Wedding

 

A couple weeks ago, I met up with my cousin Mike and we made our way to the northern coast of Long Island for Christine and Kellie’s beautiful backyard wedding. This was simultaneously the classiest and most casual wedding I had ever been to. They were such a pleasure to be around and were so welcoming, although I had only just met them that morning. I am so excited to share these photos because, not only are the two of them adorable and beautiful and all things love-y dove-y, but I feel confident that these photos represent me as a photographer from beginning to end. I am filled with happiness for Christine and Kellie and, as always, am grateful to have been invited to be Mike’s second shooter. You can see his photos from the day here.

 

 

I’ve been really excited to post these photos because Nurcan is one of my favorite people to photograph. I felt so honored that she and her new husband, Ayhan, invited me to be a part of their wedding day. My friends spoil me by giving me a VIP pass to the most important days of their lives and I do everything in my power to keep it together for the sake of the photos.

Nurcan and Ayhan had a city wedding on a cloudy Thursday in downtown Manhattan. Of course, Nurcan brought her usual stylish flare (with a dress she ordered from China!) and Ayhan was the perfect compliment.

 

These columns were so monumental. If time allowed, I would have spent much longer shooting in this gorgeous setting.

I swear these shoes were at least six inches tall. Just looking at them almost made me lose my balance!

Nurcan and Ayhan invited me to dinner after the ceremony and photos. A friend of theirs told the most adorable story: when Nurcan met Ayhan, she was wearing a ring…apparently it was laughable. Everyone was trying on the ring and when Ayhan tried it on, it broke. He promised he would buy her another ring. He kept his word. People, I can’t make this stuff up.

Just before dinner, a horse and buggy showed up and the couple had a few moments to themselves on a ride through the city, but not before a few more photos.

Once the sun had set, we all headed to Times Square for one last photo shoot. The girls had a blast covering Nurcan in glitter and she didn’t object.

Nurcan and Ayhan, thank you for being such a fun couple to photograph and agreeing to all the poses I had you two do. I hope you guys are having a blast in Turkey!

 

 

Last month I flew to Florida for a beautiful Thursday wedding. Yes, Thursday. This was my first time shooting a traditional Jewish wedding and I honestly had no idea what to expect (although I was comforted by the guidance of Wikipedia and Aish.com). The Heathrow Country Club was the perfect setting for this sunset wedding.

Ideally, a Jewish ceremony would begin while the sun is still in the sky and end underneath the stars. Of course, this meant I would have time for formal portraits beforehand. I was thrilled and Hank and Roz could not have been happier that this day had finally arrived.

I popped into the kitchen in time to see the Rabbi and chef sterilizing the utensils and equipment before preparing the kosher meal. I was fascinated by this process along with the fact that I managed to make it out of the kitchen without a single burn (I got pretty close).

Before the ceremony, the bride and groom signed the Ketubah, or marriage agreement, which is actually more important than the ceremony itself. This would explain the fancy embellishments as opposed to the modest marriage certificates I’m accustomed to seeing. During the signing, the Rabbi says a few words and imparts some wisdom on the new couple.

The ceremony was beautifully intimate. I felt so privileged to be a part of something they shared only with family and close friends.

The reception was a nonstop celebration. I was exhausted just from watching all the dancing.

Hank and Roz, congratulations on your wedding and thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!

 

 

I’ve been getting restless during my lull of bridal portraits and have decided to use this time to hone in on my skills as a wedding photographer and really focus on another aspect of the wedding day that sometimes gets put on the back burner: the bouquet. Depending on the couple, the floral arrangements may not be important but that shouldn’t dictate how they’re photographed (unless, of course, they are so hideous that the bride is regretting not replacing them with bottles of wine or floating candles and would rather forget they ever existed). In any event, there is a story that has trickled down from aspiring photographer to aspiring photographer, something along the lines of “if you want to photograph the World Series, start photographing the little league games like they’re the World Series.” As of late, my bouquet photos have fallen short of “World Series” standards.

One of the cool things about the city, aside from the food trucks and public transportation, is the abundance of flower shops. This is not the case in my neighborhood. I popped into a tiny grocery store that was selling flowers and browsed the picked over selection of hydrangeas and chrysanthemums before spotting a fitting bouquet of pink roses with a single fern branch. This was a “no fluff, strictly business” bouquet for $7.99. After coming to terms with the few wilted petals, I handed my credit card to the cashier as he began peeling off the price sticker. He probably didn’t want my potential recipient to think I was cheap. Nice guy.

I delicately removed the less attractive petals, wrapped the roses in a grey headband and fastened it with some straight pins from my makeshift sewing kit. The first location was dimly lit so I bounced my flash off of the wall at an angle to light the front of the bouquet.

I was able to get a few shots with natural lighting in the second location, a stairwell. The windows were facing North-East so the light was nicely diffused and no flash was needed.

I loved the back lighting of the last location around sunset. The light was warm and while I wanted to properly expose the window in the background, it was a challenge to light the foreground. I had to bounce the flash again but I was in another stairwell and the light that didn’t escape had to travel roughly 40 feet back to the subject.

It wasn’t until the end of the shoot that I realized I was dehydrated and in need of a shower. I had no idea NY was such a hot state but it makes sense, all the dark pavement and metal structures. Sometimes my building is like a sauna. Once I took the last photo, I became immediately and uncomfortably aware of the temperature and moved myself to an air conditioned room.

I’m inclined to say this practice session was a success and really allowed for some thought process without the time pressure of the actual day. Your parents were right, folks. Practice makes perfect. If nothing else, I can successfully make a half-decent bouquet on a budget.  

 

 

In May, I second shot Christine and David’s wedding at Glen Cove Mansion with my cousin, Mike. I know, this post is a little late. This summer is just flying by! This was my first New York wedding and I couldn’t have had a better experience. I had just met this couple that morning and from the moment I walked into Christine’s living room, I was treated like a friend. I was so excited to be a part of their day and had a blast finally getting to work with Mike. To see some of his photos from Christine and David’s wedding, head over to his blog. I’m only sharing some of the portraits…and a prep photo because I’m a sucker for nice profiles.