Karen Wise - Photo Blog!

Introducing My NEW Blog!

2009-06-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Karen Wise Photography Blog has moved! You may now find it at: http://blog.karenwise.com

I'm looking forward to posting new weddings, food shoots, my road trips and travel.

My logo and new blog header were designed by the talented Oh Joy! Studio.

Sneak Peek: Catherine & Ken's Malibu Wedding

2009-06-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

Catherine and Ken were married at the gorgeous Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California on June 6th. More photos from this wedding to come...

Joshua Tree in June

2009-06-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

all images Copyright Karen Wise 2009

Sneak Preview: Joshua Tree in June

2009-06-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Saira & Prashant, Part II

2009-06-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Saira & Prashant, Part I

2009-06-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hannah & John - NJ, May, 2009

2009-06-15T22:30:00.001-07:00

Love, love, love Hannah's yellow bouquet!

Thanks to my intern Yeram for helping with the above grids : )

Hello from Malibu

2009-06-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peek: Hannah & John

2009-06-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

A preview of Hannah and John's early May wedding, to be posted in more detail once I'm back from Malibu next week. I loved her glamour & style; she exuded such calm during the getting ready process too.

Park Slope Eats

2009-05-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

Although it was years ago that I first ate there, Franny's restaurant is a new obsession of mine. When family is in town, or even when friends from Manhattan who rarely come to Brooklyn finally do visit, we go to Franny's. It always makes a great impression. The pizzas are delicious and the hors d'oeuvre (sunchokes, artichokes, and salads) are even better! The wine menu lists something for everyone, including wines from Tuscany and Umbria, to California and Australia. the staff is friendly, professional, and they know their flavors and wines quite well! Another gem of Park Slope is Blue Apron Foods, which happens to be on my block, its entrance on Union Street, corner of 7th Ave in Center Slope. The cinnamon sticks were just a little gift from one of the owners, Allen Palmer, when I told him I was browsing for something sweet to photograph... I had to get some of these cute cupcakes which I first saw in the window. I photographed the red velvet and chocolate ones they carry from Baked, another company based in Brooklyn, in the neighborhood of Red Hook, bordering the East River. And then I ate them! Delicious!! Another nice local shop is Leaf and Bean, also in Center Slope where I've bought many a dish as gifts for friends. (The peaches sit in a brown bowl from Leaf & Bean)

Florae On My Mind

2009-05-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my birthday on Monday amidst lilacs and florae hiking at Blue Hill Reservation, MA with my sis, my baby niece, my bro-in-law, and Chandler. It was an ideal day. The lush outdoors is still on my mind. I'm posting a couple of more from Anli and Kenneth's BBG wedding to keep me there.

Gorgeous bouquets and flower arrangements were by Saipua in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Check out their website and their blog.

More of Anli &Kenneth to Kick Off the Long Weekend!

2009-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Anli & Kenneth's Flowery Bklyn Wedding

2009-05-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

I found some time tonight to upload a few more recent images from Anli and Kenneth's wedding... Happy Weekend!

More to come in a few days, so stay posted!

(The gorgeous bouquet and florals were by Saipua in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Check out their website and their blog.)

Anli and Kenneth

2009-05-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous bouquet by Saipua in Brooklyn: http://saipua.com/

Sneak Peek: Anli and Kenneth's BK Wedding

2009-05-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Anli and Kenneth were married on the last weekend in April. The cherry blossoms were blooming and the magnolias were at full peak. More to come from this beautiful wedding once I'm back from my weekend away, shooting an Indian wedding in Delaware...

Thanks to Yeram my new intern for helping with these grids and posts : )

Pomegranate Pattern by Sara Jensen

2009-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Jensens moved to the West Coast this week : ( They'll be living on a small and beautiful island off the coast of Seattle though! Here is a preview of a few of the still lifes I shot for Sara and her husband Thor's online store: Lost Bird Found. (They plan to revamp the site once their computers arrive on the West Coast...) (Spoon borrowed from Emily Thompson's beautiful silver collection : )

Danielle's Maternity

2009-05-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Danielle gave birth last month to a beautiful baby boy! Here are some of her maternity photos from our shoot in Brooklyn.

Hannah and John's Engagement Shoot

2009-05-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hannah and John were married yesterday in Bergen County, New Jersey. What a fabulous couple. I can't wait to feature the photos, but first, here are some engagement photos I made of them in Prospect Park back in March...

Marie Claire China Interview!

2009-04-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

To those who speak Chinese: I'll need some help with translating these pages : ) Thanks to my intern Laurel for helping me with this post today.

Interviewed for Marie Claire China!

2009-04-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed for Marie Claire China a couple of months ago, and I just received the magazine in my mailbox! My portrait of Priti is featured alongside a paragraph of text. Can anyone translate Chinese??

Julie's Crinkles, Continued

2009-04-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Chilies on a cake pedestal Chocolate Crinkle Cookies; Chocolate, Chili & Cinnamon Cupcakes; and Creme Brulée. The film is back from the lab! Here are some more images that I shot with baker Julie Quon and prop stylist Emily Thompson. Thanks to my interns Christine Han and Marietta Leung for helping out that day! : )

Featured on Style Me Pretty!

2009-04-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

I had such a crazy/busy week that I didn't get to post the Style Me Pretty feature of Carmelita and Dan's wedding. Well, here it is! Feel free to check out the SMP site as there are 7 parts to the story...

