Mary, Ken and Catey - Worthington, Ohio portrait session

I can't think of a better way to spend part of New Year's Eve than to photograph my dear friend Karen's cousin Mary and her lovely family. Karen and I shot Mary and Ken's wedding a few years back, and now they are a threesome with sweet little Catey. I had a great time photographing them taking down their Christmas decorations and just hanging out.

Here are a few of my favorites from our session:

Susan and Ryan - Columbus, Ohio engagement session

It's not every day I get to do an engagement session in a grocery store, although I've always wanted to. And it's certainly not every day that I get to do an engagement session in a grocery store AND for my sister! So when Susan approached me about taking some photos, Kroger was the natural choice since that's where she and her fiance Ryan met. To say that I'm thrilled to be shooting their wedding in March is an understatement. My youngest sister is always smiling and laughing and just full of life, and she's found a great match with Ryan. I'm very very happy for them both!

Here are some fun pictures from our session this week:

Must try on cute aprons.

This is soooo Susan.

Have to make Ryan try on an apron too. He's being a very good sport about it, but definitely looking around for spying co-workers before committing.

A trip through the grocery store is not complete without a ride in a cart. I love the lady in the background.

Who knew the grocery store would be such a treasure trove of things to try on?

One of my favorite shots.

Braving the outdoors. It was freezing.

We warmed up with fish & chips at Red Robin. Thanks for dinner, guys!

I love the intensity of the sky in these shots, which was lit by our cars' headlights.

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Thanks for being such good sports for all my ideas, Susan and Ryan, and I'll look forward to seeing you soon!

Happy Anniversary, Elaine and Mark!

Sending out big Happy Anniversary wishes to Elaine and Mark who were married one year ago November 15 in Dayton at the beautiful Greek cathedral. To commemorate their anniversary, here are a few of my favorite images from their wedding day:

Happy Anniversary, Elaine and Mark!

Sarah and Jared - Ohio engagement session

Last Sunday was the perfect day for a drive in the country to Jared's family's properties for he and Sarah's engagement session. The weather was just right and there were poochies in abundance, including their dog Jake, whole literally stole the spotlight. Never have I seen a dog who plants himself directly in front of the camera every time I bring it up to my face. This dog loves having his picture taken. LOVES it. It was a very fun session and I had a great time hanging out with Sarah and Jared, who came to me from Alan and Jennifer, whose wedding I photographed this past May. Alan is Sarah's cousin, so in addition to being excited about possibly seeing them again, I'll definitely look forward to seeing the members of Jared's family that I got to meet at their session.

Another interloper.

Happy Anniversary, Erika and Jeremy!

November 1 marked Erika and Jeremy's first wedding anniversary, and if I'd been in town, I'd have blogged it then, so please pardon my tardiness. Erika and Jeremy came to me from a long line of referrals and also then sent me Mary and Greg, whose October 24 wedding is blogged directly beneath this post. Needless to say, it was great to see them again at Mary and Greg's wedding.

Here are a few of my favorite images of them from their wedding day. I love how the emotions run the gamut in these few images taken from the same time of day. Thank you so much, Erika and Jeremy, for having me be part of your day! I can't wait to see you next time!

Mary and Greg - Columbus, Ohio wedding

Last Saturday, Tracie and I had the pleasure of photographing Mary and Greg's wedding at St. John Church downtown, with a reception following at The Athletic Club. We had a nice, crisp fall day and avoided the rain which has seemed to plague every weekend in October. Plus, the Buckeyes won, so it was all good! Mary and Greg and their family and friends were so fun and laid back, it ended up being a very relaxed day. Mary and Greg came to me through Erika and Jeremy, who were married one year ago tomorrow! Greg and Jeremy traded best-man duties and I loved being able to see them again and catch up.

There are lots of images to see, so let's get started!!

Mary and Greg decided to see each other before the ceremony, and here is Mary preparing to go in and surprise Greg.

The flower girl, Margaret, was absolutely adorable, and so funny with mom standing off to the side trying to entice her to smile by getting her to blow a paper bag off mom's head! Blow, smile, laugh. Rinse and repeat.

Greg's dad, seating his parents.

A deep breath before heading back in to dismiss the guests.

Had to do some portraits in the room at The Athletic Club before the guests came in. I love the antique feel of The Athletic Club. It really provides some great opportunities for dramatic images.

I have to say that this is one of my favorites of Mary and Greg together. Just love it.

First dance.

I shot this through the bridesmaids/groomsmen who ringed the dance floor around Mary and Greg.

At the rehearsal, Jeremy told me to be on the lookout for reactions to the very first word of his best-man speech and boy was it a doozy! I'm sure everyone could hear me laughing; it was truly the funniest start to a speech I've ever heard. The next few images show various reactions to this "word", which I will not repeat here. HA!

Greg's mom's reaction to the "word". Image by Tracie.

One thing I love to do is go around capturing the guests having fun and being themselves. I love the sardonic expression on this guy's face. To me, it makes the image.

A couple examples of the antique feel of The Athletic Club.

How low can you go?

If you guessed "Saturday Night Fever", you'd be right.

How do I love this shot? Let me count the ways.

If you look at this shot from left to right, you can see Mary and part of Greg as they come up the steps, but as you get to the right of the frame you can see me shooting it and one of the guests walking behind me. It sort of looks like I have four hands in one of the mirrored panels, but those hands belong to that guest.

Cool reflection of the chandelier in the shiny surface of the baby grand piano.

My bride Erika on the right.

Isn't he adorable? I won't tell you what he was doing about 10 seconds prior to this shot, but let's just say that it involves a finger and his nose.

Congratulations, Mary and Greg! Have a great honeymoon!!