IRIS Photography -- The Blog

New Websites and Blog are Here - Go to www.photoiris.com/blog!

We are excited to have new photoiris.com and photojane.com websites and a new blog at www.photoiris.com/blog!  Please update your readers and we look forward to hearing from you in 2009!

Portraits of the 2009 New York Mets at Spring Training

Mike here...with slight apologies to the Red Sox Nation and legions of Yankees fans in Connecticut.....Jane and I traveled to Port St. Lucie, Florida last week to photograph our new favorite baseball team...the New York Mets  at their Spring Training grounds--Tradition Field for our client SportsNet NY (SNY), the cable channel for "all things New York sports." 

The shoot was on Picture Day at Tradition Field, when the typical head shots are taken by Major League Baseball, The Mets, and the press  for use on TV, the Jumbotron, fan photos, baseball cards, etc.

What's different about this shoot is that SNY wanted pictures of the players that showed much more character and personality, capturing unposed photojournalistic moments.  What a terrific assignment for Jane who loves to....keep it real.  : }

The shoot itself went from 7:30am-9am, one player after another for a total of 69 players and coaches...that's about 90 seconds per player.  The players were great---loose and funny---and were a pleasure to shoot.  Jane remarked that she could really see the boyish side to the players. An excellent shoot all around.  Special thanks to Julie from SNY and the Mets...a great picture is always a team effort!

As an aside, I want to say that I'm really proud of Jane for photographing another high profile commercial job for the NYC market (on top of the TIME 100 Most Influential People and Swarovski's Sputnik Chandelier installation at the NY Metropolitan Opera).

The Mets play their inaugural opener on April 13 at the new Citi Field.  So.........Ya Gotta Believe....Lets Go Mets in 2009!!!  For more Mets pictures, go to our commercial website www.photojane.com.

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Team Captain David Wright:

 

Carlos Beltran:

 

Carlos Delgado:

Johan  Santana:

Daniel Murphy:

Mike Pelfrey:

 

Alex Cora:

J.J. Putz:

Carlos Muniz:

Brandon Knight:

Oliver Perez:

Jose Reyes:

General Manager Jerry Manuel:

Sharon & Ben and Neil & Kelly in Newport Life Wedding Magazine!

We are so excited to have 2 weddings featured in 2008 and 2009 Newport Life Magazine's Wedding Magazine.  

The photos from Neil and Kelly's include their portrait on the front lawn of the Astors' Beechwood mansion:

...and of Kelly on their sailing trip around Newport harbor at their Sunday brunch party.

Here are the girls on the dock at the brunch...the day-after harbor sail was a wonderful way to unwind and show out-of-towners what makes Newport so beautiful.

Friends and family inscribed wine bottles, noting future special meals, anniversaries etc.

Ben and Sharon's wedding featured a portrait in the Astors' Beechwood (disregard the caption error):

The bridal party was up for going out on the rocks:

....and just enjoying the back lawn of Astors':

 

We love Newport and will be there this Saturday at the Newport Bridal Show at Rosecliff Mansion!

 

LIVE with Regis and Kelly...and Jen and Jane!!

Speaking of the Mayor's Ball, last year we attended with a group of friends and my friend, Jen and I bid on VIP tickets to see Live with Regis and Kelly in NYC.  Being VIP means you can pick which day you want to go and we went just before the holidays.  Daniel Craig (yes, James Bond) was the guest star and I have to admit, quite charming in person. David Archuleta was the musical guest who we also happened to see the night before in the Virgin store in Times Square:

Well you've got to get up early for this type of thing....

Here we are post-coffee waiting in the line (yes, even with the VIP tickets...although we had a shorter line!)

A big perk of VIP tix was front row...here's Jen waiting for it to start:
 

Kelly was amazing how quickly she could turn on bubbly at 8 a.m. ... there was no warm-up...they just went right into their high energy banter:

 

 

All the talk shows are a great time and I can be talked into an NYC trip for any reason...one of my goals is to get to SNL though...maybe this fall!

