Trash the Dress

This concept of photography is called "Trash The Dress". This is a huge phenomenon currently internationally and in some national cities like LA and Miami.

We are proud to photograph a truly breathtaking collection of images taken at a tropical resort in Riviera Maya Mexico.

I always wanted to do this photoshoot on a tropical island and what better place to do it than Riviera Maya, Mexico. The photoshoot took about 3 hours from start to finish. The water was warm and Loreta just wanted to 'trash' the dress as you can see.The lighting couldnt be better. There was this amazing ray of sunlight hitting Loreta perfectly on the face the entire time. You call it magic and I call it the photographer's dream come true - Perfect Sunlight!

We went in the sand. In the ocean and my favorite UNDERWATER! I still managed to get the $10,000 equipment in its finest form with not a single drop of water in!

By far the most fun I've had in a photoshoot. This was also a gift to her.

So go ahead, ask us how YOU can get your dress trashed! After the wedding, of course! :)
Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico

Jordan & Christopher Wedding 6.21.08

Wow, where should I start? I had the honor of photographing this amazing wedding. First off, I want to thank the Cohen family for such unbelievable hospitality.

This was the first wedding that I ever photographed that had an 8 course dinner! Everything from the outdoor setup to the indoor dining setup at Spris restaurant was impeccable.

Jordan's dress blew me away! The veil made for some incredible photos! Jordan, you looked beautiful beyond words!

Check out the photos to see what I'm talking about!
http://www.studiocontempo.com/jordan&chris

Jeff and Tedessa Wedding

I'm sure you all have seen the engagement photos of this vibrant couple in my blog.
Here it is, the big day. The Doffs (Jeff & Tedessa Doff) had a very intimate wedding.
So intimate that their wedding party was called "The Circle of Honor". There was a special dance dedicated towards them as a gift from a couple in their Honor Circle which just made everyone cry.
The wedding was hardcore photojournalism style with just the perfect amount of formals. This is what the bride and groom wanted. They wanted me to shadow them pretty much all the way through which I normally do but this one was a little on the papparazzi level! :)
Enjoy the photos!
http://www.studiocontempo.com/tedessa&jeff/

Claudia & Hector Engagement

Congrats to Claudia and Hector on their upcoming wedding. Claudia and Hector recently moved to Charlotte and co-ordinating the engagement shoot was a little tough due to that. The good news is that it finally happened.

The location was Wickham park and Constitution plaza in downtown Hartford.

These are my favorite shots! You can view more at:

http://www.studiocontempo.com/claudia&hector

Rachna & Rob Engagement & Wedding Photos

Rachna and Rob's wedding was truly a special one. They had a beautiful traditonal Hindu ceremony which was accompanied by a Catholic one.

This couple radiates such a positive energy when around them its just such a great feeling.

Here are some photos from their engagement and the wedding. Enjoy.

The last photo of the little girl who catched a bouquet is hilarious!

Precious #2 - Panerai

Wow, its been a long long time since I posted something on here. Its been ridiculously busy with the wedding season and the magazine. I promise I will post here more often... :)

Here, we have my most prized possession, The Panerai PAM 104. I absolutely love the Original Panerai Rubber strap so here it is outfitted as such. The leather straps are only taken out in winter. :)

I purchased this about 4 years ago after dreaming about it for the last 10 years!

This shot was taken in semi-darkness. The bright green dial is actually the special authentic Panerai luminova that had to be stimulated to get a massive glow. I love how the glow is reflected on the counter-top.

Kristoph Photoshoot

This was a fun photoshoot. Below is the photoshoot of Kristoph who mind you is one of the top ballroom dancers and instructors in the US! What a great honor!

These came out fabulous!!

Good luck Kristoph!! Rock the media with these photos! :)

Complete photoshoot is here: http://www.studiocontempo.com/christoph/

Kristen & Jack Engagement

Updates have been slow as we were lost shopping for the holidays. :)

Hope everyone had a great holiday and we are looking forward to ringing in the new year with more frequent blog updates.

