Emily & Ben...a quick sneek peek!

Just a couple of quick sneek peeks from Emily & Ben's beautiful wedding at Ault Park this past weekend....

Emily & Ben had a fun surprise first dance as well!

Emily & Ben also posted the theirs and the bridal party's entrances on YouTube if you would like to check it out!

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!

Trash The Dress - Cincinnati Style!

If you're not familiar with TrashTheDress.com quite yet, be sure to check it out for some of the most creative Bridal photography out there! The last quarter of 2007 saw myself get in 2 different TTD sessions...I'll share the first one with you right now and save the other for later! Look and read on for some notes about TTD and a few shots of friend and fellow photographer, Deanna Keeton. First up is some shots from Cincinnati's Ault Park.

TTD Question #1: Are the dresses really ruined?

Most of the time it's just a matter of getting wet, dirty, muddy, you name it....and the dresses can still be cleaned and saved or donated. Doing a TTD session doesn't have to destroy the dress...I like the opinion that the shoots are more about the bride than the dress...it's an opportunity to get some great images in unique and even challenging settings!

Next are some shots from one of Cincinnati's great landmarks: Union Terminal! Fortunately it was early enough, and school was in session, so there was not a lot of student traffic there to visit the Museum! We still attracted some attention from everyone walking in, and actually shot for a solid 20 minutes before security kicked us out!...Just as we were about to get Deanna really wet in the fountain! Ugh!

TTD Question #2: Why Trash The Dress?

Why? Well, take a peak at the TTD site for some inspiration and other reasons....but let's face it - You don't plan on needing it again, right? Not to mention your daughter will never wear it... :) So the result is some killer images!

Does she have this down, or what? Trust me, she's great behind the camera too!

TTD Question #3: Can I do a TTD?

For all of my brides whose wedding I will be photographing, I will do a TTD session (and incorporate your husband too) for FREE. Ask for more details!

If I am not photographing your wedding, I will consider a free session, I just recommend being willing to be a little adventurous! If you want to be considered for a session, feel free to call or email.

We had a blast doing the shoot!...A special thanks goes out to Grace who snapped away with the second camera, and also had child corralling duties! Here's a few behind the scenes shots....