Senior Photography - Dealing With Rain

Today I had the honor of taking Jay's senior portraits. He and his mom came all the way from Cambria County to work with me. I was not about to let a "little rain" stop us!

Starting mid-morning, we took our chances outside and captured some great images before the rain started. Then it came down in buckets. We were working under the Peach street railroad underpass for a while, until the road started flooding and coming up over the sidewalks. Cars were having trouble passing through, and they sent out sheets of water as they drove by.

Before we abandoned ship and left the underpass, we captured this great image above. The white balance was set for "cloudy", which gave the electric lights a golden color. The flooded roadway reflected the lights and created a one of a kind lighting situation.

Then we fought the torrents of rain in the streets as we returned to the indoors to work with backdrops and strobes. Once the weather broke, we returned outside and captured this great image below, along my favorite painted wall near 15th and Peach.
Great job Jay! We'll have more great images ready for you soon!

Bridge to Adventure

Yes, this is a suspension cable bridge. It is hidden well, somewhere in Erie County, and is the gateway to adventure. Beyond it lie trails, a cabin in the woods, a 2-seater outhouse, a cable ride, and lots more fun and adventure for kids and adults alike.

This was taken on the 4th, when lots of relatives were in town and we all had a wonderful time. I did apply a couple of effects on the image to push the warmth and create a fuzzy feeling. In a way this is an iconic photo - the bridge represents a crossing to a special place that we go to when we can all be together and spend time with each other in this special place.

The wino sign is strictly ornamental, I swear.

2009 Save an Eye Teams

Wednesday July 8th was Media Day for the Save an Eye football teams. The players all received their jerseys and we had TV and newspaper in attendance. We also took individual, school group and team photos.

Here is a sneak peek at the two teams from City and County.

The Online Album with all of the Media Day Photos is available here. Or go to http://jhphotomusic.com and click "View Sessions".

The game will be on Friday July 24th at Erie Veteran's Stadium.

Senior Images with an Edge!

I continually search for great locations to use for Senior portraits. I find that the students enjoy the "out of studio" experience and really get into the different settings we have in Erie and the surrounding areas.

These were taken at the Raven Sound building on 26th and Peach streets. Phil and the gang have long supported the arts, and this is no exception. They sponsored a graffiti event and their building was the target!

It's amazing to see the variety of styles and artwork painted on the walls of Raven Sound. Both the front corner, viewable from Peach street driving North, and the inside structure, on the northeast side of the building, are covered with intensely colored graffiti art.

On Friday, in bright sun, we shot our first session. With permission of course from the owners, we composed several interesting poses which prominently featured the walls in the composition.

As you can see, the color and patterns of the art, combined with the strong solid lines of the building itself, create a great edgy, urban background for portraits.

Special Thanks go to Raven Sound. Guys, your wall rocks!
One more note - this is my 200th blog post on this blog! How time flies...

Waiting for Daddy

Today I had the honor of photographing a family whose husband/father is deployed in Iraq. As member of Operation Love: Reunited, I support the families of service men and women before, during and after deployment by donating sessions and photographic products.

I was especially glad to be able to conduct this family's first session on July 4th. The young daughter was very supportive of her daddy and helped us create some wonderful memories to share with him while he is deployed overseas.

Today, I remembered: Independence Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices that our military have made and continue to make, to ensure that our country and others have the continuing opportunity to be free.

It was an honor to support this military family while they serve our country.

Senior Photography in Erie

Here are a couple more images of Jenny from her first Senior Portrait session.

Jenny's A Senior!

Here are some images from Jenny's Senior Portraits. We are going to do the full set over a few days.

25th Wedding Anniversary!

Today, Natalie and I celebrate 25 years of marriage. In 25 years, we have experienced a great deal as husband and wife, best friends, and parents:

• 2 lovely and talented daughters
• 1 house - paid for!
• 1 dog
• 2 cats
• 12 cars (!)
• 6 wonderful grandparents for our kids
• Lots of supportive family and friends
• More musical instruments, dance costumes, computers, Polish Pottery and cameras than you can count!
• Dozens of dance recitals and competitions, band performances, cheer competitions, proms, homecomings, NHS banquets and many other moments of pride for our daughters
  
• Lots of great trips to Maine, California, Florida, North Carolina, backwoods cabins and more
  
• Many hours spent cooking together and entertaining for friends and family
• Thousands of hours volunteering for PTO, Church, Band, Dance, JDRF and more

It is truly amazing to realize we have spent 30 years together - 5 before marriage and 25 since. I hope that this is just the start. As we enter the next stage of our life with grown children, I pray we become even closer and experience even more together.

Though I am not a huge fan of John Lennon, he did write a wonderful lyric/poem, inspired no doubt by Robert Browning:

Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
When our time has come
We will be as one
God bless our love
God bless our love

Grow old along with me
Two branches of one tree
Face the setting sun
When the day is done
God bless our love
God bless our love

Spending our lives together
Man and wife together
World without end
World without end

Grow old along with me
Whatever fate decrees
We will see it through
For our love is true
God bless our love
God bless our love

Nan, I love you. Happy Anniversary!

Lily L'Orange

A closeup of a lily growing beside my garage.

