By this time, most of you have heard about “trash the dress” bridal sessions, or TTD as they are known colloquially in the photographic community. In 2006 and early 2007, news of these crazy photo shoots was picked up by numerous news sources (including The New York Times and Good Morning America), with reporters typically casting bemused glances toward the photographers who chose to take photos of the recently wed swimming in lakes, frolicking in mud, covered in paint, or riding a Harley.

Wedding photographers around the world were (and still are) especially inspired by this trend after seeing photos that incited our imaginations and promised to fill our portfolios. Beautiful brides in Times Square! Newlyweds riding in the country, wedding gown trailing down the side of the horse! Brides floating in the ocean!

Brides themselves, these days well versed in the wide range of images offered by bridal magazines and photographers’ blogs, have seen it done. Brides read those articles in The New York Times and laughed, but we photographers knew that many of you secretly dreamed of another opportunity to wear your dress and get fabulous photos. (more…)

I am so, so SOOO excited to access to a studio space out in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Today we inaugerated my time in the space with a group shoot with ten of the brides from the juxtaposition project. These women pretty much blow me away with their awesomeness, so any chance to hang out again is wonderful – they have a special place in my heart!

This shot was styled in awe of Annie Leibovitz’s celebrity group portraits. Doesn’t everyone look fabulous? I love the tones of the blacks with the skin colors.

Many thanks to fantastic Boston stylist Sarah Bortner and fellow photographer Meg Belanger who helped with posing ideas for group portrait.

What a wonderful year of fearless bridal shoots for the JUXTAPOSITION project. Public gratitude to all of you who followed through on the photo sessions and introduced us to wonderful new locations around Boston. And many thanks to those who assisted for the shoots – whether it was styling the women, carrying bags, or rocking the reflector. My life is richer for the experience with you.

We’re looking forward to putting together a wonderful JUXTAPOSITION coffee table book and gallery show for 2009… let alone the Vanity Fair-esque tableau shoot.

juxtaposition001 :: lindsey [ link ] Worcester, Burncoat Middle School
juxtaposition002 :: tiffany [ link ] Boston Sand and Gravel, Chinatown
juxtaposition003 :: carol [ link ] the Fells, Winchester rail station
juxtaposition004 :: marilyn [ link ] George’s Island, Fanueil Hall
juxtaposition005 :: melissa [ link ] West Boylston, Old Stone Church
juxtaposition006 :: brittany [ link ] Frankin Park Zoo
juxtaposition007 :: sarina [ link ] L’Espalier, Newbury Street
juxtaposition008 :: kristen [ link ] Fenway Park, parking lot
juxtaposition009 :: deanna [ link ] Canobie Lake Park (Salem NH)
juxtaposition010 :: gwen [ link ] Lanes ‘n’ Games, FACES, Alewife
juxtaposition011 :: colleen [ link ] Wellesley College parking garage, bathroom, cemetery
juxtaposition012 :: mikki [ link ] Boston North End
juxtaposition013 :: rachael [ link ] Salem MA waterfront
juxtaposition014 :: lindsay [ link ] Cambridge MA, Boston MA
juxtaposition015 :: sarah [ link ] Sudbury MA old grist mill
juxtaposition016 :: jill [ link ] Dover MA

We’re available for fearless bridal shoot commissions in 2009. Please contact rachel@mergeweddings.com for more information or to reserve your date.

Photograph above courtesy Jimmy Song. Thanks Jimmy!

If you were a part of the JUXTAPOSITION project, I would love to hear your thoughts about the overall experience in the comment section.

For Juxtaposition sixteen, I knew I was in for an adventure. Jill did a boudoir session with me as a wedding gift for Ken this summer. Her coloring much like Snow White is a theme in her life, and let’s just say a “naughty snow white” costume may have been involved in her previous shoot…

Tricia and I had a wonderful time wandering around their hometown of Dover, Massachusetts with Jill and Ken. Ken has lived there his entire life, so he knows the place inside and out.

JUXTAPOSITION.016
bride: Jill
photographer: Rachel Hadiashar
assisted by: Tricia Askew
styling by: Tricia Askew
location: Dover, MA – private residence, cemetery, fire station, local coffee shop

[ artist selects here ]
[ full gallery here ]

I really like this outtake when Ken was tickling Jill. Incidentally, we discovered shortly thereafter that she was sitting on a heavily trafficked ant hill.

