Annual Album Giveaway Winner!
Posted on February 28, 2010
Like last year, this year I had my second annual album giveaway for past clients that have hired me. I do this instead of doing an annual wedding giveaway due to all the issues that come with it (oh, and I HATE popularity contests, HATE). The only thing they have to do is submit a Brides Talk (or Grooms Talk!) to me to be entered in the contest. I then use good ol’ random.org to select a winner. No voting!
I chose early because I leave for WPPI this coming week and all of the entries are in and posted. :)
This years winner is *drumroll* Carolyn! Guess it was lucky to be the first!
Grooms Talk: Larry
Posted on February 26, 2010
Jessica and Larry are seriously just a super fun couple. I knew that the day of the wedding was going to be stellar when during the engagement session they gave me free reign and did anything I suggested without questioning… and they laughed. A lot. I love couples that laugh together and just have fun. The day of the wedding was exactly the same. Lots of laughs, lots of love, lots of fun. I wish that I could shoot their wedding every weekend, it was just that perfect! My love for their wedding may also may have something to do with the fact that Larry busted out a full choreographed dance to Thriller as well. I love Thriller. I love grooms that dance. Their wedding = awesome!
PS: I loved Jessica’s shoes so much I went and bought a pair for myself (in black). 
This time it’s a Grooms Talk!
As a stereotypical naïve male, I really wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about when hiring all the wedding vendors. I remember thinking… Okay, so we are hiring someone to play music, someone to decorate, and someone to take pictures. How difficult can all of that be?
What I didn’t recognize at that time is how critical these people become in the entire experience for your wedding guests, your wedding party, and your family. By the time our big day rolled around (and it will come quicker than you think), Corey Ann had become another critical component to our wedding party. She’s fun… organized… direct when necessary… and fully committed to being a PARTNER on the wedding journey rather than just a vendor. The best evidence of how great she did for us is my endorsement of her to some of my closest friends and family members. COREY ROCKS.
This is the groom’s cousin… and the bride and groom are big OSU fans!
The Thriller dance!!
Brides Talk: Darlene
Posted on February 25, 2010
I love love – I guess that’s why I’m in this field of photography! Darlene and Carl are one of those couples that just radiates love. The tender way they look at each other. The way they touch. The way they move together. Ahh. Love. It’s so beautiful to see! Their wedding focused on that love and you could feel how much love was in the room when they danced for the first time. There were quite a lot of tears in the audience!
I have to admit though, the thing that stands out most from their wedding is the fact that you had to sing for them to kiss, instead of banging your silverware against a glass (who started that anyway!?). I LOVED this idea and it really brought the whole group of guests together. Such a fun idea that I really loved to see!
Thanks again for hiring me, I am so glad that I was able to be a part of your day!
Here’s what Darlene had to say (and her quotes with the pictures!)
After looking through dozens of wedding photographers, I finally came across Corey Ann’s website. Instantly I knew that she would be perfect for our wedding. Before we even booked with her, I began showing her work to my mom, my sisters, and my friends. We had met with some wedding photographers before and were rather disappointed, but as soon as we met with Corey we knew she was the right photographer for us.
Part of our photography package included an engagement session, and we were more than thrilled with the results. Corey instantly put us at ease when taking photographs. She not only had great ideas, but also caught special moments that were unique for us. After seeing the results of the engagement session, there was no doubt in our mind that we would be thrilled with our wedding pictures.
Corey made sure to set up important details before our wedding – what time to arrive, what pictures were really important to us, who we would like to have captured, when we wanted certain pictures taken. She came through on every aspect. Corey was able to coordinate large families and multiple photos quickly and easily. She provided direction and carried herself in a highly professional manner, and everyone in our wedding was comfortable working with her. She emphasized that this was our special day, and she was there to take any pictures we wanted.
We couldn’t be happier with our wedding pictures. Corey got all of the pictures we wanted from our wedding and more. She did a great job of capturing all the special moments and emotions of the day with class and creativity. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer. Even friends of mine who aren’t married yet are already saying they are keeping her in mind for their own special day! Thanks for all of your work, Corey!
Corey perfectly caught this candid shot of Carl’s dad. It’s definitely a favorite of ours.
