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I headed to meet up with the Severe family on a snowy Saturday in December. In fact, we ended up with about 12″-13″ of snow when it was all done. But I braved the weather to have a bunch of fun with this family. Starting out in the house we got some relaxed family portraits and then moved on to some individuals with the kids. The grandparents joined us and we got a big group shot with them. After all the indoor photos, I suggested we take advantage of the fun weather going on outside. Everyone was up for it, so we headed out into the blizzard. I say blizzard because everytime I looked down at my camera, it was covered in snow. We took a few breaks in the garage to let the snow that was accumulating on us melt down. Then back into the snow. We eventually went out in the backyard where I got a snowball battle started. It wasn’t great packing snow but it worked just fine. We then finished things up with a few snow angels by two of the kids before I headed out. Thanks for a great time and braving the weather for some great photos. It was too fun!
The year 2009 has brought about a lot of change at Miville Photography. Not only in technical aspects, but with creativity and how I want my photography to present itself. Technically, I have added some equipment that has allowed me to use my creativity in a different manner and really push myself to be more creative. I have found that I not only want my photography to be fun and have a connection with my subjects, but to do so in a way that is timeless. I want my portraits and weddings to really show the people and what they are about through my creative eye. I hope you enjoyed my blog through the year and I hope you keep reading in 2010. Below are some of my favorite shots from 2009. I’ve also included a link to the original post.
You may remember Nikki & Sean from their Lancaster engagement session earlier in the year. This time it was a cold and windy day in Lancaster for their wedding. At least we had the sun on our side, well for most of the day anyway. Now that the sun is going down a little earlier, we kinda lost it on the way from the wedding to the reception, however we did manage to catch a few sunset pics in the the mix of the day.
I started off at the Landisville Mennonite Church photographing some details when the bride and bridesmaids arrived. While they started getting ready I snapped some shots of her dress, flowers, shoes and other details. The groom and his groomsmen arrived a little while later and managed to get ready a little bit quicker, so I started some fun shots with them. After a little walk down to the corn field and into a barn within walking distance it was back to check on the girls. I got a few pictures of the bride, however guests started arriving earlier than I’ve ever seen, so I needed to get creative and find some other locations to snap some pics of the bride. The wedding was beautiful and went off without a hitch. Both Nikki & Sean were teachers and invited all of their students to the wedding, so at the end of the service we had all of the kids come up and sit around the couple for some pictures with the bride & groom. It was so much fun and the kids were really good. A little gauntlet run out to the limo for the couple through some raining rice ended with a couple of big handfuls tossed in the limo on the groom at the end. It was fun and he laughed about it.
After a few family pics in the church, I headed down to the same barn I shot with the guys for some pics of the full wedding party and the couple. After that we headed to the busy Lancaster Train Station where we had shot a few pics during their engagement session. I grabbed the grooms brother to be my living light stand. He was a big help and I thank him very much. After a few shots there, we went down to the Steinman Park in the city where all the Christmas lights were up and they had a huge Christmas tree in the place of the waterfall which is normally running. It was beautiful! It was into the Pressroom next to Steinman for a quick shot and then off to the reception at the Best Western Eden Resort.
After a little time hanging in a special room, the family and wedding party was introduced into the reception. The couple came into their first dance and then then we had 3 toasts. A little dinner and some parent dances and it was time to get down. The cake got cut in the mix somewhere. Then a little while into the night, Sean had his dad introduce him to sing a beautiful song that he wrote for Nikki. He’s a great musician and it was an amazing song that he played for her. A little more fun on the dance floor rounded out the night and everyone had a great time. Enjoy the pictures!
So, do you have a photographer in your life? Someone who’s just getting into photography or someone who has been into it for a while but you’re not sure what to get them for Christmas? Well, here is a list of sure fire gifts that will make any photographer no matter their level happy when they pull it out from under the tree and unwrap it. Instead of heading out to the mall for another tie or pair of socks, use this list to order your gifts. This list of photography gifts are all under $100 and well worth every penny for what they do cost. I’ve included pictures and a link to a reputable website that you can order each product from.
Memory cards are always a great gift idea. What photographer can’t use another 4Gb or 8Gb card. Just make sure to check the type of card that their camera uses before ordering. These come in all sizes and card types. I recommend Sandisk Extreme cards, and use them for all my photography.
Memory card readers are a wonderful gift. They cut down on the amount of battery usage for the camera and are typically a LOT faster than downloading pictures straight from your camera. They come in all price ranges and card reading types. I recommend this Lexar card reader for only $33.50.
Scott Kelby is the head of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, a great photographer and an amazing teacher of those subjects. His books are a great read and very informative. The Scott Kelby Digital Photography Box Set for only $44 on Amazon.
Photographers need to keep their lenses clean. This lens pen from Pearstone will do just that. At only $9.95 it’s a great stocking stuffer.
This amazing product has made it easy to set up any type of camera in almost any situation to get great stable pictures. They’ve upgraded it to the point it will hold a DSLR. Gorillapods are inexpensive and a lot of fun. Check out the Joby GP3 Gorillapod.
Joe McNally is synonymous with photography. He’s been photographing for National Geographic for over 25 years now and is amazing. His latest book The Hot Shoe Diaries is an amazing look at off camera flash photography. I own it and it’s a wonderful read.
Lowepro is a great photography bag manufacturer and they have come out with an inexpensive sling bag that is great for a quick hike, or camping or walk through the concrete jungles. With room for a DSLR, 4-5 lenses, a flash and memory cards, the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW is weatherproof and ready for your photography trips.
