This weekend was a little different for me, I wasn’t the photographer at a wedding, but a guest! That didn’t stop me from bringing my camera though. Being a photographer at a wedding compared to a guest is a whole different experience. I went to my cousin’s daughter’s wedding for six hours and it flew by! Photographing a wedding can be twice that amount. It was really great and relaxing to see all of my family celebrating this happy occasion, I was so surprised to see how quick it went. It was also interesting to compare my style of photography to the photographer’s at the wedding that day. Many photographers today like to shoot away and take a million pictures, then narrow it down to a select few. Being an old school guy I like to wait to catch the photo just at the right time. At the end of the day I may have less photos, but they’re all the shots you will love. If you wait for the moment, you’ll end up getting it. Here is my favorite shot I took that day, congratulations Nicole and Kirk!
Category Archives: Love
Wonderful Wedding Details: Flowers
The Wedding Checklist: Groom? Check. Venue? Check. Dress? Check. Let’s not forget about the flowers! From boutonnieres to bountiful centerpieces, flowers play a big role in most weddings. But they’re not that easy to choose, there are many factors that go into your floral … Continue reading
The Bar Mitzvah “Breather”
The Bar and Bat Mitzvah is an unforgettable day in a child’s life. Once they have become a bar/bat mitzvah, they are officially an adult of the Jewish community. That can be a lot of stress for a 13 year old! Studying months in advance leading up to the big day, one couldn’t help to be nervous standing up in front of all those people.
One of my favorite parts of the ceremony to photograph is the Hakafah, when the child carries the Torah around the synagogue in procession. While the child is carrying the Torah, it becomes a break in the service for them to catch their breath and relax. The smiles and surroundings of their loved ones brings ease to them, leaving them recharged and less stressed for the latter half of the service.
As the photographer, the service can be challenging. I am usually not allowed to photograph inside the ceremony, and when I do it’s with available lighting, which most of the time is poor. When this moment of the service comes, I get three or four frames to catch it and then it’s gone forever. This is one of the more memorable pictures for the family that I love to capture.
Emma’s Prom
My daughter Emma is growing up so fast and is now a young woman. She had her prom a few weeks ago and it was quite the photo-op. It was really beautiful to see all the kids dressed up and looking so dashing. Since there was no official photographer I decided to photograph all these pictures with my fancy point and shoot (Canon gx 1), because I didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to myself with my big DSLR. Despite using a point and shoot, the pictures came out great. I was able to shoot RAW, which means the photos retain all their information to make it easier to edit. It was amazing some of the camera hardware that the parents had. There were so many parents taking pictures of their kids posing and hamming it up. It was so funny and such a delight to see.
Rachael & Jimmy
I’ve been going to Bear Mountain for years, mostly to ride my motorcycle on it’s amazing roads. The first time I went there I couldn’t believe that such a place existed so close to NYC. When Chris, from Double Image, asked me to shoot Rachael and Jimmy’s wedding at the Merry Go Round Pavilion, I thought “Wow this is going to be really cool”. I went there a week ahead to scout for some good backgrounds since this was the first wedding I was shooting there. All the locations had to be close to the hotel, because it was a little wet and muddy and I didn’t want Rachael’s dress to get dirty.
The day of the wedding was very challenging because it was suppose to storm. Luckily, the rain held out and we were able to shoot all the family photos outside. This was also very helpful, because the lighting in the pavilion wasn’t great. Also, since it was just me with no second shooter it was a little challenging to be in the right place at the right time while staying out of the videographers way. It all worked out well in the end and we were really happy with the results. Rachael and Jimmy’s families couldn’t have been nicer to me and it was great to see everyone so happy on their special day.
Una & John
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It’s so important for the photographer and the couple to have a test run together. An engagement shoot is perfect for this, because it really breaks the ice and at the end of the shoot the couple knows what to … Continue reading
Abi & Bayo
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Abi and Bayo had a traditional African wedding, and a church wedding on the same weekend. Everyone was so nice to me as I shoved cameras in their faces. I never felt like an outsider. It was challenging figuring out … Continue reading
Isadora & Troy
Isadora and Troy had such a perfect day for their upstate wedding. Everyone was so happy and mellow. We took so many pictures that it is going to take awhile to edit. I can’t wait to see what they like … Continue reading
Diane & Phil
The Flatiron is such an iconic NYC spot that everyone can appreciate. I really miss Phil and Diane. We had such a great time shooting them, I heard the honeymoon was awesome. I hope someone takes me away on … Continue reading
Joan & Rob
Joan and Rob had such a perfect day. The sun was out, the sky was blue, it was warm, and a good time was had by all.