Miracle Photography – Now On Woody Boater

Woody Boater would like to recognize Robert & Linda Miracle from Miracle Photography as this month’s Woody Boater’s of the Month.

Robert and Linda Miracle’s contribution to the antique & classic boating hobby comes from their exceptional photography, and as a result they are quickly becoming well known for their newly found passion.

Robert, a retired USAF B-52H Bomber crew chief and civilian flight instructor from Ohio, and his wife have now landed in South Carolina and taken to the water with their camera’s in hand, producing some beautiful images for everyone to enjoy.

In 2009 Robert attended a number of Antique & Classic Boat Society events throughout the South Eastern United States. Robert’s photos were featured in Classic Boating Magazine and made the cover of Clinker, the Lyman Boat Owners Association’s quarterly publication.

Now for the first time, we are excited to feature some of Robert & Linda Miracle’s photography on Woody Boater. This is the time of year when many of us here at the Woody Boater Community are dealing with some major cases of “Cabin Fever”.   We hope these images from Miracle Photography will provide some comfort from the dreaded “Cabin Fever” and help get you all through the week.

Here’s a great story from Robert & Linda Miracle about how they became involved in the hobby, what their plans are for the future and how you can view their selection of over 5,600 antique & classic boat images from 2009 & 2010.

My name is Robert Miracle and my wife’s name is Linda. We live in Anderson, SC. Although we do not own a classic boat, we are members of the ACBS Blue Ridge Chapter and the unofficial photographers for our chapter.

I bought a Nikon D-40 after retirement in the fall of 2008 and took an introductory photography course to learn how to use it. A friend who is a member of the ACBS Blue Ridge Chapter and owns a 1961 Lyman asked if I would attend a boat show at Lake Keowee in Seneca, SC and photograph the event.

I took 200-300 pictures of the boats the first day of the show. The next morning, I was telling the guys what good action shots I had taken of a Chris Craft boat with the water spraying up. A gentleman, whom I did not know, asked me, “Did you come to take pictures of the spraying water or the boats?” He went on to say, “When I worked at the factory, we would have the photographer stand on top of a bridge and take pictures of the boats, so you could see all of the beautiful wood and the nice interior. You should try this for a better photograph.” I thanked him for the tip, and walked away wondering who he was because he seemed to be very knowledgeable. My friend came up and said, “I see you met Chris Smith. He is the grandson of the founder of the Chris-Craft Boat Company.” That’s how I got one of my first lessons on how to take boat photography.

A nice shot of Chris Smith aboard his boat “Odyssea” that was taken by Robert Miracle at Lake Hartwell in 2010. – Texx

Based on the shot below, it looks like the lesson from Chris Smith worked well. – Texx

In 2009, I photographed the events at Lake Greenwood, SC, Lake Keowee, SC, Lake Chatuge, GA, Charlotte, NC, Reynolds Plantation Rendezvous in Georgia, and the Blue Ridge Annual meeting at Lake Burton, GA.

After taking more than 800 photographs at the Lake Chatuge show, I posted them to a web page. I sent an e-mail listing the web page to all of the boat owners so they could view the pictures. Two weeks later, the president of the Blue Ridge Chapter called to let me know that Classic Boating Magazine had seen my photos and wanted to use a few in their magazine. I was thrilled and asked if they would send me a copy of the magazine so I could see my work in the publication. When the magazine came, I was pleasantly surprised that they had used 25 of my photos and ran a 12-page article about the show.

In 2009, my photo of a friend’s Lyman made the cover of The Clinker, the official magazine of the Lyman Boat Owners Association. I have also been published in the Blue Ridge Chapter newsletter and the Spring, 2010 Brass Bell.

I need to talk to Robert Miracle and get a lesson on how to make the water match the color of the boat… Feather Craft polished aluminum silver water, man that looks cool!  Is it the bridge, the time of day, the sun, the clouds… or all of the above… – Texx

In 2009, I photographed the events at Lake Greenwood, SC, Lake Keowee, SC, Lake Chatuge, GA, Charlotte, NC, Reynolds Plantation Rendezvous in Georgia, and the Blue Ridge Annual meeting at Lake Burton, GA.

In 2010 we photographed the shows at Sunnyland, FL, Lake Hartwell, GA, Lake Sinclair, GA, Lake Keowee, SC, Lake Chatuge, GA, Charlotte, NC, and Lake Dale Hollow, KY.

Chris Smith cruising across Lake Hartwell in 2010 aboard his amazing Chris-Craft “Odyssea”. –  Texx

In July 2010, I upgraded to a new Nikon D-90 camera. Linda said that she would like to use the D-40. She attended Tri-County Technical College to learn photography. She joined me last year in photographing the boat shows.

Linda Miracle at Lake Hartwell 2010 who is great photographer in her own right – Texx

We were invited by the Blue Grass Chapter to photograph their event at Lake Dale Hollow in Kentucky last fall. We shot more than 1,500 pictures of the event. Classic Boating Magazine recently wrote a seven-page article on that show, which featured 34 of our photos. Many of them were Linda’s work, which was the first time she was published.

We are gearing up for a big year of photographing the various ACBS events. We will be heading to Florida in March for the Sunnyland Boat Show. The following week, we will attend a very special show at Camp Lejeune, NC held by the Blue Ridge Chapter. They will entertain the Marines with various activities and their beautiful antique boats in the first event of the year. We will also photograph all of the other ACBS Blue Ridge Chapter events this year.

A nice shot of some folks enjoying their day on the water aboard at Sea Skiff at Lake Hartwell in 2010. – Texx

Linda and I photograph a wide variety of subjects. I especially love nature and waterfalls photography. You can support our passion by visiting our website by clicking here at Miracle Photography and purchasing a photo of your choice.

We truly enjoy photographing the antique boats, learning about their history, and getting to know their wonderful owners. We look forward to another classic boat show season. It is our intent to promote and support the ACBS in whatever way possible. We will always strive to showcase the beauty of these classic boats to the best of our abilities.

Thanks to Robert & Linda Miracle for sharing their story and beautiful images with Woody Boater. They have a few more fun boat show stories to share with us so stay tuned. Check out their site and support the folks that help to support the antique & classic boating hobby.  You can always find a link to the Miracle Photography site listed under the Woody Boater Links on the port side of the home page.

One last comment.  I think we have set a new record here at Woody Boater today, 16 images of antique & classic boats and not one dock in sight!  Wooo Hoo – Life is Good.

Texx