Superbowl Surprise at Penn Station?

Anybody know what was going on outside of Penn yesterday Morning?
Not sure what they were promoting, but the big guy seemed to have knocked down the red ball and he was down for a while when the other ball came over.

OSP North Meetup, or....Always Be Learnin!

Being a photographer in New York City is a lot like being Chinese. Even if you are a one in a million, there are a whole lot of folks, just like you. While sometimes standing out in the crowd can be a challenge, in the end you just have to do your own thing, and be the best "You", you can be. And one way I accomplish that is by blending my own artistic vision with the latest trends and techniques in the photography industry.

There is no better way of staying on top of the fast paced NYC photo trends that to regularly meet with amazing photographers and talk shop. Today I met up with some friends from the Tri-State area for lunch at Tanti Baci in the village.

Aside from enjoying great food and conversation, we are photographers and since we always have a camera around, it was just a matter of time until someone started taking some pictures.

Here are a few from the day.
That is Chelo hiding...and then not. Check out her work at www.Chelophoto.com

Tara, from www.TaraSharmaphotography.com

Jameel, from www.JameelMorrison.com








Not pictured, but a big thanks goes out to Bill Wang and Matt Richman at
www.bwangphoto.com and www.mattrichman.com

Another Sign of the Economic Apocalypse

Ok...maybe apocalypse is a bit strong. But obviously the current economic crisis is hitting different folks in different ways. As we see here, it is certainly affecting the dating pool.

I love NY for a lot of reasons but one of the best is that you can always find a story to tell.

In case you don't have a window in New York

It's cold and snowy.
But now is the perfect time. If you are planning your wedding and thinking about the sunshine of a June day for your Long Island wedding, now is the time to interview your vendors and start booking.
January is the start of the booking season and prime dates go quickly, especially with some of the incentives vendors are offering right now.

People You Meet...

NYC Subway musicians have guts. Forget your fear of public speaking...try playing and getting heckled by an E train or two drunk guys!
Meet Guitar Ron.

Ron is a great jazz/funk/blues guy who has seen it all. People either love to hear you play, or forget you are there. Either way it is fun. And sometimes you overhear crazy conversations or see people do amazing things.

Merry Christmas! Did you get engaged?

J. Mitchel Photography want to wish a very Merry Christmas to all the Long Island and NYC soon to be Brides that may have gotten engaged this Christmas. Now it's time to tell the world!

If your man (or woman) popped the question this Christmas, let me know! I will give you a $100 print credit for your Engagement Session! You can use this towards announcement cards, or for great photos of yourselves as a romantic couple! Take a look at the website to see my portfolio or look me up on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/J-Mitchel-Photography/38080587212

J. Mitchel Photography provides amazing Wedding photography for couples on a budget. If you want great Wedding inexpensive Photography in Nassau, Suffolk Queens, Brooklyn or anywhere in the Metro NYC area, call Jeff at J. Mitchel Photography and see why you don't need to spend a fortune to have a creative and professional Wedding Photographer that is inexpensive.

www.JMitchelPhotography.com
516 236 9277

Snow? What happened to Global Warming!

If slush counts, we may get a white Christmas yet!
We got a couple of inches of the white fluffy stuff here on Long Island on Friday...so dig your Flexible Flyer out of the garage and head to the hills!


Ok, on the South Shore we don't have many hills...so head to the Atlantic Beach bridge and join the folks sledding down the side of the embankment.
What? That's what we did as kids....we didn't have hills where I grew up.

J. Mitchel's photos Featured in Popular Photography and American Photo Magazines !

I have images in Popular Photography and American Photo Magazines in the January 2009 issues.
































The below is just an image of the article...pick up a copy for the full deal!
The images are from an instructional seminar I attended in October and were chosen from hundreds of entries. Mine is on the upper right, circled in red. The image itself kind of mirrors my feelings about wedding photography.

I treat weddings are art. Images from each one are different from the rest and reflective of the couples personalities and their specific event.

One of the many things that separates me from other wedding photographers is that I constantly shoot creative images of everyday situations and places in a way that nobody has seen before. The images I shoot describe the time, place event and people in a way that makes you feel like you were there...and that is what photojournalism is all about!

In this case, the Brooklyn Bridge has been photographed countless times....but yet this image tells the story of the day like no other has.
And that is the way I shoot your wedding. Beautiful images that describe the day in a way nobody else can.

J. Mitchel Photography provides outstanding wedding and event photography in metro NY for less than you would think.

J. Mitchel Photography Wishes it's Architectural & Interiors Clients Seasons Greetings

I want to take a moment and say "Thank You" all the clients of J. Mitchel Interiors & Architectural Imaging. It has been a busy year with some amazing projects, and although the current climate is challenging, I know the best will survive. And that group includes firms like Bovis Lendlease, Sotheby's and Archstone. Now is the time to innovate and show your stuff. I know you can do it!

I want to wish all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I look forward to providing you with the images that best show your work on new projects in 2009.




J. Mitchel Interiors & Architectural Imaging provides outstanding images to the construction & architectural trade as well as real-estate professionals. You are good. We make you look that way!

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Even the street meat vendors are getting into it!

Season's Greeting to our Long Island Wedding & Events Clients from J. Mitchel Photography

I want to take just a moment and say "Thank You" to all the couples I was able to work with this year. Being a part of your weddings was very special to me...and I know you have said it shows in the images I delivered to you all.
Enjoy your first Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa ( I think I got everybody in there, but if I missed someone...let me know!) together. It is a magical time and something you will always remember. Guys....I know this isn't necessarily your thing...but seriously...write something meaningful and personal to your Wife on the card this year. Signing the Hallmark card "Love Hubby" doesn't cut it. Remember, your spouse is the greatest gift you will ever get...until you have children.

