The Classic Image

Guest Blogger Thursday: Wedding Limousines

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned last week, we will be featuring guest bloggers from other wedding resources to help you as you plan your day. Today we welcome our first guest blogger John Pemrick Lewis from Advantage Transportation Group:

A wedding is a ceremony that celebrates the beginning of a marriage and is considered one of the most important events in life, as well as a perfect opportunity to perform a traditional ceremony and celebrate with friends and family. Costs to creating the perfect wedding may vary and cruising around town in wedding limousines, replete with “just married” signs, champagne and confetti awaits you on your very special day.

Luxury, comfort and style on your wedding day.

Most couples would agree that arriving at your wedding ceremony in luxury and comfort is tops on the agenda. Arriving there in an appropriately-colored and stylish limousine should do the trick, as most limousines offered for hire are meticulously maintained with a complimentary bar and friendly chauffeurs.

The most simple and basic wedding limousine service will include the limousine, driver and beverages. When it comes to the driver, make sure that the rental company provides a uniformed (tuxedo) driver for the wedding.

Checking on the limo’s appearance also matters. Couples should ensure that the service includes important extras such as “Just Married” signs, red royal wedding carpet, interior decoration, champagne stands, or any other special considerations you may require. Keep in min that the service provider may impose additional charge as extra customizations.

Royal red carpet for the bride!

Couples are advised to reserve their choice limousines well in advance. Unless one is familiar with the limousine company and their vehicles, take the time to check on the available options and physically inspect the vehicle. Confirm the dress code for the chauffeur, since you would prefer a fully trained professional chauffeur.

Limousines are generally rated as 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 20 passenger-types, so be sure to ask for the year and make of the limousine. Also, consider the size of your party and the gowns when hiring your limousine. While rental costs vary considerably, most companies have a three hour minimum, and some suggest a gratuity of up to 20% for the chauffeur for providing exemplary service!
Advantage Transportation Group

137 Lark Street

Albany, NY. 12210

(518)433.0100 Ph.

(518)579.8296 Fx.

albanycarservice.com
JPL

Thanks for being our first guest blogger John! Tim and Dana

Dave and Omayra's Wedding at Longfellow's in Saratoga Springs NY

2012-02-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

Wedding Photographers in Saratoga Springs NY-The Classic Image-Tim and Dana Shaffer

Dave and Omayra had a beautiful day for their wedding in Saratoga Springs last October. When this delightful couple came to meet with us we talked about all the things that were important to them about their relationship and their wedding and how they would like to to see it captured in their wedding photographs. Their love for each other was obvious at first meeting and as we talked it became evident that they also shared a great love of family and that God was a big part of their lives. David was a dad to an adorable little boy and girl and Omayra had a beautiful sweet daughter. They were a lot of fun and so full of enthusiasm and energy that we were really excited to be able to spend this very special day with them.

One more thing Omayra mentioned was her love of bright beautiful colors which she planned to incorporate into all of her wedding details.

Love this little man! What tuxedo company wouldn't want him for a model!

Omayra got this amazing dress from Yvonne's bridal .

A last minute tete-a-tete for mom and her little mini bride.

That moment of anticipation as his bride walks down the aisle

This is exactly what we are looking for in the groom's face as he watches his bride come up the aisle. Can't you just feel the emotions here? Wow!

Omayra's dad was unable to make the wedding, so to observe that fact and to give a gesture of acknowledgement as to how much she missed him and his importance in her day, she stopped to a put a flower in a chair reserved for him.

A braid signifying the combination of the two families and God. From the three strands one rope, much stronger than any of the three combined.

The children helped with the braiding to signify their contribution in the making of the new family.

Dave's first thought was to thank the children for their help in making the ceremony so beautiful.

The braided rope.

The new family.

Omayra and Dave

Bold, beautiful, vibrant and colorful.

Tim and I both have different ring shot preferences. I love the clasped hands with the dress as the backdrop for the rings.

One of our favorite images from the day.

Tim's classic ring shot with the flowers as a backdrop. So pretty!

I love this image of the new family on their way to their receptions. Wonderful example of photojournalism.

This fabulous cake was made by Omayra's maid of honor. And even though it looks as if it were too perfect to eat, it was every bit as delicious as it looks.

A few detail shots from the reception.

So many perfect details.

The favors were so awesome. Chocolate covered cakes. Each with a story and a meaning.

The best part of this wedding was the awesome dancing. Omayra even had a special cocktail dress made for the first dance.

Dave is an athlete, but his sport is running. Omayra is a dancer and her Salsa dancing is phenonemal.

Dave took lessons so that he and Omayra could pull off some of the fantastic wedding dancing.

How was that for a first dance!

For those of you who want more of this warm color palette and fabulous dancing, watch the video.

Congratulations Omayra and Dave! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us.

love,

Tim and Dana

Guest Blogger Thursday: Meet our Guest Wedding Bloggers!

2012-02-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

For those planning a wedding:

To make your life a little easier during such an overwhelming and exciting time, I have asked some of The Classic Image Studio's friends in the wedding world to share their advice and knowledge in their area of expertise with you.

These guest bloggers will explain their role in a wedding, what to look for when hiring a vendor in their field, and why it is important to have someone who offers their services for your wedding - anything they feel is important or that they are passionate about.

I already have a list of people who are excited to help out with this project, including florists, DJ's, and wedding planners, video artists and formal wear experts. I hope to make this a weekly event!

Please contact me if there is a wedding vendor or expert that you would like to hear from - I would be happy to contact them to ask them to participate.

If you are yourself a vendor or expert and wish to be a guest blogger, please let me know.

I hope you all look forward to our first guest blogger appearance next week!

The Hall of Springs Bridal Show Saratoga Springs : Wedding Photographers

2012-01-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Schenectady Gazette's Saratoga-Capital Region's Bridal Show Extravaganza! It's right around the corner Sunday January 29, 2012 from 11-3. This show features the area's premiere wedding vendors including Caterers, Florists, Photographers, Entertainment, Dress Shops, Tux Shops, Salons, Decor and Rentals, Venues, Registry locations, Cake Shops and more.

Need directions?

The Hall of Springs is located at 108 Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Springs NY

Thinking about having us photograph your wedding? Ask about our special gift for couples who retain our services on the day of the show.
This is the show to be at! Don't miss the chance to meet all the local wedding talent! And of course stop by and say hi to us (Tim and Dana Shaffer) at The Classic Image booth. Check back here and on our Facebook page after the show for some photos from the day. (Photos from last year's show here.)

Erica and David Wedding October 7 2011 Beardslee Castle Wedding Photographers in Central NY Albany Saratoga Cooperstown.

2011-12-26T21:58:00.025-05:00

Wedding photographers in upstate New York have most of their bookings from May through October. We find that October is always one of our busiest months. It is a great time here. Erica and Dave's wedding was on the 7th. The leaves had just started to change but the grounds in front of the Castle were still beautiful and green.

Beardslee's Castle in Little Falls NY is a perfect place for a fall wedding. The reception room shown here in midday is completely white with a lot of windows looking out on to the grounds.

The bride and groom's champagne glasses with bittersweet wrapped around a grapevine pumpkin.

At each table setting was a chocolate pumpkin with a note indicating the bride and groom had made a donation to the humane society in lieu of favors. I love the shadow from the star decor on the note.

This image reminds me of an old time photo illustration or a Norman Rockwell print. The room is full of activity as the bridesmaids are all busy getting the bride ready. I love how their little boy is standing on his tip toes in his diaper and socks with his hands clasped behind his back looking at his mother and himself in the mirror. It is such a wonderfully precious moment in time.

This next image has the same "moment in time" feel about it. They both illustrate a mood that can only be captured by allowing people to go about their day without orchestrating the event. When people ask for photojournalism style photography this is what we envision.

This next photo, while not strictly posed is certainly not photojournalism. In this instance, we suggested to the bride that she look out on to the garden where she would be getting married. Isn't this a perfect window for this classic style image? Shown in black and white we see the leading lines of the shadow from the window bringing us to the bride and then the design in the rug as it repeats and echos the design of the folds in her dress.

A classic posed image here of our bride using just the natural light in the room, with a reflector to pick up the highlights in those beautiful blue eyes. Wow!

This photo of the groom is a must for every wedding:

After the couple walked back down the aisle , Dave hugged his son in this very loving embrace. We asked Erica and Dave to let us know some of the photos that they liked the most and this was one that Erica really loved. This wedding was about celebrating their love for each other but was also obviously a celebration of love for that little guy too.

Erica and Dave. Congratulations!

These photos are a lot of fun to do on a wedding day. A photo of the ladies with the groom and the bride with the groomsmen.

We like to make sure we allow enough time to get some really romantic photographs of our couples, giving them some images that will look great as a piece of art on their wall.

This was another favorite of Erica and Dave's. Their entrance to the reception as announced by Pat Flander of Top Notch Entertainment.

Erica and her dad.

Wearing a tux all day sure can wear a fellow out! That and teaching the old folks all the newest dance moves!

The candle light on the table decorations was so pretty! Carving table numbers into the pumpkins was a great idea for this October wedding.

At the end of the night we find out who has been teaching the little guy to stick his finger in the frosting.

