http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/ Robert & Kathleen Photographers Blog en-us http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=189 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=189 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:54:00 GMT
Some people spend their entire lives looking for that one person. The person that would understand you, laugh at your jokes and appreciate all those little quirks that make you "you." It's a tall order. The lucky ones find that person. The REALLY lucky ones, well they find that person early on in life and start an adventure together that they know will last a lifetime.

Ally and Jason are two of the really lucky ones. They met while they were in college and even though they were young at the time, they were wise enough to realize that what they had found in one another was something really special. From the moment you see them together, you know there is no doubt that they are supposed to be a couple. They just fit together. Not only do they make each other smile, they also make each other stronger.

The morning of their wedding both Ally ... Jason had a fair bit of nerves (like most people do) and opted for a "first look" before the ceremony. Ally had been getting ready in the bridal suite of the Society Room and when we told her that the time had arrived for her to go see Jason, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was much the same for him. From the moment that Jason heard Ally's heels approaching as she came up to meet him, he relaxed. When she put her hand on his shoulder, Jason turned, smiled, and took her hand so he could spin her around to admire her dress. Ally laughed while she twirled around and showed it off a bit. In less than a minute, all the nerves had dissolved. Any stress they had been feeling melted away while they spent a few minutes of the afternoon together.

They separated again right before the ceremony. This time only a few nerves came back and those too quickly went away the moment Ally's hand was placed into Jason's and they were staring into each other's eyes once more. Neither of them particularly liked being the center of attention but loved one another so much they put that aside to declare their love in front of their family and friends. That public declaration no doubt gave hope to those in attendance that had yet to find their own special person. Hope that one day they too will be one of the lucky ones. Just like Ally ... Jason.

* * *
We started the morning right at the Society Room of Hartford The ballroom looked even more stunning than usual because Ally ... Jason had brought in an extensive lighting set-up done by the lighting specialists and DJ team at Audio Media Solutions. The lighting was used throughout the whole day from the ceremony straight through to the reception, changing at different points to reflect the mood of the particular event or moment. After saying hello to Mike ... Erin from AMS we stopped to chat for a few minutes to the amazing Elisabeth Zemetis from Blush Floral Design who was putting together a gorgeous tree-branch display complete with twinkle lights for the ceremony back drop.

As all of the hustle and bustle was taking place in the main ballroom getting it ready for the ceremony ... reception, we headed back to the bridal suite to meet up with Ally ... her girls. They had just returned from a morning of beauty, with hair done at Headline Hair Designers right in Hartford, and make-up by Janice Raccio from Naomi's Salon. Like pretty much everything in the Society Room, the bridal suite is an elegant space with tons of beautiful lights and some dramatic windows that were couldn't wait to incorporate into some shots. Once Ally had been helped into her Vera Wang Bridal Gown by her mother and bridesmaids, we were ready to take full advantage of that window taking shot photos of her right in front of it. The feel of the room mixed with her flowers, dress and gold accessories gave a romantic and vintage feel - so of course we grabbed a few shots in film as well to complete the look.

The ceremony took place on the dance floor of the ballroom, with white stars splashed across the room and the twinkle light branches glowing behind Ally ... Jason as they said their vows. They party vibe picked up right away with the dance floor filling up from the moment the reception kicked off. Ally ... Jason spent nearly the entire night on the floor surrounded by their friends and singing their hearts out to all of the favorite songs. When the last song played, Ally wrapped her arms Jason's neck and they held each other tight right in the center of the dance floor. The night was over, but their adventure together was just beginning.

We have been to the Society Room once before Allison ... Jason's Wedding, actually we were there just one week prior. Even though we had photographed at the Society Room before, this was our first time in the bridal suite. We arrived a few minutes before Ally ... her girls got back from their hair and makeup appointments. Luckily Elisabeth from Blush Floral Design had already brought her flowers.

Allison's shoes were a classic gold shoe which you will soon see is the perfect compliment to her gorgeous Vera Wang Gown.

Ally's dress was incredibly beautiful. Kathleen captured this shot of her girls helping her with some last minute touches...

...as I captured this one a minute or so later.

{FILM} Once Allison was ready, Kathleen and I couldn't wait to start taking some bridal shots. We started by capturing this shot of Allison with medium format film. Such a classic and timeless image. It is one of my personal favorites from the day. There is just something about film that is so special...

The window and furnishings in the bridal suite provided some really perfect backgrounds to show off how great Allison looked and how wonderful is her smile?!

How perfect is the lighting and this space? Kathleen and I were beyond excited photographing Ally here.

The simple designs through her dress combined with the subtle colors of her bouquet made for such an elegant look.

Stunning!

Right before heading out to see Jason for their first look Ally took one more look in the mirror - after all she wanted to make sure she looked perfect for her soon-to-be husband.

Jason was more than excited to see Allison for the first time on their wedding day. We photographed their first look in front of the the old bank vault which always makes for a fun and unique location.

Jason could not stop smiling as he gave Ally his first kiss of the day.

Even though it was really cold (under 20 degrees) Ally ... Jason were all about coming outside with us. The front doors of the Society Room are, well, really awesome. This is my shot...

...and this is Kathleen's at about the same moment.