The picture says it all here.
I love this picture of my nieces – they look so beautiful and happy!
Corey didn’t even know she was capturing a special moment for us when she took this shot. I had Carl’s ring engraved, and this was when I showed him the message inside.
Sunset shot.
A special moment – sunset dance in the gazebo.
Corey got just the right balance of posed, candid, romantic, natural, and funny moments on film.
Another fun moment to remember.
Brides Talk: Heather
Posted on February 24, 2010
It’s funny how clients find you in a multitude of ways. Most are word-of-mouth, some find you by random google searches and some, like Heather, will find you in the most obscure ways. She found me via a comment I left on my friend Rachel’s picture on Flickr, which happened to be Heather’s reception location. Heather and Brian were another favorite from 2009 (and also the last wedding of the year). How could a photographer not love the picturesque church, purple hot rod getaway car, the gorgeous bridesmaid dress, the gorgeous reception location… I could go on and on! The weather gods also smiled on us as it was sunny and warm (for November) on their wedding day. Just a happy day all around!
Here’s what Heather had to say!
I found Corey through a roundabout internet search for photos of the location where we eventually hosted our reception. While Brian and I had been together, we weren’t engaged, and I wasn’t looking for wedding photographers. I’m not originally from this area, but I’m always up for a little local exploration, so her engagement and family shoot locations caught my eye for potential road trip ideas. I kept her blog in my RSS feed and simply enjoyed the happy days, the beautiful images, and Corey’s amazing eye.
Once Brian popped the question, I knew Corey was the photographer. I’d read so many of her blog entries, I felt like I knew where she was coming from, and the girl knew how to have fun and enjoy whatever came her way. So… I began reading ever Corey Talks article I could (which helped immensely)!
We are so thrilled with the photos Corey and her second shooter (her husband!) captured – they were very inconspicuous guests, and it’s been a complete treat to see shots of the things Brian and I didn’t get to witness ourselves in the whirlwind of the day. Corey was truly accommodating about everything and super flexible; it was a complete joy to work with her.
Brides Talk: Averel
Posted on February 23, 2010
Averel and Jeff were my first couple of the year in 2009. It was the perfect way to start the wedding season! I LOVED their cake, I know it’s a strange thing to have stick out in my mind but their cake was beautiful! I also still absolutely LOVE the pictures of Averel getting her makeup done, some of my favorite getting ready pics I’ve shot! I love when brides get their makeup professionally done as the makeup artists tend to go for the kind of light that is the best for us photographers. The whole day though was quite wonderful and I loved all the little touches that went into the wedding! It was also nice to ease back into weddings by starting close to home, I always do a jig when I’m within 10 minutes of my house all day! Luckily it wasn’t too cold (but it certainly was brisk) so we were able to get some pictures in North Canton as well as on the golf course. It was a great day and looking back still makes me smile And with this kind of a review, what’s not to love about these guys?!?! *sniff*
Here’s what Averel had to say!
I’ll admit it, we Googled for photographers for our wedding in North Canton, OH! Originally, we had planned to get married in Columbus, where we live, but changed are minds to get married in my childhood Church in Canton. After we took a look at our wedding budget, we knew that having a photographer who was reliable (got all the important shots) and stylish (love her creativity!) was on the top of our list.
We found Corey on-line and set up a time to meet with her at Starbucks. We were “wowed” by her style, both in her book and on-line. She was so easy to work with throughout the process up to the day. A lot of wedding decisions take a lot of time and review, we quickly decided Corey was the one and we were right! We didn’t have to keep tabs on her throughout the process, and she listened to what I wanted.
On the day of our wedding Corey came to the bridal party hair salon and captured all of us getting ready in addition to the wedding coverage we had agreed upon. Her claim was that she lived 2 minutes away and she didn’t mind being there. She came early and was dressed professionally for the day, not just in pajamas, although she was going to have a long day shooting our wedding. After the salon we met up again a few hours later at the Church. Any time there was movement or a special LOL moment Corey was there, capturing it. She captured moments and emotions of that we couldn’t see from being a busy bride and groom all day and even reminded us to have our cake and eat it too!