 

West Hartford Mayor's Charity Ball

Mike here...Jane and I had the opportunity to photograph the 10th annual West Hartford Mayor's Charity Ball last Saturday night--we had a blast along with the attendees.  The highlight of the evening was the emcee himself:  John O'Hurley from Seinfeld, Dancing with the Stars, and Family Feud fame.

John was born and raised in West Hartford, and attended Kingswood-Oxford School.  He is very involved with a variety of charities and his dead-on comedic timing--and, of course, dancing (he auctioned off dances...see below!)--added so much to the event.

The Mayor's Ball benefited two West Hartford organizations,  The Grounds and HopeWorks.   The Grounds is "a place for West Hartford High School students to chill" and is housed in the old Barnes & Nobles building in Bishop's Corner.  HopeWorks provides counseling and outreach services to young people in West Hartford.

Highlights from the night are below...hats off to a great evening and great cause!

John O'Hurley spins West Hartford Councilwoman Shari Cantor around the dance floor:

The kids from The Grounds dressed up as movie stars (Audrey Hepburn in the background below) and The Grounds paparazzi had lots of fun greeting the attendees.

 
 

The group shot of the West Hartford Mayor's Ball Organizing Committee--including Scott Franklin, Ronit Shoham, Karen Connal and Kathy Lommele:

John O'Hurley and Mayor Scott Slifka:

Lisa and John O'Hurley and our  friends Adria and David Giordano!

The current and former Mayors (from left Rob Bouvier, Scott Slifka, Catherine Reynolds, Kevin Sullivan and Jonathan Harris)..."Puttin' on the Ritz"....

We loved this dress and cocktail combination by Ronni Newton, Managing Editor of Living in West Hartford Magazine:

The high bidder for the Red Sox tickets right behind home plate....

 

State Senator Jonathan Harris announced his engagement to Lucy Morin at the ball:

John O'Hurley as auctioneer....

  To view or purchase these pictures, you can visit  the gallery by clicking here.   All proceeds will be donated to the West Hartford Mayor's Charity Ball to support  HopeWorks and The Grounds.

Family Day Trip to the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst

Our family recently discovered a great day trip going to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts.  It was about an hour from West Hartford and perfect for kids around 5 or 6 years old, although younger and older would really enjoy it too.  They had galleries, an art studio where everyone could paint, a library with story hour and a really well done movie about Eric Carle and how he creates the pictures (we're talking Hungry Caterpillar here in case you aren't in this world right now) - the movie was a little over the head of our 3-year-old but held Seb's interest (and all the adults!).  Two to three hours was about the right amount of time with young kids in tow.  The facility is beautiful...open, light, very modern and spacious.  They also had a lovely, kid-friendly cafe.   I think it's a great museum for introducing kids to art or could be a nice date if you are still a fan of children's books/art and want to take a nice drive too!

 

 

 
 

 

Hartford West End Civic Association (WECA) Dinner

We recently had the opportunity to shoot a great group's biggest annual fundraiser, Hartford's West End Civic Association's (WECA) Progressive Dinner.  We shot the cocktail party before 240 guests went on to numerous different houses for a nice dinner, to get back together at the end of the evening for dessert at another West End home.

Living in West Hartford, about a mile from the West End, I saw some familiar faces including John from the Town & Country Club:

 
...and then here are my friends Ken and Sally (who I met by shooting their wedding 4 years ago) shaking hands with the Mayor of Hartford, Eddie Perez:

 

Great to see neighborhoods working on improving the local community!

Erin's Portrait Wins 2nd Place, Creative Portrait, at AGWPJA

I'm very excited that my favorite portrait  from Erin and Chirag's Hindu wedding that we shot last summer  in Ann Arbor has won 2nd place for Creative Portrait in the Artistic Guild of the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association)!   We loved being a part of this wedding!

Landon's One-Year Shoot in Elizabeth Park

Wow...I can't believe we are at the one-year mark for little Landon and his family, Stephen and Lindsay (from Sixpence Events .... great wedding planners!)   It seems like just yesterday, Lindsay and I were in the pool!  Thank you for doing the motherhood program with me (multiple shoots within the first year)...it was really rewarding to watch your family grow!  I have to put a small recap in!

