Linda & Mark

Date: 8-22-08

Place: Bradford Estates; Hainesport, NJ

Linda and Mark are a beautiful couple who exchanged vows at the beautiful Bradford Estates. The grounds were fabulous! The Estates were well appointed.

We did outside portraits at the Riverton Boathouse, also in New Jersey.

They were a great couple, great to photograph. I had a wonderful time.

A short time after the wedding we received a testimonial from the couple:

Hi Anthony,

Thank you for being our photographer!! The pictures are wonderful! I loved the shots of all the couple at the reception! Really, I just loved them all!! We have to go through them again and write down the ones that we want. We have some specific in mind already. Your way is GREAT for us!!

Thanks,

Linda and Mark

What to expect from your wedding photographer

There are a couple things you need to know and expect when choosing a wedding photographer.
Here a few of them, to get you started.

1. Always book in advance-
Most photographers, the good ones anyway, book at least 6 months to a year in advance. You get a few stragglers who wait until the last minute looking for a good wedding photographer, and usually end up with someone they don't want due to booking restraints. Some luck out and find someone who has their date available, but more often than not, you are left searching for a photographer you like with only a couple months left before your big day.
I make a lot of calls to hundreds of leads, and you would be surprised how many people have booked their photographers one almost 2 sometimes even 3 years in advance. Crazy right? Who plans THAT far ahead?
Someone who wants a good photographer on their big day with their date secure!
(And plenty of time to pay it off!)

2. Compare Prices-
Personally I recommend seeing at least 3. Meet with them, get a feel for their personality, take a look at recent work, always ask for references! Take a close look at what they offer and for what price. Take time to compare to compare the prices versus the quality. Sometimes you may run across a photographer that is cheap and quick, but cheap + quick almost always doesn't = good.

3. The Contract-
Once you choose a photographer, make sure EVERYTHING that is discussed regarding pricing and packages is in writing. This is to protect not only you but your photographer as well. Every detail should be included.
Example: How many pictures and proofs you will receive, how many hours of the photographers time you have, what happens if you go into overtime, what kind of style you want the photos (photojournalism, black and white, portrait etc) What and who exactly needs to be photographed, if there is any traveling involved, your engagement sitting, prices for everything including albums, prints, etc.
And last but certainly not the least, MAKE SURE YOU LOOK IT OVER TWICE BEFORE SIGNING IT!

Look out for part 2!

Sandra & Mark

The Time: 1 PM

The Date: 8-30-2008

The Place: Penn Oaks Golf Club

Sandra and Marks Wedding

It was a beautiful day at Penn Oaks Golf Club. Sandra and Mark, an astoundishly beautiful couple, were there to bond souls in front of their family and friends. It was a small, personable wedding, but beautiful, none the less. Sandra, a beautiful bride, originating from Columbia. They are taking their honeymoon there, I can only imagine how amazing that trip will be.

They are a great couple, amazingly beautiful together and we worked well as a team in creating and capturing the moments in their photo's. The portraits came out well, beyond expectations.

I had a great time photographing the event. I was amused by many of the guests, they kept me smiling the whole time. Overall, a good day's work!

Promo shots for Boost Mobile, Power 99, and Bernard Hopkins

The time, 6:30 am.

The Place, 1850 S. Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia, PA.

Today Chandra and I are preparing to do promotional shots of boxing legend Bernard Hopkins. Together with Boost Mobile and Power 99 at a BP Gas Station to raise money for the Make A Way Foundation, founded by Bernard and Shirley Hopkins. They gave away up to 50$ in gas, and if you just so happened to have a boost mobile phone, 20$ in call credits to your phone.

Can you just imagine, boxing legend Bernard Hopkins pumping your gas?

Many hometown supporters and friends showed up to show love and support for the foundation. There was over a hundred cars lined up waiting for a chance to take a picture with Bernard and receive their free gas. Fox news and Eddie F did interviews, and Boost Mobile reps walked around with jugs collecting donations. It was a very busy morning, and inspiring watching even the youngest children give all the change they had to support the foundation. Bernard gave some kids and an older gentleman some money to donate, because they didn't have any to spare. I thought it was amazing to watch these people come together and have a great time raising money for inner city youth. As the event started to wind down, Bernard even let some kids play in his Bentley.

It was a great event and I was honored to photograph and shake hands with a legend.