Rob Weber's Photo Blog

Larchmont NOOD Regatta takes over the Long Island Sound

raw8560 — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:44:13 +0000

The 2010 Larchmont NOOD Regatta wrapped up the Sperry Topsider NOOD Regattas hosted by Sailing World on September 12th, 2010.

Nikon D300, 300mm, iso 200, 1/800th, f6.3, Shutter Priority

Saturday offered great light, nice temperatures, and very little wind. The breeze was blowing between 5-10 knots and made for light sailing. Because the conditions were so calm I was able to bring out two bodies.

Nikon D300, 300m, iso 200, 1/800th, f6.3, Shutter Priority

Nikon D300, 300mm, iso 200, 1/800th, f7, Shutter priority

The bowman and trimmer of Mischief, a Beneteau 36.7 One Design racing yacht attempt to unwrap the spinnaker after it got wrapped around the main sail after rounding the pin. Mischief’s skipper Rob Raczkowski and his crew took 4th in their class.

Nikon D300, 70-200mm, iso 200, 1/640th, f9, Shutter Priority

Nikon D3, 70-200mm, iso 640, 1/1250th, f4, Manual

The crew of Rut Row, a Viper 640 competing in the Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta in Larchmont, NY, hike out on Sunday, September 12th, 2010. Rut Row went on to take 2nd in their class.

Sunday’s conditions were more conducive to sailing but made it difficult to keep gear safe. The Boston Whaler we were in was pitching around in the rough water so I only brought out one body. This was my first time on the water during a race in rougher conditions and made for more drama and excitement.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm w. 1.4x converter (98-280mm), iso 640, 1/640th, f6.3, Shutter Priority

Nikon D3, 70-200mm w. 1.4x converter (98-280mm), iso 640, 1/1250th, f4, Manual

The crew of Kincsem, a J/105 racing yacht competing in the Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta, hike out Sunday, September 12th, 2010. The skipper of Kincsem, Joerg Esdorn, and his crew went on to win their class.

Kincsem sailed strong all weekend and made for great pictures. Every time I would go by them they were hiking hard and looking down the course.

New York Harbor Yacht Racing

raw8560 — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:38:39 +0000

The Manhattan Sailing Club annually hosts the Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge, a J/24 Regatta that attracts sailors from across the world. The Regatta was held August 21st, 2010. In the above image the Race Committe gives the 2 minute flag before the start of the second race as racers fight for a good position.

The Manhattan Yacht Club’s Flagship, the 12 Meter “America II” cruises the New York Harbor, was bought by a group of members for the club in 2007. The boat spent most of the afternoon dodging the ferries and buzzing the spectator barge (and bar) that the club anchors off of Ellis Island.

A member of the Race Committe worked barefoot for part of the afternoon. The Race Committee was comprised of volunteers and a few paid officials.

A patron on the Manhattan Sailing Club’s barge enjoys the same breeze that lifted boats all afternoon.

Two members of the Race Committe for the Manhattan Sailing Club’s Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge debate moving a pin due to a shift in the direction of the wind during the second race of the day.

Three J/24 boats round the top mark as they pass in front of the Empire State Building.

Over 30 Soccer

raw8560 — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:45:57 +0000

Last week I shot an over 30 club soccer match in Rochester, NY. The teams were a part of the Rochester District Soccer League, the oldest continuously running soccer league in the U.S. since 1913. The match was between Pittsford United SC 1 Thirsty’s (Red) and United (white). The soccer they played was an intelligent player’s game. Their tactics and passes showed years of experience, while their speed sometimes reflected knee surgeries and a 9-5.

The game started around 6:30 in a public park in Pittsford next to a U14 girls soccer team practicing and a summer softball league that seemed more focused on the beer in their coolers than playing softball. The sidelines were scattered with wives, girlfriends, and the occasional child. Two women who showed up with players started off on a jog around the park.

The entire park was surrounded by lush, 40 foot tall trees that provided great backgrounds.

Almost every play was contested in the first half, all the players seemed fresh and spry. One headball ended in a sore nose.

In the second half the sun started to give that warm, orange glow that you only see at sunrise and sunset so I walked to a part of the field where I could shoot directly back into it. The light only lasted for a couple of minutes but I got two frames from it that I like.

Right as I got to the part of the field where I could shoot back into the sun one of the Thirsty’s players went in hard from behind, tying up the legs of one of his opponents who augered into the pitch. The United player eventually was helped off the field and after a couple of minutes of sitting walked over and picked up his daughter. For some reason I didn’t take a picture of it, feeling that I was already intruding a little on this match by sitting in a public park with a very large, very obvious camera. I still regret not shooting that picture.

After the game the Pittsford team went to their title sponsor, Thirsty’s, for a drink.

Recent Work – Youth Soccer

raw8560 — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:31:42 +0000

I spent an hour or two at a youth soccer tournament while travelling this past weekend and reminisced about when we used to get snacks at half time and whatever juice drink was on special at sams club after a game. I also got very sunburned.

Recent Work – Tearsheets

raw8560 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:27:50 +0000

It’s always fun seeing an entire project brought together. This spring I was approached by designer Shannon Patrick about shooting a speculative American Eagle perfume ad targeted at 16-18 year old girls. The perfume is called True, and there is a mens and womens version. We shot the four main shots during an afternoon at Lake Ontario, and later that week I shot the perfume bottle for the insert.

The left image in the second layout was actually a test shot of my lighting setup, so there’s an argument for always having a card in your camera!

You can see a few of the original images on my intial American Eagle blog post.

Recent Work- Lake Ontario shoot

raw8560 — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:19:40 +0000

On Friday I went up to Lake Ontario with Erika Hess, a local model who is trying to get some experience as a model here in Rochester before moving to NYC, much like myself. Originally I had scouted and conceived an idea involving two models, one male and one female, and we were to utilize the balcony of a community center right on the beach. However, plans changed and the wedding at the community center put a damper on that. I had been listening to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on the drive up and decided I wanted to try a “sailor lost at sea” kind of thing.

Recent work- Think Tank Review

raw8560 — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:57:36 +0000

As part of the work I’ve been doing with the Photo Brigade here in Rochester, I was recently given a camera bag by one of our sponsors, Think Tank, to review. Myself and three other Photo Brigade regional editors were given a Think Tank Urban Disguise 50 and got to have at it. Anyways, I loved the bag and shot a quick photo of it on the beach at Lake Ontario for the review.

American Eagle

raw8560 — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:44:57 +0000

Last weekend I shot six mock ads and a drop-in for designer Shannon Patrick up on Lake Ontario, here are three of my favorites.

Recent Work- Still Life

raw8560 — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:03:21 +0000

Two favorites from April:

Death of a CD Player

Sperry Topsider boat shoes, well loved

Philadelphia, PA

raw8560 — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:58:02 +0000

I got the chance to spend a weekend with my parents and sister in Philadelphia for a weekend, it was really great to see them. I shot a few pictures of my sister and her dog in her house there, thought I’d put them up.