American Photo Magazine's Top 10

Over the weekend, American Photo Magazine came out with this year's list of their Top 10 wedding photographers in the world. Somehow, I am on it, along with several other fanstastic photographers I really love. And even though my first instinct is to say 'awards don't matter', I know when I am an old guy I'll be telling anyone who will listen about when this happened to me. So whoever had anything to do with putting me on a list with such talented photographers, thank you. It means a lot to me now, but will only mean more as the years pass.

You can read the article here: American Photo Magazine

Elizabeth + Ethan | Bermuda wedding

These last five days have gone by fast, and I haven't really done anything except for work on these photos, answer emails and visit the beach for a little bit each day. I've got to remind myself to not take as many photos as I did in Bermuda, but it is so easy when you spend three days with a group of beautiful people that love to party until 4 or 5 am each night. I'm really excited that most of them live in San Francisco so I can see them all again soon. Here are a few frames from the weekend, and their slide show is at the bottom. Thanks Elizabeth and Ethan for bringing me to a place I had never been before, and can't wait to go back and visit again. Have a great honeymoon in St. Barts as well!

































Slide show (just hit play in the center of the photo):

Bermuda to Mexico

I just got off the ferry in Isla Mujeres, Mexico after leaving Bermuda this morning where I had been for the last three days photographing Elizabeth and Ethan's gorgeous wedding. I have about 10,000 photos to start working on, but here is one from the dance floor on the first crazy night. More photos very soon, I promise.

Joshua and Isadora by Michael Benanav

While I am sitting here in the JFK airport in New York waiting for my flight to Bermuda, I need to tell everyone about my friend Michael Benanav's new book, 'Joshua and Isadora: A True Tale of Loss and Love in the Holocaust'. It's an incredible true story about how his grandparents escaped the Holocaust. Michael also wrote one of my favorite books of all time, Men of Salt, which is about Michael's trek across the Sahara desert on camel researching the ancient salt trade of Africa. Michael writes for the New York Times frequently, and was recently caught in China during the fiasco that ensued with the Tibetan people. He has a knack of getting into interesting situations, and his books always explain everything beautifully. Here is a bit of the story from the new book, which just came out:

“Joshua and Isadora: A True Tale of Loss and Love in the Holocaust" is about my grandparents’ experiences during World War II; it recounts the twists of fate, both tragic and miraculous, that enabled them to survive as their families perished, and serendipitously placed them on the deck of a refugee boat at the exact same moment, where they first met while escaping from Eastern Europe in December, 1944. With no common language between them, they married three days later. Through the lenses of their lives, the book delves into some lesser-known chapters of the Holocaust: the deportation by forced march of Romanian Jews into a frozen slice of Ukraine called Transnistria, which my grandmother – then a teenager – somehow endured; and the slave labor units in which Hungarian Jews, including my grandfather, were forced to serve. The book follows them into Palestine, where my grandfather became an agent in the Irgun, a radical wing of the Jewish Underground that fought the British for Israeli independence.

This book has been a long time in coming. I first interviewed my grandparents about their lives over ten years ago – in the interim, I spent countless hours with them, coaxing out details, getting new stories after I thought I’d heard everything they had to tell. But I think patience paid off, in the depth that their stories acquired over the years."

You can find Michael's book at your local book store or by clicking here.

Erin + Chris | Antigua wedding

I just got back late last night from Antigua after battling the American Airlines wire debacle. But it was certainly worth it to get to see Erin and Chris elope. Vlad joined me for the trip with video cameras in hand, and the four of us drank the best mojitos I've ever had and explored the island. Erin and Chris live in San Francisco, but decided to elope to a place they had never been before. Cool huh? No one knows yet, so hopefully none of their family sees the blog. But Erin and Chris are still in their bungalow overlooking the ocean, and are waiting to see the photographs. So here are a few.

I'm heading back to New York tomorrow morning, and then will be gone for basically a month with weddings and assignments in Bermuda, New Jersey, and a couple in Mexico. Lots to see. Lots to blog. Be back soon.

Shelli + Brian | Phoenix, Arizona wedding

I first met Shelli and Bryan about two years ago at the wedding of Shelli's brother Philip and his wife Julie in New York City. I'm always thrilled to go back to Phoenix, especially when it's not too hot. Shelli and Brian's wedding went perfectly, and Shelli's beautiful smile and personality completely lit up every room she was in. Mi amigo Sergio from Tucson photographed the entire day with me, and did an incredible job, especially on the dance floor. Several of the frames in the slide show, which you can see above, are from Sergio. Shelli and Brian are in Hawaii now, and luckily were able to book a flight home after the airline craziness. I can't wait to see them again, especially since they are practically neighbors of mine here in the Bay.

Vlad and I are heading out to Antigua on Sunday for an elopement next week, so I might be out of email's reach for a couple days. But as always, you can reach Nathalie here at the studio. Her email is nathalie at benchrisman dot com.















Sergio's photo:


Julie and Philip


And one more from Sergio: