Ali Cushing Photography is a one woman show based out of Sleepy Hollow, NY (yes, the legendary one) and providing wedding photography in NYC, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, the Tri-State area, across the country, and internationally.

My goal first and foremost is ensuring you have a wonderful wedding day; for you to feel comfortable and at ease and to get to be your most authentic selves and living in the moment while celebrating your love and union with your person. The photos should be about the day, not the day about the photos. With that unlocked, the artistry and documentation comes naturally. No two couples, nor two weddings, are the same, and I approach each opportunity with personalized care. When I capture your wedding or elopement, you won’t just have a photographer there, you’ll have a calm or fun presence (I can read the room), a fly on the wall or a charismatic leader, an advocate and a problem solver, a diligent observer and a creative director, and sometimes most importantly, an emotional support.

I'm a wedding photographer who goes beyond the posing and formality and sees the emotion amongst the composition. I naturally gravitate toward candid shots and capturing the day as a flowing narrative, while also relishing in the chance to compose a beautiful scene and portrait. Whatever balance of documentary and editorial you seek, I will cater to your preference.

Whatever your plans, I’d love to be a part of and to document your story.

All couples, of all genders, any ethnicity or faith, all shapes and abilities, are welcome and I’d be honored to work with you. If you don’t see yourself reflected somewhere in my portfolio I would love your help in fixing that.

It’s deeply important to me to not only be a quality photographer, but also an accessible one, so I do my best to accommodate different budgets, including providing flexible payment plans and customized services. If my standard package rates don’t fit your needs, please don’t hesitate to ask what your options are. I LOVE kind people, and will bend over backwards to help them out.

My “Ideal Client”

You may hear this term being thrown around in the wedding sphere a lot right now, and honestly it makes me a tad uncomfortable. I see a wave of photographers branding themselves as “Luxury” or seeking “aesthetic” couples which means they only want to attract clients with a certain look, with big budgets and the florals and expensive venues that go with it (portfolios with couples that all look remarkably similar). To me, though, I don’t see my couples as a means to elevate myself to superficial associations with success, nor do I have such a narrow concept of value, creativity, beauty, and of what matters for my business. I also think if you you’re only willing to work in picture perfect locations it demonstrates an unwillingness to be challenged. A client is valuable to me if they feel I’m worth their investment in my work, and my emotional and creative touch that come with it. I’m as excited to photograph a backyard wedding with the decorations you made yourself as I am one in a castle with a whole creative team and designer florist.

My “Ideal Client” is someone who is invested in their own experience and spending time with their loved ones, not who looks any particular way or is spending a certain amount. They can be unconventional or traditional. I want couples who willfully choose to feel like themselves on one of the most important days of their lives and have genuine memories visualized. To not be pushed into a Bride or Groom mold that feels wrong for them, or be “influencer-ed” into doing something they won’t genuinely enjoy. If you do love those trendy things, please, please let nothing stop you. Don’t get me wrong, I -adore- exquisite florals, and the breathtaking visuals of a wedding where there is budget to spend. I will photograph the crap out of them, not just because I deeply enjoy it, but because you must love them too if you’re investing so much in them. They just aren’t the end-all be-all to have a breath-taking or heartfelt photo, a happy couple, gorgeous celebration, or a great party. Nor are they the qualifier for my services.

I find the couples who most appreciate my work love authenticity and artistry. They’re less concerned about every photo being the perfect shot than they are about the feeling of the day and it being captured with creativity; getting in on the action, and taking a step back to take in the whole scene; hitting the big, exciting, key frame moments as much as the subtle in between glimpses when no one else is looking. They love my attention to detail, the way I incorporate the visual elements of a setting, emphasize candids, and how I can reveal to them parts of the day they never even noticed or didn’t get to see. Their guests love that I have a warm demeanor and blend into the mood of the party. I’m often asked by guests where I know the couple from; thinking I’m an old friend.

I’ll say it again, whatever your aesthetic, overall budget, ethnicity, cultural traditions, gender identity, age, shape, or ability/health, EVERYONE is an Ideal Client. Be kind, care deeply about your partner, surround yourself with people you love, and invest in whatever makes you happy and is right for you. Live it up and I’m on board.

More Human Than Business

I take pride in my business, but from the position of bringing my genuine care to the forefront. My goal won’t be to up-sell you, or pressure you into photos I’d like for my portfolio, it will be to get you exactly what you need and want while respecting budget constraints and my cost of living. I’m eager to hear your concerns and to have you know I have your best interest at heart. I know whole weddings are a huge expense, and photography is a tremendous consideration in that. So I aim to make it worth the investment. Especially if you’re self-planning, your photographer will be crucial in structuring your timeline and offering advise for best outcomes. On the big day, they’ll be with you longer than any other vendor in the most personal settings for nearly the entire wedding day, (sometimes longer than your partner). And their photos will be the primary thread you get that carry from your wedding into the rest of your lives together. I want you to feel like I was worth it across the board.