The Best of the Wurst

Last week we grilled sausages for the 6 of us for dinner. I had a nice selection of Hot Italian, Bratwurst and Chorizo. It looked so tasty on the grill that I had to grab my casual camera (a Canon DRebel with a kit lens) and shoot a few frames.

I like how the flames are shooting through the back and the glow of the flames below shows through. And I like the close focus on the nearest links.

The meal was wonderful, and we had a few to last us into the next week.

Circles of Dance

Another installment in my "creative dance photos" series. This one highlights circles in each pose.

Holding Up Class!

A couple of treatments of an idea that Judy saw. I think they came out pretty neat!

Dance Leaps

Here's one of my favorite creative shots from the Dance series that I shot this spring. These images were taken to include in the slide shows presented during the dance recitals in June.

I think this shot captures the joy and energy of dance.

Byzantine Catholic Church Rededication

This last weekend we celebrated the rededication of Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church. Two separate religious ceremonies saw the Consecration of the Holy Altar and the Blessing of the Iconostasis (Icon Screen). Both ceremonies were attended by our Metropolitan Basil, the head of our Byzantine Catholic Church, Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.

In the first image, the Holy Altar is stripped of its adornments and baptized with holy water, wine, and rose water. Then it is cleansed and a relic is entombed into the Altar. To complete the ceremony, the Altar is once again adorned. This ceremony was accompanied by holy vespers, sung by members of both Saints Peter and Paul, and Saints Cyril and Methoius Byzantine Catholic Churches.

On Saturday, the Icon Screen and other icons in the church were blessed by the Metropolitan. A full Divine Liturgy was conducted, accompanied by the Archeperchal Choir. This was a standing-room only service, attended by many priests, deacons, nuns and many of our Parish Family.

Following this moving Liturgy, we retired to the social hall where a great banquet was held in celebration of the rededication of the church.

Dance Recital

Here are a couple more images from Paula and Judy's Dance Showcase 2009. Great end poses!

Dance Recital

This weekend saw the successful conclusion of another great dance season at Paula and Judy's Dance Connection in Erie.

The 2009 Dance Showcase, held on June 12th and 13th, featured dozens of acts, from tiny dancers to adults, and from solo to large group productions. The variety of dance styles included ballet, tap, lyrical, acrobatic, hip hop, jazz and modern.

This image, taken from the sound booth by yours truly, shows the great lighting and mood created in the theater auditorium setting. This move is called an "elbow stand" and requires strength, balance and grace.

For a more technical description of how to capture good images in a dark setting, see my blog post under The New Professional Photographer blog.

Paula and Judy and Jamie: Congratulations on another wonderful dance season and showcase!

Larissa and Ray

Here are a couple more images from Larissa and Ray's wedding last weekend. We had great weather and great light.

Presque Isle Wedding

Here are some images from Chris and Lisa's outdoor wedding. The ceremony was held at Perry Monument, and we stopped at several locations on the beach for photos.
We took many images at the "kite beach", where the bridal party got a bit sandy, and I lay on my back in the sand to get my killer images. Here is a great image of the bridal party among the kites, with a bit of post processing.
The bride and groom are very fond of bicycles. The theme on their cake and in the decor was all about bicycles. Here is the tip top of their cake.

Chris and Lisa, thanks and congratulations. Some more great images are forthcoming!

Presque Isle Beach Photos

A few images from an "after session" session I shot yesterday.
It was perfect weather at Presque Isle.
And a perfect sunset!

Erie Wedding

Here are a couple of images from Larissa and Ray's wedding this last weekend. They had a wonderful service, some great weather for outdoor images, and a fabulous reception at the Mannerchor club.

More images to come soon!

Tap!

Here is another selection from the dance candids collection. This class is performing a Tap number. Tiana is in the foreground and everyone is all smiles.

These ladies practice for hours and each knows many different dances.

This image was taken with a telephoto lens set at f/2.8. This caused Tiana to be in tight focus, and the rest of the image to be blurred.

Here's a dancer's riddle: Name the next four numbers in this sequence: 5,6.
Answer: 5,6 ... 5-6-7-8!

Grillin

Summer brings with it the urge to grill. Who doesn't love to cook outdoors when the weather is nice?

Today we planned Kebabs for dinner. Some shrimp for the brave, beef for everyone, and separate vegetable skewers.

I couldn't resist pulling out a camera and capturing these great sticks-O-produce, as they were cooking.

After skewering, we brushed a little olive oil (Rachel: "EVOO") and some salt and fresh ground pepper and a bit of dried oregano.

There wasn't a stick left at the end of dinner. This is one dish that looks as good as it tastes!

Black and White Dance Photography in Erie

A lovely black and white treatment of a close-up image, taken during ballet class.

Flying Dancer

You may know that I am fond of leap images. Here is a great shot of my daughter Jenny during a recent dance class.

Beore the recital, I take images of each dance class and put together a set of slide shows for the dance recital. It's a great way to celebrate the year of dance and showcase some of the different classes and dance styles.

Each year I try to add a few different unique images. This year we're trying some different group poses and some different slow shutter speed images.

To get these leaps though, I needed a fast lens (2.8), fast exposure (1/250), and high ISO.