Recovering from her first day
It was Savannah’s first day at pre-school this week. Here are couple of quick pictures of her in first day dress and Primrose bag with her favorite Eeyore tucked inside. This first day was pretty tough on her. For the last few weeks, she had been surrounded by two other family members during the day. Now, it was time for school and they would not be around. Can be pretty scary. Well, when I got home from work that day, I was able to lend a consoling hand to situation. I am really glad that both Sophie and Savannah were able to assist me in making a positive change in Jackie’s day. Finally, after we were all together, Sophia’s and Savannah’s mom could smile again. Thanks girls!!!! 
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It is a wrap
Would you rather have an image in a traditional print that needs to be framed for display.…
or add some dimension and texture to your images with a canvas gallery wrap? 
A canvas gallery wrap is high quality print on artist canvas stretched over custom made wood supports. A gallery wrap will make your images stand out boldly on your wall without the need having a traditional picture frame.
I just ordered some studio samples of these babies to add to my offering. The typical turnaround is less than week to get these to the studio. We can have them shipped directly to your door also.
Face Painting, Bouncy House and a Cake
Well, some of you have heard the song “Girls just want to have fun!” by Cyndi Lauper. I could have sworn that I was hearing that song in my head during Jackie’s birthday party and well into the night this past Sunday.
Face Painting
Like most of our parties, the Setzer face painting brigade was in full force assisting happy party-goers! Thanks Beverly and Alicia!!
I must say that this looks a little like Peter Criss makeup. Naw! can’t be! No KISS for Jackie! Only Sophie, Savannah, and I want to rock n’ roll all nite and party everyday!! 
The approval from her oldest child!
Bouncy House
Several weeks back when Jackie was thinking about having an actual party on her birthday, she booked a Bouncy house from our friends at Linda Craft Realty for the weekend. I thought her main purpose in this decision was to have something for the kids to do while she and the other moms enjoyed their favorite adult(or child) beverage. Well here is some proof that bouncy houses are not just for kids!
Not real sure exactly what is going on with her hand. Anyway, have you ever tried to hold a camera still in a bouncy house? 
Cake
“With a little help from the Kids!” Jackie would not have it any other way. 
I will be adding a gallery shortly on trianglephotoprints.com so stay tuned for more.
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A Nanna, A Miller, A Marty, and A Mirror
Over this past weekend, we got invaded by a family of Cheese heads. One of the heads of the household is a Lego-maniac and heck-of-father named Marty Weishoff. He is also known to drink a few beers at parties like this one for Jackie’s 29th(that is my story and I am sticking to it) birthday yesterday.
Unlike my brother, he is both entertainment and maintenance for the children. The following series of images are from the party when uncle Marty was entertaining his niece Nanna armed only with a Miller high Life and mirror. The mirror is off camera to the left.
Call these teasers. I just could not resist these. Synchronized facial expressions!! I am going through the images from party over the next few days and will post more shortly! So stay tuned! 
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Cleaning Windows
When I hear the expression “Cleaning windows”, I can not help but recall a song by one of the greatest songwriters in recent history named Van Morrison. In this case, it is a little different. I came home Monday night from work. I heard earlier through the family grapevine that another Lemonade sale was performed by Sophie and Savannah. Recently, Sophia spent all her earned money on a Lego set. This Lego set is currently in the hands of UPS and in transit to us in the next few days. With all her money spent, Sophia had the lemonade and bake sale also. Jackie mentioned that the Windows needed cleaning. She only had to say this once to Sophie. This quickly turned into turned into another financial opportunity for Sophia. She is always looking for ways to work around the house to make a quick buck.
Here is Sophie at work.
She is making her dad proud by using Windex which is made S.C. Johnson in my original hometown. I like the reflections in these images as it adds some depth and pizzazz to both of them.
A closer look at her efforts.
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Swimming Lessons for Nanna
Savannah took her first swimming lessons at a local Raleigh pool. We still need to work with her but she is gradually becoming more confident in the water. Here are shots from her first of five lessons.
She looks like the part here. That is a good start. A Face a father(and mom) can love.
