Wet NYC Wedding Photography

I am more of a hat guy than an umbrella guy and I always laugh when I see people ducking to avoid getting hit on the crowded streets of NYC by the virtual sea of umbrellas on the sidewalk.

Today...you might need both a hat and an umbrella. It is pouring. Like cats and dogs. Like building an arc type of rain.

Here is a glimpse of my walk to the office, caught with my cameraphone. What does this have to do with Wedding or realestate photography? You want someone who can view the same scene a hundred times and still create new and exciting ways to see it. Someone who can tell the story visually in an dynamic way. I limit myself to only shoot 15 Weddings per year, so I can give full attention to my Bride and Grooms. They are more than clients. They are customer relationships that often turn into friendships. This type of personal attention...you can't get that from the "wedding factories" that pump out 3 weddings a weekend all year long. And it shows in the results. Your day is unique and special. Your images should be too.

Use the "contact me" button on my website and let's talk about your upcoming event to see if I am the right fit for you.

Blue Van

Janeda & Michael Married at The Sands

Could not ask for a better day and the beach was just right for some fun photos.

Janeda looked stunning and while Michael and his groomsmen were in classic tuxedos with the reds to match the theme.
There were few dry eyes in the house after two very special readings just before they took their vows.

I was fortunate to be able to work with Amos Chen as my second shooter. You can see Amos' work here:

http://lovebloomsphotography.com/photos/portgallery/

Amos has a great eye for romantic shots. He is part of a group of pro photographers I train and work with and was part of the group on last Wednesday's NYC PhotoWalk Field Trip. I have not gotten around to editing the images yet from that trip, but you really want to check out these two links to see it!

http://bedazzledphotography.blogspot.com/2008/07/april-and-dan-osp-meet-up.html

http://www.opensourcephoto.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=31365&st=60

If you stand around with a camera in NYC, nobody even sees you. But, get 15 photographers setting up lighting in Central Park and shooting some awesome models....EVERYBODY stops and wants to see the celebrities!

No additional All Star Parade Coverage...

Baby is sick.Just a cold, but has a fever, so I am heading home with her to so she can rest and get better. Dr.'s Orders.

So, no more red carpet photos.

NYC All Star Parade...

Daddy! Look! It's Superman!

No sweetie, that's just an All Star.

You don't have to be a baseball fan to love a good parade. But you do have to be awake. Everybody else seems excited!

I'm sure there are folks who take the bus who are less than thrilled.

But, where else can you see the whole street covered with red carpet? The Emmy's? No!

ONLY in New York City!

ROAD TRIP ! VT for the 4th....Q3 MMP

My wife and I are up in VT for the 4th on our Q3 Marriage Maintainance Plan. Four times a year, we make it a point to get out of town and just enjoy each other. Nice just to get out of the everyday grind and celebrate why we love each other. This time, we have the baby with us.

We are up at our favorite place, The Snow Goose Inn, in the Mount Snow Region of Vermont and we are exploring route 7a and route 100. One thing is for sure, the most popular cars in VT are Saabs and Subarus. Almost every vehicle that was not a pickup truck or Harley was a Saab or Subaru. Although you can find classics, like this Dodge Challenger enjoying the curves of Mount Equinox.
UPDATE: 778 miles in 4 days from NY to Boston, through NH, Vermont and Western Mass...our 03 Saab 9-3 got 32 miles per gallon. I am not exactly easy on the throttle either. Gas in VT was $3.99 for regular. $4.49 for regular on 95 in Southern CT.

Moo !
Cows are very friendly. They have no problem coming right up to you and saying hello over the fence. Of course, they don't know about the awesome burger I had at Jerry's Deck in Wilmington!

Baby likes horses. No...you can NOT have a pony!

Jill & Michael's Wedding! It was a HOT one!

Yeah, sure...it was a little warm out. The Groomsmen were pretty much melting under the bright sun.
The ceremony was classic, and Jill looked superbly elegant.
The Bridal Party was lookin' SHARP!

But the party...the party was downright HOT! Jill and Michael can dance! Their family and friends were tearing up the dance floor at The White House during the reception.

I shoot and train with a great group of local photographers and I was fortunate enough to have Taria from Personal Touch Photography working with me. She is a master at organizing formals and has an easygoing style that works well with her ability to get people where you need them for a great image.
Check out her blog at http://www.tariareed.com/blog/

Also check out the proofing site from J. Mitchel Photography July 13th, when you will start to see the images from Jill and Michael's Wedding online!

Wedding Day! Jill & Mike are getting Married Today!

Jill and Mike are getting Married Today!

They are a really great couple. We had so much fun doing the E-session! I will be shooting their Wedding Today in Middle Village and the reception in Whitestone. Look for updates tomorrow and if you know them, then you know the password to see their pics on the proofing site!

First Tomato of the Season!

It is going to be a good day today. Walked out into the garden with the baby this Morning to feed the last remaining Koi (the racoons treat my pond like a sushi bar!) and we stumbled upon the first ripe tomato of the season!

It is all in the viewpoint...

There are a million great images, all around you.

J. Mitchel Photography steps away from the cliché and tells the story with a unique twist.

Thinking creatively will get you images out of the ordinary, whether you are shooting a wedding or just saying what a gray day it is in NYC.

J. Mitchel Photography provides the best creative Wedding Photography for select Brides in the NY Metro area. Amazing NYC and Long Island Wedding Photography starting at just $1500. www.JMitchelPhotography.com

Baby Update...First Food That Is Not In A Bottle!

