Off to Santa Fe!

I'm not sure what happened to month of May, but I can't believe it's June already! I'm at the airport now and wanted to wish my buddy Sean a happy 40th birthday!! I'm sure he will love the public birthday announcement. :) We had planned a night out with guys in NY to celebrate his birthday early, but Phoebe had other plans. Hope we can hang out soon!

I was hoping to be able to post more from the wedding I photographed on Monday with Chris and Lynn, but I had to share this one teaser. Rebecca and Josh had a picture perfect afternoon with their ceremony on the balcony of the Jersey City Hyatt, overlooking NYC. It was AWESOME. Check back for shots from their wedding gala!


I'm off to Santa Fe, NM to photograph Laurie and Alan's wedding with my buddy Colin Michael. I hope to blog every day when I'm out there, so check back for shots from the golf course. I was lucky enough to to be invited to play with their family. Wait till they see my slice! :)

"It's not how well you sing, it's how you sell it."

I don't typically feature many reception shots, but Dan and Janie's wedding was so much fun - I just had to share! How many of you have ever been to a Karaoke wedding? It was a first for me! To kick off the evening, Dan reassured everyone that "It's not how you sing, it's how you sell it." and he joked that he and Janie would sing the first song so as to set the bar low. :) However, they put on a stellar perfomance, then followed by friends and family throughout the night.

Here's a few more fun shots - slideshow coming soon!

Kicking off the summer right!

Kicking off the unofficial start of summer, I had the pleasure of photographing Janie and Dan's wedding in DUMBO (for those who don't know -- it stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn. There were some concerns of stray thundershowers, but Janie and Dan refused to let that "derail" (inside joke) their plans.

Here are a few photos from the wedding. This was a first for me, I have never had the opportunity to shoot in this park with the incredible view of the Manhattan skyline as the sun set.




I had the fabulous dream team Chris and Lynn Jaksa joining me from Vancouver, BC. I can't wait to see their pictures from this awesome day. In the meantime, make sure to check out their blog new video (shot by Lynn's sister! What a talented family!) they just launched -- shot in the very same spot as the wedding.

We're off to day two of our summer wedding kickoff. Before I go, one last photo from yesterday (of me) -- taken by my friend Scott. It seems like just yesterday when I shot his wedding wedding at the Jersey City Hyatt. We're headed back there again today. Thanks for the photo Scott -- nice sunset! :)

The Knot 2007 Best of Weddings Pick!

The Knot 2007 Best of Weddings. The best part is that I have been chosen by YOU!!

How awesome is the quote in the magazine above?! It's exactly how I would like to be described! I am not sure who wrote this about me (please let me know!), but thank you!




According to the magazine -- which hit newstands two weeks ago:

"It was all very official"

"In 2006, we asked recent brides from The Knot to rate and comment on their wedding vendors. Over 25,000 completed this survey conducted by an outside survey organization."

If you haven't taken the poll for this year make sure to go to TheKnot.com ratings poll. Hopefully, you'll vote for me again! :)

Lacy and Adam

As promised, here's the first of many posts to come over the next two weeks! I'm a little late with this one, but I wanted to make sure it was perfect. I had over 4,000 images to go through and narrowing it down to just 100 is quite a task!

I was fortunate to have some awesome photographers with me for Lacy and Adam's wedding. I want to thank Jessica Wernes, of Dewdrop Photography, Tom Weis, and Jennifer Davis. Your images are awesome and thanks so much for making this such a fun, successful day!

Make sure to check their blogs...
Jess's blogdrop
Tom's blog (although this may be the wrong place since his last update was 11/18/06. :)
And don't forget one of my favorites...
Jennifer's blog (I think there might be a problem with hers too because she's making me wait so long between posts! :)

Click HERE to view Lacy and Adam's slideshow. Lacy and Adam chose the fabulous Pleasantdale Chateau for their wedding. It was a beautiful day and it went by in a flash!

New Slideshows!

Last night I was able to hook up with one of my favorite photo friends, David Jay, from Santa Barbara. He is also the creator of one of my favorite new tools in the last ten years. It's not a camera - or even a lens. It's his slideshow software which is the best tool I have had in years and allows me to share my photographs with you so quickly. Oh - DJ is a great photographer too. :)

DJ was in New Jersey speaking at a PPANJ conference about how he balances his life with his business. For my photographer friends, if you've never met him, don’t miss the opportunity meet hims when he is in your town!

Here's a photo from dinner. From left to right -


John Schafer, Me, Vanessa Joy Scavone, Brett Austin and of course, David Jay.

