Ed Collier Photography

I'm a New England (Boston-ish) based commercial photographer, working with higher ed, clean energy, and industrial clients across the country. Husband, skier, kayaker, SUPer, hiker, and somewhat closeted model railroad enthusiast....

[ecollierphoto]

Our Biggest Year...

I’ve been collecting my thoughts, but no one REALLY likes hoarders...

First, and most important...THANK YOU! To everyone...

The MRPC, The United Parish of Lunenburg, everyone...

We shot 152 sessions in 2018. In 2017 we shot 138. As a reminder, in 2015 we shot 21. 

It’s not the 168 that I initially thought, and I’ll get to that...

_________________

You voted for two puppy names this year. It was a tight race for a while, but when the next few batch of puppies comes in to start their training at NEADS, there will be...

Gordon...after photographer Gordon Parks.

WATCH THIS! 

and...

Dubley..after photographer Elliot Erwitt..or E.E.

Get it? Double E? Dubley?

WATCH THIS! The first five minutes or so are photos of dogs, and sometimes their people...

______________

We had at least three dogs have “accidents” on the floor. Including these two Great Dane pups... They are not labs... Part of the fun... 

One of them started to go, and it was as if the other one said “Oh, is this what we’re doing now?” and let it rip... while walking around... everywhere... Part of the fun... 

We had return customers...

Some people coming in for their fourth time...

We had new folks... 

We had new babies...BRAND NEW BABIES...

We had teenagers... holy smokes you guys...just give me one good smile...

Growing families...

Families going through some stuff...keep going...

People bringing their own props...

LOVE THIS! 

We had a hell of time finding locations for this year, and I need to do better and plan earlier with this... Gaaahhhh! NETFLIX!! HULU!!! (shakes fist)

Thanks to Glen and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission for letting me shoot in their entryway for the second weekend. 

We were a couple centimeters away from having to cancel one of the days... ahh..documentary photography...

We had college students come in remotely...

We had Emma... who took advantage of me not locking my phone, and gave us this:

I really can’t begin to express how grateful I am for Emma’s willingness to endure long days and limited snack options to help her Uncle Ed with his crazy hobby... Thank you Emma...

The Housh Family came back, and didn’t disappoint...

We had a 12 foot gray paper background, lost on a truck, somewhere in Pennsylvania, so I went to three Targets and a Wal-Mart, the day before Thanksgiving, looking for enough black out curtains, of the same style, in the same color, that I thought maybe I could make work, but they were too short, so on Thanksgiving, I cut one in segments, and taped it to the bottom, and set it up after a quick Thanksgiving dessert with my family, but the seam made everything look weird, so I went home and got a nine foot roll of gray paper, and set it up at dawn the next day, shoot day, but there were some weird lines in it, so I took that down, and put up two black fabric panels which I brought just in case. The sausage got made. Photo Sausage. Trademark.

A few photos were snapped of me...

with Emma goofing off...

with so many Keenans...

with mermaid legs.... thanks Emma...

We celebrated, snacked, and raffled off props...

___________________

So...the nitty gritty, and the lessons...

I had space for 165 sessions, not 168.

We sold out. We had a wait list with 50+ names on it.

Then we had a few cancellations which I filled, then a couple more a day or two before the shoots, and then a few less than 24 hours before the shoot, then less than 12 hours, then a couple no shows.

It’s a lot for me to manage in the middle of prep and shooting and editing, etc..

So, we shot 152 sessions. It’s huge, and I am so proud. Truly.

But it could have been a bit larger. It was supposed to be. I ran out of time and energy when I should have been filling cancelled spaces.

We raffled off the props and prints and brought in an additional $327.

So I’m rounding up a bit, and contributing an additional $973 to get us to the $16,500 that we initially sold out with. It’s our biggest year. Even without the rounding up. $5500 for NEADS, $5500 for the Worcester County Food Bank, and $5500 for the Worldwide Orphans Foundation.

with Sally at theWorcester County Food Bank

with Doreen at NEADS World Class Service Dogs

________________

So far, in just four years, the Simple Shot Experiment has been able to donate $43,900 in shoot fees.

