Terri and Brian's Engagement

When Terri and Brian first came to visit us, our personalities meshed almost instantly. We could tell that they both LOVE photography, too. So when Jenni and I went to meet them for their engagement session, we couldn't have been more excited. It was plain to see that Terri was ready for beautiful professional photos: She'd purchased a strikingly unique long jacket from a boutique in New York City specifically for our shoot; she went to the Water's Edge Salon and Spa to have her hair and makeup done especially for this day; and we could tell she was virtually floating with happiness. Standing tall at 6' 7", Brian is the friendliest big guy ever. We talked about his love for competition rowing. Though he's certainly a man of discipline, he was here to have a great time, too. Together, Terri and Brian made for a fantastic session of photography.

After we were done with the shoot itself, we sat and talked about some details of their wedding day plans, and we showed them our sample Matted Album, which they'd chosen for showcasing their own wedding pictures. Believe me, nothing makes us happier than hearing our brides utter little squeals of delight in anticipation of seeing their own pictures. And we were VERY happy to hear such a response from Terri. We're looking forward to this gorgeous couple's wedding in the late autumn. :-)

Their complete engagement series of pictures will be available in a day or so. But while you wait, have a look at this slideshow preview of our day with them (viewable on PC only). You may be asked to download a small plug-in for your browser. Follow the instructions, and enjoy the show!

UPDATE: Terri and Brian's engagement session can be seen in the "Clients" section of our main website.

Photograph Your Photographer

We've always said that there's a special closeness we feel with each of our clients. It's more than a mere business relationship. And we want our clients to feel the same way. For us, it's the only way to produce the sort of pictures that we'll all enjoy.

But imagine having such closeness that the shoe is on the other foot, and finding OURSELVES being the ones photographed! Now that's something we don't see every day! Nicki and Mike enjoyed their "Morning After" session with us, and the entire morning was as Jenni likes to describe it, "impossibly romantic". Nicki is a photographer herself, and loved having a little bit of playtime with one of our cameras, and even took a few shots of us on this amazing day. Getting out to the beach with Nicki and Mike was definitely a highlight of our summer season thus far, and we revelled in every minute of it.

Sharon and Ben are another couple that we couldn't get enough of in our pictures. She'd promised us during their engagement session that she was going to make sure to get pictures of her photographers. We laughed and joked about that, even on the wedding day while in her bridal suite when we saw her snap a few pictures in our direction with a friend's digital camera. We were surprised and elated when Sharon and Ben stopped by our home studio after returning from their honeymoon in the Caribbean and handed to us a couple of photographs that they'd printed — the very same shots of us that she'd taken on the wedding day! We're going to make sure to put those in our own album.

Stories like the above are a reminder to us that when you develop a relationship of warmth, appreciation, and even love for one another, some really memorable things are the result for everyone there — including myself and Jenni.

Antornette and Justin's Wedding

Antornette and Justin are a quiet and mild mannered couple who have so much love and appreciation for one another that you could tell that they each viewed one another as a true blessing.

With family and friends attending their wedding from places scattered across New York, and all the way out from Arizona, they felt themselves surrounded by the joy and love of all who attended their special day.

The minister at their wedding described their lifelong journey together as one that would be like riding a bicycle built for two. As we had the privilege of spending some time alone with them for photographs before their ceremony, we have no doubt that their journey together is going to be an enjoyable one.

Their wedding gallery will be up within days. Until then, enjoy this slideshow as a preview of the pictures to come. Thanks so much, A&J. We love you both.

UPDATE: Wedding gallery now available in the Clients area of our main site.

Nicki and Mike's Wedding

When they told us they were having a wedding on the beach, we knew that we absolutely needed to be Nicole and Mike's photographers. Good beaches aren't often found here on the East Coast, so everyone was excited about this one. They were married at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa, on the Jersey Shore. One small problem, though — it stormed on their wedding day! But their spirits simply would not be taken down by this rainy turn of events. Everything, including beach decor, was brought indoors, and their family and friends were all just as happy as they would have been on a sunny day. The music was provided by the excellent services of Master Disc Jockey Entertainment, who alternated recorded cuts of music with the beautiful voice of live vocalist, Kate Bradshaw. After cooling their dancing feet outside on the moist sands of the beach, Nicole and Mike lit some sparklers, watched them go out, and then called it a night.

But it wasn't over. The next morning we joined them on the sunlit beach under an incredibly blue sky for a "Morning After" session of photography (please email us if you want to know more about this type of session). Nicki dressed in her gown, Mike dressed in his linen suit, and we all went for a stroll down the shore. Before long the rising temperatures meant we needed to cool down, so what better way to do that than to invite them to jump into the ocean! To our great joy, they happily accommodated for an awesome day of photography that ended with all of us — cameras and all — in the Atlantic Ocean! What a fantastic way to say 'good morning' after your wedding day. Many thanks to Nicki and Mike for allowing us to share two incredible days with them and for getting completely soaked with us.

Nicki and Mike's wedding gallery, complete with "Morning After" session is still available for viewing in the Client Proofing section of our website.

