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.
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 . . . .
This past week I had the pleasure of documenting the Paychex LPGA Girls’ Shootout at Locust Hill Country Club. This event teams three local Section 5 high school golfers with an LPGA pro golfer for a six-hole shootout. Five pros came out to shoot with the girls, including legendary icon, and past winner of the Rochester tournament, Nancy Lopez. The girls got to rub elbows with the pros who shared experiences, favorite tips, and pointers to improve their game. It was a chance to “play in the big leagues” on a very picturesque and famous course. A beautiful day made for a great outing!
The Ad Council of Rochester held their annual spring luncheon at the Hyatt Regency in Rochester on June 3, 2009; and I had the honor of capturing the event. Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer at Eastman Kodak Company, gave the keynote address. He focused on social networking and marketing, including some fun details from his guest appearance on Celebrity Apprentice. His insight illustrated just how fast good news and “marketing your message” can travel on Facebook and Twitter. The luncheon is a yearly “thank you” event where awards are presented to outstanding volunteers who have contributed to making the Ad Council what it is today.
I’ve just returned from the annual PPSNYS Conference in Albany, New York—three days of seminars with some of the most successful professional photographers in business today and a fabulous trade show. I came back pumped and armed with some new products to add to my offerings and great ideas to enhance my wedding and senior portrait work. Conference is the best place to network, meet fellow photographers, enjoy a party or two, and make new friends. It’s always inspirational!
Have you ever wondered what it takes? Are you looking to reach the next level in photography? Do you want to share your own photographic journey? Here is an opportunity to explore.
On Saturday, March 21, the local Western New York chapter of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) will present an informative, one-day workshop on the Photo Assistant. You will meet five area photographers and several established assistants. Learn how they got there.
I will be coordinating registration for this event. Please contact me if you are interested in attending or are a photographer willing to share your experience.
Actress Linda Bove, a Sesame Street regular from 1971–2003, came to Rochester for a Public Service Announcement produced by the Ad Council of Rochester for the University of Rochester’s Deaf Wellness Center. The TV spot, filmed entirely in American Sign Language, is aimed at educating the deaf community about depression as a treatable mental health issue. The production team included Roberts Communications, the lead pro bono agency on the project, with Nick DiBella, Director, and Chris Hart, Cinematographer. Film, equipment, processing, and transfers were all donated by Eastman Kodak Company. Still photography was donated by Timothy Toal, TJT Photography. The commercial should be ready to air this summer.
