Makenna's Maternity Shoot
Posted on April 30, 2009
Today I’m bringing you a maternity shoot I did yesterday for Makenna and Cole. It was your typical overcast day in Ohio but we made the most of it and did a quick session in the yard around Makenna’s house. I was pretty stoked that there was a large space of yard with some gorgeous violets and dandelions which made for a perfect backdrop for some photos and we just wandered around the yard after that. Makenna is a natural beauty and was just too easy to shoot!!! Lucky girl still fits into her regular jeans – and she’s due in May! Thank you both for the wonderful session!
I’ll admit, I love dandelions and a baby is a perfect reason to make a wish on one!
Corey Talks: Wedding Insurance
Posted on April 28, 2009
Originally I was planning on posting this at a later date, but with the recent outbreak of the Swine Flu, I thought it would be a good idea to post this now in case there are any future Destination Brides reading my blog.
Two years ago when planning my destination wedding in the Outer Banks, my constant worry was hurricanes. Our wedding had to be in the summer due to the schedules of my husband’s family and the only week that worked with the home we wanted to rent was in August. Typically, hurricanes rarely hit the Outer Banks that time of year but anything is possible and if you know my luck, you know that it was a real worry that I’d have a hurricane hit the day of the wedding. When I asked my wedding planner if there was anything that I could do – thinking back up locations and so forth, she actually recommended to me Wed Safe, a wedding insurance. I ended up purchasing both the cancellation and liability insurance and never worried a bit about hurricanes after that. The cancellation policy covers the costs of the wedding that would be canceled ore rescheduled due to an emergency, weather or other covered event. This way I wasn’t out thousands of dollars to my vendors for a wedding that didn’t happen that I still had to pay for in case a hurricane decided to blow through. The liability insurance covers the event – if someone fell and got injured etc. that insurance would cover the event and I wouldn’t be the one personally held responsible for any type of injuries at or due to my wedding.
The liability insurance was purchased because when I was 19 I was in a wedding for a friend of mine. One of the friends of the groom was a super nice guy and was at the table of my date for the evening and we chatted with him off and on through the night. He drank a bit too much and unfortunately got into a car accident on the way home and the last I knew he was still not breathing on his own and was in a home for people that are brain dead. His parents were outraged as he was underage and sued the bride and groom. Even the happiest of days can be the worst of days for someone, and after that hard lesson in reality I a) never drank until I was 21 and b) learned to cover my butt when it came to my wedding.
Both of these policies were DIRT CHEAP compared to what the flip side could have been and the peace of mind is PRICELESS. I recommend that EVERY bride pick up wedding insurance.
Why it is topical now is because of the swine flu. I am a poster on a wedding photography forum and brides are canceling their destination weddings left and right and taking the hit with the loss of money because they don’t want to take the risk of getting sick. Even though some people aren’t canceling, airlines are now starting to cancel flights and cruise lines are canceling stops in Mexico so who knows what can happen in two weeks. If they had wedding insurance, they’d be covered for the costs they’d loose if they couldn’t get to the destination for the wedding. I would check with all insurance companies for their specific policies on the flu prior to paying for it though to see what their policy is exactly for a refund in this type of case.
How can this relate to brides that aren’t getting married in a hurricane zone or a destination? Easy, have you heard of at least one wedding venue that’s closed and not refunding monies paid? I know I have – actually I’ve heard of quite a few doing this since I started shooting professionally 2 years ago. You would be covered if this happened to you if you had wedding cancellation insurance and would get the money you paid back. There are all kinds of things that can happen on solid firm ground to cancel a wedding, when you are paying THAT much for a wedding, you need to cover that investment.
I hope that this helped some of you out! Up until my wedding planner told me about it, I had NO IDEA such a thing existed so I wanted to pay it forward in case others didn’t either. If you have any questions about it, please don’t hesitate to ask! Keep in mind also that it’s almost NEVER too late to buy it, Wed Safe will take a policy up until 15 days before the event!