Another Victorian Holiday Celebration

2011-11-27T20:25:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe it's only 4 weeks until Christmas. The temperature has been in the 50's and even hit 60 the other day. There is no snow so we have still been riding our bikes and even made a trip to Moss Island for a photo safar i. But you can't fool the kids- they know what time of year it is.
And so does Santa. This is his busy season. And while he has a lot of work to do making sure his sleigh is packed full of goodies for good little boys and girls, he still has his P.R. work to do. You know, make an appearance here and there, listen to wish lists and have his photo taken with little kids. Kind of like a politician but with a different agenda.
Anyway, we have been asked to take photos of him at the Victorian Holiday Celebration in Sharon Springs next Saturday (December 3)
If you get a chance, stop by the Roseboro Hotel and say hello. Have your portrait taken with the celebrity of the season. Drop off your wish list with him and help our friends at the Schoharie County Community Action Group. We will be donating the proceeds to help them make the holidays a little brighter for those who are still in need due to the devastating floods resulting from Hurricane Irene. After all it's only 4 weeks til' Christmas. Believe it!
Photos from last year's Victorian Holiday here.

Joe and Jenna's Wedding

2011-10-06T22:29:00.006-04:00

Outdoor or tent weddings can be really beautiful and there are always a lot of great photo opportunities when they are held in a park or a back yard. When it's held on your family's own farm or ranch it means you get to use all the cool props in your photos. It also means you get to have one awesome limo ride from the ceremony site to the reception site.

There is something about a white horse that reminds me of fairy tales and magic. We certainly had the beautiful princess bride to go along with the theme.

And the when we bring in the hero of the story:

Of course the horse only adds to the magic by bringing in a bit of comedy.

I had a really hard time picking a favorite which is why I included so many here. I think this might be my favorite. What do you think?

The detail shots from this wedding were hard for me to choose too. They were really different and perfect for a country style wedding.

I love the look Jenna is giving her dad in this photo as they start the father daughter dance.

And speaking of looks. You can see where Joe gets his good looks and great sense of fun from.

Sometimes when we are setting up the more more posed or requested group shots, the really fun image is found by turning around 180 degrees. Tim was photographing Jenna and her bridesmaids when I caught this interaction of Joe and the groomsmen. The best man was going over his three page speech.
It was a pretty funny-no holds barred talk that he read aloud to all the guys. It got this reaction from Joe:

The actual speech during the reception, was edited and abridged and cleaned up a little

but still pretty funny.

Signing the marriage certificate required a bit of discussion.

It was a beautiful evening and the sky was gorgeous so we took advantage of that to take one more romantic photo of the two of them. Sure to be one of our signature "Classic Images".

Like I said when it's your farm, you can have as big of a tent as you want! And I think with a DJ, a band and this crowd......they partied til the cows came home!

Thank you Joe and Jenna for having us as part of your very special day. We wish you lots of love and a
"Happily Ever After"
Tim and Dana

2011-10-03T21:53:00.000-04:00

Another decision on cakes-how many layers? This sweet little cake- three layers at The Otesaga in Cooperstown.

Four layers of chocolate cake at Beardslee Castle in Little Falls NY

Four layer cake at Riverstone Manor Scotia NY

Five Layer Cake Albany Country Club

And then there is this cake. Seven layers! Derek and Jessica's wedding in Lake George at The Sagamore.

Alina + AJ : Wedding Photography at The Sagamore in Bolton Landing- Lake George

2011-09-07T01:03:00.002-04:00

Lake George in August. Beautiful sunny days amid torrential rain storms. High peaks and cold mountain lakes. Crazy carnival atmosphere in the villages and fabulously elegant weddings in the magnificent resort hotels. With all its varied facets, I love Lake George in August as do so many other visitors. Our wedding couple, Alina and AJ were among those lucky enough to celebrate their wedding in this wonderful vacation paradise. A little slide show from their wedding:

Congratulations AJ and Alina! Best Wishes and thank you for having us as a part of your very special day!
love ,
Tim, Dana and Chelsea!

Caitlin and Jordan: Cooperstown Wedding Photographer /The Classic Image

2011-08-16T22:53:00.007-04:00

Caitlin and Jordan were married in Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Fort Plain. A beautiful light filled church in the little town that Caitlin grew up in. We had photographed both of Caitlin's sister's weddings and were thrilled to be chosen once again to work with this wonderful family.

Each of the girls had chosen a different reception venue and for this wedding we were going to be working at the Otesaga in Cooperstown- always one of our favorite places.

I really love how every wedding we do is so unique and wonderful in it's own way. While all of them have certain aspects and details that are similar, each of the couples and their families spend months preparing and choosing and working with the different vendors to create their own amazing and beautiful wedding day. Caitlin's choice of yellow, white and blue, which she used in their invitation and in the flowers, created a lovely warm color palette reflected even in the weather that day.

These two were so great to work with and it was such a gorgeous day! Can't you just feel the love and warmth in this photo?

Congratulations Caitlin and Jordan. Thank you for having us as a part of your very special day.

love,

Tim and Dana

Katie + Dan: A Cooperstown Wedding: Photography by The Classic Image

2011-08-05T16:00:00.001-04:00

We photographed Katie and Dan's wedding in Cooperstown NY July 30. What a beautiful day!

A little celebratory champagne to start the day.

Champagne

Dancing Shoes

Loved the fabulous detail on Katie's dress. And the fabulous bridesmaid who buttoned every single button with care!

Ballroom at the Otesaga

Wedding Rings

Perfect Flowers

Katie

A kiss

Great smile!

What better mode of travel in Cooperstown than the trolley? So much fun!

Katie and Dan

To the reception

Oh those rings!

Last Dance

Holly and Charlie: A Beardslee Castle Wedding

2011-07-29T23:07:00.001-04:00

Holly and Charlie

On the wedding day we met Holly at the Bellinger Rose, a really neat bed and breakfast place in Little Falls, NY. Among all the antiques and unique pieces of furniture and art was a player piano. We always try to use the invitation in one of our photos as it makes a great frontispiece in our albums. Tim loved the scroll design on the invitation and when he saw the music stand on this piano he knew it was the perfect place to create one of his amazing front page designs.

This was one of my favorite moments from this wedding... Holly's mom was helping Holly put on her wedding shoes and when she was doing it she started to tear up: she said it brought back memories of helping Holly put her baby shoes on. Okay, I'll admit that brought tears to my eyes too.

Beardslee Castle has so many great photo opportunities. Besides the Castle itself, there are gorgeous stone walls as well as a beautiful park with huge trees.

A great idea in place of a guest book. Little paper notes of love and advice for the new couple.

The night ended with a great party in the Castle!

Congratulations Holly and Charlie, thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us!
love,
Tim, Dana and Chelsea

Wedding Photographer in Lake George: Highlands Castle tour

2011-07-16T22:49:00.001-04:00

We met John at a bridal show in Saratoga Springs last year. I had introduced myself and we talked about castles and weddings but then we both got busy with the show. I saw him there again this year and he came over and admired our work and told us to be sure to stop by when we were in Lake George. So after our bridal show at the Sagamore this past April, we decided to make an adventure out of the rest of the day.
John has done almost all the work on the Castle over the past 30 years

I am pretty sure that the view from here is the best anywhere on Lake George. What a fabulous vista!

The inside is as amazing as the outside. Every room and every detail in the house is fit for royalty. It really is a castle.

John is such a great guy and a very gracious host.

The master bedroom. The colors are amazing.

Can't you just imagine how beautiful this would be all set up for a cocktail hour!

These photos were taken in very early spring. I can't wait to see how beautiful it is during the summer.

Thank you, John and Yvonne for your gracious hospitality!

Tim and Dana

Larissa and Dennis Wedding Photography in Saratoga Springs NY

2011-06-26T10:41:00.000-04:00

I was really looking forward to photographing Larissa and Dennis' wedding this June. Like most of our brides, Larissa was excited about all the planning and decisions that come along with a wedding. What was especially nice, however, was how she shared that excitement with us and all of her vendors that she had so carefully chosen. We became friends on Facebook so I knew how happy she was when her invitations came in and how thrilled she was to have Alayne from Make Me Fabulous as her wedding day make-up artist and hair stylist.

I knew she loved her dress, but of course she did not say too much about it ahead of time so as to keep it a surprise for Dennis. There was no surprise of course that it was gorgeous and that she looked stunning in it.

The flowers were amazing. The white lilies were not only beautiful they smelled heavenly. While Larissa has a great smile, I chose this portrait because I love how it shows off those gorgeous blue eyes.

Dennis in a portrait taken just before the ceremony. I think he might have been a tiny bit nervous but he looks nice and relaxed here. Don't you just love the grey tux?

We couldn't resist taking a photo with our bride with this retro phone booth at The Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs where we took our getting ready photos.

It has been a pretty rainy season so far and this day was no exception. This image shows the bride's mom anxiously awaiting the arrival of the limo as the sky just opened up and poured!

Larissa arrived just as the rain let up slightly. The limo driver wasn't taking any chances, however, and kept her well covered until she was safe and sound (and dry) in the church foyer.

When we were finished with family photographs in the church, the sun very nicely came out for a minute to greet the newly married couple.

We had done an engagement session with Larissa and Dennis in Saratoga Springs at The Hall of Springs. It was a great time to work with our couple and help them feel comfortable with having their photographs taken. In my post on that session I mentioned how they had each agreed to give in a little regarding something that was important to the other... Their choice of reception venue again represented something that each of them loved. Larissa loves horses so almost any place in Saratoga Springs would have been a great place for her. Combining that with Dennis's love of sports in general and golf in particular, Saratoga National Golf Course was a natural choice.

Larissa wanted a photo taken by the multicolored horse sculpture in the entrance to the venue. The images taken that show the horse and our couple are really cute, but my favorite is this close up with the colors of the horse as the background which was taken by our daughter Chelsea, who has been our assistant for the past two summers.

Dennis' choice of the golf course gave us this great background of the grass and trees and the nice leading lines from the path. When I asked if they had practiced their dip, we were treated to this great dip and kiss. Bravo!

