Its not really as hard as you think once you get into it and think about it. The hard part is practicing it and managing the “stress” that occurs during the “shoot” since they only last a few minutes (5-10 minutes generally unless you’re fortunate).
Camera Settings – DSLR
ISO – fireworks are brighter than you think – even though it’s nighttime, set your ISO to the lowest setting. I go with 100.
Aperture – generally f8-f16 works well. f11 might be a good starting spot
Shutter Speed – (manual) Bulb and experiment with anything from 4 seconds to 30 seconds.
Tripod – a must for fireworks. If you don’t have one, get or borrow one. Otherwise try putting your camera on something sturdy like the roof of your car or a fence. But remember than you probably need to tilt your camera up somewhat unless you are going for…
Photo commemorating the 9/11 anniversary at Liberty State Park on 9/11/2020. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
Well, it’s 2020, and 9/11 has come and gone once again. I’ve visited the lights and shapes that commemorate 9/11 at Liberty State Park several times. People ask me why I go back more than once. “Don’t I see the same thing every time I go?” Never. This year was special.
Photo commemorating the 9/11 anniversary at Liberty State Park on 9/11/2020. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
Maybe it was because it’s the year of COVID 19 and a pandemic. Maybe it’s because the weather was beautiful this year on 9/11 – just like our weather was on 9/11/01. Maybe it’s because I’ve always lived in the NY/NJ area my entire life. Maybe it’s because I’m a member of my local fire department. Maybe it’s because I love creating images. Maybe it’s because of something else…
World Trade Center Steel on display at the 9/11 anniversary at Liberty State Park on 9/11/2020. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
There’s steel from the World Trade Centers on display in many places including the Greenwich Emergency Squad right here in Stewartsville, NJ. Every time I see it, it gives me chills and goosebumps. I start to think of what this steel must have gone through to look like this. Then I think of what all the people that were in or under the towers must have gone through. Then I think of the families of the survivors…
NYC sky line at the 9/11 anniversary at Liberty State Park on 9/11/2020. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
The NYC sky line is what I’m drawn to first. Even though it’s very familiar to me, it hold a special importance. But this year I also wanted to create some images to put a spiritual connection to what happened here.
Summer Camp photos at the Thomas Stewart Park are finished. Thank you to everyone that showed up for dance portraits!
Did you still want some dance portraits? You can still get them. Simply contact me for a session at my home studio. You will pay a small deposit for the session that then gets applied to your order!
dave@dabourphoto.com or 908-995-7273.
To schedule your appointment at Summer Camp click here.
Dance Portraits in my home studio
Studio Session – available in my home studio in Bloomsbury/Stewartsville area. This will allow the dancer to have a more personalized session, giving the ability to change costumes/outfits in a more relaxed and comfortable setting. $49 session fee (up to 1 hour) that gets applied to your order! Interested? Please email dave@dabourphoto.com or call 908-995-7273 to schedule a time slot
Dave
Original post:
Great news: there will be an opportunity for dance portraits at the SBK Summer Camp this week! I really missed seeing everyone this Spring and creating some dance portraits of the talented SBK dancers!
I will be at the SBK Camp this Wednesday (5 – 6:00 pm) and Thursday (5 – 7:30 pm). These will be outdoor portraits with a natural background. There’s a signup list here I’ll be more than happy to photograph any dancer that wants portraits, however, priority will be given to those who signup in advance. If interested, I can also photograph dance friends and group photos as well.
I’m also offering photo sessions at my home studio. This will allow the dancer to have a more personalized session, giving the ability to change costumes/outfits in a more relaxed and comfortable setting at a very affordable fee. More info below
All of the portraits will be posted in an online gallery where you will be able to “favorite” the ones you love. I’ll forward the link when available.
Prints, print packages and composites (like I do for the candid’s – more info here: Candid Dance Photos) along with digitals are available for purchase. More info below.
Best news of all: no order forms required in advance! Please contact me with any questions.
To schedule your appointment at Summer Camp click here.
Dance Portraits in my home studio
Studio Session – available in my home studio in Bloomsbury/Stewartsville area. This will allow the dancer to have a more personalized session, giving the ability to change costumes/outfits in a more relaxed and comfortable setting. $49 session fee (up to 1 hour) that gets applied to your order! Interested? Please email dave@dabourphoto.com or call 908-995-7273 to schedule a time slot
Products
Prints 3.5×5 $2.99 4×6 $4.99 5×7 $7.99 8×10 $10.99 Plus a lot more!
