The American Cancer Society - Relay for Life {Event}

The "Relay for Life" is one of the American Cancer Society's local events that focuses of what many of us can do to help in the fight to cure cancer.

Recently we were invited to photograph the event  which was held on the track at Walpole High School in Walpole MA. I was happy to see walkers for not only Walpole but the surrounding towns as well. They had set up a kind of "tent city"  because the event begins at 6:00 PM and doesn't end until the next afternoon.  So for most of the attendees this was going to be a sleepover with lots of walking.

Events like this draw the survivors who wear purple t-shirts and the rest of the people are generally wearing - well, I guess you could say costumes. 

 

I loved the colorful clothes, some of which included bunny slippers, tu-tus and crazy t-shirts.

All of the attendees should be very proud of their participation, I was honored to be there.

Bethany & Jamie - An Arrowhead Acres Day {Wedding}

A Wedding Day is full of tight scheduling and preparation, flowers and cakes, and relatives.  It can be a blur of love and laughter and tension. 

For Bethany and Jamie this was their day to show their friends and family the love, friendship and commitment that they have shared for some time. 

When we arrived to photograph Bethany getting ready we could see that this was going to be an exceptionally calm and beautiful day. No tension, well none that we could see anyway .. HA! 


Bethany looked so beautiful in her gorgeous dress. Make no mistake, putting on the wedding dress does transform a woman into a bride. We could see a sparkle in Bethany's eyes as she realized that this was finally her wedding day.

 

After capturing a few images of the ladies in the backyard it was time to leave for the Wedding venue; Arrowhead Acres in Uxbridge MA. 

 

Arrowhead Acres offers a beautiful wooded country setting.The trees that surround the gazebo where Bethany and Jamie would say their vows allowed perfect filtered sunlight to bathe the path that Bethany and her wedding party would use as they walked toward Jamie and his groomsmen. We knew that this was going to be a magical day.

The ceremony was full of emotion as Jamie and Bethany spoke their vows. Jamie couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful bride. These were images that will be remembered for generations.

Now, the reception was another story!  The first dance was a total blast that involved the whole bridal party and the party just elevated from there.

 If this day was any indication of their lives together it will be just amazing. And we want to be there for every milestone! 

Ariana - Actress, Model, Teenager {Headshot}

I've taken Ariana's pictures a number of times and each time I find that she has so many expressions so each images seems to be of a different person.  Or at least photographed on a different day.

This session we focused on headshots for Ariana's acting career.

 

But most actors also need a few other shots, maybe showing them in glasses or laughing hard, or in a really colorful shirt and torn jeans. Because if everything goes well at their audition the casting director will say ... "This headshot is great ... do you have anything else??" meaning other poses, other looks or expressions.

So I shoot "modeling shots" of actors as well.  This allows the actor to create a composite ( aka ZED ) card that they can "whip out" if they are asked ... "do you have anything else?"

 

And for models I do the opposite and shoot some headshots. 
Always do a little extra for the client and they will remember that you did.

Lindsay Newcomb - 2013 Senior - Norwood High School

Dreams to compete at the Olympics with the US gymnastics team and the dedication to achieve it is in the heart of Lindsay.

 

The first part of the session we spent on location getting some great shots by the pond and brick structures at my studio and then headed inside for the studio shots. 

 

It was kind of a magical transformation in the way Lindsay stood and walked after she changed into her uniform.  She was so comfortable in that leotard as if her street clothes were just something she wore when she wasn't competing. 

 

It was a pretty cool session I must admit!

 

The Signature Drink at the Wedding Reception {Wedding}

“The First Drink” refers to that “first drink” that everyone orders during the cocktail hour at the  Wedding reception (while the Bride and Groom are having their formal pictures taken).

It is a term that strikes terror into the hearts of bartenders everywhere.  Because it takes forever for the bartenders to prepare and serve all of those custom drinks (“I’ll have a Louisiana Shooter, two Spider’s Kiss and a Nightmare .. Please”) … there has to be a better way!

The best solution to this dilemma that I’ve seen is the “Signature Drink”.  It’s a fun & fruity, very colorful, kind of bubbly, not too sweet, not too high in alcohol drink which can be premade by the venue and served in a nice glass.

Now the title “signature drink” has nothing to do who made it or what’s in it!  It can be a fruit juice/ginger ale base, it can have orange slices and cherries in it, gin, vodka, served in a martini glass, plastic fluke whatever. It just has to be the only drink that is available when the guests arrive. Everyone will grab one and be very happy.

