Why I Love Weddings:
When else do 10 hours go by so fast? I love the happiness and excitement of the day and being right there in the middle of it! I love being kept on my toes and getting into a state of flow of the day. It's a movie unfolding every time and for much of it, you only get one take and that excites me. I also get to be a cameraman and at times, the director! I love that it is an art and a science. I make sure to have the science side of it down, the technical aspects of the gear, so that when I show up, it's all about the art. I love the unexpected things, the funny, candid moments, but also the sincere, heartfelt ones. I love the people I meet and the memories I make. I get to be as much a part of it as everyone else; I'll just be a little off to one side so I can get the shot.
A Little Bit About Myself:
I got my first camera back in 2009 and took pictures for the pure joy of it. I was 19 and had no background in photography and didn't really know what I was doing. I just enjoyed it. People told me I had an eye for it, but after a while, I drifted away from it. Then, in 2017, eight years later, I had already graduated with a B.A. in Public Relations and was doing social media for a limo company when I got my second camera. I kept taking pictures of the limos with my phone and wanted to take my pictures to another level. Of course, most cameras these days have a photo mode and a video mode. This time, I picked video mode. I tackled it like I was learning a new language, because I was. I started building a portfolio almost immediately and from that started getting hired to film events. Now, more than four years later, I'm doing videography professionally because I tried something new(ish) and just ran with it.
Videography/Photography Style:
It's a mix of candid and staged. Some things are best captured as they happen, while opportunities for creative shots can present themselves in the moment, but might need to be staged to be fully realized. I also have a tendency to slip into a photojournalistic style at times, where the images tell the story all on their own.
Other Interests:
When I'm not running around with a camera, I'm literally running around. I finished in the top 5% in the 2019 NYC Marathon as a charity runner for the New York Road Runners Team for Kids and I'm still actively running and training for the mile. To put my NYC time in perspective though, my time of 3:09:29 was still about one HOUR slower than the pro's. Maybe more coffee next time will do the trick? The social aspect of running is one of the best parts though, if not THE best part. It's more fun running with other people than running solo and the mass start of a big city race never gets old.