Photographs of a Cape May Wedding

September 16th, 2011

I enjoy photographing weddings, but weddings on the beach are the best! This couple originally wanted me to fly out to California for a Napa wedding, but they decided instead to be married on the beaches of Cape May, NJ. What a treat for me since I know Cape May like the back of my hand and was able to take them to the perfect points of Sunset Beach.

Tags: beach wedding, beach wedding photographer, Cape May wedding, Cape May wedding photographer, unique wedding photographer
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Capturing the Truck Driving Mama’s Dream Come True

June 14th, 2011

As a photographer, I get to be at the front lines of some pretty cool events, and this was one of them! As the Twilight Wish Foundation’s premier local photographer, I was there with my camera as Margarette Kirsch, the 82-year old Truck Driving Mama began her journey cross country.

The Twilight Wish Foundation exists to grant wishes and enrich the lives of deserving seniors, and Margarette’s wish proves to be the foundation’s biggest and most exciting wish to date.

Margarette’s lifelong dream has been to ride across America in an 18-wheeler, and as you can see by the smile on her face and the confidence in her stance, she was readier than ever to make the trip.

Her journey began on June 6th and will take her from Dublin, PA to OH, IL, IA, NE, CO, NV, CA, AZ, TX, LA, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD and DE. It’s a 17-day trek that she’ll share with volunteer truck driver, Annabella Wood.

You can follow their progress here:  http://fleet.gpstrackit.net/wish/

It was a blast photographing such a fun and historic event with such inspiring people.

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Johnny A smokes the Sellersville Theater February 25, 2011

March 14th, 2011

VIRTUOSO JOHNNY A.

JOINS THE RANKS OF GUITAR ROYALTY WITH

“ONE NOVEMBER NIGHT”

(Aglaophone Records)

Johnny A. has one of the most eloquent voices in modern

music — and he doesn’t sing a note. Instead, he channels

joy, love, humor, sadness… every aspect of the human

experience, through his guitar.

Only the finest musicians have the ability to capture the

nuances of life in sound, which puts Johnny in a very

exclusive group of six-stringers that includes Les Paul, Wes

Montgomery, Jeff Beck, Chet Atkins, and Jimi Hendrix. The

secret is his blend of melody, sonic definition, technique and that indefinable-yet-tangible

quality called “soul.” And he’s eloquently shared that secret on the CDs Sometime

Tuesday Morning (2001), Get Inside (2004), and the instructional DVD Taste, Tone,

Space (2006), which are approaching combined sales of 150,000 copies. All the virtues

of Johnny A.’s playing are in abundant display on One November Night, a brand new

DVD/CD set recorded live at Scullers in his hometown of Boston, MA.

“We were coming off a long tour,” Johnny relates. “Plus, my daughter had just been in

her first car wreck, so I wasn’t sure if we should even record this show, and yet, the

music and the audience and the night were beautiful. Everyone and everything in the

room came together to make it an extremely special experience.”

That’s obvious from the opening chord cascade of the high-spirited “I Had To Laugh” to

the rich, warm vibrato-shaded “Lullabye For Nicole” to the country & western

soundscape “Tex Critter” to the rave-up “Jimi Jam,” a tribute to Hendrix, Jimmy Page,

Eric Clapton and other ’60s blues and rock icons who have been among Johnny’s many

influences during his years as a performer.

Most of the night’s repertoire is drawn from Johnny’s previous studio albums, but this is

the first time the ferocious “Jimi Jam” and his artful interpretations of The Beatles “The

Night Before” and Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” have been recorded on CD. The DVD

concludes with a mesmerizing solo rendition of The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renée”

that was filmed outdoors against the backdrop of a vibrant New England sunset.

“For me, One November Night is a special way to end the chapter of my career

that Sometime Tuesday Morning and Get Inside represents,” says Johnny.

“It’s not that I won’t play those songs anymore,” he adds. After all, they won him a place

in the hearts of a still-growing legion of fans and at the top of the Triple A radio charts,

where “Oh Yeah” became the first number one instrumental in more than a decade.

