My friend Kari was looking for a unique way to commemorate her first wedding anniversary, so we decided to do a “trash the dress” shoot in Florida.
The thought process behind TTD is that it’s better to get your wedding dress dirty and make some great photos instead of hanging it up in a closet never to be seen again. In most cases, the dress can be cleaned to look like new afterwards.
We found a secluded spot in a park by the ocean in Dania Beach and spent a few hours making photos. Kari was a great subject and was willing to lie on some uncomfortable rocks.
(Nikon D3, 70-200 lens, 1/6400 sec, F/4, 400 ISO)
She wore a mermaid-style wedding dress, so I thought it was appropriate to have her pose against the splashing water like a certain Disney princess.
(Nikon D3, 70-200 lens, 1/1200 sec, F/4, 200 ISO)
Then it was time to really get the dress dirty. I had her lie in the water so I could show the contrast of the white dress against the dark sand.
(Nikon D700, 14-24 lens, 1/1600 sec, F/5.6, 200 ISO)
After we finished with the dress, Kari changed into a bikini. She’s six feet tall with an athletic build like Gabrielle Reece, so I did a low-angle “hero” shot up on the rocks.
(Nikon D700, 14-24 lens, 1/1600 sec, F/5.6, 200 ISO)
To make the final photo, I added an SB-800 flash with a Pocket Wizard for wireless triggering at camera left. I put a warming gel on it and dialed in a tungsten white balance to make the sky turn deep blue.
(Nikon D700, 14-24 lens, 1/250 sec, F/8, 200 ISO, gelled SB-800 strobe at camera left)
The sun was completely gone about five minutes later — right when the beach security officer showed up and kicked us out of the park.