Goodbye, 2006

It's hard to believe that in less than 6 hours, 2006 will come to a close here on the east coast. The year has flown by and brought much good fortune. My business exploded early in the year and 2007 will easily be my best and busiest year to date. I'm excited about all of the great events I'm booked to photograph next year and over the fact that I get to work with so many incredible people. It will surely be a blast!

Final wedding of 2006

Yesterday I shot my final wedding of 2006. It also happened to be my birthday, and fortunately the wedding was a late afternoon affair so I was able to spend the morning relaxing with my family. I was given some great DVDs as birthday gifts and my grandmother even made me a cake. I turned 29 years old. Yep, next year is the big 3-0! I can't believe it, I still feel like a kid. I still act like one too.

The hours passed quickly and shortly before 4pm, we left for the Somerset Church of God to begin shooting Carissa & Ryan's wedding celebration. Everything was gorgeous, from the bride and her bridesmaids to the flowers and decorations, to the handsome groom and groomsmen. I love December weddings, especially when they bring the Christmas colors into play, and Carissa had chosen a brilliant, deep red color palette that was breathtaking. The day went perfectly and we had a lot of fun working with this great, young couple. I loved the photos we were able to take and below are some of my favorites.

And just so you know, the "groom running away" shot was all Ryan's idea, but as you can see, they had a happy ending.

Congratulations to Ryan & Carissa on your wedding and the beginning of your lives together!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!

The photos that almost got me arrested

Okay, so I wasn't really almost arrested, but it sounds more interesting when I phrase it that way. If you missed yesterday's blog, be sure to check it out and read about my encounter with a Westmoreland Mall security guard.

I think what irked me the most about being asked to stop shooting, was that I was having so much fun. It took me a while for me to work up the courage to approach a stranger and ask to take his or her photo, but once I did, I really got into it. Sure, I got more "nos" than "yeses", but even the nos were polite. And, the people who did say "yes" really enjoyed having a portrait made. One gentleman even said that it was the first time he'd had a professional photographer take his photo since he was in high school. It was a good feeling and it was disappointing to have to stop.

Sharon and I did get several nice shots of the shoppers and a few of our favorites are below (mine are first). And if you're one of the wonderful people who posed for us, be sure to email me so I can send you a free print.

And here are some of Sharon's.

Happy Festivus!

I fought the law - and the law won

This morning my assistant Sharon and I visited the Westmoreland Mall to see if there were any good sales. As always, we brought our cameras along and were shooting some photos while we shopped. I met some really cool people and grabbed some snapshots. Afterwards, I told them if they wanted a free copy of the photo to email or call me and I’d be glad to send them one.

We’d been in the mall for a few hours and had just shot a photo of a nice lady when a security guard called out to me. The exchange went like this:

Guard: Sir, Sir!
(I turn around)
Me: Yes?
Guard: You’re not allowed to solicit on Westmoreland Mall property.
Me: I’m not soliciting anything.
Guard: Didn’t you just take that woman’s photo?
Me: Yes.
Guard: You’re trying to sell photos and that is soliciting.
Me: I’m not selling anything. I told her that if she wanted a free 4×6 she could call or email me.
Guard: You’re not allowed to do that.
Me: I’m not allowed to give people free photos?
Guard: No. You’re not allowed to take photos inside the mall.
Me: I take photos everywhere, no one has ever said it wasn’t allowed.
Guard: Well, I am. Cameras are not permitted inside our mall.
Me: What about the dozens of people at center court with their digicams and camera phones taking photos of Santa, the train and the children?
Guard: YOU are not allowed to take photos so stop immediately.

I didn’t feel like causing a scene, so I put the lens cap on the camera and we left. I’ve always been a big fan of the Westmoreland Mall and go there at least once a week even though it’s about an hour from Somerset so it’s disappointing to be treated like dirt by their security.

Now, I just hope after today I don’t end up on Santa’s “naughty” list.

Weird Somerset

Have you ever read any of the “Weird” books (e.g. Weird Pennsylvania, Weird New Jersey, etc.)? If you haven’t, they basically discuss strange roadside attractions, off-beat tourist spots or odd local legends throughout the various states. I’m a big fan of the series and the more I travel throughout Somerset County, the more convinced I become that we could have a Weird book of our own.

