Back in the 90’s, prior to finding my current passion and love for being a wedding photographer in Pennsylvania, I spent a lot of time traveling around the country chasing race car drivers, famous stars, and the prestige of photographing them.  Along this incredible journey I had the honor of meeting all of the heroes of my youth, in addition to some high-status stars.  One of the most deep and influential people I had the chance to cross paths with was Paul Newman.

Although Newman was a very generous man, and an actor who maintained a level of dignity and class that is still to this day rare in Hollywood; easy to get a hold of was one thing he was not.  Getting Paul to sit for me proved to be quite a challenge.  He had me pursue him in three states until we finally met in Milwaukee.

This photo shoot was different for me, and I suspect for him also.  I was polite and professional, as I am with every client.  I called him Mr. Newman, which I am sure made it obvious to him that I was not one of the Hollywood paparazzi shooters he must have frequently encountered.  I also did not have an army of assistants helping me to get the perfect shots, it was just me and the great philanthropist, one on one.

So there I stood, a little in awe, with one of the most well known stars in the world.  There were a million questions I could have asked, but I needed to stay focused on the task at hand . . . who knew how much of his time I was allowed.  My assignment was to get a portrait of him for RACER Magazine to accompany a story they were composing describing how racing has changed since 1969.  Mr. Newman had starred in a movie called Winning, playing a character who had won the 1969 Indy 500.  The portrait needed to look rough, like we were in a garage, the “grizzled veteran” type of thing with dramatic lights, etc.  You get the picture.  I scouted the space where we stood, and just as I had all the logistics worked out in my mind, and had mentally prepared myself; Paul said “No, I don’t like this.  Let’s go to my motor home”, and when he said motor home, he really meant mansion on wheels.

“Hmmm” I thought to myself “I’m in a bus with no light what do I do now?”  As a professional and experienced photographer, I know that you can never be too prepared.  In this line of work things never go as planned, so you have to be prepared to protect your good name, by having everything you could possibly need in any situation.

To say the least I was surprised by his choice, but not of course not shocked.  Perhaps Mr. Newman was not being difficult, but was challenging me, pushing me to be creative on his terms.  “Ok, here you go, take your shots” he said bluntly.  Nothing like a little pressure, right?  Keep in mind that this was before digital photography (remember film?) so unlike many “so called” photographers today, you had to know what you were doing.

“Mr. Newman, it is a little dark in here, can I turn on a light?”  “No” he said . . . strike one.  “If you don’t mind sir may I open one of these blinds a bit just for a little light?” I asked, “Just a little” he replied.

With that, I started to work with Paul Newman.  “How cool”, I thought to myself.  “I would like to work close with your eyes” I said “Yea they all do” he responded. Here I am, moving this superstar of film around, posing him, lighting him, and for a few minutes he worked with me.  “Hey, do ya have it?” he inquired,  “I got something” I replied.  “That’s all ya get.  Good luck!  Nice to meet ya”.  And with that, we were done.  I gathered my equipment, shook his hand, and within moments I was out the door.  Ten minutes of my life I will never forget.

The images turned out to be magnificent, and RACER magazine loved the photos!

I’m posting this today for various reasons.  I love to share tales of my career that illustrate some of the amazing places my passion has taken me, but more importantly it is always an honor to be able to pay tribute to someone who is selfless, and has done so much for others.  Throughout his life, in addition to winning numerous awards and national auto racing championships, Paul Newman founded a company with a sole purpose of donating all proceeds after taxes to various charities (which to this date has acquired over $250 million), assisted in founding the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy , donated to various scholarship funds, and partook in a multitude of other charitable acts.  Everything he did was done with integrity, honesty, and class, attributes that are rare gem in today’s society.

I can not share the images which were used for the story, but I can show these out takes.  I think he did like me?  Thank you Mr. Newman.

www.kevinyorkphotography.com

Matt and Faye’s wedding was everything everyone imagined.  A spectacular and magical event for an amazing couple, who were an absolute pleasure to work with.  My deepest thanks to all of the professionals with whom I had the honor of working with on May 23, 2010 that helped to make this day come alive, and allowed for me to capture the images you see here.

Special thanks certainly go to the team at Events at I.S.M. as well as Eclatante for making the day extraordinary. One more thank you is in order to my team of Jenn Childress and Joe Bleiler who did an outstanding job!

Good luck to the newlyweds in your new life together as husband and wife.

-Kevin

Priya & Marcello, your wedding was certainly a gorgeous day, and I hope all of your days can be that wonderful.  I wish you all the best!

Thanks for the great sandwich , a good time and some excellent photos. I can’t wait until Sunday

From time to time I am asked if I have ever had the opportunity to photograph at Villanova University Chapel ? The answer is Yes!

