Wanamaker Photography

Megan and Kyle couldn’t have picked a better day for a wedding - yesterday was bright and beautiful with just a slight fall chill in the air and the trees seemed to hold onto their brightly colored leaves just for us. A traditional wedding of sorts, this was our first encounter with an incredible number of people in the wedding party - 14 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen - including a “man of honor” and a “best woman”.

Loretta and I arrived at Megan’s parent’s house around 2PM to find the house in a state of controlled chaos. Bridesmaids getting ready, family hanging around and everyone else looking for pieces to clothing, shoes and any last items needed to finish up. Since Megan was still getting her hair done, we wandered around the house and took some shots of the little details inside and out - including the car that they would be riding in for the day …

Once Megan arrived, she gathered the remaining items that she needed and proceeded to get ready. This included a walk outside to do her makeup under the sun. As she said, “If you are going to be outside you might as well do your makeup outside so you look your best!” Just after that comment, I grabbed this shot of some of her makeup items just sitting there on the deck … you have to love the little details …

Once she was finished, we headed back inside as she would soon be jumping into her dress. As the door closed, her father patiently waited outside for a chance to see his daughter - for the last time as his little girl - in her beautiful wedding dress …

… and when he did, neither of them could hold back the tears …

As the day progressed, we captured some beautiful moments between Kyle and Megan during their ceremony at the Chapel In The Pines at Koinonia …

… and during their reception along the Delaware River in New York. As the night got under way, we captured some more fun and interesting shots of Kyle, Megan and most of the few hundred people that attended - though they made our jobs much easier as everyone wanted to be in front of our lenses! Here is one last detail shot for the road …

… we’ll have more posted soon! Enjoy the sneak peak!

We recently signed up for an Animoto Commercial Account - which allows us to create incredible looking slideshows quickly and easily.

Our first test was some of our favorite images from the 2008 Minisink Valley Varsity Football Season! Check out the video below …

If you play for Minisink or just want spread it around, feel free to share this video on your website or MySpace! Just copy the code below and paste it in your “About Me” section! And feel free to comment on it and let us know what you think!

As a photographer, we face challenges every time we pick up the camera. From lighting to posing and into post-production retouching, we’re constantly working with things that are sometimes out of our control. This past weekend was no exception.

Friday night was filled with footballs games. The first was between the Junior Varsity teams for Minisink Valley and Middletown at the Minisink Valley High School. With the sun beaming brightly and very low in the sky, we had to contend with harsh shadows on all of the players. We were constantly adjusting our settings for the optimal shot. Later that night was the game between the Varsity teams for the same schools on the brand new Middletown High School field. While the lighting was perfect, the night was cold and keeping our fingers warm was enough of a challenge!

Saturday morning brought the same cold air as we set out for an entire day photographing the Minisink Valley Youth Soccer teams - all 900+ kids! As the clouds peeled back and let the sun shine down, things began to warm up … but gave us those harsh shadows that we love to hate.

Sunday morning followed with much warmer weather and a family session in New Jersey. With an energetic kid, a 7-month old baby and two extremely nice parents … there was nothing challenging about the day … until we packed up and got ready for something we knew would be tough for the both of us.

Our final shoot for the weekend was a portrait session. Not of a family or a child in the traditional sense - but of one family’s dog, Zeus, who was very much a child to them in his own right. Unfortunately, Zeus was dying of cancer. We had been asked to take some portraits of him (since he had never had them done) before his time came.

Knowing that you are taking some of the last shots of someone is an honor and a heartache at the same time. Having experienced this same feeling personally a little over a year ago, I know how hard it can be. So as we arrived, this incredibly massive Great Dane greeted us by the car and as we got our gear ready, settled down in the backyard under the shade of trees. As we maneuvered around each other, Zeus seemed to pose every so often and allow me those few short moments to capture him as if he were a perfectly crafted statue.

The hardest part of the session came when I needed to put down the camera - wondering if I could just get one more shot. We eventually packed everything up and headed home to try and take care of any last minute things before the weekend ended.

However, I was informed today that, sadly, Zeus was put to sleep yesterday to avoid any further suffering and pain. Our hearts and wishes go out to his parents.

Here were some of the shots from the best session all weekend …

A slideshow of some of our favorite images from Chuck and Kellys wedding!