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.

i’m going to quote from our own website here – our little writeup on using a wedding self-portrait studio:

“Ok. You finally get all of your family and friends together – dressed up and looking sharp. Everybody brings along a camera to take a group shot.  Oh, just let me get one picture… wait, let’s get her in this too… wait one sec…. look this way…. wait, put down your drink…. wait…look this way…. smile… wait, which button is it? Did the flash go off? Oh, you blinked… wait let’s do one more. Oh wait, do one with my camera too. And you never see them anyway. Not that that’s such a bad thing because they looked like crap. Our self-portrait studio is manned by a photographer, real equipment, real lighting, real fun. Guests take their own pictures with a remote and see the results instantly on screen. They keep going until they get what they love. They want a nice family formal – we’ll make sure they get it. Want a group shot of school friends – have at it. And after a few drinks…. they get kinda fun. High resolution files can be used to make great big images – not some little rinky dink strip that one person runs off with. No better way to memorialize your friends.”

And here’s what you get (I’ll skip past the nice family pictures to the, “sure we’ve had a few drinks” fun stuff) :

And then it starts to get out of control….

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

Jen and james live in greenwich village so we wandered around their locale for their engagement session.

brie and aaron had a stunning wedding at the metropolitan club in manhattan.

and i thought the raw silk runner was a great match for the room…

such a cute couple.

decor was done by the wonderful and fun to work with David Beahm.  Check out the copper mirrored tabletops.

that image you see in the table above is the reflection from the ceiling’s trompe l’oil

clear glass chargers… brilliant.

the grand entrance

the first dance… soul street bringing everyone to the dance floor.

and then this amazing duo came out – Black Violin – wandering with wireless violins – cranking out some classical tunes until the hiphop dj joined in and the 3 of them rocked the house.  awesome!

and the self portrait studio once again was a huge hit with everyone.

new york city wedding photography always has to push an envelope in some way – in a city filled with unique people you need to provide unique wedding images in unique locations – like the Ghostbusters’ firehouse.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Dorothy’s ruby red slippers ain’t got nuthin’ on Francine’s tourquoise Loubatins.

below – a great shot of the guys by Ron

and Francine was radiant

as francine and peter see each other for the first time…

mail order bride?

in my photography lectures, I always stress how unique shots are everywhere around us – you just need to have your eyes open, think outside the box and be willing to ask for crazy things with a straight face.

excuse me, Mr. UPS Man, would you mind if we climbed in the back of your truck for a sec?  In the case of the Ghostbusters’ Firehouse shot (top and below), I actually had the Fire Chief move the ladder truck forward to even out the light across the face of the truck and the firehouse.

Below: “The Spectacle” by Ron.

The 18 person bridal party on our way to Tribeca Rooftop.  Keeping the ladies having a good time while avoiding breaking their ankles on cobblestones while in high heels is a neat trick.

on the Tribeca Rooftop

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…