I cried driving back from this wedding. I felt aligned.
I have felt a shift of my being, my perspectives and my entire idea of weddings change in the last couple of years, since becoming a mother.
Since becoming the memory maker in our family, realizing that legacy is what we will be passing down when our days are done.
I am now looking at weddings from the perspective of a parent and not just the couple. What would my daughter want to see if she was flipping through an old album.
I would want her to see what life was really like in this space and time, how aunt sally danced her ass off. How dad gave a speech about mom and how everyone cried.
I photograph weddings differently now. It’s less about curated posed images and instead just showing my perspective and how it felt to be there.
Meet Ben & Kelsey
Meet Ben and Kelsey who I immediately knew hired me because of these perspectives.
In their questionnaire they wrote “We want you to capture our love without feeling the pressure to perform.”
As your Finger Lakes documentary wedding photographer I also want to feel like I am not under pressure, that I’m not performing.
I am tired of curating moments, I am tired of doing things just for photos. I want us to all just be.
The Treman Center An Ithaca Wedding Venue Unlike Any Other
They couldn’t have picked a better venue for this documentary style of photography.
The Treman Center is located a few miles away from Treman State Park in Ithaca. If you haven’t been to the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York, the fall is the perfect time to plan your getaway. The trees paint the hills with deep reds and oranges like a postcard.
I have photographed at the Treman Center now a couple of times and I always get so excited to go back.
It is a barn venue but honestly it doesn’t even feel like most barns that I have been to in upstate New York. The courtyard was hand built by the owner’s husband and adds such a vibe to the whole place. The fountain with the most gorgeous hue of blue contrasts so well with the red barn and vines.
The inside is eclectic with treasures that the owner has found all around the world. You can rent it out for the whole weekend and it really takes your wedding day to another level and experience.
The Day Itself
Anyways if you’re going to look at any of my work, look at these. It encapsulates my documentary approach as I didn’t direct much that day at all.
Ben and Kelsey opted to not have a bridal party which meant more intimate time between the two of them don’t worry they still got shots with her friends but we didn’t spend an hour doing so.
Instead they did a first look during a break in the rain followed by private vows with just the three of us.
They had their ceremony at the courtyard, ran upstairs to take a minute to breathe and take it all in. They brought an old vintage film camera and took intentional time to play around with it.
Cocktail hour was filled with laughter, candid moments and a few portraits. Per my advice, they had their special dances under the twinkling lights outside.
It was perfect because all of their friends and family got to be in the background of those moments and the lighting was so beautiful.
They came in for dinner, had speeches, changed into sneakers and danced the night away.
Why The Treman Center Works for Documentary Photography
A Treman Center Ithaca wedding gives documentary photographers something most venues don’t — permission.
Permission to wander. Permission to follow the light. Permission for couples to just exist inside a space that already has its own character, its own story, its own soul.
Most barn venues feel like a blank canvas that couples have to fill. The Treman Center already has a point of view. The eclectic interior — filled with objects the owner has gathered from around the world — means there’s always something interesting happening in the background of a frame. You’re not manufacturing atmosphere. It’s already there.
The courtyard alone changes everything. Hand-built, layered with texture, anchored by that impossibly blue fountain set against the red barn and climbing vines — it photographs beautifully in every kind of light. Including the soft, flat light of a rainy October afternoon.
That’s the other thing. This venue holds up in imperfect conditions. When Ben and Kelsey’s first look happened during a break in the rain, the courtyard didn’t fight the moment. It held it.
The weekend rental option matters more than couples realize until they’re actually living it. When you’re not rushed off the property at 10pm, when your people can spill into the morning with you, the whole energy of the day shifts. You stop performing and start being present. Which is exactly what Ben and Kelsey asked for and exactly what a Treman Center wedding makes possible.
I’ve photographed here multiple times now. I would come back every single fall if they’d have me.
If You’re Planning a Treman Center Ithaca Wedding
Ben and Kelsey said it best: “capture our love without feeling the pressure to perform.”
That’s the whole thing, isn’t it? That’s what every couple actually wants, even if they don’t know how to say it yet.
If you’re drawn to the Finger Lakes, to venues with real character, to a wedding day that feels like your day rather than a production I’d love to talk. I’ve been photographing weddings for 14 years, and the ones that stay with me are the ones where everyone, including me, got to just show up and be present.
[Get in touch here] to start the conversation about your wedding.
Looking for more Finger Lakes venue inspiration? [Check out the Finger Lakes venue guide] for a deeper look at what this region offers couples who want something real.
And if you want to see another documentary wedding in Ithaca, [Annie & Travis’s wedding] is a beautiful place to start.
Vendors
Venue: Treman CenterFloral: Plenty of PosiesRentals: Shabby Sisters
Categories: Weddings, Engagements, Elopements
