5 West Studios

Lindsy and Cuong

2008-12-19T18:33:00.006-05:00

People who know me, know that two of my favorite things are complexity and atmosphere. I love the idea of a picture lingering - where the atmosphere is rich and transports you, or where an expression comes alive in just the right way. It's the smallest things - the curl of a lip, the arc of an eyebrow, and, yet, we can feel it right away. It always amazes me how everything registers on the human face. You just can't fake it.

Lindsy and Cuong had the type of wedding that was brimming with emotion. Yet, it as relaxed as it was intimate. It was set on a perfect day in October, and after being married in church with some of their closest friends, they had their reception at New Leaf Cafe near the Cloisters.

Quick Tip: Keeping on Schedule

2008-12-19T16:49:00.003-05:00

There are any number of reasons for delays, but if I could only name one, I'd say it's transportation and traffic. Still, there are any number of things I've seen happen. Here a few that came to mind, while I was stuck in traffic today.

Make sure your limo can fit as many people as they say it can. A 10 passenger limo filled with flowers, luggage, a big wedding dress, and papers in the front seat won't always hold the whole 10 passengers.
I've seen any number of limos arrive late. Make sure that you have enough margin, so if they're not exactly on time, there won't be huge delays.
Fridays are awful. In and around town, things can take triple what they take on a weekend. And going to the Botanical Gardens up the West Side Highway is always a trip. Make sure to bracket for time on Friday events.
Getting in and out of places takes more time than it seems like it should. Even time walking out of a hotel to the door isn't always what you'd expect, when it's you and 8 other people.
Sometimes, the hair just doesn't work out as easily as it should. Giving the hair stylist and make-up artist time is important.
Bustling the dress is the hidden surprise in many days. It can usually be done pretty quickly if you've tried it before, but doing it for the first time on a wedding day can sometimes throw people off.
Impromptu receiving lines pop up more than you'd think. If you're looking to avoid it, hiding after the ceremony works well.

Remember, some delays are just part of the day, and they can even be good things. Adding little bits of padding into the schedule not only keeps you on schedule, but it helps keep you relaxed and lets you enjoy the day!

Two Engagement Sessions

2008-12-15T21:11:00.005-05:00

I've always emphasized the documentary aspect of what I do, so I don't talk a lot about engagement sessions. However, I do a quite a few each year, so I thought it'd be a good idea to do a little bit of show and tell. I picked the engagement sessions for Anne and Mike and for Patricia and Rich, because they represent the two opposite ends of what I shoot.

Anne and Mike were the classic Manhattan couple. Stylish, intelligent, and just a ton of fun to work with. They wanted an engagement session that was one part Manhattan and one part fashion, with pictures throughout the City. I looked at any number of fashion magazines for inspiration, but, most importantly, I wanted to make sure that it felt a little "glossy." A little more perfect and more dramatic regular life.

Patricia and Rich had an incredible sense of self-assurance. They are passionate individuals who really know what they are about. Both of them are artists and teachers, as well as native New Yorkers. With the shoot being in Coney Island during the off-season, I thought it was the perfect chance to impart the feel of an older, harder-edged Brooklyn. It made for a great counterpart to the softer, almost introspective sense of connection between them. Most importantly, I wanted everything to feel very real.

Umami

2008-12-12T14:01:00.018-05:00

The hottest French chef in the late 1800s was Gilles Escoiffier. Not only was he unrivaled in his accomplishment, but he had created a flavor that was absolutely new. He discovered a special ingredient, creating a taste that was uniquely his own. Adding it to dishes just made everything better. It was veal stock, and unknowingly, he had found a fifth taste. We know the other four. Sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Umami is the fifth.

I always thought if I weren't a photographer, I'd be a chef, so cooking metaphors are a big thing with me. When I was in high school, there were three things I wanted to do. Graphic design, photography, and cooking. I was a graphic designer, and I am a photographer. A chef? Well, probably not in the near future, but maybe when I retire.

Umami wasn't around when I was a kid. I only learned of the four other tastes. It is derived from the Japanese word for savory, and it's that richness you get in foods like mushrooms and cheese. It's also that earthy something you sense, when you say something has a meaty flavor. If you watch the Food Network, it's that thing that awakens the taste buds, and you'll find it in soy sauce (no surprise it's for a Kikkoman campaign).