The maternity shoot:

 

 

 

 Meeting Landon for the first time at 2 weeks:

 

Starting to smile and sit (while propped) at 4 months:

 

...and now at one year, learning to walk and as handsome as ever!

 

 

Trisha's Family Photography Session in Elizabeth Park

It was great getting to know Tricia's family better during our fall portrait shoot at Elizabeth Park.  I love that they put the following pic on their holiday card:

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for hiring us guys!

Gretchen's Fall Family Portrait Session in Elizabeth Park

We had so many great shoots in the fall with wonderful families!  Here are some of our favorites from Gretchen's family shoot in Elizabeth Park. 

We always try to get a decent semi-formal portrait:

...but I love the moments between the formal posing too!

 

 

Holiday in the Florida Keys with a $13.99 Underwater Camera

Well we may be too young to be snowbirders yet but we LOVED spending the holidays with my family in Cudjoe Key, which is about 20 minutes north of Key West...12 days of 70-80 degree weather!

As I thought about what camera to take, I just kept thinking water/sand/water/sand...not great for a professional DSLR, so we opted instead to buy two $13.99 underwater disposable cameras...54 pictures total, and we actually found that we loved the picture quality that came out (when we did it right) and the freedom of not worrying about destroying it! 

These are almost all straight out of the camera (except the Dennys and beer goggles photos) and I think they have a dreamy quality and a natural vignette...kind of like the Diana cameras.  As I order our new $2799.00 Canon 5D Mark II (body only...ouch)  this weekend for the 2009 wedding season, I'm wondering if we can just get by with these at the weddings :)...kidding, but actually, maybe we'll bring a few to a wedding this summer....we'll see.

Here are Sebbie and my brother, John, who just moved to London ...it was great that he and his wife, Rei, could make it over!  This was at our closest beach, Bahia Honda, but we call it Portuguese-Man-of-War Beach!

Brothers, Sebbie and Jude...

Mike and I had "date afternoon" with my folks watching the kids, and walked all over Key West. 

We met a few characters...if you can't see it, his glasses say "beer goggles"...if you are interested in photography, I think it's great practice to ask strangers if you can photograph them...when you are not comfortable doing that (and it is still uncomfortable for me!), you miss pictures and think about the ones that got away! 

 

What do you do when your kids get up at 6am in a house full of sleepers...go to Denny's!  This one is right near mile marker zero of Route 1 that runs from Key West to Fort Kent Maine.

We went on the Caribbean Spirit, a huge catamaran for a four hour cruise out to the coral reef for some snorkeling and Sangria.  The water is a little cold this time of year...think CT in early August!  :) so a wetsuit (shorty) made it perfect! 

Jude stayed on board and ate about 15 oreos:

Sebbie braved the swells to try some open ocean snorkeling and crashed immediately after:

We decided to go deep sea fishing on Christmas Eve.  Grandpa Dean had never been and hoped to catch a big sailfish, which was what was running this time of year.  Mike and I have been a number of times and joke that we always catch the most expensive small fish we will ever eat.  I am also notorious for catching things that shouldn't be caught like pretty reef fish, crabs, cuttlefish, etc.  We've been in the English Channel many times, Key Largo, Lake Huron, etc., so this time we were psyched to get a big fish!

Well, Grandpa Dean made the first big catch....yes, that's a seagull.  The seagull dove for his bait and is actually attached to the line in this photo as the 1st mate helps reel it in! 

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We did get the hook out and he flew away unharmed, but of course I made Dean pose with his first catch! 

Unfortunately, no sailfish today.  In fact, these were the only two keepers and our dinner...the two most expensive Yellowtail ever caught!

Great trip though! 

Here are some tips about using underwater disposable cameras:

1)  Disposable cameras are optimized to focus at about 5-7 feet (my estimation, not fact)...you can see where I was too close for sharpness in several of the shots (although I kind of like them anyway).  So when you are shooting...back up a bit!

