Monday, July 09, 2007
Elaine and Kit
Elaine and Kit really started off the hectic spring schedule well. They got married at a great spot in Virginia Beach, with cool light and a nice breeze. Most of you know that I love to celebrate our armed service personnel, and Kit is in the military. I want to thank him for his service, and for putting the pressure on me. See, he's a photojournalist too, and we were able to get some great shots of him having a blast with his very sweet partner Elaine. The two of them make an excellent couple, and they had some wild dancing at the end of the night. It's been fantastic to work with them. You can tell they know how to have a good time! And I had to throw in the shot of them passing the people at the pool. How many couple's let me do that!!!
Personal Accomplishments
WOW, what a spring. As if JPG Photography couldn't get any busier with seven weddings in seven weeks for me, and another four for Dan in that same time, we've had personal accomplishments and responsibilities to contend with.
As you all know, I work for a daily newspaper in Maryland, The Daily Times. Well, if you're wondering why I've been behind, it's because my newspaper, which is owned by Gannett, (it publishes USA Today) named me USA Today's Maryland Correspondent May 1.
On top of my regular duties, I have to help USA Today reporters with news from Maryland, and I get to write a few stories myself. I've been published twice already, with a story and a picture each time, and I'm working on my third right now. I've also been given the reigns of a political blog for the region, Shore Politics, at www.delmarvaNOW.com.
I also received five writing awards from my state's joint journalism body, including one from the Associated Press for investigative reporting. I had my first picture published in The Washington Post in late June too. It was a shot of Md. Gov. Martin O'Malley with local officials, in full color, and it ran across three or four columns. That's journalism talk for a medium-large size picture. That's a cool feeling!
Dan also earned his share of awards from the Virginia Press Association. He's covering stories with national interest, but with a local feel, and readers are loving them, along with his pictures. And he's doing all of this while living with his in-laws because he and his wife are building a new house in Suffolk, Va.
So, thank you all of your patience with the Blog. It's been an eventful three months.
As you all know, I work for a daily newspaper in Maryland, The Daily Times. Well, if you're wondering why I've been behind, it's because my newspaper, which is owned by Gannett, (it publishes USA Today) named me USA Today's Maryland Correspondent May 1.
On top of my regular duties, I have to help USA Today reporters with news from Maryland, and I get to write a few stories myself. I've been published twice already, with a story and a picture each time, and I'm working on my third right now. I've also been given the reigns of a political blog for the region, Shore Politics, at www.delmarvaNOW.com.
I also received five writing awards from my state's joint journalism body, including one from the Associated Press for investigative reporting. I had my first picture published in The Washington Post in late June too. It was a shot of Md. Gov. Martin O'Malley with local officials, in full color, and it ran across three or four columns. That's journalism talk for a medium-large size picture. That's a cool feeling!
Dan also earned his share of awards from the Virginia Press Association. He's covering stories with national interest, but with a local feel, and readers are loving them, along with his pictures. And he's doing all of this while living with his in-laws because he and his wife are building a new house in Suffolk, Va.
So, thank you all of your patience with the Blog. It's been an eventful three months.
Holly and Andy
The murky weather and a less-than-tidy room for the bride to get dressed in notwithstanding, Holly and Andy's wedding went off without a hitch. This was a unique wedding for me since Holly's family has known my wife since, well, forever, and it was an honor for me to have the chance to shoot it.Here are a few teaser shots from the day. The full package of photos should be through the editing process soon. Holly and Andy's friends and family can go ahead and register at www.pictage.com (don't worry, it's free) so they can receive an e-mail notice when the pictures are up. All you have to do is go to Pictage and search for the Goodman-Bennett wedding. The rest is self explanatory.
- Dan
Friday, May 18, 2007
Damp, but delightful
My string of weather-stricken weddings continues. Kate and Mike were a couple of the most recent victims, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they were great sports about the dreary skies; anyone planning to get married in the spring -- those April showers always carry into May -- should take a page from their book and be ready to roll with the punches, err ... clouds, as it were. We photographers can control a lot of things, but alas, the manufacturers have yet to build a camera capable of meteorological manipulation. So on with the show!
Kate and Mike Carpenter chose to get married at a church near the University of Virginia since they're both Cavaliers, and their reception was in the Alumni House just down the street. It's a beautiful campus
with so many fantastic places to shoot -- when there's not a monsoon, that is.
All in all, everyone seemed to truly enjoy themselves, including the photographers, and all the relatives and guests were a dream to work
with.
The dancing was enthusiastic to say the least ... check out the joint articulation on this next shot. As much as I talk to folks about my years as a college athlete, I can never boast about being able to do this without hurting something.
