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The internet has created a new way of "doing business". People are very comfortable with visiting a photographer's website, communicating by email and a few phone calls and contracting for their wedding photography.

I have always felt that my personal communication at a face to face meeting with my clients, allowed me to convey my years of experience, along with my photography skills.

I conveyed this experience by explaining how I worked on the wedding day, and discussing the details with my prospective clients. Since I don't always have that opportunity now with many of my clients living off the Cape, I thought this might be a useful guide for you to help make your decisions, even if I might not be your choice for your photographer.
 

Here are some details about how I photograph a wedding....

A wedding is broken down into 4 parts, and there are sub-parts to the main groups.

1. Pre-Ceremony.
2. Ceremony
3. Formals
       a. Families
       b. Bridal Party
       c. Bride and Groom
4. Reception

Not every wedding is exactly the same. Whether you are having a Wedding on the beaches of Cape Cod, or in the city of Boston, for the most part, those are the breakdowns.

The Pre-Ceremony
A traditional wedding day will usually start a the Bride's home, or a place she will be preparing for the day. The Bride's Mother, Father and Siblings should be there, even if a Sibling is not in the wedding party. We like to create family pictures of the entire family. The Bridesmaids should be there also.

Many weddings on Cape Cod start at the hotels where the entire wedding may take place, otherwise we usually start at the Bride's home.

If there are divorces in the family, you have to decide on the appropriateness of who will be involved in the pre-ceremony pictures. Anyone not present will be photographed later when we do the Formal Family Group photographs.

When I arrive at the location for the pre-ceremony pictures, I begin by greeting everyone and identifying "who is who". I want to know who the Bride's immediate family members and siblings are. Are the Grandparents there? Is the Bride's Mother's- Mother there? If so, maybe we can create a "multi generational portrait".

While everyone is getting ready for the day, I try and work behind the scenes and capture candid, photojournalistic images, the usual images of the flowers, and other "Accents". My style separates my candids from my portraits. I call my candids, Captured Moments. Many of my clients create entirely separate albums of my Black and White, Captured Moments Images. Read more about Captured Moments.

Many photographers do not know how to create formal elegant portraits, and they simply catch a few images of the Bride at various moments and call them portraits.

I create beautiful, elegant portraits for my Brides and Grooms.

We are all Photojournalists, it is my portraits that makes my work different.

When the Bride is finished with her preparations, hair, and makeup, I stop taking candids and set up to take portraits. I photograph the Bride alone, then with her Bridesmaids, then with her Parents and Siblings. I have a system, it is organized and I have never caused a Bride to arrive late for the ceremony in over 1200+ weddings.

What about the Groom. He is important also, but over the years, I have learned there just are not enough candid images we can create at the Groom's home. The best we usually get are a few images adjusting a tie. I prefer to give the Bride more attention prior to the ceremony, and then create really nice portraits of the Groom and his family later in the day when we take our formal images.

If the Groom is dressing at the same location as the Bride or is simply a few blocks away, I will be happy to drop by his location and create a few candids.
 

The Ceremony
If you are dressing and preparing at the same place you are having the ceremony, be it the catering facility, you may decide to take all the family formals, and the Bride and Groom pictures prior to the ceremony, but that is something we can discuss individually.

Let's think about the ceremony. A ceremony is a serious, solemn, spiritual event. It is not a forum for a photographer to be creative, unless they can do that in an unobtrusive manor. If you are having an outdoor wedding ceremony, I can probably move around freely and create some interesting angles. But, If you are having a ceremony in a church, my movements will probably be limited by the rules of the church. And I adhere to their rules. As you review the images of other photographers, don't be fooled by seeing "interesting" images of ceremonies from all different angles. I have them as well as do other photographers, but I also point out the reality of achieving them on each wedding.. Be sure your church, or clergy person will allow the photographer's movements so that type of image can be created.

You might find this strange, but at various times I create an image I know I will never be able to create again. It could be a really interesting image, but I don't show it in my displays because I can't re-create it, and I think it is misleading to show images you can't really promise you I can create again. That doesn't mean I need to re-create it on every wedding. Each wedding location is different, but just once in a while an image comes together that you know was a "one timer".

For the most part, I follow the sequence of the ceremony, and create the "story" in a tasteful, observant manor. Some photographers "promise" to reproduce images they display from various ceremonies, that really look great, and then when they arrive at the ceremony location, find they will be limited as to their movements and capabilities.

At the end of the Ceremony, there is usually a receiving line. I actually make myself the last person on the line. When the last guest online does not see anyone behind them, they tend to talk to the Bride and Groom longer.

Keep this in mind...."Time" is our enemy on a wedding. We sit and discuss the "plan" many times before the wedding day. We have a plan to go to various locations and create your beautiful portraits, and loosing 10, 20, 30 minutes at the church, greeting the same people you will see alter at the reception, will destroy our plan.

If I were selling you food, you could do a taste test. Since we can only do this once, all I can do is tell you how I do what I do and why I do it...based on 20+ years and over 1300 weddings.
 

The Formals

I try and capture the Family Formal Portraits at the ceremony location. If we wait until later in the day to take these pictures, we will have a lot of problems gathering all the participants together. Immediately after the ceremony, everyone is "there". Of course there are times we cannot take the family pictures at the church because another wedding may follow. My next suggestion is to have the families follow us to the location we will be using to take the Bridal Party, and Bride and Groom Portraits. Again, this process will keep the groups together.

If for any reason we have to wait until later in the day and photograph the Families, it will become more of a "job", and it is wise to designate a family member as "organizer" to gather the participants.

