Boston Weddings: Second Shooter: Cake Topper Capers

Because Friday consisted of a 12 hour wedding day I am making up that blog post today!  I realized that with all of this second shooting I have been doing for Leah,  I have a ton of images to share. I am in a silly mood today, though...so you're getting my "cake topper caper" from our 10-10-10 wedding of Erin & Jeffrey at the Griffin Photography Museum.  This is the wedding where Leah almost croaked from eating pistachios so while I was diligently watching for her "man down/call 911" signal... I had a little fun. For serious & complete wedding coverage please click on Leah's name or the word pistachio and it will take you to her site. enjoy*

Cheers*

Boston Second Shooter: I Like Cake PART I

I say PART I because I can not imagine that this is the one and only time I will reference my favorite part of the wedding celebration...the cake. Now please do not misunderstand and write to me saying that I value food over people. What is true to say is that the bride & groom are wonderful and always beautiful and if I was a wedding photographer I would be all over them.  However, Leah is their photographer and she rocks...so as a second shooter I have a few extra luxuries...one of which is being able to love the cake the most! When I first started working with Leah  she would let me know that my job was done by saying "you are dismissed after the cake cutting! " She now says to me "Go have your cake!"  :)

 Tips for making wedding cakes that I like to eat:

• um...
• Who am I kidding... I eat them ALL

Cheers*

Boston Portrait Photographer: Love Thy Neighbor

When I was an actor in NYC right out of Undergrad (more years ago than I would like to count, thank you very much) I, even now, distinctly remember how I felt after a few years in "the business." Disclaimer: I am not speaking of anyone's experience but my own.   When, after pounding the pavement and doing everything I thought I could to make things happen for myself and still not succeeding in the way I had pictured, in the time frame I wanted, in the plays that I liked...I grew kind of resentful. As a result...I stopped loving my neighbor: meaning...my fellow actors & friends. I was so me-centric, insecure and dumb that I completely lost the joy of my friends' successes. I was young, yes and had some growing up to do, but when a success for them started to register as a failure for me, I knew something was very wrong with my thinking. That wasn't how I wanted to exist in the world. I had grown increasingly desperate, jealous, unhappy and self absorbed; and no fun to be around. So I made a change. I stepped back, saw myself for who I was becoming, didn't like it, took a hiatus and moved to Colorado. (that story is for another day) This is all by way of saying...while I still struggle with measuring up to my own expectations of myself as a photographer and as human in general, I am far happier these days. I have mentors who intimidate the heck out of me, but I no longer feel resentful or angry because I recognize that everyone's path is different. I no longer look at my career as a race. I made the choice, when I started this career to "know better and do better" this time around. I am a grown up now and  recognize that a life filled with rejoicing in the success of others, colleagues and otherwise, is way better than the alternative. Thank goodness I figured it out! enjoy*

This is the fun, fabulously freckled, fashionista- Erin O'Neill : Greenville, SC Wedding photographer. You will see her again soon when I do my series about Second Shooting. She is a rockstar and second shot something like 35 weddings all over the country this year! We met at Bootcamp in Atlanta with Liana Lehman Hall - which I will also talk about soon. Don't you just want to go water skiing with her! (she's a champ at it)

oh yeah...and I am ready to do a play again just for fun- in case anyone wants to cast me in PROOF or CYMBELINE. 
:)
cheers*

Boston Portrait Photographer: Education

Hey all- I have received a few concerned messages asking me why I have not been blogging. Truth be told, I have simply been incredibly busy with Actor Headshots & Children's Portrait work & clients always come before blogging! But alas...I am back and have committed to blogging every weekday for the next 2 weeks. "Wow!"

A few weeks back I attended a Speedlight workshop at Lens Pro To Go hosted by JVS & Anne. I signed up last minute and knowing there was only space for 15 attendees, crossed my fingers that there would be one space open. Thank goodness there was! The entire day was devoted to off camera lighting and I was sufficiently terrified, of course. However, I would rather make mistakes in a workshop I was paying for rather than make mistakes with clients who are paying me. I knew this workshop would help with my headshot work in Boston, but also had an inkling it would come in handy elsewhere too. During the day I screwed up and dropped things, laughed while throwing my partner Sheryl under the bus when I set up the Cheetah Boom backwards and got frustrated when I could not grasp the manual settings when using Radio Poppers! But that's what workshops and education are for, eh? Little did I know that within 2 months I would be designing a commercial shoot lit entirely by speedlights! Funny how life connects the dots like that, huh?!

