If you read my facebook or twitter, I was up watching the NY State Assembly voting on Friday. My stomach was in a knot. I could feel the excitement and energy. And beyond anything, hope. Hope that New York would promote marriage equality and legalize gay marriage. And when they were reading off the names in the affirmative, I was literally trying not to be sick. C’mon. C’mon. Just enough votes. Pleaseeee.

And just like that, New York legalized gay marriage. All the sudden, marriage was on an even playing field for couples in New York. I cried. I witnessed history. I want to tell my kids one day that mommy and mommy couldn’t get legally married when they had their wedding. But over time, things changed. I want to see that puzzled look in their eye when they ask, “But Mommy, why couldn’t you get married?’. And I’ll know we have come so far.

This energy, this happiness- I just want it to continue and build. I want to see so many happy couples, regardless of sexual orientation, celebrate in the coming weeks.

So I have decided to run a special in honor of gay marriage being passed in NY. I did it for DC and now it seems like it’s going to be a wonderful and frequent tradition.

Specials

These specials are for a limited time only and are available to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation. You must be in NY within 85 miles of my New Haven, CT studio (yes, that includes NYC!). All shoots (except full wedding packages) are Monday-Thursday in the early AM (usually 6:30am) or afternoon (usually around 5:30).

• Engagement Sessions/Rock The Dress or Suit/Couple Shots: Between now and August 15th, all shoots are $250 instead of $350.
• Civil Ceremony: Are you going to get your marriage certificate and then get hitched? I would love to shoot your ceremony. Afterwards, we’ll do some fun couple’s portraits. Receive $150 off my civil ceremony package.
• Wedding: Book your wedding package before August 31 and receive 10%. Your wedding must be between now and March 31, 2012.

Excited? Contact me and let’s get started!

YAYYY!!! Congratulations New York on marriage equality! Look for a special celebration discount tomorrow!

I have been lucky enough lately to be meeting with a ton of couple’s planning their 2012 wedding. And one of the things I talk a lot about is my philosophy. I want my clients to *get me* as much as I want to get to know them. And I’m constantly reaching out there and trying to put my thoughts into words. But one time my words just flowed. What I wrote actually made me break into a smile, pat myself on the back, and be like ‘Yup, you nailed it!! That’s exactly it!’ And it was featured in my sponsored post on A Practical Wedding a few months back. But it’s worth reposting here:

Why I love working with APW clients:

Last year, when my first sponsored post went up, I’d only had two APW couples. And I loved them. This year, it’s been crazy: something like 30% of my couples find me on APW.  And it’s great because I know when an APW reader contacts me, we’re going to be a good fit because we share the same ideas about what a wedding is for. They have their values right: they know there is more to a wedding than vintage bikes, trendy clothes, balloons, and fake mustaches (though, who doesn’t love a fake mustache?). They come over, we have wine and cheese, they pet my cats if they’re not allergic, and then, what do you know, after the wedding we’re going to Super-Bowl parties together, having dinner at each other’s houses. I even had a couple in which one partner graduated from the same PhD program my wife is in!

I always tell my clients it’s really important to click because on your wedding day, I’m going to be with you allllllll day…and for several months after (or years, if you do the baby thing). My clients therefore tend to be people I would pick as friends. And all the clients I’ve gotten through APW fall under that category.

My Philosophy

Photography:

My approach to wedding photography comes out of my approach to my work as an artist. In art school, working outside the boundaries and expectations of commercial work, I was able to focus intently on executing the image in my mind, an image that had to be both aesthetically satisfying and effective as a mode of communication. Because of my training and my weird, hyper-visual brain, I see the world in terms of the image I can create. So when I’m shooting a wedding and I see the image in my mind, I will do whatever it takes to GET THAT SHOT. Sometimes that involves bodily contortions that end in serious bruising the next day, but when I upload the photos to my computer, it’s totally worth it. I also approach digital photography the way I approach film, so when I shoot my work is only half done. I view photoshop like a batch of darkroom chemicals, necessary to my producing the image I’ve imagined.

I live, eat, breathe photography. I am never happier than when I am shooting. My clients sometimes laugh at me because we’ll be walking down the street during an engagement shoot and I’ll be like, “THERE. RIGHT THERE. NOW.” And then, when I get the shot, I’m kind of a personal sound-effects machine. I love APW clients because they get it. They actually want to know what artists outside the wedding world inspire me. They want to hear about my book art or my feminist digital installations. Because the same desire to communicate, to tell a story in an aesthetically compelling way, motivates my wedding photography. Plus, they love my sound-effects.