I heart and miss Polaroid

2009-04-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm really sad that some of my favourite Polaroid stocks are no longer being sold. For example, Type 55 4x5 Polaroid (pos and negative instant film) is totally out of stock and no longer being made. I noticed bids are being placed on Ebay averaging $200 a box now! (The regular price was about $65 per box.) And this Polaroid is totally expired, dating back to 2005! What has happened to the world? Polaroid is beautiful. Here is some inspiration from Polaroids I've shot over the last 10 years..

More from San Francisco!

2009-04-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to go to California again in June for a wedding shoot has inspired me to put up more from Howard and Vanessa's San Fran wedding in January... A month ago I posted this sneak preview.

Julie's Chocolate Crinkles

2009-04-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Sneak preview from yesterday's food shoot with Julie Quon and Emily Thompson: A Crinkle is a little fudgey chocolate cookie. Delicioso! More photos to post after this busy wedding weekend to come... Have a great one! : ) More here!

Thanks New York Magazine!

2009-03-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

My photos of Carmelita and Daniel's Studio 450 Wedding are featured in the new issue of New York Magazine Weddings on pages 96+97! Feel free to take a peek: Below are some more images from Carmelita and Daniel's wedding. I particularly LOVED their flowers, designed by Elan Flowers. Their centerpieces were so colorful and brought the loft to life, while Carmelita's bouquet of pink calla were so robust and punchy next to her white gorgeous Selia Yang white dress. The black silk dresses that the bridesmaids wore were so rich looking and complemented the style even more. These wedding colors helped create a modern feel but timeless look at the same time. What an inspiring wedding to photograph! To see a previous post on this wedding click here. Please note that the prices listed in this piece are dated from 2006.

Featured in Modern Bride This April!

2009-03-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

Click here to see more of this beautiful Rye, NY wedding.

Featured in Brides New York

2009-03-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

On two pages in two different features in Brides New York magazine this season.

My Favourite Florals...

2009-03-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Many have asked, "May we see your favourite bouquets?" Or, "Please send over your best flowers images." Well, it's not so easy! I've shot many beautiful flowers arrangements over the years, and where would I begin? Instead, today I decided to upload some of my favourite florals to my blog. I hope to keep adding to this post, as a way to organize and display them. Floral Credits: Hana Floral Design, Seaport Flowers

Sneek Peek: Howard & Vanessa in San Fran

2009-03-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of a recent wedding I photographed in San Francisco. We were lucky to get beautiful 70 degree weather that week in mid-Jan! Vanessa's Dress: Jinza Couture Bridal Vanessa's Shoes: Jinza Couture Bridal Flowers: Paige at Passiflora Designs Bridesmaid's shoes, sweaters and dress: Ann Taylor Synagogue: Temple Sherith Israel Rabbis: Rabbi Ezray and Rabbi Raphael (The Fabulous) Food: Continental Caterers Planner: Suzy Somers at always r.s.v.p. Cake: Maralyn at Have Your Cake

Indian Spring

2009-03-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining and the temps are increasing. Slightly. Could Spring finally have sprung in NYC? In honor of this possibility, I'm posting these bright, festive Indian wedding pics.

Suj and Sandra's Wedding, Bangalore, India

2009-03-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a beautiful Super 8 film Chandler Kauffman just sent me that he went all the way to Bangalore India to shoot! This is the first of a two part film, more to come. Sujith and Sandra, Bangalore, India from Chandler Kauffman on Vimeo

Thanks Sara Jensen and Design*Sponge!

2009-03-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Sara Jensen of Lost Bird Found, is a Guest Blogger this week on Design*Sponge. She has written about a different country every day this week. In her feature today about India, she posted a few of my wedding photographs from Priti and Jaouad's wedding in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Click here to read/see the feature.

Inspired by the Past

2009-03-09T22:07:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite photographs I made years ago. Kelly and Naoki were my very first wedding clients in the late 90's. Kelly was a Brooklyn friend, and an ex-roommate from RISD. There she met Naoki, while studying architecture.The couple asked me to shoot their wedding primarily with black and white film, in the way that Kelly saw me shoot my family portraits at RISD. I knew very little about the rituals of weddings, having attended only my uncle's very small re-marriage ceremony. One thing I did know was how to make a memorable image. Thanks to Naoki and Kelly, for having faith in me and to being such beautiful and open-minded subjects. I love their wedding images.

Tweet!

2009-03-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

I've just started two Twitter accounts. KarenWisePhoto and KarenWiseFood are my names. Feel free to tweet with me!

Dorothy and Michael's San Francisco E-Shoot...

2009-02-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

Although they live a bit south and east of San Francisco, Dorothy and Michael drove up to meet me in SF the day after a wedding shoot. I discovered the city through my lens as they brought me to The Presidio, to Baker Beach overlooking The Golden Gate Bridge, and to The Legion of Honor, an architecturally beautiful museum of ancient and European art surrounded by views of the Pacific, SF valleys and many redwood trees. I got to know this cute couple through photographing them, which is a good thing as I'll also be shooting their wedding in Austin, Texas this October! (Dorothy is from Austin, and they met there at The University of Texas a few years ago.) I love that late afternoon San Francisco light.

Sneak Peek: Dorothy & Michael in San Fran

2009-02-23T22:46:00.000-08:00

More to come from Dorothy and Michael's Engagement Photo session in San Francisco this past January...