Mobile Monday: New Orleans Edition
Posted on April 27, 2009
I am shamelessly taking an idea from my friend Anne Ruthmann, Mobile Monday blogs! I have a bit of an obsession with taking pics with my cell phones and my new iPhone makes taking and sharing pictures a breeze!! So each Monday I’m going to share the past week’s mobile pics with you guys for a bit of fun and a break from the norm. To see a description, geotag or more info of each picture click on the links below (starting with center image and then left to right from the top left down).
Enjoy!
1. Live Oak Trees (center), 2. Easter Dinner (top left), 3. Cherry Cheesecake = YUM!, 4. Easter Loot, 5. BFF Forever, 6. Feet in the Sand!!!, 7. I have a purse and shoe problem!, 8. Water Tables = Wet Kids!, 9. I think Gavin liked getting soaked!, 10. Bourbon Street, 11. iPhone New Orleans Pics, 12. Port of Call Lunch!!! DELICIOUS!, 13. El Gato Negro Selfie
All photos from the iphone located here.
Noteworthy items & links from the above photos!
Hudson’s Treasure Hunt – Located in the gulf states, these stores are full of merchandise that is either about to expire or items that were sold off due to an insurance settlement for earthquakes, fires and floods. Similar in nature to Marc’s in Ohio, but is more focused on clothing items. This is where I got the red shoes above… for a song!
Prime Outlets at Gulfport – Being an avid shopper much to my husband’s dismay, it’s hard for me to ever pass up an outlet mall. I’ve been to a lot all over the country and I repeatedly find the best deals here. The Coach sales here typically trump all others I’ve been to and their selection is always amazing. I’ve yet to walk out of here without a purse, and this is where the black purse above came from – that I’ve been wanting for the past 3 years (it’s a newer style of the original that I lusted after 3 years ago).
Danny & Clyde’s – Fantastic po’boys all around the New Orleans area, not only are they chosen as the best po’boys by many publications and people, they are also cheap! Win-win!
Kids Konnection Playground in Mandeville, LA – By far one of the nicest playgrounds I have ever seen. It is full of fun things for kids of all ages and abilities to play on, in and with – including special needs children!! There is a typical playground here with swings, slides and the like but also an extensive sand area and water tables for additional fun!
Port of Call – I have wanted to try their hamburgers for quite a while but I’ve never got the chance to go before so I was quite excited to get the chance to go before leaving with Kimberly and her friends. It was DELICIOUS!! I highly recommend their food! Keep in mind the menu is pretty limited but it is all delicious! Make sure to try a specialty drink while you are there and get it in a plastic to-go cup so you can leave with it! It’s so fun to do this as we can’t do this here in Ohio!
Corey Talks: Locations for Pictures (East)
Posted on April 27, 2009
It’s another session of picture locations!! I’ve had so many emails and comments about how helpful my past posts have been to brides that I’m going to keep expanding on it to the west and east. If you have ANY suggestions please let me know! I’ve been updating the past posts as ideas for locations have came to me so keep checking back.
Bedford Heights
Bedford Reservation
Bedford Heights, Ohio (various addresses depending on where in the park you want to go)
With waterfalls, scenic overlooks and hiking trails it would be hard to find anywhere that isn’t scenic for pictures, although I wouldn’t recommend going here in heels so perhaps this location is best for the engagement shoot!
Cost: Free
Geneva-on-the-Lake
Downtown
State Route 534, Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio
Geneva-on-the-Lake is a unique town that was a popular resort destination in times past. Luckily, it’s held onto its charm and is still open for some fun in the modern times. This town is set up similar to a boardwalk with an arcade, cotton candy vendors, small amusement park rides, waterslides, wineries and more, you can’t go wrong with taking pictures here! Great for the couples that want the amusement park feel but don’t want to pay the prices to go to a park!
Cost: Free (pay for the rides/food you choose to eat)
The Lodge at Geneva on the Lake
4888 North Broadway (State Route 534), Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio
The Lodge is a gorgeous hotel that sits on Lake Erie just before you make the turn to head downtown. It’s a relatively new hotel, but styled indoors to resemble a log cabin. Many weddings take place here so if you are coming for wedding pictures you will have to check with the hotel first, but engaged couples shouldn’t have an issue using the lobby or grounds for pictures. The grounds feature a lakeside gazebo, benches along the water and a trail with access to the marina for the perfect sunset view. I was here in September and it was GORGEOUS! I plan to go back soon (and post pictures from my first trip!).
