When I started this year’s wedding season, I honestly had no idea how I would get through the year having booked 43 weddings (more than I had ever done in a single year before). When you do what I do for a living, it can sometimes be challenging as an artist to maintain “creative fuel” as I call it as well as a high level of energy and motivation wedding after wedding after wedding… I’m certainly not complaining and love what I do, but these are some of the challenges that any professional photographer goes through. I’ve had the pleasure of working with 43 different amazing couples this year and have seen and learned more things in the past year than I could write in a book I think. I’m excited about what I’ve learned and now that I have a bit of a break, am really psyched to impliment some new fresh ideas for the following year to not only better our business and quality of service, but also the type of work we do….. it’s a never ending project for me to make each wedding or year better than the last if possible. This may not always happen, but I sure as hell try my hardest, that’s for sure! I’m so greatful for not only the experiences I’ve had this year, but also to have met so many new incredible people that I now consider my friends.
Shooting the first and last wedding of a season are always a bit tricky for me, and it’s hard to explain the things that go through my mind and the pressure I put on myself. The first wedding of the year is challenging because I haven’t shot one in a few months, and I always wonder if I’ll forget all my tricks and way of doing things the year before in addition to if I still have the same creativity of the season before (it always comes back like riding a bike). The last wedding of the season or year, however is probably one of the most important to me….. not only does it somewhat sum up the year of what I’m capable of doing, but also is the most recent wedding I’ll have to sit on for 3-4 months before I start the next year of weddings – it can make or break your motivation of doing what you love most. Not only is this something that lies heavily on my mind, but also imagine the challenges of shooting in the cold weather, everything is nearly dead in November (no flowers, etc), on top of the fact that no one wants to be outside for too long and it gets dark at 4:30 instead of 9pm like in the summer…. trust me, it’s not easy!
With that being said, Jamaica and I shot the 43rd and final wedding of the year (last but not least as they say) in Saratoga last night with Jordan & Elaine, who officially tied the knot together! We couldn’t have asked for more on a final wedding (especially since you all now know what thigns go through my mind). We had a beatiful day to work with that was cold, but bearable to work with, as well as an absolutely incredible bride and groom as well as all their family and bridal party to work with….. I would shoot with this group every weekend of the year if I could, they were amazing! Jordan & Elaine are truly a special couple and you could feel the warmth the two of them have to offer immediately, not only in their personalities, but also in the images wer were able to capture…. again, I couldn’t have asked for more! Since it was dark before the ceremony, we started a bit early and Elaine and Jordan were okay seeing each other before the ceremony…. it was great to not only have the time with them to set up a first meeting, but also privacy to shoot some of the bride and groom stuff at the Gideon Putnam Hotel, without all the guests watching our every move (not that I mind, lol). After a beautiful church ceremony, we headed over to the Hall of Springs in Saratoga, which has never looked better! Exceptional service, food, and atmosphere and I’m sure Elaine & Jordan’s guests were in heaven for those that had not been there before. We also had the extreme pleasure of working with our friends, The New York Players, how once again absolutely rocked the house….. if anyone is looking for a band for their upcoming wedding, you really need to check them out!
Once again, I would like to thank Elaine & Jordan for allowing us to spend such a special day with them as well as their family and bridal party who were a blast to hang out with…. this was an amazing wedding (one of the best of the entire year) and it feels so great to not only now get a break for myself, but to have closed the year on such a good note. I’ll be doing an offical 2008 year in review post i a week or two with hopefully a compliation of cool things about the year, a slideshow of my favorite images as well as some new announcements for the upcoming year!
For those interested (and attended this weding), you can click the link to pre-register your email and receive automatic notification of when Elaine & Jordan’s images go live (usually about 3-4 weeks). I could have posted half the wedding, but wanted to go out with a bang for this last wedding blog entry for the year. I leave you with a few of my favorite samples of Elaine & Jordan’s special day………
P.S. Time for a drink I think! :)
http://mattramosphotography.instaproofs.com/enterEvent.php?id=90166
Jordan waiting patiently to see his bride for the first time…..
And Bam….. the moment!
This was meant to look like it was taken in the 1800′s…. love the sophisticated & old skool look of this one!
the parents making faces through the window while we were shooting portraits…. be awful careful what you do around me!
gotta love the golden hour of light….. amazing!
one of my favorites of the entire wedding – wow!
making it official
a self portrait for you…
the Hall of Springs looking absolutely incredible – talk about a packed house!
The New York Players doing what they do best…. rockin’ the house!
Another set of my favorites – love it
love this shot too…. Jordan looks like he’s trying to saw through a tree with a butter knife, lol
by Matt Ramos
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