I got an exciting phone call about the above photo recently. I was in the middle of a shoot with a model — she was stunning and we were making some nice pictures. But, I was having a tough shoot.

I’d done a long gig for Newsday earlier in the day, and I was a little tired. To make matters more difficult, two of my studio strobes had stopped working.

Neither the model nor the makeup artist had any idea. (I always feel like half of my job is problem-solving on the fly. Another half is not letting anyone see when I have to solve problems. Oh, and the third half is to make good images.)

Anyway, I was near the end of my shoot — and a long day — when my phone rang. It was the PhotoCenter (in Troy, N.Y.).

Earlier in 2010, I entered some work (including the above portrait of professional boxer Shawn Miller) in a “Best of 2009″ competition. Approximately 350 pictures (in multiple categories) were submitted, and 75 were chosen for exhibition and prize consideration.

The PhotoCenter was calling to let me know that my portrait of Shawn won the Juror’s Award as the top portrait in the competition!

The “Best of 2009″ competition marked the first time I entered and/or exihibted any work. I guess I’m off to a good start!

I was hired recently to make photos of a small high school swimming team (Christian Brothers Academy) before a meet at Schenectady High School. The team includes the three Sharkey brothers, whom I have photographed in the past (as part of a family portrait session and a high school senior session).

This was a fun gig, despite the lousy driving conditions. It was dark and snowy out as I made way to the school at 3 in the afternoon. I pulled up to the school just as what seemed like hundreds of yellow buses lined up. I parked next to a cop car and rolled down my window.

“Do you know where the pool is?” I asked him. He glared at me. “What’s your business here?” he said. Finally, after I explained that I was simply a photographer — and not a drug dealer or terrorist — he pointed me in the right direction. “But wait till the buses pull away,” he warned. “Drive around the neighborhood for 10 minutes first.” OK …

Eventually, I found the pool and loaded in all my gear. The area was buzzing with kids getting ready for a swim meet. I found a quiet corner and set up my lights. There’s nothing like working with electronics as kids splash water all around you. That’ll keep you on your toes! Anyhow, in addition to the above team photo, I did some individual portraits:

All of the above photos were done with a simple two-light setup that emphasized balancing the strobe light with the natural light on the pool in the background. Next up, we did some action photography, using light to freeze the swimmers and the water. I laid down flat on the pool deck, getting soaked in the process. It was worth it, as that allowed me to capture a low, powerful perspective:

This was a fun job, and I’d love to do more sports portraiture for my clients!

Ryan and Erin came into the Foley Photography home studio just before Valentine’s Day, and we had a lot of fun making pictures together.

The couple was married relatively recently, and they are very much in love. Needless to say, this makes for a fun session.

I’m looking forward to making more pictures of Ryan and Erin the not-so-distant future!

I attended the opening reception for the PhotoCenter’s (Troy, N.Y.) “Best of 2009″ competition last night. Wow, there was some fantastic work on display! In all, about 75 photographs (out of 350 submissions by 60 photographers) made the cut and are hanging on the walls. Two of mine (both featured in this post — A Bad Man, above, and Turkey Trot Turkeys, below) are among the prints on display.

It’s amazing how much talent there is out there … As I walked around, looking at images, shoulder to shoulder with other photographers, I was of two minds. Part of me was ridiculously inspired and encouraged by the work I saw. Another part wanted to never touch a camera again, simply because the work was that good! The inspired part will win out!

It’s so interesting to see the different paths artists choose. Some people are wonderful at interpreting and presenting landscapes. Others can make architecture practically human … I work with people. I’m a portrait, wedding and corporate photographer. I strive every day to make every day people look their best in images. That’s my path, and I’m comfortable with it. However, seeing all the other paths displayed makes me want to explore a little bit.

The exhibit runs through March 21 and, if you visit the PhotoCenter (404 River St., Troy, N.Y., 12180), you can vote for your favorite images. Check out www.photocentertroy.org for more info.

