Betsy & Geoff l Philadelphia Wedding Photographer

Betsy and Geoff's wedding brought me back to the Union League to continue this fall's run of great weddings and couples. After their ceremony at St. Augustine's we all got to walk around the Independence Mall area. One of my favorite times to photograph is dusk, in the fall, on a cloudy day. There's this beautiful period of time where all the shadows go blue and everything is super saturated and rich in tone.

I would've gotten the post of their wedding up sooner but I've been toiling away trying to get all their Christmas prints done in time. It's always awesome when a couple or their family orders lots of prints. It's a whole other level of enthusiasm when they start ordering prints within a few hours of seeing the images online. I love it!

So a few weeks before their wedding, I get a call from Geoff asking if I would have some time to shoot a picture of Betsy's favorite spot in Philadelphia along Kelly Drive. They do their daily run along the river here, as do many of my clients along with half of the under-40 crowd in the city, and this view is Betsy's favorite. It just so happens that Geoff's timing couldn't have been better as the leaves were at their peak of turning color which made for an amazing contrast of red against the blue sky at the end of the day. We did a canvas print, which arrived Friday morning in the nick of time for Saturday's wedding. You can see below as Betsy shares the print with her bridesmaids after Geoff had it delivered to her hotel suite on the wedding day.


Enjoy the show (here).













It's one thing to say a couple is nice and good hearted because you get along with them. It's a whole other thing to see them in action against a really unexpected and possibly unpleasant situation. So after doing the portraits around Independence Mall the wedding party hopped into their small chartered bus to head over to the reception while Geoff, Betsy and I waited for their car service to pick us up. And we waited, and waited and waited. The car never came. So after walking the streets for a bit looking for other possible places where the car and driver could have gotten off to, below, these guys didn't let it get to them, didn't get angry or flustered. They just rolled with it, and we hailed a cab back to the Union League. Now this is keeping what really important at the top of the list.

Kali & Vince l Philadelphia Wedding Photographer

It's been a while since I've been able to sit down and do some posting. Being a new parent and running your own business is a lot of work. More than I ever could have imagined before I dove into both.

First up is Kali and Vince. If you're a fan of Penn basketball then you probably know Vince who played for the Quakers a while back and now does analysis for the Penn Sports Network and other local media outlets. You may not know Kali but you wish you did. Kali is all positive energy. She's calm and direct and stress free and just a joy to be around. Their wedding was an elegant affair that started with a ceremony at St. John's in Center City then the reception was held at the Union League of Philadelphia.

Enjoy the show.



Kali and I did a fun shoot, ahem just for Vince, a few weeks before the wedding. Once I get Kali's permission I may post a few from that shoot here or on the website. That went so well, Kali had me come out to her final dress fitting at Maria Romia in Center City. The dress was breath taking and it was cool to get to see some of the final prep and excitement.
























And Vince's pal, Governor Ed Rendell showed up to wish the couple his best.

Heather & Ben

Heather and Ben had a Phillycentric wedding a couple weeks ago. They started at the Westin in Center City then we walked around Old City with the bridal party getting honks and shouts of congrats from those doing typical Saturday things like taking the Duck Boat tours and sitting at sidewalk cafes. The ceremony was at the historic Christ Church. I'm not sure, but I'm gonna bet than Ben Franklin and other early attendees of this church never envisioned a Jewish chuppah as part of a wedding ceremony there. But the reality today of so many interfaith couples brings forth all sorts of new opportunities for all of us. Then the reception was held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Elegant, fun and down to earth, just like the couple themselves. And Kendall at Eclatante Design ran a tight ship keeping everything stress free.

Slideshow (here)

Being a photojournalist, I've always been rather earnest about my approach to photography. I believe in capturing the true unaffected moment. I don't like thinking about how to alter my images after they're made. There's something that feels cheap and easy about needing a filter or some series of effects in order to make the picture gorgeous or stop people. Ultimately it's just about pushing buttons as opposed to capturing something real and in the moment. And when it is real and in the moment why mess it up by altering the reality you worked so hard to capture. Anyway, I just really love this first image of Heather. It's not notably altered in photoshop. It's toned lighter than I would most of my images but that's always a subjective task. To me she's a cross between Marilyn Monroe and a Roy Lichtenstein painting.














When I was in my first job at a small but very creative and influential group of newspapers outside of Chicago we were always trying to take our work further. Even on the most mundane of assignments we always worked for that National Geographic kind of image that blended artistry with storytelling. We didn't always get there but the process was fun. One photographer on staff did a story on the local donut shop. He spent time there every morning for a week or so documenting the regulars and the kids and all the various happenings in the shop. Our editor was working with him to elevate this to something special, just cause they could. He kept talking about the "yum" picture. The picture that summed up just how good those donuts were. The picture that allows you to taste the donuty goodness. The picture they chose was a little paper plate with a half eaten donut on it, crumbs all over. It really took you into that space of tasting the sugary goodness of a fresh baked donut. So, what the heck do donuts have to do with this wedding. Nothing really. But, one of my favorite pictures to look for at a wedding is the picture at the end of the night of one of the tables. It isn't always there but sometimes it is. The picture that somehow takes you to the feeling of having just been at a rockin' party with all the memories and stories floating in the air outside the frame.