So I just recently got back from a trip to Jeremie, Haiti. I went with a church, Renew Communities, and it was quite a moving experience... I think the part that hit me the hardest was when we visited patients in the hospital. Now, I don't want to get all heavy handed & Sarah McLachlan on you like she is in her animal cruelty videos, but trust me, it might have been one of the worst places I've ever been... Part of the reason it's so bad because as a hospital you expect that it should deliever certain things: Comfort, rest, attention, healing. While some of these are still true, the gap in this hospital compared to what we know a hospital can provide is staggering... It was very hot, had no electricity and no medication. The most the hospital can provide is a bed, a damp cloth and maybe an IV for fluids...
Moving on...
We went down there and met up with a group called, Haiti Bible Mission. Mark, the leader, and his family live there about 6 months out of the yearTravel, Charity
One of the "perks" if you will, that I found from doing photography is getting back in touch with old friends! I haven't seen my friends Dave and Erika for quite some time but with the advent of a newborn in their lives it gave us a good excuse to see each other again! It's nice to be able to catch up, and get reacquainted with what's going on in our lives. Not to mention that it gave us an opportunity to take photos that will be cherished for years to come of their beautiful newborn, Eden Carmela! Here are some of my favorite photos from our time together, enjoy!
Photoshoots, Newborn Photography
The Carbones! A joyous, fun, life-filled & energetic family! We had a fun, candid family photography session ( two sessions actaully due to not-so-good weather our first time out ). We met at a nearby park and again in their home to capture life together with Dan & Bonnie along with their 5 little ones!! These are some of the cutest and fun kids you'll ever meet! Playful and energetic, they were remarkably happy about me taking their photo and were more than willing to put on a show! Here's a few photos from our time together!
The whole gang!
Photoshoots, Family Photoshoots
Harper Grace Kerrigan!! She's the little bundle of joy that recently arrived in this world bringing happiness, gladness of heart and I'm sure just a *few* sleepless nights to the proud parents of Erin and Jim! We set aside an hour or two one Saturday afternoon and captured some precious moments! Moments between Harper & Mom, Harper & Dad and some images with all three!
We were able to get some great outdoor and indoor shots in a few different settings from the living room to the babies room to the backyard. Harper was pretty easy going that day and seemed fascinated by me taking her picture! Check out a few of the images from that day!
Photoshoots, Newborn Photography
I had the joy of photographing for my first time, a naturalization! I love photographing events like these, not just a naturalization but any significant life event! For instance, a couple years ago I had the honor of being the photographer when my friend officially adopted his two young girls. It was great being with my friend, his wife, the family, and of course his two little children.
Tatyana about to sign her papers.
The naturalization reminded me of this event because we were once again in the courtroom and while there was only my friend and his friend, Tatyana who was being naturalized, I realized what a major life event this is! I loved capturing the whole process: The signing of the documents, the swearing in, the happiness & excitement! Tatyana shared with me later how much her family loved seeing the photos and how much the photos brought back her emotions of that day! Here is a little excerpt of what she had to say:
"I want to thank you for the greatPhotoshoots
We decided to have a fun contest here at Joe Boyle Photography!
Each day we will be posting a photo from one of the travels of Joe Boyle! We might ask you questions like, “What kind of flower is this?” or “Which fact is not true about this mountain?” or the ever popular, “Where in the world was Joe Boyle Photography?” The contest will take place on Facebook so check the "Joe Boyle Photography" Facebook page often!
http://www.facebook.com/JoeBoylePhotography
Everyone who answers correctly will be put into a drawing to win a brand new, super awesome JBP sticker! And, if that wasn’t amazing enough…the winner from each day will be entered into a drawing at the end of the month for a 20% off coupon to be used here at Joe Boyle Photography on an item of your choice! There is a chance to win everyday…I like those odds!
Here is a link to each day's question! Click on the link and write your answer in the FacebookContests
About a week ago some friends of mine asked if I would photograph their newborn baby. They had hired a hospital photographer for photographs right after the delivery, but the photos were way overpriced for the quality so they wanted something better. We spent about an hour and a half together and it was my first time photographing a newborn but we had some really good shots come from our time together!
During our time we had about 1 or 2 "costume" changes and a couple different settings for photos. The little baby was pretty easy to work with, she was a little grouchy whenever she was away from momma for too long. That was challenging but I was able to grab some fun shots before she started crying! Whenever she did cry we would let her fall asleep in her mother's arms and then lay her back down for some more photographs before she woke up. Maybe that's kinda cruel but she'll appreciate the photos when she's older... Right… :)
Why is it so funny for mePhotoshoots, Newborn Photography
This past St. Patrick's day was adventurous and unpredictable! First of all, I'm not a HUGE fan of crowds of people. Such as those that exist at the St. Patty's day parade. I love people, I just hate the shoving, pushing, straining to see, blah blah blah…
On the flip side, I like to go to those events if I know I'll get to spend time with some friends. Plus, if I'm able to help in some way then it's so much more enjoyable. And that's exactly what happened this St. Patty's Day…
I wasn't planning on going to the parade in downtown Cleveland for the above stated reasons, but my buddy who's company was in the parade texted me in the morning and said, "Do you want to walk in the parade with us?" I was like, "Sure. Sounds fun."
My friend Megan
So as I'm moseying around to get downtown he called and said, "Joe! No one brought the pole to hold our banner! Can you bring a 10 foot pole?!" No more moseying afterEvents, Photoshoots
So there is a nice little pine tree right outside my window. It's probably not more than 8 feet high. It's tucked away right up against the house and is pretty dense in pine tree foilage. One day I opened the window and there were 3 birds in a nest, only inches away from the window I just opened! I was startled that they weren't startled - they didn't even budge!
