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