The first few boards have color themes and we've previewed a few here already. Look for our summer-themed yellow board in the coming days!

Happy Birthday, America!

Leave it to the ladies to dress as colorful and playful as their personalities.

Here are some of the "Scene Setter" images captured.  

Meanwhile, I would like to share the "blue" inspiration board. We've been having a lot of fun with these.

When Mona and Mark wed, our photographer Shawn Connell was there for this stately affair.  Planner Nicky Reinhard masterfully used the details of the venue to create a golden day.  

Out with photographers Michael Falco and Shawn Connell we happened to catch some candid moments while taking some new head shots.  Being in front of the camera can be a truly vulnerable time.  It's a feeling of being exposed, to which not even photographers are fully immune.  Just out for these shots it makes me appreciate the importance of having a great photographer who put you at ease.  

Photographer Alison Mayfield recently had an engagement shoot with a fun couple Brenda and Alvin.  They came prepared with props and a costume change!

Photography, in it's very essence is about the moment.  It's a record of time, a split second image of what transpired; the where/when/what. Photojournalism and wedding photography best utilize this documentary approach. 

Henri Cartier Bresson coined the phrase "The Decisive Moment". He was the true master of catching that instant.

The above image is one of my all-time favorites.  Examine how the heel of the shoe is a mere inch above the reflection in the water.  Bresson was taking these images with a Leica, he possessed an uncanny ability to click the shutter at the precise moment considering the technology at the time.

Back at the studio we love collecting the "Best Of" images. Here is a sneak peek of the "white" gallery.

Our studio is very central and we do all our client meetings here as well as photo shoots. All the other magic, post processing and book design happens here.

It also doesn't hurt that 28th Street, which is New York's flower district, is right around the corner. Our studio manager loves to always get new flowers for the studio.

We've been here for over 5 years and have really grown into it. This image was taken recently for the website for our new "About Us" section.

The New York Weddings Event offers brides-and-grooms-to-be a one-stop resource for their big day. All the vendors you need to plan your special celebration: the city’s top jewelers, caterers, bridal fashion designers, planners, tabletop brands and much more.

Event begins at 5:00pm on April 7th. Get your tickets now!

I always knew that Alison was an incredible photographer. One only has to watch her work! This is such a great and unusual picture. 

This is now the second PDN cover that we got in our little studio collective. For those of you who are not photographers, you probably don't know Photo District News (PDN), but it's what photographers look at.

Congratulations, Alison!

This is the second time that we got the cover for the PDN annual wedding issue. See the 2006 cover here .

Landing a career in photography is not as easy as just going to college, building a portfolio and, poof you have a career. The photography world is saturated, one has to be not only talented but also extremely hard-working and savvy to have a fighting chance at making this a career. The failure rate has always been enormous. This is nothing new.

What IS new, as the article says, is that the amateurs are undercutting pro photography. But what the article doesn't mention is that the consumption of photography has also increased tenfold.

photo by Michael Falco

We live in a much more media-rich visual world. It is a well-known fact that people just don't read anymore. Everything nowadays is supplemented with media. There are simply different opportunities out there, than the traditional assignment photography business model.

I would also like to make the statement that photography has never been this good, especially in the wedding world. The pros on the top end of the market have gotten so remarkable, and I simply relish the fact that wedding photography has been elevated to these incredible heights in our little niche.

This has also opened up incredible opportunities for the pros out there who are truly talented: the average couple has now a much higher appreciation for photography than, say 10 years ago. It is absolutely incredible what is happening in the industry right now in terms of aesthetics and vision. The growth of really good, stimulating photography has been enormous. 

Weddings nowadays have become such incredible visual feasts. Anyone who hires an amateur for their wedding is simply rolling the dice.

Read the New York Times Article here

Photographers are inherently interested in technology. When digital cameras came of age I was all about them and mastering all the technical implications of it. What a wonderful combination of technology and photography.

Enter 2010 and Web 2.0 or whatever you may call it. For the past 7 months we have been working on getting our new website off the ground. Even before Apple announced the iPad we wisely decided to create the site in Html5 and have not one bit of Adobe Flash in it. The fruits of this endeavor are now on display in the new iPad.

The above is a screenshot we took in the iPad simulator. We have one on order at the studio and can't wait to see the real thing.

