The Proof Sheet

Michael and Emily - May 15, 2010

2010-05-17T13:30:00.001-07:00

I’ve know Michael for a few years now and have booked a few weddings because of him. It’s only right that his would be my first wedding of the season and my first wedding photographed on my new 5D Mark II. For my fellow photographer friends, Michael is the clown from my competition print “She Loves Me Not”, which was my highest scoring competition print ever! Nothing like setting the bar really high…

Wedding Workshop

2010-05-17T13:15:00.001-07:00

Back on May 10, I decided to do a wedding workshop for other photographers to see how we shoot and what our production workflow is like. Zach and Lara Hartzell, whose wedding we photographed back in August of 09, modeled for us.

2010 PPWV Print Competition

2010-05-17T13:01:00.001-07:00

I know this is delayed, but I am going to try to start blogging again after a nice long hiatus. This is my image that won Best Wedding Image and a Fuji Masterpiece Award at the Professional Photographers of WV print competition a few months back. This is Jon and Stephanie Williams, whose wedding I photographed in March of 2010.

Roxy

2009-10-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is Roxy. She was forgotten about, hungry and filthy. We rescued her, cleaned her up, got her shots and wormed her. Roxy is a *good* dog. I would love to keep... her, but it's just not feasible at present time. Please help me find her a home. I simply cannot keep her myself. Get in contact with me if you or anyone you know is looking for a good dog!

Mike & Bethany-This beats digging a ditch!

2009-07-05T11:43:00.001-07:00

We were fighting the sun and clouds all day in Oakland, Maryland where Mike & Bethany got married, but they made sure they gave us the one thing we really need to make great photos…. TIME! No, not the magazine. We arrived at Nola’s Salon where the girls were getting ready several hours before the ceremony. The salon itself was amazing to shoot in with vibrant walls that matched the wedding colors and two big picture windows where beautiful natural light was streaming thru.

ROCKIN’ the detail shots…

Check out the bridal party…

Our gorgeous bride…

Our prop… AKA, the groom…

Groomsman… apparently achieving Zen.

Looks like someone bought a Toyota.

The bridal party left the church on an antique fire engine…

Congratulations guys… I hope you had a great honeymoon! I’ll be talking with you soon!

Adrian and Brian

2009-06-23T23:35:00.001-07:00

Adrian contacted me from Alaska last year about photographing her wedding. Initially, I thought it was in Alaska. But alas, I had to settle for the Waterfront Hotel and her great grandma Betty's farm in Pennsylvania.

The girls having a light snack while waiting for pizza to be delivered...

Where were the guys? Downstairs in the bar of course....

This is Kendall, one of the prettiest flower girls I've ever seen.

Adrian, the bride, having some finishing touches.

In the hotel lobby, by the elevators.

Brian, different bar...

This little guy was playing peekaboo with me all night long.

One of my personal favorite images of the whole day.

Check out the officiate with his phone out snapping an image. That's Adrian's uncle that came all the way from Alaska to perform the ceremony for them.

The layout of the land and the beautiful sky allowed for some very theatrical photos as Adrian's father was walking her up the aisle. Well, up the lawn more accurately.

No bar? No worries for these guys.

This is Natalie (who should be thrilled that I finally got her name right). Very emotional as she gave her congratulatory speech to her Brian and Adrian.

Our ringbearers didn't make it to long after the ceremony before they were looking for the pool & Jacuzzi.

You can't see it on the small file here, but Jay was starting to tear up a little as he finished dancing with his daughter. I see everything, Jay. Everything.

I just love the look that Brian's mom is giving him here.

The day after the wedding, our happy couple got up early, got dressed again, and we went out on a little "Photo Safari" around Morgantown. This will be an option in our upcoming brochure.

Love this one...

And this one...

And finally, this one might be my favorite of them all. Very artsy.

Brian and Adrian, thanks a million! I hope you're enjoying your stay here in West-by-God-Virginia.

Josh and Amy

2009-06-23T21:41:00.001-07:00

I've know Amy's family in an indirect way since grade school and Josh was a groomsman in one of his friends wedding I photographed several years ago.

This is Danielle... a rather quirky girl.

Which one of you clowns got me into this mess? This is Michael Daugherty... Josh's companion, cohort, and clown. Literally. he graduated from Barnum & Bailey Clown College. Very, very funny guy. Click on his name to check out his website.

The groom...

Future clients???

Josh as he watched Amy coming down the aisle.

Amy is crying here, though you can't see it on the small file, it's very emotional. Yes, that's her dad and no he's not the guy from "Law and Order".

This beautiful multi tiered cake was made by Dave Owens...

First Dances...

Saved the best for last... Hope you guys enjoyed your honeymoon and thanks for having us as part of your big day!