There'll be plenty more shots like these once we've finished the editing process, but I hope those tide you over in the meantime.
For Kate and Mike's friends and family, the edits will be posted to www.pictage.com. If you want to go ahead and register there (it's free), you'll get an email notice when the images go up. All you have to do when you're on the home page is use the search box to look up "Kate Ashford" or "Mike Carpenter." That'll pull up there listing, and ten it will ask for the pass code, which is this: 050507. Easy enough, right? Enjoy!
Kate and Mike Carpenter chose to get married at a church near the University of Virginia since they're both Cavaliers, and their reception was in the Alumni House just down the street. It's a beautiful campus
with so many fantastic places to shoot -- when there's not a monsoon, that is.All in all, everyone seemed to truly enjoy themselves, including the photographers, and all the relatives and guests were a dream to work
with.The dancing was enthusiastic to say the least ... check out the joint articulation on this next shot. As much as I talk to folks about my years as a college athlete, I can never boast about being able to do this without hurting something.
There'll be plenty more shots like these once we've finished the editing process, but I hope those tide you over in the meantime.
For Kate and Mike's friends and family, the edits will be posted to www.pictage.com. If you want to go ahead and register there (it's free), you'll get an email notice when the images go up. All you have to do when you're on the home page is use the search box to look up "Kate Ashford" or "Mike Carpenter." That'll pull up there listing, and ten it will ask for the pass code, which is this: 050507. Easy enough, right? Enjoy!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Shelly-John Engagement
OK, I have a small confession to make. I love my brother-in-law. Yeah, weird. I know. You might also notice a resemblance of him to the lead singer in Saline. Well, that's because HE IS the lead singer of Saline, the excellent band who does all of JPG Photography's music!
John Messner is one of those singers who's so talented that everyone in a room doesn't move, fidget or sneeze. And now he has found his love, Shelly! These two can't get much cuter. They've been together for several years, and they rekindled a friendship after a few years of separation. They met in their teens as fellow campers. Yes...campers. Rebecca, my wife, actually had Shelly as a camper one summer when she was acting as a counselor. The little things!
They are creating this theme with board games and family-centered activites for their guests, and we started getting it all together during a shoot in central-Pa. last month. It's going to be a blast!
We're so proud to add you to the family Shelly! I'm psyched about shooting your wedding. Thanks so much for this honor!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Featured on WedPix!
JPG Photography has earned the honor of being featured in this month's issue of Wedpix! Wedpix, www.wedpix.com, is the online magazine for the Wedding Photojournalist Association.
I was contacted about 5 weeks ago about being interviewed about Web site music. I was then interviewed, and now the article is up. The writer did a fantastic job.
I spoke about my relationship with Saline, a Christian-rock band based out of Pennsylvania. I talked about how our relationship formed, and how I love their sound for the Web site. JPG Photography has exclusively used Saline music for the past 18 months, and we continue to add new tracks. I've contracted with Saline to complete another track for me soon, and, as Paris Hilton would say from Jail, It's Hott!
Anyway, let me know what you think of the story and our music. Check out the article too:
http://www.wedpix.com/articles/010/music-on-wedding-photographer-web-sites/
Best,
Joe
Friday, April 20, 2007
Words from a Hokie
I want to thank Josh Clowers for taking a few moments to share his thoughts and emotions during this historic tragedy. Please spend some time reading and thinking about his words and what it means to be a Virginia Tech Hokie. If anyone would like to respond on this BLOG, or send any private thoughts or messages to him or his family, please e-mail me. His fiancee is Beth. They're getting married in September.
""As far as what happened at Virginia Tech, it's difficult for me to adequately speak about it. I know how hard it's been for me, and I'm not even there anymore. I can't imagine how much worse it was to actually have been to be in the middle of it. My mom and dad graduated from Tech -- I graduated from Tech -- my sister is a senior there now, due to graduate in about 3 weeks. Beth's dad and sister both graduated from Tech, too. And the list goes on for my extended family and friends. So, it's obviously very close to me...
What I do know, though, is that a lot of people didn't understand Hokies before this all happened. It's impossible for someone who's never been on campus, or never been to one of our football games, or never just immersed in what Hokies are like, to really "get it." It felt to me that the overwhelming majority of the media came to Blacksburg trying to find fodder for pre-fab storylines -- they wanted to find students that were angry at the police and the administration, or scared, and who just wanted to leave forever and forget that the place ever existed. But, what they found in Blacksburg, beneath the shock and mourning, was a tremendous pride and love that Virginia Tech students, faculty and alum have for their school and their community. We honored our victims and our heroes, rather than "made for a good story."
