Star Spangled Night at the River Concerts!

We spent an enjoyable evening at the River Concert at St. Mary's College of Maryland on Friday, July 5th listening to patriot favorites and songs of the sea and sailors.  We had NO rain.  Jeffrey Silberschlag, the music director remarked that, "Last week we played "La Mer (The Sea)" and we were almost washed away".  Actually, I'm not sure if the Chesapeake Orchestra actually played "La Mer", but it was a funny comment anyway.

Volunteering for theBaynet.com and the Chesapeake Orchestra means I take lots of pictures and try to get a sampling of everything going on during the concert and at the location.  This includes the vendors, the orchestra members, the special performers. the weather and the crowd.  Of course, for this concert there were also FIREWORKS!  The only photos I didn't get a chance to take were of people dressed up for the fourth of July.  I just didn't see anyone in red, white, and blue.  I did notice that some people even brought a table to eat upon and others brought a small tent.  (I haven't figured out why they needed the tent though.)  I got some lovely pictures of the very photogenic and talented soprano soloist, Ms. Jennifer Page.  She posed very nicely for me while waiting to go on stage.

I just love all that patriotic music!  Who can resist Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, even if he wasn't an American.  And John Phillip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes".   

I'll give you a few photos here, but please click on the BayNet.com for my full set of photos and a review of the concert.

Don't miss next Friday, July 12th at 7 P. M. for Everybody's Singing.  The concert will be conducted by Larry Vote, my former choir master and friend.  Much of the music will be Aaron Copland.

 

The Chesapeake Orchestra

 
 

 

Jennifer Page, soprano

 

Peter, That Wolf & Other Wild Things River Concert June 28, 2013

It's official!  Jim and I are THE volunteer photographers for the Chesapeake Orchestra and the River Concert series.  We've been taking photos of the River Concerts for so many years.  It was time to put our photos to good use!

Last Friday's concert featured Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and the talented young dancers of the local Ballet Caliente, directed and read by owner Sheryl-Marie Dunaway.  The children and young adults were excellent! 

I photographed the rehearsal as well, since the threat of thunderstorms and even large hail existed. Fortunately, the hail didn't materialize.  The stage had to be wiped down using towels and a broom.  There were even two very quick rainbows.  Concerts with rainstorms are interesting because I tend to meet new people when you share rain shelters.  This time I met some orchestra members and the young adults under a tent for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education.

Here's a few of my favorite photos, but you can see lots more of my favorites pictures at the Baynet.com  http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/32748

Some musicians from the Chesapeake Orchestra

Peter. herself

The poor duck was just eaten, hence the feathers were flying!

 

The next concert takes place on Friday, July 5th, 7 P. M. on the green at St. Mary's College of Maryland.  The concert features Soprano Jennifer Page, lots of patriotic music by Sousa, Tchaikovsky, John Williams, Richard Rodgers, etc. and FIREWORKS!

Second River Concert at St. Mary's College of Maryland Performs Tonight.

The second River Concert of the season starts tonight, June 28th, at 7pm featuring "“Peter, that Wolf,” & other Wild Things".  The concerts are held on the green in St. Mary's City at St. Mary's College of Maryland by the Chesapeake Orchestra.  Please come!

Last week's concert included some of our favorite works like Richard Rodger's "The Sound of Music" and "The Emperor's Waltz" by J Strauss Jr. To read my review of last week's Friday night concert  at The BayNet.com visit:

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/32633

The River Concert Series Starts Friday June 21st

The River Concerts at St. Mary's College of Maryland start June 21st at 7 P.M. and continue every Friday night through July 26th. This week's concert is called "Night in Vienna or "Hornaopia""featuring Strauss and Haydn among other works.

The concerts are great fun for everyone, and feature wonderful music by the Chesapeake Orchestra, delicious food and a variety of other local vendors with jewelry, puppets, etc. You can also bring your own picnic if you like. There are even separate sections for serious listeners through serious socializing. They will still be asking for donations this year, so give what you can to help support the concerts.

I'm including a few photos of past concerts.

Jim and I will be cheering them on as usual and have volunteered our photography services to the orchestra.

To learn more about the concerts and see the wholes schedule visit http://www.smcm.edu/riverconcert or visit the Chesapeake Orchestra Facebook page for information about the orchestra.

I hope to see you there!

May 2013 winners from St. Mary's County Camera Club

Here are my winners from May.  You might have seen the first place winner before, my Pink Mist photo from February.  On rare occasions the water gets misty and creates a lovely mood.  There was frost on the ground too.  The photo was taken around 7am.  As most serious photographers know, the best times of day to photograph are early in the day within an hour or so of sunrise and close to sunset.  Photographing in the middle of the day often creates harsh short shadows that tend to be less complimentary to a subject and make the image look flat.

I also received an honorable mention for this unique photo of  weeping cherry blossoms.  I have tried taking cherry blossom photos from all different angles and even held a branch over the water last year.  I thought this shot was unique, shooting straight up from beneath the buds.  I particularly liked the way the blurry flowers framed the subject with a nice curve.  It was taken in my yard at around 5:40pm.

Spring Colors and Reflections

In May, we spent a weekend looking at spring flowers enjoying the beautiful weather.    These are some of my favorites.  I got the dark background on the pink columbine and bluebells by using the Nikon R1C1 Wireless Close-up Flash System.  I have 3 mini flashes that light the flower and I use a fairly small aperture f/22 – f/29.  It’s kind of complicated.  (It’s also fun to use, because most people haven’t seen one before and it creates a little attention at times.)

 

I saw the lovely reflection from nearby azaleas and had to act quickly when some geese swam by.  I couldn’t decide which photo I prefer.  In some ways the green reflection is better because it doesn’t distract from the goose.  The pink reflection on the other hand, is quite unique and vibrant.  Which picture do you like better?

A Visit to the SMAWL Animal Fair

I attended the SMAWL (St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League) Animal Fair at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds on Saturday May 11th and had fun photographing lots of adorable dogs.  I keep practicing my pet photography whenever I get a chance.  Here is a sampling of some of my favorite photos.  Please feel free to name your dog or the dog breed if you see it.

 

 

 

 

 

I know the dog watching the bee is Daisy and the dog posing in front of a green bush is Snookie, a lovely Sheltie.  Both dogs were exceptionally well trained and good at tricks.

 

 

 

I apologize to the lady in the “woofing it down” contest with her dog (if she doesn’t like the photo).  I thought it was so much fun that they were helping each other eat.  I hope she has a good sense of humor!