On the sidelines Corey, helped dress the wedding party, was available for ANY favors we needed and I mean anything!!! She is a genuinely good person. I’m not sure how many people you meet in the wedding industry that you can walk away from it knowing you have a friend in the end. We appreciated everything Corey did for us, and the lasting memories she has created. From the bottom of our hearts, Thank you!
The pictures I have chosen all show the little details we didn’t have time to recognize on our wedding day.
Brides Talk: Deborah
Posted on February 19, 2010
If I had to do my wedding over again here locally, I think that I would choose to have a wedding just like Deborah and Scott. There were so many personal touches that went into this wedding that it is too much to count but trust me when I say there were plenty! From the bride making all the centerpieces and bouquets, to having a cocktail hour with wings they brought from their home in Buffalo, to the Yuengling beer they brought with them knowing that you cannot buy it here – they covered all the bases. I adored the creative use of feathers and the way it brought everything together. Of course my personal favorite was the brides green shoes that were the perfect touch to an already perfect ensemble. It was literally a dream day! I’m so glad that they chose me to capture their magical day!
Here’s what Deborah had to say!
I didn’t have a chance to meet with very many Cleveland area photographers while I was planning my wedding from out of town, and I also did not know much about photography. I read about Corey Ann on the Knot, and when I saw her website I was blown away! Her photos were fun and playful, and completely unlike any of my friend’s wedding albums. I met with Corey and she was so nice and friendly in person that we decided to go with her services on the spot.
The morning of our 4th of July wedding, Corey showed up right on time. Our day was pretty tightly scheduled, so it was great how she walked in and started snapping away within seconds. She captured alot of great details inside my parents’ house, and also got some amazing shots of me and my bridesmaids getting ready. Some of the editing on these shots was breathtaking- she made me look like a movie star!
Some of my favorite shots were taken of the bridal party and of my husband Scott and I. We are not used to being photographed, so she helped us out with posing and telling us what to do to look fabulous. During the reception, Corey was able to get all of the important shots, without anyone even really noticing they were having their pictures taken. The result was great candids of many of our guests. We loved looking through them all and reliving the day and seeing many things we had missed because we were busy elsewhere.
I have at least 20 of our wedding pictures framed on our mantel and walls, and there are about 50 more I would love to put up. Each photo was more fabulous than the last! We love our pictures, and everyone who sees them raves over how beatiful they are. Corey was so professional, and she even gave up her 4th of July for us! We couldn’t be happier!
Thanks so much!
Deborah and Scott
I remember this moment so differently. But in this picture I look so cool, calm, and elegant. It must be the B&W!
I love this picture of my mom- she is so beautiful.
The colors here blow me away. The gorgeous gold background, and the way my blue ring, green shoes, and bouquet just POP! Wow! Plus this is how we felt during the ceremony- so happy to be getting married!
This was an after ceremony “Go Team!!” I think we are all happy we got the hard part over with and are ready to party!
The colors in this picture are so amazing, and is exactly the reason I picked all of these beautiful green colors for the dresses.
I loved how cute and kitschy the inside of the Chophouse looks in the pictures- and how cute Scott looks of course
I think this photo captured the mood and personality of everyone in our bridal party.
This picture is so us and its called the “driving face.” Besides that, the green grass and bubbles are gorgeous.
The boys are here pretending to be standing all casual in front of the Browns stadium in their suits.
You can’t even tell how Scott was straining to hold me after a few minutes of this!
I love how my sister has her arm extended just about as far as it can go here! Her speech almost made me cry.
This is such a romantic picture from our first dance. One of my favorites.
The huge smile on my father in law’s face as he holds our sleepy niece- just perfectly shows the joy we all had that day.
Brides Talk: Stephanie
Posted on February 17, 2010
Last August I had the honor of shooting Stephanie & John’s wedding here locally in Canton, Ohio. There were just so many elements I adored about this wedding, their first kiss with a jaw dropping dip, finally being able to hit the McKinley Monument with a bridal party when it isn’t raining, the choreographed first dance, the tear jerker toast that was used for Stephanie’s parents wedding… you get the idea. SO many wonderful personal touches went into this wedding that it was impossible not to love!
