Best of 2007 Slideshow

As the 2007 Wedding Season comes to a close, it's time to look back and to plan ahead. With that in mind I've put together a 5 minute slideshow with some of my best images of 2007. I know you're busy and if you're starting to plan for your 2008 event there's a lot to do. I'm hoping that if you got as far as my gallery page, you're at least interested in my work. The "Best of 2007" will give you an overview of my style of photography and a general idea of what you can expect if we decide to work together.

I'd also like to take a moment and suggest that whether you use me or not, you shouldn't just look at any photographer's portfolio. That will only be the best of the best. You should also take a look at the day to day work that they've produced. This is why I offer the many gallery/slideshows of most of the weddings I've done in past year. But, for that quick look, check out the "Best of ... slideshow." It was fun to put together and I hope you'll enjoy it. PS I did not add music to it so you can play the music of your choice. Thanks, email me if you have questions.

Not 24

Well, not all brides are 24, but they are all unique. I had the pleasure of shooting a non-twenty-something wedding at the Brant Beach Yacht Club on Long Beach Island last weekend and it was a blast.
I stopped by the house for a few prep photos, even though it was not in the plan and I'm very glad I did.
The bride was a hoot. I was grinning the entire time I was shooting. The ceremony was quick, but nice and the dance floor was packed all night. Yes, yes the old folk boogie.

Flying Feet II

I had the opportunity to work as a second-shooter with LBI based photographer Ann Coen, www.anncoen.com. Shooting like this is a lot of fun as I get to shoot in a much more behind the-scenes-style, which is what I do best. So, as the day unfolds, Ann took care of the shots she needed and my job was to complement her work with details and different angles.


There was a lot going on while Ann did her thing. The sandy feet was shot with a 300mm while Ann shot with a medium length lens getting the full couple in the shot. Since most of the shots in their album will be of the couple I felt a detail shot without their faces, would help bring it all together.

In the second shot, the expression on the bride's face was so genuine while she watched her new husband get his posed shots done I was glad I was in position, again with the 300mm. That look, totally unposed and unaware she was being photographed told the story of the entire day for me.

Flyin' Feet

While not a photo for your wall, these type of "detail" shots work really well in your album in capturing the feel of the day.
Kids having fun at a wedding is almost as traditional as the cake cutting. They get to dress up and go a little crazy and just be kids.
These flying feet of a dancing 5 year old are a nice alternative to the usual frilly dress shots that will also be in the album. This shot also demonstrates the use of a side light. The light source (flash) is set up out of the way on a light stand or clamped to a secure part of the room and fired with a wireless radio transmitter. While I do try to shoot with just the available light in the room for a real look to the event, sometimes you just have to bump it up a bit.

Glowing groom this time ...

Worked Long Beach Island again yesterday and I am finally happy to say that the groom looked to be the happiest person in the room. Usually, we go on and on about the bride, how beautiful and how she was glowing ... not to take anything away from yesterday's bride, she was all that and more, it's just that it was such a pleasure to see the groom so chill and smiling the entire day.
I met up with him hours before the ceremony (smiling) and got a few beach photos with him and the boys. The ceremony was also on the beach ... with an incoming tide that was slightly overlooked in the planning stages, close call (like 5ft.) and the reception was at the small, but really nice Brant Beach Yacht Club on the Barnegat Bay. Anyway, the groom was glowing the entire time. She was too, but through the lens he was ready to burst. I don't think I got one photo of him not grinning ear-to-ear. During their first dance (above) that was his expression the enitre 3 minute song. I wish them a lifetime of that smile.

Break in the action

I shot the NJ State Police graduation today in Toms River, NJ. There were the usual speeches etc., but during the moment of silence for those that fell in the line of duty, this one soon-to-be trooper seemed genuinely moved by the moment. I converted the color shot to BW, it just seemed to work better. It was a nice human touch to a rather stern ceremony.
Now, I say "Break in the Action" as the title for this post, as I have a week with only the jobs of the daily newspaper in front of me. A normal 40 hour week may not seem like a break, but the upcoming late summer-fall wedding season is about to break loose. So, yeah this is break time. I have 13 weddings jobs between now and mid-November. These are mostly still photography gigs, but there's a handful of video tossed in to keep it interesting. Oh yeah, that is the first mention of video on here. I do full documentary film style video along side photographer Ann Coen when I'm not shooting stills. I've been told we make a good shooting team. I work a lot of her photos into my final video piece and we stay out of each other's way. You be the judge ... follow the links off the front page for a taste. Stay tuned.