The below shots were all taken by my partner for the day, Laura Linney look alike, Sheryl Widberg. They are ridiculous, I know, but I ask you:  How else was Sheryl going to get a good sense of the capabilities of the Orbis Ring Flash Adapter? I was doing her a favor. What if she has a client with crazy prescription peacock feather eyeglasses!!!?  As photographers, we need to be prepared for every scenario, my friends!? (I used to be an actor-I know how to have all the emotions.) hahahah

CONTEST: Best captions for 1 or more of these 6 images wins prize!   Leave comments below by Monday 11/8 

 Earlier in the day..I am calm. Too bad I cut my hair off...these images would have been fun to use! Argh!!! Check out the cool backdrop from Drop it Modern .

Since this entry is all about education with off camera lighting  I did nothing in post other than a little evening of Sheryl's skin tone. She is not wearing a stitch of makeup! Can we all say "gorgeous" in unison?!

 See you tomorrow.

Cheers*

Just a typical fall day in New England...

When Mychal first asked me to shoot her dog Gretchen,  I admit I was both intrigued and a bit nervous. I had visions of arriving at the location and there being a completely innocent little pup, humiliated in leather and lace, waiting for me with weepy eyes and a deflated spirit. So I laid down the law before I accepted the gig "NO ANIMAL CLOTHING OF ANY SORT!" (I made my father swear to this when we gave him his Beagle a few years ago and I couldn't possibly go back on my core values) Mychal is a recent transplant to Boston and since it turned out to be a gorgeous day on Sunday it was a no-brainer to have our session outside with the beautiful foliage. There isn't anything else quite like it and I thought it would be a great way to remember her time in New England when she looks back at these images in years to come. Gretchen and Mychal are quite a twosome and they were a hoot to watch play together...kinda made me want one of my own.



Um...yeah, the tree kind of made my LIFE!

"seriously, mom...give me the treat or I am DONE cooperating"


"Thanks for lunch, Mychal and have a great trip to St Louis, Gretchen! "

enjoy*

-CURE - CARE- COMMITMENT-

Last weekend I took a road trip to Philadelphia in order to shoot one of my favorite events: the American Diabetes Association Annual Walk. It was fantastic this year and bigger than ever! 3,500 dedicated and compassionate souls rolled out of bed on a chilly Saturday morning to assert their commitment and passion to fighting this disease. Currently, nearly 24 million Americans' lives are threatened by diabetes and the numbers are rising at an alarming rate. Yet, with dedication to the cause and powerful organizations like the ADA we can press onward to find a cure. Congrats to Julie Heverly for spearheading a wonderfully successful event and special thanks to Kathleen, Jessica, Denise and the rest of the ADA staff for making me feel so welcome. The trip back to Boston was unfortunately, not as successful as my time in Philly had been, but I did learn an important lesson: NEVER TRAVEL WITHOUT A GPS AND AN EASY PASS! (Three consecutive trips over the Tappan Zee Bridge really brought this lesson home for me!)


Denise, the energetic woman who drove me along the route, said to me: "Just run down the ramp to get the photos you want by the water." When we got there I looked out the window and replied: "umm??? Just run down the ramp, huh?" A few people were in the way!

It's never too early to join the fight...

We owe it to those who love us...

enjoy*

It's LIVE, baby!

