Wanamaker Photography

Action News, an industry specific publication, held a cover contest a few months ago and invited submissions from SEP (Sports And Event Photographers) members. We gladly submitted a few of our images from the past year and after patiently waiting … we finally got the call!

While we didn’t win the grand prize, we did manage a runner up spot! This image …

… captured during a High Point Soccer match, was the one the judges loved the most and will be featured on the cover of Action News later in the Spring of 2009 along with our interview!

We’ll be sure to post some excerpts once it’s published! I think that’s pretty good considering this was our first time entering our images in a competition!

Franklin Sussex Automall, one of our local commercial clients, always has some type of incredible event going on. Whether its a day with a celebrity (John Schneider), a huge Halloween party or a crazy monster truck crush, they create events that draw people in by the thousands.

This weekend was no exception as it was their third annual Safari Of Savings where they bring in all kinds of animals for the public to touch, pet and explore. Two of the biggest features are the free camel rides along the front of the dealership and the snake/reptile display by the Urban Tarzan.

Loretta and I stopped by for a couple of hours to capture some of the days events. After some small chat with the Urban Tarzan, we grabbed two of the most dangerous snakes and setup a small photo shoot on the hood of an $80k+ Dodge Viper they had in the showroom.

The first of the two snakes was the easiest to capture as it just laid on the hood and cautiously watched all of the spectators behind me …

However, the second one wasn’t as easy! According to the Urban Tarzan, this Albino Cobra was a little on the unhappy side. It kept slithering back and forth on the hood, snapping at its owner a few times - which made me back up just a little bit. I tracked it as fast as I could and snapped a couple shots when I saw the opportunity …

Once our little photo shoot was over, Loretta and I walked around and grabbed a few other shots of the animals on display - like this wolf …

… and some lucky rides atop a camel …

Last night, Loretta and I were out at the Minisink versus Warwick game … continuing our coverage of the 2008 Minisink Valley Football season. It was work as usual except for one image that could be considered a “lucky shot”

Midway through the game, as Warwick had the ball and was making a drive for the endzone, I decided to position myself just past the endzone marker hoping to capture some shots of Minisink stopping Warwick. However, I captured something that I wasn’t expecting.

Warwick snapped the ball and the QB passed it off to Brian White (#12) who was headed straight for me near the Minisink sideline. I held my position for as long as possible until the players (who could easily crush me) got too close for comfort. I quickly set my camera settings, stood up and started to back away - keeping my finger down on the shutter button the entire time. Brian dove for the goal line and this is what I captured …

Dragging the shutter just a bit and keeping everything center focused, I was able to get a clear shot of the player and the ball in mid-dive!

In the end, Minisink won the game by a touchdown and field goal … stretching their lead to 3-0 for the season. If things keep up, we’ll be following them to Dietz Stadium again this year!

Last night was the first regular season game for Minisink Valley Football against Port Jervis, a long time rival.

After leaving the Junior Varsity game at Minisink Valley High School a little early, we headed down to Port Jervis to capture the early moments as the teams took to the field and began their warm-ups. Just ahead of the rain from Hanna, the skies were perfect and the sun settled behind the trees as their routines came to an end.

We also captured a few head shots of the Senior Cheerleaders as well as this group shot of the entire squad …

As the night progressed, Minisink Valley pulled a strong lead over Port Jervis. With a few interesting plays and a couple mess-ups, Minisink Valley won the game thirty to nothing! Here are a couple shots from the game …

Kelly and Chuck were another great couple to work with and provided us with an incredible opportunity to get some shots of a slightly different type of wedding!

You see, Kelly and Chuck are Roman history buffs and decided to create a wedding around that theme. From baskets of grapes for the bridesmaids (instead of flowers), to Kelly’s goddess-like wedding dress and togas for the guys … to simply label this as another wedding would be an understatement.

Taking place at the beautiful Gardens at Catlin Creek in Slate Hill, NY under perfectly blue skies … Kelly and Chuck’s wedding was one we’ll soon showcase in our latest line of wedding albums!

Here is a sneak peak …