Professional photographer Over 30 years

Trained by National Geographic For Expert Lighting Techniques

my expert lighting and colors makes you pop!

Award winning photographer in Frederick County MD.

When your wedding day is over, all you have are your memories and your photos. Make sure your photographer has the experience to capture the beauty of your day that will leave your family and friends breathless!

The number one question commonly asked by my brides and grooms is, do I really need two photographers to shoot my wedding? Yes, you do need two photograhers to do it right.

When I shoot your getting ready pictures, my other photographer, who is fully trained by me, will shoot the groom and groomsmen getting ready.

Even if you don’t want a photographer for the whole event, I still come with two. I need my assistant to hold the light. That’s how I get those magazine style photos with the lighting placed at the right angle to show you at your best. To shoot it correctly, you really do need two professional photographers.

Are you worried about the cost of having two photographers? Don’t be. My pricing is competitive and having a second shooter does not make me unaffordable. Check out my pricing page to learn more. Included is a section showing what the local photographers in Frederick charge. You can find this by reading my pricing page.

You can get it done right for a reasonable price!

If you want to learn what to expect on your wedding day, please read my FAQ. It shows my top ten questions asked by brides and grooms over the years.

See all my raves and reviews

THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHY

Lighting matters whether it’s for commercial photography OR Wedding photography

When it comes to lighting, I have learned when to use artificial lighting, or whether to go with the available light. Strobes are great, but why use them when there’s a beautiful, golden sunlight? Artificial lighting can’t compete with glowing, natural sunlight. It’s so important to understand when to come in and light something separately, or when to use the better natural light around you.

I drill it into my photography assistants how important the technical information is in photography, such as F-stop for exposure, shutter speed, and how to create depth of field, when creating images. But, the single most important aspect of professional photography is lighting. That is the foundation of professional photography. You need to feel the light as if you’re submerged in it. You need to feel it in your heart and see it with your eyes.

I emphasize learning to look more at the light around you under all circumstances on a daily basis. Sometimes just returning to a site with a different sunlight will yield a more powerful photograph with drama. Look at how the light touches a subject, and what the effects are that it has on the subject.

After a few lessons, I send my assistants out for photo assignments. I instruct them go back many times and revisit a site you previously photographed. Something as simple as a few hours may improve the subject dramatically. Also, if there's been a storm, recognize it through the light that changes. What do the clouds look like? Using billowing, dark clouds will make a dramatic photo. Sometimes a storm can knock down the haze and reveal a crisp, golden light. 

Spend more time looking at the light around you. Proper lighting is the big secret to professional photographers. We learn how to SEE the light, and how to make the most of it. As photographers we don’t just take photos, we make photos. And, that takes a lot of practice.

I shoot my clients always thinking about where the light is, and how to pose you in the most flattering way in conjunction with the lighting.

LOCAL FREDERICK, MD PHOTOGRAPHER WITH HIGH-END QUALITY PHOTOS

At The Corcoran, for my senior thesis, I volunteered at the Kensington Fire Department for two years and created a powerful portfolio that was shown on local TV and published around the Washington, DC metro area.

My photos included action shots taken during a three-alarm fire in a commercial building, where I got so close I nearly burned my hand and melted my camera. In fact, one of the firefighters shouted, “Get that photographer out of here!”

I rounded out my thesis with portraits of firefighters around the station and in numerous life-threatening emergency situations requiring ambulance services.

If you are looking for an artistic photographer, you might want to look at me.  I once built a camera I made from a kitchen pot, and then took photos downtown in D.C. with my “pot camera”. The police came up to me and asked me what I was doing.  I then developed the photos myself in my own darkroom.

While I have a passion for shooting portraits, I also excel at still life, like products, that you want to sell.

TRAINED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Being a good photographer requires a difficult blend of art and science. Art to understand what elements to include in the photo, and the science to properly expose and use the light. I learned my lighting techniques from NATGEO. I didn’t learn my expert lighting techniques from art school. I learned them from shooting for NATGEO.

Having graduated top in my class, I was chosen to accompany Richard Nowitz, a famous National Geographic photographer, on editorial assignments around the country for five years. This training prepared me for a career in photography.

