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Amber & Bryan

Amber and Bryan were married in Nanticoke on Bryan's family farm April 30th, 2016 on one of those off and on rainy days that no one hopes to have for their wedding. Although, the weather wasn't ideal, the rain held out for us and I was able to get some great shots of their big day. 

Prior to the event, Bryan's dad cleaned and organized the property while Bryan found the perfect branches to structure the arbor.

Before the ceremony, Amber and her bridesmaids got ready inside her parents' house while the gentlemen prepped for the occasion at his friend's place down the street. Portraits were later shot on the beach area of the river across the street. Bryan's buddy brought out guns, boots and hunting accessories to have some fun with the groomsmen photos. The guys also had golf carts to cruise around property.

At just about every wedding, I get to see something new and creative that couples come up with that I've never seen before. This time, Amber and Bryan had a tree in a pot and had each of their mothers add soil, along with Amber's son. Once the three added their soil to the tree, Amber and Bryan watered it to represent their growing and meshing family. 

Here are the photos of the happy couple:

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Lindsay & Joe

Back in November, I had the opportunity to travel to Jamaica to shoot the wedding of two of my good friends- Joe and Lindsay.

I used to live next door to Lindsay and Joe has been a good buddy of mine since high school (and has even been pictured a few times in Inside Ocean City), so I was really excited asked me to photograph their wedding at Secrets in Montego Bay.

We landed in Jamaica three days before the wedding. Lindsay's maid of honor couldn't get a flight in for the reheasal dinner so I had the chance to play around as part of the bridal party for a night. She was nice enough to not make me wear a dress though. 

When the big day finally came, so did the rain. Thankfully, we made in through the entire ceremony in fair weather but shortly after Joe kissed his bride, it started to downpour and everyone ran inside to take cover. 

One of the greatest moments of the trip was capturing pictures of everyone jumping into the pool after the reception. 

The following day, I photographed Lindsay and a couple of her girlfriends all reunited in their wedding dresses before we went snorkeling and took a catamaran over to Margaritaville. The captain and first mate were acting just as crazy as we were, doing back flips off of each other.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed the trip.

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Amber & Jim

Amber and Jim’s big day was probably the longest wedding day I have ever photographed and the experience was worth every minute. Amber was one of my good friends while I was in photography school in Massachusetts and I hadn’t seen her or her mom since a photography convention in Las Vegas about seven years ago. 

I woke up early to shoot the “getting ready” photos. It was the first time I was able to drive our roller skate car. I opened the drivers side door (on the right side of the car,) started the engine and took off driving on the left side of the road. I had never driven a stick-shift or on the opposite side of the road so the drive to meet the girls was an adventure in itself. 

At 7:30 a.m., I met the bridal party at the hair salon. Amber and all the bridesmaids were in their chairs drinking champagne and getting all dolled-up, chatting about what the day had in store. 

After starting my day being one of the girls, I then met the guys to take pictures of them playing golf on the course of the country club where they would later be married. 

Later around lunch time, I went back to the hotel where the girls were hanging out and getting their makeup done. I finally got to catch up with Amber. I couldn’t be happier that out of all the photographers we went to school with, she chose me to be such a huge part of her wedding. 

Before the ceremony, I took the whole family to the venue to shoot some family portraits, finally getting to see the mother of the bride. 

After the pictures of the family were done, I got the bridal party together to take their pictures right before the ceremony.

After the wedding, we went to a beach for bride and groom photos with Table Mountain in the background; where the cloud coverage comes over the beach like a table cloth, resulting in a huge temperature drop. 

Between the amazing South African food and the 2,500 roses, it was a memorable day for everyone in attendance. 

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South Africa

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South Africa

In the beginning of February, I traveled to a beach suburb of Capetown, South Africa to photograph the wedding of Amber and Jim. I went to photography school with Amber over 10 years ago and stayed in touch with her since we graduated. Because wintertime at the beach is pretty bleak, I encouraged Marben Ruffio from Mother’s Cantina to be my travel buddy and soon after we concocted plans to travel the world.

Ruffio and I left Ocean City at noon with plans to drop off my Labradoodle, Maggie, to my parents house in Salisbury and proceeded to BWI.  We planned to start our adventure by heading to London but we got stuck in accident traffic on 95 for two hours and were forced to cancel our flight. We changed our flight plans and hopped on a plane to JFK. After a short, hour-long flight we were in the Big Apple. Unfortunately, we had only an hour layover so our time in NYC was constricted to the airport.

