THe Guys - The Walpole Footlighters

" The Guys " is a two person play about a NYC fire chief who lost many of his men on 9/11 - he contacts a writer to help him compose the words that he will use to talk about his guys at their memorial services.

The Walpole Footlighters in Walpole, MA presented the play on September 9 - 11 2011 ... it was the tenth anniversary of the tragedy. The play is in memory of those who lost their lives and in honor of the Walpole Fire men. All proceeds went to the fire department.

I had the opportunity to photograph 12 of the Walpole Fireman and the play.

Here is a short video of the images.

It's All About the Music ... Man! Norwood High School - Dan Busler

Yes,  it's all about a sleepy little town, a con man, some groovy musical numbers and Shipoopi  ... lots and lots of Shipoopi  when Norwood High School in Norwood, MA presents ... or "presented"  The Music Man!

And of course there are people making faces, dancing around like fools, dancing the "Shipoopi" and in the end the musician gets the girl .... which is the way it should be.

Today,  when you're walking down the street or standing in the elevator or in a business meeting with your boss ... Stand UP and yell "SHIPOOPI"  and then sit down.  You'll either get fired or get a vacation.

The show opens ( or did open ) on September 16, 2011.  Wicked talented actors - here's a fusion video from the rehearsals.

Schoenthaler Family - Senior Portrait Session

What a great day for a family portrait session. Actually this all started as a Senior portrait session for Calvin and just grew from there until we had the whole family involved.  An awesome family and it shows!

Harley - A Bold New Look - Dan Busler

Harley is a model. She's sassy and young and bold and all those other qualities that are required to get out there and get work.

 This is our second session together. The first was more focused on different looks and this session was totally devoted to Harley, the real Harly, the person.

 I shot this session with a very focus on what a strong - confident personality she is.


 We succeeded - this is my favorite shot,. The blouse/top that Harly is wearing is bold and new and amazing

 

Giliana Austin - Opera's Rising Star - Dan Busler

Classic, confident, focused, determined - that's Giliana.  I was looking forward to this session since Giliana first spoke with me about the concept.

Giliana is an opera singer and I thought that I should play classical music for our session. Which as much as I love Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart it would have taken the wind out of both me and our session. So I asked " Is it OK if I play my standard ... loud house music for our session" ... she just smiled and responded " Let's rock!" 

 So instead our session rocked!
Giliana was heading to San Francisco to star in a production and then she was off to Germany.
No question Giliana is a rising star.

Ann and Ajay - A California Couple - A Boston Engagement

Ann and Ajay are temporarily transplanted in Boston ... but their roots are stil in California. So to make their Engagement session perfect all I had to add was water! (The Atlantic Ocean was the best that I could offer)

Jennimae & Aaron Shaw - Their Wedding Day Love Story Fusion Video

The spark is still there. Those beautiful "love-at-first-sight" - looks, secret glances and stolen kisses are all still alive.

This is the love story of Jennimae and Aaron on their Wedding Day June 26, 2011.

 

 We can have just a peek, but they will have this love together for the rest of their lives.

Here's a short look at their Wedding Day

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Norwood High School - Dan Busler

Norwood High School - Norwood MA presents that crazy Shakespeare classic - A Midsummer Night's Dream - it's all about a man and an ass ... or a man that becomes an ass (hey !  Cut - it - out! all those Ladies out there who just said ..."Men don't have to "become" an ass ... they already are"  !  )  ... well there's a bit of "horsing around" ... it's very classic

 I guess that we've all seen this show. It's neat to see it staged by a high school that wants to do it right.

 But they also want to fun with it

 Lots of fun

Here's a video look at the show

Rough Crossing - Walpole Footlighters - Walpole MA - Dan Busler

The Walpole Footlighters presented Tom Stoppard's hilarious comedy "Rough Crossing" - The sets were  incredible and the actors were too. 

I did enjoy the stage lighting for this shoot a bit more than others that I shot for Walpole.  I think the color of the light is the reason

But the set was pretty nice

Here's a shot of the crew. In a community theater like this one, one day you're in the crew and then the next play, you're the star!   HA!

But here is an image of the stars of this show.

and here's a shot video / slide show.


 

Sarah and Don - A Castle Island Engagement - A Fairy Tale Romance

We met at Castle Island in Boston for Sarah and Don's engagement session. It's the site of Fort Independence so there were lots of great places to photograph this incredible couple and their fairy tale romanace.

I often ask the couple how they met. Sarah told me that she and Don were at a dinner with some mutual friends. She had known Don ... having seen him at other events.  But that night ... when she saw him, it was as if they were the only two people in the room.

 See?  I told you.  A fairy tale romance story.

 Here's a fusion video from our day together.  Careful, you're going to be wicked jealous!

An International Golf Event - Right at Home

When you're asked by a major insurance company to photograph their annual golf event, but you can't tell anyone who was there or where it was played or ... let see, I guess that's it ... Oh, for God's sake, show anyone the photos of the players!  

Well you grab the chance to do it of course!

