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

My sister had her Reunion Friday and I served as her designated driver. (Making our designated driver tally, for those keeping score, Tracie 5000, me– ONE!). But this was an important one, with important cargo. The class of ‘90 all had a great time, looked great, and it was great to catch up with some of my really good friends from that era. As a bonus I got to see Gary K and Scotty L, not of the class of ‘90, but two of the best friends I ever had, and two people I have not seen in way, way too long. I took a few pictures and my favorites are below. Special thanks to Rachael G.K., Otts Greentop, and soft lighting… (*gallery has two pages and I recommend NOT viewing with Pict Lens like my blog suggests. I can’t control that!)(**If any of you want a picture let me know, these are low-res. I will send you the full res.)

[View with PicLens]

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I worked my first Eagles event last week for myphl17!   The Eagles have a thing they call FLIGHT NIGHT.  It is basically a practice that takes place inside Lincoln Financial Field the week before the first pre-season game.  The event is touted as a chance for the players to get to experience the Lincoln Financial Field crowd before game action and the crowd to do the same with the Eagles.  It is a much more family-friendly than a normal Eagles game and much, much less packed…

That said?  Being on the Eagles sideline for an Eagles event is one of the cooler things I’ve gotten to do in Philadelphia sports.  From the minute I walked from beneath the stadium onto the field hours before, (pictured right), I felt a bit like Rudy Ruttiger’s dad when he first saw Notre Dame in the movie Rudy.  Seeing the Lincoln field from the tunnel is really inspiring.  The exterior and tunnels at the Linc are very grey and drab and walking out into the bright sunny green field has an OZ like effect.

Even with the entire upper bowl vacant in the stadium, the roar of the crowd during introductions was quite palpable.  Especially from my vantage point along the row of press that lines the field as the Eagles enter the field via their giant helmet.  (I only wish I had a lens that could have benefited from that vantage point!  I did the best I could with what I had, but if I get to do this again Dec. 2, I will make all efforts to have the 200mm 2.8 I have been looking at!)  As you could imagine the loudest roar came for Kevin Kolb and the Kolb era is officially underway.  The crowd also loved Desean Jackson, Mike Vick, and Brent Celek. among others.

In my travels before and after the game I happened to see a bunch of friends from various places and times of my life, which doesn’t really happen so much when i cover Phillies events.  For Eagles, you are out the the whole time though, and people just find you easier.  I was really happy to see my buddy Ethan and his son, my buddy Bob and his family, my friend Michelle and her dad and daughter and my friends Tom and Paul that were on their way to Eagles Camp after the practice.  That was awesome and doesn’t happen nearly enough at the other events I get to do.

Flight Night was broadcast on WPHL-TV live and the three galleries I shot, (Eagles Fans, Eagles Players, Eagles Cheerleaders) appeared on myphl17.com the next day.  They are linked below.  I was joined on this shoot by WPHL’s Travis Brower and Bob Seiberlich… Go Birds!