Late sumer music festivals

I had the pleasure of shooting Vigin's Vfest in Baltimore (thanks Mark for the hook-up) ... and Point Pleasant Beach's own DeLeo brother's (Dean left) with the Stone Temple Pilots. A totally solid set. Bob Dylan and NIN and Kanye were all head-liners but, STP and Paramore killed it. There's a full gallery of the show in the music section of my site and some crowds shots .. which make the show for me. Vfest Slideshow.


Also shot the Van's Warped Tour in Englishtown, NJ. Little bummed that the Bouncing Souls stopped in Camden, but we'll catch them later this fall. That show was good stuff and a very photo friendly day. Low stages, cool security and good images everywhere you turned. Full Slidehshow is HERE.

Busy

I guess summer's on the Jersey Shore are as hectic for those of us that live here as those trying to pack in two weeks worth of fun into a one week vacation. Updates have been slow in coming, my apologies, but I have been busy. A few things to check out would be the four new wedding slideshows posted in the gallery section, the links are below, just click the photo. These four are very different ... one laid back surfer wedding, one country club, etc.

Blondie

I had the honor of shooting Deborah Harry and Blondie at the historic Count Basie Theater last night. She may be in her sixties, but she is still putting it out there. The band was tight and she looked really good. The images won't be on the street for a couple of months and will appear in the new magazine 40-74.
I shot a dance theater in the present issue of 40-74. The top two shots are mine.

Bamboozle Concert

I shot the final day of the Bamboozle East Coast Concert at the Meadowlands recently. Eleven hours of shooting, but I had a blast. Coheed & Cambria and Panic at the Disco headlined ... and, there were killer photos to made everywhere I turned. Check out this 70 photo slideshow and it will give you a good feel of what it was like to be there ... not just those on stage, but in the pit and against the wall. Enjoy the Show

Come'on Spring ...

Spring is desperately trying to take hold here in NJ. I found this new flower on one of the local cherry trees and while it was pretty, it really came alive when I shot through it into the sun's reflection off a nearby pane of glass. Bring on the warm weather.

Album Page Samples 10"x10" Panoramic Layout

The kids are coming ...

Just bought another Canon 5D camera body and have been shooting a little bit of everything. Been doing a lot of test shots and really like it. I'm also getting together some children's portraits and will be launching into some shooting options/sessions. I'm shooting them in their environment. No studio and minimal lighting. I'm also putting together some maternity shots and newborns. While I set this up I will be looking for some "expecting" couples that are looking for photographs of themselves together and the soon-to-be mom alone. I will gladly shoot the session at no charge. I would also like to shoot the baby as early as possible after delivery. Not the type of shots the hospital offers, but emotional, artistic shots and again no charge as I put this all together. So, if you expecting and are excited about photography, contact me. tomspader@comcast.net

"Hey, what do you do all week?"

Well, I think somewhere in my bio area I mentioned I was a fulltime photojournalist for a large newspaper here in NJ. We've recently had a big push for online content at the paper and are posting a lot of photo galleries. I'm not going to go into the newspaper vs. the internet debate as the future will show the winner, I will say that the newspaper combined with the internet as gotten a lot more of my work off the cuttingroom floor. While a few short years ago I'd shoot a job and get one, two, maybe three images into print. While that still holds true today, the internet has opened doors where now the out-takes of the shoot, not always the duds, but ones that didn't fit the page layout or tie in directly with the story now have a new life, the internet photo gallery. (Click on the photo for the gallery).


This was shot at a kid's gymnastics program. There wasn't a written story and it ran as a small photo layout. These 3 years old and their moms had a blast running, jumping, limbo'in ... just an all around good time. These kids will grow up fast, so it was nice to see the parents spending some real quality time with them.

This next group of photos was shot at a local elementary school on their 100th day of the school year. These kindergarteners where asked to dress up as if they were 100 years old ... pushing the number thing I guess.
Some pretty funny stuff going on .... like when asked what will you be doing when you're 100, one kid said he will "bury himself." Another good hearted assignment and with jobs like this I am grateful for the internet. The paper only had room to run one small photo in the paper which makes sense as it was a small story, but the images were fun to shoot and it's great they had a second chance at life.
The above photos are a couple of linked galleries to the Asbury Park Press where I spend my weekdays. I will only link to galleries that are a little more on the lighter side. Photos of people's misery, a sometimes large part of my day, can stay in the ink ... after all you came here through a happy wedding photo site. Check 'em out if you have the time.

Albums for 2008

I finally found an album company that I'm happy with. They offer all the same options of past seasons, plus an much faster turn-around time. Their quality is excellent. They will handle all printing, proof books, leather bound and hardcover albums and canvas prints.
A sample of one of my latest layouts is above. It is not the full album, but some of the highlights to show some of the options available. This album is incorporating not only a digital page design process, but also the bride wanted an artistic touch added to almost all of the photos. This is always an option and sometimes adds a more romantic feel to the images. Some of the black and white photos have been processed to resemble film techniques used years ago. I avoid using the latest trends in processing because they can be just that "trends." I believe you'll want your album to be timeless and not running with whatever fad was "in" at the time. Fads come and go, romance is forever.

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.