This cold weather has me bundled up in my NYC studio looking through cookbooks and fantasizing about winter foods I plan to cook! In the winter section of Savoring the Hamptons, there are some delicious recipes. These include pears, onions, seafood chowders and root vegetables. The warm leek and goat cheese crostini with pomegranate, which I photographed on a winter day in Water Mill, NY first caught my eye. Maybe it was the sunlight that day at Silvia’s house, or the pop of color from the garnish of red pomegranate. I love the simplicity of the prop styling and the textures and drool-worthiness of the canapés. Looking at them again makes me want to throw a holiday party!
I would also like to cook more from my Aunt Julie’s cookbook, The Way We Cook. I still haven’t made these delicious Rosemary Biscuits. It’s about time! The above image was shot on color film, and hand printed in the darkroom as an 8×10″ print.
Please feel free to check out more of my food photography at Food Art.
Now that it’s mid-December, it is time to reflect on my favorite wedding photos of the year. I love the film photography I shot in October at a wedding at Hotel on Rivington and Angel Orensanz. The images of Criseida getting into her dress were so infused with light, and the joy can be felt in the images with her mother and friends on the balcony. Capturing intimate moments at the beginning of the wedding day are priceless.
These 5 images were shot on Kodak Portra film. Film is slower than digital, you pause, you craft your image, you load more film you shoot more. I love how these film images exude calm before an energy-filled ceremony with drumming and dancing to come. Crissy, with her mother and friends soon after strolled over to Angel Orensanz to meet her groom. It was a very exciting walk over!
My clients Jean Kim and Bryan Woo celebrated their beautiful NYC pop-up wedding at the historic Bronx Post Office I am thrilled to be published in Town & Country with my photos from their wedding!
Take a stylish NYC bride and groom and place them in a grand building filled with light and raw space and you’ve got perfection. The historic Bronx Post Office was being developed by Bryan and his father’s real estate firm, so it seemed like the perfect venue to host a large party… A special guest at the wedding was Martha Stewart, a family friend, who got one of the best aisle seats during the ceremony! She looked so glamorous and beautiful in black lace. What a nice surprise to get to photograph Martha with the couple and their families.
Jean and Bryan’s wedding and was planned by the talented Hannah Gluckstern of Medium Rare. The wedding featured classic pink and cherry blossoms galore. The table settings and bouquets were designed by floral designer Bride and Blossom. I’ve always been curious about a NYC pop-up wedding! How temporary and unique these spaces are, I’m grateful to finally partake in the pop-up experience!
Jean wore an amazing airy and fairy-like Monique Lhuillier gown. I just love the portraits we shot of her inside the Post Office with the light streaming in and through the tulle of her dress. Did you know Monique is my favorite gown designer? (I wore a Lhuillier lace gown to my own wedding in Montreal.)
It’s wonderful to see some of my favorite wedding portraits of Jean and Bryan in the Town & Country Magazine October 2018 issue. Here is the feature below alongside some of my favorite wedding photographs from Jean and Bryan’s wedding. Congratulations Jean & Bryan on a beautiful wedding!
Here are some of the talented vendors I worked with that day:
I am thrilled to see Mia and Sean’s Paris Wedding Published on Style Me Pretty! Here are some of my favorite photos from the SMP feature aptly titled, “Paris Enchantment For This Stylish Bride and Groom”.
Mia and Sean’s Parisian destination wedding took place in an elegant loft space facing the famous Arc de Triomphe. During the wedding day, the bride and groom visited the original Ladurée, Mia’s favorite sweets bakery, as well as Coco Chanel’s original atelier, where Karen photographed the bride on the famous staircase of Chanel‘s first runway show! What a dream come true!
From Mia Everett, the bride:
Having both grown up in the Midwest, living and working in the same areas of Chicago and New York City, their paths had crossed many times over the years. But it wasn’t until a mutual friend introduced them that they finally happened to meet—at Sean’s Lower East Side apartment. That day, Mia brought him a get-well-soon care package to get him over that season’s flu. The two became close friends.
Their friendship blossomed into love when Mia flew across the Atlantic and visited Sean in London, while he was there for work. Months later, Sean would fly the opposite direction from New York City to visit Mia at her new home in Laguna Beach, CA. He extended his few-day stay into a week of laughter and sunshine, where true love began its years-long journey to the big day.
They dated only a short time, being engaged to be married in the late summer of 2016, visiting the Court House in New York City in January 2017 to finalize their official paperwork in preparation for an October 2017 ceremony and celebration in the City of Lights. When asked why the couple chose France for the celebration, they continue to joyfully quote Hemingway. For “Paris is a moveable feast.”
