History in Fall…

When I was younger, my father was the family photographer. He was constantly in charge of capturing the family portraits and vacations. He didn’t have a business, but his pictures were phenomenal. His approach was to be cautious and patient for the perfect shot. To be honest, I have a feeling that his “patients” had to do with the cost of purchasing and developing the film. I was once told that for a roll of 20 you should be able to get 1 good shot. My father’s techniques were unique that still stay with me today.

When I was about 11, we were on vacation in Puerto Rico, when I was allowed to hold my father’s camera for the first time. I remember being at the beach and out of nowhere, my father asked if I wanted to take some pictures. I was thrilled and excited; I had a smile from ear to ear. The camera was a Canon AE-1 with a 35 mm lens. After each click, I would need to forward the roll of film to the next position. It was an awesome feeling. Click, thumb wheel, focus, click…

I remember clicking away and adjusting the camera feeling like a pro. I remember taking pictures at the beach of my family. It was a joyful feeling until the roll of film was finished. My father developed the film weeks later. I was extremely excited to see the results of the photos. The sincere gratification of seeing my family smile while they looked at the pictures, stuck with me. Sadly, I could never capture the same essence as my father’s pictures at the time. But it was my first enjoyment of taking and showing my work.

I have to thank my oldest daughter for bringing this tidbit of history back to light. My oldest daughter is currently taking a photography class at school. Out of no where, she asked if we could do some street photography for an assignment. I was thrilled and excited that she had some interest in street photography. So we packed up our gear and went to the center of town of Windsor, Ct.

 Here are a couple of shots from that day.
 

It wasn’t until this shot that I realize how my own history of photography was introduced.

So what is your moment?

Let Vignetting Photography help tell your story…

Road Trip…

August… The realization that summer, as you know it, is officially over for the year… The last month when you realize that you need to get out of town to enjoy the beach one last time. My children especially dread the month of August, it’s their realization that school is starting soon.

Thus with the month of August upon us, I decided that it was time to take a vacation with the family. This year I took the family to Myrtle Beach. So we packed up the car and drove the 13.5 hours to the beaches of South Carolina with a pit stop in Washington D.C.

Of course I had my camera on the trip. But to be honest, my wife and kids have started to grow tired of me when I take pictures of them. I try to get every possible angle to get the perfect shot. But their patients grow thin after about 10 seconds of me clicking away on my camera.

I honestly can say, they are my best critics. They’ve taught me that I have to be quick with my camera adjustments and vision. I have to make prompt direction to execute the shot. They love to evaluate and provide honest feedback on the pictures once I’m completed. But, their editor hats don’t come on until we’re home doing the post-productions of the photos.

Here are a couple of shots from our adventure to Washington D.C.

So what is next for Vignetting Photography?

This coming September the advertisement for Vignetting Photography goes live in the Republican Wedding Magazine. I’ve received a copy of the magazine and it looks amazing. Pretty excited about that.

This coming October, I’ll be going to the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference in New York City. (http://www.photoplusexpo.com/). My goal is to possibly find some additional vendors for photo books and also some additional prints shops. But most importantly, see what is new in the world of photography.

Continue to make bookings for Weddings, Portraits and Events for this coming year. I’m extremely excited for the bookings that I’ve got thus far. I’ll talk about them more as we get closer to those dates.

But most importantly, continue to spread the fun and enjoyment that Vignetting Photography provides. Until next time…

A month of Joy…

For the month of July, Vignetting Photography has been pretty busy. But to be honest, it was a real joy. Last month I had captured Mr. and Mrs. Chagas’s wonderful wedding. I had completed the post-processing of their photos before they had returned from their honeymoon. That was certainly a first.

Their wedding day was beautiful inside and out. I really like how the pictures came out. I had a lot of fun shooting their wedding. Here are a couple of photos from Mr. and Mrs. Chaga’s wedding day of July 16, 2014.

I was also able to accomplish my advertisement for this coming year. I normally have been using the free advertisement websites to get the Vignetting Photography name out there. However, I decided to do something a little different this year. I have decided to place a professional ad within the Republican’s Wedding Magazine.  The advertisement goes live at the end of this month.  Here is a special first look, hope you enjoy it…

I want to give a special thanks to Sarah G. for helping me with the Advertisement. Well until next time…

Christa and Marcelo’s Pre-Wedding Planning Photos…

 

Recently Christa and Marcelo had visited my home to have a discussion about their wedding day. Their wedding is scheduled for this month (July 2014). While talking about their wonderful day, they both were wearing their Brazilian Soccer Jerseys. They had every right to celebrate; Brazil won the day before and had advanced to the next round in the soccer (football) World Cup. I had asked if they plan on having a signature board for their wedding guest. Christa mentioned that she did, however she had forgotten about getting a photo for the board. I never miss an opportunity to take pictures, so I had asked if I could take some and help by providing a picture for their signature board.

