Aleiha & Vinnie - Columbus, OH - 09Aug08

I am sure that everyone has heard stories about "Bridezilla" coming out on a wedding day. Let me be the first to say that the one was the ying to the "bridezilla's" yang. I don't know that I will ever meet a bride or a couple for that matter that was as calm and collected through an entire wedding process as this couple. They were amazing to work with and so much fun to be around. Their families and friends were awesome too. I don't know if it is possible, but I am certainly looking forward to working with more couples like these two in the future.




So the morning of the wedding, I pack up my gear and set off down I-70 for Columbus. I figured I would get their early to make sure that I could have everything ready to get started as soon as they were ready. And other than figuring out quickly that there is a difference in a State Street and a East State Street in Columbus, the morning started off like any other wedding day for me. Then I met the bride.


I get to the Hyatt where the couple was staying and the wedding was going to take place. Beautiful hotel in downtown Columbus, I have to say. I get up to the bride's suite and meet Aleiha. Never have I met a bride on her wedding morning that was as calm and collected as she was. I knew then that this was going to be a fun day.


So we start shooting the "Getting Ready" shots and it was my first chance to start meeting some of the friends and family that were going to take part in the day's festivities. I have to say that Aleiha comes from a wonderful family, and I had so much fun just hanging out with her adorable brother and sister, and all her friends, while snapping shots of her getting ready.





Then is when things started to show through as to what type of day this was going to be. We go through and shoot some of the preparation shots, and started to shoot some of the dress and the other still life shots that most photographers get, when we realized that there was a few items missing. So, someone asks, "Where's your veil?" which then lead to other key items like a garter that were no where to be found. After the search party of about 5 of us start sifting through the boxes and other wedding day items, it was discovered that the veil and a few other things may have been left at home. At this point, I figure most brides would have started to panic. Not this one. Aleiha took it like a champ and acted as if it didn't bother her. It was then that I knew that I was in for an amazing day with this group.





Vinnie and Aleiha are such a fun couple. It shows in the faces of everyone that was attending this wedding. There were soo many people here that just knew how to have a great time. Everyone was having a blast and that made my job so much easier and much more fun. I enjoyed getting to chat with just about everyone there, when they all weren't out on the dance floor. The kids, the parents, the friends, the grandparents, everyone was out on the dance floor throughout the night, which allowed the photo opportunities to come and keep coming.


















What a group! I had so much fun and I want to thank Vinnie and Aleiha for the opportunity to capture these moments for them on their special day. I couldn't have picked a better group to work with if I had to pick each guest out myself. I wish these two nothing but the best as they start the rest of their lives together, as husband and wife!

Kelly & Kenny - Oklahoma City, OK - 04July08

Now Mike and Amber's wedding may have been the first that I have done as a professional for people that I knew before getting into photography, but for this weekend, I have known one of them for longer than anyone else in the world, other than my parents. This wedding also marked a first for me. This wedding I was doing double duties, as not only was I serving as the photographer, but also I served in the bridal party as one of the best men/groomsmen with family friend, Brian.


Kenny is obviously very close to me, considering he is my brother. He and I have been through so much together, that I was honored to stand beside him as he took this step in his life. Kenny and I have been grounded together, kicked out of Mrs. Garner's Latin class together, fought together, cried together, and been in trouble numberous times together. Through it all, though, Kenny and I are closer now than we have ever been, dispite him, Kelly and Fiona living some 1,200 miles and 18 hours away. I love my brother and I am so proud of him for what he has done, and can honestly say that he is my best friend.


Kenny and Kelly have an interesting story. My earliest memories of Kelly were from 5th and 6th grade. I can remember seeing her in the middle school gym after school, knowing that she had a big crush on my brother. Kelly moved away in middle school, taking with her that huge crush that she had on my brother. Her and Kenny both chose two VERY different paths in life, and somehow were reacquianted a few years back, after my brother returned from military training in Georgia. Our family and I could tell that there was definitely something there, as she had given Kenny something that he needed, whether he realized it or not. They dated over long distances for some time before they decided to move to Houston together.


What a way to start their lives together as husband and wife than bringing their closest friends and family together in Oklahoma City, on a holiday weekend.




This could very well be one of my favorite photos I have ever taken.







The "Gettin' Ready" pictures... And Fiona being a little doll as usual.









The cake sharing, even a bite for Fiona.





This little one danced ALL NIGHT LONG... Even when no one else was dancing. And for 4, this one's got some moves.









More cute pictures and some photoshop fun on the last. Didn't realize until I got home that I had Fiona rubbing noses with Mommy and Daddy.








Photos from the first dance and the toast...



