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Engagement Session: Kristie & David

We shot Kristie and David's engagement session a couple weeks ago on the Burlington waterfront. The bench they're sitting on below is where David proposed to Kristie, and we also set up a mini-picnic after they told us about their romantic picnic near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Sweetest couple ever! Their wedding will be October 2 at the Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington. Enjoy!

Exhibit: Vermont Photo Space Gallery

We're excited to announce that Judd and I were each accepted for a spot in the Vermont Photo Space Gallery Wedding Story exhibition. The exhibit was juried by Cliff Mautner, one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world. The opening night is next Monday, June 14 with an opening reception at 6pm at the gallery in Essex Junction. Come check it out if you're in or around Burlington!

The winning photos, first, Judd's amazing night shot from Maria and Zach's Fourth of July wedding at Hubbell Homestead in Bennington:



And my portrait of Colleen and Matthieu during their August 1 wedding at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden:



We hope to see you there next week!

May 16, 2010: Nicole and Dana, Round Barn Farm

We kicked off our season a couple weeks ago with Nicole and Dana's wedding at the Round Farm Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont. It was a small, intimate wedding with picture-perfect weather. Congratulations, Nicole and Dana!

Venue: Round Farm Barn
Music: Jam Man Entertainment
Flowers: Fiftyflowers.com
Dress: Priscilla of Boston

Vintage bridal shoot

A couple of weeks ago, makeup artist/former bride/friend/all around awesome Candy Keurth suggested we get together and do an impromptu photo shoot. Sure, no problem. I was blown away when she walked through the door with these two lovely models, Mazey and Rose (left to right), in even lovelier makeup. The kicker: Rose's amazing dress was found in a free bin. I loved everything about this shoot right down to the cowboy boots. I think I would want my wedding to have this kind of casual vintage feeling to it.

Oh yeah. And happy three day weekend to you all. Cheers!

Vendor Feature: Good Commons

If someone invited you to be whisked away to a weekend of meditation, reflection and delicious food, would you do it? I sure did! A couple weeks ago one of our fall brides, Erika Shannon, and Tesha Buss, founder of Good Commons, invited me down for a Recharge retreat weekend at Good Commons in Plymouth, Vermont.

Erika is a fitness guru based out of New York City and leads part of the retreat. Both she and Tesha are amazing people and, even though I could only make part of the weekend, I had such a blast! Erika is getting married at Good Commons this September.

Tesha, a former Broadway performer and choreographer, created Good Commons a few years ago with the intent of creating a space where people, especially New Yorkers, could 'get away' from city life. She discovered a dilapidated old general store in Plymouth in 2006, began to build what eventually became Good Commons, and didn't look back.

I just want to give a quick shout-out to some of the people who led the retreat - first, Matthew Wexler, chef and Good Commons co-partner, who cooked amazing food all weekend. Of note: freshly baked chocolate cupcakes, with a hint of chili spice, served in teacups with whipped cream. Little yum-gasms.

Other folks I met over the weekend: Healing practitioner Timothy Becker, chiropractor Dr. Jason Gordon, and life coach Stefanie Ziev, all New York-based.

Be sure to check out the Good Commons site for upcoming retreats, and of course, they also host weddings and events. Just up the road is a historical site, 'old' Plymouth, which I scouted on the way back and will make for some awesome formals shots.

Now, on to the photos! Thanks again to Tesha and Erika for allowing me to take part in the fun and relaxation.



Drool-worthy buttermilk chive biscuits, and Matthew's doggie Wilbur.




A retreat guest talking to life coach Stephanie.


Our lovely bride Erika leading a morning meditation and yoga class.


Wait, let's zoom in on that shiny engagement ring a little more...








Saturday evening, after dinner and a few glasses of wine, we had an energetic and free-flowing temple dance session with Erika.

Six ways to help your wedding photographer help you

In our years of shooting weddings, we've noticed a few things that couples can do which, easily remedied, help make for even more amazing pictures. Help us help you by following some of these easy tips!

1. Pick locations with lots of natural light.
Consider each location where photos will be taken – the room you're getting ready in, the ceremony spot, cocktail and reception areas – and how much natural light is available at each one. As photojournalists, we love abundant available light and try to use our flashes as little as possible! While we are excellent at simulating natural light and adapting to all kinds of lighting conditions, available light really is the best thing for your photos.

2. Choose a nice hanger for your dress.
When you pick up your dress, chances are it will come on a cardboard bust to help hold its shape, or a cheapish looking plastic hanger. We want to take a lovely photo of your dress before you put it on, and picking out a nice wood, bamboo, sateen or silk-wrapped hanger will be a huge help.

3. Make a list of formals beforehand.
Typically, our couples choose us because we capture great moments and don't focus on posed pictures, but most people want at least a short formals session. While we don't work off lists when we're shooting, having a list of the different groups of people you want for the formals will be a great relief – it will save you from worrying whether you missed aunts and uncles or got the right combinations of people in your pictures.

4. Designate a wingman (or woman) to help organize formals.
We try to get through formals in an efficient, speedy manner so that you can get back to your party! One thing that helps is to enlist someone you know well, who knows your family and friends – say a bridesmaid, sister, or good friend – to help gather people together for formals. It can be hard to get people's attention once they have a drink and a hors d'oeuvre in each hand, so having someone there that knows everyone's names, is a natural leader and organizer, and maybe even has a nice loud voice, can make it easier to lure people over to the formals spot.

5. Let's get to know each other before the wedding.
The better we get to know you before the big day, the easier it will be for us to pick up on the little things that make your images more meaningful. Do you have an aunt who's attending that's extra special to you? Will your bouquet be wrapped in your grandmother's handkerchief? Did you put lots of time and energy into creating the centerpieces yourself? We often don't get to meet our couples in person before the wedding, but if you have the time, try to schedule a meeting with us either a few months before, the week before the wedding, or whenever you happen to be in the area. If not, a phone call works as well.

6. Relax, kick back, and have fun!
Relaxed brides make for the best photos – really. So kick back, enjoy the company of your loved ones, and have a great time. It's your wedding, after all!