Sometimes I forget to slow down and to be proud of this, but I really am. I just move on to the next item and don’t take the time to reflect.

receiving a Harvester Award from the Worcester County Food Bank in November

My friend Deb said something like this this to me at the celebration event “You’re showing people that they can make a difference with the skills that they have.”

That made my night.

I really have a great time when I’m shooting. Solving visual problems, while trying to figure out how to make a toddler smile, simultaneously getting multiple dogs’ attention by using a squeaky toy like a thigh master, all while trying my best to have you guys not see me look at the clock, because sometimes twenty minutes goes by REALLY fast when you just need ONE smile out of a teething teenager...and someone showed up early, and, and, and...

It’s a challenge, and I love it

That’s the experiment... How hard can I work, and how much can we raise...

When I finally hang up my camera, or my body gives out, whichever happens first...I want that total donation amount to be significant. I want to know that I have worked hard enough with my limited skillset to make a difference for people and organizations doing REAL good in this world. I imagine it will be a good way to retire.

________________

But it’s getting a little expensive, and it’s just a hobby

So, we’re going to tweak how we do things. Just a bit.

1. We’re going to have people pre-pay when they sign up. People have told me The new system worked well this year.

2. If you have to cancel, you can give away your spot, but I can’t spend the time filling it. It’s too much.

3. The session fee next year will be $110. $100 will be a donation to the charities, and $10 to cover the cost of the hall rentals, postage for gift prints, and the nuts and bolts of doing this.

4. We’re going to sell raffle tickets for props, prints, gift certificates, etc., during the shoot itself. I think we’ll be able to raise more this way. I love seeing people at the celebration event, but it’s a lot of work, and the ROI needs to bump up a bit.

5. I’ll be asking for help. Which I’m not good at. For donation items, for set-up help. For picking up munchkins. Thanks to Simple Shotters Jake and Dan who work at Frito Lay, the snacks are covered for next year.

6. We’re opening registration to everyone, at the same time. Emails and Facebook.

So that’s where we are...

Thank you to everyone for your support and enthusiasm, and coming back year after year. Email or DM me with ideas and suggestions for next year, and I’ll see you in 2019!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-ed

[ecollierphoto]

2016 Simple Shot Experiment | Wrapping Up

Why do I do it?

Way back in 2011, I started a family portrait project in my old Fitchburg, Massachusetts studio space. The goal was to bring friends and families together for quick, simple, fun, and non-traditional (non-mall) photo shoots around the holidays. We had fun for a few years, and I was lucky in that I was able to reconnect with folks I hadn’t seen in a while, as well as make some new friends. When we were shooting in the studio, there wasn’t a charitable aspect to the project.

So, in 2015, with just a few weeks of planning, I decided to give it another try, and made the decision to give 100% of the shoot fees to charity. We collected $2400 in shoot fees in 2015, and split that between three different charities.

I wanted to pick charities that were helping in different areas of the community. So we went with the following in 2015, and again in 2016.

1. NEADS | Service Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans

I love animals, and so I wanted to find a local animal charity. A former neighbor of mine was very vocal advocate for NEADS, and I have a few friends who have fostered puppies for them.  They’re a four star charity according to charitynavigator.com, so…done. NEADS was the animal charity

2. The Worcester County Food Bank

It’s striking to me, that in this country, and in this day and age, that there are neighbors and families in this community that don’t really know where their next meal is going to come from. They’re food insecure. The Worcester County Food Bank services every town in Worcester County. They help my neighbors, and my neighbors’ kids, so that’s why I chose to help them. Through their network of food providers, The Worcester County Food Bank is able to turn a $1 donation in to $5 worth of food. That’s a pretty good investment.

3. The Worldwide Orphans Foundation

I found these folks in a little bit of an unusual way. I knew that I wanted to help an international charity, but I really didn’t know who, or in what way.

Serendipitously, I was driving across the country (again) for a job in Michigan, and as has become my routine, selected an audiobook to keep me entertained. I’m a big fan of the TV show Parks & Recreation, and it’s star, Amy Poehler. She wrote a memoir called “Yes, Please” and so off I went.