It was a momma bird and her two nestlings and they just sat quietly and kept staring at me with a cold stare - anxiously deciding if I was a threat or not. Of course, I wasn't a threat but I did have to intrude on their space a little bit! A photographic opportunity like this rarely comes along. So I grabbed my camera and took some pictures. Again, I was so surprised how close they let me get - I didn't even need to use my telephoto lens! I think the momma bird was protecting her young and that's why she had the courage to not fly away while I captured their photo.
Here are a couple of the imagesWildlife
I had the joy of photographing a couple friends of mine. They wanted to announce their pregnancy to friends and family and of course post it on facebook and they wanted a few photos to go along with it.
I came over one night and we spent about an hour or so taking photos. We experimented with different styles and lighting, all in the effort to create a fun and jovial photo to help usher in the the good news! Displayed on this page are a few of the photos that we created. I hope you enjoy them!
Photoshoots
Last year I stumbled upon this photo website called Pixoto. It’s a site where anyone can submit photos. Users, which can be other photographers or people simply visiting the site, will rank your photos. The way they do it is pretty neat – Pixoto will display just one of your photos at a time and place it side by side another randomly chosen photo that has been submitted. The user then simply clicks on the photo that they like better. Simple.
It starts off basic and as your photos are chosen (or not chosen) they will receive an “imagescore”. Your photos are then ranked next to photos with similar imagescores. This helps your photo steadily and what seems to be fairly, settle into its “proper” rank.
Like I said, I discovered this site last year and I used it pretty extensively for a short while to test it out. I’m glad I did because it helped me see which photos “perform the best” a.k.a. which photos of mine are “most popular”.
IAwards
I always feel funny about contests of any sort. They're hard for me because I always wrestle with the "Is it worth it question?" Contests can take up a lot of time and money and you might not get anything to show for it - it's a gamble everytime. But I'm relieved to say that I think the Premium Cards Photo Contest was worth it!
Out of 142 photographers who entered the contest I was picked to be in the top 12 by PremiumCards.net. After that, the voting was opened up to the public so they could vote for their favorite photographer.
With this particular contest the top 3 photographers with the most votes won. When the contest first opened up I did a little sharing on Facebook and Twitter and quickly secured the 3rd place position which was good enough for me. But then near the close of the contest there was another photographer who was right on my heels with votes and he overtook me, bumping me out of the winners' circle! So I kicked it into high gear and toldAwards, Contests
I had the opportunity through a friend of mine, the same friend who told me about the Horse Shelter, to showcase & auction off my photography for "The Rescue Inn." A local (Cleveland) based organization that serves to save dogs from kill shelters & abuse/neglect!
The Rescue Inn was raising money for their new shelter and they had dozens of people auction off some great pieces! From photography to pottery to t-shirts to restaurant coupons - there was quite a mix of items going for auction. I entered two photos:
1) A picture of the Cleveland Skyline - sold for $45.00
2) A picture of a stream from the John Muir Trail - sold for $30.00
Both sold for a reasonable price given that it was an auction - together they made $75 for the Rescue Inn - Not Bad! Each photo also had a coupon for 25% off any print that is on this website!
I was glad I could help a friend and have an outlet to show people my work. If you're an aspiring photographer I think this is a great way to marketCharity
I had the wonderful privilege of photographing these awesome friends of mine - Lauren & Tyler! Honestly, it started out as a "lets just grab a few shots for a save the date card..." If you've ever met me however, you know I can't do anything simple!
So we spent about an hour and a half in Medina square, just south of Cleveland, Ohio. We took our time leisurely walking around and shooting pictures! It did start to rain about half way through our time so we snuck inside the couple's favorite coffee shop for awhile.
After a half hour or so we went back outside and the rain provided a beautiful sheen & reflection on the pavement, it looked so awesome! It's for that very reason why I try to never get too bummed out if the weather isn't "perfect". Even inclimate or non-favorable weather can provide some of the most unique and consequently some of the best photos!
Here are a few pictures from our time together along with the save the date Engagement Sessions, Photoshoots
For the past two years I had the privilege of photographing my friend and her lovely puppy, "Belle". We held these photoshoots usually at a nearby park in the fall so we can get capture those beautiful autumn colors!
My friend occasionally frequents "Doggie Luv Bakery", a local pet bakery shop that specializes in making their own wholesome dog treats! They also have all sorts of gifts for your dog and for your fellow dog lovers! Doggie Luv Bakery recently anncounced that they were looking for photos of pets to feature on their treat bags. My friend heard about the contest and submitted a few of my photos from our photoshoot and they chose the one below!
It was featured for an entire month and I must say it was nice to have my photo chosen to be the feature photo! I'm super glad that my friend heard about this contest and submitted photos on my behalf - that was awesome! It's always great to have some local publicity & to help a local business!
Awards, Pet Photoshoots, Photoshoots
I had the opportunity this past August & September to do some very unique traveling. In addition to shooting photography I also do a fair amount of video shooting and editing. One day a friend of mine who is friends with a Tour Manager of several bands asked me, "Hey Joe, do you want to go to South America and shoot video for Megadeth?" Taken aback just a bit by the grandeur of the simply asked offer, I said, "Sure."
Before I knew it I hit the ground running! I was on a plane to Santiago, Chile. Now, I've shot quite a bit of video but never in this industry so I wasn't sure what to expect. I landed in the airport and had a driver pick me up and we were off to our video meeting. Did I mention I flew through the evening, landed in the morning and our first gig was that night!? It was full speed ahead! But after learning the ropes everything went smoothly! I was part of about a dozen shows in South America and 2 shows in India. The pace in South America wasTravel, Events, Photoshoots
