Edit & Marc

I want to share some images from Edit and Marc's March 22nd wedding at the Hilton Easton. A fantastic Russian Jewish party - so so SO much fun. Edit promised much merriment and dancing...and everyone delivered!

I was also honoured to have the fabulous Karen Evans join me as a guest photographer. I've always admired Karen's work and her vision. There was never a dull moment during the night and we had so much fun, it was great to have another friend along with whom to appreciate the party. Kate and I were very grateful to have Karen on board!


Edit's delicate bouquet was created by Blooms Direct.


Edit looked amazing in her dress from Alan Ray Bridal.

Vera Belcher, a SmashBox makeup artist and a bridesmaid, did Edit's makeup. See how pretty she is? Edit has lovely eyes and Vera knew just how to make them pop.



Edit and Marc decided to see each other before their ketuba signing and ceremony. I'd asked Kate to have Edit's Maid of Honor "cover Marc's eyes" and bring him into the room so the surprise wouldn't be lost...I wasn't expecting this! Totally hilarious!




All the men were given a yamaka to wear during the ceremony.


Not all were so adept at wearing one. ;)



Here's a great shot Kate took from the back:


So the ceremony would not be disturbed, we moved around as little as possible. Karen planted herself in a corner behind the chuppah and was able to capture some rare glances of Edit and Marc as they faced the Rabbi.




The Russian band, Alexis, was brought out from New York to provide the music and entertainment. These guys were awesome. The reception room doors opened, they started playing, and within seconds, the dance floor started filling up...all before salad was served. They did much of the MCing in Russian and performed quite a few traditional Russian and Jewish songs.

And my favorite part of any Jewish wedding: the horah! Check out Marc's face!


Vodka is, of course, called for. ;)


The whole slideshow will follow soon. Thanks again to my associate, Kate, and to Karen Evans for joining me for this wedding and sharing their talents!

Éire go brách!

So off I went to NOLA for Wolfgang's brother Kevin's wedding. I'd not met Kristin before, but I had been told she is a 6'2" beauty and a perfect match for Kevin in all capacities. The clans of Curry and O'Sullivan were to be united in wedlock...on St. Patrick's day, of course!

The whole day was perfect. The weather could not have been more gorgeous: 72F, breezy, bright, and no humidity. The wedding took place across Lake Ponchartrain and I'd never been across the bridge before....there's something really bizarre about being on a 40ft wide piece of concrete surrounded by water with no shore in sight. I've never been fond of bridges, so this was like the ultimate in horror movies for me...but of course, I love horror movies...so I rather enjoyed the ride, totally wide-eyed and unsettled. But I digress. Benedict's Plantation is a hidden gem right across the bridge in Mandeville. I love formal southern gardens and the landscaping did not disappoint. Here are some shots from the day:


The adorable flowergirl, Gabby.


Kristin is as beautiful and statuesque as I'd been told.



I love how the sun lit up Kristin's veil from behind...it just adds to her radiance.




This could very well be one of my favorite wedding images. This was immediately after they'd walked back down the aisle and disappeared out of the garden. I love the look of pure simple joy on Kristin's face and the tightness of Kevin's embrace in the first few private moments of actually being married before everyone followed to congratulate them.


Kevin and his mom.



I'm almost done editing, so check back for the slideshow!

"At first sight, violently."

Do I really need to quote Louis Armstrong? That's way too overplayed...regardless of how often I find myself whistling that tune. So let me quote a lesser known lover of the Crescent City, Andrei Codrescu, writing about New Orleans:

"How did we fall in love? At first sight, violently."

I nearly wept when I read that first statement in Codrescu's book; it could not sum up my feelings more clearly or simply. I remember the first time I went to New Orleans. A duo-birthday trip for Sarah and me. It was a place I'd vaguely wanted to visit, it sounded fun, and I watched Angel Heart over and over more to look at the dingy rain-soaked architecture than to be creeped out by Mickey Rourke. We left the airport by cab and I felt much like a cocker spaniel with its head hanging out the window going "oooh!...a palm tree!....ooh!...a Best Buy...with a palm tree!" Then we exited 10 and turned onto Rampart....and I'd left the country for the next 5 days. I wanted to move immediately. An impulse that was quickly squelched by the fear that such beauty and atmosphere might, possibly, could maybe become commonplace to me...that and the fact that the humidity was doing bloody murder to my hair. This would simply have to be my home away from home, somewhere I could dream about between visits and look forward to returning to again and again. And so it went. What excuses could I find? Did I run out of that perfume they custom make on Royal? A wedding? Did I forget my toothbrush the last time?

