LJ Photo Studios Photography Contest 2011

We had a great season and want to know what you think! Cast your vote by "Liking" your favorite photo. Each image is anonymous , only James knows who shot what. The winner will be posted on Friday 11/11 and will receive $100 bonus!


Vote here!

Holiday Photo Sessions

As you prepare for the holiday season, a creative idea for gifts are photos of your family to give out to your loved ones. A photograph is a gift that will never succumb to trends and will last a lifetime. At LJ Studios we offer many options such as holiday cards, framed photos, canvas wraps, albums, and DVD slideshows.

Now is the perfect time to make your holiday photo session appointment. Not only will this allow you to make an appointment at your convenience, it will give us time to come up with a unique design so you can give them out as holiday gifts!

First, call us (914.835.8383).

We are available now for appointments for holiday photo sessions  - but call soon because this time of year gets very busy! Our holidays cards are custom designed so if you have a crazy and unique idea we want to shoot it!

Next, what to wear.

Solid colors or tones (black, white, gray) always photograph best and we can have a make up artist available so you will look your best!

After, you have had your photo shoot, the images will be online the next day. From there we will work with you to come up with a design. The intricacy of the design will dictate how long it will take, but printing time for cards is 10 business days.

In addition to holiday cards, framed photos are also a  great gift! Framed photos can take up to 14 business days.

Finally, after you have received your cards, give them out to family and friends. It is a great and creative way to show everyone how your family has grown.

Brian and Liz - October 1, 2011

Last weekend, we got to work with Liz and Brian at Tarrytown House in Tarrytown, NY. They are a very sweet and loving couple and we were lucky enough to run into two previous clients that had recommended us for the job! It was like a reunion! 

Wedding Post-Production

As you leave for your honeymoon, we are still hard at work.  Most couples are unaware of the long hours we put in after the wedding day is over.  For us post-production can take ten to fifteen additional hours beyond the wedding day.  This is one of the major components you are paying for when it comes to your images.  Although we pride ourselves on creating images correctly in the camera, we still require post-production work. Post-production work consists of editing the RAW digital files from the wedding to provide our clients with the best images (removing blinks, silly expressions, etc.) 

Back when we used to shoot film, we would make custom prints in the darkroom. For example, in the darkroom we would burn and dodge, meaning we could lighten or darken an area of an image according to what we felt looked best. Today our darkroom has become a Lightroom (the Adobe software we use), so images are custom created according to our photographer's eye.

You have to keep this in mind when paying for a photographer; it’s not just our time capturing the moments of your wedding day it is also our time in post-production in our studio as we put together an artistic representation of your day. 

If you hire a photographer who is just going to hand you a disk of unedited images (JPGs) with no color correction or cropping which includes everything he or she shot on your wedding day the results will be disappointing to say the least.

Not only are we taking the time to go through 1500-2000 images to pick the best, we have to invest in computers and software to produce high-quality work. In addition to editing and processing images from the day, we provide each couple with what we call the “Directors Cut” to help them envision what we feel will create a wonderful album.  

To ensure the safety and security of your images we archive every event at our studio on a RAID system as well as at off-site location. 

How To Find A Photographer

Friend Referrals: The best and most personal way to find a great photographer is through your friends who have been recently been married and love their photographer

Personal Style: Don’t just go off website and event planner’s lists. Make sure you actually like their style and have seen their work. We allow our clients to see all our work and encourage it

Meet in Person: Meeting your photographer in person allows you not only to see their work and their studio, but establish a relationship. You will be working very closely with them throughout the day and you don’t want someone who annoys you

Find them on popular wedding blogs: There are many amateur and professional online resources that can aid in finding a great photographer and inspiration. Check out The Knot and Wedding Wire

Read the photographers blog: This will not only showcase their work but give you insight into their personality. Many blogs also enable comments so you can get real reviews from people just like you!

Droid Retro Camera App

My wife and I took a trip into Manhattan this weekend and strolled through Central Park. These are some of the photos that I shot with my new HTC Incredible Droid phone. Smart phone cameras are almost on par with point and shoot cameras. The images were shot with a retro camera application and are completely untouched; no Photoshop adjustments were made. When I don’t want to bring my 10-pound Nikon D3 camera with me, I snap a quick photo with the Droid.

The Fresh Face of Portraits

For the new year LJ Studios is adding our own, new "Your Story Portraits" to our repertoire. Unlike traditional portrait photography, this new type of portraiture allows us to create images that express your unique personal style. Tell the story of who you are and what you love through photos tailored to you as an individual, couple or family. Let your passions tell the story: from musicians to mountain climbers, we will set up the photo shoot to incorporate your interests. Maybe you have a distinctive way of dressing or your child has a special stuffed animal they adore; we want to showcase whatever makes you uniquely you.

Mili, Dan and their dog Reggie came into the studio on Saturday morning for our first "Your Story Portrait" session, and we had a blast!

Call us now to schedule a "Your Story Portrait" session!

LJ Studios Photography
501 East Boston Post Road
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
Ph: 914-835-8383
Email: info@ljphotostudios.com
www.ljphotostudios.com