Everyone knows you have to have an end of summer celebration every year. I’m not sure why you would want to celebrate the end of summer, but everyone knows that you need one last fling, before the dogs days of summer are gone.

I spent the day last Sunday at a beautiful home in Auburn, CA, with a bunch of photographers and people who wanted to be photographed.  Some of the people were new and novices.  Some of the people were accomplished photogs and/or models.  Here are some of the pics I took that hot summer day.

 There were many, many more opportunities to shoot both people and backgrounds, but I just ran out of time.  Hopefully I will be able to photograph this gorgeous home again with more fun people who are up for an adventure.

And finally, because of the thousands of requests I’ve received (?), here’s a peek into what the photographed are forced to look at while they are trying to be beautiful.  If I had to look at all this, it would be tough to keep a straight face.

Happy End of Summer!

I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a jam-packed weekend of photography over the weekend.  It was put together by Mark Behrens of LookPW.com in Redding, CA.  Ordinarily I would never think to go to Redding in the middle of summer, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

We started off the weekend on Friday night with a Trash the Dress session at a lovely little river just outside of Redding, called Clear Creek. There were several beautiful women who braved the very cold water of the creek in order to give us beautiful photos.

It was a very hot day in Redding and although the shoot took place in the evening, we were all very hot and sweaty (except for the brides.) After the sun went down, the brides did begin to show the cold (goose bumps, teeth chattering, etc.)  Brave, brave women.

One of the best things about Trash the Dress sessions is the way the water makes the dress flow and highlight the beauty of the bride.  The white dress against the backdrop of a dark flowing river compels viewers to focus all their attention onto the bride.

Adding a setting sun and some sun flare to the shot highlights the hair and brings further attention to the bride.

Trash the Dress Sessions are not always about a bridal gown.  Just as much fun is a period costume or a prom dress.

Although the water was a little nippy due to the late snow melt from Mt. Shasta, there are many, many places available which won’t make your teeth chatter if you have a great dress that you would like to wear in the water.  Contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net to set up an appointment. Go here to see what types of sessions are available:  Sierra Springs Photography

I had the extreme honor of attending a photo shoot put on by Betty Sederquist at a wonderful location owned by a couple of artists.  One of the most amazing parts of the property was this darling little lilly pond.  We were lucky enough to have several gals there who brought their wedding dresses (or found some dresses to borrow) and were willing to pose around, over and in the pond.  They were brave gals because, although the pond was beautiful and full of lilies and iris’…it was also full of algae, frogs and probably other things.  For this post, I’ll highlight Alyssa.

Here she is inside a willow tree.  We set up one light about 3 feet from her face inside the tree with her in order to get this shot.

This next shot is the same set up only she is about 1/2 foot closer to me and I cut back on the ambient/available light.  This gives the photo a slightly creepy/Twilight-y look.  I like it, but I wouldn’t do it for every bride.

These next shots were taken on a little rickety bridge over the lily pond. I love the reflection on the first one.

Someone told me she looked a little sad on this next one. Maybe.  I think she looks more pensive or thoughtful.  I love that she’s dipping her toe in the water.

Here she is in a canoe on the pond. I love this shot with the lilies in the background

Here, she is finally in the water.  I think this photo is my favorite of the series.

And last, she finally gets out of the water.  Even though she is pretty mucked up, she is still beautiful.

Next post will be from the same shoot, but with different models.  I hope you enjoy these.  I loved taking them.  Thank you Alyssa.

I’m trying out a few new filters and some HDR to see if I can bring out some details and add some pizazz.  If you look close you can see a couple of brides and a couple of photographers.

Such a beauty…even when she’s wet.

I love doing a “Trash the Dress” Photo shoot.  In this case we had several models dressed in wedding dresses and formal attire to shoot.

The water was fairly warm which was good for us and great for the models.

..even though sometimes they looked a little cold and uncomfortable.  It was a long day for them.  We had already done 4 hours or so at Empire Mine .  It did feel good to wade around in the water after carting around our equipment over at the mine.

But even after several hours at the mine and several more hours at the Yuba River, the models were gorgeous and fun.

Just before I got in the water with the rest of the photogs, I did thing about the thousands of dollars worth of equipment that hung around our necks.  But, then I shrugged, slapped on my most expensive lens and waded in for the fun.