From my side of the lens...

A Thursday night shoot!

2010-09-03T12:28:00.004-04:00

Tonya & Jim's Signature Session in Washington Park - Albany, NY

Playing Catch Up...

2010-09-02T13:58:00.074-04:00

This has been a whirlwind of a wedding season with so much going on that I've simply neglected my blog posting in favor of putting albums on Facebook so my clients could see the images, tag and share them with family and friends. So I'm finally getting some down time between weddings, photo sessions, camping trips with the kids and life in general to post some of the images from the past 3 months!

Thanks for bearing with me :-)

Brittney and Adam's Get to Know You Session at Dyken Pond - Berlin, NY

Cassandra and Martin's Wedding at River Stone Manor - Glenville, NY

Nancy and Todd's Signature Session on the Hudson River - Glenmont, NY

Cassandra and Martin's Signature Session in Washington Park - Albany, NY

Jessica and Sam's Wedding in Gloversville and Mallozzi's - Rotterdam, NY

Jamie and PJ's Signature Session in Downtown & Washington Park - Albany, NY

Kristin and Randy's Signature Session in Washington Park - Albany, NY

Alissa and Al's Get to Know You Session in Washington Park - Albany, NY

Amber and Nick's Get to Know You Session at River Stone Manor - Glenville, NY

Diana and Justin's Wedding at the Eccentric Club - Gloversville, NY

Megan and Greg's Get to Know You Session on the Hudson River Walk and Vanderbuilt Mansion - Poughkeepsie, NY

Tricia and Mike's Wedding at 11 North Pearl Street - Albany, NY

Melissa and Chris's Wedding at Christ the King in Guilderland and Mohawk River Country Club - Rexford, NY

Jessica and Sam's Signature Session in Washington Park - Albany, NY

Laura and Jim's Wedding at Glen Sanders Mansion - Scotia, NY

Cassandra and Martins Get to Know You Session at the Corning Preserve - Albany, NY

Tricia and Mike's Signature Session in Congress Park - Saratoga Springs, NY

Melissa and Chris's Signature Session in Central Park - Schenectady, NY

Laura and Joe's Wedding in Clifton Park & Mallozzi's - Rotterdam, NY

Diana and Justin's Signature Session - Johnstown, NY

Trish and Paul's Get to Know You Session on North Pearl Street - Albany, NY

Laura & Jim's Signature Session

2010-05-10T14:48:00.004-04:00

It seems like just a few days ago Laura and Jim were freezing their butts off shooting with me for their "Get to know you session" and here we are already doing a "Signature Session"... It was a little bit warmer than last time but man, I don't recall a a May ever being this cold!

Laura and Jim decided to do their shoot at 5 Rivers Environmental Preserve in Voorheesville and we had some beautiful greenery and one patch of blue sky! They weren't that cold as you can see from the photos - well at least Jim looks warm :-)

Rest up guys - the wedding is just around the corner!

Trish & Paul's "Get to know you session"

2010-05-10T14:09:00.003-04:00

I met Trish and Paul at the Birch Hill bridal show this year and they are a fun, fun couple! With their very hectic schedule we decided to shoot the "Get to know you session" this past Sunday in downtown Albany since Paul likes an urban feel to the images...

I had an unexpected guest as they just got a new Terrier puppy and decided to bring him along for the ride. There was no way I couldn't include him in a couple of the photos! We had a fun session and downtown Albany wasn't crowded at all - I'm guessing everyone was at the Tulip Festival.

Stephanie & Brandon's Photo Session

2010-05-10T13:57:00.002-04:00

It's not often that I do sessions for non-wedding clients but I felt compelled to shoot Stephanie and Brandon as I had photographed her sister Mollie's wedding last year as well as photograph her mom (Shelly). They have such a warm and friendly family and they just welcomed me with open arms...

We actually did our session on the Friday evening before the Tulip Festival in Albany's Washington Parl. It was very crowded but we managed to get some beautiful images. Stephanie and Brandon are getting married in Hawaii which is where Brandon is from but alas I won't be their photographer :-(

Best of luck and thank you for giving m the opportunity to be a part of your day!

Laura & Joe's Signature Session

2010-05-10T13:51:00.003-04:00

Thursday I had the pleasure of photographing Laura & Joe's Signature Photo Session at the Corning Preserve in Albany. Their wedding is fast approaching (May 28th) so they finally made time to do their shoot with me. We had a great shoot and you can see the excitement in the photos!

Thursday I had the pleasure of photographing Laura & Joe's Signature Photo Session at the Corning Preserve in Albany. Their wedding is fast approaching (May 28th) so they finally made time to do their shoot with me. We had a great time and you can see the excitement in the photos!