That extensive airplay and a live performance on syndicated radio’s popular “Bob and

Tom” show also propelled Sometime Tuesday Morning and Get Inside to the apex of

Amazon.com’s best-sellers list, where both titles jockeyed for the number-one and

number-two positions.

“Those albums helped me establish my identity as an instrumental artist after decades

leading rock and pop bands, and as a sideman for Peter Wolf, Bobby Whitlock, and

others,” Johnny explains.

They also earned Johnny invitations to share the stage with, and ultimately win the

admiration of, B.B. King, Les Paul, George Thorogood, Jeff Beck and J.J. Cale, among

others. He’s also performed at such prestigious festivals as Eric Clapton’s Crossroads,

the Montreal Jazz Festival, and Tokyo’s Fuji Rock Festival.

Although an instrumentalist, Johnny thinks like a singer as he plays, composes and

improvises on guitar. “I’m always interested in dynamics and tone far more than the

amount of notes played,” Johnny explains. “What’s most important is that every song has

a strong, clear melody; not how fast or flashy the solo is going to be. That’s a lesson I

learned when I fell in love with The Beatles and other bands of the British Invasion,

which is still my favorite era in music.”

As Johnny explores various genres from song to song, melody remains as the unifying

backbone of his voice. And the way he plays those melodies is highly personal. His

blend of a hybrid picking style and an unconventional approach to playing chord-based

melodies helps create a sound that’s absolutely his own. And it’s complimented by an

unerring sense of rhythm developed on the first instrument he played as a youngster:

drums.

“I’ve never had a guitar lesson, so my approach is entirely natural, “Johnny notes.” His

technique allows him to accent certain notes within his chords or during a melody line in

the same way a traditional soul singer can push a note to a grittier or higher range for

emotional effect.

Another factor in Johnny’s distinctive sound is his choice of guitars. “I’ve played all the

classic makes and models over the years, but when I embarked on my solo career and

was making Sometime Tuesday Morning I was looking for a guitar that had a rich, pure

distinctive tone and a subtle vibrato arm that would allow me to end phrases like a singer,

and that led me back to Gibsons,” he recounts. Johnny’s use of the Gibson Les Paul, ES-

335, Firebird, and ES-295 models caught the Nashville-based company’s attention. In

fact, Johnny’s unmatched sound so won over the Gibson staff that they were moved to

produce a Johnny A. Signature Model.

“Creating an artist signature model guitar is not something we take lightly,” says Gibson

senior VP Rick Gembar. “But sometimes a player comes along who is not only a musical

innovator and artist of the highest-caliber, but has innovative ideas about designing a

totally new instrument. And that’s Johnny, who just knocked us off our feet.”

from gibson.com - Gibson Custom first introduced the Johnny A. Signature Model in

2003, and it’s become one of the company’s most successful and popular models.

Developed in close collaboration with Johnny A., the Johnny A. Signature Model

combines several innovative design aspects with many of Gibson’s traditional

appointments to deliver one of the world’s most unique guitars.

“It’s the first time an artist has been involved in every aspect of designing a new

Gibson guitar model from scratch since the Barney Kessel in 1961,” Johnny says. “I’ve

been a Gibson fan for a long time, but this is an honor I couldn’t have imagined.”

Johnny’s been getting that kind of reaction from fans and other musicians since he was in

his teens, working his way up from playing pizza parlors to headlining now-historic

Boston clubs like the Rat with his bands The Streets, Hidden Secret and Hearts on Fire.

He also has the distinction of being the last guitar player to perform at the historic Boston

Garden before its demolition.

Johnny’s work as a sideman has taken him around the world, including a seven year stint

leading legendary J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf’s group and also co-producing

Wolf’s 1996 solo album Long Line, which garnered a four-star review in Rolling Stone.

When his gig with Wolf ended, Johnny began working on his solo career and Sometime

Tuesday Morning. “At the time, I thought it might be the last thing I ever recorded

maybe something for my daughter to listen to in the future so she’d know what her dad

once did, “Johnny says. “To my surprise it sold 90,000 copies and launched this entire

phase of my career. Besides my family, there’s nothing I love more than being able to

play my guitar and make a living with my creativity. I feel I’m on an amazing adventure

not only because this music has literally taken me to so many places, but because it

takes me somewhere new every time I play.”

