Ned Jackson Photography Blog

I’m so excited to share this wedding!  I know you’re all going to love this amazing combination of light, laughter, love and an absolutely AMAZING space!  I first met Casey back in 2006 at a wedding I photographed in Topsfield for a good friend.  After seeing him at two more weddings since (for two other sets of his friends) – I felt like I knew him pretty well – so I was massively excited when he informed me in 2008 that I was going to photograph his wedding as well!  He mentioned that his fiance was a fantastic girl who was in vet school in Canada (he and Christy were doing the long distance thing).  This wedding was like a visit with old friends.  Christy and Casey’s families were both so warm and welcoming and their friends were a blast.  You’ve got to make sure you check out the slideshow to see their rockin’ party.  Their reception was held in an absolutely spectacular place called Mechanics Hall in Worcester.  Take a minute to check out some of my favorite photos from the day!

This was my absolute favorite, so of course I had to put it first.

Christy getting her makeup done.  How about that light?!  Of course it didn’t hurt that she looked stunning

Doug Levy grabbed this great one of Christy’s sister and father getting prepped.

The dress is on!

The church had this beautiful stained glass window in the back that I knew I wanted to incorporate into the shot:

Exiting the church – Casey see’s the party bus for the first time!

A little fun with the veil:

Doug grabbed this great angle.

This was how playful these two were the whole day!

Downtown Worcester in front of Mechanics Hall:

I climbed up the hill across the street to get this cool vantage of the facade of Mechanics Hall:

Doug grabbed this great angle of the tables:

The second floor in Mechanics Hall had these rooms filled with this gorgeous window light:

What a stunning first dance!

I love the triptych!

Doug grabbed this great one of Mechanics Hall:

Christy’s dad giving the first toast (shot by Doug):

The reaction:

Love this look!

At the end of the night Christy and Casey fell into this adorable romantic dance:

One of my favorite moments of the day:

Be sure to check out the slideshow by clicking here. (Or double click on the window below)

Casey and Christy – thanks so much for welcoming me for the day and for being so much fun!  Thanks to Doug as well for all your help!

Back in 2009 I received a call from my good friend Stef – who, at the time was at Priscilla’s of Boston (Stef and her husband Bobby are on the cover of my website).  Stef mentioned that I should expect a call soon from Diana, who she described as “the most amazing person who’d just bought the most beautiful gown.”  Sure enough Diana called me and booked me soon after.  Then I had to wait a whole year before I even got to see the gown!!

From the moment I first met Diana and Chris I knew the wedding was going to be a blast and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  I’m so excited to share the images from their stunning wedding.  The reception was held at the Four Seasons in Boston.  I had a hard time picking my favorites – but I hope you enjoy the images!

The radiant bride:

People often think that the best light comes on days with blue skies and strong sun… but the truth is when it’s raining or overcast, the light is incredibly soft and dreamy.  Cue beautiful bride!

Diana got ready in her parents’ house – and upstairs they had these beautiful stained glass windows.

Again – the light was just stunning.

I love these images.  Diana selected these great emerald bridesmaids dresses which created an excellent backdrop for the pink peonies.  I particularly love the one of her going up the stairs.

What goes up…. must come down!  Love this image:

A quick portrait of Chris on the left.  I was also joined by James Federico for the day who took this great shot on the right in the limo.

Diana’s ride arrives:

Before the ceremony, James and I laid out a game plan for the entrance of Diana and her father.  As soon as I saw the interior of this church, I immediately had this image in mind – but I also wanted to grab Diana and her father coming down the isle from the front of the church.  So after a little hand signaling and winks and blinks… James absolutely NAILED this shot.  Awesome!

James grabbed the one on the left as well.  The priest actually FORCED him to go up to the front of the church to get this shot.  Fortunately he was hidden completely behind a giant column and no one even knew he was there…. I hardly could even find him!

One stolen moment between the newlyweds!

Di and Chris as they walked towards the main ballroom.  Despite a little rain, we managed to make the most of the day!

This shot is probably one of my favorite detail shots I’ve taken in quite some time.  Just so elegant.

LOVE this one.

I honestly didn’t even tell Chris and Diana to do this in the right shot…. they just fell into this sweet pose.

How wonderful is the light?

This one’s a crowd favorite.  Again, they fell into this pose.  How cute are they?

This picture just makes me so happy.  To me it says everything about their feelings.

An amazing first dance.  Of course the cake carried the same details as Diana’s gown.

It’s hard to pick a favorite from the day, but this ranks up there.

The toast:

The flower girl eventually got into her cozies then BOOGIED on the dance floor!  Check out that sass!

Love the dip!

You absolutely have to watch this slideshow!  Click here if you can’t get it to play below:

Diana and Chris – thank you so much for inviting me to your wedding and allowing me to capture all these wonderful moments!  And a big thanks to James Federico who was a huge help!