Cost: Free for engagements, check for weddings.
Kirtland
Chapin Forest
10381 Hobart Road, Kirtland, Ohio
This is a gorgeous Lake Metropark with trails and is very popular with the skiiers. There is also a scenic overlook here that enables you to see for miles, offering a skyline of Cleveland and Lake Erie views up on a clear day. Jacki and Brad got engaged here so we went there in May to take some engagement pics!
Cost: Free
Holden Arboretum
9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland, Ohio
Home to some of the most beautiful gardens that Northeast Ohio has to offer. Featuring a butterfly garden, numerous ponds and trails through the meticulously landscaped gardens, the Arboretum has a LOT to offer.
Cost: $150/hour, admission for engagements
Kirtland Public Library
9267 Chillicothe Road, Kirtland, Ohio
The exterior of the library has a simple but picturesque gazebo and pond that is perfect for that quick stop along the way for some outdoor portraits. Katlyn and Aaron chose to stop here after their wedding in Kirtand last Summer. Katlyn and Aaron stopped here after their ceremony for some pictures in the gazebo and on the nearby hill.
Cost: Free (but a donation would be kind)
Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Road, Kirtland, Ohio
There are over 424 acres here surrounding a gorgeous nature center. In those many acres are forests, trails, ponds, gardens and more.
Cost: Free.
Mentor
Mentor Headlands
9601 Headlands Road, Mentor, Ohio
Mentor Headlands is a gorgeous beach located on Lake Erie. Offering sand dunes, the state’s longest sand beach, and a lighthouse this is a perfect place for those wanting a beachy look to their photos.
Cost: Free
Nelson Township
Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park
State Route 282, Nelson Township, Ohio
Featuring hiking trails, numerous rock formations and a waterfall, this is a great place for the couple that’s a bit more adventurous! I wouldn’t recommend this for the day of the wedding but it’s a perfect location for an engagement session.
Cost: FreeWickliffe
Coulby Park & Mansion
Thanks to Heidi of heidzillas for the recommendation! Featuring a historic mansion, a rose garden, trails, a pond (with a bridge!) and more, this is a great location located on the East Side for both wedding and engagement sessions. For photos indoors, contact the park directly for costs.
Cost: Free
Willoughby Hills
North Chagrin Reservation
Featuring a popular golf course – Manakiki which also features a historic home, trails and Squires Castle, this is an excellent place for both wedding and engagement photos. Joe and Rachael got married at Manakiki Golf Course which is in the reservation.
Cost: Free
Other Photo Locations
Cleveland
South (Akron/Canton Area)
Global Wildlife in Folsom, LA
Posted on April 26, 2009
The day before I left Louisiana, we took a trip with the kids out to Global Wildlife. I’m sure they have similar things all over the country – but it’s a park with a bunch of animals that you drive through and feed as you go. The one here in Ohio I know of you drive your own cars but at Global Wildlife you actually board a train. We met back up with Miss Carolina and Miss Petra and I also got to me Master Gavin and Master Christian as well. You can feed almost all the animals right from the cup they give you with your food however you cannot feed the zebras as they will bite and it could be ugly. Miss Petra barely escaped a bite not only once but TWICE. Yikes!!! It was a fun trip though and not something you do or see everyday. I thought there’d be a ton of photo ops but I found out that between awkward seating, cramped spaces, a moving vehicle and kids on a mission with food taking pictures isn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be!!! I still got some shots that I thought I would share, enjoy!
A view of the train before us leaving to go into the park.
A shot of the massive bucket of food that we had TWO of… and the kids went through ALL of it. When my friend had mentioned a bucket I was picturing a sand pail, not THIS size of a bucket!
Not the best shot of them but this is Gavin and Christian (2 and 4).
Miss Carolina is back! This is totally unedited as well, her eyes are just that gorgeous! What’s really ironic is her parents are both brown eyed but both her and Petra have dazzling blue eyes!
A deer eating some of the food that essentially is almost POURED from the train through the park.
A zebra coming to stake his piece of the food.