We spent some time taking photos as Ally ... Jason walked up the cobblestone street...

...followed by a couple simple and relaxed portraits.

Before heading in we just had to get a couple more photos by the doors. I love how they look in black and white.

{FILM} We also grabbed one more medium format film shot. Allison was certainly a trooper, she was in a strapless dress and didn't once complain about the cold. So great!

Once back inside Kathleen grabbed this photo...

...as I caught this one. The chandeliers and lighting throughout the Society Room are really fun and we love incorporating them into as many photos as possible.

Right before their ceremony we got the whole wedding party together, back in the bridal suite.

These are the moments that really make up a wedding day. Kathleen waited upstairs with Allison ... her Dad (as he wiped away a tear) right before walking into the ceremony.

I love these two moments!

Both Allison's Father and Step Father walked her down the aisle.

Jason was so relaxed and content as he looked into his bride's eyes.

There was so much happiness and smiles as they exchanged their vows and their rings.

This was our first time photographing a ceremony at the Society Room. We really like the space and it made for a unique and intimate ceremony location.

Their first kiss as husband and wife!

Ahhh, we really do have the best job in the world. We get to spend our days with people on their happiest days. :)

The staff at the Society Room are really amazing, they transformed the room from a beautiful and intimate ceremony location to a grand reception spot in no time at all. The lighting professionals from Audio Media Solutions did an outstanding job lighting the room as well. I know we say it all the time but we highly recommend using uplighting especially in large venues. It really transforms the room and adds so much to the mood.

A couple bird's eye views of the table setups.

{FILM} By now you all know our obsession with lighting and chandeliers, I captured this shot with film.

Details! :)

We really loved how the lighting from Audio Media Solutions illuminated the tables...

...and their cake.

{FILM} This is a shot of the cake Allison ... Jason used for their cake cutting. I captured this shot with film at 1/15th of a sec at 2.8 hand held.

As their favors they had hot chocolate for each of their guests. So perfect for such a cold day.

We LOVED their first dance...

...I mean look how happy and into each other they are.

Kathleen captured this shot...

...as I captured this one at about the same moment. I love the moody lighting.

Ally danced with both her Dad and Step Dad and Jason danced with his Mom.

How great is this cake cutting moment?!

They were really nice to each other as they fed each other a bite of cake.

{FILM} We just had to share one more film shot above the room from above.

Ally ... Jason - thank you so much for inviting us to be a part of your day. We hope you had an amazing time in Cancun!! ~Rob ... Kathleen~

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=187 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=187 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:15:00 GMT
So this is probably not the post you'd expect to follow our previous one, but here it is. We spent the afternoon in a room filled with cakes - literally. Wall-to-wall cakes. (Not too worry, we hit the gym before we went. We are well aware of our temptations.)

I know what you're thinking - "where were you and how can I go there too?" Well that's the good news, you can totally go there yourself and, if you're a bride, you can order a stunningly gorgeous custom wedding cake in the process. It's the showroom of Ana Parzych Custom Cakes in Cheshire. If you haven't seen her work before, allow us to introduce you to her art because that's really what these cakes are - pieces of art. Which makes sense actually because Ana studied art and graphic design before getting into wedding cakes. She works side-by-side with her husband Garry who does quite a bit of the baking himself while also running the business side of things. It was great to get to talk to them over the course of the afternoon - we always love to see how fellow husband-and-wife teams work.

We had worked with Ana ... Garry this past May and we were absolutely blown away by their talent. They build completely custom cakes based on whatever their couple is looking for - Ana even does sketches of the cake beforehand and works with the couples one-on-one to make THE perfect cake for them. So when Garry got in touch with us earlier this month and asked if we would come by their showroom and takes some pictures of their cakes we said yes without hesitation. Not just because we love cakes, but mainly because we just love working with other artists that have pride in what they do, which they totally do. As a result they are in high demand - working throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York as well as international destinations. They even had a wedding in Dubai this year!

That was our lovely afternoon, spending time with another husband-and-wife team and photographing some gorgeous cakes. One of the many, many reasons we love what we do. The fact that they also sent us home with small cake of our very own was a total bonus. (I know...I'm setting the alarm as we speak to wake up for the gym tomorrow!)

So without further ado, here are some of Ana's cakes for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to leave Ana ... Garry some love in the comments, or with a phone call to make your own cake. Delicious!

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=185 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=185 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:15:00 GMT
Some people could probably say there is an art to job interviews, knowing how to handle yourself and answer all of the questions a potential employer could throw at you with style and grace. I wouldn't know, it was definitely not my strong suit. I was always holding my breath and hoping to avoid that one question I hated, "List your strengths and weaknesses." I mean come on - we all know it's a total trick question. You could tell the truth, I guess and risk exposing a true weaknesses or you could play the game, turning your "weaknesses" into strengths (sometimes people think I just work too hard!). But that seemed like such a cop out to me. Inevitably my brain would go to a complete different lists of strengths and weaknesses. Strengths like the fact that I can usually find a great deal on shoes and that I know how to do the Thriller dance. If only I could have talked about my weakness for Girl Scout cookies (Thin Mints in particular), pretty much all disco (best cure for a bad day), and the Pillsbury Dough Boy (I'm know it's strange but I just love him).

