Bruce Plotkin Photography

As I was growing up in the same neighborhood as my dad, who worked as a wedding and portrait photographer there, the decision to follow in his footsteps would have looked like the obvious thing to do. After all, this was a chance to carry on a long-standing practice of photographing the happiest and most significant times in the lives of families, so chronicling the actual history of actual people. However, after completing my studies at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, I moved to New York in order to pursue a career as a photographer working in advertising and magazines. Throughout my career as a photographer, which includes working on the covers of Time and US News and World Report as well as advertisements for clients ranging from Fuji to Visa, I was always looking for new methods to give my images a more real and personal touch. Over the course of these years, I had the privilege of serving as the photographer for the weddings of some of my dearest friends. I didn't even understand at the time how cherished these presents were. They were taken with a 35 mm camera, and the most of them were in black and white. Inevitably, I spent hours reproducing them by hand in the darkroom. When I started doing wedding photography as a full-time job, I immediately learned that the couples I was working with wanted the same types of creative, unobtrusive, and intimate photographs that I had always taken for my friends. In point of fact, I had completed a full circle on both a personal and creative level. Through my photography, I am able to make a significant impact on the lives of the individuals I come in contact with. I am now fortunate enough to be present for a fresh beginning or celebration each and every week. What could possibly be more amazing than this!