Micro Weddings

You may have seen the hashtag on Instagram, #dontcancelpostpone in regards to 2020 weddings. Of the 12 2020 weddings I had booked in April, only 2 are actually taking place this year. Most of my events have been postponed until 2021, but some of my clients have chosen to celebrate “micro weddings” on their original 2020 wedding dates!

Micro weddings are similar to elopements, except there are a few guests and sometimes details you’d see at a larger wedding. Micro weddings may include immediate family or a a handful of close friends as guests. Before the pandemic I occasionally shot elopements and also micro weddings. Sometimes the couple came from California or from the UK to NYC to elope. Often times we started at Manhattan’s City Hall, or sometimes an officiant met us in Central Park for the ceremony or on the Brooklyn Promenade.

Please take a look at Sherryl and Jonathan’s rooftop micro wedding I photographed this summer in Jersey City. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the couple chose to have a friend officiate. An intimate family style dinner was prepared by the groom. The bride held a stunning and full bouquet and the groom sported a matching boutonniere. The rooftop ceremony I photographed couldn’t have been sweeter, with Sherryl and Jonathan, their moms, Jon’s sister, their 2 kids +1 on the way!

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Duotone Portraits

I’ve been experimenting with making duotone portraits in Adobe Photoshop by altering images of my niece, my sister and I. These images are recent, all shot in 2020, but some were made right before the start of the pandemic.Karen Wise - Duoton Art

Karen Wise Duotone Portrait

Karen Wise - Duotone Art

Karen Wise - Duotone Art

Karen Wise - Duotone Art

 

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits this Summer

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we continue to try to keep our families healthy and safe, and strive for equality and justice, the passing of time has been on my mind now that we’re contemplating reopening our city.

In June I photographed families on their front steps, in the park, and in closed off streets. Maternity sessions, second birthdays, Fathers Day portraits and newborn babies were all my subjects. I’m continuing to offer Brooklyn Stoop Portraits this summer (shot from a safe a distance) throughout July and August.
For $499, you can have a gallery of beautiful, professionally shot and edited images of you and your loved ones with 5% of each session donated to No Kid Hungry, a charity which helps children in need.

These 30 min sessions are social distancing approved, and shot with a telephoto lens.  You can make it dressy or casual – whatever way you would like to remember this point in time. Let’s make the most of the summer, be with family and capture the memories you are making right now!
To schedule your stoop session, please call, text or email me. You may also reach me via Instagram. I look forward to capturing this unique time in your family’s life! – Karen

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Stoop Portraits for Dad on Father’s Day

With Father’s Day approaching have you thought of what you will gift dad? How about Brooklyn Stoop Portraits for Dad on Father’s Day, taken from a safe distance?

During these last few months, I’ve been photographing families and couples in front of their Brooklyn homes. I started this series with the idea that families were spending so much more time together than ever, celebrating birthdays and milestones at home, so why not continue to document this time together? I used telephoto lenses, so it is safe, and my mask stayed on during the shoot.

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits - Fathers Day

Karen Wise - Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

If you are looking for a memorable and fun gift idea this year for husband and your dad, feel free to reach out! To book your 30 minute photo session, email, text or call in time for Father’s Day. You may view more Brooklyn Stoop Portraits here, and peruse my most recent Stoop Portraits photos on my family Instagram.

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

I hope this finds you all well and safe sheltering at home to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus and take the burden off of our frontline medical workers.  It’s certainly a difficult time and we’re all feeling cooped up at this point.

Meanwhile, it’s spring and our children are growing; they may be taking their first steps or celebrating a big birthday. Perhaps you are pregnant and haven’t yet had the opportunity to have maternity photos taken.

With my 3-year-old son growing in front of my own eyes, I can relate and am excited to offer Brooklyn Stoop Portraits. For a reasonable price (please inquire) you can have a gallery of beautiful, professionally shot (from a safe a distance) and professionally edited images of you and your loved ones. 5% of each session will be donated to No Kid Hungry, a charity which helps hungry kids in need.*

These sessions will be social distancing approved, with me shooting with a telephoto lens. It’ll be a short 30 minute shoot.  Please feel free to wear anything you’d like! You can make it dressy or casual – whatever way you would like to remember this point in time.

Why Shoot a Family Stoop Portrait?

Do you love your historic neighborhood? As a long time Brooklyn resident myself, I have made so many memories here over the years. I remember shooting my first clients’ headshots on my Park Place brownstone’s stoop. My first weddings and engagement sessions were shot around Park Slope.

Perhaps you have a similar history or perhaps you recently moved here. You always loved the architecture in this wonderful historic district, so why not include your historic steps, banister, gaslight post, detailed door or even your window sill in the photos?

Home is where we’re all going to be for the next few weeks, so let’s document it and celebrate it as we shelter in place. To schedule your session, please call, text or email me. I look forward to capturing this unique time in your family’s life and bringing some much needed joy.

