Here’s just a couple of quick shots from a recent engagement session we did. After a few weeks of trying to get the weather to cooperate Raquel, Nicholas and I decided that we were just going to to brave the elements and have some fun and do their engagement session. It was a beautiful day…except for the wind! The wind wasn’t our friend but we managed to make it work as we toured around downtown Middletown and did some shooting and got to know each other a little bit better.

Couples who have worked with me knows how important I feel that an engagement session is. It is a chance to get to know each other so that on your wedding day it isn’t the first time you have had me pointing a camera at you. As a wedding photographer we are asking for special access on a very important day and it is much easier if we have developed a strong relationship with our clients and sessions like this go a long way toward that goal.

Thanks again Raquel and Nicholas!

First of all, congratulations to all the Valentine’s Day engagement brides! If you were one we’d love to hear your story. You never know, we might have something special for you too!

Here we are more than halfway through February and as you can see, the blog has been barren. I am glad that my New Year’s resolution wasn’t tied to the blog…

Resolutions aside, we are going to get back on track here. With all the various social media such as Facebook, Twitter and the like it can bet tough to decide which one gets the attention. And when you do a short Twitter burst you sometimes feel like you that doesn’t warrant a post. It can be crazy to keep it all straight but we are going to work better to do that. We are also going to start adding more more little tips and things to consider to help add value to your photography dollar. The economy has been tight lately and we want to help provide the best value we can for our clients. And with 2010 booking up quickly and 2011 inquiries rolling in we should probably get things rolling. So here we go!

Today I want to post a link to a sunrise/sunset calendar. One of the things that, as a photographer, we often have to take into account when planning your session is the location and time of day, especially when it comes to wedding photography where we often don’t have a lot of extra time to be setting up elaborate lighting and we may cover two or three locations throughout the day. One of the first things I do when I get a wedding inquiry is to look at the date and time of the ceremony and do a quick guesstimate of how much time we might have for any outdoor photographs. The summer months are usually not much of an issue but in the beginning and at the end of the year this is one of those little items that can sneak up on you if you aren’t careful. Let’s say you want to do some outdoor photographs to capture the scenic venue you have selected and your ceremony is around 5pm. Well that shouldn’t be too much of a problem if your wedding is in July, but if you are getting married in November or December it is a bit of a different situation as the sun may be down before your ceremony is over. That’s not to say that there aren’t ways of capturing the beauty of that venue after the sun has set, but it may be different than you had been envisioning and it’s certainly worth discussing with your wedding photographer. Here is a link where you can take a peek at some of those sunset times. www.sunrisesunset.com

I recently had the opportunity to do a New York City engagement session for one of our 2010 brides, Jennifer and her fiancé, Mike. We had to reschedule because of the rain the first time around but we we fortunate enough to have a beautiful day for our second try so we just kind of headed off around the city to see what we could find, and of course to hit some special places! We headed out to the Staten Island Ferry, still the best value in NYC, and enjoyed a great view of the city and Lady Liberty. And in one of those weekday only kind of lucky breaks we were able to catch the same ferry back, no Staten Island layover for the ferry tour!

Our next stop was going to be the Brooklyn Bridge but as luck would have it our path took us past the wonderful Table Tales Café owned by one of Mike’s relatives, Steve. So we poked our heads in to say hi  and the next thing you know we were treated to one heck of a meal! Talk about a bonus for me, thanks Steve! After filling up on some fantastic pasta and Sunday gravy we strolled, albeit much more slowly, on up to the bridge. We enjoyed the bridge for a bit and then it was off to One if by Land, Two if by Sea. This little restaurant on Barrow St. has been called one of NYC’s most romantic restaurants and it just happens to be where Mike popped the question to Jennifer so there was no way we could not stop by there and take a quick shot! They weren’t quite open but it’s amazing what a smile from a beautiful girl can do and they let up pop in and take a quick shot at the table where it all went down. A big “thanks!” to the folks there for indulging us and helping to make the day complete!

Here’s a few shots from the day! Enjoy and as always, comments are welcome!

Below is a quick little video of shots from the day. Thanks again you guys!

