Wanamaker Photography Blog

Behind The Scenes Of A Photography Studio

Last week, Franklin Sussex Automall, one of our local clients in New Jersey, was looking to have some promotional shots done for a ‘Duke Fest’ event later in August. Using Kelly, one of their employees, as Daisy Duke and their newest addition, the Dodge Challenger, we set out to take some shots for posters, advertisements and cutouts to help promote the event.

With not a single cloud in the sky and temperatures approaching 85 degrees at 9:30 in the morning, we positioned the car in a local setting that overlooked a valley below. We setup Kelly in a few poses and snapped some shots …

During the shoot, we found out a little background information about the Dodge Challenger and Bill’s Duke Fest. It seems that the manager for John Schneider (the original Bo Duke) has purchased the car. In return for the incredible deal that Bill worked out for him, John’s manager has arranged an appearance of Bo Duke (John Schneider) for Bill’s Duke Fest in August. As an added bonus, three of the original General Lee Dodge Chargers will also be on hand for the event as well as a local classic car club called the Wanderers.

The event Bill has planned looks like it is going to be incredibly huge and we will definitely be on site that day to capture all of the action as it happens!

Bethanne, our picture coordinator for the High Point Youth Soccer League, loves our work. She also has a son on the Sussex-Wantage Little League. Unfortunately, the league’s current photographer doesn’t provide any action photography services nor do they provide the custom posters we’ve been offering since January.

With that in mind, Bethanne invited us to one of her son’s final games to grab some action shots so she could create a custom poster of her son in action. As I headed towards third base, Loretta took first and we both covered second and the home plate. Since her son was the catcher, most of our attention was focused there … although we did capture some shots of the other kids in hopes of a few extra sales!

We stayed for only a few innings and captured nearly 500 shots! Here are a few of our favorites …

Last Friday, Chris Healy, owner of Above The Clouds Hot Air Balloon Rides, invited us out to photograph and film two of his hot air balloons as they carried passengers in whatever direction the wind took them. Having seen some of our previous work (including a shot of his balloons that I took when I first started with photography), Chris thought it would be great to have some ‘professionals’ on site to capture some updated images of his balloons as well as the experience for the passengers.

In order to photograph his balloons properly and capture the entire experience from beginning to end, we had to arrive at Randall airfield early. Since the balloons inflate quickly, we needed to be there before they even began to get things ready so we could position ourselves without getting in anyone’s way.

Chris had both balloons laid out on the field and when the last passenger arrived, he began blowing them up. Since the balloons are extremely long, a wider lens was definitely needed to capture as much of the balloon as possible. Once they were inflated enough, Chris started firing the propane flames into them …

My brother, Sean, was doing all of the filming for us and at one point was given the permission to walk into the top of the balloon and film Chris shooting the flames. If you’ve ever been near one of these things, you know that when those flames fire … they are very, very hot! I thought I lost my eyebrows at one point!

Once both of the balloons were up, the passengers moved in. Since Chris was looking for new shots for his website, I moved in closer and laid on the ground the grab a shot of the passengers with part of the balloon, basket and flame in the shot …

This gave me some great images of the passengers and the excitement that they were experiencing. Since the balloons are slow to get off the ground, this provided me the opportunity to grab some individual shots of the balloons as well as wider shots of the two of them. Because they take a little bit to get going, I had plenty of time to mess with my settings to capture different looks in-camera so Chris had a variety of images to choose from …

Once the balloons had cleared the field, we followed the chase cars around Middletown and Goshen. Since the calmest weather is early in the morning or later in the evening (about two hours before sunset), we knew that we’d get some great shots with the sunset as well. Even though balloons are very colorful, I find that a nice silhouette shot can be just as powerful …

As both of the rides came to an end and we started capturing the final images for the day, we made sure to stay out of the crew’s way as they have a lot to do before the sun goes down and they run out of light. One of the balloons landed in a parking lot while the other touched down in the black dirt onion fields of Goshen.

Part of the tradition of hot air ballooning includes a champagne toast at the end of the ride (to find out the full story as to why, book a flight with Above The Clouds … you won’t be dissappointed!). We were close by when the newly engaged couple, who landed in the onion fields, received their toast which capped a beautiful flight for them …

In the next few weeks, we will be flying with Chris and Above The Clouds to capture the second series of shots and video of his balloons from the air. We’ll be sure to bring those shots to you as well!

Continuing our coverage of area High School Graduations, I headed over to Florida, New York for the 2008 S.S. Seward Graduation ceremony …

Even though it is a small school with only 61 graduates, there were a lot of people at the ceremony. Thankfully, the weather was incredible and no one had to worry about the possibility of rain!

