Christmas night sky: Jupiter above the Moon

Eric pointed the sky out to me as we arrived home after spending all of Christmas Day with good friends.  Jupiter above the moon .. Beautiful.  For more info on tonight's sky, click here. And to see it posted on Patch.com, click here.  (And click on photo to enlarge)

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook photography page, please visit here.  Thank you!

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

Eric and I spent a couple of evenings folding and cutting snowflakes to send up to comfort the children of Newton Connecticut along with thousands of others around the country.  The CT Parent Teachers Association wants to create a Winter Wonderland when the children enter their new school building.  We watched a YouTube video to learn how to cut them. Click here for the story and the address.  Deadline for arrival is January 12.

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook photography page, please visit here.  Thank you!

Departure from the norm: Shooting a car accident

Shooting car accidents is not my usual milieu but my Patch editor gave me props for these shots, taken this morning in Midland Park.  Evidently, an elderly woman mistook the gas pedal for the brake and her car broke through a railing onto the parking lot below.  Midland Park Police, Fire and EMS crews were very reassuring to her and she was extricated from the vehicle within a short time.  An officer at the scene said she was "fine, alert and stable." My dad was a volunteer fireman for over 35 years in my hometown of Palisades Park.  He was in my thoughts as I watched these men at work. 

Click here to see more photos and the article ..

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook photography page, please visit here.  Thank you!

"Deck the Halls" Christmas house lights finalist for Patch.com

A finalist in the Patch.com annual "Deck the Halls" Christmas lights decorating contest was announced today.  Jerry Ghinelli, a resident of Wyckoff who lives beside Zabriskie Pond, was thrilled to hear that he is one of the 24 lucky finalists.  The grand prize is $100,000 to be used in the homeowner's local school district.  If he wins, he wishes to have the funds used for security to protect Wyckoff school children.  Click this link to read the Patch story and to vote for his home.  

Here are some of tonight's images, shot in a drizzling rain with a Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 18-105mm lens, tripod or Nikon SB800 flash.  Click on any image to enlarge.

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook photography page, please visit here.  Thank you!

The Shore .. Six weeks after Sandy

Hurricane Sandy made landfall at the Jersey the shore six weeks ago.  For Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, recovery is still very much underway.  Eric and I went down yesterday as part of a business trip.  Here are a few of the images.  (Click on any to enlarge).

Today, Eric and I assisted the Moonachie-Little Ferry Relief Fund by going door to door to check in on storm victims closer to our home.  In Little Falls and Moonachie, residents had just 20 minutes to act before a five foot wall of water surged through their neighborhoods, drenching everything in their basements and on the street, including their cars.

Most of those who answered their doors to us seemed to be doing OK.  Most had already removed wet sheetrock and remediated the mold issue. Others just wanted to tell us their stories.  We located and reported one home with a small child where toxic mold could become a serious issue.

For residents who were not at home, we left a brochure with a phone number to call to receive free, volunteer help for whatever issues they may have, related to the storm.  Anyone can help by contacting the Volunteer Center of Bergen County by clicking here.

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook photography page, please visit here.  Thank you!

Tree Lighting in Midland Park, NJ

Eric and I went down to the municipal building tonight to attend the town's tree lighting.  We've got so many kids in this wonderful little town.  It was a joy to see their faces as they met with Santa.  (Click on any image to enlarge)

To view my NEWLY REVISED event photography website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook page, please visit here.  Thank you!

Brave Wounded Warrior

On Friday, I had the honor of photographing four of our courageous Wounded Warriors for the Fallen Heroes Fund while they filmed a Public Service Announcement.  The shoot was held at AOL Studios in NYC.  Each of these servicemen suffered profound physical, personal and mental losses in defense of our country.  Here is one of the heartbreaking images of the day.  Donations to assist these brave veterans may be made by clicking this link.  

(Click on image below to read about the NiCoe state of the art facilities for treating our wounded heroes suffering from traumatic brain injury).

For more Intrepid events, please visit my NEWLY UPDATED website .. http://www.proofpositivephoto.com/ .. Under "Gallery" and then "Events at Intrepid".  Thanks!

Red Breasted Nuthatch spotted

With the odd weather we've had the past few years in northern New Jersey, including our first hurricane in ages, its not surprising that our wildlife would be affected.  One of the benefits (we're told) is that Red Breasted Nuthatches have made a few appearances in our area.  I was lucky enough to capture one with my camera last Friday, November 30.  Here he (or she) is, along with a few other backyard visitors spotted recently in our yard.

My Red Breasted Nuthatch photo was featured today on author Jim Wright's blog from the Celery Farm, a local bird habitat.  Click here to see his posting and blog.  As a local birding expert, Jim also writes a weekly column on birding for The Bergen Record newspaper.

This was a "no-acorn" year, so the squirrels have been raiding the suet even more than usual.

The Sparrows can see me through the kitchen window, but its such a common sight that'd they are more curious about me than anything.

This little Sparrow is puffed up on a frozen branch, trying to keep warm during the day-long snowfall we had after Hurricane Sandy.

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook page, please visit here.  Thank you!