Wanamaker Photography

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 …

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!