Water Ski Championships

I spent the past two days photographing the Eastern Regional Water ski Championships at Hidden Pass Pond in Penfield. There are water skiers from across the U.S., mostly from Virginia north to Maine, competing against each other in Slalom, Jumping and Tricks. The talent level is amazing, as well as the age range, from 7 through 70+. I will be there for the next two days as well. The pond is off 441, 1 mile east of 250 if anyone wants to see some great competition.

Move Over Jeff Gordon

I had a great day with the family today at The Club House Fun Center in Henrietta. Cade got to drive his own Go-Kart for the first time and he was on a mission, passing everything in sight. I think he's found his calling. Sarah was just content being in a pinkish-purple car. She also managed to get the pink ball for mini-golf. She's such a girl, but she's my little girl. Oh, and don't let the picture fool you, I let Sue win.

Best Processional Ever!

Sunday Paper

For the next 10 Sundays, we will be running ads in the Daily Messenger with various specials, events and promotions. For the remainder of the summer, the ads will be focusing (pun intended) on senior portraits. Here is today's ad just in case you missed it in the paper.

Brian and Jenn

I had a wedding today at Shadow Lake in Penfield, with the help of Rochester photographer Shone Rowley. We had a good day with Brian and Jenn, dodging severe thunderstorms that apparently spawned a tornado in the Batavia area. When the storms did finally come through, the tent we were in was not very much comfort. There I was holding a big metal camera standing under a cloth covered lightning rod. At one point the rain was so hard, I had to put my camera bags on a table because the water was flowing in to the tent like a river. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful wedding ceremony on the point jutting out in to the small lake. The ceremony was performed by fellow fly fisherman Brian Pitre. He was ordained specifically to perform this ceremony.

Stacy and Jim TTD

After much planning, Stacy finally had her long anticipated Trash the Dress Session. Or should I saw TTD Part 1. We're still planning on doing a really cool hockey themed shoot this winter. Yesterday we started the day in Rochester north of the Inner Loop on Clinton. We found some really cool murals up there. We then headed downtown to try and find the old subway tunnel. We found it but were not able to gain access, so we headed over to the Dinosaur BBQ for lunch. The Dinosaur is a Rochester tradition. I've also eaten at the one in Syracuse. Both are very highly recommended.

After lunch we drove down to Dansville to Stony Brook State Park. At the entrance was a sign with the water temperature in the creek. 56 Degrees!!! I'm not a big fan of cold water without my waders. Fortunately for me I brought them. Unfortunately, a downpour occurred while we were on the gorge trail so the cameras got to enjoy my waders instead of me. Once I was in the water, my feet warmed up surprisingly fast. I can't say the same for Stacy who was way more submerged than I was. We had to shoot in short bursts so she wouldn't get hypothermia. She was a true sport agreeing to anything I asked her to do, including leaning in to one of the waterfalls. Can't wait for the next shoot.

Happy Birthday Rich

My brother Rich turns 44 today. Happy Birthday Bro!

Ally and John

I just experienced one of my all-time favorite weddings today. Some days everything just goes right. I had the privilege of working with John and Ally. They were so easy going, natural in front of the camera, good looking and the settings were awesome. We photographed at Salon Brio in Bushnell's Basin, then Chapel Hill for the ceremony and finally Artisan Works in Rochester for the reception. I also got to play with a new toy, an 85mm f1.8 lens for you camera geeks out there.

John is a NYC editorial photographer, so he was able to appreciate what we do to create the images we do. I look forward to seeing some of his work soon. Ally is a fellow Long Islander but you wouldn't know from her accent, their love of the outdoors or their taste in Bluegrass music.

They're off the Australia next week for their honeymoon. I'm so jealous.

Family Reunion

Sue's family had their second annual family reunion on Sunday at Como Lake Park in Lancaster. I couldn't find the lake though. I think it's a ploy to get people to visit. They did have an ice cream truck however, but it was a converted old school bus and the paint job reminded me of one of those freaky clowns you see in the scary movies like Poltergeist.

I was glad to make this reunion since I missed last years with a wedding. My mother-in-law is one of 12 siblings in her family, so I had to bring my cheat sheet to keep track of who's who. We had to wear name tags too. The kids had a blast with the piñata, kites, water balloons and more, while the adults played horseshoes and other lawn games. And we ate. We ate and ate and ate. What else do big Italian families do?

Sue's dog Miley got in on the action too, sprinting across the field until her tongue was dragging on the ground, which isn't that hard since she's only 1.3 inches tall.