To start off, here are a few words from Christy (the Trash the Dress Bride):

"We got married in Miami, FL last year and had a traditional photographer that took beautiful images of our wedding day. However, he failed to capture the spark that my husband and I share. So for our one year anniversary, my husband surprised me with a shoot by Ross James Photography! We flew all the way from Florida to Washington with my wedding dress in tow and had an experience of a lifetime. The pictures were so amazing I could not believe it was us! My husband always seems to close his eyes during pictures and he never looks like himself, but with Ross and Melissa we felt so comfortable that each picture really did capture him as himself instead of a posed, stiff person. Thank you Ross and Melissa for capturing one of the most special times in our lives and for allowing us to leave a legacy for our children. You've gen us a way for them to know us and catch a glimpse of who we were at this special time in our lives. This trip was worth every mile traveled."

Commentary by Melissa of Ross James Photography:

"I couldn't have said it better! Ross and I were AMAZED and EXCITED when Carlos contacted us about surprising Christy with a one year anniversary "Trash the Dress" session in Seattle, WA. We were amazed because they lived in Florida, and excited because Christy was one of my (Melissa's) college roommates! And since it was such an event for them they chose our 6 hour session."

This is a TTD shoot that I captured on Captiva Island, Florida. It just so happened that a sailboat got washed ashore during a storm which made a great prop for my shoot. Lucky for me I got some great shots. Unfortunately for the owner the sailboat was unrecoverable.

We asked each of them to submit a profile pic and a bio to introduce themselves to our readers. So please help us welcome them!

First, Charise Proctor from California. Check out her amazing work at www.photographybycharise.com

(Profile Pic by www.jenharrisphotography.com )

I am horrible at writing about myself. So horrible that I literally have sat staring at the computer screen for a good hour, I will type a few sentences and then delete and attempt to start again. So rather than write a little paragraph about me I thought this little thing floating around the blog world would be better. And to be honest, its much more me....casual, simple and to the point :).

I AM andhellip; a wife, a mother, a friend and a photographer.

I WANTandhellip; to laugh...alot...daily.

I HAVE andhellip; a wonderfully supportive husband and family.

I KEEP andhellip; everything.

I WISH I COULD andhellip; show my gratitude for making my dream a possibility.

I HATE andhellip; getting up before 9am. I FEAR andhellip; failure

I HEAR andhellip; my daughter singing...such a precious sound.

I DONandrsquo;T THINK andhellip;. there is ever too much reality TV...I'm a junkie what can I say.

I REGRET andhellip; not pursuing my passion earlier in life.

I LOVE andhellip; shooting people in love...I'm a hopeless romantic.

I AM NOT andhellip; good at saying no.

I DANCE andhellip; like nobody is watching....preferably when nobody really is watching.

I SING andhellip; as loud as I possible whenever I drive by myself (I so belong on that hidden camera show where people sing in their cars to themselves).

I NEVER andhellip; want to loose touch with my drive to succeed.

I RARELY andhellip; take life too seriously.

I CRY WHEN I WATCH andhellip; pretty much anything, I'm a sucker for a good drama or love story.

I AM NOT ALWAYS andhellip; a good house wife.

I HATE THAT andhellip; everything that is so yummy is so bad for me.

Iandrsquo;M CONFUSED ABOUT andhellip; why the Internet is so addicting.

I NEED andhellip; a few more hours in the day.

I SHOULD andhellip; get back to editing. And one extra...cause thats how I do it,

I AM ... SUPER excited to be a part of the Trash the Dress team and cant wait to share some of the amazing talent that is out in the photography world with all of you!

We are also thrilled to bring aboard a long time TTD contributor, Kara Pennington! Check out her amazing work at www.karapennington.com

Hi everyone! I am so excited to become a part of the TTD and DBUI team! My husband and I are wedding photographers based in Jacksonville, FL . . . our style is modern, artistic, and fun. We definitely love what we do and being able to work together is a blast. Please feel free to check out our work on our site (www.karapennington.com) and our blog (www.karapennington.net). I am excited to talk with you all more soon!

