i was hired to do some advertising architectural/resort photography for the luxury all-inclusive hotel and resort in negril, jamaica called moon dance cliffs. they are the sister resort to moon dance villas. here are a few of the photos selected for their website. i will be posting some of the destination wedding photos from a wedding at moondance villas in the near future.
here are some random snapshots i took while doing the resort shoot. awesome people, the best staff i have ever met, seriously. they even brought me fresh aloe for my sunburn! don’t forget sunscreen when you are doing resort photography or destination wedding photography!
what i love about creating captivating imagery for the hospitality, resort & architecture industries, is that it often allows a photographer to travel. most recently, i had the opportunity to photograph for moon dance resorts at their moon dance cliffs hotel location in negril, jamaica. before the shoot, i consulted a lot with my cousin keshara who is a production manager for GE Projects. she had previously done a lot of international resort photography with barbara kraft, one of the leading hospitality photographers, having work featured in architectural digest and other notable publications. i was excited to head down to jamaica.
after a nearly a full day of travel, i was met by a polite, informative and very friendly driver and we embarked on long drive (no freeways) from montego bay to negril, winding along the coast, and weaving through colorful villages. i arrived at the resort just as the sun was going down. i had just enough energy in me to get a brief tour of the grounds before hitting the hay. around 5am i got my canon and hasselblad cameras ready and ran around resort snapping some test shots under the early morning light. i shot all day and by sundown, i was tired enough to go to bed early. the second day had the most favorable skies. while shooting at moon dance cliffs and villas, i experienced the most exceptional 5-star service and met some of the nicest people i have ever met in my life. in the upcoming weeks, i aim to share more images from jamaica, including a wedding i photographed at moon dance villas. below are some examples of luxury resort architectural photography.
i was in duxbury, ma this weekend photographing a wedding and snapped this photo with my iPhone. i was talking to someone on the train about photography, and they asked what other kinds of photography other than weddings i shoot and i told them that my blog has become sort of a teaser section for wedding clients but that i would try to remember to post other types of shoots on here and passed them one of my cards. well, here are a few photos of some other projects that i should share. i will try to describe a bit of it.
first and foremost, though a lot of my shoots are local, many of them take me to interesting places, even allowing me to sit in the front sea of a cessna airplane!
the above architectural photography is of a home on nantucket island. for those who don’t know, nantucket island is east of the popular tourist destination of martha’s vineyard. on martha’s vineyard, i photographed this nice queen anne style summer cottage (below), which is owned by a software publisher by the name of peter norton, who created norton utilities and norton anti-virus.the above house has been published in a regional annual magazine issue by cape cod life publications. although i photograph a lot of historic preservation and restoration architectural photography, i also photograph modern architecture. massachusetts institute of technology commissioned steven holl architects to design a residence hall at the university. simmons hall as it is called, resembles an abstract sponge. i heard first hand that due to the cement and steel used throughout the building, mobile phone reception is virtually impossible. while many people hate it’s design, i would like to think equally as many people enjoy it. i personally think its at least a visually striking building if nothing else. the image below of the building was used by the Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole in a publication.i also went to barcelona to photograph the pavilion by mies van der rohe. it has an interesting story behind it and should really be called the german pavilion in barcelona.as you can see from the above images, i get to see a lot of nice buildings, homes, and other structures. though new buildings and restored homes that are often considered masterpieces are pleasant to look at, i find myself wanting to photograph the not-so-beautiful. here is a photo of one of the many post-katrina abandoned homes in new orleans, louisiana.as you can see, photography takes me many places. after tomorrow, i head to jamaica for more photo shoots and i will share photos when i get back to reality…
people often speak of having a storybook wedding. well, this wedding comes literally straight from teh storybooks of alice in wonderland. shortly after photographing sam & hezzie’s wedding at gallery 1028, i was hired for sam’s sister liza’s wedding. i am picky when it comes to photographing on holidays, so if i was going to forfeit halloween, it had to be for a fun shoot. they convinced me right away when i was informed that the wedding was going to be themed as a mad hatter tea party. i met liza at her brother’s wedding, and at the time, i had no idea i would get to work with her again. liza plays by her own rules, she is an offbeat bride. heck she even made her own blue wedding dress! with the help of her mother deborah who owns norton’s usa (a unique all-american general store), the wedding would go down in the books as being one of the most memorable for everyone in attendance. they merged a mad hatter tea party theme with elements of autumn. the wedding was held at home, in a strikingly beautiful, yet mysterious house. during the ceremony, the bride emerged from a secret bookcase door, surprising guests. the groom, richard, is from manchester, uk.
it was a real pleasure photographing this wedding, as there was such great scenery and carefully thought out decorations to work with. liza’s family has two amazing horses, and a barn full of teeny kittens!
from the mother of the bride:
Hi Heather!!! They are wonderful! Glad you had fun! We all looked with Sam’s computer yesterday and we’re thrilled. Thank you so much for coming and shooting Liza & Richards wedding.
“I didn’t get to see all of Sam and Hezi’s pics but what I did see are fabulous! You really are so very talented!
