Wing Bowl…

Every year, for years, there was an eating competition in Philadelphia held every Friday before the Superbowl as an alternative to the Eagles again not making it into the big game. Once the Eagles won the Superbowl a few years back, Wing Bowl was ended.

Wing Bowl was a wing eating contest filled with all around debauchery. 20,000 attended annually.Boobs, butts and blowing chunks it was just plain trashy.

It started very simply as a contest. In fact, there was a time where the “Wingettes” were friends and family of the folks running the event. They wore sweathshirts and jeans. Twenty years later, any amount of clothing was too much. It was one of those things that, every year, I hated to cover. When I’d mention it to my editors on the phone, I could sense it as they cringed.

Some of the former participants remain in the news. Recently, one of the original winners, El Wingador, was busted again for cocaine possession in Nebraska.

That said, here is a look back at some of the craziness.

PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 4: Bill “El Wingador” Simmons celebrates with family and friends after winning Wing Bowl 13 by eating 162 buffalo wings in an overtime round at the Wachovia Center February 4, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 20,000 spectators gathered to watch a buffalo wing eating contest. Wing Bowl started 13 years ago when a Philadelphia radio personality came up with the idea as an alternative to the Superbowl because he believed the Philadelphia Eagles would never again make it to the Superbowl. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 2: Joey Chestnut of San Jose, California celebrates after winning Wing Bowl 15 by eating 182 buffalo wings and breaking his own world record February 2, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 15,000 people came to watch 25 contestants eat buffalo wings in the annual competition. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 2: Doug Les Petocle of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania competes and feigns vomiting during Wing Bowl 15 February 2, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 15,000 people came to watch 25 contestants eat buffalo wings in the annual competition. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 2: Members of The Indian Butcher’s entourage parade into the Wachovia Center during Wing Bowl 15 February 2, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 15,000 people came to watch 25 contestants eat buffalo wings in the annual competition. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 1: Members of “Dave the Dumpster’s entourage enter the stadium for Wing Bowl 16 at the Wachovia Center February 1, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 20,000 people came to watch Joey Chestnut win Wing Bowl 16 by eating 241 buffalo wings. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 1: Members of “Wing Kong’s” entourage enter the stadium for Wing Bowl 16 at the Wachovia Center February 1, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 20,000 people came to watch Joey Chestnut win Wing Bowl 16 by eating 241 buffalo wings. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 2: A group of Wingettes pose for photos during Wing Bowl 15 February 2, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 15,000 people came to watch 25 contestants eat buffalo wings in the annual competition. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 2: Damaging Doug’s entourage parades into the Wachovia Center during Wing Bowl 15 February 2, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 15,000 people came to watch 25 contestants eat buffalo wings in the annual competition. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 4: 20,000 people showed up at 5 a.m. to see Wing Bowl 13 at the Wachovia Center February 4, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 20,000 spectators gathered to watch a buffalo wing eating contest. Wing Bowl started 13 years ago when a Philadelphia radio personality came up with the idea as an alternative to the Superbowl because he believed the Philadelphia Eagles would never again make it to the Superbowl. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 4: George Hunt (L) and Drew Saunders cheers during Wing Bowl 13 at the Wachovia Center February 4, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 20,000 spectators gathered to watch a buffalo wing eating contest. Wing Bowl started 13 years ago when a Philadelphia radio personality came up with the idea as an alternative to the Superbowl because he believed the Philadelphia Eagles would never again make it to the Superbowl. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 4: during Wing Bowl 13 at the Wachovia Center February 4, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 20,000 spectators gathered to watch a buffalo wing eating contest. Wing Bowl started 13 years ago when a Philadelphia radio personality came up with the idea as an alternative to the Superbowl because he believed the Philadelphia Eagles would never again make it to the Superbowl. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 1: Members of “The Bull Dog’s” entourage enter the stadium for Wing Bowl 16 at the Wachovia Center February 1, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 20,000 people came to watch Joey Chestnut win Wing Bowl 16 by eating 241 buffalo wings. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 2: “Dr. Slob” Tim Cusich of West Chester, Pennsylvania and his entourage of nurses parade into the Wachovia Center during Wing Bowl 15 February 2, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 15,000 people came to watch 25 contestants eat buffalo wings in the annual competition. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 4: Wingettes walk onstage during Wing Bowl 13 at the Wachovia Center February 4, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 20,000 spectators gathered to watch a buffalo wing eating contest. Wing Bowl started 13 years ago when a Philadelphia radio personality came up with the idea as an alternative to the Superbowl because he believed the Philadelphia Eagles would never again make it to the Superbowl. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

