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

Christmas all month!

Last weekend I did my second December wedding. I've been so happy to see decorated trees up as part of the decor, since Wolfgang and I haven't had time to put ours up. The last few years it's been going up as an Xmas Eve activity and that will hold true for this year as well. I have an old tacky 50s aluminum tree that Wolf scoffed at the first year we were together, but I think he's secretly become quite fond of it...or maybe it's because it can only hold so many ornaments before toppling over, therefore much easier to put up!



Pam & Todd were married in Beckley, West Virginia and we'd been hoping for a nice dusting of snow. Ha, ha, and HA! It was over 60 degrees! So, no snow, but I did get some nice winter sunset portraits outside without worrying about Pam turning into an icicle. Cold or lack thereof, Pam still wore her cute fluffy wrap...which later Todd wore as a cummerbund...yes...I have a shot of that, too.



One thing I really like about doing out of town weddings: getting back to the hotel just in time to catch the Law & Order marathon. We don't have cable; if we did, we'd never get anything done between Comedy Central, the Food Network, and the History Channel...and Cartoon Network, Animal Planet...yeah, no cable for us. So I luxuriate in hundreds of channels and a bed with no kitties stepping on my face to wake me up. Then I appreciate going home to my little family after being away for a few quiet nights.



I just finished Pam & Todd's slideshow, which means I can now relax for the next few days and enjoy the holiday. Next up, Julie & David's New Year's Eve wedding! They're planning to play 80s hair metal at the reception...when I told Wolfgang (who will be assisting me) he had one word in response: "yes!"

'Tis the season!

I saw the name and thought, "hmmm...I know that name...could it be?!?" And it was! Catherine is a professional model and we've been wanting to work together for the last four years. And here she was, looking for a photographer for her December 9th wedding! Woohoo! I knew it was going to be gorgeous...and I was right. :)

I've got to say, there's something so wonderful watching a woman glow with real emotion as opposed to faking a look for the camera. Hopefully Catherine and I will be able to do a fashion shoot in the future, but I don't think anything I could set up could compete with her beauty on her wedding day.



After the ceremony, Catherine and Aaron and the rest of us headed off to the Athletic Club of Columbus for the reception in a bus that could've passed for a very small luxury condo. Once at the Club, we got some fun shots of the wedding party in the bar toasting to the newlyweds. Then I stole Catherine & Aaron away to a corner to get some cozy shots of just the two of them. Dinner was served, fabulous cake was cut, and the rest of the night was full of dancing. All in all a very elegant event!
See the whole slideshow here:Catherine & Aaron's Wedding

engagement sessions and the importance of comfort

Last weekend, I did Sarah & Darius' engagement photos. Strange, because Sarah's used to being behind the camera, so it was a collaborative deal. It was soooo much fun, though...like Romper Room in the studio. They brought all these costumes, wigs and clothing changes to do a mock photo-booth series. I'm still working on those, so I'll post them later, but check back....they're hilarious and worth seeing.

The most important thing to get out of your engagement session is a visual insight into your relationship, so it's crucial to be able to relax and act natural in front of your photographer. Which is one of the reasons behind doing an engagement session in the first place. Your wedding photographer will be with you all day and will be present during many intimate moments: getting dressed, tears, kisses, reactions to private jokes... The more comfortable you are in front of this new person, the better. Sarah's my best friend and I've known Darius for years now, but it still took a little time for them to totally loosen up and let real emotion for each other show while in front of the camera. But here are a few "serious" ones I got while they thought I was still testing the lighting. Sarah & Darius are fun loving, playful, and have a deep affection for each other. It was great fun trying to represent all that in one afternoon and I think we nailed it!

Rachel & Ryan's wedding book

Woohoo!!! I'm on a book makin' frenzy! Just finished Rachel & Ryan's wedding book and I must say, I loved the look of their wedding so much. It was such a beauty! Take a look at the sample pages. Want to see more? Check out the whole album slideshow here.