Happy Holidays,
Jeff
J. Mitchel Photography

11/19/08 LIRR Crash Delays

It is just one of those mornings...While our commute did have a significant delay, at least nobody was seriously injured when a C3 jumped a switch and kissed an M7 just West of Jamaica this morning.

A Big "Thank You" to Veterans !

You many not agree with where they are in the world, but you have to respect that they have the guts to do a job that you and I could not do.

Thank You Vets. I appreciate the freedom you fight for and the sacrafices you have made.

If you are current active duty Military and are getting married in 09, call me and lets talk. I will say "Thank You" with a $500 print credit towards your package if you book prior to 12/31/08.

Boo! Happy Halloween!

Sunny is giving me a scary kiss. She doesn't know about the Daddy tax yet. 30% of all Three Musketeers go to Daddy.

Photo Plus Expo...Day Two: The MPIX Popular Photography Rick Sammon New York Water Taxi Boat Cruise

Big Thank You to Popular Photography magazine and MPIX, the consumer version of Millers (one of the pro labs I use...They are AWESOME!) for sponsoring and setting up the morning activities.
The boat was packed with well over 50 photographers as we toured NYC by water. There were great lessons taught by Carey Schumacher of Barefoot Memories Photography of San Diego http://www.barefoot-memories.com and from the featured speaker, Rick Sammon http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/rick-sammon/
I think we all put them to good use as we viewed New York Harbor, networked and made friends.
Here are a few images I shot:

There is a small possibility I have a speaking role in Rick's next DVD. Like 3 seconds worth.
A three hour tour....a three hour tour...
Actually, the weather was perfect. The seas were fine and we didn't even need to build a radio out of bamboo. (Am I really the only one who remembers watching Gilligan's Isle growing up?)
I just love the colors and contrast. I love to mush them up with a unique lens, called a Lens Baby. The blur is harder to get right than you would think. I had trouble for Months...but somehow with the Nikon D700, it just all comes together for me now.

Hard to believe such great architecture leaks like a sieve. The windows at the U.N. are notorious for it. J. Mitchel Photography is the go to source for architectural images in NY and provides architectural photography to construction companies, project management and architectural firms.
That's Ben. Awesome shooter, all around great guy and light monkey extraordinaire.

Old and new, side by side on the water.
Rick Sammon
Are we still doing the colors? I thought we stopped that nonsense?

PhotoPlus Expo 2008

Once each year, pretty much the entire photo industry descends upon NYC and shows their wares, shares knowledge and discusses what is new in the field. And I would not miss it for the world. As a New York wedding photographer I provide the best images to my brides, am easy to work with and very affordable. Below are a few images from photowalking from Penn Station to Javits this Morning.
With the financial markets going crazy (OK, I have 15 years on Wall Street and have to be careful what I say here...my day job is in risk management/compliance(and No...I am not to blame for this markets mess!)) there is no better time to have a plan B. I think this photo about sums that up. Speaking of tough financial times, if you are planning a wedding, now is the time to think about getting the best bang for your vendor buck. J. Mitchel Photography offers amazing creative wedding photography from just $2300!












In addition to checking out the latest pro gear, selecting key vendors for albums...prints and design work and learning about the newest techniques in images, there are some amazing seminars from top industry leaders.
One of the best parts, is you just never know who you bump into. Today I was fortunate to bump into several amazing folks.




I got to thank David Jay, from Open Source Photo, my favorite forum. That's me on the left. David got a real kick out of my business card...not everyone remembers 35mm slides. David was just enjoying the show, like tons of other folks.
I let David know that what he has created with OSP was more than a place for pros to share knowledge, it is a community that fosters both professional and personal growth from members that believe there are no stupid questions and are unbelievably giving and supportive. David is not a bad shooter either. Check out http://www.davidjay.com/

I also bumped into Joe McNally...my lighting guru idol. This guy has taught me how to light. Well, Joe and David Hobby (AKA The Strobist). Joe has an awesome book, The Moment it clicks that anyone who wants to learn lighting, simply must read. His blog ain't bad either. Check out
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/ and www.strobist.com

I have met Scott Kelby a few times before and it was Scott that put together the worldwide photowalk in August and I lead the walk for NYC. (check out the August blog posts for that one). Well, Scott is not only a guy who knows his way around a camera...he pretty much wrote the book on anything Photoshop. Actually, he was written over 25 amazing books and is one of the reasons I can edit a wedding of 800 images so well and quickly. It was great to say hello and listen in on a few of his seminars.

Catching up with D.J. Ladez of Lumedyne (who taught an awesome lighting class on the streets of NYC earlier this year) was a treat. As was seeing the instructor from one of the architectural classes I loved. Turns out we were both drooling over the same Nikon 24mm tilt shift lens, and recognized each other.

Walking the floor with two great guys that I work with, Omar Perine and Michael McNenny just made the day go by too fast.
I am always working on sharpening my skills to provide the best in NY and LI wedding photography and Cliff showed me a neat trick for adjusting white balance on the fly with the Live View on my Nikon D700.
Walking non stop (OK, I did sit during some of the seminars) from 10-5 caught up with me at the end of the day and I was pooped when I snapped this on the way out. Contributing factors were forgetting to eat all day and having a pretty bad cold. I treasure my 8 Month old daughter, Sunny, but I never used to get sick and now I get colds all the time. And they take a week or two to go away. Maybe I am just getting old?The thing about NY is...construction never stops. The economy might slow it down, but there is always something going up.

Tomorrow, I have a a spot on the Rick Sammon boat cruise... a half day seminar while circling NYC on a water taxi. http://www.ricksammon.com/Home.html
The best part??? One of my best second shooters and photographer buddies, Amos Chen, is joining me.