Preparing for the Nationals

For years I've been searching for ways to make Chesler Photography a year round business. Let's face it, coaxing people out of their igloos in the dead of winter for photos is a daunting task. Yes, we do our fair share of winter weddings, but not enough to avoid eating the acorns we've stored throughout the summer. We are finally making some ground with our weddings in South Florida during the winter months, which will help supplement those winter weddings and give us some much needed sunshine that time of year. It's amazing what a little sun will do to lift the spirit during our 6 months of grey.

In a few weeks, we will be heading out to Syracuse where we will have a vendor booth at the Syracuse Nationals Car Show, which is one of the largest shows in the north east with over 7,000 cars. We will be displaying our metal prints, blankets, backlit images and more, with the hope of booking many car shoots across the state. If this goes well, I may hit the road during the winter and look for more shows down south and spend a few weeks in each location doing car photography. I always say someone has to play for a living and I can think of no better way than to play with cars and cameras.

This week, I did photos of my buddy Brian and his decked out motorcycle. I wanted to create a dramatic photo to use for a back lit image at the Nationals. I love Nikon's wireless flash system to create photos with drama and depth. Check out the results below. Also, check out some of Amherst medias books on using wireless flashes and multiple flash set ups. They have a whole new crop of books coming out on the subject. If you're interested in some of these books, please click on the link below. It helps us support our craft and doesn't cost you any more to use our link.

Vogue

Over the winter I did a photo shoot of two little girls in the studio. One of their mom's was a fashion stylist from North Carolina. As luck would have it, she moved back to the area this Spring. We sat down and discussed ideas of how we can incorporate her services in to some of our shoots for those clients who want that extra pizazz to their photos. The best way to introduce Courtnei and her sense of fashion was to do a photo shoot of her. More used to being behind the scenes than in front of the camera, Courtnei warmed up to opportunity very quickly. Here are some of the images from our shoot in Canandaigua.

To inquire more about hiring Courtnei for your photo shoot, call the studio at 585-393-9242.

Facebook Link

After several weeks of my blog not transferring to Facebook, we're back in business with it. Let's face it, my blog gets way more hits and comments on Facebook than on the blog site itself. It's very frustrating when the link goes down. Now I can get back on track posting.

We left off Memorial Weekend with the first half of our back-to-back weddings in Geneva. On Sunday, Rich and I were back in action, this time at Ventosa Vineyards for Lindsay and Jeff's wedding. I photographed Jeff's brother Stuart's wedding several years ago, so it was nice being back with the family. In fact, I photographed Stuart and Jackie's maternity photos a few weeks before the wedding, which I will post this week. Jackie is due today so hopefully everything is going smoothly.

Lindsay and Jeff had an awesome day. We photographed along Seneca Lake, in downtown Geneva and then over at Ventosa. The weather held out until we were on our way back to Canandaigua. We raced a line of storms head on to see if we would beat it home. The sky was lit up with non-stop lightning. Streaks were hitting the ground with alarming frequency as we pulled in to the driveway. We ran from the car as the first fat drops of rain pounded the asphalt. What a storm it was!

Lindsay and Jeff were married on the balcony at Ventosa. It's like being transported to Tuscany. Ventosa is one of the most beautiful vineyard's in the Finger Lakes. I'll let the photos speak for the beauty of the area.

Before and After

Much as a chef can envision the final result while staring a pile of raw ingredients, as a visual artist, I can see the finished work of art while looking at the raw ingredients in front of me. One such moment was while I was in Detroit at the abandoned Detroit Train Station. All the ingredients were there, the location under the rail over pass, the light spilling in through the holes above, and a bride and groom willing to indulge in my vision. The image that came out of the camera was cool and with a little enhancement made the slide show we played at the reception, however it was not my complete vision. With a little Photoshop magic, the end result is what I would imagine if Kincaid were lost in Detroit. Here are the images before and after the magic.

Click on the image to view a larger version. If you're viewing this on Facebook, visit our blog at http://cheslerphotography.blogspot.com to see the larger version.

Danielle and Steve

Mother Nature seems to know when Memorial Weekend and Labor Day Weekend are. They weather always seems to change right on cue, ushering in the following season. This year was no different with the first of this years hot, humid weather.

Rich and I set up camp this weekend in Geneva for back-to-back weddings, the first of which was at the Geneva Ramada. Danielle and Steve traveled to the Finger Lakes to tie the knot on the north end of Seneca Lake. The ceremony included a Ketubah signing, an old Jewish marriage contract, traditionally signed before the wedding ceremony. They also did the Hora and the chair dance during the reception.

Danielle and Steve set aside time between the ceremony and reception to do photos in downtown Geneva. We took them to a few of the murals that decorate some of the buildings in town for an artistic, urban feel to some of the photos.