And a great parting shot for the end of the night. Congratulations Larissa and Dennis! Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us! Love Tim and Dana

Sara and Eric's Wedding in Schenectady, NY

2011-06-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

Sara and Eric's wedding in the Stockade area of Schenectady showed how beautiful a wedding can be even when it rains! We love this unique, romantic shot of them in their room at the Stockade Inn.

Fortunately the weather did let up enough to photograph outside the Stockade Inn, where the ceremony and reception was held, as well as at the beautiful church across the street.

In any case, the rain gave Sara a chance to use her ruffled lime green umbrella!

 Here, Sara's mom, Lucy, arranges Sara's veil before the ceremony.    

Of course, what really brought together Sara's gorgeous dress and veil were her shoes!    

And I can't resist a picture of the cake.    

Here's Eric with their special glasses, engraved with their nicknames for each other and the date of their wedding.     A good refresher during all that dancing!

This is one of our assistant's favorite shots from the night. Eric and Sara's love for each other really shows in this picture, as does their sweet personalities! 

Fun times in Cooperstown NY-Open House for the newly Renovated Lake Front Restaurant

2011-06-18T01:24:00.000-04:00

We had a great time at the open house for the Lake Front Restaurant. The Lake Front has been a landmark in Cooperstown for over 50 years operating as a restaurant, motel and marina. At the head of the lake it is certainly some of the most beautiful lake front property in Cooperstown. We have taken our kids there for breakfast or lunch many times and enjoyed the view. They recently updated both the Restaurant and the Motel and Wow! it has really changed.

The view from the second floor of the motel looking out on beautiful Otsego Lake. You can see the marina and The Glimmerglass Queen available for charters and boat tours.

Another view of the newly renovated motel rooms.

The front of the restaurant filled with well wishers from the village and the Chamber of Commerce.

Inside the restaurant with the new bar and serving station. The food was great and the radish salad brought raves from all the people in our party. Wonderfully delicious and very different.

Enjoying the celebration!

Great Bar service!

The kitchen has a CIA(Culinary Institute of America) chef on staff.

Wishing you all the best of luck and a wonderful summer season!
Tim and Dana

Emily and Dennis Wedding Photography at The Otesaga in Cooperstown

2011-05-20T20:12:00.090-04:00

This has been an especially rainy spring, so we appreciate and make use of any little break in the weather we get. And perhaps because of the weather we also appreciate even more all the things about spring that we love. The bright new green of all the trees and the grass and the blossoms on all of the flowering trees and bushes. The branches on this tree just outside the veranda at the Otesaga made a perfect heart shape to frame our bride and groom as they had a moment together after the ceremony.

Starting the day out right, with a champagne toast-and great smiles. I could tell this was going to be a great party!

So how could you help but fall in love with this face?

Emily Dennis

Beautiful bouquet and a fabulous dress

One more great expression from the flower girl.

Giovanne from Videocraft working it!

Congratulations Dennis and Emily! Thank you so much for having us as part of your very special day.

Tim and Dana

Sagamore Bridal Show-Our Photographer in Lake George

2011-05-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

The Sagamore Resort held a group "wedding tasting" for all their brides so they could try out the different foods and put together the menus for their event. We set up a booth so that they could meet with us before the tasting. It was fun to see some of the couples we had already spoken with and to meet new ones who were still looking for a wedding photographer. When we are part of a show, I like to get there early enough so that I am all set up and can talk with some of the other vendors who are there. There are so many interesting people and they have such beautiful things that they offer to make your wedding day special.

Charles Jones is "The Iceman." I love to see his work. Just think, all that detail and time put into a creation designed just for you and your special event.

On Thai from Surroundings is truly a floral artist. I like to watch him work as he places each flower and petal exactly where he wants it. The results are stunning.

We met a couple of ladies from Fine Affairs. Since we were there early I got to watch them as they transformed the tables into beautiful seating arrangements. This is usually all done before we arrive at an event, so it was a treat to see them perform their magic.

So elegant!

So many choices, so many decisions. What fun!

We talked to Susan Cady from Finishing Touches Flowers in Bolton Landing. She's been featured many times in Well Wed Magazine for her delightful arrangements. We usually only see her as she is dropping off the flowers for the bride. It was nice to be able to let her know how much we appreciate her work.

It was such a beautiful day in Lake George that after the show we decided to visit another favorite event location Highlands Castle. That trip deserves it's own post, so stay tuned!

Sweet place to visit-Our photographer visits Fariello's in Amsterdam

2011-04-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

We visited Fariello's Confectionery in Amsterdam NY last week. If you haven't been there you should really check it out. It's an old fashioned ice cream shoppe with some amazing handcrafted chocolates.
When we walked in the door we immediately fell in love with its charm. From the original tables, counter seats and booths straight out of the 1920's, to the All- American kids working behind the counters, the atmosphere is like walking into a "Back to the Future" movie set.

One of those delicious looking hot fudge sundaes was mine. Coffee ice cream, and dark chocolate fudge with whipped cream and nuts. I am pretty sure it was the best sundae I ever had!

This cute couple was sharing a black raspberry bittersweet hot fudge chocolate sundae. What romantic wouldn't love a date like that?

I can't believe it took me so long to visit this place, but I have to say now that I found it I am going to have to make many, many return visits. Who wants to go with us?

Wedding Cake Photography in Albany Saratoga Cooperstown NY

2011-04-11T11:44:00.001-04:00

I thought I would share some of our favorite wedding cake photos here this week. It was hard to decide where to even start so of course I guess I should start from the top!
There are so many decisions to make when choosing your wedding cake, flavor (or flavors!), icing, shape, size, colors, decorations etc. And then when you think you have it all set, what would like on the top?

Monogram Wedding Topper

This pretty cake top is from Johnny and Naomi's April wedding last year.

Fun cake toppers

I was so excited when I saw this cake-not only was it my favorite cake flavor ever (carrot cake with cream cheese icing), but the little bicycling couple on top was adorable. We have always been biking enthusiasts and I thought" wow! if it just had a tiny little camera in the basket......... "

Using your wedding day flowers as toppers is always an elegant choice. Just add pearls. These beautiful cakes are almost too beautiful to cut!

Roses, daisies, orchids, all the different choices of flowers and colors so many pretty cakes!

Another simple yet elegant design with two crystal intertwined hearts. Sweet!

I love these delicate little white flowers. Can you imagine the patience in placing each of these little flowers so beautifully on this cake? So glad we got a really nice close shot! There is more to our wedding cake story than just the toppers so check in again for our next cake themed blog!

Hall of Springs Saratoga NY Bridal Show Photography

2011-02-07T22:28:00.016-05:00

We look forward to the Hall of Springs Bridal Show every year. It really is the best show in Saratoga and surrounding areas. It gives us a chance to meet with a lot of really nice couples and hopefully help them out with their wedding planning. I also like to get there early enough to be all set up and then spend a little time talking with some of the other vendors. We have gotten to know and become friends with quite a few. This year Tim walked around and captured some of the detail shots as people were setting up their booths.

In the hands of On Thai from Surroundings Floral, floral arrangements are elevated from pretty flowers to works of art.

Kevin Sykes the Event Planner for the Hall of Springs spoke with a couple looking for a venue to hold their wedding reception. One of our brides from 2009, Donna, is a sister of the groom-to-be. I love the look of delight on her face as she realizes that it is "her" photographer (Tim) taking the photo.

Mike Emery from the NY players had his sample discs and videos all ready to share with the couples.

Anyone who knows me knows I love wedding cakes. So I was pretty happy to notice the booth right next to us was Foods and Frostings. They are so pretty. And delicious of course. I tasted the lemon cake with white frosting-twice :)

If you need help planning your wedding, "In Your Dreams Productions" can assist you with every detail, start to finish.

It is always nice to see Tuxego's booth at any show. And even better to see a groom in one of those perfectly styled tuxes!

This is our booth. But wait, those aren't brides! I am showing off our latest display album to a couple other photo vendors. If you want to see the album we were looking at click here. Or for photos of a wedding we booked from this show follow this link

Hall of Springs Saratoga Springs NY Wedding Photography

2011-01-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Schenectady Gazette's Saratoga-Capital Region's Bridal Show Extravaganza! This Sunday January 30th from 11-3. This show features the area's premiere wedding vendors including Caterers, Florists, Photographers, Entertainment, Dress Shops, Tux Shops, Salons, Decor & Rentals, Venue's, Registry locations, Cake Shops and more.
Not quite sure how to get there? The Hall of Springs is located at 108 Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Springs NY 12866
This is the show to be at! Don't miss the chance to meet all of our local wedding talent! And of course stop by and say hi to us (Tim and Dana Shaffer) at The Classic Image booth.

Wedding Reception in Lake George NY

2011-01-21T19:33:00.010-05:00

Luke and Laura's wedding in Lake George was a wonderful example of how an outdoor wedding reception can be as beautiful and elegant as any banquet hall or other indoor venue. Thanks to the great people at Total Events and Mansion Catering.
Held at a private residence along the lake, the view was an amazing backdrop for our romantic wedding photos. This little video (above) is the pages from their wedding album. As usual we asked our couple to choose the photos with the most meaning to them and designed an album for them using the details and special touches from their wedding as the design elements to complete the story. A couple favorite pages from their album below:

Wow! Just fabulous! Many thanks to the great sounds of the New York Players Body and Soul Band entertaining us all.

And at the end of a glorious day a grand exit with a sparkler brigade.

