The noblest pleasure…

…is the joy of understanding."
– Leonardo Da Vinci

Sometimes artists are robbed of their own joy. They are unable to experience their art the same way their audience and customers will. While it's true there is a distinct joy to the creation of that art, and the work of many other fellow artists to enjoy, one's own art becomes both too personal – and too foreign – to appreciate properly.

Creating art is a bit like singing a song that everyone but you can hear.

In my own artistic niche of finding special locations that comprise Hidden New Hampshire, I am lucky – I discover these places for myself first. On a recent trip to the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region, I stumbled across yet another concealed gem that my state seems to have in abundant supply.

Driving with eyes wide open north on route 3A through Bristol, Bridgewater and Hebron on my way to a few potential calendar outlets, I noticed a sign for "Sculptured Rocks State Park." Huh? Another place I'd never heard of? I stopped at my next destination and looked it up on my phone. I found a few fascinating images, but not much else. Exploring seemed like a wise idea!

I was not disappointed. After a short side trip into Groton, I found big, magnificent boulders carved into odd and fascinating shapes by the Cockermouth River as it rushed into Newfound Lake. It was a beautiful and almost jaw-dropping discovery. I clambered over boulders, snuck under branches and carefully hopped across river stones to attempt to bring photographic justice to this place.

"Water is the driving force of all nature."
– Leonardo Da Vinci

I'm not sure I had as much fun as the pack of college grads who were jumping into the chilly water to cool off, but discovering another hidden treasure in my home state gave me exactly the kind of thrill I hope to bring to others with my calendars, prints and cards.

A better example of doing what I do

I scolded myself in an earlier post for not making the most of an opportunity when I should have.

I wanted to share a brief story of a more successful venture. Because it illustrates at least part of the life I imagine living in the near future. Certainly, my future plans will shift based on clients' needs, my success at craft fairs, and other things that the future tends not to reveal in detail.

Spring for photographers: the best of times, the worst of times.
Good: Flowers, sun, warm weather and those bright, shiny new leaves.
Really Good: Going on day trips with my wife to uncover beautiful spots throughout New Hampshire.
Bad: High, flat light from the sun for much of the day. Very early sunrises and very late sunsets. Rain.

No, I'm not going to get the best light for many of my photos, because I'm not going to wake up in the middle of the night, rouse my wife, travel some distance, then hope capture the golden light of sunrise (which might be clouded over anyway). I'm also not going to keep my wife out late, some distance from home, just to utilize the golden hour at sunset, either. Job one is visiting some locale which gets too little attention, to help celebrate this beautiful region. So I resign myself to compensating for that bright, flat light during post-production. If it means spending a very nice afternoon with my wife driving winding roads and seeing interesting things, I'm OK with that.

This time, I planned well, and we had a great afternoon.

The Old Carr bridge in Hillsboro

There are six stone bridges in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire, some of which are still used for vehicular travel. This very handy website transformed a couple anecdotes that I'd heard into a feasible day trip. I carefully mapped a route that included a retail store I wanted to visit. When the afternoon was over, I had photographed all six stone bridges and may have added another home for my Hidden New Hampshire calendar (and other merchandise?) come Labor Day.

From all perspectives, it was a success. Spring is a great time to photograph streams and waterfalls because of the snowmelt, so I got some lovely and dramatic pictures, conducted some commerce, and had a nice time driving pretty roads with my wife.

Look for the stone bridges of western New Hampshire in the next Hidden New Hampshire calendar!