I am going to make a point of encouraging morning shoots during the summer! The heat wave of the past month has made working outdoors difficult on hair and makeup.  The day I shot the Wilson family it was yet another day with highs in the 90′s, however at 8am when we shot it was only high 70′s. Along with the weather, the Wilson’s laughter made for several killer candid shots. I shot most of the time with the 200mm long lens, so I have no idea what they were saying to each other that was so funny. I’m just glad they love to laugh so much.

Those of you who follow the blog may notice a new retro/vintage split tone edit on image 3 and 4. Probably heavily influenced by my iPhone istagram/hipstamatic personal shooting. I like it a lot, but would love some feed back. Free to comment below and let me know what you think of it.

-Michael

A local musician and friend of the studio, Chris June, helped a great deal with the renovation of our space, pulling the millions of staples from the wood floor in the studio. The best way we can say ‘thank you’ is with a hook up on press photos for his new solo project.

Chris came in with fairly specific ideas of what he wanted. This is always great for me. It frees up my brain to simply worry about light, angles, and composition. Chris wanted a shot showing himself simply playing for himself, maybe before a gig. Our dressing room has a “green room” feel to it, so I dragged the large softbox over and lit it up! Shooting candid shots in a mirror is a common wedding tool for us. Using the mirror here not only added striking visual interest from the circle shape of the mirror, it also added a candid, voyeuristic feel that sells the mood Chris wanted.

The third shot is a pose that Chris had wanted to use, and I liked it. Originally it was more militaristic,but  as most poses go on a photo shoot the planned one evolved and fell into something similar but slightly more natural.

Check out Chris’s new tunes at his web page.

-Michael

Working with the Dolls has been a goal of the studio for over a year now. I personally have been a fan of the Brawln’ Dolls since I saw them for the first time last October. Unfortunately, most of their bouts are on Saturdays during wedding season, so getting a project going has been difficult. This year we were finally able to meet with a few members of the team and work out an arrangement for us to work together.

Being a fan, my goal was to capture the excitement I experience while attending a bout. To accomplish this I knew I wanted to use a dramatic lighting style. I set up two gridded strobes, one on each end of opposite corners of the track. This allowed me freedom of movement while still providing the intended dramatic highlights. I don’t encounter much opportunity to shoot fast motion, yet I am happy with the results I acheived. Here are a few favorites of both the Dolls and their opponents the Vette City Vixens. GO LBD!

-Michael

UPDATE: Kayla and Cameron’s personal website is up. Check out some more favorites, see their Signature Edition Print, and be sure and click the “Purchase Images” link to see the Engagement Session images and register to see all of the photos when they go online. You’ll also be notified as soon as the album design is available to view.

What can I say, y’all? That was a whirlwind day! Literally.

It was nice to have my friend Chris Foresman in town from Chicago helping me out. He is one of the reasons I chose photography as a career, he himself is still an inspired (and inspiring) artist.

An outdoor ceremony is an excellent opportunity for a photographer to experiment with alternate angles, making use of the 360º freedom that a wide open space affords. Personally I love being able to get the bride’s processional while “looking” over the groom’s shoulder. Oh, and Kayla and Cameron’s sand ceremony – a nice change of pace which I enjoyed!

Also really digging the group shots I got in downtown Frankfort – thanks guys for braving the heat, I do appreciate it! Hope it turned out to be worth it for you.

Rubia Flower Market did a fantastic job with the flowers (as always), and I feel like they really tied the entire event together.

Well thanks to everyone involved for braving 90º+ temps and then the raging thunderstorm. Enjoy these favorites for now, then check back in a week for Kayla and Cameron’s personal website. See you then!

UPDATE: The album is up! Sara and Troy’s personalized website is now has a digital proof of the album! Enjoy the slideshow, check out the Signature Print, and be sure and click the “Purchase Images” link to register to see all of the photos when they go online.

My first Lead Photographer wedding of the year is in the can! A big thank you to Dave for all his help with planning for the ceremony. Another thank you to Cassie for assisting me, I could not have worked near as quickly without her help. Now on to the happy couple!

Sara was so calm all morning… a Rock, I tell you. However, after she got to the altar it all changed. She must have been bottling it up the whole day! It was such a great “moment” that it made the ceremony personal and real. I’m so glad I was in the right spot to nail the shot when it happened (again thanks to Dave for all the preday planning).
After Sara’s walls came down she was nothing but ear to ear smiles (and a few more tears) all night.

A final thank you to Troy, who was a class-act all day, always checking if I needed anything (food or photos), or using his much larger voice to repeat my instructions to the rest of the group. Thanks big guy!

Here are my favorites for now, check back early next week for more!

-Michael

On our way back to the studio from the “field” shots Kat says “ah we should have done a night shoot”. I’m glad she said something because the shots we got from just a few minutes of night shooting are not only my favorite from the session, but have a look unlike anything I have shot before. I decided to use a gritty, dirty, and grainy post processing style that I have never used before as well, it to helps play up the vintage film feel that was the theme for the whole session.

-Michael