Last week I traded Rochester’s cold and snow for a SYNC Conference in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida. That’s the Senior and Youth National Conference: a gathering of 400 portrait photographers from across the country in search of education and inspiration. A fabulous trade show was crammed with new products, and four days of classes taught cutting-edge techniques. One class I chose was a hands-on, late afternoon, portrait shoot with a live model on the beach. We worked in “sweet light” and were rewarded with a spectacular sunset. I am anxious to try some of the new techniques I learned and create some new products for TJT Photography. Look for a Senior Memory Box later this summer.
Melissa and Roger said “I do” on October 16, 2010. Family and friends gathered for a late evening wedding at the Burgundy Basin in Pittsford, New York. May you enjoy a long and happy life together.
Christine and Matt became husband and wife on September 25, 2010. In a very personalized ceremony at the First Presbyterian Church in Skaneateles, New York, Matt sang his vows to his lovely bride. They celebrated with family and friends and danced into the evening at the Sherwood Inn, a charming, colonial, country inn beside Skaneateles Lake. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Lauren and Matthew celebrated their love on September 4, 2010. The elegant Genesee Valley Club was the setting for a wonderful afternoon wedding. Our best wishes for a long, happy, and prosperous life together.
Barbara and Michael were united in marriage at Chapel Hill in Rochester on August 22, 2010. They were joined by children, family, and friends. Everyone celebrated their union at a wonderful reception at Pane Vino beside the Genesee River. Congratulations to the bride and groom!
Molly and Doug tied the knot atop the hill at Woodcliff on June 19, 2010. The expansive view made a dramatic backdrop for their vows. Our best wishes for a long and happy marriage.
It’s summer in Rochester and the golfers are back. On Sunday, June 20, Locust Hill Country Club hosted the Third Annual LPGA Girls’ Shootout sponsored by Paychex. Local high school golfers got the thrill of their budding sports careers—playing nine holes with an LPGA pro! They got to meet the ladies up close and personal, observe their professional style, and collect pointers on how to improve their own games. This year’s date happened to be Father’s Day, so many Dads got to join the fun as their daughter’s caddy.
It was a beautiful day on the course, and I had a great time documenting all the fun and excitement.
Many thanks to Paychex for the opportunity.
Emily and Daniel were married at Kloc’s Banquets & Gardens in West Seneca, New York, on June 5, 2010. They were blessed with a beautiful summer day. Congratulations to the happy couple!
I hope you can join us all at the Bridal Fair.
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When I go on vacation, I need another vacation after I get home just to recuperate! Sunrise shoots mean you start out before dawn. Sunset shoots mean you stay until the last light has faded below the horizon. These few hours are what photographers call the “sweet light.” It can be stressful and tiring; and at the same time exhilarating, exciting, inspiring, and “so worth” whatever effort it took to get there. It’s what the passion is all about.
This year’s vacation adventure took us west to the Mojave Desert in California for ten days in late September. Our first stop was Joshua Tree National Park, home of the twisted, spiky, and prickly oddity called the Joshua tree. It looks part cactus but is actually a giant member of the lily family and grows but a mere one-half inch in one year.
Then we traveled north to Death Valley National Park—the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America. I have photographed this wonderful, wild sanctuary before, in awe of the rolling sand dunes and crusty salt flats. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level! But I had not been able to visit the Racetrack. The passion drew me back to this “field” of cracked clay and solitary stones devoid of vegetation.
You can drive to the Racetrack on your own, but we reconsidered when the Park Ranger told us they would only rescue stranded people from the desert heat—not your vehicle. We hired a Pink Jeep—specially equipped for navigating rugged, off-road terrain—that came with a guide. Twenty-four miles of rocky, bone-jarring, dirt road later we arrived at the parched lakebed. How did the stones get out there? Current theory suggests the stones are moved by strong winter winds once it has rained enough to fill the lakebed with just enough water to make the surface muddy and slippery. It’s amazing, eerie, and one of nature’s mysteries, for no one has ever actually seen a stone move.
I could not leave without one last trek back into the desert. What fun it would be to come back some day with a model . . . .
