Mike Hartley Photographer

Ryan and Amanda

2009-03-17T18:41:00.007-04:00

Here are a few pics of Ryan and Amanda during there Engagement session. We did the session on a brisk winter day at Longwood Gardens. As you can see the gardens are beautiful even in the dead of winter. Enjoy!

Katie and Alex

2008-09-26T15:13:00.004-04:00

What a beautiful day in true Maryland fashion. The ceremony took place at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. At the conclusion of the ceremony the couple and their guests retreated to a family estate right on the Middle River, which feeds to the Chesapeake Bay. The weather was incredible, really perfect for a reception on the water.

I have a ton of favorites from their day so I put together a quick slideshow for your enjoyment.

Click HERE!!!

Seven Years Later

2008-09-11T15:40:00.008-04:00

Renee was able to get us two tickets to attend the Pentagon Memorial Dedication today at the Pentagon. It was an incredible event and the Memorial is amazing. So well thought out and designed I can't wait to see it. The actual Memorial is only open to Special Guests today, but will open to the public at 7pm this evening for the first time. For now I have posted a bunch of pictures from the dedication ceremony.

We arrived at the Pentagon at 5:55am. They were expecting over 15,000 people to attend the dedication and we wanted to make sure that we got good seats. Just outside of the seating area there was a group of almost 3000 American Flags to pay tribute to all of the victims of the Sept 11th attacks. In the back ground you can see the Air Force Memorial. The Spire reaching off to the right of the picture shows the path that American Airlines Flight 77 took as it hit the Pentagon.Here is the Dedication's Program with the stage and Pentagon in the background. Just beyond the stage is the Memorial. The ceremony started with a wonderful concert with musical performances by selected groups from each of the Armed Services.
During the ceremony the names of the 184 victims were read for the first time at the Pentagon. As each name was read a bell was rang. Take note of the airplane in the background of this picture. Every few minutes a plane flew by on it's final approach to Regan International Airport in Arlington, VA. This is the normal flight path of these planes.
Here you can see the first American Flag to fly over the Pentagon Memorial. Today they will be flying the Flag at half staff as you can see in the image below.
The event was well attended by many of the leaders of the US Armed Forces. Speeches were given by Former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense Gates, The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, and President Bush.
Mr. Rumsfeld and President Bush were warmly welcomed by the audience.
The President of the United States of America.
Look at the video on the projector. It shows the side of the Pentagon that was hit by the airplane. It was out of view from the seating area as they placed the Memorial directly in front of that section of the Pentagon.Here you can see the Speakers right as they unveiled the Memorial. The blue cloths were covering each of the 184 benches which now memorialize the victims of the Sept 11th attack on the Pentagon.
Another view of the 3000 flags.
Each flag was dedicated to a victim of the Sept 11th attacks.It was an amazing dedication and I feel honored to be able to attend this event. It's really hard to believe its been seven years. I can still vividly remember being awaken by a phone call from my mom during my Junior Year of college at UD in my Ray Street Dorm room telling me to turn on my tv. Sept 11th showed me that the greatest thing about the USA is the spirit of her people, of which our flag displays so well.

Back in Action...Slideshow

2008-08-24T13:42:00.005-04:00

Here is a quick slideshow from another wedding I shot at the Sheraton of Columbia, MD. It was another fabulous day. This time the happy couple took advantage of the beautiful weather and had their ceremony on the outdoor patio of the Sheraton that overlooks the lake.

Enjoy the Show.

CLICK HERE!!!

Wedding Posts

2008-08-24T13:29:00.004-04:00

So it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post. Let me tell you it hasn't been for lack of content to post about, but I've just been so busy with work and life that posting has been the last thing on my mind.

But now I'm refreshed after my break and ready to put up some rocking images. The only problem is that the ftp program my server uses will not let me log on. I put a call into my web hosting company and they are on it. So check back this week for a bunch of posts.

But in the mean time check out the post by Dave of David Toth Photography on his blog. This past weekend we worked our first wedding together and it was incredible. I'm learning so much from Dave and am really excited for the events we have coming up this fall. Dave made a quick slideshow with a few highlights from the Cheryl and Dave's Wedding Day and a few of my pics made the show. Later this weeks I'll post a few more of the images that I took.

Dave was also my wedding photographer of choice. You can see why here.

You stay classy San Diego.

Matthew and Darlena

2008-08-08T15:48:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pics from a wedding I did back in June with Zack of David Cearfoss Photography. It was a Christmas in June themed wedding that was done very well. We met the couple at The John S. McDaniel House Bed and Breakfast as the bride was just finishing getting ready and waiting for the rest of the wedding party to arrive.

It definitely ain't easy being the bride.

The McDaniel house was fantastic. We took a few shots of the wedding party and then headed to the Easton Church for the Brethren for the ceremony.

I would normally post a few pics from the ceremony, but I would rather post these pictures from this old church/cemetery right down the road from where Matt grew up. Isn't this place incredible!!! Below you can see Zack working hard to get that killer shot.It was a great day and I wish the happy couple all the best.

Salt Lake City

2008-07-30T17:22:00.007-04:00

So I'm back out in Utah for work, but this time I flew in a day early to check out some of the sites in Salt Lake City. Obviously Temple Square is one of the biggest sights in Salt Lake City.

They have a pretty massive statue immortalizing Brigham Young, Adam Smith's successor as Leader of the LDS (Mormon) Church.The LDS church has a pretty impressive spread around Temple Square. Here is the waterfall at the front of the Convention Center.Inside the square there are a ton of really cool buildings. In this picture you can see the Temple, which is closed to visitors.The following pictures are of the Assembly Hall in Temple Square.
The stone and mortar on the Assembly Hall was pretty cool. In most brick buildings they smooth the mortar down, but here they went the extra mile and exposed it.Brigham Young is a pretty popular guy. He also has a park named in his honor.This is the Head Quarters of the LDS Church. I love the long, tall lines running up the entire building.As I was leaving the Square I saw this awesome old house.Here is a view of the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island from I-80. Yes, the white stuff is salt.As you drive west from Salt Lake you travel through a number of mountain ranges and valleys.
The mountains are definitely more exciting than the valleys.I really love the wide open spaces and views out west.

Belgium

2008-07-23T20:51:00.011-04:00

We finally made it to one of the restaurants in Washington DC that I've been wanting to go to ever since Renee started to plan her Pentagon Detail. Its a little Belgium Gastropub specializing in delicious Belgian food and BEER called Granville Moore's. Unfortunately when we arrived there was a 45 minute wait for seating, but they gave us a buy one get one free drink coupon to a little bar down the street.

The Red and The Black was a great place to kill time. They had some great beer (bottle only) and played reruns of the original American Gladiators (not this new crap). Once our table was ready they called my cell phone and we ran over to our patio table. Here Renee is sampling one of the many fine Belgian Beers. Belgian style beers are best known for their lack of any consistent style but all having an incredible drinkability despite the fact that many of the beers approach 10% ABV.
The service was pretty quick and the food was AMAZING. Belgian food is pretty simple, it consists mainly of mussels and french fries (they call them frites).Renee's mussels were cooked in Bacon, Blue Cheese, Shallots, Spinach, White Wine, and Lemon Juice. I had the steak et fromage sandwich...
After dinner we relaxed with another beer and Renee snapped this pretty crazy picture with my face all blurred out like what happens to you after you watch the video in the movie the Ring. On our way back to the Metro (subway) we stopped at Union Station for a quick photo shoot.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-21T16:30:00.002-04:00

I could talk forever about this movie, but to really do it justice I'm just gonna leave you with a quote. These are the first words that came out of my mouth as Renee and I walked out of the theatre.

"That could possibly be the greatest movie I have ever seen."

pause for dramatic effect

Go see it.

Tim and Nikki

2008-07-10T18:40:00.006-04:00

It's about time...

The long awaited and overdue slideshow from Tim and Nikki's Wedding. For those of you who forgot the wedding was in Waterford Michigan. The Ceremony was at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church and the reception followed at the Fountains Golf and Banquet Club.

I had an awesome time in Michigan and can't wait to get back out there. Until then enjoy the show.

CLICK HERE!!!

ps. keep an eye out cause I actually make a few guest appearances in the slideshow as well.

Delays

2008-07-07T21:26:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, but its been a difficult week. Renee has moved to Washington DC for the next 3 months. She has taken a temporary detail to work at the Pentagon for some big Army Environmental wigs. So its now up to me to keep up the house, the pets, and the blog...which is no easy task.