Giselle & Adam 4.17.10

2010-04-28T11:39:00.007-04:00

Here's a sneak preview of their wedding photos... What a fun and energetic wedding this was - great emotions and family!

Tricia & Mike's "Get to know you session"

2010-04-28T11:31:00.004-04:00

Here we go again with another Pierce wedding :-) Seriously could these two get any cuter??? Tricia and Mike were on spring break so we decided to do their session in Albany as they were "passing through" I thought that one of the gardens on the SUNY Albany campus would be a nice backdrop. Well not only were the colors stunning but they were a perfect compliment to Tricia and Mike as they got lost in the moments :-)

I CANNOT WAIT for this wedding! It's like visiting old friends you haven't seen in a while - you pick up right where you left off and it never feels like there's been an absence of time...

Spring Break in Washington, DC

2010-04-28T11:09:00.008-04:00

We decided to visit the nation's capital during spring break with the kids and spend some time learning about our history. It was a great time and we stayed in College Park, MD so we would avoid the stress of driving in DC. The kids enjoyed riding the Metro and soaked in the sights, sounds and smells (yes the cherry blossoms silly) of Washington.

We took time to walk a good portion of the national mall and saw the Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam and World War II monuments. The kids asked a lot of questions and I did my best job answering all of them. We had an opportunity to visit the Museum of American History and the Air & Space Museum while in the city. The real excitement (for me anyway) was when we drove to the Air & Space Museum Annex near Dulles airport and saw the BIG planes - the space shuttle Enterprise, an SR-71 Blackbird and the Enola Gay... WOW! Just WOW!

On our last day we spent some time with one of my high school buddies Marshall and his wife and son. It was a nice visit and hopefully we'll do it more often as the kids got along very well...

I hope you enjoy the photos!

OK - so winter is NOT over yet...

2010-02-24T15:20:00.004-05:00

I love snow but wow - this reminds me of the snow we used to get growing up... I was snow blowing for the better part of last night and ended up doing my driveway plus five of my neighbors. Five broken shear pins and some tired muscles later I captured some of these images... Enjoy!

E

What next???

2010-02-21T18:59:00.003-05:00

So I finally decided to buy an espresso maker. While I was "doing the deed" Nancy was next door getting shoes with the kids. Go figure - Asa wanted special shoe laces... Gotta love the kid :-)

The shots of the Breville Expresso maker and the shoes were made with the Nikon 85/1.4 and the images of the kids and Nancy are with the Nikon 200/2.
Jeff

Laura & Jim 2.20.10

2010-02-21T00:12:00.003-05:00

Ah yes - another freezing cold day filled with hot, hot images from another fun filled "Get to know you" session with Laura & Jim. After much discussion they decided to shoot at the Altamont Elementary School playground - what a fun shoot!

After we shot there for a while I decided to put my own spin on the images and shoot at Stuyvesant Plaza... Love the lights from the trees in the background while Laura & Jim stroll on the sidewalk.
Thanks for such a fun filled shoot guys!
Jeff

Jamie & PJ 2.15.10

2010-02-16T23:35:00.007-05:00

What an amazing shoot - Jamie & PJ wanted to do their "Get to know you" session in Cooperstown which is where the wedding will take place in September... We had such a fun time getting to know one another and truly come together - it shows in the images. We shot in 4 different locations in less than 2 hours and boy did we freeze our bits off!

All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you for such an incredible time and I cannot wait for the Signature session and wedding to make some more amazing images of you guys! Jamie & PJ were also the first couple to be photographed with my new BIG GUN 200/2 Nikkor - an amazing addition to my gear.
Enjoy!
Jeff

Riverstone Manor Bridal Show 2.7.10

2010-02-11T18:42:00.004-05:00

Well the 2010 wedding season kicked off with a fun shoot with Jessica and Sam and rolled right into the bridal show at Riverstone Manor - one of my FAVORITE places to work. Skip, Amber and the crew pulled off another successful show on Superbowl Sunday!

120 brides walked through the doors to scout out the vendors and wares available for their special day. It was great seeing old friends like John Viscosi (photographer), Mitch Frasier (Vocals & DJ), Mike Garrasi (DJ), TR Laz (Albany Weddings) and of course the Riverstone Manor crew...

They had some absolutely stunning models showcasing wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses. The food and ambiance was superb and there was even wine tasting. I decided to display one of the images from Cristina and Blake's wedding in 2009 as a 46"x78" central image and showcase some of the 8"x12" albums I designed and printed myself.

