I have this love hate relationship with Fall. There are the beautiful days when the leaves are brightly colored and the sun shines spreading its warmth on my face and reminding me of the summer just passed. Fall is a special time of year of we notice if we are willing to see and embrace the change.

I had the luxury of volunteering to do the photography for what will now be the Annual Mikey’s Way/Make-A-Wish Golf Tournament at Brookfield CC in Clarence, NY. I am so excited to be able to donate my time and talent  to such great organizations. If you are looking to be a part of something fantastic or have a service or money to donate..think about Make-A-Wish and Mikey’s Way.

This week is going to be busy. One engagement shoot completed. Another scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday a wedding. Here’s a quick peak from Sunday’s engagement shoot. There’s more to come. Enjoy!

Thanks again everyone for reading.

Chris

This post is going to be heavily laden with photographs.   This past Monday I had the opportunity to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the wonderful staff of the Accessium Group and Make-A-Wish. The teams combined forces and with the addition of the Mikey’s Way Foundation put on the First Annual Make-A-Wish/Mikey’s Way Foundation Golf Tournament. The tournament took place at the beautiful Brookfield Country Club.

Rene Robert as he signs one of the “Orange” seats from the nosebleed section of the old “Aud.”

Rene Robert

Two thirds of the “French Connection” joined by Derek Smith, another Buffalo Sabres Alumni.

Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Derek Smith

Below is Ryan Erwin, CEO of the Accessium Group, Rene Robert and Rick Martin of the Buffalo Sabres and Ken Tirohn, COO of the Accessium Group.

I love volunteering my time especially when it involves such a wonderful organization. I’ve attached some photos which I hope you like.

Thanks so much for reading and keep coming back.

Chris

It’s that time of year again when Larry Norton and 97-Rock complete their 28-hour radiothon for Make-A-Wish. For the 16th consecutive year, Larry Norton will spend 28 hours on 97 Rock to raise money to help grant wishes to Western New York children with life threatening illnesses. The Make-A-Wish Radio-thon is your chance to help grant a wish by making a request and pledge to hear any song you want, or bid during our hourly auction on some one of a kind rock and sports items.

I am so happy and so proud to be affilliated with an organization with such an awesome mission. My only concern is “I wish I could do more.” This year after the 2010 Make-A-Wish Gala in May, I decided I needed to do more for the kids. My time is limited so I decided to donate 1% of my total 2010 wedding photography revenue to Make-A-Wish.

During the radiothon I decided to try to do more so I challenged every wedding/portrait photographer in the area to match my gift. I have also decided to donate 1% from my 2011 wedding photography revenue to Make-A-Wish. Please join me helping these wonderful kids and family’s to have their dreams realized.

Thanks everyone for reading.

Chris

I’ve added some of my favorite photos from this years gala. The gala is difficult for me to explain. It’s something which really needs to be seen. It is a “creative black tie.” The theme every year is “Reach for the Stars.” The idea behind the theme is we are all stars. We all have the power to make change in our own lives and the lives of others. Most of us are lucky individuals and have no idea how lucky we are. We live in the wealthiest country in the world where opportunities are at every turn. It is up to us to identify them and to take them. I am one of those lucky individuals. I have a beautiful wife who supports me as well as two great kids. I have super family and friends who also are supportive of me and push me to be better. Of course I can’s forget the fantastic brides and grooms who trust me with their memories. I am privileged to have such a wonderful job. To all of you, I say “Thank you.”

This has to be my favorite photo from all of the portraits which I took. 1-minute with Sarah and you realized why you were at the gala. If Rob looks familiar it’s because I photographed Meagan and Rob’s wedding on January 9, 2010. You can see photos from the couple’s engagement and wedding here.

Ken and his team starred in “Revenge of the Nerds.” Ken is the COO of the Accessium Group and Secretary of the Western New York Chapter of Make-A-Wish. Ken is also the individual who has helped me to become involved with Make-A-Wish.

Grrrrr! This is the fun booth and the spirit of the annual gala. Have fun and support a great organization.

Dallas Pace and her friends. Dallas was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma. A rare form of bone cancer that affects 3-4 children in the US every year. You can go here to see a video interview with Dallas.

Dallas recorded a 3-song CD titled “Right Now.” Dallas recorded the CD in the same studio in Buffalo, NY where the Goo Goo Dolls had recorded their most recent studio album. I had been asked to photograph Dallas for her CD but was forced to cancel due to an appointment conflict.

Sarah and Ken.

I just had to have my photo taken with Sarah. Thanks Ken for snapping this shot. Sarah is a true inspiration. She smiles all the time and her smiles just make you want to smile.

As per usual the event was awesomely powerful. It makes me feel so good to be able to give something back to others who are less fortunate than I. When I have an opportunity to use my photography to capture smiling faces…well that’s just the icing on the cake.

