2013 Year End Roundup: Pitchers of the Year

Since it's the end of the year, everybody's roundin' up their best pitchers and puttin' em on the web so I thought, why not? Here are my 'pitchers of the year, shot in my studio-in-progress.

Was your year half empty, or half full?

Looking forward to a successful and creative 2014 and keep in mind that my product photography studio in Highland Park is almost ready!

Product Photography Test Shot #4: A Familiar Ring

More shots from that estate sale. What a wonderfully intricate old ring. Anybody know what kind of stone that is?

Product Photography Test Shot #3: Expect the Unexpected

Working out my product photography studio...Giving garlic some class, in fancy glass!

Product Photography Test Shot #2: Family Jewels

More product photos. This time, it's for real: This is for an estate sale of jewelry that will be posted on an online auction site. The family loved this shot of Grandma's jade necklace!

Last Night's Party Featuring the Avi Maza Orchestra in Black and White!

Last night, the Highland Park Conservative Temple and Center hosted their annual December 24th Party, featuring Avi Maza and his orchestra. I was testing the Leica X Vario and although the lighting was colorful, I found many of the shots looked better in black and white. Here they are!

On the other hand, there is something to be said for hyped-up color (and I promise, I didn't saturate any of these!)

People of Highland Park #5: Vijay Maktal, Saiff Drugs

What was a particularly great day for you at Saiff Drugs?

It was a day in 1995, when I was a freshman at the Rutgers College of Pharmacy. On the recommendation of a friend I went to interview with Ivan Saiff for a job as a pharmacy technician at Saiff Drugs. This friend had worked for Ivan when he (the friend) was in law school.

I had no idea what to expect on the interview. And I had no previous work experience, certainly none in the pharmacy business.

I dressed formally for the meeting, walked in to Saiff Drugs, and shook hands with Ivan. He looked at me and said: "When can you start?"

A great reference can go a long way!

I've been at Saiff Drugs for 18 years now and I've become the pharmacist in charge and part owner. It's a wonderful place to work.

@ Saiff Drugs: Highland Park Pharmacy, 325 Raritan Ave., Highland Park, New Jersey

See the entire People of Highland Park series! 

About People of Highland Park: Like modern-day roving vox populi reporters, Harry Glazer and Mason Resnick roam the small suburban town of Highland Park, NJ, looking for interesting people, their stories, and their photographs. Harry's in charge of the words, and Mason does the pix.

Product Photography Test Shot #1: Leica X Vario

Thanks to Leica USA for this cute loaner. I'm fine-tuning my product photography studio system and practiced on the Leica X Vario (among other goodies). This week, I'll share more studio test shots

You can buy this camera, with its 16MP APS sensor and 28-70mm (equivalent) built in zoom, for a mere $2,850 at Adorama. Support my blog and click on this link to buy it!

Need product photography? Give me a shout! masonresnick@gmail.com

Still Life: Tea Leaves

In previous years, whenever I wrote a prognostications for the photo industry for the coming year article, I'd illustrate it with a stock photo I purchased from iStockphoto. This year's different. I did shot myself. This year's theme? Reading the tea leaves.

Whatcha think?

Look for the article at the Adorama Learning Center, coming soon!

People of Highland Park, #4: George Morga, Everybody's Barber Shop

A quick chat with George Morga, a skilled and very sociable barber at Everybody's Barber Shop:

What was your most unusual job?

Serving in the 1st battalion, 7th cavalry of the US Army in Vietnam, 1969-72.

What was your most enjoyable job?

Traveling the world as a guitarist with Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, Barry White, and Steve Miller; also played guitar on Budweiser commercials, for CBS.

How did you end up at Everybody's BarberShop?

To make my dad happy, I got trained as a hair-cutter in a school in Perth Amboy in the 70's (he didn't think that the music business was a reliable career). Angela Nagy, who I knew, brought me into the business in 1992, at another location, and I eventually followed her here.

@ Everybody's Barber Shop, 311 Raritan Ave, Highland Park

See the entire People of Highland Park series! 


About People of Highland Park: Like modern-day roving vox populi reporters, Harry Glazer and Mason Resnick roam the small suburban town of Highland Park, NJ, looking for interesting people, their stories, and their photographs. Harry's in charge of the words, and Mason does the pix.

More Photos from Today's Snowstorm

All photos © Mason Resnick

My Neighbor's Wierd Car Hood Ornaments In The Snow

I have a neighbor who has some rather strange hood ornaments on her car. Here's what they looked like a few minutes ago, during the snow storm.

Photo © Mason Resnick

Avi's Bar Mitzvah Reception: My Faves from the Shoot

Sunday December 1 was my first second paying gig, and as I expected, it went great. After photographing the family and waiting for services to end (I did not have permission to shoot the actual service) the reception began, and I shot away. (For you photo nerds, I set up two Speedlite strobes on tall stands to bring in a touch of back- and sidelighting when photographing the dancing.)