Early on in the lesson she had that Savannah swagger that we all know and love.
A little boogey-board action Savannah style with a little help from the instructor.
The Savannah Plunge
We had to have a grand finale to this blog post. Here is the beginning of the “plunge.”
Mid-air and no turning back! Wetness is about to engulf her!
Ya! Engulfed by wetness!
Safe and sound! The instructor seems happy and encouraging! Not sure about Savannah at this stage. A little overwhelmed perhaps. You probably would be too if someone besides your mom was catching you and let you go under. 
Oops! I forgot my goggles!
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It’s a Miller Cat Fight!
In this corner weighting in at less than 20 lbs from parts unknown, we have the K-Kitty! In this corner, finalist in a recent game face competition and still my daughter, Savannah “I have no fear” Jackle.
“Ok! You are definitely cute and all, but this 12 pack of High Life is coming with me!” said K-Kitty.
“Listen here! You striped little critter. I am taking this back for my daddy! This is his favorite beer!” said Savannah.
It looks to be a Kitty-Kid standoff as each of the contestants are engaged in a stare-off !
Sometime later after the bout, we tried to interview one of the contestants and this is the look we got. What do you think this look means? Please comment below with your thoughts.
It’s Miller Time! Have a great weekend and see you soon!
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Put On Your Game Face!
Tonight, I was perusing the wedding photographic society forum. A comment was made to another forum participant that he needed to add an avatar to his profile so people could associate a face with a forum post at our bi-monthly meetings. This is something that I have not done yet either.
So I grabbed one of my favorite models and photography assistants named Sophie Jackle. She was so thrilled that I was going to actually allow her to touch my camera. This is something that she is typically not allowed to do. One would think that this because of my concern that she may accidentally damage my gear. Actually, I may also be afraid that she would show me up with better and more creative photography.
Anyway, I sent up my 580EX flash unit with a 28 inch umbrella soft box as a key light. I sent my 430 EX II with a grid spot for a rim light. The intention here was to make a simple casual head shot for the forum. I put my 50mm F1.8 lens on my camera and installed it on my tripod. Nothing fancy. Just trying to take a simple head shot for the forum. The tripod would help make it easier for Sophie and me less nervous.
H
ere is the headshot we ended up with for the forum. I merely demonstrating what a game face was to my daughter Sophie using a souvenir I bought at one of my trips to Lambeau Field. Here is the shot she took. See I told you I should have some concern about her showing me up. Great job Sophie!!! 
Remember in previous posts, I mentioned that we had to keep things even in our house between our two daughters. This works between fathers and daughters also. Here are a few examples of Sophie’s game face.
So next thing we knew, we heard footsteps. Apparently, our game face growls sparked this sweet and innocent little girl’s curiosity.
She is so cute and innocent. I had to share another one also.
Remember that keep it even stuff. Well, here are some shots of Savannah’s game faces.
For good measure, one rather loud one without the helmet. Apparently, she wanted to make sure you knew who was giving you the game face !!
Now we had to pull out another one of my helmets for this “brown helmet” game face variation.
Finally and last but not least, a game face duet with a little Gene Simmons mixed in for good measure.
Did I tell you that both of my girls are requesting to dress up as Gene Simmons for Halloween this year? Well, of course I had nothing to do with that request. Do not believe my wife Jackie if she tells you otherwise. Do you see my Mr. Simmons figurine perched on the shelf proudly watching Sophia doing her Gene Simmons imitation?
Till next time. See ya soon!!
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Caroline and Jeff
Recently, I experienced my first opportunity to be a second shooter for a wedding held at the Benson Memorial United Methodist church with the reception at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley Hotel. Congratulations to Caroline and Jeff ! You and your families and friends are a great bunch of people! Your wedding was a blast!