Today was the perfect example. I was recently reading the PA historical register and I noticed the listing for a bridge near my home. I’d never seen the bridge so I decided to seek it out today, thinking that it might be a good spot to take senior portraits and engagement photos. When I did find it, I was delighted to see that it was a beautiful covered bride and it was also in great condition.

That’s not too weird, but the other things around it were. Just a few hundred yards away from the covered bridge, was a historic train depot. It was refurbished and, obviously, is not in use but it was a very cool old building with a great look. It’s another spot I’ll be sure to utilize in future portrait sessions.

After I took some pics of the train depot, I continued down a dirt & gravel road and was amazed to see a helicopter and an Army tank. From a nearby plaque I gathered that they are on display as part of a small veterans memorial, but it still seemed quite odd to see two military vehicles in the middle of nowhere.

I continued on with my travels and made sure to take a back road home. After all, you never know what you’ll find on those types of roads and today I saw a mountainside filled with sheep. I don’t know why, but sheep fascinate me. Unlike cows, chickens or even llamas, it’s rare to see sheep in Somerset so I enjoyed watching them graze for a few minutes. I tried grabbing a quick pic, but I didn’t have my zoom lens and they were running home for lunch, so I didn’t get a very good shot. Next time, I’ll be prepared.

Only in Somerset, PA can you find a covered bridge, a historic train depot, a helicopter, a tank and a field full of sheep within a 10 mile radius. Weird.

Shortly after I returned home, I spotted a stray cat which has been visiting our home and eating our cat’s food for the past few weeks. It was always very skittish and would run when approached, but today we decided to see just how wild it was. It took some cajoling, but in only a few minutes she crept close enough to pet. When rewarded with a cup full of food, she quickly became our best friend and hasn’t left the property since. I’m not sure that we need another cat, but it seems like we now have one. Unless some good Samaritan out there needs a pet, of course. Look at those eyes, she’s irresistible.

Who wants cake?

I don’t usually post snapshots on my blog, but decided to make an exception today. This afternoon my father’s family got together to celebrate my “Grandma Urban’s” 85th birthday. It was the first time in 2 years that the whole family was together at the same time and since my grandmother has been in poor health this year, it was nice that everyone could make it in. Here are a couple snapshots from the day.

My cousin’s son (center)

My grandmother holding her first great-grandchild

My grandmother grudgingly poses for a photo with her cake

After the party, I headed home to meet with David & Lisa. The couple contacted me a few weeks ago about meeting to discuss their upcoming wedding and today worked for both of our schedules. Lisa and David are both extremely nice and I had a great time chatting with them. They decided to book me to shoot their wedding, which also happens to be the first wedding I’ve booked for 2008. It’s a long way off, but I’ll be shooting their engagement portraits at Penn State University in State College beforehand, and I certainly look forward to it!

Last engagement session of 2006

Barring any last minute additions, today I shot my last engagement portrait session of 2006. This afternoon I met Denille & Terry, a great couple whose wedding I’ll be shooting next summer. Fortunately it wasn’t as cold as last weekend so we didn’t freeze while we worked. It was so nice getting to know Terry and Denille and they were a lot of fun to work with. I loved that they wanted photos with their sunglasses on and like a lot of my couples they were also proud to show off their black and gold. I already know they’re wedding is going to be a blast!

Here are just a few of my favorite photos from this afternoon’s shoot.

A different kind of "senior portrait"

Tuesday was a great day! Early that morning I headed into the local Senior Activities Center with my assistant Sharon. Last week we had met with the center’s director to discuss shooting some free portraits for the seniors and she loved the idea. Yesterday we came to work and I was delighted with the turnout. I didn’t know how many seniors would want to have their photos taken, and it did start off a bit slow.

Once we had photographed a few, word must have spread because for the next two hours we had a waiting line. My only complaint was that we had so many men and women waiting that it didn’t give me much time to talk to the individuals and to get to know them, which is my favorite part about making portraits. Despite that little speed-bump, we had a wonderful time and met many incredible men and women.

