jenn + geoff wedding at the gershon fox room in hartford + slideshow

Mike and I started our Saturday wedding at the Gershon Fox Room in Hartford at the Professional Barber Shop on Pratt Street in Hartford- I have to tell you- this was AWESOME!!!! What a way for the guys to do it up! This place was the coolest barber shop and totally catered to the fellas... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you gals go set something up for your men folk here, especially those of you getting married in the Hartford area- it was great!

There was plenty of 'manly' reading materials

The hot towel on the face to prep looked like a lot of fun....!

Geoff and his best man Adam in the background getting spiffed up

Jenn and her girls got prettied up at Oggi in downtown- here her Mom watched while Jenn gets her make up done


Some details

Jenn and her Mom trying to decide which necklace to wear with the dress

Geoff and Jenn wrote each other cards to read before they got married, I love when couples do this!

Jenn and her girls were watching people arrive at the church- you could see St. Patrick's from their room

St. Patrck's St. Anthony's in Hartford is so opulent and beautiful

First kiss as husband and wife!

After walking down the aisle we swung around back to hide before being announced back out the front- the confessional is SO beautiful.... I confess.... I had to sneak some shots!

The Shannon's being greeted by friends and family

LOVE this! Both grandomothers snuggling right before their turn for family photos!

They rented a trolley to take them around for our pictures, it was awesome! Of course we had to stop suddenly for a fire truck and I almost busted my CABOOSE on the floor, it was spectacular! Mike was bummed bc he put his camera down for ONE SECOND and missed it!

We went to Elizabeth Park for our formals- this is where Jenn & Geoff got engaged and we go there every Wednesday in the summers for music in the park- so it has a lot of meaning for them. We stopped at the Sunrise Overlook first to get this shot of the bridal party

On our way off the trolley to shoot the rest of our pictures I just had to snag this- the while lines just make this shot for me!

It was wedding craziness on Saturday as you can imagine, the weather was beautiful! So we snuck onto the annual garden where there were NO people and a nice little shady nook to get my boys outta the hot sun!

The ladies had just about had it with their heels, plus we were walking in grass and they were sinking in... so we had to get this

I love how the annual garden changes with the season and really am digging this little arbor in the side area- it was a nice place to photograph the girls

And then the sun started sneaking into our shady little glen and created some really cool stuff for me to shoot-

Love the pop of color in the back and the warm light here

Jenn has such a great shape, Geoff's hands just accentuate her little waist!

And.... flare!

Now what Irish wedding is complete without an Irish Car Bomb shot?? NONE I SAY! Mike and I thought it would be a good idea to both lay down under this- and why was I the one that got stuff dumped on her? Well worth it!!

The look on Jenn's brother's face is just priceless! I think he said 'that was horrible!'

Jenn and Geoff during their first dance- they were so adorable- they sang to each other the entire song!

But at the end they just hugged it out- I love this shot!

Jenn during Adam's heartfelt toast

Geoff and his Mom during their dance framed by his Dad and Jenn- I love that they were standing where they were for this!!

The way he is hugging his Mom just got me- it says 'I love you Mom' so clearly to me!

This was my VERY LAST FRAME of the night- during the last dance- I love it!!!


Congrats Jenn & Geoff!!!! Mike and I had a blast shooting your wedding and rehearsal and can't wait to hear how your bike ride bonanza went!!!

Love you guys!!!! xxxooo
Make sure to check out Mike's shots HERE!!!

Gershon Fox Room Wedding

I shot at the old G Fox Building now called the Gershon Fox Room last night for the first time and I LOVED it! One of the reasons is my old Hartford pride... I am a Hartford gal through and through and SO super proud of all of the good things that my little Hartford has going for it!

And THIS is most certainly one of them! This room is just full of art deco splendor and the interior design of the space is so different from anything out there that I just had to pre-empt my wedding post (which I am SO not ready to blog yet...Mike and I were incredibly trigger happy that's all I'm gonna say...sorry Robin!!) I'll get it up tomorrow but I had to just do a separate post on the cool interior details that this place has to offer.

