Bohac Wedding

I had the pleasure of shooting the E-Session of Sara and Chris Bohac just days before our second team of photographers photographed their wedding last Friday. They were a great couple. They were so natural we barely had to give them any instruction.

Sandi, Ellen and MK did a great job with them at the wedding.

Bricco Wedding

This is the first of three weddings from this past weekend. It was of Carrie Loomis and Bryan Bricco. Amanda started the wedding with me and Karen Clark took over for her since Amanda was also a guest. Karen knows a lot of farmers in the area near Rushville, so she found a cool wheat field for us to shoot in before we headed to the Inn on the Lake.

Quevedo Wedding

Amanda and I photographed the wedding of Amy and John Quevedo at Belhurst Castle on June 29. As usual, Belhurst is a wonderful place to shoot, especially with a sunset like the one below. We went outside to capture the moonrise over Seneca Lake, but the shot of the Castle with the warm glow of dusk was definitely my favrite of the evening.

Hansen Wedding

I had the honor of photographing the wedding of my two good friends

Crystal Stanton and Eric Hansen on Saturday June 30.

I had a wonderful time, and Crystal looked beautiful!

Congratulations guys! You're finally married!

A beautiful day for two very deserving people!
Best Wishes!
Amanda Lee

Playing Catch Up

If you're a regular reader of the blog, you've probably noticed the slight gap in the posts. It's been an extremely busy couple of weeks, juggling weddings, photo shoots and much needed time away with my family. This time of year it's very easy to get so wrapped up in the work that my family gets the short end of the stick. I've made a promise to myself that I won't let that happen anymore, so I've started leaving my computer at the studio to spend more quality time at home. So if you see a gap now and again, it's because instead of posting to the blog, I am having a catch with my kids or holding my wife's hand while taking a walk down at the lake.

Here are some images from recent shoots. There will be many more to follow.

This image above was from a wedding I shot at Belhurst Castle this past Saturday. We use the train tracks at Belhurst often, but this was the first time a train actually came by. I couldn't have asked the train operator to pose any better.

I photographed the Brentson family (below) last week. They wanted something different than the typical studio portrait of their family.

Experience the Moment

I woke up early this morning at the campground in Cattaragus County to make the two hour drive to Rochester for my 9 a.m. photo shoot. The campground was covered in a veil of fog. I drove down the dirt road, crossed over the creek and around the bend to travel around the campground lake. What appeared before me was a scene I've only seen before on the cover of Outdoor Photographer magazine. The low early morning sun cast shadows down through the trees, illuminating the fog in narrow bands of gold. Ribbons of steam rose from the lake to meet the golden rays. At the base of the center ray, like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, was a slender silhouette of a Great Blue Heron searching the lakes edge for a meal. I stopped the car and turned around to reach for my camera. The bag was just out of reach and I knew the wrong lens was attached. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. That moment was there for me to enjoy and savor, to record in my mind and experience in my heart. I felt an overwhelming sense that my Dad created this moment for me, as if communicating to me from above with his art work. I had a decision to make, do I take the time to fumble through my camera bag, changing lenses or do I just take a mental picture and soak in the moment. I did not want to risk losing the moment with my back turned and my head stuck in a bag like an ostrich with it's head in the sand. The moment was mine to cherish. I would love to share the image with all of you, but this one is between me and my Dad.

Trashthedress.com

We have a nice layout posted today to http://www.trashthedress.com/. The Trash the Dress website has been the focus the past few weeks in stories in the NY Times, Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight. It has been a blast to be part of this exploding international trend, and to put my own twist to it. We recently did a session with Shelly and Jonathan on Seneca Lake. I posted the photos in a previous post, but I also received an e-mail from Shelly with her thoughts on the experience. Here is what she had to say:

Trash the Dress…Lake Style
Shelly C. Lall
Photographer: Steve Chesler

I was intrigued right from the start - it looked fun and crazy. Being a star again with my wedding dress on and a photographer’s full attention was inviting. In all honestly, I was nervous as well. What exactly did trash the dress mean - dirt, mud, water, rips, tears? I knew the only way to truly enjoy the experience was to approach it with a carefree attitude, but secretly I hoped the dress would wash up just like new…maybe so I could do another trash the dress session later!
With all of this in mind, we headed to the shores of Seneca Lake. My husband was an excellent sport, agreeing to be involved in the photos as much as I wanted him to be and providing moral support. Wearing gym shorts, a tank top, and water shoes I walked along the water’s edge. We carried my dress – to keep it clean until it was time to get it dirty. Once at the site, I changed into my dress, which was amazingly comfortable without the petticoat, tiara, veil, and big hair updo.
I stood barefoot at the water’s edge surrounded by tall brown and green grass. I think Steve was giving me time to get used to my new surroundings. Nearby was a piece of driftwood, which my husband and I sat down on. Not once did I worry about my dress, I just kept thinking about the amazing pictures we would get from today’s adventure.
The next step was into the water! Strangely, I didn’t feel much of the cool water as I entered the lake and my dress fanned out behind me. My only thought was how beautiful my train was atop the water. We tried several different ideas in the water, on the sand bar, and on the driftwood. It started to rain, which only added to the fun. With increasing rain and a fear of being in the water when lightening strikes, we retreated to the car.
Afterwards, my husband and I remarked on how clean the dress looked despite dragging it through lake water across rocks and sand, and sitting on wet soggy driftwood. The top of the dress looked spotless, other than the rain drops. We rinsed the bottom edge and train in the bathtub, easily removing all of the dirt. It looked just like it did when I put it on at the lake earlier in the day!
It was a fantastic experience, intensified by having my husband with me, taking a step into the unthinkable for many brides. It was us enjoying each other, having fun, and breaking some of those old traditions!

jill-e designs

Ladies, this ones for you. A friend of mine has launched a line of camera bags geared specifically for women. Their website goes live tomorrow. Here is a snippet from their press release:

For Every Female Photographer
Who’s Had to Put Up With
The Male-Oriented Look and Feel
Of Pro Camera Bags & Accessories

Say Hello to …

A unique line of “extraordinary” high-fashion accessories
for the professional and advanced amateur female photographer.

The style and sass women want.
The rugged functionality the serious female photographer requires.
● Now you can have accessories in colorful leather and suede,
with the flare of the most stylish purses and carry bags.
● Accessories from jill-e designs incorporate features important to women –
like extra pockets for additional storage, a matching detachable personal pouch, and more.
● Visit our web site to see the world’s only portfolio of professional camera bags,
lens cloths and other quality photo accessories designed specifically for the female photographer.
● And be sure to register for a jill-e designs camera bag at an appealing introductory price!
Say good-bye to male-oriented nylon and canvas. Say good-bye to utilitarian blacks and browns.
Say Hello to jill-e designs.
Find out more at http://www.jill-e.com/. Or call us at 1-888-HI-JILLE.

Ballet Recital

The Finger Lakes Ballet Academy held their annual recital this weekend. Amanda and I photographed the event on Thusday and Friday. We are creating a book of the dancers from both the studio photos we did and the recital photos. Last year we created two seperate books for each set but this year we are creating one 30 page edition. There were quite a few comments at the recital that some of the students could not be at the dance studio the day we did the individual photos. If anyone needs to make up the photos, feel free to contact the photography studio at 393-9242 to set up a photo session. The sessions will be done as if they were at the academy with no additional session fee necessary.
I would like to congratulate the dancers on a great performance. I had the pleasure of seeing each group practicing at the dance studio and to see how it all came together at the recital. Cathy does an amazing job with them and it shows not only in their dedication and drive, but in the photos as well. Enjoy.

Me Session

This past week we shot a great "Me Session" with Lindy Zulick as part of her senior portrait session. The "Me Session" is one of our modules that can be added on to a studio session. Typically they are done at the seniors home, but in this case we went to the stables where her horse is boarding. You can view our senior modules at www.cheslerphoto.com/seniorprice.htm