More from Big Sur!

2009-02-16T15:53:00.001-08:00

Here are a few more grids from my trip to California in January. Ahhh, the beautiful Pacific Coast. Seeing these again makes me miss the ocean and springtime in New York! Can't wait to go back in June for a wedding shoot I will have in Malibu... Arrivaderci!

Big Sur!

2009-02-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

I finally had a moment to put this together: here is a collage of some of my Big Sur, California images. After I completed a couple of San Francisco shoots, Chandler and I drove south to Big Sur on the Pacific Coast. We spent time hiking in the woods, photographing, and we also did the 1 am-3 am hot springs baths session at Esalen! Sorry no pics at Esalen, as all you could see were the stars. What magnificent weather we had there. More images to come...

Irene & Marty's January Wedding

2009-02-11T00:24:00.001-08:00

The crisp cool air on red cheeks. The low and fleeting light at sundown. Colorful lights decorating Rockefeller Center. We wear layers upon layers. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge through foggy glass. This is Winter in Manhattan. It's not easy to plan a winter wedding in NYC. No one knows what the weather will be like. Layering in a beautiful way is tricky, and impending snowstorms are definite considerations. On Jan 3rd, Irene Vallye and Quinn Martin Jr. lucked out. Situated in the heart of the historic South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan, the sun set beautifully over their venue: the beautiful glass enclosed Bridgewaters. The talented graphic designer, Irene Vallye, designed and planned her wedding from scratch. She created her invites, monograms, coasters, menus, maps and more stationery for her guests. She designed the program and favors on paper and had them all printed professionally, while everything else she letterpress printed herself. The plan was to letterpress everything, but she ran out of time and had to outsource. I was still really impressed! A melange of top of the line vendors assisted in the making of the couple's wedding day. Here is the List: Location, food and cake: Bridgewaters Stationery (invitations, favors, menus, coasters, programs and save the dates): Irene Vallye, the bride herself. Dress: Legends by Ramona Keveza Veil: designed by Anna Vallye, her sister Shoes: Stuart Weitzman for the ceremony + 1st dance. Christian Louboutin for the Reception. Bridesmaids Dresses: Ann Taylor CELEBRATIONS line in Crimson and Grape. Bouquets: Irene and her bridesmaid Nadya bunched calla lillies for she and her maids. Boutonnieres, corsages, cocktail hr. and reception centerpieces: Ali Barone of Diana Gould Ltd. Make Up: Her bridesmaid Suzy Gerstein who normally does make up for fashion shoots. Band: East Village Exchange Ceremony Musicians: Juniper String Trio Hair: Stacey Pitt Marty's Suit: Calvin Klein Irene's Fur: Vintage Broach: It's actually a button from M& J Trimming (in Manhattan). Inspiration: Irene found me and a lot of other inspiration on the fabulous Style Me Pretty blog!

Sneak Peek: Irene & Marty

2009-02-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

More photos from Irene and Marty's beautiful Bridgewaters wedding to come next week!

Jade & Chris on Brooklyn Bride

2009-02-06T23:05:00.001-08:00

Brooklyn Bride Blog's current feature of Jade and Chris' Bridgehampton wedding at the Bridgehamtpon Racquet & Surf Club can also be seen on my website here, under Weddings ->Bridehampton.

Click here to view the Brooklyn Bride post.

Also in Elegant Bride Magazine:

As quoted by Elegant Bride when they published an image I made of Jade in the Elegant Brides section of their magazine: "For her September wedding to Chris Cunningham, Jade Holdaway envisioned a simple, elegant event. Their search for a venue led them to the chic beach town of Bridgehampton, NY, where they spend their summers. They visited the Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club one rainy day, and in spite of the inclement weather, they knew it was the perfect spot for them. Jade worked with the designer Gina Pedone to create her dress. After six fittings, the result was an airy, crocheted gown with cap sleeves, an open back and a sweeping train. Jade kept her accessories simple: diamond drop earrings (a gift from Chris) and a veil adorned with the same lacy fabric that made up her dress. Before the big day, Jade was most excited for the reception, so she was a it surprised at how much she loved the ceremony. "The atmosphere on the beach when we took our vows was breathtaking," she says. "With the light and the waves crashing. It was magical." - from Elegant Bride, Fall 2007.

Thanks decor8!

2009-01-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Thank you Holly for such a nice feature on your blog today. Check out Holly's incredibly inspiring blog called "decor8" and my interview here. Have a great weekend!

Elizabeth and John's November Wedding

2009-01-22T23:45:00.000-08:00

I'm almost home from San Fran! I'm making these grids right now on the airplane home. Is the flight ever going by quickly! John and Elizabeth were married at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Both are incredibly creative: John is a puppet fabricator, special effects artist and sculptor and Elizabeth is a floral designer (she actually designed her flowers and her friends acted as freelances to execute them). They met at Curious Pictures working on a stop motion animation series called "A Little Curious" on HBO. They were building sets and characters. How cute is that? I absolutely love Elizabeth's style of dress, their wedding purples and greens, and their arrangements too. Stunning wedding.

Hello from Sunny San Francisco!

2009-01-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hello from "warmer than usual" San Francisco! Chandler and I walked around in t-shirts today. How amazing is that? I'm here for a wedding shoot on Saturday, and then I'm traveling around for a few days to Big Sur and possibly wine country. I'm psyched! When I turned on my laptop today, I was pleased to see a little writeup and a feature on Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book blog, of one of my Central Park, NYC engagement shoots. Please check it out here (you must scroll down to the bottom of the page to see my pics and interview ).

