Block Island Wedding on Style Me Pretty

Check out my Block Island Wedding on Style Me Pretty today!

A few images from this elegant seaside Rhode Island wedding are also featured below, and on my website here.

Lauren and Benoit were married on Block Island, Rhode Island, last summer, on Lauren’s family’s seaside property.

It had been about 15 years since I was last on the island. I visited while I was a photography student at RISD. It was especially nice to be back amongst Block Island’s laid back culture and cool ocean breeze.

Lauren and Benoit enjoyed a quiet moment before their rehearsal dinner, taking a stroll by the Southeast Lighthouse as the sun was setting. It’s these magical moments when the light is just right and the bride and groom are relaxing with each other that inspire me. I always recommend my couples take a moment for themselves, before or even while the party is going on, to catch their breath and soak it all in before going back to enjoy more of the celebration.

Event production by Bash, Please / Floral Design by Peartree Flowers

More images can be found from this Block Island wedding on Block Island Wedding by Karen Wise – Style Me Pretty.

Named Top Ten Wedding Photographer by American PHOTO

This month I was named one of American PHOTO’s top ten wedding photographers for 2008!

What an honor this is! Thank you Lindsay Sakraida, writer for American PHOTO Magazine, for the interview and write up. My interview was inspired by the destination Indian weddings that I shoot.

Click here for the whole article.

Excerpt: For Karen Wise, there was little possibility of falling victim to wedding photography convention; before her career informally began with a friend’s wedding, she had only been to one small one in her entire life. “At the time, I really had no idea about the traditional wedding rituals,” she says of her first assignment. “The first dance, the cake cutting, and all that. I think not knowing the conventions helped me to take interesting photos. It made my shooting very photojournalistic since I was discovering a lot of wedding traditions as I shot.”

She was armed, however, with a fine-art degree and extensive experience photographing food and still life, which came in handy in her matrimonial endeavors. “I found I had to take all of these skills and speed them up in order to capture everything I wanted to get,” she says. “I found that to be exhilarating.” Her colorful, detail-oriented style has attracted numerous clients in the New York area, where she is based; but she has shot weddings as far away as India, including one in which a baby elephant was given as a wedding gift, popular musician Abida Parveen performed in the garden from Monsoon Wedding, decor was coordinated with guests’ outfits, and famed shoe-designer Christian Louboutin hand-delivered the footwear. “A photographer couldn’t ask for a more inspiring setting [Udaipur’s palaces] in which to create beautiful photographs,” Wise says. “Everywhere you looked was beautiful and photogenic.” But she once again had to learn on her feet about traditions she was unfamiliar with: those of a full-blown Indian nuptial extravaganza. – Lindsey Sakraida

Tropical Floral Inspired Cover Story for Ceci Style

In 10 days from now, I will be attending destination wedding in Barbados and swimming in the Caribbean Sea!

Incidentally, my tropical floral inspired cover story for Ceci Style magazine was just published! Take a look here at the feature HERE.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Credits: Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Concept and model: Ceci Johnson of Ceci New York / Floral Design: Peartree Flowers / Make Up: SB Beauty / Hair: MG Hair & Makeup / Dress: Phase Eight at Bloomingdale’s / Jewelry: Luxe Intelligence

Colors of India – Cover for CeciStyle Magazine

My photos are featured in CeciStyle Magazine today!

It was awesome working with so many amazing artists on this indian-inspired fashion shoot, from henna artist, to make up + hair artist, jewelry designer, manicurists, and fashion and accessories designers.

Our beautiful and photogenic subject herself, Ceci Johnson, the luxury invitation designer of Ceci New York, made my job so much easier!

I have photographed many Indian weddings, some far away (Delhi, Rajastan, The Carribbean, and West Virginia) and others right here in New York. They are unique and very lush involved events! The shoot can last up to 3 days, and sometimes even 5 days, as often the partying goes on and on…

I’ll always be inspired by Indian colors and patterns, the food and by the joy experienced by family and friends.