Sarah and Heath

2009-06-19T23:13:00.001-07:00

Sarah and Heath was one of the most laid back couples that I've ever had the privilege to work with. They had a very classy out door wedding and reception, both of which were held at Pete Dye Golf Course right here in Bridgeport.

The flower girl loved the camera...

Awesome light bouncing back from the make up mirror.

Sarah's brother walked her down the aisle.

Check out how beautiful this ceremony was.

Everyone gets frustrated when the kids run off, but look how cute this image is!

The advantages of a late wedding... nice, soft, sweet light.

I have been photographing weddings for almost 8 years now... this is the first time I've ever got an evening/sunset photo.

Beautiful image of the reception location.

Cake was by Amanda Parish of Icing on the Cake in Morgantown. She's updating her website, but feel free to contact me if you'd like to consider her for your wedding and I'll get her contact info to you!

I'd love to know what he was whispering in her ear...

Live entertainment was by Judo Chop out of Washington, DC... an 80's cover band that rocked out to the likes of Eddie Money, Jefferson Starship and Huey Lewis. Awesome!

Another cool image that shows emotion.

Congrats guys! I know how important this day was for you and now you have great photos to remember it! Thanks a million times over!

Patrick and Kasey

2009-06-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

Patrick and Kasey got married in the historical district of Cumberland, MD a few months ago. After the wedding, Kasey asked us to do a trash the dress session with her at Swallow Falls. We were more than happy to oblige.

Love the artsy, sassy group shot happenin' here...

St. Paul's Lutheran Church has a beautiful sanctuary.

That is Patrick & Kasey's son... I think he's trying to get to mom and dad here, and he got snagged at the last second.

Jailbreak. I think unposed, spontaneous images are the best.

Amazing bridal portrait. Kasey is one of the best brides I've ever had in front of my lens. She is totally at ease with the camera.

This is Patrick's mother, Peggy. She was an absolute hoot to work with and she treated us like we were family. She wanted her son and daughter in law to have a wonderful wedding day. They did, and I hope they love the images we created for them to remember it.

This is Kasey the day of her TTD shoot... I like the light we had going on on the way to the falls, so I stopped and made this image.

And she brought Patrick along... cause they're married and stuff. So I took some with him too.

You have no clue what a PIA it was to get these next couple images. I got banged up and lost my favorite reflector... but I think the results were worth it.

Finally, I wanted to do a unique ring shot... this is what I came up with. What thinks ye?

Thanks again guys! You truly made us feel like family and I wish you the best in your future.

Jennifer and Jeremiah

2009-06-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

The week after I arrived back from the Dominican Republic, I was fortunate enough to photograph one of the coolest brides I've ever worked with.

I love this shot... it looks so diva-ish.

Love her hair and eyes here.

I try to shoot the details as differently as possible...

I don't know what I said, but apparently I'm funny...

I started off with this shot...

But then I realized I was hiding one of my favorite features behind her bouquet.

Jennifer got Jeremiah a cool set of cuff links that he's showing off here.

Amazing shot as Dad is about to give her away.

The ceremony was at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Stonewood. A great backdrop for indoor formal portraits.

The reception was held at The Bridgeport Conference Center and this delicious cake was by Bake N Memories.

Due to a series of Lemony Snicket type of unfortunate events, we met up the day after the wedding for some more formal portraits. Check them out...

And finally, one of my all time favorite images I've ever captured...

A big thanks to the new Mr. & Mrs. Weiker for letting us be a part of your big day!

Adventures in Photography

2009-06-19T19:00:00.001-07:00

My New Year's Resolution was to blog more. So much for that pipe dream. Anyhow, here are a few images from my recent trip to the Dominican Republic.

This lady was begging for money outside one of the churches we were at. I gave her a dollar and she literally started crying. The people in this country are dirt poor. Believe me when I say that nobody in America has anything to complain about...

Another beggar in a church. His name is Samuel and he's about six years old. That's my hat he's wearing. We really hit it off, I think because he's about the same age as my nephew. Could you imagine being six years old and having to beg outside a church just to eat?

Yes, those are bananas and yes, they are on the ground.

A couple of the kids in town...

Me and all the kids. Needless to say, I left broke that day.

Overall, a good trip. Unfortunately, no images from the wedding. Those are going to be a surprise... more to some than others.

Jon & Steph-March 21, 2009

2009-03-25T19:00:00.001-07:00

Jon and Stephanie was our first wedding of 2009 and what a way to start the year! We had a blast photographing this wedding. I hope that the rest of our year goes just as good!

Blooms in Bridgeport once again did a beautiful job on the flowers.

Here's Steph getting her hair done at Innovations Salon in Bridgeport before the wedding.

Infrared shot of the bride...

Stephanie got her dress from Classic Bridal in Morgantown.

This was a fun group...

