Revival

Friday night brought our staff out to the second annual Ian J Pope Memorial Soccer Tournament at the Sports Dome in WB.  As with the first, sentiments are naturally mixed at this kind of event.  In a perfect world, we would never have memorial tournaments for our friends and loved ones.  In the real world, however, its nice to gather together and celebrate Ian's life- a revival of sorts in memory of a son, brother, friend and teammate.

Last year, we noted how this tournament, and the race/run that the track team organized, are all examples of the strength of Ian's memory.  Now that this is truly an annual event, that strength is even more apparent.  Teams enter that have all different levels of soccer experience- but for many, this is about more than the soccer.  As it should be.  The interesting result of this hodge-podge of enthusiasm is a night of soccer that reminds us more of the Wacky Races than the World Cup.  In fact.....

Sitting here reminiscing fondly of the Wacky Races has a few parallels coming to mind- let's see if this crew can be cast with any kind of accuracy....

The Vendetta = Penelope Pitstop

 This one was the easiest-  the all-girls team competing against the group of mostly boys.  The girls were one of the more skilled and experienced teams, which made their match against the inexperienced, Soccer is for Fairies team one of the highlights of the evening.  True soccer fans will be glad to note that in the end, talent won out over just being interesting.

Bieber Fever = Lazy Luke and Blubber Bear

 

 

Borrowed from Wikipedia... Lazy Luke is a hillbilly who is half-asleep during most of the races. He drives the Arkansas Chuggabug while seated on a rocking chair and with his feet perched on the steering wheel.  Consider that, then look at the hillbilly beards and the conclusion is inescapable-  Jimmy is Lazy Luke.

Caucasion Invasion = Dick Dastardly and Muttley

 

 

 Every league has a team that you love to hate.  Usually, its because of a rivalry, or perhaps envy over their success.  If you are not from Dallas, chances are that team is Dallas soccer-  boys or girls.  The success of those teams can't be denied- but if you play anywhere else, it may not be something that you enjoy thinking about.  The Caucasion Invasion moniker didn't fool anyone- that team looked like Dallas.  To rival fans- they are the "villainous heroes" of any competition they are in.  They are then, the Dick Dastardly of the tournament.  (As an aside- I hope the Dallas faithful will take that as it is meant- a somewhat envious recognition of the success of the program)

Team Boss = The Anthill Mob

 

 

 This one may be a stretch, but there has to be a little artistic license if this is to work.  A team dressed in black, the whole mob, mafia, boss connection??  Maybe?  Ok... they can't all be winners.  On a side note, every team was notified about the team photos, and they were taken in a place that was an attempt to be obvious.  In s few cases though- we didn't connect.  Next time!

Soccer is for Fairies = The Slag Brothers

 

This team went by several names- but they certainly lived up to their claim as "the most interesting team in the world".  Not exactly rich with soccer talent, they did manage to perhaps have the best time of all the squads, and actually held a lead for a few minutes in their playoff match.  One highlight was watching Mike Z. in the goal- his fearless, strong-arm style in the net was clearly reminiscent of the Slag Brothers.

Tunkhannock = Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth

 Another slight stretch, because really, so many players on so many teams look like lumberjacks, that it may be unfair to single out any one group.  This team had a goalie with a little billy-goat beard, and the tattooed guy with the Mose Schrute neck beard- they take the prize.  Consider the beautiful, wooded country around Tunkhannock, and the Buzzwagon  actually seems like a better choice for sensible transportation than the minivan.  Too bad there wasn't a natural gas driller in the wacky races.

Swagga like Finsta = Red Max

Another stretch- Swagga had some cool shirts, with planets as the logo.  Planets, flying, planes....  Add to that the fact that Max looks a little like Braunsen, and Sal always calls TJ Red...  It works.  It has to.

Joe Newmark = Peter Perfect

Again- maybe a bit forced, but this guy looks a bit Peter Perfect-y.  Clean cut, big chin.....  The team may have had the most "normal" uniforms of the night too- White shirts over blue shorts is a classic look.  Aside from the girls, who matched in every detail down to their hairstyles, and this guy, who was just back from the prom, the Joe Newmark team can lay claim to the "all- American boy" look.

Strikers = The Gruesome Twosome

 

 

 Combine the gloomy colors on the uniforms, the semi-creepy names- (Toad....  K-Boo.....  Toadette....) and finally the big, Lurch-y looking fellow (who is apparently 6' 5") and this team could easily be driving the Creepy Coupe.  By the way- there is a reason for numbers on jerseys.  Having two number seven's kind of defeats the purpose though.

The Wu = Professor Pat Pending

Professor Pat drove the Convert-a-Car, which had the capability to be a multitude of different things.  The Wu's uniforms were also a multitude of different things- even the shirts that matched had different spellings of the team name.  Throw a few random yellow shirts into the mix, and this team had a unique mixture of looks that would have made Professor Pat proud.  Consider also that Mark M. will surely look like the good professor in a few years, and this was another easy pick.

