In 2017 I photographed 14 weddings in California, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
In 2017 more people trusted me to make art about their love than ever before, and I am eternally grateful for that.
My 2018 schedule is shaping up to be even fuller, and I can’t wait for all the unexpected beauty to come.
Here are some of my favorites from this past year:
Emma and Max had a delightful low key wedding on a lovely May day. They told me they wanted lots of fun candid photographs, so I did just that. Their guests were good dancers, which made everything easy.
The wedding reception was held in a white tent, so bouncing my flash off the ceiling was always a good option, but I like to mix it up. There are five different flash setups here. Let’s start with simple, and proceed from there:
#1 Bounce flash. This is a very simple technique. My flash is set to ettl and pointed up and behind me. The camera is on manual exposure with a high enough iso to let ambient light in.
#2 Shutter Drag. This is also just one flash. Here the flash is pointed directly at my subject, and zoomed in a bit at 1/4 power. The camera is in manual iso 100 f18 1.6 sec shutter.
#3 Backlight. This is two flashes on light stands at 1/128 with a trigger on camera. Almost all of the light is coming from behind. All settings are manual here. Sets the mood, doesn’t it?
#4 key light plus hair light. This is the same setup as the last, but I am standing in position for one of the two flashes to act as a key light.
#5 Two kickers plus fill. Here I have the two flashes on stands, but I have added bounce flash at 1/4 power on camera as a fill for a more balanced look at a delightfully chaotic scene.
Joanna and Diana were married in a sweet wee park in Waltham, MA on a sunny September day. A family heirloom served as their chuppah roof. I adored their vows; each wrote their own history of their love, and their dreams for their collective future. Joanna and Diana were particularly attentive to the way that a wedding is a gathering of community. It is not only the couple who make a vow to nurture and protect the partnership, it is also their extended community who make that vow. Family and chosen family eagerly hoisted the two on chairs for the hora, which made for fun photographs. Thank you, Joanna and Diana for your thoughtfulness, exuberance and kindness.
The reception was held at the delightfully antediluvian Charles River Museum of Industry.
Shot for Grasi Favoreto of Rocker in Love.
Rachael and Neal caught a spectacular, toasty June day for their wedding. They chose the eclectic and lovely Kaaterskill Inn, in Catskill, New York for their wedding venue. The house, the barn, the farm, were all a dream to explore. I thought on it this morning, the two things that defined their wedding for me are a freeness and lightness of spirit, and a pair of extraordinary close-knit families. It’s always an honor to photograph a wedding, but, these two, and all their people were remarkably relaxed around me, and this helped me to create just the type of photographs I like best, natural, unposed, emotional, gestural, and joyous portraits. Thank you, Rachael and Neal for trusting me, inviting me in, and being such easy, fun, and loveful people.
Welcome to my blog post about why you don’t need a wedding photographer. You are probably thinking, “Wait a minute, Paul! You are a wedding photographer. You run a wedding photography business called Hazel Photo. Why would you tell anybody why they don’t need you?” There are a few good reasons for this:
Nobody needs a wedding photographer. We need food, shelter, water, healthcare, human contact. We want weddings, because we like beautiful and meaningful events that honor our love and our families!
I truly believe there is no one right way to make family with other people. Weddings aren’t for everybody, and when people do decide to get married, there are thousands of ways to do it. I have photographed city hall weddings where I signed official documents as a lone witness. I have photographed 300 person balls at swank rooftop clubs. I have photographed thirty person farm weddings complete with tutu clad sheep. You name it! Some people are happy to have a few snapshots from friends, others hire a team of five photographers.
I don’t want to work with anybody who doesn’t really want a wedding photographer. I want to work with people who appreciate my photographic style, documentary wedding photography, and my approach to weddings, all warmth and good communication. I want to work with people who are seriously excited to work with me. That’s the recipe for incredible photographs, and good feelings.
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 1: Smartphone cameras are getting really good.
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 2: The best camera is the one you have with you.
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 75: DOGGIECAM!
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 110: Snapchat Spectacles!
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 101: Kids really really really love cameras.
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 33 1/3: There are lovely filters on Instagram
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 33 1/3: There are lovely? filters on Instagram.
Why you don’t need a wedding photographer reason 33 1/3: You can Instagram the kid with an 80s era film point-and-shoot and score a zillion likes.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 36: This is not a tech-free ceremony, but she has the most beautiful smile ever.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 37: Artiste at work!
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 38: Artful photo of a floral arrangement.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 39: Artful photo of a bouquet resting by Buddha.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 39: Artful photo of glazed lemon trout.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 39: Artful photo of gratuitous fresh figs resting among laurels.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 40: Artful photo of one of the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen. Can you tell I like fresh figs?
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 47: An experienced photographer knows where to stand to get the best angle.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 86: You want your friends to do the worm, not spend all night behind a camera.
A.
B.
You might want to hire a professional wedding photographer reason 13: This is what strong flash technique can look like.
So… in summation, even if reading this blog post has been informative, and you find that in the end you really would like to hire a professional wedding photographer, the truth is there are many reasons why you don’t need a wedding photographer. Click here if you are excited about my documentary style wedding photography and you want to see more images! Click here if you want to send me a message!
I had the great pleasure of joining Sarah Bastille to document Lindsay and Chris’s wedding day. The wedding ceremony was held on simple wooden benches with the Atlantic Ocean for a dramatic backdrop. A string quartet provided the processionals and recessionals from under a nearby tree. Lindsay wore a modern white gown, and Chris a deep blue suit. They were flanked by four sweet children dressed in blue and white finery. The cocktail hour was held at the stunning Fuller Gardens replete with topiary tunnels, and manicured pathways of rose bushes. The reception was held up the coast at the Seacoast Science Center under a topsail tent, with the Atlantic for a backdrop again, but this time with a majestic sailboat in the distance as well. The tablescapes were meticulously decorated in blue and white. The Veronica Martell band was excellent. Such a classic wedding!
Vogue Magazine ran a story about the wedding here!
topsail tent Seacoast Wedding New England seacoast science center