Steve and I had a great time shooting Sarah and Michael's wedding a couple weekends ago. The sun was shining, and everyone was in great spirits! Sarah and Michael got married at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio.  Shortly after, their reception was held at the Ohio State Bar Association which was very close by.

The day went very smoothly, and everyone enjoyed the down-time before the ceremony.  Everyone's nerves were calm, which made our job that much easier and allowed us to produce some beautiful photography for a lovely couple.

The night ended with several formal dances at the reception hall.  Lots of guests got involved in the dancing, which proved to be a lot of fun for everyone.

Congratulations to Sarah and Mike!

On a hot and humid 90˚ day in June (the 26th to be exact) we had the distinct pleasure of photographing Andi and Nick's wedding in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The day started with the girls at Andi and Nick's house, getting ready and drinking mimosas.  Andi had some great surprises in store for her, and she soon found out that Nick had gotten her a Burberry watch and a Louis Vitton handbag!

As the morning drew to a close, Steve stuck with the girls as I ventured off to find the guys at the Hilton in downtown Columbus.  I found Nick and his guys relaxing and enjoying a brand new bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label in their hotel room as they reflected on their recent trip to Las Vegas for Nick's bachelor party. Nick was pleasantly surprised when he was presented with Andi's gift, a beautiful Tag Heuer watch.

In the afternoon, all of the families and both sides of the bridal party met at the church for some last minute prep work and some pre-formal action.  Soon after it was ceremony time.  We really enjoyed shooting at The First Congregational Church because we had a lot of freedom of movement and were able to capture some nice angles on the couple during the ceremony.

After a few more formals, it was time to party. Andi and Nick chose the Columbus Athanaeum as their reception site, and it proved to be a very beautiful location with plenty of room for the live band, large projector screen and hoppin' dance floor.

Congratulations Andi and Nick, we had an amazing time capturing your wedding day! 

Brad and I had a great time shooting Tara and Josh's engagement session in Loudonville, OH several weeks ago.  We shot at several of our favorite locations within Mohican State Park.  The park is huge, has plenty of shade, and some amazing scenery. 

One thing that was unique to this session is the time that it was shot.  We shoot a lot of our sessions in the evening, but every so often we like to change it up and shoot during the middle of the day.  Many photographers would say we are crazy for doing this, but I say that it gives us the opportunity to stretch our creativity and place ourselves in new and different lighting situations.

We like to change it up.  We like to do things a bit differently.  Hope you enjoy!

 A while back, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would be interested in shooting a company portrait for her.  After we worked out the details of the shoot and did some location scouting at their building, I was ready to roll on the day of the shoot.  

The concept was simple and straightforward.  Shoot a portrait of the company (60-70) people outside in their parking lot.  Make sure everyone is visible and try to make them look good. I said to myself "sure, no problem...I do this all the time at weddings".

I got to the location, and then the fun began. Here's how that conversation went:

Client: "Hi Chris, lovely weather we are having today!"
Me: "Ah yes, cloudy and drab.  Change of plans?"
Client: "Yes...and by the way, the company meeting is running late, and the management team has a conference call sooner than expected, so you'll have five minutes, OK?"
Me: "Sounds perfect, I'll start setting up."

I even had time to do a little video describing my setup. I've also included the final product for you to see. Enjoy!

(Click for a larger version)

 A couple weeks back, Steve and I shot Kendra and Mark's engagement session down in Columbus, OH.  We had some wonderful weather for their session, and we took full advantage of the strong sunlight as we approached sunset. We had a great time shooting the session, and we look forward to shooting their big day later on this summer. Enjoy!

Photography is a constantly evolving, ever changing monster.  Keeping up is hard, and doing so takes more and more of our time each day.  A great deal of the information I read on a daily basis has to do with software updates, new features of cameras, trends in the industry, etc.  Every so often among the deafening surge of information, I stumble upon something that makes me stop and take a second look. 

I happened upon such an article the other day as I was browsing Thom Hogan's website (www.bythom.com)  Thom is an accomplished writer and one of the best resources for photography and Nikon news, reviews, industry analysis and camera guides out there on the interwebs today. 

Thom has written an intriguing series called 'State of the Camera, 2010'.  He is breaking down what the current industry looks like, where we have been, and were we are likely to head in the future.  I would highly recommend reading through his website if you want an insider's perspective on the industry.  Reading Thom's articles got me thinking about the tools we use to tell stories and how they might change drastically in the future.

Right now, we live in a DSLR world.  The DSLR is the holy-grail of on-location, photojournalist photographers, and is the camera body of choice of most professional photographers (including KKP).  These cameras have rapidly evolved over a very short period of time.  The 2.7mp Nikon D1 was introduced in 1999 and was heralded as one of the first professional DSLRs to be really 'usable'.  Since then we have seen an explosion in the DSLR market with more camera choices and lenses than we have ever seen before.

Even though we have access to some of the greatest DLSRs that the industry has ever seen, I find myself looking toward the future and having doubts about continuing to invest in DSLR technology.  I've got a few concerns like mechanical mirrors and shutters, outdated connections, limited customization options, and having to buy a completely new camera body just to add a few new features. But the real question becomes 'is there an alternative?'.  Three years ago I would have said 'no', but today I'm able to say 'soon, there will be'.

Lets take the (soon to be released) RED cameras for example.  Epic and Scarlet.  They call them 'DMSC's, which stand for Digital Motion & Stills Camera.  Video and still capability in one camera is old hat now, but one of the key differences with the RED cameras is that they will be configurable and upgradable.  They are modular. Want a huge rig for shooting motion pictures?  Good to go.  Want a small portable rig for shooting stills on the go?  Check... oh and by the way you don't have to buy a new camera. 

I want the ability to tell a story using motion or still images.  I want the ability to custom tailor a camera so it can become transparent and fluid.  I want flexibility, affordability, and a piece of equipment that isn't going to be obsolete in two years.  RED just may have figured out the right formula that can satisfy all these needs.

It's part of my job at KKP to be on the look out for new and innovative technologies that can benefit our business and in the end, our clients.  Could a camera like the RED change the way we shoot, the way we tell stories, and even the way we market ourselves?  I have a feeling the answer is a resounding 'yes'.

Of course I can't be sure until we get our hands on one : )  When I do, you'll certainly hear about it.

This photo was taken in downtown Ann Arbor on a day that I just decided to go shoot.  In my mind I wanted to capture a 'fleeting moment' and this photo's composition really spoke to me. Enjoy!