Below is the cover image I photographed, and below that a detail of Ceci’s henna and jewel-laden hands. See the whole issue here: http://cecinewyork.com/cecistyle/v246/

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The Creative Team: Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Dress: Phase Eight at Bloomingdale’s / Jewelry: Sutra Jewels / Clutch: Coastal Road / Henna Art: Zara Henna / Hair & Makeup: MG Hair & Makeup / Nail Art: Emi Aoki / Linens & Venue: Nüage Designs

A One on One Food Photography Workshop

Last week I had the pleasure of teaching a one on one food photography workshop to the talented vegan food blogger, clinical nutritionist, and cookbook author, Gena Hamshaw, of Choosing Raw.

It was such a pleasure to share photo tips and tricks with Gena, all the while taking pictures of beautiful vegan dishes prepared by Naturally Delicious.

These private photo sessions I teach are unique as I can really focus on specific aspects of photography and styling particular to the one attendee. The attendee brings his/her own camera(s) – film cameras or digital cameras, or both. It’s less about what I want to teach but more about what the attendee wants to learn this day!

On this full day of learning and practice last week, we covered a short history of still life photography, manually shooting, camera fundamentals (technique, exposure, white balance, etc.), and a quick Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge tutorial. We photographed about 10 gorgeous dishes styled by Loren Michelle at Naturally delicious. At the end of the day Gena and I had time to download our photos, edit, and work on getting images ready for our blog posts.

Here are some of the images I made this day alongside Gena, of the vegan dishes prepared by Naturally Delicious.

Here are some of the vegan dishes we photographed, served by Naturally Delicious in the PDR:

Winter Roasted Vegetables with Olive Oil & Aged Balsamic
Tuscan White Bean Bruschetta with Basil
Winter Farro Salad with Oven Roasted Tomatoes & Vegetable Skewers
Kit Kat Fudge Brownie, “Speculoos Wafer” and Chocolate Mousse
Shaved Fennel Salad with Orange Segments and Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
Thai Vegetable Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dip
Pineapple Coconut Smoothie
Homemade Chocolate Cherry Pistachio Chips
Raspberry Vanilla Cupcakes
Roasted Winter Parsnips & Carrots with Black Sesame Seeds
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almond Milk

Are you hungry yet?!

To sign up or for more info on Karen’s upcoming photography workshops, go HERE.

To learn more about Brooklyn’s Private Dining Room: info@naturallydelicious.com / 718-237-3727

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and your loved ones a holiday season filled with love, blessings, health and happiness! Looking forward to connecting in 2015!

XO,

Karen & Team

{floral arrangement by Peartree Flowers, and event styling by Bash, Please, on Block Island, RI}

Flapper Style Brooklyn Wedding

It is always an honor for me to photograph a friend’s wedding. I first met Jennie a few years ago at The Clay Pot, a jewelry store in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope. For years I would visit and buy small gifts for myself and others. I’d often gaze at the gorgeous, unique hand-crafted wedding rings in the back room. It was, and still is, a very special place to me.

My husband proposed to me in Hawaii with a ring from The Clay Pot. Chandler and I ended up purchasing our wedding bands there too – a lovely and patient woman, Jennie Fiske, welcomed my repeated visits to view the Jessica Fields and Overmann designs. She never got tired of pulling out ring after ring for me to see, over and over again! I left with rings that I still cherish three years later, and I still get compliments on them all of the time. A few years later, it was Jennie and Joe’s turn to get married. I was thrilled when I received her call asking if I would photograph their Flapper Style Brooklyn wedding this spring!

