It’s been a long, dark winter. I have missed photographing sweet families and couples so much over these past months—I decided to photograph my own family yesterday while visiting Thompson’s Orchard in New Gloucester.

Thompson’s has always held a sweet spot in my heart. Fall is marked by their pumpkin and cider donuts. I’ve photographed many weddings at the orchard, and I’m looking forward to another one this September-God willing.

Our visit yesterday was different. The smell of donuts was muted by our masks and we were the only ones out exploring the orchard on such a glorious day. The grief and sadness is still so palpable—nothing is normal.

As I begin to shoot families and couples again, I’ve thought about the ways I can best keep everyone healthy, that means modifying techniques and using new technology. For the time being I’ll be shooting from a further distance, with my camera tripod mounted and controlled by a remote. It’s a new style of shooting for me, It will take some getting used to, so I made my family test it out.