UPDATE: I was just informed that we still have Flash on the site: we had to use it for the music. We're still looking for alternatives on that end.

We are so excited that one of Shawn Connell’s photos was chosen as the cover shot for this year’s Quest Magazine’s Wedding Issue! 

Shawn captured this amazing wedding flawlessly. To see more images click here.

Congratulations Shawn!

Please see our coverage in the most recent NY Weddings Magazine! Of course not all the images from this wedding can get published, so we uploaded the wedding to our real wedding gallery, click here to view our favorite images.

This page was meticulously and thoughtfully compiled with creating the ultimate guide in mind. We were very precise when handpicking each of the vendors making sure each and everyone met our quality standards. We love partnering up with these companies/people and respect their work. To meet all of our standards one must deliver top-notch work, BUT also be a pleasure to work with.  I invite you to stroll over to the listings and see for yourself, whether you're window shopping or in desperate need for some yummy wedding cake.

These meetings are incredibly valuable to us at the studio and we learn tremendously from each other. My studio staff from album designers, photo editors, the studio manager, and our photographers all sit down together as we hear from the editors which shots work and which to omit. Like this we can constantly hone our skills and update our style. A great part of the meeting is viewing each other’s recent work and discussing how the photo was taken and this is where we can learn new tricks that a photographer might have discovered. Seeing everyone’s work is inspiring for the whole team and creates a great creative energy. This is also a time to address any feedback we get from our clients. I like to make sure everyone is aware of any and all comments we receive at the studio.

This time around a big topic of discussion was detail shots. Apart from photojournalism we like to get incredible still-lifes. With weddings being more and more creative these days the details create some really interesting shots. In a book they can pull the whole feeling of the wedding together.
 
Being able to sit in a room with a team of like-minded professionals that all share the same enthusiasm for their work is an exhilarating experience and I believe these meetings are integral for a creative business to thrive.

The much anticipated Whitney Biennial opens today to the public. This exhibit highlights lesser known artists that are expected to set the temperature for the next two years in the contemporary art world. This year there are 55 artists showing, 4 of which are photographers, I am especially excited to see the youngest photographer (23) Tam Tran’s work.

While Biennials are always affected by the cultural, political, and social moment, this exhibition simply titled "2010” embodies a cross section of contemporary art production rather than a specific theme.

Click here for more. 

Tam Tran

After going live with the post, my in-house photo editor asked me if I was sure about having such a strong opinion on retouching? "Of course", I replied, and she proceeded to remind me of how much "post" imaging work we do at the studio. Believe me it is no small amount.

Being Creative

There is a fine line where image alteration and photography as a medium, blend. Image retouching by definition means either the "correction" or the "enhancement" of a photograph or the subject(s) within. You can call it "manipulation" or just an artist "creating". James Cameron's Avatar was created solely on manipulating photos/videos and it is being heralded as a breakthrough in technology.  To me this is artistic creation, not so much when it is shaving off some lbs here or there and hiding less-than-perfect skin. 

Retouching is controversial worldwide, even celebrities are coming out saying they are unhappy with how much their images are altered. Lets face it, almost every picture is going to get retouched and it is what my clients expect of my studio and we are happy to do it.... to a degree. The point of contention comes with the amount of image altering that happens. 

As a photographer I am out there, taking pictures recording a very real world. Photography in its fundamental nature does that, and the camera can be unforgiving. However before a photo is ever even taken the photographer makes several creative choices and this will likely alter the outcome of the photo. Just properly lighting a shot takes years to master. 

For Example:

Where do I point the camera?

Do I walk around the subject to be photographed and change the background and therefore the context entirely?

Do I apply a shallow depth of field, thereby throwing most everything except a choice area out of focus?

Do I use the existing lighting or do I alter it?

The Manipulators

Let's pause for a moment and give applause to a certain trade, the actual retouchers! I know quite a few, they usually operate in relative anonymity only known to a handful of photographers and magazine editors. There are some real artists out there in our particular niche. They provide an incredible service to our community and are the ones that "perfect" the photograph. They are very skilled in their work and deserve some credit.

I watched a short video piece on the NY Times site on retouching it was suggested that magazines should list the retouchers right alongside with the photographers, makeup artists, stylist, and so on. In certain circumstances that might be appropriate, especially most magazine covers. 

