My family had a little barbecue to say goodbye to summer 2010.  That was the fastest summer yet.  I brought my camera but only took a few pictures.  Here are the best from the day.

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I am a huge horror fan, so even though Monster Mania 15 fell on what was supposed to be a work free weekend, I could not pass it up.  I went hoping to not spend a small fortune, because easily, I could have.  The event took place at the Crowne Hotel in Cherry Hill.  I saw license plates from all over the eastern part of the country and the crowd was big.  Although having covered more than a few events in the “fest”/”con” genre  people are starting to look familiar– and it seems that some people are fans of being fans– in addition to being into whatever the topic of the event is.  But hey, whatever!   There were so many folks that did a cool job and made this a cool event.

I did NOT photograph any of the celebs and I have been asked about that.  I did at Wizard World Comic-Com because the badge was different.  ( Wizard World gave out an actual Press Pass, where as Monster Mania just gave out wristbands.)  The difference is significant because the celebrities are there to sell their autographs and photos and without a press credential, each celeb is going to either have to get a story about who I am, where I work etc., or cash… and that can be time consuming.  So while I did spin by to see the Boondock Saints, William Forsythe, and the Pet Sematary reunion, I didn’t take pics.  Sorry!

But to me it’s about the fans more than the stars.  They are the real story!  Why spend one photo on Warlock when Ritta Rigamortis is there!  So without further adieu, the gallery is below.  I was generally happy with it.  Don’t miss the captions.  They are classic.

Monday I was supposed to be at FDR Park shooting the Philly Phanatic Statues.  Because the temps were in the mid 90’s, I was prepared with shorts, sneakers, and a t-shirt.  Unfortunately that shoot got canceled  (sorry Phanatic!) and the PHILLIES FASHION SHOW by the Shane Victorino Foundation replaced it later in the day.   The good news is I would be going  to a really cool event at The Union League of Philadelphia, the bad news is my shorts wouldn’t cut it.  So, I hiked it all the way back to NJ, then back to Center City to attend the Fashion Show event on short notice.

Most of Philadelphia friends and family will know The Union League , but for the out of towners I will elaborate.  It is very swanky;  picture the old dudes from the Muppets or Randolf and Mortimer Duke from Trading Places.  In fact, I’d be shocked if parts of that film were not filmed inside The Union League.  That is where the Victorino Foundation decided to have this year’s fashion show.  (Special thanks to my cousin Alison for making me have dress clothes at the ready from the christening a week before!)   Otherwise, nice clothes are not always part of my at the ready wardrobe.  (Most people do not seek employment in creative fields because they want to wear the monkey suit every day!)  But hey, sometimes, you have to and this was one of those times.

The Phillies Fashion Show was sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue and included a handful of Phillies and their wives in a runway fashion show of the clothes.  The proceeds benefited the Shane Victorino Foundation for needy Hawaiian children.  (Basically what that charity does is get the children together and say; YOU ARE IN HAWAII, HELLO!?!?!).  Totally kidding, Hawaii has rough parts, (see Dog the Bounty Hunter and Shane actually benefits Philly kids too.)

Almost as old as the money at The Union League is the lighting and architecture.  I decided due to the low light I’d bring my fastest lens(f/2), even though it is a prime lens.  (Prime means it’s fixed, so I do the zooming in and out with my feet…not my fingers on the lens.)  I knew this would be tough in a packed and possibly snooty, (turned out they weren’t btw) crowd.  So, I set up where I thought would be the best vantage point.  It’s a great lens, but made more for portraits and things that don’t need to be zoomed in and out of…

I picked well!  I was really happy with how the shots turned out.  Especially considering the lighting and that the camera was hand held.  The gallery I shot is on its way to being the top single piece of content on myphl17.com for 2010.  Some of the shots are also finding their way onto local blogs which makes me really, really happy.  When something you produces gets displayed and discussed on some of your favorite local blogs?  (Philebrity, Crossingbroad, The 700 Level, The Fightins, to name a few.) It’s quite a compliment.  I enjoy the comments the blogs make on the photos that I can’t!  They are very funny.

I was joined on the shoot by Bob Seiberlich who produced a video spot with Lilliana Vazquez.  He also grabbed me at just the right time to get that sweet shot of Ryan Howard with Miss Philadelphia.  (Bob has been at the news thing a long time and he always helps me find great shots.)  They produced a Better Philly segment that can be seen here.

Below are links to the original gallery in addition to some of the local blogs that used it.

Here are links to some Blogs that picked this up, please visit them as they are all really good!

The 700 Level
The Fightins Blog
Crossing Broad
Tedquarters

Oh… and I guess I have to mention these guys, even though it’s a Braves blog making fun of the Phillies! (Thanks for the “hater” traffic!)
Talking Chop