Pro Techniques

Turning 50 this past year led me to pause, take stock, and reflect back on the years that have passed by relatively quickly. As I look forward to the second half of my life, I realize why I became a documentary photographer. It has led me to the far reaches of the earth while enabling me to slow down and really look at life up close. It is the series of amazing journeys I have been on and the stories that have accompanied them that I look back on with great joy.

Windsor, New Hampshire

All Photos © 2007, Daryl Hawk, All Rights Reserved

I have been fortunate enough to have spent a good deal of my free time in Windsor, New Hampshire--the second smallest town in the state. A family cabin situated on White Pond has always been my refuge for escaping this fast-paced world. I have always referred to it as a lake but the locals remind me it really is a pond.

With a population of fewer than 250, Windsor is the kind of town where everyone waves as you drive by and the latest news is received at Williams Store. Ponds, rolling hills, old stone walls, huge granite boulders, and heavily forested woods filled with birch, pine, oak, maple, and spruce cover most of the land. My family ran two sleep-away camps for children from the 1950s to the '80s called Holiday Trail and Holiday Highlands. Having spent every summer of my life in this 250 acre forested sanctuary, a spiritual bond with the land was formed at a young age.

Mailboxes

The mailboxes of Windsor are quite often clustered together on many of the gravel roads.

On White Pond I can truly immerse myself in nature and feel and see its ever-changing beauty every hour of the day. From the early morning light that illuminates the mountain across the water to the bright stars that fill the vast sky at night, my days are filled with sheer joy and real solitude. Nature is the driving force that inspires me to shoot these images that all come straight from the heart.

Both Henry David Thoreau and Ansel Adams influenced and inspired me with their words and images. The purity and vision expressed in their work has motivated me to capture in my own way the beauty of the Windsor area. I thrive on the quiet adventures and timeless beauty I experience there every day. Whether I am alone pursuing my craft of black and white photography or just hanging out on the dock enjoying the close togetherness with my family, different variations of nature constantly surround me.

Old Bridge

Right outside of Windsor in Hillsborough Upper Village you can see this beautiful double arch stone bridge built in the 1850s.

I am a purist at heart and therefore have decided to stay with film. My 25 years of familiarity with my trusty Nikon SLRs combined with the Plus-X and Tri-X I have grown to love has made this an easy decision for me.