Other side of the lens....

Over the next few weeks you will be seeing darrinballman.com become much more portrait focused now that the wedding and engagement end of my shooting is entirely with Deanna Keeton and our D&D web site and D&D blog...For a little while there will be some cross-posting until a few things sort themselves out. Right now, I thought I would toss up a few pics of Deanna and myself shooting lately. We've had some fun with other photographer friends coming along lately too, including Leigh Caraccioli, who is helping us out a little bit this year and also our local friend Kelly Settle. First up was Kelly coming along during Sara & Troy's engagement session in Cincinnati. We spent a little time in Eden Park, near the Krohn Conservatory, where Sara & Troy's wedding was being held, as well as spent some time in Mt. Adams and Newport On The Levee. If you want to see a few of the images from their session, you can check them out Here.

We usually try to give a little visual feedback to our couples as we're shooting...it's not only fun for them but it also helps to build confidence that they're doing just fine on getting the shots we want to get for them!

We're also never afraid to demonstrate of course!

Here's Kelly on the streets and sidewalks of Mt. Adams...literally....

More fun in Mt. Adams...this time with Emily & Ben and Deanna helped shoot this one with me.

We have started doing "same day slide shows" whenever possible...maybe a little more details on that another time...but here is Deanna and Leigh beginning to load and sort some images on Sara & Troy's wedding day.

Leigh jumped in a shot a few of us while we were spending some time with Sara and the girls before the ceremony.....

Leigh moves rather quickly and you never know where she's going to show up! As you can see below....of course in between all of the hats she wears at home and behind the camera - she's also one of the Twitterati - so some of you may know her better as @fleurdeleigh. For this photo I think I'm calling her @fleurdeTREE!

...and of course, as photographers, it's pretty much a given that we'll go about anywhere to get the shot we want! Here's Deanna up to here eyeballs in clover....

So there you go - a little look into us keeping busy, and we'll have some more to share in the not too distant future, as well as some tips and insight for other photographers too!

Kelly & Ben...Cincinnati Street Session!

Here's a few favorites from Kelly & Ben's recent Street Session in Cincinnati! We spent a little bit of time at Newport on the Levee and Yeatman's Cove before heading downtown to Fountain Square.

We got to Fountain Square just as some of the sunset was hitting Carew Tower real nicely...happened to be a nice, lively evening on the square too with "Salsa Night" going on....

I've also been absolutely dying to somehow incorporate part of Netherland Plaza into a session...so we headed over there to experiment with a couple of shots. It's nicknamed "the most beautiful room in Cincinnati", and with good reason. I had a couple of other ideas on how I wanted to use it though..more experimenting some other time I'm sure!

I wanted at least one shot to show the opulent entry area though....

We'll see you two in a few weeks!

The Milthaler Family.....

This past weekend I captured some environmental portraits of the Milthalers....Matt, Hope, Reagan and Harrison.  I took a couple of hours and followed them around for a little while, and we really came up with a wide variety of fun stuff! As usual, I had a tough time narrowing down the selections, so here's an extra special "big blog" of a few of the highlights!

Sometimes you feel like just eating lunch....

Other times you feel like you are lunch!

Plenty more to come!...and Happy Birthdays going out to Reagan & Harrison!

Caleb's Miracle...

Last year at this time my friend’s, Suzanne & Gary, were expecting their first child, a boy, due in August of 2008. Of course we had talked about doing some newborn photos of him after he was here – but certainly no one expected that just 2 weeks before Suzanne’s due date – I would be taking photos of him, not only in the NICU but also at an amazing 2 ½ months old. Being a parent myself, yes it’s true you’re never really completely prepared for that first child and all the learning that comes along with them, but you are certainly never prepared for what comes with the arrival of a severely premature delivery. For Suzanne and Gary it meant delivering Caleb at less than 27 weeks, 1lb 4ozs and 11 ¾”. Of course they found themselves on the rollercoaster ride that comes with that kind of situation; all of the ups and downs that Caleb has had, fighting for what’s best for him, and the 129 days straight of making the trek down to University Hospital to be with their son in the NICU.