This is the wedding of Jessica & Ryan back in December 2009 . The reason I posted this is two fold. First,I’m in the middle of designing the album now. Looking back at the images brought back memories. We had so much fun at this wedding and it is Villanova, so it’s a good excuse to post. Second, many brides are now booking fall weddings when the light is not as plentiful as it is today. They are worried about the “light” and for good reason when sunset is 4:30pm . No worries ladies this why you hire me a Professional wedding photographer. Someone who understands and takes advantage of the opportunities a short day can give. It also doesn’t hurt to have beautiful weather in December.

Please take some time to enjoy the wonderful day we all had. My best wishes and good luck to Jessica & Ryan !

A few weeks ago I had attended the Fresh event at the Elkins Estate . As I mingled around the venue I ran into Brian Toner  from Eventions Productions.  Brian is one of the top lighting/production event specialists in Philadelphia.  “Hey Brian how’s it going”? “Good” he said. “So what’s hot these days” I said . “Well, I have this gig at Villanova I’m doing lighting for a concert. The band is The Fray and they are very popular, would you like to take some photographs of them and of my set-up for me?”  I said “Sure sounds like fun!”

I  like to think of myself as all “hip and cool”,  but I guess not so much anymore as I had never heard of The Fray.  So I go out to shoot the band and I had a blast! The Fray are really good and the opening act – Steel Train – is a group from New Jersey, and they were great too.

Thanks Brian for giving me the opportunity to be a part of something so cool, even if I’m not. 

Susan is a great artist she has an eye for photography as well as graphic design . My Image / brand is totally a result of Susan’s talent and expertise. I rely very much on Susan to give my business a professional and creative image. She and her staff are always there when I need them, they are the best. I can only say to anyone reading this looking for Branding/Image consulting, graphic art, holiday/gift cards and some very cool family/children photography that you check out Susan at www.Silverboxcreative.com

Here are examples of some of the work she has done for me over the last year .

Thanks Susan you are the Best!

A few weeks ago I received a random, and somewhat frantic call from my good buddy Craig Sumsky from Cutting Edge Entertainment .

“Kevin… Dude… I just got off the phone with the couple from the Love of a Lifetime wedding, and I’m going to need your help!”

If you know Craig, or read his blog,  you know he always has these crazy half-cocked creative ideas, and although I never know what he’s going to come up with next,  I can always count on him for it to be some sort of adventure, and better yet, a great photo opportunity.  Whether shooting his staff, traveling to New York City to photograph Rock & Roll legends or simply photographing him doing burnouts in his work vans, it’s always something interesting.  I have to admit, I love to work like that.

This time, his idea was just as ingenious as ever, and as I said before, I’m always up for the new and exciting.  He explained the concept to me and I was all for it.  About six months ago, Craig and Pedro built a Rock Band room over at their DJ studio, and I’ve been telling him ever since how it would make for a great photo shoot.  When Craig told me to bring my camera, I knew exactly what he had in mind.

So the meeting was called for 4:00 on Sunday night, and we sat and discussed some wedding plans with Matt and Faye.  The conversation went from wedding plans, to celebrities we had all met, to how Matt and Faye had attained somewhat of a celebrity status from all the press they’d been receiving.  I’d met the couple before, but this was Craig’s first time making their acquaintance… and as usual he had all of us laughing and having fun in no time.

After the meeting (over sushi), we headed back to Cutting Edge, and Craig’s like “So who wants to be a Beatle?”  We jammed out for this photo shoot, and Faye even grabbed my camera and took a few shots as well.  Faye said she fancied herself a rock star, and Craig delivered.  As you can see from the photos we all had a great time, and I even scored 99% on vocals (Oh yeah baby)!!!  It really was a blast.

-Kevin

I have had the good fortune to be one of the first photographers to be invited to photograph what may be the most unique and beautiful venue for weddings and events in the Philadelphia area… The Elkins Estate.

When I stumbled upon Elkins last April,  I was stunned by it’s stately magnificence. Wendy Young was my first friend at Elkins, and she then introduced me to David Dobson and the charming Amy Ragsdale.  David – the director and owner – took some time out of his busy schedule to meet with me in order to explain what his vision was for the Estate, and looking at it today, he had certainly achieved that vision.  It’s quite remarkable to have been witness to the incredible transformation of this elegant and beautiful mansion.  I really enjoyed the chance to capture the grandeur of this Estate in photographs, and contribute to it’s legacy as a part of Philadelphia’s history.

Here are a few of my favorite images from my first year at The Elkins Estate. Thank you to David, Wendy, Anessa, Lindsay, Melissa and Amy for all of your hard work and dedication.  I’m glad to have been a part of this venture, and look forward to the future of The Elkins Estate.

-Kevin

www.elkinsestate.org