Umami is hard to pinpoint, but you know it when it's there. And it's much the same in photography. I think of it as implication and atmosphere. That certain something - a richness in meaning - that goes beyond the bright-line elements you can easily identify and makes a picture come alive. It's a detail in the background, a little extra arch in the back, or a light bouncing off a wall in just the right way. It's creates a sense of suspension, like something just happened and something is still to come. It's the secret ingredient that transforms a picture of a blank stare into a thoughtful moment, a simple glance into a meaningful connection, and a normal kiss into true romance.

Patricia and Rich were married in November. She got ready in her childhood home in Brooklyn. One of the great things about starting the day in your home is that it's filled with cues that connect with your life. The light, the details, the plant in the corner, or the window sill in the background. The atmosphere is palpable - full of umami, so to speak. I knew I wanted this set of pictures to say Brooklyn. To say that this was her life, her home, and her wedding.

As an aside, here's an extra picture that didn't make it in, but that really registered with me. I had to choose between this one and the picture in the slideshow, where we see a reflection of her in the mirror, smiling. I chose that one, because I felt it better fit the story being presented, and it put a punctuation mark on the hair and make-up session with a clear cut expression. Despite that, the one below lingers with me more. There was a resonance created by everyone else looking on, the complexity of her expression, and the details of the environment.

What do you want to know about?

2008-12-10T14:20:00.003-05:00

Let me know what topics would be interesting to you! Send me an email or post a comment. I'd love to hear your ideas, whether they're related to 5 West Studios, wedding photography, or photography in general!

Getting Started

2008-12-05T14:33:00.009-05:00

The blog is back! As many of you may know, I tried to do some blogging in the past, but I had a hard time keeping up. The next thing I knew, 2008 was over, and not a single posting! It's shameful, I know. But we were busy - really busy. Still, it's no excuse. So, here I am, back to it.

I know that it's common convention to post a set of pictures from every recent wedding. I probably won't be doing that, though I'll try my best. But there's something more important that I want to get out. I want to make sure to take the time to talk about what we do and why we do it, both here at 5 West Studios and as wedding photographers. I've been to weddings where I was really impressed with the photographer. Just as frequently, I was completely appalled. I'd always wonder to myself how the couple chose their photographer. Sometimes, I think it's a bit of a crap shoot. After all, how do you know what your photographer will be like and how your pictures will turn out?

The truth is that a photographer will miss more pictures than they capture. Which is fine. It's how things are. But the real question isn't what will they capture. It's what will they choose to miss? That's where I think the real differences are.

For example, to get a really great shot of a dress during the prep period can easily take over 15 minutes in some locations. A nice shot might take just 5 minutes on the other hand. So, with 1 hour of time to catch the preparation, do you go for just a nice dress shot, which gives you 10 extra minutes documenting the interplay between a bride and her bridesmaids? Or do you get the perfect shot of the dress - something that someone may have labored over finding for weeks on end? Documentary decisions beg the same questions. Is it better to spend half an hour for the perfect expression? Or just to ask someone to pretend to do something, and get a good, but less personal moment?

These are the types of choices that define each photographer and their collective set of pictures. With about 8 hours of coverage, the day is going to be packed with choice after choice about what to shoot and what not to. In fact, it never stops until coverage is over. It is intense, exciting, exhausting, and everything in between, which is part of the fun of wedding photography in my mind. This is also the subject matter that will probably appear most frequently on my blog, in some fashion or another. How do I make my choices? What do I choose to miss?

I suppose like many a photographer, I always think the right choice for everyone out there is to hire me. When I hear that someone didn't, I think to myself, "What? Why didn't you choose me?!?" I'm dedicated. I don't stop trying. Every shot matters to me, and, hey, I think I can take a pretty decent picture, if I do say so myself. But I know the truth - I'm not always the right choice. No one is, and if there is anything I hope to put out there, it's to give everyone enough information about me, that they know what to expect and what I stand for. If I've done that, I've done my job.