The International Society for Professional Wedding Photographers just released the results of their Spring 2009 competition and I’m thrilled to announce I am currently ranked 12th worldwide!  Check out the full story over on bishophoto.com 

I absolutely love Herrington Harbor, it’s one of my favorite places to shoot in Maryland.  The light always seems to be incredible no matter what time of day the ceremony is.  I met with Crissy and Joe what feels like years ago, and they were such a great couple to start the Maryland wedding season with.  It was also great to work with my good friends, Nicole Palermo on makeup and Matt Buerhaus shooting video.   

Crissy also worked with Allison Barnhill on all the details to personalize their wedding day.   And I do mean ALL the details.  Allison does awesome work on custom made personalized details and if you’re looking for any paper accessories for your wedding, check out Allison!   

Also check out the slideshow below. 

If you were unaware, I have relocated to San Diego, California.  I still have a bunch of weddings that I will be shooting in the Maryland area in 2009, and will continue to accept a limited number of weddings in 2010 in Maryland.  So if you’re still in the market for a photographer for your wedding let me know!  I also have weddings in California, the Bahamas and Colorado scheduled for this year, and just finished my first California wedding at the beginning of April.  To create less redundancy of information and make it easier for me, and everyone else, I am going to be redirecting this blog over to my San Diego site.  You can manually check out that site here for the time being, but in the next week or two all my blog post will appear over there.

Also, I’ve been posting my day to day adventures over on twitter and facebook and those are two other great ways to keep in touch with me.  What I love most about both twitter and facebook is the  mulitple level conversations that happen on both sites as opposed to the one way conversation that tends to happen on my blog.  So, reach out sign up, follow, become a fan and say hello!  I can’t wait to see and talk with everyone in person this coming year, and online! 

Evan

Their wedding day was beautiful and actually more temperate than the day we went out on the docks in Fells Point! The Cloisters is an amazing location with history and beauty everywhere you turn. Because of the date, their wedding had a real Christmas theme with the flowers, dresses, fur wraps and all the decorations reflecting the seasonal theme. Even their tables were named after their favorite Christmas movies. Check out a few of the images below:

Check out the video too!

And don’t forget to sign up over at Pictage to view the rest of their images once they’re posted!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Stephanie Day from Dreamday Planners made sure everything went as planned.  She was great to work with and was there when I arrived, and there at the end of the night, packing up the gifts and making sure every last detail was wrapped up.  The day went off without a hitch, right on schedule, without Matt or Christy having to worry about a thing! David Orlando from Orlando Entertainment was the DJ of the evening, and this crowd had no problem getting on the dance floor for him!  I’ve worked with David at many weddings, and he always manages to get the party going, but this was rocking from the first dance on.   

I had a great time at Christy and Matt’s wedding and am so glad that they chose to work with me.   There are times when you can sense the connection between not just the couple, but the family as well and I could tell that everyone at their wedding was there for them to support and enjoy their wedding day!Check the slideshow and a few of the images below:  

 The night before their wedding it absolutely poured, and although the weather reports were coming in that it would be sunny and warm on Sunday, I still had a concern that it had rained too long and too hard for the ground to dry in time for their wedding.  Well I, like Anne and Joe woke up on Sunday morning to see a gorgeous Maryland fall day.

 Joe’s son and daughter played a big role in their wedding day as Tim walked his grandmothers down the aisle, and Lauren was a flower gi … errr … Junior Bride’s Maid (I was quickly corrected about the role and responsibility Lauren would be playing in the day by Lauryn herself!) After the ceremony we rode down to the dock overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and took some photos of Anne and Joe.

Anne is a hokie and although Joe isn’t officially, he has been adopted into their world.  If you don’t know what I mean, Virginia Tech fans are like none other, and every VT wedding I have shot in the past has paid tribute to their alumni.  Anne and Joe’s was no different, in fact their family and bridal party ran into the reception in VT style to Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’.  The entire reception was a blast and the weather held out throughout the day so that people could enjoy dancing under the tent as well as wandering the grounds of Swan Harbor Farm, or playing Twister! 

