West Coast Journey

So I haven't posted in a while but I'm back now to share with you my journey to the west coast. My husband and I have been experiencing alot of "life" so to speak in the last few months, births, deaths, weddings, college, job changes, anniversaries, all kinds of life going on but unfortunately a few more deaths then we would like to mention. We lost 3 friends suddenly over cancer issues and I lost a few relatives in the last 8 months also over cancer who all by the way were all various ages and not old. So we decided in light of the recent events we did not want to wait until we retire to take the journeys we have our heart set on. We want to live them now. I said to my husband Bill after the last heartbreaking loss of a dear friend, "We need to do the things we want to do now. We need to travel, I need to create photographs and present my life's work and share it with the world and I don't want to wait until I may possibly not be able to do that". Who knows what the future holds. He agreed so here we are. 

Let me begin by saying within the last few years of our adventures they have either begun or ended with a wedding and or a funeral. Strange I know but maybe it is some sort of a message. Think about it. Not only do we experience life in matrimony and births but also in death so we experience life. 

The loss of our friend Rich who is better known as "Lebow" died from a year long battle with brain cancer.  He was a great person with lots of funny stories about his antics and had a big heart. He loved Jimmy Buffett and the beach but hated the sand. I have to say Lebow's wake was the best send off I have ever been too. He instructed his wife to tell all of us upon his death he would like everyone to wear flip flops and summer attire to his wake and share a funny story with the each other. As we walked in we all received flowered lays. There were large blown up lighted palm trees on each side of the casket and Jimmy Buffett music played softly in the background. We all shared with each other funny stories about our experiences with Lebow. I have to say it was one of the best sendoff's I have ever been too. 

To make a long story short after mapping out this photographic journey to the west coast, I approached his wife afterwards to ask if she wouldn't mind if I could have some of his ashes to deposit someplace special on my journey. Carin loved the idea and I felt is was an honor to be able to to this for him and her so we made arrangements to meet. I picked up some of his ashes and placed them in what they call cremation jewelry and took him with me yesterday along with some of my fathers ashes in a second set of jewelry on our flight out yesterday morning to where we will begin our journey for the next few days, Seattle, Washington. I was assigned the task of depositing the ashes in Venice Beach and San Simeon for Lebow. My father, I was thinking I will leave some of his cremains in Yosemite. He would have loved to ride his motorcycle there. It is my honor to be able to do this for both. 

Oh! By the way did I mention we are taking this entire journey by motorcycle. Yes, all of my journey's are by motorcycle. More on that story in my next entry. For now I have to hit the pavement in search of a view to photograph and of course, coffee! I hear Seattle is supposed to have the best coffee. Well, this morning I'm going to test that theory. 

Cheers! 

Cremation Jewelry encasing the cremains of loved ones past.
Lebow in the angel wing piece and my father in the motorcycle piece.
©dagnygallophotography. All rights reserved. 

Annual Long Island Hog Toy Run

LI Hog Toy Run to Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York

This day on November 30th, 2014 we have been blessed with sunshine and perfect weather for The Long Island Hog Chapter to host their annual toy run for Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York in Wading River. At the Babylon Town Hall beginning at 10am between three to five hundred bikers gathered from many AMA clubs from all over Long Island along with Long Island H.O.G. to bring toys to the underprivileged children who unfortunately will not be waking up with a family of their own on Christmas day who are housed and taken care of by this selfless organization.
Now you do not have to be a member to join in on the fun. It is an open ride to anyone who would like to show support for a worthy cause and give these children a little Christmas cheer and gifts to open on Christmas day. 