I was just west of London, Ontario, when Amy started talking/writing about meeting Dr. Jane Aronson of the Worldwide Orphans Foundation at an event. The two struck up a friendship, and before you know it, Amy was on her way to Haiti to see the work of WWO in person. Amy’s description of the things she was seeing and experiencing were so vivid. So moving. I couldn’t get her words out of my head.

WWO is a four star charity on charitynavigator.com, so I selected WWO as the international charity.

That decision changed my life. 

Scroll to the bottom to see the results of the 2016 SSE

The 2015 Simple Shot Experiment was a success. I wasn’t expecting to raise much, so when we split the $2400 three ways, I was really pleased.

A few weeks after the checks went out, I got acknowledgment letters from the charities, including one with a hand written note and phone number from Dr. Jane.

I gave Jane a call, and as usual, caught up with her in an airport. We had a pleasant chat, and I told her the story about listening to Amy’s book. Jane said she would pass the story along to Amy, and ended the call with something along the lines of me saying “Let me know if I can help.”

It was just a couple months later, when I was working in the Bronx for a University, when Jane and I spoke again, and she asked if I could go to Haiti in early May.

“Yup. Whatever you need.” was my approximate reply.

I was just there for three days of pro-bono work, but I will never forget the experience of being in Haiti. I can’t. I had never seen anything even remotely close to the conditions in which people were living.

The terrible lack of infrastructure. The devastation that remains in Port Au Prince and throughout the country following the 2010 earthquake. No ability to handle waste and garbage. Non-existent elections. It’s the first place I’d ever seen a UN vehicle driving around. Now the hurricane…

So many problems.  

Yet as we drove up into the mountains, to the town of Kenscoff, and met and photographed the teachers and children involved in WWO’s programs, it was so clear that these people are strong, and they have hope. They have the feeling that their lives can improve, and they as a group, as well as individually, have potential. In very large part, they feel that way because of the early childhood education, and caring and compassionate souls that work and volunteer for WWO.

On the last working day in Haiti, we went to visit one of the orphanages in Kenscoff, and there were a lot of kids. The junior board members, all amazing, had brought craft supplies for the kids, and they quickly went to work making cards, and applying stickers and temporary tattoos, and pipe cleaner glasses so the kids could look like Dr. Jane.

I photographed for a while, trying to step around the kids who were as sweet and giggly as any child I have ever met. It’s good to pause periodically, and reassess angles, take a breather, and see if I’m missing anything. I set the camera down for a minute, and I went into the house and I saw the bedrooms, the play areas and different rooms. As I was walking through the kitchen area, I noticed some necklaces on a table. They were made of soda bottles, and the children sell them. Above the necklaces, on the wall, was a map of the world.

I took a step back and looked at it for minutes. Whole minutes. I started to well up with tears. Just like I’m doing here at a coffee shop remembering this.

I’ve been so very fortunate in my life. So very fortunate. I’ve been able to see so much, and I have experienced so much. I have so many memories and friends, and I know (I have an idea) how big the world is. Until that trip to Haiti though, I hadn’t seen poverty and struggle so closely.

I looked at that map, and I looked at Haiti on the map. I thought about how small a country (geographically speaking) Haiti is. Then I started thinking about those kids making crafts outside. I was thinking about how happy they were to be playing and laughing. I was also thinking about how much they have had to endure, already, in their young lives. Each has a different story about how they ended up there. Some have been there since they were babies, some have come later. Some have had parents die, and some whose parents simply cannot take care care of them. Yet they were playing and laughing.

They are so much stronger than I am. I don’t know that I would make it if I were in their little shoes.

So that was it. I needed to do more. I know what that what I do, taking pictures, is not as crucial as being a teacher there (or anywhere for that matter) or a nurse, or anything like that, but if someone thinks that my photos can help spread the word about the incredibly powerful and important work that WWO is doing to help some of the world’s most at risk children…children…

Then I’m going to be there. How can I not?