I will usually take the Families first so they can leave and get to the reception and greet the guests. Then I work with the Bridal Party, and then the Bride and Groom.

Every photographer has their own style. Mine is to create Elegant, Timeless, Classic Portraits you will never be embarrassed to hang on your walls. I don't do "silly". I don't have people mingle around and I take 100 pictures and hope I capture one good one...and call that a portrait. I am a Master Portraitist. I "create" my images, I don't "hope" I get them.

The Reception

There are a few formal events that take place during the reception, entrances, dancing, toast, cake cutting, etc. With the exception of those events, I am creating candids all during the reception. If you need a special group photograph taken, just ask and we will find a nice background and take these pictures.

I don't have slide shows with endless candids from my "best" receptions. Everyone's party is different. Every reception room is different. Some are lit by daylight if your reception is in the afternoon or outdoors, others are in simple rooms, at night.

Every image is originally created in color. We apply special filters, and effects to each image we convert to Black and White.

I hope this helps you understand the process involved to create a beautiful series of images of your wedding day. I have a goal on every wedding day...that is to get my couples to their reception on time. I want you to enjoy your wedding day, and have wonderful memories, not a nightmare because you had to spend all night taking pictures because of poor planning and follow through on the part of the photographer.

I believe I have to deliver what I show and promise you when you book with me.

80% of couples are unhappy with their wedding photographs. Why? Because they did not get the "quality" and creativity the were shown when they booked with their photographer. Most photographers' portfolios contain only their "best" images, they accumulate over many weddings.

Many photographers without real experience photographing weddings will tell you "I just observe and take pictures, I don't interfere".

I don't interfere either, but I do "direct", help, advise, and try and help you through your wedding day in a calm, controlled, peaceful manor. All of the truly professional services you hire will do the same.

The problem with the photography service you need to hire, is that our industry is over run with hobbyists who decide to photograph weddings because they think they can make a "quick buck". They tell you they watch and not interfere because they don't have any experience to guide you. These are the weddings pictures you hear about that are just  "ordinary snapshots", or photographers that took hours to do the formals and family groups...or they miss them altogether.

A few questions you may have...

1. Do I take black and White pictures?  As I mentioned above, I apply special filters and effects to each image we convert to Black and White.  

2. Can I Put color flowers on a B&W image?  Again, a simple process in Photoshop. You don't see it in my samples, because no one ever asked me for it.

3. Do I take 2000+ images?  It would be very easy for me to just say yes. I could bring an assistant and tell them to just fire away and make candids. I need to be honest with you. I know what a "good" image needs to look like. When I look in my camera I see  my "Composition". If I am creating a photojournalistic candid, I look for the "story" in the image. When you review my website, you are seeing images through "My Eye", not a part time assistant I bring with me and then have them take 1000 images and hope they caught a few good ones.

If I am creating one of my Award Winning Portraits, or Artistic images, I carefully direct you so you look your best. When I am not creating my portraits and artistic compositions, I am in total "Candid" mode. I watch, compose and create.

I teach other professional photographers how to improve their skills. I teach them to "create in the camera, not in the computer". Quantity does not make quality.

4. Do I bring an assistant? As a "teaching photographer", I sometimes bring an apprentice photographer with me. They are usually aspiring photographers who will eventually have their own businesses. I teach them how to create "good" images. I don't just let them loose to shoot endless "uninteresting" candids. I create all of the images you will need, to have a beautiful story telling wedding album. Their images are extras you are welcome to use if you find you like them. And you are not paying for a "2nd photographer". Having been a wedding photographer for over 20 years, and while this is just my own opinion, I have reviewed endless wedding images on the web, and I cannot find more than 1-2 images, on the entire web, not from a particular wedding, that I felt required 2 photographers to be captured. My eye for candid compositions is actually enhanced due to the skills I have developed over the years as a Master Portraitist.

5. Do I need to "touch up" all of my images in Photoshop? Photoshop is used to remove "things", blemishes, loose hairs, etc. If you look at my portraits, you will see images that are straight "out of the camera". I never need Photoshop to fix anything, except blemishes. I use Photoshop to remove things in a picture. Example: In the portrait of "Enzo and Gosia" standing by the piano in the Gore Manor, Waltham (above), I removed two Hi Fi speakers from under the piano, and also removed the gold mirror that was behind Gosia's head. I created the composition, I place Enzo in a position where he is being lighted by the window, and then I placed Gosia in an elegant pose that allowed me to create this beautiful image. The day I created their images was the first day I ever worked at the Gore Manor. I can create Award Winning Images at any location, even if it is my first time there.

6. Do I do this full time? This is not a negative comment about other wedding photographers, but many have entered our profession as a second income for themselves, or for their families. It does not mean they are not qualified to photograph a wedding, the problem is, there are no qualifications. YOU have to do your homework, LOOK at the images, not the "words" they write on their websites, not the musical slide presentations we all show you. When you review a photographers sample images, are half of them pictures of "shoes", flowers, children, and other assorted amenities, or do you see images of the Bride and Groom, family and friends. Are they creative images or simply "candids". If that is the style you are looking for, then you should be very satisfied by your choice of that particular photographer.

But, if you want a mix of well "posed", Elegant, Classic, Timeless portraits and photojournalistic "Story Telling" images of your wedding day, be sure you are shown everything.

If you want a photographer with over 20 years of experience, one who knows how a wedding "works", and one who works in a very organized way that reduces the stress that can actually be created by an unskilled photographer, and promises to deliver exactly what you see here on this website, then I might be your choice.

Do I do this full time....absolutely.
 

Creating beautiful Wedding Photography on Cape Cod, Boston, and throughout New England