New Studio Space!!!

New studio space! Well, I recently had the opportunity to move up the street about 1000 feet into an area that will allow me to do a lot more. The new location, still in Springboro’s Historical District “downtown”, will not only give me more shooting area, but also room for meetings and a small gallery area. There’s lots of plans in the works, including working on a shooting space in the finished upstairs too. A couple weeks ago I tore out the carpeting on the downstairs floor in preparation for this week’s refinishing of the wood floors.

About the building….apparently there used to be a college in between here and Waynesville well over 100 years ago. It is believed that this house was moved from that location where it was used as faculty housing. As a result it is on the National Register of Historical Places. With 9’ ceilings, a 15’x15’ room, a 9’x 9’ room and archways, it will work well for a variety of shooting situations. There is another 15’ x 20’ room and then the upstairs that will also serve limited studio purposes for the time being. Of course one of the really great bonuses is that it is commercial property with great roadside exposure. Window signage went up a couple weeks back – and today the plans for the commercial sign out front were approved. Hopefully I can have that up in a few weeks!

So things have been kind of hectic around here one way or another, including launching the wedding season. I’ll post some photos fairly soon here, including some other fun stuff in the works. Right now, here’s a few highlights from the new place…I can’t wait to do some before and after comparison later this summer. Here you go…

35 S. Main St. Springboro.....

Looking into what will be the new shooting area with meeting area and small gallery space.

Saying goodbye to the carpet....apparently in the "old days" they would only stain the wood in areas where the carpets were not covering...saves money!
I'll add more photos soon to show the new look!

2006 Top Ten...picking favorites.....

Now that 2006 is officially wrapped up, I thought I would just say thanks to everyone who helped to make it such a great year in many ways. There were a lot of fun moments captured this year, and I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you. Of course, trying to narrow it down to ten is impossible.....!...But I did keep it at that. A few of these you may have seen, a few I'm sure you have not. They are just a small snapshot of photos that really stood out to me.

Also...I wanted to say thanks to the best assistants I could ask for...Erica, Rosemary and Amiee too. The three of you are each incredibly talented at "being there", reading the moments, listening, watching and staying focused. A special best wishes goes to Rosemary as she moves on to Pittsburgh...as I said..."book me a Pittsburgh wedding and you're on!"

So, here are a few favorites from 2006 (in no particular order). Don't forget to say hi on the Chatbox if you want! Hope you enjoy!



From Julie & Pat's wedding in Columbus, these two guys were just relaxing for a moment when I caught up with them. I like to title this one..."On Deck".

From a modeling shoot earlier this year of Stephanie. The look of that flowy white dress and the glow of the hallway were perfect. We had some really nice shots out of that combination.

Julie & Pat's "Street Session" in Columbus, Ohio in the "Short North". Take the great lighting around the shops and add a little sexier feel to things. Yes, I will be doing A LOT more nighttime photography in 2007!

My youngest daughter on the beach in Santa Barbara, during my time out there in Sept/Oct. She was reenacting a scene from a Korean mini-series that we watched a lot of those couple weeks. I asked her what she was doing she said: "I'm dancing like she was doing in the movie" (on the beach). Lucky for me on one shot I caught her entirely off the ground...it was perfect, and might actually be my favorite shot of the year.

One more from this fall's trip to LA. My youngest again...this time at the Getty Center in the children's "hands-on" area. Each area recreated a certain artwork, and then had an activity the kids can do with it. This one was these large Plexiglass panels showing parts of a Bible from the 13th or 14th century. The kids could then take eraseable markers and write on some of the other lines. Of course the Plexiglass was a great light source.

Some of you will recognize Erica, one of my assistants. We were actually here at the studio doing the headshots you see of me on the web site and blog. Erica actually shoots herself, and is as talented behind the camera as obviously as she is in front of it too. We were talking about posing, so she took me through some of her favorites real quick. There were some excellent shots, but this might be my favorite. She just has that look and pose, pure class and beauty.

From Candace & Scott's wedding in Dayton came this car shot. I just loved how the slope of the roof framed the scene in an unconventional way.



Another favorite from Phebe & Gerry's wedding, this one a detail shot. I loved the bold mix of colors, the blue wrap and bracelet, as well as the high key lighting.

Those few quick moments directly after the ceremony can provide some great spontaneous shots, just before the couple gets swarmed by the bridal party or even guests. This is from April & Josh's wedding at Carillon Park in Dayton, just as they completed their part of the reccessional. I liked having April's sister and her escort right behind them in the frame, and the contrasting angles....and yeah, it just screamed for the cross-process style. If I had to only pick one wedding favorite for 2006, this might just be "THE shot"....

And to round it out......from my modeling shoot with Ann Nicole, came this hall shot. I loved that pose! I wanted something "fashiony", and we definitely got some good stuff that day.



There you have them! A few highlights at least! Right now I have a really good feeling about 2007 - I think there will be some really fun stuff this year. Stay tuned to the blog for updates - and say hi on the Chatbox if you have any comments or questions!

Phebe & Gerry

Well, we continue our review of this year's last few weddings with Phebe & Gerry. who had their ceremony and reception at Fairhaven Church in Centerville. I have to give them the award for "coolest car" for 2006 for their classic Auburn, as you will see. The day was filled with some really great photo opportunities, from doing hair at Oney's Salon, to makeup at the MAC counter at Macy's, and of course formals at the Dayton Art Institute! Here's just a little sampling from the day......

