The Power of Design

The wedding album is one of the most important elements of your wedding and will be a lasting reminder of this special day that you will be able to enjoy for many years to come. The most effective albums tell a story and with every wedding there is a special story to be told. In fact, during the event, I often photograph specific images with the album in mind. Turning the page should take you through the entire event, highlighting the special moments that were captured.

My goal is to always create a custom one-of-a-kind album that my clients will love.

Many photographers are now outsourcing their albums or using templates either due to time limitations or because they just don’t have the design experience. Building an album from scratch is a lengthy process as well as very technical but I believe is the most powerful way to create your albums. In the end, when you are looking at your custom designed album, you will know what you are holding is truly priceless.

With an extensive background in design and many years experience in design as well as photography, I have high expectations of what I expect from a kosher wedding or Bar/Bat mitzvah album.

It is because of this background that Mendel Meyers Studios does not outsource or use album templates.

We design every album by hand taking into consideration the clients preferences.

Once I have a design laid out I meet with my clients and could spend anywhere from an hour to several hours spanning over a few appointments.

Take a look at the collage below using images from the wedding of Sruli Elbogen and Chavie Broker at the Brooklyn Marriott. This was put together using four photographs and creates a very powerful statement, drawing the viewer into the composition. Imagine the difference if these were placed side by side.

In the end, it really is collaboration between Mendel Meyers Studios and the client, giving you what I hope is a priceless wedding album that will be treasured for years and even generations to come.

Each of our albums are completely unique and truly stand out as a work of art! Feel free to call our office for an appointment to view some of our albums in person, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Mendel Meyers

Leading Jewish wedding photographer based in New York

Breaking Rules!

LENS FLARE, a part of every photographers life, is typically avoided at all costs.

What is lens flare? Lens Flare is caused by strong rays of light directly hitting your lens and causing a slight sun burst. On some occasions, it can even appear as a thin film over the entire picture that makes the image itself lighter. Using equipment like the lens hood can take care of this ‘problem’. Then again, sometimes that flare makes your picture look even better.

As a Jewish wedding photographer, I strive to push the limits whenever possible. I think my clients appreciate it and even expect it from me. It's one of the things that makes me a better photographer. Let’s take a look at the image below. I was photographing Isaac and Talia Dawidowicz's kosher wedding at the Roemer Synagogue in Teaneck, NJ when I saw the perfect opportunity to break a rule most photographers go to great lengths to avoid.

The light flare gives this image a ethereal feel and creates a mood that could not have been achieved otherwise.

Here are a few tips to help you achieve that lens flare look.

1) Shoot in direct sun light or another powerful source of light. This is the main way to create lens flare.

2) Place your subject in front of you, with their back to the sun. Your subject will be backlit as though you were capturing a silhouette

3) Shoot at an angle: Because you want an image with Lens Flare [and not simply over exposure], you need to remember one thing: Camera position to the sun. This will largely depend on what time of day you shoot. For example, at mid day this changes you will need to position yourself fairly low to the ground in order to shoot into the sun. Typically, 11am or 2pm is most conducive to mid day Lens Flare.

4) Watch your focus: Your camera typically will focus on the object best lit in your frame. Shooting into the sun will make it more challenging for your camera to focus on your subject. You may need to switch from auto focus to manual focus.

Remember this, like all special effects should be used sparingly. Enjoy!

Here are some other favorites taken from Isaac and Talia's wedding.

Relive the Big Day With a Beautiful Wedding Album

One of my best friends got married a few months ago and I was devastated when I found out I wouldn’t be able to attend the kosher wedding. She's on the east coast and I'm on the west coast, and to make matters worse, I had no vacation time left to make the trip.

After sulking for a few weeks and keeping in contact with her about every detail, she told me that she hired a really great Jewish wedding photographer who would capture the day and put the photos in a gorgeous customized album. 

So last week, my friend came to town to visit me to show off her wedding photos and fill me in on her special day. In addition, she brought along her wedding album and I was amazed! When I heard “wedding album” I thought of something more along the lines of a scrapbook—an amateur collection of photos put together in a regular photo album. I was beyond wrong. This album was unlike any other wedding album I’ve seen. The arrangement of the gorgeous photos captured not only the happenings of the event and what everyone looked like, but it captured the mood of the day as well.

You just don’t get that from a run-of-the-mill photographer—you get it from the best.

