Paci Restaurant

Paci Restaurant

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.


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
 

The Perfect Day

The Perfect Day
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

Change is Good

Change is Good
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







Anjelica

Anjelica


From time to time I am fortunate to receive an unusual photo assignment that challenges my ability as a photographer. As a senior in college I was fascinated by the work of fashion photographers Richard Avedon https://www.avedonfoundation.org/history and Neal Barr https://nealbarr.com/. I tried without success to copy their work using black and white film for my college advertising photography course. Once I started my own photography business, I did photography for a modeling school, and an occasional model portfolio assignment; but I soon realized that there is no market in the Hartford area for fashion photography. That is when I discovered that I am a really a corporate/industrial photographer. Business portraits and photography of machines and metal parts are my main areas of expertise. I consider fashion photography way out of my comfort zone.



In October I received a message from Lori, who I have known for many years, from the time our sons used to hang out together. She explained that her daughter Anjelica had been a runway model in New York City during fashion week and was encouraged to get some photos so that she could get more modeling jobs. Anjelica is currently pursuing an advanced degree in clinical mental health counseling at University of St. Joseph's in West Hartford. She enjoyed working in New York so much, that modeling could become a nice side hustle while in grad school.




Lori agreed to be my photo assistant and stylist for Angelica's photo session.  Since it was mid-October, the sun is lower in the sky and creates a beautiful light; and the fall foliage makes such a nice background, we decided on several outdoor locations. I am not a big fan of photographing without complete control of the lighting, so every image has a blend of flash and natural light. The sunlight that day was spectacular in Center Park and Wickham Park in Manchester, CT. 







Anjelica modeled three different outfits. After taking a few dozen frames; my photographic anxiety was gone, I got in the zone, and took hundreds of photos. I don't plan on doing any more fashion photography in the near future, but I thoroughly enjoyed this photo assignment.  It was another perfect day!

Tim Becker

Creative Images Photography

901 Main St.

Manchester, CT 06040

860-528-7818

tim@2cimages.com

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Seafood in Torrington, CT

Seafood in Torrington, CT
Torrington , Connecticut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrington,_Connecticut, is a former mill town in the northwest hills of Connecticut along the Naugatuck River Valley. Torrington is not usually known for fresh seafood, like the towns along the Connecticut shoreline; but that has changed. I was recently asked to photograph the new Salt 2.0 restaurant https://salt20togo.com/ which is owned by Brook Noel and Andy Stowers, located at 84 Main Street in the former Mertz Department Store building, They also own the Saltwater Grill in nearby Litchfield.

Connected to the restaurant in downtown Torrington is the restored Warner Theater, which has 1700 seats and was built in 1931 by Warner Brothers as a first run movie theater.


Andy gave me a tour of the newly renovated restaurant and I was very impressed. Everything was brightly colored and shiny. There is also a second-floor dining room that overlooks the main dining room and bar. Even the lighting fixtures are amazing. This was going to be a fun assignment!


It also was a perfect weather day with bright blue skies and wispy clouds. I started taking the exterior still photos and then worked inside. I went back outside to produce the virtual tour along the sidewalk where there were numerous outdoor tables. Next I worked my way through the take-out area, bar, three main floor dinning rooms and finally the second-floor dining room. You can take the tour here: https://goo.gl/maps/mJcxUjVS24nHTFbPA There is an "elevator button" in the lower right hand corner to reach the second floor virtual tour.


It was late afternoon before I was done, and I headed east back to Manchester along scenic Route 4. I am looking forward to visiting again without my cameras; but with a hearty appetite for seafood and chowder!
 
Tim Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
tim@2cimages.com


 
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