Wedding season is in full swing. Here’s a shot from Courtney and Tony’s wedding on May 15th. More to come within a few days. Congrats Courtney and Tony!
Mai and Winston are Married: Preview
I kicked off a busy 2010 season on Saturday with Mai and Winston’s wedding in West Roxbury, MA. Mai and Winston met in Japan and now live here in the Boston area. They were surrounded by friends and family for their intimate wedding at the beautiful Church of the Holy Name. Afterwards we drove to the Arnold Arboretum for some pictures of the newlyweds.
Matthew Lomanno did a very professional job as second shooter and I’m looking forward to working together several times this year. Matthew has been shooting weddings for a few years and does a wonderful job. A couple of these preview shots were his as noted. Thanks for your help, Matthew!
Mai and Winston were a wonderful couple to work with and I wish them all the best in their new life together. Congratulations!
Mai's parents were visiting from Japan. Mai's mother wore a beautiful traditional outfit.
This is one of my favorite images of the day. Mai's parents didn't take their eyes off Mai for the whole time before the wedding. Here her Mother watched Mai from one side of the hallway and her Father guarded her to her right side. Mai was staring at her Mom as I caught this moment.
Corinne and Andrew: Engaged
Wow the weather last week and into the weekend was awesome! I have to keep remembering that it’s only March and we could still get snow for another month or so.
Saturday was amazing though. It was so nice to feel temps in the 70’s again. Luckily for Corinne and Andrew, we reserved Saturday for their engagement shoot. We chose Cambridge, MA as the location and spent the afternoon around the MIT campus and along the Charles River. It was a spectacular day and people were out in droves. We also snuck into to the incredible chapel at MIT and made a few very dramatic, abstract images.
Corinne and Andrew are a great couple and I’m looking forward to their September wedding at the Mile Away Restaurant in Milford, NH. The Mile Away a special place for me as that’s where my own wedding was held almost five years ago. Congratulations Corinne and Andrew. I can’t wait for your big day!
Model Photo Shoot
Last weekend I attended a lighting workshop to further bolster my photographic lighting techniques ready for the 2010 wedding season. Simon Gerzina, a New York-based fashion photographer, ran the workshop and he was awesome. Simon first demonstrated some fundamental lighting setups and talked about the how’s and why’s. He then had the attendees customize the lighting for our own individual look and work with the model suggesting our own poses. Gianna was the model for Saturday and she was a trooper. Even though she was battling an upset stomach, she rallied through the day and was a great photographic subject.
Here’s a few of the shots I took of Gianna using my own lighting preferences and posing suggestions. Enjoy!
Why Adding a Second Shooter Sometimes Makes Sense
You’re booking me to photograph your wedding. Why add a second shooter? There are several reasons why adding a second shooter is a smart thing to do for certain weddings.
Reason 1: More Relaxed Wedding Day Timing. A single photographer can’t be in two places at once. That’s fine if your wedding, reception and lodgings are all at the same location and everything is within a short walk. The photographer can easily access everybody and be right there for all the events of the day. But, if you’re getting ready across town from your husband-to-be, the wedding day quickly becomes a lesson in time management. If this happens, most times I’ll arrange to photograph the Groom earlier in the day for his getting ready shots, then I’ll go and do the same for the Bride. It works well but means the day’s timing has to be cleverly orchestrated. This is especially important if the Bride is spending the morning at the Salon and also wants shots of hair, makeup and nails being done. Sometimes I have to hop in the car and race across town a few times. But if I have a second shooter on staff for the day, one photographer can shadow the Bride and the other photographer can shadow the groom. This can save you some time and stress and make the day more relaxed for everyone.
Reason 2: Ability to Photograph More Guests at Larger Weddings. Most photographers will agree that weddings with over 100 guests will normally benefit from having a second shooter. It simply means you have more people covering the larger amount of guests. One photographer will stick close to the Bride and Groom and wedding party while the other will focus on guests enjoying the festivities. More feet on the ground mean more candids, informal group shots and the ability to capture more of the fun moments during the day.
Reason 3: More Comprehensive Ceremony Coverage. With two shooters, one photographer can focus closely on the Bride and Groom and the actual ceremony while the other can watch for people’s emotions and things happening with the guests. You’ll also benefit from multiple angles and different viewpoints. In some cases, Uncle Bob with his video camcorder will stand up right in front of the photographer as the wedding kiss is happening. If this happens with two shooters and photographer number one is blocked… photographer number two is at the ready. For certain weddings we keep in touch via earbud transceivers to make sure we cover each other’s backs.
Reason 4: More Dramatic Angles and Wider Coverage. With two photographers, you are also able to benefit from one photographer capturing the details on a close up level, like when you slip on your wedding rings, to a wider perspective of shots from the back of the Church showing the light streaming in the stained glass windows. The two shots will be captured simultaneously, yet will offer you very different perspectives for your keepsake album.
The photos that follow are a few examples from Poppy and John’s wedding late last year. You’ll see how having the second shooter really added to the range of shots we were able to photograph.
Sisters in the Snow
For those of you who know me well, you’ll know that it’s my birthday right before Christmas. We had a nasty snow storm that morning but I’d committed to doing a photo shoot for Jen and Julie who wanted some shots of themselves to give their parents for Christmas. Jen and Julie don’t get together much because Julie lives in Texas, so with Julie in for the holidays, it was a great opportunity. I have to say it was tough going having to meet these two beautiful ladies early on my birthday morning, but I made the most of it. It’s a hard life being a photographer 
Beautiful Baby Blues
Over the holidays I had the chance to photograph little George and his family. George has the most arresting baby blues and those matched with his blonde hair are going to ensure he’ll break a few hearts when he’s older. George is a really good-natured kid coming up on his first birthday and his parents obviously give him tons of love. I really enjoyed working with everyone. Thanks for having me photograph you all!
Bernice and Art: Engaged
I had a great day yesterday working with Bernice and Art for their engagement shoot. We all drove up to Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH where they met as students. The town of Hanover and the campus is gorgeous. We visited some places around the school that are special to the couple. While we were there the snow started to come down hard but thanks to four-wheel drive we made it home safe and sound. I’ll be posting more from this shoot soon. This set is just a sneak peek.
Thanks to Sheryl Lanzel for assisting. Sheryl made a perfect VAL (voice activated lightstand) and also grabbed a few shots herself. And a big thankyou to Bernice and Art for choosing me as their wedding photographer. I’m very much looking forward to their Boston wedding in early June!
Family holiday portrait
Getting a lovely shot of the family for holiday cards is so very important. Sure you can grab your camera and do one yourself, but after a special arrival of their new baby, this family decided to do something more professional.
Using studio lighting, we set this shot up in a few minutes and luckily I got the little girl’s attention for long enough to shoot some lovely clear frames of the whole family enjoying the moment. It makes me all warm inside. I love the confident look on the little girl’s face knowing she has Mom and Dad right there. I hope you like it!
by martin
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