The Top 23 Photos of 2023!

This is our fifth annual “Top Photos of the Year” post. This year they are in random order. Each has a story to tell, an emotion to share, or a moment frozen in time. They are comprised of wedding photos, senior portraits, school portraits, sporting events, team sports, travel shots, wildlife, and even one featuring 70 umbrellas! Throughout 2023, between Melissa, Julia, Sara, Correy, and Sean, we photographed 745 sessions. These include everything from quick in-studio class photo makeups to all-day events like weddings. In all, this totaled just over a half million photos taken! Choosing our favorites was nearly an impossible task, so for 2023 we present our top 23 photos (plus 10 honorable mentions because it’s just too hard to narrow down.) We had fun putting this gallery of images together and we hope you enjoy them!

Umbrella Street

On a cruise, we took an excursion in Puerto Plata called “Take a Selfie in Puerto Plata” where they would teach you how to use your camera. I didn’t expect much on the teaching front and, it was how I expected it to be. The great part was the places they took us and the sights we saw including this, the Umbrella Street.

Canon R6m2, EF24-105 f4.0 at 64mm
Av @ 1/1600 at f5.6, ISO100, naturally lit

Sara and Nick

At the wedding venue for Sara and Nick, there was an old pickup truck and immediately we knew there was a great shot to be had. This is what we came up with for them.

Canon R6m2, RF28-70 f2 at 38mm
M @ 1/160 at f5.0, ISO100, naturally lit

Catch!

Tyler is a great senior athlete being a standout in football, basketball, and baseball where he is the catcher for Chenango Valley. Here is one of his senior portraits from behind the plate. Tyler has also been picked as one of the two Sean Murphy Studios Seniors of the Year!

Canon R5, RF70-200 f2.8 at 100mm
M @ 1/200 at f11, ISO100, Profoto B10 x 2

Pigeons and People of Puerto Plata

This was a great moment, watching this young girl and the pure joy in her expression as pigeons swarmed around and on top of her for some corn meal. The photo is nothing too special but the moment was.

Canon R6m2, EF24-105 f4.0 at 50mm
Av @ 1/125 at f5.6, ISO100, naturally lit

The Splash

We had the honor of photographing Molly, a Division 1 collegiate swimmer in her final year at Binghamton University. It was frankly incredible to see the style and speed of a swimmer of this caliber in person. At the end of our session we wanted to do one of the splash shots that so many swimmers enjoy. We enlisted the help of her coach who took a little too much joy in this, but we loved the photo!

Canon R5, RF70-200 f2.8 at 84mm
Tv @ 1/2000 at f2.8, ISO3200, naturally lit

Emma

Meet Emma, our other Sean Murphy Studios Senior of the Year. All of us in the studio are fans of Emma, but none as much as much as Sara’s daughter Brooke, who asked Emma for her autograph at homecoming this year. This was one of our favorite shots from her senior session that we took on the bridge heading over to Confluence Park from the studio.

Canon R5, RF28-70 f2 at 59mm
M @ 1/200 at f8.0, ISO125, Profoto B10

Smile little sister (or else)

We first photographed the older sister of this duo when she was 6 months old. Now, she is in first grade and loves to be in front of the camera. Her younger sister … not so much. She was in a very shy stage this year but we caught a great moment when Izzy helped her little sister to open up and smile some.

Canon R6m2, RF24-70 f2.8 at 70mm
M @ 1/500 at f5.0, ISO1000, naturally lit

One Cool Cat

To make a great photograph you need something interesting to put in front of your lens. This guy was an interesting subject for sure. We met him in Puerto Rico and had, ironically, a political discussion with him and two of his friends on a street corner. They were looking for an American opinion about Putin and for those of you who know me, I always have an opinion. After our chat I asked this guy if I could take his portrait because he had a story to tell and I captured this image. It’s always a little awkward to ask a stranger if you can take their photo but sometimes it’s worth it.

Canon R6m2, EF24-105 f4.0 at 70mm
Av @ 1/1000 at f5.6, ISO100, naturally lit

Rain is not going to stop them!

Some families take family portraits very seriously and will not diverge from the formal (you know who you are). But some, like this family, keep the laughs and the crazy antics going from start to finish (Yes, I am talking about you Albany). The one thing they wanted were some outdoor shots and unfortunately it was raining pretty hard. We thought to grab a bunch of umbrellas and head outside for a soggy shot, and the result is really cool.

Canon R5, RF24-70 f2.8 at 43mm
Av @ 1/180 at f7.1, ISO400, naturally lit

That left hand will stop her…

At a recent Junior Varsity basketball game with Susquehanna Valley hosting Maine Endwell, the gameplay was fast and aggressive. During one charge to the hoop, the ME player tripped and the SV player ended up helping her with a facepalm. You can tell it was a hard hit based on the ripple on the ME players jaw line.