Sneak Preview: Elizabeth and John

2009-01-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a preview of one of my favorite Fall weddings in the history of Karen Wise Photography! Elizabeth Geddes, a floral designer from Park Slope, designed look of her Metropolitan Pavilion wedding and created her arrangements, her bouquet (with artichokes in it!) and all of the floral pieces too. How stunning are those flowers and colors!?

Heeki and Sue in Central Park

2009-01-12T11:48:00.001-08:00

We found a warm-ish weekend in November to shoot these Fall engagement photos in Central Park. The sky was like a giant soft-box in that the light was soft, sometimes overcast light can really be the prettiest for portraits... I'll be photographing Heeki and Sue's wedding in April. What a cute couple, eh?

Food Retrospective

2009-01-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling very hungry right now! Today I thought I'd post some collages of my favorite food photography work and call it a "Retrospective". The Karen Wise Photography Studio has been busier than ever in the past two weeks with wedding inquiries (congrats to all of you newlyweds!) Remember, I also love to photograph food; show me food at your weddings, and I will shoot it! Have a great weekend! You're seeing a number of images here that I shot with the 4x5 Studio camera and the Mamiya . More below... I made these photos of Ruth Reichl in the Test Kitchen of Gourmet Magazine last year for WGBH's Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. How exciting it was to meet her! Also above are photographs I made for Time Out NY , and a cookbook named, "The Way We Cook", by Julie Riven and Sheryl Julian, and published by Houghton Mifflin.

Junebug Fashion Report '08 features Karen!

2009-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

"The most stunning images of 2008 from the world's best wedding photographers!" Please see the "Best of the Best" feature here.

Jane & Bryan's Steiner Studios Wedding

2008-12-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping by to view Jane and Bryan's gorgeous Brooklyn wedding shot in November. Here are some favorite images from their wedding at Steiner Studios... ...and here are some of Jane and Bryan's amazing vendors I got to work with: Jane's Gown was by Jim Hjelm Jane's Shoes: Stuart Weitzman Bridesmaids' Dresses by Jim Hjelm Hairpiece by Myran Callan of Twigs and Honey Makeup by Aegene Choi Hair by Stacy Pitt Bryan's suit - Pinolerario Venue Stage 6 at Steiner Studios Caterer: Abigail Kirsch Florist: Atlas Florist DJ: DJ Gaza Video: Motoko of Love in Progress Favors: Caramel Sea Salt Brownies were by Mari's NY Stationery was by the talented Joy D. Cho of OhJoy! Studio

deb & sean's ny wedding on snippet & ink!!

2008-12-20T13:56:00.001-08:00

thanks for write-up kathryn! please take at look at more of my photos of deb & sean's yale club wedding here on snippet & ink.

snippet & ink's Sunday feature

2008-12-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite wedding blogs, snippet & ink, will be featuring the wedding I photographed of Sean & Deb at the Yale Club tomorrow! please stay posted for more photos...

Sneak Peek: Jane & Bryan

2008-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

More photos from Jane & Bryan's beautiful Steiner wedding to come after the Holiday!

Manhattan Maternity

2008-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

A preview from a recent maternity shoot I did in Manhattan. I had photographed my client's wedding in Los Cabos a couple of years ago, she continues to be a great model! Such beautiful light emanating from the bedroom windows on this cold and windy November day... To see this couple's wedding from the One and Only Palmilla Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, please go to KarenWise.com.

Driving up to Mont Tremblant

2008-12-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Timelapse by Chandler Kauffman. This was actually from the trip we took in March after Quebec was hit with 5 consecutive snow storms! However, since we just got back last weekend from Mont Tremblant again, I was dying to feature Chandler's Time Lapse (a series of photos shot every 20 seconds from a camera rigged in the car for our long distance drive), beautifully edited, here in today's post. "Driving Time Lapse - Mt. Tremblant to NYC" Above are photos from cross-country skiing at Le Domain Saint-Bernard. (The last one was shot by Chandler)

Thanks, Style Me Pretty!

2008-12-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Style Me Pretty published a post on Friday on the lovely and original floral arrangements of Hana Floral Design of Mystic, CT. The owner, Yumiko Fletcher, and I worked on thi wedding of Deb and Jack in Stonington, CT this past September. I'm so happy to see her beautiful work getting such wonderful exposure. Thanks Style Me Pretty for another nice feature!

Alix and Dan's Winter Wedding at the Liberty House

2008-12-10T19:48:00.001-08:00

It's not that common for brides and grooms to choose December as the month to get married. However, Alix and Dan planned a beautiful ceremony and magical party at The Liberty House in Jersey City, NJ at this time last year. We chose a really cool old train station for the setting for the bridal party portraits. The brick and steel against their soft wedding colors contrasted nicely in the portraits of the two of them too. Having the sun set over the skyline of downtown Manhattan in the background didn't hurt the pictures either.

(Post) Apple Picking Season, continued

2008-12-09T23:56:00.001-08:00

Chandler and I at an orchard in Warwick, NY at the beginning of November for the last weekend of apple picking..

