It's the most wonderful time of the year.... to get engaged!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays and Happy Engagements!

Did you know that approximately 25% of all new engagements happen between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day? That is why, for the next couple of days your social media will be filled with posts of wonderful announcements of engagements from your family and friends. Many consider this time of year wondering, as the song goes, and couples believe that it is a perfect time to get engaged. Why not, it is a beautiful time of year with well decorated homes and sparkling lights and the homemade holiday aromas. All of this make for fond memories of how they started their journey together. It is also a special time to spend with family, making i an engagement wonderful news to give to their loved ones.

If you happen to be one of the lucky couples that are getting engaged, congratulations! We are available to answer any questions you may have regarding your wedding photography. If someone important to you becomes engaged please consider recommending us for photography. We just want an opportunity to make them part of our family on their wedding day.

What are bridal portraits?

Bridals are portrait sessions that are done prior to your wedding day. They focus on the bride, her dress, accessories and other details. Many brides use these sessions as a run through or "dress rehearsal" for their wedding day.  Let's take a look at some of the benefits of having these types of sessions, realize that the most important benefit is stress reduction. 

As I mentioned before, brides tend to use these sessions as their dress rehearsal for their wedding day. I recommend that you do your hair and makeup, the same way, it will look on your wedding day. When you couple that with other details, such as shoes and accessories, you will know exactly how you are going to look on your special day. Brides find this comforting! 

Next, the session takes about 2-3 hours. You will be moving around in your gown for the first time.. Standing, walking, and sitting, all will highlight any adjustments that could be made to make your gown better. We recommend that you have a seamstress at the session for at least part of the time, if possible. They will know if your dress needs any further alterations and can make the exact improvements to your dress.  

The final reason that you will be less stressed, is that you will have the comfort of knowing that you already have some amazingly beautiful portraits.  You have already taken formal portraits and they are out of the way . Guess what! You do not have to think about them on the morning of your wedding, a huge relief. Instead you can take a deep breathe and be ready to capture some great candid images with your bridal party. 

I believe that there are two more reasons why you might want to do a Bridal Portrait Session. During the session, we have the opportunity to shoot at locations that we might not have time for on your wedding day. It gives us more flexibility to change scenery and backgrounds. We can shoot at several locations if you wish. We can arrange for a time of day that gives us beautiful lighting to create awesome memories. The second reason is that you will have some images that you could give as gifts to your family on your wedding day. Finally, the images can be turned into some creative keepsakes to remember your wedding. 

I hope that you will consider this type of shoot, realizing how beneficial they are to the bride! We would love the opportunity to capture your memories. At Spindle City Studio, we promise to treat you like family.

SCS Making a difference in the Community

I received a wonderful thank you note from the Cohoes Youth Advisory Board, the other day for the Murder Mystery. Also, this weekend was very busy for us. But we had the honor of providing photographic memories at the 20th Annual One Hope Ball at the Albany Marriott.

Congrats Rachel & Dave

Last night  I met with a wonderful couple, Rachel and Dave, who will be married in August 2017. I had a meeting before, both meeting were at one of my favorite meeting spots. There was an hour wait between the end of the first meeting and the start of the second. I was sitting there, totally prepared and not having much to do, so I started thinking about my thoughts on meeting with potential new clients. 

The thoughts revolved mostly around how it feels for me. Each time I meet with people for photography, it is much like a first date. I know that they are meeting me, so they like my work. But just like a first date, photographing people is about developing the relationship with them so you put them at ease. Since photographing, in particular,  a weddings is a very intimate experience for the two individuals. Making a great first impression is very important. I have to remember that I may be photographing people who particularly may not like to be photographed! They need to feel comfortable with me. 

I learned that Rachel was referred to me, so I am sure that some of the uncertainty that a couple feels was lessen for them. As they were ready to sign the contract and make a deposit, Rachael said to Dave, "it seems like it is getting real now!" So I'm sure that they were experiencing similar feeling as me before our meeting. 

I love doing weddings and meeting couple like Rachel and Dave because being part of their special day is truly an honor for me. The whole process is a wonderful journey. In many ways, my camera and I have a front row seat to witness the start of their marriage. We would like to congratulate them and welcome them, like family. 

The Mysterious Death of Mr. Adler (Part Two)

A night that started out with so much promise, ended with a murder and an arrest. People gathered at the Cohoes Music Hall for the opening reception of a new variety show staring Miss Evelyn Fahlett. The evening was cut short by a screaming Ms. Fahlett, after she discovering a body.   

Early, a source close to the investigation confirmed that a murder was committed at the Cohoes Music Hall. The source also reported that an individual was arrested at approximating 8:30 pm, only one hour after the discovery of the body. Later, the police confirmed what had happened in a brief statement. 

According to the police, at 7:30 PM the body of Mr. Adler was discovered at the bottom of the stairs, by the box office. Six suspects were identified quickly, due to the leads provided to the them by the community. Since there was two detectives attending the opening, due to fears of mob activity, the building was locked down and no one was allowed to leave. After careful consideration of the clues an alleged suspect was arrested for this horrific crime. According to the statement, detectives Eliza Goodwin and Robert Avery Jr. made the arrest by the stage of this historic music hall. 

Francine Allen PhD. was arrested on 1st Degree murder charges. Allegedly, she struck Mr Alder in the head with a billy club.  The police credited the quick arrest to  "the assistance of over 80 members of the community." Around 10 PM , the Mayor released the following statement "there is no reason to believe that there is any threat to the great Citizens of Cohoes." The End.