Canon R6m2, RF70-200 f2.8 at 200mm
Tv @ 1/800 at f2.8, ISO1600, naturally lit

Bre and the Truck

Montrose senior, and full disclosure, Melissa and Sean’s niece, Bre wanted her senior photos at Brown Hill Farms in Tunkhannock, PA in their sunflower fields. It took several attempts to make it there without rain but once we did, it was such a great spot! This shot with an ancient Chevy pick-up was our favorite and we loved the contrast of rust and a beautiful person, both inside and out.

Canon R5, RF70-200 f2.8 at 75mm
Av @ 1/3200 at f2.8, ISO100, naturally lit

Alexandra

As a studio we are most well known for bold, dramatic, or gritty style. When Alexandra came to us for her senior portraits, she wanted a light, airy, “fairy-garden” kind of feel. This was certainly a departure from our usual look, but a welcome one, and it all worked out pretty well. We think this photo comes as close as we have ever come to a perfect color. The colors of her necklaces and clothing are perfectly mirrored in the coloration of the background and it all ties together with her expression to make a photo that you can’t help but stop and look at.

Canon R5, RF28-70 f2 at 70mm
Av @ 1/400 at f2.0, ISO100, naturally lit

Forever our Chef!

If you know Jay or have ever eaten at one of his restaurants, it’s hard not to know he is one of the finest chef to ever work in the Southern Tier. Jay came into the studio for headshots this year and it was great to do something for him after the countless times that we have loved his creations. Jay is between ventures as of right now but rest assured, what comes next for him will be out of this world!

Canon R6m2, EF85mm F1.4
M @ 1/200 at f7.1, ISO100, Godox QS400 ii x 2

Carl Takes Flight

As a studio, it is well known that we love to have people airborne for photos. Whether it is the latest medical residents at graduation, a senior jumping in the middle of the Memorial Bridge, an athlete leaping across the studio, or in this case diving over the end zone at their stadium. We asked Carl to do this in his session and usually, people are inches off the ground in an effort of self-preservation. Not Carl … he soared. It may not be fully obvious in the photo but his left hand is at least three feet off the ground at this point in the arc. Carl for the win.

Canon R5, RF28-70 f2 at 57mm
Tv @ 1/4000 at f23.2, ISO200, naturally lit

0.7 Milliseconds

At the collegiate level, when a batter makes contact with the ball, that physical contact is over in less than 1/1000 of a second. To capture the ball folded over the bat you need to click with a fast shutter speed in a window of about 0.3 milliseconds. So to capture this image, we used our skill and technique … just kidding, we got lucky.

Canon R6m2, REF400 f2.8
Tv @ 1/5000 at f3.2, ISO400, naturally lit

The Time they Both Smiled

We had a lot of fun photographing Vincent. As soon as he got on his horse, he lit up and was having a great time. There were many smiles along the way, but to have both him and the horse smiling at the same time, that was the shot of the day, maybe even the year.

Canon R5, RF28-70 f2 at 32mm
M @ 1/800 at f4.0, ISO800, naturally lit

The Hardest Subject to Capture

There is no doubt, one of the hardest subjects to photograph is a butterfly in flight. They never seem to hold a flight line and you chase them all over. To get three Blue Morphos in one frame, all in focus was a huge win.

Canon R6m2, EF100-400 f4.5-5.6 at 135mm
M @ 1/1250 at f5.6, ISO1250, naturally lit

Yes Sir, Mr. Lane!

Meet Mr. William H. Lane. He founded William H. Lane Incorporated, a Binghamton-based construction firm that is a leader in the commercial construction field. Bill is a genuinely kind and nice person and when Julia photographed him, she was so impressed with him. This photo was on of our favorites as he looks like the poster child for FAFO.

I’ll Take on Mr. Lane

This little man will take on anyone! We do love photographing youth wrestlers. The mix of adorable and bad-a@@ is too much to handle sometimes.

Canon R5, RF24-70 f2.8 at 70mm
M @ 1/200 at f8.0, ISO 200, Profoto B10 x 2

The Scream

In 1893, Edvard Munch painted “The Scream” and it became one of the most iconic paintings of all time. In 2023, this 5th-grade Susquehanna Valley graduate recreated it (we think by coincidence) and it is awesome!

Canon R6m2, RF85mm F2.0
M @ 1/200 at f7.1, ISO100, Godox QS400 ii x 2

Pure Speed

Kaleb is a Class of 2024 senior at Binghamton High School. We had a great session with him and captured this shot that seems to embody the speed he threw down on the track.

Canon R5, RF70-200 f2.8 at 135mm
Tv @ 1/60 at f5.0, ISO100, Profoto B10 x 2

THE Car

This is one of 390 1969 L89 Corvettes. It was restored by Leonard Ferraro right here in Endicott, NY. This is considered by many to be the finest Corvette restoration that has ever been done and we had the honor to photograph it. This car is cleaner and in better condition than when it rolled off the assembly line in St. Louis. We are proud to say this shot has been featured in a couple of Corvette magazines.

Canon R5, RF28-70 f2 at 70mm
Tv @ 1/25 at f16, ISO50, naturally lit

Green Winged Teal

Sean and Melissa are bird nerds. Somehow, despite the sheer number of bird photos taken in 2023, this is the only one that made the top 23. In this case, of course, because he is awesome!

