Laurie and Alan (Soshie too!)

When I looked at the weather forecast for Santa Fe a few days before I left for Laurie and Alan's wedding, I couldn't believe my eyes. Thunderstorms and rain! I emailed Colin in disbelief - I mean there are about 300 days of sunshine in Santa Fe each year and it would be my luck it would rain! Fortunately, the forecast changed and even though we had a few showers, they were gone before we knew it.

From the moment I arrived in my room and I was greeted with a cute gift bag, Laurie and Alan had every detail planned for a beautiful day. Saturday morning we met up for a quick lunch and then were off for some pictures in town. Downtown Santa Fe is an amazing little city with some really cool architecture. I don't usually have this much time to do portraits of the bride and groom (and with such a cute couple!) so it was a real treat.

It was time for us to leave for the ceremony - of course not without a quick stop back at the hotel to get Laurie and Alan's beloved dog, Soshie. I've met some cool doggies before, but this little guy was the BEST. He hung out all day with us and was the best model! :)

The reception was held at the top of the Eldorado Hotel. What a perfect backdrop to the perfect day! The sun setting over the mountains was stunning end to a beautiful day....but wait there's more!

After dinner we walked across the street to the beautiful Georgia O'keefe Museum for dessert and dancing. With colors matching of one of Georgia's paintings (if you know the name of the painting please leave a comment!), the new bride and groom cut their cake. Please note I must give credit for one of the cake shots to their friend Amanda. Colin was busy readying the slideshow so I asked if she wanted to help. :) She hesitated at first when I handed her my other camera, but took the great shot of them kissing. Nice job Amanda!

As they danced the night away, the moon rose across the sky.


I want to thank Laurie and Alan for an amazing time and for making me feel like family. I also want to thank Colin one more time for helping me out - he took many of the awesome shots in the slideshow, including the rehearsal dinner photos since I could not be there. Looking forward to seeing you again in September! Click the photo below for the slideshow!

More shameless plugs!

First of all, I have to say Happy Birthday to my brother Douglas! The first shameless plug is for him.

Doug is an amazing artist who lives and works in Williamsburg, Brooklyn - if you'd like to see his work click on the photo below. Doug also sells his work around various locations in Manhattan, so if you're looking for a unique gift or some artwork for your home -- you must check him out. His collages are really awesome, and range in size from 4 x 5 inches to 4 x 5 feet, so they'll fit in any space.


The second shameless plus is for my friend Dan who is the editor of a very cool site that takes the mystery out of digital technology for consumers. If you've ever
struggled to figure your digital camera, laptop, printer or HDTV, you
should definitely check out his site. Over the years I have had so many people come up to me and say "I take the worst pictures, I wish I could figure my camera out!" Dan's website - "Demystifying Digital" is perfect for those people! :) Dan's also becoming a quite a celebrity with two TV appearances in the last couple of weeks. Check this one out with Maurice Dubois from CBS News by clicking the photo below!

The Maine attraction!

I just got back from a really fun wedding up in Prouts Neck, Maine. A few weeks ago, I found out my friend, David Jay, would be up there shooting Alison and Wes's wedding (David is from Santa Barbara) and I jumped at the chance to join him! I have a special place in my heart for the state of Maine - the coastline is beautiful....and the serene beaches and lighthouses are to die for. It is also where I asked my wife Elizabeth to marry me 8 years ago.

I also really, really, really love lobster! From steamed lobster to lobster rolls...I can't get enough! :) Unfortunately, David didn't get a chance to see my military like dissection of a whole lobster, but we still had a great time! Next time, my friend!


OK - enough about me.

Best Friends Forever. After the ceremony, we followed Alison and Wes in their horse drawn carriage. You could definitely feel the love this couple had for each other. But more importantly, as I was watching them through the ceremony until they left that evening - you could see the special friendship they had, too. AWESOME. Here are just a few shots I pullled at 2AM last night. Make sure to check DJ's blog for his slideshow! Thanks for having me along - looking forward to seeing you in the fall!

Now THIS is a wedding!

If you know me or have followed my blog you know that I shoot MANY Jewish weddings each year. However - most are not this BIG! And - I don't just mean big in terms of the amount of people. :) From the Tisch to the Bedekin....and finally the ceremony.....each stage of this wedding was larger than life. Did I mention the 15 piece Klezmer band?

Rebecca and Josh's wedding had over 400 guests in attendance for the celebration of their marriage. However, even with so many people, the event still managed to feel like a small wedding. Rebecca, Josh, their family and friends were so filled with joy that during the Tisch, I thought the guests would burst at the seams with excitement and anticipation. This kind of passion is what Chris and Lynn Jaksa and I dream of in a celebration....and I think you'll see the pictures reflect that!

The day flew by for us because there was always something exciting to shoot! Click the image below for Rebecca and Josh's slideshow! One last thank you to Chris and Lynn for all their help!



I'm off to shoot a wedding with my friend David Jay, in Maine on Saturday so make sure to check back this weekend for more pictures! :)

Dan and Janie

Most of my clients will share their wedding song with me to use along with their slideshow. When Dan and Janie sent me their song, I knew it would be truly unique as were many of the touches from their wedding. Why not an Irish tune from Patrick Street?

Click HERE for their slideshow.

