"Trash the Dress" Photographer Series: Richard Esposito

Just as many photographers have different takes on wedding day photography they also have differing views on the concept of "Trash the Dress". See what the concept of Trash the Dress means to Richard and check out some photos below! KM

How do you define the concept of Trash the Dress? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to the bride?
On the wedding day the bride is always so careful not to get her dress dirty. I find most of my clients don't know what to do with their dress after the wedding. They can preserve it, but I don't know many that do. Some of my clients put their dress on ebay or craigslist! But wait! Why not be photographed in the dress some more and have some fun with it? To me it means more "cool" photos that's thinking outside the box. To my clients, it means more "cool" photos that's thinking outside the box. We even do some non trash the dress photos just so they have more photos for their album.

How about the actual "trashing"? Is this getting down and dirty with paint or mud or is it just getting more into the moment, something you wouldn't attempt the day of your wedding?
It's a little of both. I've only had 1 client say to me "let's trash it". And we did with dirt and mud. Most people are opting for a "Mess the Dress" session where they want the cool photos, but still want to preserve the dress.

Why do you do it? Why do you think the bride does it?
I do it to take my mind out of the box. Some of the poses and ideas we come up with can translate to new ideas on the wedding day. Anytime you can take yourself out of the normal way of doing things, it helps fuel the creativity.

How do you approach the session? Do you provide the ideas or does the bride present her own ideas or in other words, what is your vision compared to the bride's vision?
What do you like to achieve during the session?
So far my brides have give me some ideas of what they want, then they ask me what ideas I have. We usually do both. My brides leave the vision up to me. I want to achieve creating an image that doesn't just say "you got your dress dirty." I want it to be a piece of art.

And we have the same questions for Boudoir...


How do you define the concept of Boudoir photos? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to the bride?
Some photographers go for sexy, steamy, or sensuous photos. You have to know where the line is and how far you can go before it's considered too much. I find most brides do them as a gift to their fiancé.

Why do you do it? Why do you think the bride does it?
We don't do them because we feel it doesn't fit our type of client. We don't want a prospective bride to be offended by images on our website, or have the idea that it's what we think about when we photograph them. I feel I have to think that because I am a male shooter. One of my clients asked if I did them and I told her I would be more than happy to, but that they would probably feel more comfortable having a female photographer do the shoot. They agreed and I referred them.

Richard Esposito
Phone: 203.676.3527
Website: www.photographer-re.com
Blog: www.photographer-re.info
Email: re@photographer-re.com
myKPW State and Budget: CT $80k+