Rangefinder Magazine
March 2005

Click Here for printable version of this article.

Profile: Ron Capobianco by Linda L. May
Presenting An Elegant Day

In 1990, this New York imagemaker discovered wedding photography, by happenstance, and found his true calling. Coming from an editorial/fashion background, Ron Capobianco cannot help but project this attitude onto his award-winning wedding photographs. According to magazine editors, many of his images resemble fashion layouts, and often get published in national magazines, which his brides love.

“The closest professional relationship on your wedding day is with your photographer. Care, taste and elegance are the elements of what we bring to your event. Attention to emotions, details and gestures are of the upmost importance to capturing your special day. The rapport you have with your photographer should be comfortable, fun and creative. Telling your story, in a unique and candid way, is what we achieve when working with you,” states Ron.

For over 25 years, Ron Capobianco, based in Locust Valley, New York, (20 miles from Manhattan) has worked as a professional photographer, shooting a variety of subjects, including architecture, fashion, advertising and editorial; however, weddings and portraits generate the most revenue for his studio. His extensive commercial/fashion/ editorial background merges with his wedding and portrait work to make people look their absolute best and feel comfortable during the photographic process.

Ron’s wedding images have appeared in such publications as Manhattan Bride, Wedding Bells, Bride’s, The Knot and others. In the December 2004 issue of Modern Bride, one of Ron’s West Point Navy weddings was featured. He is also still an active commercial photographer. Throughout his commercial career, his work has been published in well known magazines, including Vogue, French Vogue, W, Glamour, New York, Harper’s Bazaar, New York Times and Madame Figaro.

In high school Ron enjoyed being on the yearbook staff, but he was not yet seriously considering becoming a professional photographer. In 1972, at 18, he started college but was not really interested. Later that year, he answered an ad in the New York Times seeking a photographer’s assistant for a catalog/fashion studio. He landed that position with Vince Ricucci, and his professional photography career was born. Ron and Vince keep in touch to this day.

“At that job, I started off shooting with an 8x10 view camera and assisting. Before that time, I had only used 35mm format. I learned more about photography working at that studio in a month than I could have in four years of college. There’s no better teacher than on-the-job training, where you have to produce images daily.”

In 1977 Ron ventured out on his own, taking freelance work and assisting several photographers, including Irving Penn and Michael Comte, doing fashion, beauty and editorial work. In 1980 he opened his first studio in Manhattan, which he shared with another photographer, specializing in beauty and fashion for magazines and ad agencies. In 1996 he moved to a different Manhattan location, before taking the business to his home, where he still works from today.

In 1983–84, Ron lived in Paris, where he learned the culture and created beautiful photographs for his portfolio. He worked for French Vogue and other fashion magazines. “Being a photographer in Paris in the early ’80s, was like being royalty. Photographers were held in high esteem then. Paris has a whole different attitude. You don’t see sweat pants and tennis shoes. People dress for dinner and are very fashion conscious there,” Ron explains.

In the early 1990s, an unexpected turn of events lead him to wedding photography. “By then, I was getting a bit burned-out shooting fashion. I couldn’t stay in the fast-paced fashion world because it moves too quickly. If you’re not on top of it every minute, you get left behind. So I was looking for something else to do. A friend asked me to shoot a wedding for a prominent family, and the images turned out rather well, even though I didn’t follow any specific formula. After I photographed that first wedding, I realized how much fun it was. The bride and groom are all dressed up, so it’s sort of like a fashion shoot. After photographing a few weddings, I showed my work to Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Studio, and he hired me. I worked for him for several years as a photojournalist, cutting my teeth on wedding photography, sharpening my skills, and learning the business side too,” Ron says.

The upstairs of Ron’s house is dedicated to the business. Ron’s collection of outstanding prints by such greats as Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton, can be appreciated by clients as they climb the stairs to his studio. His own work is exhibited on the walls and tables in his comfortably furnished reception area. Office and work spaces are also housed on the second floor. Until about nine months ago, he ran the entire operation alone. Freelancers were hired when Ron got swamped in the studio, but he had no in-house staff. However, fate changed this situation when he asked his niece, Lisa Capobianco, to assist him on a wedding that came up suddenly. Lisa has a natural gift for photography and caught on quickly. Now, she is not only assisting, but also shooting on her own, and has become a great asset to his business.