Dan and Janie's wedding was a true reflection of their personalities. With a ceremony on the banks of the river of the city they love so much to the song they chose for their first karaoke performance. It was a pleasure working with you guys and your whole family. I think I can honestly say this will be the first year I work on two sibling's wedding albums in one year! :)

Of course this day would not have been such a huge success without my good friends Chris and Lynn Jaksa. You guys did such an amazing job! Thanks once again and I am looking forward to seeing you guys again soon! ;)

It's GO TIME!

A belated Happy Father's day to all the Dad's out there! In the words of the immortal Morty Seinfeld "This shirt will never leave my body!"

One of my favorite episodes of Seinfeld is where Jerry buys a "#1 Dad" T-shirt. I'm not sure how -- but Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld created a character that was a mirror image of my dad, Barry. :)

Liz has more on Phoebe's blog, but I will leave you with one of my favorite Morty Seinfeld quotes:

"Cheap fabric, and dim lighting. That's how you move merchandise."

:)

Top of the Rock.

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of photographing Diane and Blake's wedding. I want to share 30 seconds of their wedding with you....

If someone gave me a second chance at my wedding day - this would be the place I would choose to see my (future) wife for the first time. Hands down!

Diane and Blake's wedding took place at one of NYC's quintessential landmarks, the always fabulous Rainbow Room. From the invitations to the programs, the flowers, lighting and cake....no details were overlooked!

Here is just a sneak peak of Diane and Blake's first meeting at The Top of the Rock.

On our way to see Blake - Scarlett leading the way.

Blake, waiting for Diane on top of the World!

As Diane comes down the stairs, even Carlos (who should be shooting!) gets caught up in the moment. Just kidding, his shots from that angle are awesome. Even the tourists were getting into the act!

Bigtime thanks again to Amy, who joined me from Charlotte, NC. She never stopped shooting all day! :)

It was a little extra work to coordinate this meeting given the location, but I think you'll agree it was all worth it. Thanks to Mark Hunsch (Rainbow Room's event Manager) for setting it up so we didn't need to stand in any lines!



Thanks to both Diane, Blake and their families for such an fun day. Maybe we'll see other soon. ;)

Finally - I must close by giving a big THANK YOU to my buddy Luke for connecting me with Diane. He was unfortunately booked for her date when they met back in September at her friend Emily's wedding. Thanks Luke. :)

2 quick shots....

I just got back from Diane and Blake's rehearsal dinner, on our way out I had to grab one of my quick night time city shots.


As we left we had to make a quick stop in Times Square. (more on that later!) I am psyched to be shooting with the fabulous Amy Martin and Scarlett Williams this weekend. Thanks for a fun night! Looking forward to tomorrow!

Central Park in June.

Last evening I met Nicole and Jason in Central Park for their engagement shoot. I always like to get to my favorite meeting spot (the NE corner of 72nd St. and Central Park West) a few minutes early to do a little people watching. As with every year there was a fresh crop of newbie rollerbladers, which always is fun to watch. :) I was one of them once, and to be honest - I was pretty awful. :)

For June, the weather was actually a little chilly and windy, but beautiful nonetheless! Click HERE for their slideshow! Thanks for the fun night! Looking forward to your September wedding at the beautiful Woodbury Jewish Center in September!




I'm off to Diane and Blake's rehearsal dinner at the timeless Tavern on the Green. Check back tonight for a few fun photos!

Now THIS is a Hora!

More dancing! Memorial day weekend was all about celebration and Rebecca and Josh's wedding was non-stop! I have to admit, I've shot hundreds (yes, hundreds) of Jewish weddings (reformed, conservative, and orthodox) and this was by far the biggest (and longest) Hora I've ever photographed. With over 400 guests in attendance, the dance floor never emptied. It wasn't easy to get some of these shots without getting trampled, but Rebecca and Josh's friends were so nice and kept pulling Chris and I back in to make sure we could get great shots. So, I had to feature a few of them .....check back soon for their slideshow!

Thank you Laurie and Alan!

A quick post to say thank you to Laurie, Alan and their family and friends. I had so much fun with all of you! You guys planned a truly magical night that was amazing from beginning to end. It was my first time in Santa Fe and I can't wait to come back, this place is a photographer's paradise. I'm gonna work backwards and start with the two closing pictures. First, is the last shot of the evening with the moon rising over the sky and the second was taken this morning after brunch. Colin had scouted out this spot yesterday for us to shoot at and unfortunately when we got there it was under construction. So we just had to take a few minutes today.....

Thank you Colin for all your help this weekend! It was so much fun hanging with you this weekend - and I can't wait to see your shots. Hopefully, it's not too bumpy getting home in that little plane!

I made it.

After a 12 hour plane ride here to Santa Fe (flight should only be 4.5 hours) I made it just in time to shower and head out to the golf course. I know, my life is rough. :) But - golf on 90 minutes sleep is not easy.

I want to thank the nice gentleman who gave me a ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe in the middle of the night. Who says NY'ers aren't niiiceee.

When I arrived I was greeted with a nice gift bag from Alan and Laurie. It came with snacks and water, and an beautiful little booklet about them and their family. I always love these personal touches that make each wedding so special.

Looking forward to an awesome day tomorrow!