Michelle and Paul at Little Egg Harbor
Engagement beach shoot in October, YES!
When chatting with my clients about engagement shoots I usually ask if there are places that are special to them. As much as a nice park or generic scenery work, I find having a place special to a couple’s history makes the most sense. It just gives it that little something extra. So when Michelle and Paul told me their family had a house not too far from Long Beach Island, New Jersey I squeed. Yes that’s a word. A fall beach engagement session you say? Count me in. Fall is probably the most beautiful time to photograph anything at the beach. There are less people, less humidity and everything is slowly turning those golden hues. It is just gorgeous. Most couples haven’t been photographed professionally. I completely understand this and it can be pretty daunting to be the star of the show but Michelle, Paul and their totes adorable puppy were absolute models. Aside from picking an impeccable wardrobe they are also just beautiful people, inside and out. All you need to remember during your engagement shoot is to keep yourselves at the forefront of the experience, literally focus on each other and of course, have fun. I will be photographing their wedding next summer and cannot wait to make even more gorgeous photographs with them. Special thanks to Paul’s parents for being extra helpful with their pup(a must if you bring your animal child to an engagement shoot).
Please enjoy Michelle and Paul and their engagement at the beach.
You have to see what he did next! Click here for the full story.
What happens when a seasoned photographer lands back in his home of New Jersey.
I sat here for a moment watching the cursor blink. What on earth should I name one of the more important blog posts I’ll be writing this year? I know! Let’s use a click bait phrase! As overused and silly as that title may seem I’m not sure there is a better one that describes what this blog post will be about. If you’ve stumbled upon me through happenstance, targeted paid ad, or just a friend stalking me, hello! I’m so happy to have you here. My name is Mike and I am a people photographer (this means I shoot almost anything involving people, most specifically weddings, boudoir, engagements and portraits). I am established in Northern New Jersey.
I’m not here to sell you anything. I simply would like to introduce you to, me. There’s so much I’d love to tell you and given the amount of space I have to write, I very well could go on for days. Though, I read that there’s about a 37 second attention span for people on new websites so I’m probably already at a deficit. Oh, the self inflicted pressure.
Time for the Cliff note’s version. Are those still a thing? I mean the internet probably obliterated that business right? I grew up in northern New Jersey about 40 minutes west of Manhattan, in a small town that could have not been farther from city life. School brought me to Boston where I lived for over a decade and a fleeting relationship propelled me to North Carolina. In my heart I have always known that I belonged in the Northeast. I’m much too honest, brash, dramatic and progressive for some southern sensibilities. I’ve now returned home to New Jersey. I’ve come back to a saturated market where everyone seemingly is a photographer. There’s so much noise and I don’t want to be a part of it. I just want to rise above, but how?
Everyone owns some type of camera. It’s usually their cell phone. More pictures are being taken than any time in history. We document nearly everything we do. Remember though, quantity doesn’t always equate to quality and I feel like the importance of photographs have lost their tread.
I want photographs to have their meaning back. I want to make tangible memories for people to hold in their hands, keep in their wallets or their walls for years to come. I want the creation of these photographs to be as fun as the pictures themselves. This world is too quick. It’s too swift with how it deals with memories. No one needs 100 pictures of their ramen. I’d argue you don’t need any. What you need is to remember the experience, how it felt to taste it, the people you were with, that moment in time. Personally, photographs should be the same. They are a representation of a moment, an experience, a time that you wanted documented.
Now that I’m in New Jersey I am seeking out clients that feel the same. I don’t want people to treat photography as an afterthought or something they just feel they need to do because that’s what the wedding industry says they need. I care about preserving your memories as much as you care about creating them. So, let me be that person who handles them with kid-gloves.
I’m not the photographer who just slaps on a filter and calls it a day. I still shoot film for a majority of my services because it’s important to slow down and think before I click the shutter. When I photograph you I want it to be a conversation. I don’t want you to feel as if a big lens is in your face. People may not always remember names but they remember how they were treated in life. So, this is me. I’m Mike and I’m a photographer that makes portraits of people, eats their wedding cake, makes them laugh when they don’t want to and makes sure they remember the lives they have lived, through pictures. Below is a sampling of my work including weddings, engagements, portraits and some boudoir. You can browse the rest of my website and see other moments I’ve captured for people and if you’d like, leave me a note. I’d love to chat. Being a photographer here in New Jersey is what I’m doing next.
P.S: This is a big and beautiful website, don’t forget to look around!