Here is what Stephanie had to say about me and her pictures (the quotes she had were too cute not to include with the pics):
I found out about Corey Ann from Trashthedress.com since I was entertaining the idea of doing one (my mother thwarted that quite quickly). After looking at every part of her website she became one of my top 3 to show to my parents and fiancé. She ultimately won on many levels and my mom and I went to go meet her. I loved her work and it was fabulous that she was so local. After we had booked her, I STALKED her blog and just felt more and more confident with my decision with every photo she posted.
When the day arrived, Corey Ann and second shooter Nicole arrived perfectly on time and from the moment they got there made all of us at ease. Throughout the whole day she was the perfect blend of where you wanted/expected her to be and “in the background”. She also helped out with the mini issues that cropped up (like a stubborn bustle loop!). Her experience is super helpful and her patience is fantastic!
Our pictures were up in the online gallery super fast and all I wanted to do was go through them over and over. Every one of them is gorgeous. I especially love the moments I didn’t see happen. I can’t say enough how fabulous our pictures are. I am beyond satisfied with Corey Ann’s work! I’d recommend her to everyone!
Much love and thanks from The Hillmans! <3
This photo cracks me up every time. The hat was something he found in the church too!
John felt the need to flip his tails over the piano bench and then proceeded to play Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Korey looks so ornery yet Brittany looks so lady-like for being on a turtle.
Sam and Jason having a little fun with announcements.
Having fun with our first dance.
The look on his face is priceless.
Busting moves on the dance floor!
I ADORE this shot of John and his mom.
Brides Talk: Bethany
Posted on January 26, 2010
I think my blog about Bethany and Lee’s wedding sums up everything about their wedding. By far it was one of the craziest weddings of the year for me, but it was also the most memorable as it was so full of love that you could feel it everywhere you went. The speeches weren’t about roasting the couple but was about how much they loved being there. There was tears and laughter abound. It was just a beautiful day – perfect in every way save for that pesky weather issue. In a perfect world, they would have had a perfect day but who really wants perfection?? I think that the rainy day and minor disasters made for a more interesting day and memories to be made for a lifetime.
Thank you both for hiring me and letting me be a part of your magical day. I loved EVERY minute of it!
Top Ten Reasons why we would recommend Corey to anyone and everyone:
1. Of all our wedding decisions, hiring Corey was easily one of the best ones we made.
2. Her pictures online are truly representative of her work.
3. All of our pictures were posted online to view within 5 days of the wedding.
4. Corey seemed to appreciate the rain, mud, and power outages as an exciting challenge for her job. She smiled even as she stood outside getting soaked.
5. Without blinking, her husband/ photography assistant volunteered his electrician skills to fix the power outages in our tent in the middle of the reception.
6. Her eye for capturing the slightest mannerisms and idiosyncrasies is incredible.
7. Corey takes the time and effort to post her own personal impressions and enjoyments of each wedding she shoots.
8. Her story of taking a career risk to pursue photography full time is an inspiring example of someone bold enough to follow her true passion.
9. After the wedding she offered her personal time to advise us on the purchase of our new DSLR camera.
10. Months later, we still have friends who, upon seeing her pictures posted on our Facebook pages, ask who our photographer was and how we found her.
It’s kind of hard not to love people that say that kind of stuff about you isn’t it? Here’s her selection of pictures!
Brides Talk: Rachel
Posted on January 19, 2010
Last June, I had the honor to be Rachel & Jeff’s photographer. It’s hard not to just adore a client that greets you upon arrival with your favorite snack food!! Rachel is also seriously just a great person. No matter what went wrong, she kept her cool and never got frazzled. It’s easy to love clients that roll with the punches! Their wedding was a photographers dream with a beautiful ceremony location and an equally stunning reception hall. I absolutely loved all of the personal touches that Rachel incorporated into her wedding including all of the old family photos from weddings!!! Thanks again for hiring me and allowing me to be a part of your magical day!
