Jason Walz Photography

NYC Engagement Shoot

2011-05-20T13:44:00.000-04:00

Jung Moon & David opted for an urban engagement shoot as a counterpoint to their upcoming country wedding. We had a great time and perfect weather photographing in the meatpacking district last weekend. Can't wait to document your wedding, guys!

Muse Series II

2011-04-07T17:25:00.000-04:00

I was grateful to capture this image at a lovely wedding that my wife, Bia Sampaio, documented recently. It is an amazing treat when we are able to work together.

Winter Distractions

2011-03-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Wishing this winter would end and recalling all the fun and warmth from last summer's wedding of my good friends, Rachel & Tyler.

Muse Series I

2011-02-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

In the digital age, it is very easy to forget to pause and reflect, and to get swept up by the speed and volume of digital media. And, although telling the visual story of a wedding may require a number of images, it is very important for the photographer and client to recognize and appreciate single extraordinary moments. With this in mind, I intend to begin posting single images from time to time. This recent photograph captures a moment of grace and beauty that is often in my thoughts.

Book Excerpts

2010-12-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some layouts from the "getting ready" portion of an album I'm currently designing and in love with.

Allison & Sanjay

2010-10-18T15:15:00.000-04:00

After their guest list began to spiral out of control, Allison and Sanjay reversed tack and decided to have a family-only wedding on the beach in East Hampton, far from their original New York City location. The seven lucky attendees were treated to perfect weather, delicious local seafood, a beautiful sunset, and a bonfire to keep cozy while sipping champagne into the night. It doesn't get much more intimate than this!

Dress: Nicole Miller

Caterer: Food For Forks

The Knot NY Fall/Winter

2010-08-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

The Knot New York fall/winter issue is hot off the presses and I have the beautiful wedding of Kathleen & Rainer featured. Kathleen was absolutely stunning in her Oscar de la Renta gown while Rainer was debonaire in his Ermenegildo Zegna tux. From their attire to the flowers, cake, and other details, their East Hampton wedding was a definition of "modern classic". I am so thrilled to be currently working on their album and look forward to posting more images soon!

Mary & David

2010-06-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

I love photographing events when everything falls into place organically. Things really clicked on interviewing with Mary during her photography search. She had a perfect mix of good taste and fun sensibility, so I was excited when she decided to book me. Over the following months, I became more and more impressed with Mary's ability to plan her event while living abroad, all the while hurdling any bumps with a wink-and-a-smile attitude.

Mary and David's wedding last month had exactly the same spirit. The details she put together became exquisite backdrops for their celebration, complementing them rather than being fussy, and permitting the couple to be the stars of the day. Mary & David, it was a joy to witness your event. All the best to you!

Dress: Vera Wang
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Event & Floral Design: Hatch Creative Studio

Venue: The Glass Houses
Caterer: Creative Edge Parties
Cake: Cheryl Kleinman Cakes
DJ: DJ Aaron

Kelly & Eric Featured On Style Me Pretty

2010-04-19T11:53:00.000-04:00

Kelly & Eric's amazing wedding, which I shot in February, is currently being featured on the incredible blog Style Me Pretty. Please have a look!

Karen & Frank

2010-04-15T12:28:00.001-04:00

My good friends, and fellow photographers, Karen & Frank had a wonderful wedding which was featured recently in New York Weddings and is right now on the blog Once Wed. Many of my images were selected for the entry, along with those of our other photographer friends who were in attendance. Karen and Frank's wedding was truly inspiring! It was full of such amazing personal touches, most of which were created or culled by the couple themselves.

Above is a selection of some of my favorite images. But, don't forget to check out the link above for Once Wed.

Mini Book Promotion

2010-04-05T15:40:00.000-04:00

FOR A LIMITED TIME, I am including one 5”x5” mini album free of charge for any wedding photography package booked*. These albums are super special and will be provided along with the disc of high resolution images just a few weeks after each wedding. As for details, the mini albums are custom designed, fabricated by hand in-house, and include 26 pages of my favorite photographs from each client's wedding. They are completely archival and an amazing keepsake. And, besides inspiring jealousy and awe, they are a $500 value!