Adventure, travel, and their shared love of learning and literature became the theme of their Paris fête. Their vision was written in stone from the moment planning began, with Dreams in Paris helping to coordinate the day-of details.
Mia also knew, from the beginning, that Karen Wise was the perfect photographer for the journey. Having worked together in New York City, Mia’s appreciation for Karen’s attentive and artistic shooting style was unmatched.
A most charming experience awaited guests throughout the evening. Opting for a journey, rather than a traditional meal, a twenty-eight course tasting menu was passed; the loft’s french doors remained opened for guests to admire the setting sun over the Arc de Triomphe; champagne poured and poured.
Family Photography at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with Cherry Blossoms!
It was so much fun to photograph two toddler sessions at the BBG last week! My son Henry joined in on the fun, while I photographed his friends Emilia and Mila being photographed with their families! Akiko’s bubbles that stole the show, as we wrangled toddlers back to the blanket… but there goes a truck, and another stroller and a kid on a scooter with a cool shiny helmet!
I could shoot families all day there, it’s so beautiful….
Here is one of my favorite Park Slope maternity sessions. We photographed Meg’s bump in the summer in Prospect Park.
I had the pleasure of photographing Meg, her husband, and their toddler daughter at their home and in the park. Meg’s baby was 36 weeks gestation. She was starting to feel heavy and more tired than the first time around. This time she had a 2 year old toddler to chase while trying to get some rest!
Photographing maternity sessions and family portrait sessions now that I have a child is so different than it used to be. I can remember the excitement and nervousness as I counted down the weeks before meeting my baby. We photographed the pregnancy, and we also photographed Henry weekly in his first few months! He was growing so quickly and his face looked different every month!
There are so many first year milestones to photograph too, from sitting to crawling, to cruising, to walking. There are also so many wonderful moments when you are pregnant to document. We photographed our trip to Iceland. I remember feeling Henry kick for the first time while in Reykjavik! Those butterfly flutters, they were so cool. We also documented the baby shower party we had in our courtyard that summer. I remember how weird it was to be so large you can’t see your own feet. So I understand the urgency in booking a maternity session at the right time (and the same thing goes for newborn and child portrait sessions).
In my experience, maternity sessions are best done when you are in the earlier part of the 3rd trimester. You’re not too big to move, and still look good in your cute maternity outfits! You may be unable to walk more than five blocks without severe pelvic pain late in the 3rd, which doesn’t make it ideal for sessions with a few locations. However, any time before 24 weeks may be too early to feature the bump.
Meg’s background as a dancer shone through in the portraits I did of her solo. She exuded calm and grace, posed with her bump in the bedroom, and in Prospect Park with her family. Her bags weren’t packed, but she didn’t seem to worry! She had a laissez-faire attitude. I really admire this quality in a mom-to-be!
In my 15 years of photographing weddings, I’m seen many New York venues. I have such a fondness for Foundry Weddings! I love the juxtaposition of urban and garden at The Foundry. Even in the colder months, the leafy walls surrounding the venue and open air on the terrace offer a feeling of lushness and serenity.
From the Foundry in Long Island City, the guests are looking at the skyline of Manhattan from a good distance. This skyline lends itself to some beautiful backdrops for photos of the bride and groom.
I’m so honored to have been invited to France to photograph Mia and Sean’s Paris wedding. The stylish couple were wed at Le Pavilion Etoile across from the Arc de Triomphe! Mia’s joie de vivre was captured in and around Palais Royal in the premier arrondissement, at Laduree’s patisserie, and on Coco Chanel’s historic mirrored staircase… It was a really beautiful affair, and a great week spent in France!
Please follow me on Instagram at @karenwisephoto to see more!
Mia and Sean’s Parisian destination wedding took place in an elegant loft space facing the famous Arc de Triomphe. During the wedding day, the bride and groom visited the original Ladurée, Mia’s favorite sweets bakery! Laduree’s treats were served to the guests as part of the dessert options. Before their ceremony, the Mia and Sean also visited Coco Chanel’s original atelier, where Karen photographed the bride on the famous staircase of Chanel‘s first runway show! What a dream come true for Mia, and what a dreamy week for the couple and guests!
Here is an example of a matted Queensberry wedding album in genuine leather in blueberry. Isn’t this blue color exquisite? The album cover was padded and leather is soft but the ivory pages are thick and sturdy. My client chose to have the names and date debossed on the cover. We designed and printed two large 12×12″ albums, one for the wedding and another for the rehearsal dinner + Sunday brunch.
I would also like to cook more from my Aunt Julie’s cookbook, The Way We Cook. I still haven’t made these delicious Rosemary Biscuits. It’s about time! The above image was shot on color film, and hand printed in the darkroom as an 8×10″ print.
