Like the city of New York itself, the wedding photographers in the area are unique. New York wedding photographers are capable of adapting to lots of different styles, and I’m happy to give you examples of my own. From tv shows and music to old family photo albums, I find that just about anything can inspire my photography. Wanna learn more about my creative process? Keep on scrolling.
What inspires me? What inspires you?
I often look to pop culture when I need an extra boost of inspiration, and it can be super helpful to look more closely at my favorite tv shows and movies to figure out exactly why I love them so much. Is it the color grading? The in-between-the-lines story? What makes the cinematography so compelling? In turn, this helps me become more purposeful in my wedding day storytelling. If you’re a creative (or not!), being conscious of why your favs are your favs is a really fun exercise.
New York Wedding Photographer and Pop Culture
I often compare my taste in media to that of a frat boy. It’s true, though. One of my favorite movies of all time is Wolf of Wall Street. My favorite shows of all time are Mad Men and Breaking Bad. As I mentioned above, I like to dissect just what it is about these shows and movies that make them so compelling to me.
I remember back in photo school, I was having a hard time feeling inspired by a particular assignment. My instructor pulled me aside after class, and gave me my own personalized assignment. She instructed me to pick a show or movie I love and am familiar with, and to print images of any moments I found important. After I handed in my “homework,” she explained the method to her madness. By isolating the most important frames and scenes, I was able to concisely and effectively tell a complete story. This laid the foundation for all photographic work I would go on to do, including my work as a New York wedding photographer.
An Ad Executive and A New York Wedding Photographer Walk Into A Bar…
It might seem a little weird for the show Mad Men to be wedding photography inspiration, but I promise it makes sense. For those who aren’t familiar, Mad Men is a show about (the many) New York advertising agencies on Madison Avenue in the 1960s. It (mostly) follows the creative team throughout the various marketing campaigns they take on, and some are based on real ads. The main character, Don Draper, is even loosely based on a real person named George Lois. I have his book, and I highly recommend it for anyone in the creative or marketing field.
With all that being said, it’s not hard for a show that is so entrenched in the world of creativity, imagery, and storytelling to spark inspiration that can carry into the world of New York wedding photography. Aside from the actual taglines and campaigns they showcase, the visual storytelling itself is enough to make any photographer envious. I’ll share some of my favorite frames below, along with how it inspired my own photographs.
Good Artists Don’t Copy, They Steal
This is something a professor told our class during a photography course. We were going through images of whatever famous artist we were discussing that week, and the topic of “copying” someone’s work came up. My professor stressed that you should never outright copy someone’s work. Instead, take the intention or message of the work, and use that to create your own version. This is always something in the back of my mind, especially when I see an image that makes me go “damn, I wish I took that.” I often employ this philosophy when I come across old photographs of celebrities or pop culture icons, or a particularly captivating fashion magazine spread or cover. Some favorite famous images of mine below, and I very much intend on “stealing” them for weddings this year.
How I Photograph Weddings
I can list off things that inspire me until I’m blue in the face, or until my fingers get tired from typing. But the question I know that plagues many inquiring couples is: “what makes this New York wedding photographer different from the others?”
I like to describe myself as a photographer who understands why we like to take pictures. Growing up, my mom always had a camera in her hand. Film, digital, camcorder, you name it. It was instilled in me from very young that if you want a moment to last forever, you should photograph it. When my mom gifted me a camera for my birthday many years ago, it felt like a passing of the torch. It’s my job to capture important moments now, I thought. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since. For my friends, family members, and now, you (hopefully).
I want to be able to fill your family photo albums with equally important yet perfectly mundane moments. Moments you don’t think twice about as they’re unfolding in front of you, but you’ll find yourself returning to time and time again. This is the intention behind all of my work.
Looking for a wedding photographer in New York for your upcoming celebration? Reach out to me at melissa@lovemelissaphoto.com
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