More from this wedding after the jump…

Unfortunately, the storm also drenched the winery, and drove the proceedings indoors. It’s always important when you have an outdoor wedding to have contingency plans if the weather turns against you, and Tina Orr and the staff at Acres of Land were well prepared and everything moved inside their community building seamlessly.

For once it’s not an article that’s going to encourage you to spend money or anything of the sort, just about thoughtfulness. Click over and take a look (http://bit.ly/ckDQYn, it’s on page 10) and while you’re at it, enjoy the rest of the magazine.

Tell us your engagement story to win a free e-session!

Well, congratulations then! I love hearing the stories about how couples find each other and how their engagements came together… so much so that I’m going to have a contest.

Pop over to our Contact Page and send us your engagement story– include all those details and fun moments, and don’t forget all the reactions and the rash of phone calls that broke out afterwards.

Get it in before February 28th, and we’ll put you in for a free, special engagement session, and your choice of a free 11×14 print or a 12×12 square print of your favorite image from the session! We’ll also share your story here on the blog with your photos.

We’re offering two new types of specialty portrait sessions, and you can be the first to try them out!

Find out more after the jump…

Option 1: The Film Session. I’ve always shot weddings 100% digitally… with one exception– my first wedding, I shot primarily digital, but also with a touch of film as well, shot on an antique rangefinder camera. It was this great old Canon Canonet, made in the 1960s, and the seals have eroded on it, which means I sometimes get these little leaks of light that create cool vignettes and dark edges. I’ve always been in love with the look, but it takes too much time to the way I do at weddings with film cameras.

However, on an e-session, we have a lot more time to set things up, read the light with the meters, load film, set up additional lighting, things like that. Now, I can do all those things with a digital camera too, but some of those organic things that come out of using film in old or lo-fi cameras are lost in the process.

So here’s how I want to do it: First off, I’m not going to use the standard color film that you can buy anywhere that looks exactly like real life, assuming you get the lighting right. We’re going to use black and white film or color slide film. When we use the color slide film, we’re going to “cross process” it, running slide film through the chemicals used to develop normal color negative film. This gives it this cool oversaturated look.

On top of that, we’re not going to use the usual SLR type cameras that I’ll use at a wedding. I’ll use one of my rangefinders like the Canonet, or a lo-fi camera like a Holga or a Blackbird (these shoot square pictures, by the way) that also are known for cool distortion effects.

Over 3 hours time, we’ll shoot 5 rolls of 35mm film (Canonet, Blackbird) or 6 rolls of 120 film (Holga) on one of these sessions, with additional rolls at $30 each for film and processing. You’ll get proof prints and a DVD of all finished images, plus one 11×14 or 12×12 of your favorite image. For those not lucky enough to win this session, I’m pricing this at $400. Don’t feel like you have to do it as an engagement session either– I’m happy to do this for personal or family portrait sessions too!

Option 2: The Streetlight Session. I’m limiting this one to certain city environments (New York, Lexington, Louisville and Cincinnati) only for the obvious reasons– we’re shooting by available light at twilight and at night. I’m doing this as almost entirely black and white, but color is an option, as the low light will require me to use digital cameras for this one. The goal is to shoot a different type of romantic image. I’m planning one of these soon with an upcoming bride and groom, so keep an eye out here for samples! This session, like our stand alone engagement sessions, will go for $35o, including online proofing and an 11×14 or 12×12 print of your favorite image. Please set aside 3 hours for shooting.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LoveUnscripted

If you win the contest and you don’t feel up to trying one of the adventurous options, you’re still welcome to go with our standard e-session. Good luck, and I can’t wait to read your stories!

contest open to residents of Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey or Connecticut.

The current list of unavailable dates:

March 26, 27, 28
April 17, 23, 24, 25
May 21, 22, 23
June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 19, 26, 27
July 16, 17, 18
October 16

Bookings have been heating up the last three weeks. I’m hoping to have about 4 more dates in May and August come off the available list over the next week or two, so time is of the essence… Call me at 859.402.0634 to set up your consultation today!

I had a pretty good feeling Michelle and Kris were going to sign with me after our first meeting. I mean, when you discover you’ve been chatting for two hours, it’s a sign you’ve definitely made a connection. We just spent the entire time laughing and occasionally even talking about wedding photography.

On Saturday, we went out to the Lexington Country Club, where they’ll be having their reception this summer. Now, the grounds didn’t look anything like they will at the wedding, what with the fresh blanket of snow on the ground. We thought it would be fun to show their guests what the place they’re going to get married at looks like at this time of year.

Of course the first thing I did as soon as I got out there was to realize I’d planted a flash in the snow. Didn’t keep it from working, but did keep my hands frozen solid anytime I held the thing. We ended up taking about 45 minutes worth of shots before the battery died– in frigid temperatures, batteries drain faster. (The guys who shoot Green Bay Packers games usually tape those chemical handwarmer packets to their battery grips so that they can shoot the whole game.)

We took some by some classic Kentucky stone fencing , then moved to the back and went out on to the golf course in the open space, to take a few walking and talking images, some shots on a stone bench, you get the idea. Afterwards, we went into the clubhouse so that they could show me the space. When I saw the ballroom, I was in heaven. It was still set up from the night before, but what I immediately saw was floods of beautiful, focused lights coming in from the big arched windows on the left. I quickly got them into the center of the room and squeezed off a few last frames with the last juice in the battery.

We’re talking about doing a shoot out of town with them for their real engagement session, as Kris lives in Boston these days, and we might even be able to get some of those night shots I’ve been dying to do. I can’t wait to take more images with this fun and engaging couple!

One great wedding often leads to another. In the case of Dallas physician Jessica, she heard about me from her friend Neema, whose wedding I shot and Jessica attended in June.

Fast forward to the fall, when Jessica and her fiance Rutu, an engineer, returned to Kentucky for their wedding. An Indian wedding is always an event– there’s nothing like it for sheer size, scope, or color. By now, I’m pretty used to the rhythms of these multiday extravaganzas, and in fact, I’m beginning to see a lot of the same guests… they say I’m part of “the family” now! Since Indian weddings all but require an associate photographer, I was happy to be able to bring in one of my favorites, the emerging Bowling Green photographer Jennifer Creed. For Jenny, it was her first Indian wedding, and she brought a certain amount of wide eyed wonder to our work.

The folks at the Embassy Suites have gotten to be quite proficient at these events, and Amy Stamper and her crew did a wonderful job of giving the ballroom three different looks in less than 36 hours. I also got to work with my good friend Laura over at Destiny Horse and Carriage, who conveyed Ruturaaj to the proceedings in Kentucky style, while surrounded by their singing and dancing family members.

At the entrance to the hotel, Jessica’s parents and the priest met Rutu for a traditional ceremony that welcomes him to the wedding. He then is led into the hall by her parents to the Mandap, the wedding canopy where the ceremony takes place. All parties remove their shoes before going up on to the platform.

Before Jessica enters the hall, a sheet is lifted in front of the groom’s face, so that he cannot see her enter. Family members escort her to the mandap, and she is seated before him, before the veil comes down. The ceremony that follows is a cascade of flowers, flames, grain offerings, smoke, and processions, and it’s a visual treat. Like in many of these events, someone from the bride’s side of the family managed to steal Ruturaaj’s shoes, which is rewarded with a ransom.

The reception that followed was in a more Western vein, with many speeches, a game or two, and lots of dancing– I’ve never seen anyone who loved to dance more than Indian people.

For more images, click on the thumbnails below!

Things are beginning to pick up a little for summer dates, so please keep in mind that the following dates are no longer available:

March 27

April 17, 24, 25

June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 19

July 16, 17, 18

I can’t help but notice that May’s still wide open. The next bride to book a May wedding with me will get a free 20 page, 8×10 engagement photo wedding guestbook ($125 value). If the package you’re booking doesn’t necessarily include the engagement session, I’ll toss that in as well ($350 value). Any other brides who book me for this May will get the option to buy the book at $75, and if you don’t have an e-session included, I’ll give you half off that ($175).

Hope to see you there!