Tour of Shenandoah Bike Race - Photos Online

BlackBird Images photographed two stages of the Tour of Shenandoah bicycle race today: the Dayton, VA time trial and the Harrisonburg, VA criterium. We volunteered to photograph both events and donate images to the Tour organizers. The Tour of Shenandoah is a small (but definitely growing) grass roots bike racing organization staffed mostly by volunteers, and we were happy to help them out. Here's a photo from the Harrisonburg stage.


To see more photos from the first day of the Tour, visit the public gallery on the BlackBird Images website by clicking here.
Our photographers had never attended a bike race and were amazed at the speed and power of the athletes. (A Dayton police officer's radar clocked most riders at between 30 and 34 mph - on a flat section at the start of the race.) The atmosphere surrounding the event was even more impressive: the riders were friendly and accessible, the spectators had a great time, and the events were professionally-run while maintaining a casual, small-town feel.


The Tour runs through April 25th and covers most of the southern and central Shenandoah Valley. Click here to visit the Tour of Shenandoah website. If you can, see one of the races - they're definitely worth checking out; if you can't, take a look at some of our photos by clicking here. Congratulations to Dave LeMay and Matthew Butterman of the Tour of Shenandoah for putting on a great event.

Daily News-Record Article

Jeff Haden, the President of BlackBird Media (the parent company of BlackBird Images), appeared in an article in today's Daily News-Record business section. The article is a (surprisingly, since he's usually long-winded) very brief look at some of the basic considerations for setting up an e-commerce website. A full-service advertising and media strategy corporation, BlackBird Media provides site design, navigation structure, text, graphics, photos, and e-commerce solutions for small and medium-cap companies. To see the article, click here.

Fairfax Hall Wedding - Waynesboro, VA

Another wedding venue that's surprisingly nice is Fairfax Hall in Waynesboro, Virginia. A BlackBird Images team photographed a wedding there in early October of last year. The Hall is located on a hilltop overlooking the town and the views of the fall foliage are reminiscent of Skyline Drive... which makes sense since it's only a few miles away from the Afton Mountain entrance to Skyline Drive. Here's a photo of the bride and groom facing towards Fairfax Hall with the city behind them.


The Hall is a very nice reception venue: it has a large dining room that adjoins a glassed porch, and there's a sitting room down a short hallway that creates a private "escape" room for the bridal party - which is also handy for checking makeup, clothing, etc.
Fairfax Hall is also a city-run facility offering affordable housing for seniors. The blend of services is in no way a problem since the reception area is separate from the rest of the building, and residents we met were very friendly and gracious; they seemed to enjoy all the activity. Keep in mind that the venue offers room set-up, but does not offer catering or other services - you'll have to contract those on your own.
The BlackBird Images photographers had plenty of room to work in and a number of pretty building and scenery elements to incorporate into what turned out to be great photographs of an really nice bride and groom. If you'd like more information, you can visit the Fairfax Hall website by clicking here.

Oakencroft Vineyard Wedding - Charlottesville, VA

We're frequently asked for our opinions about wedding venues, so occasionally we'll list some of the BlackBird Images team's favorites. Last fall we photographed a wedding at the Oakencroft Vineyard outside Charlottesville, VA. It's a few miles out of the city in a wonderful location for an outdoor wedding: rolling hills, a small lake, great views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.... The day we went to take a look at the location (we visit wedding locations we're not familiar with ahead of time) about fifteen deer ran across a hillside on the other side of the lake. Weddings can be held in the vineyards themselves (there are large grassy areas surrounded by rows of vines) or in the courtyard in front of the main building. The wedding we photographed was held in late afternoon and the light was fantastic. Here's a picture of the happy couple just after the ceremony.


A few other photos from the wedding can be found on the BlackBird Images website; to visit us, click here.
A couple things to keep in mind: The Oakencroft Vineyard doesn't handle catering and logistics; that's your responsibility. If you want a dance floor, tents, catering, etc, you'll have to arrange those yourself - in effect they simply rent the space. It's a working vineyard that doubles as an event venue, is a gorgeous site for a wedding and reception, and is a great place for beautiful wedding photographs. To visit the Oakencroft Vineyard website, click here.

Tour of Shenandoah

We've agreed to photograph, pro bono, the opening legs of the Tour of Shenandoah, a road cycling race that ranges from Harrisonburg to Buena Vista and back up to Waynesboro, Virginia over the course of five days -- picture a miniature Tour de France set in the Shenandoah Valley. Every year BlackBird Images donates services to organizations, teams, or groups we decide we'd like to help. The Tour of Shenandoah is a fairly new event that attracts up-and-coming cyclists, and we thought it would be fun to give its organizers a hand. It runs from April 25 through April 30; you can visit their website for more information by clicking here. We'll post photos we take in our Gallery section on the BlackBird Images website; to visit us (and see the photos we take next week), click here.
Last year, for example, we shot a Longwood University women's field hockey game at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Here's a photo from the game.


Longwood University is a small private college in Farmville, VA, and the ladies on the team are rarely photographed in action. They were incredibly appreciative and later sent us a very sweet card and team photo. One of the great things about being successful is that we occasionally have the freedom to do something nice... just for the sake of being nice.

House Mountain Inn Wedding - Lexington, VA

We recently photographed a small wedding at the House Mountain Inn outside Lexington, VA. The Inn is in the mountains about five miles from Lexington, which puts it a little over an hour from our offices in Harrisonburg, VA. It's off the beaten path, but it's perfect if you want a private, secluded location for your wedding. The scenery is gorgeous, it's only a couple years old so everything is spotless, and the staff does a great job. Here's a view of the grounds from a deck on the first floor.


The small gazebo to the left of the pond is used for outdoor weddings. The couple had planned an outdoor wedding but it rained; luckily the Inn has a great room that is perfect for a small wedding (I'd estimate no more than 50 or so guests, though.) There was plenty of room for the BlackBird Images team to work, too. The wedding went well and the location was great - if you're looking for a B & B setting for your wedding, check them out. To see the House Mountain Inn website, click here.