Click here to see the new version of DJ's slideshow. The best part of the new software is it allows me to create a DVD of your slideshow for you to keep! If you are one of my past clients and would like a DVD of your slideshow, please let me know!

Great seeing - and meeting -- all of you!

....stay tuned!

I have been a little slack with blog entries over the last few weeks, but not to worry I have tons o' entries coming over the next few weeks!

Fortunately I had the chance to hook up with Rebecca and Josh for their engagement shoot. They are getting married at the Jersey City Hyatt on memorial day, hopefully we will have some great weather! The view of the city from there is always fabulous.

Click here to view their slideshow!

Guest books.

I am proud to introduce a new album - the Guest Book.

Guest book albums are hardcover books (coffee table style) filled with full bleed images. We create a layout that leaves space for guests to write a short note. You may put it out for guests to sign when they arrive and then you keep it as a memento of your wedding day and is a great way to share your engagement pictures with your guests.

Here's a few page spreads from of Ashlee and Mac's book for their upcoming wedding in September.

If you're wedding is coming up and you'd like one of these please make sure to get in touch me soon to get your order in!

Back in action.

It's been a nutty couple of weeks here at home with our baby Phoebe. My wife, Elizabeth has been amazing in her new job of becoming a Mommy overnight. At most jobs you get a day off between working and transitioning into a new role, but not Liz! She took her last conference call on Friday afternoon and we were parents by Sunday evening!

Now that the nursery is finished (pics on the Groupp blog) and things have settled down a little, I just wanted to take a second to let everyone know I am back in action. Although - if things are quiet I might play a little hooky to be home with the girls. :)

Anyway - this past weekend I had the opportunity to shoot Lacy and Adam's wedding (pics coming very soon) with my friend and wedding planner to the stars Christy Bareijsza of The Red Carpet Events. Christy offers services from start to finish - or - day of event planning.

If you are planning a wedding and are looking for someone who is VERY detailed oriented and just plain fun to be around - you MUST give Christy a shout!

Here's a photo of us at the end of a short 14 hour day. See how time flies when you are having fun! :)

Did someone say "swaddle me"?

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye I seem to be surrounded by an explosion of pink! Pink blankets, wraps, towels, and clothing. It's starting to sink in that I am outnumbered in this house 2 to 1. :)

I have a brand new camera (Canon 30D) I just ordered as a backup that I have been using to shoot photos of Phoebe with a neat little 50mm f/1.2 lens. It's compact and easy to grab on the fly. I have been noticing how nice the light in my living room is towards dusk. Unfortunately, this nice light lasts about 4 minutes before getting too dark. :)

Here is one of the photos from tonight - I think she looks like she's smiling -- or it could just be gas.



I have also started the official Groupp blog. Click here for Phoebe's blog! As much as I think she is the most beautiful baby ever, I don't want to clog up this blog and become "one of those fathers". :)

I do want to take a second to thank one of my clients who sent us the greatest "swaddle" blanket on earth. I can't believe that just over 2 weeks ago, I had no idea what a swaddling blanket was and now we can't live without them! We have received many gifts, but I am floored at the generosity of my clients. Thanks everyone! Lisa - this blanket ROCKS!!

Moments in time.

The week before our little Phoebe joined us I was fortunate to spend some time with my friends Chris and Lynn Jaksa while they were in NYC. We have been doing a ton of shooting together and it has been a blast! Finally - we were able to schedule a night out with my wife Elizabeth to meet Chris and Lynn. We met up at the studio and then walked over our favorite restaurant Pepe Giallo's. While we were walking over Lynn grabbed a couple of quick pics of us, of course we thought nothing of it.....

She sent me this photo a few days ago and I realized this was the last photo of Liz before she went into labor a few days later. We had plans of taking our own pictures over the next few weeks, but alas Phoebe had other ideas. :) Thanks guys for taking this picture! While our jobs are so much fun, this photo serves as a reminder to me just how important those "moments in time" are to us.

Donna and Eric

Last Thursday, I met Donna and Eric at my studio to show them some of the new albums I am offering and to chat about their wedding plans. I love hearing all the plans that go into each wedding and it gives me a chance to anticipate the details that make each wedding different.

Donna & Eric's wedding will be held at The Woolverton Inn, in Lambertville, NJ. It such a beautiful location and just a short ride from the city. If you are planning an event, they are worth checking out!

After our meeting, we headed out to shoot some engagement pictures in my neighborhood in Chelsea. Click HERE to view Donna and Eric's slideshow!