Flapper Style Brooklyn Wedding

Jennie and Joe used a very glamorous Roaring Twenties theme at the Montauk Club in Park Slope, where fittingly, a number of episodes of Scorscese’s classy Boardwalk Empire were filmed. Jennie’s feathered headpiece was absolutely stunning on her flaming red curled hair. The bride and maid of honor’s flapperesque dresses were very svelte, not to mention the smaller details like their shoes, fine beading on the maid of honor’s dress, the rich and colorful bouquets, and the bride’s feather shawl! Joe’s ensemble was simple and understated, balancing out the glamour of the other details. Below are a few of my favorite portraits and moments from Jennie + Joe’s flapper style Brooklyn wedding.

On a personal note, I just want to say how grateful I am Jennie and my paths crossed. I’m so thankful for her help in finding us the perfect rings. Wishing you both all the best in love and life.

Creative Team: Floral Design: Edelweiss Floral Atelier // Dress: Anna Sui for BHLDN // Feather shrug: The Wedding Dresser // Hairpiece: Etsy // Suit: Ralph Lauren // Jennie’s Shoes: Spanish Leather // Joe’s Shoes: Cole Haan // Makeup and Hair: Drea Coney Lorraine // Rings by Marian Maurer, Megan Thorne and Jerry Spaulding all from The Clay Pot // Band: Empire Beats // Cake: LadyBird Bakery // Cake toppers: Etsy // Event Coordination: The Reverend D.

Sneak Peek: Jennie + Joe’s Flapper Style Brooklyn Wedding

Sneak Peek: Jennie + Joe’s Flapper Style Brooklyn Wedding at the Montauk Club in Park Slope, Brooklyn. This image was shot on Kodak Film and developed, scanned and printed at Chelsea Photographic in Manhattan.

I love this photo for so many reasons. I’ve known Jennie for about 5 years now. My home + studio are a few blocks away from this gorgeous 1920’s prewar building. They are always shooting historical period films here and it’s like stepping back in time when I enter. I’m excited to share more beautiful images from Jennie and Joe’s flapper-style Brooklyn wedding soon.

Please stay tuned for more!

Food Photography Workshop at Runner & Stone

Last week I hosted another food photography workshop in Brooklyn. My previous workshops were so enjoyable, I was really looking forward to working with this new group! We started the day off meeting at Naturally Delicious‘ newly renovated space called PDR (Private Dining Room). Chef owner, Loren Michelle, and her talented staff prepared and styled both delicious and beautiful plates for us to photograph, including some lovely cocktails.

Our group spent the latter half of the day shooting on site at Runner & Stone bakery and restaurant. Runner & Stone is the delightful by-product of the combined ideas and dreams of pastry chef Peter Endriss and savory chef Chris Pizzulli. Not only does their space have stunning light, but also the food is unbelievable. We were thrilled to work with their friendly staff and be able to sample many of the items on their menu.

We had a great turn out, and I was so pleased to meet my attendees – some of whom traveled all the way from New Jersey and Chicago to be there! It was a warm, interesting group of photographers (most of them wedding photographers!) who were passionate about shooting. Any time you gather a group of artists together you are guaranteed to see creative sparks fly!

One of the benefits of doing a hands-on workshop is that you can troubleshoot as you go. We ended up covering many different topics including food styling, shooting angles, exposure, highlights and shadows, and especially and always composition.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to lead this group, and I am looking forward to the next workshop on July 9th. I take every opportunity I can to shoot alongside my students, I always learn new things, too!

Credits: All of the above photos were taken by Karen Wise, except for the last portrait of Karen + Jennifer shooting, which was photographed by Emilia Schobeiri, and the Instagram images which were shot by Hill Honeck.

Book A Spring Engagement Session!

Block Island Wedding on Style Me Pretty

Named Top Ten Wedding Photographer by American PHOTO

Tropical Floral Inspired Cover Story for Ceci Style

Colors of India – Cover for CeciStyle Magazine

A One on One Food Photography Workshop

Happy New Year!

Flapper Style Brooklyn Wedding

Sneak Peek: Jennie + Joe’s Flapper Style Brooklyn Wedding

Food Photography Workshop at Runner & Stone

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