River Ranch Event Photo Shoot and Scream And Fly Coverage

Editor's Note: The River Ranch 2013 was a huge success, thanks to Tom Foley and all of the hard-working and dedicated members that made this fantastic event possible. I will be posting photos from our coverage this week on the forums as well as the gallery so be sure to check back soon. I have also set up a gallery section for members to upload their own photos - you can visit that section by clicking here.
With the latest River Ranch event upon us, I would like to organize for the photo shoot we conduct there. The Westgate River Ranch is an ideal location for photos, and with the boat ramp being located right behind the property restaurant, we can all get out there quickly.

There are a lot of boats there, and the primary concern here is safety. Anybody that wants a photo of their boat will get one, and you have the option of having your photo printed and framed by Jeff Girardi of Freeze Frame Video on-site. As always, there is no charge for me to shoot your photo, which will then be posted on the forums here. I will also gladly email a photo to you if you request it. A framed photo from Freeze Frame costs $40.00, and that is completely optional.


During the River Ranch event, I will be streaming photos on our Facebook page, so make sure you check there often! This year I am looking to capture more of the essence of this event, with more candid photos the activities there, as well as the boat runs.

Please understand that I cannot contact everybody individually, and at previous events a lot of people missed out on getting their photo taken because they were unsure of when and where the photo shoot would be conducted. If you have any questions, please find me or Jeff - we will be at the River Ranch property for the entire event. If I can, I will happily make time to shoot extra photos, outside of the scheduled photo shoot.


Let's also make sure we decide on a day and time for the photo shoot. A lot of people wanted to participate last time but there was confusion as to what time it was. I am thinking tentatively that Saturday morning, around 9AM would be a good day and time, however if that does not work let's get it organized. I would like to conduct a very short meeting right before the shoot so everybody will be familiar with what we need to do in order to get photos of everybody.


If 9:00AM is good for the majority of boaters, that would be the ideal time that all of the boats should be in the water. Jeff from Freeze Frame Video and I will both be shooting photos as you all make passes. I want to make sure we are able to shoot photos of everybody that wants one. At the last River Ranch event a number of people never obtained the information on when the photo shoot was and they missed out. I really want to avoid that from happening this time.

The way we conduct these shoots is similar to the way drag races are run. All of the boats that will be participating will be in the water at the specified time, and they will stay at one end of the canal, all together. Jeff and I will travel about a mile or so down the canal and set ourselves up. Then, you all will be making a pass one at a time.When you have passed us, please wait at the other end of the canal, far enough back as to give a safe distance to other boats approaching.Everybody that made their photo pass will stay there until the last boat passes by, then you will all go back to the starting point together and we can repeat the entire process as many times as time will allow.


The reason I do it this way is two-fold: First and foremost, safety. We cannot have boats going back and forth while other people are making a photo run. The canal is a bit narrow and I would like one boat at a time passing by. Secondly, it keeps boat wakes under control so everybody gets a fair pass. This way of doing things is very fast and and it usually takes less than an hour for everybody to get two or three photo passes.The canals there go on for miles and miles and all we will need is a very small area to conduct the shoot, but I would like that area to be free of unnecessary boat traffic to keep it safe so we can get killer photos of everybody.
Most Important: Please do not do anything unsafe or risky in any way in an effort to get a better photo. I will not shoot photos of anybody operating their boats in an unsafe or reckless manner. Also, you do not have to run your boat wide-open and trimmed loosely to 'look fast' in the photo. For the purposes of still photos, you will not be able to tell if you're going 80 or 120 mph. Generally, It will all look the same, so please be safe and let's all have fun.

Jeff will have his RV at the River Ranch and he has a full photo and printing studio within it. He will be taking all of the photos we shot and making them available to be printed and framed right at the ranch. You can choose any photo, whether shot by myself or Jeff, and have it printed - and they look killer. Many people received framed photos at the last River Ranch event and it was a lot of fun.

Tom Foley has once again given us an incredible event to have some fun and run the boats. Let's please be safe and have a great time. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there.

Greg