Check out a few of the images in the slideshow below, if you want to see the rest, register to view their wedding photos on Pictage.   

After the ceremony and some portraits in the amazing light Jennifer and Matthew had an incredibly fun reception at the Towson Golf and Country Club.  The whole day was elegant, but once the music started, the club came out in the bridal party as well as the families! I don’t know how to explain how crazy the dancing was other than to say … dancing man with an umbrella, dancing man with a chicken hat and bridesmaid dancing in her bridesmaid dress in one shot and in sweatpants and tank top in another … think ‘baggy sweat pants and reeboks with the straps …’ I honestly had to check the time stamp on my images, check it out the first image taken at 10:29:09 

the second image taken at 10:30:01

I had a real blast at Jennifer and Matthew’s wedding, and I’m sure they did as well as the rest of their bridal party.  Check out the slideshow below to see a few more images from their wedding!

After the girls were dressed, Kristin and Jackson met in the garden before their wedding to see each other for the first time on their wedding day.  Both were excited and anxious, and although they kept it together, you could tell there was a ton of emotion at that moment.  Kristin and Jackson had an incredible wedding party and on both sides, we had a blast with portraits.  I can’t think of another group of bridesmaids and groomsmen more comfortable and fun that I’ve shot all year.

Their ceremony was held in the garden behind the hotel, and the timing was just before sunset.  You can see in the images from their ceremony as the sun is setting how the color changes from that warm golden hour sunlight to the soft pastels just after the sun sets.  Light was low at the end of the ceremony so we were glad to have shot family photos before, and get inside for the reception.  

The rest of the night was a blast, and the ballroom at the Pier 5 hotel can have the feeling of a dance club, so Kristin and Jackson’s guests made the most of it, and tore it up all night long. To see some images from their wedding, take a look at the slideshow below! Kristin and Jackson, thank you so much for including me in part of your day! 

(Hi Kim) 

 Robyn and her girls got ready at the Hampton Inn in downtown Baltimore.  Ella Buraszeski did all the hair for the girls, I always love working with Ella and the work that she does.  She’s a great hair stylist, and personality to match!  After the girls were ready, I headed over to the AVAM to meet with David and his guys.  We went up to the third floor so that David and Robyn could see each other for the first time on their wedding day.  It was a great moment for them both with lots of emotion.  The ceremony was beautiful, they set up a chupa and signed their ketubah during the ceremony.  They also had a reading from ‘I Like You‘ and wrote their own vows.  I absolutely love weddings like this, when you can tell how personal each aspect and detail of the day is.  

After their ceremony, their cocktail hour was held on the first floor, and then the reception moved up to the third floor for the rest of the evening.  

It was a great night despite the weather and I know Robyn and David couldn’t have been happier.  What else to say other than “I laughed, I cried … it was better than Cats!”?  Check out a few images from the day in the slideshow below.

Kris and Jon had their ceremony at the Church of the Ascension in Halethorp and then headed to the Elkridge Furnace Inn for their reception.The luck that my couples have had weather-wise seems to have run out on me.  It rained both Friday and Saturday and it was my first two wedding weekend of the year.  Despite the rain, Kris and Jonathan had an incredible day.  The weather held off long enough for a handful of photographs with Kris outside of her parents home where her and her girls got ready.  Nicole Palermo and Mindy Whalen did make-up and hair and kept the atmosphere light and fun before the ceremony.  

After their ceremony Kris and Jon headed to the Elkridge Furnace Inn for their recpetion.  Despite the weather, we got some great images on the front porch of the Elkridge Furnace Inn, then went inside for the rest of cocktail hour and their reception.  In addition to a great night of fun, Kris and Jon hired Allison Barnhill of Handmade by Allison to design their wedding programs, place cards, aisle runner, menus, table numbers … basically all the paper that was printed at their reception and it looked awesome! 

