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Monthly Archives: August 2017

31 Aug 2017
MICHAEL FLOOD - Trooper Tuber

Trooper Tuber

Often it’s the simplest images that can be the most memorable and most fun.  Frequently though, it takes a higher level of skill, thought and imagination to create that simple image.  Think Apple.  Its advertisements are always clean, simple and effective.  That doesn’t happen by accident.

The image shown above by Michael Flood, is one of the 63 images that make up the Summer on the Delaware project on display in my studio this weekend.  Michael is a craftsman, an artist and a photographer and has been experimenting with these kinds of images for years.  When  saw this shot I reached out to him and asked him to submit it for the show.  It cracks me up.  I love the simple originality of it.  The Delaware is awash with tubers all summer so it’s only natural that a wayward storm trooper would want to relax for a spell, too.

The beauty of simple images is that they make an immediate impression.  The viewer does have to work to see what you are trying to show.  You don’t have to explain it in words or point out details that aren’t obvious.  It’s the tried & true K*I*S*S formula.

If you are looking for some fun at  small town festival, come visit Frenchtown this  Sunday for Riverfest and stop in at 34 Bridge Street for Summer on the Delaware exhibit.

RIVERFEST POSTER

30 Aug 2017
REVIVAL CONSTRUCTION

Foreground

Revival Construction, a family run construction company based in Flemington, creates beautiful, new, yet rustic houses as well as renovations throughout the region.  It is well known for its quality and people always speak glowingly of working with them.

On a recent shoot we wanted to get a few exteriors and I noticed a small patch of wildflowers in a nearby field and  thought about how they would make a great foreground for the shot.  Positioning myself behind them way out in the field and using a telephoto lens I was able to get both the flowers and the house in the same shot.  The intent was to accentuate the exterior shot and give it a country look.

Using foreground is a great technique and relatively easy to do whether you are using a cell phone or a full blown professional camera.  The key is to find foreground that contributes to the main subject without distracting from it.  Often the foreground may be a little out of focus but in many situations that doesn’t matter.  The overall intent is to enhance the meaning of the image,  to create a stronger message, to tell a story.

So next time you are getting some shots for business or personal use, take a look at what you might use in the foreground and experiment.  You may find it adds a whole new dimension to your photo.…

30 Aug 2017
Climb

Climb

I came across a group of young athletes early in the morning making their way up a five mile hill.  Although near the top of the hill every one of them was still running,  pushing their limit to the top.

It occurred to me that climbing never really ends.  Sometimes it levels off a bit and the type of climbing we do will vary but it’s always forward and upward.  Can’t fight it, might as well embrace it.  Every hill climbed is another hill climbed.…

28 Aug 2017
First Light

Collaboration

When we collaborate, we grow.

Naturally, there is collaboration between our businesses and our clients, as well as between ourselves and our suppliers.  Collaboration between peers also has its rewards.  We may not want to give our competition a boost or lose our edge but there are ways to collaborate where we all come out ahead.

My schtick is organizing and producing photo projects with other photographers.  My latest collaborative project, Summer on the Delaware, will be on display in my studio on Sunday, September 3rd (Labor Day Weekend).  The image above is the first sunrise of summer 2017 on the Delaware River and was created to kickoff the project.

The Summer on the Delaware project is a collaboration among 29 photographers who are showing their work, New Hope Photo and Video (http://newhopephoto.com/) that  is generating all the prints for the show, the Frenchtown Business and Professional Association  and Brokaw Photography.

The exhibition of the photos created by all the photographers is timed to coincide with Frenchtown’s Riverfest Celebration, the town largest and most fun event of the year.  (Visit its Facebook page for more info, https://www.facebook.com/frenchtownriverfest2016/ .)  The intent is both to enhance the Riverfest Celebration and to benefit from the crowds it draws.  New Hope Photo gets to show off its printing quality and the photographers all enjoy the opportunity to showcase their work.  Personally, I love working with everyone and opening my studio to the public.

The beauty of this project is that it is all heart.  Everyone is in it for the joy of doing it and working with each other.  No one is making a killing but instead we all know that when we work together like this we all benefit and grow.…

25 Aug 2017
CHECK OUT AT SHOP RITE

Underestimating and Under Appreciating

As part of a video for the Hunterdon County of Chamber Foundation I had the opportunity to do an interview with Joe Colalillo of Shop Rite, one of the inductees for the Foundation’s Hall of Fame.  Joe is well known and loved throughout the county for all he does to support  the community in many, many ways.

I’m a regular shopper at Shop Rite and always knew how hard everyone works but I think I underestimated and maybe under appreciated what really goes into a thriving business like Shop Rite.

After the interview I wandered the store a little to get some images to put in the video.   It seemed everywhere I turned employees were busy doing all the things necessary to serve their customers. Individually, they were focused and hardworking which was impressive enough.  Collectively, they were a well-tuned team.

It is all too easy to underestimate and under appreciate what goes into making a business like this thrive, from the individual to the whole team.  Everyday I photograph businesses I see this and it gives me a whole new perspective every time.

SHOP RITE SCANNING

SHOP RITE FRIED CHICKEN

SHOP RITE STOCKING ICE CREAM

SHOP RITE PRODUCE

24 Aug 2017
EGG COMPETITION

Country Fair

We’re only a frog’s hop from New York out here on the West Coast of New Jersey but we still got ourselves an annual country fair where eggs compete, Old Glory hangs over the exhaust pipes of farm tractors and girls take their cows for a walk.  See you on the midway after I fill up on kettle corn and pick up a nice big bone for my dog.
Old Glory in the tractor barn  PRODUCE COMPETITION   Walking the Cows  Dog Bone
23 Aug 2017
TAKING AIM

Taking Aim

In the beginning when we first begin learning to shoot straight, there were those in the background keeping a watchful eye and making sure we weren’t aiming at our foot.

Ideally, mentoring and guiding never really end in the business world, whether we are the eager student or the wise observer in the background.

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22 Aug 2017
OMG

“OMG” – Three little letters that mean a lot.  

“OMG. So happy thanks so much.” 

When you finish a job and read these words, you can feel satisfied you’ve served your client well.  Having recently received such an email, I’m happy as a peach and also well aware one should never rest on one’s laurels.

Satisfying a client is more than the final product.  It is the whole process that leads you there, from the first phone call to the deliverable and everything in between.  It is an ongoing cycle that never ends.…

21 Aug 2017
NIGHT SKY

Ready for the Eclipse?

Here comes the moon.  Standing in front of the sun and casting us into darkness in the middle of the day.

OK, so maybe it won’t get this dark, but it will be the biggest shortest show of the year.…

18 Aug 2017
SHARED VISION

Shared Vision

I talk to a lot of business people and I know how much everyone cares about the services and products they provide.  This is their vision.  Their clients and customers also have a vision.  They want products and services that satisfy them.  When we share our visions with other people’s visions, that’s when magic happens.

We all have visions for ourselves and for our businesses.  Visions are what we want to see happen.  We want to grow, we want to serve, we want to be happy and make other people happy.

As a commercial photographer, I am essentially a visual marketer.  My clients know how they feel about their businesses and come to me to put it in a photo.

My job is to understand their vision, mix it up in my brain and blend it with my own vision.  I gather up my equipment, spin the dials, add some secret sauce and then point and shoot away.   Always, always I want to meet that objective, expressing their vision.

I recently received one of the most satisfying emails a photographer could get.  Just one sentence. “These pictures are great and the shot I was looking for is there! Perfect

Gotta love it.

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