 

In just 3 weeks however, Caleb will be celebrating his first birthday, a really huge victory! I know along the way they have appreciated the support, the prayers and the work of others that make it their job to deal with these very special situations. This weekend they will be walking in the March of Dimes’ “March for Babies” walk in Cincinnati. If you wish to donate in Caleb’s name you can visit their team page at:

March for Babies - Team Caleb

I know I couldn’t do their story justice, so with their permission, here is Suzanne’s words describing their experience…as well as photos of Caleb from the beginning up to his first trip to the park earlier this month!

Suzanne:

“A LOT has happened this year. It was the worst and best year of my life thus far.

This time last year I had only known I was pregnant for about a month. I was still freaking out about it too. I never wanted kids. I feel guilty even thinking about that now. I was so freaked when I found out. I didn't know how I was going to take care of a kid and since it was something I hadn't thought a lot about I was really freaking out. Everyone kept reassuring me that I would be a great mom but I was still so unsure. After about another month I started getting really excited. The thought of having a child had sunk in and I was actually really stoked. I couldn't wait to meet him. I had all these plans. It was an awesome feeling.

I remember when things started to go wrong. I look back and feel like they should have known something was wrong with me sooner than they did. In the beginning of March they said that my BP was slightly elevated but it wasn't anything to worry about. I was gaining WAY too much weight even though I was going to curves walking on my lunch break and eating good. I remember about 2 weeks before I was admitted in the hospital the first time, telling Gary don't you think my stomach should be much bigger for being 5 months pregnant. I thought it was weird and so did he. But I went on trusting that the docs knew what they were doing. Then the vomiting started. I didn't think anything of this either. I was getting sick every time I ate something. Then I started feeling really run down which is when I decided to take my BP in Kroger. I remember looking at those extremely high numbers and somewhere deep down I knew the outcome would not be good. I went to the doc the next morning and they admitted me right to Christ. Christ kept me and sent me home a couple of days later telling me that I did not have Preeclampsia. So I went out of town to my moms house for my brothers bday and I shopped and did stuff all weekend. I probably should have been in bed. But I wasn't and then on Monday morning when I woke up my eyes were swollen shut. Again, I was admitted to Christ but this time was different. I could see it in their eyes when they were doing that ultrasound that something was really wrong. But for whatever reason when stuff like this is going on. No one ever wants to tell you anything. It felt so surreal to see all these people rushing around trying to find answers to something I wasn't even aware of yet. That is when they told me that they were putting me on magnesium to prevent me from having seizures. I totally freaked out! I was crying my eyes out. Then they also told me I was being transferred to another hospital where they could deliver a baby as early as Caleb was. TIME FROZE at this point. I didn't know what was going on. No one explained anything to me. I had no idea what was really going on until I got over to University. That is where they told me I would not be leaving the hospital without delivering a baby.

We were totally crushed. The week I was admitted to university they told us that if I was to have the baby that day that they didn't even recommend resuscitation. I couldn't believe all of this was happening to me. To US. Gary was so worried. I was worried. But I didn't even fully realize that I was close to not being here anymore. At this point they were just trying to keep him in me as long as possible. I don't remember many things the way I remember these events. I remember everything down to the words people were saying to me at the time. It is so clear in my head. I spent the next 3 weeks in Labor and Delivery under constant monitors. Worrying myself to death. I never slept....I couldn't shower. I wasn't allowed to eat every other day. But I did get to get a tour of the NICU since we knew he would be there. I hate to admit but I was relieved when they finally decided to take him. Caleb had intermittently absent flow in a blood vessel in his brain and in the umbilical cord. Then it was reversed. He went from having a decel in his heartrate 2-3 times a day to every hour or so. They said if they didn't take him then he would have probably been dead in 24 hours. So we did it. I was taken to emergency surgery to have my c-section.

This was another horrifying experience. I had no idea c-section was so traumatic. I could hear them cutting through my flesh with scissors. I could smell burning flesh. I lost a lot of blood and hearing everything the doc was saying. It was all just so vivid and horrible. I was shaking uncontrollably. I was listening to them count all the metal clamps as they used more. I went in for surgery and had already received the epidural and was strapped down to the table at 10am that morning. They had him out at 10:12. I don't remember hearing anything other than the doctor saying oh he is little. Gary said he heard him cry. But they worked on him in the room for a couple of minutes and briefly flashed him to me so I could see him in case he didn't make it. I couldn't even enjoy seeing him for the first time because of everything else going on.”