This is an image of one of the player's golf club covers ... (can you guess who's??) ...no animals were harmed ... but some golf balls were bruised

 The course was incredible - I had my own cart. and I was driving like a mad man!

 My job,  find the gophers ... I mean golfers and take team photos.  I can do that. 

 I just can't show you any of them.

 And then there was the food ... it was so good.  Just look at this - cooked on the "patio" with this view.

One day I too will have a bed room window that looks out over this type of view ... yea right!

Travis Roy Foundation / Francisican Hospital for Children - Wiffle Ball Tournament

The First Annual Travis Roy Foundation / Franciscan Hospital for Children Wiffle Ball Tournament was held at Wake Field in Brighton, MA on June 18, 2011. Everyone had a great time supporting this worthy cause. It was as awesome day!

Ok, that's my official first paragraph.  But to be candid, it was a blast to be there and volunteer to photograph the event. It was also sad and happy and "eye-opening".

The event was held on the tiny wiffle ball field behind the hospital which is named after Boston Red Sox player Tim Wakfield .

It was sad to see the children and adults in wheelchairs, happy to see all the corporate sponsers and their teams hitting that whiffle ball with a yellow plastic bat. Eye-opening to hear Travis Roy during his opening remarks say "I would like to be on the field with you, maybe one day I will".

(footnote - Travis was injured during the first 11 seconds of his college ice hockey career) \

OH!  and it was delicious.  The food - hamburgers, hotdogs, etc was ... Excellent!

Here's a video look at the day. 

Beth - Joe and their Rockin' Kids - Dan Busler Photography

Beth and Joe's Family session was destined to be awesome from the very first shot. They love to be together and these incredible images just happened. I didn't want to stop!

Kelly and Mike - A Fenway Park Engagement - Dan Busler

We met at Fenway Park .. on a game day ( oh yea) for Kelly and Mike's engagement photo session.  At first I thought that it was going to be chaos ... and I was right.

I drove into town, but I still took the subway up from where I parked my car to Kenmore square where we were going to meet.

This huge sign greets you in Kenmore Square as you come out of the subway - it was so colorful that I had to take a shot. 

I think what I like most about photographing couples that recently got engaged is learning about their lives together. 

Mike is a postal carrier, he told me that he walks 10 miles a day. As we walked the streets of Boston, if Mike got too far ahead Kelly would just say "slow down mail man ..." and we'd all just laugh.

We walked from Fenway Park down though the Public Gardens and on to the Charles River .
It was great day with this incredible couple.

Anna and Joe - Their Engagement Session - Boston MA - Dan Busler

We walked Boston's beautiful Public Gardens and historic Beacon Hill for Anna and Joe's Engagement session- it was a great day to capture images of their love

Rose and John - An Engagement Session with a Perfect Couple - Dan Busler

I recently had the chance to to do an Engagement photography session with Rose and John, a beautiful couple who flew out from Ireland to the Boston, MA area to get married. (most of their family are now here in the U.S.)

I typically spend some time with the bride and groom separately to get a feel for how they met, got engaged and what they mean to each other. I took the opportunity to film some of their thoughts and feelings and found that they are just perfect for each other.

We all search for happiness, maybe wealth and success as well if they come along. John and Rose know that happiness must come first.

Here's a short (I always say that my videos are short ... whether they are or not .. HA!) slideshow of the images and clips from that session. 

Watch it full screen and enjoy.

First Communion - St Ann Parish Dorchester MA - Dan Busler

First Communion, the first time that a child has that "meal" that they have watched their parents, older siblings and others share. It's kind of rite of passage ... I guess. It is definitely a milestone in one's life.

And it's part of tradition - it doesn't matter what your religion, we respect each other's traditions. They make us human. They show us how we love family.

I recently photographed the First Communion celebration at St Ann Parish in Dorchester MA. The kids were so happy and looked fantastic in their beautiful white clothing ... now did they keep them clean??

Here's a quick look at some of the images I shot of the kids being holy and also being "kids" ... for after all they are kids.

Jessica and Anthony - An Orange County Engagement - Dan Busler Photography

Jessica and Anthony said that they wanted to have their Engagement session at an upscale mall in Orange County.  That sounded like fun.

They are such a beautiful couple and the mall was just perfect for capturing pictures. There were gardens, fountains, lots of flowers and so many quiet places.  I could tell that this couple is totally in love.

Check out this video of our session ... but be prepared to be jealous!

Boston Event Photography By Walpole Event Photographer, Dan Busler { Travis Roy Foundation Eleven Seconds that Changed his World }

Probably one of the worst smells I know is that of the locker room of a Boys ice hockey team.  Gastly! And yet, it is a sweet smell to the players (and their proud Moms and Dads) I can assure you. 

Every day ... beginning at 5:00 AM - you will find thousands of young girls and boys on the ice ... practicing and working toward that day when they too can step out on the ice and hear the crowd cheer their name.

Travis Roy was one of these boys ... it was his dream ... it was his Dad's dream for him as well that he would one day play ice hockey for Boston University. That's the team that went to the Olympics and won the gold medal.  