Clearly not the answers a potential employer was seeking. So instead my head would fill up with all of the things I knew I wanted to work on about myself and what I planned to do about them. But as soon as they came into my brain I tried to push them out. I couldn't possibly tell them that, I would think. Honesty? That wasn't an option, was it? And if I couldn't be honest than what's the point? One time I actually did list the things that rushed into my head. I didn't get that job. And that was okay because really, I didn't want it. Now I have this job, my dream job - way better than any one I ever interviewed for.

One of the perks of this job is having this blog, where we can be as honest as we want. So that's what we're going to do. We're going to have a new series of posts we're calling "Strengths ... Weaknesses" talking about pretty much whatever we're up to. It could be a strength that we have built in our photography, business, maybe even or relationship and weaknesses we have for reality TV, celebrity gossip (maybe that's just me).

Today, we're gonna rip it off like a band aid and start off with what is probably our biggest weakness: food.

* * *
When we first got together, we discovered we liked to do a lot of the same things which was great. Except one of those things we loved to do together was eat. A lot. Usually in the beginning of a relationship I would do that stupid girl thing and pretend I didn't like to eat as much as I do. But with Rob I didn't have to do that because we were friends first, so he already knew that I would tackle someone in the street for a Carmello bar if I was in the mood for one (well not really, but you know what I mean). So that first year or so of being a couple we spent a lot of our time having long, incredible talks and wonderful dates that somehow always ended up involving food or some kind: brownie sundaes on the couch, nachos at our favorite place, snacks at the movies. We knew we hit rock bottom when we would justify having ice cream for dinner. Doesn't sound too bad, except every single time we would try to do that we'd end up hungry for dinner within about two hours - and then we'd have it. But it was happy pounds. We were in love and accepted each other as we were, so it was okay. Or at least that's what we told ourselves. When we celebrated our first anniversary we were newly engaged and had a combined weight gain of about 60lbs between the two of us. Not exactly my dream prospect when thinking about wedding dress shopping.

So we knew we had to accept that as good as we are for one another in so many other areas, this was one area where we weren't helping one another and we'd have to change that. So we did. We changed our diet and our habits. We would go to the gym together, encourage each other and keep one another on track. It wasn't easy. Especially when the alarm would go off and all we would want to do it stay home and work in our sweatpants. It was definitely not easy to drive past our favorite pizza place and not go inside (even when one of us was trying to justify that "one slice couldn't hurt.") And I must admit it had to be pretty trying on Rob when I would throw a temper tantrum when I couldn't get my chocolate fix. (I am mystified sometimes that he still married me after that.)

By the time our wedding came (about a year and a half after our engagement) we had lost more weight than we had gained in that first year together. We had lost a combined total of 100 pounds (Rob lost 60lbs, I lost 40lbs). I weighed less on our wedding day than I had throughout my entire four years of high school, and college for that matter - a huge accomplishment for me personally. With Rob's help and motivation I had done what I had never been able to do before.

Going off on our honeymoon in Hawaii we felt like we had a new lease on life. Problem was, we no longer had a deadline or additional weight to lose. Our perception of what we could do now was way out of whack. We thought that since we were "skinny" now, we could eat whatever we wanted. And we did. Every place that had a "Best Hamburger" sign in Hawaii I had to try - "How else would I know which was the best?", I justified. (Dukes in Waikiki Beach won by the way.) When we got back from our honeymoon, we had each put on about 5lbs. It didn't seem too bad, but it was a slippery slope. Five pounds became ten and, even though we didn't get back up to where we were before we knew that if we didn't watch what we were doing we could go right back there.

It was then that we realized that this wasn't going to be a one-time thing. This would have to be a constant battle - us vs. the gym, me vs. chocolate, Rob vs. Pizza, us vs. the many, many other things we wanted to eat and shouldn't (at least not in the quantity we wanted). It's been a back and forth fight, and sometimes we do better than others (the holidays are always rough, it's way too hard to say no to pies and stuffing).

Two weeks ago we decided once again to get back on track. We're back at the gym, cutting back the calories and excessive carbs and trying not to be too goal-focused because we know now that the ultimate goal is to be healthy, not just fit into a certain size. That's the biggest lesson we have learned in the course of this whole process, how to work together to change our lives and our mindsets. I think it's made us a stronger team and even helps us in what we do in the office, on wedding days, maybe even in life in general.

I'm sure everyone has a thing they constantly trying to work on, individually or as couple. Hopefully you also have someone (a friend, a significant other) that helps reach your goals and win the fight. So tell us, what's your biggest weakness?

So as you can probably tell, this is our before and after picture. Not sure what in the world possessed either of us to wear the outfits we are wearing in the before (not very flattering, but I guess that's the point of a before pictures, not like we knew it was "before" at the time).