As I spoke with the director for the Long Island Chapter, Bob Brinka, he stated that, "The Long Island H.O.G. Chapter was founded in 1985." Joe Savastano, who played Santa, has been a founding member since the beginning. Long Island H.O.G. has been organizing this charity run for Little Flower for over 28 years and is sponsored by Harley Davidson of Suffolk in Oakdale and Eastern Harley Davidson in Riverhead. This year Long Island Hog is celebrating their 30th anniversary. Happy anniversary Long Island H.O.G.!
So as I was working my way through the crowd I looked around and saw the parking lot was filled. Rows of bikes lined up wrapped around the town hall building and spilled onto the side of the highway. The local Suffolk County Police Department were our escorts for the event. They had organized and closed down Sunrise Highway to make room for the parade of bikes, toys and good hearted people making their way towards the anxiously awaiting children. A few people began their bikes which signaled to me it was close to the start of the event. But before we took off Father Gil from Our Lady Of Grace in West Babylon asked us to bow our heads in silence as he blessed us all for the great work and generosity that everyone has given to Little Flower and many charities throughout the years and he also gave us his blessing for a safe ride. We thanked Father Gil and assembled to our bikes. Many spectators, parents, grandparents and children waved and thanked us for the wonderful contribution we make every year.
First off was the Suffolk Police Department leading the ride and riding ahead to hold back traffic from the oncoming ramps entering the highway. As we all roared down Sunrise Highway more spectators were our of their cars on the service road and on overpasses waving and yelling, "Thank You!" and "Merry Christmas!" About 45 minutes later we started to exit the highway and found ourselves riding down farm roads. People were outside with their children waving as they hung Christmas lights and decorations preparing for the holiday season.
As we entered the long driveway towards Little Flower we were greeted by a few children with big smiles standing outside with caretakers that directed us where to park. As we neared the door hundreds of bikers were entering the building carrying gifts for the children. We could all hear Christmas music playing outside which grew louder as I finally entered the building into the gymnasium. There was a stage to my right with a beautifully decorated and lit Christmas Tree. Staff collected gifts from the givers and put them on the stage for sorting. Some seats were brought out and placed along side the tree for Santa and some of the children to receive gifts. There was singing and laughing and chili being served. Riders congregated as a speech was given by the one of the organizer's Grace Lo Grande who is the executive director and has been with Little Flower since 1996. Afterwards Santa gave a brief speech and shared a little bit of history about Little Shelter and thanked everyone for attending and for being so generous. He then had a seat and the children lined up to receive a gift and sit with Santa and gave a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the crowd for all they have done.
Here's a little history about not so little, Little Flower. Little Flower Children and Family Services has been around since the 1930's although in 1929 the New York State board of Charities approved the incorporation of Little Flower which was a residential center for orphaned, abandoned and neglected children which was founded by Father Bernard J. Quinn. Their mission statement states, "Since the 1930's Little Flower has been committed to improving the lives and well being of those we serve by providing foster boarding home care, residential treatment care and where appropriate, adoption. Our work focuses on strengthening the family so that they can provide a safe and nurturing environment for raising children and to overcome a myriad of obstacles that threaten a child's safety. Little Flower's growth as a service provider reflects its social history and parallels the development of the child welfare system in New York.
If anyone reading this article would like to read more about their services or make a donation you can visit their page at: http://www.littleflowerny.org. It's never too late.

My reaction to: a visit from Janelle Brooke

One of Janelle's infamous photographs you will see in her ads. 

Last week our class had a visit from a former Suffolk County Community College student who now has become a wedding photographer, Janelle Brooke of Janelle Brooke Photography, http://www.janellebrooke.com. One of the things she told us was that when she first enrolled at Suffolk Community College was that she originally registered into the music program and never intended on becoming a photographer. She wound up taking a photography course which she needed to take and then she fell in love with photography and then she changed her mind and moved away from music and enrolled into the photography curriculum. 

Janelle is now a pretty well known wedding and lifestyle photographer on Long Island and New York. She states when she first started out she didn't have a studio and lived at home. She used her parents dining room and set it up as a small office and little by little grew her business. Janelle eventually got married and purchased a home with extra rooms that she could utilize into office space and a meet and greet show place to show her work. Janelle thought as time went on that she could do all this work on her own but then realized as the times changed and social media networking on the internet came about it became overwhelming to juggle photographing an event, editing, keep her website current and respond to all the social media networks like Facebook and Twitter to name a few was impossible so finally she hired a graphic designer and like she says she was hesitant not because she didn't think the young woman was incapable but because Janelle thought she could do it all herself. So she broke down and finally hired Christine and has been grateful she did ever since. 

Christine handled all her website and graphic design and even dealt with social networking so Janelle could concentrate on photographing. Christine also handled editing images part time. Then later on as her business grew she decided she needed a video so people could see who she was, to connect with her and promote the business so she hired Chris Lobello who did an excellent job on her video which you can view on her website. It really is inspiring and I decided not only because of her excellent work and video and not only because I got to meet her in person and loved her immediately but because I really like her style and her unique type of work that I asked her to photograph my husband and I this summer for our 20th anniversary! 

Janelle also promotes herself by advertising in wedding magazines such as, "The Knot" which is a popular wedding magazine for today. She is also a member of a few organizations to help promote her business but it all started with word of mouth and great photographs and a great personality. Within five years Janelle grew her business from the ground up which she says is valued today at half a million dollars. If anyone out there reading this is looking for a wedding photographer do yourself a favor and check her out. You will want to hire her to shoot your special day. 

Pet Christmas Photoshoot

So I finally had some personal time in between photographing weddings and covering events to photograph the newest addition to our family for our annual Christmas card. Her name is Jennifer chosen by my husband Bill. I found her or shall I say a co-worker found Jennifer crying loudly under her vehicle at our job. As I was making my way back from classes to work, as I entered the building my co-worker was texting me to hurry and come over to where she is parked, there is a kitten! She said. I thought, "Oh great. I'm not ready for a new addition yet so close to just losing my last cat a few weeks prior. My heart was still broken but I won't turn away a stray. I figured I would get her home and call a few places to see if someone would take her or if maybe a friend on Facebook would take her. Well to make a long story short after a few days we decided to keep her. I'm glad we made the decision and I am sure she is too considering the sudden change in weather. So one of the things my pets have to learn to put up with is my photographing them. Lol! They become my models for some projects.

Photographing Pets 

NOT EASY! 