The groom and his mom...

Jon didn't think he would do so good in photos... what do you guys think???

I loved the look on her face coming down the aisle...

The ceremony was held at Bridgeport United Methodist and was beautiful as usual...

I LOVE this image...

We had a fantastic time guys! Hope you enjoyed your honeymoon!

Bella Bridal-50% of sale!

2009-01-12T09:50:00.001-08:00

I met with a bride at Bella's Bridal in Jane Lew the other day (her aunt owned the shop) and I was very impressed with the down home atmosphere. I thought it would be worth mentioning that they are running a 50% off sale on all of their gowns thru the end of January. That means more money to spend on your photography! Anyways, I have had several brides that were thrilled with Bella's, so it might be worth your time to swing by and give them a look.

Brendan and Alyssa-Just A Couple of Bumps

2009-01-12T09:31:00.001-08:00

My last wedding of 2008 was very special for me. The Smith family has been more than a client for several years now. I whole heartedly consider them my friends. When I had my studio, I did photos for them on what seemed like a weekly basis. From dance photos to Alyssa's senior portraits, they were always having photos made and they were always a joy to have around. When they told me that Alyssa was getting married, I couldn't imagine anyone else photographing her wedding.

I knew their was a reason I liked this girl.

This is Alyssa's sister Abbey, who I didn't even recognize at first!

And Allison, who is pretty hard to forget.

And Whitney... who has been in three weddings I photographed this past year. I'm thinking of giving her her own gallery on my website.

I love this shot of the bridesmaid dresses.

From fiance to financee... this is Brendan.

This is Jim's first of three trips down this road.

Brendan as as he watched her coming down the aisle.

Brendan's Dad performed the ceremony and offered some pretty good advice.

The couple were surprised to find the trolley waiting for them when they left the church.

Again, a big "Thanks" to Joe and the staff at Village Square for treating us and the couple like rock stars. One day, when Joe emerges from the dark ages and gets a website up, I'm going to link to it for the whole world to see!

We always try to do something unique with the rings...

David and Lee Ann-Be yourself!

2008-11-29T19:18:00.001-08:00

David and Lee Ann are easily one of the coolest and most creative couples I've ever had the privilege to photograph. They live in Florida where she's a make up artist and he's a mechanic. My main goal was to give them wedding photos that were as creative, unique and laid back as they were! I think we did OK... ">

The cake was done by Dave Owens, who coincidentally did my wedding cake when I got married!

Lee Ann's dress was by Alfred Angelo...

Here's Lee Ann and all of her girls... check out the dresses!

Very emotional...

This guy looks like he's right into it, huh?

Fun group...

Chef Dale from Stonewall Resort did an amazing job on the catering!

This is one of my all time favorite reception photos... I just love the look and feel.

First dance.

From outside...

Check out the rings... David's band has little screws on it! I thought that was so cool.

Congratulations guys, and thanks for letting us be a part of such an amazing day.

Fall in Love-Mike and Amy

2008-11-29T09:33:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know I've been a very bad boy about blogging. But I didn't realize how many people actually read this thing. You gotta leave comments to let me know you're here!

This past October we did something that we had never done... we photographed two weddings back to back. One on Saturday 10/18 and one on Sunday 10/19. Though it can be very tough and stressful, we had a ton of fun because they were two awesome couples.

Mike and Amy were our first couple and they got married at the beautiful Deerpark Country Inn. Kelly at Deerpark took care of virtually everything with the exception of the cake and of course the photography.

A few finishing touches...

Amy and her girls getting ready in the bride and grooms room.

Our bride on the steps inside the lodge...

The groom, looking like a Sears model...

Beautiful scenery at Deerpark for a fall ceremony.

Amy is the light of Mike's eyes. Literally. That beautiful light on his face is bouncing off of her. She was blinded, but dang she made him look good!

This is completely unposed... shot with a long lens from across the lawn, they had no clue I even took it.

After the ceremony, Mike surprised Amy with a horse drawn carriage that came to pick them up. The horse and carriage was provided by Steve Freda of Weston. They don't have a website, but you can contact Steve at 304-269-7672 if you're looking for a horse and carriage for your wedding.

This is one of my favorite images with the carriage.

When I say "Dip Her!" this is what I mean...

The Cake was once again by Amanda Parish of Icing on the Cake from Morgantown. DELICIOUS!

After the wedding, the couple got to retire to this suite, right there at Deerpark.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite images from the wedding. I just think it's a cool art piece and the perfect end to an album. Or blog post.

Thanks for checking it out and don't forget to leave your comments. I'll be posting more images from our last two weddings of the year soon.

