the colors burst then waned more abruptly as well. Conversely, my plans had to shift quickly. Since I was planning a long hike for Tuesday, the 29th, and doing a sunrise hike was too difficult to pull off on short notice, I decided to do a sunset hike on Monday.

After all the trips I've taken up Cardigan, I can fairly accurately gauge how long the drive and walk will take. I was close to the timing I wanted, but I wish I had arrived ~15 minutes earlier to get some preliminary shots. Anyhow, despite seeing a solid dozen cars when I arrived, most of those folks left well before sunset; that left me and 2 others to enjoy this stunning display on the calm summit.

While this plan had to be pulled together quickly, it really turned out some fantastic scenes and, as always, I am glad I went. Enjoy!

12/15/2019

My first venture into high school sports photos happened last night at a basketball game between the Woodstock Wasps and Thetford Panthers. I don't watch basketball generally, but it was fun as a photographic challenge. I got some decent shots out of it.

09/23/2019

Welcome to the best season in the best part of the country to experience it!! 😃🍁🍂🍁

03/23/2019

We are getting another snow storm today and tomorrow. I managed to get out for a few shots of it this afternoon while it was falling fast. ❄️❄️❄️❄️

01/30/2019

“Coming face to face with a European bison with nothing but a fence in between, and seeing my reflection in his eyes was something truly special,” writes photographer Ioana Sand. "This picture was shot at my local European bison sanctuary at Valea Zimbrilor, one of the biggest in Romania.” https://on.natgeo.com/2TmCLRb

01/20/2019

Due to the storm, I had to take the long way home last night. As I passed through downtown Woodstock, it was almost totally quiet so I felt the urge to wander. One of the cool things about Vermont's villages is that you can easily feel like you've slipped back in time, especially on a snowy winter night.

01/17/2019

River shots! This past weekend, this was a solid sheet of ice. Temps warmed up enough the past couple days that the thinner ice broke away, but they are about to dip again so it will all likely refreeze. Plus, we are expecting a lot of snow this week, so that will also change its appearance.

01/16/2019

This afternoon I stopped in to talk with the folks who run the paper I shoot for. They asked if I had seen the next edition. I hadn't, so they pulled out a draft copy. The photo below is the front page feature for the week. The publishing manager said he thinks it's award-worthy. I did not see that coming. :)

01/14/2019

On Saturday I did some freelance work at a couple nearby resorts. Historically, I've not considered myself particularly adept at action shots, but I am improving. Here are some samples.

Address

Rt 106
Felchville, VT
05062

Website

http://www.shumskisphotography.com/

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