So…in my last post I had said I was going to share an idea I had to become more involved with Make-A-Wish. As I have also said before more time is not an option. I’ve taken a page from Yvonne Chouinard’s company, Patagonia. I will donate a minimum of 1% from every wedding I book back to Make-A-Wish.

As always, thanks to my readers for your constant support. Please think about making a donation to you local Make-A-Wish chapter.

Chris

The week got off to an interesting start. The weather was beautiful all day and I was forced to sit in an office all day. My game plan for the day included getting outside if even for a few minutes. I felt like the dog who moves from spot to spot on the floor depending on where the sun is. My focus every spare moment is on my photography and the weddings I have scheduled for May.

I smiled Tuesday as Apple announced a definite release date for the iPad 3g. Friday April 30th. Of course I had waited and waited and then decided to make the purchase from Apple’s on-line store. Now to see if there will be any 64GB models left in the store so I can pick it up a week and a half earlier than the delivery is scheduled. If I can accomplish that task I can cancel my online order. The excitement is building. I searched and searched and have found an app for the iPad which will allow my clients the ability to sign a contract right on the iPad. This coupled with the ability to process credit cards via the iPad will be totally sweet.

Saturday brought the annual Make-A-Wish Gala. This is my second year being involved with such a great organization. I try to become increasingly involved and have believe I have a way to accomplish this task. Time won’t allow me to become increasingly involved on just about any level, so I was thinking…You’ll have to stay tuned for a lengthier post regarding the Make-A-Wish gala and my idea for giving back. More details to come. I’ll say this much, my wedding clients will now become involved on one level. OK, I’m going to shut up now before I reveal my idea. Thanks to Yvonne Chouinard of the Patagonia Company for the inspiration. As I spent time with guests at the Gala and listened to the stories of children and wish granters I become more and more amazed by people. Tears were in my eyes as Dallas sang the songs she recorded for her recent and debut CD. Dallas recorded the CD in the same studio where the Goo Goo Dolls just recorded their upcoming studio release.

Thank you Make-A-Wish for allowing me to continue my involvement with your great organization. Thank you Ken and Ryan for your introduction to Make-A-Wish.

The preliminary report was that the 2010 Make-A-Wish Gala collected just shy of a quarter of a million dollars. This will ensure many youth in Western New York will have their wishes granted. Anyone interested in attending next years grant should contact their local Make-A-Wish chapter. In Western New York, the gala for 2011 is scheduled for Saturday April 2, 2011. We hope to see you there. Come and see me and we’ll take your photo in our fun photo both.

The Boys of Summer. This is such a great band who also donates their time and talent to Make-A-Wish. My favorite song of the night…If you know my musical tastes which run the gamut…Margaritaville.

My friend Dave insisted on having his photo taken with his best friends. You can see all of the photos at my Zenfolio site

Thanks again everyone for reading. Keep coming back and don’t forget us for your photographic needs.

Chris

The Make-A-Wish Radio-thon is your chance to help grant a wish by making a request and pledge to hear any song you want, or bid during our hourly auction on some one of a kind rock and sports items.

The goal for this years radiothon is $250,000. When the radiothon ended at 10:00 AM over $240,000 had been raised for Make-A-Wish. The listeners of 97-Rock came through again and now more wishes can be granted. WOW! It amazes me how the people of Buffalo, NY come together and dig deep to help such a  great cause! Thanks to veryone who volunteered their time and a special thanks to everyone who made a donation of time and money.

Rian Lindell of the Buffalo Bills.

DJ Jixster

Michael is another “Wish” kid who overcame great obstacles with the help of Make-A-Wish.

Larry with Michael and his parents.

Larry Norton just twelve more hours before the end of the radiothon.

This past weekend my wife and I stayed at the Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel while I photographed the 2009 Make-A-Wish Gala. [There is a post coming re: the gala.] Wherever I go I am always on the lookout for views that I like and hopefully others will also like. Since my camera is always with me I shoot them whenever I have a chance. Yep, I’m that guy pulled over on the side of the thruway taking photos of the sunset, sunrise or whatever else catches my eye.

The following views are from my 18th floor room overlooking the city of Niagara Falls, NY. Just beyond the bloom of the falls you can see Niagara Falls, Ontario.

This is a shot of the upper rapids. While this vantage point allows you to see much, this photo still doesn’t due the rapids justice. A better vantage point is walking along the rapids, cross the rapids via the Goat Island bridge and walk around the island which sits directly in the middle of the rapids. The power of the falls is awesome and one to be respected.

This photo was taken the day of the Make-A-Wish Gala. It was a darker, more foreboding day which thankfully did not successfully forecast the spectacular night Make-A-Wish had for the Gala.