And then Katrina reared her ugly head. Wolfgang's brother, Kevin, had transplanted himself down there a few years before hand and W was on the phone with him as the winds were tearing the roof from his apartment building. He survived and returned to the place where many will always love to call home, (...has a phrase ever been so literal?) come Hell or high water. I craved return visits with the same intensity (and frequency) as I crave really salty crispy french fries and when I was about to literally lose my mind near the end of 2007, there was only one place I could think of to run away to. And I did for 4 days of blessed solitude, just walking and walking as much as my recuperating back would allow. I thought that would give me my fix for a while...alas, in the grey wetness of our Ohio winter months, I was daydreaming of moss draped trees, boutiques, cast iron, and non-previously frozen seafood.

And then the phone call: Kevin was getting married.

And we’re off!

The wedding season has officially begun for me. And one of the goals this year is to actually keep up on this blog. I love sharing what I’ve experienced at all the weddings I’ve attended and it was one of my regrets last year to have to let the updating slide so I could concentrate on more pressing concerns.

Jill and Wes found me in January at the Columbus Bride Show and booked me the next day for their November 8th wedding at The Venue at the Smith Bros. They love the zoo and we decided it would be a great place for me to follow them around as they wandered this Columbus jungle.




I love when my couples get silly and play like little kids. Jill and Wes stomped through 4 inches of snow to climb a giant steel dinosaur, mocked a T-Rex fight, and had quite a good visit with the gorillas.

This little kitten worked it for all it was worth...she knew she had an audience (I think she could hear the stereo "awwwWWWwww" from Jill and me) and several times coyly looked over her shoulder making little meows at us. She knows she's pretty...and once having graced us with her short-lived attention, she turned her back to us - the show was over. "Always leave them wanting more, dahling..."




We ended their session on the path where Wes made his proposal to Jill. Check out their slideshow to see the rest of their photos. You'll see the leopard gave Jill some advice on how to get Wes off the phone. :)

Flourish Workshop Deux!

By the way, you can now sign up for the Flourish Workshop mailing list on the website.

Go here: Flourish Workshop Website

Angela, Kim, and I will be announcing some exciting information in a few short days, so be sure to get on the list!

New blog coming soon!

Yes. Forever. I know! Much has happened in the last few (ok, many) months since I've updated this blog. The latest of which was the fabulous experience of Flourish Workshop. Angela, Kim, and I were moved to tears by the responses we received from the amazing attendees. I have so much more to say (and so many photos to show) about Flourish, but I'm saving it all up for (drumroll please) my new blog! One of our gracious sponsors, Into the Darkroom, is setting me up with a fantastic custom blog. It's funny, but when I saw Angie's new blog and then Kim's, it actually made me want to get typing. So, friends and neighbors, it's in the works! In the meantime I'd prefer to keep my focus on designing books for my 2007 couples...which is my favorite thing to do, next to shooting. Laying out the whole story is for me the most fulfilling part of my job. It's seriously a very, well...zen-like experience. There's something so thrilling about telling a story without a single written word, something one doesn't have to think about, just look and feel. I just love it.

Only 8 seats left for Flourish Workshop!

That's right, friends and neighbors...Flourish Workshop is almost full with only 8 seats available. We're filling up quickly, so if you've been holding back, now is the time to sign up for three days of learning and shooting and much fabulousness with Angela Anderson, Kim Reed, and lil' ol' me.

Save the date! Flourish Worshop.

It's official. Along with the amazing Angela Anderson and Kim Reed, I'll be co-hosting a photography workshop in Louisville, KY from January 20-23, 2008.
The official info site will be up very shortly, but here’s what we know so far:

Flourish Workshop will be three days of open sharing (how we do what we do and what NOT to do) and hands-on instruction. We’ll be going over the aspects of our business models, marketing, branding, shooting techniques, and post-production and workflow.

The concept is “all that is fabulous”. The workshop will be all-inclusive and will include stays at the modern and chic downtown 21C Museum Hotel. At 21C you will be surrounded by contemporary art and each room comes with an iPod loaded with your favorite genre of music. Gourmet breakfast, champagne, lunch, snacks and gourmet dinners will all be included.

The workshop will include a day focused on business, a day full of shooting (using live models, we’ll walk you through our approach to shooting in different scenarios, so bring your camera!) and a day focused on post-production, workflow and album design.

You’ll get specific, hands on information on how to grow your photography business. We will be doing lots of one-on-ones: answering your specific questions and talking to you about where you are with your business and how to get where you would like to be. You will come away with tangible information on what it takes to get started, or take your business to the next level. It will be great fun.