Canon R6m2, REF400 f2.8
Tv @ 1/800 at f4.0, ISO160, naturally lit

Honorable Mentions…

The Thinker

Sometimes in a family session, we play around with the green screen and put people in ridiculous situations. “Can you make it look like I am being attacked by a shark?” Yes. In this case, after doing some fun green screen with the two-legged members of the family, we thought we could do something fun with the dog as well. We got creative and made this image that we think is just about perfect.

Canon R6m2, RF28-70 f2.8 @ 70mm
M @ 1/200 at f7.1, ISO100, Godox QS400 ii x 2

You Don’t Belong Here

One of the things that Sean and Melissa love to do on trips is see and photograph birds. As self-proclaimed “bird nerds” our life list is pretty big but this one threw us for a loop! While in Maine, this Chukar Partridge wandered out of the undergrowth and strolled through the yard. “Ok, so what?” you might say … Well, they do not exist in Maine. They are native to the Middle East and Asia and while some have been introduced to the US as a game bird, they are out West. I don’t know if this little guy just wanted to vacation in Maine like we did or what, but to see a bird from the other side of the planet strolling through your yard is a bit … weird.

Canon R6m2, REF400 f2.8 + 1.4x iii
Tv @ 1/1600 at f4.0, ISO1000, naturally lit

Flying Future Lawyer

Over the past year and a half, we have had dozens of athletes jumping through the air to get these fun flying shots. Two were featured in the Best of 2022 post last year. This year, Annastazia said that enough was enough and that a future lawyer could jump with the best of them. Sure enough, she did it! We will not be surprised to see her as a Supreme Court Justice someday. However, we don’t expect her to recreate this shot on the high court in the black robes.

Canon R6m2, RF28-70 f2.8 @ 33mm
M @ 1/200 at f4.0, ISO200, Profoto B10 x 2, Profoto B2

How Far We Have Come

This is not much of a photo as photos go but what is interesting is the subject. On the right is a Sony Mavica MVC-FD73. This was the first digital camera Sean ever had. Here are the specs … 0.3 megapixel, 10x optical zoom, and it could save 10 images on a floppy disk (yes, it saved on an internal 3.5” floppy disk drive). It cost $600 new back in the day. They are available for $13 on eBay today. The camera on the left? A Canon R6 MkII, 80x the resolution of the Sony and it shoots 40 frames per second, storing 6000+ images on the cards we use. My how far we have come.

My New Friend

Sean and Melissa hiked miles into the Panamanian jungle (to look for birds, go figure) and at a visitor center, hand-fed hummingbirds. This little guy Sean is feeding is called a Stripe Throated Hermit.

Sony A6000, E PZ 16-50 F3.5-5.6 at 16mm
M @ 1/160sec, F4.0, ISO 320, naturally lit

Rock On!

A lot of times, when we do team photos at schools the athletes want to have pictures taken with their friends. These “Buddy Pics” can get out of control sometimes for sure. This year Teagan and Abby took this shot together and then wanted a magazine cover made of it. There was only one option, we had to go right to the first-ever Field Hockey Edition of the Rolling Stone.

The History in Those Fingers

In street photography, a subject that has lived a life and is weathered is always our favorite. This banjo player has stories to tell. His look was captivating and this gritty black and white brought out the character and his years of life. On a side note, you can see how arthritic his hands are in the image but for sure, this guy still can play.

Canon R6m2, EF100-400 f4.5-5.6 at 312mm
Tv @ 1/200 at f5.6, ISO800, naturally lit

What Does the Fox Say?

On a drive through the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, this little fox trotted out on the road and let us get about 10 feet from him before strolling away into the undergrowth. Frankly, he didn’t say much at all but it was really amazing to see him.

Canon R6m2, EF100-400 f4.5-5.6 at 400mm
Tv @ 1/3200 at f5.6, ISO640, naturally lit

0.08 seconds before the end

When shooting sports, it is common to have the camera set to 12 frames per second. That was the case at the homecoming game when the camera was trained on number 12 of Susquehanna Valley. This shot was taken 0.08 seconds before the next shot which clearly showed the season-ending injury. It was hard to watch and the next click was not for public viewing.

Canon R6m2, REF400 f2.8
Tv @ 1/1250 at f3.2, ISO200, naturally lit

Volleyball, the Banner Masters

We have a lot of fun with the athletes at Susquehanna Valley and their big banners. When you go to the school, you will see many banners up inside and out, one for each varsity sport throughout the year. We wanted to share one of the fun ones from this year. Volleyball gets the nod and Julia gets serious props for the handstand.

That is our 23 for 23 (with honorable mentions). We hope you enjoyed the walk down the 2023 memory lane. We can't wait to see what 2024 has in store! Maybe you’ll make the 24 for 24 list?

Sean, Melissa, Julia, Sara, and Correy

Sean MurphyDecember 31, 2023