Two Sticks Studios – Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Poconos Wedding Photographers » Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Poconos Wedding Photography, Senior Photography and Portrait Photography

Steph and I had our anniversary Saturday, so we decided to leave Eliza with Steph’s parents and spend a relaxing weekend together in Philly. I went to college at The University of the Arts in center city Philadelphia, and try to get back at least once a year. Living eight blocks from Independence Hall for four years apparently wasn’t close enough for me to ever take the tour. So we did the tourist thing and visited the birthplace of our nation. The Declaration of Independence was adopted there. The Constitution of the United States was drafted and signed there. George Washington, Ben Franklin, yadda, yadda, yadda … Enough about history and on to the important part of the trip … THE FOOD.

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that despite my wife’s best efforts, our trips are usually planned around food. So here’s the rundown from Saturday…

 

Lunch at DiNic’s in the Reading Terminal Market…roast pork sandwich with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe … mmmm

 

Dinner at Morimoto ( the Iron Chef ) early in the evening … the seats were full about 15 minutes after this photo

 

Soft shell crab roll                                                                            Raw yellow tail and avocado salad

 

Kobe sirloin

 

Best idea ever…Tutti Frutti… a wall of about 10 frozen yogurt flavors that you dispense into a tub, ranging from small to giant…then add your toppings buffet style. The best part…it tastes like ice cream, but it’s HEALTHY! Think I might have to open a Tutti Frutti franchise in Scranton.

 

That room in Independence Hall where all that important stuff happened

 

Center City at night

I’m always using my phone for pictures when I’m not dragging my camera gear around. That being said, I’m a guy so I also love new toys, even if they are just apps on my phone.  I found this one that allows me to take panoramic pictures. I just started playing with it but am already seeing the possibilities. The app is called Pano. It works by stitching together up to 16 photos and turns it into a panoramic. It even gives you a way to line up your next shot so the finished photo will seem seamless.

It sure beats buying a top quality panoramic camera, which costs thousands of dollars. This one sells for $1.99. Below is my first effort. It’s six photos pulled into one. Not bad at all.

Okay, so I decided way too late this week that my blog post today was going to be the video of our engagement session with Annette and Darren. Annette’s brother-in-law, Eric Toffey, shot the video for us using one of our 5D Mark IIs. Pretty good job for his first time using the camera and hand-holding it at that. I was hoping for more explosions, but Michael Bay wasn’t available.

I started putting the video together last night by going through all the video Eric shot for us and deciding what to include. I ended around 4 a.m. this morning after sending a Facebook message to Jason O at 3:31 a.m. asking if we could use his music. He actually got back to me at 3:38 a.m. What the heck was he doing up?
Luckily, Eliza decided to sleep in until almost 8 a.m., so by the time I got to bed, I got almost a full 3.5 hours of sleep. Woohoo!

Anyway, it came together pretty quick last night and I just want to thank Eric for the video, Jason O for the music (check him out at http://jasonomusic.com, his stuff is awesome) and Annette and Darren for being a great couple.

Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of shooting Amanda and Keith’s engagement photos. For you loyal blog readers, you’ll see we shoot a lot of these sessions at state parks. So this week’s tour took us to Frances Slocum State Park – another great location. But no location can take the place of a great couple like Amanda and Keith. As you’ll see, Keith is in the Army. Amanda was getting ready to graduate from Penn State. By the way, congrats on the graduation, Amanda. You guys are terrific to work with and we can’t wait until the wedding.

We always ask couples about how they got engaged. They usually make for some great stories. Amanda and Keith did it in Gettysburg at Jennie Wade’s home. Jennie was the only civilian casualty during the battle and her story is unbelievably tragic. A confederate bullet passed through her door and killed her. Her fiance, a corporal in the 87th Pennsylvania, died days later from wounds received during the Battle of Winchester. Keith tells the story much better, but there is a legend about sticking your finger in the bullet hole and then getting engaged. The second time they visited the site, Amanda stuck her finger in the bullet hole, then turned around to find Keith with an engagement ring.  So cool!!!!!

Also, thanks to Keith for his service to our great country!

  • May 17, 2011 - 6:40 pm

    Mom Valenti - Just wanted to say LOVE the photos!!! Cannot wait to see the rest of them. And way to go to get a picture of Peanut!!! thanks for making our daughter feel so special:)ReplyCancel

  • May 27, 2011 - 1:45 pm

    Chad Sebring - Thanks for the kind words. We hope you loved the rest of the photos. They are a great couple.ReplyCancel

Taking Annette and Darren’s engagement photos this past weekend made me think back to the last time we were shooting at Green Gables in New Milford. It was for Annette’s sister’s wedding last May. That’s where we first met Annette and Darren and got to see first hand how much fun the whole family is.

If the food and the fun are half of what they were last time, this wedding will be a blast!

Here’s a few pictures of the family from Maria and Eric’s wedding. Happy anniversary kids!

 

Any time you get to take photos of friends it’s usually a great day.  So over the weekend we headed to Green Gables Restaurant in New Milford for Annette and Darren’s engagement photos. We met them through shooting Annette’s sister’s wedding  – one of the all-time great weddings by the way. If this engagement session was any indication, their wedding is going to be just as fun. They’re a great couple and a blast to hang out with. Not to mention, Bob and I love shooting at Green Gables. The whole place is just awesome. There are so many good places to shoot and the entire family is just so welcoming. It doesn’t take long to feel like one of the family.

And by the way, if you’re in the area, try the prime rib. Trust me.

  • May 10, 2011 - 4:27 pm

    Conigliaro - Thank you guys so much for so many nice things to say! We love our place and are so very glad to have you two shoot the kids’ special event. Your work is impeccable and your talents are out of this world!

    See you again soon!

    Carol and PeterReplyCancel