As promised, here are the photos of Erin and Matt taking the plunge. But first, a quick back story of how this all came about and who helped to make it possible.
So this past winter Erin asked me if we could do a little "trash the dress" shoot on the beach at some point. You've heard about that type of shoot, right? A bride and groom get dressed up after the wedding and do something crazy in the wedding dress. I'd never done anything like that before, but figured, hey, let's give it a try! I suggested that we do it later in the summer when we would all be in Cape May, NJ for vacation. It was set.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago and we were going back and forth with different ideas and locations. Erin and I both found a lot of examples and she also mentioned that she would really like to jump off of something into the water. A dock, bridge, pier, whatever. She just wanted to have a photo of her and Matt jumping into the water. Since we only had one chance to get the dress wet this meant that we'd have to skip any shots of them in the surf on the beach. Once we decided to go this route we had to find a spot. It had to be a place that they could safely jump in and a place were I could get into a good position to get the shot. We also didn't want a lot of crap in the background, so that ruled out a lot of places. After a bit of driving around we found a great spot. A municipal boat ramp in Cape May that was on one of the back channels. Nothing but reeds in the background, an easy way for them to get out of the water [especially Erin since she'd be in a soaking wet dress], and hopefully some good light as the sun started to go down...
Once the big day came we were ready for action. Jillcame over to help with hair and make-up while I hit the local Acme to get some flowers. Kel and I were able to pull together a pretty decent bouquet, all for only $12 bucks! Jo Jo was also a part of the team as our standby paramedic. We weren't sure if Erin would sink or swim once the dress became water-logged, so having him at the ready was a good thing...just in case.
We rolled over to the dock just before 7pm...the sky wasn't as vibrant as it was the night before, but we'd have to make due.
We didn't have them jump right in once we arrived, but took a few photos in and around the dock first. This really was a great spot to get some shots. I had to venture out into the water and muck and had to do battle with a small crab that kept nibbling on my big toe. I couldn't see him but he'd take a swipe and I'd kick him away...sure enough, a minute later he'd be back!
We did this sequence shot that I then put together in post-processing. Came out really good I think.
Soon it was time to do the deed. Erin and Matt walked out to the end of the dock and it was time to jump! Below are a few of the sequence shots and then the one shot we came to get. Erin and Matt in full extension above the water. Awesome!
How great is that shot? I was so happy we got it!
What no one anticipated was the train on Erin's dress coming up and over her head. It was actually touch and go there for a second before she was able to pop out and take a breath. Like I said, having Jo Jo on standby turned out to be a pretty good thing. Thougth he may have to jump into action there! Luckily he didn't, but he was able to catch the bouquet of flowers!
And this one below is one of my favorites!
Funny story...there were two boaters who were about to come in and take their boat out of the water and onto a trailer. I gave them a quick "we just need 5 minutes" type signal so they would stay back and out of the frame. They didn't seem to mind too much...for all they knew they didn't want to disrupt the newly married couples wedding photos. When we were all wrapped up and they did make their way in the one guy said to us "When she jumped into to the water that was the last thing I was ever expecting!" We all got a good laugh out of it.
Once again Kel was able to get a few behind-the-scenes shot for us, including a great video of the jump, and the aftermath!
So there you have it....my first "Trash the Dress" photo-shoot! A huge thanks to Erin and Matt for being such great sports and to everyone who helped us out!
This is a very weird new tradition that my generation is not familiar with. I adm to understand that next you will be doing "trash the baby christening gown"?
Posted by: Debbie Wagner | September 01, 2011 at 07:42 PM
Hey Deb. I don't know if anyone would be willing to throw an infant into the water in a christening gown, but if they are, I'd gladly take the photos.
Might be a good idea to have a lifeguard around for that one, just sayin'!
Posted by: Nowak | September 01, 2011 at 08:59 PM