Catskill FD - Busy Day 12/14/09

Two fires today for the Catskill FD. Here are some photos of the action.

Thank You Class of 2010

I just wanted to thank all the students who trusted me to make their portraits this year. Senior year of high school is one of first big moments in a person's life and I try to commorate it by capturing the true essence of the student. This year's clients were so much fun to work with. Very energetic and creative on their own. They make my job so easy. Thank you all and best of luck with your future after high school.

Sunday Stroll

It's November 15, 2009 and the weather here in Catskill is beautiful. Sunny and about 65 degrees. Perfect time to take a walk around the village. Here is a couple of images from today.

Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME

I took a ride to Maine on Friday to help my friend Gary move some furniture into his new vacation home. What a great place. Congratulations to you and your family. So after we completed our work, Gary showed me around the town and especially the ocean. We walked the Marginal Way around the beachfront and ended up at Perkins Cove. This is where I made this photograph. I then applied an oil painting effect.

Nice place to visit and I'm sure a great place the live.

Valdetara

Today I photographed two sterling silver walking stick handles for Valdetara, http://www.valdetara.com/. These should be up on their website soon. They are hand crafted here in Greene County. Visit their website and watch as the number of items grows.

New Postcard

It seems that more and more I'm asked for black and white photographs by today's modern bride and groom. So to address these requests, I've designed a new postcard. Thanks for my nieces and nephews for providing me with the opportunity to make these beautiful images.

Parker

Meet Parker. He and his Mom and Dad came in today for a portrait. It's so much fun when little ones are happy and smiling. He just woke up from a nap so he was ready to play. Beautiful babies like him make my job so easy and enjoyable.

Michelle and Marc

As I mention in an earlier blog, I had a very busy weekend. On Sunday afternoon I had a photo session with Michelle and Marc. We are preparing to celebrate their wedding in a few weeks, so we spent some time with them at Olana to capture some images that show their love. As you see, a very handsome couple. I can't wait for the wedding.

Marcia and Phil's Wedding

This Saturday I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Marcia and Phil. Sweet couple. This was only the second Greek wedding that I've photographed, but I have to say, it was beautiful. The couple, the church, the ceremony were all things to remember.

The reception followed at the newly build Windham Country Club. This club house and pro shop are a little over a year old. The members must be very proud, it's a gorgeous facility. Food and service were excellent. Great music that had the guests dancing all night. This party knew how to have fun!

Weekend Sept 12 & 13

Wow what a busy weekend. Had a great Greek wedding on Saturday, Catskill High School ribbon cutting on Sunday, then an incredible photo session later Sunday afternoon. I'll be posting both the wedding and photo sessions separately right after this post.

So with all the activity, the weekend flew by. Back to work now.

Amy & Josh's Engagement

Amy and Josh are getting married next year and today we celebrated their engagement with a photo session on Josh's family farm. This couple was a joy to work with. I love when people want to have a photo made! Best of luck and see you at the wedding next year!

Bombay Sapphire Martini

I shot this at Kim and Sean Meagher's wedding party this past weekend. I'm ready for one, but will replace the lemon rind with olives!

Afternoon Sun

Summer is coming to a close and the sun is getting further away from the Earth. Cooler temperatures and longer shadows. Yesterday afternoon the sunlight was especially nice. As a photographer, it's all about finding the light and the shadows it creates. The cat found it before I did.

HS Senior Portrait Season

It's that time again to start booking an appointment for your high school senior portrait. I believe most yearbook deadlines are at the end of October, so don't delay. Call today for a consultation.

While you're thinking about it, take a look at some portraits from previous years.

518-947-9967

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Joannie and I took two weeks off, last week and this coming week. Last week we started painting inside the house getting ready for Jenna's wedding in October. We only painted it ten years ago, can't imagine why it needed it again?! But it looks great.



However, vacation shouldn't be all work around the house, so on Saturday, we, along with our friends Bob and Joan, went on a culturally stimulating adventure. We visited the Hyde Collection: Art Museum and Historic House, in Glens Falls, NY. http://www.hydecollection.org/

The current exhibition is a collection of work by famed French impressionist painter, Edgar Degas. Most of his work was inspired by the music and musicians of his day. Along with the museum, we took a tour of the Hyde personal residence and had the opportunity to see the extensive collection of classic European and American artists. Visit the website to see all the works in their collection. Better yet, take the drive up and see it first hand. Its an amazingly beautiful experience.



