Phil Cantor Photography

A beautiful spring wedding

2009-06-13T10:53:00.003-05:00

Janet Lee and Robert Loree were married on Sunday, June 7 at the unique Crossed Keys Inn in Andover, New Jersey. Janet and Bob lucked out on the weather...it was definitely one of those rare days of absolutely perfect weather. The two doctors were surrounded by friends and families for a picture-perfect ceremony and party.

Graduation Spring

2009-05-20T10:42:00.000-05:00

My eldest son, Nate, graduated from Washington University in St. Louis on May 15, 2009. The ceremonies were moving and fun and the air was filled with youth, expectation, and possibilities. I made a slideshow that has captured the feeling of the day.

Tribeca Film Festival

2009-04-27T11:11:00.010-05:00

One of the benefits of living near New York is the proximity of cultural institutions. My son, Ethan, is an aficionado of movies, so this past weekend we went to the Tribeca Film Festival to see a new documentary called "The Burning Season." (http://www.theburningseasonmovie.com/). It is the story of a young Australian entrepreneur named Dorjee Sun who wants to establish a carbon trading scheme to save the rain forests around the world. After the movie, the entire audience was invited to a party where Ethan got to meet and chat with Dorjee.

While we were hanging around the movie theatre, we also game across the grand opening of "Rudo y Cursi" and their charismatic young stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, who also starred together in "Y Tu Mama, tambien" from a few years ago. Both Ethan and I are great fans of this movie the work of Alfonso and Carlos Cuaron who wrote or directed these movies.

Needless to say, Ethan was very happy.

Cantor debuts at Yankee Stadium

2009-03-21T11:28:00.005-05:00

For a baseball fan, Yankee Stadium is The Temple of Baseball. In fact, it is referred to as The Stadium. So, when I got called by graphic designer, Jeff Seaver (www.seaver.com) to shoot at the NEW Yankee Stadium, I thought I'd hit a home run!

The Stadium is grandiose. Limestone and marble with a MUCH larger than life feeling. There is nothing 'homey' about Yankee Stadium. Giant entry doors, a Great Hall with 3 story banners of Yankee legends. Chrome and steel everywhere. And, a brand-new Martini Bar!

My client fabricated and installed the majority of all the HANDRAILS in the stadium. I know it sounds mundane, but the hot-dipped galvanized pipes and the absolutely gorgeouse stainless steel rails keep fans moving safely up and down stairs and, more importantly, from falling on the field!

Jennifer Petracca and Doug Rothacker

2009-01-22T19:52:00.002-05:00

On December 20, Jen and Doug were married at St. Mary's Church in Pompton Lakes surrounded by a wall of giant indoor Christmas trees. The church and service were decorated for the holidays as well as for the wedding. Jen's nephew played a guitar solo during the service (as well as an amazing guitar riff at the party!). Speaking of the party, the reception was held at the Mayfair Farms in West Orange and it didn't take too long for the place to start rocking.

Inauguration 2009

2009-01-19T11:59:00.003-05:00

No matter what side you are on, the inauguration of Barack Obama is a new opportunity for our country to regain its stature in the world and in the hearts and minds of Americans. I am quite moved by this video of Pete Seeger, his grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, and Bruce Springsteen; Musicians of three generations with the Lincoln Memorial as a backdrop, singing "This Land is Our Land" on Sunday, January 18, 2009 as the Inauguration festivities begin.

Crossed Keys Inn on cover of NJ Bride Magazine

2009-01-15T23:06:00.002-05:00

The folks at Crossed Keys Inn in Andover, NJ must be really happy today. The latest issue of New Jersey Bride Magazine hit the stands with the Inn on its cover. There's an 18 page section on bridal fashion all shot at one of the premier places for outdoor and tented weddings in northern New Jersey. I know the place very well having shot there more than any other photographer and every where you look there is a great place to take wonderful photojournalistic and creative photographs.

I have to say that it is a great place to get married. In fact, Phil Leo, one of my Senior Photographers, was married there in 2007.

Judith and Tom, part deux

2009-01-07T01:11:00.001-05:00

Anne Becker and Joel Schwartzberg

2008-12-08T21:50:00.007-05:00

The historic Frenchtown Inn was the setting for the November wedding of Anne and Joel. Anne is a teacher at the Montclair Kimberley Academy and Joel is the Director of New Media at NOW, the long running program on PBS.

The Inn, next to the Delaware River in western New Jersey, was an intimate setting for their wedding as they were surrounded by their family and friends.

Towards the end of the evening, Joel's 9-year old son captivated the gathering with a toast to his father and his bride that was as well composed and as mature as any best-man's speech that this photographer has witnessed. On second thought, his speech was MORE mature than 75% of best-man speeches!

Tom Lonergan and Judith Russell

2008-12-08T20:20:00.015-05:00

In late November, two favorite people of mine got married at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Montclair, NJ. Tom is the Executive Director of the Montclair Business Improvement District (one the best run BID's in northern New Jersey) and Judith is a psychologist at Rikers Island.

