Max & Ansley | PAFA

January 21, 2021

A stunning Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) wedding.

“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at the picture for a second and think of it all your life.”
-Joan Miro

PAFA wedding photographer

This couple had me at first inquiry with the words PAFA but it escalated to so much more. Being their documentarians was an honor and the team they picked to help bring their wedding vision to life was phenomenal.

Max’s Mom said it best: “their love is DEEP.”

She emphasized the “deep” and we understood immediately. You could hear it in their vows and see the way they looked at each other. You could watch it in the way they dance. It was evident in how they leaned into each other as their friends and family toasted their love. Emotions were worn on a gorgeous wedding dress and handsome suit all day long. It was a pleasure to be able to document every laugh, every tear, and each passionate dance move.

We started the day with Ansley at Fifth and Fitz Salon in South Philly, then headed to an air bnb to get dressed. Max and Ansley didn’t have a first look. So, the first time they saw one another all day was during Ansleys grande entrance down the historic building’s staircase. Immediately after the ceremony we raced to the Hamilton building’s rooftop to catch the sunset. The rest of the evening flowed from there.

The couple’s portraits were done after dark, post drinks and some dancing! I hadn’t explored PAFA “after hours” before but it gave us such a quiet, intimate, and moody space to document them in their absolute “just married” bliss.

“There’s Nothing More Genuinely Artistic Than to Love People.” – Vincent Van Gogh

I chatted with Ansley a few days ago and she said, a year after this celebration, “Marriage is awesome!!” This exclamation comes at no surprise. These two are true partners and their love is poetic.

It was a great honor to document this day and get to know Max and Ansley in the process.

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I also have to say… I’ve been teaching at PAFA for five years now. The historic building is my favorite place in all of Philadelphia. My history as a painter, and a painter who believes photography is a great tool in art, is tied to this place very deeply. Getting to bring my love of PAFA and my passion for documentary wedding photography together, for an amazing couple, was a total joy. Ansley being an extraordinarily talented filmmaker was a perfect cherry on top.

I cannot WAIT to be back for our next wedding here in early summer.

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