Running in circles is not my cup of tea. Just the thought of running a long distance makes me exhausted. As for my daughter, the sport of Track and Field events means she will not get kicked in the shins anymore.
Runners gather en masse like a Justin Bieber concert at the first track meet of the season. Track and Field Teams from the schools of the Catholic Diocese compete in several events such as relay, sprint medleys, discus, javelin and long jumps throughout the season.
The competition from other schools was just as tough as the lighting conditions with "Friday Night Lights". Stadium lighting is not the ideal light for freezing action but not all sport arenas can be like the Super Bowl. When the sun finally went down, I was pushing the ISO to 6400 to prevent motion blur. Even equipped with fast f/2.8 and f/4 glass, the image grain began to look like winter snow.
The last time my daughter ran this fast was to the nearest shopping mall for the latest Vera Bradley, Hello Kitty or Apple Store for the latest products. The spirit of competition and sportsmanship fills her running shoes. Although, she would also gladly accept a Hipster or the latest iPhone 4S around her neck than any shiny medal.
You can view more Olympic events in my Daughter's First Track Meet Galley shot with the Canon 1D Mark IV paired with EF 24-105mm f/4L, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and the EF 300mm f/4L IS lenses.
A whole one year has passed since I held you for the first time in the delivery room. Wrapped tightly in linens, you barely opened your newborn eyes to a strange world and the parents who unconditionally love you. The sleepless nights waking to your cries for formula, soiled diapers, runny nose, high temperature fevers and projectile vomiting are slowly waning each day. 12 months later, parental anxiety takes over with baby crawling hazards and potential chokables in the household. Ahh...parenthood!
Happy first birthday, Serena! You are now one year old with many accomplished baby milestones and much more to conquer in the upcoming months ahead. Soon you will be walking with confidence and marching to a different tune. The tune of the next generation Apple iPhone with all the bells and whistles. You can never start them too early!
A pink frosted cake and your very own personal side of roasted meat are the perfect accompaniment for any birthday celebrant. With emerging four baby teeth, Serena's feral instinct kicks in to devour any rotisserie prey.
Call it a celebration of life and the carnivorous consumption of red meat at Texas De Brazil, a Brazilian Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. Serena's family and friends gathered for the big one year birthday and to bathe in Churrascaria delicacies. I will take my flank steak rare and bloody but charred on the outside please...
You definitely have your mother's beautiful genes, quite literally. The eyes, face and even your infant lips are almost clone like. Yikes! I will soon have two bosses in the household.
Singing "Happy Birthday" can never get old, especially to children. Maybe by next year, Serena can figure out the candle blowing by then. If you are new to my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog, here is a recap of my baby daughter over the year in a "George Lucas" video trilogy. Enjoy!
Show me the babies! These videos are only the tip of the iceberg for this year. More birthdays and milestones to document and capture with my Canon HD DSLR's. My computer hard drives are bursting at the seams just thinking about all the upcoming photos and video footage. Newegg.com to the rescue...
"Count my five pudgy fingers...each one for a gift without an iPhone 4S." There is always next year. My Vera Bradley Hipster will have to suffice for the moment.
Happy Wedding Anniversary to my beautiful wife! I am blessed to have three wonderful children from her and a gorgeous view of the pay here-parking lot at the Plant City, Florida Strawberry Festival in the trunk of our family minivan. Mahal Kita, Kathleen!
Bonds hold strong in my family. Weakness is spelled baby p-o-o-p and v-o-m-i-t. My will power is not that strong...
You can view more photos and videos in my Serena's First Birthday 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D.
A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're aboard a 14 deck Disney Cruise ship for a 3 day voyage aptly named the Disney Dream. The majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Dream set sail off the east coast of Florida in Port Canaveral with a very anxious family on deck.
All hands on deck for a bounty full beginning on the open sea to conquer all things Disney. The state of the art cruise ship afloat with luxurious amenities for young and old mimics the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom theme park on a boat. A really big boat that can accommodate over 4000 lucky guests.
My kids went wild over the Disney Dream's signature water roller coaster called the AquaDuck. Despite the long wait time in line for this water adventure, it is an aquatic experience you will never forget. Just like the Magic Kingdom, you cannot escape large crowds and never ending lines of people.
Every magical voyage begins with a culinary delight. Every night has an elegant sit down multiple course dinner at three themed on ship restaurants. The Royal Palace, The Enchanted Garden and The Animator's Palate fill my bottomless stomach for everything edible at dinner time. For breakfast, lunch and ice cream in between, the Disney Dream is a glutton's paradise with 24 hour food and beverage stations. There is no slim in SlimFast on this boat.