The question is not, to retouch or not to retouch, but more when and how much is acceptable?

Jake McBride, currently on assignment covering the 21st Winter Olympics, was recently named one of "Australia's most renowned and prolific snow sports photographers this country has ever seen" by Chill Factor Magazine. To see Jake's full interview go to Chill Factor Magazine. Jake's Olympic coverage is updated daily on Mountain Watch. 

Shaun White celebrating his victory with his long time coach.

*Massimo Vitali’s* incredible work is currently on display at [Bonni Benrubi Gallery](http://www.bonnibenrubi.com/exhibitions.php). It is only there to March 6th so if you can get there you should! I am a huge fan of his work as I am sure you will be too.

The camera is a machine without feeling or opinion and we believe it is a tool to portray the truth. Society as a whole has learned that this is no longer the case. Practically every image you see has been altered in some form. We need to ask ourselves where to draw the line in digital retouching. *My philosophy? Light retouching, yes. In a news context, no* When you change the original intent of the photo, retouching has gone too far. Altering images in photojournalism is an example of where the magic of Photoshop crosses an ethical line and heats up the retouching debate. Photojournalism has long been regarded as being truthful. The images we see in the papers, television, and online that are considered journalistic we tend not to question their integrity. These days we are seeing more and more cases where these newsworthy images are being doctored. This in turn changes how the public trusts this profession and makes the professionals question the business they got into. Below are images that came out in the Daily Mail UK about how Iran had altered this photo to conceal that a missile had failed during a test. You can see in the second image they added the failed missile, according to the Daily Mail it was to make sure not to show weakness.

To read the full article click [here](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1033966/Pictured-How-Iran-doctored-photographs-hide-missile-failed-work.html) We all know by now there is tons and tons of retouching happening in magazines especially in the fashion world, I will write a whole other post on this and what is happening in France with their effort to change this. Today I want to talk about Brad Pitt’s cover of W magazine where the amazingly talented Chuck Close shot several close ups photos for the feature. NO retouching was done, on the insistence of Brad Pitt. Now he is a handsome man, and I have to say this would be easier for men than women. But I do have to point out that it was a rare and brave move for an actor in Hollywood.

Our new website has been live for a little over 2 weeks now, and what a busy couple of weeks it has been. To put it mildly it's been raved about by many in the industry and clients alike so far. This project started last August and everyone involved in it thought we'd get this out in about 6 weeks. How wrong we were.

The primary obstacle was to improve on a site that already scored highly on aesthetics. I pretty much told my web developers to do most of the same that my old site did. There was definitely some head-butting and there were at least two occasions when I picked up the phone and wanted to call the entire project off only to change my mind during the conversation, because of the charisma and intelligence of .... my brother!

Yes, the web developer behind all of this IS my brother Roland. He is running a startup company in Austria doing all sorts of geeky internet backbone stuff (quite brilliantly so). When he decided to take on this project he collaborated with the graphic designers from Abloom with whom he shares his office. We were truly telecommuting: Skype video and Google Waving. However, oddly enough, we got the bulk done during a ski trip in Austria.

So here it is. The new site. Roland: thank you so much for all the work and hours you put into it. I couldn't be happier and more proud that we worked on this together! Bro, you rock!

In my first "Light, Camera!" blog entry, I wanted to explain why I want to have entries devoted to different topics of interest. Over time, I'll speak about aesthetics in "The Bigger Picture"; about great ideas in "Inspirations"; photographic techniques in "Light, Camera!"; and keep you updated with "News", so you know what to look for from my next Studio blog post. I'd like to think that we have something worth sharing with those who are seriously interested in photography. That said, I hope to speak to novices and serious photographers alike -- that is, people who have a passion or simply a curiosity about the art of photography that they wish to explore. People growing, learning, cultivating their interests in the field. So, we'll try to strike a balance between the basics and sprinkle it with some advanced tips. Let's start with the pure fundamentals. From photojournalism to fine art photography, and everything in between, all photos have these things in common: light, lenses, and cameras. Naturally, skill, technique and the mechanical nature of what goes into a photograph and what's important in a great photo all vary greatly. In fact, photography is so ubiquitous that even the most basic phone camera still works with those 3 essentials: light, lenses and cameras. Even the best artistic photographers work with the basics to take great photographs. For now, let's discuss the key element: light. Without it, there's no photography. It's often forgotten as THE most simple and crucial ingredient. No wonder, what with our modern gizmo automatic digital cameras. They help us out with their technology to manage light for photos, but they all still need light to take pictures. Light can be either from an artificial source (flash, strobes, tungsten lamps, etc.), or from natural sources-- most likely the sun. Artificial light is a future "Light, Camera!" posting. Let's talk about the sun in today's post.