Live, Laugh, Love... Jessica and Jonathan

2008-10-16T13:01:00.001-07:00

Live, laugh, love is kind of the theme of Jessica's parent's home, but more importantly, it's the theme of their lives. I hit it off with Jess as soon as I talked with her over the phone (She and Jonathan live in Boston). I've never had a bride who's smile could light up a room the way Jess does! Big, hearty and genuine smiles. It made for a great day!

Check out the sign above the dress...

I love this image...

See what I mean about the smile...

Flowers were by the incomparable Blooms in Bridgeport.

We dropped by Hinkle Lake for a few shots, since it was right down the road from her parent's house.

I like Jonathan enough to overlook the fact that he's a Patriot's fan. ;-)

This is Jess's brother, Nick. I liked working with this family so much, that I am going to personally start screening potential bride's for Nick. Call me for an application packet.

Judge Bedell performed the ceremony right the front porch. Check out the leaves.

This is probably my favorite image because this is how Jess is all the time.

You have no idea how hard it was to get them to NOT smile.

Bake N' Memories created this tri-flavored whimsical color explosion. I actually think I fried a few sensor pixels.

Muriel's catered the whole thing... Brian actually cried tears of joy when he saw them pull in.

Jess's Dad, Gary... something tells me she's a Daddy's Girl.

And Jonathan's mom, who has the greatest accent.

Thanks again guys! I hope you're enjoying your honeymoon!

Jon and Allison

2008-10-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I've got to post anything, but I'm just getting over a bout of pneumonia and we're in the process of buliding yours truly a new office!I'm a little behind, but doing my best to get caught up. I'm going to start by blogging about Jon and Allson's wedding from October 4!

I loved working with these guys! I feel like I have the greatest clients in the world and Jon and Allison are no exception. And, of course, I don't mind shooting a wedding at the always beautiful Clarksburg United Methodist Church. The parlor where Allison got ready is so beautiful and there is great light it seems all the time. It makes for some really beautiful "getting ready" photos.

Check out this shot of the bride in front of the church. The dress, from Classic Bridal in Morgantown, was simple, beautiful and elegant.

A not-so-traditional shot of the ladies.

More images of the bride...

A not-so-traditional shot of the guys...

The ceremony was beautiful and I caught this emotional candid as Allison's Dad gave her away.

I love this shot of the bridal party.

You'll never believe how and where this image was made!

Abbey Road-esque...

The reception was at Glen Elk Gardens in Clarksburg and check out this cake by Amanda Parish from Icing on the Cake in Morgantown. This cake was AWESOME! At the risk of offending some of my other baker friends, this was easily the best tasting wedding cake I've ever had and that's coming from a guy that's been to a few weddings. Definitely check her out.

That's all for now, but be sure to check out the slideshow for more amazing images!

Book now... or forever hold your peace!

2008-08-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

We have booked SEVEN weddings this week, which is a record for us. I know it's on all of our printed materials, but I wanted to put on our blog that your wedding date is NOT booked until you have signed a contract and made the retainer payment. Don't assume that your date will be available in two weeks. If you know that you want us as your wedding photographers, CALL NOW! Do not wait, do not email, do not pass go. We will hold your date for up to 72 business hours (More for our clients in Alaska and Hawaii). We get lots and lots of inquiries about the same date. The first person to sign the contract and pay the retainer gets that date and we only shoot one wedding per day. Don't drag your feet!

Your wedding images on iTunes!

2008-08-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

We've had alot of people asking about getting the slideshows onto their iPod/iPhone and we've finally found a way to make it happen!!! First, you need to have iTunes. When you open up iTunes, go into the "Podcasts" section. At the top of the panel, go to the "Advanced" tab and down to "Subscribe to Podcast". It will ask for a URL. Type (or copy and paste) http://feeds.feedburner.com/LearyWeddings . You should see all of the available Podcasts pop up by name, just click on them and they will download right into iTunes. A few things to remember, if your show is new, it may take a few hours for it to be ready to download even though it is viewable. Also, these files are usually around 30 megs, so they will take awhile to download. I hope you enjoy and send them on to everyone you know!

Lindsay and Chad

2008-08-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

We had a great time photographing this wedding and we got some awesome images. I knew alot of people there and I felt the pressure to do well... so read on and let me know how we did!

This is the bride and her bridesmaids. The flowers were done by Blooms in Bridgeport. I can't say enough about Blooms... very nice work and very professional, too.

Here's Lindsay's Dad when he first saw her in her wedding gown.

Getting ready to walk down the aisle...

Reverend Dorsey at the Bridgeport United Methodist Church led a great ceremony as usual.

After the ceremony, I made it my personal mission to get an image at that church that were completely different from anything I'd ever seen photographed there... the following image was the result of my efforts.

Of course, I had to do a few nice images by the stone work.

This image was captured on a real infrared sensitive camera... you can't get that soft, dreamy, organic look quite the same any other way, except for maybe film.

