Month: August 2018

Dance Portrait Photography At The Grounds For Sculpture | Hamilton, NJ

I recently had the privilege of creating portraits for a very talented young dancer at an amazing location. It has been one of my favorite portrait shoots to date. 

The Location | Grounds For Sculpture

This was my first time photographing at The Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. It has to be one of the best locations I have ever photographed.

In addition to the incredible setting, the staff there was equally incredible. Like most places, they have rules about having professional photography but they were pretty reasonable. On top of that, the staff member at the front desk was a great resource of information and helped guide us to some great spots among their 40 acres. Without their help, we wouldn’t have been able to create some of these images you’ll see below. 

Dance photos at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ

As photographers, I think we have a responsibility to be respectful of the locations we shoot at. Whether it is a private or public location, it’s important that we find out if there are guidelines for shooting there and that when we do hold a photo session, we leave the spot in the same condition as we found it. If we all did that, then more places will be as awesome and cooperative as the staff at Grounds For Sculpture were. 

The Talented Dancer

Portrait session at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ

Sophia is a ballet dancer at the Central NJ Ballet Theater. Her and her mom wanted to create some photos to capture her love of dance and also create some lasting memories of this time in her life as she pursues her passion. 

All of my portrait shoots include a planning session where we talk about what the client wants to get out of the shoot, what their passions are, and what they want to portray in the photos from the shoot. Sophia wanted to make sure we captured her love of dance and how much fun it is for her. 

So we decided that there would be a mix of more carefully posed images and relaxed fun images of her having fun. 

One of my favorite images from the session was also one of the first ones we did. you can see it right at the top of this page. It’s the one of her jumping along a bridge that is part of the sculpture called The Nine Muses. It represents the nine muses of classical mythology who presided over the arts and sciences. Perfect setting to demonstrate her art. 

I’ve shot action portraits like this before and it usually take a lot of trial and error until you get it right.  That wasn’t the case as Sophia nailed it on the very first take! Ok, so maybe I’ll take a tiny bit of credit for timing the shot (there were flashes involved so I couldn’t just hold down the shutter for rapid-fire and hope), but leaping over a water bridge with form like that and remembering to turn towards the light was impressive on her first attempt! 

After that we explored as much of the rest of the grounds as we could before the sun went down. 

We visited a lake with a built-in fog machine. We took some photos of her crossing the Monet Bridge, an iconic work at the Grounds. As the sun went down, we even did some cool silhouette images. Sophia and her mom had a lot of fun and the photos turned out great. 

She certainly has a successful career ahead of her and I am happy that I played a small role in helping her capture the memories of this time in her life as it is just getting started. 

Long Branch Beach | Family Portrait Photography

Long Branch, NJ is one of the coolest beach towns on the Jersey Shore. As a NJ family portrait photographer, I’m always looking for great spots for bringing clients for photo sessions. 

It has some incredible spots for family photography as well. My favorite part about shooting a family portrait in Long Branch is the variety of locations you can find there. There is the excitement and energy of Pier Village and not too far away there are some quiet less crowded beaches.

As the sun goes down there are lights and restaurants that can make for interesting photos but if you get up early for sunrise, the photos convey a sense of calm and beauty. 

Here are some of my favorite spots for Long Branch family photos along with some of my images from those locations.

Pier Village

Pier Village in Long Branch is a unique beachfront spot in New Jersey, especially for family photos.

The pavilion at the center of it all is a common location for wedding portraits but it works great for family photos as well. We may have to work around the huge crowds that show up to this waterfront destination on the weekends when the weather is warm, but the results are well worth the effort. 

Seven President’s Beach

The beach itself also lends itself to some unique and distinct spots for family portraits. The area down by the water tends to be quite flat and the resulting tide pools can work great for kids to play in and create some fun reflections. They also have a great jetty that is perfectly situated as a backdrop or even a place for you to sit on for the photos. 

Moving off the water a little bit and you’ll find some dunes that are great for a relaxed looking family portrait sitting in the sand. The dunes are pretty high so you can have the sunset in the background without getting any of those ugly buildings in the background. Finding a good sunset spot on the East Coast can be a little tricky at times!

North End Beach

This is one of the quieter less crowded locations in Long Branch that I have had the pleasure to photograph. There’s not much going on here and that is why I like it.

Your family portrait here will bring the focus more on you and your family and the interactions you have together. The beach is less crowded which makes for great shots looking up or down the coastline. I also enjoy posing family next to (and sometimes on) the lifeguard stands. 

On a good day, we’ll get some beautiful colors in the sky that add that extra touch to make your photos special. 

You can learn more about the town of Long Branch from their official website HERE. 

How To Choose Wall Art For Your Home

Choosing wall art pieces for your home can be a daunting task following your portrait session. 

But the result of having beautiful timeless pieces displayed in your home of your family is well worth the investment of time and money.

I consider it my job to guide you through the process and ensure you end up with wall art that looks great in your space and that you are happy with. 