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=186 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=186 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:20:00 GMT
Right after we met at Chris ... Meghan for the first time, we closed the door, looked at each other, and didn't have to say much to know that we were in complete agreement about two things. First, that we had probably just met the single most excited groom we had ever seen and second - that we couldn't wait to photograph their wedding. All through that first meeting, Chris held Meghan's hand tight as he talked about the wedding plans with the same level of energy you hear a lot of guys talking about the starting line up of their fantasy football team. And, to be honest, he was getting us pretty excited too. All of the details sounded amazing, of course, but we were just drawn to how happy they both were. Because it was clear that Chris wasn't really particularly interested in each and every single detail of the wedding, he was just that eager to marry Meghan. And Meghan, she actually didn't have to say much of anything to make her feelings known, happiness was clearly written all over her face.

They definitely brought that excitement to their wedding itself. In fact, they even turned it up several notches. That was evident from the beginning of the day when Meghan was nearly brought to tears by the note tucked into the roses Chris had delivered to her that morning. Her sister and her best friends gathered around her, ohh-ing and ahh-ing at it all. More than one of them told Meghan that she had found "a keeper," even though they knew that was not news to her. We saw that excitement again when we arrived at the church and saw Chris for the first time that day. He was surrounded by his groomsmen, making them all laugh. Pretty soon they all had the same big smiles on their faces. Not only because of Chris' jokes, but also because they were all so happy that he had found the perfect girl for him. But without a doubt, Meghan and Chris spread their joy to every single person in the room when they did their first dance. It was then that their excitement to be married to one another was in full view. They danced to Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You," an energetic dance with just a touch of drama and tons of fun, much like the two of them. Their guest lined the dance floor and the balcony of the Society Room, captivated. Even while we were photographing it, we were pretty enthralled ourselves. It was just another reminder of how lucky we are to do what we do, because of moments like this. Moments when two people's love for each other is so evident that you can actually feel it yourself when you see them together. No doubt that's what all of their guests saw too.

* * *
We started the day at Meghan's childhood home where we were greeted by her parents who were just as sweet as she is. They insisted on feeding us snacks (yes, please!) and showed us where we could find Meghan's dress and shoes to get a head start on the fun detail shots before Meghan and her bridesmaids returned from hair and make-up. We found some gorgeous light and great locations and had just finished up right in time for Meghan's return home. She saw the roses first thing and knew right away who they were from. After gushing a bit about just how amazing Chris is, she and her girls headed upstairs to get her into the dress. She came down looking stunning and braved the cold outside for a couple of shots. (She said she had been going outside without a coat the last couple of days to build up a resistance.) Thankfully she had a fur wrap to put on as we headed over to St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford for the ceremony.

It was a romantic ceremony which ended with one of our favorite readings, the Apache wedding blessing. (Check it out if you get a chance, it's really beautiful). From there, we headed over to City Hall in Hartford for some shots of Meghan, Chris and their wedding party in the hall's beautiful atrium (just some of the incredible architecture you can find in Hartford.) The reception took place at yet another Hartford architectural gem, The Society Room of Hartford, which we were very excited about since we are big fans of super cool old buildings. The Society Room is particularly unique in that aspect - it used to be bank and the building is just plain gorgeous (the light fixtures, the ceiling, the old vault). It was the perfect place for the type of party Chris and Meghan wanted their reception to be - elegant, romantic and fun. And that's exactly what the night turned out to be - tons of dancing, delicious food, and plenty of laughs. A huge celebration for one ridiculously happy couple.

We started the day at Meghan's parent's house where we actually arrived a few minutes before Meghan and her girls got back from the hair salon. It gave us a chance to know Meghan's parent's even better while we captured some photos of her dress...

...and her shoes.

Details are such an important part of a wedding story, after all they are the things that help trigger the feelings and memories of the day. On the bottom left, Meghan's Maid-of-Honor puts the finishing touches on her speech.

Meghan's classic red rose bouquet was really beautiful.

Meghan could not contain her excitement as she was helped into her wedding gown by her sister.

The moments before the ceremony are always filled with such a fun energy. It is a mix of a little bit or nervousness, a lot of excitement and usually a whole lot of fun, we really love it.

Meghan looked absolutely beautiful.

Despite the cold (and it was quite cold) Meghan had no problem going outside for a couple of shots...

...and neither did her girls!

We love this moment as Meghan's Dad sees her in her wedding dress.

We think of each part of a wedding day as a chapter in a book, many smaller stories that make up the big one. So I guess arriving to the church would be Chapter 2! :) Meghan and Chris got married at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford. How insanely great is that winter blue sky?!

We entered to the sounds of string music filling the church with gorgeous music.

We also found this bobble head verison of Chris and let me tell you, it was really right on! Take a look...

...See how close. Now I kind of want one of myself! :)

Kathleen waited outside to capture Meghan getting out of the limo and coming into the church...

...as I stayed up front to get these three adorable flower girls coming down the aisle.

As everyone made it down the aisle Meghan waited patiently with her Dad.

This church was so classically beautiful and we absolutely loved the long aisle. Kathleen captured the photo on the left while I captured the one on the right. Meghan didn't stop smiling once as she made her way closer to her soon-to-be husband one step at a time.

I love the handoff, it is such an exciting and emotional moment. It is kind of when everything becomes really real.

As soon as Meghan and Chris sat down at the beginning of their ceremony, the both look at each other with pure happiness and love in their eyes.

