Andy Marcus has been shooting weddings since he was a teenager. Having learned the fine art of composition, lighting, and precision timing from his late father – acclaimed wedding and portrait photographer Fred Marcus – Andy now runs one of the top studios in the country. Over the years, the Fred Marcus Studio of New York has worked with celebrities including Donald and Ivanka Trump, Eddie Murphy, Mary Tyler Moore, LeBron James, Joey McIntyre, Yasmin Aga Kahn, Governor Mario Cuomo, Billy Baldwin, Chynna Phillips, Kelsey Grammer and countless other notables.
“Growing up with a father in the photography business was amazing training for me when I joined the studio full time,” recalls Andy Marcus. “ I never had any formal training in wedding photography myself because my dad, Fred Marcus, believed in learning on the job. Looking back, he could not have been more correct. From the young age of 13, I assisted my father on most weekends. Besides keeping me out of trouble while growing up in the Bronx, New York, it gave me my foundation for the basics of photography, lighting, posing, expression and communication. To this day, I still use the same lines my dad used to make people smile and react to the camera. In addition to my father, I learned lighting and schmoozing from several of his best photographers, taking this knowledge from one and that from another. As a result of these experiences, I grew as a photographer. My first day working at the studio my dad had me in a corner of the production area numbering negatives (remember those?) and proofs. I did this for two years. It was amazing training to see what work was good and what work could have been better. It took me years to understand why he had me do this, and today I realize I am a much better photographer for having had these experiences.”
“Our studio has been in business for three generations, 75 years this year, and our mission is to create relationships with customers that span generations, “ notes Marcus. “My son is now photographing the grandchildren of families whose grandparents my dad photographed.
I have been in “the business” since the age of 13. Essentially my father taught me by letting me watch and slowly absorb the correct ways to pose individuals and families. My first real camera was a Pentax Spotmatic that I used for my own personal photography. I loved taking pictures and enjoyed the process, back in the day, of developing the film and printing the photographs I had taken. I liked the smell of the chemicals in the darkroom and spent many hours learning how to print my images and make them look great. I would say I make my living in the portrait/photojournalism genre of this business but I love street photography and you can find me shooting on my days off on the streets of New York. I have also been an active member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) for as long as I have been in the business. I have entered images in competition and I am honored to have had some of the prints, and some of my albums, accepted for the PPA loan collection. I should also mention that I am a Lexar Elite Photographer as well as a Sigma Pro.”
“As far as equipment is concerned I use a Canon EOS 1D-X and Canon 5D Mark III for 80 percent of the work I do,” says Marcus. “I use a Fuji XT-1 for some more casual shoots, and I always use my Leica M9 and Leica M6 for my personal work, street photography and fine art photography. I now use Sigma lenses exclusively. I switched about a year ago because I like their build, their sturdiness and the amazing quality I get in my images especially from the Sigma Art Series lenses. I use everything from the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye to the wide aperture 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM. I also use ProFoto B1 Strobes to work with outdoors and when I don’t have easy access to plug-in power. It’s all about the right tool for the right job.”
“It’s also worth noting that I use the Lowel GL-1 Hot Light for situations where using flash would ordinarily create a totally different image. The GL-1 allows you to light precise areas of your subjects with a constant light that’s adjustable and focusable. I only use the newest, fastest Lexar CF and SD cards so I never miss a shot because the card can’t record fast enough. Lastly, everything is backed up on my Nexto Di portable hard drive. This is an indispensable addition to your kit to make sure you have all your images backed up and protected. Basically, I use equipment that I find reliable and never recommend equipment or items I use without personally liking them myself. I have tried a lot of different cameras, lenses, lighting systems and accessories, and it has taken years to come up with the ones that work and are consistently reliable.”
“If we have what can be called our special sauce it’s the consistency in what we do as a group,” concludes Andy Marcus. “When I have a bride or groom look at my work or a book made by any one of our photographers, the lighting, posing, expressions, and overall look of the books doesn’t vary in their essential character from one to the other—all are done in the Marcus style. We place a great emphasis on quality and customer service and achieving a balance between the underlying formal elements and the spontaneity of the actual event. In other words, it is neither a purely freewheeling casual style nor a stiff formal style, but something in between that captures the emotion and spirit of the wedding, and also the grandeur of the event. Each album is custom created and the finish and work we put into the photos are unique and extraordinary.”
“I think if I had a few wishes, one would be to be able to draw,” Marcus admits. “The fact I can’t draw very well has drawn me to photography and shown me a way to record what I see and preserve it for others to enjoy.
Creating photos at events that make people happy has always been my goal in this business. Today the bar for photographers is very low. Most have no grounding in lighting, posing, and exposure. Those that have worked with film needed to know what they were doing with those three disciplines to be successful. Of course, the greatest discipline of all is the ability to generate expressions from your subjects and let them, along with you as their photographer, have a great time interacting. This is why I truly love what I do. The greatest reward is having clients thank us for bringing all their memories of their special day back to life in the form of timeless images.”
This captures a magic moment and the fact that it was shot wide aperture focuses attention on the subject while providing a nice context. I’m usually not a big “tilt” person but here the tilt gives it a little extra dynamic that works very well. It’s nice to break the rules sometimes-:).
This is classic picture framing but the overall blueness of the ambient light takes it to another emotional level. I shot it with a Lowel GL-1 handheld focusable, giving a tungsten-balanced spotlight on the bride and groom while picking up blue light in room, which was coming from LED lights in the base of the columns, which had been set up by the lighting people at the wedding venue.
This is the total vintage look, and unless you look closely at the people’s mode of dress, it could have been taken in the 30s or 40s. The Plaza Hotel in New York provided the regal setting and I wanted to get an old world feel, so I converted the full-color image to black and white, As you can see from the body language and expressions this shot was also taken at just the right instant. Timing is extremely important in my business.
Having a good eye helps and placing the bride and groom under a curve of trees that echoes curve of the arch, with steps that literally lead the viewer up to the couple, was a nice pictorial touch. It’s a very cool image that also says something about us—we’re always looking for something different.
I also shot this picture of with the Lowel GL-1 light focused on the bride and groom to achieve subtle seamless illumination and the right color balance. The foreground drapery curtain on the left side and its pattern of sequins and light leads the eye to the main subject—which is a classic and timeless Orthodox Jewish wedding couple in a traditional pose.
To learn more about Andy Marcus and see more of his and the studio’s images please go to Fred Marcus Studio website: www.fredmarcus.com.
