Tagged: portraiture

Sailing Grenada on Film

We finally found a break in our hectic schedules. When we were young, it was so easy to take family vacations. As my brother and I have gotten older and have careers of our own, it has become much more difficult. However, the end of March was our time. It had been decades since we had sailed together as a family. So long, in fact, that Brooke had never been. We booked our trip and started to gear up for a week sailing Grenada (one country) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (another country). I was excited to momentarily step away from wedding photography, and cold Cleveland. Now I just needed to decide what to bring.

I gave myself a fun little challenge – one camera, one lens and one film stock. Then lens wasn’t even a zoom and there was no digital “crutch”. Below are a few favorites with minimal commentary –

Sailing Grenada on Film

Above – St. George, Grenada. Below, my father at the helm and Brooke taking her first turn.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing has it’s own language. Unless you speak it, things can get really confusing.

Sailing Grenada on Film

My brother moving us through the water at six knots, and Brooke taking a sunset swim.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Pulling into Hillsborough Harbor on Carriacou Island at sunset.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

My brother waiting at the fish market while our Dorado was cleaned at fileted.

Sailing Grenada on Film

We almost made Peter the new masthead on the boat.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Above – colors from Clifton Harbor on Union Island. Below – Angelo photobombing my brother.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Above – Happy Island and rum punches. Also my brother making some iphonography.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Above- Brooke looking radiant at Happy Island and back on the boat.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Above and below – Mopion Island, which might be the most photographed island in the world. The island is tiny and the single umbrella is perfect. We left our mark, albeit in temporary charcoal. I can say one thing – the island definitely needs a bottle opener.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sunset dinner of spiny lobster in the Tobago Cays.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Sailing Grenada on Film

Detail of a fishing boat and sunset in Hillborough above.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Above – pulling back into St. George and the Timoneer, the largest sail boat I have ever seen. Below, enjoying one last Carib in St. George.

Sailing Grenada on Film

Lender Family – A Sweet Summer Sunset Session

When Paul contacted me about photographing his family, I not only jumped at the opportunity, but I was also sincerely touched. Paul is a professional photographer as well, and quite accomplished. His trust in me to represent his family well means the world to me. It’s often said that good work earns the respect of your peers. Hopefully I can take Paul’s trust as a small sign that I’m headed on the right track.

After meeting Paul and his family at their home, I realized that working with a peer was only one benefit of the session. Paul’s family is absolutely wonderful. His kids are polite, but spontaneous. They are complete individuals and a dream to work with. Paul’s son mirrors his father and loves Harry Potter (hence the constant presence of a homemade wand). Paul’s daughter is a complete ham and loves the camera. No surprise – she is the daughter of a photographer. The best laugh I had all day is when the young girl said “but he’s using a Nikon, and Nikon is evil”. I guess Paul must shoot Canon, which is evil ;-).

The weather and location could not have been better. It was a cool summer evening with a never-ending sunset. Paul thankfully requested Holden Arboretum for the location, which is one of my all-time favorites. His family has been members for years, dating back to Paul’s father. They even have a dedicated bench at the arboretum.

I love family portrait sessions, and below is a visual example of why –

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

The first young girl I have met who actively searches for snails at the park.

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Above is a great example of the blue and golden hour. At dusk, most of the light comes from the blue sky, making for amazing portrait photographs. The setting sun then adds highlights of orange and peach.

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

What you can’t see is that his magic spell worked like a charm – his sister was turned into a toad (temporarily of course).

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Given how much the kids love Harry Potter, I guess bringing sparklers along was a good idea. Personally, I love alliteration, but I clearly use it too much. The next time I use an alliterative title, it’s time for an intervention.

Katie & Jerry – Horses and Horsepower Wedding in Fairfield

On a sunny day out in the open ocean, you can look down and see a particular shade of deep blue that seems to go on forever. That entrancing blue is my favorite color. It’s also one my favorite things about Katie – her eyes are the same endless blue. What I love about Jerry is his stoic nature, and our shared passion for auto racing. Apparently, Jerry really knows how to wrestle a fast car around a small parking lot. But most importantly, I love that Katie and Jerry gave me trust and allowed me to influence their wedding plans.

Their wedding was in Fairflied, Ohio, which is a bit of suburbia near Cincinnati. Suburbia can be good and bad for photos. The good – nice open spaces. The bad – it can look a little like, well, suburbia. We were discussing possible location ideas weeks before the wedding. Fairfield is on the other side of the state, so I couldn’t scout locations and provide advice as I normally do. We had kicked around some good ideas, but trouble was, they were just “good.” Katie and Jerry really deserved GREAT! With a little trust, they let me run with some location ideas.

I contacted a horse farm not far the other wedding locations. After just a couple emails, the farm was happy to let us use their property. I recommended the horse farm as a wedding location for a few reasons. It offered open spaces and great structure. As well, Jerry had rented a vintage Ford Model-A sedan for transportation. I thought the mix of horses and horsepower would work well. In the end, Jerry and Katie loved the location, and the photographs even more so. The farm ended up really fitting well with the flow of the entire wedding.

My clients usually give me a little trust from the start. I think this is because most of them find me through personal recommendations from friends and family. After that, I work hard to build trust and am thankful for every ounce. Hopefully, you can see below why trust works and a little influence can make a big difference –

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

The note above was written by Katie’s grandmother and the necklace is “Something Old”. I hear from the family that Katie’s grandmother teared up a little when she saw this picture. She loved the photo so much because she was unable to attend the wedding in person.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie was kind enough to get prepared in her sister’s old bedroom. The white walls really made for a nice, clean background.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Above you can see why I love the idea of sharing love letters before the wedding. Certainly, Katie’s were tears of joy.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Above, Jerry reading a note from Katie while awaiting her arrival for the first look.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

I love the curious nature of horses. When we arrived, they were all back in their stalls eating oats. Within just minutes, they were checking out the new visitors.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Above are just a couple of Katie and Jerry’s first look photos. More are available in a post specifically about the first look.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Jerry chose the perfect tuxedo. It was not a rental, but a custom tailored suit.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Vintage car for the get-away – yes please!

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

The emotion above is priceless for the grand entrance. The little bit of motion blur really helps to convey the energy.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

A funny Best Man’s toast is easy. Jerry’s best man gave the most amazing toast I have ever heard. It was funny and sincerely heart felt. I’m still amazed.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

I think Jerry was amazed by the toast as well. His brother left no doubt that he loves Jerry very much.

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Yes, that is an auto racing themed cake topper. There’s nothing wrong with that. Oh, time for some dancing!

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Shout, Shout, Shout Shout!

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Katie and Jerry wedding in Fairfield, Ohio

Believe it or not, the above dancing shots all took place in just 20 minutes. Katie and Jerry really got the room hopping from the start!

There was one other thing really unique about this wedding for me. I normally work with the same great second photographer all the time. However, Michael needed a substitute for this wedding. Lisa of Brightside was kind enough to step in. She really was amazing the entire weekend. I will be forever thankful for her amazing help.  Also big thanks to the wonderful people at Walnut Creek Stables. They were amazingly generous with their time and so courteous.

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