So I told Dr. Jane as we left Haiti, and then again in Ethiopia in October (that’ll be a different post)  “Anything you need, anytime, anywhere…always.”

What did we accomplish with the Simple Shot Experiment (SSE) in 2016

As we ramped up planning for the SSE this year, I wanted to set a fundraising goal. Something somewhat realistic, but also something that would push me a bit harder.

That’s when I remembered something about NEADS. At a certain level of donation, you get to name one of the incoming puppies as they begin the training process. That level is $2500. So I decided, that’s it. That’s the level. We’ll try and raise $2500 for each of the three charities. We were able to do $2400 in 2015, so how hard could tripling the amount be? (When I type it out, it seems harder)

So I went to work. Planning, securing, un-securing, and re-securing venues, deciding on the pricing, coming up with a new background idea, and so much more. All while traveling the US and Africa making pictures.  

Then we put the word out on Facebook. That’s really been the remarkable thing about this project. It has all been, essentially, word of mouth and social media. I can’t thank people enough for sharing the project, their photos, their stories and experiences, and getting friends to sign up and get involved. Amy, Jocelyn, Heather, Lynne, Peter, Maureen, Rachael, and so many more… What we were able to accomplish this year is absolutely a result of you sharing your enthusiasm with others. Thank You.

In order to hit the goal of $7500, I needed to photograph 75 sessions at $100 per session. Even a photographer can figure that math out… I wasn’t sure we were going to hit that goal, so I figured I’d try, and if we were short, I’d just kick in the rest myself.

We shot 96 sessions. Ninety-Six. We collected $9600 in session fees, and rounded the number up to $10,000

The donation amount quadrupled from 2015.

I never thought this would happen. I am so beyond thrilled. This donation means that so many families are going to be helped by the Worcester County Food Bank. This donation means that children in Haiti, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the US will be helped by the Worldwide Orphans Foundation.

It also means we get to name a puppy…

I had to submit a list of names for approval. Essentially you can’t have a name that would be too difficult for the person who has the service dog, and it can’t sound too similar to a command.

Months ago when I started thinking about names for the puppy, I had the idea of using the name of a photographer. Someone who had influenced me in some way in my career. I came up with some different names for male and female puppies, but I knew which one I really wanted.

Ansel

We named the puppy Ansel. A name that is a new one for the folks at NEADS.

Even if you aren’t familiar with Ansel Adams…you are. You’ve seen his work. Primarily black and white images of US National Parks and landscapes. Amazing work, influential work, and made with such passion and commitment to the craft.

That’s not really the reason I was influenced by Ansel Adams. I have a book of letters that Ansel had written over his life and career. Letters from the first time he visited Yosemite. Letters he exchanged with other photographers early on in his career, where his enthusiasm for the new things he was learning about nature, and about photography just exploded off the page. Frustration, excitement, more frustration, breakthroughs…all of it were captured in those letters. Those letters remind me, in a small way, of who I used to be as a photographer, and who I am starting to become again by doing the work in Haiti and Ethiopia, and by going out on the road for the Wind Portrait Project. I’m having fun again.

Another way that Ansel’s life influenced me, is that he shot commercial work. It was work that sometimes bored him, sometimes made him question his creative life, and sometimes kept him from his passion of being out in, and photographing nature.

That commercial work paid the bills, and allowed him, before he became well known and successful from his nature photos, to go out and make the photos he was passionate about. The commercial work allowed him to explore his creative side. That was a valuable lesson for me. I probably should have learned it sooner…

Going forward, we’ll get periodic updates from NEADS about Ansel’s progress in the program. They have fairly strict guidelines and requirements for service dogs from NEADS (as they should) so there is no guarantee that Ansel will graduate, but he will make someone very happy either way, and he has already made very me happy and proud.

This isn’t Ansel, but Murray, a NEADS dog trained as a therapy dog. Murray came to visit us during the celebration event this year. When given the command “visit” Murray puts his head on your lap to comfort you.

What’s planned for the SSE in 2017?