I will be delivering the images to the family shortly, but here are my personal favorites. I'm sure they'll want the more standard posed shots, but I love grabbing those moments when people let their guard down. I find that to be much more interesting, purely from a visual standpoint.

So with that in mind, here are my personal favorites from Avi G's bar mitzvah.

People of Highland Park #3: Rebecca Chapman Smith, Over The Moon Toys

Rebecca Chapman-Smith and her sister Jennie Chapman opened their first store in Highland Park on the urging of their mother. After hearing the two sisters discuss their shared dream of running a running a local store with unique, high quality gifts for years, and approaching retirement from her work as a social worker (and looking for a new project as well), Mom Chapman said: "I've listened to you two talk about this long enough. Start the business!" So they did, with help from mom, opening Through the Moongate in 2004.

They opened a second store, Over the Moon Toys, in 2006, and with wonderful community support both businesses have grown. When a large space became available across the street, both businesses moved in together in 2012. Rebecca, in the photo looking around the store, continues to be encouraged by the community spirit of the different businesses in the building and the strong support of the building's owner.

@ Through The Moongate/Over The Moon Toys, 440 Raritan Ave.

See the entire People of Highland Park series! 

About People of Highland Park: Like modern-day roving vox populi reporters, Harry Glazer and Mason Resnick roam the small suburban town of Highland Park, NJ, looking for interesting people, their stories, and their photographs. Harry's in charge of the words, and Mason does the pix.

Leora and Sam: The Surprise Engagement Party Assignment

Sometimes, the biggest secret to success is simply showing up.

It was about 7:15 this past Saturday Night. Lori and I were getting ready to watch a movie and have a relaxing night before my first paying gig, a Bar Mitzvah reception, the next morning. My cell phone buzzes. It's Mira, a caterer in town. "I'm catering an engagement party right now, and the photographer they hired didn't show up. The family is in a panic. Are you available right now?" After a quick apology to Lori, who was very understanding, and a 30-second negotiation over time and price (I decided to honor whatever deal they made with the other photographer), I grabbed my gear and ran over to the party, which fortunately was less than five minutes away.

Bulletin: I am available for engagement parties! Email me for details!


Needless to say, the family was thrilled. "Honey, you can put away your camera!" said the excited mom of the bride to her husband, (who I found out later is an avid photographer). I spent the next three hours photographing the family and friends enjoying the simcha.  I'll be delivering the images later today; hopefully they'll like them.

Meanwhile, here's Leora and Sam, the engaged couple!

A huge thank you to Mira Septimus and Bonnie Steinhart for the referral!

PS: It turns out the original photographer didn't show due to car trouble. By the time he called the parents of the bride to apologize, I was already on my way to the event. My take-away (as a professional photographer) from this? Redundancy is important...whether it's having back-up equipment or a cab service you can call at the last minute if your car isn't working!

Portrait: Leora Wenger, Web Designer

To announce the arrival of Mason Resnick Photography on Facebook, I offered five free portrait shoot to people who liked my FB page. My friend Leora Wenger, a very talented web designer, is the first of the winners to do a shoot. And, as a crowdsourcing twist, she posted several images from the shoot on her Facebook page and asked her friends to vote for their favorite. This one, not surprisingly, was the clear winner.

Below, my favorite outtake (I think it looks better in B&W)...

 

I don't remember what I said to make Leora crack up, but it must've been funny!

Black Friday Special! (I Promise I'm Not Going To Sell You Anything)

"There are no blacks in photographic prints."—Garry Winogrand.

In honor of Black Friday, I've decided to go black. Below, the first images in a series of photographic studies of common household items that happen to be completely or mostly black.

Without further ado (or any attempts at dark humor), here's my series of Photographs of Black. Most of the photos below should be self-explanatory...although a couple may need deciphering. So: The thing that looks like a tire is actually my dog's chew toy, and the thing below the fuzzy glove is a steak knife handle.

(Be sure to scroll all the way past the last picture in this set to see why the headline for this blog post is a lie.)

OK, so I lied. I'm going to try to sell you something.

If you like these photos and think they might look good as wall decoration, now's your chance to buy them mounted and ready to hang—and without my logo. Visit my "Black" gallery, hosted by Fine Arts America, and you can order each image individually...or the entire set...or any combination...from the comfort of your own keyboard.

Happy Thanksgivukah!

Happy Thanksgiving/Chanukah!

If you need food photography or any kind of product shots, shoot me an email and we can talk turkey! masonresnick@gmail.com

You can order prints of this photo, ready for hanging, at Fine Arts America.

It's a sushi reflection of a Menorah. Happy Sushanukah!

Last year, I photographed a Sushi Menorah for my friends at Sushiana. This year, I created a sushi "reflection" of a menorah. Happy Chanukah and enjoy your latke-stuffed Turkeys, folks!