Diversity:

I talk a lot about aesthetics and communication, but the reason I started in this industry was because I had something to say. Namely, “Where are the f*cking gay people? Where are the people of color? Where are the rip-your-heart-out emotionally gorgeous weddings minus the trendy hipster-gear? Where are the over-size-two people?” These questions drive me as a wedding photographer and as co-founder of So You’re EnGAYged, and that’s why my weddings run the gamut from a Catholic high-mass to a lesbian hand-fastening ceremony. I’m not here to show you models in a field with a piano. Yes, it’s super-pretty. Yes, it’s great portfolio material. But IT’S NOT REAL.

I love real people in love. I love people choosing to commit publicly to each other. Those commitments look different and ARE different. They mean different things to different people. But at the end of the day, it’s a celebration of love. Let’s face it: your dress isn’t going to be in style forever. Your wife might find that grad school gives her a few wrinkles. But your pictures aren’t about trendy clothes and perfect skin, despite what the wedding-industrial-complex tells you. Because your wedding isn’t about those things either. And in each wedding I shoot, whether the couple is 20 or 50, gay or straight, black, white or anything else, I strive to tell the story of what your wedding IS about: love, community, and commitment. [Kelly gets down from soap-box]

Ok, maybe not the best pose ever, but it’s what I needed to do to get the shot I wanted. And that’s the whole point. I want to look professional but get the job done right. And I have gone through a lot of outfits looking for the ‘right’ look that let’s me move, get in the grass, endure 90 degree heat for hours at a wedding, and still makes me not look like I’m running a marathon (though, really, I probably sweat as much) or like I just rolled out of bed. This picture was taken at the veeeery end of the wedding, in fact, the last 30 minutes. So it’s after all the crazy of the wedding and it still looks pretty darn good. Thanks to Amber Wilkie for shooting this.

1. Let’s start at the beginning. Shoes. Shoes are the be all and end all for shooting. You want to look classy so no sneakers. But heels? Um, I’m not going to sink in the grass trying to shoot a ceremony. Let alone the pain. So I now have an arsenal of ssoft, born, and various supportive shoes that I spent a pretty penny on. But oh, let me tell you, they are worth every penny. I then insert arch supports and heel padding for that extra uumph.
2. Yes, I wear skirts. Pencil skirts. Annnything that will allow me to feel a little less hot at a summer wedding. Or after running around for the 7th hour. I bought 4 pencil skirts from Banana Republic on sale- they are the stretchy kind. Now I wear them at almost every wedding.
3. That belt like thing you see? It’s called a Go Bee. It holds my cell phone, cards, timeline, oil blotting sheets for clients and most importantly, my CF cards. That’s where all the wedding photos are. On my hip. all. day. long. If someone steals all my gear? Yes, that sucks. Like really sucks. But they won’t have the photos which are irreplaceable.
4. My shirts are from NY & Company. I have them in 3 colors. They are super comfy and though it sounds super gross: they hide sweat stains better than any shirt I have found. And they look nice.
5. My hair is slicked back with enough hairspray to start a wildfire. I don’t want to be tucking my hair behind my ears or playing with it. I want it out of the way. Gone. Perhaps shaving would be best, but I like my hair on my non-shooting days.
6. With all this professional stuff going on, I gotta have a little fun. Like big earrings. Or a coral necklace. Big enough to draw attention away from my ugly as all get out wrist brace. My wrist is fine- but I wear a brace to keep it that way.
7. And last, but not least, my camera straps. I usually shoot with two camera bodies at a wedding. I used to use Black Rapid, but honestly, the double strap is not flattering or comfy on women. So I wanted a strap that held two bodies but didn’t go across my chest. I found the Camera Slinger. Most times, I love this strap to pieces. It’s mostly if I have to lean over a lot, I feel like my camera strap may slip off. It never has- but I take extra precautions. Still, it’s 500% better than the Black Rapid (and we won’t go into the fact they sent me a faulty strap which led to my camera falling onto a sidewalk…and it taking them 3 months to get me the part replacement. In the middle of wedding season. Me? Bitter? No.)

Tomorrow is my birthday (woot woot!) and I’ll be in NYC shooting. So I wanted to give you guys a taste of a bunch of shoots that will be appearing on the blog in their entirety very soon.