This juxtaposition session was at the Old Grist Mill in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Our Early September shoot was the perfect time to take advantage of the grounds and the leaves were beautiful! Sarah was married just a week before our shoot, so she still had the post-wedding glow. The dress was awesome, there were a ton of places to shoot around this one location, and I was LOVING the clasp of balloons Sarah decided to bring for her session.

Hi Rachel,

It was so nice meeting you yesterday!  My husband and I had a blast shooting with you!  I can’t tell you how confident and beautiful you made me feel!  I felt like a model for a day   We had so much fun taking pictures and we cannot wait to see them!  You are extremely talented and very enthusiastic about what you do!  Making people smile must be the best job in the world!

Thank you!
Sarah

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bride: Sarah
assisted by: Alex, husband
photographer: Rachel Hadiashar
makeup: Brea Cherne
hair: Renee – St. Cyr Spa (Worcester, MA)
location: Old Grist Mill, Sudbury MA

[ artist selects here ]
[ full gallery here ]

Here’s another outtake from the current juxtaposition session I am proofing. How creepy!! I usually try for some different types of posing and expressions in these sessions (that’s the point of the fearless bridals) but sometimes I try a concept that just doesn’t work in any way.

(I’ll have photos from this gorgeous bride soon, and you’ll see how amazing she is!)

Sometimes other photographers ask me why I post outtakes and bloopers. They can’t imagine ever showing an image that does not meet their standards of excellence, or one that shows a client in a less than flattering way. While I agree that my responsibility is big, and making fun of the way someone looks in a photo is pretty much wrong in every way, laughing at my OWN bad posing or an in-between expression provides a wonderful relief from life’s seriousness.

Lindsay had quite an adventure planned out for our Juxtaposition shoot. We started at her place in Cambridge and did some really interesting images in the condo lobby area, then walked around Central Square. We then took the red line to Park Street and explored Dowtown Crossing.

It’s amazing how brazen tourists with their tiny cameras and random photographers with their big cameras act when they see a bride walking down the street. The funniest (and most harmless) people are the middle-aged women with cameraphones. In Downtown Crossing we had several photographers actually following us down the street with their cameras; lots of older men who were probably harmless but creeped me out just the littlest bit with their aggressive nonchalence. It was to the point of obnoxiousness where I would intentionally block the shot if someone was following us. I’m probably in a bunch of some dude’s photos he’s trying to pass off as his own set of bridal portraits on a website somewhere.

JUXTAPOSITION.014

bride: Lindsay
photographer: Rachel Hadiashar
hair and makeup: Sarah Bortner
location: private residence,  Central Square (Cambridge MA), MBTA red line, Downtown Crossing (Boston MA)

[ artist selects here ]
[ full gallery ]

Well, we tried to go to Salem and take photos with the tall ship, but it was closed when we got there. So we explored the area around Salem on this windy day and got some beautiful images.

[ view artist selects here ]
[ full gallery ]

JUXTAPOSITION.013

recent bride: Rachael
photographer: Rachel Hadiashar
makeup: Brea Cherne
hair: unknown
location: Salem MA waterfront

Two juxtaposition shoots in one day! I’m working til noon from a hotel room overlooking the Boston city view, and I have to tell you being warm and cozy during the day is a nice change of pace. We live in an old drafty triple decker that will not stay warm, and it’s not very good for efficiency on colder days. So I will take advantage of this editing spurt and tell you about Mikki’s shoot.

Mikki was excited to do her fashion bridal session in Boston’s North End, or Italian district. She and her now-husband Scott used to live there and have many fond memories. We met up at Mike’s Pastries (of course!) since it’s such a landmark, then walked down Hanover Street and toward the Columbus Park waterfront area where Scott proposed.

Peeking through the shelves at Mike’s:

Mikki showed up all tan and glowing and cute with her brand new husband. We did the shoot the day they got back from their honeymoon.

They were doing some construction off Hanover Street, and I love how this looks like Mikki is the toughest, most badass bride in the world. Bride vs. truck.

I think this style is called a Mantilla veil. Is that correct?

JUXTAPOSITION.012
recent bride: Mikki
assisted by: Scott
photographer: Rachel Hadiashar
hair and makeup: Tricia Askew
location: Boston North End – Hanover Street, Mike’s Pastries, Columbus Park

[ artist select images here ]
[ full gallery ]