Just a quick post today about an event that I had a chance to participate in yesterday. For those that have followed the blog for a while you know how important that education is to me. I am always trying to learn more so that I can better serve my clients. Last month while attending another photography event I was asked if I would give a talk to the NYC SmugMug User Group (SMUG) during their monthly meet-up at B&H Event Space. I happily accepted because it is a chance to share some of what I know with the rest of the photographic community and a chance to make some new friends. I have been fortunate that other photographers have shared and continue to share their knowledge with me so it was an easy way to pay it forward. We had a great turnout and spent a couple of hours talking about equipment, such as Radiopoppers, and other various little gadgets that help me to do what I do. Hopefully everyone that attended had as much fun as I did. If you were one of the attendees and have any feedback for me please feel free to drop me a note via the contact page or add a comment to the post. Click for larger image. Thanks  Rob Munroe for the tweet and the picture!

Thanks SMUG for the invitation to share and thank you B&H for their generous use of your Event Space!

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!

I just love this time of year in the Hudson Valley. We are seeing the green return to the grass and the light staying with us longer in the day tells us that summer is right around the corner.

I had the occasion to go to NYC to visit a friend of mine who was up here doing some work on a personal photography project. She is doing a book on the dogs of Central Park, kind of a tribute to all those city dogs who no doubt are happy to see the green grass return! It was a fun afternoon and I got to meet many new friends, both two and four legged! Check out the guys from Zen K9 walking these herds!

For those that have been following the blog, you know how important I think it is to keep up with new techniques and education because it allows me to give that much more to my clients. Well, last week, and at the last minute, I found out that I would be able to attend a great lighting workshop in Florida. The workshop, Light Pro, is known for it’s intensive hands-on style and its almost around the clock shooting. For me that was just too much to pass up so when a slot opened up, I jumped at the chance and headed on down.

It was a fantastic time and I had the opportunity to work with some of the leaders in the industry. From weddings, to classic portraiture, to high school seniors the ideas came in from all sides.

Here are a few of my favorites from the trip.

And here’s a quick little video I made for some of my photographer friends and other attendees.  I thought I would share it here too, it’s just some of the fun behind the scenes stuff from one of the night sessions. From dawn until late in the night the learning never stopped!

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Ok, I know sometimes I let too much time go between posts. I am working on that, really I am! Here are some images from my trip back in January. I had held off on posting them because of another project, but I can post them now. These are a few selections from a whole collection from the trip. As I get time I will try to post more here and there. The trip was just so incredible, I hope I get a chance to do something like that again soon!

And I ask that you please respect my copyright and do not copy, print or download and share these or any other images. If you are interested in a print, please contact me and we will make arrangement. Web resolution images rarely make for good prints and besides, it is illegal.

I hope you enjoy them! Drop me a comment and let me know what you think!

Pete

Oh the places we will go!

From a previous post you may know that my wife and I spent the holidays with family in Iowa and Oklahoma. From there I dropped Laura off for a flight home while I headed out to a convention in Phoenix and to visit some friends along the way. Now a lot of folks might think that driving 6500+ miles is a little crazy, but for me it was an incredible experience and I would like to thank Laura for making it possible for me to head out on a vacation while she was stuck taking care of the horses during the coldest days of January… Hey, us wedding photographers have to do something when it’s cold here in the Hudson Valley!

To begin my journey I headed down towards Houston, TX where I met with several photographer friends of mine. First up was Jordan who was getting ready to shoot some new images for Mezzanotte Ristorante in Cypress, TX. Jordan is one heck of a versatile photographer and I have learned much from him over the years. And since I enjoy watching other photographers work, I got a chance to combine business and pleasure as I helped Jordan with some shots while snapping a few of my own as well. The owner and Executive Chef, Gerry Sarmiento, was a pleasure to meet and his staff and food were excellent! No fake stuff here, real food shot as it comes from the kitchen. One of the best perks of shooting food is many times you get to eat it after the shooting is finished. Thanks again Gerry!

After filling up on some great food I headed further south to Lake Jackson, TX to meet up with the folks from TriCoast Photography. For those that have been following my blog you know that Mike and Cody have been a great influence on me and I have enjoyed working with them when I have had the opportunity to do so. I would meet up with Mike, Cody and Suzy once again at the conference I was attending and where Mike and Cody were speaking, but this visit was all fun and games! Just a chance to hang out and catch up and tell stories for a couple of days. Thanks for the hospitality guys, it was great seeing you!

