Recently, KKP has been getting into shooting some senior portraits, and I wanted to share a few photos from Bre's session. I remember when I first had my own senior portraits taken down in Columbus. It was fun, but I only received 10 or so finished photos, and I thought... that's it? I will admit that digital was still in its infancy, so I imagine that you get more now (at least I hope so!)

I wanted to shoot this session much like how I work with our wedding clients. Tell a story, and get to know them! Bre is the younger sister of Amber, who is a student of mine. Last Spring, KKP donated photography services to a charity auction at Ashland University. It just so happened that Amber's parents bid on our photography for their daughter Bre. So, it worked out great!

Bre was a pleasure to work with. Natural smile, great taste in outfits, and she was very energetic. Bre is an accomplished soccer player for her high school, and I think that energy definitely carried over into the shoot.

Here are some of my favs... Enjoy!

I first met Nina and Joe after booking with Joe's sister, Dolly, who's wedding was earlier this year. It's such a cool experience to be able to shoot photography for two members of the same family. When you walk in on wedding day, everyone knows who you are, the relationships have been established. Just a great feeling overall.

Nina and Joe are an amazing couple. They are so loving in everything they do, that being photographed seems to be second nature to them. We started out the day in Rocky River at the Color Nation salon. This place is really well decorated with lots of bright vibrant colors and open atmosphere. I was able to grab some great window light portraits as well as some macro detail shots of Nina's ring. When I was shooting her ring, I was checking my display on the back of the camera and I remember thinking, "I don't think I'm going to need to crop into this at all. Wow." (Well done Joe)

From the salon, we moved back to Nina's house for make up and prep. It was really fun to photograph the girls getting ready and the family members coming in to congratulate Nina on her big day. After a few hours at the house, we moved to the church, which was St. Marion Catholic in downtown Cleveland. If you haven't been to this church before, it's definitely worth a look. Beautiful ceilings, altar, and ambiance.

We just so happened to be in downtown Cleveland on the day of the airshow, so many of the roads were closed and the traffic was nuts, however, it also meant that many of the parks and locations we wanted to visit were pretty much empty. Thus, we were able to grab some fantastic pictures downtown and avoid the big crowds.

At the end of the night, we wound up at Ahren's Banquet Center for a wonderful middle-eastern reception. The bride and groom were lifted up in the air, the band kept the dance floor packed... it was just a great night for Nina and Joe.

I really enjoyed working with the Assaad and Lahoud families, and I can't wait to show the photos of their beautiful day. Congrats Nina and Joe!

-Steve

Brittany and Brian, one of my favorite engagement sessions this summer, got a chance to come up to the lake with me a few weeks ago. It was nice to get out from edit mode and out on some new shoots! When I first met with them, we were tossing around ideas about where to go, and we settled on going up to Marblehead and Lakeside, Ohio to have some fun in the sun.

One of my favorite things to to do with clients is to just capture them on a date, and what better thing to do on a date than grab some ice cream. (Always makes my day better)

We ran around for the afternoon and had a lot of fun taking in the sights and making some beautiful photos. There was an epic sunset to work with and a nice steady wind which kicked up the waves. Perfect weather. I think Brittany and Brian had an awesome time and I know that their upcoming wedding will be amazing. Enjoy some of my favorite photos!

-Steve
 

I am always honored to produce maternity photos for my clients. I especially love it when a good friend asks me to shoot for them. Emily and Aaron are a fantastic couple and they will be welcoming a new addition to the family in the next week or so! Everything was so relaxed during our session that the beautiful photos just came naturally. These two will certainly be amazing parents and I can't wait to greet the new arrival! Congratulations Emily and Aaron!

-Steve

This wedding blew me away. From the salon, to the church, to the reception... everything was amazing. When I first meet with a client, I try to help them understand that great photography can happen if you do two basic things. Number one: Let there be light! Number two: Give yourself time. Dolly and Matt did a wonderful job of both. All the locations had great light, and we had plenty of time to be creative and really get some wonderful shots.

We started the day at PJ's Salon in Fairview Park. This place was so much fun. Lots to shoot, huge windows, and just a great atmosphere to keep things chill while the girls were getting ready. From there, we moved to Dolly and Matt's home. I always encourage clients to get ready in front of a window, which can seem a bit weird to some... "You want me to get ready literally in front of the window?" It's an odd request, but it yields such beautiful photos. After getting Dolly and the girls into their dresses, we headed to the church.

The church was Our Lady of Angels in Cleveland. All I can say is wow. The ceilings in this place are so ornate and the space is so large you would think that the royals were getting married here. Fantastic choice and a really nice ceremony. After shooting some formals in the church, we hopped in the cars and followed the limo over to a local park. Now, this was one of those days where the temperature was already hitting the high 90's, but the humidity made it feel like 110. It was blistering hot. The best thing you can do in this situation is have all the guys leave their jackets in the limo, and move fast. We used the shade as much as we could to our advantage and actually stayed outside for quite awhile. After the park, we were on to the reception.

