Wickham Park, Manchester CT

Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut is a location that offers a lot of great opportunities for photographers like myself, and for people who just want to enjoy what the park has to offer. The park offers a variety of gardens including a sculpture garden, a sensory garden, oriental garden, etc. They also have an aviary section with a variety of birds, and owls, as well as a nature center. Another thing that makes Wickham Park so great is that they have a section where they do weddings (as seen below). If you got married here, you would definitely have a lot of beautiful wedding photographs with the background. The park also offers a view of the city of Hartford at the top (seen below).

If you go, wear proper footwear, you will be doing a lot of walking. Also, you need cash as you have to pay to get in. It’s $5 for weekdays, $7 for weekends and holidays. The park is open from April to October. Here is their website if you want to see what else the park has to offer - http://www.wickhampark.org/index.php.

Mount Baker, Washington

Mount Baker in Bellingham, Washington is a truly beautiful location. I visited this location a few times while living in Washington, but I definitely wish I could have gone more. You have to drive up the mountain, but there are plenty of spots where you can get out and walk around. There are waterfalls, and little lakes as well.

Here are some of my tips for if you ever want to go:

1)       Be careful driving up, the roads are very narrow and there are no guardrails to stop you from accidentally going over the edge.

2)      Watch out for animals – this is a mountain so there is a variety of wildlife up there.

3)      It’s not as cold as you might think it would be up there, so depending on when you go try to dress appropriately.

4)      Watch your footing, it is not a level ground so it is easy to trip (especially if you are clumsy like me).

5)      Lastly, be mindful and don’t go past any of the fences they have up for your protection!

Prospect Mountain, Lake George NY

Prospect Mountain in Lake George provides multiple gorgeous views of the lake below. There are a few lookout points that you can stop at and admire the view from. The background also provides a beautiful backdrop for portraits – as evidenced from some of the photographs below.

Here are my main tips for going.

1)      Make sure it is open when you plan to go! Prospect closes during the colder months so you want to plan to go during the times it is open. They also close at dusk.

2)      If you go when it’s hot outside, bring water – even if you drive up. You will want it, trust me.

3)      Go during the fall, definitely! The leaves will be changing and the view will be gorgeous.

4)      Bring cash, you have to pay to go up. The last time I went it was $10.

5)      Be respectful of others. There will probably be others up there as well, so just be mindful.

Also, you can go all the way up to the top of the mountain, but I believe you have to take the designated bus up. I have personally never gone all the way up so I am not sure though.

Pet Photography

Hey everyone! In today’s post, I wanted to talk about how to photograph your pets. This is something so common, yet it can be a struggle if you don’t know what to do to get a good picture of your beloved pet. My dog, Brady will be featured in today’s post as I share five tips with you on how to get precious photographs for you to cherish forever.

Number 1 – First and foremost, make sure your pet is comfortable! You want to ensure that your pet is safe and comfortable – if they seem like they are getting stressed or if it is too cold or too hot outside, don’t force them to get their picture taken! There have been times when I had to stop taking Brady’s picture because it was too hot outside and he was getting antsy. The best photographs come from when your pet is happy, trust me.

Number 2 – Let them do their own thing for some of the pictures. Sometimes when you let them play and run around, you can get interesting shots.

Number 3 – Use props! Let your pet play with their favorite toys while you snap away, or if you want to do holiday pictures – get some cheap props for them to pose with.

Number 4 – Offer them treats! It helps if they have some sort of incentive while getting their pictures taken.

Number 5 – Lastly, don’t be afraid to get dirty. Sometimes you have to get down in the dirt or grass with them in order to get a good shot.

Now you try, Send me your best picture of your furry friend!