Miscellaneous•
December 6th, 2009•
Yesterday was the big day for our Toys For Tots Toy Drive at Franklin Sussex Automall in New Jersey … and I don’t think it could have gone any better!
We began setting up for this event Friday night – getting the set put together, lights dialed in, lines roped off and the on-site printing computers and printers hooked up. It was a lot of equipment and decorations to carry around – but it was all for a good cause!
As Saturday morning rolled around, the threat of 1-4 inches of snow was in the air. At 11am, when Santa and Mrs. Clause pulled up in their new Dodge Challenger, the snow had just started to fall but the line of children waiting for Santa was long!
By 3pm, as the line full of children began to wind down, we had collected over $1,000 worth of toys and more than $350 in monetary donations for the incredible Toys For Tots organization. We all enjoyed seeing the looks on the children’s faces when they got to meet Santa and the fact that we were able to help out so many others this holiday season who might have otherwise gone without!
We would like to thank everyone who came out to support our event!
In Memory Of Dale Wanamaker 1945-2009
Miscellaneous•
November 25th, 2009•
Toys For Tots was an important charity to my Dad and I feel obligated to carry the torch after his passing this year. So, on December 5th, we’ll be holding a Pictures With Santa Toys For Tots drive at Franklin Sussex Automall from 11AM until 3PM.
All you have to do is bring a new unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more and we’ll take your photo with Santa in our winter wonderland. When you are done, stay and enjoy the games, crafts and food available all day long! Each donation will also provide you with a raffle ticket for a chance to win an iPod and other great prizes!
Last weekend, with Tropical Storm Bill approaching, we set out to photograph the beautiful wedding of our Balloon Ride winners, Kimberly and Rob!
As we arrived at Kimberly’s house, Myrna Burgos, the makeup artist, was putting the final touches on Kim’s mom, so we took a few minutes and scouted around for some good locations to take shots of Kimberly and the girls. I have to say that the house was a photographer’s dream! It had beautiful, natural light coming in everywhere, furniture and walls with elegant patterns and mirrors in all of the right places! We used almost every thing that we found in our shots! When we were done with everyone, we headed out just ahead of the limos and made our way to the church in Highland Lakes New Jersey.
After the ceremony, we followed the bridal party and parents up to the Highland Lakes Country Club for some shots in the park and along the waters edge. Both Loretta and I watched some really dark clouds moving in as we photographed the girls, guys and group together. As we prepped for our final shot, I felt a few drops hit my neck. Two clicks later, the skies opened up and it poured! Luckily, the limo drivers were close by with an umbrella …
On our way down to the Meadow Wood Manor in Randolph New Jersey, it rained so hard that we could barely see where we were going! Luckily, we got all of the shots we needed just before it started – so Loretta and I were happy!
The rest of the night was perfect as well. The cocktail hour for the guests featured a 50’s era Burgers and Fries diner as well as a huge ice carving of the Staten Island ferry – the place where Kimberly and Rob first met. They even had the entire Meadow Wood Manor to themselves – which enabled us to photograph anywhere we wanted!
As the night went on, we pulled Kimberly and Rob out for a brief few minutes here and there so we could grab some extra shots and before we knew it, the night was already over! Here are some sneak peek shots from their wedding!
We had so much fun at this wedding that I don’t even know where to begin!
We were so nervous for Claire and Stephen because the day before the ceremony, it rained and rained and rained. Seeing that this was themed as a Hawaiian Luau on the shores of Lake Hopatcong New Jersey, there weren’t too many alternate plans available! Luckily, the skies cleared the morning of and it turned out to be a beautiful day!
The ceremony was held on the property’s dock along the shore of Lake Hopatcong, the food was catered by Chuck Adams from Take Away Gourmet and an amazing Hawaiian/Polynesian Dance & Music show was put on by Dance Aloha! Here are some sneak peek shots from their night!
Recently, I packed up our mobile studio and headed over to Carleigh’s house to help her create a custom portrait session unlike any she had experienced before. Carleigh is one of our Class Of 2010 Senior Ambassadors for Minisink Valley High School.
It was a perfect day for a photography session because, for once, there was no rain in the forecast! I arrived at her house at about 1:00PM and helped her choose her first outfit. Since I wanted Carleigh to be comfortable for the first set of shots, we tried the ensemble below and headed outside into the tall grass they had in the yard (and we were careful not to step in any gopher holes).
With the summer sun kicking in full blast, we soon decided to head inside and use the mobile studio for some shots. The setup was in their living room and was soooo much cooler than outside! I started with some White-On-White and Classic Black and White shots to add to her portfolio …
Because no session is complete without sunglasses, we added them to some of the high-key photos we took. With her favorite music blaring, the great photos kept coming …
For the shot below, I wanted to try something that I saw in another photographer’s portfolio (who’s name completely escapes me right now). Because Carleigh loves shoes (and what girl doesn’t??), we took what she loved and added some of her style to get this great shot!
Wanting a grungy look, we started looking around for something that would work. Because we were working in the middle of farm land and not the city, we knew this might be a difficult task. Carleigh’s house had some stairs around back that seemed to work well with the clothing she had on …
As the session neared the end, I decided to have Carleigh put on her prom dress and run through the tall grass like a little kid would on summer break. This is one of my favs!
I know that I could go on forever about how much fun Carleigh, her mom and I had on the session – but I figured it would be best to just post her slideshow instead! Carleigh is going to make a great Class Of 2010 Senior Ambassador for Minisink Valley! Enjoy!
