About Us
Phil Cantor's Approach to Wedding Photography
The laughter, the tears, even the occasional OOPS! It's the candid moments that make your wedding special. Every wedding is a singular event, with its own style and emotion. Photography plays a significant role in a family's history. Long after the experience is over, these photographs will remain as evidence that families came together on a particular day for a very special occasion.
The Wedding Podcast Network calls Phil Cantor “one of the most influential wedding photographers in New Jersey-New York area.”
By blending the eye of a photojournalist with techniques developed in serving the most demanding corporate clients, Phil Cantor is one of the most sought-after contemporary wedding photographers in New Jersey, New York and beyond.
Phil Cantor's Approach to Portrait Photography
Isn't it amazing how fast time flies? Portraits can stop time.
One second they're toddlers, the next minute they're in the school play. Turn around and they're leaving for college.
They grow up so fast, don't they. We try to hold onto those memories of childhood as long as possible. Professional family portraits are one of the best ways to assure that those memories are captured forever.
About the Creative Wedding Photographers
Phil Cantor
Name a dozen major companies. Chances are Phil Cantor has worked for them — executive portraits, annual reports, magazine stories. Fascinating assignments, wonderful images.
When Phil added wedding photography to his resume, work that he expected would offer little opportunity for creativity turned out to be just the opposite.
“I get to do what I love to do,” he says. “Weddings fit perfectly with my personality and my photographic approach, and I especially enjoy being with people on a day in their lives when they're incredibly happy.”
Phil's candid style, marked by dynamic composition and a photojournalist's eye, is the result of over 20 years as a professional photographer. Noted for his singular corporate images, Phil began photographing weddings ten years ago. “All my work has been concerned with real people and real locations,” he says, “and weddings are frankly much more satisfying than corporate photography.”
Phil notes that as a corporate and industrial photographer he had to overcome the challenge of less than ideal locations and other obstacles in order to produce top-notch photographs. Weddings are a lot more enjoyable: “It's much nicer working with people who want to smile and laugh rather than with CEOs who can barely spare ten minutes for their portrait.
“When I photograph a wedding I get to picture people at their best, enjoying themselves in great looking locations. There's incredible energy and dynamics in those rooms.
“What could be better than that?”
Phil is active in the photographic community. He has conducted seminars for the bridal industry and writes for photo industry publications. He has served as the president of SWAN (the Self-Employed Writers and Artists Network) and as a member of the Board of Directors of ASMP (the American Society of Media Photographers, New York City chapter). In his free time Phil is the webmaster of the Eagle Rock Reservation Conservancy and he serves on the advisory board of the Montclair Business Improvement District. In the summer months, Phil is an umpire for youth baseball for the Township of Montclair.
Alex Brazil
Nearly ten years ago Alex came to New York from Rio de Janeiro for one of the best reasons: to be an artist.
“I was doing general assignment work for a magazine in Rio,” Alex says, “and I fell in love with the way a camera allows me to tell a story.”
He added wedding photography to his repertoire eight years ago, finding that he could draw on his experience as a photojournalist. “I see weddings as an extension of photojournalism: The photographer must have the ability to be spontaneous, to anticipate and to capture the moment.”
“And for weddings, I'm privileged to photograph people looking their best on one of the most wonderful days of their lives.”
Alex feels that a vital part of photography is curiosity. A photographer, he believes, must always be open to new experiences and have a life-long love of learning. “One of the wonderful aspects of wedding photography is the chance for me to meet new people, visit new places, and learn about different cultures.”
He was selected to be a participant at the prestigious Missouri Photo Workshop sponsored by the University of Missouri, Nikon, and Fuji and the Eddie Adams Workshop. Both workshops focus on fostering the craft and art of photojournalism. And, his work is in the collection of the Newark Public Library.
David Frank
David Frank has a degree in journalism and 15 years of professional newspaper experience. He is a photojournalist in the truest sense of the term. He has worked as a contributing photographer to The New York Times and as a staff photographer for The Record (Bergen Co., New Jersey), Herald News, The Courier News and the Jersey Journal. As a photo editor, in fact, he helped oversee award-winning coverage of the events of September 11th.
“Weddings are perfect for me, ” says Dave, “ I can bring the full benefit of my years in journalism to telling the story of a wedding day with all its ritual, poignancy, and emotion.”Dave is a master at capturing incredible moments and turning them into mini-masterpieces in his viewfinder. “It all comes together for me when the emotions are high, the light is beautiful, and the environment is stunning,” adds Dave.
When he's not taking pictures, he rides for a competitive cycling team.
Phil Leo
“My wedding photography tends to be cinematic,” Phil Leo says of his photographs of peak moments of motion and emotion. Indeed, he often uses the three-shot technique of motion pictures: an establishing shot to set the scene, a medium shot to depict interaction and a close-up to reveal details.
It's Phil's ability to capture candid, telling moments — he calls it “catching the magic as it's happening” — that sets his work apart. That, plus his skill at getting close to the action while never interfering with it.
“I've been photographing weddings for years,” says Phil, whose photographic background includes editorial and corporate photography. “One of the reasons I wanted to do them was because whenever I used to go to weddings as a guest I would see so many great moments that the photographers seemed to miss.
Phil feels that a vital part of his work is establishing a rapport with the participants. “I like to get to know the bride and groom. I ask them questions-how they met, what are their careers, their interests. When I know them, it helps me do a better job. And they see me as someone they know — I'm not just a stranger who is there to take pictures.”
“I know how important wedding photographs are to families, and it's incredibly satisfying for me to be a part of such an important day,” Phil says. “The photographs I make become a part of the lives of the bride and groom, a part of their family history. And I also enjoy being there — a wedding is basically an incredibly fun party.”