Recent Posts

Categories

Archive

Apr
14

“Elmira’s Flat Iron Eulogy”

This past year I haven’t gone out and done much “fun” shooting…. shooting stuff just for the hell of it. Just didn’t feel it. Well today was my day to break out of my “Covid-19 Coma”
21 years ago when I was scouring old Elmira, looking for some Grand Old Warehouse where I wanted to locate my soon to be New Studio, this building immediately caught my eye. It was so unique, and could have been a really neat Studio setting, but even in 2000 the place was way beyond repair, that is unless you had a Million Dollars to pump into it. So needless to say I moved on & found and rented my first home just around the corner at 352 State Street before buying my current 211 Studio Building here in Horseheads.
So after seeing all the recent, advanced deterioration of the Flatiron’s roof & upper bricks & the rest of the decay that was destroying this unique Elmira structure, and then learning that it’s days were soon to be numbered, I made my trek downtown to put this Grand Old Lady to Photographic Sleep!
Enjoy, and remember to click on images to enlarge to full size!
PS: if anyone from the City of Elmira or Chemung County DPW sees this, (I believe you guys will be tearing it down) please message me. I want to ask you a question before this building gets hauled away brick by brick to the eternity landfill. Thanks!

 

Jan
15

Someday’s Do Come True…

In December I had a 211 Studio Shoot of a couple of “Rose’s”, my friend Mike & his Dad Chuck, both local Firefighters.
Mike is a Firefighter with the Corning City F.D. as well as a member here of the Horseheads F.D., while his Dad Chuck is a member of the Elmira Heights F.D.
Mike also brought to the shoot an old picture from when he was just a four year old boy at the Ward ’79 Parade in 1983, standing with & dreaming of joining his Fireman Daddy someday.
Well….Someday’s Do Come True….and Here’s the Proof!
20171209-72dpi_6535-70crop

 

Jan
13

New Hero’s

From a recent December Shoot in the 211 Studio, we add two more previously missing members “Hero Cards” to the Elmira Heights Fire Department Members Gallery.
ROBY_don_6763CARD72ROSE_chuck_6643card72

Jun
20

Meagan & Shawn’s Superhero Wedding @ Wagner’s!

Finishing up Meagan & Shawn’s Wedding from a few weeks back up at Wagner Vineyards.. It was kinda neat & special in that it followed a Super Hero theme, from Clothing, numerous Super Heroes in attendance, and finally with the beautiful sunset of the planet Krypton, viewed from the Wagner’s Ginny Lee Cafe Deck.
20170520-MCCALL-137720170520-MCCALL-137820170520-MCCALL-138620170520-MCCALL-132720170520-MCCALL-143420170520-MCCALL-124820170520-MCCALL-126720170520-MCCALL-175820170520-MCCALL-177820170520-MCCALL-179820170520-MCCALL-177520170520-MCCALL-165520170520-MCCALL-170620170520-MCCALL-215720170520-MCCALL-209920170520-MCCALL-209420170520-MCCALL-208420170520-MCCALL-2082

May
17

Deja vu…..All Over Again!

My Wedding Shooting Philosophy has always been…”When something works…USE IT!”
So once again a few weeks ago,  I found myself at this Classic location, with my Wedding Guys for this Cool Shot! What made this shoot doubly neat, or more accurately “more Quadruple-y Neat” is the fact that FOUR of the guys appear in BOTH Images!
in 2014 was Jon & Katie’s Wedding…..and this year 2017 we were back for Greg & Ashley’s Big Day.
With this gang…I have a good feeling we’ll all be back here again!20170429-RB1_482620140906-RB1_8082

May
13

History In Horseheads – Little League Under The Lights! 05-13-17

The scene from tonight’s very first “Night Game” at the Just Installed, Newly Illuminated Horseheads Little League Complex.
First Wrigley Field…..Now Horseheads….What’s Next???|How Cool!
20170513-RB1_8176