I would like to thank Brian Mullins from Brian Mullins Photography for my providing me this great opportunity. As I progress in my photography, one of my goals is to do some wedding work. Recently, I joined the wedding photographic society to network and share experiences with other wedding photographers in the Raleigh area. I was hopeful to work with and learn from experienced and well respected wedding photographers. One of the first steps of my plan is to work as a second shooter with these types of photographers. Well, besides being one of the founders of the wedding photographic society and his work is amazing, Brian definitely fits the bill. I really appreciated the direction, useful suggestions, and valuable information he provided all night long.
Check out Brian’s work and let him or me know what you think.
Here are some of my shots from my first wedding plunge.
The newly married couple takes a moment from the wedding formals.
The bride and grooms first dance with paparazzi in the background.
Sharing a laugh with with the bridal party during the first dance with Brian in the background.
The father of groom provided a wonderful and humorous best man toast to the couple.
A moment with Jeff and Caroline on the dance floor later in the evening.
Doing the “electric slide” with the bride….
The bride making her escape with the groom at the end of the night.
As continue to go through the images, you will probably see more of Jeff and Caroline and their guest in the future on this blog.
Take care and see ya soon!!
Grayson Highlights
The last few posts to this blog have centered around my recent family trip to the Grayson Highlands State Park. My sister-in-law Lori Lipkin and brother-in-law Craig Setzer arranged the whole thing and I was glad that we were able to participate in the festivities. We had a blast especially with the bike ride on the VA Creeper trail. I like the discussions we are having about making this trip an annual event. It is only about a 4 hour drive from Raleigh to the state park. I must say this state park has the cleanest bath houses I have ever seen in any camp ground.
I finally had a chance to put all the images from the trip on the trianglephotoprints.com web site.
This slideshow below showcases my favorite images from the trip. Please place your mouse over the slideshow to see it’s added features like the thumbnail option, gallery link to the images, and full screen display.
This slideshow requires the Adobe flash player.
If you are having issues viewing the above Steve Picks slide show, please try this link directly from the trianglephotoprints.com web site. Do not just take my word for it, please feel free to browse all the galleries from this trip. Let me know what you think. Did I pick the highlights or did you find some images that need to be included in this slideshow?
Thanks for stopping by!! See ya soon!
Carole’s beauty shop and breakfast grill
On the way back from the camping trip, we spent the night at my mother-in-law Carole’s home. The plan was to drop off Sophia for a few days with her grandma while she was still out of school. As tradition as Carole’s house, we woke to a very nice breakfast meal. It was no different this time. Carole prepared a dish called “SOS” which according to Carole has some sort of military origin. Since this is a family-rated blog, I will suffice to say we had hamburger milk gravy over biscuits.
Anyway, after breakfast and three days of camping, it was bath time for the girls. It was quite obvious from looking at the bath tub that Carole used it for other purposes than taking baths. So to work off my full belly, I decided to scour out the bath tub so my little darlings can get cleaned up. Each turn in the tub was followed up by beauty session at Carole’s beauty shop.
Here are few shots from the styling session.
Both kids were happy as a lark … Then the bill came…..
Creeper trail, Raspberry, and independence.
As mentioned in my previous post, we went camping in Virginia this past weekend. One of the things we did was a 17+ mile mountain bike trail called the Creeper trail. To be honest I was a little scared about this adventure. It has been several years since I rode a bike. What if I could not finish ? What about the kids? etc…
Well, there were 14 of us in our group that either had a bike or rented one. The plan was to rent a trailer to haul the two kids behind a bike for the ride. I was able to talk my brother-in-law Mike who is a more experienced biker to pull the trailer on the ride. Our group ranged in ages from 3 -60+ so if my 9 year-old nephew and my 60+ mother-in-law can do this trail, I better suck it up and finish the ride. The good news that the trail is for the most part a down hill ride. Everyone was able to finish this very scenic and worthwhile ride. I highly recommend this adventure to anyone. You rent(or bring) a bike from the shop at the top of the hill and purchase a shuttle ticket that brings you back to the shop when you are finished with the trail. So there is no uphill biking or walking.
There is just something about Savannah’s confidence and playfulness in this shot that I love. Savannah was playing with these two old bike tires that were replaced on one of the bikes before we went on the trip. She was strutting around them full of energy just like you would expect from a 3 year after they were pulled in a bike trailer for almost 18 miles.
