Karen Wise Photo Blog!

Some Favorite Images from Last Year

Some of my favorite images from 2011...

Rachel & Kelley - Garrison, NY

It was a pleasure getting to know Rachel and Kelley at their wedding, what a wonderful couple!

This wedding was featured recently on Style Me Pretty blog. You may see the post here.

In the feature, Rachel recounts:

When Kelley proposed, I had received a promotion at work (I worked in HR at a hedge fund in Connecticut), it was my 28th birthday, and our 2 year anniversary.  We had so much to celebrate, I didn’t think a proposal was coming even when Kelley surprised me with lunch at Per Se.  He knew I would want to have a say in the design of my engagement ring, so he gave me a simple gold ring on a necklace.  I didn’t figure out he was proposing until I read the engraving “Will you marry me” on the inside of the ring.  That ring is now my wedding band.

When we were planning the wedding, we wanted everything to be elegant but comfortable at the same time.  Where we could, we included our local favorites and sentimental details from our relationship.  The wedding and reception were at the country club attached to our favorite restaurant in the area, The Tavern at the Highlands Country Club.  The favors were burnt caramel and Hawaiian sea salt truffles from a chocolate shop in our town.  The invitations and all of the paper goods were custom made by my friend Misako, who owns the paper company, To You From Me.  Kelley and I share a love for wine, so both the invitations and the flowers included vines. 

I studied photography at Cornell, so the other aspect that was really important was that we have good quality photos.  I came across our photographer, Karen Wise, through a friend.  I fell in love with her documentary style, which went with the relaxed feel of the wedding.  She also uses medium format film, which is impossible to find, and the photos made everything look that much better.  The wedding was not only gorgeous, but incredibly touching and great fun!

More of their artistic team:

Floral Design: Engaging Floral Designs / Band: Miracle via IGMC / Venue: The Highlands Country Club / Coordinator: Adrienne Madama / Stationery: To You From Me, Misako Rothery / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Favors: Bittersweets

Image of the Month: Lindsey & Brian in Brooklyn

It's been a busy summer. After my own wedding in May, I came back to New York and photographed 5 more in June! 

August is the month that many New Yorkers take off. Many day trip to the beach, or take a long weekend away... This August I find myself shooting and editing, but also catching up on creative projects like painting my  home/studio a few new shades of white :)

A few weeks ago, I photographed Lindsey and Brian in DUMBO, Brooklyn. DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. It's a quaint little neighborhood between 2 bridges, with much cobble stone, textures and views – a beautiful backdrop for any photo shoot. Lindsey and Brian, who are joint owners of a greenhouse in Nyack, have a love for flowers and for Brooklyn, and decided to tie the knot at a gallery space there. 

Because they sell and look at flowers on a daily basis, they wanted something really different for their wedding. Lindsey's bouquet was one of the most unique bunch of flowers I'd ever seen! According to Blossom and Branch who designed it, it was a collection of cymbidium orchids, scabiosas, artichokes, croc ferns, succulents, viburnum berry, safari sunset and fern curls.

The bright colors and hearty textures played perfectly against this rustic historic district of Brooklyn.

For more images from Lindsey + Brian's wedding click here. You may also see more of my wedding photography here.

Lindsey & Brian in Brooklyn

Congratulations to Lindsey & Brian who were married this past June at Smack Mellon Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Bride's dress: Marchesa

Bride's shoes: Christian Louboutin

Groom's suit: Ralph Lauren

Planner: Elizabeth Leath of Just About Married

Flowers by Blossom and Branch (Cymbidium orchids, scabiosas, artichokes, croc ferns, succulents, viburnum berry, safari sunset, fern curls)

Cake by Nine Cakes

Music by Andy Anderson/Gotham DJ

Food by CaraLeo Catering

Lindsey + Brian - Prints on my Table

Lindsey + Brian were married on June 11th in Brooklyn.

Their flowers were designed by the talented Blossom and Branch and their fabulous cake was made by Nine Cakes

Veronica & Nick - Part I

Silver and Grey (and Rose)

I'm dying over these shoes. The silver and grey tones, the fabric, the toe detail, the height of the heel.

Kudos to Veronica for having them on her feet all day and all night at her wedding!

Shoes: Roger Vivier

Flowers: Fleurs 

Suite: Trump Soho Hotel

more from veronica and nick's wedding to come...

Image of the Month: Flower Covered Windmill

It's been a couple of months since I created an Image of the Month blog post.

I was married in May, and needless to say it has been busy!