2)  With any camera, it's all about enough light for quality...taking the pics in bright sunshine provided the best quality.  However, the Denny's and beer goggles shots still came out it the dark but very faint and grainy.  I improved the pics in Photoshop, but here you can see how it came out of the camera:

3)  Underwater...yeah, my one underwater picture didn't turn out in the turbulent ocean!  They do work better in pools or if there's a ton of light streaming into the ocean.... I did use one of these cameras for Lindsay's (of Sixpence Events) pool maternity shoot and an image is going in her album...so it's really about experimentation!  

Well that was "what I did on my holiday" and we've started our new resolution...to blog more!!!!

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays from Florida!

Just wanted to say happy holidays to all our friends, family and clients this year!  We've had a wonderful year personally and professionally and are looking forward to 2009!  Our New Year's Resolution is to blog more so forgive us if we catch up in January with fall portraits and Halloween!  We're spending the holidays in Florida with family and are only shooting with $13.99 underwater disposable cameras ... side note...it's interesting how approachable people are with that kind of camera...so, maybe we'll have something to share when we get back after we get our Kodak discs back from CVS!  We'll be back the week of 12/29...looking forward to seeing everyone in the new year!

Love: Interpreted-- A Women's Photography Exhibit in Middletown CT

We had a great time Friday night at the opening reception for the women's photography show that I'm participating in called Love: Interpreted.  Thanks to our friends and family who came out!

The display is at the MAC 650 Artspace in downtown Middletown at 650 Main Street thru January 3rd.  It's just across the street from Eli Cannon's, a great pub to check out.

Here's some fun shots from Jo Kaplan Lee of Allegro Photography...with me second from the right...thanks Jo!:

Amanda and Michael's Family at Elizabeth Park

It's been a year since I've photographed Amanda and Michael's family and I can't believe how much the kids have grown ... wow!  I loved the light at their shoot ... we shot about an hour before sunset and when it gets low on the horizon it can be just beautiful!

 
 

 

 

Tamara's Family Shoot in Elizabeth Park

 It was very nice meeting Tamara's family to shoot their two lovely girls and their huge dog in Elizabeth Park.  Here are some of my favprites:

 

50th Wedding Anniversary at the Town & Country Club, Hartford, CT

I recently had the honor of shooting a lovely 50th wedding anniversary party at the Town & Country Club in Hartford. 

It was great going out to the house first and setting up a portable studio for a set of formal photos of the entire family.  While we shot many formal photos, I also love the lighter moments:

 
Then it was on to the Town & Country Club for an intimate private party. 

 

 

 The girls humored me with my posing for one of my favorite pictures:

  

 

Thank you for being so welcoming and warm.  It was a pleasure meeting your wonderful family.

Jen and Tom's Family Shoot at Elizabeth Park

Well we just finished a frenzy of fall photos over the last month and a half!  I was so happy to be reunited with Jen and Tom, whose wedding we shot a few years back, to see how their family has grown!

Here are some faves:

 

  

Leslie and Brian's Wedding at the Fairfield Hunt Club in Westport, CT

It was such a pleasure to get to know Brian and Leslie and meet all of their wonderful friends and family - photographers and travelers included!  

Brian and Leslie got married at Trinity Episcopal church in Southport, CT:

The ladies all had unique dresses in navy and custom hats which were lovely to photograph! 

Brian and Leslie decided to see each other before the wedding:

Leslie's sister:

We did  a 5-minute run to the waterfront in Southport and I'm so glad we fit it in for a special few moments and pictures pre-wedding:

We had the pleasure of meeting Brian's sister, Abbie Flynn, who is a great wedding photojournalist out of Houston and I hope we will meet again!

The reception was held at the Fairfield Hunt Club  in Westport, CT.  The flowers were amazing and were done by Elegant Effects in Floral Design:

The hats came off as the dancing started:

 
The band was Eight To The Bar and there were some amazing swing dancers including Leslie's sister...I have never seen a couple dance so fast:

The Hunt Club has a cool vintage bar in the back:

Who did that...

Thanks so much for having us and thank you for sharing so much of yourselves with us...we loved capturing and being a part of your story!