If you are interested, sign up for the mailing list to be the first to know. Everyone on the mailing list will receive a personalized invitation and an extra special something once you sign up for the workshop. You can find information on the list on our temporary site http://www.flourishworkshop.com. Our official launch of information (and the website) will be in the next few weeks but those on the mailing list get the scoop first!

Face value.

After looking at Meg & Jeremy's photos, I feel the need to talk about the importance of hiring a professional to do your makeup the day of the wedding.

For one thing, you've got enough to worry about. Don't give yourself one more thing to do...with nervous hands. You know how that happens, when you have a "bad makeup day?" Your wedding day is NOT the day to chance that happening. Besides taking the stress off yourself, a professional knows just the right product to use on your skin type so it lasts all day, survives the tears of the ceremony and toasts, and withstands the sweat from summer heat, nerves, and the dance floor. They will also know little things like how scary frosted eyeshadow can look in your black and white images. They'll know how to layer your lipstick so all you have to do during the day is reapply a little gloss. They know how to use colour and shading to best suit the camera AND the naked eye.

Look at Megan! Mary Kelly did an amazing job as usual. Not once did I need to blot shine or clean up mascara. Here are some images from the beginning, middle, and end of the night. Amazing all the way through.

Anyway, Mary is fabulous and a dream to work with, so check her out...she's totally worth every penny. You're making a huge investment in your wedding photography...you should look just as gorgeous in the last photo as you do in the first!




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I love the birdies.

I know it's been forever since I last updated this thing, but you know...priorities! The back injury I incurred at the beginning of the season had me a bit backed and I figured getting everyone their images was number one on the agenda! And I'm happy to say I'm finally starting to heal up nicely.

I have a LOT of pictures and slideshows to post, but I just finished Meg & Jeremy's and I'm just dying to post it. Meg is a graphic designer and provided me with the graphic elements she used in her invites...which were the sweetest invites I've ever seen. I'm so in love with the little birds, that I just had to get them in the slideshow somewhere. So I had to do things a little differently. I'm so excited to share it with everyone!

Megan & Jeremy met when Meg went to buy a bicycle. She ended up with a new bike AND a great man. Their vintage style wedding at the Taylor Mansion was so gorgeous; perfect weather, soft light, gentle breeze, flowers, butterflies...

I'm not going to write about Megan & Jeremy...I'll let the photos say everything - they'll do so much more justice than my words this late at night, since all that's going through my head is "beautiful, gorgeous, amazing.":)

禮 攝影 師 Yup. That's me.

I googled my own name tonight out of curiosity and the first thing that turns up is in fact my site....with this as the title: 禮 攝影 師 kitty maer

?!?!? It translates to "wedding ceremony photographer." Which is fine. And I love Chinese weddings. But I still have no idea how the characters got there! Weird, huh?

(I know this doesn't count as an "update" to this blog...but I'm working on it!) :)

Bragging rights!!!

Oh, hey, now I can ad one of those "international award winning photographer" tags to my resume! I came in 11th in the Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalists Association's top 20 photographers. Here's the image from Julie & David's wedding that took third place:


I've never been one for contests, really, but I'm pretty excited about this. The AGWPJA is an invite-only thing for membership and I get a little gold medallion thingy next to my name. Check out the site and the other AGWPJA contest winning images. Some seriously amazing stuff from people around the globe!

still kicking!

My dear friend, Angela, has informed me that I'm way past due for an update on my blog. She's right; it's been quite a while. So, news flash: I am, in fact, still alive. And well! And working like crazy to get everyone's slideshows up! I've shot seven weddings since I've last updated, so in the coming weeks, I'll be posting quite a bit up here.

I just finished Madeline & Anand's slideshow today. I just love Indian weddings. The colours, the dancing....if I had my way, the baraat would be 4 hours long. Madey & Anand held the whole thing at COSI and we spent most of their portrait session taking photos through the walk-through-time exhibit. I think one of my favorites is of Madey at the old '50s service station. Not everyday you see a bride in a lengha pumping gas. The reception was gorgeous and as soon as I find out who did the catering, I'll post it up here, because it was some of the best Indian food I've ever had.

I'll post some photos soon, but please enjoy the slideshow in the meantime...it's a long one!

Happy Anniversary, Sam & Kelly!

I can't believe it was a year ago that Samantha & Kelly got married on April 28th. Doesn't seem that long ago that we were cracking up, trying to keep a straight face for the "Marriage at the Overlook Hotel" elevator shot and Kelly and I were scolded for "touching the art" on display at the Conservatory. They had this big exhibit of fishbowl art....how could we resist?

