Hello there!

I'm Rudy. I'm a photographer. I'm an artist. (More importantly, I'm husband to my wife Dara since 1996, and father of three wonderful human beings.)

My passion is to create images that are unique and artistic; images that are expressive, dramatic, and evoke emotion.

I take pride in using a combination of natural, ambient, and artificial light, along with my post-processing skills, to create images that are unique and stand out among others. I am always striving to experiment with new ideas to create fresh looks that are different and on the cutting edge.

By working together, we can create treasured memories of you and your loved ones that will adore the walls of your home for ages.

I have loved photography since I studied it in high school in the 1980's, when I first became mesmerized with the images of a photographer named Anton Corbijn. He had captured what are now considered timeless images of all my then-favorite bands - The Cure, Depeche Mode, U2, The Smiths, etc.... I absolutely love his work and his style. His images are expressive and thought provoking. He is able to capture his subjects with such raw emotion. To this day, he remains one of my favorites (he is responsible for shooting many of the best images of The Killers – my favorite band of the past 15 years). My own style – especially my obsession for black and white finishes – is definitely influenced by him.

Through all the years of following photography, I never had thought of becoming a "professional photographer". I owned various cameras, and always tried to be artsy when taking photos. I often read magazines like Details, Q, Rolling Stone and Spin and would admire their images. I loved going to concerts and loved all the cool lighting and effects and would wish I could capture images of the artists under all those colorful lights. But it was never really something I thought of seriously enough as a career.

I was, however, somewhat critical of “professional photographers” in general. I had all these ideas in my mind of what I liked and didn’t like. So I had expectations, and when my expectations are not met, there is disappointment. And such is the case later on in life, particularly with my kids' pictures – whether it is the seasonal school photos, or the sports teams photos. I would often think how would I have done things differently if I were the photographer - whether it's the lighting, the angle, the post-production - graphical elements, editing, etc. After all, when you are paying someone to take pictures of your loved ones, there are expectations to be met. Some people may say, if you don’t like how it’s done, go do it yourself… But I couldn’t do it myself, as I already had a full time job, and I was approaching my mid-forties. How can I just drop everything and go become a photographer…

Then, on a cold January day in 2015, I injured my back while at my job making a food service delivery to a restaurant in Harlem. My injury led to my doctor's discovery that I had been suffering from lumbar degenerative disc disease, and that I was to stop doing the work I have been doing – basically, I had to change careers. I was put on workers' compensation while recovering, and almost two years later, I was given an injury settlement, with which I began investing in my next career – photography.

I took online courses, and studied exhaustively. I set out to be different than other photographers. As I never liked the way my children's school sports photos, I decided to do a shoot with my son's CYO basketball team and created the images my way. My creations caught the attention of the Comsewogue High School Varsity Boys Basketball coach. He gave me the opportunity to create the images for the varsity team's media guide and the senior night posters. I shot game photos as well. I captured action shots, but I wanted to capture the emotions of the game as well. Their senior posters were such a hit, that the boys lacrosse team also asked me to create their senior night posters.

Then, a friend asked me to shoot her family portraits. I was flattered to say the least, but I was not sure if that was something I was ready to do at the time, as all I’ve done up to that point were sports images. Her house is decorated with beautifully shot family portraits from years past, yet she is asking *me* to do a refresh for her? She convinced me to do it, and so I did. And I will be forever thankful of her that I did. As I culled through the images I captured, I knew that portrait photography is for me. I have found my next career. And I absolutely love it.

- Rudy

Internationally featured and published portrait photographer. Capturing and creating unique, artistic images that are expressive, dramatic and evoke emotion.

Photographing families, children, 'tweens, teens, seniors, concerts, sports and businesses in the greater Long Island / New York City area and beyond.