Galleries Updated..and more!!

If you havn't seen yet...I did a complete galleries overhaul over Christmas! The new gallery section is Flash based - so it does take a bit longer to load, but it does have a nice slideshow feature. There is still plenty of pictures! In addition to a mix of weddings, I did add a gallery for the "Street Sessions" which were new in the second half of 2006. Also newly featured weddings include: Phebe & Gerry, Andrea & Tony, and Gretchen & Britt. I will be highlighting a couple more weddings from this year shortly, and I am also trying to put together my favorite 10 (or so...) images from 2006.

Chatbox! Feel free to say hi on the Chatbox...I thought I would give it a try since it's kind of a fun way to get some feedback or answer questions everyone (including other photographers) tend to have.

For my California Brides: Currently I will be offering "No Travel Fees" for the weekends from May 26th through June 30th, September 15th through October 6th, and also the end of the year - December 22nd & 29th. Any other dates will require a travel quote. Already booked are: June 9th & September 22nd.

The Ultimate Honeymoon/Anniversary/Vacation: Do you love the combination of Wine, Food and Photography as much as I do? Some of you may be aware that my other area of expertise is in the world of wine and food. Currently I am working on ways to intertwine the three into an incredible experience. You will hear more about this over time - but imagine being on your own private tours of vineyards, cozy romantic dinners at first class restaurants, and staying in great little hotels and inns that have unique atmosphere. Then imagine you have your very own sommelier there for the tours, and photographer to cover all of the events. The first offers will be for California's Central Coast (Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, etc...think the movie "Sideways") and also France. (my personal favorite!) Eventually I hope to add Italy too. Couples will come back from a once-in-a-lifetime experience and also have their own elegant book to remember it by, as well as a DVD and plenty of images! The goal is to blend in plenty of alone time with some of these very special events. Can you imagine a "Street Session" in downtown Santa Barbara or in the streets of Paris and Lyon? I can.....

I'll keep you posted....we're going to have some fun with this!

April & Josh

Time for some catching up! Now that things are winding down for the year I'll do some more posting and try to keep at it. First up is a few pictures from April & Josh's wedding and reception at Carrilon Park in Dayton. More about them later when the debut issue of Southwest Ohio Weddings hits the newstands, since I selected their wedding to be highlighted in the "Real Weddings" section. That should be available at the end of January.

"Call Backs": Dawn & Jeremy

I thought I would occaisionally catch up with past couples, take a few pics, and ask a few questions. First up is Dawn & Jeremy - their wedding was in July 2005, in Oxford, Ohio. If you would like to see some highlights from their day you can check them out in my Wedding Galleries.

1. Your favorite thing about marraige is:

Dawn: Totally Cliche but... waking up each morning to my best friend and love of my life!

Jeremy: Realizing I love her more and more everyday when I didn't think I could possibly love her more.

2. The hardest thing about marraige is:

Dawn: Compromise/Admitting when I'm wrong

Jeremy: Think for two people instead of one.

3. Your tip to other newlyweds:

Dawn: Jeremy and I pray together everyday that God will bless our marriage and will help us to serve one another. When you're praying for your spouse it's a lot harder to get mad at them over little things!

Jeremy: Same as Dawn's advice.

4. Best wedding planning tip:

Dawn: When opening wedding gifts have someone write the gift on the inside of the card (because all Brides save their wedding cards right)! A loose sheet of paper can easily get misplaced but this way when you go to send out thank you notes you have the person and gift right inside the card! And it's fun to reread the cards when you're not so excited about opening all the gifts!

Jeremy: Eat before the wedding since you won't eat at your own reception!

5. What stands out to you from your wedding day?:

Dawn: How fast that day went/how much money we spent for a few hours!

Jeremy: How beautiful my bride was.

6. What are your future plans for the coming year?:

Dawn: Jeremy to receive his commission in the Air Force and to move wherever the military sends us. Looking forward to getting settled in a new area (hopefully San Antonio, TX)!

Jeremy: Finding a new church, friends etc...

"It was good to see you two again and chat a bit! Best wishes in these coming years"
- Darrin

Playing around...self portrait

Last week I was playing around with an old camera of mine, a Mamiyaflex C2, "twin lens", circa 1958-1962 (medium format). These were some great cameras, the only twin lens system to have interchangeable lenses and bellows focusing. Some neat stuff....I thought it was a good time to take a quick self portrait....

Julie & Pat - Street Session

Coming up this weekend we have Julie & Pat's wedding in Dublin, Ohio. We managed to get in their Street Session last week with a wide variety of styles captured. He's a bit of a sampling!

Our first few locations were in the downtown section of Worthington.

After shooting in Worthington, we headed down to the "Short North" by the OSU campus and took a break to go through their wedding plans. We waited for the sun to go down....then came the night shots! I'm really beginning to love the whole shooting at night thing!

I can't resist when I see neon!

We ended our last few shots in front of The Burgundy Room....a great little wine bar/cafe if your ever in the area! See you two Saturday!

Melisa & Josh - Engagement Session

Well, the engagement sessions just keep on coming! We had a beautiful, pleasant morning to head out to Cox Arboretum for Melisa & Josh's session. Their wedding is next July. The two of you did great! Now you have a bit of time to relax and enjoy the next year!