new york wedding photographer – top 10 in the world – brian dorsey studios

we all realize that the photographs we have of our loved ones become worth more to us as time passes on.  this past weekend a 300 year old European Beech reminded me of just how quickly our photographs can sometimes appreciate in value…

The Climbing Tree held forth in a Frederick Law Olmstead designed park near the house in which I grew up.  Of course she predated Olmstead’s work.  She even predated George Washington’s work.  This old tree had seen some history.

“…Her impossibly long and knotted arms twisted out and about every which way – each completely covered with what seemed to be a hundred of years of tattoos – carved scars bearing names and dates and mathematical formulas of lover’s initials circumscribed by hearts.  She was an entire illustrated tree filled with evidence of those who stayed and enjoyed her at least long enough to make their mark.  Those gravity and logic defying branches stretched long and low – perfect for climbing.  She slowly waved them back and forth in the breeze begging passers to hop on one of her bark covered tendrils.    For those climbing aboard she provided a ready-made Indiana Jones fantasy complete with a tangled sea of writhing snake roots waiting to snap at your ankles should you swing too low…”

Occasionally I would stop by with my kids and let them climb aboard as I had done when I was their age and of course, I’d take a few pictures.

but i didn’t give the photographs much thought or place any exceptional value on them – they were just cool snapshots of my kids.

That is until this weekend.  On Sunday I was in the area again and went for a walk in the park and was stunned to find her gone.

My third thought (after, “who the heck would do such a thing”, and “why didn’t someone come up with a creative way to avoid this”) was “Oh man. I’m so glad I have those photographs!”

Sad fact that time eventually robs of us our youth, our beauty, our memories and ultimately, our existence – but the more of that we lose the more our photographs become worth to us.

And there you have it – the climbing tree reminded me of how quickly our photographs can appreciate in value.  Quite simply, before this weekend, I had a few pretty cool pictures of my kids playing in a tree.  I realize now I have irreplaceable treasures.

Early this morning, I met with Capitale’s Director of Catering, Larry Goldfarb and Amanda Len to chat about the upcoming year.  For those of you who may not know, Capitale is a wonderful event space in the old Bowery Savings Bank building on… you guessed it… Bowery Street on the Lower East Side.  If you want a grand Beaux Arts space that’ll fit between 200 and 400 people or so you can’t do much better than Stanford White’s stunning 1895 space.

I thought I would share some images from a wedding we photographed at Capitale in the fall.

They’ve got this great old mirrored brass elevator.

And there’s so much great culture to work with in the neighborhood!

Mike’s wonderful sense of humor…

I wanted to share another wonderful wedding shot by my Associates, Ron and Chris.

i wanted to share another fantastic wedding photographed by Ron and Chris.

erica and danny’s beautiful wedding at capitale.

you’ve got to love a bride in a wedding dress willing to get into a trash filled grafitti covered truck in chinatown -now  that’s heart!

my favorite part of the following overview shot are danny and erica’s new york mets jerseys hanging over their chairs.

and off the newlywed’s walk into the sunset…

on the bowery.

If you’re looking to have an old school new york city wedding you can’t do much better than The Plaza Hotel.  Debra however wanted it to reflect a bit of her personality as well so she meticulously planned out some amazing details.

like leopard print and purple table linens…

and these amazing flower filled birdcages…

and a cake to match.

making for a completely new spin on on school.

Shabu and Michael met while she was at Barnard and he was at Columbia and in fact, Michael proposed on campus.

It seemed only fitting that we do their engagement portraits at their alma mater…

wait until you see the wedding !

I received this note the other day from a bride of mine whose wedding we shot 2 years ago and thought I’d share it.

Hi Brian-

It has been just two years since you shot our wedding and I just wanted to thank you again for the job that you and your team did. Aaron and I were just flipping through our album, reminiscing about the day, and it is amazing how much emotion you were able to capture in all of the pictures. The images bring back all of the memories and the excitement of the day, which can be felt looking through the album.  There are a few in particular that bring me back to the exact moment when Aaron and I saw each other for the first time before the ceremony and it’s like being there all over again.

Our wedding really was one big party- exactly what we were hoping for- and that is the exact feeling we get looking through our album. It was such a special day, one that we and our families love to remember and talk about and we are lucky to have such amazing pictures to look back on.

Thanks again for everything.

All the best,

Kim and Aaron

and a party it was…

Ron and I worked together again when Soyeon and Tim were married at Glen Island.

Here’s a shot Ron took of Soyeon and the girls…

me pulling out the old trustee tilt/shift lens

We got into the fact that Tim works for a large aerospace manufacturer and could name for us every plane as it went overhead.

Ron got this cool ceremony shot as Soyeon was walking down the aisle.

Then during cocktails, it was time for the Paebak.

Apparently, since Soyeon and Tim caught so many dates and nuts in their silk as their parents threw them they are going to have 23 children.

If it’s true, I’m wishing you both lots of luck with that…

karli and kevin had our self portrait studio at their reception and once again, it was a huge hit.  this time we fit it into a cute little brick nook.  and as usual, things start out kinda calm…

and since guests see the image that they’ve taken immediatly after taking it – they tend to get incited to riot…

at least until the drinks make the single button remote seem challenging…

karli and kevin were married at the bowery hotel -the first of two weddings coincidentally that we shot at The Bowery in a single week.

i thought karli and kevin’s invitation was really cool.

and although it rained most of the day Karli looked radiant

wait until you see the self-portrait studio shots!