Has it been almost two months???

I guess everyone starts a blog with good intentions... Over the past two months I seem to have lost track of time and simply neglected the blog. I'm not even sure if anyone is looking at it since I never see any comments or get emails (hint, hint).

Wedding season is winding down and it has been a fabulous experience this year with so many wonderful couples to work with. Now is the time that everyone sends in their wedding photo picks so I can get the albums rolling and completed before the end of the year.

The kids are back in school and learning all sorts of new things. Delaney is taking up the flute, singing in the school chorus and the junior choir at St. Madeline Sophie. She also celebrated her 9th birthday and her brother is right behind her in two weeks turning 4 if you can believe it!

This has also been a bittersweet time since my best friend from college came home from Brussels to bury his mother. I haven't seen Dean in about 13 years with all the traveling he and Robin do for the Army. Last week we also said good-bye to my good friend Bud Provin's mom who passed away in Vermont.

On a good note I had the pleasure of accompanying my good friend Peter Finger (http://www.peterfingerweddings.com/) to Photo Plus Expo in New York City last week. We had a great time looking at new albums, oh and the new Nikon D3 camera! I am sooooo looking forward to this new Nikon professional body!

I'll post some images in the next day or so when I take a break from processing last weekends images. Thanks for stopping by and PLEASE drop me an email so I know someone is looking at the blog...

All the best!
Jeff

Finally have some time!

I can't believe it's been so busy around here lately that I keep meaning to update the blog but just can't find 10 minutes. August has come and gone with 3 wonderful weddings and the first Guntert family vacation in almost 4 years.

I had the pleasure of photographing Jonali and Timothy's wedding on August 18th at Christ Church in Schenectady. Very beautful ceremony with a litergical dance that I have never seen performed in 14 years. The reception was at the Riverstone Manor in Glenville, NY (http://www.riverstonemanor.com/) and as usual Skip, Tony and their staff did an excellent job. Entertainment was provided by Mitch Frasier who is not only a great DJ but a remarkable vocalist and musician.




On September 1st I had the pleasure of documenting Brenda and Pete's wedding. The ceremony was at St. Patrick's RC in Watervliet and the reception took place at the Desmond Hotel in Albany (http://www.desmondhotelsalbany.com/). What a beautiful day we had for photos at the Crossings in Colonie.



As mentioned Nancy and I took the kids on a long deserved vacation to Mystic, CT for a week of fun and discovery. we did the obligatory visits to the Mystic aquarium and Seaport. We also took them on an actual steam locomotive ride and riverboat cruise on the Connecticut River. (http://www.mysticseaport.org/)
(http://www.mysticaquarium.org/)
(http://www.essexsteamtrain.com/)



After a week of overcast skies we made our way to Rhode Island for a few hours of beach fun. The kids had a great time swimming and sand castle building.





So I'll try and do better keeping up with the blog ;-)
Jeff

Catching up...

This has been such a busy month so far as you can tell by my sporadic posts! Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Robin and Kevin at the Riverstone Manor (http://www.riverstonemanor.com/) on Friday as well as Sara and Rick at the Century House (http://www.thecenturyhouse.com/) on Saturday.

Both weddings were beautiful and with the exception of the heat and humidity the weather was very cooperative. Sara's mom contacted me back in January of this year after seeing my work from a friend's wedding. Over the next few month's Carolyn and I conversed but never actually worked out the details of Sara's wedding until June. I'm very honored to have taken the photographs at Sara and Rick's wedding. They're a fun and energetic couple and have very supportive families.


As Sara and I were shooting, I grabbed this bridal portrait which I feel captures Sara very nicely. Sara is a quiet and calming person (well she was around me anyway) and at that moment in time, this is who she was...


Rick was a blast to shoot with at the church. He seemed a little nervous, but at the same time his laughter and the companionship of his best man kept his spirits elevated as you can see in this portrait prior to the ceremony.


We decided to do formals at the Crossings in Colonie which always provides a beautiful backdrop and lots of onlookers! Thanks so much for letting me share in your special day Sara and Rick!

All the Best!
Jeff
(http://www.jeffguntertphotography.com/)

Recovering from the weekend!

