Windy Before The Wedding

(This shoot is from a couple months ago, but since this weekend is Sophy and Jeff's wedding, it seemed like a good time to share some engagement photos!)

I met Sophy and Jeff at Elizabeth Park for an engagement shoot on a beautiful but windy day. No trouble! Big celebrity photographers buy giant fans just to get that wind-swept look.

They also brought their adorable doxie Hannah, who was a really good sport and totally adorable.

It's prime time in Elizabeth Park, and we made sure to wave at the other photographers moving around with their subjects.

Can't wait to work with these two on their wedding day. Jeff - practice that natural smile! :)

Betrothed in Branford

Kristen and James met me at a beach near their home in Branford on a beautiful summer evening for engagement photos.

Somehow we had the beach practically all to ourselves, so we got to play around with lots of fun poses without an audience.

We had so much fun. I'm sure their wedding will be a blast!

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.

The Night Before in Mystic

I joined Colleen and Mandeep on a balmy but beautiful night at Mystic Seaport for their rehearsal dinner. 

I never realized that Mystic hosted private events, but between this and my recent wedding at Old Sturbridge Village, I'm starting to think that exploring living-history museums at night is one of the best perks of my job. (Getting married in Colonial Williamsburg? E-mail me!)

The only downside is, I was so busy taking photos I forgot to grab one of the tasty-looking lobsters for dinner...

Even so, it was a beautiful night, and Colleen and Mandeep's family and friends were so gracious and friendly. Even though I was leaving that night to go on a vacation to Cape Cod, I really wished that I could stick around to see the happy couple on their wedding day.

Congratulations Colleen and Mandeep! 

And Henry Makes Three

In what is becoming a yearly tradition I met Karen, Bob, and their son Henry at Hammonasset Beach for some family photos. 

It was great seeing them again, and it's amazing how much Henry has grown in just a year.

The only trouble was an unexpectedly busy beach (I know, on a beautiful Saturday? Crazy!), but we had no trouble finding lots of private spots, and spotted some exciting critters running around as well.

See you guys next year!

Pin That Wedding!

I know many of you are big fans of Pinterest. Well, now you can connect with Zack Wussow Media there too!

I hope you'll hang out with us there, share your boards, and... do whatever else you do on Pinterest. I'm still figuring it out. :)

Second Shooting for the Rat Pack

I pretty rarely assist other photographers, but it's also a lot of fun when I do, getting to see the wedding from the groom's side. It helps when, as with Mark and Olivia's wedding near Boston, the guys are funny and excited about looking dapper.

I was working with Melissa Nicastro, covering the guy's prep and the ceremony. Which, awesomely, meant I got to catch the guys doing their best Reservoir Dogs impression.

The church was beautiful. We got some great pictures of the couple not quite meeting before the ceremony.

And then, maybe the best part of the day... After photographing 74 weddings, I finally had a couple get pelted with rice. Which is as awesome as it looks in the movies.

(NB: Rice has fallen out of fashion because it may be unsafe for birds who eat the dry rice. Whether for cleanliness or concern for wildlife, the couple's uncles swept up all the rice.)

As nice as it was to get a half-day at work, I was sad I wasn't going along to the reception. I'm sure it was a beautiful and fun celebration. Regardless, it was great working with Melissa, and I wish all the best to Olivia and Mark!

Five Years

You know the cliched interview question, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Well, when I walked into the Vernon Town Clerk's office and registered my Doing Business As name, and even if they had I could not have guessed.

This picture, currently on the "About Me" page, is from October 2012. I should probably post something more... recent.

In all honesty, I started Zack Wussow Media for two reasons - first, because the only other UConn Photography grads I knew actually using their degrees were doing weddings, and because you need to register your business to pay taxes. I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted to do long term. In fact, I probably would have said I intended to work a little and then go back to school.

Before grad school, though, I wanted to follow my professor's advice and "get some life". Boy have I.

In these five years I've also acquired more camera gear then I could have imagined needing, taught myself to be a serviceable accountant, advertiser, and salesperson, learned and forgot how to use a steadicam, built three ring lights, taken a million yearbook photos, and attended several lifetimes worth of weddings.

And assisted on one rap video.

Just after ZWM's first anniversary, I met my fiance. A year and a half later we moved in together, into my first real apartment. Then, this past spring, I asked her to marry me. (No date set yet... We're procrastinators.)

I've gotten a tattoo, tried scuba and sky diving, taken at least three road trips, run in a Tough Mudder, and perhaps most incredibly of all, I've gotten Heather's cat Enzo to tolerate my existence (maybe even like me... sometimes).

So given all that, where do I see myself in another five years? My wedding, for sure. Probably owning my first home. Almost certainly still behind a camera.

But besides that? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm excited to find out, though.