I'm on the Board of Directors of the BID, so I am one of the many bosses Tom usually has to bow down to. But on his wedding day, Tom was the KING and Judith RULED!

Lots of BID folks were in attendance (see below), the dancing was wild, the food great, and the couple were gorgeous. Their party was held at The Atrium in West Orange, NJ.

Pete Seeger

2008-09-16T20:18:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, I was able to check off a portrait on my Life List. For a very long time, I have wanted to photograph Pete Seeger, one of America's greatest heroes. Born in 1919, he has been at the forefront of the peace movement, the environmental movement, the civil rights movement, and equal rights. Not to mention, he is considered one of the fathers of the Folk Song revival and he wrote, or co-wrote, "Where have all the flowers gone," "Guantanamera," "Turn, turn, turn," and "If I had a hammer."

New York State's Working Families Party is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on September 18 and they asked me to videotape a message from Pete, who would not be able to attend. Of course, I would take still portraits as well.

I had planned on taking my father along with me on this shoot, for no reason particularly, other than I thought they would get along. Sadly, my father died before I could set it up. So, I took my son, Ethan, and poetically, it balanced perfectly since Ethan is a budding filmmaker.

His home in Dutchess County is up a steep gravel road and reminded me of the many handbuilt homes of my friends in the Catskills. In fact, Pete and I talked a while about the mistakes we each made building our own homes. His homesite had a sweeping view of the Hudson River and one comes away knowing why he has spent three decades championing the cleanup of the River.

Pete Seeger is approachable and calm, dignified and contemplative. He has remained true to his mission to make a difference in the world.

Dan Cantor, Pete Seeger, and Phil Cantor
September 15, 2008

WFP-A Message from Pete Seeger from Ethan Cantor on Vimeo.

Two Good Ones in a Row

2008-07-21T15:27:00.003-05:00

My last two weddings were both at the Madison Hotel (I should have just booked a room!). On Saturday, July 12th, Jamie married Eric and on Sunday July 20, Stephanie married David. Despite being at the same venue each one was wonderfully unique.

Jamie and Eric had such a fun and interesting family-Eric's uncled married them- and it was such a treat photographing their energy.

____________________________

David and Stephanie's wedding had some incredible dancing, they can really move! It was a ton of fun, not to mention the Neil Diamond impersonator.

Alice Star Markham Cantor is Bat Mitzvah

2008-04-07T17:41:00.005-05:00

Alice was Bat Mitzvahed this past Saturday at the Prospect Park Picnic House in Brooklyn. She was poised and practiced and gave a marvelous speech about the meaning of biblical Esther.

The ceremony was wonderful: over 30 family members and friends spoke or read poetry. Cantor Doug Cotler, a cousin of Alice's, officiated on the guitar and Alice charmed everyone, including Doug, with her amazing voice.

-----------Oh yeah, Alice is this photographer's niece.

Sammy's Bar Mitzvah

2008-03-29T16:02:00.001-05:00

Sammy Mellman's Bar Mitzvah is March 29, 2008. He is the son of musician Bob Mellman and artist Janice Belove. I first met Sammy, not in my role as photographer, but rather as a baseball umpire for the town of Montclair. Unfortunately, Sammy struck out the first time he came to bat when I was behind the plate. The next time he hit a double. Not bad!

Congratulations to Sammy and the Mellman family.

Giclée: the ultimate in wall portraits

2008-03-24T12:14:00.003-05:00

I have added Giclée to the list of beautiful wall portraits that I offer and I want to take a moment to answer some questions about Giclée, which means "spray" in French.

What is distinctive about Giclée Printmaking?
My Giclée prints are extensively worked on to be more dramatic than a regular portrait. They can be in color, though, I often choose to convert them to a strong black and white. They are produced on heavy weight fine art papers which impart a rich look and feel that cannot be duplicated on standard resin-coated photographic papers.

Do Giclée Prints require any special care?
Just like any piece of fine art, they should be kept from direct sunlight, extreme heat or humidity. Classic gallery-style display, matted and glassed with a simple frame will provide protection with an elegant look. They may be hung without glass protection because we use DuraFiber, which provides a waterproof, scuff-free finish.

Why are Giclée prints more expensive than standard photo lab prints?
The Giclée process is time intensive and requires expensive museum quality paper and archival inks.

Matthew, Six Months Old

2008-02-25T18:56:00.004-05:00

Matthew has been to the studio twice to have his portrait taken as part of my BABY COLLECTION series of portraits. He came with his mom Rebecca and his dad, seen here, also named Matt. \

What a wonderful personality this little guy has. I love this portrait...there is something so "disneyesque" about it...it is both cold and hot at the same time.

2008-01-26T22:59:00.001-05:00

The talk in the wedding community is about the demise of Celebration Studios, one of the largest "factory" type wedding photography studios around. Their impending bankruptcy has left hundreds of brides without their proofs or albums or even, a photographer for their 2008 wedding.

