2024 was a busy year for me with many interesting photo assignments of inns, taverns and breweries in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York State. I will be sharing the photos from my travels in the next few posts. I gave up my map books many years ago and have relied on Google Maps to navigate to my destinations. This has worked great until I encountered an area in Massachusetts that has no internet service available. It is very scary being many miles from home on a lonely backroad, without GPS. I am aware that the sun is always on the South side of the horizon, and I was able to head in the right direction when I lost my navigation signal. About twenty minutes later my GPS was working again. Most of the businesses I photograph are privately owned and the owners have interesting stories to tell. I am sure that it takes me longer that other photographers because I like to ask questions about how each business operates, what time of year is busy, and how the business was started. Hearing the story behind each business is as much fun as taking the photos. Barrington Brewery and Restaurant in Great Barrington, Massachusetts has an interesting story as one of the first brewpubs in Massachusetts, with an unusual feature..
Barrington Brewery and Restaurant in Great Barrington, MA https://www.barringtonbrewery.net/ was started by college friends who saw an opportunity in an abandoned building. They had little money and a big dream. Through hard work the building was transformed into a beautiful brewery. The really interesting feature of this brewery is that they own a field of solar panels that produces 50% of the energy for the hot water for brewing and 85% of the electricity they use in the restaurant. All spent grain from the brewery is used to feed cows at a local beef farm. They must be happy cows!
All the food at Barrington Brewery and Restaurant is made from scratch including comfort foods like mac & cheese, "Mom's meatloaf" and chicken pot pie as well as BBQ ribs, fish & chips and smoked salmon salad. Their famous dessert is their three layer chocolate stout cake with chocolate ganache frosting.
You can take the virtual tour here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AmuQJ66P2mTcRHng8
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
From time to time, I get a photo assignment that has me asking myself; are you kidding me? Am I really being paid for this? The Spring weather in June was glorious with low humidity and puffy clouds in a nice blue sky
Very much like my previous “Perfect Day” blog, there was a nautical theme. I was assigned to produce a Google virtual tour and still photos of a charter fishing boat called the C-Devil II docked on State Street in Narragansett, RI.
I have done Google virtual tours of many interesting businesses since 2013, but I never did a virtual tour aboard a vessel before. I walked up to the C-Devil II and I was granted permission to come aboard by Captain Kelly Smith.
They had just come back from a fishing trip earlier that day.
I set up the virtual tour as you walk down the dock, then board the C-Devil, and go inside the cabin.
You can take the tour here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wQgQ65xvTQp8QoLfA
The array of electronics aboard is impressive. After taking a variety of still shots of the exterior and interior I asked Captain Smith if there was anything I missed. That is when I got some bonus photos.
“I have a new clean diesel engine if you would like to see it” the Captain said. Yes, yes, I would love to see your new engine. The next thing I knew the floorboards were removed and I got to crawl around the bottom of the vessel to photograph the new engine. I am fascinated with any kind of engine since I have removed and replaced engines on several of my own cars over the years.
The Scania engine built in Sweden has over 600 horsepower and is impressive. This photo assignment was a joy and made for another perfect day!
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com
In 2021 I was contacted by a national commercial real estate company and asked if I would be interested in photographing a large aircraft hangar that previously was a service center for corporate jet aircraft, next to Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
My answer was yes, yes! I would love handling the assignment! This would be dream job for me and I would get to experiment with a new technique that I wanted to try; placing my DSLR camera on a 16-foot-high stand and triggering it with my cell phone for an elevated view. I also was quite intrigued by the opening and closing action of the hanger doors. I got the assignment. I tested my idea of an elevated view and I must admit I was nervous about having my camera up 16 feet in the air with just a sand bag holding my light stand down.
My test shot worked out great and I was ready to try my "elevated view" on the assignment.
When I arrived for the assignment I found out that I would need a temporary pass from the Bradley Airport Authority to walk on the runway. This would take several days, so I decided to split the assignment into two days. The first day I worked on photographing the interior of the hanger from several directions on ground level and and with my 16-foot elevated camera as well as the offices, mechanical rooms, meeting rooms and the pilot’s lounge.
A few days later I returned and took the exterior photos of the building from ground level and from an elevated level.
I also took a 360-degree image of the interior of the hanger. Then I set up two video cameras; one outside and one inside the hanger to capture live action of the giant doors opening and closing. You can view the video here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lppl1ncrxo683gn/Hanger_Doors_Opening.mp4?dl=0 It was a nice clear day with a blue sky and low humidity. This project was a joy and I got to try a new way of getting high angle photos. Recently I drove by the building and I was pleased to see that a new company had moved in. Another perfect day.
Tim Becker
Creative Images photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com
From time to time, one photo assignment leads to a second assignment from the same client. That was the case recently after producing a Google Virtual Tour of Paul Mitchell, the School in North Haven, Connecticut last June. .https://paulmitchell.edu/northhaven?utm_source=gbp_listing&utm_medium=organic
The school in North Haven has been teaching cosmetology, esthetics, and make-up for over 20 years. In 1980 John Paul Dejoria and Paul Mitchell started the brand with $700 and three products. Now John Paul Mitchell Systems
has over 150 brands sold worldwide. The school is in a former bank building with classrooms and areas for hands-on training. There are even workstations called “the quiet room” in what was formerly the bank vault.
has over 150 brands sold worldwide. The school is in a former bank building with classrooms and areas for hands-on training. There are even workstations called “the quiet room” in what was formerly the bank vault.
There is also a products store at the school.
You can take the Google virtual tour here:
I left a business card behind; which led to a call late last year to do headshots of students set to graduate from the esthetics program. It was a joy to photograph the students who had interesting outfits and perfect make-up. No image retouching was needed. I set my glamour lighting up in a small classroom and did a series of poses with each student as their classmates watched and encouraged each other.
Photographing the school interior for the Google virtual tour was interesting, but photographing enthusiastic students was really fun. I never really know what photo assignment is coming my way next . That is why I love being a commercial photographer!
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com
From time to time I receive a photo assignment that is a pure joy. That was the case when I photographed Palmer’s Market in Darien, CT this spring. The weather was clear and crisp; perfect for exterior photos. The store manager Travis, and his entire staff were friendly and very proud of their store. There is much more offered here than in a typical supermarket.
According to their website, https://www.palmersdarien.com/history/ the store was started in 1921. “Palmer’s traces its roots back to the early 1900s as a family-owned Butcher Shop in Stamford. Now, the 4th and 5th generation of Palmer’s are running the business and their vision has transformed a simple market into a one stop shopping destination…” Their website also offers travel tours to Europe.
I was enthralled with the beauty on display there. Extreme care is taken to make displays of food and gift items eye popping. Some of the display cases are specially made in Europe and there are bright spotlights on many of the products.
Even the beer display has a wide variety of ice-cold national brands and microbrews.
The colors were really appealing in the produce and flower departments.
I also produced a Google virtual tour. You can take it here: https://goo.gl/maps/wvmq6TrmoUUDHjFVA
There is something about a locally owned grocery store business that can’t be duplicated by a corporate chain supermarket. I was very pleased to get this photo assignment and to meet the people running this multi-generational family business.
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com