That Time I Photographed The CCD Inventor

I was digging through my achives looking for an image the other day when I came across one of my favorite images I had made of Nobel Prize winner, George E. Smith in 2005, while on assignment for Black Star. What I did not know at the time I made this image, because we mostly talked about life and sports during the photo shoot, was that Mr. Smith was responsibe for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor of which I was photographing him with inside my Nikon D100.

Think about that.
I’m making pictures using a piece of equipment that he had envisioned in 1969. The whole time I was at his house in Toms River, he never mentioned it once.

For those who don’t know about Black Star, it was the first privately owned picture agency in America and is noted for it’s contributions to the history of photojournalism. The agency was formed in 1935 and introduced numerous new techniques in photography and illustrated journalism. It took me a long time to get into that agency.

I had applied to become a Black Star photojournalist early in my career. I was encouragingly rejected by a very nice woman who became one of my good friends. They apparently already had a photog that they represented in the Philadelphia market and did not have room for another. I was told to re-apply after I had some more experience. Years later, that photojournalist who was already represented, who had also befriended me early on, passed away. What I did not know was that he had mentioned me to the higher ups, and when he passed on, they reached out to me and asked if I was still interested in working with them. Hell yes!!

It never occurred to me at the time that I was photographing one of the people responsible for the digital camera I was using while working for the photo agency that revolutionalized photojournalism in the 30’s on.

I’m sitting here thinking about it.
All that’s going through my head is, how fucking cool!?

Hey I made that!!

Phillies Phanatic at the World Series Championship Parade in 2008.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 31: The Phillie Phanatic dances on a float in front of City Hall during the World Championship Parade October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

The other day I was viewing a FB post by someone I know. She was out with her family celebrating a birthday. They made a bunch of pictures of the celebration and posted them on social media. I noticed one of the pictures had, on the wall, a photograph of the Phillies Phanatic at the World Series Championship Parade in 2008.

Have any of you ever seen this photograph hanging on a wall somewhere? Yup. It’s one of mine. I made that image at Broad and Spruce with a 300mm as I got tired of riding on the bus the Phillies provided for media. I wanted to get out in the crowd and see what I could find pictures wise. Low and behold, the Phanatic was dancing atop one of the floats with City Hall in the background.

That image must have been published and republished many times over in the past 13 or so years. I once saw a print of the image for sale in Wegman’s. If you’ve seen it somewhere, let me know.

Sister Josaphat Slobodian Creates Ukrainian Easter Eggs with Pysanky

Sister Josaphat Slobodian dyes an egg while she does Ukrainian eggs, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodian dyes an egg while she does Ukrainian eggs, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

In May of 1990 I was working on a feature story for the Philadelphia Inquirer about the fact that nuns were getting older and new nuns were not taking their place. The 132 acre province was home to the dwindling order of Sisters of Saint Basil The Great in Glenside. I believe I spent a day and a half there making pictures. It was a time when newspapers would give a photojournalist the time needed to capture images that would illustrate a story and do it justice. They also allotted a good amount of space for it with the Neighbors sections.

Sister Josaphat Slobodan heats up an egg to melt wax while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysnaky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodan heats up an egg to melt wax while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysnaky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) 

 

While I was wandering around the motherhouse grounds I met a few nuns that were kind enough to allow me to hang with them as they went about their day. One sister tended to horses, another maneuvered a tractor across the lawn, one nun was tending her garden and yet another was washing outdoor furniture. Some of the nuns taught at St. Basil Academy. The one I have never forgotten is the sister I met in one of the buildings of Manor College. Upstairs far above the classrooms was an attic which Sister Josaphat Slobodian used as her workspace. There, every Easter, she made Ukrainian Easter Eggs with a technique referred to as “Pysanky.” According to pysanky.info, Pysanky is an Easter egg decorated using a wax resist (aka batik) method. Its name derives from the Ukrainian verb “pysaty,” meaning “to write. Design motifs on pysanky date back to pre-Christian times–many date to early Slavic cultures, while some harken to the days of the Trypillians, my neolithic ancestors, others to paleolithic times.”