What you need is a lot of patience and time. One of the secrets I have discovered to photographing pets is wait until they are tired. With cats it's usually an hour or two after they eat. With dogs I found you need to tire them out by playing with them or take them for a long walk. The last thing you want to do is chase around a pet with a camera when they are full of energy. You will be worn out faster than them and it will take you eight hours to get one good shot. Yes, the first time I photographed a pet it took me eight hours and also became a contortionist that same day. Not fun. That's when I decided to take a pet photography workshop and actually assisted the photographer afterwards on a shoot at a local pet store. Now I am armed with some valuable knowledge that I am now sharing with you so you can do it yourself. 

Props! Keep them simple. Too many props spoil the pet pictures. I only add one or two props. Believe it or not you won't even see the other props and the pets get distracted by them. Let the dogs take a picture with their favorite toy on their favorite chair. Photograph them where they are comfortable if you are shooting in a clients home or your own. Make squeaking noises so they tilt their heads and perk their ears when they look at you and be quick about snapping that picture. Also, NO FLASH! Use either mono-lights, not strobes or open all the blinds and turn on the lights if it's too dark. Pets tend to not like flash. Today I used window light and overhead light. I set my white balance to tungsten because there was more of the tungsten than natural light and I wanted my "whites" to be white. You will see what I mean when I post the pics. Also, I shot in "P "or program mode and let the camera control the aperture and shutter speed because I did not want to look away from my subject and start fiddling with my camera missing a shot and I knew I would be moving around the room a lot too. Also used my 50mm f/1.4 prime lens because it's a great portrait lens and the f/stop opens up wide to let in lots of light. I set my ISO to flex between 800 and 1600. I shot these images in my bedroom which although I opened up both blinds and had the overhead lights on, it was an overcast day and a bit dark in the room. I had the camera set to continuous shoot and set the autofocus to "ONE SHOT" instead of AL SERVO which is what I usually photograph kids and pets using but considering I was up close and the pet wasn't moving around too much I was good with my auto focus at the one shot setting. One question I get asked a lot is about where to focus on pets? The eyes or snout?" Personally I think it depends on what the photographer is trying to portray in the photo. Today I wanted sharp eyes. I decided to let the rest be soft focus because she is a kitten. The problem many will face is if your aperture is open too wide and you are photographing a dog the distance between the tip of the nose and the eyes will cause one or the other to be out of focus. Try not opening your aperture so wide and just bump up your iso to let more light in. It will take a few tries but you can get both in focus. 

The lights I am using for special effect is the christmas light necklace that you can get cheap at the dollar store. 

Jennifer was pretty relaxed at this moment so I was able to gently place the miniature gift on her paws.

The christmas light necklace placed next to her.

With a shallow aperture I held the christmas light necklace next to the lens for this effect. 

 Only used two props for the entire shoot. Both from the dollar store. 

This photo is actually going to be her "Thank You" picture card that Jennifer is going to send to all the kind people that helped her mommy to capture her. 

TEDDY BEAR RUN

 To benefit the kids of Brookhaven Town Interface 

There is one thing I need to point out to my audience because I know not all of you know me and know I ride on the back of a motorcycle so when I say we went on a "run" or "ride" I'm talking about motorcycles. Some people think I'm talking about bicycles and actually had someone comment that they thought I rode a bicycle out west and back and they thought I was crazy. I said if that was true I would have some set of legs and probably be in the best shape of my life. 

Ok so we had a charity run to go on today called the Teddy Bear run. It is a benefit ride for the kids of Brookhaven Town interface that was run through the Red Knights Motorcycle Club. All bikers were scheduled to meet starting at 10:30am for registration at the Terryville Fire Department in Port Jefferson which consisted of either bringing a new teddy bear and donation of $15 or donate without a bear $20 plus and extra $15 for a passenger so all together our cost was $35.00 donation for charity. I must say it was a large turnout. 

Kickstands were up and we were getting ready to run, but wait, the Christian Motorcycle Riders Group wanted to say a prayer first and bless us all for coming out on a gorgeous day and making an effort for the children. 

So back on the bikes we went after our blessing and started our ride through the back roads of Rocky Point which I have to say was quaint. In all my years living on Long Island I have never been through any of the scenic winding roads they took us on. Officers in uniform blocked roadways and held traffic back for our procession to ride forth. With over one hundred plus bikes it must have been the site to see for onlookers. Many people stood out on their lawns with their small children and waved to us as we roared by. There was even one man on his roof hanging Christmas lights waving to us. The situation reminded me of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation when Chevy's character Clark can't get the lights lit and then his family leaves him stuck on the roof. 

Our warm and joyous ride ended at Ladakins for a hot buffet while live music played. Some staff sold 50/50 tickets while we got online to get some food. Ladkins served up a hot meal consisting of Penne Ala Vodka, BBQ chicken, sausage and peppers, meatballs and much more. I have to say it was very good and although it was warm out it was a little chilly riding so the hot meal really helped to warm your core and feet. 