Thank you from the bottomof my heart
Deborah”
yesterday, alexa and andrew welcomed me into their chicago loft apartment for an engagement shoot. their sleek, modern loft is a strong contrast to where i will be shooting their new england wedding in july of 2010 – at the historic, seaside wedding destination known as the Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, which in my opinion is the boston area’s best mansion available for wedding ceremonies and receptions.
i was thrilled to shoot an engagement shoot in a home. there is a true connection couples have to the space that they have created. alexa and andrew had just gotten back from a vacation in the bahamas, and were at ease when i photographed them. for part of the shoot, they wanted me to photograph them cooking. this was such an original, refreshing idea. after prepping some apple cobbler together and having that documented, we headed up to the roof deck, followed by a walk around the neighborhood.
i encourage all couples to think outside the box to create some one-of-a-kind engagement photos. sometimes the greatest photographs can be made at locations closer than many think.
i met with shawn & tamar for an engagement photography session in downtown chicago, and ever since i had a chance to work with them and tour their gorgeous venue, i have been looking forward to shooting their wedding. tamar works for the intercontinental hotels group and got ready for today’s wedding at the intercontinental hotel on michigan avenue. shawn and tamar chose to have their “first look” in the lobby before heading down the street to get married.
the ceremony and reception were held nearby at the spertus museum with a kosher dinner catered by wolfgang puck. with so many reflective angular surfaces, it is such a fun space to shoot in. architecture aficionados (and green conscious brides!) can see some in-depth images of this sustainable building by visiting architects’ krueck + sexton website.
the challenge continues! more photos at millenium park! i love this white sculpture better than cloud gate. the sculpture has these curves that take your eye around the negative space in a manner that reminds me of the images of one of my favorite photographers, herb ritts. he played around with lights and darks and curves to create refreshing images within a tired genre. the couple i photographed for this engagement shoot is having me photograph their wedding at the newly renovated spertus museum. spertus is just as much a piece of art as it is an architectural marvel. we were able to walk around inside touring the stark, beautiful spaces where the wedding ceremony and reception will be held. i even bumped into someone who was a guest at another jewish wedding i photographed recently.
here is a wedding with a great couple from vermont. gretchen and dave were married at the follen community church in lexington. the ceremony was in an octagonal and even had readings from the little prince. here was ample natural light, lots of rich woodwork, and the benches were in a crescent-shape towards the altar. the reception was held at the lyman estate in waltham where the couple made great use of outdoor tented dining followed by dancing in the mansion. there were smaller break-out rooms which made this venue a unique and comfortable setting to photograph in. the location is a good example of a federal period country estate, and is part of historic new england.
I was recently hired by Míele USA for a freelance project. Miele is a high-end appliances manufacturer based in Germany that I gained familiarity with though photographing residential architecture for years. Every so often, leading manufacturers make small changes in both the product design and the way they show the product, and I was called upon to document these changes for the company. It was interesting to see the wide range of commercial and residential appliacnes that could be custom fitted for the client or architect.
perhaps the most notable tradition of all in regards to a new orleans wedding is the second line parade. just about all weddings in new orleans have some form of a second line. everyone including the bride, groom and wedding guests dance in a line through the french quarter, led by a second line brass band. if you would like to hear what a second line band sounds like, click here.
the bride generally carries a parasol, or “second line umbrella” as guests twirl handkerchiefs. the french quarter is a festive location filled with great energy throughout the year. the parades usually lead the guests from the church to the reception location.
new orleans’ famous st. louis cathedral in jackson square is the oldest catholic cathedral in continual use in the US. its a great piece of architecture inside and out, day or night.
if you are ever in new orleans, you will undoubtedly notice the unique architecture showing the city’s multicultural heritage. you’ll see everything from creole cottages, to the more iconographic balconies of the french quarter.
whenever i find myself in new orleans, i always stop at the 24-hour cafe du monde, the french market cafe for some beignets.
if you head outside the french quarter (and i strongly recommend doing so) down st. charles and on to prytania, you will see magnificent historic mansions, many of which are popular locations for weddings.
there are still many areas of the city that have yet to be restored after hurricane katrina.
when i am in town, i can’t help but notice how friendly everyone is, and the cheerful mood that encompasses the city, even after everything the city has gone through. on my left hand, i have tattoo of the fleur de lis, the symbol of new olreans and it reminds me how great the city truly is.
i was in duxbury, ma this weekend photographing a wedding and snapped this photo with my iPhone. i was talking to someone on the train about photography, and they asked what other kinds of photography other than weddings i shoot and i told them that my blog has become sort of a teaser section for wedding clients but that i would try to remember to post other types of shoots on here and passed them one of my cards. well, here are a few photos of some other projects that i should share. i will try to describe a bit of it.
the above architectural photography is of a home on nantucket island. for those who don’t know, nantucket island is east of the popular tourist destination of martha’s vineyard. on martha’s vineyard, i photographed this nice queen anne style summer cottage (below), which is owned by a software publisher by the name of peter norton, who created norton utilities and norton anti-virus.
the above house has been published in a regional annual magazine issue by cape cod life publications. although i photograph a lot of historic preservation and restoration architectural photography, i also photograph modern architecture. massachusetts institute of technology commissioned 
i also went to barcelona to photograph 
as you can see from the above images, i get to see a lot of nice buildings, homes, and other structures. though new buildings and restored homes that are often considered masterpieces are pleasant to look at, i find myself wanting to photograph the not-so-beautiful. here is a photo of one of the many post-katrina abandoned homes in new orleans, louisiana.
as you can see, photography takes me many places. after tomorrow, i head to jamaica for more photo shoots and i will share photos when i get back to reality…
