JMHalter Productions

10/20/2021

Back out at Montclair State University, for the final NYRB2 home match of the season, and they’ve got me running this monster of a lens. Going live on ESPN+ in just a couple minutes, so tune in now to see how it goes.

10/04/2021

Went back out to the New York Renaissance Faire on Saturday, and dragged my Nikon, and all three of my primes, along for the trip. Wasn't nearly enough time to catch everyone, but I managed to get back to some of my favorites from my first trip out there, a couple weeks ago. Featured here, in no particular order, are Acrobatrix, The Jackdaws, The Langer's Ball, Cirque du Sewer, The Pride of Ireland, & Blackenshear (who is a sentimental favorite of mine, from when I used to make my yearly trip to the Georgia Ren Fest). It's been years since the last time I shot any performances, so it was good to shake that rust off again. Always some things to improve on for next time, and I would have liked a little bit more reach than I got from my 80mm, but I'm still pretty happy with how these turned out. All of these are straight JPEGs, shot on a Nikon Df, using either a 24mm, 50mm, or 80mm prime, and are posted without any edits. Already can't wait for next year to roll around, and I'm looking forward to finding some excuse to flex these muscles again soon.

09/04/2021

Out at Montclair State University for another NYRB2 match. Running a primary game camera for the first time in a long while, since before I left VSU, so here’s hoping I still remember the moves. If you want to tune in and see how I do, kickoff is at 7pm Eastern on ESPN+.

Out at Montclair State University for another NYRB2 match. Running a primary game camera for the first time in a long while, since before I left VSU, so here’s hoping I still remember the moves. If you want to tune in and see how I do, kickoff is at 7pm Eastern on ESPN+.

06/16/2021

Took a wander down to The Battery after work, based entirely on a hunch, to try and get some shots of the surprise fireworks Cuomo announced today, celebrating our 70% vaccination rate and the end of nearly all the statewide mandates. Ended up guessing quite well and I’m very happy with the results. [Fujifilm X100V/JPEG/Unedited]

06/01/2021

Welcome to my new office. Things are starting to pick back up, in the city, and today I started a new gig as the regular Robo Op on CNBC’s Fast Money, with plans to eventually transfer me onto the Jib, alongside my usual back-fill role across the NYC shows. Still only a half-time gig, but it’s been over a year since the last time I was in a studio every day, and it feels really good to be back to work.

05/30/2021

Been spending my day back at my old stomping grounds, helping support the Collision Smash Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Pandemic Anniversary Series Finale tournament. Getting close to the finals, so tune in now at Twitch.tv/CollisionSmash

03/31/2021

Had to do some work in Midtown yesterday, so I grabbed the opportunity to wander a few blocks up to Central Park and take my camera for a walk.

09/24/2020

Over on my Instagram, I’ve been doing this thing I call Unfiltered Ramblings, where I just dump a bunch of unedited shots from that day’s walk. In honor of this double sized entry, I thought I’d cross-post yesterday evening’s ramble over here.

Unfiltered Ramblings (Sunset & Silhouettes Edition) [Fujifilm X100V/JPEG/Unedited]

07/18/2020

Since I started working in the field, nearly 14 years ago, and especially since moving to NYC to pursue my sports career in earnest, I always wondered what would lead to my first camera gig, in a real arena. Turns out today was that day, though I never could have ever imagined that it would be the result of a global pandemic, or that the game would be played in front of a completely empty stadium. But, here we are, and today I was fortunate to be on the production crew for the @nyrb2 return to competitive play. It was certainly an eerie experience, but it’s a milestone regardless and it’s good to be getting back to work.

07/05/2020

Took a wander over to the Hudson today to get some shots of the joint NYC flyover between the USAF and USMC. The flight consisted of a B-1 Lancer, a B-2 Spirit, and a B-52 Stratofortress, accompanied by four each of F-15s, F-22s, and F-35s. All of this was lead by the supremely talented Thunderbirds, in their famous F-16s. This was my first time seeing a number of these in the air, and it’s always a treat to see the Thunderbirds do their thing.

05/30/2020

In honor of today’s return to crewed flight by SpaceX and NASA, here are some shots I recently found and don’t believe I ever shared before. Way back in 2009, I made the especially nerdy decision of heading down to the cape, on the day after my 21st birthday, to catch the launch of STS-125 with my dad. Then, just a few months later, all the stars aligned and we were able to head back down for the night launch of STS-128. My photographic skills and gear weren’t quite up to the level they are now, but I’m still pretty happy with how these turned out. #launchamerica

05/27/2020

Big day for us space nerds today, as SpaceX and NASA hope to return to crewed flight, after a nearly 10 year gap. Unfortunately, I’m not able to make the trip down to cover this one, so I’ll have to make do with a shameless repost of a few of my favorite shots from the two Falcon Heavy launches I was fortunate enough to attend.

04/29/2020

Occasionally I remember that I am actually a photographer and drag out my gear to shoot something cool. Today I took advantage of the rare opportunity to see both of the US Military's flight demonstration squadrons, U.S. Navy Blue Angels & Air Force Thunderbirds, flying together over the NYC skyline, as part of their #americastrong tour. Always a treat to see these phenomenal pilots in person.

03/23/2020

Greetings from the hot zone. Freedom of the press is an essential right, but it comes with certain responsibilities. For the last couple weeks, I’ve been part of a skeleton crew at one of the CNBC studios in NYC, working to maintain broadcast continuity for Squawk Box. It’s a small part to play, but I’m glad to be doing what I can to keep information flowing.