My favorite part of the space was the lights- they are like nothing else- with those awesome crystal strands hanging down... WOW!

The columns were padded, so very comfortable to elan against while shooting which I found myself doing a lot! And they are spectacular

The chairs were perfectly matched to the decor- how many times have we shot in places where the chairs just ruin the whole look? Sounds stupid ladies I know and I never thought I would be a proponent for spending more money on the proper chair, but REALLY! It matters! I believe these chairs are included and thank GOD! They are perfect

Tapping into two of my favorite things; Hartford and light fixtures! There is a giant photo mural broken up into like 12 canvases of a night shot of Hartford that is featured behind the bar- it's great!

My Mom had a lamp similar to this when I was a kid, I really dug it and it is a great accent in the space


This dance floor got PACKED for the entire night- this was shot pretty early on in the evening...

Cocktail hour is upstairs in this great space, there are so many nooks and crannies and COLOR to spare! Neat couches, a piano...and yes, more fun lighting fixtures!

I believe the white space here you can look down on the bottom floor but my favorite part is the big swirl of fixture in the middle

Texture, patterns and color

This is upstairs in the Mezzanine area

This was the VIP area for the bridal party and where got to stow my gear and set up the photo booth.

I shot this from outside on Main street- I love those delicate strings they remind me of a flapper dress!

This one I triggered my remote light to show the inside a bit

They have these giant beveled mirrors that yielded some pretty unique perspectives on the dance floor


Mike and I can't wait to shoot there again, so if you are planning a wedding there and still looking for a photographer, CALL ME!!! ;)

lens flare tutorial

So it's not big secret that I love lens flare and I shoot as much of it as I can get my 50 1.4 lens on! It feels good to look at, it feels good to shoot- especially since it seems like a kind of elusive thing for some....well it was for me until I kind of figured it out... but didn't realize what my 'formula' was until I actually went back in Light Room and checked my settings and found the common denominator.

I mean, I knew it as I was shooting - but kind of innately- I'd check, adjust my settings, check, adjust, GET IT, flail, shoot, flail, YELL, check, FLAIL, probably punch Mike out of excitement, shoot, YELL.... you get the picture!

Lens flare is pretty exciting stuff!

So, after being asked a bunch of times how to actually 'get' sun flare I figured I would post some shots with their settings and let you all see the common denominators!

This first shot was from a recent e shoot in the sunflower fields as sunset- time of day plays a major part in getting the warmest flair.
lens: 50mm 1.4 @ f2.2
ISO: 100
shutter: 1/800 sec

Mary & Justin were shot in the late afternoon as well. Another determining factor in successfully getting your flare is that you actually have to SEE it in your lens. I play around until it is in just the right spot, probably looking pretty foolish in the process!
lens: 50mm 1.4 @ f 3.2
ISO: 160
shutter: 1/1000 sec

My boy Jeff Reilly's wedding on the shore:
Again, late afternoon (common denominator)
I see the flare in my lens
and my settings are:
lens: 70-200mm @ 75mm / @ f2.8
ISO: 100
shutter: 1/800 sec

A wedding in Vienna:
Late afternoon, yes
but: a little bit of a change here. I stopped my lens WAY down to f 13 and look at the difference in the actual flare towards the top of the flare- the hexagonal shapes are popping out.... You can see the weird shapes that appear- I really like it!
lens: 50mm 1.4 @ f 13
ISO: 250
shutter: 1/80 sec

An E shoot with Liz and Pepsi in Fairfield:
Again, I stopped WAY down and got the crazy shapes here again too:
lens: 50mm 1.4 @ f 16
ISO: 100
shutter: 1/80 sec

I snagged this picture of Mike's to show you how a different lens can change up your flare:
He shot this with his 50 mm 1.8 (I have the 1.4, that is like 20 years old and a very different lens)
I can always tell Mike's flare shots from mine as his tend to have a red cast on the rings
Cool, right?


