Not Quite Summertime Yet...

But I was down at the Lido Beach mushrooms scouting some engagement shoot locations on Sunday. The Cabanas are still all wrapped up for Winter, but there were some dogs walking their owners on the beach.

The Lido Beach Mushrooms are one of my favorite photo locations. They are just not something you will see anywhere else. Who took your picture? Only The Shadow Knows...

A little cross processed look to the image here. Not bad for a cameraphone.

The Mushrooms are concrete shelters at the beach park. Most folks don't know that across the street was an active Nike (no, not the sneaker) nuclear missle launch site until the mid '60s. The bunkers are still in the ground there, near the school buses. http://alpha.fdu.edu/~bender/NY29.html The below images courtesy of Google Maps:

And the "Magic Mushrooms" of Lido Beach:

There is Nothing as NYC as...

A "Black Car" livery taxi and a "Yellow Cab" taxi fighting over a lane in Midtown. This was at 8:30AM today. Posted from my Sony Cameraphone.

Noticing the details is important in a Wedding Photographer. Check out J. Mitchel Photography for the best in affordable NY wedding photography. In fact tell your friends. Stop people on the steet and tell them. Shout from the rooftops... www.JMitchelPhotography.com !
Actually, I am dying to do some more proposal shoots, so if you know anyone who is thinking of popping the question, have them call me.

The best way to propose
J. Mitchel Photography will capture that magic moment when you pop the question! In addition to creative wedding and event photography, J. Mitchel Photography will capture the look on her face when she says YES! Unnoticed in the background, I will be in position at our prearranged location and time to get the photos that she will be bragging to her friends and family with. She will not even know I am there.
This is your shot to be her hero! You want this picture! Call Jeff at 516 236 9277 today, and see how you can have truely inspiring photos, for less than you think. Proposal imaging is just $249 for up to 2 hours, with prints! www.jmitchelphotography.com

Traveling for Easter

We are heading up to the Grandparents in Boston for the Weekend. First time for them to see the baby. Everybody seems to think my daughter looks like me. I was hoping she would look like my wife, who is the good looking one. I got to spend some time playing Bob Vila and fixed stuff around the house. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Villa

At 94, my grandfather could kick Jack La Lanne's ass. Sharp as a tack, but twice as dangerous. With 40 years as a proctologist, he has a great sense of humor and can always see the brighter side of things.

My grandmother, Chef extraordinaire, has sharp tastebuds only exceeded by her sharp wit. She could debate Clinton...ANY Clinton and make him or her cry.

We were supposed to stay until Monday, but could not get anyone to cat sit for my wife's cat on Monday. Apparently a 19 year old cat needs a chaperone. Wild parties and such. So we make the trek home on Sunday night. TWO AND A HALF HOURS from Newton to I84 on the Mass Pike. Normally, 45 minutes. Maybe the toll collectors all took break at once? Once thru the tolls, it was clear sailing all the way home.

The way up, 3 hours and 32 MPG. The return trip, 5.5 hours, 28 MPG. I love that Saab has a "NightPanel" button. Turns off all the gauges and lights except the speedo. Nice dark dash.

Baby slept the whole way up. We stopped to feed and changer her on the way back. McDonald's coffee is still Waaaaaay too hot for me.

It is absolutely beautiful out!

If you are a duck.

Bring an Umbrella, it's Gonna be a Wet One. But wet is good. It helps bring out the colors and increased contrast. I snapped this, like almost all the images on the blog, with my Sony K790i cameraphone, on the way in today.

I have a thing for taxis with neon behind them. Don't ask.

Met's Spring Training Comment of the day...

Met's Spring Training Comment of the day...

Backup Catcher Ramon Castro commenting on an apparent hamstring injury: "I didn't pull nothing," he said. "I don't think it's nothing big. I feel something, so I stop running. I stopped running and it went away." (quote courtesy of Newsday, Image is © J. Mitchel Photography 7/2006)

"I stopped running and it went away..."

Reminds me of the old joke; A guy walks in to a Doctor's office. Says to the Doctor, it hurts my arm when I do this....Doctor says. Don't do that. Please pay the receptionist on the way out.

Do you have to be a Met's fan to be a Wedding Photographer in Queens? No, but it helps.
Check out http://www.jmitchelphotography.com/ for the best in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island Wedding Photography.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whacha Gonna Do?

The parade is tons of fun. But behave yourself because NY's Finest is out in force today.


These folks have a tough job. Don't make it harder by being foolish out there.

Don't drive to NYC today

In fact, avoid the trains too, because there is nothing so much fun as the evening St. Pat's drunk train home. Do what these wise folks did. Take the Magic Bus.

No Parking Even if your Irish

Or even if your not Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The city is alive with activity and everyone is wearing their green like a badge of courage.

One Night Only...OK, Two Actually.

Sunday Morning my time at The Grind is up until another couple of months, so definitely stop by Grind in Bellmore tonight or Saturday night and view/purchase my landscape prints.
The prints present some unique views of life in NYC and Long Island with lots of energy, color and light. I am also showing the Doors images from my Artisan Series of work in Italy.

Can't make it to The Grind? Stop by Spoon, in Lindenhurst! They always have my work up and I call that place my second home. Tell Joe you came because you saw it on the blog. That will drive him nuts. Speaking of nuts...you would be if you went there and did not get a frozen hot chocolate. Better yet...go there on a Saturday night for some really good live music and dessert.

