MARITIMEPARC

Maritime Parc was host to ISESNJ North's May Event " MEET THE PRESS "Strategies for attracting positive press for your event business".  Located in Liberty State Park, a mere seven-minute ferry ride form downtown Manhattan, Maritime Parc welcomes guests form both sides of the Hudson to enjoy its scenic splendor and distinct brand of hospitality.


Our host and sponsor Christina Leamer, Director of Social Events did an exceptional job catering the event.  The food was delicious, the staff very professional and the view, well that speaks for itself. Everyone commented on what a great place to have a wedding, corporate function, party or dinner.

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A Taste of Frungillo's

Frungillo's designs couture weddings, corporate functions and other special events at one of our five distinct venues: The Villa (Mountain Lakes, NJ), The Castle at Skylands Manor (Ringwood, NJ), The Mansion at Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center (Bloomfield, NJ), The Inn at Millrace Pond (Hope, NJ), and The Mezzanine at National Newark Building (Newark, NJ). They offer restored, historic-style guest rooms at both the The Castle and The Inn for the perfect overnight stay or getaway. They are a family-owned and -operated business with more than 35 years of experience creating events for two to tens of thousands of guests.

I've had the privilege of photographing numerous Frungillo events over the years and am always impressed with the food, decor and staff.  Robert, the owner always puts out a great spread for his guest, just look at the size of these shrimp.

Four Sisters Winery - Belvidere NJ

Four Sisters Winery located in Belvidere NJ is a family owned winery. So when you plan a trip be prepared to be pampered.  Sign-up for one of their wine tasting parties or have your own in their quaint and cozy wine room.  


Four Sisters Winery sits nestled in a beautiful valley amidst the rolling fields and picturesque hills of Warren County, New Jersey. It is part of an agricultural tradition carried on by Matty Matarazzo on his 250-acre farm, which reflects his commitment to the land and its fruitfulness. Since 1981, Matty has been growing grapes and producing award-winning wines with ever increasing success. 


Since its 1984 opening, Four Sisters Winery continues to offer the public a variety of quality wines in a warm country setting. Educational tours and comprehensive wine tastings offer visitors a greater understanding of the processes involved in growing grapes and making wine. Four Sisters Winery has won over 35 regional, national, and international awards for red, white, rose, and fruit wines. 
The winery also plays host to many events including corporate picnics, weddings and every form of family gathering imaginable. In addition to our private events, we offer dozens of opportunities throughout the year to enjoy grape stomping parties, Murder Mystery Dinners, Pig Roasts and in 2012 we have added barn dances with country music and rockin’ oldies.  A traditional Mother’s Day Buffet and Father’s Day Pig Roast are annual events at the winery. A Family Fun Weekend is held every August, Wine and Music Festival in September and Fall Harvest weekends are celebrated throughout October with pick your own pumpkins and apples and a challenging corn maze. 

Brian & Heather 20 year Anniversary Party

Brian & Heather have been happily married for 20 years. That is definitely a milestone and something to celebrate. I always enjoy photographing anniversary parties and other occasions of celebratory accomplishment. At such events things unfold at a much slower pace; whereas at weddings, the photographer needs to be on his toes all day.

Brian and Heather had a modest party of around 60 people. The party was a surprise, so I met the happy couple as they walked into the room. Before the occasion I dealt with Heather's mom Alice, who planned the whole event.

I was touched when I received a “thank you” card in the mail from Brian and Heather letting me know how happy they were with the pictures and how much they loved the way I was able to blend in with the party.

Brad - Musician and Song Writer

I received a call last week from a song writer/musician named Brad. He asked me to do a photo shoot for his upcoming CD he is producing.  Here are the four images we both liked from the photo session. The cover is image 1, inside images 2&3,and  back cover image 4.  The photos were sent to a music producer based in California. We were trilled to hear that all four images were approved. 


The producer especially liked the first image, the black and white image of Brad on a cobble stone street.  I hope Brad remembers me when and if he becomes famous.  At least he promised me a signed CD.

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...