About Me

The Short Story

Hey, I’m Bill!

Here are some fun facts about me.

I’ve watched The Goonies more times than I should really share. It might be an addiction. (If you have not seen this movie, I might shed a few tears)

My hairstyle allows me to move very quickly.

I love gardens and I’ve come to realize that I can’t eat store-bought tomatoes anymore.

I also have a passion for telling peoples stories through imagery. I'm a photographer based out of the Lehigh Valley, PA and Baltimore, MD. I serve the east coast and beyond. I would love to set up a time to chat and learn more about YOU! Reach out today to schedule a consultation.

The Long Story

Hey, I’m still Bill!

Here are some MORE fun facts about me.

Before I get into the photography part I thought I would share some more about me. After all, I’m the person that will be following you around all day on your wedding. You’ll probably want to know a little bit about the person behind the lens.

I was born and raised in Allentown, PA. As a kid, there were two very important things to keep in mind about this location of the world, Yocco’s hot dogs and Mary Ann donuts. Both of these nutritious staples molded me into the man I am today.

In addition to my health-conscious lifestyle, I grew up as a creative. When I was a kid I spent more time drawing pictures in my notebooks at school than taking actual notes in class. That led me to art school which led me to photography. More on that a little later in the story.

In addition to the visual arts, I had an interest in the performing arts. I started playing guitar in high school and I’m sure my parents thoroughly enjoyed the loud distorted guitar playing the same Green Day songs over and over. I still draw to this day and am currently taking a figure drawing class once a week in the evenings. I still play guitar as well although the volume has been turned down and it’s usually a quiet acoustic guitar as compared to a loud electric guitar.

Let’s not forget the culinary arts shall we. I am an acknowledged “foodie” and might cross the threshold into “food snob” occasionally. While I still love Yocco’s hot dogs and Mary Ann donuts, I enjoy an incredible dining experience at a restaurant like Bolete in Allentown, PA. If you have not tried it I highly recommend you do. Also, if you happen to be in Puerto Rico and stumble across the amazing Marmalade restaurant, make sure to pay that it’s well-deserved visit. When I’m not eating delicious food I am watching Master Chef and Top Chef. Very recently I started watching Mixology Masters which is about incredible bartenders that also incorporate cooking into their artisan drinks.

Outside of the arts, I have a wonderful four-legged daughter named Tikka. She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that is 23 pounds of energy and excitement. When she’s super happy she wags her tail so aggressively that it shakes her entire body uncontrollably. She also snores louder than a lumberjack saws wood. For these reasons and more, I love her very much.

And finally, I can’t leave out my amazing partner, Susan. She is a loving, caring, and kind person that I am so very thankful to have met. The photography world actually brought us together. In March of 2022 we started to get to know each other a little more and really connected after a photography convention. We bonded over our ridiculous and random sense of humor and had our first kiss in an IKEA parking lot. Why IKEA? Because I was in NJ having a meeting at a wedding venue and she was at an IKEA in very close proximity to it. I had a full suit on to make the best impression I could at the venue and she was in sweatpants ready to buy some furniture. We were texting and I said something like “do you mind if I meet you at IKEA in a full suit and push your cart around for you” and she said something like, “if you don’t mind that I’m just in my sweatpants”. And the rest is IKEA history.

Now that I have told you a little about me as a person, it’s time to tell you a little about me as a photographer.

I was interviewed by Diane Sawyer as to why I became a photographer and what my mindset is around wedding photography. Below are the questions she asked and the answers I gave. All of this is factual information with the exception of Diane Sawyer being involved in any way whatsoever. But let’s not get hung up on the technicalities.

How did this whole photography thing start?

I grew up drawing and painting and went to college to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts. I studied at the Barnstone Studios in Coplay, PA and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. My second year in school we learned film photography so that we could create reference for our own drawings and paintings. Once I got the camera in my hands, I really fell in love with it. I especially enjoyed how interactive it was and would find myself walking around center city Philly with a roll of film and would capture what I saw around me. I could literally immerse myself in the city which was my subject matter.

When did you know that you wanted to be a wedding photographer?