Back in 2008 I had the privilege of shooting a wedding for a good friend Sarah, who I used to work with back in my days at Fleet Bank (Bank of America) [Note - it's her flowers at the top of the blog!].  That’s where I first met Meghan and Adam.  Adam is Sarah’s brother and I was so excited when he and Meghan called me last year to invite me to photograph their wedding.  The ceremony took place in Springfield, MA and eventually wound up at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA.  I grabbed a few of my favorites from the day!

Without a dobut -the time where the bride is getting ready is one of the most fun times to shoot.  So much visual variety!  I couldn’t get enough of the way the light framed Meghan’s face:

Meghan’s dress:

How cute is this smile?!

I just love this one.

Check out Meghan’s expression!

The flower girl had to join in for a peek!

Some beautiful bridal portraits in the glow of the sunset:

Such anticipation and happiness in one shot:

Meghan getting into the Rolls:

Just as we got to the log cabin, the sun was pouring in a beautiful orange glow:

One of my favorite dance shots from the night:

Be sure to check out the slideshow:

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Thanks so much Meghan and Adam for inviting me to share in your day!  Also a special thanks to Eric for helping out again!

I have some more exciting studio news to share!  I was recently invited to join the Best of Wedding Photography site, an invitation-only site for the world’s top wedding photographers, created by some amazingly talented photographers like Ben Chrisman, Anna Kuperberg, and David Beckstead.  I’m pretty flattered and honored to have been included, especially when you read their criteria:

“Every invitation we issue represents a consensus among peers that a given photographer ranks among the best in the world.”

You can see the site here.  Hoping everyone is having a wonderful summer so far!  Check back next week for more wedding posts!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  So, earlier this year I learned of a national contest sponsored by Livebooks, the company who so excellently created my main website.  Unlike a lot of contests which focus on individual images, the Emerge Contest was designed to allow photographers to show their skills over the course of an entire wedding.  I’m pleased to announce I won third place in the Favorite wedding category!

Also a special thanks to Monica and Dave for looking so fabulous on their wedding day!

Talk about having a knack for dialing in beautiful days – I think Tracey and John have the game nailed.  I met these two last September on a gorgeous, clear day in Boston.  Our engagement session was a blast and I knew the wedding would be worth the wait!  What I didn’t know is that they have some special trick to dial in absolutely perfect weather!  The wedding reception was held in the beautiful Oceancliff Hotel in Newport, RI.  Take a look at some of my favorites from the day and be sure to check out the slideshow!

I couldn’t resist sharing a few from the e-session from Sept:

Now the wedding day.  Check out those eyes!  The light in Tracey and John’s apartment was absolutely perfect.

I felt so honored to be allowed in the room as Tracey’s sister and mom helped her get into her dress.

There were some emotional moments as Tracey got into her dress:

Tracey’s sister helps keep the dress dry!

Once in the dress – Tracey was simply radiant!

Doug Levy came along to help out and caught this great moment of John waiting in the church.  Great shot Doug!

Like I said….. light!

A few favorites from the ceremony:

Seriously – how cute is this girl?!

This church was BIG!  Check out the interior shots in the slideshow.

After the ceremony, John, Tracey and I were lucky enough to have had access to a beautiful private home right on the water at sunset.  I caught this moment as the limo dropped the couple off at the front of the driveway.

The sun was coming right off the water, with a beautiful golden hue.  Hard to resit taking more pictures of a bride!

One of my favorites from the day:

For those of you who heard it – you know John’s best man had a little trick up his sleeve for the toast.  Check out the expression on Tracey’s face.

This one doesn’t need explanation!

Tracey’s dance with her father:

You gotta love the stuff!  John’s got a great sense of humor and took this totally in stride by making his new wife (a die-hard Yankees fan) don a Red Sox jersey for a dance.

Love this one that Doug grabbed:

Definitely make sure you check out the slidehsow.  You can view it directly by clicking here or by clicking play on the slideshow below!

As we start to work our way into the summer, the season is certainly heating up fast for me!  Three weddings so far this year, four more in the next three weeks and we’re starting to book well into 2011!  Which brings us to Sarah and Scott…. Scott and Sarah are getting married on my birthday next year in January.  We met up last month with plans to head outside for some nice outdoor shots, but the weather didn’t comply – so we headed to the Boston Public Library.  If you haven’t been to see this building – you have to go!  It’s absolutely stunning and made a great backdrop for a fun afternoon.  I thought I’d share a few of my favorite shots from the day:

The main staircase in the library is flanked by twin lions.  If you wait just right – the light comes pouring in through the big windows.

Love this staircase on the top floor!

Thanks for a great afternoon Scott and Sarah!  Looking forward to January!

After what seems like an eternity – I’m back in full effect!  I’ve been busy over the last few weeks shooting three weddings in four weeks.  This summer is just starting to heat up – so expect MUCH more from me on the blog.  Not to mention big exciting changes for me (on a personal level) begin to take effect very shortly.  I’ll be spending more time with the things I love in life – family and photography!

On to Mark and Christen!  Mark and Christen are one of those couples that are just fun to be around because you can tell they are so comfortable around each other.  We met back in the fall to go apple picking and to do some engagement shots.  Here’s a couple from that day -

Somehow Christen and Mark dialed in the most absolutely perfect May day.  Beautiful blue skys and nice warm weather.  The reception was held in the NEW! Fairmont Battery Wharf in Boston.  Christen started the day by getting ready in the bedroom of her childhood home:

Mark got ready at their home.  Eric grabbed this shot:

So many times I’m just looking for light.  Good light.  What does that mean?  You know when you see it… like below.  It’s just something that gives you that warm feeling inside.  I know that eventually at some point – Christen is going to walk into that beautiful light-  and, presto… I’m ready!

Again – never fails to be one of my favorite moments of the day.

After the ceremony we headed in to Boston to take some shots in Columbus Park in the North End.  I love this shot with the city in the background.

Right?!  Here’s a couple of my favorites that we took in the park:

And – we had to use the cool pier at the Fairmont.  Right out on the water!  Literally!

Some fun and elegant details:

The dance floor at the Fairmont has this cool skylight on the top – hard to beat that as a ceiling!

Check out the slideshow below.  Be sure to click on it – or click here to launch it in a different window if it doesn’t play for you.

Christen and Mark – thanks so much for making the day so fun and for inviting me to share in your wedding day!  I can’t wait to get started on the album.  Also – thanks to Eric for helping out as well!

Now I know I’ve been on a bit of a blog hiatus lately, but my grandmother always said, “If you don’t have anything good to say….”  You know how the rest goes (no, that’s not my real excuse).  Well – it’s not that I haven’t had anything good to say, but things have been busy here at NJP headquarters over the last two months.  Lots of albums, contracts, meetings, etc.  BUT – I’m super excited for the wedding season to officially kick off for 2010 in a few weeks – and I can’t wait to share another season of wonderful weddings with some fantastic new clients.

However, I’m even more excited to announce that I have partnered up with my good friend Emilie Sommer of Emilie Inc. to begin offering multimedia videography to my clients.  Multimedia (often called “Fusion”) is a combination of motion video, sound and still images from your wedding day.  This allows the photographer (me!) and videographer to work hand in hand to create a powerful storytelling experience.

Documentary film maker Morgan Kirkham is now available to Ned Jackson Photography clients!  Contact me for more info or to check availability.

If you don’t believe me, just watch this sample below:

Megan and Josh from Morgan Kirkham on Vimeo.   Images by Emilie Inc.

So I’m way behind on my blogging,  BUT I am so excited to share this great December wedding that wrapped up my 2009 season!  I first met Julia through one of my previous great couples Steph and Bobby (who are the first image on my main webpage).  Julia was a bridesmaid for Steph back in 2008.  Julia and Jimmy decided to have a wintry wedding and have their gorgeous reception at the Providence Biltmore Hotel on a cold Friday evening.  The ceremony took place in a small church and we left immediately after the ceremony to go to the Providence public library to take some formals.  Check out some of my favorites from the day!

The day started at Julia’s parents’ house.  I couldn’t resist grabbing this silhouette of Julia as she got her dress adjusted.

Sometimes the most beautiful portraits come when people don’t know their having their picture taken.  Here Julia was having her dress adjusted again.

How can you not immediately love these two?!  Such a great energy between mother and daughter.

I think this is the literal definition of a glowing bride!

Julia’s parents’ bedroom made the perfect location for a beautiful, window lit portrait.

During the ceremony, Julia and Jimmy kept trading these glances and giving these great smiles!

Do I need to say anything?!

The Providence Library has this beautiful marble staircase which made for a great spot for some quick portraits.

When I walked in the room, all I said was “WOW!”  Thanks to Doug Levy for grabbing this room shot while I got my lights ready.  Dead on Doug!

The Providence set the scene for a spectacularly elegant first dance.  Thanks to Sarah for providing my lighting!

One last kiss before the end of the dance:

As Jimmy and Julia listened to the toasts, I watched from a far and grabbed tons of great moments!

One of my favorite moments from my 2009 season.  His look says so much.

Julia and her father during their dance.

Julia and Jimmy were treated to a little surprise performance from this fantastic Irish step dancing group.

Again – great reactions while the watched the dancing.

Julia and her mom gettin’ down!

Jimmy taking flight!

No formal last dance, but just a great moment as the evening wound to a close.

You have to watch this slideshow!  That’s an order!  Double click on the arrow, or if that doesn’t work, you can link directly to the show by clicking here.

Jimmy and Julia – thanks so much for your hospitality and for making the day so fun!  I am so happy I could be there to share in your wedding day. Special thanks to Doug Levy as well for his help!