Starting Package Fee: $3,900 (Negotiable)* Home State: CT, Connecticut Additional States Coverage: Massachusetts, Rhode Island Additional Traveling: Country Wide Photographic Equipment: Digital Shooter Negative Availability: Yes Video Capability: No Phone: 860-774-0850 Web Site: www.samchinigo.com   Additional: Photography Blog

About Sam Chinigo

Sam always knew he had a love for taking pictures but it wasn’t until he started shooting weddings that he realized his true passion for photography. After taking a photo class at a local studio, Sam talked to the studio owner about his interest in wedding photography. After only a few times out with him, Sam was off and running... taking every wedding assignment that he could.

Over the next year or so, Sam continued to hone his craft and began to develop his own style of shooting weddings. Brides really seemed to identify with Sam’s creative style and he quickly became "the photographer" at the studio requested for wedding assignments.

After awhile, Sam became frustrated with the studio’s outdated operations and unwillingness to adapt to new technologies and business practices. It became clear to him that the only way the he would be able to get to the next level was to go out on his own... "Artistic Images by Sam Chinigo" was born.

Hoping just to book a couple of weddings his first year in order to get his name out and start building his business, Sam booked 23 weddings in his first year of operation and knew that he had made the right decision.

Sam has now become one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the Southern New England region. His photojournalistic, artistic, and highly creative style combined with his "dare to be different" approach & "rock n’ roll" attitude has made him a favorite among brides looking for unique contemporary wedding imagery

Sam uses a mixture of color, B&W, sepia, and various digital techniques to enhance the images in order to emphasize the subject matter or to help express the mood of the moment. "The photojournalistic moment of capture is my main objective but I also feel that if I can enhance an image in order to uncover it’s higher potential... then that’s what I should do. It’s all about the final image..not the technique used to create it. I feel true photojournalism is very limiting when it comes to weddings since it is purely a documentary approach. Am I a photojournalist? Yes. I shoot in a documentary style and do not pose. But then I don’t stop there. If I can enhance the image in order to make it stronger or project a certain mood... then I do. Something a true photojournalist is not supposed to do. But to me, the final image is everything. Especially for weddings. It is just as important to me to give my clients art, as it is for me to document it unobtrusively and accurately. Sometimes you just have to add a little more spices in order to bring out the best flavor! Digital photography has changed our craft forever, and it is our duty as contemporary artists to embrace modern techniques as well as open our minds to what an artistic image truly is... or can be. The Art of Photography is no longer limited to merely a documentary process. It can be a process to creating photographic artistry... not just photos... but Artistic Images.

A former production manager in the advertising, multimedia, printing & film industries has helped Sam’s creative eye for strong composition, as well as his cinematic toning techniques and digital imaging skills. Sam left the advertising industry in order to totally devote himself to his true passion and to better serve his clients. "The name says it all!" says Sam. "To be creative... is to be artistic. And, in my opinion, creativity is really what separates a photographic artist from a photographer. A ‘photographer’ records events through the use of photography (aperture, shutter speed, composition)..but a ‘photographic artist’ exploits those aspects as well as utilizes other techniques, in order to CREATE a strong image. I see so much mimicry of other photographic artists’ creativity or ideas that everything starts to look the same. My approach is ‘dare to be different’ simply because the only way to separate yourself from the pack is by taking risks and doing something unique. If you are doing what everyone else is doing... then you are really limiting yourself to the same amount of success that others have had. Although that may be great for some... it is still limiting in many ways."Sam strives to tell a couple's true wedding story by candidly & artistically capturing the special and fleeting "moments" of their wedding day... not only the events. He shoots unobtrusively and "goes with the flow" of the wedding day....not trying to control any aspect.

Wedding Photography Achievements

A member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Professional Photographers of New England (PPANE), and Connecticut Professional Photographers Association (CPPA), Sam continually studies with some of the world's most renowned and talented wedding photographers, allowing him to constantly stay on the edge of wedding photography trends and style. He was also been selected to the Best USA Photographers Dream Team for Connecticut wedding photographers. An honor bestowing only five wedding photographers in Connecticut for exceptional wedding photography. So more of his latest achievements include:

• Top 5 placement in Best of Weddings Contest 2007, an international competition sponsored by Eventpix and WPPI.

• "Wedding Photographer of the Year - 2007" by the Connecticut Professional Photographers Association.

• "Fuji Masterpiece Award - 2007" by the Professional Photographers of New England (PPANE).