After a nice dinner on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, we went to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to listen to the Philadelphia Orchestra performing the music that inspired Degas' art.



Now for the best part. While we could not take photographs in the Degas exhibit, we were allowed non flash photos in the Hyde residence. I call this piece, CHRIST AND BOB WITH ARMS FOLDED. On the left is Rembrandt's CHRIST WITH FOLDED ARMS, that's Bob on the right. http://www.hydecollection.org/collections/details-image.cfm?ID=19





V. James DiPerna , American (1957 - ), Christ and Bob with Arms Folded, c. 2009 , Giclee on paper, 30 x 24 in.

Fruits of Summer

Ok, so they could be vegatables, but we picked these peppers from our potted garden. Love the colors of red and green mixed throughout. But, I like the timeless look of black and white. It's nice to have a choice. Enjoy, by time you read this, they'll be giving me agita. Agita: Heartburn, acid indigestion, an upset stomach or, by extension, a general feeling of upset. The word is Italian-American slang derived from the Italian "agitare" meaning "to agitate."

Hibiscus

The only things liking this rainy weather is ducks and flowers. We have two braided hibiscus plants at the front entry of our home. They have been beautiful all summer long. Not a bad investment of $15.00 from Sam's Club.

I really like how the color of the flower picks up the color from the Liberty Belle across the street.

Barn Swallows

There is a colony of barn swallows on the warehouse building, south side, at the Catskill Point. I took these photos at lunch today. Thanks Mary for letting me know about them.

Maria Elaina & Frank

Congratulations Maria Elaina and Frank on your wedding. Beautiful couple, beautiful family and a day sent from heaven. Rip Van Winkle Country Club, http://www.rvwcc.com/ was the setting for their outdoor ceremony. Set at the foothills of the Catskill mountains, this scene was straight out of a movie. This was a fun wedding with lots of dancing to music provided by Karoke Craig, http://www.karaokecraig.com/. It's great to see kids of all ages on the dance floor.

The center of the reception was the DELICIOUS food from the folks at RVWCC, topped off with a gorgeous wedding cake from HARTMAN'S KAFFEEHAUS in Round Top and a dessert table to please anyone's sweet tooth.

And along with having 100's of still photos to capture the memories of the day, Maria Elaina and Frank will also have a DVD video provided by Lance Wheeler http://www.lancewheeler.com/

Quadricentennial Flotilla

So we had a little excitement last Thursday, when a flotilla of ships sailed up the Hudson River into Catskill to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the day that Henry Hudson first sailed up the river to explore trading opportunities. http://www.exploreny400.com/

Thanks to the generosity of my friend Gary and his family, Joannie and I were able to view these ships from the river on Gary's boat.

More Photos

Michelle asked me to post a few more photos show she could show her family and friends. Hope you all enjoy.

Miss Greene County and Miss Greene County Teen 2009

Michelle Suttmeier, Miss Greene County, 2009






















Brittany Smith, Miss Greene County Teen, 2009
























As part of the prize packages for the 2009 Miss Greene County and Miss Greene County Teen pageant, both Michelle Suttmeier and Brittany Smith won a photographic portfolio package. So for the past two weekends, I've been working with them on some of their photos. Now, I can only shoot, I don't do hair and makeup, thank God. But hair stylist, Cathy Mondeverde and MAU, Chrissy Dushane, from Adam & Eve Beaute Centre, Leeds, NY, http://www.adamandevebeaute.com/ brought along their talents to make these ladies look as beautiful as they do. We were also fortunate to be able to work with Kathy Clearwater from Revolution, A Contemporary Woman's Boutique, Main St, Catskill, who provided wardrobe, jewelry and accessories.


All of this was made possible by Angela and Danielle Lanuto, owners of Astara Enterprises and producers of the Miss Greene County Pageant. Any young lady interested in this year's pageant should visit their website. http://www.missgreenecounty.com/