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.

Radio City Sunrise

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS Run in with the Flight Crew

Ok, first off, I am not really a football guy (my wife is SO glad about that)...I am a hockey guy, but that said, I did run into the Jets flight crew (Cheerleaders) and their promo team outside the SNY studio Friday Morning and well, lets just say they make a convincing argument. They were hocking special seats for the game and promoting JETS football in general.

Image quality may change on the blog, as I moved from my SonyEricsson K790 to an iPhone. Wife gets the better cameraphone for pictures of the baby, especially since I have my SLR with my most of the time anyway. So, images on the blog will mostly be from the iPhone, rather than my previous cameraphone.

Speed the Plow on Broadway

I am a big fan of David Mamet (sadly, I can pretty much recite Alec Baldwin's speech in Glenn Gary Glenn Ross in it's entirety), of the HBO series Entourage and love the AMC series Madmen. So to go see Piven and Moss in Speed the Plow was a no brainer.
Either I was the first one to call in for tickets, or the American Express Conceirge service really, really likes me because I was able to get two in the middle of the 5th row.

As an early engagement present, my Wife and I took a rare day to ourselves. We spent the morning wandering through a sunlight Central Park. We had an amazing lunch at Remi, enjoying the courtyard and being outdoors while still being warm and toasty. At 2 we made our way to the classic theatre and our comfy seats.

I have never taken any theatre classes...just never interested me. I go to the occasional B'way show...because, well, I live in NY and I feel guilty if I don't at least enjoy some of what it has to offer. Spamalot, Hairspray...maybe a few others over the years. Maybe because I have seen the actors in other roles...but I have always thought that TV/movie actors had it easy because they are only "on" for a few seconds to a few minutes at a time. With only three actors in the entire show, Piven and Esparza were "on" for the entire hour and a half and they didn't miss a beat. Moss was very strong as well, but I have a newfound respect for what it takes to do that. To provide that much of yourself for so long and so passionately to the role. The play was great. The performance...AWESOME.

After the show, we enjoyed an extended afternoon playtime with our daughter. And that was the best anniversary gift of all.


UPDATE 10/29/08 NY Times Review:
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/theater/reviews/24plow.html?scp=1&sq=Speed-the-Plow&st=cse

Q4 08 MMP

If you follow my blog, you know at least two things about me:
1) I Use my blog as a way for you to get to know me and by seeing through my eyes, to know my photography.
2) I believe that any relationship is hard work. Marriage is no exception. My wife and I make sure to dedicate time alone to treasure what makes each other so special, and why when we are together...it is like nothing else. I call these MMPs. Marriage Maintenance Plans. Four times a year, we get away to someplace we have never been and focus on us. No distractions from daily life. Usually they are just a long weekend away, exploring someplace new, and a little bit of each other along the way. This time we are headed down to the Sun Coast of Florida.

This is Sunny's 3rd time with us and her first time on an airplane.




In her own seat, with a view of the world. She was happy and well behaved the whole flight. SouthWest was great and on the early AM flight, we had the back of the plane to ourselves.
We rented a condo on the beach in Bel Aire, near Clearwater/Tampa. Coincidentally I ran into this Chevy Bel Air in the Publix parking lot!
Staying on the beach was great! Literally steps to the Gulf of Mexico and clear bluegreen waters. We saw Dolphins swimming along the beach.Love the deep blue sky and the palm trees.
Love my wife and baby more. Sunny's first time in a pool and she had a blast splashing around. Erica loved the sun, the view and the warm salt air breeze.
With a gorgeous sunset at our fingertips, I would say the romance portion of our MMP was on track. It was certainly a romantic moment for this couple on the beach.
Once the sun went down, the night sky took over. Without the light pollution that we see in NY, we could truly see the stars in the heavens.

Ways to save on your Wedding costs

Weddings can be expensive but there are a host of ways to save while still having an amazing party.
Sure, you can go for a quartet instead of a full band. Heck, there are some AMAZING DJs that can read the crowd and play the classics better than a band.
But what about the cake? While you probably don't want a Carvel Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake...there are ways to have an awesome cake...and afford it too.

One idea is to rent a cake

What? You can do that?
Yeah... http://www.cakerental.com/index.html
The premise is you have a display on an amazing cake...one that would cost a fortune...and the cake you actually serve, while similar in appearance (and FAR better in taste) is a simple sheet cake. There is even a way to work the couple cutting the cake.

Check them out and see if it could be right for you. After all...you rent the limo, the tuxedos...why not the fancy cake?

For the best in creative New York Wedding Photography call J. Mitchel Photography.

Long Beach Breast Cancer Coaliton Kayakathon 2008

Well, considering the rain and wind yesterday, I think everyone was very pleasantly surprised at what a beautiful Morning we had for this years Kayak a thon, supporting the Long Beach Breast Cancer Coalition.
Luckily I did not have to set my alarm to wake up early today. My 7 Month old baby girl, Sunny Logann, is better than a Timex. Up at 6:30AM every day. I had a little coffee in the garden, and then I was off to Empire Kayaks, in Barnum Isle / Island Park.
Empire Kayaks sponsors the Long Beach Breast Cancer Coaltion each year in an awesome fund raising effort to fight breast cancer in Long Beach, and help assist those affected by Breast Cancer with programs that make life easier.

How could you not LOVE a shirt that says Save the Tatas.

Registration was packed by 9:30 and there were tons of folks already on the water as early as 9!

For more information about the Long Beach Breast Cancer Coaltion , check out their website at http://www.longbeachbcc.org

To see all the images from the 2008 Kayakathon, and perhaps purchase a few to support the Long Beach Breast Cancer Coaliotion, check out the J. Mitchel Photography client proofing website at http://jmitchelphotography.instaproofs.com/

ALL profits from images of this event are donated by J. Mitchel Photography directly to the Long Beach Breast Cancer Coalition.

I grew up in Long Beach / Atlantic Beach and while I have moved a tiny bit inland, my heart is still at the beach. I embrace the chance to give back to the community I was raised in. Covering the LBBCC events is a great way for me to do just that.

If this is your first time reading my blog, I use the blog as more of a get to know me spot, rather than to show my work.

As one of Long Island's top event and architectural photographers, check out my main website at http://www.jmitchelphotography.com/ to see why I am able to tell your Wedding story, or chronicle your home or commercial space in a way no one else can.

Check out my life and landscape prints at The Spoon Cafe in Lindenhurst. Great little coffeehouse and restaurant that has local live music several times a week. Not into dark smokey bars, but want a great date place? This is it. Frozen Hot Chocolate for two...a must have.

Labor Day Weekend 08 BBQ

Scary how life changes so fast. I mean, it is absolutely awesome where we are today, but it doesn't seem that long ago that parties we hosted and attended started in the mid afternoon and went until the middle of the night. Now, my wife and I are in our mid (ok...LATE) 30s and most of our friends have children too. By 7PM the food was gone, most of the beer was still around and the kids were asleep in their car seats while the parents packed up to go home.
The men pitched horse shoes, the kids played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, and the women...well, I know they were there...I'm sure they did something fun too. 8-)
Chris insists he is a grillmaster. And I have to say, when we saw the grill...we got a little nervous from all the flames coming out and the stainless steel all glowing and such...but the burgers came out perfect.

Monday, I actually got out on my Hobie Cat for a few hours in the Morning, then we all played in the sand in Long Beach for a few hours. While I can see the water from my front yard, I still miss living at the beach. In my 20s, I would go running on the beach with my dog. I grew up in the West End of Long Beach/East Atlantic Beach and could see the ocean from my bedroom window as a kid. I knew how lucky I was, even back then.