One of My Winter Weddings on Style Me Pretty

2008-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrrrrrrr. That's all that I can mutter through blue frozen lips. And this too: Estie Colis!! Qu'il fait froid! We just returned from Montreal and from snowy Mont Tremblant where Chandler, Cousin Nathan and I went cross-country skiing on Sunday. The views of snow-capped pines from the trails were beautiful, and of course I have so much nostalgia for Canada when I go back up to the Laurentians to ski. It was literally 1 degree Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius) on the car thermometer when we headed back to NY last night. No joke. No wonder so many of my childhood winter memories are of me in snow suits. Needless to say, I was truly happy last night to get back to my overheated NYC apt! Coincidentally, it was a pleasant surprise to see one of my favourite winter weddings featured on the awesome wedding blog: Style Me Pretty. Jill and Eric's Blue Hill at Stone Barns wedding took place last December up in Tarrytown, NY. What a gorgeous spot all year round. Please feel free to take a look at the post when you can. Thanks SMP!

(Post) Apple Picking Season

2008-12-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Chandler and I were late to the game...Yeah, we reached the Upstate NY apple orchard in early November, but we still managed to have a great time despite the low quantity of of apples and the high quantity of mud we got his car stuck into. Thank goodness for rope (and Chandler's knotting abilities : ) More photos from this great adventure to come.. (We're off to Montreal in the morning to visit my folks)... We managed to pat some cute ponies and spot an old abandoned pickup truck; I was able to bake an apple crisp from the 6 crispy apples I found on the grass. Not too shabby!

Karen Wise on Style Me Pretty

2008-11-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks Style Me Pretty, for the feature!

Vogue India!

2008-11-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

My photos and my interview are featured in the current November 08 issue of Vogue India! I wanted to share this article with you because it was well-written, and the layout and cover are really pretty too. It features one of my favourite photos from Priti and Jaouad's wedding in India: the slip on "slippers" on her feet, as well as a black and white portrait I made of my gorgeous client, Neha, at her NJ wedding last year. The article describes my style of shooting, and my experience as a destination and local wedding photographer. It also features my tips on what to ask your photographer during the selection process, and how to store your prints and negs. Vogue's got to be one of my favourite fashion magazines, ever, so this is even more exciting for me! I have yet to receive my physical copy of the issue, but Paulomi Patel, the writer of the feature was nice enough to scan her copy and send it to me via email from Mumbai. Thanks Paulomi! The newspaper stores in NY say they will have them in December.

Deborah and Jack - Stonington, Connecticut

2008-11-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Deborah and Jack tied the knot on Sept. 13th at Deb's family's home in Stonington, CT. The reception was at the Wadawanuck Club, a few miles down the road. I absolutely loved their Connecticut wedding location(s) and the wedding details. Here are a selection of my favourite photos from that weekend: Here are the terrific vendors who helped make Deb and Jack's wedding so great!: Flowers: Yumiko Fletcher of Hana Floral Design Catering: Primetime Cafe of Westerly, RI (affiliated with the Wadawanuck Club) Dress: Veka bridal salon in NY, designer: Palazzo. Deb wrote about her dress-finding process: "It was literally the 2nd dress I tried on, but I went through the whole elaborate Kleinfeld, Vera Wang process anyway, mostly for fun. I kept coming back to my dress, and as my mother said, I did a little dance every time I put it on, so that seemed like a good sign!" Deb's great green shoes!: J Crew. Deb said: "...I actually searched long and hard for shoes, and was delighted to end up with an easy inexpensive choice (after a somewhat obsessive search for a specific pair of Pradas, and an interim pair of metallic hot pink sandals that I decided didn't work). I wanted something with a burst of color, and that I might wear again. Green bridesmaids dresses: J Crew actually did the bridesmaid dresses too-not to be matchy matchy with the shoes, but I didn't want them to have to spend a lot of money on dresses, and it worked out because Ashley needed to change her size a bunch! The awesome music on Saturday was by 747 Orchestra. Music on Friday: Deb's brother Elliott actually made a great ipod mix for Friday night. Invitations: by Delphine Press, and ordered through Village Invites in NY. Cake: Toria Dolce in Ashaway, RI. Deb writes: "...honestly I can't even remember all the flavors, because I was only interested in chocolate with vanilla icing! I think we had choc/choc, vanilla/choc, and a lemon maybe?" (Deb, I can say that I tried a choc/choc cupcake, to keep me going at about 10pm, and it was delectable!) Tent: Rented and assembled by Sperry Tent Deb and Jack's most memorable wedding moments: Definitely the fireworks! And walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing everyone in the backyard for the wedding. Dancing was definitely another one of my favorite parts. And the candy bar with brown paper bags was meant to 'recreate' an old candy store from Stonington, Camacho's, that I loved as a kid. I still love candy! I just had a fantastic time at the whole thing, and I'm so glad I have your photos to remind me of some of the details! How they met: Jack & I knew each other from growing up in Stonington, but he was younger so we had different sets of friends. He eventually went to business school with one of my best friend's husbands, so we started crossing paths again, then we had a really fun summer of staying up late on the dock talking, and eventually started dating. He proposed on a run in Brooklyn Bridge park-we were on our way to Jacques Torres on a dreary February morning, and he totally surprised me-even had the ring with him!

Lori and Dave at Cipriani, NYC

2008-11-05T11:27:00.001-08:00

Interviewed for Vogue India!