SO....
Time of day to me seems like the biggest overall connector: I don't think I have gotten lens flare in the morning, or maybe I'm just not up that early shooting, is more like it!! So:
LATE AFTERNOON
LOW ISO
PRETTY OPEN LENS FOR THE BIG LORD OF THE RINGS FLARE
STOP DOWN FOR CRAZY TIME SHAPES
DIFFERENT LENSES YIELD DIFFERENT FLARE
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY.... SEE THE FLARE IN YOUR LENS!!

I felt like shouting those out, Nikki Nicole style!

jessica + eric e shoot hartford syle

If being the subjects of an engagement shoot were an olympic sport, Jessica & Eric would medal, I SWEAR! These two were so spot on, it made our experience unusually quiet (because I had like, ZERO need to direct them!) Except for the times when I would say 'PERFECT!!' Or, 'You guys are doing exactly what I would have asked you to do!'
So we started off at Union Station in Hartford, which, oddly enough I had never shot at before. We were lucky enough to have not one but TWO trains roll through and Jessica & Eric were so responsive to my yells of 'Heads UP! Train coming, go sit there and MAKE OUT!' It almost threw me off! They didn't even hesitate! And even though Jessica's feet were what appeared to be mere inches from a giant speeding train, she still smiled and cuddled with Eric like she was just chillin' in a field of wildflowers!

My girl brought some super cool shoes and had plenty of outfits to choose from... I always have fun with changing it up! And she didn't flinch at having to change in the crusty train station bathroom- she is such a trooper!

My boy Mike, getting all familiar with the train platform

On the platform there is this weird little chain link cage- which try as I may cannot for the LIFE of me figure out what it is for.... and so? I Shoot it! Eric & Jess were spot on here, it was all kinds of steamy!

Train number TWO rolls in, and we commence shooting

When the train came to a stop, these two were so bold, they just used it as a prop! The conductor was standing there watching and I can't believe that he didn't tell us to step back or anything....


Eric loves the Red Sox and Jessica loves the Yankees

They had fun in the grass



So on our way out of Bushnell Park Mike sees this bootleg little tunnel and says he wants to get them in there.... I'd say good call Mr. Romano! From this end, I exposed it in a way to make it very dramatic

But then we brought them down to our end where it was very beautifully lit and just had them cuddle and I just LOVE these shots! ONe of the things that I love about them is that we could be ANYWHERE, but these images are just about THEM, and their hands, and their snuggling

This theory of mine applies to wedding venues as well... it doesn't matter if I am in the most high end place or in someone's backyard (which could still be high end but you know what I'm saying) I am going to get the best image I can out of it, especially if the area isn't working for me!


This one is for you, Dorelies! ;) I had this in my original post line-up but was in such a hurry I overlooked it!! Isn't she beautiful??

So originally I had wanted to take these guys to a carnival of some type but I didn't end up finding one that fit the bill (they were mostly 4-H type fairs) not to mention that it was supposed to rain at some point and we didn't want to get caught in the rain... although Jess and I were so game for some shots if we did!! So we went around Hartford and I tried to focus on spots that I have not shot in before to change it up for myself a bit. So we go to the convention center parking garage roof top to see if we can shoot the crazy clouds- I didn't really get what I had in mind but I did like this little surprise of color!

And then in the garage itself, I really liked the dramatic lighting (a Mike Romano favorite) and overall moodiness of this

We wanted to pop into Crush, this cool nightclub that I have shot in before, but with brides... but not an e shoot.... but the hotel guy put the cabash on that! So, we shot in the lounge area by the Starbucks. I really love these next few images ALOT!!




Thank you Jessica and Eric for being open to our safari and just going with the flow! Mike and I had a blast and can't wait for the wedding next May!!

Be sure you check out Mike's Hot Shots HERE