If your photographer is like me, they don’t mind a little weather, but with these sensitive digital cameras it’s tough to keep them dry. So, why not get them a cover that is specifically designed for their lens and camera. At only the DiCAPac Waterproof bag is my recommendation for keeping your equipment dry while out on a wet day and clean from sand and dirt.
Most camera straps that come with today’s cameras are cheap and just throw in the bag to have a strap. BlackRapid is making comfortable straps that have more in common with today’s photographer with pouches for cards and batteries along with a quick connect and nylon strap for fast shooting. I have a BlackRapid Double Strap and it’s amazingly comfortable. For only $65 I recommend the BlackRapid RS-5 Camera Strap and can tell you that your photographer will not be disappointed by this camera strap.
Eneloop is my favorite battery system. The batteries have a fast recycle time and lose very little power even after a year of using them heavily. An Eneloop 4 pack with charger only starts at $29.95.
Last but not least, why not get your photographer the gift of being photographed. I’m sure your photographer finds themselves behind the camera more than they are in front of it. For this I recommend a gift certificate for a portrait session by non other than myself. Miville Photography. Simply email me at mivillephoto@yahoo.com to order a gift certificate in any size.
I’d like to thank everyone again who helped with the food drive fundraiser for Philabundance. Thanks to Stylish Occasions, PhotOlé Photography, El Serrano Restaurante and everyone who came out or donated food to such a wonderful charity. On Wednesday, December 2, 2010 we took the food to the “Camp Out For Hunger” run by WMMR’s – The Preston & Steve Show who were collecting for Philabundance. I would like to announce that we collected a whopping 261 lbs of food that we dropped off! Thanks again to everyone for making this such a successful event. Hopefully we can do this again in the future.
You may remember Kristin & Mike from the engagement session I did for them earlier this year. This downtown Lancaster wedding had it all. Dogs, kids, details, fun, dancing and a wonderful couple. The wedding was held at the First Reformed Church and the reception at the new Lancaster Convention Center Marriott.
The day started out with the guys hangin’ out at Mike & Kristin’s house for some shots of the guys getting ready and relaxing. Starting out with a few shots of the guys getting ready, we then headed out to the back yard for some pics of Mike with and without Colby, their boxer. A few pics with the guys and some beers, then it was off to the church to meet up with the girls. A cold and somewhat damp day kept us from shooting too many pictures of the girls outside the church. Fear not, we moved into the church for some great shots inside this beautifully ornate structure. Along with a few pictures of Kristin in the stairwell. With a slight scare of Mike and Kristin almost seeing each other before hand we managed to get the girls out of site.
The wedding turned out beautifully with my wife Melissa from Stylish Occasions helping put things together and keeping things organized. The ceremony was beautiful and was followed by the couple greeting the rows as they exited. A few family pictures followed by a few with the wedding party and it was time for Kristin & Mike in the balcony of the church and then some pics outside the church on the steps and down the alleyway.
Time for the reception which means it was time for my wife to turn it on. She did a fabulous job keeping everything running smoothly and setting up a beautiful reception in the new Marriott. I snapped a few more shots of the bride and groom in the holding room before it was time to introduced. Onto the reception where so much happened that I don’t know if I can write about it all. So, here are a few quick highlights. First the band was awesome, great speech by the best man and another groomsman, a great Maid of Honor speech, father of the bride speech as well as singing a song to the couple, an uncle playing cowbell with the band, a beautiful ice sculpture, cake smashing, cow bells a plenty and more dancing than you could shake a stick at. It was a great time and I’m glad I was there to capture all of it. Thanks to Kristin & Mike for allowing me to capture this special day and a special thanks to a previous bride and groom, Jami & Rob, for knowing so many people that needed to get married this year.
On behalf of Philabundance, I would like to thank everyone who came out for the food fundraiser at El Serrano. It was a huge success and we collected hundreds of pounds of food to go to this wonderful charity.
I would also like to give special thanks to my wife Melissa from Stylish Occasions and my friend Ole from PhotOle for helping me out with this great charity. I would also like to give a big thanks to Holly & Manuel from El Serrano for the use of their beautiful restaurant to host this event.
Below are a few pics of the people that came out. Enjoy.
I met up with Lexi and John at Grubb Lake in beautiful Lancaster, PA on a brisk but cloud free, wind free, rain free morning. We took a walk around the 1 mile path that surrounds the lake and captured some beautiful images. I work with Lexi and I had photographed her with her mom a few years back. This time it was with her boyfriend John. John was a little sore from a car accident he was in just a couple of days before the shoot, but managed to stick it out for me. Thanks for the fun guys, I’d do this again anytime!
A while back I was contacted by April. She said she was having a family reunion and wanted to get some family pictures taken of all the families and kids together. So, I met up with them on probably the windiest day of this whole year at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord where they were getting together. April coming from the Carolina’s had family coming from other nearby states such as Maryland and New Jersey. They were coming home in a sense where they were raised and where their mother still lives. I’ve never been to Shady Maple so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after some quick scouting I found a huge gazebo in right in front of the building itself. And after some miscommunication on where to find each other in the crowds of cars and people, we finally found each other. I first took a few shots of the group as a whole. Then broke it down into each family and and since the kids seemed a little mischievous I got one or two straight face shots and then just let them go and told them to ham it up. And as you’ll see in the pics below, they did just that. Kids are so much fun, especially when you tell them to just go for it. Enjoy the pics, and thanks to April for coming to me for the shoot, it was a lot of fun!
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