* bookings must be made by July 4,2010

Photography Gift Registry

2010-03-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

In these challenging financial times, I've been trying to find a way to offer the most I can at reasonable prices. That said, it is impossible to photograph at bargain basement rates without sacrificing quality and essential services. And, I've made a promise to myself not to lower my standards just to book weddings. One idea that I've come up with recently is to offer a gift registry for photography – wedding invitees can purchase gift certificates to offset the cost of photography services. I'm even happy "cashing back" any gift certificates to the bride and groom so that in the end they are reimbursed any portion of my booking fees. Some day, I hope a group of invitees makes my fee totally free to my clients. That would be amazing!

Photobooths rock

2010-03-09T09:41:00.001-05:00

I often get the question from clients, "can you set up a portrait station at my wedding?" Although it is possible (I can bring an additional photographer, lights, backdrop and printer), I always suggest booking a photobooth company, especially one which uses vintage machines that print real, not digital, photo strips.

There are a couple of reasons for this. My business is primarily focused on the storytelling part of the wedding, while photobooth companies specifically operate portrait stations – we are different types of vendors with different focuses. Also, the beauty of a real photobooth is that users enter a private area, and, being hidden, become completely un-self-conscious. This results in the funnest and funniest images. A bit of proof? The photostrips of Bia and I from Abby & Gabe's New Year's Eve Wedding (posted above).

As for vintage vs. digital photobooths, I really love the look and feel of vintage prints. That said, only companies that run digital photobooths can provide the digital images on disc at the end of the night, which is pretty sweet. And, I surmise that digital equipment is more reliable, so it is a bit of a toss up.

Hamptons, here we come....

2010-03-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

Well, sometime soon anyway. I was happy to come across this image from a recent Hamptons wedding I am printing, because it made me realize that winter will not last forever!

I love photographing weddings in the Hamptons, and my wife Bia (www.biasampaio.com) and I have had many opportunities to work together and separately on weddings there. So, when each of our businesses was chosen recently to be featured in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book, we were excited to be able to focus even more on that region.

For those unfamiliar with Style Me Pretty, it is one of the top wedding blogs and has become an essential planning tool for weddings. Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book is "a highly edited collection of wedding service providers – from mom and pop boutiques to A-Listers. Bottom line, these vendors are the best of the best." You can see my listing at http://www.stylemepretty.com/little-black-book/new-york/the-hamptons/photography.

Let the beachy emails start flooding in!!!

Looking Forward

2010-02-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

Despite many high points, 2009 was a challenging year so when the clock rolled over, I decided to cash in my karma piggybank for 2010. So far, so good. Two weekends ago I photographed a super sweet wedding at Angel Orensanz and a bunch of the images look straight out of an advertising campaign -- the bride was that beautiful! And, just yesterday, I found out that I will be photographing a top secret wedding this fall with my mentor, past employer, and friend, John Dolan (www.johndolan.com). It has been several years since we've worked together, so I am very excited. I'm always blown away by the magic he creates and the inspiration he generates.

A Birthday To Remember

2010-02-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned Sofia Crokos' appearance on The Knot Live. If you haven't checked out the interview, make sure to do so and you'll see many of beautiful weddings she has planned. What you won't see, however, is an amazing event that I photographed for her last year (seen above in Casa Vogue) – her own birthday party! Sofia somehow planned the party in her spare time in just a couple of weeks. I was honored to cover the event for her, to be a guest, and to be among many of the luminaries from the wedding industry that are her friends. That said, there was narry a talk about work, and it was great seeing how much fun was had by all. Business definitely was left back at the office!

Planner: Sofia Crokos, of course
Photographer: Duh...
Venue: Glasshouses
Caterer: Creative Edge Parties
Floral Design: Emily Weaver Pinon, Chestnut In The Tuilieries
Cake: Ron Ben Israel
DJ: Shiran Nicholson
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

News Flash: The Knot

2010-02-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

Currently, one of my images is featured in The Knot New York's Spring/Summer 2010 issue (see above). This photograph is from the wedding of Kathleen & Rainer. Be prepared for more to come – they had a beautiful wedding in the Hamptons this past fall.

In other news, a different image of mine will be featured today on The Knot Live during an interview with special guest, and brilliant event planner, Sofia Crokos. Tune in at 1pm to http://wedding.theknot.com/special-wedding-features/the-knot-live.aspx?cm_sp=TK_Home_Page-_-Main-_-20100217 or watch it later at the same link. Go Sofia!!!

New Years Eve!!!

2010-02-10T15:11:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a very happy 2010, with this, my first blog post, and some images from Abby & Gabe's wonderful New Year's Eve Wedding at Cipriani. Super congratulations Abby & Gabe!!!