We met up with a few of our friends who sat at the table with us. We didn't buy any raffles but my new friend Mary found a strip someone lost so she placed them on the table in front of us and told me the story of how she just found them on the floor and how they probably won't win because she never wins anything. Well....a few minutes later she left to use the ladies room and the staff decided they were going to call out the number on the ticket to see who won the raffle of $340.00. Since Mary wasn't there I picked up the strip of tickets and eyeballed them and listened as the entire place of over 100 plus bikers suddenly got quiet. The announcer started to read off the six numbers on the tickets and as soon as she got to the fifth number I knew one of those tickets were going to win and sure enough they called out the number and we won!! At that moment Mary came back from the bathroom and I told her one of the tickets won, go get your money. She turns to me and says, "I can't take the money because these aren't my tickets". Someone else dropped these and I have Irish guilt so I can't take the money". What do you say? I said ok and then she ran up and told the announcer what she said to me and donated the money back. I know what you want to ask me. Why didn't I take the money? Well, she found the tickets so they didn't belong to me either. Hmm, I think I may see another chalk mark on the "good" side of the board for once for me. 

Mr. Boston and my new friend Mary.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

My reaction to:

The tour of:

 Jim Lennon's Photography Studio

www.jimlennon.com

First I would like to say that as I am beginning this post I am trying to convince my husband Bill  that he doesn't like cream puffs so I can have the last half along with my hot chocolate that is so deserved after my chilly charity motorcycle run from today which I will post about after this. 

So when our professor's Allen Kenner and Juan Lopez set up the tour to Jim Lennon's studio I was excited because not only did I think it was not going to happen due to a professor swap for the current course I am taking, Photography Seminar, and also that the studio is conveniently located in the Hauppauge Industrial Park where I just so happen to work only a few blocks away but this is where my focus in photography lies, in commercial photography. 

Jim Lennon has been photographing for over 35 years and is pretty well known throughout the Long Island photography industry. He has won many awards for his work which he proudly displays all over his studio. Jim has also taught and lectured at many universities and many art and photography organizations all over the region. 

In the past I interned and shadowed for a few commercial studios so I was not apprehensive to visit Jim's studio but I was curious to see if he ran his studio the same as the others, meaning did he charge the same, was he shooting the same products or different products and clients. I mean you never know. Maybe clients like to jump around get a different perspective and advertising angle for their products or maybe they are satisfied with their photographer's creative vision and stay or maybe they do not care and just want someone to take product shots for them.

Jim Lennon began his tour starting in the front office by talking about his secretarial staff and what type of work they do for him and what their day entails. He stated that they are part of staff that he has to pay which gets worked into the price he needs to charge his clients in order for them to get paid but still be able to turn a profit. Jim then led us into the next area of the studio where he had a full functioning kitchen set up for food photography. He stated that some clients he was shooting food for would rather cook and shoot in the studio for convenience but some food related clients also requested he shoot on location for them at their restaurant. I recently posted a "Reaction" blog on food photography where Jim hosted the food photography workshop. If you find yourself interested in this type of work you may want to read it. He then led us into yet another area of the studio where he was set up for other types of commercial products ranging from makeup to fashion to hospital equipment, tools, medicine, automotive and beyond. The studio was the perfect size for what he needed to accomplish.  

As I have stated once before the one thing about Jim Lennon I really like besides his work is his sense of business. He knows how to work the business end which is something I hope to learn a great deal about from him. He stated to us that him and his wife and assistant Mona have come up with a simple number to charge clients. They figured out they need to shoot at least three days a weeks to be able to cover expenses including studio rental, electric, paying staff, paying themselves and still be able to sink money back into the business for things like for example, equipment repair. This does not mean that the other days of the week are free. There is still editing and other things that need to be done and that will take up the rest of the week. Jim also told everyone that learning the business end is first and foremost, creativity comes later. You can produce a great photograph for your client but if you cannot sell and run the business from a business stand point then you will not be around to long. He met many people that stated to him that they would just open their own studio and do what he is doing but they do not last long because they do not know how to run the business from the business end. 

Although Jim demystified a lot of questions I had circling around in my head there is still a lot I want to know. I will be conducting an interview with him in the near future to pick his brain a bit more. One of the questions I asked him was, "What do you look for in an assistant?" His answer was, "Well I want someone to walk in here with some experience under their belt. Not someone who's afraid to touch the camera and touch the equipment because they are afraid they are going to break it". He also stated please do not put on your resume that you have experience with a Hasselblad if you have only used it once because that means you really do not have experience with that camera and probably should not be handling it anyway. He stated that he needs an assistant that can set up and break down without instruction, can guess his next move and has no problem lifting the equipment was a few of the requirements if one decided to approach him for an assistant position....yes I will. 

In conclusion I would like to state that I really enjoyed the tour and feel in that short time I learned a lot and still had a lot to learn. As a matter of fact one of the other studios I interned for would never talk business in front of me so I find it intriguing that Jim is willing to divulge any information to help out anyone who is interested in running their own commercial photography business. 

I am looking forward to my interview with Jim Lennon and may even ask him if I can assist. I would relish in the opportunity to join in on a food photography shoot! 

Motorcycle Charity Run

Benefit for St. John of God Outreach Center

I am sure many would say we are crazy for coming out on a day like today on our motorcycles in frigid weather on November 16th. But what many do not know is that the reason we riders join together from all over Long Island especially around the holiday season is because we look to give back to the community and help out local charities that are in need of support and our help. 

