The most fun photographing an event, whether a Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Wedding or other is is had at the party.  One can relax that the ceremony is over and celebrate!  I love to capture the celebratory action, emotion and fun as it occurs.  These always make the best pictures.   They require active searching and awareness and getting that "decisive moment" which reveals it all.

Getting married in the North End? I'm there!
One of my favorite Boston spots is the North End. Not only do I enjoy going for a day, having an espresso, cigar and then a nice bottle of red with amazing Italian food, but the atmosphere makes for terrific wedding photographs. The above was taken as the bride was entering her church guided by her father.

I have just launched a new website devoted specifically for my artwork. To view this new site click on: Boston photographer and artist Robert Castagna. All of my artwork is available at Rolly-Michaux Gallery located at 290 Dartmouth Street in Boston. A new exhibition of work will be opened on Friday November 14th at the gallery. Contact the gallery at 617.536.9898 for more information.

I love sunsets. I especially love candid moments . . . .

Photographing a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah involves two styles of photography. One is the traditional style which involves portraits within the temple and the other is candid, capturing the action during the party that follows. Both are fun. One can schedule the temple photographs for a weekday before the ceremony or simply do them on the day of the event. More often than not the Rabbi does not allow photography within the temple during the ceremony, however on occasion one can photograph the service using no flash while remaining unobtrusive in the back.

When it comes to posed pictures I like to let people be and create the look and feel that makes them feel comfortable. I'm happy to suggest and recommend locations, but the important aspect is to keep it natural and spontaneous. Children are terrific for this. At this Bat Mitzvah, Charlie the little brother struck a pose that says everything!

Photographing events is a joy, especially those of diversity. I recently photographed a Navjote ceremony, an initiation ceremony from the Zorastrian religion. You can find out more about this ceremony at Navjote. Although the ceremony itself is quite unique and beautiful, I was struck by the similarity of all religions. How many religions share an initiation ceremony for those entering the flock?

There is yet another perfect spot for weddings and that is the Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park. Full weddings or events can be done here. The inside provides a beautiful backdrop of art to celebrate the day with, while outside one can use the creativity of various artists to complement the wedding couple. In the above photograph I use Jim Dine's "Two Big Black Hearts".

There are many rules in photography and many of these rules are good to know for most circumstances. However one also needs to know when to break the rules. Often shooting in direct sunlight is a no-no. It causes glare, squinting and is just plain unpredictable. However when looking for artful and creative imagery I always use the sun. If I see an interesting play of light I go for it and place the bride and groom directly in it or in front of it and see what happens. Above we have the sunlight shooting through the backs of trees to stream down as heavenly light upon the couple. Below I put the sunlight behind the tree limb and increased my flash power to prevent silhouetting. The result, the couple is lit properly against a surreal setting of a late summer day light.