If your looking to plan a trip for a warm winter getaway that will offer more than Piña Coladas and white sand beaches, you may want to think about Costa Rica. You can still get beautiful beaches, high-end resorts and all the pampering that you feel that you deserve but it can also come with an added bonus, and that is adventure.

Costa Rica offers the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean and in between both, there is paradise. During our recent trip, we had six days to come back with stories and images that in the end only glazed the surface of what is offered there. The wildlife is amazing. It really is a photographers dream because you always have something to shoot that most people only see in a zoo. There are cloud forests that are home to birds that are seldom seen and only in this small part of the world, they call home. Having said that, the adventure does not always come easily.

Fortunately, we had a driver and a tour guide with us for the duration of our trip. Getting from place to place was not always easy, to say the least. There were times when we had literally a four- hour ride along dirt paths that were etched out of the side of mountains that had pot holes that would rattle the fillings out of most teeth. It always amazed me that we would travel for an hour and see nothing but wilderness and then all of a sudden, a small village would appear with a handful of houses and in a blink of an eye, it was like it never existed. It’s all part of the adventure to get to experience a modern day dinosaur, a volcano.

I have been around volcanoes on other shoots in the past but this one was very different. This is a very active volcano that always seemed to let you know that being dormant was the last thing on its mind. From the red ember glow coming from the craters edge at night to the deep rumble of what sounds like a distant roll of thunder, you quickly realize that you are witnessing something that very few people rarely see. Even though it has become a major tourist attraction for Costa Rica, the destructive power of this volcano is very real and always respected.

If that is not enough to get your heart going, you can always strap yourself onto a cable and fly from tree to tree on a zip line. For anyone that has never witnessed this, it is one big adrenalin rush. Most times, you are hundreds of feet above the treetops and moving at a very high rate of speed. At the time we were shooting this, it was our first full day in Costa Rica, with five more to go. The concept of me holding onto a strap with one hand and a forty thousand dollar camera in the other was not going to happen. It was suggested by the zip line crew that I should go first and then they would send the camera along by itself so I could get the arrival shots of Anthony as he approached the landing spots. As much fun as this may have been, nothing was worth taking the chance of having a H.D. camera dropped two hundred feet into a tree and ending the shoot. The only thing worse than watching your camera get destroyed is the fact that I would have to call Channel 5 to let them know it was my idea.
As much fun as this trip was, it was also an incredible amount of work for all of us. Living out of a suitcase for six days because we were changing hotels every night wears you down. Getting back late and turn it around and checking out by 7:00am daily takes a toll on everyone on the crew. Having said that, Costa Rica was truly a learning experience for me. To see monkeys in their natural environment as well as standing fifty feet away from a crocodile is pretty impressive. All good things had to come to a end so we boarded a plane and left ninety degree weather to head back to Boston, which was sitting at the zero mark. A ninety degree change in temperature in one day quickly makes you realize that reality unfortunately is back

Many people have asked me over the years what I am looking for when framing an image within the lens. The simple answer is to be creative and find something that the average eye would not see. What captures my interest is what is inside the big picture, and in many situations, that is what tells the story.

A perfect example would be the Grand Canyon. It is so expansive that at first glance, it seems impossible to capture the pure beauty in front of you. A wide shot will show the vastness of the canyon but will not show detail, which is equally important. You have to almost block out areas and when you do that, you will generally see multiple focal points to build your shots around. If possible, try to use foreground and background as part of your framing, adding another dimension to what could be just an average shot.

Taking a video camera out to capture "real life" can sometimes be a challenge because in some cases, real life is not what people want to see. Many times I am in a position of basically cropping out what surrounds my primary focus as if it was never there, which is where composition comes in. An artist working on canvas can create a world that is picture perfect every time; however, as a videographer, I am forced to work with the reality of what is presented in front of me. Nothing is created and it is always a challenge.

The advantage of working in a creative media is that there is really no right or wrong because every videographer has their own style. Some people like the idea of having the camera in constant motion zooming in and out of a point of interest. I personally would prefer to frame up a shot that is interesting and have the movement happen within the frame. To me, it gives the viewer a chance to absorb and appreciate what I am trying to show them. An example would be shooting Pete's chevy. I want a background that sets the scene, but at the same time I want the chevy to be the primary focal point. By keeping a locked down shot, I can have that rugged Maine coastline as a backdrop and still keep the focus on the moving car. If everything was moving, my opinion is that the shot is lost.

