My Editing Mixtape

Well, I guess it's not really a mixtape if there's no tape.  It's more of an iTunes playlist.  Mixtape sounds better.

Anyway, I've been doing a boatload of editing recently, and anyone who knows me knows that I can't do anything without music.  So I've decided to take a bit of a break and share my playlist with you all.  Leave a comment with some songs you think I should add to the playlist or any thoughts (like how you admire my amazing taste in music) you have after reading!

1.  Ascending From Ashes - Thundergun

http://youtu.be/mhcf0LcL95Q

Ascending From Ashes was the first band I ever photographed.  Since then, they've been one of my favorite bands.  This song is off of their most recent EP.  This is an awesome song to start with because of the out-of-nowhere heavy hitting intro that sets the tone for the rest of the song.  Metal perfection.

2.  A Day to Remember - Mr. Highway's Thinking About the End

http://youtu.be/pQmpjFmB9yg

Here's another heavy one.  They say metal is to today's generation what classical music was to the generations of the late 1800s to the early 1900s.  It makes sense - it's intricate and dramatic.  This song is particularly dramatic around 2:39.  Being in a mosh pit while hearing "you won't make it out alive" is pretty exhilarating.

3.  Die Antwoord - Enter the Ninja

http://youtu.be/cegdR0GiJl4

Weird, just really weird.  My girlfriend Melissa introduced me to this song a few months ago, and we always listen and sing along to it as a joke.  It's actually quite interesting though if you do some research about this group and their genre.  And I have to admit, it's catchy as hell.

4.  Icon For Hire - Only a Memory

http://youtu.be/T_i50Uyg1OI

I really hope this band makes it big.  I photographed them and spoke to them at Warped Tour last summer and they were completely awesome people.  They have some of the best stage presence I've seen and their energy is right up there with the greats.  If they start getting radio play, watch out.  They're bound to take over Paramore's throne (and I love Paramore.)

5.  Queen - I Want to Break Free

http://youtu.be/bRdo7WXTVoM

Everyone knows who Queen is.  Not everyone knows this song.  After a few darker songs on my playlist, this one is about as bright as it can get.  If I ever need a pick-me-up song, this is the one.

6.  The Offspring - Half-Truism

http://youtu.be/ToZqhx8Hrhs

Another dramatic song.  The chorus is one of the most catchy passages I've ever heard, both in terms of music and lyrics.  The song is called Half-Truism, but the lyrics "our light that shines strong only lasts for so long" is as true as it gets.  I'm not a pessimist, but I love lyrics that are real and fearless.

7.  Bruno Mars - If I Knew

http://youtu.be/mHwIP7OhqTg

Bruno Mars is the ultimate entertainer of our time.  I put the live video up because if you don't agree with me, you need to watch it.  Incredible voice, full band on stage, crowd interaction, it doesn't get much better than that.  This is probably my favorite song of his, and it shows how he can conquer pretty much any style of music flawlessly.

8. Ghost B.C. - Ghuleh/Zombie Queen

http://youtu.be/dQDaWoWwqdM

Ghost is another band on the rise.  Their music and appearance are totally anti-religious, but they never really go overboard with it.  They've perfected being a cult act and their music isn't half bad either.  Reminds me of Black Sabbath.  This track goes from super mellow to super upbeat around the 3-minute mark, and it's awesome through and through.

9.  Maroon 5 - Through With You

http://youtu.be/fsl4nmCVghk

Before Maroon 5 sold out and became "Adam Levine singing boring songs over boring music," they were a rock band.  Their first album is great from start to finish.  This song's tempo and rhythm sticks with me and I always find myself bobbing my head to it no matter what I'm doing.  Again, dramatic.

10.  Mr. Bungle - Retrovertigo

http://youtu.be/DRyh2cxJCp0

Here's another weird one to end the list.  If you just listen to the lyrics, you might not understand it, but after seeing the video you definitely will.  Just like most of the songs on this list, this one is dramatic.  From slow and mellow to heavy and hard-hitting.  Mike Patton, the singer from Mr. Bungle, is one of the most talented musicians that not a lot of people know about.  If you like this song, I highly recommend you listen to the whole California album and see how versatile this band is.  Versatile is a complete understatement.

Frequently Asked Questions (and Their Answers)

When I receive inquiries about wedding shoots, I see a bevy of questions about how I work or what you'll receive.  I figured I might as well post a short list of some of these questions and their answers to save you some time if you're considering me as a wedding photographer...

 Q: How much do you charge per hour?

