Review - The Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ

The Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ

Hello! I have no idea how you ended up here. You must've gone pretty deep into the Google results. Good for you! But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2013 and is most likely pretty out of date information! I'm still a photographer though, and you can still check me out at johngallino.com

The Birchwood Manor is a large, versatile venue suitable for any size event. It offers several different sized ballrooms, lovely gardens and patio areas, and tons of parking for guests.

The wedding I shot here was in an unusual room about three times longer than it was wide, with the dance floor smack in the center and ceilings a bit lower than I'd like.

During the day it's a wonderful place for a Spring or Summer wedding, with beautiful gardens and plenty of sunshine. However when the sun goes down I felt the ballroom was a bit underlit. The dim chandeliers combined with the dark wood panelling of the walls made the room look a bit darker than your typical reception hall. That, combined with the low ceilings and unusual layout made it a little trickier for me to get the shots I wanted.

The gardens bear repeating however. Though a bit lacking in shade (the most flattering light for portraits), the outside of the venue is really beautiful.

Food was average and things never felt too crowded in this room with about 130 guests. I'd say if you're in the area, The Birchwood is well worth a look.

More photos after the jump

How To Stop Taking Pictures in 'Auto' Mode

If you own a digital camera, especially a point and shoot, chances are you rarely take it out of the Automatic mode. What you may not realize is that you can take much better pictures if you control your camera's settings manually. And it's really not that hard, with a little practice! So I'm going to try to explain the very least you need to know about your camera and how exposure works so you can stop taking your pictures in 'auto' mode. In the end, you are smarter than the chip inside your camera, and if you know how to adjust the settings for a given situation, you will usually be able to take a nicer picture than your camera's 'auto' mode will give you. Understanding how the picture-taking process works will make you a better amateur photographer, and allow you to get the look you want from your pictures.

All you need is a camera that allows you to manually adjust the shutter speed and f-stop. A lot of point-and-shoot pocket sized cameras do not have this feature, but many do, so check your manual. All digital SLR's allow for manual control. If your camera has a removable lens, it is 99% likely that it is an SLR. If your camera is a relatively recent model, yet is too big to fit in your pocket, it likely allows for manual control. Again, check your manual if you're not sure.

Now, on to the good stuff...

Review - Seasons Catering in Washington Township, NJ

Seasons Catering in Washington Township, NJ

Hello! I have no idea how you ended up here. You must've gone pretty deep into the Google results. Good for you! But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2009 and is most likely pretty out of date information! I'm still a photographer though, and you can still check me out at johngallino.com

Seasons is located in Washington Township, right off of exit 168 on the Garden State Parkway. I just shot a reception there with about 180 guests and there was more than enough space for everybody. Like all places, Seasons has its strengths and its weaknesses. Its interiors are lovely, well designed with adequate lighting, space, and modern furnishings. Nothing about it was aesthetically displeasing.
However (and this may be a big however), its exteriors are seriously lacking. To their credit, they did the best with what they had, while most of their property is taken up by the parking for the 400 guests (more on that later) they decorated the few spots they had left with lovely gardens and waterfalls.

Lovely, but small.

That's about it.

This month's issue of Baking Buyer - I shot the boss!

No, it's not Bruce. A few days before leaving for my trip, I received a phone call from John Unrein, editor of Baking Buyer magazine. Baking Buyer is a trade magazine for bakers, bakery owners and pastry chefs. Flying in from Kansas, John needed someone available last minute to photograph in Hoboken, where he was doing a piece on TLC's newest celebrity baker and star of the hit show Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro. I spent a few hours at Carlo's Bake Shop, Buddy's bakery where Cake Boss is filmed and got to witness and document Buddy working with staff and interacting with customers, all the while TLC filmed for the second season of the show. It's the cover story in the August issue, and you can read the article below by clicking the thumbnails or check out the entire issue at www.bakingbuyer.com