The reception was held at Bridgeport Country Club.

Music was provided by No Bad JuJu... an incredible eight piece ensemble band out of Pittsburgh. They were incredible! Easily the best band I've ever seen at a wedding reception.

The cake was by Almost Heaven Desserts.

Vicki and Jay

2008-08-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Vicki and Jay did something that no other couple I've ever had has done... instead of not seeing each other until the ceremony, they choose to see each other early in the day and get all their photos taken before the ceremony. This is a huge trend in other parts of the country, and I can see why. After the ceremony, we snapped a few images in the chapel and within a few minutes we were at the reception. So cool. Here are a few of my favorites.

Anyone wanna guess who's going to be on some of next year's advertising pieces?

They also had a ceremonial dove release provided by Gary and Pamela Cooper of Wedding Wings. Gary has been a friend of Joe's since I worked for him nearly ten years ago and he always provides beautiful releases and professional service.

Here it is... the long awaited slideshow!

Jude and Jamie

2008-08-03T16:00:00.001-07:00

This was an awesome wedding! These are my kind of people and I wanted to deliver some amazing wedding photos. We had all the ingredients... a beautiful location (Lakeview Resort in Morgantown), a great couple, a horse and carriage and tons of emotion.

People ask me all the time what is my favorite thing to shoot at a wedding. The answer has always been the Father-Daughter/Mother-Son dances. Watch closely and you'll see why.

I can't tell you how much fun we had with these guys. Just outstanding people. I hope we we get to work with these families again in the future. (Rachel, babe... call me.) I hope you guys enjoy your photos as much as we enjoyed being there!

Choose Wisely

2008-08-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Choosing a wedding photographer can be an intimidating task especially in today’s world where it seems that anybody with a camera kit they purchased at Best Buy is advertising themselves as a professional photographer. For sure you don’t want to trust your once in a lifetime memories to a once in a while photographer, but how do you know the difference and how do you choose? We understand that we are not the photographers for everybody and even if we are, we may be booked on your wedding date. That being said, we have provided this tip sheet for choosing a wedding photographer even if it’s not us. We hope that you find it insightful and, more than that, we hope that it helps you to make an informed decision in selecting your wedding photographer. Just click on the tip sheet and either print it out or save it to your computer.

International Competition Results!

2008-07-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

OK, OK, OK... so I know I'm runnning behind on blogging my recent weddings, but it's been crazy. I'm hoping to get caught up in the next day or so and do some crazy bloggin'. But for now, I have some more good news to share.

The results from PPA's International Print Competition are in and we did extremely well. All four of my prints merited and two of them were accepted into PPA's prestigous traveling Loan Collection! That is pretty much the highest honor you can receive and what you strive for when you enter. Another print was also accepted into the PPA Showcase Collection.

Before I show you our award winning wedding images, I want to give a shout out to a couple of people. Number one, Joe McNemar of D-Max Photography, Steve Preston and Brian "Pooky" Price... I couldn't have done it without you guys nor would I want to. Thanks a million times over.

OK, now that I'm done kissing my friends' backsides, let's get on with the images. This first image was from a wedding a good while back. This is Lindsay Marsh of Bridgeport. The name of the print was "Modern Bride" and it was selected as the Best In Show at PPWV. It will be on the cover of the PPWV program next year. In addition, this image won Best Weddng Image, a Kodak Gallery Award, A Fuji Masterpiece, and it was one of my images selected for the Loan Collection. Not bad for being a couple years old!

This next image was from our wedding album. This is Tim and Mary Scheuvront of Lost Creek. This is one of my favorite couples of all time and I was dying to Blog this wedding back in October, but I knew I would be entering them into competition... so I thought it better to wait. Now that competition is over, I'll be blogging about them in the next couple of days so stay tuned!

That's it for now, but check back soon as I'll be posting some awesome images from recent weddings and not so recent weddings as well as some valuable tips for brides to be. Thanks for looking!

Marlene and Brad

2008-07-23T13:19:00.001-07:00

This was a really fun wedding. I like it when things aren't the typical.They walked down the aisle together and their kids lit the unity candles. Afterwards, instead of a reception, they treated everybody to a dinner style reception at Provence Market in Bridgeport... including us! (Note: If you're looking to butter me up, that's the way to do it!)

The food was absolutely delicious!

Overall a great day, I could've done without the rain though. Be sure to check out the slideshow!

A Special Message From Kimmy

2008-07-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

Natasha & Harry-June 14, 2008

2008-06-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, I met Natasha and Harry when I photographed Harry's senior portraits. Come to find out, I was neighbors and went to school with Natasha's family when I was a kid. These are some of the nicest and hardest working people I have ever met and I was very honored that they asked me to photograph their wedding. We had a great time!

Is this a good omen or what?

