Sharon & Arnold - Crown Plaza Suffern NY

Of all the weddings I photographed this year, Sharon and Arnold's was definitely one of my favorites. This was Arnold's second marriage and Sharon's first.  From the moment I met them it was readily apparent that they truly adored and deeply loved each other.  Besides being in love, you could tell that they were each other’s best friend.  Their family and friends also radiated their joy at being able to share in the celebration of Sharon and Arnold’s special day.

The wedding ceremony and reception were both at The Crown PlazaHotel in Suffern, NJ. Most everyone was staying at the Hotel and this made it possible to pose all the formal pictures before the ceremony.  While this is always a great idea for the bridal party, in this case all of the family and friends were also present in plenty of time beforehand.  This enabled me to set up good shots of everyone who wished to be photographed.  That really takes a lot of pressure off of me and allows me to focus on candid shots throughout the evening.  A truly great candid shot captures a precise moment and more importantly the emotion of that split second.  A slight bit sooner or later and the whole power and beauty of the shot would be lost.  As you look at a truly great candid shot you can almost feel the emotions of the moment.  It is almost as if you are there.  Two good examples that you will find below of my efforts in this regard are the shot of the vows and the shot of Arnold and Sharon acknowledging their friends as they walk down the aisle.  These are two of my personal favorite shots from wedding.

When I met Arnold's daughter Emily, I bounced an idea off of her.  I asked if she thought her father would let me set up his first look at Sharon in her wedding dress.  Emily loved the idea. While this moment was sort of set up by me, Arnold’s reaction would be totally candid and from his heart. Arnold was escorted into Sharon’s room by Emily his daughter, who had her hands over his eyes so that he could not peek.  I was able to get several photos of Arnold’s first look at his bride.  The moment was truly priceless for all.  Arnold kept saying over and over that Sharon looked so beautiful.  It touched us all and tears were shed.  I've included a photo of that first look in this post.

Liz & Santosh - LBI

I photographed Liz and Santosh over the summer during an engagement session.  Both love the outdoors and especially the NJ shore.  They wanted to get married on LBI by the Barnegat Lighthouse.  From the engagement session I was familiar with LBI and the area surrounding the Lighthouse.

The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky.  That was very fortunate, since once a date is set you can control almost everything but the weather.  After the ceremony they wanted a few shots with the rocks and the Lighthouse as back drops. While we walked, Liz mentioned to me that they had written their names in the sand and wanted me to snap a few pictures of it. What I soon discovered was that I had to climb all 217 steps of the Lighthouse in order to get an aerial view of them and their names in the sand.  Of course I obliged, but I can say with all honesty that it soon became the most exhausting set of shots I had ever taken.

The reception was at the Haven Beach Club which is one of the oldest nonprofit clubs on LBI.

More images here...

Holly & Brad - Red Bank NJ

Holly grew up in NJ but now lives in Colorado. Since most of her family and friends are here, Holly & Brad decided to tie the knot in NJ.  Due to the distance, my first face to face meeting with Brad and Holly was on their wedding day.  This is not ideal, but fortunately I had several conversations with Holly leading up to the wedding.  Therefore, I had a pretty good idea on how the day would unfold. There were no large surprises and for a wedding photographer that is always a good thing.   

Holly and her bridal party got dressed and ready for the ceremony at the Molly Pitcher Inn. From there it was only a few minutes drive to the Methodist Church on Broad Street in Red Bank, NJ.  The church has a nice balcony containing a huge pipe organ.  One of Holly & Brad's favorite pictures that I have included in this post was from that balcony. One of my favorite pictures from the entire day is of the flower girl walking down the isle.  The expression on everyone's face as they watch her is both moving and beautiful.  This picture is a perfect example of what I strive for as a photographer - the capturing forever of priceless moments in time.

The reception was at Mcloones Rum Runner located in Sea Bright NJ.  They have a nice reception room on the second floor overlooking the bay.  It is very romantic, especially at sunset.  I really loved the innovative favors from the wedding.  Holly & Brad are nature lovers so they gave everyone a tree in a tube to plant.  As the tree grows one could be reminded over the years of the special day they spent with Holly and Brad.

More images here...