Ron’s coverage is photojournalistic, with a fashion/editorial flair. He was shooting this style of wedding before it was popular, so he had to improvise and experiment along the way. “My coverage is not traditional, nor is it strictly photojournalistic. I prefer being more avant-garde and bringing in my fashion background. I’ve had a lot of experience in that area, and it adds a different dimension to my wedding work,” Ron states.

Ron photographs 40–45 weddings per year, shooting between 1500 and 2500 exposures at each event. Clients receive 300–600 hard proofs in a magazine from which to choose 50–70 images for their final album. Within a week, the images are posted online at Pictage, so relatives and friends from all over the world can see the proofs and order. Since he’s been using Pictage, sales have drastically increased. Clients order online. Pictage prints the pictures and ships the finished order directly to the clients. Ron does not have to deal with re-orders. He and Lisa do most of the pre- and post-production work and design the albums.

Details set the stage for the whole day, in Ron’s opinion. “Couples spend months preparing for this big event, right down to the table settings and floral arrangements. Much time, thought and effort have gone into choosing the decorations and other small details of the celebration, and these need to be included in the wedding coverage,” Ron explains.

“I’ve heard complaints from event planners about photographers who overlook the details. They don’t shoot the table decorations, centerpieces or bouquets. Tiny details add to the story, so I always shoot a lot of them, like the bride’s dress on the hanger and her shoes. I find out who the other vendors are, like the florist, caterer, wedding planner, make-up and hair artists, baker, dressmaker, etc. I send them a print and direct them to Pictage to view my work. Then I ask them to choose any images showing their products that they’d like to exhibit in their stores. It’s good publicity, so I don’t mind sending vendors images to display.”

At most weddings, Ron shoots 100 percent digital using Nikon D100 and D70 digital cameras. However, for portraits and commercial work, he still prefers traditional film, including Fuji NPH and NPS, the Kodak Portra series in all speeds for color, and T-Max 3200 black and white. For film, he also shoots Nikon. When extra light is needed, Ron uses Nikon SB-80, SB-28, and SB-800 dedicated Speedlights. For studio work, he uses Visatec, Dynalite and Quantum T4D battery-powered units.

“I’m using this wonderful custom printer, Jonathan Penney, who makes beautiful, crisp 20x24 and 30x 40 images from 35mm negatives, using the Giclée digital process. I shoot very quick and off the hip. The days of larger format cameras at weddings are past. I never did shoot Hasselblad at weddings, although I do use it for my commercial and advertising work. Rolleiflex is also a favorite camera for portraiture,” Ron says.

Ron is a member of WPPI and PPA. In the 2004 WPPI 8x10 print competition, Ron won first place in the Wedding Photojournalism category for his image “Anticipation.” He has also collaborated on several books, including, Lifestyle, The Hair Book, and The Inter-Beauty Collection. His impressive work has hung in art galleries in New York and Paris, and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Ron’s images are also featured in The Best of Wedding Photography, Second Edition and Group Portrait Photography by Bill Hurter.

Ron’s user-friendly web site is a good source for bringing in new clients, along with Pictage. His site is listed with numerous search engines, making it easy for brides to locate him online. Word of mouth from satisfied clients and referrals from other photographers and wedding vendors also keep the clients coming. He also runs print ads in Manhattan Bride, Modern Bride, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style and Wedding Bells magazines. The Knot web site also generates much new traffic.

“I’d like to increase my avant-garde market and get more exotic, unique weddings, and I’d love to travel more. I’d like to photograph all kinds of weddings: the more unusual, the better. I love the avant-garde! Without it, we’d not have impressionism, pop art, modernism, nor many of the beautiful art and architectural masterpieces around the world,” Ron says.

Currently, Ron is building an addition to his house just for the studio. This 500- to 700-square-foot space will be used for shooting, as well as meeting clients, and office and production duties. This new construction project will keep him occupied for many months, but once it’s done, he can use his whole house for private living again.

He also plans on buying a second home in Palm Beach, FL, where he will open a studio for the winter season. He will maintain his New York location and hire more employees to help with the studio.

“You have to be passionate about anything you do in life. Along with taste, style, and humor, passion is most important in my life. I’ve known too many people who go through life with no real passion about anything, and I don’t see how they do it. What’s the good of living if nothing sparks your interest enough to live for? Passion is what it’s all about!” Ron concludes.

Contact Ron by email at: pro35mm@aol.com or his web site: www.anelegantday.com/.

Linda L. May is a freelance writer/photographer based in the Midwest.