Wow!

I already have 3 volunteers for the Trash the Dress, but this doesn't mean they have to stop rolling in. If you really want to do this, email me and let me know. Of course, I will not be doing unlimited free sessions for everyone interested, but I would love to know how much interest is out there. Judging by the responses already, I may just HAVE to start offering these to every bride!! ;-)

Volunteer to Trash the Dress?

Hey guys... I am searching for a bride (past, present, future, or even distant future) that is willing to trash her dress OR get a white bridal-esque dress on eBay that you would love having pictures of yourself in. Obviously, I do not want you to trash a dress you haven't worn yet, but whoever volunteers MUST be willing to do whatever or go wherever I suggest... which means you cannot be camera shy at all. You must be willing and comfortable doing some sexier images in and around the lake and around town. What you get? A FREE two hour session with me around Saranac Lake with some very unique results! Click here to view other photographers' samples to get an idea of what I am talking about (I do not have the equipment to do underwater pictures, unfortunately).

You do NOT have to be a client of mine to volunteer (just willing and able and wanting to come to Saranac Lake), but I will need you to email me a pic of you and your dress if you are not. Either way, email me if you are interested. This session MUST take place between now and the end of August, and the date and time will be determined later.

The Knot features Jane & J.E.B.!

For some reason, I was never officially notified by the Knot, but Jane & J.E.B.'s feature article is up online now! Click here to see it. (You will have to be a member of theknot.com to view the entire thing)

Julie & Jonathan - Lake Placid, NY

Congratulations to Julie & Jonathan! They were married on Saturday at the Whiteface Club & Resort with their reception at a private residence in Lake Placid. In spite of Chris' oral surgery experience earlier last week, he showed up and captured (once again) some truly beautiful images.





I just LOVE these first dance images we captured. I used 2 flashes to gain more dimension in the images (and some lens flare) while Chris used all natural light, also known as the lights from the band. I had my try at using no flash, and the vertical moody one is the result... It is blurry b/c Chris had the faster lens, but I just love the feel of it!






While at the reception, Chris and I met Aaron Hobson, a very talented fine art photographer. I caught this image of him taking a panorama of Julie & Jonathan at the reception. We are hoping to work with him on some projects sometime in the near future.

oh well...

No one could guess correctly this time, but keep your eyes peeled for more little iTunes gift certificate competitions ahead! For those of you who are dying to know... Chris captured image 3, 7, 8, & 9 of the 10 in the last post. He is so good!

I am excited about Julie & Jonathan's wedding tomorrow in Lake Placid. We are still not sure how much (if any) Chris will do tomorrow as he is still healing from having 3 of his wisdom teeth out. He is doing really well- mostly just loving the diet of ice cream, jello, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pudding. Other than solid meat, we aren't missing much from his regular diet. ;-)

Kelly & Adam - Saranac Lake, NY

Yesterday, Chris and I had the privilege of photographing high school sweethearts Kelly & Adam on their wedding day, after 10 years of dating. They were married at the Wawbeek Resort on Upper Saranac Lake, which has been sold to a private party (unfortunately drawing an end to its public use for dinner and lodging after this fall). The weather could not have been more perfect, and I could not be more pleased with some of the images Chris cranked out. Guess which 4 he photographed of this bunch, and I will send you a $15 iTunes gift certificate. Seriously. I bet you can't guess; he's definitely caught up to me at full speed!

There is one candid in this mix that is pretty atypical for my site, but I was drawn to it b/c it felt so honest to me... I remember the moment clearly... Adam wanted to play leap-frog over Kelly; instead, he lay next-to her in the grass playfully... Meanwhile, Kelly just wanted to get a pretty picture and get up out of the grass (who could blame her?!). ;-) I just love it.

Wedding Photojournalists Association!