Jessica and Kyle's Wedding

Jessica and Kyle are the nicest couple you'd ever want to meet. We had the chance to begin getting to know them almost a year ago when they came to our home studio to see samples of our work. Both very calm and relaxed people by nature, they were surprised at how nervous they were on their wedding day. I suppose we should have given them the heads up that it would be this way.

Kyle was very active and involved, making sure that the flowers were delivered where they needed to be while Jessica finished up with her preparation in her hotel room. We took some shots with her and her girls after the groom and his men had already left in the limo.

With those pictures done, we all headed out for the wedding at the Clubhouse at Patriot Hills in Stony Point, NY. With a simple but very elegant decor, Patriot Hills is an enjoyable venue for photography, with its wide-open spaces for ceremony, comfortable bridal suite, and accommodating dining room. The food was provided by the Hudson Valley's well-known Inn Credible Caterers and was just as promised — INCREDIBLE, with several serving stations around the dining room, each with its own surprises and delicacies. (Thank you so much, Jess and Kyle, for the excellent meal and a wonderful evening.)

If you'd like to see a preview of their upcoming online wedding gallery, click on this link for a brief slideshow.

Once their gallery is online, you can go to our regular website at ulyssesphotography.com, and click on "Clients" to find them in the listing there.

UPDATE: Gallery to be released 8/20/05

Ujjaini and Tom's Wedding

Ujjaini and Tom invited us to photograph their wedding at the scenic site of the historic Mills Mansion on the Hudson River. This relatively "undiscovered" mansion served as the perfect location for this romantic couple, who enjoy the outdoors as well as the refinement of the mansion venue.

Originally from India, Ujjaini was an absolutely beautiful bride. She and her bridesmaids busily prepared themselves and trying their hardest not to be late. When we arrived at the mansion, Tom was patiently waiting for his bride, and shortly afterward everyone walked down the gentle slope towards the river for an intimate and relaxed wedding on the Hudson.

After the ceremony was over, the mansion served as the backdrop for the family formals. Once those were done, the real fun began, as Ujjaini and Tom allowed us some time alone with just the two of them to create some incredibly romantic and fashionable images that clearly captured their feelings for one another. The brightness of the white-washed porch and the tall stately columns of the mansion intensified the romanticism of the images.

If you'd like to see some photographs of this wedding, you can find a gallery of highlights from Ujjaini and Tom's lovely day at Mills Mansion in the "Clients" section of our website.

Moniqua and Irving's Wedding

During the summer months, plenty of people from the Tri-State area head out to the Poconos in Pennsylvania for a bit of rest and relaxation. Moniqua and Irving decided that they wanted to go there to get married. What a super couple they were! We found the groom, his guys, and the dads at their nearby hotel, each helping the other get ready, which was a lot of fun to see and shoot. And then it was on to the beautiful Skytop Lodge to catch the girls during their prep. The wedding took place outdoors, and the setting sun painted the mansion and the landscape in colors of yellow and gold. Their reception that followed was full of guests who definitely enjoyed their dancing. I think some of my most enjoyable moments were watching Moniqua and Irving dancing throughout the night with their kids. They're an amazingly close-knit family, and it was beautiful to see their love for one another.

Click this link to visit their complete online wedding gallery. Thanks go out to Moniqua and Irving, as well as their families, for allowing us to be a part of their special day.

Stay Tuned For Updates!

Make sure you stay tuned to our blog in the upcoming days. While we're excited to start this new feature to keep you updated on the latest news, we also want to take you back for a look at a couple of other recent weddings that we were privileged to shoot. Fantastic couples, each of them! When we look at their pictures, we're always reminded of how much we love what we do!!!

If you are one of our current or upcoming brides, believe us when we say that we hope you are as genuinely excited to tell others about your photographs as we are.

Make sure you bookmark this page. You may well see a preview of your own engagement session or wedding before you see it anywhere else on our site. Feel free to let your friends and family know about our blog, so they can enjoy the same things you're seeing here.

We're looking forward to showing you more very soon.

Amy and Doug's Engagement

We had yet another engage- ment session this past weekend. By this time, at least some of the humidity had dropped, and we were able to meet Amy and Doug at a gorgeous place near his parents' home. Amy had coordinated their clothing (Doug loved that...), and they were all set to go. We were excited to see that there were lots of other people at the same spot, picnicking, eating at restaurants or just enjoying the waterfront. We like the energy we get from being around crowds while shooting, and Amy and Doug soon got into a comfortable groove, too — holding hands, hugging, giving one another coconuts/noogies... All the usual things that couples do while being photographed.

I don't want to forget another extremely important part of our evening with Amy and Doug. We had an awesome time with their companion and all-around good guy — Pepé, the pug. What a cute little guy! He was pretty hot out there, but he stuck with us like the trooper that he is. He positively stole the camera in some of the shots.

Make sure you check out their engagement preview slideshow (PC only, no Mac version available at this time... sorry). You'll get to see how much fun this couple was.

Their wedding is going to take place at the Belvedere Mansion, just off the beautiful Hudson River. We think the place is totally suited to them and are looking forward to spending another wonderful day with them. That's only a month away. Once we have those pictures, we'll be sure to share some of our looks at this beautiful venue with this fun couple.