Well here are a couple of pictures of the wonderful couple, Christa and Marcelo.

I’m pretty excited to be taking pictures of their wedding day. Until next time…

Vignetting Photography Business Cards…

 
Recently Vignetting Photography went through a makeover. Not only was the website refreshed, so were our business cards. The original business cards only provided our name and web address. The cards provided the necessary information; however, it lacked that first impression appeal. Well, I’m proud to introduce Vignetting Photography’s new business cards. The new business cards provide a mini portfolio for any person that receives the card. The new business cards consist of several photos that were from several different photo events.

Of course each photo has its own mini story.

Grandmother with Granddaughter – This picture is one of my favorite pictures. This wedding was at the Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. This wedding was interesting because two other photographers were already contracted. They had been extremely focused on the traditional portraits for the wedding. I was called early in the morning to support the photographers and provide more of the candid type shots.
After completing some shots with the groomsmen, I had started to walk back to the gathered crowd of wedding guest. I had looked to my left and noticed that the grandmother and granddaughter were sitting together quietly. I had bent down to one knee and took the shot.

Lesson Learned: Look around your surroundings. You never know what you will find. Also pay attention to what the Bride and Groom truly want for their wedding pictures. You don’t want to be a bad reminder on a day that should be joyful and fun.

Young lady looking to the sky – This young lady was graduating from high school and wanted a nice portrait for her senior yearbook. On a fall afternoon, we had driven to several locations in the South Deerfield, Massachusetts area. Yankee Candle, Butterfly Museum and a local barn were the predetermined locations to take some shots.
As we were changing locations, heading north towards the Butterfly Museum, I noticed a field on the side of the road. I decided to pull over to take some shots with the young lady. I had asked the young lady to walk out into the field and look to the sky and twirl around a bit. I remember saying, “Let’s see what we can get”.

I could have sworn that she was shaking her head and laughing at me as she walked away.
Lesson Learned: Be willing to deviate from your original plan. It’s always good to have a plan. But random is good too. Have fun and don’t worry about taking any risk.
Wedding Ring Photo:  The wedding ring symbolizes so many things for so many people. But to me the circle of the ring represents eternity, with no beginning and no end. Giving a wedding ring to a woman signifies never-ending and immortal love. To me this is one of the most important aspects of the wedding.

Lesson learned: To me, this type of image is as important as the first kiss. Do what you can to get this shot. Wedding guest usually gets the first kiss. But no one remembers the moment the rings were placed on the ring finger. Help them remember this moment by taking the shot. But most importantly, don’t forget the first kiss shot as well…

The Dance – I was shooting at this wedding with an older model flash. The refresh cycle time for the flash was extremely slow. This means the time which the flash is at full power and ready to shoot after the previous shot. I’ve since upgraded my flash, but this one shot was a treat. I was shooting the wedding couples first dance and the flash had misfired.  The light was actually showering down from the ceiling. This shot turned out to be a wonderful shot.

Lesson learned: I was lucky. But luck should never be part of the original plan. Get a flash with a quicker recycle power time.

The front of the card is a picture of me. Owner and Photographer of Vignetting Photography… No real story behind this picture. But this is the standard view when I’m part of your event.

Well that is the story behind the new business cards. Until next time...
Angel

Vignetting Photography website has gone live!!!

Its official, Vignetting Photography website has gone live… The updated website allows viewing by accessing the Vignetting Photography website via cell phone and/or tablet. Additionally with this new blog feature, I’m able to provide updates to current locations and also what I’m planning on doing next.

Not only would I be able to provide a picture from my every day adventures, but I would be able to provide a story behind the image that you see before you. This would allow me to give you that extra behind the scenes moment.

For example: Recently I took a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. While I was waiting for my colleague to get ready, I was in my hotel room attempting to figure out my camera setting. Mostly, I wanted to evaluate if my camera was still operating properly after a long trip. I was just clicking and adjusting the camera out the window and mirror. This picture was taken in that hotel room in Istanbul, Turkey… It has now become my official photo for Vignetting Photography… Me…

Yes, I admit not too exciting of a story… But we’ll get better... 

Most importantly, I want to have fun and express my enjoyment of taking photos with you. 

Until next time... Angel