Finally, More Savannah

I have been extremely negligent about keeping up with my blog - sorry if you've been checking and not finding new posts! I will try and be better. Football has finally wrapped up - I'll post more of those images later. Our varsity team, The River Hill Hawks went to the State 2A championship game at M&T Bank Stadium (Raven Stadium) and faced Eastern Tech. We won, with a score of 31 - 6. Keeping with the theme of crummy weather at every varsity game I shoot, it snowed the entire game. It was pretty and at least it wasn't windy too. More on the state game later.

To my great delight, Savannah (and her parents) came and visited for ten days at Thanksgiving. We had trouble finding time to do some portraiture - she was usually napping when the light was the best or we were out or we had company...time was running out but we made it happen. I'm sharing some of my favorite images here. Will probably do some composites later and post them as well.

It's been a very busy fall with sports photography and all the things that go on just in regular life. Hope you enjoy!

Beth & Sebastian

I had the honor of photographing Beth and Sebastian's wedding in late October in beautiful Annapolis, MD at the Quiet Waters Park. It was a lovely day - comfortable weather and diffused lighting (clouds) outside. The grounds of Quiet Waters Park are beautiful - we got some gorgeous shots. I could have spent a couple hours shooting on the grounds alone, but there was a ceremony scheduled... The next day was a severe storm with horizontal rain, so I'm glad the wedding was when it was.

They had family travel great distances to be there; Sebastian's grandparents came all the way from South America - I think they traveled the furthest. There were a lot of thoughtful touches throughout the ceremony and reception. One of the more unusual events at their reception was a tradition of Beth's family: they have someone dressed up as a gorilla run into the room and interact with the guests and they have an Elvis impersonator visit as well. Elvis just "performs" to the adoring women then leaves. Sebastian's parents also danced a traditional dance from Chile for the guests, which was quite lovely. They planned well for their wedding, involving many of their family and it was a beautiful wedding. I'm posting just 4 of the images from the day.

Chris and Becky

The weekend before last I had the privilege of photographing Chris and Becky's wedding in beautiful Flintstone, MD. They held their ceremony at Rocky Gap Resort which was a beautiful location. It is located on a lake with large hills in the background and the leaves were changing.

They chose to have "first glance" - which is so awesome. This is when the couple sees each other before the ceremony. Aside from me, they're alone and can express their thoughts and excitement upon seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day. It is a special time to share. I stand back and just capture the emotions and allow the couple some privacy. Most couples don't realize that when they see each other for the first time at the ceremony, their thoughts are overflowing but they can't really talk at that point. First Glance is a special moment and I'm glad Chris and Becky chose to have it.

These are just four of the images I've selected to share. The first is Becky's flowers - I know it's at a different angle, but I like it. The second image is at the first glance moment. The third is Becky walking down the aisle, so to speak and the last is their first kiss as husband and wife.

River Hill at Marriott's Ridge JV Football

Perhaps you're getting tired of seeing football on the blog. It certainly seems like I spend a lot of time shooting, editing and uploading it! River Hill JV team had a good game yesterday against Marriott's Ridge - it was 51 - 6. Not so fun for the Mustangs though : ( River Hill is wearing the white jerseys. Below are some of the shots I liked best from the game. I didn't get any show-stopper "in the air" shots, but these are good too!

I've got a couple of weddings coming up in the next two weeks, so be on the lookout for something different.

This shot is as the players exit the field.  Discipline is a requirement to be on this team and they line up by twos, silently, and march off the field.  

What I like about this image is the dirt being disturbed by the kick off (Davis Grove).

Good coverage by the line allows a shot like this of the quarterback (Harry McLaughlin) preparing to throw the ball.

I love it when I get shots of the player in the air (Raamah Vaughn) going for the catch - I believe this one was for a potential interception.

This is our player going down (Connor Walsh) but I love that he's still mid-air.

JV River Hill vs. Reservoir HS

The season is winding down, about 4 more games. It has been fun learning to shoot sports. It's always fun to get home and look at what you've captured - sometimes you're looking straight at it and shooting it and you still don't know what's on there! This week it appeared that I was a magnet for sideline action. Several times, standing on the sidelines shooting, I saw the ball carrier appear to be running straight towards me. Luckily for me, I was smart enough to step from behind the camera and see that, yes indeed, they were headed my way and quickly move. Otherwise, I would have been on the ground with the player, tackler and my camera gear. Not an experience I'm eager to have.

Below are four of my favorite images from this weeks game:

Varsity River Hill Football at Long Reach HS

For the first time, since I started shooting the Varsity games, it did not rain! How delightful not to have an umbrella duct-taped to my monopod along with the balancing act that sometimes requires. Did some experimenting with my shutter speed this time around. When shooting in the dark like this, you can't have your camera on a program mode. With dark and light uniforms and moving subjects, your exposures will be all over the place. You have to shoot in manual - which means the settings on your camera do not change and you choose what they are. Below are my favorite shots of the game. River Hill won the game (they're wearing white as they were the visiting team).

JV Football: River Hill vs. Long Reach

A busy week of football for the River Hill JV team - a rescheduled game on Monday and their regular game on Thursday. Each week, the parents host a pasta dinner for the boys on the day before game day. This week was my turn to help with the dinner - parents rotate. It was fun to watch the boys and coaches eat a meal together and socialize. They're a cohesive unit and this is a great opportunity for them to further bond.

The game against Long Reach was on a beautiful day. I suspect the game days will be getting colder, but the skies were lovely and the temperatures were pleasant. I got three shots (among a LOT) that are my favorites that I'm sharing here. To see the rest of the images, go to www.riverhilljvfootball2.shutterfly.com