This past weekend was actually her first weekend in DC and since it was the 4th of July I decided to go visit her and see the sights. The fireworks were amazing and there was a ton of stuff going down on the National Mall. I have a bunch of pics to post, but my laptop died. As I was downloading the images and composing the post, I got the notorious Blue Screen of Death. Usually you can just restart and go on with your business, but this screen means business. Every time I restart the computer within 2 mins the screen comes back and the computer shuts off. So you'll have to wait a few more days for the killer images.

Sorry for the delay, but they'll be worth it.

The Damage

2008-07-02T16:55:00.006-04:00

The picture from the end of the last post really sums it up. Stuff got broke.

The tall and skinny version is that $20 camera bags are $20 camera bags and I need to properly protect my gear.

As we were leaving the hotel I was pulling my roller bag with my laptop case and camera bag drapped over my left shoulder. I then attempted to open the trunk of the rental car with the key in my right hand when all of a sudden, THUMP. The camera bag smacked the ground. It landed perfectly flat on the bottom of the bag, which translated to the glass part of the lens.

How the bag landed

How the camera looks inside the bag.

I quickly dropped to the ground and sat there stunned at what happened. I was SPEECHLESS. So after I composed myself I grabbed the bag and opened it up. Everything looked ok, but as I pulled the camera out of the bag I noticed the glass shards.

The filter was smashed, but I was able to remove it with some force and decided to snap a quick shot of it for the blog. Well as I composed my shot and hit the autofocus, I heard the motor make an erie grinding sound and slowly the image came into focus. The D300 appears to still be in pretty good shape. The mount for the lens is now a little tight, but everything else appears fine. The lens on the other hand is pretty shot. It doesn't like to zoom or focus, manually or automatically. I'm gonna send it off to Nikon this week to get an estimate for repairs.

Upon inspection of the bag this clip was determined to be the culprit. Its a swivel clip and the feature that allows it to swivel popped out of place.

It's almost like this was a sign for me to get my new dream camera, the D700. It was just announced last night and contains the one feature the D300 lacks, a full frame sensor. Luckily enough my camera still works, so I'm sticking with it, but I'm shopping around for some new glass (lens for you non-photography folk).

Now that it has been a few days I'm feeling much better. At first I was pretty pissed, but now I've come to grips with the situation and am ready to move on.

Tim & Nikki Goetze Wedding

2008-06-30T22:39:00.017-04:00

This past weekend Renee and I got to travel to Waterford, Michigan (Suburbs of Detroit) for the wedding of our friends Nikki Pietrzak and Tim Goetze. It was my first time in Michigan and it was incredible. I got to ride over 8 Mile rd and listen to Kidd Rock. It can't get any more Detroit, MI than that. As a guest at the wedding and not a photographer I tried to keep my distance from the couple and let their paid photographer do his thing. But guess what, I got some pretty sweet pictures anyway. So many that I hope to have a slide show up Wednesday. But in the mean time I can't help but share a few of these with you.

So here is Nikki and her father walking down the isle towards Tim.
Amazingly enough she made it up the isle and went through with it. Here is Tim celebrating is success.
The reception was held at the Fountains Country Club and Golf Course.
They had a chocolate fountain and a MASSIVE cake made by Tim's Mother (I believe).
During the reception Tim was a good sport and even encouraged the Tapping of the wine glasses.And she couldn't look any happier.

She was even happy enough to clean the floor with her beautiful new dress. This "alligator" dance is a Michigan thing, so don't ask me. I'm still trying to figure it out.
I guess I would expect it from locals like these...
After that they got a little dirtier. Check out her eyes, talk about love.
Near the end of the reception, Tim's Dad had a special treat and got the DJ to play the "If I were a Rich Man" song, where Tim continued to do is traditional finger snap and body shake dance. For those of us who work with Tim, this is classic Tim.
Man, what a great weekend. I hope you two have a great time in Hawaii. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Unfortunately with the good also comes the bad...Who ever said grown men don't cry has never had their new D300 w/lens fall to the ground. The happy news couldn't wait, so I'll post more about that epic shattered filter tomorrow.

VICTORY is Mine

2008-06-25T20:02:00.006-04:00

As I've said before, I am currently only a part time photographer. Between the hours of 0630 and 1600 (and whenever my blackberry buzzes) I'm a Chemical Engineer/Systems Engineer for the US ARMY. So in the spirit of being all that I can be, I decided to become a "Professional Engineer" or licensed engineer.