 

Sister Josaphat Slobodian places wax on an egg while doing her Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodian places wax on an egg while doing her Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

It is a really interesting process to watch. Sister Josaphat allowed me to hang around while she made the eggs. Some of the details in the eggs must have taken her hours to finish. They were so detailed with indicate patterns. I must say, it was some of the most inspiring art work I had seen in a while.

Sister Josaphat Slobodian draws a pattern on an egg while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodian draws a pattern on an egg while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sadly, Sister Josaphat passed away a few years ago. I just found that information out a few days ago. But with Easter coming, I thought it appropriate to share some of the images I made while she created her Ukrainian Easter Eggs May 1, 1990. A few days after I made these images, a small box showed up in the mail at the office. It held a very cool Ukranian Easter Egg that Sister Josaphat had made. It was one of the finished eggs in her collection that she noticed me admiring the day I was at the Motherhouse. In the box was a nice thank you note.

Sister Josaphat Slobodian draws a pattern on an egg while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodian draws a pattern on an egg while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodian draws a pattern on an egg while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Sister Josaphat Slobodian draws a pattern on an egg while doing Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky, Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Twenty eight years later, I still have that egg. It rests on my mantle.

Every time I look at it I think of Sister Josaphat.

A batch of finished Ukrainian Easter eggs created by Sister Josaphat Slobodian are shown Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

A batch of finished Ukrainian Easter eggs created by Sister Josaphat Slobodian are shown Tuesday, May 01, 1990 at Sisters of Saint Basil The Great motherhouse in Glenside, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

 

Santa Workshop Experience Photo Sessions (ONE DAY ONLY)

Come and visit with Santa Claus at this revolutionary photo experience, where we step outside the box of the traditional “sit your children on Santa’s lap” photographic session. Santa will interact with you and your family during a 30 minute appointment.  The dates available are November 18 from 10am until 2pm.

Santa Claus can check your children’s Christmas list at his workshop table, check his naughty and nice list, share cookies and milk, read a story, decorate the tree, and if time permits, he will even pose for a traditional portrait session. The goal for you and your family to have an interactive and pleasant experience with the jolliest of all elves. Our goal for us is to provide you with the highest quality of photojournalistic images for you to enjoy for years to come.

This special photo session comes with a print package. You will receive (1) 8×10, (2) 5×7 and (16) wallet sized custom color prints of the same image which your can choose in an online gallery.

We are also offering USB drives of all images made for you to print as many times or sizes as you like for a special early booking price of $250 ($150 reservation and $100 for the USB). On the day of the shoot those USB drives will be available for $200 for a total cost of $350.

Delivery dates for prints and USB drives will be as follows:
Tuesday November 28th 7p-9p (Yardley)
Thursday November 30 12p-2p (Yardley)
Saturday December 1 11a-2p (Yardley)

After the session, all images will be available in print form only as individual prints or packages.

Reserve your appointment time now. (Click Here To Reserve Your Time)

What Makes A Good Headshot?

Next time you or someone you know needs a new headshot, take the time to ask yourself, “what makes a good headshot?”
To me, and I’ve been working as a professional photojournalist for over thirty years, a good headshot needs three things.

1: Good light (light that shows 3 dimensionality of the subject)

 (William Thomas Cain)

(Above – Studio headshot with grey backdrop and highlight on back of head)

2: Good face (it should show who you are and your face needs to fill a good portion of the frame)

Jennifer Robles is photographed Wednesday December 14, 2016 in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

(Above – Outdoor headshot with background out of focus)

3: No hands (no hands in face. hands are a distraction that take away light from the face)

PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 20: Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry poses for photos at the Four Seasons Hotel March 20, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Berry was in Philadelphia for a showing of her new film "Perfect Stranger." (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images for the Boston Globe) (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

(Above – Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry in front of tan wall)

This are three basic rules of thumb. Another factor that needs to be thought about is, what image are you trying to portray in your headshot? Is it for business, acting, modeling, etc.??

 (William Thomas Cain)

(Above – Studio headshot on Grey Backdrop with no highlight on head)

Your headshot should portray what you need it to for whatever the ultimate usage.

Most times what I see that photographers tend to provide for clients is not a true headshot, but a nice portrait. That’s all well and good, but if it doesn’t suit your purpose, it is useless.

