By Patricia Koch
You know the white leather album full of gorgeous photographic moments, each one neatly matted on a page? We’re here to tell you it’s becoming a collector’s item. The jazzy coffee table book is all the rage today, preferred by 80 percent of newlyweds, according to area photographers.
This strictly digital format still showcases timeless shots of your big day, but opens up a world of graphic design options. Thanks to the wonders of digital photography, photos can be cropped, re-colored, or soft focused, then grouped or layered. The composite images are professionally printed, laminated for durability, and handbound into leather or silk albums.
Photographer Paula Cella of Absecon (609-646-6648; www.paulacella.com) creates coffee table books almost exclusively. “My books open completely flat, with spreads leading your eye from left to right without stopping. These albums truly tell a story and evoke conversations with friends and family.”
“It’s a huge leap forward for wedding albums,” says Jackie Koscinski of Elite Photographers in Morristown (973-540-9650; www.elitephotographers.com). “We shoot in color and can then transfer to black-and-white or sepia, add a border or drop shadow, or layer in other images. When this technology is used tastefully, the result is a unique and utterly gorgeous album.”
“With the new format, it’s basically all picture and no matte,” Koscinski adds. “We can make images larger so they pop more.”
“This new technology may be time-consuming, but it’s really fun, like you’re playing,”says photographer Ginny Twersky of Livingston (973-758-9594; www.gtwersky.com). “I like to dip the eyedropper tool into the bride’s bouquet and then paint borders with it, so the book matches the wedding colors.”
With the coffee-table format in mind, photographers try to capture evocative backgrounds, sweeping panoramas and artsy close-ups, to offer layout options. Cella says, “I shoot for the book. I have a vision in mind for this particular bride.” Couples have more choices and more control over the look of the book, not just the photo selection.
If you’re thinking the new format saves money, think again. Photo processing and binding costs the same as always, but extra photo-shop and design hours can add expense.
Asked if coffee table books will stand the test of time, Cella replies, “Physically, these albums are made to last. Artistically, a simple presentation without too many special effects is timeless. My parents’ album showing them inside a brandy snifter, on the other hand, is definitely a period piece.”
Not ready to trust your memories to a new-age format? “You can make a classic coffee table book by keeping a single photo on each page with photo corners or a simple border,” suggests Twersky. “Or do what one couple did: Order both traditional and coffee-table versions. They’ve got the old-fashioned album they’ve always envisioned, without bypassing the update with all its zing.”
It’s All About the Memories
By Patricia Koch
Making memories. It’s the special talent of gifted wedding photographers—and why finding the right one is essential when planning the perfect wedding. We asked photographers themselves how to shop for someone who matches your style and your budget. Here, in a snapshot, is their advice.
STEP 1. Our five photographers concur that your first stop should be the web. “Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover?” says Phil Cantor of Phil Cantor Photography in Montclair (800-487-1065; www.philcantor.com). “Websites are good indications of the professionalism and creativity of the person behind the site and behind the lens.”
The trick, say photographers at Magique Studios in Paramus and Short Hills (www.magiquestudios.com), is to find a photographer who really captures your emotions.”
“Ask yourself if they’re making pictures from their heart, or just from a formula,” suggests Dan Epstein of Dan Epstein Photography in Montclair (800-250-3151; www.danepstein.com).
STEP 2. Once you’ve found three or four impressive websites, arrange appointments to meet the photographers themselves. Check out the creative vibe of their studios and portfolios. “Insist on meeting the photographers themselves, trusting your instincts on whether you can be comfortable with and trust them,” advises Milton Gil of Milton Gil Photography in Lyndhurst (201-438-3018; www.miltongil.com).
Most photographers agree that personal chemistry between photographer and bride is essential. “In other words, is this someone you’d like to have dinner with?” asks Epstein.
Jeffrey Vock of Jeffrey Vock Photography in Jersey City (201-798-6706; www.jvock.com) elaborates: “A good photographer maximizes the comfort level so people feel less shy and intruded upon, willing to come out of their shells. The bride must have full confidence in her photographer, on this day of all days.”
Ask your prospective photographer some nitty-gritty questions, including two suggested by Epstein: 1) Can I order a la carte or just wedding packages? and 2) Are negatives or digital files included?
STEP 3. Narrow your choice to one or two candidates, then log onto wedding forums to sample some honest reviews from recent brides.
STEP 4. And what about cost? “Don’t even think about price until the very last thing,” says Gil. “Choose for match and artistry first.” Vock and Epstein, on the other hand, advise brides to get a price menu before bothering to interview a photographer. But there’s one thing all studios agree upon: The memories are priceless.