There happened to be an elevator at the front of the church and it was partially covered by a small wall. This provided the perfect place for us to hide (as to not be obtrusive) and get a great vantage point such as this.

See didn't I tell you that this church was really beautiful?! It was filled with so many great architectural details.

Meghan and Chris stepped up three stairs to the sanctuary for their wedding ceremony.

Meghan did not once take her eyes of Chris as she sweetly watched him recite his vows to her...

...and Chris did not stop smiling or take his eyes off of Meghan. We LOVE moments like this.

Their exchange of rings...

...followed by their first kiss.

Kathleen loves looking for the groom's reaction after the wedding ceremony and this is really great.

I had to fight a little (in a good way of course - armed with a smile) to get this shot as many of the guests were jumping out in front of me to get Meghan and Chris walking out of the church. So much excitement!

After the church we headed over to Hartford City Hall for photos with the wedding party and of course with Meghan and Chris.

They were such a fun group.

We were running a little tight on time but that did not stop us from capturing some seriously amazing moments between Meghan and Chris.

The energy that Meghan and Chris radiate is really wonderful.

I know that we probably start to sound like a broken record, but we really love Hartford City Hall, especially the stairwells...

...and really tall ceilings.

The thing that is great about this photo is that Megan and Chris did this without us telling them to do anything.

Can't you tell how happy them make each other just by how they look at each other?!

As I mentioned a little earlier, some things ran a little late during the day so we had literally only about 10 minutes at City Hall. For those of you who have been there you know how amazing it is to get to all of these places in a such a short time. It was a really good thing though because we all got our workouts.

Chris always did a good job making Meghan laugh.

Kathleen captured the shot on the left (which I love - I really like the open space behind them) and I captured the shot on the right.

On our way out or course we had to get a couple more photos of Meghan and Chris on the stairs. Mine is the one on the left and Kathleen's is the one on the right.

Speaking of really beautiful architecture, we headed over to The Society Room of Hartford. This place is so magnificent, you feel like you have been transformed to a time where we should be carrying cameras that have those big lightbulb size flashes.

I mean tall ceilings, insane chandeliers, details everywhere - does it get any better?

Chris and Meghan had famed photos of their familiy members weddings as one of the details of their day. We love touches like this.

Wedding cake!!

As if this room wasn't already amazing enough, Meghan and Chris were introduced down a big sweeping staircase with their guests on both levels cheering for them.

Their first dance started off slow...

...and then really picked up some speed.

Kathleen captured this emotional image...

...as I ran up the stairs to get this one. We could have shared a ton more moments from just their first dance.

Meghan also danced with her Dad - one of Kathleen's favorite moments...

...and Chris danced with his Mom.

Right after cake cutting, Chris swept Meghan off her feet and gave her a huge kiss.

The Society Room at one time used to be a bank so the original vault is still there. How cool is that!

Meghan ... Chris - thank you so much for letting us into your lives for this truly magical day. We hope you had a wonderful time on your honeymoon and can't wait to catch up with you soon! ~Rob ... Kathleen

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=184 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=184 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT
If you read our blog regularly you probably already know that we have a thing for Paris. We visited it for the first time in the summer of 2008 and we were hooked. Rob says that Paris is one of those places that has such a grip on you that you don't even realize it until you have left it. And as soon as we left, we felt it. We were aching to go back. In fact, this past summer we were trying to decide where to go on our next vacation and we were having the hardest time. We have a long list of places we'd like to visit but we felt like we hadn't seen all we wanted to see in Paris.

To be honest, we felt a little weird telling people that we were going to Paris for the second year in a row. Because to some people Paris is the city of poodles and overindulgence. But that's not the Paris that we know. We saw a city filled with art, music and architecture. A place where it wouldn't be unusual to stumble upon an impromptu performance of live music on the street, on a bridge or even in a metro car. A place where you could have just as amazing a meal on a picnic blanket by the water as you could at a bistro in the fanciest part of town. A place filled with people with broad smiles and big hearts - people that would give you a ride to your hotel because they wanted to help you but couldn't speak English (a man actually did that for us), people that would buy extra fruit to hand out to a poor woman with a child on the metro.

A place with an energy and spirit that have inspired some of the most treasured contributions to art, music, theater and design. And we like to think that when we visit just a small bit of that energy is passed along to us. To put it simply, Paris just plain inspires us. Even more so this past summer when we met up with a few French photographers. We were blown away by their openness, excitement and passion for photography. We only got to spend a few hours with them but we loved every minute of it. And as soon as we got home we realized that something we had been dreaming about since the very first time we visited Paris could be a reality. We could get together with photographers out in Europe and share with them what we have learned and what we love about what we do. And get to shoot with them in front of some of the most incredible locations in the world. And now we will.

So this year we'll be taking our third trip to Paris and conducting our very first workshop in the process. We are proud to introduce "Taking Off: A Photography Seminar" with Robert ... Kathleen, Tuesday, March 30 in Paris, France. It is impossible to put into words the level of excitement that we feel right now, especially since we have the help of two of the most amazing wedding pros in Connecticut, Candice from Jubilee Events and Beth from The White Dress by the Shore.