REHOBOTH BEACH, DE - JANUARY 25: Deborah Sharp who survived a five day ordeal in which she was raped and kidnapped in 1998, poses for a photo January 25, 2006 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

(Above – Portrait in home)

In my last year working as a staffer at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I worked on the picture desk for a time. In that time, I had many business portraits come though the desk for profiles or news blurbs of people ‘s comings and goings from companies. I’ve seen them all. Nice simple images with a solid grey background to outrageously lit (overlit) headshot with a background of all different colors, cloud backgrounds and lots off what says they are not to be taken seriously. Many of the worst looked like high school portraits. Trust me, you don’t want that.

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 13: Heather Kumor Photographed by William Thomas Cain/cainimages.com for Fox Rothschild) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

(Above – Studio portrait on white backdrop – 3/4 length for client website in which the 3/4 view was requested)

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 13: Heather Kumor Photographed by William Thomas Cain/cainimages.com for Fox Rothschild) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

(Above – Studio portrait on white backdrop – full length for client website in which the full length view was requested)

That said. Here are my thoughts on what makes a good headshot for various uses.

I believe that a serious business headshot should generally have the subject fill the frame in a diagonal pose, with their face towards the camera. Hands should not be anywhere near the face and mostly be at your side or folder in front of you and never be part of the composition. And, a grey backdrop is appropriate. A cloud or various color backdrop is highly inappropriate for any kind of business headshot. If you ever go to a photographer that offers you that, run. By all means run like there is no tomorrow. That will not help you to be taken seriously in business.

PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 9: Professor Jeremy J. Siegel (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Black Star) (William Thomas Cain/Black Star)

(Above – Headshot with more dramatic light on burgundy backdrop as per client request)

A more casual business portrait can be made outside, in a shaded area and either lit by available light or strobes (that means flash). Positioning should be the same as a serious business portrait, but in a nice outdoor setting.

5/13/11 12:53:17 PM -- NEW HOPE, PA. -- Veronica Haggerty -- Photo by William Thomas Cain/cainimages.com (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

(Above – more casual headshot outdoors with available light)

I believe that an acting or modeling headshot should have the same good solid light in the subjects face. Maybe not as three dimensional, but more frontal lighting. Maybe the composition should be slightly more diagonal.

One of the things that many people mistake for a headshot is an image that is more apporopr=iately used asa  portrait. A portrait generally shows more of an upper torso type of image which can or can not include hands. Generally, I always prefer that people rarely place their hands up to their face as the light tends to land on the hands and become a distracting plane in the image.

In the past when I was casting for a photo shoot, I would ask models for headshot. You would not believe how many models think a headshot is a three quarter length image or even worse yet, a full length photograph. I probably don’t need to tell you that those were the first ones tossed in the can because they couldn’t follow directions.  So, when someone asks you for a headshot, please, please, please, make sure that is what you provide. And make damn sure that your photographer can provide what you need to put your best foot forward, whether for business or modeling and acting. If you feel they can’t, move on to a photographer that can do it. Correctly.

4/26/11 2:39:27 PM -- Blue Bell, Pa. -- Fox Rothschild Attorney Jennifer L. Schwartz at work in the Blue Bell, Pa. office April 26, 2011. -- Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images for Fox Rothschild. (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

(Above – In office on location portrait with studio lighting)

When I do a headshot for anyone, the first thing I ask is what is their end goal? What do they want to headshot to show? How would they want to be portrayed? Once I have an idea, we can then plan on wardrobe. I always suggest keeping things simple. In many cases dark earthy colors tend to work best. Stay away from any kind of patterns. That might take away from your face.

Dr. Aakash Shah poses for a photograph outside Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Wednesday, November 16, 2016 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images for Ursinus College) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

(Above – Outdoor portrait lit with a portable strobe and backlit from the sun – the key here was to have the background in shade to make it recede in space)

The way we’ll set up headshot shoots is either individually or have a headshot day where we’ll block out a four hour time slot at a company and they’ll have 8-10 people set up a time for pictures. We actually just did a few headshot shoots over 7 hours where we were able to shoot 35 and 45 respectively.
This is done by bringing my mobile studio on location. It’s pretty simple. Lights, reflectors and a stool. People.

Each of the shoots takes maybe 15 minutes. The subject them will receive a link to a gallery of images for them to choose their favorite. In some cases we’ve actually had them choose the image they prefer on location by providing a laptop and showing  the images as we shoot live.

