There are so many different cool spots at Worthington I try to switch it up each time. Yesterday we photographed Sarah and Tyler at the Maple Syrup building, the front barn and the Worming House.

Thanks to the owner of Worthington, Dan Roulier and his two dogs we are given the royal treatment every time we shoot there. And thanks to mother nature for holding off the rain till literally the second we started the car to drive away.

Photography by Matt Branscombe and Mike Ciarleglio
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Last year we managed to pull of HP with only 3 weeks of planning and though we all did a great thing that day things didn’t go very smoothly. This year with many months to plan and some of the most amazing volunteers (You know who you are) we had what could only be described and a 100% successful event. The biggest hurdle we had to overcome was the file handling, editing and printing. Thanks to all who participated in our auction we had a budget to get 2 amazing photo printers which will make every Hep-Portrait from this year forward so much better. We had two volunteers on laptops taking flash cards from the photographers, renaming the files and pushing them to an editor. Thanks to Monte Rudze we had the 2 laptops networked to 4 iMacs connected to the two photo printers. This process was so streamlined that people didn’t have to wait more than 20 minutes for their edited and touched up 8×10 print to be delivered.

We had an amazing team a hair stylists and makeup artists giving ladies the “Royal Treatment” and an outstanding team of 25 photographers working in 6 stations making some of the best portraits you’ve ever seen! Let’s not forget about all the general volunteers who were the backbone of the logistics.

The attendees may have only been able to walk out with one 8×10 that day but there were so many great images made that it would be a shame for those people to not have them as well. Since Dec. 10th I’ve been editing all the rest of the pictures taken in order to deliver the digital files to those attendees who’ve contacted us.

One more time I want to personally thank all the great people who put in so much time to help make a difference in the community.

The final tally for Help-Portrat New Haven 2011
Pictures taken: 4,183
People Photographed: 282
Prints Delivered: 121
Gallons of Hot Chicken Soup: 4
Pizzas: 21
Memories made: Too many to count.

For more information about Help-Portrait New Haven go to www.help-portraitnewhaven.com

To find out more about Help-Portrait or find one in your area go to
www.Help-Portrait.com

Click on an here to download high resolution copies of the photo booth pictures.

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Photography By: Matt Branscombe
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Congratulations! You guys are an awesome couple.
Photography by: Matt Branscombe
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Jaclyn was dead set on walking to the church from her apartment, rain or shine she was walking. The week leading up to the wedding the weather was looking bad and Jaclyn was getting discouraged. I assured her that we would do everything possible to make her wedding day great even with threat of rain looming over us.

We woke up that morning to pouring rain, packed our umbrellas and headed out. We met Jaclyn and her family at her apartment where her little Boston Terrier was tweaking out, jumping all over and trying to get his mouth on everything (including the hanger for Jaclyn’s wedding dress).

I don’t want to take credit for something I had no part in but the rain stopped just in time to walk to the church and going back the last 3 years I’ve never had a wedding completely rained out to where we couldn’t shoot outside at some point. I also may have asked Gil Simmons if he could help with the rain situation.

I really enjoyed the 100 yard walk to the church. I don’t think the scene that was to follow could have been planned any more perfect. As Jaclyn and her family walked down the sidewalk over 100 kids were getting out of school and getting on their buses.

We have yet to get the opportunity to shoot wedding pictures at Yale but thanks to Jaclyn and Richie we were able to shoot at Sterling Memorial Library. Such a cool location. There was so many awesome little intricacies about this building but with limited time we hammered out as many different shots as we could. Two of those shots are already framed on the wall in our front office.

One thing about the reception that I will not likely forget is when I called Richie’s Unkle ugly in order to get him to smile. His brother scares me.
Congratulations Jaclyn + Richie

Photography BY: Matt Branscombe and Mike Ciarleglio
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After an extravagant ceremony we ventured outside for a few quick pictures in the cold wind. It was obvious that the bridal party wasn’t having it but at that moment it seemed like nothing could make Jenna stop smiling. Even with the black cloud of a Snowricane (I heard that on the news) Jenna, Chris and their family’s helped make this an incredible wedding.

Receptions can be fun no matter where they are but add in Polka music (and families who know the Polka) and you are in for a treat. Jenna’s Aunt Natasha is one of my oldest friends, her family and I go way back but I never knew they all knew the Polka (and were so good at it). Then there was the cake cutting… Everything was normal, Chris put cake on Jenna’s nose then Jenna put cake on Chris’s nose and then Jenna went charging at her Aunt Natasha with cake. This would just be funny (and it was) will I was going through the pictures and I realized she basically was an inch away from stabbing Natasha in the face. Lol.

And then, there was the father daughter dance. A moment that could make grown men cry, in fact it did. Professional photographer Mike C., who’s shot over 100 weddings shed a tear when a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps started crying as he danced with his daughter at her wedding.

Congratulations Jenna and Chris
Photography By: Matt Branscombe and Mike Ciarleglio
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Honestly there is so much to write about this wedding I think I might just be better of doing it in bullet points. The following are the most memorable moments and details; Bulldog ring bearer, wild flower bouquets, farm ceremony, sheep, bulls, Jes’s veil flying off into the bull pen, Matt climbing under electric fence to get the veil, Polaroid cameras, hot apple cider in mason jars, Mason Jar wine glasses, cannoli cupcakes, steam punk cupcake topper, 3yr old using iphone to take pictures, my wife was invited and best food ever!

Photography By: Matt Branscombe and Mike Ciarleglio
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We drove almost 2 hours south west from New Orleans to a tiny little town on the edge of the swamp. The tour guide pulled up to the dock in his fan boat, handed all of us ear protection, hopped back into the boat and started it up, all without saying a word. It took no more than 5 minutes before we saw our first alligator and in less than 10 minutes it felt like we were in prehistoric times. This is a place seemingly undisturbed by people. The deeper we went, the more beautiful and strange the scenery became. At every turn, huge Egrets and even bigger Great Blue Herons flew from tree to tree.

About 20 minutes after we left the dock the guide shut off the engine and brought us to a stop in a place that can only be described as “The Middle of No Where”. Finally, Junior spoke (yes his name was Junior), oddly enough we had great conversation with him and really learned a lot.

I’ve seen some really amazing places in my life but this so far was the most spectacular. I don’t think my images will really do it justice.

Photography By: Matt Branscombe
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