So... I am not sure if any of you blog readers have heard of the WPJA, but it is a tough group to join. Less than 5% of all photographers are part of this elite group of wedding photojournalists. First, you have to apply to be a part of it... and they are pretty tough on the applicants. In fact, they get so many applicants that they don't even tell you if you don't get in (you just have to assume that after 3 weeks if you haven't heard from them). This exclusive group will be featured in PEOPLE magazine (the issue coming out tomorrow) and is running a competition with BRIDES magazine. Here is some things they say to brides and photographers on their site...

"Leading the way in Wedding Photojournalism, WPJA represents the most discriminating talent around the world technically, creatively and visually. Qualified members hold industry-leading standards, skills and business integrity."

"The Wedding Photojournalist Association grants membership to the most talented professional wedding photographers in the industry--photographers who focus solely on using their photography skills in documenting weddings."

"IMPORTANT NOTE: Membership in the WPJA depends entirely on photographers meeting our high standards for inclusion. One CANNOT simply pay his/her way into the WPJA. We emphasize this is NOT another ad-driven wedding web site."

Anyway... all this to say... I GOT IN!!!!! I am officially a member of the WPJA- Wedding Photojournalists Association. I am pumped!

Gotham Family - Cranberry Lake, NY

Yesterday morning, I met up with former July bride Shannon and her sister at their parents' place on Cranberry Lake. Shannon and Wayne just introduced baby George into the world 6 weeks ago (they didn't waste any time). ;-) Oddly enough, Shannon's sister just had a baby boy (Sam). So, I met up with them to capture some sweet pictures of their new babies and big brother Jack. It was such a blessing to be able to photograph a former client's baby! I struggled a little narrowing it down... :-)

Meghan & Chris - Lake Placid, NY

Early early early (did I mention early?) on Sunday morning, I met up with Meghan & Chris at the trail head to McKenzie Pond. We, of course, did not get very far and weren't really attempting to hike, but it was still a great little stroll through the woods. It was so much fun to find little pockets of light in these dense woods; there were some really cool effects from the limited light. Meghan & Chris will be getting married on October 6 at the Whiteface Club & Resort in Lake Placid. We can't wait!

Melissa & Brian - Saranac Lake, NY

This morning, I met up with Melissa and Brian at the Saranac Lake Train Station for the Adirondack Scenery Railroad. I love this spot simply because you get a lot of variety in one location (even though part of it looks pretty junky when you drive up). Melissa and Brian are such a sweet couple: so sweet to each other that I hardly gave them any direction on what to do. And, check out that rock on her hand!! Beautiful! I am so looking forward to their wedding on September 7 at the Belhurst Castle in Geneva.

Allison & Brent - Lake Colby, NY

Well, it is 11:30pm, and my husband is asleep and our lovely dinner guests have left... and I just got sucked in! I was just too excited about this engagement session to go to bed. So, here it is! The preview to the engagement session I had this evening with Allison & Brent... I just love the image of them on their bikes; it took a lot of misses to get this hit (this affect is accomplished by setting the shutter very slow and panning with the moving object at the same speed as the object). It was tricky, but I love it. And, did I forget to mention that I just loved being around these guys- Allison laughed through the entire session! Even though it was freezing outside, we still managed to have fun! Thanks guys!



P.S. Allison & Brent will be getting married on September 15 down in Cooperstown, NY.

Alyse & Simon - Lake Logan, NC

Alyse & Simon were married this past Saturday at Lake Logan, just about an hour outside Asheville, NC. Even though the forecasters predicted rain and thunderstorms, the day proceeded flawlessly without a drop of rain, but even still, Alyse & Simon had an itch to get wet! ;-) They were seriously up for anything, so we went all over the property- climbing on trees, laying in the gram, rowing a canoe, and even wading in the lake (at the end of the reception, of course). This was probably the most relaxed wedding I have been to in a very long time; the location just had a very peaceful air about it. I think everyone got the bug to just relax and take joy in such a sweet union. Congrats to you both!



(Did I forget to mention that they custom designed their rings? They are so cool!)