Below is the last engagement shoot for 2007. Jack and Kristen are veterans of the wedding scene specifically in the music arena! Their wedding is watched by quite a few magazines as they have been in this scene for a very very long time! so naturally the expectations are way up there. No pressure Jack and Kristen! Really! :)

The photoshoot took place at a vineyard in Wallingford.

The complete slideshow can be viewed at: http://www.studiocontempo.com/kristin&jack/

Enjoy!

Tedessa & Jeff Engagement - Essex, CT

I was honored to photograph this beautiful couple's engagement shoot which took place in the historic town of Essex, CT. Tedessa and Jeff, danced and laughed while I captured this extremely personal day for them. It was right after a heavy rainy night and the weather was absolutely beautiful. This is an early morning photoshoot!
For a complete slideshow please visit http://www.studiocontempo.com/tedessa&jeff/

Bela & John Engagement

This engagement shoot was shot at Mansfield Hollow Dam in Mansfield. I love this location!For a complete slideshow, please visit http://www.studiocontempo.com/bella/

Mary-Cate & Steve Wedding - 9.21.2007

Mary-Cate and Steve got married at the Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, Connecticut.
As a wedding photojournalist, I am one of the few people who actually really feels the tension and stress before the Bride and Groom's vows. The stress actually is always in the air but let me tell you about this particular wedding. There was none. I walked in to Mary-Cate's sisters house where she was getting ready in Glastonbury. As soon as I walk in, it was probably one of the most calmest places I have ever been to for photography. It was sooo quiet!! I started snapping some photos here and there and eventually made my way into the Bride's room where she was getting ready and to my surprise, Mary-Cate goes "Oh, you are here. Good!" Thats about all she said with no nervousness about the big day and then the photoshoot started which came out fantastic...see below!
Steve and Missy are a very easy going and extremely calm couple and it truly shows in these photos.
I know its difficult for the bride and groom to listen to other people on the big day but being relaxed and calm brings out the best photos of them..period!
Here is an example of what being relaxed results in and it is amazing - http://www.studiocontempo.com/marycate&steve/
These came out phenomenal!

Erin & Deniz Engagement

Erin and Deniz wanted a beach photoshoot for their engagement and they got it. We shot these images at Rocky Neck State Park and Beach.

It was around 5:30PM and the lighting was just perfect!

These photos came out super nice! :)

http://www.studiocontempo.com/erin&deniz/

Nara & Scott Wedding - 8.31.07

As you all know I posted Nara and Scott's engagement shoot earlier in the summer.

Wow, time flies! It feels like the engagement shoot just happenned two weeks ago.

Nara looked absolutely beautiful. They both look so good together!

The wedding was insane! The energy was through the roof! This wedding was tons and tons of fun for us!

I could go on and on..Anyway, here are some shots from the wedding.

http://www.studiocontempo.com/nara&scott/

Artist Photoshoot - Ken of Comandate Zero

This is Ken of http://www.comandantezero.com/

I love artist photoshoots. I absolutely loved this shot!

Isabella's Bridal Shower

OK, this was one of the most fun shoots I have had in a while. This was a Bridal Shower party for Bella, who was as beautiful as the name is.

These are just a few shots of the shoot but you can view more by looking at the entire slideshow here: http://www.studiocontempo.com/bella

It was not just about a lot of time to prepare but the thought they put into everything was amazing! I have never seen so much attention to detail put into a bridal shower. So, I made sure all of those little details were captured!

You can view complete slideshow here: http://www.studiocontempo.com/bella/

Precious # 1

I am a sucker for fine watches. I was 12 years old when my dad got his original Rolex inspired by one of the first James Bond movies starring Sean Connery (sp?). My dad would tell me the history of Rolex and on and on he would go about how he loves watches. That day I was truly inspired by the art of loving a watch. :) I have been following watches seriously since I was 15 years old and came across the next generation 007 watch.