“Devotion to melodies, tight dynamics and succulent tones perfectly temper Johnny’s balance of

fire and ice.” – Ted Drozdowski, Guitar World

“Johnny A. has eclectic musical vision and the skills to realize it…A.’s music is both accessible

and sophisticated.” – Ed Kopp JAZZIZ

“Johnny A. has his own signature guitar–and seemingly scores of signature guitar sounds at his

fingertips. If he had trouble focusing on a particular style as a budding musician, the attention

deficit is paying off handsomely now.” – Mike Joyce, Washington Post

 This was the third time hearing Johnny A. I am a bigger fan now after my experiences feeling and hearing such a gifted artist for a third time. What was different for me during this performance is, I was able to capture what I heard in my camera lens. What a treat for me, to be in that moment and now share with the folks who may look at this blog. I love photographing people who are passionate about what they do in this life. Johnny A is one of those people who can not help but love his family and the music that surrounds him. Thanks to Johnny and the band and the Sellersville Theater for one night in February. Steve

 

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South Philadelphia High School Wins Big!

March 10th, 2011

JROTC Cadets Honored by Former Philadelphia Eagles Player          Jeremiah Trotter During School Assembly

 

Philadelphia, PA – Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) cadets from South Philadelphia High School were honored for their fundraising efforts during an assembly attended by second quarter honor roll students, members of the Philadelphia Eagles, and representatives from Teva Pharmaceuticals and Twilight Wish Foundation on Tuesday, March 8, 2011.

Last fall, over 700 JROTC cadets from high schools throughout Philadelphia held fundraisers and worked hard to raise money to grant the wishes for 120 veterans of the Coatesville VA Medical Center on November 9, 2010.   The high schools included South Philadelphia, Roxborough, Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia Military Academy at Leeds, Elverson, Frankford, Martin Luther King, Bartrum, Overbrook, and Benjamin Franklin. The cadets from South Philadelphia High School raised the most money, totaling $900.   Teva Pharmaceuticals, through a collaboration with the Philadelphia Eagles, donated funds to help grant the wishes and also matched the total amount raised by the cadets.  As part of that collaboration, former Eagles great, Jeremiah Trotter and several Eagles cheerleaders surprised the students during an assembly and honored them for their hard work. 

Cass Forkin, founder and executive director of Twilight Wish, presented the cadets with the first Intergenerational Twilight Wish Award for their efforts in making wishes come true for deserving senior citizens.  Keith Lomax, Battalion Commander for South Philadelphia High School, accepted the award on the cadets’ behalf.

Twilight Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and enrich the lives of deserving elders through wish granting celebrations connecting generations.  Our vision is to make our world a nicer place to age, one wish at a time. Since our founding in Doylestown in 2003, Twilight Wish has granted over 1,577 individual wishes to deserving elderly in our community.  Twilight Wish grants senior wishes to those who are over 68 years old and have an income of less than 200% of poverty level or who are residents of a nursing facility and cannot make their own wishes come true.  If you are interested in making a senior’s heartfelt wish or lifelong dream come true, visit www.twilightwish.org or call 1-215-230-8777 ext. 101.

Teva North America is a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd.  In North America, Teva has locations in 10 states, Canada and Puerto Rico and more than 6,000 employees.  In fact, one in every six prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. is a Teva product.  Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., headquartered in Israel, is a leading global pharmaceutical company, committed to providing consumers with access to high-quality healthcare by developing, producing, and marketing affordable generic, innovative and specialty products, as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients.  The Company is the largest maker of generic pharmaceutical products, has a global product portfolio of more than 1,450 molecules and a direct presence in over 60 countries.  The branded businesses focus on neurology, respiratory, women’s health and biologics.

 

 

I have to say I was very moved today. This photographer walked out the doors of South Philadelphia High School feeling great about the Philadelphia Eagles, Teva, Twilight Wish Foundation and most of all The South Philadelphia High School JROTC.