If you've already hired me as your photographer I thank you, and if you haven't (yet) I look forward to speaking with you about my services for your very special event! I encourage you to look at my website and the blog here to get a feel for my style as well as view my "Other Professionals" link for recommended DJs, Make Up Artists (MUAs), Florists, Videographers and Event Planners.
Jeff

Jessica and Sam's Corning Preserve Shoot

2010-01-24T21:30:00.004-05:00

What a great way to start off 2010 than with a fun and exciting photo session with one of this years couples! Jessica and Sam were so excited about their upcoming wedding they decided to do a shoot right after they hired me to be their photographer.

We had a BLAST shooting at the Corning Preserve in downtown Albany and you can see how well they did in front of the camera! Can't wait to do their Signature Session and wedding...

Wendy and Jenn 11.13.09

2009-12-03T06:34:00.006-05:00

I've known Wendy for over 16 years and was so excited when she asked if I would take photos at her union ceremony to Jennifer. This was the second time in my photography career to capture images at a union and it was incredible! Since Wendy is my wife's step sister it made the event even more special because of the family that was there, but Jenn's family and all the friends that were there really, really pumped up the fun!

They put a special twist with the decorations at Longfellow's which really made the venue come alive! Enjoy the photos...

Nikki & Matt's 10.3.09

2009-12-03T06:27:00.003-05:00

October and November just blew completely by. This is such a busy time of year with weddings winding down and the holidays fast approaching so my blog posts have been suffering. I had the pleasure of photographing Nikki and Matt's wedding in Coxsackie at Red's Riverboat room. It was a fun gathering of friends and family to celebrate the union. Nothing like a good 'ol fashion cake smashin' to finish things off!

In Memory...

2009-10-19T10:41:00.007-04:00

Jim with daughter Jamie and son Dan

I was saddened to read this morning that James Fortune passed away on Friday October 16th. On September 27th I had the pleasure of photographing his son Dan's marriage to Alisa at Birch Hill. They moved the wedding up a year because Jim had been diagnosed with cancer.

This was an especially hard wedding to shoot and edit because it hit so close to home for me. My dad passed away 14 years ago from cancer just a little more than a year after Nancy and I were married... As photographers we know our job is sometimes difficult but always special - events like this bring it into perspective.

My heart is heavy with grief for them but I know that Jim held on long enough to bear witness to their union and he was so happy and full of life. Whenever I saw him he had a smile you couldn't wipe away and just such a warm and welcoming look. God bless and rest in peace.
Jeff

Kristin & Randy's E-session

2009-10-14T13:59:00.003-04:00

Work, work, work... Kristin and Randy live in New Jersey so we planned the e-session around their travel plans. They wanted a fall feel to the images since they're getting married next October, so we chose John Boyd Thatcher Park as our destination. There wasn't a lot of color but we made do with what we could find. Don't worry guys, it gets easier ;-)

Tonya & Jim... On the Farm

2009-10-13T16:03:00.004-04:00

Catching the last rays of the sun I had the pleasure of photographing Tonya and Jim on his parent's farm and Galway Lake. Needless to say they were a lot of fun to work with (all my clients are). Enjoy their fall e-session with the backdrop of the farm and Galway Lake...
Jeff

Wendy & Jen's Signature Session

2009-10-13T15:48:00.003-04:00

I've known Wendy for about sixteen years now and when she contacted me about her union ceremony to Jen I jumped at the chance. They are such a nice couple and since she's my wife's step sister I felt honored for her to have the confidence in me to capture their special day. We decided to create the images next to a small pond in DiCaprio Park in Guilderland and I think we did well ;-)
Congrats Wendy and Jen!

Melissa & Chris's Engagement Session

2009-10-13T14:57:00.004-04:00

Melissa and Chris hired me for their wedding next year and I couldn't be happier to have them as clients. Melissa is so bubbly and happy, so it's not hard to see why Chris smiles when around her. With fall fast approaching we decided to use Tawasentha Park for their engagement session.
Enjoy!
Jeff

Alisa & Dan 9.27.09

2009-10-13T13:17:00.005-04:00

They say that a little rain on your wedding day is good luck, so I hope it holds true for Alisa and Dan. Even with the rain the joy and happiness was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife... Birch Hill as always served up great food, great service and the conservatory was beautifully decorated to properly celebrate this wedding!

Congratulations guys and all the best!
Jeff

Nancy & Todd's Engagement Shoot

2009-10-02T21:52:00.002-04:00

Talk about tough cookies... Nancy and Todd booked me for their 2010 wedding and wanted to do their engagement shoot at the DEC 5 Rivers facility in Delmar. The weather was a little cold for the last days of September (50's) and Nancy wanted to wear a cute outfit for the pictures.