This year I was surprised to see so many AMA motorcycle clubs come together to show support for the outreach center for St. John of God in Central Islip. St. John of God has been holding the Turkey Ride for the Poor event as it is called for the last three years and because of this outstanding show of support, the church during the past events was able to feed over 300 families from this outreach program from this run they throw every year. All they asked was for a donation of $15 per person or a frozen turkey, we decided to donate cash. Acquiring and transporting a frozen turkey on the bike was an experience we decided we did not need, maybe next year. The ride was scheduled to meet at 10am for sign up registration and collection of turkeys and donations at Suffolk County Harley Davidson on Sunrise Highway in Oakdale, Long Island. While we waited on line to sign up and donate there was a table serving up much needed hot coffee and bagels and of course I did partake not so much for the caffeine but mainly to warm the core.

One of the organizers I spoke with, Ana Sullivan said the outreach program is grateful for opportunities like this to help feed the poor and because of all the donations their pantry is growing bigger every year. Hunger on Long Island is a growing concern to many groups and a cause that we  as Long Islanders have been supporting through charity organizations. Jack Vulpis, his wife Sandrine and John Lafferty were on hand to help coordinate the route with our local police escorts and keep everyone informed on our ride. Before we pulled out, Santa Claus also made an appearance to join us with the ride and welcome in the holiday season, just like he does at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Kickstands were up at 12:15pm and we were rolling with Suffolk County Police Departments escort. We rode downtown through historic Central Islip and other quaint neighborhoods which lead us to the front of St. John of God. Organizers planned the route through the neighborhood to keep the locals informed of the event and the good work the bikers were doing. In front on Carleton Avenue was Reverend Christopher Nowak giving all the bikers, passengers and bikes a blessing as we approached the Central Islip Fire Department who was hosting the after party.

CIFD has quite the nice facility and provided the upstairs recreation room for the luncheon. There were raffles tickets and 50/50 chances being sold with complimentary food and refreshments being dished out by church volunteers. Reverend Christopher Nowak the Pastor of St. John of God gave a small speech and blessing thanking everyone in appreciation for their generous donations and time. The Turkey Ride was quite the success.

It was brought to my attention that a second run was happening today for a local biker that lost his leg in a tragic motorcycle accident. The two events unfortunately reduced the numbers for the Turkey Ride, but I am sure the turnout for Uncle Mike was equally as good and also just as important. We wish Mike a swift recovery and hope he gets back in the wind next year.

Furthermore, I would like to say to all that it is so important especially during the holiday season to remember what Thanksgiving means and to give not only your local outreach groups but any group or organization that you can help. You would be surprised how much the little everyone gives could really go a long way. Especially during these tough economical times. With people losing their jobs and having to chose between either heating their home, pay for the electric or put food on the table. Unfortunately, I have been in their shoes and it is not a good situation to be in and that is why I make an extra effort to help those in need through motorcycle runs and other local programs so please make sure you donate this holiday season and help out those in need because some day it could be you. If by any chance anyone out there would like to donate to the outreach center the link is:

stjohnofGodparish.org/outreach.htm

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Ana Sullivan, John Lafferty, Sandrine and Jack Vulpis who are the organizer's and volunteers who put together this Turkey Run event every year.  

Santa showing support for the Turkey run, getting blessed and welcoming in holiday season. 

My reaction to:

Food Photography Workshop 

At SCCC Culinary Arts Center

My reaction to the Food Photography Workshop was when I first entered I was a bit curious as to what was going to be said, taught. Basically at what angle Jim Lennon was going to come at us from. I have been to Jim Lennon's studio on tour also with my current Professor Allen Keener and he approached everything from the business end. Business first, creativity later in so many words. 

First let me say although I already knew where the culinary arts building was my GPS insisted I make a right at the light instead of a left taking me behind the building to park. I decided to ignore her and then got led on a wild goose chase in the fog trying to find the back parking area. Annoying. Anyway, I park and walk in not knowing what to expect. The first person I run into was Jay Brenner of Brenner Photo Productions in Plainview, Long Island! www.brennerphoto.com. It was good to see him. I fortunately had the privilege of interning / shadowed for him and I really enjoyed it but unfortunately for me the photographers already had their assistants chosen so I did not get to continue my internship sadly. The second person or person's I ran into was Professor Allen Keener and Professor Harold Naideu both of which I had and still have the privilege of learning a great deal about photography from.  

As I entered the culinary studio I was surprised to see that architecturally it was set up bleacher style just like you see in the movies, with the kitchen floor level with a giant mirror hanging over the stove facing the audience so they can see what's cooking. I was prompted to sit in the front row which worked perfect for me. Now for those who don't know me, I am a big foodie! So to sit in the front row surrounded by chef's was a big deal for me. I felt like I was surrounded by celebrities. I wanted them to watch them cook something for me and thought for a moment thats why they were there but it was not to be true. They were also there to learn something about the business of food photography. 