God Bless, Jeremy and Kara

This was one of those shoots that just happened on the spur of the moment.. My fiancee and I were heading to Gulf Shores to shoot a wedding on the beach and I was REALLY wanting to do one of these "trash the dress" sessions. Having met with the bride and groom, I could already tell that it was NOT something they were interested in doing. :-) So being the lucky man that I am and having the oh-so willing lady by my side.. I threw the idea at her and in an instant she's PUMPED! So, we finally make it to the beach and now it's shopping time! After searching in several stores, we finally find this cute white dress for $90! We didn't want to spend a fortune because we knew it would be "trashed"! When we get back to our hotel, I was feeling a little bit discouraged because there were some major storms moving in. Nevertheless, we get everything ready and head out to the waters... and wow, it turned out being one of my favorite shoots...not only because I was shooting the woman of my dreams but also just because of the weather that day. The wind was so powerful, the sky had a gloomy darkness about it, and I was camera-ready! It's really an honor to be featured here on "Trash the Dress". The only thing that I would've changed about this shoot is to use some type of protective casing on my camera because I ended up getting sand in my release button and had to send it off for repairs! But hey, it was all well worth it right! :-)

Richard and Amy have very kindly donated their complete set of Vintage actions and textures. This is an amazing prize and a very generous donation. To view the sets and some example images, please visit the following links: {Vintage Actions I and II + Vintage Textures I and II}

To win this great prize, we'd like you to send us your take on the theme RED.

Remember, Don't Box Us In, is all about creativity so we're looking for an artistic and inspiring image to win this great prize.

Your entry needs to be uploaded to our new Flickr group so if you don't yet have a Flickr account, now's the time to register for one! After the competiton deadline, the DBUI admin will pick out 20 of their favorite images to go on DBUI and you, the readers, get the chance to vote for the winning image.

Rules:

Two entries person. If more than two entries are posted, all entries from that photographer will be disqualifed.

No identifying marks, logos or branding on the image.

Images must be uploaded to our new Flickr group and not emailed directly to us. Sign up to Flickr here.

Deadline: The contest will run until the 30th September 2008 before moving across to Don't Box Us In for a public vote.

Although RED is an open theme we ask that no offensive images are entered into the contest. Any images deemed to be obscene will be deleted.

Many thanks again to Red Leaf Studios and we look forward to viewing your RED entries!

Below is a short interview with Kimberly and her super-fun images. Be sure to check out her website and her blog for even more funness!

Melody: Hey Kimberly, who, or what, is inspirational to you?

Kimberly: I have been inspired by Nichole Van and Rochelle Westgarde. Their work, particularly their trash the dress sessions are phenomenal. I have also been inspired by my environment. The first images in my TTD session were done on a piece of private property with some older "barn" like buildings that I have been eyeing for over two years. I love the texture of the wood and the colors surrounding them.

Melody: Your images are so much fun! What do you think about the whole "Trash the Dress" movement?

Kimberly: I LOVE the idea of trashing the dress. These are the type of images that I would want as a bride, but would never do in my gown before or at my wedding. But to do them after the wedding? What a fabulous way to make your beautiful gown timeless!

Melody: Tell me about this particular Trash The Dress session.

Kimberly: This trash the dress session was the result of a recent "model search". I had some ideas for a session like this and really wanted the artistic license to just go out and play and do what I wanted to do. So I sent out a newsletter looking for a group of girlfriends willing to trash their gowns and spend a day doing it. Two of the models were clients of mine already who found three other friends who were ready for some fun. They came to my studio early one Saturday and were ready for anything. Not only did we get some great images of them individually, but we did a number of groups shots too. Those were some of my favorites. In fact, I'm thinking that it would be fun to offer sessions like this for girlfriends who want to go out and do this together. It was a great experience with LOTS of laughter and a fun filled afternoon.

Melody: Sounds amazing! On the technical side, what three pieces of gear could you never live without?

Kimberly: Well, for this session I tried out two new lenses. And even though I don't own them YET, I think it would be safe to say I cannot live without the 70-200mm 2.8 and the 14mm 2.8. SO FUN! I love my grey card, silly little thing, but very handy. And I couldn't do any of this without my Canon 5D.

Awesome Kimberly! Thanks for the fun interview, the fun photos, and your fun personality! Here's one last fun photo to wrap it up!

Date: Oct. 7-8

Location: Dallas, Texas

Who: JVS and Anne

Name: 2 Day Lighting and Portrait Workshop

What: Electronic flash in a portrait environment

This 2 Day Lighting and Portrait Workshop with JVS and Anne will take you from being timid with strobes to understanding the ins and outs of lighting techniques with small strobes and monolights. Explore the world of light with JVS through multiple demonstrations and hands-on learning. You will become familiar with using your own strobes, multiple strobes and have the chance to use Alien Bees in studio and on location. Anne will help you breathe fresh air into your portraits by offering ideas on how to control your portrait session with unique results. JVS and Anne are excited to have several awesome Workshop sponsors! For more information please visit http://www.jvspictures.com/2day

If you are a current member of the TTD referral listing (even if you were on the old site) you can click here for more information.

