My job is to tell your story in images. And I always strive to make your experience of getting those images as fun and wonderful as the pictures themselves.

After 25 years and over 1,000 couples photographed, I've learned that the best images — whether from a wedding, an elopement, a portrait session, or a two-minute sitting at a gala — come from the same place: genuine connection between the photographer and the subject. Everything else follows from that.

Weddings and Elopements

I've photographed close to every kind of wedding New York City has to offer — from small, intimate elopements in Central Park and ceremonies at the NYC Marriage Bureau, to affairs with hundreds of black-tied guests at some of the most celebrated venues in the city. Each couple and each wedding is unique, and I am always honored to share in such an important day.

To properly tell the story of a wedding day, I believe a range of styles is in order — one that includes both photojournalism and portraiture. On the one hand, I take a photojournalistic approach to capture the important moments as they happen. But I also capture the moments between moments that might otherwise go unnoticed: a tear on a parent's cheek, your intended's bemused expression as you attempt to tie your bow tie again, your grandmother doing the Chicken Dance, the moment when you first realize "Oh my God, we're actually married."

Every photographer has their own approach to getting these images. Some work around the edges and shoot guests with a telephoto. Some tell guests where to go and what to do. I choose the middle ground — friendly with people so they become comfortable around me, and that comfort allows me to get authentic images without having to guide your guests or hide from them.

Since you've gone to so much trouble to look fabulous, you should also have portraits that capture your fabulousness. I adore doing couples portraits and have shot thousands. Every couple has their own physical language — the way one of you instinctively reaches for the other's hand, the look that passes between you when something is funny but you're trying not to laugh, the way you fit together when nobody is watching. My job is to notice all of that before I pick up my camera, and then bring it forward into the portraits. People always comment on the authenticity of my couples portraits. What they don't always realize is that authenticity doesn't happen by accident.

When it comes to light, I use every tool available. I'm skilled at finding and working with available light — the beautiful beam from a window, the gentle glow from a sconce, the golden warmth of late afternoon in Central Park. When the light isn't where I need it, I bring my own. What you'll never see in my images is a compromise.

Portrait Work

My portrait philosophy extends well beyond weddings. I've spent decades photographing people who seem to live in a different time and place — vintage fashion collectors, steampunk enthusiasts, burlesque performers, cosplayers, and anyone who shows up to a session having already decided exactly who they want to be in front of a camera. My inspiration comes from painters — particularly John Singer Sargent — and from the golden age of Hollywood glamour photography. I don't just photograph people in period clothing. I photograph them the way a photographer from that period would have — applying the lighting ratios, compositional conventions, and visual language of the era the subject has chosen to inhabit.

For contemporary portraits — families, maternity, couples, headshots — my approach is the same as it is for weddings: I observe first, then respond. I watch how people move and interact before I direct anything. Some subjects want full guidance down to where their fingers go. Others just need a little encouragement and then I get out of the way. I read each person and respond accordingly.

The Portable Portrait Studio

One of the more unusual skills I've developed over decades of photographing people at events is the ability to create a portrait of almost anyone in two to three minutes. I bring a portable lighting setup to galas, corporate events, vintage dance events, nightlife parties, and wedding receptions — and I make fine art portraits on the spot. When you watch me work it might seem effortless. It took me twenty years to make it look that way.

A Final Note

I've been doing this for 25 years and living in New York City for 45. I know this city the way a painter knows their canvas — every neighborhood, every season, every hour of light. Whatever you're celebrating, whatever story you want to tell, I'd be honored to help you tell it.