Do I photograph kids? Of course, and I have tons of experience coaxing smiles and pulling out personality.
Officially, and who makes up these rules anyway, wedding season is May through October. That leaves six months of “off season.” Much as I enjoy photographing weddings – in the Catskills and Capitol District, in towns like Windham, Hunter, Tannersville, Gilboa, Roxbury, all around Albany in places like Rotterdam, Schenectady, Rensselaer or anywhere else, I’ve had a lot of fun in the offseason too. For years that included working with big guys in red suits, managing several seasonal mall photography sets for the Christmas season.
I’ve probably photographed more crying babies than any event photographer out there (except perhaps the many others who spend their off seasons as I have). I believe it’s prepared me for reticent flower girls and unwitting family photo participants.
Do I photograph couples? Of course, and isn’t every wedding, at its heart, about couples?
Recently, a couple celebrating thirty years of marriage reached out for anniversary photos. We talked about locations and a feel for the photos and settled on one of the mountaintop locations near Windham, NY that I’m luck to know well. I love working with couples from the moment they become engaged, like a couple in Tannersville who had me along to document the morning, to photographing wedding clients for their “Save the Date” cards. Then follows the wedding and in cases like this couple, down the line as the anniversaries come, year after year.
How about families?? Of course. Family photos are essentially group photos. The family group… Family portraits are fun for everyone. Those of a certain generation might recall when the camera was placed on a tripod, the timer set so the operator could scramble into the shot before the film was mailed off to Clark Photo or Kodak for developing. Sure, cellphone cameras have timers and folks still practice this sort of scramble, but if photos catching the mood and fun of a party of gathering are the goal, wouldn’t it be nice to include everyone in those photos. That’s why I get brought in for parties and reunions.
Do I photograph personal portraits and brands? I do. Headshots, social media profile photos and image shots… Whatever you’re looking for, chances are I can bring it!
Sure, there are some limits on group sizes right now, but folks are still getting together. Outdoor parties are safer than indoors. (I’m always flexible where timing and weather are concerned). Social distancing is tough, if you’re talking about family portraits rather than headshots, but portraits don’t require macro photography. Macro is when you see the dew drop on the rose petal… I can do everything I’ve always done from six more feet away. While you wouldn’t wear a mask while being photographed, I can.
I can accept payment and deliver your photos electronically, as I have for years. In other words, if you’re asking, is it “Business as Usual,” I’m happy to say I am “Open for Business” and in many ways, it is.
Thanks for reading. Reach out, if I can be of any help. You can also find, follow & like Jonathan Ment Photography on Facebook and at www.catskillsphotographer.com and check out the broad-topic’d “Observational Ramblings” of the Ment Media Group’s “Business Blog.”
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Jonathan Ment Photography 