Packages (available to order via desktop computers only) – starting at $20. Contact me for more options
Composites – love lots of photos? Let me create a composite of several of them together! Starting at $59. Contact me for more information
Digitals $9.99 (web) $49 (full res) each or all photos of dancer $149
Video from the Church of the Holy Spirit’s 2020 Palm Sunday service
Regular readers of my photography blog will find the above post a little bit strange. Truth be told, an elderly parishioner at my church couldn’t see the online video from Palm Sunday. I needed a quick way to convert the Facebook Live video into another easy format for her to see it since she doesn’t have a Facebook account. Putting the link in my blog was a quick way to accomplish this! And if you are search for an Episcopal church I highly recommend Church of the Holy SPirit in Lebanon, NJ. http://www.churchholyspirit.org.
Summer is a popular time to capture Senior portraits for the upcoming school season. If course you don’t have to be a senior in High School to get your portraits taken over the Summer!
When was the last time you updated your portrait for LinkedIn or your website? You can’t remember? Or you don’t have a LinkedIn account? Or for your corporate directory?
Portraits can be as simple as a head shot or as thorough as capturing who you are and displaying that to others.
We are excited to show off the fairy tale wedding of Kristin & Mike Mecsey to all their family and guests, congratulations newlyweds!
Below is a sneak peek of some of the images from their special day.
Photos of Kristin and Mike Mecsey’s wedding on April 27, 2019. Photo by DAVE DABOURPhotos of Kristin and Mike Mecsey’s wedding on April 27, 2019. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
the groomsmen were able to keep Mike from running for the hills!
Photos of Kristin and Mike Mecsey’s wedding on April 27, 2019. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
Beautiful bride and bridesmaids
Photos of Kristin and Mike Mecsey’s wedding on April 27, 2019. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
It wouldn’t be a fire department wedding without a real fire call!
Photos of Kristin and Mike Mecsey’s wedding on April 27, 2019. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
Then it was cake time – will they play nice or make a mess?
Photos of Kristin and Mike Mecsey’s wedding on April 27, 2019. Photo by DAVE DABOUR
A good time was had by all!
The event was held at Creamery Hall in Califon, NJ
More images of their special day will be available here:here:
Photos from the Kwenyan Professional Services Holiday Party 2018.
Should I Hire a Professional Photographer to Document
My Event?
If
you’re on the fence about whether or not to hire someone to photograph your
event, consider these reasons:
Let’s
say the event is a family reunion and you want to get a group photo of the
whole family. You could do it yourself, but one of two things could happen
then. A) You have someone take the photo for you, leaving a family member out
of the photo because they had to take it. This could possibly offend that
person or make them feel awkward for being excluded. Or B) You set a timer on
your camera. This can be problematic because there are so many people in the
photo that you will need to take several images to make sure everyone is
looking and has their eyes open. You will have to take two to three times as
long to get the photos done because you’ll have to keep resetting the timer,
and you still might not have gotten the shot. Hiring a professional will
eliminate all of this stress.
I
don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go around all night taking selfies
with my phone or camera with all of my friends and family members. I would much
prefer to relax and enjoy the moment instead of trying to capture it. The
quality of the photos will be much better than the selfies. Also, trying to
take a selfie with a group of people is next to impossible when trying to get
everyone inside the frame.
If
the event is a birthday party, you don’t want to miss out on visiting with
guests or helping your child open presents or cut the cake because you are too
busy trying to take the photos. You want to be part of the action, not stuck
behind the camera.
Another
great thing about hiring a professional is that you don’t have to worry about
editing and distributing the photos after the event is over. You just have to
wait to receive them from your photographer.
Finally, it’s really a gift to have well lit photographs taking by a professional who preserve the memory of your event. Those images are going to be cherished by everyone for a very long time to come.
Our business motto is: Let’s us capture the moments so you can enjoy them.” These are words that were carefully chosen. We know lots of people have cameras today and enjoy taking photos. But at your own event, sit back and enjoy it. Let me capture and save the moments for you so you can enjoy them forever!
The show runs January 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 2019. For more information and tickets visit their website http://www.showkids.org. All shows at Voorhees HIgh School theater in HIgh Bridge, NJ
Its not really as hard as you think once you get into it and think about it. The hard part is practicing it and managing the “stress” that occurs during the “shoot” since they only last a few minutes (5-10 minutes generally unless you’re fortunate).
