What to do…
Shannon and Adam finally tied the knot!!! It was an amazing day, full of joy and happiness… Adam looked sharp, all decked out in his tux, while Shannon was the envy of everyone, her dress, hair, jewelry, all perfect! She was beautiful.
Fast forward a couple of years, Shannon and Adam are getting ready to buy a new house, very exciting except for one little detail, the actual move. Just like everyone, Shannon started going through boxes, making her charity pile, her trash pile, and undecided pile (mostly Adam’s stuff). While digging through the attic, to her surprise, she discovered her wedding dress. And just like all brides, she had to try it on, it fit perfectly.
But what to do? Does it go back in a box, and then into a new attic, where it would sit for years? Along with her regular job, Shannon also does some part time modeling. So she contacted one of her favorite photographers, ME! It took only about 3 minutes of chatting and a “Trash the Dress” photo shoot was the clear choice. Now, Shannon was born and raised in Tennessee, as well as married there. And Tennessee is known for its moonshine, mosquitos, and incredible waterfalls.
Shannon and I spent several days looking at different waterfalls online, checking trails, ease of access, water depth, etc. Out of all of those, we picked a handful of locations to actually visit. Putting on hiking boots and day packs, grabbing bottled water and granola bars, we set off to see what would work best. One waterfall required you to climb down the actual falls to get to the bottom. Shannon ended up dangling from a tree on that hike. Another fall had some amazing scenery and loose rocks. My foot got smashed by a rolling rock at that waterfall. Some hikes were easy, some longer, some flat, some steep. Finally, we settled on Rutledge Falls in Tullahoma TN. It was the clear winner. It had great views in all directions, the water wasn’t too deep, and the current was manageable.
After Shannon and I set a date, I sent out a small SOS, and two other photographers stepped up, Derrick Johnson and Joey Sircy. In exchange for help carrying all the gear, the dress, the make-up bag, and towels, and everything else, they got the opportunity to shoot with Shannon and add to their own portfolios.
I have photographed brides in ice castles and in deserts, I have worked from one end of the country to the other, and a few islands outside of that. Shannon’s shoot went so amazing it ranks among my best shoots – she was incredible. The “Trash the Dress” shoot couldn’t have gone better… Beautiful weather, beautiful bride, great location…WOW! We even lucked out and a fire dancer was practicing down at the falls so we asked him to practice just behind the bride…it was AWESOME.