I also learned how to think quickly on my feet and capture those moments when it seems like no one is looking, just from working for Richard at NATGEO.

You need a true professional to showcase your products or you in the best light.

Why hire a fancy New York photographer, or an expensive Washington, DC photographer to shoot your commercial or wedding photography when you can get that high-end quality right here in Frederick County, Maryland, and the surrounding areas?

EDUCATED AT THE CORCORAN

I was educated at The Corcoran Gallery of Art. I studied the classics. My art and photography classes at the Corcoran taught me how to create artistic compositions.

This really helps for the portrait sessions to pose you in the most flattering angles to make you look your best. My goal is to make you look like a magazine model no matter your age or weight.

Why do you need a professional photographer these days with the advent of high-end cameras? Because a digital camera is just an extension of the old film cameras where you still have to understand how to get a correct exposure. Shooting in P mode and hoping for the best does not make you a true professional. Although the technology keeps getting better, a human is still necessary to control what goes into a picture, and what you should leave out. Knowing when to shoot a vertical, or whether a horizontal will work better comes from years of practice.

You need good training to compose people and products in a professional way.  Just having a “good eye” doesn’t make your photos consistently look professional. 

Imagine how much better your website would look with professional imagery.  

COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY INCLUDES FITNESS, GOURMET FOOD, HEAD SHOTS, MITZVAHS AND PORTRAITS

I SHOOT MY COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY LIKE EVERY JOB WILL GO INTO A MAGAZINE

        We come with two photographers

• One holds the light for the portrait session

• Or one sets up the lighting for the product session

• Or, send your products to me and I will photograph them and send them back

FOR JEWELRY YOU WANT EVERY STONE TO SHINE

For small, delicate products, such as jewelry, you want the entire piece to be in focus.  There is a method to doing this that only a professional photographer understands.  Shooting your piece so every stone shines, and every area is tack sharp cannot be done just because you sit next to a window, and shoot in a natural light scenario.

I AM NOT A "NATURAL LIGHT" PHOTOGRAPHER

A true, professional photographer does not advertise to be a "natural light" photographer.  A professional understands how to light the set through years of learning.  You pay a professional to light your subject with expert lighting techniques. Yes, there are times when you sit someone at a window and use the available light. But, you need to recognize when to separately light with professional lighting equipment, and when to use natural light. 

This skill set is dying with the advent of digital cameras and photography schools that just don't stress this as much anymore.  

The old school photographers, like me, who were taught using film, and who developed their own photos in a dark room, really grasp the technical aspects of photography through years of hands on learning, and critiquing by other professionals.  

Never trust a photographer who claims to be a natural light photographer.  

WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS IS THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE "COMPLEX" LIGHTING SCENARIOS.  

When you compare photographers, don’t get swayed by the pretty pictures. Make sure to ask to see the portfolio under all lighting conditions from a dreary, rainy day, to a cloudy day, under bright sunlight, to a dark evening. This range of light will help you see whether your photographer can handle an 8 to 10 hour session.

But, the most important part of being a professional photographer is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY CLIENTS.

Find out how a powerful photographer can be the difference between selling your products online, and struggling to sell them online, when you failed trying to photograph them yourself, or you hired a professional who did not understand lighting and composition.  You need a professional to show your products professionally so you can make that sale and get paid.  

PHOTOGRAPHER FOR ADVERTISING

After extensively interviewing you to learn what your sales message is meant to be, I will then begin to feel your visual message without stopping until I get it right. I need to feel my vision of what to include in the sales message. I keep tweaking and thinking about the message of what to include. You want to include enough elements to share your message, but not too many that it looks cluttered. Once it feels right then I begin shooting.

YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF RICH COLORS IN MY PORTFOLIO

I tend to shoot showing the deep, rich colors. My work shows the skin in its natural tone, just as you see it. I don’t wash the photo bright which makes the skin look a pasty white. For products, I tap into my 20+ years of professional photography experience to make your products pop in the frame. Sometimes I use clean, simple and even lighting, (like natural light) and sometimes I choose a more dramatic, colorful, gel lighting. It depends how the product feels, and what my client wants in the sales message.