I’m resuming this June with this Holga photograph of an old windmill in Barbados. This photo is part of a colorful series I made in April while visiting with my aunt and uncle. On my daily walks through their neighborhood, in their garden, and during visits to the Barbadian countryside visiting chattel houses, windmills and cane fields, I closely documented what seemed to be really unique to me in this tropical, romantic paradise.

This flower covered windmill, with blooms that last only two days per year, happened to be in bloom on the day that I visited it! This creeping vine called Cat's Claw Whisk is commonly named Shower of Gold because its golden blooms that shower whatever it grows on with gold once a year. In Barbados it grows like crazy. It is especially drawn to old windmills, wrapping its loving vines around them, and bursting into bright yellow bloom for just a couple of days.

For more images from my trip to Barbados you may look at these previous blog posts. 

You may also see more of my travel photography under places on my Food and Art website.

April in Barbados - Part II

These two Barbados posts feature the following flowers: Desert Rose, White Petrea, Pink Bougainvillea, Sedum Variety (succulent), Shower of Gold (the yellow flower growing up the windmill).

This post also features my Aunt's biscotti (mandlebrot) from her baked goods company: Crumbs Homemade  which we snacked on at Faraway cottage.

April in Barbados

In April I went to Barbados for a little R&R, to settle my wedding planning nerves and to see my Auntie Debbie and Uncle Geoff who live there. While I was there I photographed inside an old chattel house, saw an old windmill coated in yellow flowers which bloom on one day only per year, and photographed in my aunt and uncle's garden.

PDN Top Knots Winner!

 

I'm excited to share that I have a photograph in PDN's wedding issue! My photograph of Gopi's bouquet was selected with eight other talented photographers in the details & interiors category in the eighth annual Top Knots contest.

I love Annika's cake picture next to mine too. Unfortunately my scanner isn't big enough for the PDN issue, and so  it cut off her credit :(

{To see the rest of the images from the contest feel free to take a look online or in the May 2011 magazine issue of PDN.}

Image of the Month: Jade in Bridgehampton

 

Happy Weekend!

 

I made this photo of Jade and her bouquet at her wedding at the Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club a few summers ago. For the recent New York Magazine Weddings Event, I enlarged it to 6 ft high, mounted it and placed it on an easel to display behind my table.

The event was this week, and was a huge success! It was the first year I attended as a participant. Our table was super-busy, and I was told later that more than 1500 people were in attendance!

 

To see photos taken at the event feel free to look at the album on Facebook here.

For more from Jade and Chris' wedding you may look here at a previous Blogpost, or on my website under the Hamptons gallery.

Thank you for your continued interest and have a great weekend!

Karen

Drum Scanning Negatives

In preparation for  the big New York Magazine Wedding event on March 30th in which I will be displaying my work, I have been busy making prints and new albums. I also have hired a new profesional printer to take care of my extra large prints because, as much as I love to print, it has been hard to find the time to do it all myself.

Anthony Accardi of Green Rhino in Greenpoint, Brooklyn has been working away and drum scanning negatives for me. Here is an image of Jade with her bouquet that he drum scanned, at full frame, for me yesterday. I'm loving all of the lovely detail which is captured in the scanning process. I can't wait to make a print of it!

Image of the Month: Bouquet at the Foundry

This month's Image of the Month is a photograph of Gopi's luscious bouquet, photographed during her portrait session, outside the Foundry. I love the shallow depth of field and how the rich colors of the flowers pop from the white backdrop of her dress.

You may see more of my fine art wedding photography on KarenWise.com or you may also see more still lifes on my Food and Art website under still life.

Karen Wise Photography in Rue!

photos on these pages and my portrait by Trent Bailey 

Rue Magazine Issue 3 just launched this week, and I was especially eager to see this one!

On pages 60+61 of the current issue you'll find A Skill-Sharing Jamboree in NYC, organized and designed by You + Me* Lifestylists, featuring a few New York artists, including me!

I was asked to participate by demonstrating a still life shoot using my 6x7 medium format camera with film and Polaroid. I taught exposure, how to use a hand held light meter, using fill cards, etc..

It was a fun-filled afternoon at Top of the Garden loft in Manhattan, beautifully styled with florals by Blossom and Branch and pretty cupcakes, drinks and hors d'oeuvres by Peter Killy of KG Fare. The group of talented artists included Brooklyn Soda Works, Janelle Sing, Poppies and Posies, Hither and Tither, Mooseherd Creative, Laura Splan and Nina Isabella.

We got to dress up, have a couple of cocktails and give a little tutorial.

Perfect day!

p.s. if you are interested in one-on-one workshops or group workshops, please contact me directly: karen@karenwise.com