Tag Archives: new york wedding photographers

Operation Proposal

November 17, 2010 – 6:59 pm
We’ve been getting a lot of requests to secretly photograph marriage proposals.  What a fantastic idea – love the romance and forethinking of the husband-to-be’s to contact us to capture this special moment!  During the summer, Todd contacted us to say that he was coming to NY and was planning to propose to his girlfriend in Central Park and wanted us to photograph the whole thing.  His plan was to propose on a row boat.  My familiarity with Central Park and both of our practical planning skills were put to the test to come up with a foolproof plan for “Operation Proposal.”  With both Todd and I being former boy scouts, we fully understood the important of  planning.  For you non boy scouts out there, “Be Prepared” is the Boy Scouts’ motto.

Photographing a couple in the middle of a lake in a park full of tourists requires careful planning. Especially when Todd’s travel plans did not allow for us to meet beforehand to see what the other person looked like.  Not only did we exchange photos of ourselves, we sent photos of the clothing we would be wearing.  I wanted to be sure that I was taking photos of the right couple.  Todd also wanted to know that his paparazzo was ready to capture the big moment before popping the question.

During the week, we finalized logistics and I recommended a spot on the lake that would give me a few good vantage points for photo taking at that time of day. When I arrived at the park on the morning of “Operation Proposal”, I realized that the South side of the lake where I told Todd I would be standing was closed for renovations!

I sent Todd a text to tell him that I had to change my shooting position and hoped that he would get the message in time.  If he didn’t go to the other side, I wouldn’t be able to get candid photos of them on the lake before he popped the question.  I was relieved to see Todd rowing towards the North side of the lake – looks like he got my text.  I could tell Melissa was enjoying the ride while Todd nervously rowed the boat.

I told Todd that he should propose just East of the Bow Bridge.  He was hesitant because he was worried that there would be a lot of boats near the bridge.  I convinced him that it wouldn’t be a problem. As luck would have it, when Todd moved into the spot, there was a bit of rowboat gridlock.  So I watched him nervously hover around the spot waiting for some of the other boats to pass.

Meanwhile, on the shore, a group came over and started to have a wedding ceremony inches from where I was standing!  The couple is probably still talking about me and saying that I was an inconsiderate TMZ photographer so concerned with getting a shot of an unsuspecting celebrity that I didn’t move away from their wedding ceremony.  Sorry, guys, but I was there first and had an important job to do.

After the congestion cleared, Todd was ready to propose.  I photographed Todd’s proposal while listening to another couple’s wedding vows.  I love the reaction from the woman in the boat behind them.

After Melissa said “yes”, they went back out on the lake to take in the moment.   When they got back to shore, we took a little “photo walk” around the park and I got some portraits of the happy couple.

As part of Operation Proposal, we also interviewed them about their experience.  Check out the following slide show with images and audio clips from the interview.

Many congrats to Todd and Melissa.  We are so pleased that everything went as planned without a hitch and Melissa said “yes” to getting hitched!

By aliceandjames | Posted in Engagement Shoots, Funico Studios News | Also tagged , , | Comments (4)

Contest for the Best 2009 Funico Wedding Photo

February 16, 2010 – 11:59 pm

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A new year started 2 months ago. On to new beginnings and new experiences. We’d like to take a few moments to reminisce about 2009 and announce our 2009 Best Funico Wedding Photo contest. The slide show below has our favorite wedding images from last year. We obviously couldn’t narrow them down. Help us select the best 2009 wedding photography image by casting your vote! CAST YOUR VOTE BY POSTING A COMMENT BELOW. Only 1 vote per person please. The name of each picture is the number below it. For example, the first photo is called “1.”

We’d like to give an award to the winning photo. The winning image will receive a complimentary 16X20 gallery wrap. Of course, if the winning couple prefers, we’d be happy to give them a 16X20 gallery wrap of another picture from their wedding (maybe they’d like to hang something else on their wall!) CONTEST WILL CLOSE AT 12AM ON 03/04/10.

We will post the results on 03/08/10.

We searched high and low for an appropriate song. After looking at a lot of “best 2009 song” lists, we decided on Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams.” Great lyrics for newlyweds, don’t you think?

We had a lot of fun putting this together. It sure brought back a lot of memories. Hope you have fun watching the slide show! AND, DON’T FORGET TO CAST YOUR VOTE BY 03/04/10.

By aliceandjames | Posted in Funico Studios News | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (718)

Church Photography Restrictions Didn’t Prevent Us from Getting an Award-Winning Photo

January 13, 2010 – 12:23 am

Alice and I are both members of the prestigious Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA).  This exclusive organization represents some of the most talented wedding photojournalists in the world. An offshoot of the WPJA is the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (AGWPJA). The AGWPJA focuses more on special effect photos.