The First Days...

T

“After my c-section in the recovery room all I wanted to do was to see him. My heart was aching. I didn't know things like this happened. I really didn't I was ignorant. Gary, my mom, my dad and my grandma all got to see him. I was getting small updates here and there. But nothing could ease my mind. I just knew he wasn't going to make it. At first it seemed like he was doing well and he started to decline shortly after I got to see him the first time. I was finally able to lay eyes on my son for the first time on May 11th at 12:30 am. I was wheeled into the NICU and it felt like my heart stopped. Even though I had gotten a tour it still felt like my heart was being torn to shreds as I was wheeled over to his isolette. I had never seen anything so tiny fighting so hard to live before. I couldn't take it. I was in there maybe 5 minutes before I had to leave. My son was here. Not even close to the way I pictured it going down.”

 

Caleb at 2 ½ months in the NICU

“Caleb had many struggles and we almost lost him quite a few times but we all made it through somehow. We spent 129 days going to the NICU. Seeing him. Being and feeling helpless and hopeless. Wanting more than anything for them to let him come home. It was always something with him. Things kept popping up. But we finally got the word that we were going to be going home. And I flipped out. I couldn't believe it. It had been so long I got used to going to the hospital to see my son. It was hard leaving all the people there that we liked so much. I have so much respect for the nurses in the NICU. It takes a very special person to be able to do that job. The day we left I cried for like 4 hours. I couldn't believe it was finally happening.”

Caleb at 6 ½ months……

“Caleb is the joy of my life. I look at him and he makes everything OK. Nothing else matters anymore. I love him more than I thought was possible to love something. We are soooo grateful he is here and is doing so well. Despite our minor setbacks. So even though it has been a really hard year it has also been the most rewarding. My little Caleb :-) And I couldn't ask for a better father than Gary. He does so good with him. I am so proud of our little family. We have been through so much together.

Thanks to everyone who has been there for us!!! Looking forward to a great 2009 with my little miracle!”

Caleb’s first trip to the park!...April 2009

It’s so exciting to see Caleb growing up! Congratulations to Caleb, Suzanne and Gary on celebrating a year, as challenging as it has been……

March for Babies – Team Caleb page:

March for Babies - Team Caleb

Support page for NICU families: http://www.shareyourstory.org

Sneak Peek: Savannah & Sierrah....

Last night I had fun being able to do a little birthday session for my friend Viktorya and her twin daughters Savannah and Sierrah. They are always fun to photograph! Here's a couple sneak peeks from last night.....

Sierrah....

Savannah....

double the personality... ;)

Viktorya...

More a little later on!

Brooke & Alex....Mason, Ohio

Here's some highlights from Brooke & Alex's wedding that we shot at the Manor House in Mason, Ohio. It includes a few shots from their Street Session in Dayton too!

Christmas in Springboro....

This weekend was our annual Christmas in Springboro Festival....it's actually turned out to be one of the larger Christmas festivals in the area here. On Main St. (where the studio is..) they close off about 6 blocks and have the plethora of Holiday food, crafts and music going on. I think this year attendance may have been a little lighter - after all it was in the mid 20"s most of the time - especially Saturday when I managed to take an editing break and headed out to snap a few shots. On average the Friday night, Saturday and Sunday afternoon festival attracts over 20,000 people! Not too bad for our little downtown. In front of my place we have the Horse Drawn Carriage rides and the Kid's Train with the colorful "oil barrel" cars. Here's a few quick snaps!

Looking south down Main St.

There's quite a bit of good festival eating - and a bunch of craft vendors - in tents fortunately! Plus most of the unique little shops on Main St. open as well.

...and who would have thought...camels in Springboro...the petting zoo added them...

No...really...

A little Trash the Dress teaser...

