RF Wedding of the Week: Photographer/Editor Kristi Drago-Price Captures Autumn Love

October 8, 2014

By Jessica Gordon

Many East Coasters savor the change of seasons, particularly fall, when cooler air starts to rush in and the leaves begin turning colors from green to lovely golden yellows and oranges.

Couple Nora and Anthony couldn’t wait to get married during autumn at the Three Village Inn on the north shore of Long Island in Stony Brook, New York.

“Growing up nearby, the bride knew the Inn (originally built in 1735) would be especially beautiful at that time of year,” recounts their wedding photographer, Kristi Drago-Price, who is also the former photo editor of BRIDES magazine and the current creator behind Editor’s Edge consulting services for editorial and wedding photographers.

 

 

“As a former magazine editor, it is not only engrained in me to capture the details but—for my photography—to also visually coordinate with the design of the day,” says Drago-Price. “We were lucky to have a warm fall day that accented the surrounding colors. The sun was still high after the ceremony, which was fine for family and bridal party portraits. Waiting a few hours (into the reception) I was able to pull the bride and groom out across the street when the sun was just right. Backlighting the couple against the autumnal scenery was exactly what I needed to reinforce the color palette and evoke an ethereal quality.”

Drago-Price continues: “I am very much drawn to family bonds and emotions in my work—the nervous face before a father walks his daughter down the aisle, the laughter during a speech or the shyness of a child. At this wedding the bride had a special dance with her grandmother…personally I have fond memories of my grandmother’s hands; how soft, fragile and wise they were. When I saw this shot I couldn’t control myself and jumped in as close as I could to capture those hands.”

Like bride Nora, Drago-Price fell in love with the colors and tones of the day, all complementing the time of year. “Combining pale nudes with deep fall rusts, Nancy Munch of Open House Country Flowers [in Stony Brook] designed floral arrangements that perfectly matched the ease of the Inn, the colors of fall and the Bride’s DIY spirit. A family member hand cut slabs of wood for adorable mini-pies and centerpieces to sit on, and the bride hand-made jams as favors and placed words of wisdom through out the space.”

Tech Specs:
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 5D Mark II
24-70 f/2.8L
50mm f/1.8 II
50mm f/2.5 Macro
85mm f/1.2L II