We know it's going to be an amazing adventure and can't wait to meet even more European (and maybe even some more American) photographers and reconnect with the ones we already know. We will be sharing the lessons we have learned about building our business, creating beautiful images during the fast-paced wedding day and establishing a solid web presence. Most of all, we want to share what we feel to be the true nature of Paris: the city that we know, the one that inspires us - the one we know will inspire you as well.

*** For more info and to Sign Up for "Taking Off" CLICK on the logo below ***




]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=182 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=182 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:22:00 GMT
Most people probably just know Robert ... Kathleen Photographers as just the two of us. But for the last six years there has been another person who has been right by our side: Susan Magnano. Sue started out as Rob's steady second shooter and then became our third shooter when Kathleen officially came on board full-time. We have loved having her with us at weddings - not only does she take incredible photos but she's just plain fun to be around (any of you that have had Susan at your own weddings can certainly attest to that). Even more, she has been an invaluable source of friendship and inspiration to us, encouraging us every step along the way and being one of our biggest cheerleaders.

In that last year or so, we have been very fortunate in that our hard work has been paying off in a big way. We are generating more and more interest our photography for weddings. One of the hardest things for us is getting an amazing request from an excited couple only to realize that we are booked already for their date. As the interest has grown we have decided that the best solution would be to place those interested couples into the hands of someone that has been by our side, someone that knows and understands our approach to weddings, and someone that has her own personality and style that we know our couples would love. We didn't have too look very far to find that perfect person, we knew who it would be all along. Susan has shot countless weddings with us starting back in 2004, she knows the ins-and-outs of how we approach a wedding day just as well as we do and we have been blown away by her work time and time again.

So it's with tremendous joy that we announce that Susan will now be booking weddings for 2010. She'll have her own custom packages, which include a second shooter at your wedding, and can include an engagement session, wedding album, guest book, etc. She will be available for weddings in Connecticut, the Northeast and any destination you may have in mind. There will be blog posts directly from Susan, she'll even have her own stamp coming soon! You'll get to meet her couples, see the weddings she photographs and possibly even see the places she goes (like us, Sue loves to travel and she takes the most incredible landscape photographs). To secure Susan for your wedding date, contact us right away! She's already booking up fast!

To give you an idea of Susan's talent and style, below are some of our favorite photos from just a few of the weddings she shot with us in 2009.

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=181 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=181 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:04:00 GMT
As creative people we think it is especially important to constantly work on our craft so that we can be the best for both ourselves as well as for our clients. We also think it is important to go out often and photograph for ourselves. We love going places with just a camera in hand and no plan for what we are going to do. It is so amazing to shoot the things that inspire us at that moment and not worry so much about the end product. For all of you photographers out there, we HIGHLY recommend trying to get out and shoot for yourself as often as possible.

This past Friday we were itching to go on a little photo field trip so Kathleen and I decided to get up early, jump on a train and head into the city. This is truly one of the benefits of living so closely to New York. All I brought to photograph with me was a Hasselblad 500 C/M with film back and all Kathleen brought was a Canon EOS1 film camera. We each only brought one lens and nothing else. We really love the feel of film so we thought it would be incredibly fun to only shoot film for the day. Everything you will see below is film are film images. We ended up in Little Italy as well as China Town where the colors and textures of these two unique neighborhoods really inspired us. I was loving it so much that I shot 6 rolls of 120 film.

As a note: all of the photos that I photographed are SQUARE as all I was shooting was medium format. All of Kathleen's photos are RECTANGLE (either horizontal or vertical) as she was shooting 35mm. For those of you who have been asking us what film we shoot with, we love Fuji PRO 400H as well as Fuji PRO 160S in both 120 and 35mm when shooting color.

Film is something that is very special to us and as we said many times before, we are officially offering it to our clients to mix with their digital photography that we capture of their wedding day. The unique look of film combined with the modern feel of digital really makes for an incredible one-of-a-kind way to capture a wedding day. If you are interested in having your wedding day captured with film as well as digital please let us know. In the meantime, please enjoy these shots from our day in New York.

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=180 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=180 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT
They say that sometimes your friends know you even better than you know yourself. Many times it's your friends that are the first ones to see the spark in a new relationship, to notice what makes that one different. That's probably because they know you so well they can recognize the qualities you are looking for in someone even better than you can yourself. They are usually the ones to realize that you have found the person that you are meant to be with. Because to them, seeing you with that perfect person just makes sense. They knew what you needed all along.

That's how it was for Sarah and William. To hear Will's best men tell it, winning Will's favor is no easy feat, but once you have it you know that you have earned something really special. That's why his two closest friends both knew that there was something different about Sarah even before they had met her. They could see that change in him. She made him smile.

Once they met her in person they saw that she was everything they had imagined Will would find in a wife - a woman that was truly his equal. Because not only was she smart, funny and beautiful, but she was also a woman that kept him on his toes. For once, they saw someone that made Will work just as hard to win her favor as she had worked to win his. And once he had it, he knew he had found something really special. When they saw Will with Sarah together, it just made sense. She was exactly what he needed all along.