We spent the next 14 hours of our lives with South African Airlines. Thankfully, it wasn’t a full flight, so I was able to have two seats which was necessary because the plane was a little bit older and I was feeling a bit anxious. After six hours of what felt like an eternity, and three movies down, Ruffio turns to me and says, “We still have eight hours left.”

We landed in Johannesburg that Tuesday afternoon. After going through customs, security, and gathering our luggage, we took a bus to take us to the last flight in our commute, finally taking us to Capetown. While we were disappointed about missing out on London, the rest of the trip definitely made up for it.

Once in Capetown, we rented a little, roller skate of a car for $10 a day. We drove to the Air B&B, where we stayed with a couple of Aussies in a gated four-unit house about a block from the beach. We got two bedrooms, a shower, and breakfast for 500 ran (50 bucks in American dollars.) Our hosts were really nice and hospitable and spoke about how much they like us, “American blokes.”

Ruffio and I being completely jet-lagged, were up all night. After squeezing in a couple hours of sleep, we got up early the next morning to go exploring. After about a three hour drive, we found ourselves at Boulder Beach, where we played with/harassed wild penguins. One of them tried attacking our bare feet so after that Ruffio just kept messing with the little guy. Halfway into the drive there, we stopped at an ocean-front amusement park where we saw these multi-colored beach shacks that were just really vibrant and cool.

The following day, we went to an ostrich ranch were we fed, pet, and learned about them. I ate an ostrich sandwich and Ruffio tried the ostrich filet, which is the most tender filet mignon you’ll eat in your life.

The day before the wedding we visited a place called Table Mountain and took a cable car to the top and hung out there for most of the day, climbing the rocks and watching the sunset. We spent the rest of the evening just laying low since I had to be up to meet the bride for the main event at 7 a.m. the next morning (I will go into detail about Amber and Jim’s wedding in my next blog entry).

At 4 a.m. after the nuptials, we drove three hours on a rainy, gloomy day to go cage diving with great white sharks. We were out for half a day in a high-volume region where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet near the Southern tip of Africa waiting for sharks, but none were found. After talking to the captain and some of the locals on the boat, we learned sharks were harder to find now due to poachers and warmer water from El Nino, (or the bad luck brought on from one gentleman who brought a banana on the boat). Since we didn’t get to go cage diving, we were given a two-year voucher to come back and try again.

With full intentions to try again in that time span, we headed home that afternoon. Ruffio and Isaw a bunch of street signs saying “High Smash and Grab Area” and “Do Not Stop,” that we harder to see in the darkness of early morning. The area was very dangerous and impoverished on both sides of the highway. It was surreal and humbling how some people in other countries really live.

Enjoy!

  

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Ocean City, Maryland, Beach Portraits, Kid photography, Boardwalk, Pictures

5 years ago the Dutton family picked me up on a boat and we took off to Assateague where I shot their first family portraits. To this day I have a huge wall portrait hung in my studio, right above my couch of their two kids, Tristin and Elle. Janet called me this spring to schedule a session for the kids being 5 years had passed. When I met them on the boardwalk last week for their shoot I couldn't believe how much the kids had grown. We had an awesome time shooting on the boards, the pier, and down by the water. One thing I always, always have handy when I shoot families is candy for the kids but since it was so early in the season I hadn't replenished my candy bag yet, so I took the kids for some ice cream. I think all the ice cream and sprinkles made getting their pictures taken completely worth it to them! I cannot wait to photograph the family again and see how much Tristin and Elle have grown next time.

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Baby Portraits, Ocean City,Maryland, Studio,

A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Ashley and Cody when they asked me to be the photographer for their wedding. Since then I have gotten to know them and have become friends with the two of them. So when they contacted me to shoot, Jaxon, their newborn sons photos I gladly accepted. I don't normally shoot newborns but I couldn't resist considering I wanted to continue capturing Ashley and Cody's memories. This shoot was specifically special to me since it would be my last shoot in the studio I have been shooting in for the past year. 9 times out of 10 while shooting a newborn session you want it to be nice and warm so that the baby is comfortable and content. Well, this was that 1 time out of 10 that this was not the case! For the first 30 minutes Jaxon was not a happy camper that he had to be in front of the camera. We tried everything!! We even had Cody lay under a blanket to replace the bean bag thinking that might do that trick. Nope! Finally, we opened the studio doors to let some natural sunlight and a nice breeze in and that did it. Jaxon was overjoyed and happy as could be. I had a blast and love how the pictures turned out.