Now I have given several speeches in my life, to various audiences, but nothing will compare to giving a toast to these two. Trying to say what I wanted to say, without using what I had prepared, and without crying as I anticipated I would do, turned out to be one of the most difficult things I have done. But I wanted to share with them and all their guest how happy I am for the two of them, and how much I love them both. I love you guys!


As you can also tell by this photo and what I said earlier, I was not able to take all of the pictures this day, so I want to give a huge 'Thank you!' to our father for stepping in and shooting pictures when I couldn't. He shot all of the pictures during the ceremony as well as some during the reception. Not only that, he was my 'pack mule' helping to carry my gear around after the wedding.





Church (with a little fun with Photoshop)






Mom walking Kelly down the Aisle






Fiona looking at Mommy and Daddy






Fiona ready to get her dancing on






Fiona and her Friend






"Just Married" Carriage Kiss

Amber & Mike's Wedding - Elwood, IN - 14June08

My first wedding back in my hometown and my first wedding where I knew almost everyone before anyone contacted me about my photography. Mike has been a great friend since Jr. High School. We have shared similar interests, jobs, school activities, and friends most our lives. Mike and I had lost touch for awhile when I was in Florida and had just moved to Ohio, but kept running into eachother at a gas station in Elwood when I would come back into town. I happened to hand him a business card on one of those trips to get a Mountain Dew, and low and behold, it lead to a wedding.


I do have to say that Mike did well in picking Amber. Amber is not only beautiful, but she is a great mom, and all-in-all a wonderful person. Amber didn't grow up with us, but she seems to fit in so well with all of our friends and family in Elwood. Amber comes from a great family that really knows how to have a good time, as I found out at the wedding reception.








The church venue for the wedding has been undergoing some construction over the past year, and as of this weekend, I still do not believe that they are finished. However, they still hosted the wedding, dispite not having the air conditioning working until a few hours before the ceremony. So this warm, June, Saturday became a little stressful as we were worried that we were going to have a wedding over the sound of box fans all over the sanctuary.



While shooting pictures of the others, the guys would stand over the AC registers to cool off as the AC came back on.



I even got the hero of the day, Alan from Efficient Systems, to pose for a picture with the Bride and Groom.




Yea, what a bunch!




































Dustin Pimpin...





Rick wishing the cake cutting was a little messier...






Fun at the Reception, including one awkward looking group hug...

Katie & Brad - Falls of Rough, Kentucky - 03May08

Katie and Brad... This couple has been nothing but fun from day one since we met. If you recall this was the couple that came to Indianapolis to do their engagement shoot in March, only to have the weather dip down to 20 degree wind chills and 30 MPH gusting winds, but they stuck it out and helped me get some great pictures. Brad and Katie are such an adorable couple to begin with, but then you mix their families and friends together at a gorgeous venue like the Lodge in Falls of Rough, Kentucky, and you have yourself a great time.





















There was no getting away from this one.



































Yea, it was a long night.

Kellie & Ryan - Indianapolis, Indiana - 01Mar08

Okay, so this couple will ALWAYS be special to me, not only because they were the first couple to book my services after I made the decision to go pro at this, but because they are such a great couple. I have more fun around them and just enjoy hanging out with them almost as much as I enjoy being their photographer.

















Yes, that is a Peyton Manning jersey under the suit of the man who pronounced them. Gotta love it!






Someone was camera shy almost all day.






But I finally got her to smile for me.







Camera-shy maybe, but not on the dance floor and definitely not shy around the boys... far from it. This one was calling them out on the dance floor all night.







What a fun group!







This won't be the last time we see these 3! ;) *hint, hint*

Leukemia Benefit for Blake LaForce - Vandalia, OH - 12April08

So I learned some valuable things about the community of Vandalia, Ohio on this evening. This community knows how to pull together to support a worthy cause, because on this night, the American Legion Hall in Vandalia was the place to be. To say that Vandalia came out this night to support this family would be selling the event short, because it felt like most of Ohio came out this night. This event was an amazing show of compassion and support for one family's concerns. The event featured a $20 steak dinner with the food donated from area restaraunts, including well over 1000 delicious steaks donated from the local Outback Steakhouse. There were hundreds of items donated and auctioned off in serveral auctions throughout the night as well, some of which auctioned for thousands. This night was amazing to just see the caring and compassion of the people there and the people in the community.



Click on the image to see the full gallery of photos.

"Baby A's" Baptism - 04.05.08

"Baby A"... Yea, lets all go ahead and say it... "Awww..." This precious little girl is something else. Going through a baptism at 5 months old, she didn't even fuss, cry, or have any problems with the whole event. During the actual ceremony, she even stopped looking at Father Frank, turned and looked at her mom, and then rolled over to look right at me and my camera, as if to make sure that I was getting her good side. :) Adorable.



