Wow, can you believe all the rain we have had here in the Hudson Valley lately?! It took me a moment to figure out that the big yellow thing in the sky yesterday was the sun. Finally!

So, to catch you guys up on a few of the things that we here at Quinnco Photography have been up to….

We went out to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life here in Pine Bush. It was a great event and they had a wonderful turnout despite all the rain. It was quite a muddy walk but everyone’s spirits were high and a lot of money was raised for cancer research. Thanks to everyone who supported the effort! This event has really been growing here in Orange County and this year they launched a long term study (Cancer Prevention Study -3) that will help future generations with the ongoing fight to find the causes and cures for the various forms of cancers that exist.

We also had the opportunity to support another casue on a much more local level. Autism is a misunderstood disability which as often gone misdiagnosed. A young local businessman, Jimmy Burpoe, who heads up Operation Skate teamed up with the folks from Autism Move-O-Thon of Orange County and put together Bord BQ. This event was to not only help raise autism awareness but to introduce the public to Jimmy’s goal of a skateboard park in Middletown. As an avid skateboarder and owner of Little Jimmy’s Skateboard Shop this dream of a skate plaza is very personal to Jimmy and seeing a young businessman out there working to promote something like this was great! There were bands and food and a lot of fun to be had! Thanks to all the sponsors and participants who braved the rain to make this a fun event. We were glad to be a part of it. Anything that promotes a drug-free environment for kids and gives them an outlet for their passion is good by us!

Here are some shots from the event. Great turnout and a lot of fun!

Jimmy and the folks from Autism Move-O-Thon of Orange County

Jimmy and one the guys hamming it up for the camera.

More Jimmy... He was everywhere!

The dunk tank!

Skating in the rain was a challenge!

Jammin' to one of the bands!

Who needs a new board?

We sure had a good time at the Board BQ and were glad that we could be a sponsor and help these two causes. Nice work putting this together Jimmy and we’ll see you again soon!

And still more rain came…. Those that have followed the blog for a while know that I am always trying to learn something new or to experiment with some lighting or to find other local area artists that want to have some fun from time to time. Well, this rain delay for the summer has given me some spare time and one of the projects I was able to do was to team up with one of my favorite makeup artists, Nicole, and a model named Kelly and we spent an afternoon just goofing around with some leaves, glue and lights. These little sessions can be fun because it’s just a chance to kick back and play around a bit. Nicole is a wonderful makeup and hair artist and she does a lot of bridal make-up so if there are any ladies out there who are looking for someone, drop Nicole an email at beautybynicole@yahoo.com and maybe she can help you out.

Anyway, we had a good time and we are able to forget about the rain for a while. Here’s a couple for the session, If you like them feel free to let us know!

-Pete

A little over a week ago I met up with Katie and Joe in Port Jervis to shoot their engagement session. Those of you with whom I have spoken know that I think the engagement session can play an important role because it gives us the opportunity to spend some time together before your wedding day. There can be a lot of stress on that day and when some new guy comes walking into the room pointing a camera at you it can be daunting and because of that I like to try to get together with my couples beforehand.

Katie and Joe came out and we had a blast! We got to do a little exploring around town and I think we captured some wonderful pictures. I can’t wait to shoot the wedding!

And here are a few images from the day. Katie, I told you I was going to lead off with the “fierce” shot!

Thanks guys, you were awesome!

What a fun weekend I had! I spent Saturday participating in the Pine Bush Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored Art Tour where I had the opportunity to meet some more people from the area and was able to show off some of my personal work. Many times photographers don’t get the chance to showcase our personal projects and it feels good when you are able to do that. Thanks to Lou and Cathi at Subway for hosting us, and everyone who came out and supported the event and Quinnco Photography!

We also were able to shoot the engagement session for Katie and Joe in Port Jervis  You may remember them from a few posts back. What a fun couple! And the double bonus of shooting their engagement session was that we got to hit Len and Jo’s for pizza again afterward! I do love the pizza at Len and Jo’s… Anyway, here’s a funny one from the session, I told Katie it was going on the blog for sure! Katie and Joe, you guys were great!

A quick reminder to anyone in the local area. Tomorrow, June 6th, the Pine Bush Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding their first annual Arts Tours. This is designed to bring together local artists and business who are in the community. Tomorrow will also be the Farmers Market of the season and the weather is forecast to be great! Lots of great local produce and other items to see and enjoy. Come on out and help support your community because these days more than ever we need to work together!

We will have some photographs on display at Subway and we hope to see you there!

Over the weekend I took advantage of the nice weather to do some location scouting around the Orange, Ulster and Sullivan county regions for a few upcoming engagement sessions. The weather was spectacular and I had a blast checking out some new places. And even better was along the way I got to meet some new friends and see how some of the other people in the Hudson Valley enjoy their time off. Here are a few images from my travels. The skydiving at  SkyDive the Ranch is always fun to watch and more often than not you will get a chance to meet others who are enjoying the sights as well. Some day I want to try it for myself!

Then it was off to Newburgh to check out Cromwell Manor for an upcoming wedding. Along the way I happened across a Mustang Club of Orange County car show at Sunshine Ford and since I have always loved the old Mustangs, I had to stop by!

All in all… A great weekend!

Enjoy!