Downtown St. Pete with Carolyn

Mike Ossola — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:32 +0000

Now this was a fun day. My good friend Jose and I made our way downtown to meet up with Carolyn Lauttenbach, a very talented local musician and long-time friend. We parked on Beach Drive and scouted for some shooting locations. Jose provided some awesome behind the scenes shots throughout the day :)

Meet Jose!

Our first location perfectly matched Carolyn’s dress. Let’s shoot!

It’s amazing what you can do with one light!

We decided to have some fun with the GIANT tree. If you’ve ever been near the St. Pete Pier, you will know what I’m talking about.

I think this shot is great because it was not posed at all and I really dig the expression. She sat down and I snapped a photo. Perfect.

The weather was phenomenal

After we got these images, it was time for more location scouting. We drove around town looking for an alley that fit the look Carolyn was going for. I had a lot of fun with this because it tested me as a photographer and that’s ALWAYS a positive thing. Check out these behind the scenes and then the final shot!

That’s me crouching by the tree haha ninja-paparazzi style

The result:

Food and drinks after the shoot! I was clearly exhausted lol.

The Wedding of Vanessa & Nate Griffin

Mike Ossola — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:00:51 +0000

Saturday, March 27th, 2010 in Clearwater, FL

Nate and I go way back. “Middle School-way back” if you will. So I was nothing short of thrilled when he called me up out of the blue and asked me if I would be his wedding photographer. We hadn’t spoke to each other in over 10 years! Life’s little miracles never cease to amaze me.

The whole wedding was just beautiful from beginning to end. I started off with Vanessa and her friends as they got ready for the big day.

They had some beautiful live music. I’m still not even sure what instrument this is.

There will always be an adorable baby at a wedding. I guarantee it.

Here comes the bride!

I love this shot because I can really feel his emotions. They both teared up during the ceremony.

Nate’s mother stood up in prayer. I’m really glad I captured that moment.

This is just too good haha :D

Blue Steel!

Introducing the newlyweds!

Before all the dancing started, the guys needed to take care of some business. They are doing exactly what you think.

Now these are two very happy people…

It started off seemingly innocent…right?

WRONG!!!

…and the retaliation lol

The “Elaine” dance from Seinfeld. She was dead on.

No words for this one.

According to Nate, this picture is “what being all marrified looks like”

I absolutely love this one.

Congratulations, Nate & Vanessa! I wish you two the very best.

Image Published on Tampa Bay Times!

Mike Ossola — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:30:51 +0000

Check it out!

http://blogs.tampabay.com/tbt/2010/02/artist-of-the-day-from-this-fire.html

2010

Mike Ossola — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:52:04 +0000

2009 was one of the most amazing years of my life. There were so many incredible new experiences, new friends, ups and downs. What I got from it all is a new outlook on literally every aspect of my life. I took control and transformed my life. I’m doing what I love to do. My passion is photography. I am a photographer.

2010…This is my year

From This Fire – Live at Pegasus Lounge in Tampa, FL

Mike Ossola — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:00:19 +0000

Straight up their best performance ever…and one of the best I’ve ever seen by any band.

From This Fire – Redefining Rock

Mike Ossola — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:54:05 +0000

Now this is a band that loves what they do, and even more importantly, they do it very well. Meet From This Fire. These guys put on a live show that’s just as good as the cd…seriously…and that’s what makes a good band (for me). I can’t stand seeing a band live for the first time, after falling in love with their cd, only to be let down. From This Fire just rocks, and I’m proud to have been a part of their debut cd release. I’ve been working with them for some time now, shooting live shows as well as images in their cd booklet! I didn’t do the CD cover, but I did all the other shots you see here. I’m stoked to finally have the finished product. The production value of the music is just awesome. Just to be clear, FTF had no influence on my writing this blog. I’m doing it because they’re a killer local band and deserve the support. Their cd can be found on Amazon iTunes & for the physical copy go here.

For those who don’t know, this was my second time being published in a cd booklet. The first one was with Dallas Marlow, an amazingly talented musician who now resides in Miami. These are some of those shots.

Fun at Coachman Park

Mike Ossola — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:00:13 +0000

Why hello windy, cold, cloudy 9am morning after Christmas. Let’s do a family portrait! Jamie, a friend from high school, told me that her whole family would be getting together for the holidays and needed a portrait. I gladly accepted the gig. Despite the bad weather and my initial nervousness (18 people and you can be a little intimidating), we had an amazing experience and turned out some great images :-D They were all awesome people and made it really enjoyable for me.

Here are some shots :)

Meet Jamie & Jayson!

Beth & Asher – Wedding Bliss

Mike Ossola — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:00:48 +0000

Beth & Asher were married on December 12th, 2009 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. It was a beautiful wedding. I was excited to be a part of it because I am also a UCF alumnus. Jared Clemons (awesome photographer & great long-time friend) and I teamed up to shoot it. Here are my favorite photos from the wedding!

The UCF Golden Knight took an oath to protect Beth’s dress :-D

I LOVE this picture because it has a story behind it. Asher & Beth use to sit in that very spot on campus and drink coffee, and they really wanted to recreate those moments.

Look at the guy ducking, as well as Asher’s face! Haha priceless!

Thanks to Jared Clemons for these beautiful photo ideas!