Neil and Kelly's Images win in 2008 BRIDES Magazine | WPJA Photo Competition

       

The BRIDES Magazine | WPJA photo contest winners were announced this week..and three winning pictures were from Neil and Kelly's wedding at the Astors' Beechwood in Newport!

BRIDES magazine along with the  Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) conduct the contest.

Neil and Kelly's Newport wedding in the summer of 2007 was beautiful and so intimate and fun, which I think the photos capture.

The winning photos are below and at Brides.com...check out the bridal party on the lawn at Astors' Beechwood ,  Kelly and her Father,  and Neil and Kelly dancing!

You can view more pictures from Neil and Kelly's wedding --(go to Wedding Stories and select the Neil and Kelly, Newport gallery).

SECOND PLACE: Photo by Jane Shauck / Connecticut

CONTEST: 2008, BRIDES 2008, Q2 2008, Q1 2007, Q4 2007, Q3 2007, BRIDES 2007, Q2 2007, Q1 2006, Winter 2006, Fall 2006, Summer 2006, Spring 2005, Winter 2005, Fall 2005, Summer 2005, Spring 2004, Winter 2004, Fall 2004, Summer 2004, Spring 2003, Winter 2003, Summer 2002, Winter   CATEGORY: Bride Bridal Party Culture/Religious Customs Ceremony Getting Ready Kids Dancing Send Off/Departure Bride and Groom Parents CONTEST JUDGES

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JUDGES COMMENTS: The blur and angle of this picture add to its sense of fun and excitement. It makes you want to be part of the party. This image just has a great energy about it. It makes me feel like it was a very fun affair where people really got along. Capturing the "feeling or mood" of a wedding is any photographer's goal and it was done very well here.

THIRD PLACE: Photo by Jane Shauck / Connecticut

CONTEST: 2008, BRIDES 2008, Q2 2008, Q1 2007, Q4 2007, Q3 2007, BRIDES 2007, Q2 2007, Q1 2006, Winter 2006, Fall 2006, Summer 2006, Spring 2005, Winter 2005, Fall 2005, Summer 2005, Spring 2004, Winter 2004, Fall 2004, Summer 2004, Spring 2003, Winter 2003, Summer 2002, Winter   CATEGORY: Bride Bridal Party Culture/Religious Customs Ceremony Getting Ready Kids Dancing Send Off/Departure Bride and Groom Parents CONTEST JUDGES

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JUDGES COMMENTS: There is a relationship between father and daughter that no one can take away. This image captures the chaos around them while the mother helps her daughter get ready and the bride stays fixated on her father. I love everything about this photograph. Amid all the activity, the photographer tells us their story gracefully.

TENTH PLACE: Photo by Jane Shauck / Connecticut

CONTEST: 2008, BRIDES 2008, Q2 2008, Q1 2007, Q4 2007, Q3 2007, BRIDES 2007, Q2 2007, Q1 2006, Winter 2006, Fall 2006, Summer 2006, Spring 2005, Winter 2005, Fall 2005, Summer 2005, Spring 2004, Winter 2004, Fall 2004, Summer 2004, Spring 2003, Winter 2003, Summer 2002, Winter   CATEGORY: Bride Bridal Party Culture/Religious Customs Ceremony Getting Ready Kids Dancing Send Off/Departure Bride and Groom Parents CONTEST JUDGES

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JUDGES COMMENTS: The contrast in this picture is nice because it really makes the bride stand out in the center of the dancing crowd. Her expression is fun and flirty. Just a wonderful and fun photograph. It combines information with visual impact. The rich black and white tones makes it a classic.

Susan and Shannon's Wedding at the Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford

There was so much happiness and love at this wedding...we were so honored to be there .  Susan got ready at her childhood home in West Hartford with her sisters, her mom and family.  I loved seeing the bedroom she grew up in...the bed was so small and it seemed so sweet that she slept in it the night before her wedding.

I loved how Susan's eyes filled with light in this picture: 

The dogs got to experience at least part of the day!  :)

Shannon and his dog:

Mike shot Shannon's family at his home where he got ready:

The ceremony and reception were at the Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford:

Shannon wanted to get married on the 18th hole and having it happen at sunset was beautiful light:

I love this shot that Mike took of Susan stepping out to walk down the aisle...