The Montclair Times did an extensive story about Celebrations - http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=16603 - in which I am interviewed about how to avoid such an annoying outcome. I do think that all the 2007 brides will eventually get their pictures and all the 2008 brides will find a new photographer. Caveat Emptor.

Holiday Portraits: deck the halls with boughs of pixels

2007-12-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

What a great time of year...dinners cooking in the kitchen, leaves falling...we just need some snow to make it picture perfect. I've been making lots of wonderful portraits as people gather for the holidays.
Happy holidays!

Petography

2007-12-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

On a whim, I put a sign in the store window inviting folks to bring in their pets for a free photograph. First of all, I got lots of calls asking what the catch was. "I'm not kidding," I told the callers, "it's really free." When the day arrived, there was a line out the door of people and their pets. Denise Gebroe, who assists me is also a dog trainer and veterinary technician, and she was in charge of making the cats and dogs smile for the camera. It was so funny and silly and I look forward to doing it again. And, everyone got their free picture in the mail.

Norman Mailer, 1923-2007

2007-11-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

Norman Mailer died on Saturday, November 10. He was 84. I photographed him, quite by accident, at his home in Brooklyn Heights. It was an accident because I was on an assignment for Lord & Taylor. The department store was giving its annual Rose Award to Mailer and I was documenting his life. I had already photographed his friends George Plimpton, Milos Forman, and Yitzhak Perlman. I was at his brownstone to photograph his wife when he unexpectedly came home (it was all supposed to be a big surprise). I have no idea what Mailer thought, but he did not take much notice of me and went to his kitchen table and started ripping open the day's mail. I like to think he was looking for royalty checks.

Here is the obituary from the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/books/11mailer.html?ref=obituaries

Phil Leo marries (finally)

2007-09-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

My longtime friend and Senior photographer, Phil Leo, was married on September 23 to Amy Edelman. Phil, who has probably photographed over 200 weddings, was finally the groom. It was so much fun to be present at this momentous event, but also it was strange to be a photographer photographing a photographer. Even though Phil knows all my tricks and techniques, he still managed to ignore me and let me make beautiful pictures of his wedding day. Amy is the author of The Little Black Dress and the soon-to-be-released Manless in Montclair: How a Happily Married Woman Became a Widow Looking for Love in the Wilds of Suburbia

Bloomies "Pre-Wedding" Wedding Party!

2007-09-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

Getting married? Phil Cantor Photography is the exclusive photographer for Bloomingdale's Wedding Party. I am very excited about this event-- it should be a lot of fun, so stop by!

Bloomingdale's "Pre-Wedding" Wedding Party
When: Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, 6pm - 8pm
Where: Willowbrook store, The Registry, Level 3, Wayne, New Jersey

Interested? Here's some more info:
Join other couples for cocktails by Martini & Rossi, Bobbi Brown makeup consultations, and great goodie bags. Check out vendor representatives who can help you create the wedding of your dreams - Phil Cantor Photography (www.philcantor.com), Pink Cake Box Bakery (www.pinkcakebox.com), Craig Scott Entertainment (www.craigscott.com) and more! Register that night* and Bloomingdale's will donate $5 the help the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's fight against breast cancer. Think of it as partying with a purpose.
[*Qualifying registries only. To say "I do", please RSVP to 973.582.2600 or simply drop by to join the party. 6pm - 8pm, The Registry, Level 3.]

It's that time of year again!

2007-07-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

Mid- summer is a popular time to start getting senior portraits taken. Recently I have been working with high school seniors in the area. Some seniors simply missed out on their school pictures, and others just wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary.

Andrea, from Verona High wanted something natural to capture her peachy complexion and free spirit. We took all sorts of shots outside, it was a beautiful day and the light seemed to cooperate perfectly.

Oliver, from Montclair High brought his guitar along for the shoot. We took a walk down to the railroad tracks and kept the shoot casual. In the end it was tough choosing just one, they all came out so differently!

Shereen, from Paramus Catholic missed her senior picture day because she was traveling though Egypt. Shereen's adventurous spirit and warm brown eyes really captured the camera. Even though it started to rain, we made it work.

I had a blast in each session, we got some really wonderful pictures out of those spontaneous moments. Just look at these faces!

Ready, Aim, Fire

2007-05-08T13:31:00.000-05:00

After more than seven months of careful planning, the Montclair Police shoot finally took place yesterday. The project started almost by chance when I approached Police Chief Sabagh last fall with the idea of setting up a photo shoot to document the entire 2007 Montclair Police Department. The most recent photo of the entire department was taken in 1946, and Chief Sabagh agreed with me that it was time for a new one.

Roads blocked, newspaper coverage, and me commanding more than 100 officers with guns-- what more could I want in a photo shoot?

If interested, take a look at these articles from the Montclair Times and the Star Ledger:

Montclair Times

Star Ledger

Play ball!

2007-04-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

After the long winter, I was finally able to get back out onto the baseball field... no, not for my usual umpiring, but rather to take pictures for the Montclair Baseball Club. The weather was a bit cold, but we still managed to have a great time. Today we took the portraits, and in a few weeks it will be time for the action shots.