We are also opening up a very limited amount of invitations for Sponsored Photographers to become Founding Members of Modern Photographers. If you have attended a workshop or seminar this year that made a serious impact on your career as a photographer- you may be eligable for sponsorship and a reduced rate, click here for more details. (Especially if you have attended a Bebbinar, Leavin Las Vegas, or Revolution with Jason Groupp).

Step into the now!

Photographers, if you haven't checked out Photography Mentor, do yourself a huge favor and block off time this week to sign up for their free playground- and get your learn on. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to take their business to the next level.

The staff of Photography Mentor is hosting a one day seminar in Las Angeles on 9/8/08 for only $39! Check it out!

Four Mentors reveal the Truths about the Photography Industry, and challenge you to Stand out. Learn the "Truths" about how to Book the Big jobs, get published, Stand out amongst a sea of Photographers, and run a successful Photography Business. You know each of these photographers for different reasons. Now they come together to give you the Truth behind their individual success.

• Carlos Baez :: "Fashion Fusion Icon" shows you how to create stunning Fashion images for brides
• Sara France ::"Apple Featured Photographer" tells you how to run your business from anywhere
• Dane Sanders :: "Author: Fast Track Photographer" tells you how to stand out amongst a sea of Photographers
• Robert Evans :: "Celebrity Photogapher" tells you how he books the big jobs

For one day only, you have a chance to learn from four top professionals, together.

Join us Monday, September 8, 2008 in Los Angeles from 1-6 PM.
(Walking distance from Pictage Partner Conference, LA!!!)

Following The Total Truth Seminar, Me Ra Koh will be hosting a women only event from 7-9pm, "More than Emotion: The Undercurrents of Feminine Wisdom." (READ MORE)

Cast your nominees via Twitter!

1st, sign up to follow Modernphotogs.

Then, send a reply to us by typing "@modernphotogs" in your text. Tell us your 3 choices (heck, list up to 10 if you want to). Your opinion matters, and we want to hear from you!

Chris writes:

Ok, here's the deal on the SoCal Fall Trash Bash....Sunday, October 26 March Air Force Base Museum, Riverside 4-7pm shooting time $75 per photographer (limit 15)

We will be shooting at the March AFB museum, with full access to all the old planes, both military and civilian. Should make for a really cool set. We have the place from 4pm - 7pm, however we'll have the brides and makeup artists arrive about 2:30pm to do makeup in the parking lot. We'll have three hours to shoot (the museum closes at 4 so we have the place to ourselves), which will take us a half hour past sunset, giving us some GREAT light and a chance to use some off-camera lighting if you so choose. The fee is $75 per photographer, paid in advance, and covers the fees to shoot at this location, plus pay for the makeup artists and some refreshments for everyone to enjoy. There is a limit of 15 photographers, so it's first-come first serve. A refund of your $75 can be made up until a week before, or if you have to cancel later than that, we can refund if we are able to find a replacement photog. We're looking for photographers to contact their past brides to help bring extra models. Once you have contacted a bride that will be interested, I'll have you send me their contact info so I can arrange the specifics and send timelines. Otherwise, many of you know how this works, and how fun these things are, so I suggest you get in touch with me asap!

If you are interested, please send me your contact info through this contact page. Also include your address and cell phone number. I will create a paypal invoice for you to pay the photographer fee. Respond on the opensourcephoto.com "OSP West" forum if you have any questions or suggestions. Start thinking of costumes and props too... Think the movie "Catch Me if you Can" and Top Gun. Old travel trunks and suitcases, flight jackets, cool pilot sunglasses, etc.

Here are some pics from previous SoCal Trash Bashes:

(on a side note, TTD recommends two forums for photographers looking to grow and learn. One is OSP (listed above). The other is Digital Wedding Forum. Both are great resources!

Melanie writes:

As a bride, i have to admit I was more excited about the TTD photos than the day of wedding photos. I spent nights dreaming of the adventure of picking a beautiful exotic location and how it would feel to be standing in the middle of the ocean in my wedding dress with my husband.

My Trash the Dress photo session was shot by the talented MangoRed team from the Philippines and it started on location at the Ritz Carlton, Bali. The session took an adventurous turn as we ventured into an isolated limestone quarry. We were surrounded by cliffs and cattles and the stunning backdrop, warm sun, island breeze, and seclusion were the perfect ingredients for an amazing photo session. As the sun began to set, we headed over to Jimbaran Beach where the real dress trashing began. We finished the shoot by having the bride jump into the hotel pool in the middle of the night. It was an incredible adventure and the highlight of my destination wedding in Bali!