2008-06-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

We were literally seconds away from leaving Clint and Aimee's wedding because it was pouring the rain. We were in the car, ready to leave when the sun came back out and we decided to try one more time. It kind of worked out don't you think?

I Wuv You

2008-04-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

Kimmy just started saying this out of the blue the other day.

Kimmy's First Haircut

2008-04-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

Kimmy got her first haircut last week. It was definitely a depressing experience. It's funny how we wish our life away all the time, but then when you have a kid all you want to do is put on the brakes.

Images from Vegas and San Francisco

2008-03-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve been back from Vegas and San Francisco now for a few days, but I’m just now getting around to posting some images. Here are a few that I like.

A little cliche, yes... but I still had to get one shot. I am lying flat on my back to get this angle.

We stayed at Bally’s, which is where the WPPI convention was held. It was an OK hotel, but our room was right by the elevator shaft and it sounded like low flying airplanes all night long.

This is actually inside The Venetian...

As soon as we got to San Francisco, Joe’s niece Amy picked us up from the airport and took us here for breakfast. This place was very small, but VERY busy

If you’ve never seen the Golden Gate Bridge, you really should go. The scenery there is amazing.

This image is from the Sausalito side. Sausalito was my absolute favorite part of the city.

This is probably the most popular view of the bridge... from Baker’s Beach. What they don’t tell you is that it’s an all male nude beach on that side! It’s beautiful though. While we were there, their was a commercial photo shoot happening for the new Volkswagen coming out in 2009.

A cool little lighthouse on the way down...

We thought we had a model or two lined up, but they all fell through at the last possible moment. However, we met this couple on the beach and I asked if they would stand in for us. They just got married and didn’t have any nice photos of the two of them together. She didn’t speak ANY English and his was very broken so it was kind of hard to give them direction, but I think they did alright all things considered. Thanks for looking and check back often to see more!

My kind of girl... from way back in September!

2008-03-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be blogging on some weddings that I didn't get to at the end of last year for one reason or another. The first one I'm going to start off with is Brian and Angela. Why is this post labeled "My kind of girl"? Because it was a STEELERS themed wedding! Yes, it's true... Angela actually is that cool. I photographed Angela's sister Lisa's wedding way back in September of 2005 and I can honestly say it was one of the best weddings I'd ever been to. When Angela contacted me about doing her wedding, I jumped at the opportunity to work with these girls again. Pay attention to the colors...

This wasn't just a fun couple, but a fun GROUP! Every one of 'em...

This is Brian right when Angela started walking down the aisle...

taken almost simulatneously with this one.

These were taken right after the ceremony in downtown Fairmont. My assistant Brian almost killed us and/or got us arrested getting there, but the results were worth it. For reference see the November 4th post. No mattresses were harmed in the making of these photos.

This is Angela's sister, Lisa. She just had a baby like the day before and look at her. OK, OK... maybe it was like a month or two, but you get my point.

This is the two of them when their roles were reversed in September of 2005.

And just because they were one of my favorite couples, and I photographed them in the pre-blog era, here is Lisa and Duane on their wedding day. It was very cool to photograph both of these weddings. It's not very often that two of your favorite brides turn out to be sisters.

Thanks to both of you, girls... it's brides like the two of you that make this a great profession to be part of!

Mid East States Competition... More Good News!

2008-03-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

Greetings again everybody. We just returned from the Mid East States Print Competition. MES is a FIVE state affiliated regional competition. It is compilation of photographers from WV, OH, PA, KY and MI. The Mid East is one of the toughest regions in the country in terms of the talent pool. There are some great photographers here. I am proud to say that we once again walked away with some nice honors and awards.
*I was awarded as one of the Top Ten Photographers in the Mid East Region!
*Brian and I had the highest scoring wedding album from WV!
*I won another Fuji Masterpiece Award in the Wedding Category!
*All four of my images merited... only one other WV photographer achieved that feat!

All in all, I think it was a good weekend. I am very proud of what we accomplished, but if you like what we did last year wait until you see what we got coming this year!

I can't believe he's 5...

2008-02-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

I took these photos of my nephew back in January and I am just now getting a chance to go thru them. I was labeling the folder on my computer and typed in "Zhane-5Yrs" and it just sunk in how fast time flies. Everyone asked me if I wanted a boy when my daughter was born and I always told them "no" because I know what it's like to love a son. I drove him home from the hospital on the day he was born five years ago. I remember when he was just born, sometimes I was the only one that could get him to go to sleep. I spent those days being pooped on, peed on, puked on and more nights in the hospital than I care to talk about. But he's been my buddy ever since and he still spends every weekend with us. I just can't believe how fast he's growing up...

PPWV Competition!

