While we are in the process of moving into and completely remodeling a new studio, Michelle, and Ken’s Union Trust Wedding blog is my attempt at getting caught up on blogging for mine and Sandi’s weddings. I literally just put the drill down, cleaned off the chop saw, swept up the new hardwood floor, and sat down to put this together before it gets put off another few days. I feel more like a construction worker than a photographer the past couple of months.

When Michelle and Ken came into our old studio, they had no idea what they were in for. They had plans to catch up with friends that night after our initial consultation wrapped up. Little did they know, this meeting was going to be a big part of their wedding story. It lasted just about 3 hours, which would lead their friends to ask a lot of questions once they did show up eventually late that night. Michelle and Ken were one of the first client consultations that Sandi and I had after we changed up the entire consultation process, making it a point to really get to know our clients even before they booked.

From the time the two of them walked in the door to the time they left, it felt like sitting down and catching up with old friends. They told us all about how they met while working for the same company and how they got to know each other over sushi. We listened as they told us all about how Ken proposed while they were in Rome in front of the Pantheon, Michelle’s favorite place, and even got to learning about their two cats, Rosie and Teddy. It was the most relaxed and easy going, quickest, 3-hour meeting that we had ever had, which ultimately led them booking us to photograph their wedding. We met them in NYC shortly after to hang out and take some engagement photos, then it was time for their wedding day. Their wedding was actually the first of 2018 for Sandi and I, and it was the start to what has turned out to be one hell of a year for us.

There’s a big reason that Sandi and I decided to make a lot of changes to the business two years ago, focusing on getting to know our clients on a deeper level. It’s not only changed how we photograph weddings but changed the entire process from start to finish. After getting to spend three hours with Ken and Michelle during the initial consultation, another two hours during their engagement shoot, and two more hours at the studio after their wedding for their reveal party when they got to see their wedding photos for the first time, they have become much more than clients to us. They are friends that we will no doubt have for many years to come and we look forward to photographing more life events for them in the future. This is our approach with all of our clients now, but these two were the ones who broke the ice for us a little more than two years ago. Looking forward to having them at the grand opening of the new studio where they’ll see a few of their wedding photos hanging on the walls. I’m sure by now they will know better than to try and make plans with their friends afterward 🙂

Back to remodeling and trying to spend some time with the family, but going to try and get more blog posts up and published over the coming weeks. Hopefully, I can get caught up, we have had some pretty amazing weddings this year that really need to be shown off.

VENDORS

Ceremony Location: Union Trust

Wedding Planner: Stacey Lee Mullen – Finley Catering (Union Trust)

Bride’s Gown: Pronovias

Bride’s Shoes: Nine West

Groom’s Tux: The Black Tux

Florist: Kerry Fabrizio – Fabufloras

Hair & Makeup: Up Your Do! and Dylan Michael Cosmetics

Wedding Cake: Termini Brothers

Band/Entertainment: Deja Blue (BVT Live)

Photobooth: Chariot Photobooth

Sandi and I met up with Gina and Anthony this past Monday afternoon to shoot their Philadelphia Navy Ship Yard engagement session, where we captured some pretty badass shots of the two of them.  This was a shoot we had been looking forward to ever since they had told us about the idea a few months ago. We first met the two of them back in 2015 when we photographed Gina’s brother Nick’s wedding, where we watched them tear up the dance floor the entire night. When the two of them came into our studio earlier this year to talk about their wedding plans, Gina told us about her idea of taking engagement photos at the Ship Yard since her father used to work there. I absolutely loved the idea since the Ship Yard is a place I had been to many times since my father used to work there as well, which made the shoot pretty special for all of us. It had been probably 10 years since I had last been there so I was really looking forward to going back. Especially, since the last time I was there they had armed guards at the entrance.

The four of us had a great time hanging out and the Ship Yard didn’t disappoint. It was bigger and even cooler than I had remembered it, with old abandon larger than life buildings and ships around every corner. We started the shoot right in front of an old aircraft carrier, the type of ship I knew well since it was what my father worked on. It’s absolutely mind-blowing just how big these ships actually are once you’re up close to them. Later on in the evening just before the sun went down, Gina pulled out two nerf guns as a surprise and the two of them battled it out while Sandi and I chased them around trying to capture some cool shots. One of the shots you can see both darts in the air and another you can one just before it hits Gina, see if you can find them!

The Navy Ship Yard turned out to be a pretty epic spot for a photo shoot, now I’m looking forward to going back. If you’ve never been there I highly recommend checking it out, whether you’re a photographer or not!

FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS:

On May 24th, I’ll be hosting a free two-hour event at the B&H Photo Event Space where I’ll be talking about how to become a better storyteller. You can register HERE if you’re interested in checking it out.