Good question. We’ll definitely be doing it again, and it seems like the Friday-Sunday after Thanksgiving and the following weekend are the best options, so mark your calendars for that. It’ll be a different background again. No more ball of light… I’m sorry, did I say ball? That should have been “wall”… it’s just that it’s currently in a ball in my office…

I think we’re going to go with Black and White in 2017. Have to keep those creative juices flowing…

I’m also thinking about some kind of mid-year SSE. There were a group of girlfriends that came in and had a really fun shoot together. Maybe something like that, where we raise funds for breast cancer, or Planned Parenthood or something. I don’t know yet.

I was pretty tired at the end of 96 sessions in 2016…

…so I was thinking, $10,000 is enough… 

Then I started to think about those little ones in Haiti (especially now after the hurricane) and Ethiopia…

This is a little girl in Ethiopia receiving her school uniform from Dr. Jane. A WWO donor made it possible for these children to acquire their uniforms. Under the public school rules, without these uniforms the children can’t continue their education. For so many families the cost is prohibitive. Her mother is in the background.

We could do more

We’ll see.

Thanks again everyone. From the bottom of my heart.

Have a lovely holiday season with you and yours. See you in 2017!

-ed

[ecollierphoto]

The Wind Portrait Project: Meeting the people building a renewable future

“I think what you do is cool and important. I’d like to take your picture. Simple as that.”

LM Wind Power | Little Rock, Arkansas | Photographed May 26, 2016

The idea

I’ve actually been thinking about the Wind Portrait Project for a few years, and finally, the stars aligned and my schedule cooperated enough so that I could begin. The basic concept is this:

I’ve done other portrait projects in the past, for volunteers and participants in sporting events, non-profits and for a few charities that I’m involved with. I’ve always enjoyed thinking about and documenting different communities. When I say communities, I’m referring to a group of individuals that make up a certain specific subset of people. Truck drivers are a community, the congregation of a church is a community.

People who work in wind energy are a community.

Blake Jasper, Quality Supervisor, Broadwind Energy/Broadband Towers, Abilene, Texas

The Wind Portrait Project has three elements. There is a documentary component, where I ask: Who are the people helping to shape the future of energy production? Let’s show that those people are real, and those jobs are real. What are the stories of how those individuals got involved in wind energy? What does it mean to them? What are the challenges?

Rob Campbell, MET Program Engineer, EDF Renewables, San Diego, Calif.

There is a fine art aspect to the project. I try to create simple and honest portraits of actual workers. By choosing a basic background, and lighting the portrait simply, I’m able to eliminate distractions for the viewer. I’ll occasionally take a scene-setting photograph to give the viewer an idea of where people are working, but the majority of the portraits are tight and focused on the individual. I’m trying to make real connections with the subjects. Sometimes I have an afternoon, and sometimes I have 90 seconds with a person. Whether I’m working with the head of wind construction for a company, or a fork lift driver in a blade factory, I give them the same respect, and hopefully the same level of attention. Everyone who steps in front of the camera is important to me.

Erica “Easy” Austin, Web Molding, LM Wind Power, Little Rock, Ark.

The third part of this project, which happens by default, is networking. As a commercial photographer, I’m looking to connect with businesses and organizations. It’s a much more enjoyable way to make a living working with clients whose products and services you believe in and respect. I figured I could mail out a thousand postcards, destined for a thousand recycling bins, or I could hit the road, shake some hands, make some portraits, and when annual report time comes around, perhaps folks will remember me.

Mark Vasquez, Michael Scoville, Moises Estrada, and Josh Sullivan, Welding Team, Broadband Energy, Abilene, Texas.

The people

When I begin a portrait project, I’m always looking to show the people involved in different roles. It’s the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker approach.

Who plays those roles in wind energy? Six months ago, the idea was to photograph wind techs, crane operators, some executives, and a handful of other players. Then the project took off. People really seemed to get what I was striving for, even if I hadn’t completely realized it myself.

Ellie Valle, Environmental Health and Safety Consultant, BGI, Brooklyn, NY.