Finally Jim Lennon began the lecture talking mostly about his work while behind the scenes his wife and business partner Mona set up the softbox and strobes for the first round of shots. Jim spoke of the equipment he uses. He shoots with a Hassleblad using a 200mm lens. He also stated that he does have extension tubes as they are called that he could add to the lens giving him the capability to shoot some macro shots for the chefs. 

Jim went on to talk mostly of the business end of it all which I felt was the opposite of Jay's approach. He talked about how much you should charge whether you have a studio or not. He spoke of time scheduling, budgeting, equipment and to break down and spend the money on the professional equipment. Also, he spoke of being honest with yourself and the client and not being afraid to charge someone and never offer your services for free! Also, to remember that this is their lively hood and you can't just walk into a place and state your a professional photographer and take really bad photos for a restaurant or chef. It could make or break them. He showed us some of the work he shot for restaurants which was beautiful and stated that there were no shortage of work out there food photographers which is good for me since that is the direction I'm headed in. He also took some shots of some plates that were made up for him earlier to basically direct us not so much on creativity but to bring into focus that it should take you no more than three shots to have your lights adjusted to where you want them. If you spend too much time fumbling around with your lights trying to set them correctly it's looks unprofessional and you start to lose time. Time you negotiated on to complete the project for your client. The last thing you want is to look bad in front of your client. 

I have to admit I was intimated at first though because the business end is where my weakness lies but towards the end of the workshop I was totally intrigued by his business sense and wanted to sit with Jim and pick his brain. He is a very knowledgeable man when it comes to business. I hope to see more and learn more from him. I am very happy I attended this workshop. 

If you would like to see some of his work his website is: www.jimlennon.com

There is one bit of information I forgot to add. I interned for a small company a few years ago and I had the privilege of working first hand on the job so to speak shooting food photography. We shot for Uncle Giuseppe's, Hawaiian Barbecue from New Jersey and a few other restaurants and also shot food products like olive oils, wines, food baskets and such. One of the things Jim mentioned was make sure you eat before you go to these shoots and let me tell you is he ever right about that! Most of the food you can't eat for various reasons but then you have the chef's or clients who are cooking and preparing the food feeding some of it to you. Although I enjoyed this immensely because I am a big foodie and think there is nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen who wants to feed me, as a professional you really shouldn't do this. Just politely say no thank you and continue to work and prep the set. Always keep it professional. 

Here is some of my food and product photography from last semester:

Pepper Splash! 

Grey Goose product shot

Mirassou product shot

Renoir Interpretation

Family Photoshoot

The Dell'Aquila's

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Every year the Dell'Aquila's request me to photograph their family for their annual family Christmas card. The plan is to always meet somewhere at Central Park because they live near there and it is always a picturesque place to have family portraits photographed. This year we met at the Dakota and entered the park on 72nd. The children Eve and William were enjoying their day running around with each other while I snapped away. Using an 18-270mm Tamron lens I had my focus set to AI Servo and shot using Aperture priority starting at f5.6 with my ISO on 400 because it was overcast and a bit dark and I didn't want my shutter speed to drop too low causing motion blur. It was a great shoot with a great family as always. 

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My reaction to:

The first time I attended many years ago was I had just entered the world of photography so I was a bit clueless as to what all the products were. I left after that day walking around saying to myself, " I really have a lot to learn before I come here again." So here I am a few years later with some experience under my belt looking forward to the expo. I bit the day meaning skipped work, took the train out of Ronkonkoma early in the morning and headed into Penn Station. For those of you who are curious, the Jacob Javitz center is walking distance from Penn Station. Just use your maps on your phone to give you walking directions to the center. 

Ok, so now onto the good stuff. Upon my arrival I had my paperwork scanned, badge created and headed up the escalator. At the top was a woman handing out large plastic Nikon bags to new arrivals. 

Make sure you get one of those because you will be inundated with a lot of flyers and pamphlets and I mean a lot!  

At the time my arrival was about 11:30 to start the tour. Lots of ground to cover by 5pm so I thought I had plenty of time....boy was I wrong. I was so excited to talk to everyone and get all kinds of information on new products and sit for a seminar or two that by the time 4:30pm rolled around I had only seen half of the expo! 

But during that time I talked with Sean Arbabi who is a commercial photographer and travel photographer and was giving a lecture about himself. He spoke of how he got into the business and gave me some good advice. He spoke of how he graduated college and sent out a thousand resumes and got no response so eventually he went to work for a commercial photographer to supplement his income in order to be able to travel and take pictures to send to vacation magazines which eventually led to a few gigs. Then he set out on his own and started his own business and became a commercial photographer. He also said one of the most important things as a photographer that we need to know is how to run the business. Taking photos is only 1/3 of what you need to know, the rest is running the business and pricing. 