The "PE" is the Principles and Practices Exam given by the NCEES a non-profit licensing group for engineers and surveyors. Basically, twice a year they organize an 8 hour long test designed to torture engineers. Its the culmination of 4 years of documented engineering work and an additional 8 hour exam taken at the start of the 4 years of work called the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.

I think the hardest part was the long wait for the results, but that's now over. After waiting 74 excruciating days, the results from the PE exam finally came in the mail and I PASSED!!!

Its now time for a nice cold refreshing beverage to celebrate my success.

Oh yeah and the fun doesn't stop here, Renee is planning to take the PE next year in the Spring of '09. So wish her luck, even though I know she's gonna do fine.

Cherries

2008-06-23T20:32:00.008-04:00

BEWARE of Guard Owl.

Talk about timing. After a few weeks of traveling we finally picked up Lexi, our dog, from Renee's parents house and as soon as she got home she had to go potty. So she ran around the side of the house like she normally does and I followed. As soon as I rounded the corner of the house I could see the hundreds of cherries STILL on the branches of our cherry tree and they were perfectly ripe.

So I conducted an emergency picking operation and was able to get around 3lbs of cherries off the tree. Unfortunately the cherries near the top of the 25+ft tree were over ripe, but the rest were perfect (yes, I did climb the tree). I'm not sure what kind of cherries they are, but they are slightly sour with a sweet finish!

Hopefully next year we can time the harvest just a few days earlier and get twice as many cherries.

Stephen and Heather

2008-06-13T16:10:00.007-04:00

So here goes, my first slideshow.

This is of Stephen and Heather's wedding on May 17, 2008 at the Sheraton in Columbia, MD. I shot this wedding as a second shooter for David Cearfoss Photography out of Fallston, MD. It's always a pleasure working with David. As a second shooter I got to follow Stephen around on his wedding day. And since the bride tends to get most of the attention I decided to use my images from the day to make a slideshow that focuses more on his part of the day.

Hope you enjoy the show. They are awesome couple and threw a great party.

Click HERE!!!

The Furminator

2008-06-09T18:28:00.009-04:00

No, I'm not skinning a cat. I'm using the Furminator deshedding tool on Sandy, one of our cats.

The furminator looks and sounds like one of those "As seen on TV" products that are nothing more than a waste of your money, but man looks can be deceiving. This thing is AMAZING! After 2 brush strokes I was able to remove more loose hair than I ever did using a normal brush.

I'm a avid cat lover and unfortunately have a number of friends who are allergic to cats. Hopefully this will help to remove some of the lingering fur and dander around the house making their visits that much more comfortable.

These things aren't cheap, but they are worth every penny. They also make for great pics...

Wedding Season

2008-06-02T23:52:00.010-04:00

So it probably wasn't a good idea to start a blog during wedding season. May has been ridiculous. 2 weddings to shoot, 1 to attend, 1 to be a groomsman in, and my own. It has been amazing, but now that the honeymoon is over I have a mountain of pictures to sort through.

I was just looking through Heather & Stephen's wedding from May 17th and can't wait to get some images up. But after waking up at 4am (est) and flying to Utah and then driving into the desert and working till 7pm (mtn) I'm a little beat.

But I will post a pic, it's one of those how I'm feeling pics. This picture happens to be of the flower girl from the previously mentioned wedding as her father woke her up from her nap to get ready for the wedding.

So now as taps play over the Dugway Proving Ground loud speakers I think I'll hit the sack.

The Begining

2008-05-28T22:12:00.008-04:00

Welcome.

I'm Mike Hartley, a photographer based out of Abingdon, MD. I’ve created this blog as a supplement to my website where I can more easily showcase some of my latest work. My website was my first attempt at rescuing my pictures from the black hole that is my hard drive. Even though it has worked well, there are just so many more pictures that I would like to share with the world.

Most of my images are of events, weddings, and rock climbing; a pretty exciting mix. I also enjoy taking “lifestyle” photographs which I view as photographs of people in their element enjoying life without over posing for the camera. I also try to embrace this “lifestyle” approach in all my photographs.

Since I'm not a full time photographer yet I'm gonna have to supplement this blog with ramblings from my daily life. But in either case I hope to include some awesome pics with each post.

So I hope you enjoy what you see and check back often for more.

Me and the new Wife on our honeymoon in Virgin Gorda, BVI