With endless buffets and sunsets, the ship journeyed to our first stop in Nassau, Bahamas. My family took an Atlantis Resort detour this time to pursue a "Dolphin Tale" excursion.
With a quick and gorgeous 20 minute boat ride from Nassau, the family landed on another paradise. Dolphin Encounters on Blue Lagoon Island gave my children an up close and personal encounter with a friendly dolphin named Salvador. I was just as excited as the kids because of all the glorious pictures and videos of their smiling faces. Priceless.
One paradise encounter ends, another paradise experience begins at our next port of call in Disney's exclusive island called Castaway Cay. Geared for an all day sand and surf event, beach time is family time. Of course, sandy pursuits comes with a barbeque lunch buffet and endless banana soft serve ice cream.
Almost one year old, baby Serena enjoys her very first Disney Cruise experience. Not yet walking, but butt shuffling very fast, Serena soaks up the beach time fun. Fun meaning tasting sand and floating debris around her. To each her own!
Our final night was worthy of a palace steps photo opportunity. Exchange the forever wet swimsuits for slacks, long sleeves and gown like for a royal occasion such as dress up and the Disney theatrical performances such as the "Golden Mickeys". Believe me, the semi formal attire lasted briefly with constant whining reminders of pool time and obligatory Disney gift shops. Sound familiar?
A 1080p video shot with the Canon 1D Mark IV and Powershot ELPH 300HS at 29.97fps. Edited with Final Cut Pro 6 and transcoded the h264 files with Canon E-1 Movie plugin. Used Compressor to render a 1.3gb h264 video file. For audio, I used an Azden ECZ-990 shotgun microphone and used a Manfrotto 701 hdv head on Benro 3580 tripod legs. The Canon Powershot ELPH 300HS was housed in a Canon WP-DC320L waterproof housing for the AquaDuck water roller coaster ride and underwater pool pictures in my gallery below.
Everything must come to an end, even Disney Dreams. All is not lost, the fast approaching Disney Fantasy is coming soon with its 7 night voyages and even with more luxurious splendor than the Disney Dream. A fantasy come true!
You can view more majestic photos and videos shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS and EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses in The Disney Dream Experience 2012 Gallery.
A firm handshake usually suffices for a job well done. In my son's case, a big group hug by your cheering classmates will make anyone smile ear to ear. I was smiling just as big as my feeling of overwhelming pride when my son won first place in the Spelling Bee Competition in his division at his school.
Practice,practice and practice again your list of spelling words just like perfecting your image making with Canon HD DSLR's. Armed with my Canon 5D Mark II paired with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lens, I zoomed in on the word masters to capture 1080p video. I captured the audio with the AZDEN ECZ-990 and stabilized my rig with a Manfrotto 701 HDV head on Benro 3580 tripod legs. The video and audio were magically weaved by iMovie'11 and compressed with Quicktime for a 244mb h264 video file.
My son is in first grade going on 6th grade. He is growing physically and mentally faster than I can type this sentence. My son surpassed my skill level in Call of Duty: MW3. Need I say more?
My almost 11 month baby daughter is crawling at lightning speed. Magically appearing and reappearing anywhere in the house. Soon to be cruising and eventually walking, I am prepared with camera for that magic moment. This time I caught her in the fridge trying to get real dairy milk for her Cafe con Leche.
My kids will soon learn that growing up is hard to do. Adults have to move on to brighter and bigger things. After a glorious five and a half years with the James Hoyer Media Team, I am moving on with my life for a different yet positive future. I am a better and learned person with an exclusive skill set by working with these outstanding media professionals.
You can view more photo and video fortunes in Jude's Spelling Bee Competition Gallery shot with the Canon 5D Mark II, Canon Rebel T3i/600D and the Apple iPhone 4S.
Of the thousands of words in the dictionary for my son to spell, I always tell him happiness is spelled "F-A-M-I-L-Y".
She had me at the first few moments of her newborn life. Now at 10 months old, my baby daughter looks into my camera lens with such natural poise and beauty. This "poise" does not last for long because she quickly crawls off to the next saliva adventure fast and furious.
If life is like a box of chocolates, then raising a family is like juggling flaming torches. Taking a step back and looking at the big picture of life's multi-tasking can be fulfilling and entertaining. Fixating on the problems and not enjoying the "moment" can get you burned.
