Lori and Jeremy's Wedding

Today was an absolute treat for me. I'd never before photographed a wedding at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It is unbelievably beautiful! I'm telling you that if you walked blindfolded into that church, just pointed your camera randomly and took several photos you'd come out with something great. It's hard to go wrong there.

Lori and Jeremy told me that they had a few ideas for fun at the wedding and although I was interested, I wasn't really sure what to expect. The formal and ceremony photos went off without a hitch. The coordinators there are awesome! Thank you Bambi!

But the real fun came just after the ceremony when a rented bus pulled up out front and Lori and Jeremy said, "Let's go have some fun!". Huh? Ha ha - It was too cool! They had rented a bus to take all of the bridal party and family members (and yours truly) on a 2 hour fun spree through Downtown Memphis! It began to rain and then just stormed while we were on that bus but it did not matter! Everyone had such a great time doing some just a bit out of the norm. We made stops at the Flying Saucer pub and just pretty much crashed it entirely. After spending some time there, we loaded back up and headed for Beale Street to capture some of the photos you see below. What fun!

After our adventure, we returned to the church, grabbed our cars and headed to the reception at the Marriot Hotel. There I was saved, absolutely saved, by their manager Mary Margaret (thank you!) who provided me with a missing data cable that I needed. The reception was a hit and I made quite a few new friends.

Lori and Jeremy, Memphis will be a bit smaller without the two of you! Best wishes on your journey back home to St. Louis and THANK YOU for a fantastic time!

Patience and JR's Engagement

My phone rang a few weeks back and I found myself talking to a terrific woman I had met only once years ago. I had performed some charity photography work for the West Tennessee Arthritis Foundation back in 2006, and one of the project coordinators remembered me. She not only coordinates events but weddings as well. She asked me if I would be interested in a destination wedding to Jamaica and of course I was.

So that's how I was introduced to Patience and JR who are two of the most stylish and trend setting people I've met. I also have to say that they challenged me a bit more than I'm accustomed when we sat down to discuss their engagement session.

They explained that they wanted something artistic and abstract. Lifestyle, yes, but more. Hmmm... One of the worst things that can happen to an artist of any kind is that they fall into a routine. Thankfully, Patience and JR forced me to come out of my comfort zone a bit and take a chance at something different. I love you guys for that!

Anyway, what you see is from that session. It's artsy, but with a definite urban root. Hard to describe but there it is.

Jamaica, here we come!!!!!

Thanks Patience and JR!

Jessica and Ryan's Wedding

Jessica and Ryan made plans to have their wedding at the Memphis Zoo. If you haven't been, it is a great facility and it provides an incredible backdrop for a wedding. This day, however, was really challenging. Not only did the Zoo host Jessica and Ryan's wedding but another as well AND a High School prom! Did I mention that it was membership drive day too!?! There were a million people swarming around the entrance to the Zoo when I arrived and the weatherman's prognostication for rain looked to be dead on.

I met with Jessica and we made some hasty changes to the location of her formal session and I'm so glad that we did. (There were dozens of moms with strollers running about the courtyard). Now I know that you might hear me say how pretty each of the brides I photograph are (and they all are beautiful on their wedding day without doubt) but Jessica was just gorgeous this day. Her eyes are this incredible, brilliant blue and they just "pop" when lit.

Just prior to the ceremony a few drops began to fall and the decision was made to move the planned outdoor wedding inside the Cat House. By the time the ceremony was complete, storm clouds had begun to build and I knew that we had only a few moments before we would face the worst. So, time was against us and, to compound the issue, the skies had already darkened; no one looks their best when photographed in the dark!

In a mad dash, I grabbed Jessica and Ryan and bolted for the courtyard. There we made a series of photos with me employing a liberal (quite liberal for being hand-held) use of shutter drag to capture the ambient light behind them. Shortly after we'd begun this series, sheets of rain began to assail us and we were trapped with no where to go to photograph the family formals! The family looked to me for an answer and I wasn't sure where to go.

Standing under one of the overhangs in the courtyard I spotted the zoo tram stop some 30 yards away and I said, "Let's just try it". What an insanely wild time we had! Lightning crackled through the sky and sheets of rain blew from every direction. The tram stop was only large enough to support my assistant, myself and two or three family members. With some quick thinking and portable lighting, I managed to capture the photos you see here. The Zoo staff was OUTSTANDING! They ushered each family member under shelter of an umbrella to and from the Cat House to the tram stop until we finished with all the family photos. Hats off to them!!!

Well, I was soaked by the end of it all but my equipment remained dry and, most importantly I managed to captured the event for Jessica and Ryan without letting them down.

Thank you Jessica and Ryan for one of the most memorable (and dangerous) weddings I've ever shot!

Jessica and Duane's Wedding

The weatherman had called for rain but there was none of it to be had for this wedding. Jessica and Duane had a beautiful outdoor wedding at Collierville's Main Square. The park was picturesque and the setting surrounding the area was ideal for a photos. Jessica made such a beautiful bride! I also had a great deal of fun with Jessica's mom who is just a ham! She kept dodging me but in the end my trusty Nikon found her anyway!

Thank you Jessica and Duane for a beautiful wedding!

Crystal and Rocky's Engagement

Crystal and Rocky approached me a few months ago to perform their destination wedding photography. Both were (are) planning on moving to New York after their wedding and I was only too pleased to work with them. They are both very photogenic people and they just look like they belong together from the moment you see them.

The shoot today occured directly after Crystal's bridal session (which was kept secret from Rocky). We had a fun time and got some great images.

Thanks Crystal and Rocky!

Crystal's Bridal Session

All I can say is wow. Crystal was just awesome to photograph today. She looked stunning and was just so graceful throughout each pose. Crystal is one of those people who is just so darned photogenic that it is difficult to make a mistake (so thanks Crystal for making my job simple :-)

The benefit for me today came from having to worry less about the positioning of the bride (since she took direction perfectly) and that allowed me to be even more creative with my compositions than I usually have the time to do. I really enjoyed today's shoot.

Kudos to Crystal's mom Sabrina for being right there for every need during our session! You are a real trooper!

Thanks again Crystal!

Jessica and Duane's Engagement

Jessica and Duane came to me through a reference who happened to be getting married on the same exact day! I explained this to them and as it turned out, their wedding was being held very early while the second wedding was being held later in the evening.

After a few misses due to scheduling conflicts and weather, I finally hooked up with Jessica and Duane and got to spend some time getting to know the two of them a bit better. We got some great shots at the park and I can't emphasize enough how blessed I feel to be doing what I do for a living. I get to meet great folks like Jessica and Duane and for a brief time I am invited into their lives. They are two very special people.

Thanks for inviting me into your world Jessica and Duane! See you in 9 days!