A FEW IMAGES OF THE BRIDE & GROOM PREP !!!!

We always start the wedding day during the bride and groom prep. I will admit that we photograph the bride more during prep but like I tell the grooms, the bride is the main course and the groom is a 'condiment', at least for the wedding day lol. Photographing the bride is different many times then the groom. The grooms, at least sometimes, would rather have us photograph them relaxing then actually getting ready. I really enjoy this part of the wedding day. It is usually controlled chaos and you can feel the excitement in the air. It is interesting to see how the different brides and grooms react during the hour or two leading up to the ceremony. Grooms tend to be quiet and almost reflective while brides are usually very animated and excited.

FLORIDA THROUGH OUR EYES IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF LIVING HERE!!!!

We have really enjoyed the move here to Florida. Especially with the winter New England is having. This is a collection of images we have taken in our first three months.

Enjoy!!

A. B. S.....ALWAYS BE SHOOTING, ALWAYS BE SHOOTING ( with all apologies to alec baldwin)

In the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin has a relatively small but memorable role. If you have not seen the movie, it is an examination of the people who work in a real estate office. It may not seem like a great premise but in the hands of writer, David Mamet (who won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony for the original play) and a handful of great actors, including Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin and Ed Harris, this is one great movie. Baldwin plays a top salesmen sent out by the owners to "motivate" this sales force and his motivational technique makes for a great viewing experience, with many great lines in a 7 minute performance, one of which is  "ABC: A-Always, B-BE, C- Closing. Always be closing, always be closing". If you have not seen the movie I highly recommend that you do.

So by now your asking yourself has this blog started reviewing movies, decade old movies? Well no, but this movie and Baldwin's line came to me the other day. I was asked by a relative how did we (Phyllis and I ) become so good at our photography. Of course, my A.D.D mind ruminated on this for a long time before this line popped into it, well, a variation on it: "A.B.S.  A-Always, B-Be, S-Shooting always be shooting, always be shooting.

If you ask me how do I get better at photography, I would tell you to actually take pictures. Take your camera and use it. It seems everybody has some type of camera, from the high end DSLR to point and shoots and the telephones all of us carry.  If your camera is in your closet all the time, the chances of you getting even a good shot decreases dramatically. It is the old use it or loose it mantra. Photography is part art and part science and if you are not practicing these skills, you will not get better. Do I mean you will never take a great image? Nope, you might! Hell, with the new cameras a monkey could take a great picture if given enough time. BUT could he reproduce the same results again and again? I am willing to bet that he or anyone else could not. You might grab a really great image of a mountain range or your kids but if you do not practice, you will miss many more shots then you'll get.

With the advent of digital photography, many people can take decent images. Just set your camera to auto and shoot away. You have a good chance of getting a pretty decent image. But if you're looking for better then just a good chance at a decent image, then you need to actually practice.  If you have a DSLR and you do not practice, then why have it? Stick with the point and shoots or your phone. I think some people have one hanging around their necks for the same reasons some people buy expensive jewelry: as a sign telling the world, " See, I'm cool". I take my camera with me almost everywhere I go: a trip to the store, a restaurant, or a simple walk around my neighborhood. You will usually find my camera with me. Do I get great images every time? Of course not, but I try. It reminds me of the old joke: Two men meet on the streets of New York one asks the other, "Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The other answers, " Practice, Practice, Practice!!!" If you want to get to a high level of proficiency with your camera, I say ALWAYS BE SHOOTING!!

These images were all found shots. I was either just taking a walk or a drive and saw the image. It was not a planned location or image I had in my mind beforehand: ust having my camera with me.

These birds are Wood Storks and are seen around where I live almost everyday.

The view from the top of a parking garage. My point is that by " always be shooting" you will learn what all those buttons are on your camera for and that's a good thing. Reading the book that came with it helps, also.

I took my camera to a restaurant and saw this image on our way back to where we were staying.
Alaska 11:00 PM

A person without a camera might not even see this image on their walk on the beach. With a camera, a person hopefully sees the lines, light and simplicity of this image. Almost more importantly, it can also help you 'see' and by 'see' I mean as a photographer: to see compositions that you might not have seen before. To 'see' the light, I mean really see the light and recognize the difference of light during different parts of the day. It will allow you to get inspiration from what is out there everyday and night.

    As they say, look to the heavens for inspiration!!! I say it's as simple as A B S!!  ALWAYS BE    
    SHOOTING!!!!!

EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME, EVEN CHANGE!

When we announced to our family and friends that we were moving out of New England, no one was surprised but they probably were surprised to hear we were moving to Florida. For 20 years, we had spoken of moving out of New England to Arizona.  I had lived in Arizona for over 10 years and truly loved it. As a photographer, it is a great subject full of color, angles, history and fauna that begs you to photograph it and then start all over again. Phyllis and I have enjoyed photographing and visiting Arizona, especially Sedona, on many trips during the last 24 years. We actually took a trip in July of 2009 and visited Sedona looking at houses and areas to live in.

But as they say, we allowed ourselves the option of changing our minds.  I have found that in life, everything stays the same even change. Everything can change so quickly and for so many different reasons. For us it was a trip to visit our brother Paul in March of last year. During that trip, Phyllis and I started discussing the remote possibility of moving to Florida. A combination of a beautiful state, proximity to relatives ( Florida is much closer to New England then Arizona), economics, the opportunity to live close to my brother, Paul (with the hope of convincing other brothers to move here lol) and finally the opportunity to photograph an entire state that we had not ever photographed before, seemed to make it the move right. Within a year, we bought a great house in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, sold our house in New Hampshire and moved. We are loving it here, especially with the winter that New England is experiencing. The Stones were right: " You don't always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need". Change can be good and sometimes it can be great. Embrace it and make it work for you.

MIAMI SUNRISE AND RECOMMENDED BLOG OF THE WEEK!

One morning, during our recent stay in Miami, I woke up and saw a great warm light sneaking in through the small space in between the two curtains. I jumped out of bed and ran to our balcony and saw this great sunrise. I quickly grabbed my camera, slipped on my Nikon 70 -200 VR lens and started looking for the right composition. This would have been easier if I was actually awake but I didn't have time to wait for coffee and a shower. Nature does not wait for breakfast!! 

We were staying at the hotel Tempo. a great hotel that we recommend, and our room looked out at Biscayne Bay and at a cruise ship that was docked. These are a few of the images I took that morning.

I always have a fresh battery and a card in my camera even when I am sleeping, especially when away from home. You never know when you might see that shot: the one that if you don't take it will gnaw at you brain and over time become the greatest image ever not taken.

Once a week, I am going to mention a Blog that I have stumbled upon and like. It may be on many things: cameras, photography, life, food or travel.  This week's blog is a travel blog. It is on a particular place: Rome, Italy. I love Italy and Rome is one of my favorite cities in Italy. So this blog is a must read for me and for you, if you have ever visited or are planning to visit or just want to dream about the eternal city, the city of  warm wonderful people, great wine, food, history and of course, love.

Conversations Along The Tiber, http://networkedblogs.com/dPbrw, is what a good blog should be, interesting reading with a personal touch. Maria Angela Manente writes this blog and actually lives in Rome, a place that she loves. She will make you want to visit.

Tuesday Image ( and head cold ) Day!!

It is Tuesday and I have a head cold. I lived in New Hampshire the last 8 years never had a cold we move to sunny Florida, now I get one. Go figure! So it will be a quick post of some images I have shot in the last 4 months all photographed in Florida, other then one in North Carolina at the Outer Banks.

They have some great sand dunes there. Now it is off to 2 aspirins and massive amounts of vitamin C.