Once I left Lake Jackson and headed out driving toward Phoenix the main portion of the trip began. It was the primary reason that I didn’t fly out to the convention and that was so that I could take my time, get off the interstate and see some things that I would otherwise never get a chance to see. I took my camera and just went exploring. For three days I slowly worked my way across the back roads of the desert southwest. It was fantastic! As you know I primarily photograph people so the chance to try something out of my normal realm was really a lot of fun.The wide open spaces were incredible!

After crossing the desert I ended up in Phoenix where I spent a few days attending a convention for wedding photographers. I am always trying to learn new techniques or gain more knowledge so that I can better serve you, my clients. And to say that this convention offered a lot of new ideas is an understatement! Talk about trying to drink from a fire hose! I left there excited with what I had learned and am looking forward to the 2009 season! The brides of today have so many options when it comes to choosing a photographer that it can be overwhelming. Take your time and make sure you and your photographer share a common vision. With so many styles it can be difficult to find a good fit, but the time you take up front will really pay off when you get your images.

After the convention I headed back to NY and the Hudson Valley. The drive seemed much longer because as we all know, once you start heading home, you can’t get there fast enough. My travel this time took me a bit more north, through Albuquerque, Amarillo and St. Louis and finally on to home. Along the way I made a few stops and took a few more pictures but the weather was turning colder and I had been on the road for about 20 days so I was ready to just get home and get back to work. But seeing things like the Very Large Array and driving parts of historic Route 66 made the return trip well worth the effort.

If you have never done something like this I would certainly recommend giving it a try. Granted you don’t need to start with a 20 day trip, but even just getting off the beaten path for a day can be exciting. You never know what is around the next corner!  Of course I have a lot more photographs and I will certainly post more as I get a chance, but right now, it is back to work.

-Pete

Over the holidays my wife and I went to visit our families in Iowa and Oklahoma. While in Iowa we had the opportunity to meet some new friends. We went along with my mother’s husband, Roy, while he made his rounds as a consultant for a livestock feed dealer. These days livestock farming is a lot different from what I remember growing up and two of the farmers, Rick and Abe, showed us some of the latest technology out there. With all the precautions to prevent disease it is a bit like going into a hospital operating room! Here are Roy and Laura all suited up for the visit! Quite a bit different than the attire I wear to weddings, that is for sure! And these suits aren’t to prevent us from catching something from the livestock, they are to prevent the livestock from catching something from us! And here we thought pigs were dirty, it turns out we are!

After getting ourselves suited up we got to meet some pigs…

All in all it was a pretty cool visit and we had a blast. It’s quite a bit different that what a wedding photographer normally shoots but that’s what vacation is for!

Thanks again to Rick, Abe and Roy, you guys were great and your hospitality is second to none!

It has been kind of hectic around here with the upcoming holidays and some other events going on so it was a nice surprise when a friend of mine asked if I would be interested in going to Atlantic City to see a comedy show. The chance to get away for a night and enjoy some laughs with friends sounded good and Brian promised I would enjoy it. Boy was he ever right! Brian is kind of a car guy and so was the comedian, Jay Leno! I have mentioned Brian before, he hooked me up with my Honda tractor and snowblower, which will be needed soon again!  If you need some Honda auto or outdoor equipment, give Brian a call at Formula H and tell him Pete sent you!

Back to the story… What an awesome surprise it was when Brian told me that we would be going to see Jay and not only that, but to meet him! You see, Brian has done some work with Jay on his car collection in the past, so he and Jay get together from time to time. And on this visit Jay was kind enough to extend the offer that Brian should bring some friends and then we could all have the opportunity to meet him after the show. And that is a pretty cool thing for as busy a guy as Jay is.

Anyway, long story short, we really enjoyed Jay’s show and then got the chance to go back and meet and talk with Jay afterward. It was a really fun experience and I can’t thank both Brian and Jay enough for a much needed break!

I really hope that everyone out there had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. I took the day to relax a bit and get out and do a bit of hiking with my dogs. Along the way I grabbed a friend of mine who brought one of her dogs along and we hit one of the area’s state parks. It was a perfect day for hiking and watching the dogs run and play just made it that much better.

Sometimes it’s good to just put things aside for a few hours and get out and enjoy a bit of nature!

-Pete

I just wanted to say thanks to the folks over at Blanket Oil in Pine Bush. The reason is unimportant but they know why. You guys are the best and it’s just one more reason why I like to do business locally whenever possible! Thanks!