What ever happened to the “raspberry” ? I remember when we were kids it was used all the time as a response to someone proliferating some sort of falsehood. Well, next I hear someone performing such an act, I will definitely think of this picture and maybe even pull the “raspberry” out again for good measure.
3 year independent child with energy + state park with hiking trails = this shot. This shot was taken in Massie Gap at end of a hike.
More from Grayson Highlands to come! Till next time !
Wild Ponies couldn’t drag me away!
Over this past weekend, we went camping at the western Virginia Grayson Highlands State Park. It had been several years since Jackie and I had gone camping. This was the first time we took the girls camping. My sister-in-law Lori booked all of us the group camp site in the campground that resides in this beautiful piece of mountain heaven. We are already discussing making camping at this park an annual event.
About a mile from campground in the park is Massie Gap. Wild ponies are known hang out there. Here are just a few shots of the ponies while I go through the rest of the images this week. I am sure these will not be the only images from the Grayson Highlands trip that you will see on this blog. So stay tuned!
This flexible pony took care of an itch.
This pony was helping out his friend by cleaning his/her mane.
I love this shot of my baby holding a baby and fearlessly petting one of the wild ponies.
Sophia is having her turn.
Mommy pony and three babies: one pony, one human, and one plastic. Good thing the baby did not think the plastic one was food. It sure does look like he is eyeing it though.
Again, things need to be kept even. Sophia is taking her turn.
Through the Triangle
I was messing around with one of my favorite “live in” models today. I was playing around with making a triangle with my hands as I shot Sophia using a tripod. I was trying to get a “frame within a frame” type of composition. Well, I am going to do some more work on this concept. I have a bunch of ideas for this.
I find these two images very interesting. I call them through the triangle.
Remember when you are a father, one of the most important things when working with your children is to try to keep it even. Dad, as you can see, I get what you preached to all of us kids when we were growing up. Here is a shot with BOTH of my favorite “live in” models that are under the age of 30 something. Or was it 29… I can’t remember.
Hope your enjoy these !!! Talk to you soon!
Independence Day – Freedom and a Lemonade Stand
The July 4th weekend means celebration for many Americans. In North Carolina, many folks in our area head to the beach for the weekend. This weekend is the busiest weekend for the North Carolina beaches. Some celebrate by grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the backyard and shooting off their own firework displays. Others head to their local municipal firework location and hang with their fellow citizens. The point is that people have various ways of celebrating the July 4th weekend.
“Why do we celebrate July 4th?” asked our very inquisitive older daughter Sophia. Our first response was that “we celebrate our freedom.” “Freedom from what?” chimed Sophia. My wife Jackie explained that back on July 4, 1776 our forefathers of our country declared our country’s independence from the England. Anticipating the next question, I explained that “a forefather is not like your father or grandfather where they are related to us but rather they are the fathers of our country.” Not sure if she fully understand this exchange, but it appeared to end any of her further inquiries. So hopefully, we answered her questions.
This exchange got me thinking about the significance of July 4th and what are we really celebrating on this weekend. I think our first response was pretty accurate. We celebrate our freedom. Personally, I believe it is much more that a celebration of the anniversary the signing of the Declaration of Independence document in 1776 even though this event was a very significant catalyst in the evolution of our freedom that we enjoy in our country. One freedom I am currently enjoying is the ability to write this blog post without any interference or censorship from anyone. People in other countries may not have this privilege. I realize that this is a pretty shallow example of freedom but when you think about all the various freedoms we enjoy like this one, it all adds up.
I find myself reflecting on our freedom evolution by recalling various events in our history like the following: War of Independence, writing/signing of the constitution, Emancipation Proclamation, Women’s suffrage/rights movement, civil rights movement, and the civil and world wars. This list is not at all inclusive. Our freedom did not come without a cost. I am very grateful to all the people(civilians, politicians, and military) that have fought and/or gave their lives for all the freedom that we all enjoy. This is a celebration of our freedoms and their triumphs. Thank you. They are reminders that we too need to protect and fight for our freedoms.