Gift Ideas for Jewish Weddings

Being invited to a kosher wedding is a great honor. It means the two people getting married want to include you in the most important day of their lives. Being invited to a wedding means you’re expected to bring a gift. This can be a little troubling for some people, especially if you don’t know the couple very well or if you’re on a tight budget. What should you get them? If you’re going to a kosher wedding soon and are struggling with gift ideas, here are three inexpensive suggestions that would make any couple happy.

Sabbath Candlesticks: Lighting two candles on Sabbath eve is a tradition for every Jewish household. Nice pair of candlesticks and candle holders would be a perfect gift for a kosher wedding.

Art for the home: Every home needs a little wall art to liven the room. Mendel Meyers Studios has very affordable prints of photos that would look gorgeous in a frame and hung on a wall. Plus, they were captured by a professional Jewish wedding photographer, making it extra special.

Jewish Cookbook: A Jewish cookbook is a creative idea that any couple would welcome with open arms. There are many inexpensive cookbooks at local bookstores or online.

The Benefits of Photojournalism in Jewish Wedding Photography

Photojournalism in Jewish wedding photography is a rising trend that’s relevance is often debated. Some feel the more artistic shots are simply trendy. But if you have ever flipped through a wedding album in which the photos were done in a journalistic style, you can really see and feel the moment. Jewish weddings are truly unique and special occasions, and for the couple getting married, documentation is extremely important. Most couples want to look back at their wedding photos and relive that day.

Great wedding photography will help you remember not only what everything looked like, but what everything felt like. Tears, laughter, dancing, eating, smiling…all of these things make great photo-journalistic shots and give the viewer of the photo a great sense of what the day was like, without even having to be there. Professional photo-journalistic Jewish wedding photography will facilitate that feeling of reliving the moment by capturing emotions as well as the stunning visuals.

Here are some examples of Mendel Meyer’s Studios photo-journalistic wedding photography.

Mendel Meyers Studios: The Masters of Kosher Wedding Photography

Here at Mendel Meyers Studios, we pride ourselves on our superior Jewish wedding photography. We use our artistic vision and technical photography skills to create more than stadard wedding photographs. The goal is to craft timeless works of art that will be enjoyed and admired by future generations.

Every photographer at Mendel Meyers truly enjoys combining their passion for artistic photography with superior customer service. We strive to do all we can to make you completely satisfied with our services.

If you’re searching for a New York Jewish wedding photographer that will go above and beyond all expectations, Mendel Meyers Studios is sure to be exactly what you’re looking for.

Here are a few comments customers have shared that illustrate what Mendel Meyers can do for you:

Dear Mendel,

We can't thank you enough for the exquisite photos from Naomi and Dovid's wedding. Each photo looks like a portrait. We love them! You really made every person look their best - even our very overtired grandson who was not cooperating. Your calm demeanor really saved the day and made the picture-taking sessions a pleasant experience. we would highly recommend you to anyone making a simcha. Thank you for a job well done.
Sincerely
Hershy and Shani Schwebel


Mendel,
The pictures are really stunning, I think you outdid yourself..... you did a wonderful job! The workmanship is amazing, the pictures are so artistic and amazing. They are beautiful original shots. I must tell you that when i dealt with you i felt like i was dealing with family, I felt like that you really cared. You gave me good advice on other aspects of the wedding as well, the music etc. All very helpful and something you didn't have to do, but you did it because you care. You are pleasant, not pushy and just a pleasure to deal with. I would never use anyone else for our family Simchas.
Thanks for everything.
Bella Levin


The pictures are out of this world!!!
I had to look twice before I could recognize the hall and the stunning shots you took.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I was speechless!
Rabbi Nosson Blumes

Document Your Kosher Wedding With a Professional Photo Album

One of the most important and treasured keepsakes of a married couple is their wedding album.

The wedding album is very important in preserving your memories and sharing the details of your kosher wedding, big and small, with future generations. So it’s very important that the quality of your wedding album matches the professionalism of the photography. If you hire a good Jewish wedding photographer, your photos will be considered works of art, so you should put them in an equally artistic display like a professionally designed photo album.

At Mendel Meyers studios, we have a professional team of artists who are dedicated to taking your desires and ideas and turning them into dynamic, expressive, and artistic albums. We understand that album design is much more than just laying out photos in a scrapbook. The wedding album is something you anticipate to hand down throughout the generations. With that said, you want it to not only look amazing, but tell the story of the most important day of your life.

Please be sure to browse Mendel Meyers Studios’ large portfolio of previously done kosher wedding albums and see for yourself the magic of a beautifully designed wedding album.