My oldest daughter, Madeline, recently took interest in animating her LEGO Friends playset. I did not expect "Toy Story 3" during this production but I jumped at the chance at my daughter's interest in photography. With a quick instruction with my old Canon Powershot TX1, my daughter instantly picked up the "time lapse video" concept. With every snapshot, Madeline posed every figure for at least an hour and a half. I spent the next 2 hours sequencing the video with Quicktime 7 Pro and editing with iMovie'11.
Apple iPad and iPhone users click here to play for mobile devices.
My mini clone, otherwise known as my son, grew impatient and chose to tackle his large collection of LEGO's by himself. The NASA Space Shuttle at LEGOLAND Florida was not part of his conquests. LEGO Technic, LEGO City and the new LEGO Dino playsets are more his liking. Although,despite the price, the large scale LEGO Star Wars Millenium Falcon tempts my son's fancy. Milestones can be very expensive.
Happy one year anniversary to my loving wife's business at her new location and building. With a new and supportive staff for 2012, my wife is looking forward to more landmark events in her practice.
Class is in session. There are more magical milestones to come for my pint sized wonder. I am ready with my Apple devices, Canon HD DSLR gear and my humble parental know-how to juggle life's multi-tasking with unbridled patience. This time with no flaming torches.
Just like Hope, a permanent bottle nosed dolphin resident at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the non profit marine sanctuary reached new heights recently. Record crowds converged to the CMA that specializes in rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine animals. They came to see Winter, the major motion picture star of "Dolphin Tale" released in 2011.
Winter, a permanent bottled nosed dolphin resident at CMA, is special. Due to injuries sustained from a crab trap, Winter's tail had to be amputated. A prosthetic tail was successfully fitted to Winter's body to help her swim. This true story inspired the Hollywood movie, "Dolphin Tale".
Although Winter's plight is the storyline of the movie and the major draw to the CMA, the marine animal rescue organization educates the local community through environmental awareness through marine animal care. Panama, the oldest and partially deaf resident of the CMA, performs to the excitement of the audience. Panama is Winter's full time surrogate mother in the "Winter Zone".
You will only see Freeman, Connick and Judd in 2-D at the CMA...the 2 dimensions of a color poster. Fortunately, you can see Winter in any dimension in his holding tank. They even have underwater viewing windows to see him in aquatic action.
Winter's adventures continue to downtown Clearwater, Florida. With a complimentary Jolley Trolley ride, you can view interactive exhibits of actual sets and props from the movie. They also have a high definition theater viewing of behind the scenes footage plus an interactive kids fun zone. Just like every other theme park in Florida, the exhibit ends at the gift shop. We did not leave empty handed.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a sight to see with the family. My kids could not stop referencing the movie during our visit in between the gift shop begging.
Bigger than life itself. No fabled heroes on this New Year's Day but only humbled eyes capturing a chronicle of events called my family. Year 2011 has passed and the dauntless task of 2012 seems as bright as the New Year's Eve firework's display at LEGOLAND Florida.
Cousins forever. Just like Dick Clark's Times Square Ball Drop for New Year's Eve, the countdown is ticking for priceless childhood moments. School winter break converged masses upon central Florida with several theme parks closing its doors due to over capacity. We braved the traffic and crowds and hit LEGOLAND Florida with a vengeful bite of Granny Apple Fries with delightful whip cream.
Enamored by bombs bursting in air like my wife, my almost 10 month old daughter shares the same fondness for elaborate firework displays. Armed with store bought 500 gram gunpowder cakes, my brother in law illuminates the neighborhood with theme park quality fireworks. The little ones duck and cover while the adults and the local County Sheriff gaze with mouths agape.
A thousand points of light shine bright upon the best Christmas of my lifetime. "The best Christmas" may sound cliche to my kid's gift filled eyes but it is an epic truth to me.
My oldest niece meets the youngest of the Soriano family only for the second time this year. Despite this gap, my baby daughter stares deep into her oldest cousin's eyes with a lifetime of familiarity...Epic.
You can view more photos in my New Year's Eve for 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.
Chad Soriano brings more than 20 years of experience as a television news photojournalist and still camera photographer. Chad worked at Tampa’s Fox Television station, WTVT. His primary role there was in the special projects, consumer investigation unit. His assignments ranged from general news to consumer fraud. His skills in news gathering and camera-work combine to create a strong tool in developing and promoting a unique visual style.