Next time you have to get a  headshot, think of some of the suggestions I’ve made here. The most important thing is to keep it simple. Show your best self and your headshot will be golden.

 (William Thomas Cain)

(Above – Just for fun – Portrait of dogs outdoors)

Image and Caption Sheet From One of My First Philadelphia Inquirer Photo Assignments

Going through my archives recently, I found some old negatives from one of my first Philadelphia Inquirer assignments. It was August 11, 1987, and I was assigned to make your typical grip and grin photo of Jennifer Hai-Ying Tsou as she accepted a sponsorship from the Jenkintown Rotary Club which enabled her to spend a year in China studying music. I recall making images of her address to the rotary, but not really digging the images. Since she was studying music in China, I felt the need to actually show that in a photograph. Luckily, after the luncheon, she agreed to allow me to make some images of her at the piano of her parents home in Jenkintown. These days Jen Su is an accomplished TV and Radio Presenter as well as Corporate Master of Ceremonies and and Actress/Singer. In the days of film, we had to type a caption for every frame we made, because many times we had a lab person, most likely the late, great, Gervase Rozanski, processing our film and then printing the images. The caption sheet was zeroxed to the back of the print and then the correct caption was circled with marker. If was a much, much different process back in 1987. According to the assignment sheet I made exposed 5 rolls of film for the assignment and got to work with one of my favorite writers from back in the day, John Ellis. I also got to meet a very nice young woman who has gone on to accomplish great things. One of the reasons I got into photojournalism was because of the cool people and things I get to meet and do. Beats being stuck in a studio working on an illustration night after night and being isolated from everyone.

In what other career would Bono of U2 promise to have a pint with you when you visit Ireland?

#flashbackfriday #bw #blackandwhite #jenkintown #rotary #pennsylvania @jensu1 @phillyinquirer #phillydotcom

Next Mommarazzi!™ Photo Workshop Date Announced!!

Mommarazzi!™ Photo Workshop
by Cain Images

Saturday May 6, 2017 10am

Tyler State Park

Newtown, Pa.

Cost $35 Per Mom and Child
$40 Mom and Two Children
Each Additional Child $5

 

MOMMARAZZI!™ – Definition: A mom who owns a nice camera and is constantly photographing her kids. Have you had issues while trying to make good photographs of your children? The beautiful Tyler State Park in Newtown, Pennsylvania will serve as the backdrop for this workshop designed to improve your picture making skills while photographing our most precious subjects. We’ll discuss lenses, movement, keeping the child’s attention, ISO choices, backdrops, lighting options, etc…
You can use a DSLR or Point and Shoot for this workshop.

Dentist Cares For HIV Patients

This is from an unpublished photo essay I worked on in 1989 at the Infectious Disease Clinic at Temple University. I spent a few days following around Dr. Michael Glick, who had started the IDC a year earlier. No one in the Philadelphia region was offering dental care to HIV patients at the time. Click and his staff were the only ones doing so that I had found at that time. Here are some archive images, from way back then.

HTML 5 Version Slideshow:


Independence Day Parade In Middletown Township, Pennsylvania

Here are some stills and a video from the Middletown Township 4th of July Independence Day Parade:

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Digging Out After Winter Storm Jonas in Newtown, Pennsylvania

On Sunday I spent part of the morning shoveling and trying to dig myself out from Winter Storm Jonas. Then in the afternoon, I went to make pictures and video of people in the Bucks County area also digging out. Here are some images and the video report.

Tara Grunde-McLaughlin (right) of Newtown, Pennsylvania shovels snow rom the sidewalk while cleaning up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Tara Grunde-McLaughlin (right) of Newtown, Pennsylvania shovels snow rom the sidewalk while cleaning up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.  (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Jonathan Grunde-McLaughlin (left), 8 of Newtown, Pennsylvania throws snow at his brother Andrew Grunde-McLaughlin, 10, also of Newtown, Pennsylvania a day after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Jonathan Grunde-McLaughlin (left), 8 of Newtown, Pennsylvania throws snow at his brother Andrew Grunde-McLaughlin, 10, also of Newtown, Pennsylvania a day after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.  (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Stacey Bancroft of Newtown, Pennsylvania shovels snow from the her porch while cleaning up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Stacey Bancroft of Newtown, Pennsylvania shovels snow from the her porch while cleaning up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.  (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Jill McDade (left) and Michelle Cunningham, both of Newtown, Pennsylvania walk along State Street as the region cleans up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Jill McDade (left) and Michelle Cunningham, both of Newtown, Pennsylvania walk along State Street as the region cleans up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

A vehicle remains snow covered as the region cleans up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

A vehicle remains snow covered as the region cleans up after Winter Storm Jonas Sunday January 24, 2016 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

My Pic On Pierre’s Christmas Card….Finally!!

