Michael Schaffer Photography

A few years back, while driving across West Texas, I stopped at a distant observatory and spent the evening beneath an exceptionally dark, pure night sky. I felt a sense of awe and delight that night that I hadn't felt in a long time. After I came home, the experience stayed with me, and I wanted to find a method to express the views and feelings I had that night. I purchased a digital camera and began arranging journeys to other remote locations in order to picture the night sky. Before that, I had never given much thought to photography, but after I got that camera, I was completely hooked. I became enamored with the process of creating images. I immediately began documenting the performances of friends' bands, taking photos of my friends, and generally carrying a camera with me wherever I went. Weddings were a natural outgrowth of my research and passion for the subject. They encapsulate so much of what I enjoy about photography and art - creating unique portraits, recording meaningful moments, exhibiting fashion, emphasizing unique landscapes and settings - and they represent an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to narrative. It's a wonderfully fulfilling experience for me to be able to partake in and photograph the joy that couples experience on one of their most important days of their lives, and to make images that they and their loved ones will treasure for years to come.