Now that the winter solstice will be here tomorrow; the day with the shortest amount of daylight, I'd like to look back on a photo assignment that I did in the middle of last June. This was one of the few days in Connecticut that I would describe as a perfect day, with just enough warm wind for the flag to fly.
Every once in while I get a photo assignment that makes me ask myself "am I really being paid to photograph this beautiful place, on a perfect day, without a cloud in the sky"? Harbor One Marina, on the ocean in Old Saybrook, Connecticut provides slips for beautiful yachts, has their own restaurant, a large picnic ground, and a gorgeous swimming pool for their members.
In addition to still photos, I also took 360 degree panoramas: https://goo.gl/maps/2LvqLRPmZyk for Google and Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/3cWm5CyXKHz.
Although it has been very gray and cold in Connecticut, and we have received about 16 more inches of rain than normal this year, I am looking forward to the daylight increasing a little bit each day, and to more perfect days. Only six more months to Summer!
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
tim@2cimages.com
From time to time something can go terribly wrong on a photo assignment that has nothing to do with my photography gear failing, or a big mistake I made.
On a bright sunny Monday in August, I was assigned to photograph a beautiful restaurant in Southport, Connecticut which is over an hour drive west on I-84. The Paci Restaurant is in an old renovated brick train station. The train platform is still there adjacent to the restaurant. The train mainly brings commuters to work in New York City and back home again.
On a bright sunny Monday in August, I was assigned to photograph a beautiful restaurant in Southport, Connecticut which is over an hour drive west on I-84. The Paci Restaurant is in an old renovated brick train station. The train platform is still there adjacent to the restaurant. The train mainly brings commuters to work in New York City and back home again.
I introduced myself to the owner and I took a self-guided tour of the bar, outdoor patio, and the dinning rooms on the first and second floor to get a feel for how I would create the Google virtual tour and still photos. The restaurant was normally closed that day and it was set up nicely for photography.
As I started taking the still photos I was approached by the owner who was quite upset about a clock in the main dining room that wasn’t working. I told her that I would continue taking photos of the outdoor patio, and the bar area while she got it working again. She told me that the clock has always been a main feature of the restaurant's ambiance, reminiscent of the bygone days when the train station was in full service and I wouldn't be allowed to photograph the dinning room if the clock wasn't working. I didn’t remember seeing a clock anywhere in the dining room.
I had the sinking feeling that I would need to complete the assignment on another day, taking another one hour drive each way again, wasting half a day. Additional help was called in to diagnose the issue with the clock. As I eventually found out, the clock was virtual. It was a projection of a clock on the brick wall from a laptop computer. After a long wait it was discovered that the problem was a faulty HDMI cord that had frayed.
As you may remember from a previous post, I strive to have back up gear with me at all times. I happened to have a new HDMI cord in my camera bag which had come in handy when an owner of an auto dealership wanted to view the photos I had just taken, on a big screen tv in his office. Having it with me saved me from a rescheduled photo assignment this time. The virtual clock looked great; harkening back to the time when most people didn’t own a watch and trains were the main mode of long-distance transportation. The trains were always expected to run on time.
I happily worked my way through the restaurant photographing still images and panoramas which would go up on Google and Google maps. The owner told me that often couples would meet at the restaurant to have dinner after a long day at work and a train ride back home from New York City. You can take the virtual tour here: https://goo.gl/maps/vxxnDpBfFeANousm8
Despite the anxiety, this is why being a photographer brings me joy. I can’t think of a more pleasant way of spending the day than photographing a beautiful restaurant on a warm summer day, except maybe the time I got to photograph the marina in Old Saybrook, CT. http://info.2cimages.com/blog?search=perfect%20day
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main Street
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
From time to time, I get a photo assignment that has me asking myself; are you kidding me? Am I really being paid for this? The Spring weather in June was glorious with low humidity and puffy clouds in a nice blue sky
Very much like my previous “Perfect Day” blog, there was a nautical theme. I was assigned to produce a Google virtual tour and still photos of a charter fishing boat called the C-Devil II docked on State Street in Narragansett, RI.
I have done Google virtual tours of many interesting businesses since 2013, but I never did a virtual tour aboard a vessel before. I walked up to the C-Devil II and I was granted permission to come aboard by Captain Kelly Smith.
They had just come back from a fishing trip earlier that day.
I set up the virtual tour as you walk down the dock, then board the C-Devil, and go inside the cabin.
You can take the tour here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wQgQ65xvTQp8QoLfA
The array of electronics aboard is impressive. After taking a variety of still shots of the exterior and interior I asked Captain Smith if there was anything I missed. That is when I got some bonus photos.
“I have a new clean diesel engine if you would like to see it” the Captain said. Yes, yes, I would love to see your new engine. The next thing I knew the floorboards were removed and I got to crawl around the bottom of the vessel to photograph the new engine. I am fascinated with any kind of engine since I have removed and replaced engines on several of my own cars over the years.
The Scania engine built in Sweden has over 600 horsepower and is impressive. This photo assignment was a joy and made for another perfect day!
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com
In 2021 I was contacted by a national commercial real estate company and asked if I would be interested in photographing a large aircraft hangar that previously was a service center for corporate jet aircraft, next to Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
My answer was yes, yes! I would love handling the assignment! This would be dream job for me and I would get to experiment with a new technique that I wanted to try; placing my DSLR camera on a 16-foot-high stand and triggering it with my cell phone for an elevated view. I also was quite intrigued by the opening and closing action of the hanger doors. I got the assignment. I tested my idea of an elevated view and I must admit I was nervous about having my camera up 16 feet in the air with just a sand bag holding my light stand down.
My test shot worked out great and I was ready to try my "elevated view" on the assignment.
When I arrived for the assignment I found out that I would need a temporary pass from the Bradley Airport Authority to walk on the runway. This would take several days, so I decided to split the assignment into two days. The first day I worked on photographing the interior of the hanger from several directions on ground level and and with my 16-foot elevated camera as well as the offices, mechanical rooms, meeting rooms and the pilot’s lounge.
A few days later I returned and took the exterior photos of the building from ground level and from an elevated level.
I also took a 360-degree image of the interior of the hanger. Then I set up two video cameras; one outside and one inside the hanger to capture live action of the giant doors opening and closing. You can view the video here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lppl1ncrxo683gn/Hanger_Doors_Opening.mp4?dl=0 It was a nice clear day with a blue sky and low humidity. This project was a joy and I got to try a new way of getting high angle photos. Recently I drove by the building and I was pleased to see that a new company had moved in. Another perfect day.
Tim Becker
Creative Images photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com
For everyone who hasn't heard, I recently moved my professional photography business. I have been told that the hardest part of a change, is the transition. I'm still adjusting to the transition from my big photo studio, to my shared work area at Work_Space at 901 Main St. in Manchester, CT. It made perfect sense to make the move, after having my business in a industrial park for the last 11 years. Shared work environments are clearly the wave of the future for small business owners; but change is not easy. Instead of my own quiet office, my desk is now in a common area, with other business owners.
My studio is now a large conference room at Work_Space, with the tables folded into a corner. I also have access to a huge studio in a neighboring town, which I can rent by the day, when I need it. Work_Space is a three minute drive from my home. The cost is a fraction of my big studio. and I have met some amazing co-workers. My trash is emptied for me every day, and the coffee is free. I still do the vast majority of my still photos, business portraits, and Google virtual tours on location at business offices, retail stores and on construction sites. What has changed is where I do the my digital editing, and meet with clients. I don't like change, but In many ways I am living the dream. I have found that change is good, once you get used to it!
~Tim Becker