2008-02-18T10:18:00.001-08:00

This past weekend was the Professional Photographers of West Virginia Convention and Print Competition held at Lakeview Resort in Morgantown. I am very proud to say that we did very well amongst our fellow professionals! Brian got three merit images and also won the trophy for Best Black and White Commercial Image!

I won several awards...

Best Color Commercial Image

Best Black and White Portrait

Best Wedding Image

The Kodak Gallery Award for Wedding (My 2nd Gallery Award!)

A Fuji Masterpiece Award for Commercial

A Fuji Masterpiece Award For Portrait

A Judges Choice Award

PLUS My wedding image won BEST OF SHOW! KA CHOW!

So we pretty well cleaned up at our state convention. I know I haven't posted alot lately, but we've been working on this competition for several months. We have one more coming up in two weeks, but hopefully I won't need to do as much work for that one and I can get some crazy bloggin' done soon! I will post my images for your viewing pleasure after the next competition, but until then here are a few candid images from this past weekend!

Brian's not the best at reading a map...

This is Joe, Keith and Gerry... Keith and Gerry are our friends from PA that come to our convention every year. Great guys!Their was a Red Dress Gala going on at the same time as our awards ceremony. I had a hard time talking Joe into going to the awards banquet...Me and Brian with all of our bling...
Their was a song a long time ago called "Heroes and Friends". I am the luckiest guy in the world because my heroes are my friends. When you love your wedding images you can thank these guys because I wouldn't/couldn't do it without them. Just so you know who's who, from L-R, Steve Preston, Brian Price, Me and Joe McNemar. I hope I can be as good of a friend to them as they are to me. THANKS YOU GUYS!

Keith Lewis set this shot up of me and all my crystal. Yeah, I was happy...But evidently not as happy as Brian was with his!

Thanks for reading everybody. Keep checking back cause I'll be posting some cool images from some of our last weddings as well as some stuff I've been doing just for fun!

Scary time...

2007-11-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, Brian was in an accident on I-68. He was on his way home and hit a mattress laying in the middle of the Cheat Lake Bridge. It rolled up under his car and slammed him into the side of the bridge and then his car rolled at least twice. Despite a good bump on his melon and a cracked rib, he walked away from this accident. His wife called us to let us know, but there wasn't much we could do that wasn't already being done... I hate that feeling of helplessness. He was back to work two days later and thanking his lucky stars.

More good news...

2007-09-10T17:46:00.001-07:00

I just received a letter from PPA today confirming that I will receive a Bronze Photographer of the Year award in January. Everyone that has all of their prints receive blue ribbons at the international print competition gets one so I knew it was coming... but it was still a really cool letter to receive. It kind of made it real in my mind.

Come see me!

2007-09-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

I will be participating in the Elder-Beerman bridal show in Morgantown from Thursday September 13 thru Sunday September 16. I won't be there the whole time, but I will be in and out sporadically and Brian will be popping in occasionally, too. If you want to stop by, drop me a line and I'll make sure one of us is there to greet you!

Kayla and Tyler... September 1

2007-09-06T17:16:00.001-07:00

So this past weekend we got to photograph one of the coolest, laid back couples I've ever met. Kayla and Tyler got married at the Clarksburg United Methodist Church on the weekend of the Italian Heritage Festival. Despite all the people, we still managed to get some pretty cool outdoor photos.

The Bride

The Groom

The Girls

The Guys (Got a little Captain in ya'?)

Cool shot in front of the fountain... their were people all over the place, but we managed to crop them out. Another one near the fountain...
Kayla and Tyler are enjoying their honeymoon in New York right now... hope you guys like what you see!

2007-09-06T17:04:00.001-07:00

I know, I know, I know... I haven't posted anything in a long time and it's dissappointing to my adoring fans (both of them). But I can't complain about working... their are a ton of people that would kill to have a job period, much less one they love. Anyhow, these images are from Zac Amodio and Sara Henderson's wedding on August 11.

This is Sara's Mom and her brother, Rylee... we call Rylee "The Diesel".

After their wedding, Sara and Zac got "stranded" in Jamaica during hurricane Dean. Oh, the tragedy. Sara is my friend Joe's step daughter and their are a few more images on his blog here.

BIG NEWS!!!

2007-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

The results from the Professional Photographers of America International Print Competition were posted. You could submit up to four prints and not only did all four of mine earn merits, but two of my images were accepted into the PPA Showcase collection! The earned merits are applied toward my Master or Craftsman degree if I choose to pursue them. The Showcase is a collection of roughly 200 images selected by the judges to be published in a book displaying exceptional work from photographers all over the world. There were over 5,000 entries, so having two of my images selected for the Showcase collection makes me pretty happy!