When I began planning my wedding, finding the perfect photographer was extremely important to me. I decided I really liked the photojournalistic style of wedding photography and began looking for photographers in this style. I felt like every photographer I found in this style was too fake… the pictures all looked like posed models who were never smiling and their real personalities weren’t coming through. I then turned to the knot and that is where I found Corey. When I looked at her website, I immediately fell in love. She was EXACTLY what I was looking for. She uses the perfect balance of the photojournalistic style, yet she also seizes the fun essence of her couples and the moments of their weddings. Since I live in South Carolina, I had to plan my wedding from afar, and after talking with Corey on the phone I booked her immediately. I couldn’t be happier with my decision. There is not a single moment from my wedding that wasn’t captured on film — even moments that I didn’t know occurred! The pictures are absolutely gorgeous, while still showing Jeff and my personalities along with all of our friends and families. Wedding days and honeymoons end, and flowers die. But the pictures Corey took are the only part of our wedding that will last a lifetime. I am so glad that I chose Corey to be the one to capture those lifelong memories.
One of my favorite shots of the ‘cake’ EVER!
Album Giveaway & Brides Talk: Carolyn
Posted on January 13, 2010
It’s back! The second annual album giveaway is here!
Here is the skinny…
Who can enter? Past brides and/or grooms from my 2009 season.
What will you win? A 20 page 10×10 album in your choice of color with up to 3 revisions on layout. Images are the couples choice.
How do you enter? By submitting a “Brides Talk” entry to me for the blog.
How is the winner chosen? Each entry will be assigned a number according to when they submitted their entry to me. Then the respective winner will be chosen by random.org.
When is the deadline? February 21, 2010 – my bday!
When will the winner be chosen? March 15, 2010 – I won’t be in the country for my hubby’s bday so I have to move it earlier 
I already have my first entry so I am going to kick off this contest right now!
Back in October, I had the honor of shooting Carolyn and Matt’s wedding. I seriously cannot recall a wedding where I’ve laughed more, they were seriously just a super fun group. It didn’t hurt that they played football, had a dancing pole in their bus and were just really super fun people. When I read Carolyn’s entry for my second annual Brides Talk, I got a bit misty eyed! I am so lucky to have such fantastic clients! Thank you Carolyn and Matt and I look forward to working with you guys more in the coming years!
WHERE DO WE BEGIN??….
You not only provided amazing services with the help of your husband, but you two captured EVERY wonderful moment to make sure our wedding day would be unforgettable and guaranteed that we would have memories which we can share with people we meet for the rest of our lives. From our engagement pictures where we required a little bit of coaching, to our rehearsal dinner fun at the bowling alley all the way to the beginning moments of the rest of our lives together, you captured the moments that made that day special for both of us. We rave about you to everyone we meet and are most excited to start our family just so you can do maternity and family pictures for us!!! You are going to be the gal we call to capture all the important moments for the rest of our lives…so in a way, I guess we married you and your services on our wedding day too!
THANKS again and again for everything Corey, and husband! You are amazing!!!!
The following are images that Carolyn chose as her favorites aside from those that I’ve blogged already.
A quick peep at the guests.
A smooch for grandpa that was spontaneous during formals.
The ring bearer was stealing the show behind me during formals so I snagged a quick shot of him hamming it up.
My flash fired a little hot for this shot, but it was too funny not to keep and this is why I do that. Sometimes the moments are better than perfection.
This is a TINY portion of the larger image that the bride asked me to crop for her. This is why I’m SO glad I shoot on a full frame sensor. In the full sized image, the bride and groom are lost in the shuffle with the bridal party, in the crop they are isolated and it’s easy to see why the bride wanted this one cropped!
I love this shot of Carolyn, LOVE. It takes a classy lady to pull of this kind of sophistication standing in a limo, wearing 80’s glasses and prepping to take a spin on the dancer’s pole.
I love father daughter dances, LOVE.
A sweet kiss to begin their first dance as husband and wife.
I love when the ring bearer doesn’t fall asleep before the dancing begins! These types of pics always make me smile.
This wedding was full of random acts of goofiness from the guests.
I have never been so flattered as I was when the bride and groom asked for a picture with me before I left. This is the first time it’s happened!
And yes, my Shootsac cover matches the wedding. Some photogs match it to their clothes, I match to my weddings!