We are so proud of our school and the students, and that pride has shown up again and again in the wake of these recent events. In a lot of ways, even after we've left, Blacksburg is our home, and the Virginia Tech community is a part of our family. And, tragedy does not break a family or a community apart -- I think it's something that has brought us closer together.
I also know that I've never been prouder to be a Hokie than when I saw the drill field overflowing with candles. The chants of "LET'S GO HOKIES!" that echoed all over campus -- we all felt that, no matter where we were. That's kind of what Hokies do best, though -- tailgating, football, and long-past-borderline-obnoxious school spirit. And, in that singular expression of pride and honor, our battle cry that screams "YOU CANNOT BEAT US," the Hokie Nation found some small comfort and solace, and most importantly, unity. Frank Beamer, our head football coach, summed it up best when he said "If I know anything about Hokies, we will become stronger, tighter, together."
While pride and love has held us together, the response and support from people around the world has been what has held us up. I talked to my sister last night. She and her roommate were going to Charlotte to just try and catch their breath a little bit. They had their VT flags flying out of their car windows, and they had hardly stepped out of her car before the bellhops at her hotel had hugged them, told them about how sorry they were, and given them gift cards for free food and massages from the hotel. And, since they've been there, everyone has been so gracious and supportive, and no one has let them pay for anything -- food, drinks -- they even got job offers. They also happened to run into Michael Jordan at their hotel, who hugged them both, expressing his condolences.
And, that's not even to mention the extraordinary support from other individuals, groups and campuses across the world -- each of them declaring genuinely that "We are all Hokies today" -- especially from the students at UVa, our in-state rival. For people around the world to be wearing burnt orange and chicago maroon today -- as trivial as it might sound, I can't find words to express what those things mean, and how it has helped to give Hokies everywhere, but particularly the students, the strength to stand up.
However, nothing can truly remedy this tragedy or the incalculable impact it has had on the lives of the victims, their families, and their friends. The killer's acts were so inhuman, and he himself so lacked human characteristics, that it is impossible to rationalize or understand what he did. The best we can do is to offer our support and prayers to the victims and their loved ones just as we would for our own family, to do whatever we can to carry on and honor their memory, and to make them as proud as we are that they are Hokies. With what help we can give -- maybe they can find some semblance of peace, knowing that the entire Hokie Nation, and now the entire world, is behind them, remembering them, and honoring them.
That's really all I have to say about it. I guess I could also throw in that it was entirely inappropriate and unnecessary to put out those pictures/videos from the package that the killer sent. Also, as usual, the Westboro Baptist Church/Fred Phelps "protesting" at the funerals of victims is about as morally reprehensible as anything I can think of, and I am pretty sure there is a special layer of Hell reserved to deal with that whole situation.
Ok, I'm really done now.""
""As far as what happened at Virginia Tech, it's difficult for me to adequately speak about it. I know how hard it's been for me, and I'm not even there anymore. I can't imagine how much worse it was to actually have been to be in the middle of it. My mom and dad graduated from Tech -- I graduated from Tech -- my sister is a senior there now, due to graduate in about 3 weeks. Beth's dad and sister both graduated from Tech, too. And the list goes on for my extended family and friends. So, it's obviously very close to me...
What I do know, though, is that a lot of people didn't understand Hokies before this all happened. It's impossible for someone who's never been on campus, or never been to one of our football games, or never just immersed in what Hokies are like, to really "get it." It felt to me that the overwhelming majority of the media came to Blacksburg trying to find fodder for pre-fab storylines -- they wanted to find students that were angry at the police and the administration, or scared, and who just wanted to leave forever and forget that the place ever existed. But, what they found in Blacksburg, beneath the shock and mourning, was a tremendous pride and love that Virginia Tech students, faculty and alum have for their school and their community. We honored our victims and our heroes, rather than "made for a good story."
We are so proud of our school and the students, and that pride has shown up again and again in the wake of these recent events. In a lot of ways, even after we've left, Blacksburg is our home, and the Virginia Tech community is a part of our family. And, tragedy does not break a family or a community apart -- I think it's something that has brought us closer together.
I also know that I've never been prouder to be a Hokie than when I saw the drill field overflowing with candles. The chants of "LET'S GO HOKIES!" that echoed all over campus -- we all felt that, no matter where we were. That's kind of what Hokies do best, though -- tailgating, football, and long-past-borderline-obnoxious school spirit. And, in that singular expression of pride and honor, our battle cry that screams "YOU CANNOT BEAT US," the Hokie Nation found some small comfort and solace, and most importantly, unity. Frank Beamer, our head football coach, summed it up best when he said "If I know anything about Hokies, we will become stronger, tighter, together."
