K+R, new zealand

The weather was gorgeous, the air is cleaner and the skies bluer than you can imagine.

The bride was radiant, the groom had an Irish twinkle in his eye, the wedding party came from near and far (mostly far), and they were very happy.

By the time I returned to the US a Kiwi accent had infiltrated certain words and I’d adopted a bit of an Irish brogue.

Slideshow is here.

-Melissa

Free, wedding photography

The Problem:
As told by the New York Times
As told by the The Star-Ledger

The Inspiration:
By Jason Groupp & Jessica Claire

The Details:
Email your story and a photo of yourselves to free (at) bitterphotography.com by Feb. 21st, 2008, 11:59 pm EST. - - Why the 21st? Well because I'm flying out on the 22nd to shoot a wedding in New Zealand and I'll be able to review everyone's stories while I'm on the plane.

Qualifications:
1) Wedding must take place in 2008
2) Must have contracted Celebrations Studios to photograph their wedding
3) Must not be able to afford to hire another photographer
4) Wedding/reception must take place within the five boroughs or Long Island
5) I must be able to blog about the fabulous couple selected
6) Story must be received no later than Feb. 21, 2008 @ 11:59 pm EST

The couple selected will receive:
10 hours of wedding day coverage
An online gallery for sharing and ordering prints
A DVD with images
A professional wedding album by either GraphiStudio or Leather Craftsmen

If you know anyone who's eligible, please pass along the link.
-Bitter

ps. for those of you who read Jason's blog, my birthday is on Feb. 10th, so his birthday giveaway fits perfectly with me. :)

Legal disclaimer: Decision is subjective and final, unless couple selected does not meet the qualifications outlined above. Services and product given to the couple has no cash value.

Fearless Bridal, sarah style

A few weeks ago I approached Sarah to see if she was interested in doing a “Fearless Bridal” session (formerly known as Trash The Dress or TTD). She was game, and so a few weeks later we found ourselves running around NYC's Upper West Side & Central Park having a great time.

I asked her if she wouldn’t mind writing up a little blurb for the blog, and she said sure (try saying that last part ten times fast). Her words are below, and I’ve even posted a fun clip highlighting fun photos from our shoot.

Happy reading & viewing.

-Bitter

****

When Melissa Bitter first asked me if she could take some pictures of me in my wedding dress, I agreed without hesitation. The weekend we hoped to do the photo shoot would be one week shy of my 1st wedding anniversary, and this seemed like a perfect time to pull out the dress and re-live some of the fun of my wedding day.

But, as the day for the photo shoot drew near, I began to get nervous. Melissa wasn’t going to take me to a photo studio for some nice conservative portraits. I was going to be out there in the public eye; in Central Park, on the streets hailing cabs, and on (not in!) fountains.

I realized- People are going to be staring at me! And despite being a Leo (very easily flattered and generally a sucker for attention), I became more and more apprehensive about tromping around New York in my wedding dress and veil until I finally found myself in the bathroom at the American Museum of Natural History touching up my makeup. And I was self-conscious…for about 5 minutes. Melissa was so professional and encouraging.

As the day progressed, I lost almost all inhibition (as demonstrated by the dance party shots!) and began to fully embrace what I was doing. I felt confident, sexy, and happy. People didn’t think I was weird- they thought I was a bride (albeit, a bride that was climbing over rocks and scaling stonework) and I was greeted by nothing but goodwill from onlookers. When everyone is smiling at you, wishing you congratulations, and telling you that you look beautiful in your dress, it’s hard not enjoy yourself. I felt that wedding-day flush all over again.

Was my dress filthy by the end of the day? Yes.

Was I exhausted? Yes. (Though probably not as much as Melissa who had to lug a 20 pound camera bad around with her everywhere!)

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. It was such a fun, liberating experience that the fact that Melissa’s shots came out wonderfully is just a bonus. The shoot was a great way to close out my first year of marriage- it reminded me that I’m still a little bit of a blushing bride, but it also helped me (finally!) get my dress to the drycleaner and pack it away that chapter of my life.

-Sarah

Neglecting, the blog

I'm sorry I've been neglecting the blog. I know a lot of you click through regularly to check out the latest buzz, because I've been regular about posting it.

So I'm going to press the restart button and am starting anew. So here's the low down on why the blog has been neglected.

1. As you know, I've been writing a book...well, even that has been neglected the past few weeks.
2. My mom got remarried. It was a nice vacation, fabulous weather, UT and CA were great, (If I ever get tired of NYC, watch out CA I'll be looking for a new hood) and it was so good to see family again!
3. I'm starting a photography business.

You're what!?!

Yes, you heard right. Since I bought my new Cannon DSLR back in April, I've re-discovered a love-affair with taking pictures. And at long last, the large creative void in my life left by being a non-musician is slowly being filled.

Wow that sounds so cheesy, but it's true, so I'm leaving it in.

I've been developing a portfolio, working on verbiage and pricing for my photography site, and even met with some models on Saturday to help showcase my skills.

So what am I going to focus on? Weddings, headshots, and relaxed portraits.

Need new headshots for the upcoming season, or in the middle of planning a wedding for next year? Spending the day in The City, or at the beach with your friends or family and want me to tag along to capture memories while you're playing? I'm the photog for you.

**I'll be running some introductory specials, so if you need a photographer within the next few weeks, drop me an email and we'll chat. :)

Enough of the advertisement. lol Here's a shot of one of the photogs I met last Saturday at the shoot in Central Park. It was a great day and nice weather, wish you were there. I'll post some more photos tomorrow.

So Happy Together, the wedding

Soundtrack for this post - click here

She was a cheerleader. He was a basketball player. They both graduated together from the same high school in 1968. Forty years later they find friendship and love, and will live happily ever after.

The wedding was beautiful and they beamed all day long. It was fun to watch them walk around with twinkling eyes and an "I'm the luckiest person in the world" expression stamped onto their faces.

The genuine love they have for each other shone through to the rest of us and lit the day. Welcome to the family Briant.

To see a few shots I took after the wedding, click here. I did the flowers, you can leave me congrats or critiques in the comments section below. lol

-Bitter