Sporting the Red, White and Blue
Here are couple of shots of my dear Savannah sporting the red,white and blue. 
The Lemonade Stand
Sophie is all into making the dollar. In celebration of our American entrepreneurial freedom, we decided to setup a good old all-American neighborhood lemonade stand. You may be thinking who will be in the neighborhood on July 4th that would enjoy some lemonade. To be honest, we were a little concerned about this also especially since Sophia would have to reimburse us of the startup costs of the stand. Well, this concern did not curb our enthusiasm. We crossed our fingers and purged ahead.
Here is the creation of the all important sign.
The discussion of the lemonade selling strategy.
Lunch break at the lemonade stand.
The girls were startled by their first customer. How can you resist buying some lemonade from these faces? I guess I am a little bit biased.
Here is our first customer. I had been watching our neighbor mowing his lawn. What better to enjoy than a cold glass of lemonade after mowing your lawn in summer heat ? I find it even more fitting that he is proudly and appropriately wearing his “Army” t-shirt on Independence day.
Now for the finishing touches on the first sale.
In the end, due to a last minute rush, Sophie was able to show a profit. Thanks everyone!
Its A Jungle Out There – Blast from the past
Back in April, Hilburn Elementary School presented a school play called “It’s a Jungle Out There.” I finally had a chance to post some of the pictures from this event now.
Here is a slideshow of all the pictures.
Facebook Readers: Click here to see the slideshow.
Hope you enjoy the pictures ! Happy 4th of July!!!!!!
The Show
Last week, my wife had a well deserved Girls night out(GNO) with her friends. This provided me with the opportunity to spend a little time with my girls. Well, my girls told me that I needed to stay downstairs and wait for “The Show” at 7 PM.
In the meantime, I heard a little music coming from the closed door of their bedroom coupled with some whispers and shuffling of some feet. I knew I needed to stay patient or I was going to ruin their surprise. Nothing seems to make my kids happier than surprising people.
Finally, 7 pm arrived and I was ushered into the bedroom and told sit on their bed as “The Show” was about to begin. Within minutes, both of the girls strutted out of the “dressing room”(adjacent playroom) in their dance/gymnastics outfits. Sophie made a beeline for the clock radio/CD player and started a CD. Savannah and Sophie got in position pausing for the music to begin. The show was under way. It was definitely the best choreographed dance set I ever seen that developed by a 7 year big sister and very independent three year old. I could not help but smile in pride.
This past Sunday, grandpa Dennis(my dad) and grandma Ginger arrived on their way from Florida as they headed to southern Indiana to visit Great Grandma Jackle. The plan was to have lunch together. As soon as they arrived, the girls wanted to give them “The Show” that I was privileged enough to enjoy a few days earlier.
Here are some shots from “The Show”
Now for a few shots of the audience:
Jackie and Ginger sharing an entertaining laugh together from the best seats in the house.
Grandpa Dennis is completely mesmerized by his grandchildren’s dance routines.
In the spirit of other great entertainers like Don Ho, Savannah provided a lei to her grandfather in appreciation for his attendance of the show.
Apparently, Dad could not contain his excitement and affection for this present. I am not sure exactly what this look means but I am sure it is probably good.
Here is a slideshow of the entire mini-gallery. Tip: Slide your mouse over slideshow to see toolbars to control the show.
“Faces of Savannah” plus one.
Several years ago, when I got my first Canon digital SLR camera, I purchased it with a standard 18-55mm kit lens. At the time one my friends suggested that I also purchase an EF 50mm F/1.8 prime lens. He thought at the time that this prime lens was one of best bang from your buck and is faster(higher aperture) than the kit lens. I was able to find this lens for right around $100.00 and it became part of camera bag.
Besides the auto focus being a little slow and noisy, this lens is definitely worth the money.
Fast forwarding from those days, I mainly use two lens now that are in the Canon professional “L” series: the 24-70mm f/2.8L lens and the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. Each of these lenses cost more than my current Canon digital camera. These lenses saved me some “feet zooming” with their wide range of zoom capability. Their build quality is excellent.
