This is a challenge I made to myself in an effort to:

• improve my people skills
• try new lighting techniques on the fly
• and work outside my comfort zone.

So I took advantage of the somewhat-nice weather, loaded up my “instant fashion lighting rig” (more on that later) and headed to South Street to chat up and photograph complete strangers. Here is what I got.

Ryan and Tyler from Home School Dropouts.

The day way still young and the sun was getting warmer so I made my way up to Northern Liberties to check out the Piazza at Schmidt’s area. I stopped in at Two Paper Dolls and met Jen.

All that walking and shooting made me hungry so I stopped in at Homeslice for some pizza lovingly made by Brett and Andrew.

Last but certainly not least, I headed north a little further to Fishtown to the super cool home of A-game photographer, Mark Gardner.

What a blast! Next time out there should be a bunch of us shooting so look out for your favorite Philly photog offering free portraits on the spot and then getting together for a beer and critique. Take the challenge, fellow wedding photographers!

Just got back from photographing the engagement session of Jillian and Rocky at Headhouse Square in Old City Philadelphia. I know their marriage will last forever because Rocky can make Jillian laugh any second of the day!

Their reception is going to be held at the Crystal Tearoom at the awesome and historic Wanamaker Building in September. Can’t wait for that one!

I think the thing I love the most about Philly (besides the people!) are the historic buildings. Sarah and Teddy came all the way up from South Carolina to get married here and they couldn’t have picked a more historic and romantic building than the Bellevue. Sarah knew I was all about the light so she picked a suite with windows on two sides!

You can’t get married in Center City without the obligatory shot looking down Broad Street. It’s still a lot of fun, though!

The Grand Ballroom is one of the most ornate and beautiful anywhere!

I gotta give a special shout out to Chris Kendig who worked overtime to pull down the important shots when I needed them most!

Even though this was the second of back-to-back weddings, I came away feeling like I was on a cloud! Sarah and Teddy and their families are so warm and made me feel like I was a part of them. I really do have the best job in the world!

Jackie and Tim are so much fun that even sub-freezing temps didn’t bother them during our engagement shoot.

Jackie is just so gorgeous that I can’t wait to photograph her at her wedding in July at the Hotel DuPont.

Tim is just the most laid-back guy ever.

Ha! Here is my tribute to Jackie Bayne! Hers is actually much funnier!

I love shooting in Old City because we get to stop in at the Dark Horse Pub!

You can find great light anywhere if you’re willing to poke around a little and risk being thrown out once in a while!

Ah, my super-secret shooting spot off Headhouse Square! Only me and Joy Moody know about it. But wait, what’s that horse doing there?

Surprise! It was dropping off another couple who got engaged right on the spot!

Wow! I just can’t say enough great things about Jackie and Tim. They make a great couple and their wedding is sure to be a blast!

Sarah & Teddy are living in North Carolina but are getting married in Philly next June. I was ultra-fortunate that they picked me from that far away!

Their reception is going to be at the world-class  Park Hyatt Bellevue. It just doesn’t get any ritzier than that!

They were on a tight schedule with food tastings and the like so we did our whole e-session within a 100′ radius and all within 15 minutes!

There are so many great angles in Center City Philly such as the steps of the Union League.

I can’t wait until next June. I think my portfolio is going to take a giant leap forward!

Elizabeth’s and Bob’s wedding is fast approaching and since they live in Virginia, we had to hope for the best with the weather as we probably wouldn’t get another chance to shoot their engagement session.

Their wedding will be at the Blue Bell Country Club in November. I know this one’s gonna be a blast!

…but no wedding to shoot so me and the kids went to the zoo to ride the Zoo Balloon. However, the balloon was grounded due to what was a very comfortable breeze at ground level. Grrr!

Pete, Tom and Tina has as much fun playing in the fountain as they did seeing animals.

The zoo had a mist machine going for those who needed a little break from the heat…or just whatever. Yes, I know, I should really break my daughter of this habit before her first Spring Break.

I guess we must have missed a really wild Friday night!

Ok, ok, I’ll get some better posts up soon. Stay tuned.

As I was on my way to the Fairmount section of the city to meet up with Sarah and Matt, all I could imagine was how the oppressive heat was going to suck all the fun out of the day. But from the very first minute, my fears vanished and we had an awesome time from the get-go!

Well, almost. The very first thing that happened to us was we got thrown out of Eastern State Penitentiary for taking pictures. Imagine that! Being thrown OUT of prison!

Ok, so maybe the key to a successful engagement session is drinkies at Jack’s Firehouse.

Sarah and Matt were great. They did whatever I told them to do no matter how kooky. And sometimes I really get on a roll!

Ahh, great light everywhere! Actually, as I write this, thunderstorms are rolling in so we made out like bandits as far as the weather goes.

Ok, as if all those great photos and the great sunlight weren’t enough, Matt tells me that he owns Scoop Deville, an ice cream and candy shop in Center City. How cool is that!

All I seem to notice is what the sun is doing when I shoot. But Matt’s got his eye on something else.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day or a better couple. And I can’t wait to photograph them again at their wedding in October at Sofitel!