Yo Brooklyn

Brooklyn, looks a little rugged from this view!  I love the beauty that comes out of this kind of industrial scene.

Hayden Planetarium

My travels this week have taken my down to NYC and to my old neighborhood on the Upper West Side.  It has been a while since I have spent time down here and as soon as I hit the street some great memories of growing up here started to flow.  The Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium were always a favorite place to visit.

2009 MBHH Covers

This has been a busy year at Jeff Scher Photography even with the economy being what it is. As a contributing photographer to Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Magazine I have enjoyed a relationship with the editorial staff and especially Managing Editor, Gretchen Ogden for over twelve years.  Their magazine has grown considerably and over the years they have added a very successful annual boat show in Rockland, ME and a cutting edge web site that is one of the best around for content on the marine coastal lifestyle of Maine.  I love the the photographs I produce for them.  This year has been a great year for cover images as they selected two of my photographs for the cover of their 2009 Winter and Boat Show Issues.

Todd's World

The weather radio was on in my office the other day and the only part of the forecast I heard was seas 8 - 12'. With remnants of Hurricane Ida rolling into town this weekend I had a feeling that the phone would ring soon.  Sure enough my friend and athlete Todd Swinton called.  "Waves are going to be large is all he said.  I knew what that meant, meet Todd at one of the local beaches pre dawn!  In Todd's world things happen quickly and always happen early.  I met Todd about three years ago when he was working at the Portland EMS store. Since then our friendship has grown closer and we have shared a number of great adventures on land. Now let me set this straight, I don't surf.  I love the canoe and sea kayak but large crashing waves are not for me.  I have a healthy respect for the sport and admire those that are able to do it well.  Todd is a fantastic athlete in the water and in the mountains and the kind of guy you want to have on your team when things get ugly.  Photographing him is always a pleasure as I know we are always going to come out with some solid images.  With Ida's ocean swell hitting the local beaches, Todd thought the surf at Higgins Beach was going to be the place to be.  I arrived before 6:30am and was lucky enough to see a glimmer of the sun as it rose.  In a flash the sun was gone.  I caught up with Todd a little bit as he slithered into his wet suit.  Once he gets suited up the next stop is the water.  I always have be quick with the camera because before I know it he is paddling out to the surf.  On land I watch and photograph him carve up the waves and stare out at the ocean imagining what a rush that must be to ride a large wave... With the approaching winter usually means the best waves here in Maine and Todd does not stay out of the water when the mercury drops below freezing.  Ida was just a warm up for more to come.  Todd is pictured in numerous images in the portfolio galleries of this web site. 

Cycle-Smart International

Northampton, Massachusetts November 8th 2009, Round #10 of the Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Championship Series. My coverage of New England Cyclocross racing continues as I made the drive over to beautiful Northampton, MA for a great afternoon of racing.  There was a large field with racers from all over the country competing for a win.  This is what I saw on Sunday, Chris LaFlamme won the Mens Cat 3 division, Mary McConneloug took the win in the Women's Elite and Jamey Driscoll powered to a strong win in the mens Elite race.  Richard Sach's team was looking very strong in the Elite Race as they all finished in the top 10. Unfortunately Dan Timmerman's rear tire peeled off of the rim early in the race and that quickly put his opportunity to win at a minimum, he did power back on a new bike to take an impressive 7th place.  There are two more races coming up that I plan to photograph.  On November 28 & 29th in Sterling, MA and the Finals in Warwick, RI on December 5 & 6th.  My photos from the Northhampton race can be seen here.