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Jennifer & Mark - Wedding The Tides Estate

Jennifer and Mark waited three years to get married because they wanted their wedding to fall on 9/10/11. The venue they choose for both the ceremony and reception was The Tides Estates, in North Haledon, NJ.  I love photographing weddings when the ceremony and the reception are at the same venue.  This simplifies the logistics of so many things and allows more time for me to set up and select the perfect backdrops, angles and poses for the Bride, Groom and all of their family and friends.

This was an afternoon wedding and because of that we had the entire place to ourselves.  The Tides has a beautiful lobby and I was able to pose the Bridal party there without any interruptions at all.  Interruptions of posed photography occur frequently during peak hours at large multiple wedding venues.  For example, at 5pm the same lobby you see in these pictures was totally mobbed with people waiting for their particular reception.  The Tides had three separate weddings booked that evening.  If Jen and Mark's wedding had been scheduled for the evening, I would have had a very hard time pulling off these shots.

Meet the Mayors of Palisades Park NJ.

JAMES ROTUNDO

I had the pleasure of photographing the current and previous mayors of Palisades Park NJ.  James Rotundo has been mayor for the past seven years. Susan Spohn, the former mayor also served as a councilwoman and administrator of Palisades Park.

In the municipal building there is a wall with a picture of all the mayors dating back to the early 1920's.

These are the photographs each Mayor selected from their portfolio photo shoot.  Oh and by the way, all the other mayor's pictures are in black and white. James is breaking from tradition. These will be mounted and displayed in color.  Welcome to the 21st century.

SUSAN SPOHN

Liz & Santosh - Engagement Session

Liz and Santosh are getting married next month at Barnegat Lighthouse on LBI.  They scheduled an engagement session in preparation for the big day.  An engagement session is a chance within 1-2 hours for you to become comfortable with the photographer’s shooting style and for him to understand and observe the way you and your fiancé interact as a couple. What can you do with the images from your engagement session?  You will have amazing photos of the two of you to display all over your home as the wedding approaches.  You can also use the photos for a “save the dates” mailing, to announce your engagement or for the wedding invitation itself.  In our new age of technology, many brides use their engagement photos for their social network page or for a wedding website.  Many brides incorporate them directly into the wedding using their centerpieces or within a wedding guestbook for their guests to sign.  

Brian & Heather

Brian and Heather asked me to help decorate their living room with some up to date pictures.  They have been married for 20 years and never hired a professional photographer.  The setting was their own back yard.  These were their two favorite pictures from the photo session.  The picture on the left was shot using natural light and for the one on the right I used a touch of flash.

My Daughter's Graduation Cake

My daughter Amanda and her best friend Jaque are already planning their dual High School gradation party next year.  They gave me their design for their dream cake for the party.  So, being a good dad, I took their sketch to Denise Smith of My Daughters Cakes. Link right here  http://www.mydaughterscakes.com/

She was in the middle of a delivery and I just had to snap a few pictures of the awesome cake she made.  It was so beautiful.  What made this so special was the fact that it was a replica of the Brides grandmother's cake they had at their wedding years ago.

When I got home I imported the pictures into Lightroom and used Photoshop to isolate the cake.  I thought the light pink background worked well with the colors on this cake.

The graduation cake Amanda and Jaque designed will be a three tier round white cake. It will have alternating pink and green flowers, their favorite colors.  I'm sure Denise will do a great job. Can't wait to taste.

Enjoy!!

Winner!! Best Photographic Image

It's official.  The image of Joshua & Lena's wedding from last weeks blog post won Best Photographic Image at last nights ISES Annual Gala Awards.  It's called the VEIL photo. Nothing more romantic than a brides veil flying in the wind.

I photographed the ISES GALA so you can view more images right here www.bmadrid.zenfolio.com/isesgala2011

The theme for the night was Mad Hatter's.

A special thanks to Jackie Marko for here hard work and dedication as ISES president.  Her term ended last night and Christine Brower is now the president for the next year.

I'm trying to figure out where I should put this in my office.  A photograher's work space is never clean.  So my desk is out of the question as it is always cluttered with my current projects.

I'm sure I will be able to find a spot.

