Who We Are
"There is no such thing as perfect,
but we are perfect for each other."
Erica + Anna
Hi, I’m Erica. My wife Anna and I love weddings so much that we got married twice. Once in New York, where our friend officiated the ceremony under a homemade chuppah, and then again in a classic London pub, with a cake made by Anna’s sister. In our vows, we affirmed that there is no such thing as perfect, but we are perfect for each other. And most days we still think that’s true. The same things make our worlds go round: road trips, dance movies, intersectional feminism, game nights, queer memes, and building a creative life together, which now centers around raising our two little girls.
A New Yorker born and bred, my whole career has been devoted to photography: from college days shooting punk bands to my many years as a Wall Street Journal photo editor. After photographing a few of my friends’ weddings in the late-2000s, I knew making memories for people in love was what I wanted to do full-time. Clean Plate Pictures was born.
Over ten years and 400 weddings later, Clean Plate Pictures has grown to include our amazing associate photographer, Elle, videographer, Joe, and second shooter, Lee. We work out of a yellow studio in upstate New York, where we are often interrupted by my young daughters and my tiny poodle, Goldie.
Our brilliant Associate Photographer, Elle, is also the studio editor, and our social media maven, and when she’s not photographing her own weddings she second shoots with Erica. She does a lot. Elle excels at recording the energy of weddings – the unabashed, unfiltered love and laughter of the big day. She’s always ready to grab reaction shots of your friends as you exchange vows or catch candids while your family throws shapes on the dancefloor. Elle’s attention to the details and personable approach makes her a valuable member of any wedding day squad.
Joe, our resident videographer, has been making movies since his college days. He combines traditional tripod videography with epic drone photography to capture your day from up above and all around. He brings the same Clean Plate Pictures style of candid and unobtrusive shooting to his video work. Joe loves visual storytelling, and carefully edits each highlight reel to show your day and your love in bright, moving color.
Lee is our go-to second shooter for photography and videography. While he has a formal degree in photography, he’s been honing his video skills and taking direction from our resident videographer, Joe. Whether it’s capturing stills or operating the Steadicam, Lee is always ready with his infectious upbeat attitude and his sharp eye for details.