New Trends in Wedding Photography
By Antoinette DeNise
 For our parents, wedding photography was classic and simple. Family members were arranged by height, with the happy newlyweds in the center. We’ve come a long way since then. Now, pictures have become candid and artistic, and modern couples are demanding more than the uninspiring pictures of past generations.
“More and more brides want their pictures to be less posed,” says Mark Krutyansky, owner of Abella Studios in East Brunswick and Fairfield (732-790-5368) “The popular trend right now is shooting in a journalistic style. Photographers are less invasive, capturing a moment as it happens instead of creating it.”
Another popular request from couples is detail photography. Pictures are taken of the table setting, flowers, welcome signs, and all the other features that create the day’s ambiance. These simple pictures help to tell the story of the wedding, while capturing the tiny details that usually require a lot of work from the couple.
Photographers are also using computer enhancements to appeal to clients, changing an ordinary picture into a work of art. Options include black-and-whites, sepia and color passes—when the entire picture is black-and-white and one element (a bouquet or a person) is in color. The picture’s focus can also be altered, making backgrounds blurry to emphasize one part of the shot.
These designs are often used in a new form of wedding albums, called “flush-bound” or “digital” books.
“It’s a fairly new feature, and usually couples love it or hate it,” says Liz Wuillermin of Liz Wuillermin Photography in Folsom (609-561-2844; www.lwphotos.com). “They look similar to a magazine, with pictures laid out in a creative design and printed on thick, glossy paper.”
Wuillermin and Krutyansky both think these books, which are around 50 percent more expensive than traditional albums, are an up-and-coming trend. The expense might deter some couples, but luckily the other artistic options available, including photojournalism and digital enhancements, are provided to couples at no additional cost.
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Black-and-White Wedding Photography
By Mary Scholz Austin
When choosing a wedding photographer, the eyes have it—your eyes and the eyes of your photographer. “You should really love the work the photographer shows you,” says Kathleen Hennessy of Kathleen Hennessy Photography (732-577-9229; www.khphotography.com. “The sample work is going to inform you of what they can do.”
 But what will capture your big day best: black-and-white photography, which many consider to be married to a more photojournalistic style; or color, which is thought to be more traditional and linked to formal portraiture? Cliff Mautner, of Cliff Mautner Photography in Haddonfield (856-428-4268; www.cmphotography.com), a former 15-year veteran photographer from the Philadelphia Inquirer, suggests approaching this decision from a completely different perspective. “Certain images are more flattering in black and white, while some are more flattering in color,” says Mautner. Look for a photographer that brings a range of styles to the table; one that, like any good artist, can make decisions about each photograph as they shoot and during processing. Hennessy agrees. “A rich red rose bouquet is just simply going to look better in color.”
Keep in mind that black-and-white photography doesn’t automatically equal a photojournalistic or documentary style. With the color stripped away from an image, the composition should be able to stand on its own and evoke an emotional response. “Black-and-white images isolate your subject matter” and a “certain mood should be created or evoked,” says Mautner. Liz Wuillermin of Liz Wuillermin Photography in Folsom (609-561-2844; www.lwphotos.com) feels the same. “I truly believe the most important factor when making your decision about good black-and-white wedding photography is the creative eyes of the photographer behind the camera, combined with their decisions in the reproduction of the black-and-white print.” If the black-and-white images in a particular photographer’s portfolio don’t “speak” to you—move on.
Digital technology has really changed the landscape of wedding photography over the last decade. Photographers who shoot digitally can decide which images will translate best in color or black and white during processing, since they can choose after the fact. These methods are also less costly than traditional darkroom processing and, as Wuillermin points out, much better for the environment, since it does away with all the nasty chemicals. Whether they use traditional or digital methods, make sure that your photographer listens to what you are looking for as an end result, then tells you how they will help you get there. Make sure digital enlargements are sharp and of high quality. Steer clear of anyone who insists that they only “do” black and white or color, since most wedding photographers should be skilled at both.
Finally, if you are indeed looking for a photojournalistic or documentary style, Mautner suggests being direct by asking, “What type of photojournalism experience do you have?” In addition, look for differences in the coverage of your wedding. For example, to truly “document” your wedding day, it may be best to find someone who will give you coverage in terms of hours, not just in number of photographs shot. And don’t be afraid to mix it up. Your photographer can accompany you in the car after the ceremony to capture your first intimate moments of official wedded bliss in black and white, as well as getting a posed table shot of Aunt Ursula and the cousins in color. As Hennessy emphasizes, “Ultimately the photography should be about the wedding and not the wedding about the photography.” |