She comes from an adorable family, and I cannot thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to capture these moments for them. It was a great event for me, as my first baptism that I have had the chance to photograph.





Click the image to go to the gallery.

ndy Girls - 03.09.08 - Indianapolis, IN

The 'Sex in the City' gal's from Indy came a callin' asking for a somewhat impromptu photoshoot on this weekend. Some details that we didn't take into consideration as much as we should have included 30 degree weather, staying out late the night before enjoying the musical talents of "Dave and Rae" at PJ O'Keafe's in Indy, and the little time zone change for Daylight Savings Time. Dispite all these things, somehow we managed to get some amazing shots from some unique vantage points around Indianapolis.



Now if the girls look somewhat familiar, they have all appeared in other galleries that I have posted on this site. They were all a part of the Jamaica wedding, and others have been in other portrait shoots from then to now. This group is insanely fun and this photoshoot was planned as this was going to be one of the last weekends all of the 'Sex in the City' gals were going to be all living in Indianapolis. So the pictures also have some sentimental value that I hope that my photos can convey to each of them.



This gallery is also going to mark the first posted using my new galleries hosted by one of my many new vendors. Now you can leave comments on each picture, order prints, and download the lower resolution images that have my logo on them for the online communities (i.e. MySpace, Facebook, etc.). Feel free to let me know what you guys think!



Click on the image to go to the gallery.

Franzman Engagements - 03.15.08 - Rough River, KY

These two are a couple of troopers to say the least. We first tried this photoshoot in Indianapolis on 08March08. That proved to be a little too early in the year for an outdoor engagement shoot, but they were definitely great sports about things and survived the blustery 25 degree weather with 30 mph wind gusts to at least get a few cute shots at my new favorite park. However, after not feeling comfortable with the shots that we got in Indy, we decided to try a second photo shoot in Rough River, KY. What a gorgeous setting for an engagement shoot and eventually for their wedding.

After a nice scenic drive, albeit almost an hour out fo the way, I arrived and we started shooting almost immediately, just to have the rain move in and try to dampen our fun. But these two were not to be daunted by this, and we moved on, getting some adorable shots at their parents weekend home and even some at the resort where the wedding will take place.


So dispite some chilly days and even some rain clouds, and even a weak photographer almost passing out, we were able to capture some memories and some pictures that are sure to show up in my portfolio soon. I cannot tell you guys how excited I am for this wedding.

Steve Poltz - 02.27.08 - Dayton, OH

For the first time, I brought a family member to a Poltz show. This may not sound like a big deal, but some of Poltz's shows tend to drift into a direction that sometimes you don't want to bring a parent in on. However, this show, this night, was a perfect oportunity to introduce my father to Mr. Poltz and his antics.



The show this night was nothing short of a great time. The Truckee Brothers (or Truckee Bothers as you can see on the paper sign behind Chris in some of the photos) were awesome. I was able to pick up a couple of the Truckee Brother's CD's at this show, and they have just moved up to the top of my "must have" list for anyone that is looking for a great rock album. "It Came from the Speakers" and "Double Happiness" both are awesome CD's and well worth a purchase. They have a sound that is unique and catchy that I think anyone could appreciate!

Steve Poltz - 02.25.08 - Indianapolis, IN

So, in the few years that I have been following Mr. Poltz, I had yet to get to hear him in a musical setting with any similance of a band behind him until this night. Poltz, has been "Traveling" since December 25th, last year, has been to Australia and back, then jumped on the road with Chris and Patrick of the "Truckee Brothers" mid-January. This tour with two of the four members of the Truckee Brothers made its way into my neighborhood this week, and I knew that I couldn't miss it.



This show was definitely an interesting show to witness. Our good friend Chris Wolf was in attendance expecting to watch the show with the rest of us, when 2 minutes before show-time, Poltz pretty much just asked him, "How's everything going? Wanna open up for us tonight?" I am still not even sure that Chris had time to reply before he was already standing behind a microphone on stage.



This show also featured our door man from "Local's Only" being called on stage to play drums with "Cady" and "Peat" during their set. We had the road manager on stage playing bass to songs that he had never played before, and weather that seemed to only be nasty in Indy when the show was going on. The drive in and the drive home was fine, but about 3 inches of sleet and ice fell during the show. Just another bizarre Poltz show. This night also featured the beer coaster flipping contest after 2am, as club owner, Dave, showcased his coaster flipping talents, to the dismay of Truckee Brother, Patrick, and his potential childrens.



Poltz and the Cynics... A sound like none I have ever heard, but something that I do enjoy, and really look forward to hearing again. If the audio from this show is posted on archive.org in the coming weeks, it will definitely be one to listen to!