This is Daphne at her wedding that I shot on a little island off the coast of Connecticut named Fishers Island. I got to shoot Thursday through Sunday, which is the best way to really get to know everyone and tell their story.
The love, the beauty and the families coming together- it is such a hopeful space.
What Photojournalism Can Mean to You
It means I watch the event very closely for those tiny moments that tell a real story about your totally unique wedding. Sure I can do the portraits that your mom wants, but the best images are always spontaneous and unplanned. Instead of telling you what to do, I follow your lead. It turns a drill into a dance. Generally the grooms really love this. Have you been at a wedding where the photographer takes the wedding party away from the action for 90 minutes? By the time the bride and groom have their first drink, they are "smiled out."
Photojournalism does not take you away. It sees you where you are. The late great Henri Cartier-Bresson taught me about the capturing the decisive moment. It only happens once and your wedding is not cookie cutter. Let's let you shine beyond the shot lists and poses.
Timeless Style
When you are relaxed and having fun, the best pictures can happen. I am all in from the grandfather weeping at the rehearsal dinner to the bridesmaids helping the bride into her dress.
I love to document your style as well. Are your coastal? Boho? New York chic canapés or down home fried chicken in a basket? For me it is all part of the story. Your story.
Decades of Experience
My photographic journey started when I was nine years old and my mother gave me a camera at her 50 birthday party to keep me quiet. I found out that I could stand on a chair if I had a camera to my eye. It felt like freedom. The camera was my passport to break free and really see things. The sound of that click was intoxicating.
I have shot a lot in New York City. I shot George Bush's niece's wedding in Kennebunkport. I have shot tiny rural weddings with a ton of spirit, Palm Beach, Durham, Sonoma County, Bethesda, the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I even got to shoot two weddings in the Bermuda. So this is not my first rodeo. But I still love it.
I have shot for magazines and newspapers. I was shooting 1,000 frames a week at the daily paper I worked at. That practice is good for your wedding coverage. I can work fast and I have an eye for the heart of the story.
I worked my tail off to get a masters degree in photojournalism from Ohio University. One of the big things I learned there, was planning and communicating. The best pictures will happen at certain places and certain times. We communicate long before the wedding so you don't have to stress about it on your big day.
Your wedding is a journey
Travel is good for the soul. It resets the mundane and awakens the senses. I have been blessed to travel a lot. I went up the Amazon for two weeks on $200. I got altitude sickness in Tibet and thought I was going to die. I have been scuba diving on 1,000 foot walls in Fiji. I have been to Cambodia. I have lived in Ireland for four months and been up and down Chile for three. I have ocean raced from Newport to Bermuda and I have seen old growth Rhododendron forests in Nepal. Luckily my bride Samantha loves to see the world too.
As far as weddings, I have been blessed to travel a lot as well- from the Rainbow Room in New York to the pink sand beaches of Bermuda. I have shot at clubs like the Belle Meade Club, the Everglades Club and the Fishers Island Club. More locally, I have shot at The Inn at Perry Cabin, The Anderson House and The Chevy Chase Club.
Covering a wedding weekend is like a National Geographic assignment. Friday at the rehearsal everyone gets to meet each other and walk through the ceremony. Saturday there may be something fun like a golf game or going to a spa. I get to know everyone through this crucial hang out time. Then it gets serious when hair and makeup start and the flowers are delivered. Sometimes a love letter arrives from the groom to his bride assuring her.
When it is time to get into the gown, all the maids are there to help. The bride will peek out of the window to see the growing crowd of loved ones in the ceremony space. Good butterflies!
I love the moment when the father of the bride is with his daughter waiting in a quiet corner as the church music changes to their song. I have heard Amazing Grace on the bag pipes at the National Cathedral. Her heart is racing as they interlock arms and head to the aisle.
At the altar the groom is beaming with a fresh shave and a new pair of shoes. His guys are lined up next to him. Although a whiskey flask may be hidden, they are on best behavior.
I have shot Quaker, Greek Orthodox, Jewish and secular weddings. When shooting Iranian weddings, I have heard the women ululating joyfully beneath the moon. I am fascinated by all these traditions. This commitment of these two people is serious business in any language.
The kiss leads to cheers. When they walk out, the stress is over and the joy is palpable. They are beginning their journey as a team.
Every detail of the reception has been conceived months ago. The color scheme, the cake, the flowers, the table decorations are all working in harmony. The band starts out small and alluring.
I like capturing the decisive moments that will only happen once. The unplanned ends up presenting the best moments of the day. This is the heart of editorial photography.
After cocktails the first dance happens. I have seen robust dance classes paying off and I have seen super slow dances. The journey of the wedding day continues with food. In a way the food reflects the bride and groom more than anything. The best weddings give people a chance to really connect and talk.
Then the party starts. The band or DJ gets the floor rocking. Little kids are on their uncle’s shoulders and grandmothers are dancing with their husbands. Step back and take it all in. It is wonderful. These are your people!
After the cake, there is the departure. Whether bird seeds, sparklers or bubbles, this is a fun and fleeting moment. The beginning, middle and end your wedding happens like a rare flower blooming just once. Let the honeymoon begin.
