jason groupp photography: July 2006

Lisa and Jonathan - Mohonk Mountain House

From the hills of Scotland to the mountains of NY, Lisa and Jonathan had a beautiful (yes, OK it was hot) day yesterday. Jonathan's journey here did have some bumps in the road....but with a little help from a good friend they were able to work out those pesky immigration issues. Some of the boys wore kilts which are always fun and Jonathan's brothers gave one of the funniest toasts I have EVER heard. I am ready to travel to Scotland whenever the next wedding is! :) Here is their slideshow. Lisa and Jonathan

Thank you Shari and Josh!!

At 7 AM this morning as I left for my wedding the thermometer in my car dashboard read a whopping 82 degrees - did I say it was only 7AM? However, I was lucky enough to have Shari and Josh Silk from Silk Studio Weddings joining me today. A little heat did not stop them from geting some very COOL images though! :)

Lisa and Jonathan's wedding was at the Mohonk Mountain house which is breathtaking location just outside of New Paltz, NY - more on that later!

Here are a few of their shots from today. Thanks again Shari and Josh - it was great working with you!

...and here's the slideshow.

Less than 24 hours later! I love being able to create these slideshows so quickly! Here is Sara and Barnaby's engagement shoot.

Sara and Barnaby

Happy Birthday Sara!

With a hot breeze blowing and my darkest pair of shades, Sara, Barnaby and I headed out on one of NYC's cheapest boat rides. The Staten Island ferry is one of the greatest little known secrets in NY - it's free! The boat leaves the south tip of Manhattan and is about a 20 minute ride across NY harbor past lady Liberty where it then docks at St. Georges, Staten Island. During the ride I grabbed some shots and we discussed their wedding plans, then on to some shots in downtown Manhattan. If you have never taken the ferry it's a must do! Oh - and it was Sara's birthday - happy birthday Sara! I LOVE this shot of them in the Bodega - you guys had me laughing all day! :)

Slideshow coming soon!

Sharing with my clients.

As photographers, we are always are looking towards new technology to embrace as a way of sharing images with our clients. Of course, the blog has given us a great way to communicate with the world....

At some point during the reception (if you wish), I can create a very quick slideshow. This will run on my laptop (very low-key) usually near the bar or the band. Nothing has given me more pleasure than watching my brides and grooms viewing these first images, their expressions are priceless!

Then, just hours after the wedding I will blog a few shots from that day. These will usually be some unique shots in which I try to show the emotion of the day. The great thing about all this new technology is it gives me the ability to show you my work in rockin' speed! How great is that?

My favorite new indulgence however is the online slideshows. About one week after the wedding I will create a show of my favorite images - like this one from Aimee and Gene's slideshow. While it was pretty hot for July they could not have asked for a more beautiful ceremony and a cool enough night to do all that dancing! Best of all - they are web based so EVERYONE with even the worst connection can view it!

Here's one from their rehearsal dinner.

So - what else? How about IM'ing me?

So - What else? That's what my dad used to ask when he wanted to hear what was going on with me. I have taken a little time to do some updates on the studio, the walls were getting a little marked up, so a little painting was in order. With the studio nice a clean I took a few photos. Since Chris and I always seem to have lighting setups going on it is not often we have this open space. Here's a few photos of the shiny open space with a brand new bright red wall.

Also - I have added my IM link to the sidebar. As many of you know I am usually not far from my laptop so if you have a question please feel free to IM me!

IM Jason (AIM)

...and then the Jimmy Choos flew off!

In most cases my blog entries (from weddings) have some of my best shots from the ceremony or portraits of the bride and groom. In this entry however I just have to show these dancing shots. And - since Aimee and Gene have already seen those shots (from the slideshow I ran at the reception) I know they will love these!

These are just a few - from the moment the first dance ended till the LAST song they rocked tent (which was the biggest, and nicest I had ever seen) all night long! What a beautiful night! More to come!!

If you have been reading my blog...

You of course have read about my buddy Luke Walker. This weekend I had the opportunity to help him out with a few fun weddings he was shooting. He has been down to help me a bunch of times so it was great to return the favor. We both have different styles of shooting, so we learn a lot from each other. Plus, combining the images makes for an amazing montage. I am sure Luke has also posted some on his blog by now, be sure to check them out.

The first shots are from the Aurora Inn. The Inn has a great lawn which rolls down from the back deck to the water which is perfect for an outdoor ceremony. Even for such a warm afternoon there was a strong breeze blowing off the water, making it very comfortable. Although - I am not sure how the owners managed to tame the breeze just in time for their ceremony though. :) Here a few from the ceremony of Maggie and Kevin-

That evening I had a moment to chat with Ruth and Adam (bottom photo). Ruth is Maggie's cousin, and I will be shooting her wedding in NYC in March. It was nice seeing you guys - your wedding is just around the corner!

Our eyes still groggy from 4 hours sleep, we took off for the Turning Stone Casino, with a quick stop for a GIANT cup of coffee. Nothing like gas station coffee to get you going...

However - caffeine wasn't necessary, this wedding was non-stop from the moment we got there. Poornima and Farooqs wedding had over 400 guests fill the casinos biggest event hall. From the ceremonies to the elaborate clothing this wedding was a photographer's dream.