While pride and love has held us together, the response and support from people around the world has been what has held us up. I talked to my sister last night. She and her roommate were going to Charlotte to just try and catch their breath a little bit. They had their VT flags flying out of their car windows, and they had hardly stepped out of her car before the bellhops at her hotel had hugged them, told them about how sorry they were, and given them gift cards for free food and massages from the hotel. And, since they've been there, everyone has been so gracious and supportive, and no one has let them pay for anything -- food, drinks -- they even got job offers. They also happened to run into Michael Jordan at their hotel, who hugged them both, expressing his condolences.
And, that's not even to mention the extraordinary support from other individuals, groups and campuses across the world -- each of them declaring genuinely that "We are all Hokies today" -- especially from the students at UVa, our in-state rival. For people around the world to be wearing burnt orange and chicago maroon today -- as trivial as it might sound, I can't find words to express what those things mean, and how it has helped to give Hokies everywhere, but particularly the students, the strength to stand up.
However, nothing can truly remedy this tragedy or the incalculable impact it has had on the lives of the victims, their families, and their friends. The killer's acts were so inhuman, and he himself so lacked human characteristics, that it is impossible to rationalize or understand what he did. The best we can do is to offer our support and prayers to the victims and their loved ones just as we would for our own family, to do whatever we can to carry on and honor their memory, and to make them as proud as we are that they are Hokies. With what help we can give -- maybe they can find some semblance of peace, knowing that the entire Hokie Nation, and now the entire world, is behind them, remembering them, and honoring them.
That's really all I have to say about it. I guess I could also throw in that it was entirely inappropriate and unnecessary to put out those pictures/videos from the package that the killer sent. Also, as usual, the Westboro Baptist Church/Fred Phelps "protesting" at the funerals of victims is about as morally reprehensible as anything I can think of, and I am pretty sure there is a special layer of Hell reserved to deal with that whole situation.
Ok, I'm really done now.""
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Small world, enormous tragedy
There's little I can say about Monday's atrocity that hasn't already been said. We all know by now that what transpired was beyond horrific, beyond shocking, and I've no light to shed on how or why someone could come to that.
It astonishes me, though, how close it came to so many people. It seems everyone either went to Tech or knows someone who does. I'm in the second group.
My buddy Charlie was a groomsmen at my wedding. He's younger than me by a couple years and is still in school -- at Virginia Tech -- finishing off his degree in industrial engineering. Yep, engineering. Charlie had class that morning; luckily, he skipped it. But for a few moments I shared the terror of uncertainty with so many others. He didn't answer when I first called, and while I knew the odds were he was O.K., it's amazing what the brain can do in a couple of minutes. Trying work when you're wondering if one of your best friends is alive is beyond difficult. Charlie rang me up a few minutes later, and I nearly lost it.
Trying to analyze what would push someone so far as to carry out what happened is beyond my abilities, and I'm not going weigh in on the political and cultural parsing that's started up over the past week. But I will say that I envy the Hokies.
In the midst of unspeakable pain, the Tech community came together like few other groups I've ever seen. The river of support pouring from each student, teacher and alumni amazed me. People I never knew were Hokies called up the newspaper where I work to express their support. It's an enviable thing despite the tragic circumstances, and it left much of the state in awe.
Could more have been done to prevent what took place? Maybe. Will we learn something from it than can head off future tragedies? Hopefully. Is the Hokie Nation stronger because of its pain? Definitely.
I think Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling summed it up well at a recent speech in Wakefield:
"My friends, we are Virginians, and today, we are all Hokies."
- Dan
It astonishes me, though, how close it came to so many people. It seems everyone either went to Tech or knows someone who does. I'm in the second group.
My buddy Charlie was a groomsmen at my wedding. He's younger than me by a couple years and is still in school -- at Virginia Tech -- finishing off his degree in industrial engineering. Yep, engineering. Charlie had class that morning; luckily, he skipped it. But for a few moments I shared the terror of uncertainty with so many others. He didn't answer when I first called, and while I knew the odds were he was O.K., it's amazing what the brain can do in a couple of minutes. Trying work when you're wondering if one of your best friends is alive is beyond difficult. Charlie rang me up a few minutes later, and I nearly lost it.
Trying to analyze what would push someone so far as to carry out what happened is beyond my abilities, and I'm not going weigh in on the political and cultural parsing that's started up over the past week. But I will say that I envy the Hokies.
