Tim and Liz's "engagement" photo shoot in Weehawken, New Jersey.

This blog post is a little on the late side. In the beginning of December I left the states for a month in Cartagena, Colombia. I am half Colombian if my website hasn’t drilled that into your head already. I was visiting my family. That is entirely other blog post for another day. Now, I am back and ready to tackle 2020, BUT FIRST I wanted to share a session with you that I photographed right before I left. Tim and Liz were George Street clients( I am a contract photographer) but I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter pair of people. They live in Weehawken, New Jersey, just blocks away from the waterfront which gives you a lovely view of New York City. The cold winter was already upon us but they were still able to dress appropriately and still look rather dashing. Note to any brides to be, fun fairy skirts are things every person should wear. We started in the cozy warmth of their building and then ventured outside where the sun decided to cooperate at times but the cold was continuous. Liz wore these amazing red gloves as you’ll see. I think they popped the right amount of lovely red, so chic! Tim wore a classic blue blazer with a monogrammed cuff, absolutely dashing. And now I’m British. This wasn’t necessarily their engagement session but a year after their actual marriage. Regardless they displayed the love and fondness of newlyweds. Please enjoy our photo shoot “engagement” on the lovely edges of Weehawken, New Jersey. And also, if they holidays gave you a wonderful engagement it’s not too early to book the wonderful Michael Jacobs Photo . Send me a note.

You have to see what he did next! Click here for the full story.

I sat here for a moment watching the cursor blink. What on earth should I name one of the more important blog posts I’ll be writing this year? I know! Let’s use a click bait phrase! As overused and silly as that title may seem I’m not sure there is a better one that describes what this blog post will be about. If you’ve stumbled upon me through happenstance, targeted paid ad, or just a friend stalking me, hello! I’m so happy to have you here. My name is Mike and I am a people photographer (this means I shoot almost anything involving people, most specifically weddings, boudoir, engagements and portraits). I am established in Northern New Jersey.

I’m not here to sell you anything. I simply would like to introduce you to, me. There’s so much I’d love to tell you and given the amount of space I have to write, I very well could go on for days. Though, I read that there’s about a 37 second attention span for people on new websites so I’m probably already at a deficit. Oh, the self inflicted pressure.

Time for the Cliff note’s version. Are those still a thing? I mean the internet probably obliterated that business right? I grew up in northern New Jersey about 40 minutes west of Manhattan, in a small town that could have not been farther from city life. School brought me to Boston where I lived for over a decade and a fleeting relationship propelled me to North Carolina. In my heart I have always known that I belonged in the Northeast. I’m much too honest, brash, dramatic and progressive for some southern sensibilities. I’ve now returned home to New Jersey. I’ve come back to a saturated market where everyone seemingly is a photographer. There’s so much noise and I don’t want to be a part of it. I just want to rise above, but how?

Everyone owns some type of camera. It’s usually their cell phone. More pictures are being taken than any time in history. We document nearly everything we do. Remember though, quantity doesn’t always equate to quality and I feel like the importance of photographs have lost their tread.

I want photographs to have their meaning back. I want to make tangible memories for people to hold in their hands, keep in their wallets or their walls for years to come. I want the creation of these photographs to be as fun as the pictures themselves. This world is too quick. It’s too swift with how it deals with memories. No one needs 100 pictures of their ramen. I’d argue you don’t need any. What you need is to remember the experience, how it felt to taste it, the people you were with, that moment in time. Personally, photographs should be the same. They are a representation of a moment, an experience, a time that you wanted documented.

Now that I’m in New Jersey I am seeking out clients that feel the same. I don’t want people to treat photography as an afterthought or something they just feel they need to do because that’s what the wedding industry says they need. I care about preserving your memories as much as you care about creating them. So, let me be that person who handles them with kid-gloves.

I’m not the photographer who just slaps on a filter and calls it a day. I still shoot film for a majority of my services because it’s important to slow down and think before I click the shutter. When I photograph you I want it to be a conversation. I don’t want you to feel as if a big lens is in your face. People may not always remember names but they remember how they were treated in life. So, this is me. I’m Mike and I’m a photographer that makes portraits of people, eats their wedding cake, makes them laugh when they don’t want to and makes sure they remember the lives they have lived, through pictures. Below is a sampling of my work including weddings, engagements, portraits and some boudoir. You can browse the rest of my website and see other moments I’ve captured for people and if you’d like, leave me a note. I’d love to chat. Being a photographer here in New Jersey is what I’m doing next.

P.S: This is a big and beautiful website, don’t forget to look around!

Michael Jacobs Photo gallery samples