The flowers by The Flower District in Glastonbury were so beautifully done and fresh that I kept smelling them as I walked around.  The tables were done in silver.

Shannon's father gave the blessing:

 

Thank you for having us...

Jessica and James' Wedding at the Hill-Stead in Farmington

I love how every wedding has a different feel and Jessica and James' wedding was so wonderful to photograph...their artistic backgrounds showed throughout the entire day.

Jessica got ready at the Farmington Inn with friends and family:

Jessica got her hairpiece from Etsy.com ... I don't know if you've checked this site out, but it has a lot of handmade, unique items for brides but also for all sorts of different products created by artists...I got my sons little handmade travel art totes.

Jessica then went to the Hill-Stead pre-ceremony:

We found the cake waiting in the kitchen!

The guys got ready at the Hartford-Farmington Marriott:

The ceremony had many special moments designed by Jessica and James including passing the rings throughout the guests.  The ceremony was in the barn at the Hill-Stead.

The tables were decorated with pumpkins, cloches, and James' art:

James' mom:

Jessica's mom had the great idea of shooting each guest's portrait at the end of the receiving line.   James' brother gave us one of the more interesting poses!

A huge highlight was the bride singing Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man":

   

This family band calls themselves "The Vanderettes" and included Jessica's dad:

Jessica then sang a song she wrote and published with her girlfriends:

...and James played harmonica.

Thank you guys...great time and great meeting your friends and family!

Heather and Chris' Beach Plum Inn Wedding on Martha's Vineyard

What a great wedding on Martha's Vineyard with Heather and Chris...thank you so much for welcoming us to spend the day with you and your families!

Heather grew up coming to the Vineyard and got ready at her parents' home in Oak Bluffs:

Chris' mom just before the ceremony which was at Trinity Church, right off Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs:

I love Heather's mom getting a kick out of the ring bearer:

Heather and her brother during the receiving line:

I don't know why but I love this photo...maybe the colors of Heather's grandmother's hat with the Ocean Park Gazebo...

We took Heather and Chris' formal photos at the Ocean Park Gazebo and I loved the inside of the roof and the shakes with the formal wedding clothes:

Then it was out to Menemsha for the reception at the stunning Beach Plum Inn with all the tables set in navy and silver:

A favorite shot from Mike.  The cocktail party was in a tent:

The dinner was held inside the Beach Plum Inn with an attached tent to allow for maximum seating.  Heather and Chris picked the Beach Plum specifically for the view and light at sunset.  So, as dinner started, the sun started to go down.  This shot of the blessing looks totally photoshopped to me but it's barely touched...the light looked this amazing all through dinner and just made for a beautiful, beautiful setting.  The other thing I want to point out is that in the attached tent, they had swagged a striped yellow and white fabric on the underside of the tent, making for a beautiful tent ceiling:

The light, the setting, the cake at sunset...amazing!

 Then, everyone headed down to the lower tent for a great night of dancing!

and a little bonfire!!!!!

Thank you guys for a lovely experience!

CT State Representative Andy Fleischmann's 2008 Campaign Photos

One thing I love about photography is getting to experience situations and see portions of other people's lives and careers that I wouldn't normally get to see.  Recently, I had the pleasure of shooting Connecticut State Representative Andy Flesichmann's 2008 campaign photos, including portraits and candids at a recent political meeting in West Hartford. 

Andy is the State Representative for the 18th District in Connecticut and is serving his seventh term in the House.  Andy serves as Chairman of the Education Committee, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Elementary and Secondary Education, and is a member of the Joint Committee on Government Administration & Elections.  You can learn more about his campaign here.

 

Swarovski Chandelier Installation at the Metropolitan Opera

 I just did a dream commercial job a few weeks ago, being hired by Swarovski to document the reinstallation of their Sputnik chandeliers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.  They had all the crystals refurbished for the upcoming 50th anniversary of Lincoln Center.  I got the opportunity to shoot the entire  four-day installation and felt I was documenting a piece of history in a city I love!