Kid's Portraits coming soon

In the near future I will be offering portrait sessions. More often than not, the camera will be aimed at the kids.

Being a parent of three kids I know how fast they change. I also know that the photos you get sent home from school or the ones you try to get with your point-and-shoot camera are usually not what you want.

In these photo sessions I will come to you. I will make images of your kid in their world ... doing what they do ... wearing what they wear, just being themselves. Twenty years from now, are you going to remember them in a frilly dress or wearing a tie ... or are you going to remember them in a tee shirt and blue jeans?

Stay tuned, coming soon.

Not Just Weddings

Most of the wedding gigs are on the weekends. The rest of the week I'm still making pictures. As I mentioned, I'm a full time newspaper photographer which has me shooting (including the weddings) sometimes seven days a week, often over 1000 per day. Even on the "off" days I'm in post production working the photos, building galleries and more often than not, trying to stay ahead of the curve with the constantly changing digital world.

While this blog is set up primarily for information on my Wedding Photojournalism, I will be updating during the week with images and situations I feel sheds a better light on what I'm all about.

This image was made as a state champion softball team gets ready to travel to Texas from NJ to compete in a national tournament. My job was to try to show the intensity of their workout. While most 16 year old girls are hitting the beach and hanging out, this group had their game face on.

Hey, and as far as the Weddings go, maybe this girl is a future client, ha.

Accepted to the WPJA!

I just got word that I've be accepted to the Wedding Photojournalists Association. This is big for me as their standards are very high and you have to go through a review process before they even consider you for membership. It took three weeks of to hear from them and I was getting a little concerned that I didn't have what it takes in their eyes. Click their logo on the upper left and check them out. You'll see some amazing work.

Normally, I'm not a big joiner of organizations, this is the only group I'm a member of at this point, but this group has raised the bar so high that I'm proud to be on board. They review your portfolio and will not even consider you for membership if any more then 20% of your displayed work (usually your web site/portfolio) is "set up" or staged in any way. This means no "look at the camera," no "smile", no "hold the flowers like this," no "look over here," during the dance. This means the story is told as it unfolds.

Anyway, I am honored to be part of the WPJA and hope to live up to their standards for my clients. I want the couples that I shoot to know that my style is that of a photojournalist. You get "Your Day" documented, from start to finish, in a photographic story, as it happens ... one frame at a time. Check their site and check my site and you'll see what this is all about.
Thanks, Tom

Welcome ...

Welcome to the Tom Spader Photography Blog. I will be updating this with info of my work.

I am presently the head photographer for one of the Gannett NJ Newspapers. My work can be seen daily in the Ocean County Observer, based out of Toms River and the Asbury Park Press, Gannett's prize NJ paper, based out of Neptune.

Twenty years in the daily newspaper world has seasoned my photojournalistic skills and I am now using them to document the wedding day of selective couples looking for that non-posed, non-set up, formal type of wedding photography. The years shooting everyday, capturing moments as they happen, has prepared me for this growing trend in wedding photography. View my gallery and you'll see what I am talking about.

My wedding work has become my passion. It's such a pleasure to shoot at events were you are welcome. As a newspaper photographer, you are usually not very welcome, to the point where threats of violence, arrest and a lot of "please don't take my picture" are the norm. But, those years working that attitude has taught me to be in the right place at the right time, know my equipment and to always be ready. It has also taught me to see every scene as it own slice of life that can be captured, with an artistic touch, and shared for years to come.

That's a brief intro to where I'm coming from. Check my site. Contact me if you think I have what it takes to document "Your Day, as it happens, one frame at a time."

Thanks, Tom