Happy holidays from all of us at Christian Oth Studio! Whew, what a year it has been... we started off with an all new site, added a blog and had some truly amazing weddings to share. Well there are quite a few more to come in 2011 - we will have lots of destination weddings and some truly amazing New York affairs too. 

The studio will be closed for the holidays and we will be taking some much-deserved time off to relax and enjoy friends and family.  We'll be back in early January, so until then we wish you a peaceful holiday and a happy new year!

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s hard not to feel excited about the first flurries of snow.  When it snows in the city, the soft drifts always muffle the noise of traffic, leaving a peaceful, contented atmosphere.  The beautiful white flakes make everything they touch look fresh and new.  A winter white wedding can make a stunning statement in photographs.  Subtle contrasts in texture add visual interest, while juxtaposition of a cold outdoor landscape with a warm interior can make a venue look especially warm and inviting.  I hope you enjoy a few of these images of a very intimate wedding where the couple's priority was to get lots of pictures around the city.

Photograph by Christian Oth

I consider this a portfolio image because I had never done this shot before. It was during a late afternoon ceremony at a Hampton vineyard wedding that "found" this shot. Kind of unusual to take a detail or "decor" picture on a live person while something is happening, but I thought that this is what makes this shot: the floral bouquet in a ceremony context.

Lauren and Stephen planned a grand and decadent wedding, selecting Cipriani on 42nd street in New York as their ballroom of choice.  Dramatic black goblets and an old-fashioned birdcage for cards and gifts offset the tall classical columns and romantic lighting, creating a setting reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance.  Lauren didn’t know about the surprise that Stephen had in store for her until they got ready for their portrait session.  When everyone was in place, Stephen handed out artfully crafted masquerade masks to each member of their wedding party--black for the groomsmen and gold with glitter and feather plumes for the bridesmaids.

This photograph was shot by Sue Kessler outside of the Bowery Hotel in New York. It was raining lightly, and the couple had a clear plastic umbrella with them which turned out to be a fun and whimsical prop.  Sue positioned herself facing traffic to include the headlights of the cars on the street, and asked the couple to walk across the street together.  She shot this photo just as the bride turned around and laughed, perfectly capturing this natural moment between the bride and groom.  

I feel lucky to work in a creative field.  For me, as well as for many other individuals that I know and work with, being creative is one of the most satisfying things in life because it generates a sense of purpose and self-worth.  I love to create new pictures instead of rehashing old shots because I feel as though I’ve done something worthwhile and meaningful.  People in all fields are motivated by the need to create--the architect who views a hillside and envisions a blue print, or the surgeon who invents a new procedure to save a life, for example.  The act of creating something new that didn’t exist before is an incredibly euphoric feeling, and when it touches other people’s lives it makes it that much more important.  

Admittedly, being creative is a selfish pursuit, but the end result of creativity is that it has the potential to improve others’ lives as well.  Amazing inventions and revolutionary ideas have been developed in many fields based on the human desire and need to create.  But simply having great ideas isn’t enough--sometimes it takes a lot of discipline to act on a new idea that might initially face resistance or challenges.  Walking into a familiar situation and discovering something new is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, and I am grateful to be in a field where I can be creative (almost) every day.

The above image is definitely a bit away from the mold. I shot this late at a wedding after I had done everything else. I felt I needed to get just one more shot that I hadn't seen before. So I started walking around and looked for unusual perspectives. It helps when I put the camera down and just start seeing. When I got to the back of the venue (the University Club in New York) I saw the row of candles and people dancing. I picked up a telephoto lens and compressed the 2 layers of people dancing and the candles. What makes the image so dramatic was the lighting that I set up before to photograph everyone dancing. In this instance it produced a beautiful sidelight from both sides.

Recently I photographed "Das Racist", a Brooklyn indie-rap group, for the New York Times Magazine (click here for the full interview).  Initially I wasn’t very familiar with their music, but Himanshu Suri (in the red and white jacket) and Victor Vazquez were relaxed and extremely comfortable in front of the camera and I love how their personalities came out in the photos.  Immediately after arriving they dismantled a bouquet of flowers to use playfully as props.  After that we just had fun--they were not afraid to joke around in front of the camera, which resulted in some really great shots.  I hope you enjoy these extra takes from the shoot.

This enchanting image was captured by Michael Falco at the Garden of the Gods Golf Club in Colorado Springs, and it truly embodies the joy and whimsy of childhood.  Michael caught this moment from afar during the cocktail hour, just when the girl pictured ran off to play by herself. 

Today's post is a big word for a fairly simple concept.  Juxtaposition is a term that was thrown around a lot when I studied at the International Center of Photography (back when...).

Simply put, it means placing complimentary or contrasting images next to each other to add significance and impact.  A single image should be interesting on it's own, but when it is strategically placed next to another image it should create an even greater impact. Detail shots of flowers or table settings are beautiful individually, but they take on new meaning when thoughtfully placed next to images of the bridesmaids' color-coordinated dresses or the guests enjoying the meal.  

At the studio, that means that our photo editors have to take a critical approach to selecting images that create an interesting narrative when placed side by side.  Thoughtful juxtaposition builds relationships between a collection of images, creating an impression or "bigger picture" of the whole event.  For once-in-a-lifetime events, creating powerful juxtaposition is essential because the images should represent the deep significance of the occasion. 

For the photographer this means being aware of what the editor needs in order to make these collections "sing".