Karen and Doug

I shot Karen and Doug's engagement photos back in March on a freezing cold and windy day at Voinovich Park. As I was waiting for them to arrive, I remember thinking it was going to be a tough session because it was so miserable outside. Hair would be flying all over the place and fingertips would get numb. I had never met Karen and Doug in person, so I wasn't sure how they would handle it. When I saw them approaching, they were all smiles. BIG SMILES. Suddenly, it seemed a little warmer out.

Karen wore a bright pinkish coat. It was such a stark contrast to the gloomy greys that I saw everywhere. I remember thinking at the time that it seemed to match her personality perfectly - vibrant, cheery, fun. Her and Doug's love for one another really came through in their pictures and their session was a big success. I knew their wedding was going to be full of fun times and they were going to be a wonderful couple to work with.

Karen and Doug were married on 8/8/08 at the Church of Holy Angels in Bainbridge. Their reception was at the Hawthorne Valley Country Club in Solon. It was a perfect day.

Italia

As some of you know, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Italy with my wife (Anna), my brother-in-law (Pete or Pietro), my parents-in-law (Tony and Michelina) and our son, Jackson (or Giacomo in Italiano) to visit Anna's grandparents (Beniamino and Concetta DiFiore) and some other incredible people.


As you might expect, I took a lot of photographs. I have created a gallery on my website titled "Italia" with some of my favorite images, not including family photos, with the exception of the first image of my son and a few others. They are mostly landscapes and local people. I hope to share some family photos in the near future and describe the who, what, when and where of it all. But for now, my personal projects will have to wait until things slow down a bit.

The gallery is a mixture of the small town of Rionero Sanitico, where Anna's family is from, Costel Di Sangro, which is the closest "big town" and Rome.


I would like to share one image with you right now just because I want you to smile.























CIAO

Jessica and Ed

When Jessica mentioned she wanted the "FREE" stamp to be part of her and Ed's engagement shoot, I knew it was going to be a fun night. I love adventurous couples that aren't afraid of heights, or to get a little goofy.

The backside of the stamp made a colorful backdrop.

Jessica and Ed were a joy to work with. They really knew what kind of shots they wanted and just went for it without hesitation. That's not an easy thing to do. Their behavior was a perfect mixture of playfulness, romance and drama.

We were shooting on the steps near Browns Stadium and Ed noticed some bay doors on a near-by building. He thought they would make a cool background. He and Jessica tucked themselves into the corner and waited patiently while I figured out the lighting. Ed's idea turned out to be a great one. These are some of my favorite shots of the session. The lack of expression makes these shots work for me. I like how they went straight into a corner as well. Corners give a sense of secrecy - like the couple are trying to find a spot hidden away from everyone else.

Jessica and Ed got soaked while doing this shot. The wind was blowing hard and was pushing the cascading water out of the fountain. Wet jeans can be uncomfortable, but I think this shot was worth it.

It was my turn to get a little wet. We switched positions and they moved to the other side of the fountain. The sun had set behind Lake Erie, but the sky still had some great color left.

The whole session was shot around Lakefront Ave. There were so many great spots to shoot, all within a few hundred yards of each other. I would have shot them all night if they would have let me. I am truly looking forward to their wedding next spring.

View the entire gallery