Well, I thought I might throw a tease up from last weekend's Trash the Dress in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati….since I know there's a few curious souls out there. Every time I do a shoot…it doesn't matter what type it is – I always find myself picking out maybe a half dozen images to play around with quickly….it kind of gives me a feel for where things might be going…then a little later – maybe days or a couple weeks – depending on my work load – I then start the real post-processing. I'm not very methodical about it – I like to just see where things take me. So, with that, here's four images that jumped out to me from the TTD shoot with Julie and Charlie last weekend. Julie first contacted me last spring after she came across the blog of the TTD I did with Deanna. She loved the concept and was up for anything. Generally, I am willing to shoot a TTD for free if the bride is willing to ramp it up a bit – it's got to be more than just rolling around on the grass! So we agreed that after their August wedding we would put something together!

Julie and Charlie live in Northern Kentucky, so we started out at Tower Park in Ft. Thomas. Great run down buildings, lots of peeling paint and brick. Security looked the other way for awhile, but eventually figured out we were breaking a few rules…fortunately just as we were getting ready to move on anyway! Here's a couple from Tower Park….

Next up was the real trashing….we needed water! Of course, out here around labor day, a lot of the fountains get turned off for the winter, but it just so happened that the one in the middle of Mirror Lake, in Cincinnati's gorgeous Eden Park, was still running. Perhaps best of all, the end of the "lake" we were going to work on was set back from the road and parking, so there was less of a chance of getting kicked out! We took it easy at first by getting Julie to lay back on the wall and just drape her dress into the water. Here's a quick clip of me giving Julie some direction as we got started. (Special thanks to Viktorya for helping out with the video and pics….and lenses…and remote flash… :) )

Here I am showing Julie the goal....all the way out to the fountain!

It was quite a ways for Julie to work herself out to the fountain...I think overall she spent a solid 15 minutes or so going out there and back. At least we didn't get kicked out!

This was a real favorite as Julie was working her way back.....

There you go...just a little sampling of the little bit of fun we had once again... :) We'll have some more a little later on!

California "Street Session" - Santa Barbara Style!

With my recent time spent this summer in California I had the opportunity to do a Street Session up in Santa Barbara. Not only was it great to meet Carrie and Hank and see if we could round up some killer images for them before their wedding this October, but it was also extra special since my oldest daughter helped assist for the very first time! All in all it was a great evening and we managed to get in quite a variety of shots!

Typically a Street Session will last about 4 hours...(I always tell my couples that they will tire out before I do!)...I try to keep things relaxed but still moving, looking for "cool light" and killer backdrops. Of course with Santa Barbara it's kind of hard to go wrong! Thinking back, not only did we manage to get a huge variety of shots and styles in, I think we actually did it in just under 4 hours. Definitely a record given the amount that we pulled out of this session....

Just a reminder...Street Sessions are available for anyone...even if I am not shooting your wedding. Of course, I do travel to any and all destinations, so don't hesitate to book both!

So...with that huge variety from Carrie and Hank's night out....I'm going to offer up another monster blog of images that shows you the many styles that can come out of one session! Here we go...

I always like to start out really relaxed and easy...just kind of getting used to how each couple is in front of the camera, and how they move and interact with each other. With Carrie and Hank we started out in the middle of State Street and decided to make use of one of the many little sidewalk cafes.

With Santa Barbara it isn't so much about finding great little places to shoot at - it's more about how to squeeze them all in! The next few shots made use of this incredible hallway and overlook area. Three incredible set-ups literally just a few feet apart.

With the late day sunlight really hitting it's peak, I was trying to work fast but still effective so we could make it down to the beach for the sunset. I just loved the feel of what we were getting though!

At the end of that hallway we found the "perfect studio" for something a little more formal but still relaxed!

Naturally, part of the idea of the Street Sessions is to be out among people...and plenty of people there were...sometimes working around them...other times incorporating them. Not everyone is comfortable being so affectionate in public, but Carrie and Hank were totally relaxed being the center of attention throughout the night....

Plenty of great opportunities around the outdoor mall....

Sunset light was at a premium really quick, and I forgot about the sun setting behind the mountains instead of over the ocean - so by the time we got to the beach it took on an entirely different look and feel than I was originally intending.....but, the advantage was we didn't get "the usual" beach shots and I was able to really experiment.....