Not the best shot in the world, but I love this shot of me feeding a reindeer from the cup. He was a sweetie and even let me pet him.
Another zebra coming in for some food, I believe this is one that thought Petra looked good enough for a snack! If you notice, they don’t really have black stripes, they are brown.
A mommy zebra and a baby zebra that is just two days old.
Even at two days, this guy can already walk and hop around! This was shot through people on the other side of the train – I love my zoom lens! Isn’t he precious?
Miss Sydney at the Beach
Posted on April 23, 2009
After all the crazy session at City Park, we headed out to Gulfport to the amazing outlet malls there. Anyone out there that has a Coach fetish like I do, take note that the Coach Outlet in Gulfport has the BEST deals!!! Anyways, after some damage to our wallets we stopped by the beach in Gulfport (near where we did their family session in July) on the way home to let Sydney run off some more energy as she had not enjoyed being cooped up for the remainder of the day in her stroller. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get any shots considering how dark it was and I had not brought my flash, but I was essentially stunned with the low light action on my new D700. Sydney is sporting an outfit that I picked up for her 3rd birthday on Etsy, is it not the most adorable thing EVER? I told you, this skirt is CRAZY but cute. I just wish that we’d got to the beach before dusk set in and it was still in the ’sweet light’ hour.
This shot isn’t perfection by any means but I had to show you how awesomely crazy this skirt is! It’s made out of chiffon so it is super soft, tulle is cute but way too scratchy for toddlers!
She’s got an adorable smile!
So precious!
Almost a year after our first session on the beach and Sydney still hasn’t quite let go of her love for playing, eating and flinging sand! Then again, I’m 30 and I haven’t either!
Sydney loves to spin and spin and spin in this skirt, this is caught mid-spin!
It isn’t a day at the beach until you roll around in it a bit!
This is how dark it was at Gulfport Beach during our shoot, we were there for about 15 minutes or so and this was taken about 5 minutes before we left, so I am not kidding when I say the light for these shots was less than ideal!
Playing in the Park
Posted on April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day! I have been trying to find it but somewhere I have a pin from the original Earth Day courtesy of my father (whom was a hippy through and through and even went to Woodstock!). Maybe by NEXT Earth Day I’ll find it and post a picture or two of it. Since I’m without the pin, I’ll have to show pictures of two adorable little girls playing in City Park beneath the gorgeous Live Oak trees that I have a fascination with.
After the girls’ brief portrait sessions, we let them run wild in the playground and eventually conned them into go over to the nearby bridge which was more picturesque so I could get some more shots of them. I told them it was Cinderella and Prince Charming’s bridge – worked like a charm! Petra chased the ducks on the way to the bridge, which made for some fun pics and then the girls looked for fairies before being pushed on the swingset before we left for lunch (Juan’s Flying Burrito = YUMMY!).
Petra chasing the unsuspecting ducks in the park.
Sydney didn’t quite care for chasing the ducks, she wanted to go to the princess bridge!
Carolina curiously watched the girls run about but seemed quite content in her stroller.
The girls looking over the bridge to see what they see in the water, luckily some ducks passed by to help it seem more magical!
Petra catches some fairies in the magic river.
Petra shows Sydney how to catch the fairies.
Petra enjoying her ride on the swingset.
Sydney enjoys her ride as well, but soon demands that we eat because she is starving… so off to eat we went!
Next up is a beach session with Miss Sydney 
Miss Sydney in City Park
Posted on April 21, 2009
Next up was Miss Sydney’s portraits when I was at City Park in New Orleans. I did a quick mini session with her and then did another later on in the day on Gulfport Beach. I’m glad that we had the time later because I quickly found out, as I mentioned before, that Sydney wasn’t having posing much since her best friend Petra was nearby AND a playground. I can’t blame her, if I were younger I’d have been itching to play too! Here’s a few shots of Sydney in a skirt I got her last Christmas, isn’t it adorable? Just wait until you see the outfit I got her for her 3rd birthday, it’s a HOOT!
I nabbed a few shots on the steps of Peristyle before Sydney wanted to follow Petra down to the water to see the ducks. I love her smile and I am glad I caught it!