In only five months, I’ve photographed more than 300 people in jobs from meteorology to finance, from wildlife protection to tower climbers. I suppose I should have realized this at the beginning, but the variety of jobs in wind is just staggering. The same can probably be said for a lot of industries, but when you factor in all the different elements involved in renewable energy production, I’m hard pressed to come up with one industry that offers such depth in occupations. Someone in front of a computer and a wind tunnel has to design and build the wind turbine, but someone in the Mojave has to lug 80 pounds of gear up a chain to service it.

I’ve photographed in office buildings in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C., and in the blistering heat of Texas and Arkansas. I’ve crossed the U.S. east to west twice, and north to south once, with many stops along the way.

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet people who are starting their wind careers right out of high school, and others who have ended up in wind after several jobs.

James Earl and Keryl Jones, landowners with two turbines on their property, Nolan, Texas

The challenges

As more people learn about the project, and I receive more inquiries from folks who would like to participate, I’ve had to modify my end goals and travel plans. What started as a six month project has developed into something that I can see taking at least two years to finish.

Marissa Stiles, Fleet Engineer, E.ON Climate and Renewables, Austin, Texas

The Wind Portrait Project at this point is entirely self funded. That means I’ve had to incorporate day trips here and there as I do work for other non-wind energy clients, and make quick trips to wind sites while on vacation. Dealing with those logistical and travel issues is all part of the fun. Can I drive from Abilene to Lubbock to Dallas, catch a flight to Salt Lake City, make a portrait and then drive three hours to photograph the Tower Climbing Grease Monkeys? As it turns out, I can. I don’t want to try and repeat that too often, but it can be done.

The Final Product

My original intent was to have this project exist only online through Instagram,Facebook, and other social media outlets, but the more I became involved in the subjects and their stories, the more I realized that there could be some interest and potential for other ways to share the work. I’m in early discussions with a gallery in Texas to put on an exhibit, and depending on the success of that, I could see the possibility of putting on shows in connection with regional wind energy organizations. There is also some potential for a photo book. I’ve never created or published a book before, other than portfolios, so there will be a steep learning curve for me, and I’m a long way from being finished.

Zach Baeza, Wind Technician, World Wind and Solar, Tehachapi, Calif.

I’ve already been asked to speak and give a brief presentation about the project for a company, and sharing the project that way is both exciting and fulfilling for me.

The more people I photograph, the more I realize that everyone in this industry is connected, and in a very real way, relying on each other for success. The CEO needs the wind tech. The welder needs the truck driver. The farmer with two turbines on his farm needs the legal team.

Illustrating those relationships with portraits has been an incredible experience.

AWEA staffers, Washington, D.C.

[ecollierphoto]

When you look at a photographer's portfolio, you're seeing only the smallest slice of what they want to show you. That may be because they don't want to overwhelm you with images, or it may be because that's all they have. When a school is searching for a photographer to help build their image library, I think they should be able to see a cross section of a day of photography on campus. 

With that in mind, I'm creating this section of my website featuring 100 images from different days at different schools around the country. 

 This current selection of 100 images is from an autumn day at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. The birthplace of Basketball and the YMCA. Springfield College likes a very fly on the wall, non-posed style of photography, so pretty much every image you see here was captured without any coaching from me. 

 I'll be rotating the images monthly, but if you'd like to see more right now, just send me an email, and I'll share a private link to more images. Enjoy these 100 images, and let me know what you think! You can see these images bigger by checking out my website THX! -ed

[ecollierphoto]

Can I photograph ten #womeninSTEM portraits at Fitchburg State University in a couple of hours without seeing the locations ahead of time? 

Yup. 

So much of what I do as a photographer is problem solving. When Fitchburg State University (a regular client, essentially in my backyard) reached out with a tight deadline, and an ambitious list of subjects to be photographed in a short amount of time, I jumped in. 

The upcoming edition of their magazine “Contact” was going to feature a cover story on Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and they needed some environmental portraits of both faculty and students working in STEM. 