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Sheila and Isaac

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

Brooklyn Stoop Portraits

*I know many of you have already donated to causes that you care about. I am happy to work with families on a case by case basis, and therefore the charitable donation on top of the session fee is optional.

Homebound Project: Album Design

Dear Clients,
I hope this finds you and your families staying safe and healthy during this incredibly unsettling time.

While social distancing at home with my husband and our son, we’ve been devising ways to keep Henry busy and entertained with learning and creating.  We’ve been going on short nature walks in Prospect Park, doing virtual singalongs, and online drawing classes taught by Mo Willems.  Anything to maintain a sense of normalcy.
And I’ve been looking at photos, a LOT of photos, which remind me of carefree times (sigh).  So with Henry by my side, I’ve finally begun to compile photos to have designed in a layout, printed and mounted into a hardbound book of Henry’s first three years.

With this in mind, I would like to offer my clients 15% off any designed Queensberry Album, plus 2 free 8×10” prints (or 4 5×7″) for the next month.
Perhaps this project is something to distract you during this time?

Please stay healthy and stay safe.
xo
Karen
p.s. please email me for pricing.

Wedding Album Design

Creative Project at Home: Let's Make an Album

Flush + Matted Queensberry Wedding Albums

 

Valentines Inspired Engagement Session

Valentines Inspired Engagement Session

Valentines Inspired Engagement Session

If you’ve recently gotten engaged, you’re likely busy planning your big day. One of the best ways to show your adoration is an engagement photo shoot on or around Valentine’s Day, a holiday inspired by LOVE! If you desire to have an engagement photography shoot around Valentine’s Day, here are a few tips for planning it.

How to Plan a Valentines Day Inspired Engagement Session

  • Plan Your Outfits, Accessories and Backdrop

Valentines Inspired Engagement SessionBold red is the standard color for Valentine’s Day, so incorporate it into your outfits, your florals and your decor. One member of the couple might sport a res dress, red shoes, ruby colored jewelry, or hold and arrangement of roses or red dahlias. Your partner may coordinate their outfits with a pop of red in their scarf or tie. Create eye-grabbing contrast by sporting black and white with a smidge of crimson. Planning your outfits in advance of your engagement session gives you enough time to buy any accessories you might need.

  • Find a Creative Photographer

Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it, and professional wedding and engagement photographers will be booking quickly. Ask for recommendations from friends or family who have booked photographers for weddings, birthdays, or anniversaries. Browse their websites to look at their portfolios, set up appointments with your top three, and then select the best one for you and your partner. See how they shoot in low light as well as in broad daylight to confirm their talent. Read reviews about your photographer, as much can be learned between the lines.

  • Scout Your Locations
Valentines Inspired Engagement Session

Central Park – Bethesda Terrace

The location for your engagement shoot can have personal significance to you, or it could be a snow-sprinkled winter location you are visiting for the first time. Before the day arrives, confirm that you won’t need any special permission to shoot in your chosen spot, such as the steps in front of a museum, the public gardens or park. If you’re planning to shoot outside, have a few backup indoor locations in case the weather is unsuitable for engagement photography.

Valentines Inspired Engagement Shoot

Valentines Inspired Engagement Shoot

Valentines Inspired Engagement Shoot

Valentines Inspired Engagement Shoot

Valentines Inspired Engagement Shoot

 

Brooklyn Newborn Photography

It was super fun to photograph Zorah’s sleepy Brooklyn newborn photography session in the Heights this fall. I’ve never met such a calm baby! My camera’s shutter clicking, the nearby trucks honking, and the wind blowing – nothing woke up Zorah until the end when her outfit was changed.

What a quiet and relaxing photo session, and thankfully the new parents loved their family photos! :)

New Beginnings - Brooklyn Newborn Photography

New Beginnings - Brooklyn Newborn Photography

New Beginnings - Brooklyn Newborn Photography

New Beginnings - Brooklyn Newborn Photography

New Beginnings - Brooklyn Newborn Photography

New Beginnings - Brooklyn Newborn Photography

 

River Cafe Brooklyn Wedding

I loved shooting Alisa and Richard’s River Cafe Brooklyn wedding this summer! What a lovely couple! The weather was warm in late August, but not too warm to stroll before the ceremony. We walked around DUMBO (short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and took portraits amongst the food vendors, the cobblestone streets and in the courtyard of St. Ann’s Warehouse (in old Tobacco Warehouse), adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge. We utilized different photo techniques such as long exposures, shallow depth of field, and silhouette to highlight the bride’s flowing gown and veil, as well while featuring bokeh of the bright city lights. The River Cafe never seemed prettier than it did on this day.

Lapis Luna + Karen Wise Photography + River Cafe Brooklyn Wedding

Brooklyn Wedding at the River Cafe

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