However, occasionally I meet a couple that are doing something a little different or there’s a ‘connection’ between us that I like and I agree to work with them.  Recently, I had such an occasion when I got an email from Melissa Benet.  She was getting married on the beach in Strathmere, NJ on September 20th and hoped that I would be available and interested in photographing her wedding…. Read the rest of this entry »

The “Guild” holds 3 print judgings a year for member photographers, of which there are about 200 residing in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.  The last one of the year was on 9/18.  I submitted 4 entries - the maximum allowed - but was not able to attend the judging due to a job commitment.  The results are in and all of my submissions received merits, that is, as score of 80 or above.  One of my images, a nude that I titled Immersed, won Best image of a woman, Judges Choice (judge’s favorite regardless of score) and Best of Show. One of the judges from the event sent me an email a few days afterward about the image.

“I was really impressed with the concept, artistry and execution of your image. It had impact, technical quality, a powerful title, in short, all the elements of a blue ribbon entry.”It’s featured on the Guild competition page http://www.gppdv.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=39

While field testing a new Nikon D700 digital camera a few weeks ago in Philadelphia, I made two of the images that were submitted and one was also voted best of the animal category.  This image of a leopard called “Intensity” was taken in the Philadelphia Zoo.

Since the zoo doesn’t  open until 9:30 AM, I messed around shooting rowers from a railroad bridge that crosses over the Schuylkill River for while and captured this image called “Early Morning Workout”.

The final image was made last fall at a wedding.  It was captured with a fisheye lens as the couple was walking up the aisle after the ceremony.  It’s an image that I make often, but in this case, the grandeur of the church and natural lighting of the interior made it a little more special.  It is titled “A Kiss Beneath The Arches”.

I’ve spent a lot of my photographic career photographing weddings.  Of course, each is different is some way, even though the venues we work at are often repetitive.   Most of the time it’s the people we work with that dictate how the day will go, depending on their enthusiasm for working with us, how timely the schedule of the day goes and any number of variables…. such as the weather. Read the rest of this entry »

The professional Photographers of America holds an annual competition for the best photographs in the world.  Yeah, not just the USA, but the world!  Each of the past few years I’ve submitted images for consideration, I’ve had images accepted.  This year 2 of the 3 images submitted were accepted - one to the Loan Collection, which is comprised of the best of the best.  This is the 2nd time I’ve had the honor of having an image selected to for the Loan Collection.  There is also an album category and for the second year in a row, my wedding photography partner, Laura Smulktis of Legacy Photography, and I submitted albums and have had them accepted for exhibit. Read the rest of this entry »