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We arrived at the Gramercy Park Hotel a bit earlier than scheduled, probably because we were both so excited to scope out the top floor in person. It was where both the ceremony and reception would take place and we had heard that it was amazing. We were not disappointed. The unique and beautiful space was originally the personal home of the architect of the hotel who made sure the interior views were just as good as the exterior ones (sweeping panoramic views of lower Manhattan). There was no shortage of interesting things for us to photograph - from the room with a ceiling that consisted entirely of lightbulbs, to the quirky artwork, checkered floor and oversized and elegant furniture throughout.

After scoping out the top floor we headed down to Sarah's room where she was getting ready with her bridesmaids. They were all having their make-up done by fashion and celebrity make-up artist Lauren Whitworth while sharing stories and making each other laugh. While they were doing their finishing touches, we took a few minutes to get some shots of Sarah's stunning Elie Saab gown, bringing it up to the top floor to take advantage of the unique elements of their location. It wasn't long after we returned that Sarah put on her dress and everyone gushed about how incredible she looked. It was the general consensus that she looked like a movie star (we think Grace Kelly), and that Will was not going to be able to stop smiling as soon as he saw her. Which was pretty accurate. From the moment they saw each other for the first time that day, both Will and Sarah had permanent smiles on their faces.

Their ceremony took place in the corner of the Gramercy Park rooftop, with friends and family surrounding them on both sides. It was a intimate and romantic ceremony mixing elements of both of their heritages, Jewish and Irish blessings were read. (We always love to see the unique way that couples format their ceremonies to truly reflect who they are as a couple and what is most important to them. It was very clear that Sarah and Will had done just that.) The reception was held on the entire rooftop area, with lights strung across the ceiling and pops of green and yellow tying in the garden-like atmosphere of the indoor/outdoor space. Once the sun was fully set, the lights in the skyline started to blend together with the twinkle lights on the ceiling of the rooftop, creating the perfect vibe for dancing and an unmistakably New York setting.

As the evening came to a close, Sarah and Will were in the center of the dance floor with their arms around each other doing what they do best - making each other smile.

When we arrived to the room where Sarah was getting ready at the incredible high end and chic Gramercy Park Hotel, we immediately noticed the beautiful view of lower Manhattan outside of her bedside window. NYC is a very special place to us so you can imagine how exciting it was for us to let the energy of the city inspire us.

The hotel had many eccentric photos, paintings and design elements which we loved capturing.

I'm not exactly sure what it is but there is something very emotional about a bride getting ready for her wedding ceremony.

Sarah looked absolutely radiant as she was having the last touches to her makeup done.

She was also filled with such an incredibly contagious energy; and filled with such happiness and excitement.

We captured Sarah's most important details. :)

Sarah ... the girls had a couple of trays of the most delicious sushi delivered to the room before they all got into their dresses. For all of you who know Kathleen and I, you know we LOVE sushi so we were more than happy when they invited us to eat with them.

Sarah's Maid of Honor practiced her speech which she later performed flawlessly.

I really love the reflection in this photo as Sarah has a couple of finishing touches added to her hair.

Before Sarah got dressed we headed up to the top floor of the hotel where their ceremony and reception was to be held. One of the rooms had this totally unique and completely awesome ceiling decked out with hundreds of light bulbs.

We really enjoyed capturing the details throughout.

We thought that the room with all of the light bulbs would be such a great spot for a couple of photos with Sarah's dress. How great is this?! These are my shots...

...and this is Kathleen's shot at the same moment. When I saw this image, I couldn't believe how great it was, Kathleen is amazing!!

We grabbed a couple more shots of details before heading back down to Sarah's room.

As soon as we returned to the room, Sarah with the help of her bride's maids got into her dress.

There was such a warm, fun and relaxed atmosphere as Sarah and her girls got ready for the ceremony.

Once Sarah was dressed we just had to take advantage of hotel room for a few relaxed bridal photos. There was a beautiful red velvet couch with a swinging lamp above that gave us the opportunity to show off Sarah and her dress. This is one of my personal favorite images from Sarah ... William's Wedding.

Without moving Sarah, I jumped up onto a chair and grabbed this shot. Doesn't she look absolutely stunning?!

That light was really perfectly placed for these shots! :) Many people might simply push it away but we thought it added greatly to these photos.

When at a wedding, we are always very conscience of our surrounding and always on the lookout for locations to shoot, as well as lighting and all kinds of things. It was like we were in sensory overload while at this hotel... it was great. The hallways outside of the room were lined with deep red walls and dimly lit lights providing the perfect atmosphere for some moody portraits. We were so glad that Sarah was completely up for anything we suggested as these are a couple of our favorites.

We headed upstairs to where their ceremony was to take place. We grabbed one more relaxed portrait of Sarah before...

...meeting up with William.

Since there was very little time between their ceremony and reception, Sarah ... William decided to see each other before hand and take all of the photos at that time. Of course we think this is a great option because it allows for extra time for photos which really relaxes the entire day.

There were so many rooms and little nooks to photograph in all around the hotel. We used this couch for a shot of William ... Sarah...

...and then realized it would also be a great place for a wedding party shot. Totally "Vogue" right!

After we spent time with Sarah ... William as well as their wedding party we went over to get some details of their ceremony which was held on a covered roof deck high above Manhattan.

As their ceremony started they had string musicians provide the music.

