On Saturday, I had the opportunity to photograph Eboni and Danny’s wedding in Boston…and what a amazing time it was!

We began at Eboni’s home in Roslindale which was a bustle of activity with women rushing to have the finishing touches put on their makeup, and get into their dresses. For me the getting ready time is some of the most fun to photograph because there is just so much going on all at the same time! Soon Eboni was dressed and ready for her bridal portraits. A quick tour of her yard revealed a cool old shed in the back that made the perfect backdrop for some fun shots, and Eboni was a natural model! After a few minutes in the back yard, we moved the action to the front porch, where her awesome purple shoes stole the show for just a moment.

Then it was off to the Christ Temple Church of Personal Experience where the ceremony was to happen. I grew up in the south, and the church and the ceremony brought me right back home again, with lots of singing and celebration. Plus there were about a billion windows, so the light was wonderful inside, and the real emotion between Eboni and Danny as they exchanged their vows was evident to all in attendance. After the ceremony we took a few moments to take advantage of the great light and cool retro furniture at the church for some couple portraits, before Eboni and Danny loaded up into their Rolls Royce for the trip to the reception.

The best thing about this time of year is that it is staying light a bit later, so when we arrived at Lombardo’s in Randolph for the reception, we had time to take a lap around the building and find some cool and unusual location for more couple portraits. Then it was inside for the family photos, and the reception was ready to begin. I got the vibe at the beginning of the day that it was going to be a fun reception, and I was not wrong! After enjoying an awesome dinner, the party really started, with the dance floor quickly getting packed as Danny showed off his moves!

Click here to see a few more photos from the day: http://www.pbase.com/jamisonwexlerphoto/ebonidanny

Ceremony: Christ Temple Church of Personal Experience
Reception: Lombardo’s in Randolph
Flowers: Barry’s Flower Shop
DJ: Dion Irish

And a special thanks to one of my favorite photographers, Stacey Doyle, who had an open weekend and came along! I love getting to shoot with other Shootstyle members!

Could you ask for a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting with my pals from Shootstyle at the Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Providence RI. As you may remember from past posts, Shootstyle is a group of leading New England Wedding photographers that I along with the other founding members, Earl Christie, Stacey Doyle, Jeff Newcum, Michelle Turner, and Alicia Williams formed a couple of years ago. Our goal with Shootstyle is to get together as often as possible to grow together as atrists, push the boundaries of our skills, and have fun doing it.

Sunday’s shoot was our most ambitious project to date. First off, it was a full blown production with dresses custom designed for the project by Julie Ebel and her girls at Juliana Designs. Julia is best known for her beautiful, custom designed irish step dancing design company, but has recently begun to branch out into couture designs for select clients. She also happens to have a space in the same building where my galler/office is located. When we told her our idea for a winter themed shoot, she jumped right onboard, custom desinging two beautiful dresses just for the event.

In addition to Julia, we hired professional models and a makeup artist, the talented Jenny Dimucci from Providence. When I arrived at the location the suite was buzzing with activity as the models were being made up, the wardrobe gals were making last minute alterations to the dresses, and the photographers were checking and rechecking their equipment. OK that last bit was a little fib. We photographers were mainly standing around and eating doughnuts…

But as soon as the makeup and wardrobe were ready, we were off. And what a location we had! The Rennaissance Providence is one of those hotels tht makes you feel cool when you walk through the lobby…like you’re a VIP at one of the “it” places in town. The decor is modern and hip, and funky…the perfect backdrop for the unique dresses. 6 hours of shooting went by like a blur.

But enough blathering - on to the photos!

When my friend (and awesome photographer) Stacey Doyle invited the StootStyle group to photograph the girls at a dance school, I jumped at the chance…well not literally - I REALLY can’t dance!

The girls of Carolyn Dutra Dance Studio (in Warwick RI) were amazing though. Ranging in ages from 4-16, they were all so much fun to work with. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and their natural grace made it really easy to create beautiful images. Carolyn was a very gracious hostess, not only organizing all of the girls, but also opening up the costume room to us. And Jenny DiMucci made the girls all look like movie stars with her mad make-up skills.

I was joined by ShootStyle photographers Stacey Doyle, Alicia Williams, and Michelle Turner, and, as always, their enthusiasm and the sense of fun they brought to the shoot made it that much more enjoyable. None of us had photographed dancers before so challenge of doing something new added to the excitement.

Thanks to the dancers, the photogs, Jenny, Carolyn and Juliette (who introduced us to the studio, where she also teaches).

Here are a few of my images from the day:

…or at least we like to think we are ;).

A couple of years ago I started to get to know a few local wedding photographers through online forums and local get togethers. They seemed like a decent bunch, and were super helpful to someone who was just entering their arena. So when a friend of mine volunteered to pose in her wedding dress, with a shotgun, in front of an old, burned out mansion, I asked a few of them to come along. We had a blast (but not a literally), and started to look for opportunities to get together to learn from one another, share our tips and techniques, and drink beer.

Fast forward a few years and several more fun shoots later, and we have decided to make our escapades a little more public, and a lot more official like.

So today I’m pleased to announce ShootStyle, a collaborative effort between 6 top New England photographers, who have different styles but the same goal: to create kick ass images! I’m joined in this endeavor by Earl Christie of Earl Christie Photography, Stacey Doyle of Stacey Doyle Photography, Jeff Newcum of Jeff Newcum Photography, Joe Ciarcia of Symphony Photography, Alicia Williams of Cordele Photography, and Michelle Williams of Michelle Williams Photography. You can see some of the projects we have completed together at the new ShootStyle website: http://www.shootstyle.com.

Aside from my excitement at being included among such a distinguished list of really great photographers, why am I sharing this here? I’m glad you asked! ShootStyle gives me a bunch of advantages that I can pass on to my clients:

First off, these guys are my primary backup. If I break my leg the day before your wedding, these are the folks that I will call first to help me out. So you can be assured that my replacement will be a top shelf shooter who’s also fun to drink beer with (not that they would be consuming any at your wedding). We also assist each other on occasion when one of us has a weekend free, so you may end up with more than one ShootStylist at your wedding!

Second, when we get together we all learn stuff from one another. So ShootStyle is making me a better photographer - which means that I will be even better equipped to take awesome photographs at your wedding!

Third, when I am aready booked for a wedding, I have a built in group of talented photographers, any one of whom I would have loved to have had shoot my wedding, to send prospects to. So rather than having to send a rejection letter, I can send a recommendation letter.

Anyway, that’s the scoop on ShootStyle, stay tuned for more of our goings on throughout the year!