Bio
INTERVIEWED BY DESTINATION EVENT PLANNER, LINDSEY MAURATH OF JOYOLOGIE, SONO, CT LM: What inspired you to become a Wedding Photographer? LD: Photography has always been a passion for me. Family life has always been a passion for me. Wedding & portrait photography became the perfect match for me. Growing up in a family of 5 kids, with 4 cousins down the street, we always had such chaos going on — a whirlwind of love and fun. In the midst of that chaos, I ended up being an “observer.” I was always very aware of people’s feelings & expressions. I began shooting at age 15 with my new Canon AE:1. I studied photography, psychology and art history (abroad) in college. After that for three years I went to School of Visual Arts and also worked in commercial photography studios in New York. Though the tech, producing & biz training was something I really valued, I realized that the advertising world was not for me. Everything was just too planned and too perfect. (Fake backdrops, 3 hours of hair and makeup, pressed clothing & the "perfect" model's hands holding the "perfect" product.) So, having always delighted in a person’s unique personality, I began working with kids and covering weddings. This is about 12 years ago. I’ve never looked back. Each subject or event is so different and I love that. I start with a blank canvas and paint each unique story. My aim is to give my clients a story of their celebration that is beyond their expectations. I feel honored to be there on such a special occasion. I want my brides, who become friends, to RAVE about their images and treasure their story for generations. When a client is thrilled, I am thrilled and that inspires me always to keep doing what I am doing. I do what I love and love what I do. It’s a true gift. LM: How would you describe your shooting style? LD: Natural, whimsical, documentary. Fashion-like, with high-energy & lots of motion. Surprising, searching & sensitive. Classic, forever, creative & genuine. LM: What are your favorite places to shoot? LD: Am I lucky or what? Visualize these: 1. Gracious stone mansions with sweeping meadows, sunken gardens & 100 year old trees in the distance. 2. Ocean front venues with beaches nearby, feet in the sand & golden sunsets. 3. Country barns with meadows, horses pulling the wedding party on a wagon & old wooden fences. 4. Quiet vineyards that stretch a hilltop with rolling stone walls and a crop of giant, six foot tall sunflowers. 5. Crisp, cool lakes surrounded by tall pine trees & sleek, antique, wooden boats humming by. 6. Swanky city lofts & a row of brownstones. Busy city streets moving fast ‘round us as we shoot in the cross walk and cabbies toot their horns. LM: What’s one thing couples should know to make their images better on their wedding day? LD: Hire someone who really cares and with whom you really click. You want to have the same vision. Hire someone with the right energy, amount of involvement and thoughtfulness for you. I’d want to know that you can count on your photographer to be there for them from start to finish – during all the planning – go for a team that can “detox” with you when it all gets too darn stressful. I’ve seen over 250 weddings and have seen everything go down. I can help with vendor choices, creative art direction and really lend a shoulder if my brides need it. We’re buddies. We meet up and we hang out. I remember the years when I was shooting more than 30 weddings per year and I was miserable because I felt I couldn’t give each wedding as much time (before and after their event) as I wanted to. Since I love what I do and want to keeping covering weddings for years to come, I’d never want to become a wedding, “factory” photographer who shows up just to execute the day and who thinks of it as a job, i.e. “get in and get out” because they have a ten hour wedding the next day or because they are so tired from shooting a fourteen hour day the day before. I show up with three days energy and spend it all! LM: What is Your Favorite Memory From A Wedding? LD: This is a hard question. I have so many wonderful memories. I won’t list beautiful venues but rather emotions and energy. FLOWER GIRLS AND RING BEARERS: My first thought is of “children, children, children,” because I love it when there are little flower girls and ring bearers running around us throughout the day.. I was actually playing “army” with the two ring bearers last weekend. The boys ran from vineyards to trees to this gorgeous stonewall, hiding from my weapon which was my 70-200mm long lens. WORK THAT DRESS: My second thought is of my brides who really “wear” that dress and feel confidant on their wedding day. They “work it” and move the dress ‘round. You can hear the swishing sound, can’t you? We do more of a fashion shoot than plain old portraits and it’s super fab. DANCING FOOLS: Third, it’s rare that we see a bride and groom who can BOTH dance really well. Well, this couple I’m thinking of met at a dance competition. I remember clearly how they took over that dance floor. I wanted it to go on forever. As soon as they made their first move everyone’s mouth dropped wide open in disbelief. I shot regular flash and was sure to throw in a few images using a “rear curtain sync” technique where the couple comes out in clear focus yet the background blurs making it super dreamy. A STORY OF THE ENTIRE WEEKEND: Finally, I loved covering a wedding in the Hamptons, one at a California vineyard, one on Martha’s Vineyard and one on Block Island where I was storytelling throughout the entire weekend. Three days of fun. My team and I were able to cover the rehearsal dinner, the wedding day and the super casual brunch on Sunday. We became a part of the fabric of the family’s lives, “rode the wave” of celebration for three days and the stories were gorgeous. There’s something about being their for the whole weekend that adds such depth, besides the amount of photos, it’s about becoming a part of the family, connecting with the guests – it’s emotional and the images show it all! LM: If you could be anything else in the world, what would you be? LD: A writer, a storyteller. I loved my creative writing courses while growing up and doing “morning pages” for the cool book, “The Artist Way.” So writing or I’m also thinking about teaching 18-22 year olds the business of doing what you love and being an artist. I already mentor younger photographers in the biz, but I might want to do it more formerly. I have learned so much over the last decade and have a lot to share. I see so many artists flailing and flopping around, unsure of how to make a living through their art/creative services. I’d love to help them out. My years in advertising, before I began my photography really helped me out when I started my own biz. LM: What do you love? LD: I love standing on my head. I love yoga as well as running as fast as I can down the beach at the water's edge. I love mountain tops, rolling down the sand dunes and floating in the ocean like a raft. I love my white boxer who is so playful and loving: Milo, the "wonder dawg." I love the sound of laughter. I love my work. I love what I do for living. |
 |