2008-10-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Exciting news: I was interviewed by Vogue India this summer and the article entitled "How to get your WOW wedding" is currently featured in the November issue! I've been trying all week to get my hands on a copy... The issue hit the newsstands last week in the major cities around India, but the editors are away for their national holiday, the festival of Diwali. As soon as I can receive a copy I will post the feature...

Project Wedding's Real Wedding of the Week!

2008-10-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Margaret, for the interview and for the feature at the front of your Real Weddings page on Project Wedding. Project Wedding is a wedding resource where brides find everything they need to plan their wedding.

Janice and Chris at Angel Orensanz Foundation

2008-10-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts is a former synagogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, it's absolutely stunning at every angle. You may already know that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick were married here. It's definitely a photographic challenge to shoot at Angel Orensanz, considering the dark wood and high ceilings with little if no daylight coming through the stained glass windows. However the lighting designers who work for AO are incredible. Notice the beautiful color-scrolling theatrical lighting inside of it...When I shoot there, I use this colored light as ambient, and some strobes that I bring as fill-light. The colors changed from orange to red to yellow to blue... We started off the day photographing Janice in her changing room downstairs at AO. We took a walk around the Lower East Side after the ceremony, and then shot formal portraits on the altar. Cocktail hour was upstairs on the balcony overlooking the venue. It was a great party, lots of dancing and tons of fun. Here were some of their vendors... Caterer: Season's Distinctive Catering (they did the cake too) Dress designer: Amy Michelson Planner: Christine Viola: Exquisite Affairs Productions DJ: Dave Swirsky, Expressway Music Videographer: Movements Film Production by Shar Adrias Thanks to my intern Coree Evans for helping me make these grids!

Featured on Snippet & Ink

2008-10-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to say that my wedding photographs from Diana and Osman's wedding at the Foundry are featured on Snippet & Ink: daily wedding inspiration. Please click here for the whole feature. Thanks, Kathryn!

The Boat House in Central Park

2008-10-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

When I asked Lara how Josh and she met she told me: "I met Josh's older brother at a wedding in August '05-- and he and his girlfriend both said, 'you've got to meet my younger brother!' As you will remember, Caroline's wedding was in September '05, so we had to delay our blind date until October '05. Once we finally met, that was it! Josh met my Mom and Caroline on our third date, and we were engaged 4 months later and married in May '07. I always say I figured I'd get married one day, but I never figured I'd get swept off my feet (cheesy I know ;~)" I had the honor of photographing Lara and Josh's wedding at The Boat House in Central Park, on this sunny May day. I had photographed Lara's sister Caroline's wedding a couple of years prior to this day, and so it was wonderful to see and photograph Lara and her family again. Lara got into her dress in a beautiful room at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Columbus Circle and her ceremony was indoors under a chuppah of cherry blossoms. Her stylishly jeweled shoes were designed by René Caovilla. and her beautiful lacy dress was designed by Selia Yang. Josh wore a tux by Armani. The band named Vali had every one of the guests on the dance floor. Apart from my photographing a lot of candids of dancing, the couple was quite interested in having a photo-booth type set-up on grey, which I achieved by setting up in the corner of The Boat House across from the bar. (The perfect place to get many great subjects for my photos ;-) Lara also said: "We both think we have some of the best and most creative wedding photos we've ever seen, and we are so happy with the work you and your group did. And to this day I think the photo booth idea is awesome. Our friend's pictures are so much fun, and it was such a good way to get great candids." Thank you Shiva, one of my interns, for helping me with the design of these grids.

Happy New Year!

2008-09-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Rosh Hashana! To a sweet New Year. I shot this Honey still life using my 4x5 camera, with stylist Jeila Gueramian. The apples images was made in the kitchen of my Aunt Julie Riven's house in Boston, while I was "looking for something to do" between dishes/shots for her cookbook, "The Way We Cook".

Laura and Phil: Picnic House on Pier 40

2008-09-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

I photographed Laura and Phil's wedding at the Picnic House on Pier 40 a couple of months ago..It was a busy summer, but I finally posted my favorites from this beautiful wedding. Laura Kaiserman (whose interiors I've photographed and featured here) married Philip Berent on July 26th in Manhattan under a beautifully decorated chuppah with views of downtown Manhattan and New Jersey. Laura, who is also a painter, painted the green mural on the side of the Picnic House wall (featured above). Phil, and his friends who accompanied him, sang a song to and about Laura. Two long tables were set up inside with great earthy brown runners and purple and orange floral arrangements.. What a great city wedding! A special thanks to my intern Maddy Gray for helping out with the 3 large grids : )

Chandler and Karen in Italia, Continued

2008-09-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

More photos of our trip to Italy in May....Please click on the Italy link at right to see more images of our trip to Orvieto, Firenze, Santa Margherita and Roma. Ci vediamo!