Remember, if the folks shooting your wedding are not artists, they are just pushing a button on a black box. Your wedding deserves more than that. For the best in Long Island Wedding Photography, go to http://www.jmitchelphotography.com/

Finally Home to JFK

My flight from ATL was going on to Venice, Italy....Hmm, I like Italy. Maybe I could stay on board and no one would notice.
Nah, I miss my family. Ok, to the Airtrain!

Last Minute Pit Stop in Atlanta

I had a last minute change of plans and had to make an 8:30AM meeting Wednesday in Atlanta, so it will be another day before I am home with the family.

I got in around Midnight, but if you get in to Atlanta with more time, stop at Fat Matt's, a couple of clicks North off 95. It is the kind of hole in the wall place you can't find unless you know it, but it has the best BBQ for a hundred miles and live music from bands that will be a household name in a few years.

I was up in time to see a beautiful sunrise.

Last Flight Out...

Change in plans. Not going to JFK today. Going to ATL at 9:20PM.

I woke to catch the sunrise and now I am watching the sunset, waiting to board a flight to Atlanta for an early AM meeting.

It's not always Sunny in Miami

Maybe just a cute play on words, but I am in Miami for a couple of days and already miss my daughter Sunny and of course my wife Erica.

I am heading to Coconut Grove for two days of FINRA classes on Ethics.
I have spent more than the last 15 year on Wall Street in trade operations and compliance. Ethics is something that constantly comes into play. One of the examples to be discussed in the course, is doing business in a foreign country where bribes are part of the culture and not only accepted, but the way things are done...how does a responsible company handle that? Adopt a "when in Rome" attitude? It is just not that easy. It is an interesting course with real world applications that nobody likes to talk about, but have broad reaching effects.
What is FINRA? www.finra.org for more details.

Not sure if you are on the right blog? You are.

What does this have to do with the best Wedding Photography on Long Island? Well, it is interesting to see how my worlds collide.

The ethics course isn't just about the financial world. The next time you are at a reception venue and they show you a "Preferred Vendor" list, ask the coordinator how much kickback they are getting from the photography studio. I have been asked for 15-25%. I won't do it and never have. Anybody recommending me, is doing so because I provide outstanding work for a reasonable rate, Not because I am paying them. Not all venues do this, but many do. Ask them about it. It doesn't mean the photographer is a bad photographer...but it is something that is effecting your purchase and you want to think about it. What is the "right" answer? Ideally, the venue should be open with you about it, be able to explain why they do it and have it make sense to you.

One of the reasons J. Mitchel Photography provides such a strong value as a photographer is that I am doing it because I truly am passionate about it. I have the skills, knowledge, and resources to make your images something you will enjoy for decades. I price my services very aggressively to make them accessible to young folks just starting out. Together, You and I create a package that really fits your unique needs and make it work for your budget.

The Miami classes are the last ones in the FINRA CRCP Wharton School certificate program. The CRCP is a way to wrap up my 15 + years of securities work, boil it down to it's essence and exchange ideas with other compliance and market professionals about the methods we use to protect your investments. You can read more about it here: http://www.finra.org/EducationPrograms/FINRAInstitute/index.htm

Oh, the cute baby in the slightly crumpled picture above? That is Ms. Sunny Logann, my 5 week old daughter.

Why should a Wedding Photographer be an artist?

I spent the better part of a week wandering the small towns surrounding Lake Guarda in Northern Italy just to knock on doors.

Ok, maybe a little more to it than that.

In the quaint villages surrounding the lake there stand buildings and homes hundreds of years old. Built by artisans with workmanship that is hard to find today, particularly in seemingly mundane things like a doorway. I roamed the empty streets of dawn to find the doorways to the past. Built with pride and artistry, this collection of images captures the workmanship of the past, and lets you peer thru and into the old world.

My mind's eye sees shape, shadow and color in a way that is different from most. Am I a cynical new Yorker? Maybe sometimes, but it is with that eye that I find beauty in the ordinary and look beneath the surface for the real story. 15 Years commuting to Manhattan honed my people watching skills and allows me to learn their stories. By combining the two skills, I am able to capture images that concisely express the emotion of the moment and the sense of place in events and architecture.

Come view my latest landscapes at Grind in Bellmore or Spoon in Lindenhurst and see why I can capture wedding images like no one else can.

Local Long Island Photographer Wows crowd at Grind!

What does this have to do with Weddings or interiors photography? The larger studios pump out 3 or more weddings a weekend, every weekend. They are machines.

I am an artist. I am able to capture images that concisely express the emotion of the moment or the sense of place in architecture and landscapes.

That ability, and that I work with just 15 couples per year so I can take the time to know them as people and have their photography be a reflection of who they are, is what sets me apart from the wedding factories.See you there!

The Grind
2975 Merrick RdBellmore, NY 11710(516) 409-6633

The Daily Grind for Wedding Photography ?

Ahhh, March is here and Spring is just around the corner. Warmer weather and botanical renewal is only a few weeks away. To celebrate, I have a slew of new work up at The Grind Coffeehouse in Bellmore.
If you are on LI, definitely take a coffee break and check the place out. Great desserts and coffee that reminds you that Starbucks is swill.
Oh, did I mention I have new landscapes up? About 30 new works from Long Island, NYC and Italy.



See you there!
The Grind
2975 Merrick RdBellmore, NY 11710(516) 409-6633