Bernstein Photography

The photographer was the hardest vendor for us to choose. It seems like all of the ones who will do the "journalistic" all-day shoot of getting dressed and architectural photos do a great job of that and of the ceremony, but don't do a good job of family group shots, table shots, candids at the reception, and other traditional wedding photography that may not be as artistically satisfying to the photographer but are very important to many couples and certainly to their families. Everyone we know whose child has married in the last several years had the same complaint: It's true that table photos of the aunts, uncles, and grandparents may not appeal to the photographer's eye, but years from now, those are the ones you'll want, not shots of somebody's date or light coming through a bottle. Some friends complained that even after discussing this with their photographer, they had to chase them down during the reception -- they were out in the hall, photographing some interesting architectural feature, ignoring the guests. Others interfere with the event to get a clever angle. It seemed to us that a photographer who could deliver the best of both styles of wedding photography would be very popular in our community. But no one seemed to do it. So we had all but given up on finding someone who could do it all, and then someone recommended David Bernstein. He met with us and listened to our concerns. We hired him, and we could tell from the engagement shoot he did months before the wedding that he was very talented, and the couple enjoyed working with him. But could he "square the circle"? I am delighted to report that he absolutely did. Not only did he do a fantastic job with both the pre-wedding "journalistic" shoots, he did a great job on the "traditional" end: the posed portraits before the ceremony and lots of excellent pictures of the reception and all the guests, especially the ones the bride told him were the most important (she gave him a list, with pictures, and there were a lot of them). That would have been enough to make us very, very satisfied. But there was more! He is a really, really gifted photographer. I don't know what it is about his candids -- just the right angle, just the right distance from the subject, just the right moment to snap the photo? Whatever it is, we all found ourselves asking, "I wonder what they are looking at?" "What did someone just say that got that marvelous expression on her face?" Those pictures SHINE. I've never seen pictures that not only captured the look, but the feeling of an event so well. When you look at his photos, you feel the excitement and happiness of this wedding; you wish you were there. I've been perfectly satisfied with the other photographers we have used, but this is something extra. His prices are comparable, but he gives you more -- lots of great service, and no chiseling on digital images and the like. And he took many, many more images than we'd expected; no extra charge. The bride and groom are absolutely thrilled with the photos. The families are absolutely thrilled with the photos. They said it couldn't be done -- but he did it! I would tell anyone planning a wedding not to bother making more than one call for a photographer. This was the hardest vendor search for this event; next time it will be the easiest.