Erin & John at The Westin

When Erin first met with us nearly a year ago to discuss Erin and John's wedding, she told us that she used to drive past our studio and look in the windows and say to herself, "Mark is going to photograph my wedding someday." We are thrilled that she felt that way because we couldn't have asked for a more sweet, kind and fun couple to work with than Erin and John.

They had planned a 'city chic' event at the Westin in downtown Cincinnati and their theme was delivered perfectly. The color palette of navy, copper and pewter looked lovely with the autumn colors and skyscrapers alike. Their ceremony had the backdrop of Fountain Square and guests danced the night away under the moonlight...thanks to Goodwin Lighting's creative lighting.

Erin, John and the wedding party braved the chilly autumn air so that we could use various spots around the city for their photos keeping with their 'city chic' vibe. We're so glad they did too because the images turned out beautifully. The shot of the wedding party walking has now become one of our new favorite images.

The heartfelt toasts, hugs and laughter make it very evident that Erin and John are surround by many friends and family that love them greatly. Erin and John are currently honeymooning in Hawaii, but feel free to leave them messages below in Comments. You can also see and tag more images on the studio's Facebook page. Congrats to the newlyweds!

Be sure to check out Erin and John's talented list of vendors: I-Do Weddings, Westin, Unique Designs Florist, Goodwin Lighting, StudioZ Films, Alter Bound Bridal, Poeme Stationery, Soul Pocket Band & Chocolate Passion

In the Queue for Friday....

Arriving later today will be Erin & John's city chic wedding...check back shortly!

Bridal Sessions!

Don't you just hate that you only get to wear that gorgeous bridal gown one time? It seems like such a pity to take the most exensive article of cothing you've ever owned and box it up never to be seen again after just wearing it once.

Doing a Bridal Session after the wedding is a fun way to enjoy the dress just a little bit longer. It is also the perfect opportunity to shake things up a little. By changing your accessories, the groom's attire or photographic backgrounds you can get an entirely new feel to your images. The best part is that you are also no longer so worried about getting the dress dirty either.

Kristen decided to do a Bridal Session the week before she was to have her dress cleaned and preserved. They are then going to use these images to decorate their newly decorated home office. You can see their actual wedding day photos here.

Sarah & Patrick at Dayton Art Institute

Sarah and Patrick had the distinction of planning a destination wedding...to Ohio. They currently live in New Zealand, but traveled half away around the world to plan their wedding where their family and stateside friends could celebrate with them.

I'm sure the added miles and time zones made planning tricky at times, but thankfully family was right there to help them with planning their dream wedding. With Sarah's dress coming from Australia and their honeymooning in Hong Kong this couple has certainly made their wedding a worldly affair.

Friends and family certainly enjoyed their time with Sarah and Patrick during their whirlwind trip home. It's very evident that they are loved and missed here. The toasts were very touching and had everyone torn between laughter and tears. The celebration had the dance floor packed all night (and you know it's a good party when the guys all start wearing their ties as bandannas)!

Feel free to leave messages for Sarah and Patrick below in Comments. You can also see and tag more images on the studio's Facebook page. Scroll to the post below to see their engagement session. Congrats to the newlyweds!

Sarah & Patrick's E-Session

We met Sarah years ago at her brother's wedding and we're thrilled when she asked us to photograph her wedding this October. However, Sarah and Patrick had one dilemma...how do they plan a wedding from half a world away? Sarah and Patrick live in New Zealand and we're planning the wedding in Dayton where her family lives.

Luckily, Sarah and Patrick's family took over a lot of the work for them making the planning a little easier. Sarah and Patrick knew they were coming to town for about 10 days prior to the wedding so we had their engagement session on the calendar for almost ten months. We had just enough time to photograph them, design their sign-in-album and deliver it before the rehearsal dinner!

Jessica and Ian at the Dayton Marriott

Jessica and Ian had a chilly Fall day for their wedding, but they made the best of it and didn't let it slow them down. Jessica and her bridesmaids were especially good troopers enduring the cold weather as we photographed around Dayton. Looking at the photographs you would never guess that in between shots the girls were trying to wrap themselves up in any layers they could.

Jessica was a classically elegant bride and her black and white color palette couldn't be more timeless. I loved the black beads added to the white bouquets adding a hint of sparkle and drama. Sort of reminded me of one of my favorite wedding flowers the white Anemones. Adding their own twist to the wedding cake, Jessica and Ian decided to serve Killer Brownies from Dorothy Lane instead of cake. I saw a lot of brownies on people's dessert plates so I'm going to guess that those were a big hit ;)

We had a great time with Jessica and Ian and all their family and friends. Feel free to leave well wishes for Jessica and Ian in the Comments section below. You can also see and tag more images on the studio's Facebook page. Congrats and Aloha to the happy couple!

Check out some of Jessica and Ian's great wedding vendors: Dayton Marriott, Party Pleasers DJ, The Fowerman, Dorothy Lane Market, Prime Time Party Rental

Published! Professional Photographer Magazine

As part of our winning Diamond Level Photographers of the Year for 2011, we were featured in Professional Photographers Magazine. It's a challenge and a thrill to compete each year in the International Print Competition (IPC) with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

Out of the thousands of IPC entrants only a dozen achieved the Diamond Level Photographer of the Year award, by having all four of their entries both Merit and Loan. The greatest thrill for us is knowing that it is actual client work that has been judged by our peers. We aren't the type of photographers to go out and photograph sunsets or bowls of fruit. We want to submit work that is literally created in the heat of the moment for our clients.

In the last few years, we've become known for wedding album entries. Instead of being critiqued on a single image from an event, we feel it is important to be judged on the whole body of work or story of a wedding. For us it is the ultimate test, to be creative, professional, consistent and meticulous not just for one shot, but for a whole day or thousands of shots.

It's a thrill to arrive at each of our clients weddings and tell ourselves, "Today is the day. Today we will get our next winning album." We believe that all of our work is a self portrait, and as artists, we want to be remembered for a complete body of work. Entering print competition keeps us constantly striving to be better than we were yesterday, and to never let good enough be good enough.

To see more imagery from the four weddings that were submitted into the Loan Collection. Click on the links below.
Julie and Christian
Abby and Brian
Logan and Jonathan
Amy and Gary

Lucky in Love...Save-the-Date Inspiration!

When we scheduled Chelsea and Joe's engagement session, we knew that we needed to help them get a few wedding chores off the wedding 'To Do' list. From their e-session, Chelsea and Joe needed save-the-date cards and their Sign-In-Album covered.

We've been helping Chelsea and Joe with their wedding invitations (see above) and their other printing needs and wanted to tie in their save-the-date cards to match everything else. Chelsea and Joe are getting married on St. Patrick's Day and when Chelsea saw DIY scratch-off cards on Martha Stewart, she knew that would be perfect for their 'Lucky in Love.' theme.

Together we worked with them to select clothing, location and the concept for their cards. Jennifer had the idea to make the heart and clover banner, which would eventually reveal the wedding date. We printed the cards and the envelope seals for them. Chelsea then add scratch-off paint and mailed the cards with a lucky penny enclosed. Great idea Chelsea!