We’re giving all of the seniors color versions of their portraits, but as you know I love black and white so I picked some of my favorites to convert for my portfolio. Now remember, when I shoot photos with my portrait series in mind, I have a very specific vision for the photos which is different from the “Say cheese!” shots you so often see. I like to leave a bit of mystery as I feel it makes the images more engaging.

With that in mind, here are a few b&w photos from the shoot.

"Urban" Exploration

I’ve always been fascinated with abandoned places. They’re haunting in a way that’s hard to describe. They’re a blank canvas and all that’s left to make them alive again is your imagination. Because I’m so enthralled by such things, I take any chance I can get to explore vacant buildings.

Online, they call this “Urban Exploration”, presumably because most such structures exist in cities. I don’t get the chance to do this kind of exploring often, but today I was lucky enough to visit an abandoned lodge. Being a photographer, I felt the need to shoot some photos as I traversed the floors, broken glass cracking and popping under my feet the entire time. A building like this one is already falling down and in a year or even a month, it might be gone completely. Being able to visit it and photograph it was a pleasure.

After that mission (which I admit, was a little creepy - next time I have to bring a flashlight), I had to run some errands and as I did I spotted three young servicemen outside the local post office. I asked their permission to take a quick photo and they obliged. It was midday and the sunlight was brutal and blew out the highlights in the photo, but I was still happy to have the chance to photograph three great, honorable men.

Almost too cold to shoot

This morning I met with Christina & Brad to shoot their engagement portraits. I’d first met Christina a few months ago when she booked me for the wedding, but I’d never met Brad so despite the cold weather, I was looking forward to the shoot as engagement sessions give me a chance to get to know couples better.

Both Brad and Christina are very friendly and easy going and I had a fantastic time working with them. It was so cold in Somerset this morning that at one point my fingers were so numb that I couldn’t tell if I was pressing the button or not but they were real troopers and didn’t complain at all. They say Penn State fans are tough and this couple proved that to be true!

After working with them this morning, I’m even more excited to be shooting their wedding next year. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the shoot.

The first snow of the season

Yesterday it began snowing in Somerset and this morning I woke up to about 3 inches of fresh snow. While it was pretty to look at, it quickly lost its luster as I had to run some errands. For some reason, since last winter, my car’s heater has quit working. It just blows cold air no matter how “hot” you try to make it. Needless to say, on a morning where the air temperature is 10 degrees, a car without heat isn’t much fun!

The day quickly improved as I visited the local Senior Center. I had recently spoken to the director of the center after hearing that they were seeking people to visit with the seniors. Today I met with the director and said I’d be happy to spend a morning talking to the seniors about photography and shooting some portraits. She was excited about that because she explained that many of the men and women who visit the center haven’t had professional portraits done in years - if ever. I signed up for Tuesday morning and I can’t wait. I’m sure it will be lots of fun and very fulfilling.

Everything looks better in black & white

My love affair with black & white photography began many years ago when I was taking pictures with my mother’s point & shoot film camera. I mistakenly bought a roll of b&w film at the local drug store and rather than exchanging it for color, I decided to just use it. After exhausting the roll, I took it in for developing and was in awe. Not of my work, mind you, but of the character black and white seemed to add to even the most average of photographs.

Over the years, I fell in love with black and white portraiture, specifically the work of the late Richard Avedon. By shooting in black and white, portraits seem not only more artistic, but more compelling. Without the a random pallete of colors to draw away your attention, you’re left with the subject. And that subject is what matters. In a black and white photo your drawn into the person. You see the life in their eyes, the character in their face. You’re invited into their world and allowed to imagine the life they may have have lived.

This month I’m beginning a new project which is very different from my “business” work. Rather than photographing people who come to me, I’ll be going to them. I’m making a point of taking my camera with me everywhere I go and when I see someone interesting, I’m going to ask them if I can shoot a portrait. I’m sure most people will look at me like I’m crazy, but what’s life without an occasional case of embarrassment?

In the project, I hope to create a series of natural, honest portraits which allow the viewers to get a glimpse into a stanger’s life. I don’t want anyone to hide behind “Say Cheese!” smiles or awkward poses, I want them to simply be themselves.

As always, I’ll share my work on the blog and let’s kick it off with my first portrait of the series.

Joan - Registered Nurse