Wedding Photographer at Mohawk River Country Club Julie and Pieter's Album

2011-01-18T12:58:00.007-05:00

Julie and Pieter's wedding was on September 18th 2010 and their beautiful reception was held at Mohawk River Country Club and Chateau in Rexford NY. We have just finished the design for their album so I wanted to share it here. We encourage our couples to choose their own images to put in their albums, then we design a story around their choices. I put the pages in a little slide show and I love the way it turned out. Below, one of my favorite pages:

A Victorian Stroll and Christmas Celebration in Sharon Springs NY

2010-12-05T14:37:00.058-05:00

"A photographer's day off" in Sharon Springs NY.

Sharon Springs is always a great place to photograph and today was especially nice because they held a Victorian Christmas celebration complete with a "Victorian Stroll."

The hats are the best part of Victorian lady's wardrobe. Very festive!

I love this shot of these two Victorian Gentleman with their i phones.......?

Victorian Dance Demonstration in the front hall of The Roseboro Hotel lead by Betty Gavinsinger of
Studio North Centre for Dance

More beautiful ladies with beautiful hats!

It was great to see our friend Tim from Johnstone's Florist constructing beautiful evergreen 'kissing balls' on the porch of The Roseboro.

The crowd gathered outside of The American Hotel to see and hear the Mistletoe Moustache, an operetta performed by some of the talented vocalists in Sharon Springs. Among the crowd and certainly part of the draw were the Beekman Boys dressed as Victorian Gentleman.

Thanks to the Village of Sharon Springs and all the people who participated in the the celebration. We really enjoyed all the entertainment. Please leave comments (below↓) so that we know you enjoyed our images. And feel free to share them. (please don't crop out our watermark though!)

Happy Holidays!

Tim and Dana

Also be sure to check in at our main website www.TheClassicImage.com

wedding and event photography in upstate NY

Allison and Rick The Classic Image Wedding Photographer in Cooperstown NY

2010-11-07T22:16:00.005-05:00

Allison and Rick October 2 2010

I love this image of Allison getting ready. It reminds me of those old LIFE magazine photographs taken behind the scenes of a movie set. Allison was so much fun and so animated that her wedding lent itself to a true photojournalistic style of coverage.

However our ability to photograph in many styles allowed us to capture this amazing image of our bride.

A powerful portrait of our groom. This is a wonderful photo in color but in black and white the graphics pop and strengthen the image.

Allison's adorable niece and flower girl telling us a story while she was getting her hair done.
I loved this image because it reminded me of the pose and expression that Allison had in the photo of her getting ready above.

The flower girls were all so cute. How could a little girl not feel like a princess in one of those fabulous dresses?

You can just feel the warmth and love in this spontaneous hug.

Our bride and one of the groomsmen compare footwear here.

Allison and her brother and sister taken right after their more traditional formal photo. I just couldn't decide which one of these two images I liked better. If you have a preference let us know in the comments section.

Thank you Allison and Rick for having us as part of your very special day.
love,
Tim and Dana

Larissa and Dennis Engagement session Saratoga Springs Photographer The Classic Image

2010-10-22T22:20:00.021-04:00

When I suggested an engagement session to Larissa and Dennis, Larissa was interested but Dennis was a little skeptical. Dennis is a pretty good sport though, so he agreed as long as he had some say in one of the clothing choices.
We started out with very pretty, classy style with Larissa in a flowing white short dress and Dennis in khakis and a tie.

This was everyone's favorite and they both looked fabulous!

This outfit was really cute too- coral and cream with flowers very summery.

As you could probably guess the Jets fan picked the last clothing change. Larissa was a pretty good sport about that too!

By the end of the session, I think Dennis was having a good time and Larissa looked so amazing in the sports jersey that they were both happy with the compromise.
I put together a short video right away on facebook but I wanted to make a longer one to show how much fun we had.

Check out this blog by the Times Union blogger Kristi Gustafson for another story on this fun couple!

http://blog.timesunion.com/kristi/32419/nuptials-larissa-wasyl-and-dennis-bates/#more-32419

Katie and Victor Wedding Photography at the State Room Albany NY

2010-10-19T21:19:00.011-04:00

Katie and Vic were so great work with. We had photographed their engagement session last fall in Wintergreen Park in Canajoharie, NY and we put together a beautiful guest book for them.
Their wedding was in Albany at the Cathedral and we took photographs at the Plaza. The setting was completely different except for one thing; their obvious love and affection for each other.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany NY.

Whispering sweet nothings.

The State Room in Albany is great for those who like a city reception location. It is within walking distance of the New York State Capital buildings which are great for those classic urban wedding photographs that we love. Thanks for everything Angie- it was great working with you, Renee and all the staff at the State Room.

Congratulations Victor and Katie! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us.
love,
Tim and Dana

Julie & Pieter : Mohawk River Country Club, Wedding Photographers: The Classic Image

2010-10-05T09:06:00.017-04:00

Congratulations to Julie and Pieter on their September 18, 2010 wedding.

I love the idea of photographing a bride in the room she grew up in. Julie's room was the quintessential example of the room of a young girl; with the canopy bed, pink bows, white lace and ruffles. I asked her to sit on the edge of her bed and with just a little direction for best use of the light coming in from the window, I got this thoughtful portrait of our bride on the morning of her wedding day.

The wedding party outside of Immaculate Conception Church in Glenville NY

Julie and Pieter's wedding reception was held at the Mohawk River Country Club and Chateau in Rexford NY.

It is so much fun to see some of the really creative ideas people come up with for favors. These limoncello bottles with a commemorative bow were one of the most unique favors I've seen.

I love to work with a live band at a wedding. Dave Perotta and his band High Definition had everyone on the dance floor. And did these people love to dance.

Congratulations Julie and Pieter! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us.
love,
Tim and Dana

Cape Cod wedding photography, New York style- Dan and Meagan get married!

2010-09-14T22:59:00.022-04:00

Sometimes when we photograph a wedding, I feel like I have stepped right into the middle of a classic romance novel or a fairytale. This couple's story is a great example. They were happy to share their love story not just with us but with everyone. Meagan tells the story best, of meeting Dan right out of high school when he was dating someone else:

"Dan and I met when we were 18, thanks to our friend Emily. At the time, Dan had a girlfriend - but I knew that I was smitten. Over the years, we saw quite a bit of each other - and as my crush on Dan grew and grew, so did our friendship. We always seemed to be the two debating politics, sharing an affinity for good champagne and getting each other's jokes...but it seemed that the cards were stacked against "us", as we were never single at the same time. About 5 years ago, it finally happened - and I knew there was no time to waste. I confessed my crush to a freshly-single Dan, and we have been together ever since! I get to marry the man that I've "pined for" (Dan loves when I say that!) my entire adult life, and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world!"

Our couple chose to have a special first glance meeting before their ceremony. This allowed them to have a very private moment to see each other for the first time on their wedding day. Their happiness and excitement for the day and their love for each other was obvious.

So many romance novels are based on fairy tales and this setting looks as if could have been described by one of the Brothers Grimm at their best.

Our couple looks so amazing. For an idea of how amazing their story really is and to find out how they got our from under an "evil spell" to become healthier and increase their chance to live "happily ever after", check out the media section of their wedding website here.

The ring bearer practicing his job of handing over the rings to the best man, Dan's brother Tim.

A barefoot processional, Meagan's brother and sister walked her down the beach path aisle, then took their place in the wedding party. Suzanne as maid of honor and Randy as one of Dan's groomsmen.

The ceremony was held on Skaket Beach in Cape Cod a place with special meaning for both Meagan and Dan.

Performing the ceremony is Emily, that very friend who first introduced them. Emily got her license to perform the ceremony for the sole purpose of marrying her two very best friends. And what a wonderfully meaningful ceremony it was. Meagan wrote her own vows; very beautiful words of love. Dan borrowed the words from Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" read with emotion and sincerity.

And what an amazing sunset! Meagan was especially thrilled to see the ray of sunlight peeking through the clouds. Surely a sign from her mom, that while no longer on this earth with us, she was watching this wonderful day and giving her approval.

And like all good romantic stories this one has our hero and heroine riding off into the sunset.
Thank you Meagan and Dan for sharing your very special day with us.
love,
Tim and Dana

wedding photographer in albany ny Courtney and JJ

2010-08-31T22:05:00.008-04:00

I love the graphics in this image. Using the straight line of the reflecting pool as a diagonal it becomes a leading line to the couple.

Courtney's dad and step-dad helping each get ready for the big day. This lucky bride had two sets of parents who all got along great and obviously loved her very much.

Courtney's awesome necklace was made from many old family pieces. It was beautiful and very different from the tiny delicate pieces we usually see. It complemented all the colors in her wedding flowers and bridesmaid dresses.

A beautifully ornate Catholic Church for a wedding in downtown Albany NY St Mary's Church on Lodge Street is rich in history and is home to the second oldest parish in New York State.

I think this is where the discussion turned to whether Courtney had changed her name on Face book yet!

Group photos by the museum in Albany NY. We are always looking for different ways to photograph large wedding parties. In an image like this we want see them all and keep our couple as the most important part of the photograph but we also wanted to have it look interesting.

JJ and his guys

The reception was at 11 North Pearl in Albany NY where they are well known for their beautiful lighting design as shown here.
Thank you Courtney and JJ for having us as part of your very special day.
love,
Tim and Dana

Lily, impatiens and birdbath

2010-08-17T14:50:00.002-04:00

Wedding photographer in North Attleboro Massachusetts- Tami and John - August wedding

2010-08-17T14:42:00.014-04:00

Style is important in photography. It is one of the things that brides are looking for when they research photographers. We do have a certain style that runs through our images. We also look for the little things that make each wedding unique and special. This pretty mirror on the stair case in Tami's mom's house caught my attention, especially when I noticed I could see Tami in it when Tim was taking a bridal portrait in their living room. Our style has a lot to do with attention to detail.

