The SHOCKING truth about wedding photography!

I just read an article on Boston.com about the Big Wedding Ripoff. The ripoff being that weddings cost a lot of money, and even in tougher economic times, the costs seem to be rising.

Well, Hello!

Welcome to the world of marriage! Where, like everywhere else, you have so many options it's overwhelming and often confusing. And also like everywhere else, you can choose how much to spend on everything you do. There are no rules when it comes to a wedding so don't be mislead by the leading magazines and reality TV.

The last paragraph of this column was especially disturbing to me: "In the past few months, though, I've been learning to say no – which can lead to some heart-wrenching decisions. No to the photography package. No to the fancy hors d’oeuvres. No to the poufy dress. And no to the DJ (sigh)."

Huh??

Have you ever been to a wedding with no music? Do you want your guests to have fun, or have you and your fiance worked out a skit to keep them entertained? Because, even though they all love and adore you, things will get pretty stale pretty fast. DJ's can be hired anywhere from $500 and up, especially if your wedding is on an "off-day" like a Friday or Sunday, or during the less-than-peak season. Of course I suppose you could always hook up your home stereo....

Now, I must admit, I'm a little biased when it comes to photography because, in case you haven't guessed, I'm a wedding photographer. But to say no to photography is one of the BIGGEST mistakes you will ever make. Trust me on that.

Next to a venue and some kind of food item, photography is the most important aspect of your wedding. After all, this is the best day of your life. All that planning, all those guests, the beautiful decorations and even that second-hand wedding gown that fits you so perfectly will be forgotten in a year without photos. Student photographers are literally a dime a dozen and you usually get what you ask for. I was a student once, and I never, even for a second, was arrogant enough to put someone's memories into my inexperienced hands. I assisted on almost 50 weddings before I offered to shoot a friend's, which I messed up due to improper exposures. That was embarrassing for me, but luckily they liked the photos anyway. That was before digital...

Today, even a family member can pick up their DSLR and shoot some decent images for you. I guess that is why many photographers have actually raised their prices. To keep our industry alive, and the professionals that have worked so hard to build it employed.

Which brings me to another sensitive subject; Quantity versus Quality

I am now over 200 weddings into my career. I still shoot with a "film" mentality which keeps my finger off the shutter button until the time is right. I DO NOT use my camera like a machine gun and spend hours in front of my computer looking at ten identical images trying to determine which one looks better. That's a waste of my time and a waste of your money. Realistically, as a bride and/or groom, do you want to spend hours going through 1500 similar images, or would you be happier looking at 400 to 600 great photos, all of which are album-worthy. Most of you would wisely choose the latter.

This is not an advertisement for my services, but a reminder to anyone planning a wedding. Be fun, be creative, use your imagination, and think wisely about what is really important on your wedding day. You'll find yourself saying "No" a lot less.

Time is on my side...

Mick Jagger never spoke truer words than these.

Time curses my brain. I am constantly thinking about time and how fast it slips by. So much so, that I waste a good hour of my day debating how best to manage my time, as I'm sure many people do.

Wouldn't it be nice if time could just slow down, long enough for the brain to catch its breath?

I often blame time for my lack of creativity, especially in the case of Wedding photography. A wedding day is not the kind of day that you can usually ask for more time, as a photographer anyway. I rarely get a chance to hang out with the bride and groom long enough for my creative juices to flow, therefore, I tend to miss even the most obvious "creative" photograph. It's usually not obvious until some guest with a disposable camera pulls the newlyweds over and snaps the shot, at which point I feel like a complete ass.

Most wedding photographers are aware of this and prepared to get that shot no matter what it takes. Even if it slightly disrupts the event. Again, for reasons unknown, I find myself uncomfortable in doing this, but I'm working on it.

Luckily, there are a few occasions in which the bride and groom have provided ample time between ceremony and reception for the photographer to focus on these artistic photos. In doing so, I have been able to tap in to my creative brain and come up with some really nice photos, a few of which you see here.

I want to thank those couples who realized the importance of photography in the course of their special day. No matter how much experience you have, we can all appreciate a little time on our side.

Oh, and I realize they're all kissing, but isn't that what newlyweds do?

Peace of Mind

I was homeless for over two years, close to three cumulatively.

It's a fact, and why doesn't matter any longer.

It was a trying time for me. A time spent looking for direction, answers, and most often companionship. It was a small town, and I would stand in the middle of the street at 3 a.m., looking and listening for something or someone to come my way, but it never did.

There was a bench in town. During the day you could never get a seat there, but at night it was all mine. I sat there looking up and down the street, thinking to myself how deadly silent this usually bustling town had become. At the same time, I could hear the factories buzzing almost a half a mile away, and it made me smile to know that others were going about their lives, unaware of my current predicament.

This is why I moved to the city. At any time of the day, somebody, somewhere, is doing something. This gives me a sense of comfort for some reason, although I can't exactly explain why. I sometimes wake up at night, 3 or 4 a.m., and just stand in my living room listening for sounds from outside.

A train crossing the bridge a few blocks away...

Traffic on the interstate, or a plane taking off from the nearby airport...

And then I go back to bed, content.

The other night I was walking home from downtown. It was a cold, January night, and the streets were unusually quiet. I found myself in this little park in the middle of Boston and I saw this bench. Cold, dark, steel, but inviting. I sat for a moment and listened...

It was silent.

Minutes later a taxi buzzed by, followed by another, and other cars followed. The city was alive again.

And I went home, content.

2010? Really??

Funny,

I meant to sit down and post to this blog at least 5 times in 2009, and the next thing I know it's 2010! I know everyone says it, but where in the hell did that year go?

Well, let's reflect. Unemployed in February, self-employed in March. Not that I made enough money this year to support myself, but I dedicated at least 35-50 hours a week working on my photography business. Time flies when you're having fun, right?

Then there was Camp Avoda, which seems like so long ago. Two months of teaching and shooting seemed at times like two weeks and at others like two years. My summer wasn't the typical "day at the beach". It was pretty fast-paced, and very rainy if I remember correctly.

Then we had about a week of Fall (including an awesome trip to Jamaica), a not-so-successful Halloween party, followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all within about a week of each other, give or take.

And here we are, six days into 2010 and I've stalled out. Not even sure what direction I'm headed in, but knowing I don't want to end up back in the "submit-your-resume-for-kicks" line. For those of you reading this, I promise to be more adamant with my posting. I mean, it only took 5 minutes...

I think...