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.

Sarah's Bridal Portrait - Brevard, NC

On Friday evening, I met up with Sarah and her mom (along with her florist, Laura Crockett of Good Natured Floral Design) just outside Brevard, NC at the Faith Memorial Chapel for Sarah's bridal portrait session. Sarah will be getting married at this chapel on June 16, but I was booked for the date when she set it. So, we decided to do some bridal portraits in conjunction with Laura. Anyway, these images are of Sarah and her bouquet, but the next post will be images of the other 3 bouquets Laura came up with. Enjoy!

Alyse's Bridal Portrait - Asheville, NC

Yesterday afternoon, I finished my stretch of 11 sessions in 10 days in the South with my June 2 bride Alyse (back to New York on Sunday and back to desk work on Tuesday). We met at the Arboretum with the threat of rain hanging over our heads the entire session. Fortunately, we completely missed the rain, but we played with the large umbrella anyway. Alyse has such a classic beauty that I just love so many of these images; she looks like a Greek goddess! :-) Thank you, Alyse. I had so much fun with you, your mom and your future mother-in-law!

Katy's Bridal Portrait - Hickory, NC

I am not sure I have traveled enough lately! ;-) Last night, I met my future sister-in-law in her hometown (Hickory, NC) for her bridal portrait. I had a total blast with her- so much so that there were times when I was laughing hard with her instead of pointing the camera at her. But, she was totally up for anything, so we went all over town to get some more edgy shots of her. Katy will be marrying my brother David on May 19! I just can't wait for the big day!!!

Tonight, I am back in Charlotte, NC, and I just finished photographing my dear friends the Worsleys. I have two sessions tomorrow, but I will try to post again soon!

JoBeth & Sally - Columbia, SC

First off, I just have to apologize for the delay in my blog updates. I am about to hit you with 3 entries because I have been without internet in my travels all over the place! Anyway, on Friday evening, my friend Becca and I met up with sisters JoBeth and Sally for their bridal portraits in Columbia, SC (Becca was more or less my go-to gal for reflectors, equipment, and a sheet for the brides to sit on). It was such a fun and unique experience to do two bridal portraits at once. Sally was married last December, so she was fearless with her dress... and once JoBeth saw how the images were coming out of her sister, she went along with more ideas. JoBeth will be getting married on May 26 (I was booked when she contacted me about her wedding). I had such a blast with these two knockouts!

Fine Art Portraiture

Jesh de Rox inspired me for this post. Although he captures very sweet moments, what he does with those images afterwards is what makes his work fine art. I feel like I see so many wedding photographers just slap on the title "fine art" to their weddings, but there is so little merit behind it. Jesh really takes his images to the next level, and by being an exlusive wedding photographer (ie only taking in a small number of jobs each year), he is able to really spend the time to create these amazing pieces of art. So, I tried my hand in Photoshop to see what I could come up with. Tell me what you think.

The first image is untouched (embarassingly, what I showed my client on Pictage)... but, it really does not tell the moment as I saw it when the shutter closed. I saw Jane, my dear and absolutely beautiful friend, in a peaceful and pensive moment right before she walked down the aisle to a new life. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her; she just glowed! But, I didn't want to just put a glow effect on her... Anyways, the first image barely communicates what I saw. The second image is just tweeking that I would do on a current order through our new (but not yet released) online gallery system. And, the third... still a work in progress, but it is my attempt at making this moment into fine art... weddings are filled with fantasy-like moments where the world just seems to stop, so shouldn't the images from them communicate that?

Meghan's St. Patrick's Bridal Shower

Though it took a few days to get to these images, it is not a reflection on how much fun I had at Meghan's surprise bridal shower on Saturday at the Interlaken Inn. Her matron-of-honor did a wonderful job with every little detail... And the food was delicious! It was such a joy and honor to document and be a part of such a special time. It was a bummer that I had to leave early, but I am still excited about a lot of these shots. These ladies were so fun that it was hard to get bad pictures... I just can't wait for the wedding!