“Some Wedding Photographers Are Heroes...”
“Mr. Dorsey embraces the philosophies of the storied photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt who said ‘It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.’ ”
From The New York Times:
“The rabbi had bailed, the maid of honor couldn’t get in from Chicago, and all told, 60 of the 240 people who had promised the couple they would attend couldn’t. But one person had vowed to be there, no matter what: the wedding photographer.
“Since the Wednesday before the wedding, he had said: ‘Don’t worry. If you’re there, I’m there,’ ” Mrs. Kalish said about her photographer, Brian Dorsey, recounting that night, Aug. 27, 2011 [AKA HURRICANE IRENE].
Mr. Dorsey, who had bought a Land Rover for just such occasions, was humble about the praise. “I am holding their hands through one of the most exciting but trying and confusing days of their lives,” he said. “The art has to be there, but customer service has to be there, too.”
NY Times feature: a single shot that embodies our philosophy
I LOVE this story. And this photo.
Mostly because in a single photo, it embodies what Brian Dorsey Studios is all about.
This is a story about our wedding during Hurricane Irene and what makes a true professional in the world of wedding photography.
The city was shut down and it was a mess. Airports were closed. Power was out in places. The Army Reserves had been called in by the Governor. The Rabbi cancelled. The Maid of Honor was stuck in Chicago.
The bride wasn’t sure of anything that day - except she knew that no matter what happened, no matter what went wrong, we would be there making her big day look amazing.
I mean look how cool Josh, our groom, looks in that photo. Despite the rain.
Today SHOW FEature and interview with rangefinder magazine
“While celebrities may sometimes be biased against anyone with a camera, it’s nice to see stars let their guards down and enjoy the moment every now and then. Like television journalist, author and talk show host Katie Couric who, on June 21, married 50-year-old financier John Molner in East Hampton, New York.
Although it was a very private and intimate event, Couric and Molner, like any other newlywed couple, wanted to have their special day documented for all eternity—in this case, by established, New York-based Brian Dorsey of Brian Dorsey Studios.
“Celebrities want to be comfortable with you, know that you'll fit in with their event, believe that you will get them what they want and, more importantly than usual, trust in your integrity,” says Dorsey (one of American Photo's "Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World"), who landed the job after having recently become the “go-to” photographer for Couric’s wedding planner, Elissa Held.
Dorsey explains that, “Trust plays a greater role than usual when working with 'members of society' and other 'people of note.' It's not just the photos, it's also keeping the details of their events, their lives and their guests strictly private and safe.” Dorsey describes that with celebrity weddings comes, inevitably, celebrity guests. “They are sensitive to having cameras trained on them and in these situations they want to relax and let down their guard. You need to make them feel like you're just a friend shooting for them and not for yourself.”
Another difference in photographing for celebrities, adds Dorsey, is that the photos are not only of interest to the couple themselves—essentially there are more hands in the image bank. “You'll work not only with wedding planners but also with management representatives, assistants, public relations staff, writers, photo editors, etc. and sometimes even contend with security clearance,” he explains.“You have to be sure that you're getting the shots that your client needs to get out to the media as well, and then be able to get them out often within hours.”
Despite all of the work Dorsey has to commit to when photographing a high-profile event, he stresses one key ingredient over all: “We've learned that this kind of trust gets earned over time. You need to consistently demonstrate those qualities to planners and other industry people throughout your career. It is hard won and easily lost.””
Katie couric weds john molner
brian dorsey, photographer
MARIA MENOUNOS WEDDING PHOTOS IN TIMES SQUARE -
BRIAN DORSEY, PHOTOGRAPHER
KURT BUSCH, NASCAR CHAMPION’S TWO WEDDING CEREMONIES
ST. BARTH / PALM BEACH - WITH SURPRISE MUSICAL GUEST, STEVEN TYLER
BRIAN DORSEY, PHOTOGRAPHER
KURT BUSCH, WINNER OF THE INDY 500 MARRIES IN ST. BARTH & PALM BEACH
BRIAN DORSEY, PHOTOGRAPHER
SOCIAL MEDIA vs THE PRESS
“Mr. Dorsey embraces the philosophies of the storied photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt who said ‘It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.’ ”
Social Media vs The Press
When I started this business 17 years ago, you could easily tell who was a professional just by looking at their Press section. If you didn’t have a Press section with lots of print publications everyone knew you were a newbie because it would take years for the national and international press to take notice and write about you. The Press wanted to run your images big and in print so they needed quality images so they looked at everything big and with a loupe to check sharpness. It would then be months between the time a piece was written and you actually saw it on the newsstands. But damn, it was exciting.
Today there are photographers with 20k followers who shoot on an iPhone and don’t know how to use flash but are making bank selling presets. And I suppose who really cares because if you’re looking at Instagram on a phone it’s hard to tell who has been doing this for years and who just finished a “Build a Portfolio in 10 days” YouTube class.
So for giggles, here’s a bunch of those old print magazines that we featured were in. It’s fun to be written about online, but nothing compares to the thrill of walking past a Manhattan magazine newsstand the day your cover feature hit the street and you see it hanging binder-clipped to the window.
more clippings…
…not because you’re going to read them, but because back in the day of scanners members of my staff would spend days collecting, scanning, and assembling these things. So this is here to honor their hard work…. Thanks guys!