I had a great time with Kris and her girls before the ceremony, and the reception was a blast.  Check out some of the images from the wedding in the slideshow below!

Laura and her girls got ready at her friend, Heather’s house, which is a beautiful place back in the woods and just down the road from St. Mary’s.  After everyone had hair and makeup done, we all headed to the State House where Laura and David saw each other for the first time on their wedding day.  Laura and David were beside themselves about all the year’s planning that had finally come to fruition. After they had a few minutes to themselves we took family portraits, then relaxed before the ceremony.  It was a beautiful early fall (OK, it was still a couple days until Fall, but it felt like Fall) day and perfect weather for an outdoor wedding and reception. 

They had a beautiful ceremony and reception, and even had bubbles during their last dance.  Check out some of the images in the slideshow below.  

Anyway, I could ramble on about this for a long time … just check it out! (oh! This is my first YouTube video too!)

Jenni contacted me near the beginning of Summer and we started talking about doing a TTD session together.  She was married five years ago in Germany and had photographed a few TTDs of her own when she decided to get back in her dress and have her own shoot.   I am always flattered when a fellow photographer contacts me and wants to hire me for a photoshoot.  It’s honestly got to be about the highest compliment a photographer can bestow on a colleague so I was a bit nervous and hoping to get some good images for her.  Luckily for me she’s not only a great photographer but a totally awesome model and we had a blast working together.  I think she did start getting frustrated with me though when I kept telling her to ‘rotate, rotate, rotate’ in the midst of the Patapsco river with her big wedding gown on getting pushed by the current - she didn’t know it was going to be a workout! 

Check out some of the images we got below!

Now, this doesn’t mean I’m leaving my friends here in Baltimore.  I am already pretty well booked up for spring and early summer weddings here in Baltimore, and will continue to offer wedding coverage in the Maryland area I will be traveling between Baltimore and San Diego for weddings and have no plans to change my pricing structure to make either a ‘destination’ for my services.  

I’m very excited about the opportunities and have been looking into some great locations to shoot once I get there.  In fact, you can check out the blog to see a couple engagement portraits and Trash the Dress sessions I took while out there.  Keep up to date about my San Diego journey over on the bishophoto blog and keep up to date on all my Maryland weddings and portraits here.

The ceremony was held outside next to the garden.  Their reception was then held inside the barn which was awesome! The Sotterley Plantation’s website says ‘[you’ll] be transported back in time as you take in the lovely gardens buildings and sweeping vistas …’  I would have to agree! It was a great place for a wedding, and I had a blast with all the guests.   

Hannah and Dak had their dog Frisco serve as the ring bearer during the ceremony.  Now, I have two Border Collies and love dogs, but I generally don’t take to smaller dogs.  Frisco was the coolest! He seemed to know that it was a happy day because he couldn’t have been in a better mood all day, even in his tux! He tore around the plantation and mingled with all the guests.  In fact, if you check out the slideshow below, you’ll see there’s a special section at the end dedicated to photos of Frisco! 

Hannah and Dak, thank you for choosing to work with me on your wedding, I may have lost a few pounds in sweat, but had a great time with you both!  Have a great honeymoon.

Alyson and her girls started getting ready at the Waterfront Marriott in Baltimore’s Harbor East.  The Marriott is a newer hotel, and the rooms are absolutely beautiful with tons of light, and great colors for photos.  Jamie Kreit was there early to start on everyone’s hair, while Lowell’s sister, a professional makeup artist from LA helped with makeup.  

Alyson went on to the Belvedere to do her hair and makeup prior to seeing Lowell before the Ketubah signing and the wedding ceremony.  Crimson and Clover did an amazing job with the flowers and Evan (gotta love a DJ with a name like that!) rocked the reception, getting Alyson and Keith on the dance floor and never stopping the dancing. 

It was a really great time and I’m happy to share some of the images in the slideshow below.  Alyson and Lowell, you guys really have been great to work with.  I hope the hurricanes all missed Jamaica and you had an amazing honeymoon.  Talk to you soon!

