All geared up and nowhere to go! I’m starting to feel like a bad luck charm. It was 2011, and we were preparing to go to the UPenn Clover Star Classic in Philadelphia, PA, the former name for this competition. Just like two years ago, the car was packed, the cameras were clean, but a looming snow storm postponed that event too! We still hope to cover this event if we are available at the makeup date. We hope friends, family, and everyone in the northeast stays safe and warm through the upcoming storm.
Being that we had our event cancelled due to snow, here are some appropriate images. We get snow here occasionally. Immediately after the snow falls is my favorite time to make photos. In light of the short time where the snow clings to tree limbs and bark you can create some fleeting images.
Below is an image made on actual film. This is a Kodak slide film exposure that was scanned to create a digital image. At this time, I no longer shoot film. The convenience and immediacy of digital is hard to give up.
Again, we hope to make it to the UPenn Classic soon!
My career as a photographer has grown leaps and bounds with the explosion of social media. I first saw the power of social networking in reconnecting with old school friends and previous job friends. Also I have family that reside across the globe. The next step was the ability to connect with other photographers that I admired. With photographers linking directly into their Facebook pages and their Twitter feeds it became easy to reach out and connect. As it became normal to communicate this way, I was able to introduce myself. Additionally I was able to let people know what I do. I asked them for business tips, photo technique tips, and ideas for other shoots.
Connected Marketing
Facebook and Google Plus in particular make sharing photography a top priority. These are the best way that I have used to show off my photos and current projects. Posting to these pages let not only my friends, but their friends that are not directly connected to me view some awesome images! When their friends view, like, and comment on images, my contact information will be easy to find. I have connected with clients this way and have been invited to shoot events this way too.
Event Marketing
As you have seen, I do shoot lots of ballroom dance events. I get so many action shots from these weekends, that I can keep posting images on this blog for a long time to come. These shots can be used by the organizers to promote future events, by judges that are marketing their services to other events, and to the teachers that use events as recruiting for new students and studios.
The organizers of the New Jersey State Open held in Atlantic City, NJ have used lots of my images in their routine postings on Facebook. Adding some of my photos that show their event as it was held has helped them to get over 4000 subscribers to their web page! They will be the first to know about any developments on their event, and the visual images helped to keep them at the top of mind for dancers planning their competition schedule this year.
There are so many resources available for small businesses that allow them to market their services to targeted audiences on social media. Having good head shots, environmental, and other promotional photography is important to convey your company on the internet. Show off your products, your culture, and your style through photos. If you have any need for these, contact me. I can be reached on social and traditional means below –
After the ceremony, is where the photographer is front and center. There are the must-have formal photos that need to be taken. With all the family gathered at one place, it is an important milestone in two family’s history. These are the wedding photos that are on the top of the list when asked what the first thing will be salvaged in a fire! At no other time will all these people be assembled at the same time to celebrate a new marriage. For this wedding, I took as many separate groups as I could – from both families together, to just siblings, to immediate families only, to the entire extended family together in one photo.
Bridal Walk – Wedding Photos
When the formals are complete, I can relax a little. The next part is my FAVORITE during a wedding day – a bridal walk with the bride and groom where I can get time alone with them without any other distractions. Lots of brides and grooms like the little break before the reception to recharge. Some of my best images from a wedding can be crafted during these mini sessions. Ruth and Don were very brave going out in the cold to get some photos at a beautiful church in downtown Hershey, PA. This had a beautifully lit cross that I could place in the background – got lucky again!
The bright red doors gave a nice background to the still-hanging Christmas decorations:
Being in Hershey, PA, you can’t get out of town without getting a photo of a kiss underneath a lightpost “Kiss” in the shape of the famous chocolates:
The light was just perfect for photos – a little overcast, and the slight breeze kept the veil out of the way. The passing traffic honked their horns to the bride and groom! Both of them took it in stride – sharing the day with their motorized well-wishers.
