I never ever regret my decision to go to art school. Was it scary going from a biology major that my parents were happy with to paying my own way to go to art school, something only a few people understood/encouraged me to do? Hell yes. But even scarier was the after part. That senior year of art school we had a “Business” class. I learned I should never get a regular job as I wouldn’t do my work again. I should marry rich. And if not, live in a cardboard box anxiously awaiting my next gallery show. The class was beyond not helpful. It actually made me think, “Omg, what AM I going to do after this? Was this a mistake??? What can you do with a BFA in Fine Art Photography?!?!’

I had a lot of sleepless nights. And soul searching. I was about to marry my now wife and worked full time at an emergency animal hospital. But I knew that’s not what I wanted to do long term. But what did I want to do long term? I was finishing up my year long internship with a photojournalist, who also shot weddings. I had shot one wedding with him and was hooked. But my art school self reeeally didn’t see that as a way to make a living. Nuhuh. That was soooo the bottom of the barrel because it’s seen as so commercial and cheesy. No art school kid would be a wedding photographer.

But here’s the bottom line: I had no idea what ANY option there was out there for me other than being a full time starving working artist.

Fast forward to last month. I get an email from a NYC museum with this amazing concept. They are a full museum, but one of their projects is to help kids understand what kind of careers there are out there for them if they get a BFA and go to art school. There is WAY more that just hoping to have your next gallery show. I started watching the videos all about different career paths like product photographer, magazine retoucher, art therapist, etc and got choked up. I wished I could have sent these videos to my art school self. My really really scared senior art school self who had no guidance and no idea what to do.

And then the head of the museum wrote me to say they had been looking for a wedding photographer for a few years to feature in one of their video documentaries about career paths and to have a show in their museum. They wanted to know if I would be willing to be interviewed and have their videographer shoot me while I was doing a wedding. After a conference call with the head of the project and the head of a museum, I was so excited to do this, I wanted to run and get interviewed right then. They totally got me and where I was coming from.

So why am I telling you all this? Because I’m looking for an LGBT couple who is getting married July-November on a date that I’m still available on. You must be getting married in CT or NYC. And most importantly, you must be ok with a videographer and an assistant being present. They will be doing video of me and how I work, so there will be no interruption to your wedding. However, they will be present for most of the day. Whichever couple I photograph will receive a 50% off discount in exchange for opening up your wedding to this documentary.

Please email me at kelly@kellyprizel.com with your names, wedding date, wedding venue, and a little bit about yourself.

This past weekend, while I was shooting a wedding, I had an accident during the Hora and my leg was crushed. An ER trip and Xrays later, I found out my leg wasn’t broken but because of my bleeding disorder, I would have a longer recovery and I would have to elevate/ice my leg for about a week. So no shooting. No walking around.

But the big thing was, I started thinking, geeez I wouldn’t have been able to drive myself to the hospital. Natalie was there. My wife. She took care of me. She even took amazing dancing shots for me as a guest, who was a doctor, examined me and told me to get to the hospital. So there I was, in the ER, at 1am and I was thinking about all the million things Natalie does when she comes to a wedding to help.

Some examples from a recent wedding:

• Natalie held my hand and made me feel safe as we flew to LA
• She drove all around LA because I hate driving when I don’t know where I’m going
• She drove to the getting ready location and even tolerated me insisting on getting out of the car when she was backing up because we were on a giant giant hill and I was like ‘uhhhh…peace! I don’t like heights!’
• She helped carry the wedding dress outside for some shots
• She helped the bride get the dress on without ruining her hair or makeup
• She gathered people and shouted out names for group shots as I snapped away
• She looked for an archival pen everywhere for the ketubah signing
• She drove me to the venue
• She helped me switch lenses all day long
• She coordinated with the planner and helped get me info about what was going on with some shuttle delays
• She carried all my equipement for couple shots
• When, during the Hora, the couple had juuuuust gone up in the chairs, a guest elbowed my flash, which smacked into my face and made me fall…Natalie was right there with my backup equipment, taking my broken flash off my hands so I could snap some shots of them in the chairs.
• She waited in line for dinner so I could keep shooting and then eat
• She supplied me with lots and lots of cokes, ha! I need it to keep going. It’s like oxygen.
• When the couple couldn’t find their planner, Natalie went off and searched for her several times to make sure everything went smoothly.
• When the shuttle didn’t go up the hill as planned, Natalie and the planner shuttled guests down the hill and back. Just them. On this dark dark hill. With a few guests walking the hill to make it even more dangerous/scary to drive it!!

And she doesn’t get paid a dime to do this. She stopped being a DOC when she started doing her PhD program. She doesn’t come to every wedding but still: Why in the WORLD would anyone in their right mind volunteer to do this? I sometimes have to ask her this myself, why?? And she says, “Because I know a smooth wedding means a happy couple. And a happy couple means great photos. And I want to create the best conditions for your work because I believe in you.”

Annie and Nicole flew into Boston the night before our shoot. Or should I say, the wee hours before our shoot. And before I even had the chance to hug them, talk to them or shoot them, I was already totally 100% in love with that Bomber Jacket. The big earrings. That orange pop of color. And then the shoot started.

They couldn’t stop laughing. Or holding each other. Or getting in an extra snuggle before I had to break up the wonderfulness of it all to move to a new location. I was totally eating it up! Listening to their story of how they became a couple as they moved from being best friends to a couple was making me all warm and happy- and no, it wasn’t the fact that their car was super toasty after being in the freezing weather and wind. Though it did help me actually feel my hands again.

Photographing them was such a fun adventure as we explored nooks and crannies in Boston I hadn’t been before. Beacon Hill is such a great spot for engagement photos. I’m in love with these pictures because they were honestly happy to be together. And it shows in every photo.