Shining to Karl in Manhattan on 8/8/08 and 8/9/08

2008-09-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Shining married Karl on the lucky weekend of August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08). The rehearsal dinner (a Chinese banquet) was at The Golden Unicorn in Chinatown, NYC and the ceremony and reception were on the following day at Banchet Flowers in the West Village. A special appearance was made by Whiskey, their dog, who carried the rings to the altar in a pouch on his collar. Beautiful wedding. While Shining was having her hair done, she explained the significance of the number eight to me: "The significance of the number eight in Chinese is that "eight" (pronounced "ba" in Mandarin and "baht" in Cantonese) rhymes with the word "prosperity" (pronounced "fa" in Mandarin and "faht" in Cantonese"). The number nine ("jiu") also has significance because it sounds like the word for "wine" and also similar to the word for 'lengthy.' " Not only did the Olympics begin in Bejing on 8/8/08 but many weddings were planned for that weekend too, when they visited City Hall on that date, it was FULL of Chinese couples! Having their wedding at a flower shop in the West Village was a purposeful choice, the couple tried to make it a green wedding as much as possible (no additional flowers had to be purchased, as they were already there). Also, they strove to have the event be more of an intimate gathering rather than a wedding with the traditional pomp. A special thanks to my intern Shiva Zanganeh for helping to make these grids : )

Ashley and Jack's November Wedding: Westside Loft

2008-09-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Jack were married last November at the Westside Loft in Manhattan. The couple got ready at the Essex House and we shot portraits separately at Central Park South before the ceremony so that the groom would see his bride for the first time walking down the aisle. Ashley and Jack's emphasis was on having amazing food (and it was!) as they both work in the food world. Ashley worked at Prune and now is at the Food Network. While Jack works with chocolate! Gabrielle Hamilton, executive chef of Prune Restaurant in the East Village, catered the event. She made a special appearance to serve the couple their main dishes and stayed to hand-make the canoli for the guests after dinner. Lindsay Landman Events planned this party. Thanks to my intern Daniela for helping to make these grids with me : )

Dana and Ron's Purple and White Wedding

2008-09-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Dana and Ron's beautiful wedding took place at The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saddle River and was also celebrated at The Mezzanine, a neo-classical historic building in Newark's Four-Corners Historic district. Dana chose pretty purples and blues in silk and chiffon for her maids to wear, offered bubbles to the guests to blow upon their exit of the church. Dana held onto her grandmother's lace hankerchief (which also acted as a sweat-absorber during this hot hot day) and as she danced the night away in her gorgeous Nicole Miller dress. White orchids and callas decorated Ron and his brother's lapels, laced the bouquets and joined the blue hydrangeas at each of the tables. Thanks to Maddy Gray, my new intern, for helping to create these grids!

Deborah and Sean at the Yale Club

2008-08-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

After Deborah and Sean were married last October 7th at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, I shot photographs along the way up to the Yale Club where the couple had their reception. They were photographed inside a yellow taxi cab, then outside (and inside) of Gray's Papaya. Two clippings from Brides.com New York Magazine, and New York Magazine Weddings feature a few of my photographs from their wedding. This Spring's NY Mag featured a funny shot of them ordering a couple of Papaya dogs from the counter of this Times Square based Papaya joint. NY Mag clipping to come...

Flush Mounted and Matted Albums

2008-08-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the recent Queensberry matted album I made for Giselle & AJ this Winter. It is an example of a plain and padded Chocolate Genuine Leather 12x12 Album. There are two types of matting. Queensberry calls them "Overlay" and "Pagemount". This book's prints were mounted in an Overlay style, except for the invitation page which we designed to have a Pagemount matting, where the invite is mounted with a page color (Cream) behind the invitation. Kate and Oded's Album: You've all been asking, what are these Queensberry albums that you speak of. Well, here is an example of a matted album in "cherry genuine leather" I made for Kate and Oded which came back this week. I am always so impressed with their work. I've worked with a few other companies before and the quality of Queensberry has always been consistently great compared to some of the rest. Click here to see their pretty cover swatches too. This is an example of a 12x12 cherry genuine leather covered matted album. The page style is Overlay. I haven't shown you a Flush-mounted book yet, because I'm in the process of designing one and will receive it back from NZ in the Spring. I will post them then. In the meantime, please check their site...

Oh Joy! Congrats on your Woodcut Floral File Folders for Anthropologie

2008-08-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Joy Cho of NantakaJoy on her new metallic woodcut file folders, which are now selling at Anthropologie. How exciting!

Her folders were shot on the wooden trunk in my studio, distressed just enough to give a nice texture behind the folders. Please check out her other gorgeous and elegantly designed notebooks and cards, (which I also photographed) on her site.

Joy's blog also features some cute comments about the folders, made by her readers.

: )

Hands in Marriage

2008-08-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Neha and Neir's wedding took place on a cold and rainy NJ day in November. Regardless of the weather, what a joyous and beautiful wedding!

Looking Forward to Fall: Neha and Neir

2008-08-21T23:45:00.001-07:00

Thanks Brooklyn Bride!

2008-08-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

more from irene and yano's wedding here.

{featured on brooklyn bride blog: bklynbride.blogspot.com}

Stacey and Ben at Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden

2008-08-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my intern, Daniela Garzo, for making these two grids for me!

Stacey and Ben in The Knot and Online

2008-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Stacey and Ben were married last June at Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem, NY. This wedding is currently in the Knot's Fall/Winter Issue and is also displayed as a Real Wedding online here...What a cute couple!

Looking Towards Fall and Winter: Kate and Oded at The BBG

2008-08-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Kate and Oded's elegant March wedding at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Palm House took place in early March, 2007.

Amy Gardella at Seaport Flowers in Brooklyn Heights worked with Kate, a NY-based Landscape Architect, to incorporate rust and green tropical blooms into her wedding palette. Her colorful bouquet and center pieces on rich brown table linens helped to liven up the cold wedding day.