Well, I didn’t make that decision myself at first. I never thought “I want to be a wedding photographer when I grow up”. How often does that happen in life though? We don’t plan something and life ends up grabbing our hand and guiding us in a certain direction. I should thank my friend Rachel actually. She was a former coworker of mine when I worked in another industry a long time ago. She was engaged and had seen my photography work. I posted portraits and landscapes on Facebook and she really liked them. She walked up to me and asked “do you want to shoot my wedding”? I responded “sure” and that was that. It was my first consultation and it lasted about 4 seconds. Fortunately for me, I got the gig! From there my wedding photography business grew more and more.

What is your approach to wedding photography?

The single most important part of wedding photography is the experience for my couples. There is a lot more to taking a picture than pushing the shutter. I have to know who I’m photographing and what their personalities are as well as their wants and needs. When I first meet couples I take notes. These notes are important for me to remember all of the specific details that make the couples who they are. Some couples are very adventurous and others are more reserved. I have had couples walk across ice to get pictures in front of frozen waterfalls and I have also had couples get out their favorite board game to play together. Some couples are really goofy and others are more reserved. Some couples can’t stop laughing with each other during their pictures while others just want to have a quiet moment together. There’s no right or wrong and it’s my job to cater to who is in front of my camera.

On the wedding there are different approaches to the different parts of the day. In general there is photojournalism and portraiture. Most of the day is photojournalism or candid pictures. This term could be ambiguous so I will explain what I mean. When I say photojournalism I mean that I am 100% an observer during these times of the wedding day. I am anticipating and capturing the moments without saying a word. I approach the entire ceremony and reception this way as well as some of the getting ready pictures. There also might be moments like this throughout the day that can happen at any time. I have never and will never interrupt a couple during their vows or first dance. To me, that’s not a time to smile and look at the camera. I want to capture those moments without intruding in any way. It is my job to be where I need to be and to make sure the wedding day story is told clearly.

The rest of the day is portraiture. This means portraits of the couple individually, the couple together, the wedding party, and the family. For all of the portraits I believe that it is very important for me to give direction when needed and to interact with who I’m photographing. The reason for this is because without an event like vows or a first dance, there is nothing for my subject to respond to. If I just stood there looking at you and you just stood there looking at me during portraits, that would make for an awkward picture. Also, pretty much all of my couples tell me early on that they do not know what they are supposed to do in front of the camera during portraits. They very much appreciate me helping them along the way with guidance and direction. It’s also important for my subject to be emoting, flattered, in great light, and in a great composition for these portraits. Trust me when I tell you that all of these things do not happen by themselves. All of these elements that make for a great portrait is also where the individual style of the photographer really comes out because it’s where they have the most creative control.

For the individual portraits of the couple and the couple together, I do a combination of traditional portraits and artistic portraits. The traditional portraits are the pictures where you are looking into the camera. I always do these at every wedding and feel that they are classic and timeless. With that said, most of the portraits of the couple, both individual and together, are done in a more artistic style. That means a few things. During these portraits the couple is not looking at the camera but rather looking at each other or looking into the environment around them. I will get the couple to interact with each other in a way that suits their personalities. Sometimes that means laughing uncontrollably and sometimes that means just having that quiet moment holding each other. I, of course, also cover any emotion in between that works with my couple. The artistic portraits also involve more dramatic lighting, different colors of light, interesting compositions, and silhouettes. I may also include more of the environment around my couple in these kinds of portraits. I choose specific locations at a venue based off of the interest my couples have in them. The location might have a color or texture that my couple likes or maybe it has some kind of sentimental value. I think of the environment around my subject as an extension of who they are. Sometimes I will call these environmental portraits.

For the wedding party I take traditional portraits as well as some of the party interacting with each other and having some fun. I might even do a Vanity Fair style group shot with the entire wedding party. These portraits, like the portraits with the couple, are both traditional and artistic.

Lastly, we have the family portraits. These are all done in a traditional way where all of the important family members of your choosing are together in a series of pictures looking at the camera. Again, these are classic and timeless. I always ask my couples to compile a family shot list before the wedding day. This way they can take their time choosing what family groupings to have and there is no pressure on them on the actual wedding day to try to think of all of this. I bring the list with me and put all the groupings together as requested by my couples.

I hope that this has given you some insight into the kind of person I am as well as the kind of wedding photographer I am. I’m looking forward to hearing about you and what your plans are for your wedding day!

Be well,

Bill

(Yocco’s hot dog and Mary Ann donut enthusiast since birth)