They held their ceremony in the courtyard among friends and family and their reception inside with the cocktail hour on the third floor and the reception on the 4th floor.  Jay from the Brass Elephant (yum!) was there to make sure everything went smoothly.  Toasts were given by both of Rana’s sisters as well as Nilesh’s.  After toasts and dinner … let the dancing begin! Nick from Terk Entertainment was the DJ on duty and he kept the music going and the people dancing until the end of the night.  

From there they went to St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church for their ceremony where Diana got dressed.  It was a wonderful ceremony and the first time I had seen a couple offer the sacrament for all their guests.  It was beautiful and a touching way to be connected to each of their guests that attended the ceremony. After the ceremony Aaron and Diana left through a cloud of bubbles provided by their guests and went on to their reception at the Glenview Mansion.  

They had a special surprise for their guests as they had practiced, and practiced a choreographed dance for their first dance.  It was beautiful and they pulled it off without a single missed step! Linwoods catering provided the yummy, yummy food, including fruit shots, roast beef sliders, watermelon and avocado salad and a signature drink to name a few.

Check out some of the images from the wedding in the slideshow below!

First of all, I want to thank Emilie for putting Roots together and working so hard to make the first workshop happen, I’m sure it will start to feed itself now that the first one is done. I know everyone had such an amazing week it’s bound to be a must attend workshop for the future.

Secondly I need to thank Arnold Miller, the multi-media editor for NewsDay and my team leader for the week. Arnold was a great mentor and friend during the week helping look through the images and guide me to see what I was missing from the story. We shared many late nights and gin and tonics to get through the week and I truly appreciate the hours that Arnold spent with me and all of his team. Arnie’s shack was definitely the place to be!

Finally, my subjects for the week, Liz, Carl, Katrine and Hilary. As a wedding photographer I am invited briefly into the lives of my couples every weekend. I see a small snippet of who they are and get to document very important moments in their lives. At Roots I was invited into the not so momentous occasions, but the day to day activities of this family of artists. My assignment over three days of fourteen to sixteen hour days was to document their life, no celebration, no fan fare. I can only imagine what it is like to have a photographer tagging along with you on your morning coffee run, or picking beans in the field, or following you to the beach with your friends. At no time however did I feel as if I was intruding in their lives. They opened themselves up to me and the process of being documented without hesitation. I am truly thankful to have been assigned to this family and feel as if I now have extended family in Cape Cod.

Click on the slideshow below to see a selection of images from the three days of photographic coverage of this family. The last couple of images in the slideshow are from the first night when I was invited to dinner and Katrine measured and wrote my name and date on the door jamb in their house. I truly felt welcomed and a part of their family from the beginning. Thank you is not enough, but it’s all I have.

Thank you!

Rudy and I had talked about making some more creative images both for our portfolios as well as for his salon. We began talking about a friend of Rudy’s who does costume design and that led to the fact that his friend had these huge angel wings. I immediately began thinking white on white on white on white. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to explain what I was thinking to Rudy and Nicole, but I was amazed to see what each of them did to create looks for the models and how that translated to what I saw in my head. In the shoot I literally surrounded the models with light, using four softboxes wrapping around them to dissolve any harsh shadows. I had in my head that angels should be both beautiful and somewhat scary, for some reason the quote from Lord of the Rings “… beautiful and terrifying …” was what kept  popping into my head.  I think I managed to get that in a few of the images, and the models did a great job in getting that idea as well.  In addition to the angel wings, Rudy also convinced his friend to bring this awesome 16th Century, Marie Antoinette looking dress he had created.

I absolutely love the images we made, and working with both Rudy and Nicole is such a blast. I couldn’t think of two more creative and talented people to work with!

Below are a handful of the images that we made on the second day of our shoot. We’re planning on a third day for a contrasting set of images to the Angels. I’ll again post those as soon as they are shot.

It was an amazingly fun day, and you can see in both Greg and Erin’s expressions how truly happy they were throughout the day. I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to document their day! Thank you both for including me in your plans.

Click on the slideshow below to view some images from their wedding.

Originally Jamie and Rich had planned to see each other for the first time at the ceremony site, but Rich was so nervous that I didn’t want to make him walk that far.  I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, Rich was very excited to be getting married, probably too excited! Seeing each other for the first time was great for both of them, but then Mother Nature swept in and rushed everyone inside for a downpour.  

Fourty-Five minutes prior to the ceremony and we weren’t sure where it would be held.Gladly the storm cleared out with enough time to get everything together and get the ceremony site set up.  The Herrington staff was awesome and got the site set up in no time!  Jamie and Rich held their reception inside the building at Herrington Harbor in the upstairs portion.  

To see a few images from their wedding, click on the slideshow below.  I hope you guys had an awesome honeymoon, thanks for having me at your big day! 

The 4th of July is Kristy’s absolute favorite holiday so we arrived early in order to sit right up against the caution tape where you couldn’t get any closer to the fireworks.  When you sit that close you have to look straight up to see the fireworks and it feels like they’re falling down on top of you.  We arrived at 7:00pm, a full two hours and fifteen minutes before the official fireworks display was set to begin. The next two hours was filled with fireworks being set off all around the field, and two kids right next to us with little cap explosives that the little girl was kind enough to share with Kristy and me.   We had a great time even with the rain and I can’t wait for next year’s fireworks!

Check out the images below, and I hope to see you at the tape line in Dundalk next year!

Kristy and I arrived early with hats on!  

Here’s one of the ‘neighborhood’ displays before the official ones began.  The private displays were awesome on their own, the official ones were just the icing on the cake! 

 Fireworks under the umbrellas!

Here’s a collage of the fireworks from the grand finale, click on the image above to see a larger version. 

They held their ceremony in the garden of the Evergreen House then held their reception in the Carriage House.  Alicia’s friend and bridesmaid Kristen Ciurca did all of the flower arrangements and decorating of the ceremony site, bouquets, and centerpieces. Ken from Absolute Entertainment spun all night, and had a list of songs that Jeremiah and Alicia had provided him that he was swooning over “Hey Evan, when’s the last time you heard this song!??” was a common refrain I heard throughout the night from Ken.  He really went above and beyond to mix up the music before their wedding day and provide not just the music they wanted but his on artistic creation of mixes and mashes throughout the night.  Jay from The Brass Elephant was on hand to make sure everything went according to plan, and of course the food was outstanding!

Check out a brief slideshow of images below, and thank you Alicia and Jeremiah for asking me to be a part of your incredible (and Incredibly HOT) day! 

At the beginning of June, Nicole Palermo (who I know you’ve heard me talk about before) drove to a farm just west of the Shenandoah Mountains to spend the day photographing and making up some really amazing models. Rudy Solorzano drove all the way down after doing hair all morning for a wedding that day. When he arrived he tore through the twelve models and did some amazing hair in record time! 

We had an amazing day too! We had overcast skies, bright sun, a little bit of rain, and some really ominous clouds (look at them out in the second to last image!)I’ve only selected a few images from the day (I shot a ton) but check them out below.  

Those are real clouds! The only photoshop work I did was to darken the skies a bit, ok, a lot, but the color, and everything was in the file, crazy clouds! I love them!

Thanks to all the models for coming out I had a blast meeting and having the opportunity to work with all of you! And special thanks to Nicole for getting twelve models to show up at a remote farm in Virginia with only four days notice!!!!!!!

I joined  Carolyn and her girls at Salon Giovanna on Falls Road where it rained, and stopped and then poured, and stopped, then knocked out the power just before Carolyn’s veil went on.  From then on it rained, a drizzle maybe, but it was raining and showed no signs of stopping.  While Carolyn was getting ready Matt called me to tell me that he had been watching the weather satellite and there was a good chance we would get about a 30 minute window of no rain so that he and Carolyn could see each other before the ceremony and do some portraits in Mount Vernon.  We decided to go for it, drove down to Mount Vernon from Towson, and it rained the whole way there.  When we got there it was still drizzling, but then we got out of the limo, and the rain broke, not only that the sun came out! It stayed clear the whole rest of the day.  

After portraits I followed Matt back to Towson and grabbed some shots with the guys before going to The Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington.  Carolyn and Matt held their wedding reception at the Belvedere where they had an intimate dinner with a Jazz Quartet.   It was an amazing day, not just because of the weather, but I was so thrilled that we were able to take portraits outside before the wedding, and Matt and Carolyn had the opportunity to share some quiet moments together.  

Thank you both so much for choosing to work with me on your wedding.  I hope the dogs did not break out of the kennel again and hope you both had an amazing honeymoon. Take a look at a few of the images from this awesome day by clicking on the slideshow below!

Yay! I just received an email from Rhiana that she saw one of my images on the Baltimore Sun website. The photo is from Mandy and Josh’s wedding, and Mandy posted it for a Mother’s Day photo gallery. It’s always great to see images from weddings that have happened last year, or several years ago, it immediately takes me back to the night of the couple’s wedding and all the memories I have from the event. After shooting Mandy and Josh’s wedding, I had the incredible honor of photographing Josh’s sister Chantel’s wedding last summer and tonight I am photographing Mandy’s cousin Michael’s engagement photos. I can’t wait for Michael and Lisa’s wedding this July, it’s going to feel like a family reunion for me!

I arrived on Thursday and started shooting on Friday morning when Amee had her henna applied by world reknowned artist Ekta Kansara.

Later in the evening there was a mehendi party where all the women from both families, as well as guests arrived and had their hands decorated for the coming weekend’s celebrations. It was a great time full of color and great food all prepared by Amee’s family.

Saturday started with a ceremony at Amee’s parents house where her family prayed over her for good fortune and happiness in her marraige, in the afternoon Vijesh met us for some portraits at a nearby park before heading to a reception for family and friends filled with dancing. The girls from Amee’s ‘Bride Squad’ choreographed and performed a special dance for Amee and Vijesh, and everyone came out for the Raas.

Sunday was the big day when Pete flew in to help me shoot the wedding ceremony and reception. Pete started the morning with Vijesh, while I went to photograph Amee and the ‘BS’ getting ready. Vijesh arrived at the hall on a decorated horse, and the BS danced him in. The ceremony was wonderful, chaotic and exciting as all Indian weddings I’ve been to are. In the evening the reception was held in the same hall as the ceremony and again, the dancing went long into the night.

Seventeen and a half hours after the beginning of the day, Pete and I take one last photo, this time we’re in front of the camera with Amee and Vijesh.

Amee and Vijesh, congratulations and thank you so much for including us in your wedding plans. We had a great time getting to know you both a bit, and spending time with your friends and family members. Having the opportunity to be involved in all the celebrations was truly an honor!

It was a great day full of love and music, perfect for the musical couple that Nina and Bob are, to add my own quote which seems appropriate to Nina and Bob’s wedding …”Without music, life would be a mistake” Friedrich Nietzsche. Thank you both for asking me to be a part of your day!

Check out some of the images from their wedding in the slideshow below!

I spoke with Renee in the morning while the rain clouds were still hanging over head. She had pretty much resigned ourselves to having the entire wedding inside, but what a difference a few hours makes! By 5:00pm, the sun had been out and shining so long that the grass had dried, the chairs were set out, we were having an outdoor ceremony! My couples just keep getting lucky with the weather!

The ceremony was beautiful, the reception was held under the tent, and the dancing was all inside. It was a great night and once Renee and Jay got on the dance floor they stayed the rest of the night.

Thank you Renee and Jay for inviting me to document your wedding! I had a great time, and hope you had a wonderful honeymoon. I can’t wait to hear all about it!