It took a while, but schedules and the weather finally cooperated (sort of) and we were able to spend some time shooting Janine and Matt’s engagement session. Janine was determined not to let the howling wind get the best of us so we pulled on some warm clothes and headed out! As a photographer you spend a lot of time trying to “find the light” and sometimes that can really be a challenge. Couple that with trying to find a place that your client doesn’t get whisked away and it becomes really fun!

Thanks for hanging in there and making the most of the blustery day!

(More images in their client gallery, please contact Janine for the password)

*Yes it is a thinly veiled Winne the Pooh reference, but it sure fit the circumstances!

A little over a week ago I met up with Katie and Joe in Port Jervis to shoot their engagement session. Those of you with whom I have spoken know that I think the engagement session can play an important role because it gives us the opportunity to spend some time together before your wedding day. There can be a lot of stress on that day and when some new guy comes walking into the room pointing a camera at you it can be daunting and because of that I like to try to get together with my couples beforehand.

Katie and Joe came out and we had a blast! We got to do a little exploring around town and I think we captured some wonderful pictures. I can’t wait to shoot the wedding!

And here are a few images from the day. Katie, I told you I was going to lead off with the “fierce” shot!

Thanks guys, you were awesome!

What a fun weekend I had! I spent Saturday participating in the Pine Bush Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored Art Tour where I had the opportunity to meet some more people from the area and was able to show off some of my personal work. Many times photographers don’t get the chance to showcase our personal projects and it feels good when you are able to do that. Thanks to Lou and Cathi at Subway for hosting us, and everyone who came out and supported the event and Quinnco Photography!

We also were able to shoot the engagement session for Katie and Joe in Port Jervis  You may remember them from a few posts back. What a fun couple! And the double bonus of shooting their engagement session was that we got to hit Len and Jo’s for pizza again afterward! I do love the pizza at Len and Jo’s… Anyway, here’s a funny one from the session, I told Katie it was going on the blog for sure! Katie and Joe, you guys were great!

Over the weekend I took advantage of the nice weather to do some location scouting around the Orange, Ulster and Sullivan county regions for a few upcoming engagement sessions. The weather was spectacular and I had a blast checking out some new places. And even better was along the way I got to meet some new friends and see how some of the other people in the Hudson Valley enjoy their time off. Here are a few images from my travels. The skydiving at  SkyDive the Ranch is always fun to watch and more often than not you will get a chance to meet others who are enjoying the sights as well. Some day I want to try it for myself!

Then it was off to Newburgh to check out Cromwell Manor for an upcoming wedding. Along the way I happened across a Mustang Club of Orange County car show at Sunshine Ford and since I have always loved the old Mustangs, I had to stop by!

All in all… A great weekend!

Enjoy!

 

Last week I was up in Canada working with a colleague and I had the opportunity to help shoot one of the new fusion engagement sessions. These are a blast to do for both us and the couples. It’s amazing some of the things you can dig up! LOL We even had to leave a few stories on the cutting room floor! Too hot!

Thanks again Amy and Kyle, you guys were great!

Recently I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend of mine, Jason Groupp, who is a fantastic wedding photographer in NYC. Jason was doing an engagement session for his clients Penina and Benji and asked if I wanted to tag along. Shooting in the city is always fun, plus it was a chance for me to try out some new gear that I recently acquired while catching up with a friend, how could I pass up a trifecta like that?!

We had a great time shooting around New York, we hit the subway where Benji first told Penina he loved her, then off to some of the places that are special to them, such as Bryant Park and Grand Central Station. I’ll post a few of my shots here and at the end I will link to a little video Jason made for Penina and Benji.

Jason doing his thing…

Heading to Grand Central…

Grand Central Station is NYC

At the park…

What a great day! A little chilly, but beautiful nonetheless!

And here is a link to Jason’s video from the session: Penina and Benji I Heart NY Session

Thanks again Jason, Penina and Benji, I had a blast!

I had the chance to finish up shooting Kim and Geoff’s engagement photographs a few days ago. We wanted to make sure we got a few with their dog Shaughnessy so we got together and with NYC as a backdrop we headed out to have a little fun despite the wind and the threat of rain. Our luck held and we beat the rain and snuck a few on the beach in Hoboken. Yes, Hoboken has a beach…