I decided to dust off my old 50mm this past weekend and play around with some wide open apertures that even my precious “L” lenses could not produce. I think the children were caught a little off guard by this lens as it is substantial smaller than the other two canons of lens(no pun intended). I could actually get my Savannah to sit fairly still for some shots. I think the fact I was almost in her lap taking these pictures instead of standing across the room made a difference.
Here are some shots that I call the “Faces of Savannah”
I love this one for a variety of reasons especially her eyes . Notice in the lower left hand corner, Sophia (my oldest daughter and marketing manager) has left a Triangle Photo Studio business card on their dresser ready for action.
Here is the “Plus 1” . I find this shot of Sophia very intriguing so I had to add it. Can you guess what she is thinking?
I hope you enjoy these! See you soon!!
Explore Dance recital:sneak peek
The first part of this month has been a crazy one for me. I am not complaining as being busy is a good thing. Anyway, I am finally getting a chance to go through some of the images of the recent Explore Dance recital held in Wake Forest, NC at the end of May. I wanted to share this sneak peek of some of the images taken during the recital.
Here is a shot of one of the dancers taking a brief break from her dance duties. 
These are a couple of shots of Haley who appears to be born to dance. Great job Haley!!!!!
Here are some shots of main organizer and dance instructor extraordinaire Stacey showing her younger counterparts how it is done.
I will be adding more of these photos as I continue to work through them. Hope you like them!!
Fathers Day: Lake Lynn
I woke up Sunday morning and glanced into the bedrooms and found all my girls were still asleep. So I snuck downstairs and grabbed my morning energy drink and turned on the morning news. Soon after, I heard some scurrying upstairs coupled with some whispers. Mommy and the kids were awake.
Next I heard heard the scampering of little feet coming down the stairs and in a flash I had two very excited young girls in my lap giving me hugs and kisses with their handmade greeting cards and gifts in hand. Overwhelmed by their energy, I could not help but hang on and smile as they both wanted to share their creations with their dear old dad. Jackie stood watching with her family famous ear-to-ear proud smile as our girls in unison provided the details of their precious artwork.
Sophia had hand painted a ceramic “#1 Dad” desk ornament and presented her handmade card. Savannah proudly translated her card graffiti into something I could understand. Savannah was so proud of her card that she would not allow me to take a closer look. Fathers Day had officially begun.
Jackie is queen of making someone’s special day a memorable one. This day was no different. It was quite obvious that she was involved in my special morning wake up. After opening the remaining cards, Jackie asked me what would I like to do for my fathers day. I told her that we should dress up the girls for a photo shoot.
What better way to commemorate fathers day than with pictures that proved your fatherhood. Man, I love my girls!
So, we gathered some outfits for the girls and headed to the local Lake Lynn Park. This place was great! We saw some ducks, turtles, geese, and even a great Blue Heron. All of us had a blast!
Here are some of my favorite pictures of my girls on fathers day.
See ya soon!
Happy Birthday Josh!
Recently, I had the honor of capturing a special birthday party of one of my favorite 2 year old little boys. It is hard to believe that this little guy is already two years old. Seems like yesterday when I was visiting him at the hospital when he came into the world. Time flies when you are having fun, and kids grow like weeds flowers manly trees.
Here some of my favorite shots of featuring the guest of honor:
Ok.. one shot has to have the “dreaded paci”.. Doesn’t he know to take it out for pictures? Better give this little guy some cake and the paci will bite the dust. 
Did someone mention cake ? What paci ? Do you see a paci ? I am ready to dig to that cake.
Nothing like cake and ice cream to free a paci from the lips of a 2 year old. 
Mom, I like to have cake in my mouth, on my cheeks, and in my hair ! It is very stylish to do that !! 
Ok, big brother Jacob will help Josh with the cake while his girl friend Savannah looks on! 
This icing is delicious! Would you like some?
We Bucks know how to party.
The entire gallery can be found here.