After 30 years, I finally have had one of my images on my old friend Pierre‘s Christmas Card. The image, which shows Rodney, Pancake and Pierre on Rittenhouse Square during a live broadcast celebrating WMMR‘s 47th birthday at the station’s old home on Rittenhouse Square April 29, 2015 in the Wellington Building. Pierre's Christmas Card with my image from Rittenhouse Square

It was a nice Christmas present from something that I just went and shot for fun.

BW17D1 Day One

Here’s the first few images from the B&W 17 D1 project.

HARTSVILLE, PA - MARCH 25:   Cooper the cocker spaniel stands on a deck looking out into a yard March 25, 2014 in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain)

HARTSVILLE, PA – MARCH 25: Cooper the cocker spaniel stands on a deck looking out into a yard March 25, 2014 in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain)


HARTSVILLE, PA - MARCH 25:   Sculptures stand guard on a deck March 25, 2014 in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain)

HARTSVILLE, PA – MARCH 25: Sculptures stand guard on a deck March 25, 2014 in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain)


BUCKINGHAM, PA - MARCH 25:   A cottage is seen at the Barley Sheaf Inn FarmMarch 25, 2014 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain)

BUCKINGHAM, PA – MARCH 25: A cottage is seen at the Barley Sheaf Inn FarmMarch 25, 2014 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Cain Images) (William Thomas Cain)

Watermarking Images

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Watermarks. I’m not a fan and really don’t like using them. But, when it comes to protecting our copyrights, incidents of late have made me rethink our whole policy.

While I can appreciate the fact that someone likes and wants to share an image, I can not allow theft of our images. There are sharing icons under an image for just that reason. If a person shares our images via one of those links, they and I can be assured that whomever sees the image will be viewing it as intended and that our copyrights are protected. One of the features of our host for galleries is those images can not be downloaded. In the past that was enough of a deterrent.

Recently, someone that we photographed made a frame grab of an image on one of our galleries and uploaded it to Facebook. They didn’t attribute the image, just posted it. Aside from the fact that the person did not have permission, one of the problems I have is the fact that the frame grab is not a finished product and totally misrepresents our work. The image file size is at least 3,800 pixels wide when I upload to my site. Most times when viewing on my site the image will display at at least 900 pixels wide. Those images are optimized for viewing on the site at that size. Then someone views the image on their iPhone and makes a frame capture of that picture. That image size is roughly 400 pixels wide. When posting the image on Facebook it looks nothing like we originally intend or want.

When we do find that someone has posted one of our images on Facebook without permission, we immediately report it and have it removed from Facebook.

There is a huge expense in producing high resolution images. Each camera costs at least $3,000 and then you factor in travel time, fuel, tolls, insurance, car insurance, etc., it adds up quickly. We can’t allow people to STEAL images from our site and post them somewhere without our permission.

We reserve the right to control how an image is reproduced because that is how we stay in business.

It seems that people generally do not understand that when we make a picture, we own the copyright of the image as well as the right to reproduce that image any way we see fit. We may chose to have an agreement, in writing that the client can reproduce the image, but that is at our discretion. And the client NEEDs to have permission via a written LICENSE to reprint pictures.

So, for those reasons, you may see some of our gallery images now feature a watermark like the one above. Proof CD’s will also now come with watermarked images.
Print orders will not be watermarked.

I do apologize for any inconvenience, but we need to protect our work and copyrights.
Please do not infringe upon our copyrighted work.


Old City Philadelphia Photo Walk

Image from today’s Old City Philadelphia Photo Walk.
Full gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Old-City-Philadelphia-Photo-Walk/G0000fMTx6RAGXzg


Family Portrait Photography Shoots

Over the course of a few days last week I had a few photo shoots.
Here’s some of the images.
Click the links to see the galleries.