Well, it had to happen sometime...Sunny Logann, my Daughter has been staring longingly at my wife and I every time we eat. So, after consulting our Dr., Today was the day for rice cereal mush.
UHHH! What is this stuff!

THIS is what food tastes like? I am NOT impressed.
Well, just to make you happy, I finished a few ounces. Let me just wipe the taste out of my mouth. That stuff is gross. Give me my bottle back.
That eating...that is some hard work. I'm wiped out. I am just going to take a nap while finishing my bott zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Jill & Michael's Engagement Shoot

Jill & Michael met me at the beach for our engagement session early on Saturday. We ran 4 or 5 locations and made some amazing images and even took a break from the hot sun at Marvel !

For this one, we were going for a South Pacific kind of feel. Rogers and Hammerstein always provide good inspiration and Jill and Michael wandered the beach to find just the right shells for what they wanted to say to each other.
More images to be posted of this session on the Proofing site and the J. Mitchel Photography website.


J. Mitchel Photography provides the best in Long Island Wedding Photography.

Transition Week for Sunny

Time for my Wife Erica to go back to the office. Because we are both in NYC just about every day, it seemed the best place to look for day care. Yeah...I know. We are not happy about it either. But at this point in our lives, day care seems like the best option for us until that Lotto thing works out.



We found an awesome place half way between our offices so we can see our daughter during the day from time to time. Great place, but I kid you not...it is pretty close to what our mortgage is.










So to transition both Sunny and Erica in to commuter mode, we started off with transition week where they both softly transition to work and preschool mode. Neither of them were happy about it.
















Like most bitter pills, we started off with something fun. Two hours of preschool, then the rest of the day with Mommy and Daddy.

What....should we do?

How about a nice lunch...


Mmmmm, Cuban sandwich!
(No! We did not actually feed a 4 Month old a Cuban Sandwhich)





Then the zoo!

She slept through the WHOLE THING!


"Easy Doc! Do you need your whole fist in there?"


Zzzzz

Then a walk in the park to relax...
And listen to some great music!

The Few, The Proud, The Band? Fleet Week NY

Fathers, lock up your Daughters...Fleet week is here!
The Maestro !

Forget politics. Forget if we should be doing what in whatever godforsaken part of the World. That is not these folks decision.
These folks are soldiers, in one way or another and they follow orders. Jack says "They follow orders or people die. It's that simple".

These men and women are working hard, risking their lives for our freedom. If you see military personnel on the street, take a moment to stop them and just say "Thanks! I appreciate what you do". Buying them a cold beer would be a nice gesture too.
I bumped into these Navy Band members walking from Penn to Rock Centre this Morning. They were "Armed and Ready" to play. Really nice group of people. Some of them were a little overwhelmed at being in NYC.

Am I going to be on TV? Hi Mom!!!

Long Beach Breast Cancer Coalition 11th Annual Walk to Erase

My heart is always with the beach community that I grew up in and I try to find ways to give back to Long Beach. One way is by providing event coverage for the Long Beach Breast Cancer Coalition. Today they had their 11th Annual Walk to Erase, Family Fun Walk. You can learn more about the LBBCC at:
http://www.longbeachbcc.org/

There was a large turnout and a lot of last minute registrations, as passers by realized what a great cause was being supported. The weather was perfect, mid 60's with a light breeze and a just right sunny day.

Look back to this blog and on the J. Mitchel Photography proofs site for all the images from the day. http://jmitchelphotography.instaproofs.com/category.php?event=51838&id=79052

J. Mitchel Photography provides the best in creative Long Island Wedding Photography.
I also have a gallery week coming up June 9th, at Grind Coffeehouse in Bellmore, so stop by to gain a viewpoint Long Beach and NY you may not have seen.

Janeda & Michael's Engagement Session...Sneak Peak

If you read my blog regularly (Hi Mom!), you know that the blog rarely has Wedding images on it. I have been using it more as a sort of get to know me on the personal side kind of thing. Just images from my daily travels, meandering thoughts kinda thing. But Janeda specifically requested...so here it is:
A sneak peak image from Saturday's engagement session
Janeda and Michael are diehard Mets fans, and got some great seats last night at the last minute. Sounds like it was a good Mets game last night...even if they didn't win this time. Pssst. Want to see some cool Mets pictures? Check on on my website, www.jmitchelphotography.com the real estate images section...then click on Citi Field. I shoot for the construction company building the new stadium and did a marketing shoot for the mock ups of the new Sky Booths in the stadium.

Is the Economy affecting your Wedding Budget?

Harder times are starting to take hold and many folks are cutting back on luxuries and giving serious thought to their own personal "Latte Factor". Even Kitty here, caught on 5th Ave in NYC begging for a saucer of cream, is starting to feel the pinch and is willing to go to half & half.

Your Wedding is a once in a lifetime event. But that doesn't mean the best way to start a marriage is to put yourself in debt paying for your Wedding. There are tons of ways to make your Wedding budget go further while having a beautiful, memorable and elegant event.

Think about stacking beautifully wrapped favors as centerpieces instead of the traditional flowers. They make a wonderful presentation, can be color coordinated to your look, no one has allergies to them, no one fights over who takes them home because everyone gets one and...you save on flowers because you are giving the favors anyway.

Another way to make your Wedding buget go further is to look beyond the Wedding Factory photography studios and the venue's house vendor list that treat Weddings as a boring chore. Using a smaller, independent photographer can often get you more creative images, more personal attention and a far better value.

J. Mitchel Photography provides outstanding creative Wedding photography in the NYC Metro area starting at just $1500. Most of my Brides are complete with beautiful custom albums for under $2500.