The Baseball season and I haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye so far this year. Each time I’ve had a scheduled game to attend for Minisink Valley, it has either been postponed or cancelled because of the rain. After weeks of the game between the weather and myself, I finally got my chance to photograph the Minisink Valley Varsity Baseball team when they played against the Cornwall Dragons at home in a non-league game.
As this was one of my first Baseball games of the season, I decided that I needed to warm up the skills a bit and so I decided to shoot a few frames of Minisink during practice. A few frames turned into a few hundred by the time I was done!
As the game got under way, the clouds (which seemed to be messing with me during practice) finally parted completely and it turned into an incredible day for a Baseball game!
From right next to the first base umpire, I grabbed this shot of CJ Callaghan just before he smacked this ball into the outfield …
And this one of Mat Hannon repeating the same move …
As the game went on, I started focusing on some of the action on second and third base as Minisink had runners pumped and ready to go. It was a good thing I did. I grabbed this shot of Nick Iannuzzi sliding into third as the thirdbaseman caught and was about ready to pitch the ball back to first.
As exciting as the game was, I left around the top of the 6th inning as I had other obligations to attend to … but I did find out later on that Minisink lost the game 11 to 19.
Miscellaneous•
May 7th, 2008•
Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.
This excerpt was taken directly from the website for an incredible organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. This organization provides a helping hand and a healing heart for families overcome by the grief and pain of losing their newborn child. While the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them, offering a gentle, compassionate photography service done in a sensitive manner is the heart and soul of the organization.
Image Courtesy NowILayMeDownToSleep.Org
The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) administers a network of nearly 3,000 volunteer professional photographers in the United States and eight International countries. At a family’s request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will go to a hospital or hospice location and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby.
We at Wanamaker Photography may not be emotionally ready to accept such incredible responsibility, but we feel the need to contribute to this organization any way we can.
Image Courtesy NowILayMeDownToSleep.Org
We have decided to label May 2008 as “Mother’s Month” in recognition of all the moms that have children and for those who have suffered the loss of a child. During the entire month of May, for any Maternity, Newborn or Young Child portrait session booked, we will donate $50 to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation, in your name, to help them continue this wonderful service.
To help give you a closer look at what the organization does and how it got started, we’ve edited a video (based on footage obtained from Photo Vision) that will take you on an emotion trip to the event that started it all. Sandy Puc, one of the founding members, recounts her first session with a little boy, named Maddox, who’s life was cut short before it even had a chance to really begin. Before you watch, I highly recommend that you keep a box of tissues close by!
If you are interested in more information on Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, please visit their website, with information for Photographers and Families alike, at http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org. If you are interested in more information about our sessions, please contact us directly at 1-866-832-4001.
I hope this video impacts you as much as it did me!
Yesterday, I photographed my first High School Lacrosse game at Minisink Valley. While I’ve photographed Lacrosse before (2007 Minisink Swap Stix Match), I had never covered a high school game where everything seems to be 10x more violent.
It was a cold, cloudy and overall dreary day as we headed onto the field. As we finished setting up our gear, the teams were getting ready to take the field. The Minisink Varsity team was about to play Hyde Park (FDR) High School.
As the game got under way, I quickly saw that Lacrosse was a mix between Football and Hockey. Players were getting whacked with sticks and body checked by opponents in a fight over a little white ball that could knock you out cold if it hit you just right!
The first half was played extremely well by Minisink as they scored a goal nearly every 10 seconds (or so it seemed). I actually had to move from one end of the field to the other as I had no action down by me and was starting to get bored!
Minisink wasn’t as strong in the second half, but still beat Hyde Park by a lot!
A group of Minisink and FDR players chasing a failed pass
A Minisink player going after a bouncing ball
An FDR player with the ball heading down field. The Minisink player in the middle actually lost his balance on the wet field after trying to catch up
A pep talk by the coach during a time out