You can see how warm they were together! Fun, exciting and pumped to do photos! Can't wait for the wedding...
Jeff

Alisa and Dan's Signature Session

2009-09-24T09:19:00.003-04:00

I don't know how it happens, but it seems that all of my clients are fun, happy and energetic people that are just a pleasure to be with. Alisa and Dan are no exception - they are so happy together and have such great energy. They had to include their "kids" in some of the photos so we spend some time trying to get the dogs to pay attention to me without running over to greet me.

After the session at the house we drove to John Boyd Thatcher Park and did our photoshoot at the lookout where you can see a vast majority of the Albany area. The Signature Session is really meant to get clients comfortable in front of the camera, but Alisa and Dan were already there!

My favorite and surprisingly theirs too is the sun burst B&W image - great job guys... See you on Sunday!
Jeff

Heather & Dan 9.19.09

2009-09-21T15:58:00.008-04:00

What a day! Sunny, warm, clear sky, an unbelievable River Boat band - and two fun loving people... Heather and Dan's wedding was at the Pruyn House in Colonie on this sunny September afternoon. Just a great time surrounded by friends and family for this happy couple. The band was such a change from the usual DJ - live music and they were GOOD!

I mentioned to Heather and Dan that it felt like Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans with the music from the band playing in the background... Best of luck and congratulations!
Jeff

For Kelly...

Nicole and David 9.5.09

2009-09-08T21:59:00.008-04:00

I think that the image below of Nicole and David outside of the banquet house may be one of my all time favorite images from Riverstone. All natural light, no flash and hand held at 1/15 sec for all of you techies out there...

Nikon D3 ISO 3200 Nikkor 28mm 1/15 @ f1.4 - hand held...

It's hard to believe that the wedding is here already! I remember meeting with Nicole and David for the first time and it seemed like their wedding date was so far off... We weren't sure how accurate the weather reports were because it started to cloud up and actually rain as we drove to the church, but it brightened right up for them!

The ceremony was simple and quick - thank you pastor :-) Once we finished with the formals in the church we were off to Riverstone Manor for some fun and excitement with this energized young crowd! As usual Skip and Patti along with the staff made the evening a pleasure with excellent service and food.

David & Arlyn 8.29.09

2009-09-08T11:43:00.009-04:00

I graduated with David from high school more years ago than I care to think about and had the honor of taking the photos of his wedding. The day started out with rain, and lots of it but the sun came out long enough for them to get married outside on David's family farm. Simple but full of laughter and conversation - just the perfect thing for this nice country setting...

David's sister Jennifer is a superb seamstress and made Arlyn's gown as well as the other bridesmaids dresses... My son and daughter were both in the wedding so the entire family was involved in one way or another - we all had a blast! The cake was made by a nice young lady from Greenville Central School who is pursuing a career in the culinary arts - kudos to a job well done!

Congrats Dave and Arlyn!!!

Katie & Damian 8.8.09

2009-09-08T11:10:00.007-04:00

Katie and Damian are a very special couple - you can see the bond they share when they look at each other or when they're speaking to you about one another... It's very rare to hear someone profess their feelings in song, but when you do it's magical - Damian did exactly that during the ceremony and you could hear a pin drop!

Riverstone Manor was on top of their game for the reception and we were able to capture some wonderful images on the banks of the Mohawk... Enjoy the photos and congratulations to you both!

Kate & Tim 8.7.09

2009-09-08T10:35:00.007-04:00

I knew it was going to be a fun time after Kate's dad left our first meeting laughing so hard he was in tears but it was even better! A more beautiful day could not have been special ordered - blue skies, white clouds and all the fun you could possibly handle with a super charged fun packed list of friends and relatives.

This was my first wedding at Mallozzi's which is quite remarkable since I've been shooting weddings for 15 years and literally live around the corner. The folks at Mallozzi's were fantastic - great service, good food and absolutely there for their clients. http://www.mallozzis.com

Congratulations Kate and Tim!

Cristina & Blake 8.1.09

2009-08-12T17:00:00.005-04:00

We couldn't have special ordered better weather than Cristina and Blake were blessed with... Such a gorgeous day to be get married and in one of the most beautiful churches in the Capital District - St. John the Evangelist in Schenectady. After the ceremony we stopped in Central Park to take some formals and then off to a terrific reception at the Century House in Latham.