A: You'd be hard pressed to find a wedding photographer who actually charges by the hour.  When you hire a photographer for your wedding you're paying for more than just the 8-14 hours of shooting on the day of your wedding.  What you really pay for is the years of experience it took me to get to where I am, the classes I had to take and am still paying for, the equipment and backup equipment I use to photograph all day long, the computer and hard drives I bought to save and edit your photos, the software that allows me to organize and process all my shoots, the time I spend carefully adjusting each photo I deliver, the cost to deliver the photos to you, and the taxes I pay to the state and federal governments for what you payed me.  I'm sure I'm missing a few things, but I think you get the point.  Each wedding is different, and just because your wedding coverage might not be as long as somebody else's, that doesn't mean I don't put the same amount of work into it. 

Q: Is there a limit to the length of your wedding day coverage?

A: Nope!  When I say I'll photograph your wedding, I mean I'll be there from the second you start with hair and makeup until the very last song at the reception.  That is, unless you'd rather have less coverage.  

Q: How long will it take you to get the photos to me? 

A: It depends.  If your wedding is in the middle of a busy season during which I have other weddings to edit, it might take 4-6 weeks.  If your wedding is during a slow period, i may be done in a week or two.  There's no solid answer for this one, just know that I'm always working as hard as I can to get you the images in a timely fashion.  

Q: Do you have liability insurance? 

A: Yup! 

Q: Can I send you some photos I like so we can make sure we get them for my wedding? 

A: Sure you can, but I won't promise that we'll get them.  This is actually a pretty insulting question to ask a photographer.  It might seem harmless, even sensible to someone not working as a wedding photographer, but its like asking a chef to change the way he cooks a certain plate so it tastes the same as another chef's cooking.  We as wedding photographers are constantly working on developing and improving our style so that we can stand out and be hired by clients who appreciate us for the way our images look.  If you'd like your wedding photos to look like something you've seen on Pinterest or another source, your best bet is to find the photographer who took that photo and see about hiring them.  

Thanks for taking the time to read these.  Hopefully this post will save some people some trouble before contacting me or any photographer.  If you have any questions you'd like answered, post them in the comments and I'll make another blog post to answer them! 

Danielle and Larry - Wedding

I met Danielle and Larry a week before their wedding for an engagement shoot.  Both of them were unsure what to expect, but we ended up having a great time yielding some awesome results.  Fast forward seven days, and here we are on their wedding day!  From preparation (which included some of the most delicious chips I've ever eaten) to the reception, everything about their wedding was awesome.  See for yourself!

Thanks to my second shooter, Jeremy, for his help on this one!

Okay, Okay

For real, now.  I'm gonna try blogging.  And actually TRY.  I always go through phases during which I'm all for the idea of a blog, but then I lose interest.  So here we go; I'm going to try to blog (almost) all of my shoots from here on out.  

It's been a slow couple weeks since I photographed my cousin's wedding in Florida (blog coming soon).  I've gone camping and rafting with a great group of photographer friends (and one toy designer), threw a no-hitter in wiffle ball, and learned a little about astrophotography.  For those of you who don't know, (side note: if you are giving a speech at a wedding, don't start it with "for those of you who don't know me..."  EVERYONE starts it that way.  Get creative!) astrophotography is the art of photographing space from Earth.  It works best when there is minimal light pollution (avoiding big cities) and when the moon is new or close to new.  

I went up to my old hometown of Vernon, NJ to hang out with my friend Mark who moved to California about 2 years ago.  After playing trivia at one bar and closing out another, we decided to roam around and find some good spots to try astrophotography for the first time.  Here are some of the results:

Now that I know what I'm doing, the next time there's a new moon and a clear sky you'll definitely see some better astrophotographs from me.

Stacey and Marcus - Weehawken Wedding

It seems like ages ago that Stacey contacted me about photographing her wedding, but the day has come and gone, and boy, was it a blast!  From early in the morning at the barbershop to the very last minute of the reception, there were feelings of excitement and joy in everybody who was a part of their special day.  Not enough can be said about how awesome these two are - and how awesome their family and friends are - so you'll just have to see for yourself!

Another thank-you to Laura for her help with this wedding!

Lauren and Matt - Warwick Engagement Session

I've known Lauren since I was in 5th grade.  She was actually my first girlfriend (we "dated from 5th to 7th grade haha).  I hadn't really hung out with her for years after that, but last summer we spent some time together with mutual friends.  I could tell by the way she spoke about Matt that they were definitely going to get married, it was just a matter of time.  She's been telling me for about 2 years now that when they do get married, I will be their photographer.  Not only was I excited to be able to have another wedding to photograph, I was excited for them because I can tell that they're perfect for each other.  In December, we set out in Warwick, NY for their engagement shoot and we had a blast!  They're naturals in front of the camera...  See for yourself!

Also, I'd like to thank my friend and assistant, Laura, for her help on this shoot.  Check out her work!

Stacey and Marcus - DUMBO Engagement Session

Stacey and Marcus contacted me about photographing their wedding about a year ago.  We talked for a while and finally, in October, we were able to meet for the first time during their engagement shoot.  We took a few hours to walk through DUMBO and on the Brooklyn Bridge and had a blast while doing so.  Oh, we also saw a guy's newspaper be set on fire thanks to a candle on his table at dinner.  Enjoy the photos!  Their wedding post will also be up soon!

Full-Time

It's been quite a while since my last blog post.  Hopefully I'll have more time, beginning in the very near future, to keep you up to date with what's been going on in my world.  

Last week, I gave the district manager at my full-time job two weeks' notice that I would be leaving the company.  A lot of things led to this, but the most influential aspect was that I did not have enough time as I'd have liked to have to spend on photography while working there.  After March 15th, I will have all the time in the world to commit to my new full-time career, photography.

Along with my usual wedding and music gigs, I plan on expanding a little.  In the spring, I will be spending a lot of time at baseball/lacrosse/whatever fields photographing little leaguers all the way up to high schoolers.  I'll be selling these photos to coaches, parents, and players through Zenfolio, on which I am in the midst of setting up an account.  

To improve on my sports photography (which now has its own page on my website) I will be purchasing a 2x teleconverter.  A teleconverter attaches to your camera and allows your lens to be mounted on top of it, providing an extra element of glass and magnification.  This particular one has a 2x zoom factor, so it multiplies the lens's zoom range by 2.  My 70-200mm f/2.8 lens will now act as a 140-400mm lens with the teleconverter attached for only $200.  Seems too good to be true right?  It is.  There's a downfall with teleconverters.  For each increment of zoom expansion it provides, it takes away that many stops of light from the aperture.  So instead of having a 140-400mm f/2.8 (which would be a ridiculously impressive lens), I'll be using essentially a 140-400mm f/5.6 lens.  

Now, I've done my research on zoom lenses, and I've had my fair share of experience with them in the sports photography field.  f/5.6 in daylight is more than enough of an opening to be able to shoot at 1/1000 s or faster at 400-800 ISO.  However, not every day will be bright and sunny.  That's where my camera's low light sensitivity comes into play.  The Canon 6D has the best low light performance I've seen on any camera first-hand.  I've shot at 6400 and gotten crystal clear results.  Stretching from 800 to 1600 ISO will not be an issue, and most likely even 3200 won't show much grain.  This makes the decision in getting a 2x teleconverter and losing 2 stops of light almost a no-brainer.

I am also looking into getting into real estate photography.  Agents need professional, quality images of the properties they are selling, and I can provide them with just that.  I've learned a ton about lighting through shooting weddings in all different style venues (not to mention wedding prep in the brides' and grooms' homes), and I have the equipment that will allow me to make these homes as appealing as the agent wants them to seem.

I will always be looking for new opportunities, so if anybody needs help with any photography-related projects, please let me know!

I promise next time I'll post sooner than 7 months from now.

John and Jess's Wedding

I was asked to second-shoot this wedding in April for William Hollingsworth Photography after having met Bill just once.  I was kind of nervous about it being that it was my first time fully second-shooting as opposed to assisting and shooting supplementally.  Nevertheless, once I started, it felt like I had been doing shoots like this forever, and I think that's a pretty good sign.  I'm looking forward to shooting more events with him.  Thanks, Bill, for the opportunity!  

John and Jess's wedding was a blast, and I think that's evident in the photos.  See for yourself! 

June Update

So far this month, I've photographed an Ascending From Ashes bar show, Rock Ribs and Ridges Festival featuring Charlie Daniels Band, And a Foreigner concert.  Each one presented a different atmosphere and environment, and that's what keeps me so involved with my photography.  It's a challenge to come away with a consistent style of images in completely different circumstances.  Whether it's a dimly lit pub, an outdoor show at 5 PM in the summer, or a professionally illuminated concert for a band that's been at it for 40+ years, there are always choices to be made at the shoot and in post processing.  Obviously, a professionally lit concert is going to be much easier to work with than a dark bar, but I enjoy a challenge.  

With that little blurb out of the way, check out some of my photos from Foreigner last night!