Love the light in this image. You just know by the look on everyone's face that they are seeing the bride as she exits the limo. One of us was there to catch the moment of action, the other was to catch the reaction. Classic!

This photo just makes me smile whenever I see it! Yes I know the story.... Maybe our bride can share it in the comment section :)

So what do you do with a three year old during a full mass and ceremony? A little quality time with Dad is always a good thing.

When you have the opportunity to use beautiful architecture in your wedding photographs, take it. This was a huge old church in North Attleboro MA, beautiful inside and out. And as large as it was, it still was full of family and friends sharing in the joy of Tami and John's wedding ceremony.

Thank you to this great wedding party. We got a lot of amazing photographs taken in a very small window of time. You guys were all wonderful to work with!

Our thanks and appreciation to the great people at Independence Harbor for sharing their fabulous venue with us. We loved working with you! It's nice to work with other vendors who all have the same goal in mind:making the bride and groom's day as wonderful as possible.

Thank you Tami and John for having us as a part of your very special day. We wish you much love happiness and joy!
Tim and Dana

Wedding Photographer in Little Falls NY Kelly and Andrew

2010-07-29T22:52:00.013-04:00

Kelly and Andrew had a beautiful July day for their wedding in Upstate New York.

Prelude to the Conga line-

Waiting to go down the aisle, Kelly and her dad share a few moments in this beautiful arched doorway of the Holy Family Parish Church in Little Falls NY.

I always like to get a photo of the groom testing out the "feel" of the wedding ring on his finger.

One of the things we offer as photographers is our ability to offer so many different "styles". I show this in the next two images(below). The first was taken in the church immediately following the ceremony. Working quickly because the parishioners were starting to come in for the evening Mass, we set up this photograph to capture the grandeur of the wonderful old church in the Mohawk Valley in NY. We asked all the bridal party to stand on the other side of the camera then our assistant, Chelsea, stood to the right of the couple with a portable flash pointed at the bride and groom as Tim posed them in the aisle. This gives us good light on the couple, the leading lines of the pews and the background showing the altar and the stained glass. A very traditional, beautiful style that requires knowledge of lighting and posing.

Our next image is different. After we photographed the bridal party and romantic couple photos, there was still time before the reception started. I suggested that Kelly and Andrew go into the Castle to have a moment to themselves-always a nice thing for a couple to do sometime during the day. Beardslee Castl e reserves a place for the Bride and Groom to wait for their introduction. Tim showed them to the room and mentioned that they could see their guests, then just stood back and waited for this moment where they stood quietly and reached over to hold hands as they observed their guests mingling at the cocktail hour. So we have two very different yet both very beautiful images for our couple. The first we set up, posing our bride and groom, controlling the light and the background. The second one a very special, sweet moment that were able to anticipate and capture by placing ourselves in the right place and using the available light to our advantage.

Detail shots don't have to be straight on product shots. This image of the Bridal bouquet held gently in the hands of the bride is just that much more interesting and prettier than a plain shot of the bouquet on a chair or a table.

Love this photo of our groom and his guys and of course a more candid image below at the reception. I think they are singing La Bamba here. Definitely another great party night!

Congratulations Kelly and Andrew! Thank you for letting us share in your very special day.
love,
Tim and Dana

Wedding Photographer in Lake Placid NY Becky and Sean

2010-07-24T10:46:00.014-04:00

As wedding photographers we get to go to a lot of very beautiful places and one of the most beautiful places I know is the Adirondack Park in New York State. Rebecca and Sean's ceremony was held in Keene Valley NY and the reception in Lake Placid. And luckily the weather changed from a very rainy morning to a beautiful afternoon so we were able to show through our photographs some of the spectacular views that draw people to this area from all over the world.

This is one of the reasons I love wedding photography so much. It is such a great feeling to capture that glance of love and amazement when the bride's mom or dad sees her for the first time all dressed and ready for her wedding. You can just tell how much she loves her daughter and how beautiful the bride is by looking at the mom's expression.

Our groom Sean just before he headed over to the church. The church was a really pretty little Congregational Church in Keene Valley NY. Beautiful inside with white walls and lots of windows and light streaming in.

So here is the question of the day. What makes this image of Becky and her Dad walking up the aisle so special? Becky looks really beautiful and very happy but that is to be expected. What is really unique and makes this photograph so nice is the clean look of the aisle, the guests, and the bride and her father. It is rare these days to get a beautiful shot of the bride and her dad without seeing arms, cameras, cellphones, guests and lcd screens sticking out in the aisle as people try to get their own pictures. This image shows her family and guests just appreciating the special moment as it happens in real time.

Some of my favorite images are taken during the more formal photographs when we turn the camera 180 degrees.

Sean and Becky's first dance was was just the beginning of a great dance night. Their dj really rocked the place and everyone danced all night long.

This was the first time we worked at the Lake Placid Crown Plaza Resort and Golf Club and we loved it! What a fabulous place. The weather turned out to be perfect so the reception was held in the open area of the golf club. This meant the beautiful vista of the Adirondack mountains was the backdrop for the whole evening. We could be under cover and outside at the same time. We love to create a really special image for our couples with out taking them away from their guests for too long and this spot was 50 feet from the head table.
Congratulations Rebecca and Sean! Thank you for having us be a part of your very special day.

2010-07-21T14:30:00.005-04:00

A few years ago we photographed a wedding and the mom of the groom asked if we could please take a sibling photo. She really loved it and it is one of the photos we try to take for all of our weddings. We do have a list that we hand out to give our couple ideas of what photographs they might want. I had a list for Abbey that she had taken the time to look over and let me know which ones were important to her and this one was on her list. Abbey's brother was a really nice guy but wasn't really interested in having his photo taken so when he wandered off, I made sure to look for him and when I told him it was important to his sister he came back for this photo. He even gave us a nice smile. When Abbey and Mike came in to view their images, they told us the sad news that her brother had passed away suddenly two weeks after the wedding and they were hoping we had many photos of him. Of course we did have the candids that we had taken and some from the big family photograph, but I was so glad that I had taken the time to find him and bring him back for this photo.
A lot of times people will tell us they don't really want posed photos, but I like to be able to give our couples a nice blend of the different photographic styles because I think they each have value and importance. Our sympathy goes out to Abbey and Mike and their family and hope that the images we made that day bring them comfort and good memories of their beloved Joshua.
Abbey handing Josh the rings to give to the best man.

Josh was also in charge of making sure the flowers for the guys got to the ceremony location.

Cheryl and John June 12 wedding photographer cooperstown ny

2010-06-23T20:47:00.014-04:00

Congratulations John and Cheryl, what an awesome wedding in Cooperstown "the world's most perfect village". I often think how absolutely right they are with that great tag line. Even on a rainy Saturday we could still get these beautiful romantic photographs along Otesego Lake.
We arrived at the Otesaga a little early so I took the opportunity to check out the the ballroom and I was lucky enough to witness some of the wedding cake process. I love wedding cake. All kinds of wedding cakes. Especially a Marjorie Landers cake.

The finished product, so elegant, almost too pretty to eat.And yet inevitably the cake does get cut and thank goodness! Doesn't it look scrumptious! I think there might have been a layer of chocolate too, but I was lucky enough to get a piece of the carrot layer and I have to say it was perfect!

Love these shoes! All the little details are so important. And doing a great job of keeping track of all those details for Cheryl and Johns wedding was Joan Howe of First Impressions Event Planning.
Family was important to John and Cheryl and one of the ways they showed that was in choosing their wedding party. John chose his father to be his best man and Cheryl's daughter was her maid of honor. John's dad also had the honor of walking Cheryl down the aisle.
This little guy wanted to party all night long! John Travolta style.

And what a great party it was. Thank you John and Cheryl for having us as part of your very special day!

Cape Cod wedding photographer engagement session with Meagan and Dan

2010-06-22T22:27:00.009-04:00

We had absolutely the best weather for Dan and Meagan's e-session on the cape this past weekend. This couple is just so adorable and so much fun, we had a great time and so did they.
Megan grew up on the Cape and Dan's family had spent vacations there during their summer growing up but it wasn't until they were out of high school that they met through a mutual friend and it was another 5 years before they started to date.
While on the Cape this weekend we checked out their ceremony location and the reception site.
The Captain Linnel House in Orleans is really beautiful with a beach within walking distance where the ceremony will be held and some of the cutest little spots for photographs right on the location.
Engagement sessions are great for us to get to work with a couple and for them to get comfortable snuggling up to each other while we are photographing them. These two seemed to be pretty comfortable showing their affection. :)

So much fun! We are really looking forward to photographing their September wedding.
Feel free to leave a little message for Meagan and Dan and vote for your favorite image for them to use as their sign in photo.

Hall of Springs Wedding Abbey and Mike June 4 2010

2010-06-06T23:08:00.013-04:00

W is for wedding
Tim's favorite photograph of the day. Sure to become one of our "Classic Images"
The Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs is host to some of the most beautiful weddings in New York and Abbey and Mike's June 4 wedding was no exception. As photographers, we love it when a couple is really excited about having beautiful romantic photographs, especially when we will be working at a venue that has so many opportunities for great wedding images.

Tim took this portrait of Abbey in her room at the Gideon Putnam using just the light in the room and a reflector for a little extra light to show off her beautiful eyes!

Mike and his groomsmen were a lot of fun and they kept us all in stitches. Speaking of stitches, this next photo shows just how great the staff at the Hall of Springs is. Along with all her other duties, Donna came to the rescue sewing up a ripped seam in one of the groomsman's pants.