Kathleen captured this shot of Sarah being walked into the ceremony location by her Dad...

...as I captured these images from the front as they entered.

Leaning out to get the shot! :)

Sarah ... William lit their unity candle.

The ceremony was very intimate, filled with lights stung above, sting musicians to the side and the lights of the city all around. What made it even sweeter was the gentle rain hitting the ceiling above.

During their ceremony Sarah's Dad read an Irish Blessing...

...and William's Mom read a Hebrew blessing.

In Jewish tradition, both William and Sarah drank from the cup.

To me one of the most emotional parts of a wedding ceremony is the exchange of rings. This is William placing Sarah's ring on her finger...

...and this is Sarah getting William's ring from her Maid of Honor.

Sarah had a huge smile on her face as she placed it on William's finger.

Also in Jewish tradition, William broke the glass perfectly and they had their first kiss as husband and wife.

We caught this photo as William and Sarah stepped into the elevator after the ceremony.

We headed to their hotel room where Sarah's bride's maid were bustling Sarah's dress.

Sarah ... William signed their marriage licenses before heading up to their cocktail hour.

We grabbed them for a couple of minutes to get a coupe more photos, this time in the room with all of the light bulbs. Seriously how cool is this place?!

We went on to capture some of the reception details.

The staff at the Gramercy Hotel completely transformed the rooms where their ceremony took place and setup an insanely beautiful setting for an elegant dinner.

Their table cards were perfectly placed...

...and we loved all of the thought that was put into each and every detail.

Just like every aspect of their day, Sarah ... William's cake was both simple and elegant...

...as was their table settings.

Both of Sarah's best friends as well as William's best friends made emotional and fun loving speeches about them.

They cut their cake...

...and followed it by a dance.

The covered rooftop with the rain coming down and the city lights all around was like something from a movie, it was such a completely romantic atmosphere.

Sarah ... William, your wedding was nothing less than extrodinary and we feel so blessed to have shared your day with the both of you as well as with your family and friends. We hope you had an amazing time on you honeymoon and look forward to talking with you both again soon! ~Rob ... Kathleen

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=179 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=179 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:15:00 GMT
Happy February!! As many of you know, we have had a really busy January. Of course in no way are we complaining, in fact it has been amazing shooting so much especially during what is traditionally our "off" season. We have been doing some really great things around here and as we teased on Twitter and on our Facebook page, we will be announcing those things very shortly.

In the meantime, we wanted to share with you a couple previews from Allison ... Jason's Wedding which took place this past Saturday at The Society Room of Hartford. Strangely enough we had the pleasure working there two weeks in a row. For all of you who have been there, The Society Room is a really unique and gorgeous space. This week we brought along the Hasselblad film camera and shot some film throughout the day. We thought it would be fitting to share a couple of our film shots from this wedding. This first photo is in the bridal suite and is of Allison in her beautiful Vera Wang gown right before their ceremony and the second is from the second floor of the ballroom showing off the very cool lighting. The one in the ballroom was shot with 400 film at f/2.8 at 1/15th of a second handheld using only available light hence the reason I am very proud of it. We have SO much more to share with you and can't wait to do so! Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

]]> http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=178 http://robertandkathleen.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=178 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:25:00 GMT
As many of you already know, along with our digital work we started to shoot film again early last summer. There is something that is incredibly special about the look and feel of film that can't be completely re-produced in a digital image. I personally also love the thought process that you go through when photographing with film. It forces you to slow down, to give even more careful thought to such things as composition and lighting, and it challenges you to question the importance of the subject(s) that you are photographing. Simply stated the art form is wonderful.

Early last week we had a consultation with a bride who brought her Dad along. We quickly found out that he has been a photographer for many years and also quickly found out that he enjoys talking about the technical side of photography. I of course was in my glory because my geeky side loves coming out to play once in a while. I mentioned to him that we have been shooting film again and are looking to purchase an old Hasselblad so we can shoot some medium format film. He said that he actually has some Hasselblad equipment that is in pristine condition. He definitely peeked my interest and hopefully we can get together soon to check it out.

In the meantime after that consultation, I briefly twittered something about this conversation as I was clearly excited. Our good friend, Robert Norman saw my twitter message and texted me right away that he has a Hasselblad (which just so happened to be the exact model I was looking for - Hasselblad 500C/M) and we can use it until we find one of our own. I quickly took him up on his offer, grabbed some 120 film and got to shooting. We had a dinner meeting in New Haven the other day so we went early and shot a couple of frames around Pepe's Pizza and on Thursday during the snow storm I went and got a couple of shots outside along with a couple of random things around the house and studio. Kathleen also may have made it into some of the photos! :)

To say that photographing with this camera is simply amazing would be a complete understatement. It has filled the gap of what I felt like I have been missing in photography. (This is in no way to say anything negative about digital - as we obviously love that too). As I mentioned earlier, I LOVE the slow thought process of film and I am completely overjoyed with the square format of medium format film. It is truly something special. Today when I woke up I couldn't WAIT to bring the film to get developed and was like a kid on Christmas Day when I scanned each frame into the computer this evening. So as you can imagine I am even more excited to share some of these random shots with each of you and hope you enjoy!

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