Here is a picture of me with now the current ISES president, Christine Brower. She took home three awards, one for Best Design & Decor and two for Best Member Collaboration.  If you want the best to plan and make your wedding a day to remember, check out Christine and here "Bling" team. Here is their website. http://www.theblingevent.com/

ISES Gala Photo Contest

Here is the picture I submitted for competition at the ISES Gala which will be held on June 6, 2011

My event was the wedding of Joshua and Lena Toti in San Palo, California on October 22 of 2010.  This was definitely not comparable to your typical North Jersey wedding.  Josh is Samoan and Lena is from Hawaii.  This traditional Samoan wedding was marked by colorful Samoan garments and traditional dances from the islands.   For example, one dance that is called in Samoan “Taualuga” - is the traditional dance for the bride.   After the bride begins on the center of the dance floor, the groom enters and dances with his bride.  At one point the bride, as sign of submission, steps on her husband as he mimics swimming on the floor. At this point, his best friends enter the floor and dance with him around his bride.  The groom and his friends are dressed in traditional male Samoan waist wraps as would be worn by Samoan warriors and are dancing to powerful traditional Samoan music.  The mood for the event was festive throughout.  The entire event was colorful, joyful and memorable. 

I had numerous conversations with Josh & Lena before their wedding. Therefore, I knew what they were looking for in regards to their wedding pictures.  I was able to ascertain their likes and their dislikes.  I focused on making them happy and relaxed throughout the day, while at the same time maintaining enough control of he flow so that special moments did not go by unrecorded.  When I found out that we had only one hour between the ceremony and the reception, I spent the day before the wedding scouting out ideal locations where the formal pictures could be taken.  In order to better accomplish my objectives, I then came up with a strategy and time line that allowed beautiful formal pictures to be taken without a rushed atmosphere and an aura of stress.  Several of Josh and Lena’s favorite pictures were from that formal session.

I was able to capture the passion and romance of the day without being intrusive upon the couple.  Samoans by nature are very, very laid back.  Their pace is definitely not that of a bride and groom from the tri-state area.  This required me to make serious adjustments in order to adapt to their pace.  Working within those parameters, I was still able to live up to my contract and get the key shots I needed.  I was able to provide Josh and Lena with a collection of memories they loved which will last a lifetime. 

NJ Wedding Industry Networking Event - Westminster Hotel, Livingston NJ

The Westminster hotel and Bridal Billy put on a great venue last night.  First, I'd like to thank the Westminster staff for being such gracious hosts.  Meet Amy, Loretta, Allison and a cameo by Eric from the Crystal Plaza.

Out of all the pictures I took last night being the official photographer of the event, this was my favorite.  Many vendors visited my booth and dropped off their card for the drawing for a free photo shoot.  And would you believe, Amy Dimes won.  Go Amy!!!.  

I was able to sample some of the food and I must say it was delicious.  Loved the pasta dishes and the desserts were very yummy, especially the chocolate filled brownies.

Next, meet Bridal Billy, the person responsible for putting on this venue.  Notice the loud colorful suit jacket.   No matter what picture he was in, you can easily pick him out in a crowd.  I think it worked for the event.  I might even pick one up LOL!!!

You can view more pictures of the event at the link right here:

bmadrid.zenfolio.com/westminster

That's it for today. Talk to you later.

Bryan

The W Hotel Hoboken NJ

Hello everyone.  Welcome to my blog.  This actually is my first post ever. That's me on the right with the  president of NACE, Robert Frungillo.  I'm their official photographer so I had my good friend Lucmann Pierre of Le Pierre Catereres snap the picture for me.

I have to say that last night's event at The W Hotel in Hoboken NJ  had great support. Many made the trek to Hoboken. This was probably one of my favorite Nace meetings in the past year. I met some students from FDU who are majoring in the restaurant management field.  They absorbed allot and tapped several members of the board for advice.

Several panel members shared their thoughts on where the catering business is heading.  We all agree that anyone who has survived the last three years should be OK.  NYC hotel occupancy from January till May of this year is down 20 - 30 percent. Catering halls and vendors have had to deal with a 30% decrease in revenue.

So we all hope good times are ahead.

That's all for today.