I don’t get a lot of opportunities to shoot high school sports anymore. So when I do, I like to make sure that I’m shooting a sport that I know fairly well. Since my eldest daughter played volleyball in high school, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Shooting volleyball is like a guessing game. It’s hard to follow the ball, so you have to follow the player you are trying to photograph. Often times, with patience, you will get the shot you want. Other times, you may just get a blur.
As Keller-Williams agents, the Jim Sabol Group came to us for an update in their “look” in new magazine ads they were considering for a new marketing campaign.
Getting the right look is sometimes the difference between a glance and a notice when it comes to magazine advertising.
For each of the past three years, we have ventured to Crownsville Maryland (just south of Annapolis) to the annual Renaissance Festival held in late summer and early fall there.
What we enjoy the most is just about everything. Many people go in costume, as we did for the first time this year, there is lots of entertainment (mostly magic and comedy shows), a theme which involves the monarchy of that period, and street actors who provide an enjoyable distraction for the kids (of all ages).
We went in costume this year, Diana as a bar wench (complete with long brown hair), and me as a bar man (with my mug for ale and other beverages). We had fun doing so, since Tara (the younger daughter) and her boyfriend Jake went along as well. Tara went in a vampy little outfit, and Jake as more of a demonic character, which suits his personality. 🙂
We saw a few of the shows, shopped in the shops (there are a LOT of vendors, and most stay true to the theme of the fair), and even watched the jousting competition. To be honest, it was a little more tame than those you may have seen in movies (such as “A Knight’s Tale”). But we had fun the whole time and left a little early to hopefully beat traffic.
That wasn’t to be the case, however. We started to leave at 5:45, and didn’t leave the parking lot until 8:20pm. I’ve never seen so much disarray and lack of coordination with traffic and parking control. But we made the best of the time, talking, making fun of the costumes and generally passing the time with whatever we could.
Despite the parking and traffic problems, I strongly recommend this festival to anyone. You can read more about this event at www.rennfest.com. Maybe we’ll see you there next year!
Susan came to us for some image photos. As a nationally-recognized mediator and company event organizer, Susan needed professional images for differing levels of her business clients.
After we were done, Susan’s husband joined us for the viewing of the images. While somewhat helpful, he spent a great deal of the time explaining his theories in life and why he doesn’t have photos taken.
When Francine called us to take pictures of her dog, we were delighted. We love taking pet photos, and most animals are very cooperative.
Francine told us that Matt Matt was ill, and that he was huge. He was not just huge, but also beautiful, friendly and adorable. We took quite a few photos from different angles, but he was uncomfortable due to leg problems and wouldn’t relax the way she’d hoped.
We got a few nice images, though.
We’ve also taken a lot of photos of Francine’s children, mostly in sports. We hope to see them in the studio again.
As we’ve done in years past, taking photos for the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle is just our small part of contributing to a great cause.
Jan Callen is the gentleman in the very front and runs the office in Martinsburg.
We often get the opportunity to take executive portraits for local companies, realtors, insurance agents and more. When The Hoxton Agency came to us for photos for their upcoming brochure, we were glad to help.
Below is a photo of Rob, a principal in the company.
So for what will be the first of many weekends in a row where I’ll be shooting soccer action and lots of other things.
I would be remiss in my reporting if I didn’t comment on how well Jefferson County Youth Soccer was run. In the many years we have been working with this league, I have almost never seen a parent, coach or child be “out of control,” like I have seen in other sports and leagues. One of the perils of working in youth sports is seeing how many adamant parents go beyond the call of duty to treat kids like they are professional athletes, and completely forget they are kids playing a game.
But not at JCYS… it always seems like they are making sure the kids are enjoying themselves, but do also make sure they understand that competition and learning the game is part of the way that the game is played. If there’s a model to follow, it’s the one that AYSO prescribes, and that JCYS endorses and enforces.
Action photos for JCYS will be on sale at the fields on October 21 & 28, and then be available at our Shepherdstown studio thereafter.
It’s just that whenever a young couple gets married I can’t help but think that they are starting a new life together. But in all honesty, they have already known each other for awhile and are merely formalizing their life together.
I need to talk with some of the ministers to have them change their speech about how their lives together start the day they get married.
Adam and Martina came to us for some portraits after their wedding. Adam went to school with our daughters, so we had a common thread with them. We took some photos of them in their wedding best, Martina in a lovely bridal gown and Adam in a handsome suit.
They’re going to save a little money over the next year and go to her home country for a traditional wedding, where she says the parties last until the wee hours. Adam looked thrilled. :o)
Sad news to report again.
On Saturday night, between 10:30 and 11:00pm, the studio was broken into. Several other businesses in the same building were also broken into. The apparent motive was cash theft, as no equipment or other items were missing. We were fortunate that our alarm and recording system frightened them off before they did any damage.
According to the responding officer, other businesses in and around Shepherdstown also reported break ins. We’re asking our clients and friends to pay close attention to what goes on around our area, since it can happen to anyone. If you hear or see anything, please call 911 right away.
Thank you.