WPS Photo Shoot – Amber
Recently, my friend and extraordinary photographer Frank Myers mentioned a local wedding photographers group called the wedding photographic society(WPS). This group was founded by some the best wedding photographers on the east coast.
According to the WPS website, “We’re a network of professional photographers who come together to collaborate on photographic ideas, thoughts, and information in an attempts to elevate the artistic, technical, and business standards of the wedding photographic community.”
Recently, one of the founders of the WPS, Brian Mullins arranged an photo shoot that involved 21 photographers and 5 models with 8 wedding dresses. Four other photographers and I were assigned to a wonderful model named Amber. We walked the streets in downtown Raleigh sharing ideas and getting some great shots.
Here are some of my shots, I took of Amber:
I love the mixture of the ambient light and flash in this one.
One of the photographers Kevin Seifert in my group scouted and setup this location. It was a curved glass block wall in front of a local business. I love the reflection of her face in the glass block.
Kevin and I each pulled out our pocket wizards and speedlites and lit up the curved glass block wall through two side entry doors on its side.
Ed from Dark Lighting Imaging scored this 50s style thunderbird by stopping a driver that was about to leave in this gem.
If interested, you can find the rest of the gallery here.
A Man and his Guitar
In my younger years or my BK (“Before Kids”) years, I was known to play a little bass guitar in a couple of bands that played around the Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham NC area. I never could play quite as well as my bass idols, but my heart was definitely into music and it still is. Besides a good photograph, there is nothing like a good song to get your emotional juices flowing and your memories glowing.
I remember in the old days when I put a bass instructional VHS tape in the player called “Mastering the Groove” by Randy Jackson. He was one of my many bass idols at the time. Yes, this is the same Randy Jackson that sits in judgment on the popular American Idol television show. I can not help to laugh every time I hear a contestant tell him that he does not have any talent. I guess they never heard Randy play the bass guitar or in most cases themselves sing.
When I first met Jackie almost 15 years ago, I knew she had a brother that played drums. He played in some heavy metal band in Tennessee at the time. He was also a black belt in Karate. He would never have any trouble from me. His passion for music and karate continues to this day. He has moved on to play multiple instruments with a broad musical scope and does some shows in the western part of the state. Now, he is a one man band still living his musical dream.
Here are some shots I took of Mike Lipkin that I call “A man and his guitar.” Who knows you may see them sometime on promo flyer hanging on a wall or in a window of a bar or coffee shop in western North Carolina. If you do, try to have a listen for a little while and be sure to tell him that Steve sent ya!!!
Setzer Bat Mitzvah fun
This past weekend was another great weekend to place in our memory banks and books. I had the pleasure of attending my first Bat Mitzvah (“daughter of the commandment”) service at the Beth Temple Orr. The ceremony was full of tradition and history. You could not help but feel a sense of pride in watching a young woman lead the congregation for the first time in various Hebrew blessings and prayers. It was quite evident that she worked very hard in preparation for this special event. Lori and Craig Setzer must be very proud of their Bat Mitzvah.
Photography was not allowed in the temple during the ceremony.
These shots were taken beforehand to capture the Bat Mitzvah holding the Torah. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
After the ceremony we headed to 1705 Prime to enjoy an excellent steak lunch , a candle lighting ceremony, some excellent music by Ken Holmes from Joe Bunn DJ company, some dancing, and open “impromptu” photo shot in the corner by yours truly.
If you play some music that teen-aged girls like, you are bound to get a “huddle” dance around the Bat Mitzvah. In this case, the Bat Mitzvah had 30 plus of her closest friends in attendance.
So what do you think two of her closest friends think about her ?
I was kept busy most of the celebration in the “impromptu photo” corner taking photos that ranged from serious family portraits to some “Charlie’s Angels Poses.” The corner was a great addition to this celebration.
I love this series that involves the Bat Mitzvah’s younger brother and two of her friends. I call it the attack of the teenage girls.
Give her a few years and he will appreciate this type of affection a little more .
For those in attendance, you can review, download, and order photo products(prints, key chains, canvas wraps etc..) from the entire Setzer 2009 gallery. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed capturing them.