Frank DiMeo Blog

Summer time with Matt in the Fall

Congratulations Summer and Matt! They are getting married in July and we took advantage of the fall colors to do an engagement shoot the other day. I was still a little beat from the Vermont trip and weddings going full blast but it was well worth the effort. We met at the football game and decided to just wing it from there.

I think they were a little surprised at some of the locations I put them in but they were up for anything and did an awesome job. Thanks for being so cooperative and making it so much fun you two. The band will probably be talking about us for a while, but they seemed to be into what we were doing too.

I can’t wait for the wedding. You two are going to be great to work with and I know we are going to produce some kickin images.

Please keep coming back everyone. I know I said the weddings are done but I have a couple of guest appearances scheduled including two in Florida with my good friends Garrett and Joy Nudd the second week in November. These two are rockin it big time and I can’t wait to hang with them for a little. Garrett was with me in Vermont, and at the Mike Colon seminar. He and Joy are two of my favorite people and I have a lot of respect for their talent. We should be creating some great photos, plus I have a couple of engagement shoots coming up in NYC so there will definitely be new and exciting images to post. Click on the images to see them bigger and please don’t be shy, all you stalkers need to leave me some comments. I love comments!

Jennie and Rob

Wow! I have been saying all along that all of my brides, grooms, their families, and friends have been the greatest people to work with. Let me just say that Jennie and Rob did not disappoint. The wedding was an all out blast, and I had the greatest time! The ceremony was one of the best yet, and it was filled beyond standing room only. It was the fullest house I have ever seen and after witnessing so much friendship, good will, and love, I know why. Jennie and Rob are two of the nicest people I have had the pleasure to meet along this journey. Their love glows off of them filling everyone around them with a radiant energy. The weather was the best it could have been, and I would expect it to be the same even if it were in the middle of January because the Gods were looking down and smiling on the union of these two.

Everything was spectacular, everything! I wouldn’t change a thing if I had to do it all over again. It was so much fun that I wish we could do it again. Who knows, maybe I will go to North Carolina for Rob’s brother’s wedding next year and we will be able to pick up where we left off.

It was at the Fontainebleau Inn and dancing was outside in the adjacent tent. I have shot a few weddings there and it gets better and better each time. This was actually the first time I shot in Lawrence Chapel. I heard all kinds of horror stories about how dark it is but it didn’t seem to be a problem at all. I thought it was quite beautiful inside and out, and it was a pleasure to shoot at.

Rob performed (I should say belted out) the most awesome song (he wrote) for Jennie, and it was fun, fun, fun! Thanks everyone for making my last wedding of the season one to remember for a long time. Especially thanks for leaving me with such a great feeling and getting me even more stoked about the workshop with Joe Buissink. It has taken me a while to bounce back from it all (with engagement shoots, and a major Cornell shoot thrown in) but it was well worth the ride.

So many people came up to me and said, “Wow, you are the hardest working photographer I ever saw. You are so into it what you do and it is fantastic to watch you work.” I said, “Thank you so much, but you haven’t seen the images yet. I know they are going to rock.” Thank you again everyone for the kind words, they are very much appreciated.

Jennie and Rob you are the greatest! One of the bridesmaids said it was so cute because she asked you if we were friends and your reply was “ well not really, at least not yet, but he is such a cool guy that we hope to be in the future”. I hope so too, and nothing would please me more. You two are awesome, and anyone would be fortunate to call you their friend. Congratulations, I wish you lots of love and good times.
As always, please click on the images to see them larger.

Stowe away with Joe Buissink

I am sitting in a hallway at the Hob Knob Inn with a bunch of friends (so we can all hang together while we catch up on email and other work) from around the country for the Joe Buissink photography seminar. We are having a great time shooting together, sharing experiences, and eating at great restaurants, but still can't get enough of each other so here we sit. This group of "Super Friends" has been getting together at these kind of events for a couple of years now. Lots of planning, months ahead of time go into these get-togethers. Still when we are together time takes on a whole new meaning. The days pass like minutes, yesterday runs into tomorrow, and if we blink our eyes we wake up in our own beds again surprised it is over but knowing we were again part of something special. Thank you Garrett Nudd, T J Cameron Jim Cook, Luke Walker, Lori Creech, Jason Groupp, Alisha Nelson, Kim Jarman, Melissa Schwartz, Scott Watt, and Regis Chen for being such incredible individuals and an awesome group. It is always a pleasure to share time together. I appreciate it dearly, and wish the best for you always.