Steven and Cynthia’s Vibiana Wedding on December 30th of 2017 was one that I have been anxiously waiting to blog. First, let me explain that I won’t shoot New Year’s Eve weddings, no exceptions, and if you’ve read this story you’ll understand why. That is a holiday that our family spends together and we typically go away for a few days. When the groom, Steven, first contacted me, I initially decided against entertaining the idea. Not only was the wedding on December 30th, but it was in LA. No, the wedding wasn’t on New Year’s Eve, but since it was in LA I wouldn’t be getting home until the 31st, and who knows what time. Simply out of curiosity due to Steven mentioning in his email that he was a Leica photographer, I decided to talk with him about the wedding. After about of what was probably longer than an hour of talking on the phone, I walked into the living room as Sandi was playing with Luke and told her I was going to break our New Years Eve rule. Well, partially, I would be flying back home early on the 31st.

There were a lot of reasons why I decided to take the wedding, but I can only share a couple of them. I’m also only able to share a handful of photos approved by the bride and groom. The groom told me how he was a photographer who was raised on shooting Leica cameras since his father shot with them. Steven also owned a very rare Leica lens (35mm Summilux double aspherical) that he would be shooting himself throughout the day and asked if I would shoot with it as well, which I did. A few of those photos are mixed in the gallery below. The other reason that I’ll tell you about has to do with the style in which him and his fiance, Cynthia, wanted me to photograph their wedding. They requested that I shoot the entire wedding day 100% photojournalistic. No posing, no directing, no moving things around, they didn’t want me being hands-on whatsoever. I was going to be a fly on the wall creatively and artistically capturing the day as it played out in front of me. Challenge accepted.

This was something that I had never done to this extent before. Sure, we do shoot in a documentary/photojournalistic style during certain parts of the wedding day, but not to this extent. There are always times when we are hands-on at least at some point and especially during portraits. This would be a challenge and one that I wanted to take on. With the right prep, I knew I would enjoy shooting this style and while there was certainly a lot of pressure it was an awesome experience. This type of style takes a lot of prep working with the clients ahead of time, so I flew out early and spent most of the day before the wedding with Steven and Cynthia going over every detail that was planned for the day and how they envisioned it being captured. The most difficult challenge would be simply trying my best not to miss any key moments. I had to be on my toes at all times, and once the day got started, there was to be no interaction between myself and the clients or guests. I was there to capture their story as creatively and artistically as possible, without altering it whatsoever.

Sandi sat this one out, so I brought Austin with me. Here are a handful of photos that I’m able to share, which consist mostly of bride prep, photos of the bride and groom together, family, and the reception. Steven and Cynthia built photo albums for each family, which were made up of photos taken from as far back as they could find. This was the most unique idea I had ever seen at a wedding, and watching each family member flip through the albums, full of emotion, was an incredible experience. The reception was also unique and very different than typical wedding receptions. There were performances, singers, but the best part had to have been when Steven played the piano while Cynthia danced with her father. As you flip through these photos, remember that there was a lot of work put in ahead of time by the bride and groom knowing exactly the type of photos that they wanted to have captured. While not being able to interject their own ideas or thoughts might freak some photographers out, I love this approach, and not a single one of these photos consisted of me interacting with the clients. It was easily the most challenging, yet most rewarding wedding that I’ve shot. I also made it home by 3pm on the 31st and spent New Years with the family.

Most of these photos were taken with the Leica SL and M10.

Steven and Cynthia’s response to seeing their photos for the first time:

“These photos are wonderful and beyond our wildest expectations.  Cynthia has said that she has never seen herself look so beautiful as in the photos taken by you and Austin.  We believe the photos you took have truly captured the emotions of that day.  You were able to figuratively freeze time for us, allowing us to look back, and we want to let you know how truly grateful we are. Our wedding was so fleeting, just a few hours of one day, but with your help we have a lasting memory”.

DETAILS:

Wedding Gown: Vera Wang

Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo

Groom’s Tux: Armani

Wedding Planner: Aliana Events

On December 21st of 2017, Sandi and I drove out to Chester County, PA for a beautiful Brandywine Manor House wedding followed by a Day After Shoot at Christmas tree farm. Thomas and Jacquelynn, who you may remember from their fun and intimate engagement shoot at the Lokal Hotel in Philly, chose the perfect venue for a Christmas themed barn house wedding. It was cold, just about as cold as any winter wedding we have shot, but the sun was shining nice and bright all day long. This was our first time shooting at the Brandywine Manor House and the main barn where everything was held might be one of our favorites now. We quickly fell in love, and once you scroll through the photos and see how awesome the sunlight comes through all the cracks, windows, and doors there’s no doubt you’ll fall in love yourself.

Jacqueline looked stunning in her David Tutera for Mon Cheri wedding gown, Jimmy Choo shoes, and Hair/Makeup by Alisha Nycole & Co. Thomas wore a tux from CE Roth along with a new pair of Timberland work boots, which put a big ol’ smile on my face since I just happened to have a brand new pair myself in the back of my truck. Did I wear mine? Come on, of course I did.

It was the perfect start to an awesome wedding day.

DAY AFTER SHOOT

The next morning, we drove out to the Old Homestead Tree Farm in Lehighton, PA, where we hung out and photographed the two of them for a couple more hours. Jacquelynn got back in her wedding gown and Thomas in his tux, and we had a beautiful afternoon for walking around one of the coolest tree farms I’ve ever been to. It was the perfect ending to an awesome weekend wedding in the mountains of Pennsylvania.