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Most weekends, I photograph or film somebody else’s people. I show up at a wedding, a Mitzvah, a corporate gathering, or a family celebration, learn some names as quickly as possible, and try to understand the relationships in front of me.
Daisy Field worked in reverse. I already knew the people.
This was my church, my friends, the families I see year after year, and the volunteers whose work usually happens before anyone arrives. Even my daughter slipped into the film a few times. No surprise there.
My wife Lara handled the photography while I concentrated on video. That arrangement gave me freedom to stay with the action, move between groups, follow the unexpected moments, and later build the day into a proper film rather than a stack of unrelated clips.
Our Own Crowd
Daisy Field, or “Ромашковое поле”, is held at the Church of All Saints of Russia on the Patriarchal Estate in Pine Bush, NY. The annual gathering connects with Russia’s Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity and the Orthodox commemoration of Saints Peter and Fevronia.
They are honored in the Orthodox tradition as an example of the traditional family, mutual respect, faithfulness, and spiritual unity. By the blessing of Abbot Nikodim, last year’s service included a special icon containing relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia.
The day begins in church with the Divine Liturgy. Then the whole property changes gears.
Tables fill with food, kids find the water games, grownups begin pretending that the “Mini Olympics” are casual fun until the competitive instincts wake up. Somebody starts music. Somebody brings out the samovar. Parents try to keep track of their kids. Good luck with that.
Who Makes It Happen
Marina Ivannikova has driven this gathering for years, organizing and emceeing it through Orthodox Youth of New York and Russian Youth of America.
Marina keeps a large, unpredictable outdoor program moving while talking to families, calling competitions, introducing performers, running musical lotto, thanking volunteers, and fixing problems that most guests never notice. She somehow makes the whole thing look much easier than it is.
Father Artemiy and the parish open the church grounds to guests coming from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Florida, South Carolina, and elsewhere. Matushka Olga oversees the fair and raffle. The parish sisterhood prepares the festive meal. Volunteers set up tents, tables, children’s areas, games, signs, and all the ordinary things that only become visible when nobody does them.
Daisy Field has grown through that shared labor. People arrive on Friday, build a small tent community, work, eat, talk, and sit around the fire after dark. Saturday carries the main program. Sunday brings another Liturgy, a meal, and optional trips toward the mountains, lakes, and waterfalls around Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
Filming Daisy Field
A familiar crowd can make filming easier, but it also makes it more personal. I know when somebody is acting for the camera. I also know when to leave people alone.
The best scenes came without instructions: children charging through sprinklers, faces covered in paint, parents laughing nearby, teenagers talking between activities, volunteers carrying trays, and older guests watching the younger generation take over the field.
The photos and video move between wide views of the gathering and tighter scenes where expressions do the work. The long-lens moments isolate a laugh or reaction from the surrounding activity. The wider frames place everyone back into the real setting, with tables, tents, grass, costumes, games, and people moving in every direction.
A drone gave me the geography and ground cameras gave me the people.
Such balance became cool in the edit. A large event can look impressive from above and still feel distant. The film needed the messy, close-range pieces too: wet children, food being served, dancers turning, Cheburashka wobbling through the crowd, and a circus performer surrounded by kids who forgot every other activity existed.
The Fun Part
Andre Yanson, our parishioner and a circus artist and parishioner, volunteered his children’s performance. He brought juggling, clowning, audience participation, and the kind of timing that keeps a field full of children focused in one direction.
Then Cheburashka appeared.
The oversized Russian character had made the trip from Russia and caused exactly the reaction you would expect. Children ran toward him, adults pulled out their phones, and the program briefly belonged to a large brown creature who could not sit still.
The Terek and Don Cossacks added music and dance. DJ Rafael kept the crowd moving. The day also included folk games, trivia, sports, a talent show, family recognition, volunteer awards, a fair, a lottery, campfire songs, pets named Dusya and Winnie, and one little dog repeatedly described as looking like a sausage.
The Edit
I approached the Daisy Field film as professional production work.
That meant proper cameras, drone footage, planned coverage, clean sound where possible, and an edit built around rhythm and progression.
The edit follows changes in energy. Prayer and preparation lead into movement. The games speed things up. Performances create short centers of attention. Reactions connect one scene to another.
Music had to support those shifts without turning the film into a random montage. The result feels close to how I remember the day: busy, funny, slightly chaotic, affectionate, and very much ours.
I also invite you to watch the video I created for our church’s Easter service. I didn’t expect it to come out so impactful (at least to me).
This Year
Daisy Field returns July 17–19, 2026, and the Saturday program has grown again!
The new plans include Daisy Défilé, a talent show, tea tasting from antique samovars by Samovars USA, an open-air movie, fireworks, and evening guitar music with Carnegie Hall performer Gleb Ivanov and others.
The raffle organized by Matushka Olga also has two serious prizes: an all-inclusive day retreat at Noble Nest and a professional photo session by yours truly, Zorz Studios.
You can find the current schedule, tickets, camping options, and registration details on the Daisy Field 2026 page.
Watch the film first. Then come experience Daisy Field in person.
Bring your family, your appetite, camping gear if you are staying, and perhaps a dry change of clothes for the kids. Those water games do not negotiate. Hope to see you there!
Credits
Host Parish: Church of All Saints of Russia
Clergy: Father Artemiy Kulikovskyi, Abbot Nikodim
Organization and MC: Marina Ivannikova, Orthodox Youth of New York, Russian Youth of America
Circus Performance: Andre Yanson
Music and Dancing: DJ Rafael
Musical Lotto: Marina Ivannikova
Tea Tasting: Samovars USA (@samovars_usa)
Fair and Raffle: Matushka Olga
Raffle Prize: Noble Nest, Zorz Studios, and more
Campfire Music: Gleb Ivanov
Filming, Drone, and Editing: Ed Hafizov, Zorz Studios (@ZorzStudios)