It’s the perfect drink for the cocktail hour because it can be made with and without alcohol, looks totally classy so girls and guys can feel good holding it (think school uniforms … no one looks any different than anyone else), kids can have the same (looking) drink as the adults and it’s inexpensive for the venue to produce.

I can’t take credit for this idea though. I recently attended an event hosted by The Knot for their “Best of Weddings 2012” (me!)  and when we arrived at the reception, there lined up on the bar were 100 (this is a guess, I’m not a savant …HA!) glasses of “signature drinks”. As I picked up my own “signature drink” I thought to myself “and the solution to a bartender’s terror is resolved”.

Bartenders rejoice - guests will no longer be able to play "stump the bartender" to impress your friends by ordering a fancy drink which has 150 year old tequila and some eye of newt in it while 150 other guests are standing behind them ... and all they wanted was a nice cold bottle of Rolling Rock ! 

So, You’re welcome.   HA!

Bethany Merlin - 2013 Senior Medfield High School

I've been looking forward to posting some of the images from Bethany's session since we shot them. 

 

We got such a mix of looks and the time flew by.  Which keeps the energy level high and the smiles fresh. 

 I do love it when I can grab a pair of sunglasses out and the image just pops!  I think that blue is Bethany's color.

 She really is a classic.

Dan Busler Photography in the New York Times {Wedding}

What a nice surprise to see that one of the images from Chrissi and John's engagement session we did in Boston's North End was used in their Wedding announcement in the New York Times.

I have to admit that this is the first time ( that I know of .. HA!) that one of my images has been printed in the Times. 

I wonder if millions of Times readers around the world paused when they saw the image and said " What an awesome photographer that Dan Busler is" ?    Well, I can dream that it happened.

Kelly Newman - Actress, Director {Headshots}

One of the first things I do before an actor's headshot session is to check out their FaceBook page. I want to see how they smile when they're hanging with their friends, how they dress when they're out at a club and the way that they naturally stand.

I learned over the years that actors get cast for the part that they look right for before they'll get cast for a part that they try to look right for.

But I have to get on the subject of this post!   Kelly Newman. The actress and director.

Kelly has a great smile and a killer " I'll kick your butt" stare ... which I told her is my favorite look.  It's so important to show both confidence [without looking mean] and still be approachable.

And Kelly has that look down without even trying.

 

So remember to spend some time working with your expressions in a mirror before your headshot session. You need to know how it feels when you smile just the way you want. The smile that will get you an awesome part!

Alice in Wonderland - Coakley Middle School {Performance}

Down the rabbit hole she goes - following that crazy White Rabbit ! Cause ... as you know, he was late! 

 

The Coakley Middle School in Norwood MA presented Alice in Wonderland - the musical on May 8 and 9 2012! 

Oh yea, it was a show full of songs, crazy characters and "one-liners".  Cause as the Mad Hatter said in the show  "You can't be Alice ... Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" 

 

A joke that the actors delivered, but couldn't have gotten ... I hope that the sound of my camera covered up my comment ... HA! 

 

These talented young actors truly proved that the arts are alive in our schools. It was a great show.

 

The Smiths - A Session for their Parents {Portraits}

It's pretty cool when I'm asked by the kids to do a session so that they can have a special portrait of themselves to give to their parents for a special occasion. 


I think that the kids know that their parents may be a bit sad as they see them each graduate from high school, then college, get married and start their own families.

What better gift than to stop time, for that brief moment and capture them all at this stage in their lives.  

I was so honored recently to do this session with the Smiths. 

We met at the studio and did the session by the pond and near a few of the buildings. 

This is one handsome bunch! Here are a few that we photographed by the now famous "green door"

 

And a special thanks to them for letting me add my "I'll kick your butt" attitude posing ... HA!  You guys nailed it!

Pre-Prom in the Park - Whitman-Hanson Regional High {Event}

Just by chance and my wicked good fortune I was invited by my good buddy Mark to photograph his Daughter and her date in the park near their home as she and her friends gathered for the Junior prom this year.

 

There were lots of kids there when I arrived. The late afternoon sun was low in the sky but still very bright, so it was a bit difficult to find some shade.  

 

So, we shot with tons ... and tons of hair light! Halos? 

 

In the end what I captured were images of a great group of kids who truly enjoy each other's company.

 

What else could I have asked for?