May
10

Rest Peacefully My Friend

One thing that I can say for sure, after Shooting Full Time for over Eighteen Years now, is that I get to meet a heck of a lot of people, see a lot of things that I wouldn’t normally have seen, and get to be a part of many, many events. Some Happy, Some Sad, Some Trivial, and Some that are just Kinda Special. This is one of those Special Ones…
Enter Mr. Bill Shaw…
I never knew Bill, till that big Knitting Mills Fire in Elmira Heights in January 2016. That night I laughed so hard after hearing what this Lifetime Heights Fireman said that night….He was in the Elmira Heights FD for over Seventy Years….some of those years even as Chief. But it seems that Bill always had something on his mind regarding that massive, old brick structure……and that night it was reported that 90 year old Bill uttered over & over the profound statement “I’ve been waiting Seventy Years for this S.O.B. to Burn!”…..and since no one was injured during the blaze, and it was an unusually warm & comfortable night for January 30, I just thought his quip was totally hilarious! This Old Boy is Pretty Cool I thought to myself! Sounds EXACTLY like something I would say!!!
Well, this January 2017 I had the Pleasure to Personally Meet The Legend…when he graced my 211 Studios while coming in for his Formal E.H.F.D. Portrait. His F.D. Buddy Brad Nicholson came along with him, and we all joked and clowned around while capturing a little bit of Bill for Eternity.
Little did we know, but Bill wasn’t going to be with us much longer, and sadly, he passed away this Monday, May 8th.
I only spent 20 minutes with him that Winter Morning, but I’m very glad I had the chance to share those moments with him.
Today I chatted with Heights Fire Chief Mike Cadek here at the Studio, and he quipped that I probably had a Wedding to shoot on Saturday, but I told him actually No, I didn’t have anything going on Saturday….till then that is…. because Mike asked me if I could be there for Bill’s Final Farewell & do the Photographic Coverage as Bill is Laid To Rest. It will once again be my honor to document this very special farewell to a Local Firefighting Legend.
I’m getting pretty practiced & familiar at shooting these things……as Bill will be Number 4 for me…. Dickie Sullivan – HFD, Ryan Barker – HFD & WHVFD, Tommy Lynch – HFD.
So Bill…..one more time……SMILE!
R.I.P. My Friend….

20160131-RB2_4032 SHAW_bill-9711-CARDSHAW_bill-CARD2-9735

Apr
20

“Heights Heroes”

Over the winter I did my third local Fire Department Members Shoot here at the 211 Studio. Here are some of my Favorites from the Elmira Heights F.D…..what I call my “Hero Cards” I created for each Firefighter. Full Bunker Gear, Special Six Light Studio Lighting Set Up, A Neat Beat Up Urban Distressed Background, Smoke  Machine Cranking, and ALL kinds of Neat Firefighter Props to play with! How Much Fun is that? Then throw in a little Creative Photoshop Tweaking to really bring them to life. Enjoy, and maybe you’ll even recognize a Family Member, a Neighbor or a Friend. Thanks to all our Firefighters for your endless hours of Service to our Community!
And Next………Who’s going to be my NEXT Local F.D. Subjects? Contact me now to set up Next Winter’s Shoot for your Department (because I can’t do these full Dept. Shoots during my busy Wedding Season, which just started.)
ALEXANDER_don-CARD-9906 BURNHAM_rob-2498cardCADEK_mike-1666cardCAPARULA_walt-CARD-9835DAVIS_gary-264cardDERR_dennis-0603cardGALE_matt-3012cardGREEN_steve-2865cardHARDY_randy-3435cardHASTRICH_ryan-2557CARDHUNGERFORD_cody-1754cardJENKINS_dick-CARD-9691KADAR_pete-0114cardKAMAS_adam-3489cardKOHLER_kurtis-3189cardMECUM_bill-CARD-0014MITCHELL_jason-CARD-9618MRKUS_bob-0453cardNICHOLSON_brad-0188cardPATELUNAS_gary-CARD2_5843RIKER_jeff-0535-cardRIKER_mike-3050cardROBINSON_rich-3308cardSALVATIERRA_yhon-2739cardSAVINO_amy-CARD-5718SHAW_bill-9711-CARDSHERIDAN_jack-0340cardSMITH_brad-CARD-9978STERNFELS_howie-5830cardTAYLOR_randi-3230CARDWEIGLE_brian-0417cardWITKOWSKI_bill-2799cardSHAW_bill-CARD2-9735

Jan
05

Leave It To Beaver!

While walking Seneca over the past half year we often stroll the grounds of the Horseheads Fire Department, out in the back lot near the remains of the old Chemung Canal. During the Summer I noticed this one huge old tree by the Canal, and that all the bark at its base was being scraped or scratched off all the way around. I hadn’t paid much attention to it since……that is until yesterday! Man Oh Man…. have Bucky Beaver & His Buddies Been Busy over the Holidays!!! I am absolutely amazed at how much of the base of this tree has been chewed down, to the point soon where this massive tree is going to fall down, either into the Canal, or possibly onto the Fire Department Storage Barn that is located very close to this tree. And what’s really cool is that these chips that cover the ground are HUGE, nothing like sawdust, but more so the size of large potato chips! On the Close Up, you can actually see the imprint of the Little Beaver Teeth….Pretty Amazing!

20170105-rb1_866720170105-rb1_866920170105-rb1_866820170105-rb1_867420170105-rb1_8677

Sep
20

Our Attention is….Riveted

I always love the look of this old Railroad Bridge, and what’s cool too is knowing that my Grand Dad worked for the very same D. L. & W. Railroad that built & used this bridge.
Soft & Pretty + Old, Iron & Rusty = Always a Winner!
20160828-rb1_096920160828-rb1_0916

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20160828-rb1_0944

20160828-rb1_0882

20160828-rb1_0973

Go back to top