(I also love Kate's stole and I must ask her where she found it)

Sandra and Paul in Central Park

2008-08-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Sandra and Paul's Wedding in Central Park

June 7, 2008

Sandra and Paul came from Scotland to NYC to get married on 6/7/08. We started the (really hot) day at the Soho Grand where Sandra was getting ready with the help of her mother, and then travelled up to the Lady's Pavilion in Central Park for the ceremony. Afterwards we cabbed it to the Oriental Mandarin Hotel in Columbus Circle for cocktails.

(Thanks to Daniela Garza, my intern, for making such pretty grids of Sandra and Paul's wedding!)

Sandra and Paul, the Movie

2008-08-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Chandler Kauffman, filmmaker (and my beau), joined me on Sandra and Paul's wedding day and made this beautiful little Super 8mm film and set it to "Melt with You" covered by Nouvelle Vague.

Sweet, eh?

Mendhi and Roses, by Snippet & Ink

2008-08-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

I love Snippet & Ink's wedding boards and this one features me.

Thanks Kathryn!

Andrea and Rob, from Wales to Central Park

2008-08-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks for my intern Daniela's help with the grids!

(Life is so busy right now)

More from Carmelita and Dan at Studio 450

2008-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peek: Carmelita and Dan

2008-07-22T22:47:00.001-07:00

Carmelita and Daniel at Studio 450 A Little Sneak Peek: Pretty Pinks Sensual Callas Ceremonial Lace Mingling Amidst Pink, White and Lime Little Cakes

Carmelita and Daniel at the BBG

2008-07-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sneak Preview: I photographed Carmelita and Dan's engagement portraits at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on May 7th during the Cherry Blossom Festival. This is a preview to my photographs of Carmelita and Dan's wedding at Studio 450.

Italy, Continued

2008-07-13T08:03:00.001-07:00

here are a few more images from Orviteo, Umbria in color. we toured the tunnels and caves lacing the walled city underground, dating back to about 2000 years ago during the Etruscan era..

My Trip to Italy, on Film.

2008-07-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

rainy rome

on our drive through tuscany to orvieto, umbria...

chandler, and his super 8.

taking shelter from the drizzle inside the colosseum.

take me back to orvieto.

the film is finally developed!

here are a few images and boards from our trip to italy (may 11-22).

it rained in rome for 3 out of 4 days! orvieto had the best weather, as you can kinda see in the black and whites:

here is an older italian couple watching the sunset over orvieto's cathedral, some shops selling ceramiche in the piazza del duomo, chandler in plaid, a street in orvieto (with no tourists!), chandler with his super 8 camera near orvieto's duomo, the duomo viewed from a side street, soaked in the afternoon's sunlight...

more to come as i edit...

"Italia" by Chandler Kauffman

2008-07-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a short film that my beau Chandler made for the Italian Tourism Board this week. He used the clips from the Super 8 footage shot on our trip to Italy in May. Enjoy!

Manhattan, Uptown.Interior Design by Laura Kaiserman

2008-07-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Laura's Manhattan wedding is coming up in two weeks, and I'll be shooting it. In the meantime, I wanted to show the images she and I have made over the past couple of years of her beautifully designed interiors.

In her own apartment, you see large scale paintings which she painted on wood and on the wall itself...

"When Designers Fall in Love"

2008-07-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last week, Design*Sponge featured an interesting story about when designers get engaged/married. In the piece, my portrait of Joy D. Cho (of OhJoy and Nantaka Joy) getting ready, and some photos I took of her stationery, are featured. Click here for full story.

Craving a Seasonal Change

2008-07-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Lauren and Mike's Fall wedding at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Again, flower design by Amy Gardella of Seaport Flowers in Brooklyn Heights.

The band was called The Nerds. These guys are fabulous.

I've been asked to shoot a lot at the BBG lately, and so I thought this blog entry was applicable. I'm also really in a Brooklyn state of mind right now, with a wedding in Prospect Park to shoot tomorrow!

(No thunder storms, please!)

"One thing I learned"

2008-07-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

2 of my photos were recently published in the one thing I learned section of Stewart Weddings, in Issues #44 and #45, Spring and Summer 2008.

To see more from Anjali and Reco's Ritz Carlton, Palm Beach wedding click here

To see more from Irene and Yano's Steiner Studios, Brooklyn wedding click here

The Inspiration Board, by Snippet & Ink

2008-07-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

The newest trend of wedding blogging is both inspiring and addictive.

I found a few of my photographs today on the popular, "Snippet & Ink" blog where Kathryn posts delightfully vibrant "picture boards" chronologically numbered by day, each one matching a specific palette of color. She pastes together bouquets, dresses, favors, photos and more. When all of the images are collaged together they are uniformly gorgeous.

Jade and Chris's ceremony took place on the beautiful beach in front of the Racquet and Surf club in Bridgehampton, NY in Sept, 2006.

Pretty blue table setting cards were displayed on a clothesline inside the tent at Kristen and Dave's wedding last September at 'The Yard', in Chatham, Massachusetts.

Snippet & Ink

2008-07-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken at Keliy and Matt's wedding on his grandparents' Connecticut farm. Keliy was my main assistant at the time! I was so impressed with their creativity. These flowers and the flowers in Keliy's bouquet were picked from the ground on that morning!

The newest trend of wedding blogging is both inspiring and addictive.

I found a few more of my photographs on the popular, "Snippet & Ink" blog.

Thanks Kathryn, I love your bridal inspiration boards!