That is a question I asked myself many years ago as I was getting started in photography. Back then, I was pouring over the mountain of great work, original ideas and then-current work in magazines. As a student I was in awe of what the pros were producing. I was fortunate to study under [Jose Picayo] [1], who by then already had a remarkable career in fashion photography. His opinion was to merely look at fashion shoots in magazines and try to copy exactly those shoots. Copycat? No, not really; as a student I learned that just by trying to copy those images I got inspired, and went off on my own tangent. The logistics of producing a photo shoot and the actual choices that present themselves by just doing it, offered, as I soon found out, infinite ways to be unique. Little by little, I built up my own repertoire of taste and aesthetics. Many times I saw work that inspired me and then when it came to taking pictures of certain subjects, some of those images stayed in my mind, but new possibilities presented themselves by just doing it.

Over the years I have worked for, with, and now mentored some amazing photographers and I have seen this incredible path again and again. Just doing it does absolute wonders. The images are almost always new! How is it possible to surpass the current work now? Just do it - to borrow from Nike's tagline. That, and loud music! Christian Oth [1]: http://www.josepicayo.com/

The last time we re-designed our website was only 18 months ago, but we felt like we had to stay current with today's communication needs. First and foremost we wanted to add a blog. Then we realized that our photographer's work needed to be featured in a better way - so one thing led to another... and voilà a new website is born.

The new site not only features gorgeous weddings, but it's also a dynamic resource about photography, and more. Register with the site, and you can enjoy and share our new "Favorites" feature -- our one-of-a-kind tool that will be useful to many, as we continue to bring more stunning images to our site. "Star" any image to create custom slideshows that you can share with your friends, use as inspiration as you plan your big day, and help guide you as you choose a photographer. For fans and journalists, you can follow the evolving talents and style of our photographers.

Having been in this industry for a number of years we thought that we had something valuable to share with couples planning their wedding. We have been so privileged to work with many talented and distinguished vendors -- planners, designers, florists, make-up artists and musicians. We have also shot at the top venues in NYC and across the globe for a bevy of unique clients. If you find a resource on this site, you can trust that it's a good one - useful, tasteful and helpful.

New functionalities and resources will evolve over time. Bookmark our page as a valuable, concise and easy-to-use resource. No clutter, I promise.

Christian Oth

Time to stand up for what I believe in, before other voices drown the best intentions out. You may be wondering why I’m creating a blog so late in the game of 2009. Especially a blog that stands up for great work – not only in the realm of photography, but also aesthetics and tastemakers in all fields, from around the world. Recent interactions with the Christian Oth Studio brand online have made it clear that I need to represent the Studio, supported by my name and reputation, but this goes far beyond just my name above the door. Christian Oth Studio was founded on an idea, an ideal to become the standard-setter in wedding photography, and to a point, we’ve achieved that. It was incredibly humbling when I was named one of the “Ten Best Photographers in the World” by Photo District News in 2007. I was floored by the news. An achievement of recognition after five years of hard work redefining wedding photography with fresh narrative. A triumph. Yet with challenges that raise the bar ever higher…. And such accolades I didn’t achieve on my own. In fact, all the people who have joined the Studio also believe in setting industry standards. We are all in pursuit of a level of excellence that is legendary. Every photographer here explores new approaches to deliver revolutionary work.

Going forward, we’re taking this quest to improve to the next level. Across every aspect of our work, our relationships and with every client or subject. Christian Oth Studio will come to mean stellar photographic work – for events, weddings or any photojournalistic, action, or fine arts photography or for any editorial purpose. We stand behind all of our work, which includes the linear thread through all of our influences, education, experience and technique, to always go beyond, delivering fresh shots that are memorable pieces of art. Stay tuned as we turn up the dial on Christian Oth Studio….Many, many more ideas, opinions and straight talk about Photography to come. Welcome to the BIGGER PICTURE of Christian Oth Studio. Christian Oth