If you are still reading, thanks for your patience.  As bad as all that was, be grateful you didn't have to sit through the annual "State of the FotoFink" address.  Perhaps that will come next time.  As before, if there are enough sales before 8/14/10 to make it worthwhile, a donation will be made to the scholarship fund in memory of Ian.  Do what you must- but find a way to use that "BUY" button.....

Finally-

Tournament photos

Everything

Enjoy!

Pictures of You

Summertime is a change of pace here at FotoFink.  Sweaty battles on the athletic field are less prevalent, with weddings and band shoots at least partly taking their place.  Perhaps it is this broadening of the photographic horizons that causes lots of questions from the FotoFink faithful- Do you take Senior portraits?  How about a family get-together?  Can you shoot some calendar photos? OK.....  to be honest, Miss December hasn't approached us for her centerfold just yet, but many have asked about prices for these other sorts of shoots- forcing us to consider- What to charge to take these sorts of pictures of you?

Careful consideration, and research into some competitors pricing, has led us to our official price policy for portraits- senior, family, and any other type we can shoot.

So what can you expect from this kind of shoot?  Generally, it will take about an hour, and you should expect 25-30 different shots to choose from.  We can do this indoors, outdoors, in a box, with a fox....  within reasonable travel distance.  Change clothes, bring props, whatever.  There are 2 options for pricing this kind of shoot- and they are entirely up to you-

Option 1-   Take the disk and run.  With this choice, you get the disk of original, high-resolution files and can make as many prints as you want, wherever you want.  The cost for this privilege-  $200.

Option 2-  Buy prints from me.  If you would prefer to buy your prints from me, we can do things this way too.  There will be a $100 "sitting fee", which will then entitle you to a $75.00 print credit at the regular website prices.  You can mix or match sizes and shots in any fashion that you see fit.

The goal here is to be as fair as possible to everyone involved- you and FotoFink.  My research suggests that this is significantly less expensive than most other photographers- both near and far.  Feel free to agree or not- that's what the comment section is for- at least in part.  There are other services available as well- video slideshows, digital album creation, photoshop retouching, etc. contact me for details on any of that, or to arrange for your photo shoot!

sfinkernagel@hotmail.com

Bob Robert's Society Band

The World Cup marches on, and still- no emails, no phone calls from Getty, SI, or FIFA....  Perhaps they are going to go the whole tournament without requesting FotoFink magic to cover the matches....

Closer to home, our staff did get invited to the kickoff of the Paulsko Summer of '10 tour- since we had the time...  Why not?  It doesn't all have to be sweaty athletes here in FF land.

By now you are wondering- How is he going to tie Paulsko in with that swing-style Jimmy Buffet song?  Let it play, and enjoy the ride....

The tour opened at Senunas'- the home field for the duo. (Down a secondary road that severely shows its age.. have you driven in Wilkes-Barre lately?  Its enough to crack your expensive rims...)  They don't play grunge and they don't play loud-  Its the magic of the music that still draws a crowd.  Promotion is minimal for an event like this- Live Nation doesn't notice the show at all. Still- The faithful get the message like its written on the breeze.  Young folks, old folks (Sorry Mrs R.!!!) bout to cut a rug...  As the performance goes on, the boys in the band put them right in the mood.  And of course, by the time the number ended, they were dancin' in the streets.

Not too shabby eh?-  almost a mashup of some old-guy music with the legendary Paulsko.

Since this was the first time shooting this kind of event, there are naturally some things to be learned-

One of the "rules" of photography is that it rarely looks good to shoot someone so you can see up their nose.  Hard to argue that.

Another lesson learned- not all of the facial expressions are flattering.  At least his eyes were open for that one.

It's hard to match the unbridled joy that comes from gummy bears.

Alright fans-  Enough of this blabbering-  Notice that the gallery linked below is a low-price, steal as much as you want set-up.  The first taste, after all, should be free.  It would be good karma for you to mention where you got the photos if you pirate them-  www.FotoFink.net.  Hopefully, the band will invite us back when its time to shoot the album cover.

Paulsko!

FotoFink!

Enjoy!

Growing Older But Not Up

After a weather related postponement, Holy Redeemer held its annual, year-end, wiffle ball tournament last week.  Considering that all of the "real" sports have finished, the shooting schedule here at FF was incredibly open-  so off we went...

Every year, as the school year ends, seniors graduate, juniors become seniors, etc, etc, we are struck by the milestones, the passage of time and the changes that inevitably occur.  Considering the spectacle of the wiffle ball tournament, it's clear that much of our youth is growing older,but not up- which, if they are lucky, is a trait that will remain with them for a long time.

Ok- the song title is worked in, mushy stuff is over..... onto the photos....

One of the interesting things about still photography is how a moment is frozen forever.  As a result, there are things that can be seen in a photo that may be missed in "real time".  Game faces are like that- It's hard to measure the intensity on a face as an athlete is playing- Check out some wiffle ball game faces...

David     Christine     Katie     This girl

Careful readers will note that in spite of my best efforts, there are some un-named players.   Feel free to help out in that area...

