Drone + Donut = Dronut (VIDEO)

It's not every day you see a donut flying over the treetops.

For a while now, our friend Danny and I have been thinking about how much fun it would be to use the drone to deliver a donut to our friends who live down the street. We had some time last Sunday and the weather was perfect for a late afternoon dronut delivery.   

The rig was a simple frame and hook contraption formed out of stiff electrical wire attached to the landing gear of the DJI Phantom 4. A chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles from Dunkin' Donuts (Henry's favorite) was securely loaded onto the hook and away it went, over the treetops.

All was going according to plan, that is until the iPad that was controlling the drone suddenly shut down and went black! I no longer had any visual from the camera, but thanks to it's advanced features, the drone was fine, just hovering in place waiting for instruction. I swapped out the iPad for my phone, and we were back in business.

Overall, our first dronut delivery was a success! Now to figure out how to attach a cup of coffee...

(song by Matt Chaney, re-worked and performed by Emma Charette and Daniel Castro)

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Vermont Video Postcard

Autumn waterfall in the Green Mountain National Forest, VT.

Pre-Bot Needs Your Help!

Pre-Bot is a wooden toy robot that comes with a beautifully illustrated hardcover book that teaches kids positive behavior traits. Pre-Bot and his creator Rod Lowe recently appeared on an episode of ABC's THE TOY BOX. He made it past the first set of judges, but in the end Pre-Bot lost out to the great design of the winner of the entire season.

Thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign, Pre-Bot has another chance to become a reality. Now he needs your help! Support this positive project HERE to help get Pre-Bot manufactured.

It's been a pleasure and privilege to work along with Pre-Bot through his journey, helping out with photos, videos and now the official Kickstarter video. We wish Pre-Bot and Rod the best, and hope to see the prototype become a real product that many kids are sure to enjoy!

View on YouTube

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Baumgart Creative Media Featured in Boston Voyager Magazine

We're so excited to be featured in an article for Boston Voyager Magazine today! We were interviewed for a segment in the section, Boston's Most Inspiring Stories. Boston Voyager has compiled a series of articles featuring interviews with "Boston's most inspiring entrepreneurs and independent businesses". What an honor to be chosen! Read the article here.

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The Most Photographed Lighthouse in the World?

Maybe, but I'm sure some would disagree. I know this for sure though, so far this is the most photographed lighthouse by Baumgart Creative Media in 2017!

The famous Portland Head Light is located on the shores of Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, ME right outside of Portland. I'm sure it's beautiful all day long, but we wanted to try and capture our own shot of this famous lighthouse at sunset. We arrived a little early to scope out a nice spot. There were several other photographers down there with the same idea, but we all got along ;-)

To get the water looking smooth and surreal, we used a long exposure. For some of the shots, the shutter was open for as much as 8 seconds. For these kind of shots a tripod and a neutral density filter (basically sunglasses for the lens) are a must.

Even though everyone and their cousin probably has made photos from this spot, we were pretty happy with the souvenirs we came back with from "the most photographed lighthouse in the world".

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Winter Maternity Photos

This beautiful mom-to-be was dreaming of pregnancy photos in the snow. With a due date near the end of December, we weren't sure if there would actually be snow to make her dream come true. New England weather in December could go either way. We were wondering which would come first, the baby or the snow! Then it happened, a fresh 5" of clean white powder. With rain coming the next day and the baby getting anxious to emerge, we realized that this was the chance we were waiting for.

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Homeschoolers Need Photos Too

More and more parents today are choosing homeschooling in an effort to take a more personal role in their children's education. For many families, the benefits of homeschooling one or more of their children far outweigh the things they will miss out on by not attending a traditional school.

But what about school photos?

Yes, homeschoolers will miss out on the customary picture day, but maybe that's a good thing. Usually, with the school photographer, kids get one "click", then on to the next student. This hardly gives them a chance to let their personality shine through, and often results in some goofy poses the parents have to pay for or wait for re-take day.

You've chosen an alternative schooling option, why not choose an alternative photo option as well? We spend as much time with your children as needed, and we have fun doing it. Outside, inside, the variety of background options are endless, resulting in school photos that are personalized and unique. Our portrait packages have no limit on the number of photos you will receive and can be scheduled anytime throughout the year. We also offer an easy, online print ordering with a fast turnaround. 

Contact us to book a photo session for your homeschoolers!

(VIDEO) Playtime With the Shape-Bots

Here's a fun video we created to help introduce the Shape-Bots. Shape-Bots are the newest edition to the Pre-Bot line. Pre-Bot created them to be his new friends. Their magnetic arms and legs, allow for ease in putting them together or taking them apart. The pegs allow for their bodies to be mixed and matched to make a variety of bots. These learning toys are not quite available yet, but the creator hopes to have them on the market very soon!

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Senior Portraits with Emma

What a great time we had with Emma last weekend shooting her senior portraits! She's a beautiful girl with a personality to match, so fun to work with. The Old Stone Church in West Boylston, MA offered lots of nice locations for a nice variety of shots.

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(VIDEO) Summer in the Mountains

Here's a brief compilation of clips from our recent camping trip to the White Mountains of NH. The drone loved that fresh mountain air!

DJI Phantom 4
Nikon D600
Music by Tours

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(VIDEO) Martha's Vineyard From Above

A beautiful weekend on Martha's Vineyard was the perfect occasion to test out our new drone. We sent it out pretty far over the cliffs of Aquinnah and also got some nice shots of the Gay Head and East Chop lighthouses. It's really exciting to see things from this unique perspective!