After speaking with Sean I wandered onto a few booths one of who was ASMP which stands for American Society of Media Photographers. I will be joining today as a student since they have student memberships and offer special services for students. Then onto another booth called Macphun who was selling an editing plugin program for Mac users only. Instead of regular chairs to sit in the both was equipped with exercise balls to sit on which I thought was fun. The speaker Ivan Randall who was giving a lecture on the program was very funny and knowledgeable of the product. He said that this program was a few steps above Photoshop and Lightroom and included some extra features that the other programs don't have and was very easy to use. Upon watching him and saw how easy it was to operate with all the additional features it included I purchased it. It cost me $129.00 and comes with 4 different editing programs. You can use it as a stand alone or plug-in. It comes on an SD card and after uploading the program you can re-use the SD card to take pictures because it is an 8GB SD card. 

I know it's not the greatest photo but I just wanted to show everyone quickly what it looks like incase anyone else is interested in purchasing the program and yes they do have tech support and give a tutorial on how to use the program. 

Ok, so onward into the expo I ran into a booth selling camera straps of which I was looking for a strap called the sling. I heard they make ergonomic straps for women and upon my search found one made by a company called BLACKRAPID, blackrapid.com is their address incase any women photographers out there may want the same. Only cost $54.00. They also sell sling straps for men. This strap will work for me while photographing on the bike. The other just comes off my neck in the wind and sometimes I'm afraid I will drop the camera. 

At this point I looked at the time and noticed it was a little after 4pm and I have not even ventured half way through the expo yet! I was a bit upset because I still had not visited the booths I came there to see. Then my husband showed up a short while later and helped me rush through the last half but I have missed so much. I was going to return Saturday but there were family obligations so I couldn't. 

I missed Scott Kelby's seminar and as I approached the Canon booth they shut off their lights. They were closed. Ugh, I was so upset. 

My advice to the photographers is that you need more than one day to get thorough the entire expo. There is so much to see and so many people to talk to and products to handle that believe it or not 6 hours just is not enough time. I wish I could have returned yesterday but next year I will have to plan my time management a bit differently. Overall it was a great experience. There were vendors giving away prizes including camera bags to winning a photography tour trip to Australia and believe me I definitely entered that because photographing Australia is on my bucket list of places to photograph. Also, considering it was Halloween everyone had candy they gave away too. There were companies selling aerial photography equipment and other vendors selling very expensive view cameras. So much to see and do. I had a great experience and I am looking forward to returning next year! 

Family Photoshoot

The Dell'Aquila's 

Today I will be photographing a family I have been photographing for a few years now, the Dell'Aquila's. Kelly, Vince and the children Eve and William. I have to say out of all the kids and families I have photographed in the past this family is the best! Photographing kids is not easy. You need a lot of energy to keep up with them. 

Today since we will be outdoors at Central Park for the shoot I'm resorting to the 18-270mm, f3.5 Tamron lens. If we were to shoot indoors I would use the 24-70mm, f2.8 Tamron lens. 

Here are some portraits I took of them previously. The one with the yellow fall leaves behind them is the photo they used for their Christmas card last year. 

Great documentary about photography:

Finding Vivian Maier

Finally! I have been dying to see this movie for a year now ever since a young man named John Maloof purchased a box of her negatives for $380.00 at an auction and then later realized after examining the contents that he was onto something and that her work was really good. He needed to get the word out there and research who she was and what her story was behind the camera. 

The movie came out in early 2014 but only showed in the city for a very short time and by the time I saw it advertised in the papers it was gone. Then yesterday I saw that it was showing at my local library. I called to reserve a copy and watched it last evening. It was spectacular and mysterious. It made me feel sorry for her on how her life ended physically and also that she never got any recognition for her work until a few years after her death only because of being discovered by accident. I am watching it again tonight. 

Now I do not want to give too much away to the readers who have not seen it yet but her entire life story or most of it I should say, what could be found, was indeed very interesting. She was a nanny it seems her entire life and even nannied for Phil Donahue for a short time and she photographed him and his children also. Vivian was what they call a street photographer. Her work dealt with all kinds of people and emotion. Ranging from the very young to the old. She was always outside walking the city with whatever children she was caring for at the time photographing people in the street. She also seemed to have a dark side and a bit of a dark past that researches found difficult to get any insight on but everyone seemed to have a good idea she must have not had a good childhood which seemed to contribute to her hoarding and reclusiveness later in life. Perhaps the reason she did not or would not  show her work. 

In my opinion she had a great distrust for people, especially her family. Psychologically I feel that she became a nanny so she could feel that she belonged to a family even though they were not hers but to feel needed and have a sense of belonging, to be a part of, to be loved. I feel that as becoming a recluse grew and enclosed her life, her work is what helped her get out and mingle so to speak. It was her way of communicating but at the same time staying away. 

This movie is a must see for all photographers or artist! I give it 5 stars!

http://www.findingvivianmaier.com

Bike Tour West: Final Words.

My husband and I took almost the same trip last year! Except my reason for this trip was about photography. Incredible journey. Looking forward to sharing our story on the blog.



Bike Tour West: Final Words.: What an incredible adventure! We are happy and proud to have completed the whole trip without mishap. The bikes never missed a beat and...