Chi-caaaaa-go, Chi-caaaago....

Well, I was sick. The whole weekend. But that didn't stop us from hitting a few shops in Bucktown, notably the unbelievable gorgeousness of Urbane Weddings. Seriously, Sarah & I love sparklies....and this shop is all about the sparklies. First thing I saw in the window was a full on high-neck-to-collarbone rhinestone necklace collar. (I'm sure there's an actual name for this type of necklace, but I'm not a jewelry expert.) I nearly ran people down going through the door. This little boutique has "everything but the dress" and an incredible collection of vintage style crystal hairpins, clips, barrettes, and the most tasteful unique tiaras I've ever seen. Awesome customer service, too. They seemed quite aware we were there to look and not buy on the spot and they were happy to just let us play and take snapshots of Sarah wearing the stuff we liked best. So yeah, girls, if you're in Chicago, this is a must-stop-shop! Urbane Weddings, 1920 N. Damen Ave. www.urbaneweddings.com

I had one of those moments when you realize you've arrived at the age of "old".... This was the moment at the Placebo show when I left the undulating sea of people on the floor and went to sit up in the balcony to watch the show sitting down...and realized I was enjoying the show soooo much more this way. How things change. Then I ran into friends from Kill Hannah, which was fun...the look on their faces seeing me out of context (Ohio) and in their hometown. Sickness or not, it ended up being quite a fun weekend.

I'm doing the Columbus Bride show in January, so I've been doing nothing but album samples and trying to get ready for it. Just finished Connie & Bryan's album. You can see it here: http://www.maerstudio.com/connie&bryanbook I'll have more up soon!

*K

Almost forgot!!!

I can't believe I forgot to mention: my best friend, Sarah, is engaged! She told me during the reception at Connie & Bryan's wedding while I was quickly stuffing fruit salad into my maw...I nearly choked. I took a picture of her beaming face (flashing her hand, of course.) Sarah's not a solitaire kinda girl...and Darius knows it. I took one look and said the same thing he did: "now that is a Sarah ring!" She likes sparklies. He gave her five sparklies. And I just know he's going to give her a lifetime of happiness; he's an amazing rare specimen of a man....kind, considerate, and God, does he love her. I approve whole-heartedly! :)

This is going to be fun. We're going to the Dayton/Cincinnati bridal show this Sunday on my way back from shooting in Louisville. I'm going to make her try on dresses until she hits me and we'll probably sample wedding cake until we're sick with sugar induced hallucinations.

But the best is this: we're going to Chicago in November for her bachelorette party. Yup, a two girl party. Friday night we'll go to the Placebo show...then fly into Cleveland the next day...for another Placebo show. I haven't even heard their latest album...but I'm sure I'll have a ton of fun.

Bonfires & pie!

I just got back from Rachel & Ryan's wedding in Story, Indiana....which is in the middle of wonderful nowhere. Driving there was like a video game...hairpin turns flanked by steep drop offs, dips that make your stomach drop (I love that), and trucks with horse trailers coming at you from the opposite direction at twice the speed. The first shot there, I white knuckled the steering wheel the whole way....the second time, I was like "weeeeeeeeeee!!!!"

I got to stay in the Blue Haze Lodge. ( http://www.bluehazelodge.com ) Named so for the lake of fog that rolls in around midnight and fills the valleys until sunrise. Quite a sight. The hostess is a lovely Brit named Ali and her company was very welcome. It seems like I've been going 24/7 for the last two years and the night before the wedding, I had about three hours of downtime, I'd forgotten my book, and there was no tv. I didn't know what to do with myself...and then I relearned the joy of just lying on a bed staring at the ceiling and listening to the various sounds outside my window. It's been ages since I've been able to just loaf as an activity...I quite enjoyed it...and will try to work this rediscovery into my hectic schedule. My sanity demands it. Now if I could only find a way to have breakfast with friendly chatty Brits and strangers every morning....

