I've been friends with the guys from The Forever Endeavor for about 17 years now.  They hung it up about 10 years ago and only recently announced a one night only reunion concert.  I think I speak for all in attendance when I say that I certainly hope that they do a whole lot more shows in the future.  They played some old favorites, and some previously unreleased stuff but all in all it was very fun and it sounded great!!!  I of course wanted to document this historic moment and I am sharing probably too many photos from that night at Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, NJ.  Check out their Facebook page, listen to them here and if they do continue to perform, please do yourself a favor and check them out.

Catching up on some blogging.  Last week I posted about friends of mine whom I did a shoot swap with.  This week I am going back in the archives to December.  Matt is also the Executive Director of a great organization named Star of Hope Ministries.  I had a great time photographing their open house where they display to supporters and friends of the organization all of the important initiatives they take to help relieve poverty and hunger in northern New Jersey and to thank some of their most cherished partners and volunteers. 

I am sharing this post not only to show some of the work that I did for them but to highlight them as an organization that I love and to say that they always need help through volunteering and donations.  They are very good stewards of gifts given them and they work through career preparation, wonderful seasonal programs like backpacks of school supplies for students that can't afford them, Thanksgiving in a box called their "Box of Love" program, and coat drives and so much more.  Check them out on their website to learn more about what they do and to get involved!!!

I haven't been keeping my blog up to date so this shoot was several months ago.  Jess and Matt are long time friends of mine and Jess is a talented photographer herself.  We agreed to swap shoots so that each of us would have images of our families for Christmas cards and and for photos around the house and the like since both of us tend to work hard for our clients and often forget to take time to preserve memories of our own families.  We also in the process got to explore a location that I have never shot in before even though it's so close.  I really can't wait to shoot at Laurelwood Arboretum again sometime soon.  One of the really cool things that we were able to do is to look at how we took some of the same images and edited them differently.  There's a lot more of their family below.

Recently, a client in the financial services industry had hired a new employee and wanted to get a chance to take a few team photos for their newsletter, website and other materials.  Initially they had just wanted a photo or two in the lobby with the logo in the background.  Branding in your images is always important.  For a second look, I used their conference room and lit the image well with a posing that shows the family business atmosphere that they like to show their clients.  We wanted to show them hard at work for their clients.  You'll find some of their headshots on their own website here.  Their talented people make up a large portion of their success.  I enjoy capturing talented people and helping companies with their imaging needs.

Ever since I started learning to light dramatically, I have wanted to do a shoot with a motorcyclist.  I was fortunate enough to have one of my closest friends get his motorcycle license recently so we scheduled a shoot and he was kind enough to model for me.  I was so excited to see these images in camera that I couldn't wait to get these edited and shared with the world.  It was a super fun shoot!

This family comes back to me year after year and I enjoy their company and having the opportunity to document their family each year as the kids grow up.  This year we went to Cooper's Pond in Bergenfield, NJ.  It was the first time that I've been there but it sure won't be the last.  It's a beautiful location and the weather was perfect for their fall family session.

It was a perfect September day.  Just the right amount of clouds to keep the temperature cool and to provide perfect light for their outdoor wedding.  The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was tons of fun to shoot.  I knew that working with Joe and Leah would be a breeze.  They have great personalities and they had an amazing engagement session.  Their day was very uniquely them and showcased their love for one another and for God.  There is a video with some of my favorite images from the day below the break.

Entertainment - DJ O
Second Camera - Dave Shay
Venue - The Estate at Florentine Gardens

My lead off image for this blog post is the one that I shared a recently on Facebook.  The exit to their ceremony had the most amazing sky as a backdrop and I am just in love with the light that they had during their ceremony.  There are many more images from the day below and I hope that you will enjoy them as much as I did.  The Pocono Farms Country Club was a beautiful location for their wedding.  Special thanks to Christina for being my assistant and second camera.  Two of her images were included in the post below.

Entertainment provided by Nat The Cat DJ Service.

Good family and a beautiful location.  What's not to love.  This was shot in Sayen Gardens in Hamilton, NJ.  A location I had never been to before but which I definitely plan on returning.  There is beauty all around you from the moment you enter into this location.  And my wonderful clients chose this location in part because it was where they were married!  This family was awesome and a pleasure to work with.  Their photos show that it was a great time and from the photos you wouldn't even be able to tell just how hot it was.  Family shoots are always a great time to connect with your family and have some photos that can hang on your walls for years to come.  They provide great memories and I wish this family many many great memories from this day!

Headshot sessions can be a lot of fun.  First start by getting a dramatic lighting look across the face.  Next have fun with backdrops.  For this session, I chose to shoot with two backdrops.  First a white with a bright flash on it intended to create a completely washed out bright backdrop.  Once we got that shot, we swapped out to a grey backdrop.  The couple of images in this post illustrate just a few things you can do with a grey backdrop.  You can light that backdrop and depending on the color or shape of the light that you put on that backdrop, you can have some pretty intriguing results.  Playing with light is so much fun and allows for almost infinite possibilities for backdrop with only one backdrop.