What a weekend! I had the pleasure of photographing Robin and Kevin's wedding on Friday afternoon. The weather was in the 90's and so humid you could steam vegetables in your car!

Robin looked absolutely stunning and Kevin was no slouch in that tuxedo either! At my suggestion they decided to see each other prior to the ceremony. Above is a photo panel showing a beautiful moment shared between them. It just doesn't get any better than this folks... Yup couples like these are the reason I love to shoot weddings. Can you blame me ;-)

This photo was taken later on towards the end of the reception at Riverstone Manor in Glenville, NY. Skip and Patti along with their staff are always amazing! The food, service and personal attention they provide is outstanding, which makes this one of my favorite reception venues to work at.

(http://www.riverstonemanor.com/)

Congratulations Robin and Kevin! See you in a few days after your relaxing trip to Quebec!

Jeff Guntert

Over the hump!

So today is Thursday, just past hump-day as they call it. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's wedding with Robin and Kevin. They stopped by last night to pick up their signature photo. I was a little late getting back from moving my mom's refrigerator from her apartment so Nancy (my wife) got to experience the joy of seeing and hearing Robin and Kevin's reactions to the photo.

That is one of the most gratifying experiences as a photographer - to hear the reactions from my clients when they see the images I've taken for the first time in print. Looking at a web photo is nice, but actually touching and viewing a paper print is another.














Here are Robin and Kevin in Congress Park in Saratoga during our Signature Photo shoot...

In keeping with my attempts to show current wedding photos, here are a few images from Cathy and Jerry's wedding from Friday July 27th. Cathy wanted a few photos taken during this private ceremony for immediate family. The ceremony was short, emotional and very beautiful on their backyard deck. After the ceremony we all went to Yanni's Restaurant in Coeyman's.


















Cathy's daughter (and my cousin) Elissa was just engaged the night before the wedding to her boyfriend John. John is in the United States Navy stationed in Norfolk, VA. Congrats to them both as they make a wonderful couple!

A new month...

Boy it's hard to belive that summer is almost over! The kids will be heading back to school in a month and I'll have to winterize the lawn mower and ready the snow blower. Delaney is off white water rafting today (I never did that as a kid) and I'm prepping for two weddings this weekend.

In an effort to catch up on showing some of the receont weddings I did, here are a few shots from Gina and Bill's wedding from July 21st. Starting off are some details shots and a bridal portrait of Gina by the front window of her parent's house.

These next three photographs are from our formal session at the Crossings in Colonie. Two of these images capture a special moment that Bill and Gina were sharing together without them being aware of the camera. The shot by the Bentley is simply a classic portrait.

My second day!

This is the second day of my electronic journal so I thought some recent wedding images would be appropriate. Often times brides and fellow photographers will ask me "what's new" or how are things? I think that my mood and motivation are driven by my kids and recent weddings. So here are some recent photos.


Here Kelly and the girls share a light moment before the ceremony.


Kelly and Joe during our formal portrait session after the ceremony.


Cake details...


A "Bogart" moment outside the reception. I envisioned this image and coaxed Kelly and Joe to take a moment out of their reception to let me "play".


As I was showing one of the bridesmaids the photo I just took by the manor house, I noticed Kelly and Joe dancing through the window. I shot this without flash from outside the Riverstone Manor so they had no idea the photo was taken.

I hope you enjoy these images from Kelly and Joe's Wedding at the Riverstone Manor (http://www.riverstonemanor.com/) in Glenville on June 30th,2007. They are a wonderful couple that have dedicated themselves to the teaching profession. We had beautiful weather and the day went off without a hitch (except the hitching by Kelly and Joe that is).

Jeff

My first blog...

Wow,
I can remember my dad's reaction to my request for a calculator back in 1980... His gut reaction was to discourage the use of technology until we were "ready". Well I've basically done the same thing with a blog.



Many of my photographer friends have them, the online community I belong to called DWF "Digital Wedding Forum" has always recommended a blog... I kept saying why? Do I need one? Does it make me a better photographer? Do I have the time to keep one alive??? Now with 2 kids (8 year old daughter and 3 year old son) THAT is the real question.

So here I am with my first entry - when I get the chance later tonight I'll add some visual content, so bear with me as I get started on my new adventure.

Welcome to my blog!
Jeff