Other things I adore: autumn, the smell of campfires, pumpkins (especially in pies), leaves turning colour. So yeah, I loved this wedding. You see, Story is this teensy little "village" made up of an inn and a few surrounding tiny cottages. It's really quaint and meant to be nostalgic ol' Americana...except with indoor plumbing, for which I was very grateful.

Rachel & Ryan had a nice big bonfire going, bales of hay wrapped in burlap with pinecones, acorns, and all other manner of fall decor. The scene was beautiful and rustic and a great contrast to Rachel's couture dress and elegant styling. Their doggie was the ring bearer and although she didn't exactly adhere to the script, her antics were really amusing. Oh yeah, and pie and persimmon pudding instead of cake! It was awesome....I know, 'coz I had a little of both. :D

Another thoroughly enjoyable wedding where everyone really had fun, including the bride and groom....that's important, you know?!?! Here are some shots from the day:

Busy Bee....

Just finished editing Connie & Bryan's wedding. Gorgeous afternoon wedding with the most perfect weather: aqua sky, fluffy clouds, light breeze...kinda hard to take a bad picture! Especially since these two are so cute together. I think 90% of the photos are of them laughing. Nice tea party reception, then off to the river to get some relaxed (and shoeless) portraits away from the excitement of the party. Well, sort of, given all the screams of "Congratulations!!!" from boaters!

This weekend I'm off to Indiana for Rachel & Ryan's wedding. No wedding party...just their dog as the ring bearer...this is going to be hilarious! Sounds like it's going to be a very laid back and fun party.

For some reason, I look forward to long drives since going back and forth to Kentucky the last few months. Maybe it's because I don't really get to go on real trips very often, so anything past two hours seems like a "weekend away" even if I'm working. And this weekend I'll be staying at this fabulous inn run by a lovely British couple. I guess I sort of look at it like I'm going away for the weekend and going to a party where I'll meet new people...and happy people at that! It's really refreshing to have a job I get excited about every time. :)

2 Days of Indian Merriment!

Four days later and I'm still recovering...20 hours over two days...and I loved every minute of it! Heidi & Miki booked me last winter and I've been looking forward to this all year. Day One was the mehndi party (painting the bride's hands with henna) and the sangeet that night, which turned into a big dance party. Day Two was full of ceremonies separated by various bouts of joyous dancing. Then more dancing. Did I mention the dancing? Check out how gorgeous Heidi is in her lenga! It was fantastic. Heidi & Miki Kapoor

Catch up time

I really need to make time to update this thing! But I've been busy, you see...

6 August: Heather & Joe got married at the Zoo. It was fantastic! Bright and sunny, not a drop of rain. Radiant is the only word to describe Heather on that day. She was just gorgeous. They had an animal presentation during the reception and I don't think I was the only one scheming to steal the little fox.... Here's their slideshow: http://www.maerstudio.com/heather&joe and a few shots.





19-20 August: Drove down to Louisville, wait - let me get that right: "loo-uh-vuhl"...I think I'm getting it... to shoot two weddings in Lexington with the fabulous Angela Anderson. Saturday's wedding was at the lovely Talon Vineyard. It rained...all morning... Thankfully, nature heeded our pleadings just as we arrived to take pictures and the rest of the ceremony was blessed with perfect weather.






Had a nice visit with my sister in Louisville and then off to the next wedding. Fantastic multi-service American/Hindu wedding with a huge Indian reception after. 14 hours!!! Totally worth it...gorgeous and fun! Mamata & Bryan's photos:





Apparently I can't get enough of working with Angela: Drove back down to Louisville the next weekend, too. Again, our prayers were answered and the rain held off just long enough to have just enough sun for Nicole & Brian's ceremony at the seminary. All the girls had these great paper parasols with the couple's monogram painted on the top...nice visual touch for the courtyard ceremony.

All in all, I had a great time working down in KY and hope to do so again; the scenery is beautiful.