Happy Anniversary, guys!

ooh, forgot to mention!

I had an image place in the WPJA's winter contest. Here's the image:
It was in the category for "silhouettes, shadows, and good lighting." I've always loved the buttoning up the dress pictures...I love the idea of a garment that requires five of your friends just to get into it!

New site is up!

Finally! My new site is up and running. Yeay! That makes me happy. I love having tons of pictures on a site and really big ones, too. This one should be much easier to navigate. I'm planning to have a page with all the slideshows, too, to make things easier for everyone. Still somethings to update, like the client log in page and Sarah's gallery. But I couldn't wait, so up it went!
http://www.maerstudio.com

Season's Greetings!

And the wedding season is off to a great start! Jennie & Greg are a testament to the fact that very much can be done in a short period of time. When Jennie and I met a few weeks ago, all she had was her dress and the Athletic Club of Columbus, if I remember correctly. A few weeks later and everything was beautifully put together! Seriously, check out the cake from Cake Studio and I think the flowers from Heather at Bloomtastic are to date, my favorite.

So yeah, everything was great and so were Jennie & Greg. They stayed calm and collected, happily went with the flow and really enjoyed the whole evening, as did everyone else, including us. This was a really nice laid-back beginning to the busy upcoming season!

So if you're stressing out about all the planning you still have to do, take a look at their gorgeous wedding and see what can be accomplished when you relax and "just do it."

WOOO! Engagement sessions GALORE!

Ok...it's been forever. This is supposed to be the slow season, but here I am wearing one black ankle sock and one striped tube sock because I've been too busy to do laundry...

It's been a fun couple of months. Jeni & Ryan brought me out to San Francisco in March to do their engagement session. How awesome is that?!? We went to their favorite spots, gorgeous, all, of course and made a day of it. I've never been to San Francisco before, so I was shamelessly geeking out, pointing at all the incredible architecture and going "weeeeee!" while driving up and down the hills. By the time the weekend was over, I felt like we really got to know each other and in October, it will be more like shooting my friends' wedding. Here are some highlights and you can click here for the slideshow.

When I got back from California, I drove right on up to Cleveland to meet Nikki & Mike for their e-session. We went to the conservatory where they have an indoor desert right next to a tropical rain forest. Butterflies everywhere! Really strange, though, considering it was snowing outside... After an amusing waterfall fight (I'd have to say Mike won) we went to the museum to see Sue, the largest T-rex ever found. You can see more of Nikki, Mike, and Sue here.

Lory & Rob's wedding is coming up fast and the weather had been fighting us all the way to get nice outdoor shots. We finally got a 12 hour window one afternoon between freezing rain and thunderstorms. Gorgeous really, because the trees were in full bloom...so they got their springtime photos after all! Here's the whole slideshow.

walking in a winter wonderland

Once in a rare while, we get snow that sticks. And we've been waiting, several couples and I... Last weekend, Katy & Tony lucked out! It was a great day, lovely frozen waterfall in the middle of a ravine of which I was unaware. No strange place to Katy and Tony, however...they had their second date there. So we braved the cold, ice, and snow...did I mention ice? The pool at the bottom of the waterfall became a makeshift ice skating rink and thankfully, none of us wiped out! Making our way back up, we realized we were not alone...I know I'm a city girl, but we were all a bit surprised to see a quartet of ducks making their way along the mostly frozen stream. But I really enjoyed getting a shot of Katy and Tony watching the little party.

Auld Langs Aine

New Year's Eve was great; Wolfgang and I got to be together for the first time in years. Together we shot Julie & David's wedding at the Columbus Anthenaem. Never did I think I would see a wedding party do the recessional to the Star Wars theme...hahaha...the best part was listen to a few guests mumbling, "is this what I think it is?!?"

I thought maybe they were going to skip the horah, but thanks to the best man's insistence that once they it got going, everyone would join in, we found that he was VERY correct. It seemed EVERYONE was on the wooded stage dancing in circles...sounded like a stampede! It was so much fun watching people shed their reserve and just let loose. I couldn't stop laughing, I was having such a good time.

At midnight we got everyone packed onto the dancefloor to cheer in the New Year. But that time, I was thoroughly pleased: everyone had finally donned their party hats! All in all, one of the best New Year's Eves I've had: being together and going to a party filled with warm, friendly, and funny people. I couldn't resist keeping with the hairmetal music theme for the slideshow... Happy New Year!!! http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif