WATERTOWN, Conn. -- My husband and I have always called Connecticut home, and now we raise our family of five here. We love the rolling hills and idyllic views as much as we love the easy access to cities and all the conveniences of modern life. While I am the writer, my husband is a part-time photographer, and truly enjoys the our state's scenic offerings.
The Sandy Hook tragedy affected us both deeply; we live just 20 minutes from Newtown, in Watertown, Conn. After the horrific event, we both made separate pilgrimages to see the memorials and pay our respects. While I chronicled my experiences on my personal blog, my husband -- who always has his camera around his neck -- could not bear to take photographs of the thousands of flowers, teddy bears, notes and candles left by mourners.
Instead, he chose to capture something different.
Beauty.
He focused his lens on the town's picturesque charm, and away from the ugliness that brought so many to gawk and cry. Over the course of a few days before Christmas, he fine-tuned four images, under the project title "Newtown the Beautiful." The images can be seen on his photography blog, a gesture of kindness and healing to the community and all those affected by the massacre. His only request was that the images are not used for personal profit.
The four images feature vastly different scenes: A retro diner, a snowy brook, a charming general store and a peaceful river. Each photo shows Newtown in the way its residents would like it to be remembered, instead of its now unfortunate place in history.
To read more and see the images in Chris McGuire's "Newtown The Beautiful" photo project, visit www.afterthe9to5.com.