We are excited to announce that both of the images we submitted to a recent AGWPJA photo contest have been honored with awards.  One image was taken during a wedding at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. St. Patrick’s is both breathtaking and an important center of Catholic life. We can definitely understand why brides would want to get married there! Unfortunately, for us wedding photographers though, St. Patrick’s is difficult because it has very strict rules.   They actually assign security personnel to keep an eye on us during the ceremony!

St Patrick’s does not allow the use of flashes or tripods.  We, however, have one of the best cameras in the industry for taking photos in low light even if we can’t use a flash. Its speed also allows us to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without having to use a tripod. HDR photos are created by combining several shots into one final image to show the dramatic details in both the bright and dark areas of the Cathedral.   For those not interested in the technical details, let’s simply say we didn’t let the church’s restrictions prevent us from creating an award-winning image!

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The other winning image was taken at an Indian wedding reception at the Hyatt Regency in Long Island.  We love photographing Indian weddings because of all the vibrant colors in everyone’s clothing.  We caught this great moment of a young kid dancing in his white suit to the cheers of his friends and family.  We changed some of the color tones to spice up the moment.

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We hope you enjoy these photos as much as the contest judges did!

By aliceandjames | Posted in Awards, Funico Studios News | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

We Won 3 Red Ribbons in a New York State Print Competition

June 29, 2009 – 1:12 pm
We are very excited to report that three of our four entries won Red Ribbons at this year’s Professional Photographers’ Society of New York State (PPSNYS) annual print competition.  Not bad for our first entry to this statewide competition!   It’s an honor to  be recognized by such a distinguished organization that was founded over 100 years ago. 
 
The judges liked this photo we shot at a St. John destination wedding.  
 
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Honestly, how could you not love such a beautiful location?  We’ve been to St. John a few times and are big fans of the island.  The beaches are absolutely magnificent!  The water is so pure, you can see your feet and the fish swim right up to you.  If you’re looking for a place for your honeymoon, we give “two thumbs up” to the US Virgin Islands.   
 
This photo of rain drops on a lily pad also did well.  We like it a lot as well and will probably hang it up in our apartment.
 
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This picture was taken in Central Park’s Conservatory Garden.  We love Central Park and think that the Conservatory Garden is one of the city’s many hidden gems.  The lily pad was in a pool and the golden color in the water is from the sun reflecting off of the New York skyline. 
 
Last, but not least, our image of a musician at the annual New York Renaissance Faire also won a red ribbon.   He looks like he’s been plucked out of the 1800′s, doesn’t he?
 
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One of our brides recently told us that she works at the Renaisance Faire every year and knows this guy.  What a small world…
By aliceandjames | Posted in Awards, Funico Studios News | Comments (0)

Naima & Rich – Wedding at Giando on the Water, Brooklyn, NY

March 1, 2009 – 4:15 pm

Naima & Rich got married at Giando on the Water a few months ago.  Funny thing is that when we got married, we were thinking of checking out Giando on the Water as well.   We even made an appointment to visit the venue, but their website…shall we say, didn’t leave a very good impression.  Actually, I shouldn’t say “we.”  It was all “I”, i.e., Alice.  James didn’t even know that I was looking at Giando on the Water.  The pictures on their website definitely do not do the place justice.  Looking at the site, you’d have no clue that the hall actually has an absolutely stunning view of the Brooklyn Bridge (see our pic below). 

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We ended up getting married in Long Island and James was actually a bit upset that we could have gotten married here instead!

Every bride goes through a few hours of preparations to become “all she can be” for the wedding day.   Naima is naturally a beautiful woman, but of course, no bride will say “no” to a little extra “enhancing” on the big day.

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After she was ready, we took a few pictures of Naima by herself.   This dramatic shot of her with the sun and the city in the background is one of our favorite pictures.

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Naima & Rich had beautiful weather for their wedding day, so they were able to have their ceremony outside.  Their vows were very sweet and touching and as you can see, Rich was quite moved by his lovely bride.

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The couple had a merry reception with their friends and family.  Everyone celebrates in his or her own way though and in this image, Naima’s sister and Naima are celebrating very differently.  Naima’s sister is dancing lovingly with her boyfriend while Naima is getting down in the background.  Funny contrast, huh?

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And, in case you want to really feel the “getting down”, below is a close-up of what Naima and her friends were doing in the background.  We love it when people are obviously having a great time! 

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Naima recently said to us “I can’t tell you how many compliments we’ve received about the pictures you guys took.”  And, she told us something that noone else ever has.  James and I know that we have different photography styles, but we didn’t realize that other people can see it too.  According to Naima, our pictures have a “great feminine and masculine perspective.”  Who knows?  Maybe, it is the girl versus guy thing.  It definitely is something because our images definitely look different.  Very interesting observation, Naima – thanks for sharing the insight!

To see more of the good times had by Naima, Rich and their friends & family, click below.

By aliceandjames | Posted in Funico Studios News, Recent Weddings | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)