Congratulations and best of luck to you both!
Jeff

Arlyn and David's Signature Session

2009-08-07T12:40:00.003-04:00

I've been friends with David for the better part of my life and it's very exciting to see him so happy. He and Arlyn have gone through a lot to get to this point, but the journey was worth it if you've had a chance to see them together. We did their Signature Photo Session on David's family farm where Cristina and Blake did a couple weeks back - it's a beautiful area and my home town to boot!

The wedding is at the end of the month and it will be simple, elegant and family oriented, so stop back and see their day...
Jeff

Nicole & David's Signature Session

2009-08-05T22:41:00.004-04:00

So here we are a month away from the big day... Nicole and David decided that Central Park in Schenectady would be a nice place to take photos with the flowers and the fountain, so we did... We had a fun time talking about all kinds of things and getting to know each other better. These sessions are a great way to take some time and become familiar with my shooting style and personality - you're stuck with me for 8 hours so you'd better like me :-)

Enjoy the session - my favorite is the black and white sunburst shot!
Jeff

Nikki & Matt's Engagement Session

2009-08-05T17:41:00.002-04:00

Nikki and Matt decided to do their engagement photos along the Hudson River in Coxsackie - it's a lovely little town park. I've know Nikki for years and she is such a bubbly and fun young lady - Matt is a perfect match for her and gives her some grounding. They're planning a fall wedding so stop back in October to see the photos.
Jeff

Heather & Dan's Signature Session

2009-08-04T16:04:00.003-04:00

So mix the first day of track season in Saratoga with a concert an SPAC plus torrential rain and what do you get??? A fun time shooting in an old hotel! Heather and Dan really wanted a nostalgic, classy look to their session and we were all set to shoot in the gardens at Yaddo but mother nature had other plans...

These two are a fun loving couple that work their tails off during the week but let their hair down when the opportunity arises. We had such great conversation and a fun photo shoot in the hotel. Enjoy the images and stop back for more next month when they tie the knot!
Jeff

Cristina & Blake's Signature Session

2009-07-28T18:25:00.005-04:00

When I met Cristina last year all she could do is talk about her fiance Blake - Blake was a United States Marine serving in Iraq so I never met him until Sunday. What a great guy, a real sport and a gentleman! Cristina had a desire to do a rustic shoot so what better place than an old farm.

My home town of Greenville was just the ticket so I called a good friend and got permission to photograph at his family farm. I think the results speak for themselves, but more important was the excitement and joy that Blake and Cristina showed when they viewed the images... The wedding is next Saturday so stop back and see how they made out!
Jeff

Giselle & Adam's Photo Session

2009-07-28T18:20:00.003-04:00

What a blast! I haven't laughed this much in a long time... Giselle and Adam are a super fun couple - happy, in love and just glowing when they're together! This was our first session together and they chose the Empire State Plaza and the State Education Building as a backdrop. Their wedding is next April so they have plenty of time to get comfortable in front of the camera... Like they need to???
Jeff

Bethany & Ryan's Engagement

2009-07-28T18:11:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure of taking some photos of Bethany and Ryan for their engagement announcements. Washington Park is such a beautiful area and offers so much diversity in architecture and plants. We shot on the east side of the park which was new for me - we had a blast! We were even blessed with a sun shower that forced us to seek shelter which offered a little together time for the happy couple...
Jeff

Amanda & Tikiri 7.2.09

2009-07-28T18:02:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful family! Amanda and Tikiri have two adorable children that added such a special touch to the day... Rain was the order of the day but certainly didn't dampen the fun at the wedding. The ceremony and reception took place at Riverstone Manor in Glenville and the service was excellent as usual.
All the best on your adventure together!
Jeff

Stephanie & Byron 6.27.09

2009-07-28T17:53:00.006-04:00

Stephanie and Byron were blessed with a little rain on their special day - nothing to deter their spirits, just enough for good luck! The ceremony was at St. Edward's in Clifton Park followed by a wonderful reception at Riverstone Manor in Glenville. Great food and friendships just made for a day to remember!
Congrats!
Jeff

Mollie & Pete 6.20.09

2009-06-26T19:02:00.004-04:00

Rain, rain go away come back another day! Any boy did we get rain... Mollie and Pete were real troopers and didn't let the rain put a damper on their wedding day. The ceremony went on outside at the Riverstone Manor without any delay.

Hard to even tell it was raining with all the happy people that surrounded Mollie and Pete on their special day. I haven't seen this much dancing by the bride in a while - you hardly saw Mollie away from the dance floor.