All the hours of practice paid off and the day came, Travis was selected to play for Boston University.  He must have walked into that arena ... for that first game, maybe more frightened than proud ... maybe more nauseous than confident .. but he knew that he deserved to be there.

He played for Boston University for eleven seconds that first day ... his first game for BU and he suffered an injury that broke his neck. 

His Father must have come down from the stands ... stood at the glass ... watched Travis as he lay on the ice ... then he came out on the ice (as he had done thousands of times over the years) to encourage Travis to "get up Buddy ... we've got a game to play" But Travis couldn't get up, he couldn't move ... Travis just looked up at his Dad and said " We made it Dad!,  I'm playing for BU ! "

Both of my kids are ice hockey players. I know the smell of that locker room, the early mornings, the quiet conversations on the way to the rink, the happy conversations when they won and the encouraging conversations when they lost. The fear that they would be injured, the way that I yelled during the games with the other Dads ... and Moms (the Moms are animals! when they get angry!) . 

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph a corporate gathering where Travis Roy was the guest speaker.  I arrived at 7:45AM to scope the place out ... and then found out that Travis was speaking.  I had a decision to make, I knew that my Son would want to meet Travis, to share his love of ice hockey with him and let him know that he thought of him virtually everytime that he stepped on the ice.

So, I texted my Son ... "Hey Travis Roy is speaking at this event that I'm photographing ... you can come ..."  I know that he didn't believe me that he would be able to come ... but I'm also guessing that he was throwing on clothes and flying out the door as we texted a few more lines to each other.

My Son is a NeuroSurgical Nurse Practitioner at a major Boston hospital ... he has a first edition of Travis' book ... I think he bought it the day that it came out in 1998, he brought that copy of Travis' book with him that day.

My Son listened to Travis' words  ... he could relate to them. He was honored to be there, he was there to honor Travis actually.

Here are a few images of my Son speaking with Travis.  

My Son tells me that he told Travis that he went into Neurosurgery because of him.

Travis smiled, signed my Son's copy of his book, then Travis invited my Son to lunch.

Eleven seconds changed Travis' life and meeting Travis changed my Son's and mine.


Here's a short slideshow / video - which includes still photography and video clips from the day.

Girlfriends - Where are they now? - Dan Busler

A number of years ago I did a family reunion portrait session for three ... or was it four families? 

Today I was looking through the images from the session and came across these of a Mother and her two Daughters.

I'm pretty sure that a lot has changed in their lives over the years since this session. Are the Daughters married, do they now have kids,  did one or both move far away from home ? 

The answer is ... yes, maybe. But no matter how much time passes .. or how far they may travel, that day we captured a moment. That particular moment is saved for all three of them to remember and enjoy.  The laughter and love they felt that day is theirs ... for a lifetime.

I loved doing this session and I'm reminded of how lucky I was to be there every time I stumble upon these images.

Austin! Not hard to take

I was recently working in Austin TX and snapped this image of one of the swimming pools where I was staying.  Now this is how you "do it right! " .

But saddly, I never had the time to take a dip.

Maybe next time ... It's Destination Wedding Season ! 

So it was St Partick's Day ... the whole day

Yesterday was St Patrick's Day. I wonder how many of you went to church?  Or did you "worship" at the alter of the flowing green beer...?  HA!

I spent the day living my other life as a musician ... what a marathon!  Now it's back to being a photographer. Until next year ... GREEN BEER ... holy moley! That's almost as good as the green pancakes I used to make as a kid ... I had to close my eyes to eat them!

Christmas 2010 - Take the time to Smile - Dan Busler

For me - I feel that there is no holiday more tied to "family" than Christmas.  I know it's a religious holiday - and the one that my family celebrates - so for you it might be another holiday that means "family". But for me ... it's Christmas.

Christmas is the one time of the year when people give themselves "a hall pass" ... a waiver ... to stop the rat race and look at the lights on the tree. Listen to to holiday music and take the time to smile at each other.

Since my children are now grown and have fantastic careers I now put up a fake Christmas tree. It's kind of thin and crooked .  But it holds a lifetime of memories of early Christmas morning ... wrapping paper flying in the air as presents are opened, screams of joy as the kids get the present they asked for and hugs.  It is a good day.  

I am writing this as the spring season is just around the corner (it had better be!) . it's kind of sad for me to look at these images and know that the little tree and ornaments are packed away until next year. And I'm afraid so is the "hall pass" to stop and smile.

The Real Inspector Hound - Norwood High School - Dan Busler Photography

It all starts with an empty stage .

The year, Norwood High School in Norwood MA is doing the Tom Stoppard play " The Real Inspector Hound" for their entry in to the high school drama festival. And that means that it all starts with an empty stage. Then they have five ... oh yea, five minutes to bring the whole set on stage and set it up. 

The play must fit into 45 minutes ... exactly

 Then they have five ... oh yea again, five minutes to break down and remove the set from the stage.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

The play is great, it runs for 45 minutes... ish, and they can bring the set on stage in five minutes!

It's very funny and the actors are so talented.

It's a howling Who Done It ?