Friday, December 4, 2009 Posted in Wedding
There’s engagement parties, and then there’s Monica and Amit’s engagement party, which was more on the scale of a wedding…a big wedding. The party was in Cincinnati at the Hyatt Regency. Guests traveled from all parts of the country to attend this important event.
Monica, Amit and their families were so nice and wonderful to work with. The engagement ceremony was beautiful, the music was awesome and the food was delicious. It was a fun experience for everyone.
Of course, a party of this size is best documented by two photographers, so Lance Anderson made the trek to Cincinnati with me to second shoot. We got a lot of great shots and had a blast doing it.
Unfortunately, I’m not shooting their wedding, but at least I know they’re in great hands with the Linczaks.
Here are a few pics from Monica and Amit’s engagement party.
Thursday, October 29, 2009 Posted in E-Session
I had a great time downtown with Marriette and Mark. They were a lot of fun…and funny. It was exactly as an engagement session should be.. completely relaxed and carefree. We wondered around Public Square for a while, taking shots on the monument. Then we found a cool brick wall in the entrance of a parking garage. We shot there for a few minutes before we were kicked out for not having a permit. I have to admit, I like shooting in places where there is a good likelihood that I will be thrown out of. It’s all part of the fun.
Anyway, by this time is was getting dark enough to head over to E 4th and do some cool stuff with the lights and neon signs. As it got darker, the images became a little more dramatic and serious.
I had a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to Marriette and Mark’s wedding next summer.
Sunday, October 25, 2009 Posted in Wedding
Lisa and Jeff were married on October 23, at St. Therese in Garfield Hts. The reception was at Windows on the River.
I had an awesome time with Lisa and Jeff! They were so much fun to work with. I knew it was going to be a great wedding because we had an excellent engagement session earlier in the summer. I started out with Jeff and the guys, and then jumped over to Lisa’s parents’ house. Lisa, her dad, sister, niece and I went to the Garfield Hts. Fire Department to take some photos with a big, red Sutphen. Lisa’s dad is a firefighter, so some shots with them in front of the truck was important. Then, off to the church.
We had a great time during the creative session at the Old Arcade in the Hyatt Regency. The bridal party was a blast to work with. They certainly weren’t a shy bunch, which is how I like it. Lisa, Jeff and I also managed to slip out of Windows for a few shots during the reception.
Enjoy -
Jeff gave Lisa a beautiful pair of earrings that match her wedding ring. She was so excited.
I have to mention how much fun I had hopping in the photobooth with Lisa and Jeff. It was provided by Memory Productions. It was a big hit with everyone.
It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for family photos in the park. I met up with Kelly, Vito and their two children, Nino and Isabel, in the Brecksville Reservation. The area we shot in had a lot of options, but the most popular areas were the ones with a combination of small rocks, water and mud. Piles of fallen leaves were pretty popular too.
I had a great time with the Stassi family, and it was nice to spend time in the park on such a beautiful day. I wish I had more opportunities like this.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Posted in Maternity
Tiarra and Dan are having a baby in November and wanted some maternity photos. We decided to do some photos that focused on just them (and their dog, Jet) first, and then do some photos that focused more on her pregnancy. We shot everything in downtown Willoughby. The fist set was right around the town square, and the second set was in a building I use when I need studio space.
I had a fun time with Tiarra and Dan. They’re really great people and are excellent with the camera. They interacted great together and had very natural, yet dramatic expressions when it was necessary. I enjoyed shooting them as well as editing their photos.
Here’s a few of my favorite shots.
I think this is my favorite shot, and it was actually pretty hard to get. The room was really dark, with only a little light coming in through the window. The sun was almost down at this point. They were really patient with me as I attempted a hand-held shot at 1/10 of a second. I finally got one that was sharp enough.
Monday, October 19, 2009 Posted in Wedding
Kari and Adam were married on October 17 at Federated Church in Chagrin Falls. The Reception was at the Hilton Garden Inn in Twinsburg.