Enjoy the teasers and I'll post the full wedding once Mollie and Pete return to Albany in mid July.
Jeff

Joy & JT 6.13.09

2009-06-19T21:54:00.006-04:00

All I can say is WOW! What a wedding, what a couple and what wonderful fellowship... I've known Joy for several years and was both honored and scared to death when she asked me to photograph her wedding. It's one thing when a friend asks you to be in their wedding, it's another to shoot it!

What a beautiful experience it turned out to be. I had the opportunity to photograph Joy and Jeff's engagement session, their signature photo session, Joy's intimate session as a gift to JT and finally their wedding... I am truly blessed to have had such a rich involvement in their union and I am so grateful.

Here are a few of my favorites from the wedding. Oh did I mention there was a Rolls Royce Phantom???
Enjoy!
Jeff

Traci & Tim 6.6.09

2009-06-11T14:53:00.004-04:00

It's time! Traci and Tim tied the knot on Saturday June 6th - they were blessed with family, friends and beautiful weather... I'm in a black and white mood so here are some teasers for them in case they check the blog on their honeymoon.
Congrats and see you in a couple weeks!
Jeff

Amanda, Tikiri and the kids

2009-06-02T21:56:00.004-04:00

When I received a call about a wedding on July 2nd I immediately thought it was a mistake - nope it's a Thursday wedding and these two beautiful people and their adorable kids are getting married!

I finally had a chance to do not only a signature photo session with Amanda and Tik, but also a fun family portrait session as well. We opted for Congress Park in Saratoga early Saturday morning which turned out to sunny, warm and just plain gorgeous!

Here are a few images and I hope that you enjoy viewing these as much as I did capturing them!
Jeff

Katie & Tim's Signature Photo session

2009-05-30T00:02:00.004-04:00

Even with a little rain falling, Katie and Tim drove up from Connecticut and we had a fun time shooting at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. They're a fun and energetic couple and were an absolute pleasure to work with.

This wedding is going to ROCK! When I met Katie's dad we were all in tears laughing and hit it off so well - it was more than just meeting the bride to be, it was a whole family experience. Congrats on a fun and fruitful photo session guys only 2 months to go!

May Signature Sessions

2009-05-28T23:19:00.009-04:00

The month of May has been full of fun and excitement with preparation for my upcoming June weddings. There have been signature photos sessions to do for my June clients and they are always such a fun and exciting session.

Sunday May 17th Joy and Jeff had their signature photo session in one of my favorite places to shoot - Albany's Washington Park. The park offers so many different places to work, the boat house, the pedestrian bridge, the pathways, flower beds and trees. Their June 13th wedding is fast approaching! Joy and Jeff are such a fun and easy going couple and I simply cannot wait to capture the moments of their wedding day.

May 22nd I had the pleasure of shooting Mollie and Pete's signature session in Washington Park in Albany. Mollie and Pete will be tying the knot on June 20th and what a great shoot we had!

Saturday May 23rd was a beautiful day even though they'd predicted rain. In the early morning I drove to Congress Park in Saratoga to photograph Stephanie and Byron's signature session for their upcoming June 27th wedding. During our shoot Stephanie and Byron were visited my a few of the locals - beautiful ducks!

Later in the morning I made my way down to Clifton Park to take some time and photograph Katie and Damian's signature session for their upcoming August 8th wedding. Since they were in town for Katie's bridal shower it was an opportune time to have their photo session. They chose a quiet little pond near Katie's parents house and it was just perfect!

It's been a while...

2009-05-28T15:24:00.005-04:00

Well the month of April and for that matter May has flown by with Spring Break with the kids spent in Baltimore, my adventure with a swimming pool (always smell the pool for chlorine - long story).

We decided to take the kids to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and explore the surrounding area while there. Delaney and Asa LOVED the aquarium, especially the 3 story shark tank! We also visited the Maryland Science Museum which had some great hands on exhibits, IMax movie theater and finally the Children's Museum in Baltimore. The Children's Museum was more of an indoor playground than a museum but the kids had a BLAST!

After our excursion to Baltimore I had the pleasure of attending a photography workshop lead by George Weir. I'm a firm believer in continuing education and for photographers it's a little different than simply showing up to a structured class. Each year I choose a workshop where the photographer's work moves me or inspires me. George has been a photographer most of his life and truly shines in the area of journalism and shooting from the heart. I walked away from his workshop inspired, motivated and challenged all in a matter of 48 hours!

Traci and Tim's Signature Photo Session

2009-04-04T14:16:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that six month's has flown by since I met with Traci and Tim about their upcoming June 2009 wedding! What a warm and fun loving couple - they decided to do their Signature Photo at the lookout located in John Boyd Thatcher Park today...

