DWF Member Jay Philbrick has busted out his climbing gear once again and scored some amazing photos as a result. So why shoot a bride on a cliff? To quote Jay…

Maybe because it’s there, to quote Mallory. Why not?

I had to ask Jay the question we all wanted to know. Who’s idea was this?

My idea. The next one, with the couple hanging a la cliffhanger is also my idea but the couple approached me and said they wanted to do something that would out do that shot of the couple on the cliff that I did on the cliff a couple years ago. The cliffhanger shot is what I really wanted to do back then, but it started to rain. This year’s couple is training to see how long he can hold on to her with one hand. I’m asking for 20 seconds. They are coming up in a couple weeks for a dry run, neither are climbers.

It’s not your first trip up the side of a cliff for a picture of a girl in a dress, are you becoming known as that mountain climbing wedding photographer?

I’m fully booked this season and have raised my rates. My portrait and boudoir business has really started to take off and I think a lot of it is due to the high vis of some of my location images. Clients approach me because they saw the images of the bride in the well, the couple of the cliff, the dancer leaping over Mt. Washington, or the boudoir in the forest. They want something different and exciting. Uncle Bob will never be able to do these images. You can’t imagine how hard it was to get Justin up in that tree and I thought I was going to need to be rescued (not quite) when I got hopelessly stuck halfway to the ledge helping our guide set up. Not many people are willing to put that much effort into an image, but I love it. Many people may even want to have such images. But, those who do, come to me.

What did the client think?

The client for this recent cliff shot can’t believe it. Clients get way more out of these sessions than just the images. They get an incredible, exciting experience and an incredible story to tell (if they survive!). The word of mouth I get can’t be beat. It’s all about the experience. She’s not a bride but agreed to put the dress on at the end of our session. I put her up there for dance shots but thought I could also do some bridals. You should have seen her and the guide getting her into the dress on the ledge with all the ropes, harnesses, etc.! I’ve just started a dance project in my portrait business where I take dance clients to places one wouldn’t ordinarily dance, abandoned buildings, cliff sides, underpasses, etc. and this session was to kick this off with a bang.

Want to see more Jay? Read our featured member interview with him now. Oh and I almost forgot. The lighting guy!

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