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/