The trip down took a little longer than I thought but the scenery is fantastic. The landscapes around Stowe remind me of being in the desert. The vacation/get-away thing didn’t really set in until I saw the vast open spaces and mountains. They allow you to take a deep breath, relax, and appreciate being alive. It has the same soul cleansing effect as the desert, and helps to put life and everyday issues back into their proper perspective. I was just saying a trip to the desert was long overdue and to get that feeling on this trip was a much welcomed unexpected treat.

The first day we were only allowed to shoot with one lens and Joe said to make it a hard choice so we could challenge ourselves and do something different. The second day had to be a different lens, so I used my wide angle first then my favorite 70-200 next. It was a great exercise and produced some different looking images from all of us. Here are a bunch of my favorites so far.

Thanks Jennie and Rob (my wedding from Sunday) for being so patient and understanding. I will have a post up soon from the wedding.

PDN Again

Photo District News (PDN) is considered by many to be the top photography magazine in the world. It is geared toward professional photographers and helps keep us up to date with the latest technology, marketing, and shooting advice. I have mentioned them before on the blog when I was featured in an article and when I won the Grand Prize in their wedding photography contest. The October 2006 issue just hit the news stands and subscribers also receive a copy of PDN”s Professional Wedding Guide and Directory. The guide quotes me in another story about challenging weddings. The article starts out with “Top wedding photographers share how they prepare for the challenges of documenting the most lavish and unique weddings”. My images have appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, in Newsweek, USA Today, The NY Times, and in many other places, but it is still always a delight to be published. It is even more exciting to be called one of the top photographers by the top magazine.

Well, I have my last official wedding of the season coming up later today, and then tomorrow I am off to Vermont for a workshop with Joe Buissink and a bunch of friends from around the country. Joe shoots high-end celebrity weddings and is one of the most creative photographers I know. His images are the most romantic and beautiful photographs I have ever seen. His knowledge of, and attention to light is breath taking. I am really excited about this trip, and all of the great photographers/friends that will be there. We anticipate producing some awesome images so keep a look out for them soon. I will be making some guest appearances at a few friends’ weddings in different parts of the country as winter sets into central NY. There is also tons of work to catch up, and a lot of other shooting things lined up so I don’t think it will slow down too much.

I thought it would be nice to include a shot Brady did of me doing a photo, and what the photo I did looks like. It was a rainy day on the Cornell campus and it stopped for a sec so I decided to jump up on the Sun Dial and do this photo of Jen against the marble background. I was worried about slipping on the wet marble so I half-heartedly jumped up the first time and slammed my shin into the side of the marble (it hurt for over a week). Her husband Phillip later said that he was impressed because it was a pretty athletic move to get up there. I was like, yeah, I’m o.k. (ouch, Ouch, OUCH).

Peggy and David

It was a pleasure and a treat to photograph Peggy and David’s wedding this weekend at the Aurora Inn. The Aurora Inn really has it going on people! This place rocks big time and everything about the town, the Inn, and especially Lauren Tillapaugh (the director of Marketing and Events for the Inn) is top notch. I have had the pleasure of photographing at venues all over the country, and I can honestly say that this is one of my favorites. If you are looking for a place to have your reception then please do yourself a favor and give Lauren a call.

A version of the group “The Destination” had everyone grooving to some awesome R&B (that is vocalist, and keys/harp player Joey J pictured in the red jacket,) and it was a beautiful Fall day on the lake. The only disappointing thing was that we never got the pink sunset we were hoping for, but the rain held off so all and all we were pretty lucky.

The location of the ceremony was special too because Peggy’s great, great, grandfather actually supervised the masonry construction of St. Patrick’s Church over 133 Years ago.

The people I shoot with have all been fantastic, and I know I say it all the time, but it is true and I have to say it again. Everyone was such a delight to be around, including Monsignor Schmitz who is a long time friend to David’s family and their former parish priest in Madison, Connecticut.

Thank you Peggy, David, Lauren, and everyone for making the day so special.
As always, please click on the images to see them larger. Peggy and David told me they really like B&W so I converted a few more than usual for them.