Great Job Cadets!!

Steve

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Guido Borelli Art Exhibition, Sale & Fundraiser February 18-19, 2011 at Duportail House Chesterbrook Wayne PA

February 21st, 2011

Guido Borelli, known world wide for his lyrical landscapes and Italian village scenes created an exclusive collection of original oil paintings for this prestigious art show.

Sponsored in part by: Rosenzweig & Associates Wealth Management Group, LLC

“I am a true lover of nature and of everything gentle. My landscapes and houses combine reality and imagination. First, I store in my mind all the views that I find interesting. Later, when I need a subject, those views resurface in my memory, and I paint what I selectively remember of them, with intrinsically personal modifications.” – Gudio Borelli

Italian Cheese & Lite Fare was provided by Crystal Rose Catering

Libations provided by Philadelphia Distilling

Italian Wine Tastings presented by Frank’s Union Wine Mart

Art lovers at the event.

Cakes and Gourmet Candies by Truly Custom Cakery

Music Provided by Fred Hall / Eddie Davis Entertainment

The Duportial House Board of Directors

The Duportial House

Another great event at the Duportial House! Call Kate Frey at 610-592-7964 or come visit www.duportialhouse.com. Duportial House is located at 297 Adams drive, Wayne PA, 19087

Proceeds to benefit: Duportail House,Executive Women International and Mommy’s Light.

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Savor 2011 Crystal Tea Room

February 15th, 2011

A celebration of food that benefits Philabundance!!

This is our third season shooting the delicious fare from many of the regions finest restaurants. This years event was held on February 3rd, 2011 at the fabulous Crystal Tea Room in center city Philadelphia. Over 600 hungry enthusiastic patrons were on hand to create a wonderful evening of shear gastric delight. Susanna Foo was the very first image of the evening. Susanna’s smile was filled with warmth and excitement for the evenings celebration.

Meredith Maciolek of Philadelphia Distilling provided some very nice libations for the evening.

Desserts by Dana. Dana was just crowned next best Baker by Buddy from Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken N.J. and TLC. Congrats Dana!!

Another fine baker is Stacey Hill of Truly Custom Cakery. 2010 Best of Philly HOT LIST!

A very grateful thank you to all the guest who supported this years Savor and gave to Philabundance. Below are just a few who were in attendance.

As always Barefoot Wine was on hand with some sweet and wonderful wines for all.

Below are a few more fine restaurants that provided savory fare for all to enjoy!

Brandywine Valley Talent provide entertainment for the evening. The sounds of “Back 2 Life” was perfect in every way.

992 pounds of food was dropped off at the Crystal Tea Room during this wonderful event. Also, the raffle proceeds from this event will provide 2,309 meals for needed folks in the Philadelphia region. Now that’s something we should all stand up and cheer about. I would like to give a big thank you to Kate Frey of Luxe Marketing & Promotions, LLC who works behind the screens pulling this event together. Great job Kate!! Also, thanks go out to Andy Cantor ML Magazine and Bucks Life Magazine for giving me the nod to capture this event for the 3rd year in row.

Sponsors Include:

The Crystal Tea Room, Victory Beers, Barefoot Wines,

Philadelphia Distilling – Bluecoat Gin & PENN 1681 Rye Vodka

Select Event Rentals, Robertson’s Flowers

Back2Life presented by Brandywine Valley Talent

SAVOR Restaurant/Food Participants :

A La Maison

Arbol Cafe

Avril Byob

Bobolink Dairy & Bakeyard

Catering by Mario

Chabaa Thai Bistro

Concerto Fusion

Crystal Rose Catering

Cupcakes Gourmet

Desserts by Dana

Drexelbook Catering

Fruit Flowers

Funky Lil’ Kitchen

Jimmy’s BBQ

Mango Moon

Mediterranean Grill

Mel’s on the Hill

Once Upon a Cookie

One Village Coffee

Susanna Foo

Truly Custom Cakery

Twenty9 Restaurant & Bar

Valley Green Inn

Waterworks Restaurant

Votre Vu

Xocai Chocolates

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