03/08/2020

Made the journey back out to Montclair today to kick off the USL Championship season for NYRB II. Unfortunately, the match didn’t go our way, but it’s always great to get back to my roots in sports and I’m looking forward to many more matches this season.

03/04/2020

Looked at a calendar recently and realized that it’s been a bit over a year since I started freelancing with CNBC. It’s strange how time has moved since I came up here.

02/19/2020

Back out at the Intrepid Museum this week with some more STEAM outreach for Kids Week 2020. I’ll be helping out Kerbal Space Academy through Saturday, as we showcase some presentations from NASA staff and an actual astronaut, tours around the various exhibits, and even a little bit of Kerbal Space Program. Head on over to kerbalspaceacademy.com/live to check it out.

02/10/2020

I’ve found that there are gigs you take because the money is just too good, and others you take because you believe in the content or love the people you will be working with. And then, rarely and just on occasion, there’s a gig that you agree to before the pitch is even finished, if for no reason other than that you know, without question, that you will walk away with one hell of a story. If we meet, ask me about that time I spent a week on a cruise ship, with a bunch of real class acts, shooting a morning show for a chicken company, and maybe I’ll tell you some of it...

02/01/2020

Back out at the @bklynlibrary for this year’s #nightofphilosophy live stream. We’ll be live tonight from 7pm ET till 11pm, with lectures, interviews, and performances. Check it out at https://nightofphilosophyandideas.com

08/30/2019

So, here’s another gig I’ve been sitting on for a little while. About a month ago, I started cross training on CNBC’s morning show, Squawk Box, and seem to have fallen into a semi-regular slot as the handheld op. For the next month or so, and possibly longer, if you happen to be awake from 6-9am Eastern and have CNBC, you can tune in and see me occasionally point a camera at various buildings around Times Square.

07/25/2019

If you’re looking for more Fortnite action, then tune in right now for the Samsung Odyssey Challenge! We’re live right now at twitch.tv/microsoftstore

07/24/2019

Going live for the Intel Game Night Main Event Fortnite Invitational. Tune in right now at twitch.tv/microsoftstore

07/17/2019

It's no #SaturnV but in honor of the launch of #Apollo50 here are some shots from the STP2 launch of SpaceX's #FalconHeavy. There are a number of things I'm not happy with about them, but they're not terrible for my 4th ever launch and first night launch in 10 years.

07/06/2019

Made the trek out to the East River and spent 7 hours in the burning sun for these shots of the 2019 Fourth of July Macy's Fireworks show. There are a few things I would change for the next time I try this, but I'm still very happy with how these turned out. Go take a look over on my personal Facebook for some more shots from the evening

04/29/2019

Picked up another infrequent gig recently. A little while back I did some work with the guy who directs the ESPN+ coverage of the NYRB II matches, and he got me an interview for a spot on the camera rotation. It’s been 3 years since I was able to shoot any real sports, and it feels good to finally get back to it. Here’s hoping this turns out to be the foot in the door I’ve been looking for since I moved up here.

03/22/2019

Been sitting on this one for a while, but I figured it’s about time I updated people on an occasional gig I picked up a little while back. As of January, I’m on the roster at CNBC as a fill-in Stage Manager/Hand-held Operator at the New York Stock Exchange, which has been a pretty exciting step forward for my career. After spending a dozen years working on productions where I was lucky if a couple hundred people saw it, finally being on a major network with a mass audience has been equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

02/07/2019

Hard to believe it’s already been a year since I spontaneously decided to run down to Florida and bear witness to the first test flight of the #SpaceX #FalconHeavy. Gotta say, I’m kinda feeling the itch to do it again soon...

Last week I made the trip down to Cape Canaveral, to join the crowds gathered to watch the test launch of the brand new SpaceX #FalconHeavy rocket, and I brought my camera with me. All these were taken on a Nikon Df, with a Sigma 150-600mm lens, and edited on my tablet using Snapseed.

02/03/2019

I find myself at the Brooklyn Public Library tonight, running a camera for the livestream of the Night of Philosophy and Ideas. If you want to tune in, we’ll be going for a few more hours, and you can check it out right here: https://nightofphilosophyandideas.com

10/18/2018

Tonight, at 6pm eastern, we’re hosting the #ROGGameChanger launch event for the new @asusrog phone. You can catch all the action live on Twitch.tv/ASUSROG

09/15/2018

Wrapping up rehearsals for the #intelgamerdays #pubg Microsoft Store Invitational. We go live at 5pm eastern, and you can catch all the action on Mixer.com/microsoftstore #MicrosoftNYC

09/14/2018

Back in my old stomping grounds, as I return to the studio for a couple shows. Tonight we’re hosting a #shadowofthetombraider launch event, with two developers from Eidos-Montréal taking us through the opening level of the game and talking about its development. We go live at 10pm and will be going all the way up to the game’s launch at midnight. To catch all the action, just tune in to http://www.twitch.tv/microsoftstore

08/19/2018

If you missed the show on Wednesday, ESPN is airing a 30 minute cut-down of our tournament, starting at 4:30pm Eastern. It might not be live, but this is the first time anything I shot will be airing on ESPN prime, which is a pretty big deal.

08/15/2018

We’re about to go live from Williamsport, PA, at the Little League World Series, with a Virtual Reality Home Run Derby! The action starts in just a couple minutes, and you can catch it all on ESPN 3 or the WatchESPN app.

06/30/2018

See you space cowboy...

06/28/2018

We're about to go live for the very last time, here at the Mixer NYC Studio, with one last episode of Game Pass Live. We'll be taking a look back at The Division, and you can tune in live at Mixer.com/MicrosoftStore