Here's a quick shot showing Kayleigh assisting with the remote flash...she did an incredible job following Carrie and Hank along the beach and getting the flash directed where I needed it!

As soon as the sunlight really faded we started to go alternative and "roll with it"...personally I love capturing motion and letting the viewer get a feel for what was going on - I think it also helps to really "capture" those moments.

Carrie and Hank didn't mind getting wet...but at one point, with their dancing around, Carrie almost went all the way!

All of us got fairly wet....I was trying to shoot close to the water...the key is just keep repeating to yourself "don't drop the camera" and watch the level of the waves!

Part of the whole Street Session concept is the After Dark time...after getting cleaned up we headed back up to State Street to finish out the night looking for "cool light". First up was a stop at Starbucks...of course I love shooting through windows and looking for the little imperfections that it creates in an image, not to mention how interior light come across too.

I've always got to incorporate some car lights too...

Every now and then I do get funny looks when you see a guy poking his camera in through the window at some supposedly unsuspecting couple...people on the street never know what to think!

On our way back up from the beach I saw how cool the entrance to the Hotel Santa Barbara looked...it screamed to be used as a backdrop....unfortunately by the time we got there - the Hotel's doorman had reappeared...so we rolled with that too....I had a plan though....

My plan: "Please Mr. Doorman, can we come inside and kiss in front of the windows so our photographer across the street can take some killer photos of us?"...I told Carrie and Hank to just "do their thing" for a 3-4 minutes in front of the hotel, then when I gave them the signal, go ahead and ask to come inside...it took a minute of talking, but he said yes.....

...and we got stuff like this.....it wasn't until I started editing the photos that I noticed the nice little touch of the "Rooms Available" sign.....PERFECT!

Did I say I love including the car lights?

I also love stores with large, well lit windows.....

Perfect opportunity for something a little edgier....

...and the only thing better than shooting through a window is shooting through two of them!

So there you go! We really did squeeze in quite a bit! A reminder that with most all of my wedding coverage packages a "Street Session" is included...or you can order one seperately. We had an incredible time shooting this one....Best wishes to Carrie and Hank on their wedding this fall - we wish you all the best! Special thanks to Kayleigh too for all the great video work and assisting with the remote flash! I know it was a long night but you hung in there the entire time!

Jessica & Joe Highlight - Dayton, Ohio

I thought I would share a little bit from Jessica and Joe's day here in Dayton. We started out with some wonderful getting ready time at the Patterson Homestead, where the ceremony was taking place as well. The room the girls were getting ready in gave us some incredible light to work with and plenty of opportunities for a variety of looks. I always love it when I can pull variety out of a room!

Lots of great mirror time too.....

One thing I have really loved doing, especially lately, is looking for abstract styled shots when they present themselves. This was a great example as Jessica was getting her dress on....anytime light, shadow, motion and form come together in a unique way it can make for some extremely rewarding photos!

The Patterson Homestead was built between 1810-1850 and houses with it a lot of history from probably Dayton's most influential family (founders of NCR and many other notable endeavors). I loved this following shot where it's almost as if family members from the past were watching on.

Jessica's Mom helping with the dress....

A little high-fashion feel...

Jessica and Joe decided to see each other before the ceremony...so we arranged a little moment out on the front porch that worked out to be quite emotional....

The Homestead has beautiful green space and trees on the property that we used for the formals...

During the ceremony I always like to stay as absolutely unobtrusive as possible...and in most cases that means avoiding being in front of the couple...this time however there was a very helpful line of bushes that I was able to shoot through...not only did I get a few shots from the front...but the bushes worked as a wonderfully creative diffuser for some really cool blurring effect! No Photoshop needed!

...and how could we forget our very special Bridesmaid... Heidi!!!

Before heading to the reception, we stopped at a little "secret" garden for some shots. The garden is known for it's incredible use of flowers...so we made use of that....

The reception was at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education......

We did manage to get in a little bit of our quiet time before heading back in to the rest of the party!

Congratulations to Jessica and Joe! It was a great day that we had a lot of fun with too....Best wishes to the two of you!