I had a fairly tight fall schedule, and the University also had a tight fall schedule, so we settled on a day, and they went to work coordinating time slots that would work with everyone. What that schedule ended up looking like was approximately 10-15 minutes for each of the ten portraits. We weren’t sure what, or who was going to end up on the cover, so I went into each of the portraits with a potential cover in mind.

With that relatively narrow window for each subject, I knew I’d have to move quickly and make some smart equipment choices. There was no time to bring in portable strobes, so I went with my trusty Profoto Speedlite Ring and a set of MagMods with gels on my SB-700s. Since I was working solo (no assistant) I used a small light stand to hold the speedlite, and tucked it into my ThinkTank Airport Security V2 when rolling between locations. Normally I don’t mention too much about the gear I use, but I want some free stuff ;-)

I was really happy with the way the portraits worked out, and the feedback from the school was great. I really dig the challenges that clients throw at me. It gives me a chance to show my chops and it means that my clients trust me to do god work on a tight deadline. 

Imagine what I could do if I had TWENTY minutes for a portrait?! my website: www.edcollierphotography.com

[ecollierphoto]

Going to be a busy spring + summer of work and travel. Doing some #windenergy and #highered work. 

[ecollierphoto]

Sometimes when you're having a #meh Sunday, all you have to do is go take a picture of some #windturbines and a #puppy with a stick #cleanenergy #windenergy #sunset #renewables #americanpower (at Princeton, Massachusetts)

[ecollierphoto]

I've been carrying around these #camera and #film catalogs for nearly 20 years (i forgot about them) probably time to recycle... That #nikon #f4s though...

[ecollierphoto]

Way back in 2011, we started a family portrait project in my old Fitchburg, Massachusetts studio space. The goal was to bring friends and family together for quick, simple, fun, and stylish photo shoots around the holidays. We had a few good years, and I was lucky in that I was able to reconnect with folks I hadn’t seen in a while, as well as make some new friends.      As my work shifted from weddings, families, and a little bit of commercial photography, to no weddings, limited families, and  all commercial photography, I realized I was missing the joy of working with and seeing my friends as their lives changed and their little ones grew. So we brought the project back in 2015, and we’re doing it for a good cause. Actually, three good causes. In 2015 100% of the shoot fees got donated by us to: 1. The Worcester County Food Bank 2. NEADS | Service Dogs for the Disabled 3. The Worldwide Orphans Foundation We donated a total of $2100 to these charities in 2015. I couldn't be happier and more humbled by everyone's support of the project. These sample images are what we created in 2015 over three different Saturdays, and we're hoping to expand the project in 2016. You can see more shots from the project at my website: www.edcollierphotography.com

[ecollierphoto]

Pretty good day so far.... #headshots #photographerlife #guitar #playthatfunkymusicprofessor #classicalguitar #aintnoroomaroundhereforaguitarman (at Worcester State University)

[ecollierphoto]

I've burned rubber and worn off many a camera corner. Photo number 3 in my #details #photoproject #nikon #whatsinthebag #photographerlife #detailsofmylife

[ecollierphoto]

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.' -Alfred Lord Tennyson #quotes #quotewall #design #2016 #happiernewyear #chalkboardwall #tennyson #inspiration #backtowork

[ecollierphoto]

Final #hike up #mtwatatic for 2015. Love this mountain / hill! #getoutsideandplay #cya2015 #hello2016 (at Mount Watatic)

[ecollierphoto]

Visited my favorite #bookstore today. Mainly because of the sweet model #aircraft display they have in the used department. #books #toys #modeling #bellx1 #modelairplane #miniatures #christmasevetradition #shopping (at The Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough)

[ecollierphoto]

Here I am, about to drop some knowledge on @wbur listeners. Hour one will be how wedding rings and watches are the only acceptable forms of male jewelry...hour two will be wondering aloud where I put my glasses...#volunteering #pledgedrive @npr (at 90.9 Wbur-Fm)

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Toys! #nikon #superzoom #d810 16mmto500mm

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First Day! #skiing #skitheeast #wachusett #barelyenough #snowmaking #optoutside #GetOutsideAndPlay #Massachusetts #NewEngland #Winter (at Wachusett Mountain)