Monday, October 26, 2009

As Good As It Gets.

Kendra and Brendan, oh did they ever make my day. Well, actually Kendra's mom did, as she gifted this beautiful display of fireworks to the happy couple. Their wedding had it all, a fairy tale story, an Irish jig duo, and to say the least, the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop all day long. I'm so excited to begin editing their short, in the meantime enjoy a still-frame sneak peek of the amazing fireworks display. What these stills can't capture is Kendra's excitement and all the cheers as she was jumping up and down. In my head... so was I. You'll just have to wait and see! Click on stills for larger view. Shot with the Canon 5dMkII.








Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Some Seriously Stylish Love

What an honor to have one of my all-time favorite clips "Namrata and Adam" featured on one of my all-time favorite blogs...

If you have even the remotest obsession with all things wedding, this is the blog to follow.

Thank you to Style Me Pretty and Eddye and Abby!

Friday, September 11, 2009

I Remember

that day. The one day in my life that hasn't been tainted by foggy recollections. It is as clear to me now as it was then. Every year, I remember those who fell and risked their lives. I remember on days that are as beautiful as that disastrous day began.

I remember walking to the F-train with Jeff. It was an incredible day. Clear skies. It was going to be a good day. I had just started my second week of a photographer's dream job working at MoMA. As I stepped out of the subway, there was a weird buzz amongst the people on the street. It wasn't until I walked into the museum that I heard the news of the first plane. Surely, I was misinformed, I thought. It couldn't be. At the time we were still living in Brooklyn and could see the tops of the towers from our apartment.. how strange I thought they would look with a big chunk taken out of one.

I turned on the radio. Howard Stern. Chills. Anxiety. Panic.. as I listened to the events unfold. Utter disbelief. To this day, I still can't fathom. To this day when I see photos of those beautiful creations, I still have a hard time believing that it really happened. It did.

Unlike the thousands of people who didn't make it home that day, we fortunately did. And I will never forget. The ash, the smoke, the fighter planes.. the smell. Today, I remember all of the courage and people who gave their lives that day.

the day after. from the brooklyn heights promenade.


near ground zero. approximately one week later.




the lights. one year later. from our brooklyn apartment.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Namrata and Adam: A Highlight Trailer

The beauty, excitement and sheer energy of a Hindu wedding is quite something to behold. An amazing celebration of love and family, tradition and symbolism and some hard-core dancing by the young and old alike make me giddy. I'll say it again, I heart Hindu weddings, check out Namrata and Adam's highlight trailer to see why.


Thank you Namrata and Adam for letting us into your lives on this wonderful day.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Clarisse and Mike: The Documentary

Have I mentioned how much I love Clarisse and Mike? Well, I do. And I love the way their feature wedding film turned out. We hope you do, too. Shot at the Wainwright House in Rye, NY on digital video and super 8mm film, the couple threw a rockin' but beautifully rainy wedding.

Clarisse and Mike | The Documentary from Artifact Documentaries on Vimeo.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Clarisse & Mike: A Rainy Day in Rye Wedding Short

Clarisse and Mike are one of those couples that you just can't not love. High school sweethearts. They are the cutest! Not to mention that Clarisse looked absolutely amazing(ly hot!) in her gorgeous Pnina Tornai gown. Together for over 10 years, they postponed their 2007 wedding due to her mother's death and were finally able to have their dream wedding at the Wainwright House in Rye, New York this past September.

Clarisse and Mike were planning on an outdoor ceremony, so they were obviously bummed when things would have to be moved inside due to a hurricane moving through the area. It's a good thing because during the ceremony Hanna unleashed some of the heaviest rains I've seen. The band kept everyone happily groovin inside the tent while the rain continued on through the night. Although soaking wet outdoors, it did nothing to dampen the beautiful spirit of that day. In this clip, the rain becomes another character of the day and adds such a beautiful, dramatic element that I hope more than makes up for it. Thanks Mike and Clarisse! You guys are awesome. :)



flowers by city blossoms in manhattan. pnina tornai gown from kleinfeld bridal

Monday, May 18, 2009

Making Strides in Wedding Filmn'

Several months ago I was interviewed by Columbia University journalism student, Holly Fletcher, to discuss the new faces of wedding video. I've mentioned before that wedding video is changing, but it's been a process trying to erase the stigma of how many people perceive it. But as more and more studios are showing that they can put high production value and make a wedding video interesting, compelling, humorous and absolutely stunning.. wedding filmmaking has been getting a lot more press through bridal blogs and even filmmakers outside of the wedding world. Steve Weiss of Zacuto has given wedding filmmakers major props on his webisodes, "Film Fellas" and Philip Bloom, cinematographer extraordinaire recently spoke at Re:Frame in Austin and has been a major supporter of new styles in wedding filmmaking.

In Holly Fletcher's article, "Your Wedding--Now a Documentary", she touched on many different aspects of wedding filmmaking and the lengths that some people will go to get the style they are looking for, including flying studios sometimes across the world to achieve their dream wedding production. As humbled as I was to be included in her article, I was equally humbled when I stumbled across another blog post on documentary filmmaking where one of my quotes was used to illustrate the highest quality of achievement in production factors.

"This quote struck me: ”They come to us because they want a piece of art,” said Kristen Turick of Artifact Documentaries. The term “video” here is the baseline standard. The term “documentary” connotes a higher standard. The term “art” becomes the highest standard. Interesting set of discourses at work here."

Humbling, yes. And thanking all those who are spreading the wedding filmn' love to educate the masses that wedding video is no longer boring, long and full of hearts and stars.