Michael Guccione Photography

On July 25th, I was truly honored and privileged to photograph the wedding of Chris and Caitlyn. In a previous post  I wrote about my first meeting with this beautiful couple. I was really excited to help capture their big day at The Grove in Cedar Grove, a absolutely stunning venue. Enjoy some highlights from their big day! To see more, visit the full gallery:  https://michaelguccione.smugmug.com/Wedding/Chris-and-Caitlyn/

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to take some photos of my co-worker and friend, Emily. We spent the morning around the Asbury Park boardwalk exploring funky colored buildings and graffiti covered walls. Emily is in the process of launching a new food and fashion blog named Freckles 'n Ginger. She's been making some drastic and positive changes in her life around diet and lifestyle and she is planning on sharing her recipes, experience, and story. I'm excited to get to be a part of it! Links are forthcoming! In the meantime, enjoy some photos from our shoot!

Sooooo...this week I turned 30. If I live to a typical life expectancy, my life is anywhere from 1/2 to 1/3 over. I've never been huge on my birthday. I've truly believed that age is just a number. And that number can put undue pressure on people to act a certain way. "Act your age." How am I supposed to act my age if I've never been this age before? However, I do look on birthdays or anniversaries as benchmarks; a way to compare myself year over year. And in this case, decade over decade. My 20's were a mixed-bag. Many amazing things happened, but many painful and challenging things happened as well. Not that I don't think that bad and challenging things won't happen in my 30's. I started out my 20's really having no concept of myself and who I am. It took the full duration of my 20's to really become comfortable with myself and accept myself for exactly who I am. And that process is still unfolding. I am not afraid turning 30. I...

As many of you know, my wife and I are currently on our belated honeymoon 😎 We've travelled to two of the three bay islands of Honduras: Roatan and Utila. We chose these destinations based on a couple of criteria: relative ease and cost of travel, great scuba diving, and warm climate and people. While we've had an amazing time together and have shared many adventures, this post is not about that. O ne thing I did not expect to encounter and be truly moved by were the number of people we met who were volunteering to do service. We've had conversation after conversation with people who are sacrificing their time and energy towards some really amazing causes. Upon arriving in Houston to catch our connecting flight to Roatan (only in the last couple years were flights from major US hub airports to Roatan available), we met a group of 19 people traveling to Roatan only to catch a chartered flight to arrive at a super remote part of coastal Honduras only accessible by plane or b...

I've always thought the sunrise is the most special time of the day. Whether I wake up early or stay up late, it always gives me goosebumps to get to see that first bit of sun creep over the horizon. Over the last year, I've had the chance to witness many spectacular sunrises. Being a mile away from the ocean makes getting some amazing photos much easier. While summer at the shore is great, I can embrace the beach in all seasons. I've had the opportunity to photograph sunrises in subfreezing temperatures with more layers than I thought I'd ever need. And conversely, I've shot sunrises in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Here is a collection of some of my favorite sunrise photos from over the last year of living in Manasquan. I am so grateful to get to live in such a beautiful place.

A few weeks ago, I met up with Chris and Caitlyn, a couple that recently hired me to photograph their wedding. I was honored that they asked me and decided to hire me for their special day this July. After exchanging calls and emails, we set up a date to meet up and get together to do a photo shoot of the two of them. It's a good way for me to get to know my clients better and to get them comfortable with me as a photographer. I've known Chris for a little while, but I had only met Caitlyn in passing. I figured this would be a great chance for me to get to know them as a couple. We met at Verona Park in Essex County. I had never been there, but it was where Chris proposed to Caitlyn, and it is a really beautiful spot. I got there a little early to scout the place out. I did a lap around the lake and made some mental notes about the best places to take photos. I waited on the bridge, which if you've ever been to the park, is a good place to see everything. I didn't...

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to photograph my friend and former co-worker Danae. I was super happy that she, her friend, and little brother braved the Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic to do a sunset shoot down by the inlet in Manasquan! Danae and I did a photoshoot back in the fall. We got together to do a great shoot at Rutgers Gardens in New Brunswick. She has an amazing fashion and makeup blog: wearsheis.com . Go check it out! We had a great time taking photos! Despite the chilly wind, we made the trek all the way out to the end of the jetty and back. She is a real trooper, has great style, and is a beautiful person, inside and out!