Cutting the Cake

 I was recently sifting through old images and came across this lovely cake-cutting shot. I love the graceful bend of the bride's arm. It resembles the long neck of a bird leaning down to snatch a bit of cake.
 I'm sure I would have passed over this shot in my initial edit. It's such a quiet image that one might not notice it right away, but it carries with it strong sentimentality and romance.
 This was shot with my Nikon 35mm, 3200 speed film, probably at f2 at 1/30th.

Engagement Portraits!

 I love it when I have the opportunity to shoot engagement portraits for couples, because it gives me a chance to get to know them a little bit better. And even more importantly, it allows them a chance to become more comfortable with me! Here are some of my tips for getting a great engagement portrait:
1. Dress to impress.
I'm partial to white, but any cute feminine dress will do. Colors are good too, but avoid loud patterns.
2. Wear makeup.
Get your hair done, put on some make-up, whatever you need to do to look like you but... better! When I was pregnant, and doing a self-portrait every two weeks, I realized after the first one or two that I needed to put make-up on. I will never make that mistake again.
3. Wait for good weather.
If possible, when scheduling an engagement portrait, I schedule a shoot date and a rain date. It's not your wedding day, so it doesn't really matter what day you shoot it. I can always make rain work, but if you can, it's worth waiting for a pretty day.
4. Shoot at sunset.
Go for the gold. Wait for the best light of the day.

6. Oh, and be prepared to practice your first dance... possibly in a public park;)

My Big Family

 This was an ambitious family portrait, to say the least! My mother had been talking about doing something like this for the last few years- "more lifestyle-y", she said. "Just everyone hanging out," she said. So, when we were at my sister's house in Massachusetts over Thanksgiving, I set the camera up on a tripod, gave everyone their designated locations and activity assignments, and shot about 8 frames on a timer.

 We may not always be sitting down in one room together, but hanging out playing cards, playing Scrabble, reading magazines, and chit-chatting, is all pretty true to form!
Clockwise from the left is: Brett Hartmann, Hurley Lewis-Hartmann, Amanda Lewis, Elizabeth Lewis, Candy Lewis, Tom Springer, Lou Lewis, Annabel Springer, Will Springer, Jim Guest, Andrew Guest, Lilly Springer, Claire Guest, Heath Hartmann, and Charlotte Jenks Lewis.
This was shot with a Nikon 35mm, 3200 speed film, f4 at 1/15th of a second. On tripod.

Annalynn & Tyler's Wedding on Style Me Pretty

Annalynn and Tyler's lovely, sweet wedding is on Style Me Pretty today! I flew down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to shoot this wedding- a part of the country I had never been to before. It's a beautiful area, characterized by grassy dunes and surfboards.
My favorite design element of this whole wedding, though, was the old church pews they used as the ceremony seating. So unique! And added so much character!
The majority of these shots are taken with my Contax 645, but quite a few are taken with my antique Rolleiflex.

Caitlin & Jarrod on 100 Layer Cake!

   Caitlin and Jarrod's beautiful wedding is featured on 100 Layer Cake today! I just loved this wedding with its hip-vintage-garden theme.

   Almost all of these images were shot on film with my Contax 645 - an incredible old camera with a Zeiss lens that is my primary camera. The studio details and Photo Booth shots were all taken digitally with a Canon 5D.

Nutcracker Party

Another recent project with Darcy Miller Nussbaum of Martha Stewart Weddings. She even treated my husband and I to go see the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center as a thank you!

 All images were shot digitally with a combination of daylight and a little handheld daylight-balanced LED light that I used for fill. 

 More from the shoot: http://www.lilsugar.com/Nutcracker-Party-Ideas-26230028

NY Magazine - Fall/Winter 2012

   A shot from Rain and Michael's wedding just ran in the latest New York Magazine's Weddings' issue! This wedding was at Public in the East Village, and I just love the dark and moody interior.
Congrats, Raina and Michael!