Yearly Archives: 2011

Deanna and Will: Blessed Sacrament Cathedral & Greensburg Country Club (preview)

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What an honor it was for me to work with both Deanna and Will (as well as their families – and I know how often this gets overused, but seriously, both Deanna’s and Will’s parents are some of the nicest people you could ever meet!) This was just one of those days when everything went perfectly – and you have got to love those days! Having Blessed Sacrament Cathedral and the Greensburg Country Club as your backdrop certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

A beautiful ring – and Deanna’s grandparents, who’ve been married for 55 years!

I can assure you that he had them in the palm of his hands!

Some more dancing and sharing a signature drink…

Some details from the reception… (Cake by Oakmont Bakery)

 

Will and Deanna jammin’ with Next Exit.

One of my absolute favorites – I believe this is known as pure joy…

 

I’m working on the processing of the photographs, but until they’re ready to go, enjoy those above as a little preview of what’s to come. Just an awesome day all around.

Congrats to

Mr. and Mrs. Will and Deanna Newmyer!


Ceremony: Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Reception: Greensburg Country Club

Florist: In Full Bloom Band: Next Exit Bakery: Oakmont Bakery



Wedding season starts tonight!

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I’ll admit it, I get the butterflies when we get close to a wedding – and for me, the wedding season officially starts tonight with Deanna and Will’s rehearsal. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great couples, and these two epitomize what a photographer looks for when dreaming up the ideal wedding to photograph.

If you’re from this area, you know we’ve been in need of some better weather (I know, it’s an understatement for sure), and it looks like we’re going to get a reprieve just in time for tomorrow’s big day. But I do know this – it’s going to be an awesome wedding and I look forward to sharing some photos with you soon.

For those of you who don’t know, Blessed Sacrament Cathedral has been undergoing some major renovation work. They’ve done a tremendous job — here are a couple preview pics.

Truly inspiring…

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I had the opportunity to take a small part in yesterday’s Pittsburgh Marathon. While I wasn’t able to take any photographs, I have to say that I witnessed a ton of awesome opportunities. Those taking part – whether as a 2:16 marathoner or a 3:00 half marathoner – were truly inspiring.

I believe in being a lifelong learner – whether that be in a classroom or just life in general – and I’ve been seeing some great pictures from yesterday. It’s important to observe the work of others – to learn, to be inspired, to share. I love the pics of the finishers (Justin Merriman of the Tribune Review), but I also love the pics of the crowd (mainly Keith Hodan of the Trib). In addition, the Post Gazette’s staff did a tremendous job as well – both Bob Donaldson and Robin Rombach (LOVE the pic looking over at the South Side with the incline in the background) did an exceptional job of covering this awesome event.

 

And it is an event, make no mistake about it. Even with the drizzle, the people of Pittsburgh came out to show their support of those taking part. It’s a great day – take part next year – whether that be by running or volunteering – you won’t be disappointed. (Oh, and should you know anybody who has the power to get this race back on live TV, PLEASE hook us up!)

 

Here is a link to the Tribune Review’s slideshow: Trib Slideshow (click on “photo gallery” for a lightbox gallery to appear)

And here is a link to the Post Gazette’s slideshow: PG Slideshow

Pittsburgh Marathon…

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Nothing but the best of luck to all of those taking part in the Pittsburgh Marathon today. Whether you’re running 26.2, 13.1 or a leg on a relay, here’s hoping you achieve a PR and all of your goals – and don’t forget to smile for the camera!

Have a great day, everyone…

You say tomato…

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Luke S. at last year's Kevin Gatons' Memorial Day Kids' Race

 

Art is subjective – even its definition can be. I might think the world of Jackson Pollock and Jackson Browne; of Chuck Close and Chuck Mangione; of Annie Leibovitz and Annie Lennox. And you might think they all stink. As an English teacher, I always hear the groans when we start a poetry unit — but I hate poetry is a typical reaction. My response? No, you hate the poetry you’ve read. We have different tastes, different things we enjoy. This is no different than our taste in photography.

Yesterday, I was reading a forum hosted by Popular Photography (actually, it was from their Facebook feed), in which the question was asked whether or not you like HDR photography. (Disclaimer: that link will take you to an HDR example from a friend of mine: Joe Smolenski). Wow are people divided on this. Love it or hate it, it brought out the comments, that’s for sure. I tend to agree with those who say that they love it when it’s done well and question it when it’s sloppy. I’ve certainly seen both and would love to experiment some more with it as it’s not a medium I’ve really delved into. In the meantime, I continue to look at models for inspiration, just as I do in my every day photography. I think it’s important that we don’t let our egos take over, that we realize that we can learn something new every single day.

I posted the picture above  because I have heard both ends when it comes to critiquing it. I love the look on Luke’s face. Sheer determination – I think it’s telling that story for sure. But it’s also got some (obviously) distracting elements to it. I’ve heard plenty concerning this and these criticisms are absolutely valid. I still love it, though. Would I have preferred not to have the other two children in the picture? Absolutely. At the same time, I liked it too much to just chuck it into the ‘delete pile’ so to speak.

It’s all in the eye of the beholder – perhaps we all need to get off our high horse at times and keep this in mind.

“And we’ll fill in the colors of each other’s paint by number dreams.”

Jackson Browne wrote that line – for me, this is the definition of art…

Would love to hear your thoughts on this subject…