The weather was blustery to say the least with some sprinkles and the occaissional snow flurry but we had a great time. The outlook was a little grey compared to other days but that didn't stop them from making the best of it - as you can see from the photos below, they're warm enough ;-)

March has flown by!

2009-03-31T22:29:00.007-04:00

What an unbelievably busy month March was... We took the kids to see their first hockey game starring The Albany River Rats at the Times Union Center with the IT Department at MVP Health - they had a blast and the River Rats won! Delaney caught some coupons dropped by the News Channel 9 blimp - that was pretty cool...

Next on the agenda was my bridal show at Birch Hill on March 8th which was my second one of the year. Earlier in February I had the pleasure of attending the Riverstone Manor bridal show for the 4th straight year - great time at both events!

Here is my latest bridal show display and marketing materials - the large photo is comprised of (12) individual 16x20" prints made on my new Epson 3800 Professional wide pigment printer. It was very humbling to hear all the positive remarks about it. The image was taken at Riverstone Manor last year of Diana - one of my wonderful brides from 2008.

After leasing a 2007 Honda Accord for 2 years it was time to "get what I wanted" as my wife promised me I could do. So after many, many, many weeks of crunching numbers, reading consumer reports, test drives, sales meetings and negotiations I FINALLY decided on a leftover 2008 Ford Edge Limited AWD in Vapor Silver. It was a lot more vehicle than I had intended on purchasing, but Nancy put her thoughts into my decision making process and we came up with a larger vehicle since the kids are getting bigger and will start to pack more gear. Good news is everyone loves the car/truck - can't decide what to call it yet...

My June wedding clients are starting to line up for their Signature Sessions and I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a model's portfolio for submission as well. Here are a couple of shots, some being intimates (budoir) so handle with care ;-)
Jeff

Sabrina & Mike's Wedding

2009-02-23T21:43:00.003-05:00

So Saturday was the first of many weddings for 2009 and it could not have started off with a nicer couple... Sabrina and Mike were wed in Waterford's Grace Church and received at the Century House in Latham. I had the pleasure of documenting Sabrina's day starting at Lucca's Spa in Malta, NY...

Here's a taste of things to come Sabrina and Mike!
Congrats...
Jeff

Christmas time is near!

2008-12-15T15:50:00.003-05:00

Don't they look cute??? Spend a week with them and you might think otherwise :-) Nancy was in New York City all last week for training and so the kids had to put up with me - we all survived and I'll leave it at that!

Unfortunately with the ice storm, Nancy was stranded due to the cancellation of all northbound Amtrak trains. She rented a car on Sarturday and drove home. Sunday was put up the tree and decorations day.

I took a couple quick shots of the kids as they were working on the tree and mom was outside strining the lights on the bushes...

The big ice storm...

2008-12-15T15:32:00.005-05:00

Wow, what a way to wake up. My alarm went off at 5am which is an hour earlier than I planned! Why? Well that's because the ice storm knocked out power somewhere around 1:30am and my alarm clock is on battery back up. I let the kids sleep in (as did I) until around 8:30am and then I made them some eggs with ham (their favorite) since we have a gas range. Pays to have grown up in the country ;-)

So Friday was a total loss in productivity, but when Saturday came and the power had been restored, the scene was beautiful! Enjoy the images from around the house on Friday and the crystal trees from Saturday...

Those strange things on the front steps!!!

2008-11-11T09:30:00.005-05:00

OK, so I forgot to post photos of the kid's pumpkins... This year we decided to use the decorating kits instead of the usual pumkin carving. This was a lot less messy and stressfull! As usual the kids made a killing with all the candy they collected - dentists love us :-)

So here are the pumpkins adorning our front steps!

I'll let you figure out which one is Delaney's and which one is Asa's.

Sabrina & Michael

2008-11-03T13:11:00.008-05:00

It's hard to believe that not only is fall here, but winter has already paid us a visit in the form of our first snow fall! Two weeks ago I got together with Sabrina and Michael in downtown Troy so we could shoot their Signature Photo session before the winter hit. Looks like we just made it ;-)

Sabrina is a teacher and Michael works for New York State and are so much fun to be with - very much in love and happy with who they are. They decided to shoot near their apartment since the neighborhood was so nice and had some beautiful brownstone buildings. Hopefully when they are married in February they'll look back on this photo and remember why we did the shoot now...

Enjoy!
Jeff

Corrine

2008-10-30T23:03:00.005-04:00

An intimate photo session....