To me, professionalism means reliable. I don’t take this career lightly, nor the trust my couples have placed in me. I bear a heavy weight on myself knowing I am responsible for preserving the memories of a once in a lifetime event with no re-dos. Every wedding is the Superbowl; I show up early, I show up overly prepared for the unexpected, and I bring my A-game. I learned the hard way that taking on too many wedding opportunities and stretching myself too thin is not only a drain on my well being, it diminishes the quality of service I can bring to all of my couples, something I’m not willing to compromise on. So I limit the number of weddings I accept every year so I can bring my best self for you before, during, and after the wedding.

Weddings can be a complex, emotional day for any number of reasons, and I’m there to support you. I’ve seen it all. Whether it’s things not going according to plan, or there’s the looming of complex family dynamics, I will be sensitive to your feelings and help you navigate through it. Frankly, I’m not phased by much.

Customized Timelines

You’ll never feel forced to fit your day into a set template. There are no requirements; if detail shots or couple portraits aren’t you thing, we don’t need to do them. Not everyone cares about Dance Floor coverage. Want extra focus on family photos or none at all? You got it. Want to make sure we get sunset portraits? If the weather permits it, so it will be. And we’ll figure out a plan B just in case. I listen and I advise, so you’ll have realistic expectations of how long different elements take and while factoring in the transitions between setups that can take more time than the shot itself. My goal is for your day’s timeline to feel easy so you can stress less and laugh, happy-cry, and party more.

Unique skill-range and Willingness to Go Above and Beyond

Photography wasn’t my original career path, by any means, but I feel like everything’s led me here. Since I was 11-years old in my 6th grade film photography class, I’ve been enamored with taking photos; but until recently it was just for myself. Professionally, I’ve taken an entirely indirect route, having been dedicated to Professional Ballet, exploring Civil Rights Law, dabbling in TV and Film, and establishing myself as an entrepreneur in Freelance Illustration and Creative Direction where in I designed posters and albums for bands, illustrated book covers and interiors, and produced concept art and film storyboards. I look back and see my illustration work and my photography hobby as expanding hand in hand. Sometimes you’re reacting to whatever scene you’re given; seeing what’s unfolding organically, and other times you take the reins and compose. It became second nature to see the world in how I could frame it; either via lens or pencil on paper.

Growing up my photos were a lot of landscapes and mundane pleasures that crossed my path, but when I moved to NYC 8-years ago I became so much more entrenched in the human experience. In such a culturally vibrant place, no matter where you look everyone is such a unqiue and enthralling character and in a setting like the City there no end to visual play of person, space, and light. I captured the world around me so as to cling to the art that was my lived experience. Glimpses of emotion or a spontaneous Street Photography composition were my favorite to witness. I began to feel self conscious and guilty about it though; that I was invasive and disrespectful of my unsuspecting subjects for not having the permission before sneaking a shot, and I began to hold back. I self-condemned and felt unwelcome to my own craft. You can imagine the revelation I felt when I was randomly asked to photograph my first wedding, and then a few elopements, another wedding…. To discover a career to not only have permission from couples to take photos of such special moments, but be sought out to document an emotional high of their lives. It’s an honor and a joy and I feel so lucky to have fallen into such a role. My transition from long-time photography hobbyist and passionate street photographer to pro wedding photographer was a bit of an accident. But the wedding world caught me in its current and I’m riding the waves.

My previous life as a professional ballet dancer (about 20 years of it) lends itself to the wedding world in indirect but incredibly useful ways, and truth be told, when you hire me you’re getting a lot more than a photographer. I have an ingrained understanding for staging and can visualize a setting for spatial composition and movement. Years of training, including partnered dancing (Pas de Duex work), gives me a keen understanding of bodies visually, both solo, in groups, and relating to one another, utilizing the aesthetic of line and shape so characteristic of dance. That energy can be felt sitting still, and capturing movement is so much about timing. I know the general choreography of the day like the back of my hand; so if your officiant forgets to instruct your guests to sit after standing for the processional, you can trust I will. If I can help quick-change a ballerina in the wings in under a minute, you better believe I can bustle that dress, pin in that veil, or secure a boutonniere. I’ll also have an array of useful tools; q-tips, bobby pins, bandaids, on hand because they’re always needed when you least expect it. There’s a production-quality to weddings that is more akin to my years on stage than anything else I’ve encountered; and when I say the show must go on, it means I’ll sew up the split in your bridesmaid’s dress in the bathroom twenty minutes before your ceremony, create a quick fix to that vintage pearl necklace that fell apart, or take charge in deciding who will retrieve the forgotten marriage license. I love a day where I can be focused purely on documenting the joy of the event, but know that I will step up to task to keep the day rolling and be a source of calm in the face of what feels like chaos.

And lastly, I have a background working weddings in other capacities, from being employed at an all inclusive wedding venue in Brooklyn, NY, where I performed event coordination and set up, bridal attending, catering, bar tending, and clean up. I’ve even decorated a few cakes (with pleasure!) It’s easy for me to navigate the day and collaborate with coordinators because I can anticipate their duties. I am always chipping in because it’s second nature to me and I feel weird not helping, while of course always prioritizing my role of documentation. My philosophy is the better the day flows the better the photos will be.