I was lucky to also grab a profile shot of Sydney, not an easy feat on a fast moving 3 year old!
A quick smile while looking at the ducks in the pond.
Sydney is taking dance lessons and agreed to show me a move of hers. Not quite sure what it is… but it’s cute!
Corey Talks: Table Shots
Posted on April 20, 2009
There are very few things that I ever say that I won’t do, but there are things that I will say that I can’t guarantee I can get done and one of those things are table shots.
Table Shots are the quintessential shot from the film days of photography and when photojournalism was something that only newspapers saw. We’ve all seen the shot I’m talking of – either everyone looking at the camera turned in their seats or the couples paired up with one behind their seated date at a round table. In the mid-to-late 90’s, disposeable cameras started to replace table shots as brides realized how much time they lost in their day to table shots. Thankfully, modern brides are starting to realize that having candid moments far surpass the standard, stoic posed shots of each table and trusting that between their photographers and guests, they will have a shot of everyone at the wedding, either posed or candid.
Now, why I can’t guarantee them? I can’t guarantee them because they are so time consuming. When I say time consuming I’m talking about 5 minutes per table – but can to up to 10 minutes if Uncle Larry is hitting the bar or Aunt Sally is retouching her makeup in the bathroom and the table doesn’t want me to leave until they get back. That can take upwards of an hour out of your time at the reception – when I could be taking more candid moments like grandparents sharing a dance, a father kissing his daughter while trying to hide his tears or a flower girl finally giving into her temptation and going for the cake. Those are the moments in my opinion that should be captured by your photographer to last a lifetime, that’s what I was hired for!
Instead of table shots, I prefer to be more ninja-like during the down times and capture the laughs and smiles of guests and couples at the wedding. I have found that those smiles are more real and the moments more authentic on film than the “smile and pose” style that comes with the table shots. They also can be taken in a moments time, rather than the minutes that takes the traditional table shot to be taken.
If table shots are super important to you, but you don’t want to tie up your photographer, I suggest putting a friend or family member on that task that is the photographer in the group. Everyone has that person in their friend or family group – this would make them not only feel important but also frees up your photographer. It’s a win-win situation!
Reminder that this isn’t that I REFUSE to take them, I just want my brides to know that this is something I can’t guarantee. My focus is on my bride and groom – and most of the time the reception is constantly going and there are not many spare moments to take the table shots. The only down time that I typically see at a reception is during dinner and trust me – NO ONE wants pictures of them chewing dinner.
I hope this helps some future brides understand why you don’t see the standard table shots anymore!
Miss Carolina and Miss Petra
Posted on April 19, 2009
While in New Orleans I got to do a quick mini-session with my Matron of Honor’s two girls, Petra and Carolina. Petra was my flower girl almost 2 years ago – it’s hard to believe she is the same girl! She’s now just over 3 ½ years old and quite the little lady. Her sister, Carolina, is the newest addition to the family being born in late October making this near her 6 month mark. We originally were going to do their portraits at Longue Vue however due to the massive amounts of rain the night before, we ended up going to City Park’s Peristyle and taking shots where there was not QUITE the amount of mud. However, we quickly found out that having two 3 year olds (Sydney and Petra) in a ‘boring’ area next to a playground did not do much for attention spans when it came to pictures. I was able to get Sydney’s attention eventually (see next post) but Petra was not having her pics done that day – and so it goes sometimes with children when they set their mind to doing something. In the end I got some great shots of Carolina since she’s yet to master an escape plan and got some great shots (coming up after Sydney’s portraits!) of Petra playing and showing off her personality. Maybe on my next trip we’ll hit Longue Vue, I hope to because it is gorgeous!
I love baby feet!!!
My favorite shot from the day! She is so precious and her eyes really are that stunning blue! No photoshop needed!
I love the antique look sometimes on baby pics, make them look more timeless.
Sisters… it almost makes it look gothic (the time peroid, not the grunge rock style) with Petra’s stoic look on her face!
I loved the rose bushes surrounding the Peristyle.
Miss Petra pretty much refused to look straight at the camera, there were way more important things to see and do. However I still love this profile shot as it shows off her classic beauty!