July 14, 2007 Shannon and Patsy

2007-07-23T19:36:00.001-07:00

We had an awesome couple this past weekend. I had photographed Shannon’s nieces for several years when I had my studio. That’s how Shannon picked us to photograph her wedding. It was a little depressing seeing how much Lindsay and Laura had grown! I was joking that I was going to give Lindsay one of my monopods that she could use as a stick to beat the boys away. These guys had one of the nicer weddings that I’ve seen in quite some time and that’s saying a lot coming from me. Their reception was at Village Square with decorations by Michael Romeo of Unique Creations. Everything was simply beautiful. Bonnie Belle’s of Nutter Fort made them a gorgeous cake that you can see below. I also got the opportunity to (finally) work with one of the coolest videographers I’ve ever met. Jenna Merandi and her assistant (whose name has slipped my mind) of Dreamcatcher Productions really impressed me. I cannot over-express my recommendation for these ladies. I have seen their work and let me tell you, it’s tough to beat. If you’re looking for a great videographer, book her quick before she becomes a pharmacist!

Overall, this was one of the classiest affairs I’ve been privileged to photograph. Here’s a look at some of the images we captured that day.

07/07/07-George and Emily

2007-07-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's taken me awhile to get this post up, but hey, I've been dealing with a sick baby. Anyways, this past weekend we got to photograph a really cool couple. George and Emily are quite possibly two of the nicest people that I've ever met. You can't help but have a good time when you're around them. Their wedding took place in Grafton at the Mother's Day Shrine and we got to make some pretty awesome images at this historical building across the street. Too bad we couldn't get inside of it... their is all kinds of beautiful marble that's being renovated. Their was also another building that had some old ads painted on the side, but we only got a few images close up because their were cars parked all in front of it. Anyways, we still got some pretty good stuff so enjoy and let me know what you think.

This guy was being a little shy, but Brian got a good one of him.

Old buildings make the coolest backgrounds....First dance....
I like ring shots.
George and Emily, thanks for showing us a great time and congratulations!

Sweet Child O' Mine

2007-07-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is my baby girl, Kimberly. I took this photo on July 4th on our way out the door to a cook out, and while it's not the most technically perfect photo I've ever taken of her, it is the most recent. Kimmy is just getting over a little sickness the past couple days and is finally getting back to her self. I'm hoping for a full nights sleep tonight!

Chris and Erica

2007-06-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

I am very excited that this will be my first wedding posted on my new blog because we definitely got some nice stuff that I am proud to be showing off. This is Chris and Erica and they were married at the Immaculate Conception Church in Clarksburg, WV with their reception following at Village Square. I think it's worth mentioning that Chris is getting married just a few weeks after being elected the new mayor of Stonewood, WV so a big congratulations for that feat. The other nice thing about this blog is that I can voice my opinions regarding reception venues and other wedding professionals. With that in mind, I want to mention that Village Square is one of the nicest places in the area to have your reception... especially if you're inviting alot of guests. Their Grand Ballroom will hold alot of people. Joe Corcoglioniti (sorry if I butchered the name) and his staff are friendly, courteous and professional and their catering is great. Believe me, I don't get paid to put their names here... I do it because they have impressed me enough to reccomend them to my clientele.

Anyways, so here's the blushing bride...

Mr. Mayor... A few from the ceremony....

Butterflies after the ceremony...

Some really cool lighting... KA-CHOW!!!
First dance

Father-Daughter Dance (yes I did it on purpose)
One last image, taken in the hall of Village Square.

Chris and Erica, congratulations and thanks for trusting us with your wedding images... I hope you enjoyed us being there as much as we did.

Thanks for looking everyone... don't forget to leave your comments!

Welcome!

2006-11-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, and welcome to my all new blog. For those of you that are unfamiliar with me and my work, let's start there. My name is Danny Leary and I am the owner/photographer of Leary Wedding Design. For about four years I owned and operated my own full service portrait studio, but after the birth of my daughter I decided it was time to slow things down. You really don't know how much goes into running a business of that nature until you do it for awhile. After conversing with my good friend Joe McNemar of D-Max Photography, I am now photographing children for him in addition to my weddingbusiness.

Alot of people have asked me why I chose the name "Leary Wedding Design" instead of "Leary Wedding Photography". Well, every wedding is different and I don't want to do anything "cookie cutter". I try very hard to make each and every wedding image as unique as the couple I am photographing. It seems to be the general consensus that it is difficult to find a cutting edge and stylish wedding photographer in our area... well I am setting out to change that perception. This isn't something that can be duplicated by Uncle Harry and his Circuit City camera kit he got on clearance. Your images will be made by award winning professional photographers utilizing the highest quality professional equipment and cutting edge techniques. Our wedding albums are designed from scratch by me or my long time assistant, Brian Price. This is not your parent's wedding photography. Take a look at our website and check out our recent work in this blog. If you like what you see, give me a call and let's talk about what you want from your wedding photographer.