A photographer basically stop the hands of time and captures life in a brief moment. What you see is created through a viewfinder and in the end, there is an image that can last a lifetime.

People have asked me a number of times what my favorite Chronicle shoot was, or if I had a chance to go back to just one place, what would it be. I have traveled to so many great locations over the years and I generally try not to compare them because each location has its own merit. Having said that, there is one place that has always been at the top of my list, and that is Alaska.

The landscape of Alaska is rugged and absolutely gorgeous. Everywhere you turn is another post card or National Geographic cover. Bald eagles flying among mountains that seem to reach up to the heavens and glaciers that were formed thousands of years ago are shots that every outdoor videographer dreams about but rarely sees in person.

One of the many magical times we spent together over the two weeks was when we arrived at Denali National Park. We drove out toward Mount McKinley on a deserted road just before dusk. Stopping only a few miles out, we found ourselves in another world. It was completely silent. In fact, you could literally hear your heartbeat. In the distance, mountains that seemed so awe inspiring during the day, turned purple and gold awaiting a cool Alaskan night. A herd of caribou crossed the road to the left of us as bears wondered out on the tundra in front of us. It doesn’t get any better than this.

We did have the chance to fly with a local pilot/guide who took us up to the peak of Mount McKinley. Seeing the pilot with a map on the dashboard, a ledge wall in front of us, and a snow covered mountain below us, made it very obvious that we were either in serious trouble or in the hands of one of the best pilots in Alaska. He was a true bush pilot and could land just about anywhere, which he proved to us. After shooting in an extremely remote location, the pilot informed us that the winds had changed and he could not take us all out at once. We decided that if someone had to stay behind, it was not going to be Mary. With the pilot saying, I’ll be back, we watched our red plane take off leaving Clint and I out in the middle of nowhere. The only weapon we had to protect ourselves was a camera and a tripod.

Being on the road with Chronicle as you can see is never boring. Whether I am looking up at the northern lights in Alaska or shooting a sunset in Barbados, it is all a life experience that I never take for granted.

There is a place that is held dear to many Bostonian's hearts, as well as my own, where fields of lush blowing grass can appear in forty shades of green. You can also find winding back country roads where rock walls dot the landscape that have clearly stood the test of time which offer picture postcard images no matter which way you turn. The place I am writing about is Ireland and if you have been lucky enough to visit there, you will understand when I say that the warmth of this beautiful country will forever touch your heart and soul.














I have had the opportunity to travel to Ireland twice with Chronicle, once being last year when the Ryder Cup was hosted there and again this past summer. Both trips allowed me to shoot in different areas of the country with each one having its own unique setting. What didn't change from place to place was the graceful respect shown to us from the people who live there.















If the traditional pastures and green landscapes of Ireland is what you are looking for, they are waiting for you just minutes outside of Galway. Rolling hills that are accented by castles, farms and pure beauty is what you will find, which is a videographer's dream. As you drive along some of these well worn narrow roads, it feels like your in another place and time. Much of this land has gone unspoiled which proudly offers ruins left from centuries ago. In the air you will find the sweet smell of peat and wood burning as homes are being heated under this cool summer day. It's all part of what makes Ireland a true treasure.


Although there are many different castles located throughout Ireland, we only had time to visit one and that was the famous Ashford Castle. To be looking up at a stone building that was literally built back in the 13th century is quite unbelievable. The inside was obsolutely spectacular and just outside the window running through the property, you can see one of the best salmon rivers in country. Of course there was no time for this fly fisherman to cast a line but it was still nice to at least capture it with my camera.

One of the primary reasons that make Ireland so green is the amount of rain it receives as well as its cooler tempertures. Trying to work around rain drops and the sun going in an out can be frustrating at times when the goal is to capture those beautiful calendar shots. Ideally, I would want to wait for the perfect lighting conditions but the problem is that when we arrive on location, there are schedules and deadlines to meet and taking the time to wait for the sun to come out is generally not part of the plan. Ireland is however one of those places that still looks great no matter what the weather is offering. Having said that, when the sun appears, magic happens before your eyes because it is like looking through an emerald lens. The colors are absolutely stunning and it is at that point when you realize why Ireland is known for it's forty shades of green.