A portrait by New Ipswich photographer Lauren Somero will be hanging in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, as part of the upcoming “Bison: Standing Strong” exhibition.
The portrait shows bison rancher Liz Riffle, a fellow New Ipswich native and Mascenic Regional High School graduate, standing proud in front of her herd of bison on her West Virginia ranch.
The photograph will be part of a larger exhibit on the American Bison at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. The exhibit is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s commemoration of the United States’ 250th birthday. In March, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History installed three bronze bison, by award-winning sculptor Gary Staab, at the entrance to the museum, in preparation for the opening of the Bison: Standing Strong exhibit on May 7. The exhibition will trace the bison’s development over thousands of years, to present-day life, and include fossils and other anthropological objects, and highlight the role of conservation herds.
For Somero, being included was a chance of a lifetime.
Somero first found an interest in photography in high school, taking photography classes and labs, and eventually independent studies in photography.
After she graduated from Mascenic Regional High School, photography remained a passion for her, Somero said, and after marrying and having children, she began picking up photography jobs as a way to have some income on a flexible schedule. But as her children — now teenagers — grew, she was able to grow her photography into a full-fledged business and full-time job.
She said she never expected to see anything she had taken hanging in the Smithsonian.
“My body of work is portraiture, weddings, families, a lot of big life events — pretty much everything you can think of, which is common for photographers in rural areas,” Somero said. Less common, she said, are opportunities for museum display pieces.
This opportunity, she said, came only with a little bit of luck and a long-time friendship.
Riffle and Somero have been friends nearly their whole lives, having attended grade school at St. Patrick’s Catholic School together, grown up riding horses side-by-side, and playing sports together in high school at Mascenic. That friendship continued into adulthood, even as eventually their lives took different paths. Somero stayed in her hometown, while Riffle joined the military, became a Navy nurse, and eventually settled in West Virginia on a regenerative bison ranch.
When Riffle was contacted about being included in the Bison: Standing Strong exhibition, which would include a portrait of her, she recommended Somero to take the shot.
“She’s always seen the world this way,” said Riffle. “Even when we were kids, she noticed the things other people missed — the way animals move, the way people work, the quiet parts of a place.”
For Somero, she said the opportunity has only been made more special by getting to experience it with her lifelong friend.
“It’s very cool, because this is one of my dearest friends, and it’s very special to share something so big and personal with someone you care for so much,” Somero said, of taking Riffle’s portrait. “Every stage of our lives, we’ve been along with each other for it. Really, the only part of our lives that we haven’t shared before is our careers.”
Somero has been to Riffle’s ranch before, to shoot farm life there, and flew down for a special trip to take Riffle’s portrait.
Somero’s photography style relies on a non-invasive, natural lighting approach, and she said she had several sessions with Riffle during different times of day with different natural light. The shot selected by the Smithsonian was taken at sunrise.
Riffle said Somero’s natural, unstaged style exemplifies what the exhibit is all about.
“These aren’t just pretty pictures,” Riffle said. “They’re honest. They show what it actually looks like to care for land and animals every single day.”
For more information about Somero’s photography, visit laurensomerophoto.com, or Lauren_Somero_Photography on Instagram.