In the midst of unspeakable pain, the Tech community came together like few other groups I've ever seen. The river of support pouring from each student, teacher and alumni amazed me. People I never knew were Hokies called up the newspaper where I work to express their support. It's an enviable thing despite the tragic circumstances, and it left much of the state in awe.
Could more have been done to prevent what took place? Maybe. Will we learn something from it than can head off future tragedies? Hopefully. Is the Hokie Nation stronger because of its pain? Definitely.
I think Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling summed it up well at a recent speech in Wakefield:
"My friends, we are Virginians, and today, we are all Hokies."
- Dan
VT Tragedy, call for thoughts and comments
(image courtesy, The Virginian-Pilot)
To the entire JPG Photography community:
The news of tragic incident in Blacksburg has now touched the entire world. This senseless act is unfortunately a history making event, one that will be with the country for days, months and years.
The good news is that people and organizations are coming together and will work to correct and prevent similar future incidents from happening again. Simultaneously, we realize that the insane free will of one can ruin the lives of many. We hope that reforms are put in place to prevent the ease for this one gunman to carry out his crimes.
In this awful time, Dan and I offer our prayers to the friends and family of the victims, students, alumni and community of Virginia Tech.
We also are asking for your prayers, thoughts and patience. While Dan and I are both fortunate to not have lost anyone close to us, as journalists, we are now interviewing the friends and family of the deceased.
As many of you know, Dan and I met in Smithfield, Virginia, and one of the 30 student victims, Nicole White, 20, graduated from Smithfield High School in 2004. Another one of the wounded also came from Smithfield. Dan has spent time interviewing family and friends for The Smithfield Times. I also will be conducting follow-up coverage for my newspaper in Maryland.
We have friends who are photographers and clients across Virginia and near Blacksburg too. One client graduated from VT, and our prayers go out to him and his family too. We're with you Beth and Josh, who are scheduled to marry this September.
To grieve for the victims, as well as friends and family of VT, we will be posting messages of our experiences on our BLOG: jpgphotography.blogspot.com. WE INVITE you, or anyone you know, who has a message or story they would like to share to contact us. We are looking to share stories and help because even our tiny community can overcome the tremendous pain and sorrow that the entire country is feeling.
Thank you for your time.
God Bless!
Joe And Dan
To the entire JPG Photography community:
The news of tragic incident in Blacksburg has now touched the entire world. This senseless act is unfortunately a history making event, one that will be with the country for days, months and years.
The good news is that people and organizations are coming together and will work to correct and prevent similar future incidents from happening again. Simultaneously, we realize that the insane free will of one can ruin the lives of many. We hope that reforms are put in place to prevent the ease for this one gunman to carry out his crimes.
In this awful time, Dan and I offer our prayers to the friends and family of the victims, students, alumni and community of Virginia Tech.
We also are asking for your prayers, thoughts and patience. While Dan and I are both fortunate to not have lost anyone close to us, as journalists, we are now interviewing the friends and family of the deceased.
As many of you know, Dan and I met in Smithfield, Virginia, and one of the 30 student victims, Nicole White, 20, graduated from Smithfield High School in 2004. Another one of the wounded also came from Smithfield. Dan has spent time interviewing family and friends for The Smithfield Times. I also will be conducting follow-up coverage for my newspaper in Maryland.
We have friends who are photographers and clients across Virginia and near Blacksburg too. One client graduated from VT, and our prayers go out to him and his family too. We're with you Beth and Josh, who are scheduled to marry this September.
To grieve for the victims, as well as friends and family of VT, we will be posting messages of our experiences on our BLOG: jpgphotography.blogspot.com. WE INVITE you, or anyone you know, who has a message or story they would like to share to contact us. We are looking to share stories and help because even our tiny community can overcome the tremendous pain and sorrow that the entire country is feeling.
Thank you for your time.
God Bless!
Joe And Dan
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Greetings from the southern front
For those of you wondering who Joe's anonymous partner in crime is, c'est moi. I'm the southernmost wing of JPG, operating out of Virginia Beach at the moment.Now that we've dispensed with the introductions, let's get down to business...
Kristy and Matt's wedding at the beautiful Chrysler Museum in Norfolk was the perfect way to really get in the swing of the wedding season. They were relaxed and so obviously overjoyed to finally get married, which makes my job so much easier. We didn't have any catering vans on hand for them to climb into (see Joe's post below for the scoop on that), but we did have a room of Greek statues. Congrats guys!
I hope this one is a harbinger of the season to come.Best wishes and happy Easter to all of you,
Dan
P.S. - If you're among Kristy and Matt's family and friends, keep an eye on your e-mail inbox in the near future for directions to the full listing of their wedding photos on Pictage.com.
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