Definitely a sign of great wedding professional - doing what is expected and then a little bit more!

And of course The Classic Image Wedding party.

A different love story

2010-05-23T20:34:00.011-04:00

These guys were all over the place yesterday dive bombing each other and going crazy! Today they are nowhere to be seen. hmmmm....... ain't love grand?

I love this one with the tail feathers spread right out. I wonder if he is using them as an air brake or to make himself look bigger.
And to answer the question my sister asked. The above is not a composite of two photographs. Just a matter of being in the right place and waiting for the right moment.

These images were taken with by Tim using a Leica M8-the reason he loves it so much? The manual split-image focusing and the super sharp lenses. When documenting any type of courting ritual-including weddings- two things are really important. Capturing the moment and being in focus.

These ruby throated hummingbirds are really tiny. About as big around and long as my little finger and that includes their tiny little beaks.

Katie and Richy May 15 2010 Schenectady Wedding

2010-05-17T10:56:00.031-04:00

For one of our favorite images of the day we use the Stockade Inn as our backdrop for a little romantic walk. With that great wrought iron fence on the walk leading to the church and those beautiful white tulips lining the path this image just glows.

This bridal portrait was taken in the dining room of Katie's parent's lovely Schenectady home. Here we use the natural window light streaming in with a reflector used to kick a little light back into her eyes. This image really shows just how beautiful her complexion is.

Katie and Richy's ceremony was held at the 1st Reformed Dutch Church in the Schenectady Stockade area and their reception was held directly across the street at the Stockade Inn. Katie loves the architecture and history of the old Stockade section of Schenectady and had asked us to incorporate that into some of her wedding photographs, which we were really happy to do.

I like how the wrought iron fence comes around through this image then leads directly to our bride as she stands with her family waiting to enter the church.

Our little flower girl Olivia was really awesome all day. I love the cute little 6 year old grin she gives me here.

I think Richy-(all the way to our right in this photo) has a pretty great smile here too. He looked just this happy all day!

We like to use the little portable softbox that our assistant, Chelsea, is using here for a little studio type lighting in some of our out door portraits. It was pretty windy though and that umbrella kept trying to be a kite!

Sun flare is usually something we try to avoid, but occasionally it really lends a bit of interest to a photo as it does here.

The reception hall was The Stockade Inn in Schenectady. It is one of the oldest structures in Schenectady, and this spot has served as a tavern, bank, public school and a private men's social club before becoming a restaurant and inn once again. It is now an elegant place for a wedding reception but is also open to the public as a restaurant so if you ever get a chance to eat there make sure you do. The food was absolutely delicious!

Congratulations Katie and Richy. Thanks for having us be a part of your special day!
Tim and Dana

Amber and Michelle (Mother's Day Post)

2010-05-08T21:46:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite subjects is the relationships between sisters. When Amber and Michelle came in to be photographed as a surprise gift to their mother I was amazed at how different and yet similar they are. What was really nice to see was how well they got along and how excited they were to have come up with such a great idea for Mother's Day.
To all the moms out there including my own.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !

Tomasa and Thomas May 7 2010

2010-05-08T20:18:00.018-04:00

Congratulations Tomasa and Thomas. What a great love story! An errant text message brought these two together. After receiving a text from an unknown number, Tomasa ,who is well known for not even answering her phone messages, texted back with a query of "who is this?" Many texts later, then a safe meeting in a public park, these two began dating and then this past Friday they were married at St Mary's in Cooperstown with their friends and families as witnesses to their love. Doesn't it sound like a movie script? I think it does. A movie script written by a very special Author.

Tom's nephews were the altar servers for the ceremony.

I love to be able to get this motion shot of a couple during the recessional, showing the joy and excitement of their walk back down the aisle to the applause of their guests.

What better gift for the groomsmen at a wedding in Cooperstown than a personalized baseball bat!

And of course the groomsmen portrait should be taken in front of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Cooperstown Trolley was a great way to get from the church to the Hall of Fame to the reception.

Let's Party!

Congratulations Tomasa and Thomas. Thank you so much for having us be a part of your special day!

Thank you note from our Saratoga Wedding couple Mary Ann and Jared

2010-05-04T12:01:00.007-04:00

Hi Dana.
Jared and I wanted to email say how happy we were with how the wedding went and how wonderful you and Tim were to work with. Jared told me that Tim was very helpful when the guys were getting ready - he even explained to them how to put on their cufflinks and button studs. Our proofs arrived today and we are so happy with how everything turned out! We are hoping to sit down very soon and pick out pictures for the various albums and prints.
Again, thank you so much for your hard work on our wedding day. The results are beautiful! I will definitely be recommending The Classic Image to anyone I know getting married in Upstate/Central NY.
Sincerely,
Jared and Mary Ann

Wedding photos now on line for Naomi and John

2010-04-28T21:42:00.006-04:00

Naomi and John's wedding photos are now on line at
www.TheClassicImage.weddingherald.com

Naomi and John April 17, 2010 Cooperstown Wedding

2010-04-18T20:21:00.018-04:00

Naomi's bridesmaids fluff her dress for her as she gets ready. She looks as if she were floating on air here.

Sometimes a ceremony can last a long time. Especially for the little people in the wedding party. They can usually find a way to entertain themselves though. Naomi's flower girl experimented with different ways to hold on to her flower basket.

I love the the candle lighting ceremony as a symbolic joining of two families. Here John and Naomi light their candle. On the table in front of the unity candle is another lighted in memory of John's dad.

Naomi loves our romantic style of photography and wanted to make sure we took some romantic photos of her and John. When two people look at each other like this we know we are going to get some great images!

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time and being prepared can get you an awesome image like this. Don't these guys look like a bridal gown ad?

It was pretty chilly outside by the lake. Upstate New York can be like that. So a little exercise in jumping for joy seemed in order.

A nice portrait of our couple down by the dock. You can just see the mist coming in off the lake but these two are having a great time laughing at John DaBiere from Videocraft. John D is a pretty funny guy.

Our groom John, runs Sal's Pizzeria in Cooperstown. His brother runs the Sal's in Oneonta. The evening's DJ Patrick Del Rosario told us they are open 364 days a year.
But on this night those two cities had to go without pizza because this ballroom and the adjoining dining room at the Otesaga in Cooperstown NY were packed. Great Party!
Congratulations, Naomi and John. Thank you for having us be a part of your very special day!

April Wedding in Saratoga Springs NY Congratulations Mary Ann and Jared

2010-04-11T13:39:00.008-04:00

Mary Ann and Jared were married on April 10 at St Clement's Church in Saratoga Springs NY.
Mary Ann 's bouquet of tulips was a beautiful splash of spring colors. So Pretty!
Love these shoes! Just a little bit of bright spring green fun peeking out from under her dress.
We were all so lucky to have such a beautiful day for photographs in Saratoga's Congress park. Congratulations Jared and Mary Ann. Thank you for sharing your day with us!

Award Winning Wedding Photography -Albany NY

2010-04-06T11:51:00.011-04:00

The Professional Photographers of New York State and New Jersey held their joint annual convention at the Desmond in Albany NY. We had a great time as usual. We attended seminars and programs given by some really great instructors and came away inspired and excited to begin our wedding season. We were especially excited about how well our images did in the PPA affiliated competition
Kiss on the Run (Tim Shaffer)
Tim won The Kodak Gallery Award for this print at the New York and New Jersey Professional Photographers' annual convention in Albany NY. It was also the highest scoring wedding print in the competition. Thank you Kerry and Adolfo for being such a fabulous couple!

We also entered these images that were were awarded a PPA seal (blue ribbons):

The Snow Plow (Dana Shaffer)
This image was taken on Hickory Hill road in the Town of Palatine NY. The snow was coming down about two inches an hour. It was beautiful, thick, white and fluffy. I had seen horse drawn plows before but never a horse drawn snow plow.

Almost Home (Tim Shaffer)
This image of Tim's was taken during a very similar storm on a different day. It reminds me of the remark "when I was your age, I had to walk to school 3 miles every day in every kind of weather."

Glory Days (Tim Shaffer)
This was taken at the Nashville PPA convention right outside of the entrance to the PPA International Print Exhibit. This gentleman had probably just sat down to rest after hours of walking through the trade show, but taken with the poster above included, the resulting image gives an impression of someone who might be thinking of the way things were or "Glory Days". One of the 12 elements of a merit image is storytelling and I think the judges at the competition were intrigued by the possible stories that were being told here.

Winter Photographs

2010-03-02T09:10:00.001-05:00

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-26T09:34:00.005-05:00

Some days we work all day photographing and some days we play all day photographing.
Today was definitely in the category of play. We love to drive around the country side and capture the beauty of nature. The snow was just as clean and beautiful as it could be. It was very still so the snow fell straight down covering everything. And it was extremely quiet. The snow deadens the sound so you had to be really careful to make sure there were no cars coming.

There wasn't much traffic though. Just us and a few of those who prefer a simpler life.

Saratoga National Wedding -Details -Amy and Paul

2010-02-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

A few more images from Amy and Paul's wedding at Saratoga National Golf Club.

A lot of thought and planning goes into the many details of a wedding,so we make it a point to photograph as many of them as we can. We can use these images in the album design to give a really unique and personalized look to their album.
Here are some of the detail shots from the reception:

If this food looks delicious, it is because it is. And what a great presentation!

Fall Wedding at Saratoga National -Amy and Paul

2010-02-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

We mailed out Amy and Paul's wedding album last month. They got married in October of 2008 but waited until this past fall to choose images for an album. Here are a few of our favorites and theirs. October in upstate NY is really beautiful. And one of the most beautiful places to enjoy the beautiful autumn colors is in Saratoga Springs.