We pulled up to Ridge Manor over in Brooklyn, Ohio and when we walked into the main hall, I was amazed at what I saw. The D.J. company, Rock the House did a transformation of the space that really made things look first class. I remember pulling up to the reception hall and thinking... oh great, there are no windows, but Dolly and Matt picked a company that went all out. The uplighting around the room, the spotlights on the cake, and the monogram on the dance floor brought the space together and made things look spectacular. The evening was so much fun to photograph. The music kept everyone on the dance floor until the end of the reception, not an easy task for any D.J.

A beautiful day all around and I couldn't be happier for Dolly and Matt. Congratulations you two!

-Steve

One seldom gets the chance to shoot the wedding of a best friend, typically because a bridal party is involved, and you just don't get the opportunity. When Chris and Brittney decided to move to Texas, I have to admit I was a little bummed. On the one hand, I was overjoyed for Chris to find a great new job that would allow him to utilize his creative talents, but on the other hand, I knew that this would mean I wouldn't get a chance to see or work with him as often. It's a double edged sword, but I find that we all have our paths to follow, and the path to his new wife was absolutely the right one.

Chris asked Brad and I to come on down to Katy, Texas to "take some casual pics" here and there. Of course, for those of you that know me... there is no casually shooting a wedding. (To my credit, I did try, and yes, I still remembered to have a great time with my fiance)

A few weeks before the wedding, Chris asked me to give a speech. I really was honored that he asked me to do that considering there wouldn't be a best man or maid of honor at the ceremony. (I still tease that speech = best man) It made sense. Brittney's father and grandfather talked about Brittney and how she grew up and what a strong person she is. So, here was my opportunity to share with everyone what I knew about Chris and how he developed his relationship with Brittney.

I guess to recap, I wanted to share a few words that I talked about at the wedding because the story of Chris and Brittney is really a beautiful one. For those of you that know Chris and I, we are extremely calculated people. We research everything. Cameras we want to buy, software we want to try, techniques we want to use on the next shoot... our planning process is what some may call... ridiculous. For as long as I've known Chris, he's always wanted to talk things over with me if for no other reason, to reassure him that he's making a good decision.

Chris had been living in Michigan for a little while and was starting to meet a few people through work... yada yada. One evening, he decided to attend a party at one of his co-workers houses and that's where he met Brittney. Brittney was the chance-roommate of Chris' co-worker. I say chance because I believe that she found the "need-a-roommate" listing on Craigslist. After one or two encounters with Brittney, I could tell that for Chris, this was no ordinary girl. He would not stop talking about her. Then, of course, the facebook photos of the two of them started popping up, and well... we know how the story eventually winds up.

Now, the funny thing is that when Chris was about to introduce Brittney to everyone, he told me that she's very opinionated and I actually might not like her. I remember thinking, "Finally! Someone who can help Chris make up his mind!" Over the next few months, their relationship grew strong. Eventually, Chris gave me a call one night, and told me that he was going to ask Brittney to marry him. He didn't know when, where or how as of yet, but the key here was that he knew for a fact that she was the one. No advice needed. No user reviews to investigate on amazon required.

I told Chris that if he knows... he knows. About a month later, I see a ring, and shortly after that, they're engaged.

I've been a best man "officially" twice... (It's up for debate as to whether or not I can say "three" times. Ahem... Chris...) and obviously I'm not the one who's married...yet. However, I think that I give good advice when asked, so what I told Chris and Brittney at the wedding reception was that no matter where life takes them, be it Ohio, Utah, Michigan, Texas, or beyond... remember that they both have friends and family that love and care for them and that at the end of the day, those are the people who can be counted on to be there for you. Always.

And so, I say to Chris and Brittney, congratulations on your wonderful marriage. It was a pleasure and an honor to be your guest / one of your photographers. I hope that you look back on your wedding day and remember all of the laughs and bittersweet moments fondly. I love telling stories... and it was a privilege to tell yours.

All the best,

-Steve

I first met Jackie and Mark at our last wedding of the 2010 season. Jackie was a bridesmaid in Jessica and Kevin Schulze's wedding. The entire bridal party was a lot of fun to work with, so I knew that I was going to have a great time working with Jackie again.

We started out the day at Neon Salon in Sunbury. The girls arrived early to get their hair and nails done. A couple of the girls wanted to open up a bottle of champagne for some mimosa's and I remember thinking, "You may not want to point that in anyone's direction". The girls took the bottle outside and tried to remove the cork which just so happened to fly about 30 feet across the parking lot. Hilarious.

The wedding was great for me because I got a chance to shoot in my hometown of Westerville. The ceremony took place at St. Paul's which is a staple in the Westerville community. Beautiful weather, everyone was relaxed... couldn't have asked for more. I met up at the church with one of my up and coming shooters, Brooke Mott. (who did a great job I might add...) Between the two of us, we were able to capture some wonderful moments.

The reception was amazing. We were shooting at the Royal American Links country club, which is a great location because of the variety of areas to shoot in. Everything there is goregous. We were able to run around the golf course for a bit and shoot some fun group photos. The night flew by as the dance floor was packed up until the end of the reception. Kudos to the D.J. who did a fantastic job.

Congratulations to Jackie and Mark! We had a blast working with you!

-Steve