Goldeneye (1995), had the first appearance of the Seamaster in a Bond film. In it, 007 wears the quartz model 2541.80. OMEGA SEAMASTER became the icon on 007's wrist and I fell in love with it immediately. It was my dream to own the Automatic James Bond watch with a chronograph and here it is infront of you

I was messing around with doing a photoshoot of my watch collection and produced a good enough image for your viewing pleasure.

I present to you the OMEGA SEAMASTER CHRONOGRAPH.


If you are into Omega watches you should definitely check out http://www.chronocentric.com/omega/

Art on a boat. :)

Art can be created anywhere.

I took this photo of the DJ at YourHartford.com’s Project Aqua boat party charity event.

The first thing you will notice is the spiky hair and the headphones wrapped around the DJ as the background is completely washed with intense color.

Incase other photographers are wondering, There has been no manipulation done to this photo and is presented here as is.

Nara & Scott Engagement Photoshoot - 8.4.2007

Today we present to you Scott and Nara's engagement shoot which took place in New Haven.

New Haven and metro settings are quickly becoming the location of choice for the modern bride and grooms.

Please check out the complete slideshow at:
http://www.studiocontempo.com/nara&scott/

Luisa and Eldar Wedding - 7.21.2007

Modern Weddings like these are happening quite a bit in Connecticut. Eldar and Luisa wanted their wedding to be super different so they decided to have the reception at the New Britain Museum of Art. We were given full permission to give our humble advice through out the day. The result as you can see goes side by side with the couple's vision of their wedding day - Different, yet elegant and exciting.

Checkout their slideshow at: http://www.studiocontempo.com/luisa&eldar/

Karlene & Michael Engagement - 7.14.2007

Today we present to you Karlene and Michael's engagement photoshoot which took place on Newbury St in Boston. The couple chose this beautiful and vibrant city as the engagement shoot location because their first date happenned to be at the same location.

This shoot was extremely exciting mostly due to two things, the location and most importantly how fun and relaxed Michael and Karlene were. Walking around snapping away as this couple was being themselves was utterly enjoyable. We walked down Huntington Ave, Boylston and then Newbury St.

Michael and Karlene ended the photoshoot at Newbury St Park to go pick up their wedding rings from Tiffany's. Little did they know that we were waiting outside Tiffany's to take that final photo of them walking out all happy with their new rings!

Below are a few photos for your viewing pleasure. For more, click here:

http://www.studiocontempo.com/karlene&michael/

Mary-Cate & Steve Engagement - 6.24.2007

We started to shoot Mary-Cate and Steve's engagement in the Elizabeth Park and then we moved to the Hartford downtown. I am really happy with these pictures. For more photos, please click here:
http://www.studiocontempo.com/marycate&steve/

Luisa & Eldar Engagement - 6.23.2007

Luisa and Eldar decided to do their engagement photos in New Haven downtown. I am very excited to see that more and more couples are choosing non-traditional locations for their engagement photos. Fun! Here are few photos for your viewing. For a slideshow with more pictures, please click here: http://www.studiocontempo.com/luisa&eldar/

Amy & Frank Wedding - 04.47.2007

This was my first destination wedding. Amy and Frank married at El Dorado Royale resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

The weekend stay was definitely exhilirating. Coming from the North East it was such an amazing change of scenery. The warm blue waters, the clear blue sky and a different kind of feeling overall.

As this was my first destination wedding there was a lot learned.

Hope you like the photos as much I loved being there to capture an intense feeling of happiness!

For more photos from Welcome dinner and Wedding day, please click the link http://www.studiocontempo.com/weddings/

Boudoir Session

"This" is the new trend in photography these days. Especially for the brides about to get married... :) Enjoy.

Please visit http://www.studiocontempo.com/boudoir for more photos.

Calm

Passion makes you who you are.

I love black and white photography (first photo). If done right you can always get a sense of calmness in the image.

Here’s a little treat of calmness. Enjoy.

This was from a recent photoshoot.