This post is a little departure from my normal images as it's an intimate session that I did with a very lovely young lady from the Woodstock, NY area. Most of my bridal clients know that I offer an "Intimates Session" for the bride to be, so I thought it would be nice to work with a non-bride so I could show some of the images on the web.

Corrine is originally from the west coast and is an aspiring model, so she was perfect to showcase my work. The images are "work safe" so don't worry that the boss is going to be looking over your shoulder ;-)

The intimate sessions are a great confidence booster for the bride to be as most of them work so very hard to look their best for the wedding. Often times brides spend months dieting and/or working out prior to the big day. What a better time in your life to document how beautiful you look than just before your wedding. The session is part of my normal fee to photograph a wedding, so it's a no brainer!

I love shooting glamour and this is just another facet that is specifically designed to be fun, exciting and rewarding for my brides - the grooms also benefit too ;-)

NYC Photo Plus Expo and the Mullers

2008-10-28T16:38:00.005-04:00

Every October the Javits Center in NYC hosts the biggest display of photographic tools and computer software that I look at. So this past week I traveled to look and see what was new in the industry that I wanted to integrate into my business for 2009. It's like being in a candy store for photographers!

It's a great way to meet up with vendors that I do business with during the year as well as photographers who I've become friends with. Needless to say it's always a great time and I get a chance to catch up and find out what new products are out and upcoming. This month I purchased an Epson 3800 Professional Inkjet printer to do fine art prints and if all works out, my own custom albums for 2009!

After the Expo I met up with Brenda Muller for dinner at Virgil's BBQ in Time Square. Pete couldn't meet us due to work priorities so we brought him some dessert later. I had the pleasure of photographing their wedding last September 1st, so it was nice catching up with them after they celebrated their 1st anniversary. It's so nice to share memories with the many nice couples that I work for, and that's really what makes the job so enjoyable...

Emerald and Bryan

2008-10-25T10:44:00.009-04:00

It doesn't seem possible that a year has passed since I first met Emerald and Bryan at Jenn and Butch's wedding, but here we are! The day was supposed to be rainy and miserable but apparently Emerald's smile kept the clouds at bay...

Nicole did her magic with Emerald's hair and Allison Provenzano did a wonderful job with the girls makeup. The ceremony was held at St. Luke's Episcopal Churchin Catskill and the reception was at Anthony's in Leeds.

Congratulations Emerald and Bryan! Best wishes for a long and happy marriage!
Jeff Guntert

People and Places that made the day!
Make Up artist - Allison Provenzano
allaboutfaces@aol.com (518)458-9038

Anthony's Restaurant
Rte 23B
Leeds, NY 12451
(518)943-9765

Joy & Jeff's Engagement Session

2008-10-10T13:14:00.003-04:00

OK, OK Joy they're up - stop calling me ;-) Seriously though, this was a nice relaxing and fun photoshoot... Joy and Jeff met at a laundry-mat in Albany and if you know Joy that's not such a far reach! Joy is a neat, organized person - did I mention she was neat? I can't blame her for accepting Jeff's offer to meet up for dinner! What a good looking guy - not that Joy's hard on the eyes either but hey, we bald guys have to stick together ;-)

Joy and Jeff chose to shoot at the University at Albany campus where Joy works and we took advantage of the surrounding architecture. This was a great "get to know you" session and this is one of the things that I love to do with couples. The better you know your clients the more natural the photos become - likewise the better you know your photographer, the easier it is to trust in their abilities...

Enjoy the photos!
Jeff

September 20th - Amy & Michael

2008-10-09T01:33:00.010-04:00

Talk about a rockin' couple with a kickin' party! Amy and Michael's wedding was a feast for all the senses - great food, beautiful venue and one of the most amazing bands around! To top it all off Amy's parents are Jazz musicians and can they play... Amy's mom Peggy was really worried that she was going to cry, so I told her what I tell my brides - look at me, look into my eyes if you need a safe place to look. But, if I'm tearing up we're all in trouble!

The day went great, Peggy did well until Amy's grandfather got up to sing - I looked at Peggy, she saw tears in my eyes as I tried desperately to photograph this beautiful moment and then I headed out of the room to recompose... Love my job!!!

People and Places that made the day!
Make Up artist - Genn Shaughnessy
(http://www.darkshadowsmedia.com//)
Jean Paul Salon
(http://www.jeanpaulspa.com//)
Shaker Ridge Country Club
(http://www.shakerridgeevents.com//)
Doc Scanlon's Rythm Boys
(http://www.ddemusic.com/dsrb/dsrb.html//)

What a beautiful day, wonderful guests and wedding party - you just couldn't ask for anything more! Enjoy the photos from their wedding...

Jeff Guntert