Congratulations to all the photographers in the exhibit. Your work is inspiring!

I was on the road, in Troy, during last night’s snowstorm and I had a camera with me. Actually, I had my Canon S90, which fits in my pocket. Yay! That’s a large part of the reason I bought the camera — so I’d carry it around and do more personal shooting. So much of what I do with photography is work-related (and I love my work). Therefore, when I’m not working, I typically don’t want to haul large gear around. However, with the S90, I’m more likely to have it with me when I want to “play.” And it’s a wonderful little camera. Not only is it 10 megapixels, but I can shoot it in manual mode, like I do with my regular gear. It’s an excellent pocket camera for a pro.

Anyhow, Troy has wonderful, old architecture, like the building above. And, of course, I love the streaks of snow cutting across the frame.

I also like that you can see the snow falling in the following picture. The snow looks so streaky because my shutter speed was at about a quarter-of-a-second or so. I had to hold the camera very still while the shutter was open.

This final picture was fun to make. It was quite dark out (it was about 8 p.m.) and I felt like the lights in the building across the river would draw a viewer through the frame. But I wanted another element to help guide the eye through the picture. So, with snow coming down like crazy, I stomped out some footsteps, leading up to the river’s edge. I then retraced my steps, coming back and trying to make it look as if someone had perhaps gone into (or come out of) the river. I was simply having fun playing.

You may know that I have done a significant amount of boxing work over the years. My boxing photos have been featured on ESPN.com and in magazines such as The Ring. I have now begun to photograph mixed martial arts, as well.

I have a profound appreciation for the work fighters put in. They toil for many hours each week for months to prepare for a fight. And then, the courage it takes to get into the ring … I only spar once in a while, with a good friend, and that scares me to death. So I have the utmost respect for fighters, who also are typically very good people.

Boxing has been good for my business, too, as many of my wedding and portrait clients have come from the fighting community (or from fighters making referrals — thank you!).

So, I have updated my Web site to include images from fight cards I have photographed. You can find them at: http://www.jefffoley.com/#Photos/Fights/ … Once you click on that link (give it a minute to load), you’ll see the fight cards listed. Just click on one to view a gallery.

I’ll continue to add new images as I shoot new cards. Enjoy!

Snow makes Murphy (left) feel like a puppy. He’s 10, but whenever we get fresh snow, he’s ready to play. And Duke, 3, has no choice but to oblige. Here’s Murphy sending Duke the “let’s play” message this morning:

And then, with that one move — Murphy’s head over Duke’s shoulder – it’s on!

Duke, being younger and more agile (and more aggressive) quickly gains the upper hand:

Murphy, having had enough for the time being, goes back to his ball.

Duke, meanwhile, stores up his energy for the next bout.

We’ve had a steady stream of actors and models coming through the studio doors recently, including Matthew Sekellick.

Matthew was exceptionally easy to work with, and we moved through four or five different outfits and looks in less than an hour.

As I was composing the following picture, I felt like I was looking at Keanu Reeves, which Matthew has apparently heard before.

When Tina and I were in Cancun recently, I carved out a little time each day to wander with a camera, looking for interesting light and compositions.

I have always traveled with heavy gear (i.e., a couple Canon 5D cameras and multiple lenses). However, after shooting weddings out of the country in each of the last two summers (and lugging tons of equipment), I wanted a trip where I traveled lightly.

So, just before we left, I purchased a Canon S90. What a wonderful little camera! It fit in my pocket, but it also let me shoot raw images and control my exposure manually.

One of the key differences between the S90 and my “real” cameras has to do with depth of field. The S90 keeps almost everything in focus — it’s very hard to blur anything. So, you really have to watch your backgrounds and make sure they’re not super distracting. I found myself shooting as if I were making pictures for postcards.

Anyhow, it was nice to travel with just a pocket camera, and to focus on making clean, uncomplicated photos. I highly recommend it!