Now in all seriousness, Spindle City Studio was honored to donate time to the Cohoes Youth Advisory Board in providing them with images for this murder mystery. I am posting a few images from the evening here, additional images can be found on my Facebook page @CharlesMosseyPhotography.

The Crime Scene!

The suspects

The hunt for clues.

The Mysterious Murder of Mr. Adler photo shoot!

On Columbus Day, we took promotional photographs for an up upcoming show at the Cohoes Music Hall. The Mysterious Murder of Mr. Adler, this Murder Mystery event is October 27 at 6:30PM I have been editing the images this week. I hope to offer a peek at them as soon as they are posted to the event page. The event is produced by the Cohoes Youth Advisory Board, in cooperation with the City of Cohoes, Cohoes Music Hall and the Palace Theater.  The event is free to the public and still has a limited number of spots available for this 1920 themed event.  If you are interested in this event go to the Facebook event page: The Mysterious Murder of Mr. Adler.  

2016 JDRF Family Picnic

9/19/16

We were please to bring smiles to children and families suffering with Type 1D in Halfmoon, NY. Charles Mossey Photography partnered with JDRF Northeastern NY last October. We look forward to finishing the year strong with them. We will have a photo booth at the Saratoga Walk and will provide event photography at their One Hope Ball later this year.

Image provided by JDRF Northeastern New York.

Announcing New Wedding Packages

We have redesigned our wedding packages! We have new additions for 2017 weddings, our Signature Collections, revolve around the 8 hour wedding and offer different options. We also added a Weekend Wedding Package that includes 24 hours of coverage over the course of 3 days. We still offer options for our smaller wedding clients. Customize packages can also be created, by scheduling a free consultation to create your perfect package! Please visit our website for details www.charlesmosseyphotography.com

Creative Ideas for First Look Wedding Photos.

I came across this online article from Brit+Co named 13 creative First Look Ideas for Your Wedding, I thought that I would share them with you. With a little help, most of these ideas work even if the bride and groom do not want to see each other before the ceremony. The images they post are spectacular and would be a great image to have in your wedding album.

The 13 Creative First Look Ideas are:

1. Hand Holding
2. Shoulder Tap
3. Back to Back
4. Dad and Daughter, not limited to the father, can work with a special loved one.
5. Staircase Descent
6. Turn the Knob
7. Open Door
8. Blindfolded
9. Going Up with the use of two elevators
10. Covered eyes with the help of the Best Man and Maid of Honor
11. Beaming Bridesmaids
12. Bunch of Balloons
13. The Long Hallway

Here is the link if anyone would like to read more or look at the outstanding Images: http://www.brit.co/first-look-wedding-photo-ideas/

Super Summer Savings almost over!

The last days of summer, means that our Super Summer Saving is coming to an end!  We have offered our best packages at our best pricing to jump start the 2017 Wedding Season.  We are extending this offer for one more week, you now have to Saturday September 10, 2016 to lock into these deals.

20% off all wedding packages and options with a free upgrade to a photo booth included on  all packages.

All packages include:
DVD or USB drive with High & Low Resolution Images with Print and Social Media Releases
Complete set 4x6 prints
Online Gallery for viewing and ordering by Guests
Photographer and an Assistant
Engagement Shoot with Complimentary Portrait

Please visit our Website for more details: www.charlesmosseyphotography.com

Unfortunately, after these deals expire so does the current pricing structure for our plans. We have created new plans that will take the place of the 2016 plans starting on September 11, 2016. The biggest change people will notice is that we will no longer include High Resolution Images in our plans. We will offer them for an additional charge going forward.  

Hope that the end of summer will bring you great memories. Also I hope that you will allow us to capture the memories at your wedding.

Chuck

Past Blog posts

August 9, 2016: This is that time of year that we look forward to, it is hard to believe that another year has has pasted so quickly. Spindle City Studio is returning to Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock for a 4th year.  This camp has a special place in our hearts! Camp DH, as it is affectionately called, is a week long camp for children with Juvenile Arthritis and other inflammatory diseases .It is located in beautiful Fairlee VT on one of the two wonderful lakes.  Chuck Mossey and his daughter Rachael document all of the activities and events at the camp. They produce a professional slideshow presentation for the families to view, when the children are being picked up. Later each family receives their own personal copy on DVD. This year Spindle City Studio will also provide a photo booth for the big dance on Thursday night. Although the days are long, it is a time for us to disconnect, unwind, reboot and become energized for the rest of the year. 

July 8, 2016: Excited to be part of the 7th annual A-Town Rumble all this weekend! We are providing professional scooter/scooterist photos and people can also receive a commemorative photo booth images for donations to JDRF. Bringing Type One to Type None!

On June 6, 2016 Spindle City Studio by Charles Mossey Photography was please to shoot the 16th Annual Hoffman Car Wash Jiffy Lube Golf Classic at Saratoga National Golf Club.  We are proud of our partnership with several organizations including JDRF of Northeastern NY Chapter. We have another event with them next week at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga NY.   

May 31, 2016

Charles Mossey Photography will have several framed photographic art pieces at the Cohoes Artist Showcase. This year the showcase will be at the Cohoes Music Hall on Saturday June 11th (10:00 AM-5:00 PM,) with a Reception 6 PM to 8 PM, and Sunday June 12th (Noon to 5 PM.)  The show is comprised of 25 local artists. This will be the third showcase that we have participated with the Choose Cohoes for Arts committee. I am hoping that all of you are able to attend and support our local artist.