Wedding Albums

2010-01-27T21:57:00.005-05:00

So many times we have been told by couples that they really just want their files and are not interested in purchasing albums or prints. Some of them just want to share their files with friends and family digitally. Others plan to make their own albums. While this is certainly an option and one that we make available, we truly feel that by not taking advantage of our studio's experience and talent in album design, you are missing out on one of the most unique and beautiful products our studio has to offer.
We also have many brides who come to us asking us to please make something of the files that they received from their shoot and burn photographers. While we can do this if they have a release from their photographer, quite often we have to turn them away as either their files are not up to the quality that we require to make an album or we simply don't have the time due to the amount of time and effort that we put into making the albums for the couples who have chosen us to photograph their weddings and design their albums.
Just a few quotes from emails and messages we received this week that reinforce our commitment to offering albums and album design as part of our photography service.

In response to the album design proof from our July 11 couple:

just looked through it - LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!!! can't wait to see the finished product..i'm getting tears in my eyes looking at it again! it really is so beautiful and brings back the magic for me looking at these great shots of my husband and I! Thank you for everything! Jill

From our July 4th bride:

Amy B: I've been finally showing our album to our friends out here in Cali and everyone LOVES it!!! I even have one friend out here, Susan, who wants to contact you guys to see if Tim can make an album out of her wedding pics from her wedding last year. I don't know if you guys do that, but I gave her your names and website so she'll probably be in touch soon!

See Amy and Joe's album here

From the mother of the bride:
Dana and Tim
We just looked at the album when Vern came home for lunch. WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is so artistically done!
Jill will see it when she comes home from work.
elaine
THANK YOU

To view some of our album samples go to this page Albums

Photographer's Awards Ceremony and Convention in Nashville

2010-01-24T19:20:00.000-05:00

Tim and I both received our Photographic Craftsman Degrees (Cr.Photog.) at the PPA awards ceremony in Nashville on January 12.

We were thrilled to receive this as it is one of the highest recognitions given by PPA (Professional Photographers of America) for speaking, writing, or mentoring on photography. Our programs were given throughout New York State to photographers and photography groups interested in learning more about the art and business of wedding photography.We also held two, day- long High School Senior Photography seminars in our own studio.

Although we were there to attend the convention, see the photography trade show and attend some seminars and programs, we couldn't leave Nashville without a trip to the Grand Old Opry. It was a lot of fun and we were able to hear a different live band in as many of the nightclubs along Broadway as we could fit in before the concert started.

2010 Celebrations, Weddings and Conventions

2010-01-02T19:17:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I am really looking forward to many of the events lined up already for 2010. Starting out our year we have plans to go to Imaging USA the PPA national convention in Nashville. It is another big year for The Classic Image and we have a lot of celebrating to do. Since we are not allowed to publish or advertise exactly what we have to celebrate until after the awards ceremony we will just have to tell you to check in after Tuesday January 12th.

While we are there, of course, we will be attending seminars and programs and checking out the latest and the greatest from all the best vendors at the PPA Imaging Expo. I always come back from the convention with a lot of new ideas and a renewed excitement for our business. I’d like to be able to share some of that with all of you who might not be able to attend. Hopefully I will find time to post about it on my blog or on Face Book or better yet, follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/TheClassicImage) for more minute-to-minute updates. (All things we learned about at last year’s conventions).

Of course the events we are really looking forward to are our 2010 weddings. We still have dates open so if you have decided on your most exciting event for this year, your wedding, give us a call we would love to talk to you! Even when we travel we are always in checking in with our phone and email so if you just can't wait to share your excitement with us give us a call or email - we will get right back to you!

Photographers Award Ceremony and Convention in Nashville

2010-01-02T18:40:00.001-05:00

Tim and I both received our Photographic Craftsman Degrees (Cr.Photog.) at the PPA awards ceremony in Nashville on January 12.

We were thrilled to receive this as it is one of the highest recognitions given by PPA (Professional Photographers of America) for speaking, writing, or mentoring on photography. Our programs were given throughout New York State to photographers and photography groups interested in learning more about the art and business of wedding photography.We also held two, day- long High School Senior Photography seminars in our own studio.
While we were there to attend the convention, see the photography trade show and attend some seminars and programs we also sure our visit to Nashville was a lot of fun. We scheduled a trip to the Grand Old Opry and were able to hear a different live band in as many of the the nightclubs along Broadway as we could fit in before the concert started.

Hotel Utica Wedding Album featuring Amy and Joe

2009-12-09T13:05:00.001-05:00

We have been so busy designing wedding albums and fulfilling our high schools senior orders that I haven't blogged in a long time. We just delivered our July 4th 2009 wedding album and it was so beautiful I almost hated to let it go! It's a good thing we had a new display album made for ourselves. Tim does all the album designs for our Art Design albums so I asked him to choose one or two of his favorite spreads from the album to share here. Must be it was just too difficult to pick out only one favorite because he gave me six!

I always love the getting ready photos. Here Amy's mom and the bridesmaids help her as she gets dressed. The flowers, blue and white hydrangeas from Johnstone Florist in Palatine Bridge, were absolutely perfect as usual. I know when I see Tim and Chuck the flowers are going to be amazing. When we design an album we like to use the special details from the wedding (flowers, colors, special touches) in the design elements.

We always like to have our couples choose the photos they like best for our albums because they know what is most important to them. With Amy, obviously Joe was first but there is a love and closeness in her family that is really sweet to witness. And those beautiful bridesmaids? Her sisters of course!

Can't you just see the love and anticipation in Joe's face?

A lot of couples are a little shy in front of whole congregation and their kiss only lasts a millesecond but I just love it when they take the time to reach out an pull each other in a little! And the image on the right captured my absolute favorite moment of the whole ceremony. Joe's gesture and Amy's face just say it all!

The Hotel Utica is so amazing! What a great place for photographs. Amy was really excited to see the photo in the background that we used on this spread. We had used a similar photograph from her sister Karey's wedding as our business card so we thought it would be fun to set up one for Amy. Tim used it in his design and it really made a great background image here.

We alway try to create a very special ending photograph. This art graphic across the street from the Hotel Utica made a great backdrop. Love that blue picking up the color of the flowers again. And the look of love and delight in both of their faces made this an easy choice for us. Congratulations again Joe and Amy. We hope you enjoy your album as much as we have enjoyed making it for you. Keep in touch! love, Tim and Dana

Candra and Don Saratoga Springs NY Wedding

2009-10-18T00:27:00.000-04:00

We took photographs before the ceremony for Candra and Don but they still wanted to have that moment when they first saw each other on their wedding day to be something special. We suggested this little landing on the steps behind the Holiday Inn and it was a great place for them to meet and also for some nice images of the two of them together.

Their little ring bearer was so adorable, you just have to smile every time you look at him!

Candra's mom and dad both walked her up the aisle .

The ceremony was held in the War Memorial in Saratoga Springs' Congress Park. And yes, it was raining just a tiny bit!
We try to create something really special and different for every couple. The reflection of the Canfield Casino in the water was almost perfect. Congratulations Candra and Don!

Donna and Joe October 3 2009

2009-10-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

Joe and Donna were married on October 3 2009. They celebrated their love and committment at a full Mass with their friends and families at St. Anthony's in Schenectady. We took the family group photos here as well as some really nice portraits of our couple.

We did manage to get in one bride and groom portrait before the rain started, because once it started -it really poured and the breeze started to bring the rain in under the protected area. Their reception was at The Mohawk River Country Club and Chateau which is so beautiful inside that we were happy enough to be able to finish our formals with the wedding party in by the fireplace.
Our Groom's portrait across the street from St Anthony's

Champagne glasses ready to toast the new Mr. and Mrs. Let the party begin!

Holly and Joe September 12 2009

2009-09-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

Holly and Joe held their ceremony and reception at Belvedere Lake in Cherry Valley. More than half of our couples opted for outdoor ceremonies this year.

We photographed Holly at her home first.It is nice to be able to photograph a bride in the home she grew up in. There are always memories and little reminders of their childhood around and seeing bits and pieces of the little girl in the grown woman is always interesting. We took some portraits by the pond behind their house. The water was so still and the reflection of our beautiful bride so perfect I am sure it was a great contrast from all the fun images they must have of kids jumping from the dock into the pond.

Holly and her dad walked down this little path along the lake to the ceremony instead of walking up the aisle. It was a nice surprise for her guests and we were able to get some great art-nature images as part of the processional.
Holly and Joe exchange rings as a symbol of their love.

This image(below) was a 1 second exposure at 6400 ISO

okay everyone hold really still! It was almost completely dark by the time we got to take this photo but you wouldn't know it as the camera was able to capture more light than our eyes could see.
One of the things we like to give our couples is a piece of art for their homes. I think this image below would look great in almost any room. Thank you Holly and Joe for including us in your special day!

September 5 2009 John and Danielle

2009-09-12T10:31:00.001-04:00

An elegant wedding reception at a Farmer's Market? This shows it can be done-beautifully!

John and Danielle were married on the pier at the Ithaca Farmers Market on September 5 2009. I had really been looking forward to photographing their wedding as they are a such sweet couple and very relaxed. A wedding reception at a farmer's market sounded really different and I liked the idea of a wedding ceremony on the the pier.John and Danielle walked back up the pier and on to shore to the loving applause of their friends and family.

Danielle left the flower choices up to the florist who left the bouquets and flower arrangements at her booth in the market for them to pick up. She was thrilled with how beautiful they looked. Below: a daylight shot of the market all set up for the reception. Quite a transformation from the hustle and bustle of the shoppers and vendors who were here just a few hours prior.