Hey friends and neighbors~

J. Snider photography, officially exists...finally. It took a really really really long time to get it done, as many of you know, but I am pleased with the result. I look forward to its expansion in dimension and imagery in the journey to follow.

www.juliasniderphotography.com

enjoy*

Sunday night kickdown

This is what is true...if you were not at Johnny D's on Sunday night, you absolutely missed a fantastic time. I was invited to shoot an awesome new funk/jazz/soul band called The Kickdown (http://www.myspace.com/thekickdownfunk) and they were amazing! At times it was hard to focus on my work because I was so enthralled with their talent. Recent Berklee grads, Paul and Mike, created the group and they have been playing pretty consistently throughout the Boston area all Summer. If you have an opportunity you should definitely check them out. They are both heading to NYC in the Fall to continue to study their craft so I have no doubt that in the years to come we are going to hear even more incredible music from them. Thanks for a great night! Here's a few of my favorites.








enjoy *

Boston:: Headshots: Alex

The intensity that is Alex can not be captured in a mere image. You simply have to spend time with him to understand. He's a passionate writer, kickin it old school at times with a paper and pen and devoting "white board scheduling" to keep himself on track. He's inspired by the daily occurrences of life and his mind wonders curiously about the story found in imagining who may be on the other end of a random stranger's telephone call as we walk past. Not wanting to be compared to anyone else, lest he be put into a genre box, he did offer that his work could be loosely compared to the style of well known author Brett Easton Ellis (Less than Zero, American Psycho). Not bad company to aspire to if you ask me. Alex's sarcasm and antics kept us awake when, on such a beautiful day, both of us wanted to simply take a nap on the pavement in order to recharge from our late nights. Although my excuse is a good one, he actually was up late kicking doors (totally legal, no one was hurt), but it doesn't sound at all like a way to cure writer's block! Keep an eye out for his mug on the jacket of best seller some day soon.







enjoy*

Boston:: Headshots: Amanda

Today rocked the house so supremely that I really don't even know where to begin. Devoting an afternoon to Amanda and shooting some headshots for her portfolio was a total blast. Wait, did we even shoot any headshots??? It's hard to recall because the day took such an interesting creative turn that the reason we were actually there became secondary! We arrived at Tom's house for makeup and 4 hours later finished the shoot...no lie. (this has never happened before, but we just couldn't stop!) We took breaks for food and chatting and primping...not me, her. As you will see below, Amanda was well cared for by Tom and she had no trouble playing the role of "yeah, I know I look good, watchu lookin at?" (sittin heavy into her Puerto Rican accent just to intimdiate. haha) But she's not just a pretty face, folks, she's a passionate, successful, stop you in your tracks with her words, poet..and I don't even like poetry, or so I thought until I read her stuff. I so appreciate her willingness to just "go with the flow" and trust me. I think it was well worth it.

Okay...onto the images...she's going to knock your socks off!

wait for it...

coming up...

BAM!





"oh the life of a model"...
see what I mean...


Isn't Tom's makeup AWESOME!!!!! (book him for your session...or for an event in your life. He is in high demand and I am so lucky I got him for the day)



This was my favorite part. Tom had the idea to hang his hammock in the back yard and then he just started throwing petals down from the porch! Her reactions are great!




um...yeah, this poet has a bit-o-wisdom in those eyes, wouldn't ya say???

This was seriously so much fun!

enjoy*

Around the World...Part II:: Boston: Emerson College

After another extra long shoot today, I gave myself permission to spend the evening with my feet up enjoying the Oscars. One problem...I couldn't do it. I was simply too excited and itching to get to my computer. So I decided to compromise and turn the T.V. up extra loud so I could still hear it while I worked. Honestly, it just seems cruel to hold out when I know so many of you are counting on seeing how today went. Let's see...what did I learn today. Well, Turkey isn't land locked! (who knew?! ha) Ok...I knew that, but the girl from Turkey gets very upset when Americans don't know things so I fool with her just to make her angry. It's fun! Oh, and I got to explain Groundhog's Day to my new friend Nick, from Greece. Try describing what a groundhog is....it's harder than you think. We came up with: "a larger version of a rat, with a shorter tail, and kind of like a gerbil, but it burrows..." hahahah
Here's two of my absolute favorites from the day!

She's a ballerina from Romania...and a photographer. I did absolutely nothing to those eyes. They're all her!

If I remember correctly his life goals are: 1. Become a famous news broadcaster in Taiwan 2. Make lots of money. 3 Go into politics. (reversing 1 & 2 would be fine too!) :)

enjoy*

still more to come...