This starts from the initial planning meeting where we discuss what you had in mind and ends with a photo viewing session where you can select your wall art. In this post, let’s talk a little about the steps you can take to make sure you end up with the perfect piece or pieces of wall art for your home…

1. Choosing A Style of Wall Art

This is the first thing you should decide. 

I offer three styles of wall art in addition to standard glossy paper prints and framing services. 

Canvas

Canvas prints are among the most popular ways to display images today.

They have a more classic feel to them than metal or acrylic. If you have a more traditionally decorated home then you can’t go wrong with a canvas. You can hang canvas prints in the same room as traditionally framed prints and you should not have to worry about them being out of place. 

Canvas prints are best displayed in large sizes. Because they are about 1 1/2 inches thick, a smaller size canvas seems disproportionate. On the other hand, a large size canvas looks right at home covering an entire wall. 

Canvas prints also look good in sets of two or three. 

If you are looking to display prints in an room that has multiple windows and gets a lot of sunlight, canvas is a very good choice. The almost matte finish of canvas does better than any other material in reducing glare. 

Metal

These are becoming very popular and represent the future of photographic printing.

Metal prints use a process of infusing dye into specially coated aluminum. This process results in very sharp images and beautifully saturated colors. These prints are resistant to water, scratches, and sun fading and do not need a frame needed.

This is a more modern look and may be out of place on the same wall as traditional framed prints. So they are a great option to get started decorating a new wall or to modernize the look in your home. 

Metal prints are very versatile. They look equally good as an 8×10 or a 30×40. Because they show more detail than a canvas, a small size like 8×10 still works well. In fact, a cluster of smaller metal prints may be the way to go. 

Clusters are a great solution when you have a lot of images you want to display, have a large family and want everyone to be featured on the wall, or if you want to grow your wall art collection over the years to show the growth of your family.  

Acrylic

Acrylic are the most impressive, but also the most impressive. 

The face of the print is mounted to clear acrylic to really make the colors pop. This is a very exciting printing process that allows colors and tones to really jump off the wall. 

Acrylic prints are probably the most modern looking style of wall art that I have available. They work well as clusters just like metal prints. 

2. Choosing The Right Size

Size is probably the most difficult aspect of selecting wall art for many people.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a size is the space where the piece will be displayed. If you put a smaller piece on a large empty wall then it will look tiny and become visually overwhelmed by the size of the wall. Conversely, if you place a large piece on a small wall, it will look crowded and awkward. 

The way I ensure you will pick the correct size is by allowing you to see what each size looks like on your wall. I’ll take a photo of your wall either before the session or while we are looking at your images from the session.

I’ll use something on the wall or place a piece of paper on the wall as a reference point for scale. Then we can use a computer to virtually place the images from your session on your wall and see exactly how each size will look on your wall. 

3. Choosing A Layout

This happens at the same time as choosing the size because they go together. 

Many of my clients prefer to design a wall collage or cluster of images rather than a single large print for their wall.

There are a number of benefits to this approach…

First, you can select more than one image.

Sometimes picking more than one image from a portrait session can be difficult. Rather than picking one image that has the entire family in it, you can select a cluster of images with each one featuring a different family member or different groupings. One popular approach is to have one slightly larger image of the entire family surrounded by smaller images of individuals or smaller groupings. 

Second, a cluster of images is more easily updated. 

Your family will grow. Individuals change and grow up. You may want portraits in different locations and during different seasons as time goes on. If you have one large piece on the wall then you will have to take it down and replace it if you want to update it. If you have a cluster of smaller images then you can add to it or replace just a few of them at a time. Since they are smaller pieces, it will make it easier to find another location in your home for the pieces that you take down. 

Third, multiple smaller images more easily fit in spaces that would otherwise be difficult to place a piece of wall art.

You can have a collection of images going up the stairs, shaped around other things on the wall, or even fit into smaller spaces. 

4. Price

I’m not going to pretend that this is not factor. Wall art from a portrait session can be a significant investment.

This investment is the reason it is so important to consider the factors above to make the best decision possible. Consider that a high quality piece of wall art can last for generations. Whether it is with me or somewhere else, you should ensure that you are getting long lasting high quality pieces that can be kept in the family for many many years. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind to make the process a little easier…

Discuss a Budget Ahead Of Time

Investments in wall art is a decision that typically involves more than one family member. Discussing your budget ahead of time can help make the selection process easier and more enjoyable. After all, seeing your photos and selecting your favorites to display should be fun rather than stressful!

Think About The Factors Above

Everything we already talked about already factors into making a decision regarding price. Having some ideas ahead of time will help give you a framework to understand what price range to expect. This can help you form a budget and avoid surprise. I always provide wall art pricing to my clients ahead of time so there are no surprises.  

The Final Product

With these simple steps, you will be in a great position to find exactly what you want and need for your home. You’ll end up having a piece of art hanging in your home that can be shared with multiple generations to come.