It’s Apple Season

My name is Matthew Mead and I am Style Editor-at-Large for Country Home magazine. My job is to produce seasonal stories on decorating, entertaining, and “how-to" ideas that you can replicate at home. I'm often working a year ahead of schedule, trying to capture the season at its peak so we can have beautiful imagery for the upcoming editorial schedule. Shooting in real time would be impossible with the time constraints created by printing and distribution schedules.

I work out of my studio in New Hampshire and have a small team of helpers. We coordinate with a photographer for three or four days of shooting, heading out on the road to capture the seasons.

Recently we were shooting autumn in New England at a local apple orchard called Gould Hill. It is one of the many orchards near my home and one that I grew up visiting as a child. It’s set on a spectacular hillside that overlooks miles of New Hampshire mountains—and if you visit at just the right time, you can see spectacularly colorful foliage for miles and miles. I have dreamed of shooting there for years and this season decided to do a story on decorating with apples; I knew the location would be the perfect place to capture fall living in all its glory.

My days always start early, but shoot days call for extra early mornings. I'm on the road at 5:30 a.m. in my pickup truck filled with all of my favorite props, including a mix of country chairs in old paint, baskets, and vintage pails. I have to make sure that I have enough cut leaves, wreath forms, berries, and country containers to bring just the right look to each and every photo. I make a shot list for what we will work on (though I am notorious for straying from the list and trying to capture those spontaneous subjects that really embody the season). My team—including my wife, Jenny—arrives around 8:30 and we coordinate and load any last-minute pieces of furniture, wardrobe, or props that will be needed. Jenny has organized a group of friends to meet us at the orchard and pose for pictures picking apples with their children. In many cases—and especially in this one—it is the photographer who brings that special, dreamy quality to the shoot.

For this event, L.A.-based photographer Reed Davis was assigned, and his infectious humor and sharp wit bring unyielding smiles and giggles to all. The result is real people having real fun doing something truly joyful—and it shows.

At 9 a.m. we are fully engaged in the shoot. We are blessed with a crisp autumn day in the mid 50's. The children arrive and—like they have done many times before—make a beeline for the orchard, running and playing in the most natural way. Reed grabs his camera and disappears in the leafy hillside as we gather the parents to make a short trek to the trees densely laden with large, beautiful apples (a glimpse of what Eden must have looked like). As I stand there and absorb the atmosphere, I realize that I am so lucky to be out in the fresh air and enjoying the beauty of an autumn day. I always tell people who pose for pictures it won't take long, but it always rambles for more than an hour.

Once our guests depart, we begin focusing on details, using the rustic old buildings, stone walls, and age-old maple trees as backdrops for October decorating. The day will be long with a lot of moving and hauling props and projects from place to place, but it will be well worth it when the magazine is filled with colorful autumn style.

I've become known for my secret sources, and Gould Hill Apple Orchard is definitely one of them. Situated in Contoocook, New Hampshire, it has a beautiful rustic orchard barn that has been selling apples and country baked goods for generations. Visitors can select from more than a dozen beautiful heirloom apples and check out the honey bees that are sleeved in a glass-front hive (which I remember from my childhood). Don't miss the shortbread cookies sold on the counter, and take the drive to the top of the hill to drink in the view (and the cider).

Look for our story in the October 2007 issue of Country Home. It will feature lots of great apple craft projects and fun ways to enjoy the season.

Jenny was able to capture a few shots of the beauty at the top of Gould Hill. Our friends enjoy the views, the apple picking, and take a turn at making an apple wreath.

No matter where you live, visit an orchard to grab a bushel of apples and the joy of the season.

OUR FIVE FAVORITE APPLES
HONEY CRISP—sweet and crisp with a tinge of honey; they are the freshest eating apple right off the tree.
MCINTOSH—a versatile New England standard for eating, baking, sauces, etc. We use these for the best apple pie.
MACOUN—best for eating and pink applesauce. (Leave the skins on the apple for the most pleasant shade of pink as a sauce.)
BALDWIN—great for cooking and eating; good as baked apples with caramel and whipped cream.
EMPIRE—crisp for eating, making sauce, or great in a crisp Waldorf salad.

The team and our friends shoot details under the changing autumn trees.

A small apple house has a great rustic patina from serving the orchard for so many years. We found it the perfect backdrop for wreaths, garlands, and all types of apple projects.