An evening shot of their invitation and the centerpiece with the lights in the background. The vases were all cut from wine bottles and the little lights on the tables were mason jars with sand and votive candles.

Danielle's father belonged to a Model T club so her limo ride from the hotel to the market was in a Model T caravan. Here she and John pose for a fun shot in front of one of the cars.

A bridal portrait on the pier. Danielle looks so beautiful here with that amazing sunset behind her just as the wind gently caught the ribbon in her hair. Click!

This romantic image from our formals session is the one we used for the front cover of their preview catalog. I also used it for our new profile picture on our facebook fan page.

Melinda and Tyler August 22, 2009

2009-08-25T16:26:00.000-04:00

Tyler and Melinda were married on August 22, 2009 in a tiny little church in the Hamlet of Baptist Hill NY. It was a real honor to be asked to photograph their wedding and to witness their love for each other and for little Emma. Their reception was held at Bristol Mountain Ski Lodge. Melinda is a snowboarder and there were a lot of skiers in the wedding party so they all really enjoyed being photographed on the mountain (even though it was so incredibly hot and humid it was hard for me to imagine it covered in snow).
The next day we met at Tyler's parent's farm to take some "Trash the Dress" photos. They were both enthusiastic about the session and we were able to get some very special romantic and fun images. These are a few of our favorites:

Rachel and Larry August 8 2009

2009-08-09T12:41:00.001-04:00

Rachel and Larry were married on Saturday August 8 at The Otesaga in Cooperstown. The view of the lake from the veranda is amazing. It is so wonderful to be able to watch the changing colors of the lake and the sky as the light changes from mid day to evening.

We have had the luckiest couples this year-another beautiful outdoor ceremony looking out on to Otsego Lake in Cooperstown. Not a drop of rain!

The newly married couple on their way to the reception accompanied by the joyful applause of their families and friends.

Rachel's smile was as beautiful as her dress. I think Larry looks pretty happy here as well.

The geometric graphics of the rail around the edge of the dock with beautiful Otsego Lake in the background made this one of our favorite images of the day. Thank you Larry and Rachel for having us a part of your special day!

Jaclyn and David August 7 2009

2009-08-09T12:39:00.000-04:00

Jaclyn's little cousins were so adorable and they took their jobs very seriously. Here Jaclyn explains the duties of a ring bearer .
I just love the motion in this image. I think it is one of my very favorite images of the day!
At The Threshold: The bride and her dad wait for just the right moment to take that first step.
Jaclyns four year old twin cousins were the "flower girls". They blew bubbles as they walked down the aisle. Too Cute!
David and Jaclyn after the ceremony. Jaclyn's dress was really amazing. I love how it just floats along behind her as she walks. Thank you David and Jaclyn for letting us be a part of your wedding day!

Luc and Laura July 25, 2009

2009-07-26T17:11:00.001-04:00

Laura got ready at the Sagamore- a perfect start to a perfect day. Here she checks the rosebud that her cousin Lea wove into her hair.
We took a few photographs at the Sagamore before heading out to the church.

Laura's "Papa" treated the new couple to a little spin out on the lake in "The Sixth Happiness"

Their first dance was so nicely done, I think that they might have practiced once or twice :)

And a perfect end to a perfect evening: A sparkler exit for a very happy couple.

Megan and Weston July 18 2009

2009-07-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

Megan and Weston were so lucky to have one of the very few absolutely perfect July days that keep us in Upstate New York. The setting for this very elegant wedding was a beautiful old farmhouse in the middle of the woods. The ceremony was held on the shaded lawn behind the house and the tent was there to protect the reception from the direct sun. We even have photographs of the bride dipping her feet into the pool for a little refreshing break later in the evening.
Pre ceremony set up with the strawberry and champagne glasses ready for that first toast. Just add champagne and the bride and groom!
Ally was the perfect flower dog. Well behaved, paid attention during the ceremony and never once barked at the photographer.

The bridal party on the front porch of the original farmhouse. The slightly casual posed shots are always a lot of fun because they allow a little individual "personality" to show through. Even Ally sat in for this one.
The party was one of the best ever, everyone was dancing and having a great time. I have a feeling the festivities went way into the night.

Jill and Jamey-July 11 2009

2009-07-13T20:06:00.000-04:00

Jill met us at the door with a such a sweet greeting -she made us feel as if we were her best friends there to enjoy her day with her and we did as she was a joy to work with.

This photograph was taken in her yard. I love the the line of the railing her dad built that leads up to her and how the day lilies in her mom's garden repeat the orange of the flowers in her bouquet.

Jill and Jamey were married at St Vincent De Paul's in Cobleskill. This church is beautiful in its simplicity. Since we refrain from using flash photography during a ceremony the fact that this church was flooded with so much natural light was a real bonus. The image below was taken by Tim. He was struck by the beauty of the ring of the window in the front of the church reflecting in the circular baptismal font. When making a print for competition one of the things we try to do is to come up with a meaningful name.

Three Ring Ceremony

During the ceremony, surrounded by the people they love, the new couple share a private moment.

Another lucky couple who managed to avoid getting rained out! We were all done with the formals and the fun photographs down by the river before it rained. The whole wedding party was a lot of fun and were they ready to party!

The ballroom at the Glen Sanders is shown in this amazing panorama. It looks quiet here but about twenty minutes later it was full of happy dancing people sharing in Jill and Jamey's wedding day celebration.

Congratulations Jill and Jamey=Don't forget to become facebook fans for more sneak previews!

Brad and Katharina July 5 2009

2009-07-06T12:46:00.000-04:00

We had not met with Katharina and Brad in person before the day of the wedding but after talking to Brad on the phone a few times, I knew that we were going to enjoy working with them. I am so glad that the weather was so beautiful and we were able to go outside for the ceremony and outdoor photographs, but as you can see with these portraits of Katharina we were able to get some really gorgeous images inside as well.
Brad's smile as Katharina and her dad came up the aisle says it all.
I know it really meant a lot to Brad and Kat to have Reverend Dingman there to perform such a beautiful ceremony.
Beardslee's Castle is a beautiful place for an outdoor ceremony and the sword arch is always such a great tradition to be able to photograph.

One of our favorite images from the day.

Amy and Joe July 4th 2009

2009-07-06T11:44:00.000-04:00

The Hotel Utica has so much beautiful window light.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few pictures next to the Liberty Bell. After all it was the 4th of July!

Love this shot of Joe- He looked that happy all day!

One of our favorite's from Amy and Joe's 4th of July wedding in Utica NY. It was a little cool for July and pretty windy but no rain and that was a good thing for this summer!

Jessica and Derek

2009-07-03T17:57:00.001-04:00

We finally got the link fixed from the website to the blog and that only means one thing. I will have to be more diligent about keeping it current. So to start it off here are a few from our June 20th wedding at the Sagamore - Lake George. Jessica and Derek were a really sweet couple and we enjoyed working with them both. And amazingly with all the wet weather that we have had in New York State they were able to have their ceremony out by the lake and we could get some really wonderful photographs with that gorgeous background! This light coming in from the window really shows off Jessica's beautiful skin tone and eyes but it is her smile that lights up the room.

Derek gets a little last minute advice from his best man

From the make-up and hair styling to the cake and flowers the attention to detail at Jessica and Derek's wedding was obvious. Jessica's excitement and enthusiasm for planning their wedding was contagious and I was really looking forward to seeing and photographing it all. And it really was well... Fabulous(you can see Alayne from Make Me Fabulous doing her part in some of these photos.)

Special Thanks to Tiegen our favorite web tech for getting the blog link fixed so we could share all these fun shots with you.

2009-06-06T07:38:00.000-04:00

So how do you choose from such a great session? It's not easy. My favorite: I love this interactive photo of the two girls. It shows the curiosity and wonder of young children that makes them so much fun to be around. Everything is so new and exciting to them and they share that with everyone around them. Mom and Dad's favorite is on the bottom. This was Tim's favorite as well. It is a beautiful, timeless portrait of two little girls that they and their parents will treasure forever.

Sweet Sisters

2009-05-23T13:33:00.000-04:00

My best friends are my sisters. And my daughters are best of friends to each other. So when we were asked to photograph these two little girls I wanted to show the love and friendship that sisters share. I would like to thank these beautiful little ladies for a wonderful session that showed not only their love for each other but how much fun it is to be friends.

Fuji Master Piece Award

2009-04-28T14:46:00.000-04:00

This is the album that won the Fuji Masterpiece award at the New York State Professional Photographers Convention 2009.

Super Monday

2009-04-23T17:41:00.000-04:00

We held a PPA sponsored Super Monday in our studio on Monday April 21st. On Super Monday, photographers around the country open their intellectual doors to others. Hosted by pro photographers in their own studios, instruction ranges from seniors, children, and wedding photography to marketing and Photoshop.

Our program was geared toward High School Senior photographers. We spent the day exploring creative studio lighting and using techniques in the camera room that can give you more shooting time and let you spend less time on the computer "fixing" your images. When you get it right in the camera you can use your computer time for the fun stuff.

Thanks to our two "senior models" I hope they had as much fun as we did!

Dana and Tim 2009

2009-04-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

We received the Fuji Masterpiece Award for our dual maker Wedding Album "Megan and John"

Creating a new website

2009-03-05T18:48:00.000-05:00

Well we are working on a new website. Exciting but kind of scary at the same time. Our old one has brought us a lot of wonderful customers and some great business. We hope our new one works just as well for us, if not better. In the meantime the old site is still up.
Stay tuned!