The general guideline of wedding planning says get all your ducks in a row 6-12 months before the wedding day. Often I’ll have clients pop up within three months of their wedding, actually I have quite a few. No biggie, if I’m not booked, I’m gonna work with you to make it happen. Larry and Kim though have set a time frame that’ll probably never be beaten. About three weeks before their wedding, Larry calls in a semi-panic looking for a photographer for his March 6 wedding to Kim. A photographer friend of his was going to shoot the wedding but the guy was injured and couldn’t shoot the wedding. Luckily enough, I wasn’t booked and was happy to step in. But I was about to learn that this was going to be a bit different. Larry is a commercial videographer and had started his career as a broadcast photojournalist so he had some pretty refined expectations for pictures. Sometimes working for other photographers can stress people out but working with Larry and Kim was just simply awesome.
“YOU DID IT! Unreal Scott, so so good, I knew I had found the best and these photo’s are proof.
You captured the energy and emotion of the day artfully, so perfect…
Bravo Scott, Bravo!”
– Larry
FULL HIGHLIGHT SLIDESHOW
Ok. So let’s talk about this last picture. Yes, it’s blurry. No, that’s not a problem or an accident. Blur is one of those devices that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. For some people it never works and for others it works too much. I fall somewhere inbetween. To me, it works when it works and that’s not all the time. I like blur as a way to break from the literal feel of documenting a straight moment. I like it when the blur of the image adds to or reinforces the feel and content of the image. If it distracts then that’s a problem. In this case, I really like it. I think the blur captures/reinforces the energy of the moment and you can still clearly connect with how Kim feels. To me it’s a way to express uncontained excitement and joy. I always consider blur as one of the tricks in my bag but don’t always use it unless I feel that it’s appropriate. In this case, I knew Larry and Kim were fans of my use of blur so I was sure to bring it out for their wedding. It’s also evident, but much less so, in the image above from their first dance.
CEREMONY: Old St. Joseph’s Church
RECEPTION: Cescaphe Atrium
FLOWERS: Cescaphe
MUSIC: Purple Reign Band
HONEYMOON: Costa Rica
Scott Lewis, March 23rd 2010 | Tags: cescaphe, Old St. Joseph's church, philadelphia wedding photography, Venues
Posted in News, Wedding 
We’re THRILLED that we can finally announce that we’ve been selected to an exciting new group called Best of Wedding Photography. To be chosen for this group we were vetted by several of the world’s most accomplished wedding photographers as doing the most interesting/creative/exciting/emotional/etc. work in the industry. We are one of only two (now three) Philadelphia area studios on the list of 100 or so very accomplished wedding photographers worldwide. We’re looking forward to being a part of what looks to be a group that will set a new standard of excellence in the wedding industry in connecting discriminating brides and grooms with photographers of the highest quality. Check out our profile page.
A few years ago, when I was still an unmarried newspaper photographer and didn’t much think about weddings or wedding photography, a group called Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) started out as a way to help brides find photographers all over the world who were doing work in the spirit of photojournalism or documentary photography. At the time the group was started, photojournalism was peaking as the new rage in wedding photography. Mainstream couples had firmly embraced the idea of spontaneous, honest, emotion filled pictures of their wedding day. Like any trend, some loved and embraced it and others weren’t sure what to make of it. Things of settled out a bit, wedding photojournalists aren’t the industry upstarts any more and trend setters are looking to come up with the new “thing.” One thing that I really like about BOWP, is that it’s just simply about good photography regardless of the labels. It’s fun to be a part of a group that’s got so many influences and backgrounds all lumped together.
Scott Lewis, February 25th 2010 | Tags: best wedding photography, industry, News, philadelphia wedding photography
Posted in News I just got my copy of the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Bride’s Philadelphia magazine which features Anna and Sean’s wedding from last May at the John J. Audubon Center in Mill Grove, PA. We were not just thrilled that they chose this elegant wedding at this quaint venue but then we were even more thrilled that it was the first feature of the section then we were even MORE thrilled to see that it was three pages of attention. Then it just got ridiculous when Anna mentioned how cool it was that there was yet even more when they added this killer image of Anna seeing Sean for the first time. Anna topped off the feature with some really eloquent words about that moment. It’s just a thrill when we as photographers get to hear our clients words about certain images that capture a certain significant moment for them. It’s not always so clearly special as this kind of first sighting, sometimes it’s a quiet moment captured in the corner of the room or a subtle gesture.
Scott Lewis, February 5th 2010 | Tags: brides magazine, john j audubon center, philadelphia wedding photography, real wedding philadelphia, Venues
Posted in In Print, News 
We are honored, again, to be recognized by our clients as among the best in the wedding industry with a Brides’ Choice Award for 2010 from Martha Stewart’s Wedding Wire. We just got involved with Wedding Wire this past fall so it’s killer to get nearly 100% 5-Star ratings from our clients. And, seriously, we didn’t pay them a thing. Although we are now providing artisanal chocolates with every signed contract. So if that makes you love us just a little bit more, then we are happy to bribe our brides, and grooms too! Getting this award puts us in the top 5% of all wedding industry professionals so we are especially happy to see that we’re keeping up with the most refined and customer service oriented professionals in the business.
Ok, onto the “what’s it all mean to you?” part of this post. What does this award, or the one for The Knot below really mean. I’m not exactly sure. If you look at the full list on Wedding Wire, there’s like 81 other photographers in the Philadelphia area who also got this award. I’m not trying to diminish what this means, 5 Stars from my clients is amazing and I’m so thrilled that my clients are this happy with me and all aspects of my business. I guess what it means for you, the potential client is, first of all, you’ve got a lot of really wonderful choices in Philadelphia. The market is diverse and abundant with talent and good people who will take care of you and your family on your wedding day. And I am glad to say that I can stand with the best in this city having only lived here since July 2007. This is just another confirmation that we have a really great connection with our clients and that they make the right choice for them.. We believe we create a truly unique and special Collection of images that document your day and capture the spirit and emotion of one of life’s best celebrations. You’ll spend more time with the photographer than anyone else on your wedding day. You will have the longest relationship with the photographer than of any other wedding professional. So it’s really great to see that after all the time we spend with our clients and all the hours and hard work, it’s appreciated.
Scott Lewis, February 3rd 2010 | Tags: best wedding photography, martha stewart wedding wire, philadelphia wedding photography
Posted in News 
I have to thank all of my clients for all of their wonderful feedback and spreading of the love! I signed up with Martha Stewart’s Wedding Wire a few months ago and it’s been great seeing such a fantastic response over there with so many unbelievable and truly humbling 5 Star ratings. It’s a real honor. I also am thrilled to announce that I have been chosen among The Knot’s Best of The Knot 2010. Having started to work in Philadelphia just in mid-2007 it’s been great to have received such awesome honors in such a short time frame.
Thanks to all of you for believing in me and my work and entrusting your family memories to my eyes, heart and soul.
Scott Lewis, January 28th 2010 | Tags: best wedding photography, philadelphia wedding photography, the knot
Posted in News 
Way to go, Scott!