All week, forecasts called for rain. Kari was very happy to see that the sun was out and it wouldn’t be a wet day after all. They had a little ride planned after the ceremony in a 1960-something Pontiac Bonneville convertible. Opened convertibles and rain don’t go well together, so it’s a good thing the forecasts were wrong.
I had a great time with Kari and Adam. They’re both really nice people and a total pleasure to work with. Their bridal party was a lot of fun too. The ladies did a great job of dealing with the chilly temps.
I also had the pleasure of working with Scott and Mike from Moonstruck Productions. They do an awesome job and are really easy to work with. The Marino Brothers provided the entertainment at the reception.
Here’s a few from Kari and Adam’s wedding.
Monday, October 12, 2009 Posted in Wedding
Melanie and Paul were married on October 10 at St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral. The reception was at the Galleria at Erie View.
I was looking forward to this wedding because I knew that it was going to be an extraordinary day. First of all, Melanie and Paul are really fun people. They laughed and joked the whole day and didn’t sweat anything. Secondly, Fr. John let me shoot from pretty much anywhere I wanted, which allowed me to get in close and get some great angles. Thirdly, the church and the reception venue were beautiful. St Theodosius is a very ornate church with lots of murals, stained glass and gold trim.
Melanie and Paul really wanted to mix up the creative session with a variety of really close locations. This worked because they left plenty of time for photographs. We started out at the new Capitol Theatre on Detroit. We just took a few shots outside and moved on. Next we went to a the old cold storage building that you can see from 71/90. They were just looking for a background that’s a little different than the usual. The old building definitely fit the bill. Finally, we jumped over to Voinovich Park, which is right down the street from the Galleria. It was a little chilly by the lake, the the bridal party toughed it out with no problem. I enjoyed this part of the session because it was windy, the light was nice and the sky was deep blue.
The Galleria is a great reception venue. Melanie and Paul had the place decorated beautifully and there was plenty of room for dancing.
Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day.
Clairise Williams is a very talented singer in the process of recording a gospel album, and needed some photographs for the cover. I really thought it was important for Clarise’s music to be playing during the session. I wanted to make sure the photos matched the mood of the music. When we put the CD in, I was impressed with the great sound. When she told me it was mostly her family playing the instruments, I was really impressed. It sounded awesome. The Williams family is full of very gifted musicians.
Clarise was a lot of fun to work with. Her daughter, Tania, was there as well. She was really helpful to me and her mom. She held a reflector for me for some of the shots and she got her mom to laugh a lot. Towards the end of the shoot, Clarise’s husband, Bruce, arrived and encouraged her as she was singing out loud. The shoot was a combination of posed shots and natural shots of Clarise getting into her music. I really had a great time working with Clarise.
I can’t wait to hear the final album. I know it’s going to be great.
Here’s a few of my favorite shots from the session.
Monday, September 28, 2009 Posted in E-Session
A few months ago I photographed a wedding at the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club in Gates Mills. The day before the wedding, I scouted out the grounds for some nice shooting locations. Unfortunately, it rained for part of the day and we were restricted to areas right near the club house. However, I was hoping for the opportunity to go back and shoot in some of the beautiful hidden areas I found. When Brooke and I discussed possible shooting locations for her and Aaron’s engagement session, we settled on the Hunt Club.
Brooke and Aaron were really fun to photograph. They could go from romantic and dramatic to playful in a second. They’re both really laid back and are very natural and comfortable in front of the camera. I had a lot of fun shooting them and I’m really looking forward to their wedding wedding next October.
Monday, September 28, 2009 Posted in Wedding
Bernadette and Matt were married on September 26 at St. Charles in Parma. The reception was held at New Orleans Party Center in Brecksville.
I had the pleasure of getting to know Bernadette and Matt during their engagement session earlier this summer. The session went great, so I was really looking forward to photographing their wedding. We made plans a while back to shoot the creative session at Tower City, so the rain didn’t bother us a bit. I also had a great time with the bridal party on the party bus.
Here are some photos from Bernadette and Matt’s wedding.
by Justin
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