Here's a short compilation of some clips we filmed from the air. Make sure to watch in HD.

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164 Clinton Rd.

Here's some images from our recent real estate shoot in Sterling, MA.

While there was plenty of natural light in the house, we wanted to create some bright, inviting photos with no dark shadow areas. To accomplish this, some of the shots required up to 4 flashes strategically placed throughout the space. Sometimes there's a lot more involved than simply pressing the shutter button!

More Posts...

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(VIDEO) Pre-Bot Learns Not To Hurt

What a great time we had working with all of these kids and their new robot friend Pre-Bot! Pre-Bot is a learning toy that teaches children valuable common sense lessons. Learning With Pre-Bot is a new series of books using Pre-Bot as the main character. As Pre-Bot learns, children learn also, in a fun engaging way.

We made some photos to help promote this new endeavor of Pre-Bot creator and story writer, Rod Lowe. The video shows a group of kids enjoying an interactive story time session with the first book, "Pre-Bot Learns Not To Hurt". The book is now available on Amazon. For more info about Pre-Bot and his friends, visit Pre-Bot.com.

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42 Brookside Ave.

Here's some shots from our recent real estate shoot. What a big difference a few well placed flashes can do to help balance the light on interior photos. Each room has it's own challenges and requires a slightly different approach. Our client loved the photos and hopefully they will create some interest and lead to a quick sale. Here's the listing.

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Indoor Family Portrait Session

We had such a great time with this beautiful family! They wanted a sophisticated yet relaxed, cozy feel instead of something plain and sterile like a wall or traditional backdrop. Kind of a, "Us in our home" type of photo. It was early evening so outdoor photos were out of the question. We positioned some furniture to allow some of the family room to be used as the background. One light was aiming at the background to create the look of sunlight coming through the window, while our main light as well as a reflector was used to light up the family. Sometimes it can be challenging working with the little ones, but we ended up with some great shots and had a lot of fun too!

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Winter in the Mountains

There's nothing like winter in the White Mountains of NH, or anywhere in my opinion! We went for a snowy hike in Franconia Notch last weekend before visiting Schilling Beer Co. (great craft beer, by the way!)

There's something special about trekking through the woods after a layer of fresh powder. The air is crisp and clean and it's also easier to spot tracks of forrest dwelling critters. And of course, it's a great time for photos!

By the way, if anyone knows what's up with that yellow ice, (pee jokes aside) let me know! ;-)

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Terror in the Tunnel

It's been several weeks since the frightening incident, but I finally feel ready to talk about it.

The day began with exciting thoughts of exploration and photography. I parked my car and hiked up to the mouth of the long, dark abandoned railroad tunnel. I could see the light at the other end, what could go wrong? As I reached deeper into the bowels of Clinton MA, what at first seemed so bright was now nearly pitch black. I kept going, heading toward the small hole of light that was now getting bigger. I made it to the other end. The view from this end was desolate, muddy and rundown. For me, this meant a great place for photos. With my tripod set up and flashes out of the bag, I got to work. Then it happened...

From the entrance I heard a noise. Yelling? Laughing? Crying? I couldn't tell. I turned around to look, but could only make out several faint silhouettes. I tried to ignore it hoping they would not be as brave as I was and enter the tunnel. I was wrong. They were getting closer and closer, louder and louder. Were they aliens who wanted to suck out my brain? Street thugs who wanted to steal my camera gear? Escaped convicts looking for a hostage? I had no idea, but I didn't want to find out. I fired off my flash toward the enemy several times to scare them off. This only made them advance with more intensity. As quick as I could I packed up all of my gear and started running toward the exit hole.

Outside the tunnel I was no better off. The mud got deeper under my feet as I looked for a place to hide. I was trapped. Rock walls on either side prevented my escape. For sure now I was completely exposed to them, but no time to stop and turn around. Who are they, what do they want with me, I kept thinking. Finally I found a spot where I could climb out of the ravine and hide behind some rocks. The echo of their voices got louder, they're almost here! From my hiding spot I saw them emerge. What came out of that tunnel was even worse than what I had imagined...

Four teenage girls with selfie sticks.

Foliage Season Is Over :(

It's too bad that the most beautiful time of year in New England is also the shortest. Next up, WINTER!

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Last of the Summer Garden

Autumn is finally here, our favorite time of the year! Here's an end of summer assortment of fruits and flowers from our garden. Martina picked everything and styled these shots that will become part of our stock photo portfolio. The look of natural sunlight was created with one diffused flash placed on camera left. The kitchen table added a nice rustic feel.

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One Last Photo Shoot in Kraków (Sad Face)

It's been an amazing 2 years living here in Poland, but on August 31, we move back to Sterling, MA USA. Living in Europe has led to many great photo adventures and also many great friends made along the way. Yesterday, my photographer friend Jacek and I woke up to catch the sunrise over the Old Town Market Square here in Kraków. We tried to get some cool drone footage over the square, but the batteries were not cooperating and it crashed a couple times. After those mishaps and a bloody finger, we switched to our traditional cameras and tripods.

Especially in the summer the main square, the largest medieval square in Europe, fills up with tourists pretty quick, so it was nice to get there early and make some photos without the crowds. It was really sad being in this beautiful place for the last time, but at least we will have some great memories.

See you in Sterling!

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