Photographers Photographing Photographers

Recently I got together with an old friend, Stacie (a very talented real-estate photographer), because we both needed new headshots for our websites, and both wanted something fun to break up the winter doldrums.

She had a great location we could use, though to e honest we probably spent more time chatting than working.

It’s always fun getting together with other photographers to exchange ideas, try new things, and just generally mess around without as much pressure to have a perfect end result.

(Clearly we both really liked this window…)

That said, I’m pretty happy with how my portraits of Stacie came out, and really love the photos she got of me! It’s not often I’m in front of a camera, but I find as I get older and a bit less self conscious that it can be a fun place to be.

We’ve already got plans in the works to meet up again if it ever snows for some chilly outdoor portraits. Should be fun!

Spider-kid

I’m going to make you wait till the end to see what that title is about…

My friends Faith and Vic welcomed their first child, a smiling baby boy, into the world this January.

Luckily we were able to do some newborn photos before social distancing kicked in. Vic V was ready for his close-up with a variety of creative expressions.

After his individual pictures (and a feeding) it was time for family photos. I love these natural poses.

And - at last - Spider-Kid learning the most important things about life from Spider-Dad.

After all those wonderful photos, we had one sleepy baby.

Dancing With Friends

Rachel and Ross’s wedding was my third or fourth visit to Tunxis Pavillion, a great venue in Farmington. The day began with the girl’s getting ready in the recently redone bridal suite and posing for some group photos.

The ceremony was simple and beautiful, and Ross delivered a great face on seeing his beautiful bride.

We got a ride on golf carts out to the Pavilion’s beautiful posed photo spot. I love it every time!

The reception began with the usual activities - first dance, speeches, dinner.

After dinner, parent dances and a bouquet and garter toss.

But the focus of the night was lots and lots of great dancing! And, yes, Rachel and Ross had the DJ play the theme from Friends.

All together, an amazing night! Congratulations, Rachel and Ross.

My Friends are Expecting!

My wife has known Faith for over a decade and a half, and I went to school at UConn with Vic, so needless to say, we’re super excited they are expecting their first little nugget!

We met up to do some maternity announcements at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford. By chance we were right in time for Peak Rose™, which meant sharing the park with approximately twenty other photographers. Honestly, though, the roses have never been my favorite part of Elizabeth Park, as pretty as they are. I much prefer the old greenhouse and mixed flowers planted all over the grounds.

We enjoyed the beautiful weather, moseying around the park for a about an hour and hitting all my favorite spots. My wife came along as well and played dog wrangler with Tali, their Goldendoodle when she wasn’t needed for photos.

I’m so excited for their maternity photos this winter and meeting their newest family member early next year!

Winter Elegance

Brooke and Joe got referred to me twice - by my step brother and my friend Faith - so while I didn't know the couple well beforehand, this still felt like a friend's wedding.

After 'getting ready' photos at a salon and hotel, I rode with them on the party bus to Elmwood Community Church in West Hartford. It was a beautiful ceremony, short and sweet.

Then back on the party bus for celebratory champagne.

Before the reception, the wedding party and immediate family stopped off for posed photos at Hartford City Hall - a building I confess I'd never seen before Brooke mentioned it to me. It was the perfect idea and the photos look amazing.

From there it was a quick ride on the bus to the G. Fox Building for the reception. It's a beautiful space with a classic style and it photographed really nicely. Having such a beautiful couple doesn't hurt either.

It was a great night, and I'm sure the after party next door was crazy.

Congratulations, Brooke and Joe!

A Friend's Wedding

I've been to a lot of weddings (76, actually), but most of those were just for work. Fun, moving, beautiful events, to be sure, but it's a special treat when the couple are people I know and care about personally, and rarer still when many of the guests are friends as well.

Faith and Vic's wedding was one of those really rare treats. They are good friends of mine, good enough that my fiance Heather was Faith's Maid of Honor. 

They make an amazing couple - no joke, they independently wrote practically identical vows - with an amazing sense of humor, apparent both in the details of their wedding decorations....

...and the people they surround themselves with.

Faith and Vic were glowing, something I hear often but I'm not sure I've ever said of someone before. 

It was such a pleasure and really an honor that my friends chose me to photograph their special day. It was a blast of a party filled with awesome people.

And it was a fun excuse to dance with my fiance in fancy clothes.

Oh, and I'm not saying there were lightsaber duels, but...

*totally not photoshopped

Congratulations, Faith and Vic! Love you guys.

Perfect Together

I joked on Facebook before my wedding yesterday that photographing a friend's wedding makes me especially nervous. It's true! Every wedding makes me nervous to some degree - which is good, since it makes me triple check my gear and the schedule - but with friends you also feel a personal pressure to not let them down.

I needn't have worried with Shannon and Andy.

Not only was the wedding beautiful, but they were as laid-back and fun-loving as I've always known them to be. It was a day filled with familiar faces, actually, with a neighbor, a former wedding couple of mine, and a handful of other acquaintances joining in.

The day started off with the girls getting ready at Shannon's parent's house, a fun process with this bunch.

The ceremony was very traditional, in the beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows in West Hartford. 

Then we moved to the Webb-Dean Barn for a lively reception DJ'd by Collins Entertainment. Shannon, Andy, and their friends and family know how to enjoy a party, but it was also marked by touching moments. After they each made a speech about what the other meant to them, the videographer and I were both misty-eyed.

So yes, friend's weddings make me nervous, but that's only half the story. They are also my most satisfying weddings, and the most touching.

Congratulations, you two! I don't know another couple as perfectly suited for each other as you two are.

Marissa and Jan

(Finally, the third wedding from my very busy weekend in October.)

It's a fact of the wedding business that you are constantly popping into and out of people's lives. One day you sign a contract, months later you're part of the inner circle for one of their most important days of their lives, and then you're back to being strangers. It's weird.

Which is why it's always such a pleasure to work with people who really are good friends of mine.

Some of my clients will recognize Marissa - she has often worked for me as a second shooter at weddings. We met back in our college days, during long nights toiling in the darkroom.

Over the last couple years, she's caught me up whenever we worked together about her and Jan buying a house in the country, and then pouring themselves into fixing it up. (It helps that Jan is a contractor.) I could tell from the way Marissa talks about Jan that he was something special, but I've never had a chance to meet him until their wedding.

It's clear she's made a good choice.

I can't say how happy it makes me to see my friend so clearly in love with a man who so clearly loves her.

Congratulations, Marissa and Jan!