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FOOD, OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND, HOOKED, RESTAURANT, JUST HOOKED, OFF THE HOOKED, PHOTOGRAPHER,

There is something about hearing farm-to-table restaurant that excites me. Knowing you are not only eating fresh but also helping to support the local farmers and local businesses is more than enough reason for me to join the farm-to-table movement. We are lucky enough to have a few incredible farm-to-table restaurants in our area. I have been eating at Off The Hook, Just Hooked, and now Hooked since the restaurants opened in Bethany, Fenwick, and Ocean City. Their food is always fresh, and the menu is regularly changing. Whether you are in the mood for seafood, meat, pasta, or simply a salad, there is always a meal on there for everyone to enjoy. Over the past year I have had the advantage of photographing the food for the restaurants and am constantly more and more impressed by the diverse menu and stunning presentation each time I go. Here are a few images from this weeks shoot at Hooked. If you have not been to any of these three restaurants yet, you are missing out!

 

 

FOOD, OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND, HOOKED, RESTAURANT, JUST HOOKED, OFF THE HOOKED, PHOTOGRAPHER,  FARM TO TABLE,

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OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND, WEDDING, THE BREAKERS HOTEL,BEACH,BOARDWALK,WATERMANS RESTAURANT

Tamara and Dave got married this past Friday on a beautiful spring day in April and although it was a bit chilly and windy out, everyone was as happy and excited as could be! I met the bride and groom at The Breakers hotel on 3rd street early afternoon to take a few photos of the bride and groom getting ready in their ocean front rooms. They had a short and simple ceremony on beach with all of their closest friends and family there. After the ceremony is when all the fun started! I hate to be selfish on someone else’s special day, but I can’t help but loving the picture taking the most at a wedding, especially when the bride and groom enjoy it as well. Tamara and Dave rented surreys for them and their bridal party at Dandy Don’s on the boardwalk to ride around in. Andy & I chased everyone up and down the boards all the way to the inlet, stopping at a few cool spots along the way for some unique and fun images. After our chilly walk back down the boardwalk we went over to Waterman’s in West Ocean City to meet the rest of the guests for the reception. For those who know me, know my old studio was behind Waterman’s and I spent most of my early 20’s there. We were all devastated when the building caught on fire last year. Now they are back and better than ever with an amazing new atmosphere and delicious new menu items along with some of the old menu. Congrats!

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WASHINGTON DC CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

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WASHINGTON DC CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

My wonderful girlfriend is being honored by All State as a top seller. So they put us up at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. Its the opening of the Cherry Blossom Festival,  this is a picture of our view. Not much to look at but I will be rocking the SLR later so keep and eye out for my images from to day.     Hats off the Berlin today COOLEST SMALL TOWN!!!!!! Sorry we are missing it.

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#photography, #washington #cherryblossomfestival #lovemyjob #fourseasons #DC

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WEDDING BALTIMORE MARYLAND AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM

When I first spoke to Shawn he told me that him and his fiancé Kathy were getting married at the American Visionary Art Museum in Fed Hill. I was thrilled. This would be my first time shooting there. Then he told me they liked funky pictures and they were sort of “punk“. I was even more thrilled. This was right up my alley. When I arrived at the hotel where they were getting ready I was already excited to meet the two of them. Then I walked in and saw Kathy with purple throughout her hair and Shawn with blue in his hair. I knew this was going to be an all around awesome day. They were both so down to earth and hilarious. Shawn and Kathy decide to do a first look before the wedding which I love capturing that exact moment when they first lay eyes on each other. Before the ceremony we decided to travel to Little Italy where we took a few pictures of just the two of them. The two of them really have an amazing time when they are together. When we arrived to the American Visionary Art Museum guests were patiently waiting to see the  bride and groom. The ceremony was gorgeous and once it was over I took photos the whole wedding party while the other guests enjoyed cocktail hour. Before dinner even started everyone was already enjoying themselves and dancing, dancing, dancing. I don’t think I have ever seen so much dancing! This was magnificent wedding and I am overjoyed that I as able to be a part of their day. I wish Shawn and Kathy nothing but happiness.

BALTIMORE,MARYLAND,WEDDING,PHOTOGRAPHY,TRAVEL,OCEANCITY,BRIDE,GROOM, AMERICANVISIONARYARTMUSEUM,FEDHILL,SPRINGWEDDING,CITYWEDDING,

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