Sam Ulrich has opened a new photography studio at 1389 Queen Anne Road in Teaneck that would be right at home in SoHo. Ulrich Studios has elegant spaces where prospective clients can have initial meetings, and glowing brides can review the photos from their magical weddings. The studio is fully equipped for people to take headshots for business or social media, and families who want to capture a loving memory of togetherness with each other. The walls are adorned with almost life size photos showing life’s happiest moments. “We were outgrowing our home studio in Fair Lawn,” Ulrich said. “A studio in the heart of Teaneck is convenient for our current clientele and welcoming for people walking by to stop in and get to know us.”
A photographer is more than a technician. Ulrich gives his photos an intimacy by getting to know his clients first, whether the purpose of the photos is business or personal. “The more comfortable and at ease you feel with your photographer, the more natural and joyful your portraits feel,” he said. “My job is to represent you at your best so I immediately look to set the vibe from the get-go.”
While the most important relationship in a wedding is between the bride and groom, next is their rapport with the photographer. “I’m spending 12 hours with a couple on their wedding day,” Ulrich said. “It’s important that they’re happy with me; that our personalities match. I have to know who they are and what they’re trying to achieve.”
That process starts before the wedding. Ulrich does “forever sessions’’ in which he photographs the couple in the studio or a site of the couple’s choosing to start their journey together. He also gets to know the couple and their families through a detailed questionnaire they fill out before the wedding. “I over-communicate,” he laughed. “I want to know who’s important to you on your wedding day, who can’t be in the same room, what are the issues to be aware of. Once I walk into a wedding venue, I can almost automatically tell you who each person is.”
After a portrait session or event, Ulrich and his wife, Ally, the studio’s photography editing and marketing maven, spend hours behind the scenes, to create exquisite wall art and custom albums that capture the excitement and beauty of the day. “The percentage of our clients who have their albums within weeks of their event is something that sets us apart,” Ally Ulrich said. “We don’t feel our job is completed until you are holding your memories in your hands.”
Sam Ulrich has had a passion for photography since he was 10 years old, growing up in Los Angeles. He interned with some of the world’s top fashion photographers in the U.S. and abroad before photographing small events on his own. He came east to attend Yeshiva University, where he was initially a pre-med major and switched to special education. As a student, he photographed events for YU and others. After people frequently asked to hire him, he decided to make photography his career. “I always wanted to do something that impacted people’s lives,” he said. “Then I realized I could fuse all of my passions with photography.”
Ulrich’s work in fashion influenced his style of wedding and portrait photography. “I like to have a glamour feel, with glamour lighting and soft, delicate posing,” he said. “I did many portraits as a fashion photographer—and a wedding is really one long portrait session.”
Photography is the ultimate marriage of technology to art. “Techniques, lighting, camera settings are all important,” Ulrich said. “But I want to strike your core and bring out your emotions, while making you feel comfortable and special. You are hiring me to celebrate your life. It’s my goal to bring out the best in you.”
For more information or to make an appointment, call 201-490-8807. Follow Ulrich Studios on Instagram @ulrichstudios.
By Bracha Schwartz
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