Not every game face is quite so intense.  Some lighter examples-

Rachel     Pete       Elmo

The uniforms were another unique part of the day.  Some were better than others, but this was just disturbing.

Rally caps.  They work better when the umpire is on your side.

As usual, Nate posed for "the money shot".  Several times.  It seems a shame to tell him that the true money shots are when he's not expecting it.

It must be a baseball thing....

Hide behind the bat Carly.  That will work....

Some teams even brought coaches along, to help insure victory.  Here we see a coach working with Kelly, telling her to keep her elbow high as she bats.  Seconds later, here's Kelly batting.

Here's a player putting his best face forward for the camera- can anyone name that Royal?

Timing is everything.  Sorry Erin!

Alright- enough.  Summer hiatus awaits.....

Wiffle ball photos

All the photos you need (for now)

Enjoy!

In My Dreams

Here is a quick note to the faithful fans of FotoFink- There are some more pictures coming- lots in fact, from last week's wiffle ball tournament.  In the meantime.....

Here at the house of FotoFink, we are draped in traditions.  One of my favorites has always been a birthday tradition of "pick your cake".  Mrs. FF has always been in to baking, so as each of us has had birthdays, we have been able to request our favorite cake- chocolate, ice cream, italian love cake... whatever.  Add to this tradition a recent development- the head chef has gone head over heels into cake decorating now as well.....

To keep a long story... medium...  I recently had a birthday.  The question came up- "What kind of cake would you like?"

There are few times in your life where you get these opportunities....In my dreams, how could I combine the skills of my lovely spouse with some of my very favorite things in the world?

Have a look at my birthday cake.  I think I did pretty well.

I am soooo lucky.  Thanks M.

Your Mother Should Know

This game.....  may haunt Royal fans for a long time.  After staging an unlikely comeback, Holy Redeemer twice came within a strike of sealing the victory- only to see the game tied on a play that.....  words can hardly describe.  Apparently, when a batter swings at strike three, which happens to be a pitch in the dirt, it's the same as a dropped ball.  It's a rule that your mother should know-  The batter is free to run to first base.  By the time the Royals realized what was going on, the batter was safely at first, and the runner on third had made his way home to tie the game.  The extra inning was unkind to the Royals as well- with the winning run scoring on a wild pitch, ending the game, the season, and the shot at district glory.

Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?  Glad you asked.....

Crowded, for one thing.  Between very few vantage points to watch the game, and some very directional light that eliminated the third base line as an option, the photos are a bit repetitive.  Was it necessary to capture dozens of shots of almost every pitcher?  Why not?  Use the search box if you want to narrow things down.

The limitations forced a few (hundred) shots from behind the fence too.  It's kind of remarkable that the fence doesn't interfere more with the photos, but there is definitely an impact.  Any shot where the pitcher is looking right at the camera may look a little... soft as a result.

This time, it was Zach.

Baseball faces continue to be some of the best of the FotoFink bunch.  Christian, Steve, and Christian again.  Thanks guys!

Here's a reminder of better times.

Hi Steve.  How are ya?

Hellooo ball...

Here's the background on that last one-  For those who may be completely unfamiliar with classic comedy.  You know it's coming, and it's still funny. 

And awayyyy we go-

Game photos

FotoFink.net

Enjoy!

Just Another Night

Back from a district playoff baseball game, and looking at close to 1,000 photos to edit from 3 different events, 4 different games.....  Unusual?  No- just another night here at FF headquarters.  Happily, this post catches things up- perhaps for a long while as any of the teams we are shooting can have their seasons end with the next loss.

In addition to being caught up, we are nearing another milestone- Once Ian Hunter is completed (2 albums) we will have reached the halfway point of the lifelong project.  It looks like we may get to Warren Zevon while there are still some Ell children in school.

Redeemer baseball is reaping the benefits now of "playing up" a division all year.  Soccer had this happen a few years ago- before "the merge" anyway.  PIAA voodoo allows some small schools to play against the powerhouses all season, then settle back to the AA level for the playoffs.  In the case of soccer, the Hoban team had something like a 2-14 record, then ran all the way to the district finals in the playoffs.  Nice deal if you can get it.  After besting Hanover last week, the Royal sluggers will move on to the semi-finals on Tuesday-  nice run by any measure.

So how was this game?  Let's have a look.....

Watch that one.  It's a one, two, three run shot to give the Royals a lead that they would not relinquish.

Lots of odd faces in baseball- sometimes it is just a tongue slipping out, sometimes it is just the stress of the game showing up on a face.  Check out Christian, Steve, Shawn, Zach and even Mike.

Ideally, there is a ball in every sports photo.  Baseball tests that, since the ball is relatively small, is often in a glove, and moves pretty fast.  Look around this photo for the ball- it's a good argument for protective face gear.

Not to be outdone, Shawn makes sure everything is in its place.

Benches are fun for pictures.  Not sure what is going on here though- some sort off "start the mower" cheer.

Pick-off pictures are fun too.  Lots of 'em

Here's what you need-

Game photos

Fotofink

Enjoy!

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