Arriving early, I checked out the area (since I had never been there before) and waited for the first seniors to start arriving. I wandered between the setup outside and the gathering seniors inside. While grabbing a few shots of things going on around me, I ran into James Reilly, a new local photographer for the Times Herald Record. We chatted for a bit and then headed inside as the Seniors were getting ready for the ceremony.

Inside, we captured a bunch of candid shots between friends …

As the day went on and the ceremony got under way, I photographed the Seniors as they received awards and honors for their achievements. The time came when they would finally be receiving their diplomas.

As the names were read off and the Seniors made their way off the stage to receive their diploma, I snapped a ton of shots. However, there was one student that stood out … not only because of his picture … but because of his last name.

As they called Patrick Wanamaker down, I chuckled a bit as it is not a very common name in the area and I found it ironic that I would be photographing another ‘Wanamaker’ with absolutely no relation. However, the photograph he would provide me would be the best one of the day …

As the ceremony came to a close, the graduates made their way off the stage and back behind the main tent. Just before heading out for the day, I turned around the saw my final shot of the day!

A few weeks ago, we announced that Minisink Valley High School had selected Wanamaker Photography to cover their graduation ceremonies. When the day finally arrived, I think we were a little more excited than a lot of the Seniors!

Since September, we had the opportunity to follow a bunch of the Seniors through many of the different sports that they played for Minisink Valley. From Football to Lacrosse to Baseball, we had captured hundreds of shots of each Senior … and now we had the opportunity to capture their final photo as they graduated from High School.

As we arrived at the school, the day brought with it uncertain weather. I continually checked the radar on my phone hoping for some luck. As the clouds became darker, I would check more often. We headed out to the field and started taking some pre-ceremony shots of the band, arriving parents and the Minisink Valley ROTC practicing for the main event …

As the Minisink Valley Seniors began walking out onto the field, everyone’s prayers were answered. The dark clouds disappeared and the sun poked through … as bright as ever!

As our coverage continued, we took over 3,000 photos of the graduates during candid moments and while receiving their diplomas. In the end, we were extremely happy that we could share in such a special day with all of the 2008 Minisink Valley High School Seniors!

* We took so many photos that it was extremely hard for us to pick a few for the blog and the homepage. If you are a 2008 Minisink Valley Graduate and would like to see all of the images we captured, please contact us and we will be more than happy to provide you with a special access code to our online gallery!

Laurel and Patrick, a young couple from New York, decided to use us for their upcoming wedding in November. Very artistic themselves, they found our work to be exactly what they wanted. After a few meetings with them and their parents, we settled on a date for their engagement session.

They decided on the Gasho House in Central Valley, New York as they have a very nice botanical garden behind the restaurant. As we arrived, however, we were a bit disappointed as there wasn’t as much color as we expected …

Loretta and I scoured the area briefly to get an idea of what was around … and then we began shooting! They were so easy to work with and are extremely photogenic … so we cannot wait for their wedding in November!

Here are a couple of the shots from the session …

We have great news for all of the seniors we’ve had the chance to follow through football, wrestling, lacrosse and baseball this year …

We’ve been asked to photograph the 2008 Minisink Valley Graduation on June 27th! We’ll be out in full force on the field capturing each and every senior receiving their diploma as well as all of the candid moment between friends. We look forward to sharing this incredible day with all of you!

Busy … Busy … Busy … That’s about the only way that I can describe the last month or so! Things have kept us going so much so that we haven’t even had a chance to update the blog!

Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, School and all of our other Spring events have all come to an end … which means we now have a chance to breath a little and look at what we’ve accomplished! It also gives us a chance to work on our creative ‘eye’ while getting things ready for the fall season!

As we look back over the last few months, we’ve covered numerous Minisink Valley Lacrosse and Baseball games, attended two of the area’s largest Irish Dance Feis Events, photographed Youth Soccer Players, attended Prom as a couple’s personal paparazzi, continued with our Senior Portrait Sessions and captured loving moments between couples during their Engagement Photo Session. Needless to say, we have a lot of photos ready to be blogged about!

Looking over the calendar for the next few months has a much lighter schedule for us, but plenty of exciting work we cannot wait to get to! The 2008 Eldred High School Graduation, an annual Puerto Rican Pig Roast, summer sports portraits for i9 Sports, numerous Weddings and some additional Senior and Family Portrait sessions!

Next month, we’ll also launch our new Wanamaker Photography VIP program … so details will soon follow!

Overall, it will be nice to have a bit of a breather where we can recharge our own batteries, enjoy what is shaping up to be a beautiful summer and start getting our gears into motion for the fall. Be sure to come back and check out our blog and website often as we’ll be updating it a lot with many of the incredible images we’ve captured over the last few months!

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