The Race of Gentlemen

I would like to begin by apologizing to my fans who have been waiting on pins and needles for this story of my travelographic journey to Wildwood, NJ to photograph what is promptly called, "The Race of Gentlemen." Now rumor has it those in charge named it that so the authorities wouldn't hassle them but I have to say they really were gentlemen.
Now one of the reasons I chose to photograph this event is because I am a motorcycle and hot rod enthusiast and I appreciate the fact that this group of men and women are keeping alive a tradition and a spirit of days gone by when cars and bikes were cool and it was all about the fun and racing and of course the style of it all. The love for the entire "art" of it all. The clothes, music. It all just gelled then. I also have to add that it's not just some old guys running around with their old toys! No! The younger guys and gals are getting into the scene also. Keeping it alive! I think it's great! With all this somehow I think a part of me wishes I grew up in that era. Sigh.
I arrived late afternoon Friday and there was a bit of chill in the air. I was hoping the race wouldn't be cancelled due to rumors of the dreaded word, "rain". But by the next morning the rain blew through and all was clear...sort of. There was no rain on the beach but it was overcast and a bit windy and chilly.
One of the things I really dislike when it comes to photography and equipment is bringing my equipment to a sandy, windy beach. I don't want to digress but I must mention this. Sand will ruin your equipment if you are not careful. If it's windy it will find a way to get inside your lenses and camera bodies. One thing I learned from another photographer, Mike Lichter, was that he never changes his lenses. He carries 3 bodies housing the 3 lenses he intends on shooting with for any event. I assisted him during the Laconia Motorcycle Rally this past June and let me tell you those bodies with lenses and monopods are heavy and I know for myself I can't lug around all that equipment unless I had an assistant. Something to think about for you budding photographers. So my advice is for any reason, do not change your lenses on the beach!! Either bring extra bodies or just resort to one lens or if you must change lenses do it back at your hotel room. I cringed watching the other photographers using their lenses to lean on in the sand so they can check the led display on the back of the camera.
Sorry to digress but I had to put that out there just incase. I'm sure someone reading this will remember and thank this article in the future. Remember sand is not your camera's friend. 

Alright, so I thought I might have an issue considering the sun wasn't shining and I already had planned in my head prior to my arrival what it was I was looking for in a photograph for this event but what I discovered is that the clouds and chill actually added to the drama in the photos. I also want to post a short video because I feel the music that was playing really added drama and created a feeling that I stepped back in time. I want my readers to feel and see what I was experiencing not only through the photos but through video as well. Also just to let you know there was a person spinning 45's of music from the 50's and 60's during the races and the after party back at the hotel at night. All that was transpiring lent itself to the charm of the weekend.

I know it's only a few seconds but the point is in my opinion sometimes when you are trying to make a point or create a feeling in a photograph or an event music helps. A quote I found on Pinterest said it all. "Music is what feeling sounds like." 

Here are a few photographs taken Saturday afternoon. 

Ready to race! 

I'm winning! 

GO!!

Ominous sky

Closer....closer....

Sara flagging the start of a race!

Hit it! 

Great fun! Great people! Needless to say just as everyone was digging the scene mother nature decided to get involved and unfortunately ended the races in the early afternoon by bringing in the tide.

Incase anyone is wondering about story behind the Oilers podium out in the ocean getting ready to collapse and wash away, from what I was told by one of the racers was that it was put there earlier in the week and at the time it was all beach but a storm or hurricane came up from the south and brought the tide in so the podium was unsafe to use. Another was set up behind myself and the fans for the announcer and the DJ. In my opinion it really lent itself to the drama and intrigue in the photographs. Also, just to give you a little background, the Oilers are one of the many hot rod groups that were at the event. 

Like I was saying earlier one of the reasons I am nostalgic about these auto's is besides the fact they are cool and a lot of fun, the art that went into creating these vehicles is sometimes intriguing and interesting as in this hot rod that was parked under the awning of the hotel. It was after the race ended and I was walking around in town looking for subjects to photograph and there she was in all her beauty with her own reflective pool beneath her that just added to the scene. 

Whimsical detail in a different hot rod

This is Mel who was the organizer for the event. I love taking candid portraits of people. They just are more themselves that way, without knowing. Not posed. I think it lends more to the story and intrigue to the viewer as to what they imagine the person is thinking or feeling at the moment. Photography is about emotion. 

Personally I think this photo has a big story and evokes many questions for the viewer like why is his foot wrapped up? Who is he staring at? What kind of bike is that and is he getting ready to race or kick the shit out of someone? Who knows? But that's what makes it interesting. 

Here are some more candid portraits and a sunrise photograph on Sunday morning. Plus, some of the guys racing around on the sand before the masses showed up and the other photographers. I had them all to myself. 

Hollywood kicking up some sand

Getting ready to race!

Guys surfing during the races

Having a great time! 

I have to say many times I will turn my photographs black and white or add some antiqueness to them by under saturating the tones which I tried with these photographs figuring it would add to the feeling that they were taken way back in the day but I have to say their beauty really speaks for themselves just the way they are. The candidness, the weather, the lighting, the outfits and of course the cars and bikes all added something to the emotion of the art portrayed at this event. I really enjoyed photographing these very interesting and fun group of people that I can't wait to return next year.